Today, let's not talk about technology. Let's review some recent changes and feelings, from having a job to not having a job and then having a job again.
I didn't originally want to write about it, but I decided to do so in order to remember my own feelings. And I realized that my desire to express and share my feelings with the outside world varies depending on the stage I am in.
The end with my former employer#
I have many fond memories with my former employer, and I learned and progressed quickly there. I started working as a web worker there. I was very happy at first. The situation changed quickly, and it became difficult. My department was eliminated, and the boss I collaborated with was gone. I continued to stay because I was still useful. I did some miscellaneous tasks afterwards until the end.
"Xinbao, can we talk downstairs when you have time?" my boss's boss said in a message on the company's WeChat. We went out together, waited for the elevator, and had a brief conversation. It became clear that I should leave.
Okay. My collaboration with my former employer came to an end.
During that period of time, I had already entered a period of slacking off. The rhythm of each process, such as the source of requirements, requirement breakdown, and coding, was not as comfortable as before. There were a few times when I came home and said, "Would it be better for my physical and mental health if I quit my job?" My wife couldn't be without a job either. I wasn't strongly against it, and I found other things to divert my attention, so I continued.
I completed the resignation process, and I was quite happy. I had some books and electronic materials that I wanted to read. I just had to wait for the last day.
This corresponds to the things mentioned in [[10-Otto What have you been busy with lately, and what are your plans?]].
Starting to rest#
After officially starting to rest, I did some things that I wanted to do before. I organized some necessary operations for podcasting into the mp3-meta command line tool, and I also created a simple full-stack management platform and preview page. Especially when I was writing the management platform, my mindset was different from when I was working. I didn't have the same sense of urgency.
It was hot in the summer, and I thought about having to keep the air conditioner on at home. I went to nearby KFC, McDonald's, and the library. I became familiar with the faces of the people who went there to study without ordering anything.
Later, there was a promotion at the mall where you could get a nice mountain bike by applying for a credit card. It had multiple gears, although it couldn't compare to an electric bike in terms of speed and distance. But I was happy riding it. It felt good to pedal and explore the parks in Beijing. There are many great parks in Beijing, and I visited many of them.
The leaves were green at that time, and the parks were full of greenery. I didn't have to wait for the weekends to go because I didn't have to go to work. I tried running in many places, mostly exploring the boundaries and seeing new things.
Afterwards, I found that there were many offline activities, both paid and free. I participated in many of them.
I attended the offline Apache technology conference and unexpectedly ran into a colleague from my former employer. We had a meal together and chatted. I also attended the platform engineering conference.
I also attended offline stand-up comedy shows and comedy specials. I had seen many clips on TikTok, but the offline experience was truly unique. The famous actors I saw on TV were still out of reach.
Later, when my wife finished her exams, we stayed at my father-in-law's house for a while. We ate and slept on schedule every day, like pigs.
After returning to Beijing, I binge-read Elon Musk's biography. I couldn't put it down and finished it in less than 24 hours.
I decided to spend a few days in Zibo. Zibo is where I spent four years in university. At that time, I didn't need to study much, so I explored many places in Zibo and expanded my knowledge. It was late September, exactly ten years after I first went to Zibo. It was a dream come true to revisit that journey with my wife.
I had been to many places in Zibo, and I didn't expect this small city to become a tourist destination. My college roommate Shuangpan stayed in Zibo after graduation and started a small company. We met up and visited many places together.
We also went to Rizhao and Zibo together for my roommate Weijin's wedding.
I felt really good at the red-themed wedding. It was rare for me to visit Rizhao, so we explored the area. On the way back, we couldn't get train tickets to Beijing, so we had a big meal in Zibo. It was raining and cloudy at the time, and the colorful lights were slowly scattering in the clouds, making the sky bright. It was like seeing colorful darkness that was as bright as daylight.
On the way back to Beijing, I received a job offer. I was also satisfied with the job content, so I decided to start working again.
102 days of gap, I hope everything goes smoothly in the future.
Review#
Looking back on this interesting story, I was hesitant at first, but when I looked at my phone's photo album, many memories came back, and I wrote it all in one go. It's important to take more photos.
This is the story of my 102-day gap, and my feelings: satisfied!