2022 review

2022 was a busy year for most people, myself included. I had some notable highlights in work, family, and travel. I've been meaning to do some long-form writing for a while, so I decided to take some time to reflect on the last year and document the events and lessons.

Work

The last year at ArenaNet has been whirlwind. A little background: I've been a web developer at ArenaNet for 10 years, which is strange to say. It's the longest I've worked at one place, and definitely longer than the norm in this industry/era.

3rd expansion

In February we released the 3rd expansion for Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons. This was a huge deal. Our first expansion launch since the start of Covid, working from home, and since the the layoffs in 2019.

Steam

This year we also finally launched Guild Wars 2 on Steam! This project had been in development for years, and for a while I wasn't sure it would ever go live. The last few days before launch were hectic, but the launch couldn't have been smoother for players.

New hire

Our team also grew this year, from 2 to 3 web devs (including myself). A small team by any measure, but the impact 1 additional person can make is remarkable. The 2 of us had finally gotten through the tough adjustment after losing 2/3rds of the team in back in 2019, so adding an additional head at this time meant we could finally take on some new work and improvements.

Lead

Our team structure changed shortly after Steam launch - I would now be the lead of the web team. I was already the senior member of the web team, so this felt like more of a title change than role change, but I was glad to receive recognition for my work.

I wrote a more in-depth review of work in 2022 here.

Biking

I got out quite a bit this year, a little over 850km. My longest ride was to Victoria BC... well really only to Port Angeles, then the ferry to Victoria. More about that here.

I also got a new (used) bike for shorter trips in the city. One that isn't made to be loaded up with 30+kg of camping gear. It'd great for coffee runs, or really any trip where I don't need to carry more than what can fit in a small frame bag/backpack.

Music

Not much to report on sadly. I've been having a hard time finding motivation to work on music. I need a solid block of time where I can really focus on it, and not worry about other distractions... Another way to say that I lack the discipline.

I did finally buy a new digital piano. A Yamaha CP4 Stage, and I really like it. The keybed is a little lighter than the stiff/spongy keys of the KX-88 I replaced. It sounds great, and meets the main reason for replacing the KX-88: playing piano is just a power switch away - no futzing with midi/sound modules.

I have a handful of songs that are 99% ready to release, and I will do that this year. I also have plans for a few other projects, but nothing to share right now.

Travel

This year my wife and I were able to travel more than the previous couple years, including 2 trips to Ontario and a long-awaited trip to Japan.

Japan

We bought tickets shortly after Japan announced they would finally re-open their borders to foreign travelers on October 11.

We stayed in the Dogenzaka district of Shibuya in Tokyo. It's walking distance to Shibuya scramble, endless restaurants and shopping, and to a main trainline making it easy to get anywhere.

The timing was lucky and we were there in time for Halloween. It was the first time since Covid that people were expected to come out and party in the street. That night the streets were slammed with costumes, so we roamed the city taking it all in.

The next morning we on the news that 67 people died in a crowd crush in Seoul.

We also spent 3 days outside the city and rode the train to Fukushima. It's an area that's mostly repaired, both physically and spiritually, from the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011. Fukushima was primarily a region of agriculture, and it's been a challenge for them to dispel concerns of radiation in their produce.

Ontario

We took 2 trips to Ontario this year; once in summer and once at Christmas.

For the summer trip we were invited to stay a week at the cottage the friends of my parents own. It was on Lake Joseph north of the Muskokas, a large cottage region in Ontario.

The second half of the trip was sidelined, as some projects needed more attention than expected.

so it was good to make a second trip out over Christmas. It was lucky we made it at all; thousands of flight had been cancelled for weather in the days before and after our flight. I stayed for 2 weeks, and got to help out with a bunch of projects around the parents place.

Victoria

I also had 2 impromptu trips to Victoria, to meet up with 2 separate groups of friends who were both on the island for work.

For the first trip I drove, and we went out to Tofino. It's a long drive but certainly worth it. The town reminds me of a ski town, like a small Whistler, but for surfers. Great restaurants and beautiful scenery.

On the second trip I biked out to Port Angeles over 2 days, then took the ferry across to Victoria. Friends and I toured around the west side of the island. They'd lived there for around 10 years, and had moved away only recently, so it a lot of reminiscing together.

2023

I started this year by writing a list of "ridiculous goals" after seeing someone tweet about it. The idea was to be bold with your goal setting, and to not limit yourself. Writing more was on that list, so I'm making progress.