As I sit down to reflect on my online activities in November and December, I realise that I didn’t post a summary for November and, to be honest, I was reluctant to do so for December as well. I’m not sure why, but perhaps it’s simply because I couldn’t find any meaningful insights to share. Throughout this period, my social media channels have become a bit calm. On Instagram, my posts have been infrequent, even the stories barely made it onto my profile. On Mastodon, I shared fewer photographs than usual, yet I managed to post more often than on Instagram – well thanks to the interaction that made it less like a oneway communication.
Let me provide you with an overview of what has been happening lately:
Office Life …
In mid-November, both my wife and I were notified that our companies (yes, both! independently) had declared a 50% Return to Office ratio for 2025. While I won’t delve into all the details, I can say this situation left much to be desired, draining a significant amount of energy from me. (I’m still quite upset to be honest!)
Our Trip to Vienna and the Consequences
However, at the end of November, we took a short trip to the city of Vienna, Austria. It turned out to be an amazing experience, and I encourage you to check out the blog posts and photographs from that trip! But for a price: In December my main focus was to recover from a particularly bad cold. The weather conditions in Vienna had taken their toll: Cold in the shade, warmer in the sun, a bit of a chilly wind and lots of crowded public transport. A recipe for a cold. Luckily, the weather here was also often cold and wet, making it less than pleasant for walking. To make matters worse, I caught another cold very soon after the first, luckily not as bad as before. Now, as we approach the Christmas holidays, we are almost back to normal.
New Hardware!
Now, just in time for the Christmas holidays, our new PCs have arrived! I have spent the last two days transferring data and setting up the new machines. It feels incredibly refreshing to finally have access to newer equipment! The last few weeks/months have made it imperative to upgrade the equipment (after … about a decade): Some graphics programs started refusing to update on the old hardware due to the lack of modern video codecs, the upcoming end of support for Windows 10, and yes, also the performance (or well, the lack of it) in photo- and video-editing made it imperative to upgrade. I’m really looking forward to getting in toich with the new performance!
Finally, I am beginning to regain my enthusiasm for photography and walking and look forward to reigniting these passions. I am really starting to miss being outdoors! Stay tuned, we’ll have some adventures together very soon again!