Let this blog post serve as some kind of preamble and content warning. So first things first, what you read in this blog are my personal opinions, yada yada. I’ll split it into sections about what I think is important to remark on and what I will publish. I’ll also probably get back to this post and update it if needed.
Being personal
I’ve pondered for a very long time about starting a blog. I’ve thought long and through about the kind of content I’d publish, what I’d avoid, and so on. Should I do it science-related? Or focus on one of my many hobbies? Shall I write in Spanish or English? Probably, the only thing that was clear from the beginning is that I had no plans on “monetizing my time”. If I were to write a personal blog, it would be just for my enjoyment and those that could find it interesting.
Ok, maybe monetizing was not the only one. One more thing that was clear to me is that it had to feel personal. The blogs I like the most are those that make it personal. I think that’s the magic of blogging: you can open your mind to the audience and show it as it is. No filters, and no need to be objective. It’s not journalism, at least not in the sense journalism should be. And let’s be honest. Even journalism should feel kind of personal. Obviously, fact-based, but personal. And well, fact-based journalism doesn’t seem like a given nowadays, which is very sad. Anyways, back to why I feel like I need to make it personal. By being me, with my quirks and ways, I establish a kind of connection, a “magic circle” between you and me. The writing becomes more intimate, more akin to sitting at a cafe talking about what I find interesting.
So after many years, I decided, “hell no, I’m not going to keep waiting”. Too much thinking into it kept me from writing, and I was really missing not putting out all these thoughts. So I’ll start writing about what I like, and I’ll do it personally. And maybe someone out there finds it worth reading.
Scientific life
I work as a scientist. That was my passion when studying and after all these years I still find it fascinating. It’s also what I know most about, and if I write or talk about science, I do it knowing what I publish. When I write science I don’t write personal opinions, I publish facts. Of course, I will still drop some opinions here and there, but those will be labeled as that. Fact-based writing is the most important part of discussing science, and when I write about a topic I will include links and references to relevant material, so that you, dear reader, can go and check my sources.
I will also discuss the tools of the trade. This can be the software I use for my work, tools/hardware I use in the lab or pipelines that I use for my research. I think this will be the most interesting to other scientists, but many of the tools are useful outside of research. So even if don’t do research, you might find some tips and tools you might like to try and incorporate into your tool belt. Also, circling to the first header, I’ll imbue my posts with a personal touch. Even if you’ll never run a PCR, you might have fun having a sneak peek at what I do on the bench.
Every now and then I’ll also just link to other’s work and research. I’ll quote and properly cite those, so if you think it might be interesting you can go and read the sources. For those cases, the disclaimer will always be: Citing/quoting doesn’t mean endorsing. I might post a link to something I don’t agree with, but I find the controversy or discussion interesting. When linking and/or quoting, I will always try to add one or two lines summarizing my thoughts, so that you can check my stance on the topic.
My other joys
I love many things. Most of them keep my brain sharp in one way or another, some are just ways to have fun. I have many things to say about my hobbies that have not been said before, and more importantly, are my own opinions and personal views. If I write about the last game I played (be it tabletop or video game), the last TV show or movie I’ve watched, or the last book I’ve read, whatever I write about them I want it to feel personal. Other people can talk about the same things, but if you read what I publish (and follow my writing in the future), I think you’ll do it because you either like how I express it, or you align with my thoughts. Either way, you need to feel it as personal as it can be.
What can you expect about hobbies here then? Comments on the games I’ve played, rules discussions, rambling about TV shows, comments about GMing RPGs, creating stories, bending the rules, etc. Overall, just stuff about the things I like and why I like them.
Apps
I’m a sucker for new apps. I’ve tried probably everything out there in terms of task and project management, communication tools, writing, surfing the web, and games. I don’t know how much I’ll write about it, as there are excellent resources out there, but I’ll add some of my knowledge to the vast world of apps when I find some time to review my favorites.
Board games
Since I played Catan back in 2002 I fell in love with what board games could do. By then I’d been buying games constantly, and everything got out of control when I found about Kickstarter games around 2014. I have now a collection of about 200 games that I play less than I’d like, but I really love a good board game evening. Every now and then I’d update with what I’m playing or I’ll cover more in detail some of my favorite games.
ttRPGs
I love roleplaying. My first game was when I was just a kid before I found there were books full of rules to handle your game. We’d just sit outside and play through the story, no dice, no rules, no character sheets. Over time I went from player to manager and now I mostly DM games. Since a few years ago it’s very hard to get a group to play, but even then, I still play every now and then and I keep up with systems and worlds. I will mostly write about the stories I play and personal knowledge and experiences.
TV
At this point, I think it’s weird to say I like TV series. Everyone watches something or lots of things. So I won’t go into saying I’m a TV junkie, but I really love some stuff and I will probably recommend it here and in my other social spaces. I won’t write anything remotely spoiler-y, so no fear here. My corner of the internet is a safe place to read about series.
Reading
I read less and slower than I’d like, but I still find some time in the evenings to get to enjoy some books. A mix of fiction and non-fiction, I try to have a bit of everything. I also do a lot of highlighting and processing, so I’ll elaborate in the future on some of my workflows to capture information and put it in my digital storage (my brain is already full of stuff, so I better get in the computer what I want to remember).
“Hey, but what about politics?”
Everything is political. From the bus you take, the car you drive, the place where you live… Politics governs every aspect of our lives. So as much as I try to avoid political discussion, it is impossible to ignore it. I will try to keep this place civil and I welcome anyone, but I have some hard boundaries regarding some political stuff: no hate speech, no harassing, no “free speech absolutism”, no alt-right, QAnon, and similar conspiracy nonsense. I won’t try to convince you that eating the rich will save the world, but I pretty much think that it will do a lot of good to our planet and 90% of the population. And if you don’t align with me, that’s right. Most of what I write has no political connotations, but when I get political, I will express my views without holding back. Still, you will find I’m a softie, and I don’t really bark that much.
Conclusion
I guess this is a lot of wording just to say that if you like how I write, and enjoy the same things I do, you’ll probably have fun reading what I publish. And probably nobody will now read this at the time of publishing, but if at any point I have to justify what I write to anybody, I’ll just direct them here. See you around!
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