A Pang of Nostalgia

I've always enjoyed writing with pen and paper. A lot of my peers across multiple fields either lack notes or have converted to their digital counterparts. There's still something that feels quite novel when writing with pen and paper. In some ways, it feels so much more intentional and real to write things down. And sometimes, I feel like if it were important, it would be written down. Part of me believes it's just because it's something I've always done. Twenty-plus years of writing things down in pen and paper in school have conditioned me and been ingrained in me. You also can't do crazy things like draw absurd lines to link thoughts on a .txt file.  I find it ironic at times that I'm a software developer who still uses a notepad. Physical, of course, not the application. I also really enjoy flipping through old pages. My work notepad has notes from years ago when I just first started. I was still getting a foothold in my job, and I would write down docu...

I recently learned that my grandmother (mom's mom if that matters...) is going to be moving into a senior care home. As I think back on my childhood memories with her, there's always one thing that comes to mind. "Have you eaten yet?" I've always heard this question growing up, well, that's the direct translation at least. Whenever my mom was speaking to Grandma on the phone, she handed me the phone so my Grandma could say hello. That question was always the first thing she asked me. I was always really confused and taken aback by this question. No matter the time of day, I could always count on her asking me that question whenever we spoke on the phone. I never really understood the purpose of this question, and it seemed really random to me. I always chirped a quick 'yes' or 'no' and handed the phone back after an awkward pause and farewell. But as I've grown older and gained perspective about the culture, this question isn't really a...