My best of 2022: a year in review

I’m feeling motivated this month. I’m back on the wagon with my Daily Driver Task Management System, and it’s helping me keep my life in order (as it was designed to do). Thanks to this, I’m working on this post earlier than I have in past years. I feel ahead of the curve.

If you’re new to these posts: each year I like to take a look back at a bunch of data I’ve collected about myself throughout the year. The format as shifted over the years (see 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2021), but I’ve settled into a general format that I like.

Note: books are Amazon affiliate links, but movies and TV shows link directly to their respective trailers. Article links obviously go to the articles.

With all that said, let’s just get into it.

Most viewed blog posts by me

This year, I finally made good on my annual resolution to write and publish more content on my blog. I’m incredibly proud of the blog posts I created, which have pushed old, stagnant content (that has been my most-viewed writing for years) off the top of the list.

• My Obsidian Daily Note Template - This article went “viral” in the weeks after posting, making the top few results on Google for some pretty common search terms. Fun!
• My Obsidian People Note Template - Published this one a little later. Didn’t do as well as the first, which was expected. But still the second-most trafficked page by me
• Daily Driver Task Management System - I’m happy to see so much traffic to this post, too. I’m really proud of this one
• Using a Debian ISO instead of a CD-ROM in your sources.list - After several years on top, this was finally pushed down by some new content. Hooray!

Favorite books read

I’m still trying to re-build my reading habit. Working from home really put a damper on the total number of books I consume in a year. My subway commute was always dedicated reading time, and without that commute, my reading is sporadic at best.

I managed to read ~10 books in 2022. Here are my favorites:

• The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli - This book blew me away, and threw me down the rabbit hole of Quantum Mechanics. It’s short, easy to understand¹, and fundamentally changed my understanding of time
• The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman - An entertaining, thought-provoking collection of essays about a decade I remember, but had so few specific memories
• A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking - I probably understood 60-70% of this book, which honestly was higher than I anticipated

Favorite Movies

This year, my love for movies continued to thrive, thanks in large part to my Alamo Drafthouse Season Pass. You can find the complete list of movies I watched this year on my Letterboxd profile (feel free to friend me if you’re a member too!), but here are my top picks:

• Triangle of Sadness (2022) - A scathing satire of the bourgeoisie, pushed beyond the limit with expert skill
• Everything, Everywhere, All At Once (2022) - If you only watched one movie last year, and it was this, I’d be okay with that
• The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) - The depth of this story has me continuing to think about it
• Red Rocket (2021) - Feels like you’re on a roller coaster from beginning to end, you might be happy when you’re off but glad you went
• All My Friends Hate Me (2021) - One of the more original comedies I’ve seen in a while, a joy

Honorable mentions: Mass (2021), Sundown (2021), Crimes of the Future (2022), Pleasure (2021), Aniara (2018).

Favorite TV Shows

I didn’t realize that almost all my favorite shows this year were on HBO until I put together this list. Based on this, if you were to purchase one streaming service, I’d have to say that you should get HBO.

• Succession (HBO) - The best show on television right now
• Barry (HBO) - Funny, dark, and oh-so-well-written
• Severance (Apple TV+) - Every episode presents a cobweb of rabbit holes to get lost in
• The White Lotus (HBO) Season 2 absolutely blew Season 1 out of the park, and Season 1 was already pretty stellar. It’s fun to see Mike White having such success after watching him on Survivor
• The Rehearsal (HBO) - Nathan Fielder’s HBO-backed follow up to the side-splitting Nathan For You. Definitely falls in the category of “genius”
• Ziwe (Showtime) - Originally, I was turned off by the first episode. But after seeing clips from the series all over TikTok, I gave the series a second change. So glad I did.

Notable Objects

• Alamo Drafthouse Season Pass - My hard-carry item for 2022. This, paired with literally living above an Alamo Drafthouse, helped feed my hunger for new movies
• Miyoo Mini - Retro gaming handhelds made a huge jump forward this year, and the Miyoo Mini v2 leads the pack
• Moleskin Notebook - Hard cover, large, square/grid, please. I try other productivity methods, but nothing sticks. I always go back to my Daily Driver Task Management System
• Home Server - What started as a hobby is now an essential part of my life. I love you, home server
• Proton Mail/Kagi - This year, I gave up Gmail and Google Search in favor of more privacy-focused alternatives. These companies rock
• Loreto Italian Kitchen & Bar - Our local “pizza joint” is actually a fancy Italian restaurant. I’m sure all their food is great, but the pizza is perfection
• Binding of Isaac: Repentance - I’m embarrassed to share the total number of hours I’ve played this game in the past few years. But it’s not stopping any time soon
• Kenji’s Chocolate Chip Cookies - I finally tried my hand at Kenji’s famous chocolate chip cookies this year. They’re delicious because of science!

Accomplishments

• Had an idea for an app (TimeHop for Pinboard) and actually built it myself! And thanks ChatGPT for the assist
• Started a new job as Senior Technical Program Manager for Cloud Costs at FullStory
• Presented at the FinOps X conference in June. Super happy with how my talk turned out
• Hosted an NYC FinOps Meetup every month this year
• Five-year wedding anniversary 🎉
• Threw an epic Fall Ball X party, our final yearly event after a full decade. We certainly went out with a bang.
• Another full year of my monthly newsletter!

Plans for 2023

• Keep on truckin’ with my monthly newsletter
• Get my Downtown Brooklyn neighborhood blog OhNoDoBro up and running again
• Post ten (or more) new posts on my website
• Host four in-person FinOps Meetups
• Apply to be a contestant of Survivor again