What am I doing this summer?
I have plans.
Probably the most common question thrown around between myself and my friends the past month has been: “What are your plans for the summer?” Most of us have work and non-work plans of some form or another and it’s easy to start stacking up plans so that the general “summer things” pile becomes much more than can actually be accomplished in 12 weeks. To try and distill the major events I have planned from May 9th through August 20th, I thought I’d list them here in three categories: Planned things, Abstract things, and Recurring things.
Planned things (aka events and trips):
Interning at Uber: Probably the most-planned activity of my summer is my internship with Uber! I’m pumped to start on May 23rd working with a fast-growing company. I’ll be working mostly in Python and Go on what seems like a great team! I’m looking forward to working on new, challenging, and interesting projects throughout my 12 weeks with Uber.
Westward Ho v2: My roommate and I are heading west from Ames, through Omaha, Colorado Springs, Billings, Portland, Spokane, and Seattle to fill some of the time between Tuesday and May 23rd, when we both start work. We’ll be visiting friends and family along the way, and jammin’ to plenty of music. Hit me up if you’re in one of those places and we’ll hang.
Hackcon IV: On June 24–26 I’ll be back in Colorado for the fourth Hackcon. I’m pumped to see organizers from across the country and chat about the state of hackathons.
KPCB Fellowship: This summer I’m a KPCB Engineering Fellow, and with that I’ll be meeting tons of amazing people and plenty more! It’s gonna be a great way to experience Silicon Valley from right at the heart of it.
Abstract things (aka learning and trying new things):
Reading: I always like reading, but school takes up quite a bit of time, so I’d like to take advantage of free evenings and Caltrain rides this summer to get through a few books. Topping my list are: The Monk and The Riddle; The Familiar vol. 1; Descartes’ Meditations, Bro; The Broom of the System; and Rework.
Music: I’ve been DJ’ing for Iowa State’s radio station, KURE, since January. It’s been really great to play an hour of music each week, but I’m going to spend some time trying to learn a few more DJ’ing tools for next semester. Check out some of my playlists on spotify, for a taste of what I’ve been listening to.
Programming: There’s always more to learn here, so I have a few new things I’d like to try out. Right now I’m working with the Clarifai Api on a pokemon image classifier, as well as Flask and the Uber API for a ride-sharing adventure. I’m always happy to play around with different tech, so I’ll probably add an OpenGL project in too. I’m always down for collaboration, so toss down a fork on any of my projects and let’s work together!
Writing: This is another activity that falls into the “I’d like to do more, but have no time” category, so I’m hoping to take a more meaningful stab at writing while my time isn’t taken up with school. I have more than a few topics in mind running the gamut from programming thoughts to philosophy of the scientific revolution to gender issues. It’ll be an adventure, regardless.
Recurring things (aka things I want to do weekly):
Climb: I spend far too much time at Iowa State’s climbing wall, and I have no regrets about it. So, it’ll be nice to have a change of pace at Dogpatch boulders, the largest bouldering gym in the country. I think it’ll keep me busy for the 3–4 days a week I’m going to hang out there. Hopefully, I’ll hop up a few grades as well (v7 here I come!).
Concerts: Last summer in the Bay, I had a great time going into the city for concerts on random Tuesdays, and I’m planning something similar this year. I want to go to at least one concert each week. There’s so much wonderful music happening around SF that it’s a shame to miss out.
Coffee: I built up a strong love of Philz coffee last year, and I’ll be more than getting my fix this time to hopefully lessen the withdrawals in August. But I’d also like to visit a new cafe each week to see what all of SF has to offer!
So that’s what I’ll be up to for the next 12 weeks now that school’s over! If you’re in San Francisco or wanting to head that way, hit me up and lets hang! I’d love to hear what you’re up to this summer too, so let me know in a response :D
Let me know.
Give me thoughts, questions, concerns or suggestions. I’d love to take them for next time, and have a great summer out there!
