Got word a couple of days ago that a coworker of mine passed away unexpectedly. She’s got two young kids. Just devastated for the family.

It’s Christmas Eve and two of the presents we ordered haven’t arrived. One is scheduled to arrive Dec. 26. The other one hasn’t shipped.

How to fix American democracy, from ranked-choice voting to open primaries - The Washington Post

There are some interesting ideas for reform in this article. I was especially interested in the idea that maybe the House of Representatives needs to be significantly larger.

I was thinking about buying my middle child a non-smartphone camera for her to experiment with. She loves taking pictures and has a great eye. I looked at what’s available and realized that the market only offers really cheaply-made cameras, or really expensive cameras. Virtually nothing in between.

Woke up this morning to low water pressure. Turns out a water main at the front of our neighborhood burst overnight…

How NASA Learned to Love the Worm Logo - The New York Times

Now the worm is back. And the meatball is still there too, still the official insignia for NASA.

Enjoyed this article about the two NASA logos. As designers, we typically preach consistency. But in this case, having two logos seems to work.

Had my last in-person class of the semester this morning. It might be my last in-person class of my PhD program. I have mostly independent studies, online classes and my dissertation to go. I’m a part-time student, so I still have a couple of years left, but it seems like some sort of a milestone.

Every Sunday afternoon after a shift change, the music at this coffee shop switches to 100% Taylor Swift. My daughter and I call it the Taylor Shift.

I know we are a women’s basketball school, but the South Carolina men’s team just beat Notre Dame to remain undefeated on the season. These guys are really good. We’ll see how they do in the SEC once conference play starts.

This NY Times articles on the changing nature of the American workplace took an unexpected turn:

In an ironic twist, other workers are now also finding themselves nostalgic for the age of the cubicle.

Not sure about that. As someone who recently moved from a cubicle to an actual office with walls, a door and windows, I can honestly say that I don’t miss my old desk. That said, the article is an interesting read on the changing nature of the office after the pandemic.