Winter, and the days are short and dense. Most of my hours go into one big research problem that has been equal parts thrilling and humbling. Progress is slow but real — the kind you only notice when you look back a month later.

Working on

Heads-down on the project that’s been eating my brain. Lots of dead ends, the occasional afternoon where a plot finally looks the way the math said it should. Those afternoons are why I do this.

Reading

Mostly papers. My to-read folder grows faster than I can clear it, which I’ve decided to treat as a feature rather than a bug.

Life

Trying to protect a few non-negotiables: a daily walk, calls home, and not checking messages before coffee. Some weeks I manage all three. Most weeks I manage one.