Axel Valdez
Design Engineer
Notes on stuff I'm thinking about. For short-form posts, visit the stream.
Apr 24, 2025
I’ve been thinking a lot about emotional management, particularly after a challenging year of depression and anxiety. I’ve lived with both for most of my life, but it wasn’t until recently that I was formally diagnosed. About a year ago, I hit rock bottom. Since then, it’s been a slow but steady climb, thanks to therapy, medication, and a lot of introspective work.
Nov 20, 2023
Musk has made it really easy not to go back to Twitter. Props for that.
Threads is slowly creeping into being a true replacement for Twitter, toxicity and all. It may come as a surprise to no one that the problem isn’t the platform, but the people pouring their shit into it.
Instagram is still the one app I’m using to go watch ads with scattered updates from my friends.
This quote from Leif K-Brooks, Omegle’s Founder is spot on and feels painfully prophetical:
I worry that, unless the tide turns soon, the Internet I fell in love with may cease to exist, and in its place, we will have something closer to a souped-up version of TV – focused largely on passive consumption, with much less opportunity for active participation and genuine human connection.
See you on the other side (after the ad break).
May 31, 2023
With each day that passes, I increasingly remember the pandemic with a positive twist.
It was far from good. It wreaked havoc on my mental health at first, but perhaps it is a blessing that my mind chooses to retain the positive aspects and bury the rest
I miss being all day at home with my wife and my kids. Rationally I know it was difficult, especially with a three-year-old rightfully demanding attention, but I miss it anyway. Those times evoke feelings of intimacy, closeness, and profound love. Such immense love.
Apr 03, 2023
Today is the last day of my 30 days without social media. These are some bullet points of my experience:
Mar 29, 2023
There is this quote from drummer Keith Moon I heard from Ira Glass and deeply resonated with me:
I am the best Keith Moon-style drummer in the world.
It reminded me of my approach to work for my first few years of employment at Nearsoft, a company that heavily promoted self-management. I divided my work into two categories: tasks I had to do and tasks I wanted to do. Although both types of work were part of my daily routine, I prioritized completing the "had-to" tasks quickly to ensure I had more time for the "want-to" tasks.