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Thoughts, notes, ramblings, musings, and other projects from Westley Winks.

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0Weeknotes 2024W35

2024-09-01

The author went on a vacation to Northern Morocco with friends, enjoying shrimp tacos, beaches, games, and good conversations. They visited different beaches, played games, and had a nice dinner at the marina. The author also ment...

0Weeknotes 2024W33

2024-08-18

The author cleaned up their résumé and LinkedIn profile as they prepare to end their Peace Corps service and find a job. They are marketing themselves as someone with a unique combination of skills, including cross-cultural experi...

0Weeknotes 2024W32

2024-08-12

The author reflects on attending the Close of Service Conference with their Peace Corps cohort, discussing transitions, career/job searching tips, storytelling, and government careers. They also co-facilitated an English camp in t...

0Weeknotes 2024W30

2024-07-30

The author launched a prototype software called pcvlink with the goal of connecting Peace Corps Volunteers with decision-makers and educators. The software allows volunteers to create profile pages to showcase their projects and c...

0Weeknotes 2024W29

2024-07-22

The author discusses their experience learning Ruby on Rails to build a web app, their struggles with styling websites, their use of the BEM methodology and Sass for styling, their preference for Haml over .erb files for HTML temp...
The author reflects on the importance of wellbeing tools and apologizes for previously dismissing them. He discusses various tools he uses, such as DFCR, Healthy Mind Platter, and VSPIRED, to maintain his mental health and thrive....

0Weeknotes 2024W28

2024-07-16

The author started writing weeknotes inspired by someone else, covering highlights of each week of his life, thoughts, and musings. He discussed self-hosting LinkStack for his Peace Corps group, onboarding users for heyjohn, creat...
The author misses his friends from high school and wants to create a social media platform called heyjohn to facilitate meaningful connections. The platform is envisioned to be private, ad-free, and focused on authenticity, empath...

0Creating Something

2024-06-10

The author discusses his experience creating his website using the Astro framework, highlighting the differences between Astro and Hugo, the benefits of Astro, the challenges of styling, and his future plans for the website.

0Not Even Water?

2024-05-14

The author reflects on his experience of Ramadan in Morocco, highlighting the cultural significance, fasting practices, community connections, and the importance of giving. Through interviews and personal experiences, the author d...
The author expresses their deep connection and gratitude towards their laptop, detailing how it has been a crucial tool in their life from college to joining the Peace Corps in Morocco. The laptop enabled them to learn programming...
The blog post discusses the author's weekly review process, inspired by David Allen's Getting Things Done checklist. It includes steps such as processing browser tabs, sticky notes, Google Keep notes, and more. The author also tal...

0The Afternoon Slump

2024-02-07

The blog post discusses the concept of the afternoon slump in Morocco, where people take a break from work to have lunch and spend time with family. It explores the cultural and religious significance of napping during this time, ...
The blog post discusses the importance of keeping a brag document as a Peace Corps Volunteer to track accomplishments and impact. It helps in reminding oneself of the value they provide, preparing for future steps, and maintaining...

0Upgrade

2023-11-28

Logan Ramsay, son of infamous Miriam Ramsay, gets exposed to a biological weapon and undergoes genetic upgrades orchestrated by his dead mother to advance human evolution. The characters lacked development, but the atmosphere of t...
The blog post discusses the sense of belonging and connection in Moroccan culture, where strangers are referred to as family members. The author shares three heartwarming stories of being called brother, son, and uncle by locals. ...
Sam and Sadie, two friends who bond over video games at a hospital, reconnect after years and create a successful gaming company. The story follows their ups and downs in running the company, dealing with personal challenges, and ...

0Self-Compassion

2023-10-26

Self-compassion is discussed as an antidote to harmful self-judgment and self-criticism. The Lake Wobegon effect is explained, along with the role of culture and upbringing in self-criticism. Three doors of self-compassion are out...

0The Earthquake

2023-10-25

The author describes experiencing a magnitude 6.8 earthquake in Morocco, the reactions of the people, the relief efforts that followed, and the communal spirit of the country in facing calamity.
Essaouira is a coastal town in Morocco with a rich history as a major trading port. The author provides detailed information on how to get there, lodging options, food recommendations, and things to do in Essaouira, including visi...
The author spent time learning personal finance and bookkeeping to have a complete view of their accounts and spending. They developed a durable system based on double entry accounting, emphasizing the importance of tracking trans...

0The Moussem

2023-08-27

The blog post describes the author's experience at a moussem festival in Morocco, where people come to sell goods, watch festivities, and participate in traditional events like the tbourida. The author details the sights and sound...

0Recursion

2023-08-22

Barry, a detective, experiences a False Memory Syndrome case where he can change his past memories. Helena invents a device to experience and change memories, leading to dangerous consequences. The characters lacked development, b...
The Lies of Locke Lamora follows the story of Locke, an orphaned thief who is taken in by Father Chains to be part of a group of con artists known as the Gentlemen Bastards. The book explores themes of friendship, deception, reven...