The Monthly Wrapping Up: Our Couple Money, Life, and Planning Review
How we review our finances each month as a couple, from expenses and investments to travel savings and life planning.
Posts
9 day Iceland Ring Road trip itinerary in May
A 9-day Iceland Ring Road itinerary in May, with daily stops, hotels, meals, costs, weather, and practical tips from our first full loop around the island.
MongoDB Server Timeout: When Client Timeouts Aren't Enough
Discovered why a query ran for 14 hours on MongoDB server despite client timeout: missing server-side timeout configuration. Solutions for MongoClientSettings.
Four Years at FISPAN: A Coffee Table Book and Colleagues' Messages
Reflecting on four years at FISPAN. A company milestone marked by a personalized coffee table book and heartfelt messages from colleagues.
Improving MongoDB Observability with Spring Data
How we improved MongoDB tracing spans in Spring Data by adding a custom command listener to surface query details while keeping sensitive values sanitized.
Why Async Agentic AI Does Not Mean Free Productivity
Agentic AI can speed up execution, but expected delivery gains are often overstated because humans still pay the cost of review and context switching.
Hawaii Big Island: Volcanoes, Beaches, and a 3-Day Escape
A 3-day Big Island itinerary with Kīlauea views, lava tubes, black sand beaches, turtle spotting, and practical logistics from our Easter trip.
Six Hours by the Fire for Costela Fogo de Chão in Brazil
A day in Brazil making costela fogo de chão, with six hours by the fire, family time, and one of my favorite barbecue traditions.
Is Agentic AI Like a Drug?
Agentic AI made me more productive at work, but I am ending every day more mentally tired. A personal reflection on reinforcement loops, dopamine, and sustainability.
IntelliJ AI Chat Window Is Better Than the Copilot Plugin
After using both tools in daily work, I found the IntelliJ AI chat window flow more productive than the Copilot plugin.