Why do kids in California return to school so early? It’s the end of summer! It’s back to school! Like, what? It’s only the middle of August. Last week in L.A., we hung out with friends visiting from Brooklyn, and their kids don’t go back to school until after Labor Day. I think it’s theContinue reading “Friendships, Family, Freedom (Or, Notes from Sabbatical, Weeks 8-11)”
Author Archives: Cheri Lucas Rowlands
Twitter, Blogging, Sparks, Connections
The other day I tweaked the homepage of this site. The complex years-long relationship I have with this site means that I feel weird, anxious even, to call it what it is—a blog—but it is a blog and has remained a blog even when I’m not blogging. After tweaking the homepage, I dove into someContinue reading “Twitter, Blogging, Sparks, Connections”
Embracing Idleness (Or, Notes from Sabbatical, Week 7)
I have officially reached the point in my three-month sabbatical when I’ve googled “Automattic sabbatical” to find blog posts written by my colleagues about their own time off from work. Writing about one’s sabbatical—either before, during, or after—isn’t necessarily a job requirement, but it’s encouraged. I already sensed what the gist of these posts wouldContinue reading “Embracing Idleness (Or, Notes from Sabbatical, Week 7)”
Notes From Sabbatical and Photos from Hawaii, Weeks 3-6
Sabbatical weeks 3 and 4 (the second half of June) flew by. With the exception of yoga each day, it felt like I did nothing, and yet I felt I had no time to sit at my laptop to write anything. The two main things to note from those weeks were that a) my follow-upContinue reading “Notes From Sabbatical and Photos from Hawaii, Weeks 3-6”
Notes from Sabbatical, Week 2
When everything around us shut down in March 2020, so did my rigorous daily yoga practice. I still remember vividly that first week of quarantine, when no one had any idea what was going on or what was going to happen. I was still on Instagram at that time, and when Emilia, then just aboutContinue reading “Notes from Sabbatical, Week 2”
Notes from Sabbatical, Week 1
Today is day 6 of my sabbatical. I have three months of paid leave—an incredible benefit that Automattic offers to employees every five years. Being at the company for 11.5 years, this is my second one. I had many plans and hopes for my first one in fall 2017, but it ultimately took a differentContinue reading “Notes from Sabbatical, Week 1”
More from Joshua Tree Music Festival
Emilia’s Kidamento camera broke just days before we left for the desert. It’s a very kid-friendly camera that lets her print photos onto sticker paper, which is much cheaper than the film in more proper instant cameras). Since a new one would not have arrived in time, I ended up buying a Fujifilm Instax MiniContinue reading “More from Joshua Tree Music Festival”
Playtime in the Desert
We recently returned from our first Joshua Tree Music Festival, held from May 18-21. The trip was rocky to start, but we powered through and ended up having a fantastic time in the desert as a family. We’ve very slowly eased our way back into social settings and events over the past year or so,Continue reading “Playtime in the Desert”
Mother’s Day Weekend in Carmel
Had a little girls’ weekend in Carmel with my mom and daughter. My aunt — one of my mom’s sisters — and her partner live in Carmel Valley, so we visited them and went to the coast, had some proper pool time, and ended the weekend with a Sunday brunch at Folktale Winery. Momming isContinue reading “Mother’s Day Weekend in Carmel”
Palm Springs + Desert X
Team meetups have been at the core of my company’s culture since the beginning. I used to go on these trips more frequently in the Before Times, meeting my teammates all over the world: Granada, Hanoi (more), Playa Del Carmen (not sure why I don’t have photos), Valletta, Palm Springs/Joshua Tree, Nashville, Chicago, Edinburgh, LaContinue reading “Palm Springs + Desert X”