Vices
A vice is a practice, behaviour, habit or item generally considered morally wrong in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhealthy habit.
One of my friends was telling me that his team makes fun of him for using light mode in apps. Shortly after, I was browsing some Cloudflare docs and noticed that they store a preferred-color-scheme URL parameter which, besides being awful engineering, could potentially dox someone for their theme preference. I joked we might as well store all our dirty secrets in URL parameters which got me thinking about my own vices.
Here are some of my vices.
Dr. Pepper
I drink way, way, way too much Dr. Pepper. I’m up to like 4 cans a day which is a ton of sugar and can’t be very healthy. I’ve always been a soda drinker but it was usually only one maybe two a day, but when I was substitute teaching school I got in a bad habit. Some of the schools actually had soda fountains in the teacher’s lounge with Dr. P on tap and I would just chug it all day. When you’re getting paid like $50 for a day’s work it feels like I should be taking full advantage of every perk. When I started software development again full time I guess my intake just stayed the same. I drink it room temperature which I think makes it easier to chug and less refreshing, I think if I cooled it I wouldn’t drink as much, but I used to have a mini fridge in my office and it was so loud I got rid of it.
Food
I don’t and haven’t ever struggled with weight, but I have pretty bad food hygiene. Most days I eat nothing all day until late afternoon or early evening. I guess I could rebrand and call it “intermittent fasting” since that’s “cool”, but it’s really just laziness. Then when I do eat, I just grab whatever like a slice of bread or a banana. I think I need more nutrients.
Screen Time
I’ve gotten in a bad habit with YouTube Shorts. During the pandemmy I got into TikTok but eventually I deleted the app. A few months ago I started getting sucked into short form video on YouTube. It’s just lame. But after a day’s work my brain feels kind of cooked and zoning out for an hour or two (or three or four) is just something that is easy to do. Generally speaking I’m probably too addicted to my phone other times, checking Slickdeals, Discord, Feeed, Hacker News, etc. I wish I read more. I play some amount of video games but honestly it doesn’t come naturally to me so it feels more wholesome. I play the games with the intent of beating them and after I do, I write up a short review. You can read my list from 2024 or from 2025.
Lack of Mindfulness
I don’t really get super deep into thought very often. I’m generally closed off to new ideas and approach them with skepticism and suspicion. I’m biased against new things. Maybe that’s just age.
Sedentary Lifestyle
I don’t get enough exercise. Like almost none. Again, I’m not physically unhealthy but I also don’t think I’m super healthy. I used to go on walks more and I like that, and I think movement helps get my mind primed which helps with the mindfulness. A few years ago I started doing some basic weight lifting and I actually saw pretty immediate results. It is hard to find the time to exercise but some amount of basic exercise and situps and pushups feels achievable in my home office. We’ve decided the Bullpen HQ will have a gym with a rowing machine so maybe one day it will be easier. Now that my kids are out of school for the summer, I really have to hide in my office. If they see me, they ask me for things and I refuse to be rude to them, but really my priority focus needs to be work during the day. We’re also getting into the days where it’s breaking 100°F (38°C) and will stay in the 90’s from sunup to sundown which makes me want to go outside less.
Fidgeting with my beard
I compulsively play with my beard. I don’t think it’s the ultimate social faux pas, but it’s kind of strange. Most of the time when I’m alone it’s not a problem but I also do it in public a lot. I don’t think it’s super sanitary. I’ve always done this in some form.
The End
That’s all I can think of right now. I think writing these down and putting in even the slightest amount of effort will go a long way. Should I set a goal to drink no more than two cans of Dr. Pepper a day? Should I start being more disciplined and exercise every day? I’m not sure if I can or even really want to pull it off. Maybe I need to find a good book I can read while I’m laying with my kids as they fall asleep. If you have any tips on very small, incremental changes I could make or that have worked for you, please let me know!