It was a short and sweet writing practice this week. It took me an hour and a half. It’s becoming easier with time, but I had a lot to process. The thoughts weren’t clear in my head enough to write it down. But sharing imperfect ideas is the challenge I want to learn with. Editing happens frequently, of course.
Good things permalink
Organising my first social for the DNA team permalink
One of the things I love most about agile is the dedication to rituals. Socials are a special one for me. One of the sweetest memories I have about working in the UK: a social with the LBG Commercial Banking team. I prepared 23 caipirinhas that day.
I joined the DNA team social this week. No drinks, but I guess was not bad. Our former Product Manager and content wizard Amy Hupe was the special guest. We also had the cute goats Shakin’ Susan, Cuthbert and Daisy on zoom.
a11y and design operations on stage permalink
Fred Warburton will share his journey in accessibility next month. Fred’s experience is impressive and touching, and I had the privilege to watch him practising his talk.
I am also lined-up for a talk in July. BT and Capital One are hosting the first DesignOps Virtual Meet-up in London. The original invitation was a few months ago, but COVID happened.
For a few weeks now I am collecting ideas and facts to write this talk. It has been an interesting reflection exercise. I will share my ramblings about design management, culture and community 23rd of July. Tickets are free.
Learned things permalink
Feedback loops, servant leadership and mercury retrograde permalink
360 performance review results were out this week. I also joined retros for two different teams, and some patterns are quite revealing. Collaboration, community, organisation and documentation are some common topics.
One piece of feedback shared by my teammates was intriguing, and I decided to call Rahel Bailie after work. Rahel, as always, listened to me with her candour, patience and positivism. Her jokes about astrology made my day.
Equality and Equity permalink
Adobe 99u Conference happened this week. I watched Antionette D. Carroll talk. She is the founder of the Creative Reaction Lab in St. Louis, Missouri. Her speech was superb, and it felt like being struck by lightning:
Those who are most directly impacted by inequities are also closest to the approaches to address them
Things that bring me joy permalink
Souza origins and the detective work permalink
I had a few more conversations with my dad and my aunt Celia about my ancestors. We are still trying to find more stories about my great-grandfather Bernardino. My dad shared with me an interesting fact about him. In his late life, he adopted Candomblé as his religion. Candomblé mixes Roman Catholicism and Yoruba, a traditional West African religion. The rituals are exotic, and there is no concept of good or evil.
Banzo and Girls from Ipanema permalink
After an intense week at work, I was still wired Friday night. Leili noticed my disorientation. She distracted me with fantastic food, music and good conversations.
We watched the first episode of Girls from Ipanema. It’s a Netflix original production set in 1950s Rio de Janeiro. The life of four strong women fighting against sexism, racism and inequality. The lead character, Malu, opens a nightclub after being abandoned by her husband. A perfect excuse for the producers to introduce amazing music in the series. Great interpretation of jazz classics, bossa nova and Samba. Highly recommended - but not appropriate for watching with kids.
After that, she introduced me to a few new brazilian musicians. Here is part of her selection:
A Cor é Rosa Silva Banho de Folhas Luedji Luna Zero Liniker
Two excellent words are familiar to any Brazil expat. The first one is saudade - which is missing someone or something you love. The other one is banzo [1]. Talking with Leili triggered both. Sharing that banzo with Leili made me reflect how lucky I am. Having someone that loves you and makes you feel comfortable in any situation or place is a privilege.
And to make things even better, our delivery from the Brazilian shop arrived. A great weekend ahead, indeed. Two words: Farofa de Banana.
Healthcheck permalink
My immunity is a bit low, but I am sleeping well.
Weight: 98.1 kg
Food: This week had more healthy stuff and less delivery food.
Drinks: Two glasses of wine
Smoking: 10 Juul pods and 3 CBD
"Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive". Howard Thurman
- The psychological process caused by the removal from culture that put black slaves from Africa, transported to distant lands, into an initial state of arousal followed by impulses of rage and destruction and then a deep nostalgia that induced apathy, starving and, quite often, madness or death. Houaiss”