2023/2024: productive years

2023 and 2024 were productive years. To start, we bought a home and obtained permanent residence in Spain. We now live in an urbanization with a pool, near public transit and schools. It was hard to leave the center of Alicante which played host to important memories when Adrián was a baby, but we traded up. Our second child, Claudia, was born in September 2024.

Adrián (now 4) started full-time preschool in the fall of 2023 and adapted well despite being one of the youngest in his class. He's an inquisitive boy who believes Peppa Pig accompanies him on his adventures and who is very much oblivious to everything outside his imagination. He enjoys popsicles, new toys, trampolines, and slides. He is developing a sense of humor and has an infectious laugh.

Over the years we've done a few photo shoots with our friend Hannah. 

Professionally, Cisco.com keeps me busy. My fingerprints are on most of the critical site areas, including the home page, core navigation, design system, and flagship marketing campaigns. I won't bore you with the details, but if you're interested in learning more about this work, my article about Filter menus in UX Planet is a good example.

With Adri spending more time at school, I've had more free time to spend on other pursuits, the latest of which is standup comedy. I'm part of a nascent standup in English scene in Alicante. I'm still a newbie but I'm climbing the learning curve. You can check out my stuff on Instagram, Threads, YouTube, and Facebook. 

My other creative project of note is a memoir of watching FC Barcelona that appeared in the University of Pennsylvania alumni magazine. 

Recent travels have taken us to Paris, Vitoria (Basque Country), Mallorca, and Milan / Lake Iseo (Italy). I managed to go back to Mallorca and to Madrid for one day each - complicated logistics - to watch professional tennis tournaments. 

We've started doing home exchanges to cut down on travel cost and ensure that wherever we go, Adrián has a bounty of new toys to discover. Our apartment and city is an appealing destination for many Europeans so it works out well.


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