Weeknotes 2026-26

A tech worker's office is pursuing a collective bargaining agreement, which management opposes on grounds of speed and flexibility, but employees argue that stability and participation are more important in an era of accelerating AI race and doomsday narratives.

I've grown a lot of freckles on my face. A lot more sun than usual, I guess? Seagulls have been brawling outside my window, which means I've been waking up at 5 a.m. Baby seagulls are very cute. My nails are longer and stronger and less brittle. It's time to paint them. 💅️ Went swimming in the sea, which is surprisingly something I have never done before. My office wants a collective bargaining agreement CBA , which management is discouraging because it "reduces speed and flexibility" and the benefits we have are "already equal to or better than" what a CBA offers. My colleagues pushed back, citing that speed is the problem. "In this era of doomsday narratives, war-mongering, and accelerating AI race, what people want is a sense of stability. Valuing speed of execution above all in regards to corporate decisions doesn't sound reassuring. Instead, ambitions like thoughtfulness and participation throughout the process would. Adopting a CBA is a litmus test as to whether the company is for real willing to strengthen employee involvement." Someone mentioned Twilight , which reminded me of this old gem: Buffy vs. Edward: Twilight Remixed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZwM3GvaTRM . Olivia Rodrigo – you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love Billie Eilish – HIT ME HARD AND SOFT: THE TOUR LIVE I couldn't follow my sister's work stories because she doesn't name names. It's always "senior manager" and "other senior manager" and "teammate" and "other teammate." So I asked for an org chart... And she came back with a flowchart titled "Corporate Gossip." This thing is a work of art: I especially enjoy: Terrible Process Guy.Left in 2025 to be mediocre in another job role and ruin other people's work lives.This was the guy who was in charge of a process that everyone was forced to have to follow and the process sucked. I gave him a very well, articulated email providing feedback, and his response was, "Do what I say." Words cannot express how ridiculous I think his work is. So now when she shares stories, I can refer to this chart to know who she is talking about and how all the people relate to each other. There are factions