Welcome

Welcome to the blog of Joshua Rust, yes an actual blog.

Why I blog

I enjoy writing as a way to inform myself and document my life. I break the blog into two major components, the first is a page based system called the “Notebook” where I write about general topics I am interested in as a way for me to better understand them. I am by no means an expert on these topics, I am just really enthusiastic about them. The second is a weekly blog where I write about my personal life as a way to document my experiences for the future. Although I’ve been writing the weekly blog since 2017, I typically only keep two years of archives active as a way to protect some aspect of privacy. I am also converting a lot of older posts where I did lots of book reviews into pages and that is in the works. I really wish more people blogged, it is such a useful tool and not as toxic as social media can be.

I should mention my writing style is a little conversational and my editing process limited to as few re-writes as possible. I find this the best way to side step “analysis paralysis” and get some words on the screen. If I ever wrote professionally I’d hire a copy editor, so please don’t hang me on grammar. This process has been successful though and so far I’m over 100,000 words written on this site.

What I’m About

I buy into the old adage that if you’re not sure what your purpose in life is that you can always settle on being the best version of yourself, which I try to do. I’ve found happiness in serving others, and I’ve become involved in our community in multiple ways I’ve not before. I believe in effort over talent. I believe in being a lifelong learner. I believe our time on earth is short and you try to do with it what you can. I find joy in the quiet and being around others. I am fascinated with technology and where we’re going with it. I’m discovering and developing new abilities all of the time and trying to bring them out in others, especially young people.

I have a wonderful wife and two sons that are amazing. I like what I do and I have an idea of what I want to do with it in the future. I have a wonderful community around me that supports me. I have side interests that engage me and places and people I can enjoy them with. I am not bragging, all of these came to me through hard work, some through sheer luck and the kindness of others, but I did set out to build this life at one point and I am making progress towards building it up even more every day. I’ll also admit this wasn’t always the case in my many trips around the sun, so I am very thankful for it today.

What I do professionally

If you are interested in connecting with me professionally, follow the link above to my Linked-In profile page. In general, I set out at one point to get “engineer” in my job title and I accomplished it. I have extensive experience and successes in the business management world, however, I foresee myself going down a more technical path, potentially consulting and specializing in data engineering and deep analysis at some point. This wasn’t an easy transition, but I feel this path engages me on more levels, and I am working on building my technical skills out even more, which I cover in this blog also.

What I do personally

During the work week, typically before work, I’m at a small local gym I belong to weight training. I feel like a good morning workout gets me focused the rest of the day and helps me regulate myself. Recently I’ve really turned my health around and I’m doubling efforts, which I think is common for those who’ve lost loved ones prematurely. Other than that, I’ll most likely be supporting one of my children in their many events, whether it is sports, Tae-Kwon-Do, Cub Scouts, and now music lessons. I’ve become really involved in Scouting more than the others, and I’ve side stepped coaching to become Cub Master for the local pack here. It’s an incredibly rewarding experience and I am glad I can make an impact with the youth in the area. Honestly, it is a big job and more time than I thought it would be, but like I said it’s been good for me personally and as a way for me to connect with my sons. It is a great program and I wish more people would get involved in it. It is also time bound, so my sons won’t be in the program forever so we are doing what we can before they age out of it. I honestly would love for nothing more to both boys be Eagle Scouts.

The weekends for us are usually very busy. Working from home encourages you to get out of the house much more than when you commute. We usually end at an amusement park, zoo, pool, or museum with my kids. We are really blessed that there are affordable season pass options for so many great things to do in our area. I am also a member of Dutchman’s Rod and Gun Club, where I can enjoy the country and hang out with a fun group of guys. Sunday I am at Church and we usually try to spend time with family for a meal when we can. If for some reason we are at home, I am probably working on one of my dozens of home improvement projects, playing a video game or running my charcoal smoker. I’ve put my outdoor passions like fly fishing and hunting on the back burner until my boys get older and can join me. I’ve also shifted more towards target shooting and I’m dabbling in local trap tournaments. Archery is also a passion of mine.

Other things that I like

I am a big fan of the culinary arts and have a special place for Asian food, and I mean the entire gamut from India to Japan. I just really like the huge variety of flavors and textures. You may find me dabbling at home making my own musubi, ramen, or beef pho. I also putz around on the charcoal smoker and specialize in smoked chicken wings and chopped pork butt, especially when I get to make it for friends. I love movies and I dedicate part of this blog to organizing what I watch by theme. Science fiction is my favorite followed by a good action movie. I love video games although I don’t get much time to play, and I will always be a Nintendo fan. I also love story rich RPG/FPS on the PC where I’ve custom built my own rig. If you want to see more of the things I like and what I think is cool, check out my Instagram linked above.