About Me

Welcome To My Corner Of The Internet #

Nice to meet you! My name is Jason Bauman and this is my site.

So, why mediumroast?

“Amateur writer, coffee professional” was in my Twitter bio (RIP) because it’s the most accurate description of me. I love coffee.

One of the most fascinating things about coffee is that you can take the same beans and depending on how you roast, grind, and brew them get a range of flavors that you’d think impossible from what’s basically bean water.

I think medium roast fits as my “place on the internet” not only because it’s one of my favorite ways to enjoy coffee, but also because it represents what I want to achieve here.

Nothing flashy, no “1 weird trick” clickbait titles. Just a collection of some of my thoughts, (hopefully) brewed to perfection.

OK, But Who Are You? #

Just a guy, really.

For work, I am currently the “Associate Director, Technical SEO Strategy” which is a fancy way of saying that I lead a team of very talented people who care far too much about stuff like font byte weight. Lately, I’ve started to get more into code and automation, which is a lot of fun.

But I’m also someone who believes firmly in work life balance, and so I won’t talk a lot about Technical SEO here, at least not directly. Unless you want to rant about fonts. I’m always game for that.

Outside of work, I’m a lot of things.

I’m A Father #

We finally had our first kid recently and it’s been both amazing and terrifying. They’re the reason I started journaling again, because I want to capture as much of this time as possible. Right now, I’m still the “cool dad” because I change their diaper, make funny noises, and have the best shoulder for naps. I know this will change, so right now I’m soaking it all in.

I’m An Amateur Coder #

I started learning python in 2019 out of necessity when scripts at work broke and no one knew how to fix them, but I’ve always been interested in coding. In High School I built a program to help with calculations in Physics because the teacher said if we could show we understood the formula’s, she’d let us use the programs.

I even briefly considered programming as a career, before deciding I wanted to write the next great American Novel and went into English… before transferring to Marketing and graduating with that degree. Now I do code for work, which is to say if you’re passionate about something it finds a way of coming back into your life.

I’m A Hobbyist #

No surprise there, right? I mean, I named this website after my favorite roast of coffee. I own at least five different machines to brew coffee, have a fancy grinder, and can tell you my favorite varietals. But I’d like to think I’m not a snob. There’s just a floor to an acceptable cup of coffee, one that WaWa (A local gas station chain) can pass, which is why it’s so sad that so many places can’t.

I’m not just interested in coffee though. Over the pandemic I started baking bread, but I didn’t ever do a sourdough starter. I love cooking in general though, and love trying new things off a menu whenever we go out to eat.

I also picked up miniature painting during the pandemic and cannot recommend it enough as an almost perfect offline activity. Something about taking these small pieces of plastic and turning them into Warhammer 40k soldiers is really satisfying.

As a coder, and someone who knows what Warhammer 40k is, it should come as no surprise that I also enjoy Dungeons and Dragons and Video games.

I like a lot of things, which isn’t always ideal… It’s easy to get distracted.

I’m Obsessed With Finance #

I didn’t learn a lot about money growing up and as a result, developed a lot of and habits.

About 12 years ago, I got serious about budgeting and found out I loved it. I found that having a handle on my money meant I thought about it less.

A lot of personal finance out there is bad. It either gives bad advice (like day trading) or it’s punitive.

I know people love Caleb Hammer, but having someone yell at you because you are in debt isn’t going to help people feel like they can be open about their financial problems.

I think there is a better way.

If I could restart my career today, I’d either do coding or be a personal finance planner, so I think I’ll talk about money a lot here.

Still Here? #

Why? Check out my resume for my professional experience, or my blog for my musings.