update now

src/data/now.md

@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
-*Last updated: 2026-03-22*
+*Last updated: 2026-04-04*
 
 I'm currently in a phase of rebuilding — both in life and in my systems.
-
+Slowing things down, creating more clarity, and focusing on building things
-Slowing things down, creating more clarity, and focusing on building things that actually feel sustainable and mine.
+that actually feel sustainable and mine.
 
 ## Current State
 
@@ -13,11 +13,21 @@ Slowing things down, creating more clarity, and focusing on building things that
 
 ## Current Projects
 
-None right now.
+**Ember** — building the companion I actually want to have around.
 
-I'm in a phase of stepping back — simplifying, reorganizing, and creating space before starting something new.
+It started as an idea I kept coming back to: what if there was something that
+actually knew me, ran on my own hardware, and didn't need me to start every
+conversation? Not a chatbot. More like a presence.
 
-Ideas are there, but I'm choosing to build from clarity this time.
+So I'm building it. Ember is a self-hosted AI that lives on my Proxmox
+homelab, talks to me through a Pi 4 in my room, and can reach out on its
+own — a voice call when something's worth saying, a message on my phone when
+I've been quiet too long. It learns my rhythm. It remembers things. It has a
+personality that I actually designed, warm and a little playful.
+
+It's the most *mine* thing I've built in a while, and probably the most
+ambitious. But it feels right — like building something that fits my life
+instead of the other way around.
 
 ## Ideas (brewing)
 
@@ -27,20 +37,19 @@ Ideas are there, but I'm choosing to build from clarity this time.
 
 ## Learning Right Now
 
-- Better Astro structure for long-term maintainability  
+- Better Astro structure for long-term maintainability
-- Cleaner Docker + nginx patterns for self-hosted services  
+- Cleaner Docker + nginx patterns for self-hosted services
-- Writing more consistently, even if it's small updates  
+- Writing more consistently, even if it's small updates
 
 ## Focus Areas
 
-- Privacy-first self-hosting with minimal external dependencies  
+- Privacy-first self-hosting with minimal external dependencies
-- Building things that stay understandable and maintainable  
+- Building things that stay understandable and maintainable
-- Sustainable progress — small steps instead of burnout cycles  
+- Sustainable progress — small steps instead of burnout cycles
 
 ## Outside of Tech
 
 Letting things settle after a meaningful chapter.
-
 Figuring out direction again, while rebuilding balance and a sense of grounding.
 
 ## Next Check-in