📦 The Side Quest That Isn’t

I’ve been deep in the weeds on data structures lately, and part of me hates it.

Not because I don’t value it. I find a good data structure a thing of beauty. When a data model is right, it’s magic. Everything downstream snaps into place. The code gets easier, the UX makes more sense, the system feels like it was always meant to be this way. That’s the power of a good schema: it's invisible when it's working.

But here’s the tension. When I’m in this phase, I'm focused on designing database tables, deciding which fields deserve encryption, figuring out join strategies. I’m about as far as I can get from a working prototype. No satisfying demos. No visible momentum. Just a lot of thinking.

And right now, I’m tired. It’s hard to be patient. This work feels like a side quest compared to what I really want to be doing: generating plans, scoring prompts, watching the system reason. That’s the real payoff. But I know that if I skip this step, I’ll pay for it soon. With rework. With bugs. With duct tape and regret.

I think I’ve got the first version of the schema done now — including members, organizations, auth, projects, blocks, nodes, layer prompts, rubrics, and then some extras like node run logs, audit prompts, and first-pass tables for chats about entities like blocks and nodes. It's not glamorous, but it’s the foundation. Time to build on it.