I’m realizing that I never gave you all the updates on the ferry schedule app that I built, called Boatload. Boatload is an app and website that shows ferry arrival and departure times to and from Fire Island Pines and Cherry Grove. Well, it’s done! I never gave an update because it got done so late into the Fire Island season that I shelved it as something to start marketing in spring 2027. But that doesn’t mean that I can’t tell my people!
I guess the bigger thing is that I got my first app approved in the App Store, and I never gave myself an opportunity to celebrate that. I don’t know if any of you have ever tried to create and submit an app, but it’s fucking hard! I came across this post on X the other day and felt so seen.
The first build I submitted got rejected. Not because anything was wrong with the app, but because they wanted a screen recording of me clicking through everything to prove it worked. But when I saw “rejected” in the subject line, before I even read the reason, after all that work just to get it submitted, my heart sank. I assumed the worst. I’m a novice. I’m a fake developer. They caught me. I’ll never have an app in the App Store. Who am I fooling?!
Not stopping to celebrate small victories is a bit of an involuntary habit for me, though. If anything, I lean my chair back, smile at the finished product, exhale whatever stress I’d been carrying through the build, and move on to the next thing on my checklist.
Right now, the next thing is getting the app into the Google Play Store—
See? I just did it again.
Okay. Chair back. The fake developer has an app in the App Store, and people can download it right now. That’s real, and I’m going to let it be real for a minute. 🎉
Now. Google Play. There’s no rush on that. The app and website still work year-round, which is good for any homeowners who might be going out there. And the truth is, the build is never truly done, is it? Done-done? No. App Store done? Yes.
Having a full year of different situations arise allows me to smooth out any kinks before it’s live. For instance, how does the app behave when the schedule changes each season? When the ferry operator cancelled service because of the Nor’easter, I got to handle that on the back end without a bunch of eyes on it. When they added additional late-night boats for a film festival, I got to see how I would handle that as well. I’ve learned how to send push notifications. The whole nine.
Anyway, how do you think I should celebrate my small win? Do you have something that you’ve accomplished recently, but haven’t given yourself the proper pat on the back for?