I spent several days over the last few weeks ruminating on what to write about the year gone past. Music? Didn’t really buy much. Shows? Didn’t watch very many, and the only one of note I already wrote about. Games? Mostly the same games I’d been playing, or the return of really old games I’d given up years prior. Movies? A few, they were okay I guess.

Life wasn’t even that bad, honestly. My health’s fine, work’s fine, home life is fine. But the oppressive pall hanging over every waking moment? That’s nowhere near fine.

And so, I shall leave this year with the following heartfelt (yet delightful) image, courtesy of the cast (and presumably crew) of one of my all-time favorite TV shows.

For the sake of us all I hope that ’26 treats us better. Maybe we could get a crab rave or two, as a treat.

I went on a long, long train ride to SE Portland and back last week to visit Dad, who’s in the hospital on account of… well, I’m not entirely sure what got him there but “just plain getting old” is what it boils down to. He may or may not remember that I was there, that’s how out-of-it he was, but I made the trip and did my best. And yes, I kept my Flo Mask on the entire time.

We’re not a close-knit family, but that doesn’t make it any less gut-wrenching to realize that we’re also all just plain getting older. It’s the way of things, I suppose.

I’m struggling with the sense, as I often do, that I’m not getting enough done. I haven’t put enough things away in the closet. I haven’t organized enough. I haven’t “produced content.” I haven’t, I haven’t, I haven’t justified my continued existence.

Intellectually I know better, but brains are assholes (as we often say in this house) so I’m just going to place the following two statements here, in public, as a reminder to myself and to anyone else who need them:

The only absolute requirement is that you get through to tomorrow.

The only goal that matters is to not make things any worse for anyone (including yourself) in the meantime if you can prevent doing so.

Everything else is gravy. Any progress is a bonus, not a minimum requirement.

You know the year’s off to a fun start when you startle yourself awake several minutes before the alarm on the 3rd day of the year with the realization that you forgot to pay the rent and the electricity bill two days prior like you were supposed to.

The year’s not bad exactly, so far, but it’s certainly being weird. And that’s before we get into it being an election year. Ugggggh.

I don’t have as much to look forward to this year, entertainment-wise at least, so I’m going to have to make my own reasons to keep going. Like, I have a new Satisfactory (solo) save game to kick off now that “ChooChooingScenery” is wrapped up. The goal is to post more & better material about that as it begins and proceeds, both about what’s happening in game and what I’m doing around the game (planning, etc).

There’s also the ongoing (for now) co-op game with the kids, plus a possible new co-op game with someone from Discord. More on that when/if it happens.

Last year was a lot about music, this year may be a lot about (e)books. I’m ramping up my light novel reading, (not) helped by getting into the Ascendance of a Bookworm series which is a stack of reading all on its own. (They’re quite good, though.) Then there’s Apothecary Diaries to start in on, the Frieren manga to continue, and so on. Ask me about my rec’s! Oh wait, maybe those should become posts. Right. I know how this thing works, honest.

I stopped using what-was-Twitter, started using Mastodon more and Bluesky somewhat, but mostly my intent is to post things here first & foremost. I did much better at it last year! Some months I hit double-digit post counts! Not many, but some. Drifting away from “social media,” I take refuge in the land of RSS and such.

Join me, won’t you?