2025, Planet Earth, Milky Way, Universe

Dear 2025, 

Welcome! You've been here for a few days now, I hope you are getting your bearings, enjoying the neighborhood, and feeling welcome.

You may have heard rumors about 2024, whom you replaced. And how maybe 2024 was awful and we couldn't wait to see it go, stuff like that. And maybe that makes you feel a lot of pressure. I just want to reassure you, there was nothing wrong with 2024. 2024 did a great job! It showed up, gave us 366 days (a whole bonus day!), and didn't implode or explode the universe! It was everything you could ask of a year. 

If there was anything awful, that was on us, not on 2024. I want to let you know this bit of info up front, because it really will be helpful for you while you are here. People are...well, they are people. And, individually, we are often fantastic. Collectively, we also often do great things. But sometimes collectively, we go a little crazy. And sometimes life is just hard and complicated and unfair and we get tired (maybe you do, too. Maybe you want a vacation around August, just like us). And we get cranky with each other and sometimes forget to be nice, and you know how it is. No one likes feeling like the bad guy, so we just blame the year. It's going to happen to you, so be prepared for that. 

It won't be all bad though. We'll also enjoy lots of things, and have really awesome things happen, and we'll look back and say, "2025--what a year!" We'll have summers and holidays and birthdays and we'll keep saying "Where has 2025 gone?!" We really won't be able to get enough of you. 

There will be ups and downs and things will go sideways (sometimes in a good way, sometimes not), and sometimes we will curse you while also trying to make you hold still, and it will have much less to do with you (other than the 365 days. Shortchange me on those, and we WILL have a problem!) than with us. But deep down, we will be glad you are here and will be hoping you succeed at whatever years do (mostly the 365 day thing, I think). 

So, again. Welcome aboard! And good luck!

So long, 2024

This year

I traveled 27740* flying miles across 24 flights

I visited 9 countries, 

including two new countries, Nicaragua and Brazil

Two nieces graduated from college

I spent my birthday in Mexico

I changed wards

I finally unpacked all of my books

I went to a niece's wedding

My last living grandparent died**
My student loans were forgiven

I had 2 new hired on the team I supervise, and my team acquired 4 other additional FTEs

I attended my national professional conference in person (for the first time since 2017!)

I attended a family reunion

I did a lot of puzzles

I bought a new laptop

I teased my nephew until his ears turned purple and his hair fell out***

*Once around the world with almost 3000 miles left over
**She was 95, and we are all very happy for her

***Not really, but he was fascinated that I was typing without looking at the screen, so I typed that in and he liked it so much he wanted it included

Travelogue of a sock

My nephew was folding his laundry and trying to pair up socks. There is a bag full of mate-less socks that he was checking, and I asked how it got so full. He suggested the culpability lies with a sock gnome.

It does not, my friends. Over 36 hours, I had the opportunity to track one of his socks, and I believe it will clear up any mystery about how so many socks go missing in their house.

The sock in question had slid from his laundry pile to under the couch. I saw it and gave it to him and told him to take care of it. Which apparently means, "Throw it in the upstairs hallway," because that's what he did.

It stayed there for a while, definitely NOT put away or taken care of, and then somehow ended up in the bathroom behind the toilet. 

From there, it made it downstairs to the entryway by the front door. Then up to his bedroom, on the floor just inside the door. Then back into the hallway, then kicked down a couple of stairs, then kicked all the way down stairs into the entryway again.

Somehow it ended up back in his bedroom, where it was again left on the floor, un-put-away and un-taken-care-of. Until this morning, when finally he deigned to throw it in...the dirty laundry hamper. 

And this, kiddo, is the real reason so many of your socks go missing. Stop blaming the gnomes. 

Meet Jim the sock

Christmas fun

I took a spin up the road to check out their Christmas village set up. It was very Christmas-y. 

Who asked for this?

mustard flavor Skittles

drinkable mayonnaise

Ranch flavored ice cream

bacon scented cologne

chicken-flavored ice cream 

ketchup flavored ice cream

hot dog flavored ice cream (which I have tried so can speak with authority)

basically, many flavors of ice cream do not need to exist

Seriously, people. What are we doing?

Reset

A couple of months ago I cascaded to a new laptop at work. I have a habit of using my downloads folder as a dumping ground for a lot of stuff, and it was kind of nice to have a fresh start (and very revealing about how few things I needed from my old downloads folder, although they are backed up somewhere). 

And a couple of weeks ago, my browser was wonky and lost all the tabs I had open (that I had open for some reason). And, well, no way to recover them. And, again, I have managed just fine. 

I'm not going to lie. Although they are momentarily annoying, I enjoy these little resets. It's nice to have a clean slate to start from. 

Yes, already

I don't know why, but it seems like this year, we are all ready for Christmas earlier. I don't mean that stores have been selling stuff sooner, or even that the black Friday sales started 2 weeks ago. Yes, that has all been earlier. But I think we are just ready for it earlier, apart from any of the commercial aspects.

At work, my co-worker started decorating (and I 1000% supported it) at the end of October. I took a dive into some Christmas music about mid-October. Last night I went to a Christmas concert (bell ringing), which may just be due to too many events, not enough nights. I was ready to put up my tree two weeks ago, even though I didn't get it up until tonight. And downtown where I live has started lighting up the lights, which usually doesn't happen until after Thanksgiving. 

A couple of people have suggested it is due to the election, but I don't think that's it. At least, that's not it for me. I think we're just tired, and we are just ready for joy. There is something about Christmas that is light and calm and joy.* And I think we are just ready for it. 

And so, yes, already, Merry Christmas. May it be a long and fulfilling season.

*Which is a bit paradoxical because in my part of the world, it actually gets dark around 5:00 pm, so not a lot of light going on.