The year in review?

Bilocation. Spent a ton of time on the road for work. Between February and July I was on the road every other week. Only one month this year without an overnight work trip. Visited 22 different states—some more than once. Accomplished none of my creative goals because I was just living a weird inbetween existence most of the year. Celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. Mostly just kinda burnt out and floaty and kinda existing in the haze of our melting empire.
 
I spent the year realizing that I have no interest in my little company or the work I’ve done anymore. I could redirect myself into a different area of the industry but it wouldn’t pay. And I’d have to pay specialists in India to consult on that stuff so I’m not going to go down a path that’s just going to lose me money. Especially when huge companies—I’m talking market caps in the billions and trillions—will integrate my work into their products and not even let me know. And AI is coming for all areas of graphic design, so it’s probably a good time to walk away before the bloodletting starts.

So I spent a big chunk of the last few months looking at studying economics and/or international business. It’s fun but I’m not sure there’s a reason to go down that route given that I’ll be at least 52—probably 54—by the time I finish undergrad and I would still need a graduate degree to get a job. So next year I have to work on learning math again and see if I can even handle the number stuff well enough to do any econ classes.
 
Overall not a bad year, nor a particularly good one, just more of the same. Getting older in general sucks but beats the alternative. The year's highlight has to be completing my first century bike ride, the Tour De Whatcom in Washington at the age of 66. And I was not the slowest (or the oldest) but I think I was the only one riding a 8 speed gravel bike instead of a fast road bike :shrug:
 
This was a seriously awful one. Starting to have serious problems of being motivated for work, and my plantar fasciitis has made that even worse. Most days I'm barely able to walk at the end of a shift. Tried almost everything, it's gotten better but I'll probably never be entirely rid of it. And for large parts of years to come we'll have to start working Sundays (holidays, summer period ++). And....booking gigs is getting increasingly difficult with my work shifts. I might have to make some serious choices next year.

A few really good gigs though, so not all black.

So...a better year for everyone in here. HNY!
 
The best part of the year was hearing that the cancer is in remission. My neuropathy is getting worse and I get hand cramps if I play guitar for too long, but I am much better than during the early days of treatment.

I still do a few hours of online counseling a week and teach one class per semester; that keeps my mind sharp. I started painting this year and am starting to develop my style. Carol and I have our 20th anniversary coming up the end of March.

I feel blessed to have this group of people in my life. I love you guys
 
It's been a tough year for my wife and I. Yet, I'm alive, and my health is stable. My wife is healthy. I should count my blessings, but I'm glad this year is coming to a close. I'm ready for a reset.

On the plus side, my son got good grades this past semester at college. He's studying Computer Science which is not a cakewalk.

My Mynah bird and 3 Chihuahua's are all alive. Two of the dogs just turned 15 years old!

We need to turn things around to make 2026 a better year. It will take work from my wife and I.
 
Sorry to hear about the guys having a rough time of it

It's been a largely forgetful year if I'm being honest. Haven't achieved anything of note and not had any disasters or tragedies so I'm calling it a score draw.

It's almost midnight and Mrs jbj has been asleep for hours! so I'm going to head out with the dog, a glow in the dark ball and a bottle of wine to watch the fire works and maybe hear some bag pipes when the year turns over
 
Not great in a lot of things, but on the positive side, I met up with my army buddy in London for 5 days, which gave me a London Addiction and gave us all some soul candy, fabulous folks and the only drunks my sober ass can stand. And also my #1 cousin and his fabulous wife spent 4 days with us at our place. Weather was absolute trash the entire time, but they still enjoyed it and vow to come back for a bit longer next time.

My playing took an unexpected leap forward one day as well, a curtain lifted on my fingerstyle and all of a sudden I was able to play things that had alluded me for decades. I'm still not a master by any means, but it was really strange just all of a sudden get it like someone opened a door.

Family front (not immediate) was shit this year, but hey.....gotta see the good things.
 
The kind of year that constantly reminded me of just how old I'm getting...
Lost my helper at work very early in the year and worked solo 6 days a week for 2 months until i found a replacement, but I scored on that front and have a very good new assistant...ended the year at work by achieving a goal I've been working toward for the 2+ years I've held this position, so I have that going for me...which is nice...
Had to face the fact that the arthritis finally reached my hands, making guitar playing a very difficult endeavor...I can only do about 10 or 15 minutes before I can't function...preparing to dive into the seller side of the market to move a lot of stuff out...
Haven't been doing much actual Mixing/production work in my studio...starting a new Mixing Academy with David Vignola so that should result in more time spent...also getting set to work on Michael White's forum/school in addition to moderating his Wednesday evening live stream classes...

Overall 2025 was just another year...turning 61 in a week, and have basically committed to retiring from full-time work at 68...7 years to go...
 
It was a pretty uneventful year which in a lot of ways is positive. My health seems to be holding up despite getting older, a bit fatter, and living with the ol RA devil. Got a new camping canoe and whitewater kayak and started paddling again. Im back at yoga, and determined to hit some whitewater a few more times before its too late.
Still have my weekly acoustic GD duo which is fun and therapeutic. Ive gotten way more competent at harmony singing over the year.
Me and Sweet Pea the kitty are pretty much hermits otherwise, but thats ok.
 
I’ll forget a lot here, but on the upside I got a positive performance review with a pay bump in the spring and then a promotion with a pay bump in November; I won a few guitars and a special edition pedal; I feel that Mrs DCF and I are closer than ever (not that we weren’t close before) despite the stress of the house renovations.

On the downside, the house renovations put some temporary stress on our relationship and our finances. The relationship recovered. The kitchen was done late last year, but we’re taking the original contractor to court. So, that’s money out until we win. Then the roof leaked. So, a full roof, siding, soffit and fascia, and gutters..and 100k later, the house is in good shape on the outside. Lots to do on the inside still.
I didn’t really make any progress on hobbies and projects. I didn’t really drive the NewYorker except for a spring wake-up run around the block.

Overall, I can’t complain. It wasn’t a great year. It wasn’t disastrous either.
 
Not too shabby.

Good stuff:
  • Started gigging again and I'm having fun doing it
  • Managed to put my EP together and release it, got an album in the works too
  • Overall happy with what I do, could be better, could be a lot worse, I have a job, not a career and I quite like it that way
  • My wife and I have met some pretty cool people that have become our friends, country life is good
  • We're in good health, and our dog didn't die (he was quite sick for a while)
  • Got a new guitar that is ridiculously fun to play
Meh stuff:
  • Like I said, my job could be more interesting, but I've done the Peen thing, and I'm not going back
  • While I definitely have more time/energy for music and stuff than before, I'd like to have more time/energy for music and stuff
  • I've got to stop wasting time watching stupid things on YT that I'm really not interested in anyway
Keywords: Time, health, music and friendships
 
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