2024.

Here we go.

It’s that time of the year again. That time where I look back over the year and reflect on how the year was.

It’s my yearly bah humbug to all and I really don’t know how it’s going to go.

I’ve been meaning to write this for a few days now, but nothing ever came. My flow is gone, but I’m managing.

This is a better start than I was expecting.

So here we go.

2024.

It was a year.

That’s all I can say. It was a year.

In my life, there weren’t too many highs or too many lows this past year.

It was just a year.

I traveled.

I understood my pets a little more.

I ate.

I worked.

I lived.

It was a year.

2024.

The year of settling into the mundane of the new normal.

Looking back to last year’s bah humbug to all, it seemed like I wanted to do so much.

I wanted to get healthy. I wanted to travel to Chicago or something.

Didn’t happen.

No exercise. No really big travels.

It was just my normal normal and I can’t frown on that.

Not every year have to be spectacular. Not ever year has to be better than the last year.

I just need to survive and have some fun on my terms.

2024.

The year of normal.

Then the year of dread after the elections. What’s to come in 2025 under Trump 2.0?

Who the fuck knows? Am I prepared? No fucking idea.

Yay to 2025.

2024.

I’m home home again this year. Decided a week or two before I drove up if I was going to go up.

I had about a week and a half off of work, so decided to spend it up here since I had so much time.

I drove up again and will be leaving a little after the New Year, like normal…which is a good segue to….

TRAVEL

I didn’t go to many places this year.

There were really no big trips this year.

I did go to Sedona for my yearly #specialweek this year. I made it a road trip with Galette, this being her first #specialweekend trip with me.

She did well overall, but she’s was no Pickles, which I still compare her to from time to time, which I know I need to stop.

Overall, that was a very successful trip.

I didn’t have many hike & wine weekends this year. Things didn’t plan out and my yearly mid-year trip didn’t happen because of Gifu’s passing. That’s usually around the time I would go, but since I know I’ll need to travel for his funeral, I didn’t make the trip.

I did drive home for my yearly summer pilgrimage. Like last year, I decided to stop by Bend, OR for a few days to do some hiking and exploring. I even met up with Phinny & Fam.

I didn’t do much hiking while I was up here during the summer because the weather wasn’t that great. But, I did get some alone time at Mt. Rainer.

My final trip of the year was a long long weekend up in Napa. I did a hike that nearly killed me and it threw a wrench in my plans for the rest of the weekend. But overall, it was a good trip. Had some good food, had some good wine, and I even met up with Cynthia to catch up.

I don’t think I wrote about that trip at all, but the Napa trip was nice, almost dying and all. I’ll go in-depth about that later.

Hopefully 2025 will bring me more travels and better travels.

It’s a blank slate and I’m in full control.

HEALTH

I’m alive.

2024.

I’m still alive. I’m still kicking and breathing.

Whether I’m healthy or not, no fucking clue.

My cholesterol was the lowest its been when I went for my checkup in February.

But I was more active back then doing my stationary bike.

That’s something I really need to get on. I’ve been telling myself that I need to create a exercise plan and stick to it.

Stationary bike. Some light weights. Some yoga. Some calisthenics.

I need something.

I’m still struggling to figure out my gut issues. Rice definitely a problem with bloating and diabetes.

So I went back on keto or low carb again.

With that, it brings up new issues.

My pee gets funky…smelly, and it seems like with this diet, I pee out a lot of salts and other minerals that my body needs.

This leads up to my hiking story.

While I was in Napa, I did a 18 mile hike which I did before at Pt Reyes.

I did it back in 2022 without any issues, but then again, I don’t know how fast I hiked it.

This year, while hiking it, I kept a good fast pace of 3+ mi/hr. So I finished the hike in about 6 hours…so about 7 hours with some breaks put in.

On the way back, at the 10 mile mark, I started to cramp. My legs started cramping. Never happened before.

I had to stop and rest from time to time. Thankfully I had some expired emergen-c in my backpack, so I put it in my water to restore some electrolytes.

I didn’t expect to have any issues while hiking because I didn’t have a problem last time. I needed some salt and didn’t have any snacks with me.

Eventually, with some rest and some electrolytes I made it back to the car with just enough left. I refilled the water and went to the visitor center/gift shop and got some trail mix and some chips.

I needed something with salt to restore what I’ve been peeing out with Keto.

It wasn’t until a few days later that I googled abourt keto and mineral loss that it is very common and it is recommended to take magnesium supplements.

But yeah, hopefully that won’t happen again.

Again, I don’t know how much of that experience was the new diet and how much of it was just being old and out of shape.

I wasn’t tired, but my legs hurt from the cramps.

Who knows?

But that’s my health.

So, 2025, I need body goals. I need to get fit. I need to get healthy.

I need a routine.

I need something.

I know I said this at the end of 2023 and that 2024 was going to be this, but it never happened.

2025.

Let’s do this.

WORK

Like any other year in recent memory….work is work.

It ebbs and flows.

I just go on the ride and do what I’m asked.

No more. No less.

SOCIALIZING

Not existing per usual.

Besides the short chats in the office and the ride home with Jeff, not much socializing.

It’s just enough for me to feel like a functional adult and not go crazy.

PROJECTS

None.

No photography.

No digital art.

No cooking.

I’m still working with Scott on a project, but that’s just bouncing ideas between each other.

I’m struggligng to put all of our notes into an outline. I’ve been trying to do this for months, but I can never get to it.

It’s tough.

I’m getting lazy with my old age. It should be an easy win, but it’s been difficult.

Hopefully I can get back to it and work on it instead of being lazy.

I still can’t even read. Been on this Murakami book for close to a year also.

Maybe I can finish it.

Who knows?

Procrastination and just being lazy seems like my vibe as of late.

2025.

Let’s fix this. Let’s stop procrastination. Let’s stop being lazy.

Let’s be accountable.

PETS

Pets are good. Galette is still a mystery, but she’s I’m more understanding now. When she turned four, I got a better understanding of her now, but she’s still a pain a lot of the time.

Her strayness is so ingrained that it’s frustrating.

She has her quirks that frustrates me and sometimes I take it out on her and I know I need to stop.

She’s been testing my patience, but I know I have to stop.

Relish is a doll.

Love her to smittherins.

FAMILY

Family is family.

They are all good. We get together whenever we can.

Unfortunately there was a death this year, but other than that, everyone seems to be fine.

I don’t know, as much as I love these kind of family gatherings, sometimes I do feel like an outsider trying to fit in.

Another thing that’s been happening of late. I just feel out of place and I’m not sure if it was a pandemic quirk that I picked up too.

Who knows?

2025, maybe I can just chill a bit and be more comfortable around family again?

Who knows?

2025…let’s do it.

2024.

You’ve been a year.

New routines.

Plus and minueses like any other year.

I know there’s a lot that I’m lacking and a lot that I have an abundance of.

Hopefully 2025 will be something of a new start to find that balance that I need.

2025, let’s rebalance.

Bring it.

With that, 2024 – I bid you adieu.

Welcome 2025.

Let’s dance.