Comments on: Out with 2024, in with 2025: it's the Free Thread straddling two years

Out with 2024, in with 2025: it's the Free Thread straddling two years

Wordshore — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 01:23:27 -0800

It's a wrap, 2024. And welcome, 2025. How was your 2024, in big or small detail? And what are your hopes for 2025? Some travel for a change of scenery? A new album by your favourite artist? A new iteration of a beloved video game? Good food shared? Some live music? Some new wheels? Victory in epic sports? The wish of global peace, or the wish of peace within your household? To disconnect from some, or reconnect with others? Or just write about what's happening with you, in your life and world. This is your free thread, and Happy New Year, MetaFilter and MeFites.

By: JohnnyGunn

JohnnyGunn — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 01:44:41 -0800

Happy New Year! Peace and love to all.

By: taz

taz — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 02:55:45 -0800

Well, things are beginning to shape up. I just got a "Magnificent" on Wordle. Magnificent. This is the kind of appreciation I like to see from my internets. Happy Nearly New Year, y'all! I hope that things will be more magnificent in some way in 2025 for every single one of you lovely people.

By: deeker

deeker — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 03:40:46 -0800

Just got a "Magnificent" on Wordle. Which reminded me to play and I got it on my first guess. Would probably have preferred that start a new year than cap one of my worst years, if I am totally honest.

By: mightshould

mightshould — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 03:44:18 -0800

I received books from two people who have a great sense of what I may enjoy. That will be a great way to begin the year. (Not admitting to having already started reading; nope. I'm supposed to be cleaning all the things.)

By: taz

taz — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 03:49:15 -0800

deeker, let it be both!

By: treblekicker

treblekicker — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 03:57:47 -0800

There are better fondue recipes than that one in my opinion. You need a soft, ideally slightly funky cheese - a Reblochon or a Mont D'or as well as the Emmental and Gruyere. This is my go-to as someone who has fondue for Christmas every year. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2017/feb/09/how-to-make-the-perfect-fondue The other thing to say is that it takes time for the fondue to heat properly once you've combined the cheese. Make the dish, then set the table. It's more relaxing and the results are better.

By: Wordshore

Wordshore — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 04:05:39 -0800

You need a soft, ideally slightly funky cheese - a Reblochon or a Mont D'or as well as the Emmental and Gruyere. Thanks - that does sound good. Always here for ideas and recipes which involve cheese.

By: night_train

night_train — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 04:40:55 -0800

My favourite album this year has been Speaking from other Rooms by Perlee. They're based in Berlin but they're from my home town and they'll usually drop into our local pub to sing a few songs when they're home. Also really liking Cassandra Jenkins.

By: rabia.elizabeth

rabia.elizabeth — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 05:19:46 -0800

I made Hajj this past summer. Yes, I am different as a result. It was physically and mentally tough, as pilgrimages generally are, but thank God I was still in good enough physical shape and understood just enough about this new way of life of mine for me to complete it. And I reconnected with a cousin I never got to know very well. Turns out we have much more in common than I was ever able to see before. She's in the US and I'm in Spain, but she's planning a trip to Europe in the spring and God willing we'll connect in person. Finally: I seem to have gained a little traction in learning classical Arabic and what felt impossible for months and month now longer seems so difficult. My dream is to read a medieval sacred text in a class with a scholar, to learn from that scholar, and to be part of a little learning community in the old-school madrasah style.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 05:35:43 -0800

As far as employment went, last year sucked - two jobs that only lasted 3 months each, one because they decided I couldn't hack it (although a funding slump may have influenced their thinking), one because the boss sucked and I quit. ....And because I quit I don't think I will be eligible for unemployment. (I do have a good amount in savings but still.) However, I have been REALLY hitting the ground running on the job hunt already - I have been sending out the odd resume, but I also have three recruiters lined up to start working on me in the new year, and I've also signed up for a job fair next week, I'm visiting a FOURTH recruiter next week as well, and a friend connected me with a friend of hers who may need my assistance. We're going to be talking later this week I think; and I may suggest that if he's not 100% sold on me permanently, then maybe I could be a temp cover while he conducts a search for the permanent person. In the meantime I'm leaning into how this week between Christmas and New Year's is supposed to be weird anyway; my roommate is out of town until the 2nd, and I DESPERATELY needed to recover from that evil job a bit. So I've been living 100% by my id, swinging wildly between "I want to sleep until noon today" and "it's 5 am and I can't sleep, I may as well get up and clean the kitchen". Some days I've repainted the bathroom ceiling, other days I've stayed in pajamas and binge-watched QUEER EYE. Yesterday I did a shit-ton of batch cooking and kitchen work - leaving me with three quarts of a rich meat soup stock and two small jars of tomato sauce; I also have ideas for how to use the spent veg and chicken carcass from the stock (chop up the veg and use it in a quiche, and the chicken meat got blitzed in a food processor with some butter for a sandwich spread). Today is a little busy errandwise - my cell phone needs a repair, I'm hitting up Macys to return a Christmas gift (Mom thought I could pull off a cropped sweater, bless her) and then maybe hitting up an Asian grocery in Sunset Park. Somewhere in there I"m meeting up with someone I lost touch with for 15 years and reconnected with a couple months ago. It feels like my life has gotten a bit chaotic and unruly but the New Year will settle things down. I'm chalking it up to a whole lot of life admin and social things I ignored during that hell job all now stepping forward to say "okay! You put me off long enough!" and I'm running around trying to handle them.

By: JanetLand

JanetLand — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 05:50:14 -0800

I am not looking forward to 2025. In order to cope, I have stopped reading any news except for my very local newspaper, so things don't seem quite as depressing and distressing as they were. (I realize this is an illusion.) I have also stopped reading MetaTalk and recommend that everyone else do the same. My goal for next year and however many years I have left is to spend as little time online as possible, especially when I am not at work. I have a lot of unread books on my shelves and two elderly cats who require lots of attention and those are a far better use of my free time.

By: eekernohan

eekernohan — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 05:54:52 -0800

The burnout recovery journey continues, and this holiday season will be 3 years since I openly cried during a senior management team meeting because we were in our nth wave of COVID and I'd had it. I've read burnout can take 3-5 years of active recovery, and I have certainly lived that. This year I started a new job (hello imposter syndrome!), have been supporting my husband through his elder care responsibilities, and (probably maybe?) starting perimenopause with all its random symptoms. That I've managed to maintain a functional level of anxiety over it all and still keep doing the things that keep me going (exercise, crafting, gaming, writing, etc.) without shutting down is probably progress. A couple years ago after an injury I decided I was going to try and get my body figured out in my 40s so that I could better weather my 50s and beyond, and that will continue in 2025. Keep getting stronger, keep doing things that bring me joy, keep a healthily (and well-earned) cynical attitude about work and where it fits in my life. No big resolutions other than keep on keeping on.

By: treblekicker

treblekicker — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 06:02:48 -0800

Have to say, as a frequent visitor to the US with my wife being from there, I think I'm going to try and ignore the US as much as possible next year. I know that's privilege but I also know that there were too many days waking up in 2016-2020 with first thought being, "What has that fucking idiot said now?"... which did me no good. Also, that period in the UK was Trump and Brexit. So pardon me for opting out as much as possible this time. I offer no advice, only solidarity and to say that US Metafilterites are some the best people for coping with the coming storm. You got this.

By: cupcakeninja

cupcakeninja — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 06:08:52 -0800

This past Friday I did some cleaning in my office, in preparation for having a more organized 2025. It felt very freeing. My hopes for the year to come? Read more of the unread books that have been with me for years or indeed one or more decades. Finish the novel I've been wrestling with for too long now. Start the next one and adapt the new-to-me practice of finishing it within the calendar year I start it. Try to cook one more dish and bake one new-to-me baked good per month. That's not a resolution, just... I'd like to mix it up a little more. Happy New Year, MetaFilter!

By: martin q blank

martin q blank — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 06:10:35 -0800

I'm optimistic that this will be the year we finally get the hell out of Florida. It's a retirement Mecca for so much of America, but between the slide into deep red and the third near-miss from hurricanes in five years -- each a little closer than the last -- we finally got the shove we needed. And while our twin sons did amazingly well in their first semesters in college (meaning, they probably don't really need us close by, sadly) it would be nice to be within driving distance. And I'm a mountains and snow guy, having grown up close to the Adirondacks. So we'll be the weirdos who retire northward, to a blue state that maybe can temper the worst of what comes from Washington. One big issue first, though. My wife's parents are declining quickly. We have an excellent ALF with memory care lined up for her mom, and she moves in there in two weeks. But my wife's dad, while becoming frail, is mentally sharp and absolutely refuses to leave his home and join his wife at the ALF. We're hoping once he sees the place regularly he'll change his mind. But I'll probably be turning to Ask MeFi soon for advice on some specifics. Overall: Hopeful that this will be a good year for us personally. Getting there will be a challenge, though. Onward, and ... Happy New Year, MetaFilter!

By: Kitteh

Kitteh — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 06:26:43 -0800

You know what? Personally, 2024 was a good year for me. I found a well-paying medical admin job that I quite like and they are offering me more hours in 2025. With the aid of The World' Best Therapist and a tweak in my brain meds, I can safely say that this is the most emotionally/mentally stable I have ever been. This was a year in which I finally accepted and shed my baggage regarding my neglectful biological father, realizing that he will never admit he wasn't a great dad nor will he or my stepmother ever acknowledge the abuse my stepsister did to me and my sister. As Shepherd remarked, "You have more self-assurance than I've ever seen you have." 2024 was a year in which I embraced fully being a queer biracial woman and by god, I am gonna embrace it some more in 2025.

By: AzraelBrown

AzraelBrown — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 06:29:01 -0800

Happy New Year, all! I'm hoping my 2024 continues into 2025: I keep having opportunities to flex my creative side, my job is stable, our finances are OK, my relationship with my wife is strong, so *knock on wood* the...things...coming to the US in 2025 don't toss wrenches into anything. Film student update: It being Christmas week didn't stop the filmmaking going on: A long ongoing thread in my updates is the small independent film I'm making with my director/professor/friend. The film actually premiered in November, in front of an admiring audience who had lots of positive things to say on the 'response cards' I passed out to document things for the arts grant I got to make the film. However, director/friend wasn't as happy as he hoped with it; there are three main characters and they were performed by amateur actors, basically our friends who had some acting chops. His issue is that their voices don't sound like the serious police officers that the roles are, it just sounds like themselves, talking. So, he reached out through more professional channels and found three actors to ADR the voices for the three main characters. The film was shot to not show the faces of the actors, so there's no need to match lips or anything, so it should be easy to fly in new dialogue. We recorded the new semiprofessional actors last Thursday, and the session went really well. Well, buuuuuuut the director still wasn't super happy with it, mostly with the main actor who has the most lines. We had a long talk about what exactly his issue was with the performance and discussed some 'outside the box' options, but the director thinks he can more specifically identify what he wants now, and is confident that the next recording session will be the last. Which I hope is true: we got a couple different grants for this film, and my grant is the one that allows paying people for their participation...and I'm running out of my budget. An outside factor is that the director/professor/friend is getting excited about his next project, so I think he's ready to put this one behind him. Once he signs off on the final version, then we start submitting it to film festivals and see where it goes!

By: notoriety public

notoriety public — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 06:43:03 -0800

2024 was a really bad year for me. Arguably the worst. But I'm trying to end it on a good note. The upside to living alone again (for the first time in almost 10 years) is that there isn't any confusion as to who is responsible, or negotiation as to what is to be done and how. So I am getting shit done. I haven't started on the big things yet, but I have been knocking 'em down on the smaller prep stuff. After the new year I'm going to be scheduling some of the big things that have gone undone. - converting the sun room into an enclosed porch. It's horribly insulated, so putting a door and window back in (where they had been removed for the sun room extension originally) will make the rest of the house more snug. It will also provide a kitty airlock to reduce escape incidents. I'm looking at you, Ali. - replacing the shitty light fixtures in the front room and dining room. - finally getting some bannisters installed for the stairs to the 2nd floor. - replacing the range and microwave oven, which were old and crappy when I bought the house almost 7 years ago. - new furniture, because almost all the furniture left with the housemate. And that's just the first wave of stuff.

By: 1adam12

1adam12 — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 06:53:59 -0800

My one-year-old son ended 2024 by saying his first two words within 24 hours of each other. Can't think of a better gift to close the year. ("Uh-oh" and "baba")

By: Catblack

Catblack — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 07:01:04 -0800

Seasons Greetings to One and All!

By: mumimor

mumimor — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 07:06:35 -0800

This has been a horrible year. I came into it with escalating PTSD symptoms, and went to the doctor in March, where I was told I was too well to get back into the psychiatric system. Because I'm not suicidal and I no longer have flashbacks. The entire system is underfunded, so only people who are in mortal danger can be admitted. Because of that, my economy crashed when I stopped at one of my jobs, which was planned, and I was working on what to do next, but I just didn't have the spoons for the necessary meetings etc. Then I caught COVID-19 twice in two months, so my summer was basically ruined. And then, when things were finally looking a bit brighter and I was about to go to my brother's wedding, I fell in a freak accident and my shoulder was crushed. I was told that I would probably never regain mobility, and they weren't sure the surgery could succeed. They didn't have to tell me I couldn't travel for the wedding, because the pain was insane. Did I say the pain was insane? I've always declined opioids, but during the week I had to wait for surgery at a hospital that was over 100 km away, morphine was an absolutely necessary part of my life. And it still was three week after. But then things started to get better. There were some good things during the year: I found a way to talk with my eldest daughter about my mental health issues, and we started to rebuild our relationship. We've never been estranged, but there's been an uncomfortable distance, and we are now bridging that. Something similar happened with my siblings, though the distance hasn't been that far with them. I found some sources of income and I've payed off some of my debt, and that will improve even more during 2025, which is amazing. And then something even more amazing happened. During the 8 weeks of physical recovery, all of my PTSD symptoms completely disappeared, including some I didn't even know were connected to the PTSD. I lost more than 10 kg, without even thinking of diet. I started enjoying things, and began thinking of taking up horseback riding again, and listening to music, things that have mostly been too emotionally intense for me for a decade. I was so happy. But then it was time to go back to Copenhagen after 4 months at the farm, and at first that was also amazing. I went to a party, and lots of friends were there and greeted me so warmly, and hung out with me all evening. But the next day, I tripped while walking the dog and got a horrible black eye. And all the bad stuff came rolling back like a huge flood of fear and unrest. My daughter was naturally concerned because of the eye, but her concern came out as anger, and I withdrew. Within a week I was hospitalized with inexplicable symptoms including almost full body paralysis. Luckily, some friends moved in for totally unrelated reasons, and they helped me get through the worst period. We even went to a concert together. And then I returned to the farm. I couldn't see myself going through all the social events of the holidays. And now I am here, recovering again slowly. I think the most important thing is that I have learnt that I can recover, so I no longer get that feeling of hopelessness. I'm better at taking care of myself than before I broke that shoulder, and I don't despair when I'm not perfectly energetic every day. So on a personal level, I feel hopeful about 2025. Some good things can happen. It's possible. But then there's all that other stuff. I basically only read headlines and food columns and some, not all MetaFilter posts online. Otherwise I read books, mainly about food, but also one about mink (long story and this is getting too long). I hope we will all get safely through 2025, but things are truly looking dire all over the world. Thanks for reading, if you did. It's been helpful to write this all down. And happy New Year, everyone.

By: briank

briank — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 07:07:45 -0800

The first half of 2024 was spent dealing with my mother's terminal illness and her passing in June, which came on the heels of the passing of both of my in-laws in October of 2023, so for pretty much a full year from mid-2023 to mid-2024 at least one parent was dying. The second half of the year led me to the realization that the time had come to step away from nearly 30 years in IT. And so 2025 is a whole undiscovered country for me as I begin retirement. I have no idea what I will do with this new phase, and I have no small trepidation that the coming events that will be set in motion come January 20 might not ruin everything. It is a hard time.

By: cupcakeninja

cupcakeninja — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 07:18:03 -0800

mumimor, I hope you have a better 2025. Also, I rarely think to recommend my favorite book about food--one that's pleasant, informative (though out of date), and gently funny in a Wodehousian sort of way. The Cheese Book.

By: djseafood

djseafood — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 07:27:26 -0800

Entering into 2025 and top of mind is the lack of a job - and how to solve for that in the new year. I had a 6 month contract that wrapped in October and had a few leads that just didn't pan out. There was a flurry interviews but those ended quickly after the US election. Consensus seems to be that job seekers are in the "dead zone" until after the new years celebration. I also just turned 50 - gah, there it is. No real revelations, I feel the same, happy to be in good health and decent spirits. I'd like to believe that 2025 can be more transformational for me, I am present and available for that, curious to see where I end up.

By: scruss

scruss — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 07:36:32 -0800

I was supposed to be in St Louis, but what with ms scruss catching COVID for the first time while she was in Missouri and the whole Influenza A thing that's clogging up urgent care centres, I'm spending Christmas and New Year on my own. 2024 went pretty well until October, when my employer went 100% shitbird and fired me without warning. I need to be employed in 2025, but the difficulty is I'm 55, my career is a verb, and there's very little out there I want to do. My hair is seriously fucking amazing, though, and is a constant source of joy to me.

By: Artful Codger

Artful Codger — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 07:44:13 -0800

briank - COVID sort of propelled me into an earlier retirement, but I was also a bit past my sell-by date as a self-taught sw developer, anyway. I already had some solid ideas about what I wanted to do in retirement, so it was mostly an easy transition. So my advice here is that you should form some PLANS and GOALS for your retirement, just to give it a little structure. Hobbies, volunteering, travel, whatever. Retirement is your reward, but it sounds like you're dreading it. * * * All things considered, Mrs C and i have little to complain about. Still, for me, 2024 was mostly a year of disappointments, obligations and anxiety. The biggest looming concern is planning for the care of a stubborn 90 yr old mother still living independently, 200 km away, and the fact that my siblings have essentially dumped The Problem Of Mom on me. I have most scenarios gamed out, but none of them are going to be pleasant or free of arguments and/or coercion. Us moving there, or her moving here... neither are feasible for a number of reasons. It is what it is. Good things about 2024 - I lost a little weight, and spent more time on a bicycle. Also a decent amount of sailing. My happy places. Where I went wrong this year was in not keeping all these things in perspective, and not being better at balancing. I let my anxiety and worries dominate, and did not make enough time for recreation and fun. So that's the goal for 2025 - to plan and do more fun stuff. And to make life more fun for Mrs C. It's mainly a matter of giving myself permission to enjoy things more often.

By: mrjohnmuller

mrjohnmuller — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 07:51:49 -0800

I had a few big happenings this year. Got married. Went poly. Got my first named credit in a TV show. Got into the union. Last grandparent died. Put Mom in a memory care facility. Stopped drinking. Had first bout of COVID. Political/Climate anxieties continuing apace. Slowly building my little hermit shack in the mountains. In conclusion, 2024 was a land of contrasts. Thank you.

By: DirtyOldTown

DirtyOldTown — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 07:52:26 -0800

I've always wanted to see Chicago's NYE fireworks display over Navy Pier, but now that I finally am off work and in town, and our kid is old enough to appreciate it, I am an old. So we got a room at a hotel overlooking the lake and will watch from there while we eat snacks. It should be pretty fun and pretty low effort, which sounds ideal.

By: taz

taz — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 08:04:49 -0800

*admires scruss's seriously good hair* Hugs to everyone. If you've shared about tough times and I favorited, it means I'm in your corner, hoping for the best for you. I had a nice late afternoon of shoving sharp pointy sticks up my nose and down my throat, but the good news (maybe) is that the sticks have augured that I apparently do not have Covid ick, respiratory ick, or scary flu ick. I do have some sort of ick though (very sore throat, ringing ears, headache, some other stuff) so waiting to see how that plays out. Currently drinking something called Snowball tea, which is nice and yummy, and feels cozy.

By: JohnFromGR

JohnFromGR — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 08:09:58 -0800

2024 was the first year in a long time when nobody from my extended group of friends or family died. That contributed to 2024 being an average year, with no particular highs or lows, which was a relief. I dread 2025.

By: Hume

Hume — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 08:24:49 -0800

Oddly enough, 2020 was a pretty good year for me. It's been a decline ever since and I don't see the trend reversing. What Deaner Was Talking About was one of my most listened to songs this year and a decent representation of my hopes for 2025.

By: Wordshore

Wordshore — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 08:25:20 -0800

(1/2 - the 'looking back at 2024' half) It's been a strange year. I've continued to shed people from my wider social network, as a forest animals shed a winter coat, through the year. Sometimes this means just fading away, sometimes ghosting, occasionally a (necessary) abrupt blocking everywhere. Life, and time management, are less suffocating now and there is some purpose or reason of the friendships and relationships of most of the people in my life. Freeing up time became more essential due to an ongoing change in ... what some people would call "career", but more accurately I'd call "subject scope". I've pretty much left behind the digital games in education, teaching and learning field (and some of the people I'm removing from my life are peopele from that field). Though, the sensible principles of "never say never" say I'd briefly return to it if the right client with a large-enough bag of money appeared. But, after brief forays in cryosphere research, and solar research, neither of which were viable for me for different reasons, I'm starting to settle in or near the intersection of: 1. Biodiversity, and biodiversity collapse. 2. Collapsology. 3. Orchard, and fruit tree, biospheres. I've got experience and knowledge in all three areas and, in retrospect, it's an increasingly obvious move. And, crucially, it's relevant to ongoing and future events, and (to me) it's interesting. How I'm going about this is something for a post in 2025. Apart from that, I've reached the age where an uncomfortably large proportion of funerals I attend, or people I know who have passed away, are younger than me. Which is a bit unnerving, but I feel unable to mention this at funerals and wakes because that just makes it about me rather than the recently deceased. Does anyone else deep into middle-age experience this specific uncomfortableness?

By: DirtyOldTown

DirtyOldTown — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 08:27:15 -0800

My spouse starts a better job on 1/6 and I have a final interview for a better job on 1/7. Fingers crossed, gang.

By: Wordshore

Wordshore — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 08:28:04 -0800

I've always wanted to see Chicago's NYE fireworks display over Navy Pier... Over the decades I've seen 9 NYE firework displays in the USA, and the Chicago one stood out as the best (sorry, Seattle, Toledo, Grinnell, Whitefish and the others, but it just was).

By: Windopaene

Windopaene — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 08:50:27 -0800

2024? Worst, (maybe second worst) year of my life so far. 2025? No fucking idea how it will get better.

By: mygothlaundry

mygothlaundry — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 09:09:52 -0800

2024 marked my return to eldercare and now my sibling is here in Oregon, living across town in a very small apartment of which I am, frankly, a little jealous. It has a VIEW. He needs a LOT of care and navigating that is not easy. I need to get a much better handle on that in 2025 but what with the busy job, which starts ramping up in January and will get crazier all spring, building through early July when it relaxes again, Three, who is delightful, but, well, three, the dog, the two adult kids, Too Small House, elderly truck and, hmm, just life *flails wildly* it's not going to be easy. I have no idea what to do. Or, well, I have lots of ideas but they all involve time and money, and I have neither. 2025 is the year I lose a lot of weight and keep it off though. Has to happen, my joints are a misery now and while weight loss won't fully solve that, it's the best first step. I'm going to keep asking for the weight loss drugs until somebody gives them to me - my doctor doesn't give out prescriptions easily, and I love her for that, but it's time. Otherwise the best I'm hoping for in 2025 is for it just to be calm. Please oh gods. No huge changes, no dramatic anything, just a peaceful year. This is, of course, vanishingly unlikely. I cannot even think about the national and international stage; I just want to do a small animal hunker down in a hole and curl into a ball, shut my eyes tight and hope the withering winds pass us by. Holding us all in the light, mefites, here's hoping 2025 defies all expectations and is better than the last for everyone.

By: taz

taz — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 09:11:08 -0800

So I went to look at the site where the Snowball tea came from, just to tea browse a bit, and I see an Earl Grey Creme there and I want to know why in the hell I've never had an Earl Grey Creme tea? I feel like someone has been hiding this from me. I also see there something called EDINBURGH ROCK, and under that it says Fruity, Delicious, Scottish. And ... well, I know what all these words mean ... I just don't know what they mean together. It's alarming.

By: Greg_Ace

Greg_Ace — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 09:30:18 -0800

I don't tend to think in terms of discrete years*, retrospective pasts or hoped-for futures. I just sort of keep bumbling along day by day doing my best, watching artificial man-made landmarks float by - which they seem to do more swiftly of late - and injecting some silliness where I can just to keep myself sane. Progress happens (or doesn't) at its own pace... A few weeks ago I got a wild hair and signed up for a kendo class. Then canceled it when I realized my knees simply would not let me perform the formal sitting and rising postures required in that discipline. Not sure what I might do next, but I'll do so while consciously recognizing my physical limitations. So for instance rock climbing is an absolute no-go. *nor of numbered ages, although dissent is often registered by various body parts

By: The Ardship of Cambry

The Ardship of Cambry — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 09:36:27 -0800

Taz, you're tempting me into tea shopping, which I can ill afford right now. I need to finish the tea I already have for crying out loud (weeping). My old washing machine cut out on me yesterday. Same day they announced Jimmy Carter's demise, coincidence? I don't think so. So God willing and the creek don't rise I think 2025 is gonna have to be the year I replace the aging pipes/look into a heat pump/replace appliances before the tariffs fuck us over. And stop spending so damn much on tea, jewelry, and designer fragrance. And stay at that silly hotel in PDX that was built in an elementary school.

By: JustSayNoDawg

JustSayNoDawg — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 09:44:28 -0800

I've decided my New Year's resolution is to not spend the entire year pissed off because my Presdidential Candidate lost to an idiot huckster pile of feces (an d the old man he conned into fronting for him) because a bunch of Americans done lost their goddamn minds. No, I'm not going to do that, but I have a lot of anger to burn between now and midnight tomorrow night. So, come January 1, I'm swearing off political news and sticking strictly to tech and gaming industry news. And yes, I'm sort of burying my head in the sand. But America has it's head up it's ass and there's nothing I can do until the next election, so it's either rhat, or I implode. Plus, I'm pretty sure that, for one reason or another, we're pretty much done with elections, so it might not even be an issue. I had a revelation lately that I have been carrying around a lot of emotional baggage since I was a teen, lo, those many years ago, and that some of that baggage may have been weighted down by depression that I've probably been fighting since I was in 6th grade or thereabouts. So, I've already started by admitting that issue to a bunch for people I grew up with and am trying to reconnect to them. They're aren't even the same people anymore and neither am I, so I'm going to give it a shot. That's it for now!

By: cooker girl

cooker girl — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 09:45:47 -0800

I hope I get a new job as early as possible in 2025. That's it. That's all.

By: outgrown_hobnail

outgrown_hobnail — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 09:47:12 -0800

It bothers me a lot that personally and professionally, 2024 was just great, while being basically the Final Harbinger of Doom for the USA and the ecosystem. More money, fewer problems for me and mine. What a shitshow, otherwise. I'm almost certain I'll lose both my venerable parents in 2025. My mother (87) is going rapidly downhill physically and mentally, and while my father (96) is doing great for a guy his age, he's starting to slow down, too, and the fast decline of his wife of almost 66 years is really hurting him. I stopped engaging with news/politics the day after the election. That 85%+ of Americans *didn't* crawl over broken glass to keep that man out of power just proved to me that the capture of our political/economic ecosystem by the oligarchs is complete, there's nothing I can do about it other than suicide bombing, and engaging with the stories only worsens my heartburn. I was stuck somewhere last week and All Things Considered was on, and I'm like I absolutely made the right decision there.

By: Czjewel

Czjewel — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 09:48:57 -0800

One year anniversary of giving up television. After one week I didn't miss it. To be clear, I still have tablets and such that I could watch things on. I also have Netflix. I watch avg. two movies a week. Increased reading...more experimenting with cooking, and learning how to keep bonsai alive inside my domicile in the bitter north. Next challenge...orchids!

By: taz

taz — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 09:51:10 -0800

Orchids! ✨

By: tommasz

tommasz — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 10:18:00 -0800

My 2024 started with me going down hard on my bicycle when I hit black ice. It's ending with me facing a decision I didn't think I'd have to make for at few years at least. But my oldest got married to a great guy so it wasn't all gloom and doom. Trying not to even think about what 2025 will bring.

By: btfreek

btfreek — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 10:43:00 -0800

Early 2024, the shoe finally dropped on my too-good-to-be-true-but-also-somehow-kind-of-shit job situation and I either was laid off, was forced out, or told them to fuck off, depending on who's asking. (I took some petty satisfaction in learning things temporarily went further to shit following my abrupt departure, but they're the richest company in the world and the house always, always wins.) Fortunately for me, while earning an upper-middle-class salary for the better part of a decade I never quite stopped living like a broke grad student, and so I finally got to have the ✨Unemployed Dirtbag Summer✨ of my dreams. Days spent biking between home, the beach, the library, and the pottery studio. Hanging out more with my parents, who are in better health and better spirits this year than in 2023 (and I refuse to acknowledge the possibility this trend will not continue forevermore la la la). I can look at the stats from my smartwatch and see my resting heart rate fall throughout the year, first due to decreased stress and then increased fitness. Just before my unemployment ran out I slid into a new, much more low-key gig with decent long term potential, so that all worked out nicely. It's funny to look back and realize I'm almost exactly where my vague five-year plan from 2020ish put me, even with all the unexpected shit that's happened between then and now. What some would say are low expectations, I would rather call manageable goals. I feel very fortunate. Going into 2025 with zero expectations but just hoping that everything will turn out okay.

By: kathrynm

kathrynm — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 10:59:11 -0800

2024 was the year my job finally got to be too much and I quit. Not proud of how, but it's the best decision I've made in a long time. I (thankfully) am in an in demand industry and found a new job quickly. The difference between old job and new job is beyond 360. After rage quitting I took my first vacation in 20 years. I'm planning on doing it again this year since I now have PTO. I took care of my dental stuff with the help of a lot of ativan. I'm scared for 2025, but I'll (hopefully) survive.

By: scruss

scruss — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 11:04:17 -0800

→ EDINBURGH ROCK, and under that it says Fruity, Delicious, Scottish ... As a Scottish person I need to stamp my foot indignantly at that comment. Edinburgh Rock is at least two of Fruity, Delicious, Scottish. It's a weird vaguely chalky sorta halfway to honeycomb candy that comes in small pastel-coloured sticks. It's fruit flavoured, but not any recognizable fruit. The brown stick might be cinnamon, I forget. Anyway, it's possible to suck the end of the stick to an extremely sharp point. A sibling of mine managed to stab themselves in the face with their exquisitely-pointed stick of rock on a car ride. Maybe it should be advertised as Fruity, Delicious, Scottish ... and Stabby! How could I forget that 2024 was the year I got e-bike! Best thing ever in the history of best things, ever. also: I need to update that profile photo. My hair is at least 50% more awesome now

By: kristi

kristi — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 11:31:36 -0800

So, seriously, I am kind of offline for the holidays but I just bookmarked half the front page posts to read later and to answer the questions: my 2024 was made so much better by MetaFilter, and I hope (and believe) I will find a lot of great stuff - joy, and humanity, and progress, and connection - through MetaFilter in 2025. I love you all. I love this place. I love your presence here, Wordshore, and all you fabulous people in this thread, and all you fabulous people who haven't posted in this thread yet but will shortly, and all the silent readers who also make up this community. Thank you. And you. And you. And you. Thank you.

By: Greg_Ace

Greg_Ace — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 11:36:09 -0800

Scottish ... and Stabby ...but you repeat yourself

By: Tailkinker to-Ennien

Tailkinker to-Ennien — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 12:01:01 -0800

After two years of research and another year of prep work, I relocated to Mexico in November. I learned Spanish as a child, but lost fluency, so while I have to regain that...I'm regaining it, not starting from scratch. Soon after arriving in Mexico, my laptop's charging port stopped working because of an electrical fault on the motherboard. The shop couldn't fix it, but they were able to get all my data off the hard drive, and can help me later if I need stray files hither and thither on OldMachine. I went laptop-shopping on Cyber Monday, and got a fantastic deal on a really powerful laptop with more storage than I think I'll use. (Now watch me blow through it in a matter of months as I start my project to digitally save all my coloring art.) And looking ahead, I'm visiting Hawai'i this spring, since the rest of my immediate family will live there as of next week (early January 2025). Lotta bad shite in 2024, more coming in 2025. But I'm well positioned to ride it out in relative safety, AND help some of my friends relocate in the US and outside.

By: SPrintF

SPrintF — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 12:14:34 -0800

My rosemary is in bloom. (Yes, in Winter. Rosemary is weird, man.) Feral bees are happily swarming it. It's no biggie, but I planted rosemary precisely to provide forage for pollinators, so I'm glad it's working out.

By: Peach

Peach — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 13:18:10 -0800

I am being a potato over the holidays, so I allowed myself some social media, and it made me into mashed potato. I just noticed that I was getting mad about Americans complaining that they are losing their "inheritance" because their parents will need it for health care, and I am constantly astonished at the ways people (a) don't blame capitalism for the things capitalism causes (b) feel nothing for their parents and grandparents (c) want to be capitalists themselves and (d) don't really think other people have a right to live their lives. In other words, I should stop allowing myself to read social media when I'm having the winter wearies. So I went to the zoo today with my adult kid and grandkid, and spent most of the visit watching the grandkid go down a slide in a playground. We also saw an armadillo. Armadillos are cool. Four year olds are hilarious. My kid is great. We all like each other. My kid won't ever let me pay for anything. I need to focus on my own life, not on other people's stories. That's 2024 for me. Except November. Didn't like November.

By: winesong

winesong — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 14:16:34 -0800

2024 was A Lot. 2023 was A Lot. The past 8 years have been too much. I'm in an odd space, very weary and run down, but it looks like the godawful merry-go-round of anxiety and depression may have a chance of lifting, if I can just hold it together for a while longer. I'll make an actual resolution this year, to finish a task every day instead of making a list of tasks and then wandering off to do something I'd rather do. My partner and I have been treading water, happy we could somehow buy a house in this US at this time, but not really able to do much with it. Now we'll be in a position to actually pay down some debt, I can focus on being the resident carpenter gardener landscaper seamstress entrepreneur. To all MeFites who have responded to the Card Swap by sending me a little something, I thank you for the sunshine.

By: Higherfasterforwards

Higherfasterforwards — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 14:30:02 -0800

This year has been one of change. I somehow finished 20 years in the military and am so glad I'm out and don't have to deal with the coming craziness. 2025 is going to focus on getting healthy, just breathing and taking a break from working while figuring out what I'll do next. It's going to be overwhelming dealing with everything I've been ignoring to get through the days

By: jenfullmoon

jenfullmoon — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 14:37:56 -0800

2019 was "my year" and I thought I wasn't going to make it through 2024. Much to my surprise, 2024 has also been "my year." I got out on medical leave in January and never had to go back to my hell job again, managed to duck being out of work or going to work in a prison, and after 12 years of hell, finally got into a miracle job with a miracle boss. I'm still shocked at all of this. I also did five plays and got lines in two of them, one of them was even at a new theater. Much as I didn't want to get psychiatric drug help at the end of 2023, I did get lucky fairly quickly on that topic and that's going well--I'm even cheerful these days, go figure. Sleep is still somewhat of an issue, but not as bad. I'm kind of afraid to escalate that further, though. On the bad news side, I damaged my car a lot through my own stupidity and I lost my covidginity (sigh), but at least it wasn't a bad bout. My place is also a complete avalanche of mess these days and I haven't been able to start trying to pull it together. Really, my place is just too small for my life, but rent is expensive and I can't afford closets or a craft room that work for me, so there you go. I had to take a pay cut for the job, but maybe in another year or something I can try to promote in rank. The one missing hole in my life is still being single when I don't want to be. Prayers to saints and the like haven't done anything there. Maybe "the one" is in prison, living in a bubble, getting his fifth divorce or flying here from an alien planet, or maybe there just isn't anyone out there meant for me at all. It would take a miracle for me to find someone and I admit that between my age, looks, weirdness and avalanche of shit, it would be a long shot at best. I'm still trying to let go of that dream and hoping that someday I can be fine and content with being perpetually hungry for bedtime snuggles with another human that I like. I'll be fine being permanently single, it's just not what I want. But this year has gone so well that maybe asking for more shouldn't be a thing anyway. I really hope everyone who's job hunting has something pan out for them. Prayers to St. Anthony and St. Expedite worked on that score for me, if that gives anyone any ideas.

By: supermedusa

supermedusa — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 15:24:58 -0800

scruss your hair is indeed fantastic and I hope it brings you joy through the new year. There are many things I could complain about, 2024 having been not exactly the best year of my life, but I will complain about my hair. I have damn near *objectively* amazing hair. It's thick and fluffy and healthy and grows fast. And it's driving me completely insane. I don't want short hair, but I find myself increasingly challenged to deal with my long hair. It's just too damn thick. I don't know what I'm going to do. If this turns out to be the biggest, worst or only problem I have in the coming year I will be extremely thankful.

By: Windopaene

Windopaene — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 15:41:44 -0800

"Nice hair!" I used to have hair like that. Now I am an old, and more falls out every day than grows. And I'm getting near a six-head. May you all continue to be the wonderful community you are, and may all your wishes and goals for 2025 be realized.

By: scruss

scruss — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 16:38:17 -0800

→ ...but you repeat yourself Hey, now you cut that out. I'm Scottish and I've never stabbed anyone!

By: ginger.beef

ginger.beef — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 17:09:34 -0800

The stitches came out of Bootsy's right eye today, vet had to remove the eye and it healed up nicely. So the year ended with this black cat showing up and he has made his home with the other cat and two dogs. 2024 was too many deaths: in February forcing my way into his home to find a friend had died by his bed, to December and a friend opting for death on her own terms instead of letting cancer have it all. Four funerals and a wedding now I think on it. But a pretty good year at work and working to make my union stronger. I hope people get what they need this year, I am in your corner. Jenfullmoon if this floats your boat I learned that a friend started dating after over 15 yrs, she is only on date 3 or 4 but so far so good. There are good people out there! Good luck

By: notoriety public

notoriety public — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 18:11:28 -0800

Another nice thing is I got my bike back from the shop today. It threw the chain about a week and a half ago, and even after I got it put back on, it started slipping between gears, so it was time to take it to the shop. I took it to my local guy, who is amazing. He diagnosed the chain as stretched, which was what I was suspecting too. While it took a little time to get it back because of the holidays, he was also able to fix my back fender which had also come loose and was rattling. So the bike is back in tip-top shape, and I am very happy about it. I was hoping to bike to the NYE party I'm going to tomorrow, and now I can.

By: mollweide

mollweide — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 19:14:37 -0800

I don't even know what to think of this year, or the impending one. My son, who's has had his set of challenges, is doing well in college at this point. My spouse's father has finally died, after years of not having anything one would consider a good quality of life. My spouse's job was threatened with elimination during the summer, but it seems like it's not going anywhere yet, so we think she made the right decision to stay. My job seems so improbable that I expect it to end at any time but it hasn't yet. And everything else *looks around*. Everything is so precarious, and if there's someone out there who thinks it isn't, they're most likely very wrong.

By: honey badger

honey badger — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 21:24:52 -0800

2024 was a difficult year, but that's because my dad passed away, and then I caught Covid for the first time....I had kept it at bay all those years, but my immune system was shot after my dad had his first of 2 strokes. I am able to feel the pain of the loss now, and with the help of Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield learned to find some compassion for myself. I actually look forward to 2025, even though the outlook seems poor, WRT president of the US. However, I have purchased tix to visit old friends in NYC and I am so looking forward to that! Even better, the tickets were frequent flyer miles and I have sleeping pod First Class seats on the return trip. What I learned from my father's death was to really live, and living takes energy and planning, and seeing things through. So that's what I'm doing. Usually all it takes is to remember to breathe, and I can accomplish anything I set my mind to do. It's so simple, breathing, but I frequently forget to do it. When I forget I get unnecessarily frustrated. Here's to remembering to breathe in 2025!

By: billsaysthis

billsaysthis — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 21:27:58 -0800

I generally am quite happy with my 2024, election very much aside from. Most significant is that tomorrow is my last day of employment EVAH, though really the other day was the last I "worked" and then drove my laptop to FedEx. Also, life in Hawaii was pretty sweet. Visited Portugal and I heart Portugal. Got new eyes, well cataracts, and the surgery went really well—don't need glasses at all after 50+ years, which is wow! 2025 looks like a lot of travel. February is New Zealand and March Australia, SF/Portland in May or June, and after that we shall see. For all those who had messy, crappy, or plain terrible 2024s, sending you wishes for a much better 2025!

By: Wordshore

Wordshore — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 22:31:18 -0800

There's two active threads over on MetaTalk where you may also want to write things: * 2024 Fanfare EXTRAVAGANZA (a spreadsheet of recommended books, movies, tv, music, games, podcasts we have read, watched, listened to, or played this year) * Happy Holidays! What are you doing?

By: unearthed

unearthed — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:58:23 -0800

Happy new year to all! I read all way thru. mummimor, what a hard year. I can only hope 25 is better for you. And for everyone else on this thread or reading it. 2024 was mixed with the new govt trying to do a Milei to us and the economy going into a tailspin. Worst business year since I started in 2011. Plus the world is falling apart but I'll be guided by Rick [yarn link] in order to thrive despite the Christo-fascists, racists and QAnons that are now ruling. Keeping my powder (literal or metaphorical) dry is my watchword for 25. As part of looking for new avenues of design I've started having a stall at a weekly market an hour and a half away - I'm the only one not selling organic honey, free range eggs or nice pottery, and it's turned out to be a remunerative and fun way to spend Sundays, with new designs for farms, smallholdings and townhouses - in an area where it's naturally very dry (200 to 300mm rain year, some interesting planting challenges are coming along!). We are determined to have a garden (too easy designing them for it to never happen), I'm mainly the labourer and my wife finesses and it's come along nicely but it will never be conventional. And we now have a long and very thin mixed shrub perennial border. billsaysthis where are you travelling in NZ?

By: ellieBOA

ellieBOA — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 03:39:04 -0800

Not the best 2024 due to illness but my girlfriend proposed over Christmas so I head into 2025 engaged!

By: hydropsyche

hydropsyche — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 04:13:28 -0800

My family had significant health challenges in 2024, making it a very hard year overall, but we're now on the other side of that and things are good on that front. In September, I completed all the paperwork for promotion to full professor, and 2 weeks ago I got the official notification that it is happening. I won't get the raise or new title until August, of course, because academia moves slow as molasses. Lots of anxiety about 2025, like most of us in the US, but using Jimmy Carter as a role model, trying to keep finding a way forward to make the world a better place in the face of all who would make it worse.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 04:52:39 -0800

Martin Q Blank, please check your memail!

By: Halloween Jack

Halloween Jack — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 07:52:48 -0800

Kind of a rough year, not just because of the Recent Unpleasantness but also because of losses: an uncle and two aunts, the aunts within a couple of weeks of each other, and another uncle who's taking the long, difficult road of dementia. He had a fall not long before Christmas, and for a short while it wasn't clear that he and my aunt would be able to do Christmas with the rest of us. But he did, and I'm grateful for that, for staying sober another year, and for this site.

By: jenfullmoon

jenfullmoon — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 08:07:02 -0800

Charlie the Unicorn Enjoys a Moment of Peace.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 08:09:35 -0800

I don't often sit down and Plan Out My Schedule, but tend to do that on this date - making sure that the various random appointments are in both my laptop calendar and my paper one. I also decided to go a bit nuts on Meetup and sign up for some events from my groups. My next two weeks are going to be unusually busy, with a recruiter stop followed by an acupuncture appointment and then a job fair and another recruiter call and then a movie and then both dentist and hair appointments the same day followed by a hike through Floyd Bennett field the same night as the Golden Globes and.... This also conveniently gets me out of the house a lot right when my roommate will be recovering from a trip to Germany, so that's also good.

By: neuron

neuron — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 10:35:07 -0800

I read more books in 2024 than I have since before the iPhone. I'm very excited about the books I'm going to read in 2025, although what I actually read usually has little semblance to the list I make on January 1. Right now, thinking about some math, philosophy, and science fiction gems.

By: Mr. Yuck

Mr. Yuck — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 16:02:51 -0800

I worked 56 hours between Thursday and Sunday and then slept twenty hours yesterday so I am feeling pleasantly lazy today. My boss asked me to work and I said no. We got a new guy at the shelter I stay at. He came from the behavioral health hospital about twenty miles away. Says the cops found him on a bridge Xmas eve and took him to the hospital. He's homeless and his family kicked him out a couple weeks ago. He says the psychiatric drugs he's on make it hard to talk and that his anxiety is through the roof. I put him in my room, the quiet one. He doesn't have any food or money and hardly any clothes kinda like me when I came here. We'll get him sorted over the next couple days.

By: johnofjack

johnofjack — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 17:36:17 -0800

I had a rough year, all told. My cat disappeared for 9 days (my own fault; eventually I caught him again) then after that I had $2k in vet bills for four different visits, then I had a water leak which destroyed the flooring in my home, which still hasn't been replaced because of cost (the insurance payout didn't cover it all; it'll get replaced eventually), then my computer died (but at least I managed to recover all my passwords), then I had an 8/10 pain reflux flareup (if you have GERD I'd like to recommend that you consider not skipping any meals even if you're nauseated), then I had my wisdom teeth out (voluntarily, but it was painful and not at all cheap), then my monthly HOA fees went up by $400 a month but I have a mortgage and not much in savings so I feel trapped here, then yesterday I found that I have drywood termites and they're going to have to tent the building at an $8-10k cost, so the HOA fees will go up again so what's the plan, Stan?... All told, in re: my personal life, 2024 was not great. Here's hoping 2025 is better. In re: media, not a bad year at all. I watched about 500 movies, at least half of them horror and some of them very good (particular favorites offhand: Kuroneko, Hush, Oddity, Opera, The Conjuring 2, Raw, Spontaneous, Relic, The Wrath of Becky, In a Violent Nature, The Menu, and Thelma (a charming comedy/drama!). And I'll stop here lest I'm typing all night). Also I discovered the absurd and frequently hilarious Taskmaster series (I think due to Jessamyn?) so that was great. I binge watched UK and NZ, didn't bother with the rest. 10/10 for the original, no notes. As for books, I've only read a few dozen this year. The Black Guy Dies First, Master Slave Husband Wife, Columbine, and Starter Villain all stood out. Aside from that, my big discovery was YA mystery author Maureen Johnson (I read Truly Devious when it came out, re-read it this year, then read five more of her books).

By: ob1quixote

ob1quixote — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 18:55:44 -0800

I have a 9 a.m. call time to load-out everyone else's new year party, so I will, as usual, be watching the live stream from my bed. 2023 reeked, 2024 sucked, and it looks like 2025 is going to blow. On the other hand, spending the spring being a hospice caregiver and carrying out my last familial obligation has meant I've got nothing left to give a shit about. Dad's girlfriend took the bank account and coin collection and made me pay the funeral expenses out of what I got for the car. People are livid that my reaction is, "What's the point of making an 82-year-old woman cry?" The life-changing magic of not giving a fuck has put me in the best place physically, emotionally, mentally, and financially that I've been in for decades. As always, my deepest sympathies to hearts that grieve and best wishes to those who struggle with THE WEIGHT.

By: taz

taz — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:42:29 -0800

[[#HappyNewYear, everyone! We've added this to the New Year's roundup on the sidebar and Best Of blog!]]

By: theBigRedKittyPurrs

theBigRedKittyPurrs — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 03:51:53 -0800

Happy New Year! johnofjack Maureen Johnson is such a gem. Last year started off well. And it was a pretty good year, all things considered, until spouse was diagnosed with the PE. Then it was a bit dark and a bit scary. Spouse is being good about following up and following physician's orders. Now it is the first day of a new year and I don't anticipate this one going very well, so I'm going to spend some time this morning contemplating mentally healthy ways of coping.

By: the primroses were over

the primroses were over — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 05:33:54 -0800

The dog and I had a nice sunrise walk. I will eat hoppin john, leftover sugar cookies and coffee while watching the Rose Parade. Later I'm going to make a spicy chicken soup with soba noodles, collard greens and lots of ginger. Happy New Year! May 2025 be better than you're expecting.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 05:59:35 -0800

The black-eyed peas are going through their first cook for my own hoppin' john, and I'll be using the collards I froze from the farmshare this summer as well. And I had posole last night for dinner (I had some in the freezer) and made a bowl of tteokguk for lunch yesterday as I also heard they were lucky NYE meals. I also still have some dried black-eyed peas left over - but today I will also be seeing a whole range of "here's what I used the BEP's for" recipe ideas being shared on the Rancho Gordo fan club group so that should be fine. I also discovered that I have some already-cooked and frozen beans in my freezer I'd totally forgotten about. I've got a mini-resolution to really cut back on the groceries for just the month of January (I splurged a bit and bought a lot of foodstuffs to "stock up", plus my income will be going down that month at least); that was a comfort, realizing that "oh hey, I've got at least ten soups in here".

By: hydropsyche

hydropsyche — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 06:52:02 -0800

I got up and did the New Year's Day climb to see the sunrise on Stone Mountain with hundreds of other Georgians. There was a (Korean, I think) drum ceremony as the sun came up, but mostly folks just cheered and shivered and hoped for a better tomorrow. I will be starting the black eyed peas soon for hoppin john. We will be having chard with it because we both actually don't like collards and each are happy to be married to someone who doesn't like them either. The cornbread will be from a mix. I'm thinking I may make brownies, too, because we like brownies, and those will be from scratch because I've never seen a decent non-dairy brownie mix.

By: Wordshore

Wordshore — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 09:09:04 -0800

(2/2 - the 'looking forward to 2025' half) Politics is perhaps not looking like a fantastically optimistic year, so swiftly moving on... I'm going to be seriously busy on the research stuff mentioned in the 2024 comment. Hopefully I'll get to make trips out to a few places; Sweden, the Netherlands and the USA would be good, for different reasons. But filling the numerous gaps in my subject knowledge, and doing a few credit-awarding academic courses e.g. possibly this biodiversity one, take priority. There'll also be the writing of a bundle of blog posts, but I'm unlikely to be in a position to write a decent academic paper in 2025. Hopefully, 2026. 2025 is closed out with The Ashes. Australia have strong home advantage. Even if England find consistency, and Root/Brook reliably knock out the centuries and double-centuries, I'm pessimistic of anything other than a comfortable series win for Pat's crew. Dammit. Did briefly toy with the idea of attending as a treat for getting through a year of research, but the temperature at day 1 of the recent MCG match between Australia and India was around 40C, so, nope. (yeah, heat is going to be a recurring theme of 2025, probably the whole five years of 2025-29)

By: gentlyepigrams

gentlyepigrams — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 12:32:55 -0800

2024 had high points (my cancer was removed by surgery in January and I avoided radiation and chemo; I was successfully treated for my phobia of needles and was able to donate blood for the first time) and some really low points (a young relative died by suicide). I know there are things about 2025 that are going to suck big time, like everything to do with politics, but on a personal level I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Also I'm starting a blog so I can at least do something productive with the energy generated by my annoyance at politics.

By: Greg_Ace

Greg_Ace — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 13:04:58 -0800

I just reserved a tent site in late June at my favorite campground with a gorgeous view of Mt. Hood (assuming it's not raining then). The sites there get snapped up months ahead, already the only reservations still open are on weekdays. Hopefully I can persuade some friends to join me, but I'm going even if it's by myself.

By: Mr. Yuck

Mr. Yuck — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 13:33:17 -0800

The guy who came to the shelter yesterday couldn't take it. He told me he was feeling suicidal and it took him a while to get that much out. I had to call the hospital for him and they gave me a wrong number for mobile crisis. When I finally got mobile crisis they told me to call 911. He was beyond words by then. I told the ambulance people where to take him. Now I am collecting his stuff to lock up. I don't know what his case manager was thinking discharging him here with 30 days of meds, no phone, no food and no money.

By: kabong the wiser

kabong the wiser — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 13:44:13 -0800

Since starting a new job 6 months ago I have been actively walking. It started simply, instead of using a vehicle to travel to my "checks", I walk. This has routinely given me about 15,000+ steps every day I work. Starting today (seems like a good day for it) I am adding in my days off, too. Between walking, drinking water instead of a diet cola beverages, eating fruit veg hummus nuts, in small portions every few hours instead of loading up a meal, I have lost 30 lbs and feel MUCH BETTER. Blood sugar is under control, knees and ankles are much better, and stress levels are about 15% of what they used to be. I feel kinda stupid for not doing it much earlier, but apparently I had to work myself into medical issues with a high stress job before I could wake up and decide maybe a HUGE FRICKIN CHANGE needed to happen. And now, sitting on the porch watching nature is very relaxing. Happy New Year to you all!

By: eternalhedgehog

eternalhedgehog — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 16:06:34 -0800

A belated happy new year, all! 2024 was pretty good for me, all told (at least personally) - got some dental issues sorted out before leaving the US, then moved halfway across the world to teach in a private school for the first time and have really loved my first term there. Hoping 2025 is even better.

By: jenfullmoon

jenfullmoon — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 18:20:46 -0800

Last night I went to a theater show/gala and one of the lights spontaneously exploded and caught on fire during the show. Nobody was hurt, the light hanger got up there (despite wearing a fancy dress and nothing hiding underneath it) to get it down, there was a 15 minute break and then back to the show. The lights went out a bit in act 2, which made me glad I wasn't working light board. The show was 42nd Street, and can someone please tell me what the plot of "Pretty Lady" IS? I started going around asking cast members and nobody has any idea. I'm glad I didn't do this one because a lack of plot annoys me, but my friends did well in it. I did the "eat 12 grapes under a table and you find true love" thing, since I had small enough grapes and a table. I squatted my butt under it, ate in two big handfuls, then realized I'd forgotten one grape, which HOPEFULLY I got in under the minute (then also had to go back under the table). God, I hope it works, but given how it worked, and my luck, perhaps not. I spent today finishing craft projects and going to a NYD party. I'm finishing the last Hallmark movie tonight. And tomorrow I should really just start CLEANING already.

By: Kitteh

Kitteh — Thu, 02 Jan 2025 05:14:49 -0800

At the start of 2024, I deleted all games off my phone. At the start of 2025, I have deleted all social media from my phone. I am desperately trying to claw back my attention span and just be more present where I am. Like, unless I am on my laptop or my iPad, I will be online less in 2025. Again, this is a me problem, not a "I am being virtuous" problem. Being online used to be fun, but now it is just stress-inducing. I hope to scroll a little less mindlessly. We'll see how she goes. I mean, I still have a laptop at work so it's not like I am completely escaping being online.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Thu, 02 Jan 2025 06:05:32 -0800

So a friend has connected me with another friend who's looking for an assistant. She got me my roommate too, so I'm hoping there's some luck there. Speaking of that roommate - he comes back home this afternoon sometime. I had to put the house back the way it was; there are a couple things he leaves out that I put away, and they've been brought back out. Next week is a massive full-court press on job hunting - calling all 3 of my current recruiters, signing back up with another job office and hitting up a job fair. But I did throw my resume at a few people today and hit up that friend-of-a-friend; he does this traveling piano show and I'd be helping manage that, which sounds fun.

By: LaBellaStella

LaBellaStella — Thu, 02 Jan 2025 13:26:30 -0800

I'm just happy to be here. Thanks, everyone!

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 09:55:28 -0800

And in a LOVELY way to start the new year - the heat's on the fritz in my apartment. It's not TOO bad - it seems to have just started this morning. The thermostat works, the boiler is a bit anemic - the pipes that carry the heat through the heat registers aren't on. Fortunately the plumber should be here in the next half hour so hopefully this will be sorted soon. Also the hot water IS on fortunately.

By: Wordshore

Wordshore — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 10:08:22 -0800

Though stocks are steadily decreasing, there are still some mince pies and Christmas puddings on the shelves of many supermarkets in England. Discounts currently ranging from 50% to 80%.

By: mumimor

mumimor — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 11:03:36 -0800

Apropos leftover Christmas food, some kitchen notes. Because of all the bad stuff, my Christmas cooking and baking has been disrupted and delayed this year. That quince jam I mention way above was originally planned to go into an Italian Christmas cake, which never happened. Then it was meant to be part of a gravy, which it sort of did, in its deconstructed state. But yesterday and today some of it went into a 70's/80's classic, blended raspberry ice cream, which was supposed to be part of my New Year's menu, but I was too tired. Does anyone remember this from before we had ice-cream machines and other fancy appliances? Just before serving, you blend frozen raspberries, double cream and icing sugar, with a little vanilla powder. That's it. In this 2025 version, I changed the ratios to 100 g raspberries/2 tbsp cream/2 tbsp quince jelly/1 tsp vanilla powder, with the quince concoction replacing the sugar. You should try this! The color is gorgeous, and the taste is like summer, like a bowl of fresh raspberries served with cream and a tiny bit of sugar on top. It's also healthier than most sweets, a legitimate element in your five-a-day. If you don't have quince jelly, any sweet jelly will probably work, but I think the intense color is important, as it enhances the raspberries, so go for a red one. I think it's going to be my new favorite thing for when the grandkids come over. Instead of the Italian cake, I decided to make one from the region of Sønderjylland. This is the part of Denmark with the richest culinary traditions, because back in the day, the people were directly under the Crown, and not managed by greedy land-owners. They have interesting fish dishes, lots of shellfish in the Wadden Sea, an enormous selection of charcuterie and not least, the famous coffee table, where there has to be at least 18 different cakes and biscuits. The cake I chose to try out is a kløben, similar to a Stollen from Germany, but lighter. Anyway, that too sort of failed, because the reason I needed cake was because my neighbors come over for coffee during the holidays, and I hadn't finished making it when they did. So now I have a lot of cake. But today I realized that the cake is not only similar to Stollen, but also to the cake that becomes biscotti in Italy. So I decided to cut the whole thing up and make biscotti, and they are delicious, and go very well with the raspberry ice cream. So all's well that ends well.

By: Windopaene

Windopaene — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 14:13:58 -0800

I put in an Ask a while back, trying to find a song with a prominent woodblock beat. Heard it on an ad for some Chevy vehicle. Couldn't figure out what it was... Knew I knew it. Was at the grocery store this morning. Came on the sound system. Grabbed my phone to see if I still had Shazam on there. Did. Got it! Has only been making me crazy for a few months... Steal my Sunshine -LEN. Thought it was some band with letters, (MGMT was all I could think of though...)

By: taz

taz — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 23:22:32 -0800

[One removed. Sorry, but the Free Thread is really more for general links and casual chat, not more ongoing memoir or stream of consciousness writing. If you'd like, you can link a personal site or blog in your profile and let people know they can look there to find your work.]

By: DirtyOldTown

DirtyOldTown — Sun, 05 Jan 2025 09:35:47 -0800

Y'all, I just found out that the reason my kid finally activated the Visa debit card for his bank account is that his good friend needed glasses but couldn't afford them. My kid helped his friend pick out glasses on Zenni and then paid with the card/his own money.

By: mumimor

mumimor — Sun, 05 Jan 2025 13:59:37 -0800

Wow, DOT, you must be so proud of him! And of yourself -- kids turn out right when they have good parents, don't they?

By: jenfullmoon

jenfullmoon — Sun, 05 Jan 2025 15:29:36 -0800

On an opposite note, I found out that one of my younger cousins--his dad's an asshole cop, kid has been a bully since he was in single digits, and I always knew he'd probably end up in jail--has been arrested for being caught with guns and meth. I feel bad for his mother and sister, and his grandparents are either deceased or have dementia so they probably don't know, but since this is the side of the family who disowned me, I admit I'm kinda "hahahahahahahah this was to be expected, hahahahahah" in my head. Even my mom was all, "Daddy might not be able to get him out of those problems. What a shame."

By: Wordshore

Wordshore — Mon, 06 Jan 2025 01:04:39 -0800

There's a new Free Thread elsewhere, with the optional question of simply "How are you?". But this thread here, you can still write how your 2024 was, and/or your hopes for 2025.