The last day of the year is here, so it’s time to look back.

Work⌗

I lost my job this year. I knew it was coming for most of this year, but it has been surprisingly painful. It took a while to sink in, but it has definitely affected my mental health more than I thought it would. I thought I was prepared. But I wasn’t.

I do have an interview in January, and I’ve had a couple call-backs. I’m a bit hopeful, but we’ll see. The interview is for a job I’m 100% sure I’m not qualified for. I only got the interview because I know people who work there.

We’ll see what 2026 has in store.

YouTube⌗

This was not a good year for The Linux Cast. I had plans for growth this year. Instead I took a ton of time off for various reasons. The channel continues to grow, but it’s also been neglected a lot more than I’m comfortable with. I’m going to do a lot better in 2026, if I do nothing else.

I did make my first video for Historic Alley this year. That was also my only video for that channel. I had to stop almost immediately to focus on trying to keep my real job, and I’ve not gone back to it like I wanted to. But I’ve got some hope here. I have some outlines in progress and some really good ideas. I’m feeling inspired for the first time in months.

Spending⌗

I went into this year wanting to do better with my finances. I failed at this completely and utterly. Instead of spending less, I spent more than I ever have. Keyboards, a new Mac I didn’t really want, a new phone to replace the one I broke, too many phone cases, fountain pens (a new addiction, thanks Joel), and so much more.

I did manage to keep my accounts at an even keel for the entire year with some good planning, but I didn’t add anything to my networth at all. It wasn’t a good year for this. I’m going to work on this in 2026 as one of my main things. I have a few things I might need (a new computer being the biggest ticket item that might pop up, but I’m going to try to ride mine into the ground), but I’m going to work on being more conscious of what I’m spending my money on. Especially if I’m going to be out of work for awhile.

New Hobbies⌗

I’ve stared to take a lot of my life back into the analogue world, which has led to some new podcasts and some new interests. That has been kind of fun. I don’t know if it’s sustainable, but I have enjoyed that quite a bit.

I’ve also done a ton of coding this year. I’ve learned some Rust, Typescript, React, and quite a bit more Python. Am I a developer? No, I don’t think so. I ask Claude for help way too much for that to be true. Yes, I do most of the coding, but it’s all a result of “Hey, how do I do this?” type questions asked online. I’ve learned loads that way, but I still don’t think I can take on the dev label.

Personal⌗

I’ve been working on losing weight this year. I’ve not been as successful as I had hoped to be, but I’m still working on it. I’ve lost about 20lbs. I’m a YoYo dieter, so I go up and down a lot. I’m going to keep working on this, of course, but the hardest part is moving around. My knees continue to deteriorate, and there’s not much that can be done for them beside get healthier.

I have some goals about this, but I’ll talk more about goals in my post tomorrow.

Journaling⌗

One of the things I’ve really taken up this year is journaling. I do this both digitally and in a real paper journal. It has been a lot of fun, and I think it has actually helped me a bit. I’ve also used this blog as a bit of a journal from time to time. Getting my thoughts out there, on “paper”, helps me get them in order. Has it led to great change? No, not really. But it has made me feel better, so that’s good.

Books⌗

I read 25 books this year, which includes 4 rereads. Not the most productive year reading-wise, but better than last year. There were a couple big slumps, but I’ve ended the year really well, so I hope to keep that up. In the next couple days, I’ll do a reading wrap up post to talk about my favorite and least favorite books.

2025 General Thoughts⌗

This wasn’t a horrible year despite the job thing. My family does have some major health problems that will continue into the new year, but we’re all still here. I do have some mental challenges I want to tackle in 2026, and I hope to be in a better place for most of the new year. I’m going to try to keep a positive attitude, and hope that leads to positive things happening. As corny as that sounds.

How did your 2025 go? Let me know on the Fediverse!