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What are your personal highlights for this past year?
The best or most memorable things you did, saw, went to, ate, made, watched, ran, laughed at, cried over, shared with others, kept to yourself, etc.
What were the high points of your year personally?
A lot of things this year:
Between January and March, I finally finished collecting and fully painting an army I've wanted for years for Warhammer: Age of Sigmar. They're rare and expensive to collect and I've been gradually buying them for a couple of years as availability pops-up and I finally got enough to have a full list of them, which I took to a tournament in March. January to March was about furiously painting them (about 150 models) and playing countless practice games to get the rules of the game down, so I could at least hold my own in the tournament. I did fine, which was to be expected, but I did end-up fully burning myself out on the game and haven't touched these models since, though I still adore them.
Following that, though not actually chronologically, I ended-up doing a total of four tournaments this year for miniature wargames, three of which were for the game Bolt Action. Doing this has shown me that, while tournaments can be fun, the people are great and it really motivates me to get my miniatures painted, I'm all done with them and I don't like tournaments. They're too long and I am just not a competitive person; I would so much rather play games on my own schedule, maybe once per month and do it at home with a friend where we can take our time, fudge the rules and drink beer. For 2025, I'm taking a break from tournaments. I am starting to feel that itch again to maybe participate in one, but I think I need to really give myself some breathing room and just stop for at least six months, maybe a year.
I did a load of traveling this year, but I'll just mention the highlight which was going to Wool, UK to go to Bovington Tank Museum. It was incredible to see a lot of these things up close, especially the rarer ones we don't often get to see in my part of the world and made even cooler by the fact that I got to see a lot of tanks that I've painted models of and only ever seen in black & white pictures. Probably one of the coolest, most exciting things I've ever done in my life and I would love to go back, but no idea when that will happen.
Also, I turned 40 this year. That seems like a milestone, but doesn't really feel like it? I certainly don't feel my age nor look it to myself, but here I am.
As well, the first of my in-laws died this year, a sister. It hasn't been unanticipated, as it was a long struggle with cancer, but I've been a part of these peoples lives for going on 18-years now and it's sort of shocking to see one of them pass. The mood around the family has certainly changed a bit and taken on a more dour and darker tone, which is understandable. No one was particularly close with this sister, as she was some distance away and didn't visit all that often, but it's still a large, but relatively tight knit family, so it hit everyone pretty hard.
Both of my children are now in school full time (with exception for Friday's for the littler one), which is a new thing for me. I've been a stay-at-home parent for almost 7 years now, so it's been a stark change to suddenly have these vast swaths of time four days a week to basically do whatever I want. I haven't always been productive, but I've certainly been keeping up with the laundry better and played more videogames than I would have in the past. I'll probably start looking for a job next year, which is causing me no end of anxiety having been out of the game for so long now; I just had an anxiety dream about it last night, in fact...
My oldest also turned 7 this year, which I feel has been turning a corner. They aren't my difficult child in any sense of the word, but I feel like they've gone from "little kid" to "kid", if that makes sense. They're really becoming their own person and are now able to so much better understand reason, as well as ask interesting questions and listen to explanations. I absolutely cannot wait for my 4-year old to get here, because they are not often my favorite child, some of that is due to personality and others to just being 4.
I think those are the major hits for me this year. There's plenty of little things sprinkled throughout the year, but this is the stuff which I think was most impactful.
This has been one of my favorite years in recent memory.
My partner and I took a road trip around the state to places I've always wanted to see and it was really special.
I took up a bunch of random hobbies like reading, poetry, woodworking, painting and programming and am having fun leaning into my hyper fixation on each of these things as I move between them. Being able to make things I can use or appreciate is really cool. I'm sure it's a bit out of necessity from being on a budget, but to have furniture, artwork, a self hosted library catalog application I built myself fulfills this inner need I have to create things even if I can't do it for a job. I love doing everything.
Reading has been especially wonderful, I finished 62 books this year. There's a whole world of literature I'm only beginning to scratch the surface of. I've learned so much about our world and it both makes me despise and appreciate humans for what we're capable of.
I've also spent three months of this year off of Instagram and it's done wonders for my mental health. My partner and I have also been eating healthier and taking care of ourselves more and that also feels good.
My biggest highlight was getting married though, it's been so much fun and not the "end" like men so often like joking about. Even though we've been together almost a decade it feels like a new chapter.
This year has been quite a rollercoaster both professionally and personally. I'd say my big highlights a were:
So, overall, a packed year. I had to go back to my Photos app just because I forgot how much I actually did.
I look forward to 2025. I've got only three goals for the next year:
All three things are pretty simple ok paper but hard to actually execute so it will definitely take me all year.
I've answered this in another thread, but honestly, smoking pot alone for real for the first time this year really made me change my outlook in life.
I realized slowly that I was kinda broken physically and realized I had ADHD, in my thirties.
Since the diagnosis, my life has been nothing but a breath of fresh air and hope. I can finally look towards the future and actively work for the life I've always wanted, but never could muster the strength (dopamine) to do it.
My life has immensely positively changed in the last 3 months. I've never been more happier... and all it took was me finally deciding I'm mature enough to use weed alone.
Moved to a new city and started a new job in Aug/Sept. A city (DC) I've thought about living in for several years now and an employer (Fed Govt) I've been wanting to work for. So a twofer! I'd been waiting for this for at least a year; wasn't even sure it was going to happen, but then it did. And it's been pretty good so far.
On the travel front, visited two new cities (well, sorta new for at least one): San Diego and Seattle. Since the pandemic, I've been traveling a bunch, but mainly to places I've already been for family or even work. I'd never been to Seattle before, so that was cool to finally cross off the list. I'd been to San Diego as a kid, but never as an adult, so it was a "new" experience for me since I got to do what I wanted. And both places were awesome. I'd love to go back and spend more time in both/either.
In terms of hobbies, my homelab is coming together. Physically, I mean. I bought a 12U rack a year or two ago and it's remained empty this whole time. At one point I started using it to hang-dry clothes! I've had the server and networking equipment, but not in the rack. But after moving, I finally decided it's time. I bought the rack shelves and device brackets that I needed. So pretty much everything is in! I need to clean it up some, particularly the cabling, and buy some of those blanking panels. Might even put in a patch panel. But at least it's being used.
I know 2025 is probably going to be another year of chaos in the world, but I still have some cautious optimism that things won't be as bad as we've been dooming. Either way, I hope everyone has a safe, fun NYE. And a great 2025!
Best thing I did this year was finally move to a different part of the country. I thought the initial euphoria would have faded by now. Nope, still feeling giddy and happy I made this decision.
I went to a number of live shows this year, but none was as memorable as going to a pro wrestling show with a friend. It's been years since both of us has watched wrestling on TV. Seeing it live was a whole another level.
Objectively, the best food I had this year would probably be sushi in Japan. Subjectively, the best food was my mom's cooking.
Got a house, then got married. Marriage went perfectly, getting a house went about as good as it could. I look forward to a much less eventful 2025.