New Year, Same Me

Around this time last year, I chose “be more discerning” as my theme for 2025. Back in January, I had defined that as: “Being more selective with my time and energy. Understanding when no is the right answer. And the hardest one - rejecting a new world order that seems inescapable.”

2025 was, to put it mildly, a lot. On a personal level, it started with a health scare and ended with a wedding, and in between was a fairly relentless amount of curveballs just when things would start to feel calm again. All of the big feelings and big events were of course magnified by the everything-ness of modern society. I’m leaving this year feeling very tired, and incredibly grateful.

I guess that’s why my theme for 2026 will be the same as 2025. Stay mindful, stay discerning, trust my instincts. This theme worked well for me in a year where it always easy, so I’m using that roadmap again, but this time making sure I build in extra time to pull over and refuel.

Thank you, as ever, for spending another year with me. See you in 2026, but before we get there, some Fun Stuff.

FUN STUFF: 2025 Wrap-Up Edition

Best Of What I Read:

The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World by Laura Imai Messina

The Fisherman by John Langan

We Tell Ourselves Stories: Joan Didion and the American Dream Machine by Alissa Wilkinson

Sandwich by Catherine Newman

Orbital by Samantha Harvey

Best Of What I Watched (Movies):

Sinners

Weapons

Highest 2 Lowest

Knives Out: Wake Up Dead Man

One Battle After Another

Best of What I Watched (TV)

Department Q (Netflix)

The Pitt (HBO)

Ludwig (BritBox)

The Lowdown (Hulu)

The Residence (Netflix)

Best Of What I Listened To:

Podcast: How Did This Get Made? (always)

Podcast: Good Hang w/ Amy Poehler

Hostile Government Takeover (remix)

Album: Joy Oladokun’s Proof of Life

Album: Annahstasia’s Tether

Best Of What/Where I Ate:

All the birria tacos and elote from my local food truck 

The General dumplings at Chai Kitchen

The cinnamon cardamom roll at Breadivore

This avgolemono soup

This creamy lentil soup