Float On

And just like that, we're into another year. 

Gotta say, 2025 was definitely a mixed bag. The biggest impact for me was losing my mom. The last decade of her life was a tough slog for her, as her health declined. It was difficult for her and for my brother and I, but I'm glad she's at peace now. It was definitely strange to not have her around for the holidays this year.

The Blue Jays provided some unexpected excitement last year, winning the AL East and then going all the way to game 7 of the World Series before losing to the Dodgers. They renewed my interest in baseball, which had been waning in the last few years. And they've made a lot of moves this offseason, so hopefully they'll be able to do something big in '26.

As for us, we're doing well. Hannah was able to get a lab fellowship in Albany, where she moved in August. It's tough moving where you don't know anybody, but she likes her job. Lily is in her last semester at the University of Toronto and is currently applying to grad school programs. The girls were home for the holidays but now it's just the two of us here (and Deb's dad downstairs).

I'm not getting too hung up on resolutions for this year, but I definitely have general goals. After a couple years of struggling with running because of Achilles issues, I was able to finish the last few months of the year putting in some miles. Not running as long or as fast as I'd like, but I'm pain free and making progress. The key is following up my latest PT stint with a religious dedication to stretching; hopefully that will make the difference. I'm not planning to do many races or anything like that. I ran a Thanksgiving 5K in New Jersey that was a struggle, but right now I'm mainly on the treadmill looking to gradually improve. I don't want to put additional pressure on myself by signing up for a bunch of races. We'll see how it goes.

The last few years, I've tried to write more in this space. In '24, I did that song-a-day thing and stuck with it all year, but last year, I tried to do a weekly feature that only lasted until early June. I'm hoping to do something similar this year but I'm still working out what I want to write about.

Despite the exceedingly f'd up state of the world right now, I'm trying to maintain a good attitude about things. I've got to think things will get better. Right? Right.