Winter Break 2025
Hello hello, Wonderful Reader! I hope everyone has been enjoying their winter break, however long, as much as I have been! After my yearly end-of-year burnout I went into my winter break with the sole directive to relax, and do as much of nothing else as possible.
Clair Obscur Expedition 33
This game has single handedly taken up the most of my vacation, and I regret nothing. How does a game start by making you feel pure existential dread as death approaches by the second, and then get exponentially better with each new character interaction and plot twist?! I’m so incredibly hooked on the story and character development! The writing is absolutely fantastic and I cannot wait to reach the ending of this phenomenal game!
DIY for ME!
Okay, most anyone that gets to know me knows that I like to break…everything. Hear me out, if you break it, you can…most likely…see how it’s made and maybe even possibly (hopefully) put it back together! This methodology has gotten me through life 60% of the time, every time! Obviously this means I had to do some DIY projects that have been on my mind for a while. And guess what, Wonderful Reader?! I’m looking at a solid 100% success rate for this break’s projects!
- Vacuum cleaner – repaired!
- Upstairs bathroom door – back on it’s hinges correctly!
- Noisy and oh-so-dirty table fans – successfully dismantled and…err…re-mantled…after being cleaned!
WOOOOOT! Allow me to now fix nothing else for another 11 and a half months!
Holidays, Family, and Friends
What is winter break without all the family holiday gatherings and visits with great friends? Of course, David and I filled up our winter break with lots of family and friend time, new babies, and lots of games (of course I was the winner most of the time)! I am so grateful for all the people I have in my life and I’m learning to show that gratitude more as often as I can. This year reminded me of all the “last times” with friends I haven’t seen or heard from in years. It seems like it just happens and you don’t realize until years later. I want to cherish the friends in my life right now and let them know that I do, so that if I have a last time with one of them, they will know they are always welcome back in my life, no matter how long goes by. Gushy, I know it. Blame my Hallmark-movies-loving mother.
New Desk Setup (New Me?!)
YA’LL!!! I canNOT express my absolute LOVE for my new…errm…”office” chair for my home office! It is so nice and fancy that I had to completely redo my entire desk setup, reorganize all the wires and prettify them more, and move around all the Pokémon decorations! I am SO happy with my home setup now and I just MAY have to take advantage of that work-from-home three days a week policy at work now!!!
A professional recap on 2025
Now that I have time to look back on the year and start thinking about what 2026 will look like, I’m realizing 2025 wasn’t terrible, but was definitely all about survival in all the ways. In one year my job (title) shifted into two major roles, tech department lost a strong coworker, gained a strong coworker, changed directors, and planned for a whole new office space that the company purchased for some new conference rooms! All while managing a giant work project and all my normal work duties. The constant change definitely took its toll and led to a massive burnout to end the year. Not proud or happy with how I managed my work load this year to end up that way, but I always learn from failures and mistakes and I’m looking forward to the progress and efficiencies I’ll make in 2026!
Happy 2026!
I’m looking forward to a lot this coming year. I will be managing two very large projects and helping them grow. I’m thinking about pursuing some new certifications to better learn how to manage large projects like these and make sure I’m not setting up Future Tom for preventable failures. I’ll be evaluating my toolsets to integrate new skills I have been mastering and retiring old tools and systems that no longer aide in my ever evolving professional (and personal) pursuits. Ugh, and of course AI will be a thing, ever more prevalent (usually in all the wrong ways). My favorite phrase about AI in 2025 was, “AI is just a glorified abacus.” and I agree with ever fiber of my being (right now). In any case, it’s gonna be there and in a big way. At home I plan on spending as much time as I can with my little family, continuing to value and strengthen my friendships, and to explore every new videogame and anime that catches my eye! I’ll be sharing more with you this year and I hope you will join along! Happy new year and have a wonderful start to your 2026, Wonderful Reader!