I’ll pile in here at the last moment. First of all..thanks to this great community which is largely self policing. You guys do a great job. I am not a huge fan of the political threads..so I largely avoid them. My office politics and chosen career field are littered with minefields with regards to those conversations..so I try to make small gains where I can there.
My time to give to the site has been cut drastically by the very good problem of there being a ton of PC-24s out there with unqualified pilots to fly them. So this year has been a very good “work” year where sometimes I’m only tagging home plate long enough to do laundry and head back out again. That doesn’t look to change in 2026 as I start double-dipping at work by getting checked out on the Citation again..and the TBM side gig will turn from a TBM850 to a TBM 910..so that’s cool.
Next month I start the boys flying (they don’t know yet) and I’m nervous and anxious about it. Not because of any reason other than that I worry about putting them on this career path. I remember my first five to ten years of it..and though the aviation landscape is far less risky as it was back then (flying freight in Bonanzas and Lances in the mountains of Virginia and West Virginia in the winter)..I still worry as this field is not particularly forgiving of major mistakes. One of the two boys seems driven and focused enough to perhaps do it. The other is socially adept but terribly lazy in the studying department (actually, much like me). So we’ll see.
Many, many, many thanks to @Fridge and @Troll who occasionally close their eyes, say a prayer, and hit the update button on the forum software. We miss @Fridge’s presence and hope he finds more time in the future..as do I. And of course, Batman himself that occasionally swoops in and examines with alarm the sorry state of the place we’ve left the joint.. @fearlessfrog is super nice to cobble it all back together again and make it even better. I can’t thank him enough..and miss his presence here as well.
To all of you - I wish peace and happiness for 2026. My work has been my refuge. Relationship-wise…well..ya’ll know the drill in these 40s 50s and 60s (and 70s).. It can be a lonely existence in this day and age and I’m grateful to logon each day or night and see familiar faces and hear great stories and watch intact families grow. It leaves me wistful..and while I won’t ascribe to “everything happens for a reason”..I will say I have so very little to complain about, so I feel guilty when I do.
2025 was basically hobbies being my fingernails clinging to the cliff’s edge of sanity.
And the rising nationalism and xenophobia here in Japan. From what I gather on the news Europe has a bit of anti-immigrant bent these days as well. 2025 has been the 5th year in a row I’ve been acutely aware of how humans are dumb, emotional animals that can’t seem to learn from history, operating in a “society” that takes everything, gives back nothing, and rewards sociopaths. Then there’s the declining birthrates in developed countries, some handling it better than others. Japan is very much in the “not handling it well” group. The future of my employment is quite uncertain and I’m not particularly competitive on the job market…or very good at dealing with uncertainties that come with harsh consequences.
On the global scale everything else looks like we really are headed for some Elysium-type future without all the space-age tech. Black Mirror has no more hypotheticals to work with and reality is putting satirical news out of business. The future looks bleak from a human welfare perspective.
To this point as well, social media has completely ■■■■■■ the world. And it’s really hard to deal with because I experience such a duality with it. If it weren’t for social media I wouldn’t have been able to do 80% of the fun, amazing stuff I got to do in 2025. But thanks to social media the village idiots have enough power to influence real politics.
Man oh man, this is a lot to take in. I hope that all of you get through 2026 unscathed and better off than you were in 2025.
2025 was a good year and a bad year for me. Good because it was better than 2024 when I lost my job. Bad because I struggled with a bad relationship. Thank Zeus and all the rest of the Gods that relationship has ended. It has made me feel free instead of lonely, rich instead of poor. I feel I want to do more instead of waiting around to see her. It was not easy having a long distance relationship with a flight attendant. Between that and the age gap it was doomed to failure.
I am back in the gym and taking care of myself. I stopped drinking completely. It was affecting my life and my health. It’s all about me now. I am not looking and don’t need someone now.
The attention that I used to devote to her is now devoted to me and my son. We have grown closer in 2025 and 2026 will hopefully be even better. He is such a good boy.
I bought a Ruger MkIV target and began going to the range. It’s a good clean hobby. My interest in DCS has doubled since I now have more time and more focus than before. This has enriched my life. I stopped buying modules and started learning modules. I realized that should I not buy another module, I have so much to learn. Not that I cant wait for some releases to see light of day…. Hello, F-100 and MiG-17
Work is good. I am the ONLY PC Tech in the building and some of the outlying sites. It can be a bit busy at times. However, I work from 5:30 am to 1:30pm. That means I have the whole day after work. It’s like having every day off. I use my time wisely now.
I have learned to be thankful for what I have and quit whining about what I don’t. I enjoy the little things. I came out of the gym at 8am on Thursday and drove down to the beach to see the beautiful fog over the Puget Sound. I thought, I need to come down here with a coffee and stay longer. I will do that this weekend…
This year I will devote more time to the important people in my life. I will enjoy the things I have and stop looking for the next new shiny toy. Find satisfaction in learning and pursuing my dreams.
