Welcome to 2026. As many do, I took an extended break over the holiday. My last day at work was December 12th and I just returned yesterday as of this writing, i.e. January 5th. I definitely got a good recharge in during that time. But that isn’t to say I stayed still. We did so many activities this break!
The day after my final 2025 work day, my wife and I traveled up to Reston. We had dinner with friends and stayed overnight at a local hotel. Mainly this was to accommodate the next thing…
…Which was to travel to New Orleans for several days of sightseeing, good food, and relaxation. We teamed up with my niece and her wife to rent a cool pad in the northern part of the business district. It was only a block from convenient trolley lines. While there we visited a historic cemetery, the Garden District, the French Quarter, and the National World War II Museum which was spectacular.
(No hangovers were incurred, we kept things level.) And food… wow, did we eat well! We tried several Michelin Bib Gourmand notable restaurants including Atchafalaya and Cochon, as well as local mainstay Brennan’s for a delightful brunch.
Once back there was a lot on the to-do list for the holidays, starting with some clothes shopping since I had promised my son some new wardrobe as a birthday present earlier in December.
My sister celebrated a birthday right after we returned. We met up with her, my brother-in-law, my dad, and his wife, at a winery about an hour away. It was a lot of fun despite a terrible acoustic duo blaring mediocre covers of oveprlayed songs throughout. We found the least egregiously loud part of the room in which to roost though, and the company was wonderful. Then we had Mexican food a short distance from the winery — a nice way to cap off the evening.
My sister was hosting a New York deli themed Christmas dinner, so I learned to make pierogi from scratch! My wife made rugelach as well as black and white cookies which were delightful. Dinner and the party itself were fantastic.
For the first time ever, I performed electronic music solo. I recently found and joined the Richmond Synth Collective. At the monthly meeting I joined the open mic, and played a jam on my Digitakt II called “Crusty.” Here’s a video of the performance — WARNING: the video is missing for the first couple of minutes since my wife recorded but, well, put her phone on the table. The picture to the left is where I was prepping for the performance. Note especially the French 75, a cocktail I’d first tried in NOLA and fell in love with, to steady my nerves!
My Dad’s birthday was the next day, so I also made a broccoli cheese casserole to go with the steaks grilled by my brother-in-law — all of which turned out great as well.
I made some music in the studio, turning out two new songs. I tried hard not to overthink, so I could release them quickly and with less self-judgment. I need to commit to making, and finishing, more music in 2026 and this was my way to kick off that trend.
We spent New Year’s Eve with close friends, holding a Godfather-themed dinner. I made classic beef and pork meatballs and marinara from scratch which turned out delicious, as well as little Caprese salad skewers, while others provided lasagna, crudites, and more. Everyone had a wonderful time — we were having so much fun we nearly missed the Times Square ball drop on TV!
I also finished several books, including the last two Cormoran Strike mysteries and the latest Stephen King novel, and started the imposing Tom’s Crossing by Mark Z. Danielewski.
In the wake of all that activity, fun, and rejuvenation, I confess it’s hard to return to the workday grind. I’m trying to generate new momentum this week to get 2026 started well in my day job. It is nice to see my colleagues again, though.
I don’t do New Year resolutions, because they typically melt away like any January snow. But I will continue to post longer thoughts here rather than on social media. And I’ll continue making music and bring tips or lessons here and to my YouTube channel.