December 2025 Check-In

Whelp, the holidays, and 2025 is over. The month went by quickly, the holidays weren't too stressful, and I feel a little charged going into 2026.

Holidays

Holidays weren't that bad this year. I was able to get all my shopping done by mid-month so the last 1-2 weeks felt mostly normal.

I put Christmas lights up on the house again this year. I haven't always felt like doing it, so some years they're up, and others they aren't. But I was feeling a little festive so I decided to go ahead and spend an afternoon up on a ladder. I tested the lights and they were all working. I put them up...and the final third or so of the main strand decided to stop working. I never was able to get them working, I ended up just doubling up with a spare strand for that third of the house, but it's so damned frustrating. I'll probably play around with a voltage detector briefly, but I don't know how much further I'm willing to go it that doesn't identify the bad bulb.

As for Christmas itself, it was a kind of hectic day. We spent the morning with my wife's side of the family and the afternoon and dinner with my parents and siblings. After the shuttling around and drive home after dinner, it was nice to be able to put my feet up and read for a bit before bed.

Far Cry 5

Prior to Far Cry 5, the only Far Cry game I had played was the original, and it was so long ago, I barely remember it. Far Cry 5 was a lot of fun, I enjoyed the game play, and while some of it felt repetitive, it wasn't overly so. The designers and devs did a good job mixing things up just enough. I unfortunately had come across a hint of a spoiler so the ending wasn't as surprising as it could've been. I would recommend the game, you can probably get it relatively cheap since it's almost 8 years old.

I then picked up Far Cry New Dawn since it's a direct sequel and have been enjoying that one as well.

End of the I-League Season

The Instructional League (I-League) I play goalie in ended just before Christmas. It was mostly a fun season. We finished 3-6-1 so from a wins perspective, it could've been better, but they were mostly close games and the league is more about learning to play hockey anyway. The next season will start up mid-February.