January 2026 Check-In

January was a cold month. It's been a while since it's been this cold for this long. We also got more snow than we have in years past. Tess loved the initial snow, which is always cute. Other than that, it was mostly a quiet month.

All the Snow

We had several days of snow this month dumping more on us than probably the last two years combined. Having to constantly clear our driveway wasn't always the most fun. The snowblower helped, but it required some manual shoveling too. My hip and back were not always a fan. Tess however, loved the snow, bounding around in it, making snow angels (kinda) and sticking her nose in it. It's pretty darned cute. It also makes me thankful I work remotely and don't have to drive in the snow.

Writing More

I've been trying to track how much I'm writing, be it for my blog or anything else. I've been mostly good about writing every day, but not as good at staying focused to get near 1,000 words a day. I'm not going to let that discourage me as I see it sort of as part of the process, keep writing and eventually it will become a habit and easier to maintain and hit goals.

Fitness

I wasn't as active as I would have liked this month. The second half of the month was too brutally cold to run. I walk Tess not even half a mile around the block and my hands (in gloves) are freezing cold. I can't imagine being out there for 30+ minutes, sweating in 10ºF (-12ºC) weather would be all that comfortable.

I did hop on my bike for the first time in well over a year. I have one of those machines that turns a regular bike into a stationary bike, so I did go for 30 minutes on that. I forgot how strenuous that can be. My legs were like jelly for a little after that session.

I didn't lift as much as I could have either. That's been my biggest frustration in that I can't seem to get back into a rhythm with it. Between having to work and go to appointments, I haven't wanted to give up so much of my evenings with lifting and then cooking before getting some R&R. It's on me of course, but meh.

Music

I've been listening to a lot of Sleep Token recently. Their album Even in Arcadia is absolutely phenomenal.

I did see The Menzingers for the 10th time towards the end of the month. It was a fun show despite the nazi asshole. Archer Music Hall was a great venue and we had a fantastic view.