Dearest Diary - January 1, 2026

My New Year's Eve was so uneventful. I cleaned my room, aka I took out that damn iMac box that's been there for too long, swept my floor, hung literally every sweater and jacket that was trying to escape my closet, and cleared my desk.

I rang in the new year, cold in my car, journaling while waiting for my grandmother to leave watch night service. Take Me Back to Eden by Sleep Token was playing, and fireworks exploded behind the historic buildings as cop cars raced by—it was quite interesting. What a way to bring in the new year, amiright?

I didn't do nearly as much reflecting as I thought I would. I was afraid to run out of space in my previous journal before the first, so I hadn't been reflecting much. They were super quick, half-page entries, and by the time I had opened the new journal, I had so much to dump out of my brain, I couldn't even reflect. Really shot myself in the foot with that one, but there is always time for reflection. Not today, though.

Today is ACTION day. I feel many have tried to make January 1st Action Day for decades, but it really is Action Day because ~astrology. If you're thinking, "Oh, God, this girl is woo-woo.”

JUST LET ME HAVE THIS, OKAY?

All of my favorite astrology girlies have said this month is THE month to get it all together because next month gets weird. So last night and today, I was thinking about what I'd like to do and making lists for each aspect. We know I'm multi-passionate, so I need to think about my goals for photography and writing as well as politics and how I'd like to be a better citizen. Amongst other things, but you get the gist. Anyway, today, I am back to May is Due South for another round of revision. We're still in big picture stuff, but not as deep as we were last month.

In December, there was a lot of adding scenes, moving things up and back, and removing entire conversations that changed the vibe and stakes. So I need to read through it and make sure it makes sense. I need to take notes and keep an eye on my big picture and scene-by-scene questions. My deadline for all of this? Mid-February. Maybe March. Did I tell some friends that they can have it by the end of January? Yes... Yes, I did. Some part of me believes it is very much possible, but I will not know until I complete this read-through. I must assess the situation, and I must do that asap so I need to go.

Here are some shots from the last time I wrote.

Devoured Good Spirits and thought it was definitely worth the hype.

That is all, friends. The original plan was to post these once a week, but it may be twice a month. Who knows anymore? Stay safe, stay sane, and Happy New Year.

1:23 AM on January 1, 2026. A candle burning, a cup of eggnog, and my journal

One of my lovely friends sent me a Christmas gift, and it's just SO on brand, down to the color and everything. Thank you, Cloe x

I had basic ass spaghetti and meatballs, and it was so good, AND I made dumpling soup with bok choy and tofu. The following day, I had garlic and ginger bok choy and pan-fried dumplings and again, it was delicious.

I made hot chocolate and played Overcooked 2 with my sister for hours.