Weeknotes
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Weeknotes: December 20–27, 2025
Dec 27, 2025 - 2 min read
Slow, like the world was on pause. Everyone else off celebrating while I hung out in the quiet of home.
Shipped
Built a pantry inventory app to track dry goods, herbs, and spices. It already proved useful when it reminded me about a bag of self-rising flour I needed to use up.
Also finished a five-video series of fairy-themed foods for CONpossible (this year’s theme: “Through the Fairy Ring”). Each one runs about a minute, short promotional pieces that’ll also go up on the Random Recipe Project channel.
Read
Honestly, not much. I’ve been writing more than reading lately, and I’m making peace with that. Didn’t come close to my already modest 2025 reading goal, but the words have been flowing in the other direction.
Played
Had a great Gloomhaven session on Sunday. We’re all nearing retirement for our third round of mercenaries and deep into the main storyline. The end is in sight, which makes every session feel weightier.
Cooked
The only standalone butcher shop in town closed for good on Christmas Eve. I bought two full racks of spareribs from them as a send-off and smoked them for six hours on Wednesday. First time I’d fired up the smoker in two years. I ordered replacement parts so I can get back to using it regularly. Made a big southern squash casserole to go alongside.
That pantry app earned its keep when it surfaced a bag of self-rising flour, so I made buttermilk biscuits from scratch with sausage gravy. Also picked up some alcoholic eggnog for our morning coffees this week. A little somethin’ somethin'.
Noticed
Last week was bitter cold. This week bounced to nearly 80°F on Christmas Day. Georgia.
Thinking About
Just starting a new project at work, a simple web app on a limited budget. The kind of thing I could do in my sleep. Times are slow and lean right now, though, and the temptation is to throw everyone and everything at it just to keep people busy. I’m pushing back. We need to know how to do small, lean projects repeatedly and in parallel. That seems to be where the industry is headed.
What’s Next
My kids were both gone this week, and my partner and I don’t really celebrate Christmas, so it was genuinely quiet. Next week they’ll both be here, including my eldest who’s about to start their final semester of college. We’ll do what we call “Second Christmas,” running through the traditions on time delay. Works better for us.