A look back at 2025 as experienced through travel, music, bike rides, movies, and books.

 

For over ten years now, I have closed out the year with top ten lists of my favorite books, music, and movies. It’s all well-organized and aesthetically pleasing, but the format was beginning to feel stale. At this point, rankings in general seem trivial and self-aggrandising, so I am going to try something different. For my one and only post on this blog encompassing the entire year of 2025, I’m just going to reflect on the places I’ve been, the people I shared space with, the artwork that inspired me, and music that decorated the path. It feels like a more honest way to reflect on a sprawling and messy year.

 

Last Train to Nowhere.

I saw many different parts of the world this year. I traveled to six different countries across three different continents. I learned to sleep on airplanes. Part of this was a trip to Thailand that Dierre and I had been planning for several years, and we added a three-day stopover in South Korea. The rest were all work trips where I did my best to see all that I could during my off hours. I will never complain about getting to go to these cool places, but I will say I am quite tired of airports at the moment.

 

Dierre & I in Bangkok, Thailand.

 

Dierre and I had been planning a trip to Thailand since the early days of the pandemic. We finally made it happen back in February. We decided on a 3-day layover in Seoul before we realized that Seoul was going to be very cold. I’m glad we did it though, because we really loved what we managed to see of the city. My favorite thing we did was carving stone stamps of our Korean names. We also tried some of the best candy I’ve ever tasted. I feel like we only scratched the surface. I would really love a chance to go back there when it’s warmer!

 

The only palace we got to visit in Seoul.

 

Thailand was a wildly different experience. We hopped around to a lot of different spots while we were there, staying some nights with our friends Steph and Kemchan on the outskirts of Bangkok, then flying to Krabi with them for a few days, before coming back and rounding out our stay in downtown Bangkok. I was taken back by what a large, sprawling city Bangkok was. It reminded me of Los Angles, only multiplied by 9 (literally). I could have easily spent a month there, but would miss my dog way too much.

Jet-setting with Dierre, Steph, and Kemchan.

 

Krabi was gorgeous. We had been warned about the monkeys ahead of time, and thankfully the ones near where we were staying weren’t as adversarial as they can be in other places. You did have to get used to discarded mango pieces getting thrown down from the trees at random. Dierre and I managed to flip a kayak, but it wasn’t our fault! They gave it to us full of water. But we had fantastic weather, got to go snorkeling, and even got downtime to just chill and read.

Sunset over Krabi

 

We closed out the trip in downtown Bangkok. It was fun getting to experience queer parts of the city. We also made friends with a cat. The temples were impressive, the massages were excellent, and the food was amazing. The only blemish on the trip was that I came down with some nasty food poisoning on our last night. The exact cause was not clear because Dierre was fine. Thankfully, our flight wasn’t until late the next day and I was OK by the time we had to fly.

 

Dierre and I being queer as fuck in Bangkok.

 

The Smoke of Many Fires.

I’m framing this year around my trips and the times in between. Biking has played a huge part of my physical and mental health since the start of the pandemic. This year, I almost beat my 2021 record of 2406 miles in a single year, but I had a bad fall in November that stopped me short of that. Regardless, I still managed to hit 2135.4 miles before I had to hang up my bike for the winter. I had four consecutive months of hitting over 300 miles from May to August. I also officially hit 10,000 miles (since 2018) on my bike sometime back in June. I’ve been talking about getting a new one for years but I fear that now I have a sentimental attachment.

 

The trip where I realized I had crossed 10,000 miles on my bike.

 

Why all this about numbers? The numbers are the dopamine reward system I have devised to motivate myself. Seeing my total mileage count each month helps me set goals, and I find it satisfying to watch the cumulative number grow. I’m not doing it to compete with anyone other than myself. Sometimes I ride slow as hell and just appreciate the fact that I’m outside and feeling the vibes of the song I’m playing.

 

From my solo trip to Brewster.

 

On my commute into work I listen to audiobooks, but on my rides home I like to blaze and zone in to some music. This is how I meditate. This is how I work out places where I’m stuck in my writing. Biking during the pandemic was a very communal thing; and chance to get out of the house and see people. The last few years, due to moves and other life changes, it has become a much more solitary endeavor. My ride time has become sacred to me.

 

Channeling my inner influencer on City Island

 

My favorite soundtrack to this years rides has been Be’lakor. It’s something about the way they balance beauty and brutality. They’re also my favorite music to fall asleep to. My ADHD chaos brain never shuts up, but a good organized cacophony can drown out the chatter. It was also really cool to go from discovering them late last year, then getting to meet them and see them play live on their first North American tour this September.

 

Dierre and I with members of Be’lakor.

 

I’ve listened to plenty of other great stuff this year, not to mention all the concerts. Dierre got me really into Shiner; their new album BelieveYouMe has been playing on a loop in our apartment. There’s been plenty of melodic death metal with In Mourning and Mors Principum Est. Lacuna Coil and Chevelle both put out fantasic new records. Spiritbox put out a new record and I also really took a liking to their debut EP, especially the song “The Beauty of Suffering.” I also discovered the bands Baest and Messa this year. It was a good year for Europe in terms of coveting my tastes.

 

Some of my favorite albums of 2025.

 

I’ve been to no shortage of amazing shows this year. I got to see Ani Difranco play with a full band for the first time and it was gorgeous. I love slide guitars, and I really want to get a bootleg of the show we saw at Brooklyn Steel. I also got to see Collective Soul and Live play some great 90s throwback tunes. Mastodon and Coheed & Cambria made for a really interesting lineup, and both bands brought it with on stage visuals. Chevelle played at the iconic NY Pier 17, which just feels majestic with the Brooklyn Bridge and skyline hanging in the background.

 

Matt & I waiting for Ani DiFranco to start.

 

Getting to see John Carpenter’s band play was also an amazing experience. I was only disappointed that they didn’t play the score from The Thing at our show. We saw Shiner (which I had to sit on the side for large portions of because it was a few days after breaking my toe) and got to see the incomparable Vienna Teng yet again (not my favorite venue, but always a great show). I really appreciate that her set list is so wildly different every time I see her. Did I also mention that we saw Beyoncé on the Cowboy Carter tour? Because we did and it was epic.

 

Tailgating before Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter.

 

We’re Here Because We’re Here.

My next trip was to Bogota, Colombia in April. My trip was short, but the landscape was stunning and the food was amazing. I did a bike tour in the rain (unpredictable mountain weather). I hope I get an opportunity to go back and see way more. I spent a lot of time listening to Anathema while I was there.

 

Bogota, view from the Mountains.

 

After that was Stockholm, Sweden in June. I had a bit more time there. I really loved the city, and was playing all of my favorite Swedish artists the whole time (read: Robyn plus a whole bunch of heavy metal bands). I did a 50 mile bike ride on an old creaky bike to see some of the countryside. The Vasa Museum was probably my favorite part. If I get a chance to go back, I’d love to see more outside of the main city.

 

Iconic Stockholm

 

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees.

I read way less this year than I normally do, but I do listen to a shitload of Star Wars audiobooks. I finally found an unabridged audio version of the 9-book Legacy of the Force series that I’ve been itching to re-read, and from there I powered through the 9-book Fate of the Jedi. I have now read through the end of the old expanded universe (which was unceremoniously rebooted and rebranded as Legends when Disney took over).

 

18 of the 22 Star Wars books I read this year.

 

I was supremely bummed out when Amazon canceled The Wheel of Time this year, because it was just starting to get really good. I had been enjoying the Rosamund Pike audiobooks they were also producing, but it seems unlikely that they will continue those either. Therefore, I made a decision to finish out the series with the original audiobooks. It’s been an adjustment, but I’m still enjoying them. They sure are long, though. I’m now six books deep with… nine more to go! With that being said, I have also read plenty of other excellent books on this trip around the sun. Here are a few of my favorites, including a few I’m still in the middle of.

 

My favorite books of 2025.

 

Some of the best books I read this year were of the comic and graphic novel variety. Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees was upsettingly good (of the “I wish I could have written this” variety). Something is Killing the Children has also been excellent. At Dark, I Become Loathsome is one of the most disturbing things I have ever read. I also included a few books I haven’t finished because I really love them I’m just reading really, really slowly right now.

 

The mechanical lights of Lisbon frightened it away.

In September, Dierre got to tag along with me on a trip to Lisbon, Portugal. It’s a very hilly city and I certainly got my steps in. My favorite part was the food and wine tour we did. I loved hearing about how history has shaped our modern cuisines. I’m still not a fan of port wine, though. We also did a day trip to Sintra where we walked the Moorish Castle grounds before hiking to the  super trippy Quinta da Regaleria. The city and surrounding areas are so rich with history. I really appreciated having Dierre plus several of my colleagues along with me on this trip. A lot of my work travel tends to be solo, so it was nice to be able to share the experiences.

 

Dierre at the Moorish Castle.

 

My final trip for the year was to Rio, Brazil. It such a unique looking city. I was reminded a bit of Cape Town, South Africa. The landscapes and the way that the city winds into and out of the foliage is just stunning. I don’t know that my photos can do it justice. I learned a lot about the local history, as well as that of greater Latin America. The trip itself was really powerful and cathartic for reasons I will keep vague on here, but it left me with a lot of gratitude for the opportunities that I am afforded. I came away from it with a better sense of my own power and resilience.

 

Rio de Janeiro

 

All right, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up.

I got really into Letterboxd this year. I love any excuse to make lists, really. I’ve had a lot of fun watching my way through some of the more infamous horror and sci-fi franchise movies, namely Halloween, Hellraiser, Paranormal Activity, and Friday the 13th. It can be rough going sometimes, but they’re great to have on when I have tedious work to do.

 

A selection of the franchise horror and sci-fi movies I watched.

 

I have also continued to love our revitalized Movie Club. This was an idea I had during the pandemic (inspired by a former colleague) where we pick movies on a rotation and get together once a month to discuss them. We’ve had ebbs and flows in activity, but I feel like it’s found a nice groove now. I highly recommend other people copy this model among friends. It’s a great way to see movies you otherwise may have missed.

 

This year’s movie club picks.

 

In terms of my favorite movies? I watched 180 total. Picking 10 from that feels trivial, and ranking them in a particular order feels even more so. But here are my top rated films in no particular order.

 

My favorite movies of 2025.

 

Do I make a space for the shows I watched? I already mentioned being mad about the Wheel of Time cancelation. I also got really into Silo, Pluribus, and I binge watched The Pitt in a single weekend. Hacks continues to be hilarious, and Andor has continued to be the best thing to come out of Star Wars since Empire Strikes Back. I’m also always watching some old shows. I’m still making my way through Stargate SG-1, and I’m nearly finished with Seaquest and Twin Peaks.

 

There’s nothing that time can’t end.

I couldn’t do a whole section on theater because I only want to mention two shows: Prince‌ Faggot was really fucking cool and Oh, Mary was hilarious. There were others, but how can I expect to capture everything that’s happened over the course of a year in a single blog post? I can’t. Instead I’ll make this short list of things I loved but didn’t quite fit the format:

 

• I took my first trip to New Orleans. I would really love to go back when it’s warmer.
• I got my ears pierced, and I absolutely love them. I’ve even graduated to danglers.
• Dierre and Pepper made my heart feel full.
• I made a terrifying lamb cake for Easter.
• I loved up on my friends and chosen family more times than I could count.
• Dierre and I got really into playing Buldar’s Gate 3 together.

 

This was last year of my thirties. I know I wasted too many hours on Instagram. I’m going to be taking an extended (and maybe permanent) break from it in the new year. I’m tired of feeding Meta my data so they can sell it back to me. I’m tired of training AI models without compensation. I’m tired of the slop and brain rot. I think I am going to start using Tumblr again, because it largely hasn’t changed since back when the internet was still fun. That, and I have a fun new project in the works that I need to start laying the groundwork for.

 

In conclusion, I do not have any sort of neatly-wrapped words of wisdom to end this with. Last year, I said I wanted to leave resentment and bitterness behind in 2024. I think I did an OK job of that, at least as good as I could do with my curmudgeonly demeanor. Going into this new year, I want to leave behind taking on the anxieties of other people. I have enough anxieties of my own, and life is too short to pile on more. In the new year, let me slow down, let me eat healthier, and let me start it all of by getting a good night of sleep.

 

Cheers.

 

Dierre, Pepper, & I in Lake George.