Staring down the barrel…

(Read time: one mug of lukewarm mulled wine)

Welcome to the New Year!

Here we go again… collectively bounding into a new year. Perhaps not like the new puppy that your neighbours already regret getting their children for Christmas, or even an American swat team dropping into Venezuela to destabilise yet another nation, no… more like a herd of Wildebeest approaching a pride of lions that stand between them, and the water they need to survive.

It’s inevitable that every January, that the vast majority will look down the barrel of the year ahead with some (perhaps vast!) trepidation, following the merriment of the festive period, spending time indulging in as many ways as you can think of, before returning to ‘normal’, banishing all of the indulgent traits we’ve become so accustomed to, and deciding (nee committing) to operate as ‘someone else’ for the year, or first three months, or days at least. For some, the ‘Nuns’ and ‘Monks’ among us, I am sure this is pleasurable, and equally for all of us, I am sure this is good practice and supportive of longevity of life on this planet. But equally, the cynic in me (or is it just my heart?) says I am only here once, and if I’ve got to live off lettuce, mineral water and an exercise bike (as it’s too icy to ride out), and therefore be miserable for the next few years, months or days in order to live 3 weeks longer at the end of my life, then pass me the Brie and the Chianti – and let me have my breakfast. I accept that this is a controversial view. Certainly in Italy, and that Chianti should not be consumed at breakfast time… so an Espresso will have to do for now.

I am not sure that I am that excited about 2026, as there is far too much going on right now for me to really feel invested in it… from Climate Change, to the Ukraine, US foreign policy (Venezuela) and posturing (Greenland) it just doesn’t feel that a year of stability, growth, or progress lays ahead of us. None of these big challenges, events and influences are anything that I can control. Certainly US foreign policy is out of my sphere of influence, and Climate Change looks devastatingly like a one way street… as for Ukraine, wasn’t this supposed to be over in one day following Trump’s re-election?

So I am certainly going to focus on what I can control and ignore the rest as far as I possibly can.

I’m not one for New Years resolutions – but I am certainly one for making a list of things that I want to ‘get done’ or ‘happen’ each year. I find it quite cathartic to sit down somewhere quiet, and start making a list of what I see in front of me for the year, and what I want the year to look like. Holidays; where do I want to go (non-negotiables)? Where would I like to go (options)? Cycling; how many miles (and crucially how much time) can I commit to?, Music; how many and which gigs do I want to do / see? Chores; what really needs to get done this year (paint the shed, replace the dead hedge))? Purchases: new kitchen knives (v.important), bean to cup coffee machine (to be explored). My list is always realistic, never profound and certainly not changing my, nor anyone else’s, game. It’s not that I lack ambition, it’s just how I work – if the list is unrealistic, I will dismiss it out of hand and not bother taking another look.

And while I like my list and do use it, it has become a source of a some frustration recently, as for the last 5 years it has had one specific item on it, that was addressing something negative. This year it’s not there. Not because I’ve addressed it, but because I haven’t and its continued presence interferes with all the other interesting things that I like and want to do and focus on… so this year, I am focusing solely on the positives and things that are additive that I really want to progress and focus on – as opposed to focusing on (and not) addressing something, that might well be addressed, mitigated or even eliminated by really accentuating the positives that I am passionate about. Throughout much of my working life, I’ve been told that we should focus on maximising our ‘strengths’ and not wasting energy on developing our ‘weaknesses’ (except in very specific circumstances – pilot’s who struggle to land in crosswinds for example… that could be quite important to address rather than looking for runways that always align with the direction of the wind – which would end up with some interesting diversions), and so I’ve decided to embrace this approach in my list as an ‘experiment’, to see if it works. In time, all will be revealed, and you’ll be the first to know!

I’ve also done another experiment recently… and successfully disconnected from all forms of Social Media. When I say all forms, I mean all. Faceache and Instaboast are obvious candidates, but I also logged out of DeLinked as well, and from the 19th December, I’ve not logged into any of them… and my word, I miss them! JOKING – I do not miss them one bit. Adding nothing to my life other than what they want to put in front of me, that results in hours of doom-scrolling… looking for the next fix of something that’s remotely interesting, amidst a myriad of guff that isn’t remotely interesting or inspiring to me, it just sucks the life out of me – making a natural cynic, even more cynical – how is that even possible? Ask Zuckerberg… he’ll be able to explain how his algorithms work and why they are so closely engineered at turning us all into emotional shipwrecks, while robots and artificial intelligence take over all of the thoughts that need thinking, and all of the doing that needs to be done. You see, no cynicism here at all! I’m just annoyed with myself for getting sucked back in, having previously disconnected from them, and am determined that I will in future only look when I want to know something, rather than because I’ve got nothing more important to do, and be sold truly awful polo shirts from China, or outdoor table heaters that I don’t want or need. The algorithms are clever, really clever, and if you think you won’t get sucked in… you will! They need to be treated with caution as they appear to be marginally more addictive than Buffalo Chicken Wings, Bud Light, or pickled onion flavour Space Raiders. All things in moderation (except Space Raiders)!

But this does bring me on to a problem. If one is not on Social Media today, how does one actually find out reliably what’s on? What’s next? What’s happened?

And you know what? I don’t actually have an answer apart from you’ve got to be on it… most local events are advertised almost exclusively on ‘the socials’, and I have a need to know about these things, but I recommend being VERY selective about who you follow, what you allow it to show you, and make sure you’re diligent about ‘disliking’ things… I don’t mean at a personal post level, I mean at a platform level and telling the platform clearly not to show you things you don’t want to see. I am also VERY conscious that this blog must not become an anti-social media platform either… after all it is a form of social media, and with upcoming changes to the Gabbling MAMIL that are in the works, I am going to need ‘the socials’ to make the next genus work.

That my friends, is a teaser! Yes, there be change on the way! Watch this space, and you’ll be the first to know when it lands… an exciting development for 2026, and yes, it’s on my list.

Another thing that’s on my list, is going skiing again. Right now, as you’re reading this (as I know you all read it as soon as it get’s published, so I can say this with confidence…) I am driving to the airport en route to the Alps. After another 4 year break, following my previous 10 year break, I am hauling 40 kilograms of brightly coloured, totally mismatching kit across Europe to go and throw myself down some mountains, then eat far more calories than I burnt and drink far more beer and wine than I need. And I can’t wait! But, apparently there is a storm brewing… and this time not a metaphorical one. I mean Storm Goretti, who should be here right about when you’re reading this and I am (should be) driving to the airport. And so rather than me looking forward to my first beer in the snow this evening, I may well be sat here reading this blog at the same time as you (correcting the typo’s, there’ll be many, as I wanted to get this out before I went on holiday) drinking an espresso, while crying into my keyboard. Dramatic? No, if I can’t go, I will cry, and I make no excuse for doing so.

And if I do go, I am absolutely going to make the most of it. Making frequent snow-angels for no other reason than just because I can, or because I went ‘a ball of chalk’ (my favourite term for a skiing crash – you’re welcome to use it). Drinking mulled wine even though it upsets my tummy, but it smells and tastes amazing, so how can I resist? Becoming a Reggae fanatic for the week as that’s what we do when we’re on a skiing holiday, no? (I have no idea why, but Bob Marley’s music remains the perfect soundtrack for Apres-Ski…) Oh, and I suppose I’ll be doing a bit of sliding around on my ski’s, hopefully with some panache… but more likely looking like an old man, who bought his kit on e-bay with his eyes shut, who’s about to depart stage left in ‘a ball of chalk’.

You want to come too, don’t you? And I don’t blame you…

It’s much better than sitting here, making lists… while staring down the barrel of 2026.