what did you do in 2025 that you'd never done before? Swam with sharks in the open ocean. Performed in two music festivals.
did you keep your new year's resolutions and will you make more for next year? I'm not sure I actually made a New Year's resolution? I know I'd acquired this beautiful moon journal and meant to write in it throughout the year, but failed to make it past spring. I bought another moon journal from the same company and want to complete this one one more fully.
what would you like to have in 2026 that you lacked in 2025? Clarity.
what dates from 2025 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? September 26. My little sister gave birth to my third little niece! (On this same day, I also had a lovely happy hour all-original song swap at Covert Café with Rocky Seahorse. Join us for the next one on March 27th! It's a really good hang and the food's good, too!)
what was your biggest achievement of the year? Winning some difficult rooms.
what was your biggest failure? Being unable to engage with some difficult rooms.
what one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Feeling like the efforts I expend doing a task aligned better with the outcomes, or that my feelings about the outcomes aligned better, anyway. Better alignment between the external world and my internal experiences, over all.
what was the best thing you bought? "Lucky," my ergonomic 5-string short-scale electric bass guitar.
did anyone close to you give birth? See #4
whose behavior merited celebration? All of y'all who have made the effort to come out to a gig. Seriously, thank you for coming out and spending some time with me. It's so easy to just not.
what did you get really, really, really excited about? "Lucky," my ergonomic 5-string short-scale electric bass guitar.
what song will always remind you of 2025? "Loved You To Death" by Leo Moon
compared to this time last year, are you:
happier or sadder? About the same. Happier about some circumstances, sadder about others.
thinner or fatter? About the same
richer or poorer? About the same
what do you wish you'd done more of? Be present.
what do you wish you'd done less of? Scroll. Covet. Pine.
did you fall in love in 2025? Falling implies that I might have been upright at one point or another.
what was the best book you read? Honestly? Didn't do a whole lot of reading this year. All of the really impactful books I've read this year were well-written but in a way that made me want to throw them at some point. I can't name a "best."
what was your greatest musical discovery? I know the answer to this question is meant to be an artist, song, or album, but actually? It's been observing where different musicians' creative philosophies and personal struggles overlap, as I've gotten to know them.
what did you want and get? To play some shows with folks I like. An ergonomic 5-string short-scale bass guitar.
what did you want and not get? To play some shows with other folks I like. An ergonomic 5-string short-scale bass guitar but in sparkly purple with a fun fret inlay.
what was your favorite film of this year? I think the only new movie I saw that came out this year was "Nosferatu." I did watch a lot of campy movies from the 80s... I don't know if I had a "favorite," though.
what did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? On my actual birthday? Ate myself sick at the seafood brunch buffet at Salty's on the Columbia and slept. A few days before my actual birthday, I performed in a little show I curated in celebration of it. I'm so grateful to everyone who showed up. As for my age? I'm gonna bask in the ambiguity lent by my ethnicity that allows me to look like I'm in my 30s until I'm well into my 60s. Happy to tell you the number if you ask me to my face, though.
how would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2025? Persephone-core (flowy clothing with striking patterns depicting nature either in bloom or decay, lace or net stockings with animal motifs)
what kept you sane? A little help from my friends
who did you miss? You, especially when I don't see you at my gig. Please come. Say hi.
who was the best new person you met? My current engineer, Jordan. Also Lindsey, his partner in music and life. I look forward to continuing to work with them this year, too.
tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2025. You can't really change other people. If someone isn't giving you what you want from them, change the thing you want.
quote a song lyric that sums up your year. No one ever said you get to live a life with no bad parts... (Sorry, folks, it's not a song that's out... except in some live music spaces. Sorry R., if it puts the pressure on 😝 but I've thought about it, a lot.)
