The thoughts I'm having at the end of 2025 mirror those I've had since the beginning of the year. Grieving the loss of Peter has had a significant impact on my year and remains an ongoing weight on my mind. There were few days in 2025 when the thought of Peter didn't cross my mind, and also, more generally, the idea of corporeal death and its meaning—specifically, the frailty of life, the finality and irreversibility of death. Peter's funeral was held on 01/05/2025, when many childhood and high school friends came to Flushing to pay their respects. In a way, it felt like a reunion of many old circles, only without the one person who anchored all of together. January was one of just two times I've returned to New York City this year. I suppose I've been trying to subconsciously keep away from remembering the feelings of what childhood "home" was, and the people associated with that bygone time and place—at least temporarily. Speaks to my avoidant personality, I suppose.
This year, in honor of Peter and his love of commercial aviation and travel, I've taken at least one flight trip every month starting in February. These short escapes ended up structuring my year, including dealing with the consequences of being away when I get back home (like ungodly amounts of work and emails). I suppose part of my rationale was to get out, get away, experience life, and not languish. Plus, it gave me the opportunity to double down on United and IAD for airline loyalty and status. I would like to continue monthly flight trips, even if for just a weekend, but I'm not sure how sustainable it is for me and my wallet. Certainly, this year's travels have proven that it's very doable, and that making the world a smaller place brings immense emotional and experiential value. If nothing else, I air travel for the thrill of logistical planning in unforeseen conditions.
Some highlights:
- In February, Kelsey and I took a frigid trip to Chicago for five days. I mis-timed the travel and security time to DCA and was the closest I've ever been to missing a flight. I flew to ORD on a United A321neo, just 11 days old (N14533). (DCA-ORD, ORD-DCA.)
- In March, I took a short weekend trip to Mobile, AL, to attend an Airbus factory tour I had purchased a ticket for. It was the first time I'd taken a there-and-back weekend trip, leaving Saturday morning and returning Sunday night. I nearly didn't make it out due to thunderstorms at MOB, but made it back home on the last IAD flight out of IAH. (IAD-MOB, IAD-IAH-IAD.)
- In April, I visited Taylor, Aysenur, and the family in Ann Arbor. The trip wasn't well planned, and even then didn't go as planned. Everyone was either sick or ill. I was grateful to borrow a car to head downtown to Detroit for a few days. (BWI-DTW, DTW-IAD.)
- In May, I went down to Nashville for Peter's celebration of life, a hike, and a lunch at the church. I was moved by the turnout of his Tennessee coworkers and friends plus his college roommates and friends. I had written a speech in the weeks leading up to it. On the flight down, I continuously re-read and edited it on my iPhone, crying the entire flight south. While in central TN, I took the opportunity to visit Dave and Holly in Chattanooga after the Nashville events. (IAD-BNA, CHA-ORD-IAD.)
- Also in May, I visited Eric in Saratoga Springs to see his car and house projects, renovated kitchen, and new shed. Most days were spent working from [someone else's] home. We made pizza at home, and we had a barbecue dinner at Ben and Myra's. (IAD-ALB, ALB-IAD.)
- In June, I took a short weekend solo trip to Providence, mainly to check off Rhode Island and New Hampshire from the list of states I've haven't visited. A three-hour outbound flight delay meant sleeping at Dulles airport for a time. It gave me plenty of time to plan the trip itinerary, which I still did not do. Providence was overall a letdown. (IAD-PVD, PVD-IAD.)
- In July, I took a trip to San Francisco, mainly so that I could fly United Domestic First Class in a Polaris seat, transcontinental on a B787-900. It was my first window seat opportunity on a 787. While there, I finally got to visit Alcatraz and took my first Waymo ride. I also had ramen for dinner, matcha ice cream for dessert, and a long catch-up with Brian from college. (IAD-SFO, SFO-IAD.)
- In August, I went to Dayton for a two-day work trip, followed by a quick weekend road trip from South Bend to Milwaukee. The main goal was check off Indiana Dunes National Park and to fly one of United's shortest flights from MKE-ORD. I also met up with Ben and Myra in Chicago for some deep-dish pizza. As I was on my way to MKE, the flight ended up getting canceled due to weather, and I asked the Lyft driver to divert from Milwaukee to O'Hare. (I paid him cash.) The flight out of Chicago ended up being 5 hours delayed. (IAD-DAY, DAY-IAD, IAD-SBN, MKE-ORD-IAD.)
- In September, I took a 7-day proper vacation to London, with a day trip to Paris via Eurostar --mainly for the novelty of taking a train through the Chunnel, but also to retrace some of the places Peter and I visited during in our France trip back in 2012 (the only vacation/trip we took together). London was lovely, albeit expensive. I can't wait to go back. The flight to London was via Virgin Atlantic, a mere 5,000-point ($50) redemption. Incredible! The flight home was via United Polaris business class, which was fantastic. (IAD-LHR, LHR-IAD.)
- In October, Kelsey and I took short vacation to Burlington, for the fall foliage. But due to recent [un-]seasonal weather, peak foliage timing wasn't as advertised, and it was actually a few weeks after our trip. Good hiking though. (IAD-BTV, BTV-IAD.)
- In November, Kelsey and I went to Colorado and Utah. I couldn't let Indiana Dunes be the only national park I've visited this year, since it can barely be considered one. We started in Arches National Park, then Canyonlands National Park, and finally Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. We saw our first aurora while stargazing in the cold at Black Canyon. Taking unpaved backroads through the mountains and climbing up to over 9,000 feet elevation was quite the adventure. (IAD-DEN-GJT, GJT-DEN-IAD.)
- In December, I took my first single-day, there-and-back flight to Manchester, NH for a work trip. Co-worker and I probably spent more time eating lunch than doing the survey and meeting. I spent most of the day working at the airport's business center. Definitely not a vacation. (IAD-MHT, MHT-IAD.)
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| Plane spotting at sunset, Gravelly Point, VA. |
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| Golden Gate Bridge, SF. |
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| Natural History Museum, London. |
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| Morning at Le Louvre, Paris. |
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| One evening in Paris. |
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| Sunset from Mt Philo State Park, VT. |
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| The scenic route from Grand Junction, CO to Moab, UT. |
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| Hike to Delicate Arch at sunset, Arches National Park. |
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| Mesa Arch, Canyonlands National Park. |
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| Buck Canyon Overlook Trail, Canyonlands National Park. |
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Apparently, last year's sunset theme continued into this year with my photography.
As far as house projects go, I ended natural gas service to my house and am on my way to living the electrification life. I installed a 66-gallon heat pump water heater on my own, which was a study in mechanics and leverage, requiring the use of a hand truck and ratchet straps. I finally figured out the procedure and logistics of replacing my stairs and completed demolition work and installation of new treads and risers this year. Painting, hardwood flooring, entry tiling, and door and sidelight upgrades will be in Q1 2026. Other than that, the deck is still technically incomplete because of some trim work I just haven't been motivated to do. Like I said last year, "It’s too cold to work in the winter, and too hot to work in the summer. Outdoor construction is the worst."
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In 2025, I added RI and NH to my list of states visited. Now, only seven remain: AK, AR, IA, KS, MN, ND, OK. The SPC3SHP accrued 13,466 miles, ending the year at 189,439 miles. The CRGOSHP accrued 3,976 miles, ending the year at 182,976 miles. SPC3SHP will hit 200,000 miles in 2026. CRGOSHP will probably be just under 190,000 miles.
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Before reviewing my 2025 Year In Pixel numbers for this post, I figured this year was turning out to be just as bad as 2024. Despite my pessimism, compared to 2024, the number of Amazing days have doubled, Good days have notably increased, Overwhelming days remained constant, and Anxious days have reduced by about 20 days; "Average" remained below 50%. Overall though, I guess that's a win.
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| 2025 Year in Pixels |
P.S. It hasn't been a year since Trump took office but the damage his regime has done is immeasurable. Shame on us. Never in my life had I feared kidnapping by my own government as much as I have in 2025—despite being a natural born citizen. May true justice prevail with haste.