Anno Domini 2025
As is recent tradition at the year’s end, this is my ‘wrapped’ or ‘recap’ or whatever else you might be inclined to call it.
I’ve watched as the ‘year in review’ posts of my peers have rolled in with spins more political than ever. For as much as they discuss career progression and personal milestones, they’re as much discussing the ongoing Gaza genocide, the Russo-Ukrainian war, and malignant governments.
I used to wonder how Germany slipped into fascism during the 1930s, but watching the crumbling of the United States of America this year has served as a very much unwanted live demonstration. The year has presented a global restriction of digital freedoms and crushing oppression at the hands of unhampered capitalistic intents.
I stated at the conclusion of last year that in 2025 I wished to ‘experiment, learn, and double down on what works’ as well as ‘start testing things more aligned with my goals and putting the knowledge I gained to use!’.
Those were grand ambitions that have been no doubt hampered by the effects of the aforementioned, but I have been fortunate to find some opportunities to apply myself. I’m so very grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had to develop, write, and push myself throughout the year.
2025 has been a year of great growth for me in many ways. I’ve written more than I ever have before, I’ve cultivated an audience in doing so, I’ve worked on exciting yet challenging projects, and I’ve succeeded in, as LinkedIn would say, ‘cultivating a professional network’. What that last really means, though, is that I’ve gotten to meet and work alongside some excellent people that I have the privilege of calling friends.
My Output
I created a lot of stuff this year. These stats don’t include modifications to existing posts, uncategorised content, or anything published independently of my own name. Next year I intend to be much more active in keeping track of my statistics and have dedicated time this year to putting in place the systems to facilitate that. Here are the numbers:
- 32 posts on Vale.Rocks
- 9 articles on other sites
- 334 micro posts
- 40 published photographs
- 6 posted videos
- 100,000+ total published words
Media
The musical artists I listened to most were:
- Masayoshi Takanaka
- The Avalanches
- Sparks
- Ginger Root
- Lemon Demon
I watched 3 television series, 34 films, and read 10 books. These numbers don’t seem near high enough given the great volume of fantastic media readily available.
Activity
A loose tracking of Git contributions that isn’t particularly comprehensive or insightful but is nonetheless fun to look at:
A heatmap of git contributions showing splotchy activity throughout the year.
This year, as the first of my ‘pulse’ entries, has been an experiment in what I hope will become an annual tradition. This entry has been a tad barren, but the systems are already in place to make years next and after much fuller.
I wish to thank you, dear reader, for tuning in. I genuinely appreciate your support throughout the year, whether that was sharing my work, tipping me a few bucks, or just reading an article of mine. It really does mean a great deal, and I look forward to whatever goodness 2026 may bring.
Your friend,
— Declan Chidlow (Vale)