2023 was a year of ups and downs for me, just like it was for everyone else. Let’s take a look back as well as a look forward at 2024.
2023 in Review
Personal and Work
The biggest thing that happened to me personally in 2023 was moving in with my girlfriend in May. This is my first time living with a partner and it’s been great so far! We’re both looking forward to many more years of this.
Unfortunately, we also had some health scares this year. Four trips to the ER, two emergency surgeries, and one planned surgery later, we’re finally back to semi-normal. I’m hoping that 2024 will be a healthier year for both of us.
My job has been going really well. I continue to learn new things every day and the projects I work on are interesting and impactful. I’m looking forward to continuing to grow in my role this year.
Media
I consume too much media, but here’s some of what I enjoyed this year:
Books
I only read 12 books this year. In years past I used to set a Goodreads goal of 50 books for the year and surpass it, but my reading has slowed down a lot. I’m going to set the same goal for 2024 and see if I can get back into the swing of things.
One thing I am particularly proud of is that I read a lot of long books. According to my Goodreads year in review, the shortest book that I read this year (The Three-Body Problem) was 400 pages long. The longest book I read was Oathbringer, at 1,243 pages. I averaged 777 pages per book. I suppose this comes from being really into fantasy and sci-fi, but I’m still proud of it.
Video Games
I didn’t play a ton of different games this year. I tend to find new games rarely, and keep playing the ones that I know I love. Here’s a short list:
- Sea of Thieves
- This continues to be one of my favorite games. I took a bit of a break in the middle of the year, but getting back into it with my friends has been a blast. I’m also looking forward to going to SoTFest this year and meeting some of the people I’ve been playing with for years.
- Fortnite
- No-build is the real deal. I also played a little of the new LEGO survival game but it wasn’t really for me.
- Vampire Survivors
- I listen to a LOT of podcasts, and this game is the ultimate podcast game. It’s also the best game to play on my Steam Deck.
- MegaMan Battle Network 3
- A classic from my childhood. I played through it on an emulator earlier this year and I’m going through the Switch remaster now.
- Factorio
- I think every year I get really into Factorio for a few weeks and then fall off of it until the next year. I did that over the summer and I’m looking forward to doing it again when the space update comes out.
- Luck Be a Landlord
- Fun for a few runs every so often.
- Slay the Spire
- One of my favorite games of all time, and another great podcast game.
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- I’ve considered Witcher 3 to be my all-time favorite game for a long time. This year I was able to play through it again with my girlfriend watching, and it was such a great experience to share with her. I still need to go back with her and finish Blood and Wine - hopefully in the next couple months.
Movies
I’ll be honest, I don’t remember watching any new movies this year. It’s just not something that I seek out.
TV Shows
I rewatched Parks and Rec with my girlfriend and we loved it. We started watching Severance but never finished.
You know, going through these is making me think that I should really start using Trakt or something similar to keep track of what I watch. Same with video games. I’ll have to look into that.
2024
Looking ahead! I’m not one to make big new year’s resolutions, but here are some of my goals for 2024:
- Read 12 books
- Go for more walks
- Be more consistent with my blog
- Work on side projects more (currently trying to learn AvaloniaUI and it’s been pretty fun so far)
I’m sure there’s more that I’ll come up with, but this should be a fine start. Happy new year!