Happy New Year & Good Riddance to 2025

[shadowkat]

I'd say Hasta La Vista - but that actually means goodbye and see you later, and I really have no interest in revisiting this nasty tediously painful extraordinarily long seemingly endless year. I plan on forgetting most of it. People wondered in person and online where the year had gone to, and how fast it sped by...not me, folks. I was aware of every stinking hour of it. It drug. And if felt mean.

Bye Bye 2025. Don't let the door smack you on the way out. With any luck 2026 will be more memorable and at the very least? Less painful.

Hopefully your mileage varied in far more positive ways.

***

In 2026, I turn 59, an inch closer to 60, and a couple inches closer to retirement. With any luck it will bring peace and prosperity in its wake.

***

End of the Year Memage:

1. Memorable Television Series of 2025 (I'd say favorite - but it's kind of a moving target at the moment, I'm going with memorable).


* Adolescence - it's not a favorite, but I can't forget it. Kind of takes hyper-realism genre to a whole new level. It's shot almost like a documentary in long shots. Grainy film. And focuses on a boy who may have brutally murdered his classmate and why. Chilling.

* The Bear - at least we have the Bear, about the trials and tribulations of turning a family restaurant into a five star dining experience. One of the best character arcs I've seen.

* The Pitt - among the best medical procedures series that I've seen. I like it better than This is Going to Hurt. Feels a bit like that series blended with ER. Noah Wyle provides a tour de force performance in the lead, and is well supported by the daughters of Brad Douriff and Brian Cranston.

* Andor S2 - slow to start, but the finish made it worth the ride. And excellent prequel to the Star Wars saga, and if Star Wars was meant to be allegorical to the Vietnam and Korean conflicts, than this is a far better allegory to our current times.

* The Diplomat - one of the most interesting romantic comedic political satires that I've seen, and by far the most watchable. With a stellar cast.



2. Memorable Films of 2025 (see above)


* Sinners - a blues musical combining blues, jazz, and blue-grass, about vampires in the Black post-Civil War South, starring Michael Jordan in dual roles. Imagine Night of the Living Dead with vampires, an all black cast (with few exceptions) as a musical - and you have Sinners.

* Fantastic Four - a feel good superhero flick for nostalgic Marvel comic book fans. A rarity these days. With some superb performances, a half-way decent script, and excellent special effects.

* Superman - a feel good superhero flick for nostalgic DC comic fans. It was also uplifting in its own way and actually had something to say. Plus bonus points for giving me - "I'm a Punkrocker, Yes I am". I was surprised I liked it - I honestly thought the dog would annoy me. It didn't.

* One Battle After Another - the damn thing haunts long after the final credits roll. About a former revolutionary who has to come to terms with his past to save his daughter from an old adversary. It's hilarious in places, and gripping in others. Says a lot about how women and race is still perceived - and is at times a painful satire about just that.

* K-Pop Demon Hunters - an animated film that blended five different anime styles, and created something new. Also empowered women in a strikingly male genre, music and otherwise.


3. Fandom that you miss

The Buffy/Angel fandom, I'll always miss it.

4. Memorable Books of 2025 (well that I read or listened to in 2025 at any rate, they weren't necessarily published in 2025).


* Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler - read it in the spring and still vividly remember it. It's about a young woman with the gift to feel the pain of others deep inside herself. In an apocalyptic world, she brings together a weary tribe of survivors with her on a journey through a chaotic California to the Pacific Northwest to settle and hopefully grow a community. It was written in the 1990s, yet predicts much of today's political upheaval and climate change, but thankfully it is so much worse, as these books tend to be. Also Butler doesn't quite understand how the laws and the political structure of the US works - as well as she understands botany and linguistics.

*Remarkably Bright Creatures - I remember it, that's saying something I guess? I don't remember a lot of things that I've read. It's about an octopus that befriends an old lady working at an aquarium who is hunting news on her son who went missing over 20 years earlier. I'll never eat calamari again.

* Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man - by Paul Newman, and audio autiobiography. One of the better ones. It's adapted from various transcribed taped conversations that he had with his best friend Stewart Stern, and others during the early 1990s, when he was in his 60s. It's an introspective take on what it means to be human in the midst of fame and unexpected fortune, and philanthropy. Beautifully written in places, and haunting.

* Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik - wanders and jumps in and out of multiple points of view, often without warning (reminiscent of Remarkably Bright Creatures in that respect). It's an interesting take on the Rumplestilskin legend, except Rumplestilskin turns out to be a bit more heroic, as does the woman tasked with spinning his silver into gold. It's by no means a direct take on it. And weaves a lot of Russian and Eastern European folklore into the mix.


5. Memorable Music of 2025 (not necessarily written in 2025)

* Huddled Masses

* What is the Reason for it by David Byrne from his album Who is the Sky?.

* Just Like That by Bonnie Raitt

* Something Wicked (this way comes) by Siouxie and the Banshees

* Say a Little Word by Ellen McIlwaine


Question a Day Memeage - End of December

28. How much exercise have you had over the last few days?

Bad knee. Been doing knee exercises. Walking a lot - because it's my main mode of transportation outside of subways. I go up and down a lot of subway steps. Averaging 4,000-8,000 steps a day. Today just did knee exercises and a little walking.

29. In 1886, the dishwasher was patented. It was invented by Josephine Cochran, who lived in Shelbyville, Illinois. She constructed the first one and won a prize at the Chicago World Fair (and was used by the restaurant industry). Do you own a dishwasher or wash your dishes by hand?

No. Wash dishes by hand. I rent an apartment and it's not cleared for a dishwasher. Also I'm single - so not an issue.

30. It’s National Bacon Day! What’s your favourite way to eat bacon? Have you ever tried vegan ‘bacon’?

With eggs or with pancakes or waffles. I don't eat it now - it doesn't digest well and it tends to go bad before I eat all of it.

No, never had vegan bacon. Artificial yes - bacon bits. Won't do it again.

31. It’s New Year’s Eve – how would you sum up 2025 on a scale of one to ten? Let’s stay positive - what was the best thing that happened to you this year?

1, maybe 2. No definitely 1. Assuming of course 10 (is best) on this scale.

Moved my work place from Jamaica, Queens to Lower Manhattan, Battery Park, Tribeca/Financial District. Shorter Commute, and nicer area all around. Also have a window. And peace and quiet for the most part.


Happy New Year, hopefully regardless of how you ranked 2025 - 2026 will be a better or more positive year for us all around the globe.

Comments

[atpo_onm]

Hey there, Kat, just posted over on my blog (the first time in half-forever, I know, but I'm not missing 2025 hardly ever either, so with you there).

It's almost 3:00 AM here as I type this, and I'm about to head off to sleep, so I'll stop back sometime tomorrow and read your entire post, do want to do that. Meanwhile, I'm fairly sure you keep in touch with other ATPo folk on other platforms, and if do, if you post on any of those, I'd love it if you might mention in passing that OnM still thinks very fondly of them, as I mentioned on the post on my blog.

And yes, the Buffy and Angel universe still resonates for me, too. I might even post a bit about that in the future here, as one rare enjoyable part of 2025 for me was revisiting all the Angel DVDs, and seasons 5 to 7 of Buffy. It's been quite a few years since I looked at more than occasional favorite episode(s), and I was delighted to note I still saw some new things I hadn't noticed before, and that in mu opinion, the work holds up better than ever overall.

Take care, and best wishes for the New Year!

-- CJ / OnM

[kazzy_cee]

Hoping that 2026 is a year that gives you everything you want!

[shadowkat]

Nice to know you're still there CJ.

There really aren't that many that I interact with from ATPO elsewhere. The only ones I see now from time to time to the crowded sphere of Facebook are Rah - who is caught up in her own meanderings of real world importance - and Nancy Kreml (whose board name I've forgotten). Jane Pine is on Threads, but that's fleeting at best. Everyone else, is long gone. Rob - on instagram, and we barely interact.

Most of them - the ones I see - are here, and they are basically you, sophist (mephisto), cactus, and cjl, and on occasion fresne.

So, you didn't rewatch Buffy S1-4? Interesting. Actually that does work. You can watch from S5-7, without too much difficulty. Interesting that you revisited all of Angel, but only part of Buffy.

[shadowkat]

To you as well.

Although I'd settle for 2026 being better than 2025. It's not a high bar.

[atpo_onm]

In 1886, the dishwasher was patented. It was invented by Josephine Cochran, who lived in Shelbyville, Illinois. She constructed the first one and won a prize at the Chicago World Fair.

Seems like I should have known that, being I likely repaired hundreds of them during my appliance service days in the 70s and 80's, but... cool that a woman did it!

U used a dishwasher for maybe 3 or 4 years after I first bought my house, (46 years ago) and I provided ones for my parents and sister when I they needed ones back then.

Personal trivia item of maybe no particular interest, but... I was likely one of the first in my town to own a microwave oven. I bought it from the dealer I worked for in the early 70s. It had only a mechanical minute timer, mo power levels, no turntable or temp sensor probe-- and as I recall, was around $300.00 wholesale in the dollas of the time.

Heee... oh, my. The ones you buy today for that price all but walk the dog and smell the coffee for you. (Not really, but, who knows, with AI...)

I didn't watch the early eps of Buffy because I felt I kbew them better than the latter ones, and also I recalled that in the day, many fans did not seem too enthused by especially S^ and later. I liked them then, appreciated the chances the creators took, and with this re-viewing, I was even more impressed. And most impressive of all to me was SMG, her acting work in this series, especially these last seasons. I always thought she was very good, but now I think she was excellent at minimum, stunning at best. There were some moments where I actually started crying after she did certain very emotional scenes.

Whatever one thinks of Whedon these days, the overall work was one of many, many people's artistic contributions, and it's still a masterpiece over all in my opinion.

[yourlibrarian]

Agree about Andor and am looking forward to seeing S2 and S3 of The Diplomat this next month.

[shadowkat]

In my rewatch of Buffy and Angel, and having seen the actors in both series in other things, I've come to the conclusion that their performances are a combination of factors - "excellent writing", "direction", "costume", "makeup" and editing. Gellar's performances in things prior to Buffy and post Buffy - are not that good. Some are better than others, but honestly, Buffy was by far and a way her best work. And after listening to a broad range of actors (some of which were also directors) discuss acting on stage and screen - it's clear that writing and direction is 75% of it.
Paul Newman goes into detail on this point. As does Barbara Streisand. So too does Genie Francis (Laura on General Hospital). And James Marsters and Juliette Landau discuss it in depth.

They did a lot of retakes on those shows. Buffy did 18-20 hour days, and often 7 days a week. (It was supposed to be 12 hour days and five days a week).

Buffy was very much a collaboration. No one person was responsible for that. It was clearly not just Whedon (I read the comics, and I've watched and read enough of Whedon's work across the board to know that for a fact. His other work isn't as good, and much like Gellar's doesn't come close to Buffy and Angel.)

This is also true of Marti Noxon, David Greenwalt, Alyson Hannigan, Alexis Denisof, Emma Caulfield, Amber Benson, Nicholas Brendon, Rebecca Rand Kirshner, Jane Espenson, David Fury, Christopher Beck, James Marsters, and various others.

It was that unique mix of individual talents thrown together that made Buffy work. If any one of them were removed - I'm not sure it would. I also don't have high hopes for the reboot or continuation - because it's very hard to capture magic in a bottle twice.

[atpo_onm]

It's very hard to capture magic in a bottle twice.

Absolutely. That fact is actually one of the things that drew me to, and continues to fascinate me to this day with my photography. You move about in the world, and an image appears that is very striking, fascinating, evocative, whathaveyou, and what you capture in the photo may not be there seconds later, let alone in days or weeks. Many of my very favorites over the years are that type.

Reality moves on, always.

[shadowkat]

I'd agree - I've found this to be true with my artwork and photography as well, also my writing at times. I have some paintings and photos - that are really magic in a bottle.

[kerk_hiraeth]

The only new 'TV' I've seen has been three Korean series and the second season of a beloved Japanese series, based on a Manga called Ayaka is in Love with Hiroko!

Second season of the latter was two episodes shorter; a little more serious, but just as bizarrely humourous; missed a couple of favourite characters from the first season but with only fourteen episodes it's easily watched in one go.

The Korean dramas were all very different from each other; at least to me.

Nine Puzzles was shorter and, refreshingly for a kdrama had no central love story, just two leads with a history. Kim Da-mi who was the Lead actor has already had two more dramas and a movie hit the screens since Nine Puzzles was released and in the half dozen or so projects I've seen her in since discovering her less than three years ago seems to be able to be recognisably Kim Da-mi, but manages to be able to become a different person each time; not the only female Korean actor to have that talent that I've noticed.

When Life Gives You Tangerines intertwines one character's life from, I believe 1958 through to the 2010's, with the lives of her family and extended family of loved ones, with some incredibly poignant humour in the face of loss; enduring grief and hardship, and an ability to make you cry every single episode at almost the drop of a pin. The lead actor, IU, actually manages to play the younger version of the main character; as well as her daughter, from teenager to middle-age, with some stunning acting and incredible make-up.

The best, for me personally, was the Korean mainstreams for lesbian series; notable for the lengths that cast and crew had to go through to get funding; even dipping into their own pockets in one case to get the clothes and accessories she felt her character would have ~ nobody wanted to sponsor it, go figure.

Took them more than three years to bring it to screen but damn, it was more than worth. Complex narrative; imcredible attention to detail; right down to physical gestures and body language, facial expressions and the colour coding of the titles for each episode; physical objects and clothing.

When I started watching it I had thought I'd not actually seen Lee Hye-ri in anything, but recently she's been commemorating the tenth anniversary of her first series called Reply 1988 which was amongst the firtt kdramas I saw. She went all in and spent a lot of money on the luxury goods and clothes her character needed, she felt. I think that's when people began paying attention as she is known for being very careful with her money.

The other three female leads, Chung Su-bin; Oh-Woo-ri and Kang Hye-won are all as excellent as Lee Hye-ri is and it was almost Chung Su-bin's first project and she is the most important of the four main characters. Even the main supporting characters are worth watching every second they're on screen.

I've just remembered another series that came out this year but, though it starred another of my favourite actors it didn't grab my attention right away. To be fair though I was already watching and re-watching four other series and haven't had the time to watch it properly yet.

Music-wise I've discovered a whole bunch of female metal bands; re-discovered one from a decade or so ago and a couple others that have been going for a lot longer than I had imagined, one for over fourteen years with the same line-up.

Why can I gush like this in a comment and not an actual post?

That's probably irrelevant here, but it apparently had to come out.

I love your photos a lot.

kerk