Mad in Pursuit Notebook
2025: 22nd Annual Year in Review
My annual accounting to myself, 31 Dec. 2025
First year of the rest of my life. I began with the plan to hold regular salons—artful conversations with friends to combat the corrosive effects of the second Trump term. But, alas, I fell sick for the month of January. In my doldrums, I began to wonder: who am I now?
Who Am I Now?
Inquiry & exploration took center stage
Without my dear Jim, I was now unleashed into the world as a singleton with no one to look out for except myself. What will bring meaning to my days? What will be my legacy? What is my work?
Work. I had many "clumps" of stray ideas, worked, reworked, abandoned, and now reconsidered.
🤔 Indentity/authenticity. The "Dot and Dash" clump considered my lifelong romance with pocket companions and alter egos, which branched off into my interest in dolls, puppets, automata, then of course, AI and robots. These branched off into creepy stories that blur the lines between humans and humanoid things. They raised spiritual and cosmological questions. The current trend in AI companions makes this cluster eerily more relevant. But I wonder what this fascination says about me (who has no interest in having an AI companion).
🤔 Philosophy/stewardship. The "Life of Things" clump gets a boost whenever I deal with collectibles—beads, antique postcards, any old thing with a story to tell. I started a book on my bead collection, but didn't get far. However, I did discover whole new schools of contemporary thought around the liveliness and agency of "things." I need to wrestle some of this philosophy into my own words.
🤔 Belonging. The "Family History" clump is the one area where I get external appreciation, though I can't count on getting feedback when I'm digging into esoteric details. This work connects me with my family and will be an important part of my legacy. My challenge is to bring ancestors to life and to make their stories accessible to younger generations.
Persona. I hate that I worry about how others see me. Trying to be"that amazing old woman" is a burden (I should be traveling... volunteering... learning a sport... joining a meet-up...). It wasn't till mid-year that I landed on the perfect private persona for this moment: the Resurrectionist [1]. My work revolves around bringing the past back to life. I research forgotten objects and long-lost people and share their stories. These activitities have always given me a sense of purpose. They also give me the pleasurable sensation of abundance—there will always be mysteries and puzzles at my fingertips, new people to meet, new places to visit.
Acknowledging this emerging persona felt particularly meaningful in light our nation's narrow focus on the outrages of current world politics. History gives us perspective—the long view. Stalwart ancestors and beautiful old things give us hope. Exploring the wealth of all that came before us banishes boredom forever.
Organizing and Skillbuilding
📒 I was intrigued by turning bits of my work into small books, analogous to children's picture books. I began educating myself on the essence of picturebook making.
📒 I set up a zettlekasten system in the Obsidian app for keeping track of all my fragments. It promised the potential of combining ideas in original ways, but I got only so far with it.
📒 I went all in on figuring out how to use generative AI. I enjoyed putting conjured-up ancestor images into historical scenes. I also learned how to use it for research, both for antique objects and family history.
Tangible accomplishments
️🥂 Kitty's People. Hired actress Anne Marie Lewis to narrate the Audible version. I'm thrilled with the result, which does so much to continue honoring my grandmother's life. Loose ends: marketing and getting ratings
️🥂 Story Things. I began a publication on Medium called "Story Things." It is another place to publish articles about the life of things. It is free to everyone, no Medium subscription required. I got a good start on it (8 stories posted), till my attention switched to the Gink project. Loose ends: regular postings and engagement with others on Medium—despite 486 followers, I'm not serving them well.
️🥂 Story of Gink. With the help of generative AI, I finally produced a storybook of Jim's 1944 tale of two cats. (Available on Amazon for a limited time.)
️🥂 Family history. In addition to ongoing cleanups and revisions, a few important chinks were filled in: histories of the family land in Ballaghduff and Cooloo (Dunne family) and history of the bigamist Samuel Newham.
️🥂 Sales and donations. I enjoyed a good burst of collection-culling, divesting a large quantity of postcards, cased and card photos, Civil War photos, aviation-related postal covers, and assorted decorative items. Here, the Resurrectionist is giving new life to forgotten items by sending them back into the stream of commerce and the hands of excited collectors. Loose ends: decisions about sales and donations for 2026.
Infrastructure: keeping the real world running smoothly
🛠️ Property upgrades went along with my commitment to independence and continuous 
learning. Best Construction finished my porch improvements. A fencing company removed my deteriorating post-and-rail fence. Broccolo Landscaping cleared away my "thickets" and did some new planting. I tackled sanding and painting my outdoor furniture for an updated look. "Being my own Ewald" became the catchphrase for doing my own household troubleshooting and small repairs.
🛠️ Vehicle. A new Volvo XC60 gave me the means to hit the road feeling safe, with updated electronics to keep me entertained.
🛠️ Digital. Replaced a dead laptop. Got busy archiving my most precious photos and organizing new ways to keep track of collectibles.
🛠️ Personal Upkeep. Updated hearing aids. A YAG laser procedure to clear up the blur of secondary cataracts. A course of physical therapy to relieve hip pain. Whole-food, plant-based lifestyle continues (pizza and chocolate addiction aside).
Deep energizing
💫 The whole year was really about reinvigorating myself for the next "chapter." In addition to all of the above, joining a yoga club provided the benefits of exercise, meditation, and getting out of the house.
💫 My quiet time resurrecting the past was balanced by enjoyable time with friends and family. The highlight was the roadtrip to New Mexico with my sisters. In addition to being great fun, it helped organize my thoughts about travel and the art life.
💫 I can't forget the contribution of Girl Friday, the sweet pup who fills my cabin with life.
Notes
[1] Historically, a "resurrectionist" was someone who dug up dead bodies for use in anatomy labs. I'm ignoring this definition.
31 Dec 2025
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