Well… 2025 was a year full of craziness. But there were nice times in the mix and I have to thank my friends in Wholesome Queers for being the good people that they are. Not just them of course. My life has so many quality people and I feel thankful to them for being sparkling lights in a world spinning into increasingly painful absurdity.

The new year is a good time to confirm that my goals are still really my goals. I can get caught up chasing a carrot on a string out of habit, even when that carrot has become a dried out husk of a thing. Maybe that carrot is not what I really need. Maybe the tomato already in my basket will suit me better than that bobbing carrot. It’s okay for my tastes to evolve. Happiness can be found through many different recipes. Experimenting is a worthy occupation.

What I wanted at 20, or 30, 40, 50, or even 60, will inherently adjust to new information, changing circumstances, new knowledge, and new people in my life. Goals should be laundered every year. Wash out the ick and if necessary replace. I shouldn’t expect that the pants that fit me at twenty will still fit me at sixty-four. It can be a relief to update the metaphorical wardrobe with goals that fit more comfortably.

I’m approaching 2026 with an expectation of possibilities. 2026 will require all of us to have our eyes wide open and our ears keen to listen. We can’t control what happens to us, but we can control how we respond to those surprises. It is a year to be smart and not lose our heads. Err on the side of kindness, but maintain healthy boundaries with those who behave badly. And building community is always worthwhile.

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Note with regard to Amazon: I set up this site with links to author pages on Amazon to help my favorite authors of LGBTQ fiction to sell their books. With Amazon’s increasing support of the authoritarian regime presently reigning in DC, I cannot with good conscience suggest that you buy products from Amazon. I do want you to support these authors though. With a bit of googling, most of these authors are available at other locations. Not all, unfortunately.  I don’t have the time to remove all the Amazon links on this site at the moment.

I’ll not hold my breath, but perhaps the present boycott of Amazon, Target, and Home Depot will wake them up. We can hope. The tide is shifting. The rats are jumping off the ship. I do think that MAGA is collapsing. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

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Some worthwhile groups and places to check out in Southern California:

Gay for Good is an amazing organization with great people. They are about doing good in the community, and they are extremely organized and use your time extremely well. It is worth checking out.
https://gayforgood.org/losangeles/
Orange County or Long Beach – https://gayforgood.org/oclb/

Junior High LA is an LGBTQ gallery and shop in Glendale with assorted events.
https://juniorhighlosangeles.com/

For any of you interested in the Southern California Art Scene, you would probably find the videos on the LA Art Documents website worth checking out. Vojislav Radovanović and Jason Jenn do an amazing job of documenting gallery shows around the area and I found the art in their videos pretty gosh darn inspiring.
https://www.laartdocuments.com/