As usual, we spent our New Years Eve doing as little as possible. There were a lot of fireworks going off around us which made our dog Bonnie very anxious. Sheila stayed up with her until the banging stopped. It was a small reminder that I have a strong distaste for fireworks. I don’t much care for guns either.

This morning I awoke a bit early, staggered into the WC, looked in the mirror, thought, “oh crap, this character is looking rough”, and before I could change my mind, I pulled out the clippers and removed my beard – fresh start for 2025 and all that jazz. I may or may not start growing it back immediately.