Preface: I shared every previous annual update along with blog posts from the last 12 months in an XML file to ChatGPT version 5 and asked it to write this post for me. I’m working on the real annual post now but this was an interesting experiment that still missed the mark. I’m not really happy and this version is after an hour of going back and forth providing feedback but it’s so dry and sort of lifeless and just a long list. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Generated by ChatGPT:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s another August, another lap around the sun, and somehow this is the thirty-ninth time I\u2019ve sat down to write one of these. Every year I think, \u201cmaybe there\u2019s not much to say,\u201d and every year I end up with too much, skipping around in my head from one thing to another like a playlist with no theme. This past year started with two quiet weeks in New Hampshire where work emails stayed unanswered and days felt long in the best way. I wish I could say that pace lasted, but in September we were off to Paris with Heather and Matilda. I\u2019ve written about that trip already, but looking back, it was as much about the little moments as the landmarks \u2014 Matilda discovering pain au chocolat for the first time, Heather navigating Parisian menus, me trying to decide if it was worth dragging everyone to yet another museum or just letting the day unfold. We did a bit of both, and while I\u2019ll pretend it was all for them, I think I needed that trip as much as anyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometime after, I had to get my ring resized \u2014 the quiet reward of a year-plus focus on health and weight loss. It wasn\u2019t some crash diet, just a slow rethinking of how I move, eat, and take care of myself. More soccer games crept into the mix this year, not because I\u2019m suddenly fluent in the sport\u2019s tactics, but because there\u2019s something oddly grounding about sitting in a stadium, wrapped in the crowd\u2019s energy. My thumb, on the other hand, decided to remind me that age doesn\u2019t ask permission \u2014 an X-ray pointed toward carpal tunnel, and while I don\u2019t love that diagnosis, ignoring it hasn\u2019t made it better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n October set off a chain of changes when I had my first interview with King Arthur Baking. That same month I went down to Duke University for Risk Management and Influence training, which was equal parts learning, networking, and realizing I\u2019m probably too observant for my own good in large group settings. Then a wedding in Vermont where I wore blue tennis shoes with my suit \u2014 not to make a statement, but because they were comfortable, and that\u2019s where my priorities are these days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By November, I was in Dubai during the U.S. presidential election, fielding questions from locals and travelers alike about why Americans do what we do. I had no answer then and still don\u2019t now. A few days after that trip, the King Arthur process wrapped with an offer, and by December 11th we were unloading boxes in our new place back north. On December 18th I met with our builder for the first time about the remodel \u2014 demo kicks off this October \u2014 and then December turned festive fast: Stella Cole\u2019s holiday concert with Heather, our first live show together in ages, and taking Matilda to her first hockey game on Christmas, where she was as into the snacks as the action. I started the new job December 30th, a tidy way to close the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Early 2025 became a bit of a certification sprint. I passed my PMI-PMO-CP in January, then my PMI-PBA in March. In between, Heather and I spent a February weekend in Quebec \u2014 snow, good food, fireplaces, the whole package \u2014 and I took her to Fasnacht Day in Helvetia, West Virginia, which still feels like stepping into another timeline. Around that time I also flew to Vermont for an MOA board meeting to check out our 2026 rally site, then April brought my tenth Ultra Music Festival since 2005. I became a PMI Authorized Training Partner instructor, shadowed my first class in April, taught my first in May, and somewhere in there headed to Tennessee for the MOA national rally in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sports were peppered in \u2014 a Nationals\/Mets game in D.C., more soccer \u2014 but July was quieter by design for Heather\u2019s birthday. Later that month, Matilda and I took a quick trip to St. Augustine, our first just-the-two-of-us getaway in a while. We explored, took our time, and probably ate more ice cream than either of us needed. It was exactly the kind of small trip that sticks in your memory without trying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And then there were the purchases. A BMW 330Ci convertible for summer drives and a Beta 390 Race Edition for off-road therapy. Both paid off, a conscious move before the mortgage jumps post-renovation. I\u2019ve been spending more time on two wheels again, rediscovering that mix of focus and freedom motorcycles force on you. The convertible scratches a different itch \u2014 top down, winding roads, no real destination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fatherhood shifted subtly this year. Matilda\u2019s old enough now to have her own take on our trips, her own say in how the day goes. It\u2019s less about \u201cmaking memories\u201d and more about building a rhythm \u2014 the back-and-forth in the car, the random observations, the way she points out things I wouldn\u2019t notice. That\u2019s where the real connection happens, not just in the big planned moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Health is still the quiet undercurrent \u2014 weight loss as a byproduct of moving more, eating better, and paying closer attention. The thumb issue is a reminder that maintenance matters, that ignoring something doesn\u2019t freeze it in time. Technology took a quieter role this year too \u2014 I\u2019ve bought less, tinkered less, but relied more on the few tools that earn their keep. The phone is still a camera first, a communicator second. The laptop just does its job. The toys, though \u2014 the bikes, the car \u2014 are intentionally analog. They force me off autopilot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So thirty-nine feels less like a milestone and more like a checkpoint. The house project looms, the mortgage will follow, but so will the satisfaction of shaping this next chapter. I\u2019ve built enough here to weather what\u2019s coming. This year had movement, stillness, structure, and whim. And if the next one runs at the same pace, I\u2019ll need another two weeks in New Hampshire to catch my breath.
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Preface: I shared every previous annual update along with blog posts from the last 12 months in an…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"2025-08-13T14:09:55Z","apple_news_api_id":"38356dbc-8bb0-4d69-a913-bf7df467a0ba","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2025-08-13T14:09:55Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAD\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/w==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AODVtvIuwTWmpE7999Gegug","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","csco_custom_appearance":"","csco_disable_excerpt_posts_layout":false,"csco_page_load_nextpost":"","csco_post_video_location":[],"csco_post_video_location_hash":"","csco_post_video_url":"","csco_post_video_bg_start_time":0,"csco_post_video_bg_end_time":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-13017","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-life","7":"cs-entry","8":"cs-video-wrap"},"apple_news_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pb3IC4-3nX","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12976,"url":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/2025\/07\/30\/musings-about-chatgpt-and-llms-how-i-use-these-tools-today-in-2025\/","url_meta":{"origin":13017,"position":0},"title":"Musings about ChatGPT and LLMs – How I use these tools today in 2025","author":"Adam Chandler","date":"July 30, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"I have been paying for ChatGPT at $20 a month for close to a year, and since I'm averse to subscriptions, it's time to think about the value and determine if I want to continue, but also maybe muse for a bit about technology on the larger personal scale between\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Technology"","block_context":{"text":"Technology","link":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/category\/technology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":12675,"url":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/2025\/04\/15\/chatgpt-describe-me-based-on-all-our-chats-play-it-straight\/","url_meta":{"origin":13017,"position":1},"title":"“ChatGPT, Describe me based on all our chats \u2014 play it straight.”","author":"Adam Chandler","date":"April 15, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"John Gruber asked ChatGPT to use its memory to describe him purely based on their conversations and the results were pretty interesting.\u00a0 I used the exact same prompt and there were some surprising similarities in the response. John\u2019s agent opened with: \"You\u2019re sharp, analytical, and deeply detail-oriented. You care a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Technology"","block_context":{"text":"Technology","link":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/category\/technology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":12760,"url":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/2025\/05\/23\/linked-the-dystopian-dream-team\/","url_meta":{"origin":13017,"position":2},"title":"Linked: The Dystopian Dream Team","author":"Adam Chandler","date":"May 23, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Via Louie Mantia: Sam Altman has built an entire business around theft. Taking everything he can find\u2014but not pay for\u2014he has constructed a monstrous machine that uses an unbelievable amount of energy and an unfathomable amount of water to keep cool. It is an ecological nightmare. In addition, ChatGPT doesn\u2019t\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Linked"","block_context":{"text":"Linked","link":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/category\/linked\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":13038,"url":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/2025\/08\/23\/life-39\/","url_meta":{"origin":13017,"position":3},"title":"Life: 39","author":"Adam Chandler","date":"August 23, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"ChatGPT didn\u2019t do this year justice and even though it is a tradition that I write this around my birthday, I also feel really great about the timing. The timing could not be better to share an annual life update. Despite everything ahead, I\u2019ll do my best to look back\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Life"","block_context":{"text":"Life","link":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/category\/life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":12306,"url":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/2024\/09\/19\/technology-about-apples-2024-iphone-watch-and-airpods-event\/","url_meta":{"origin":13017,"position":4},"title":"Technology: About Apple\u2019s 2024 iPhone, Watch and AirPods Event","author":"Adam Chandler","date":"September 19, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary of this post generated by Apple Inteligence: The author discusses their recent Apple Watch purchases, including the Series 10 and Ultra 2. They recommend the Series 10 for its value and features, while the Ultra 2 is considered a poor value proposition due to its similarities to the previous\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Technology"","block_context":{"text":"Technology","link":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/category\/technology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4528,"url":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/2015\/03\/23\/site-news-last-3-months-of-page-views-by-post\/","url_meta":{"origin":13017,"position":5},"title":"Site News: Last 3 Months of page-views by post","author":"Adam Chandler","date":"March 23, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I found this really interesting: The top 5 posts on the blog are not too surprising. Those have been top-posts for years! I\u2019m also really happy that some of my most critical blog posts around companies that have bad business practices are also scoring highly. Finally, product reviews are something\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Announcements"","block_context":{"text":"Announcements","link":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/category\/announcements\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Top Blog Posts, Last 3 Months - Main Blog","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7633\/16908266222_24d7864152_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7633\/16908266222_24d7864152_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7633\/16908266222_24d7864152_z.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13017","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13017"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13017\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13017"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}