Hard to believe that we're already 2 months into 2026. In some ways, it feels like the blink of an eye, in others, like it's been a decade.

I've completed a year's worth of journals. Mostly. I didn't journal most of February, or draw. I did create a number of new journals, playing with different binding and cover techniques, including using book cloth and book boards. The biggest change has been adding strips of canvas ribbon into the binding itself; just sewing those in has made the books so much more sturdy than previous attempts. Additionally, some simple tools like steel weights to keep things from moving as I sew has led to tighter sewing and better page alignment.

As I came up on the one year mark for journaling, I recognized something: January and February are almost always tough for me: I find it hard to focus on what I want to do, even to do the basics (exercise, journaling, etc.). I suspect seasonal affective disorder — something I find especially ironic this year, as I've been getting out for walks 2-3 times weekly, and better about taking my supplements.

But of course, there's so much more to it than the amount of sunshine. South Dakota passed a bill defining "male" versus "female", and removed the ability for trans folk to self-identify for purposes of state-issued identification. The ICE activity in the Twin Cities starting in December has affected colleagues and friends alike, and it's been maddening and sickening to see our federal government work around the restriction of deploying military against civilians by essentially authorizing its own military force only accountable to the executive branch. Nevermind launching an unauthorized foreign war by attacking Iran.

People ask how I am, and I just flail my arms around like a muppet, because of all of this.

What have I been up to?

• Reading: I read the entirety of the Seven Kennings series by Kevin Hearne. I've read three books since then, and still keep thinking about the characters and ideas he raised. This one is going next to Pratchett's Discworld in my reading pantheon.
• Watching: we watched Ponies, a series set in the mid-70s, following two women whose CIA husbands were killed while on an operation, and who volunteer to work for the agency in order to try and find out what happened. The characters were so well developed and acted, I was really sad when it ended.
• Cooking: I've made a commitment to myself to plan and cook at least 2 dinners a week, and by planning them, I'm finding I'm more invested, and enjoying myself in the kitchen more. (I often cook 2 or more meals weekly, but when I'm not planning them and having to improvise, I get frustrated and drained, which was making me avoid cooking at all.)
• Walking: Since our trip to the Black Hills last fall, I've been walking instead of using the stationary bike. It's been great to get outside, and I've been plowing through Laundry Files audiobooks as a side effect.