2025 year in review - Sam

January

I started my new job after the 2024 voluntary layoff program (about 40% of the Canadian corporate workforce either look the layoff or were involuntarily laid off). Effectively I was in charge of analysis and reporting for the company's Canadian assets. I've done a similar job before but it was better than my last year, languishing in IT working on process improvement projects.

In response to a written request, I got the business card of Robert Cardinal Prevost in the mail. Four months later he was elected as Pope Leo XIV.

Rich's 40th birthday party. He has a DDR clone in his basement that we played. I played quite a bit myself on the PS2 that I picked up from Grace last year, and I also have it set up in the basement. I bought a couple spare mats from people on a work trip this year too.

February

First and only cross-country skiing of the year at Strathcona Wilderness Centre.

NHL 4 Nations Faceoff - a Canada win in OT and the greatest hockey I can remember in years. Unfortunately the TV (which was a free one from Nancy's sister) died, so we bought a new 77" TV. I felt very Dad-like negotiating with the salesman and got a good deal with free delivery.

Betty Anne's funeral and everyone came for supper at our place afterwards.

March

Went to Oilers game (vs Ducks) with AJ for her Christmas present. It was her first game in Rogers Place. 

May/June

Bike trip with same group as last year over May Long, this time from Banff to Nordegg (last year was Jasper to Nordegg). Great time again - Banff is definitely the easier route without the climb up to Columbia Icefields and Sunwapta Pass.

Great trip to Spain with AJ housesitting for us (Madrid, Toledo, Segovia, Granada, Malaga, Gibraltar, Antequera/Caminito Del Rey, Seville, Merida, Cordoba, Italica).

Teaching a Capstone course in the Master of Accounting at the U of A again. This was my second year and it's a pretty light workload.

Oven element exploded and then the control board died. We figured out how to replace them both and it's humming along again.

Put up snowguards for the solar panels due to issues with the snow dropping onto the neighbour's house during thaws.

Went to my first playoff game, in the corporate box. Unfortunately the Oilers lost (vs. Dallas in round 2)

Met up with one of my old roommates from Lister (Shane) and rode on the streetcar. He is living in Red Deer and getting married.

July

To K-Days - we got a 10-day pass, mostly for the music - we went to see USS and Walk Off the Earth, who were both great, especially the latter. I was in Calgary for work so missed Marianas Trench. 

August

Annual Wagyu and Whiskey at Devon's place

To Ontario for work - went to our plant in Brampton, and also had a road trip down to Windsor to see our plant there. 

Goreway Power Station stacks

LM6000 aeroderivative gas turbine at East Windsor Cogeneration

Dogsitting

Did some accounting tutoring for some people writing the big CPA exam in September. The one who stuck with it ended up passing (she had failed the first time).

September

Dad (and Mom) came to help replace some rotten fence posts, which were infested with carpenter amps and almost completely rotted. Of course nothing is ever easy, so the project included a lot of head-scratching, digging, and a jackhammer rental to break up some old concrete. Looks good now.

George Vansteenis (Vince's dad) died and I went back to Rocky for the funeral.

Destroyed bike tire in Spruce Grove and had an expensive taxi ride back to the city.

Thanks to Christmas gift cards from Grace & Dallyn and AJ, started putting in some plants in our front yard. I bought a bunch of bulbs so I hope everything will look good next year. The plants are mainly different kinds of junipers and the bulbs include some lillies, peonies, crocus, hyacinth, and a sedum bush.

Trimmed the pear tree with a new trimmer we have. Hopefully it turns out well in the spring.

Met up with some university friends as my friend Jae was in town from Toronto.

October

I was hoping to be able to go from Nordegg to Rocky like last year, but the weather was freezing and it was snowing. I did get together Jordan, Vince, Jordan, Devon and I for a fire at Devon's cabin, where he had recently put in propane heat.

Back in Rocky at the end of October for a cabin rental in the north subdivision. We were there for four nights and stopped in Rocky to see everybody on the way back home. Went for a couple of short walks/hikes too. A drive up to attempt Mt. Baldy was thwarted by a very icy road, which took some quick action to not roll backwards down it into the forest.

Crescent Falls

Fish Lake

Walk along the old railbed between Nordegg and Beaverdam. You can see where they blew away the cliffs to lay the track.

Stopped by the cabin to see the progress.

The canoe lives

We (mostly Nancy) stained our fence to take care of the new posts that we had from the work in the summer.

November

Went to Remembrance Day ceremony in Beverley, then later that day and on the weekend put up Christmas lights. I continue to expand the display and got a couple new things for next year but am nearing the limit since it takes more than a day to set up now.

End of biking season. I didn't take much time off in the summer other than Spain and focused mostly on biking (my strength training went quite downhill, I found, once I returned to the gym) but I did manage 2,850 km, an annual best since getting this bike in 2020.

Took a "learn to play pickleball" course with Nancy and we are in a league in January.
 

December

To Phoenix for work trip. Weather was 25C and I rode in a self-driving car!

Arlington Valley power plant

Waymo autonomous car

To Rocky for Christmas, with Tim in rough shape but four of the five kids there. Grace had exciting news. Saw new master bathroom reno progress. Lots of Wingspan and some other games too. 

Some excitment with power trips at the house while I was in Rocky as Nancy was doing some kitchen receptacle changes. It seems to be in order now. Tons of snow. 

Nancy quit her job and started as a consultant, including incorporating. Her first project is at Capital Power. 

I got a minor promotion at work and added another team to my portfolio. We had another reorg so I'll start the year with a new boss.

Saw the complete Kill Bill (both parts) in the theatre, which was better than I remember and holds up very well. It was a 4.5 hour commitment, with an intermission for a popcorn break.