Goals? What Goals?
Vinyl edition of Big Head Todd and the Monster’s album Sister Sweetyly
Feeling in no danger of making it onto Jimmy Kimmel’s “Can you believe it’s 2026” montage on Monday… Can you believe it’s 2026?
New Year’s isn’t a huge thing in our house. It never was growing up, either. My earliest memory of making any kind of deal about the changing of the year was I believe December 31, 1979. I stayed the night at my best friend Todd’s house. We didn’t watch a countdown show or the ball drop in Times Square. I think we played board games in his room and maybe some pool on the full sized table in his basement. At midnight, having no idea what to do other than stare at a less-than-accurate alarm clock, he dialed zero on the phone in his bedroom and asked the operator what time it was.
It was midnight.
That’s about as exciting as it was here last night. We watched the Stranger Things finale then turned to see the last four minutes of a countdown, then went to bed.
I believe it’s usually the next morning when I find myself feeling introspective. I know that’s the case today. I don’t think I’ve ever wondered if it had been a good year or if the next one would be better. Though I do listen to Counting Crow’s A Long December quite often in each namesake month, mostly because it is just a damn good song and if I were able to check stats I probably listen to it equal amounts each month of the year.
I like listening to music on New Year’s Day. In college my great friend Stephan and I would choose the first album to listen to in the new year. I’m doing that right now. For 2026 it is a throwback to my 1990’s self living in Dallas, Texas, and managing a record store. The band Big Head Todd and the Monsters had an album called Sister Sweetly that quickly became a favorite. For the first time ever it was pressed and released on vinyl the day after Thanksgiving for the twice-yearly Record Store Day. Only 3,000 copies were pressed and I was lucky to pick one up at my local record store, Mobius Records, in the City of Fairfax. It has sat since that day, still sealed, until this morning. I wasn’t waiting for today to listen to it. I just… hadn’t listened to it yet. Another of my oldest and best friends, Wyatt, had ordered a copy as well, only to have it delayed a month, and received his this week and immediately listened and has since been bugging me to listen, so here I am, Sister Sweetly spinning smoothly on the turntable with Todd Park Mohr’s booming vocals sounding incredible in analogue superiority.
Music inspires me. That’s not an original thought or unique to me, I know. But it always has. I have a playlist I keep on in the background while writing, all instrumental tracks which are largely soundtrack work by Nick Cave. I know each and every piece well. It can blend into the background of my thoughts while I write or pull me in a bit when in a lull between sentences or chapters. Silence around me stifles my creativity and stops my writing. Nick Cave has filled those gaps over the years to keep me writing. Thanks, Nick.
I have been prolific in recent weeks as I work on the third and final Ace Adler book in the trilogy. It has been moving along much faster than usual, likely due to not having full time work currently. I’ve taken this unplanned break to concentrate on that book, successfully working through some writer’s block, and getting it headed toward the finish line. With any luck it will be ready with in a few months to release and end that trilogy.
I’m not big on setting goals because setting them is the easiest way to miss them. But for 2026 I plan to finish the third Ace book, finish a short guide to self-publishing I started working on a few weeks ago, and hopefully make great progress on another work of fiction, either one that I’ve been working on for some time or an all new idea, I don’t know yet. First on the goals list, however, is landing new full time employment. Don’t get me wrong, I’m loving the time to write, but it doesn’t pay me.
Twelve months ahead to accomplish things, make to-do lists and mark things off, watch my son grow a little taller and a little wiser (hopefully) which makes me feel a little older. New Years Day should be required to be sunny and warm to make everyone feel fresh and happy and positive about these twelve months ahead of us all. Instead we have sub-freezing temperatures and an overcast sky. Good thing this holiday isn’t like Groundhog Day and the entire year ahead depends on whether a shadow is cast or not.
Thank you all for reading, for supporting my writing and photography, and for being friends. May your new year be bright and sunny and positive.
-JHM