JP on Gaming: January 2026

Friday, January 2, 2026

[Yearly Retrospective] Looking Back on 2025

Another year has ended and we are now in 2026. This one is late but better late than never!

Personal and Family Life

- I am still working with the immigration service to become a permanent resident of the US. 6 years and on-going. Yes, I have harsh positions about illegal immigration.

- Kitty graduated high school. I'm so proud of her.

- I am now the father of two college girls! Proud of both of them.

- ActionMan was part of a Blackman High School that did took part in its first 12-win season!

World Events

- The Continuation of the Russia-Ukraine War. Although the peace between the two sides I wanted did not come true, I keep hoping that the suffering comes to an end and that peace returns.

- The Peace around the world. I will give kudos to President Trump for his efforts to bring peace across the world. Whether this is a lasting peace, remains to be seen. I admire the willingness to talk to disparate parties. A desire the previous administration did not have.

- The "Tariff" War. I don't care about most countries, my main interest lies with Canada, and the Canada-USA relations. I am an avowed Quebec Separatist, dating back to the failure of the Lake Meech Accord in 1990. That proved to me that the country cannot be reformed or changed without something major. I proudly voted OUI in '95, and would do so again. Now Canada talks a big game (and in all fairness, one it SHOULD talk). However, that's all it is: talk. The country cannot get out of its own way to accomplish its goals. It has the resources it needs to thrive and see its economy EXPLODE and diversify by providing what the world needs. Becoming the powerhouse it thinks itself to be. But red tape and bureaucracy will ensure its own destruction. Canada was created on the basis of an economic accord: Charlottetown in 1864 and Quebec in 1865 before the BNAA on July 1st 1867 (the first Canada Day). So economic consideration will lead to its ultimate demise. Separation sentiment is on the rise again, in Quebec and in the West (Though I give the latter a better chance to succeed).

Trips

2025 was a pretty tame year when it came to traveling. We spent most of our year at home.

- My wife, Jojo, and I traveled to Ottawa, Canada for a quick visa-renewing trip in March. It was great drinking some hot Tim Hortons coffee with a donut. And a smoke meat sandwich with yellow mustard. Ah... the simple pleasures of life. I also got to spend time with my parents, my sister, and my in-laws. Not everyone I wanted to see, but on a short stay, it was a blast of awesome. That was SO good.

Fiction

This year, I released not one but TWO novels! My first two major pieces of fiction

To help me complete this work, I continued my association with the Reading Nook Discord (hi gang!) and the Murfreesboro Writer Group that meet Wednesdays at the Linebaugh Library here in Murfreesboro TN. From these two groups, I got involved with very different story styles than I would normally. This includes romance in particular, something I really do not like. However, by trading critiques, I learned a little insight into female psyche and provided insight into male psyche. Yes ladies, we ARE that simple.

The Bloody Notebook Book 1 of the Olympia Chronicles

One Hundred Daughters Book 2 of the Olympia Chronicles

RPGing/ GMing

- The Online Ozaka Campaign in French ended after two years, leaving good memories behind.

- The maritime Olympia campaign ended and I wrote a full timeline of the campaign in this post.

- With school starting, we changed to a new campaign set in Tarsyn. I keep track of the campaign in this post series.

- I am no longer involved in the Adult D&D group mostly out of a desire to avoid conflicts as they are playing a hybrid form of 5e/5.5e. They don't need me to run anyway, so all good!

- I joined a campaign for 2nd Edition in this post series.