Last Thursday morning, I was pretty angry about waking up. Not only had I been sleeping beautifully, but I was having a solid dream about hanging out with my Paps. We were sitting at a high-top bar table and sharing a pizza. To make it somehow even better, we were sitting inches away from a small stage where Amy Winehouse was about to perform. She stood nearby chatting with fans while her band set up. I told Katie it was like I briefly saw Helheim, the hall of ancestors. 

Many of you might call it Heaven.

It’s notable, because just the evening before, I spilled my guts about how upsetting it is to see how society encourages us to waste away the precious little time we have in this life. An uncomfortable conversation I had earlier in the day during a meeting at work made me take a step back and really think about what it means to die, for you to see someone for the last time, or for your own timeline to reach its conclusion.

The end of our time, no matter if it’s 41 years in or 141 years in, is much too short. Why on earth are we toiling around day after day, worrying about things that are meaningless? Possessions, the accumulation of wealth, the opinions of others, the perception of success, etc. It makes me sick to know that many of us have to work for greedy, corporate-based conglomerates for 25% of our weeks just to be able to afford to eat and go to the doctor. The fact that we even have to be able to afford to eat or get medical attention – as though those things are luxuries for the fortunate – is enough to make me want to rage.

Every year around my birthday, I start taking an aggressive, oftentimes impossible look at what it means to be alive and what I’m doing with the years I have left on this earth. The irony lies in how the pondering is what makes it seem so frustrating and impossible; putting it out of mind makes it tolerable. The older I get, however, the more I think about these things.

Katie often reminds me that during these times it’s important to recognize the good things in one’s life no matter how grandiose or minuscule, and she’s right. That’s partially why I do these silly lists every year. With that, I give you 41 things from my 41st year in random categories and in no particular order.

Adventures This Year

1. Oppdrag: Norge

I started the Oppdrag: Norge project back in December of last year as a way to combine multiple things I’m passionate about into a single, really fun project. In an attempt to keep up my running throughout the year, I track my mileage and apply it toward the distance between multiple destinations in Norway. Along the way, I’m learning the culture, my heritage, and the language. Every time I make it to a new destination, I celebrate by cooking an authentic Norwegian dinner at home complete with entree, dessert and cocktail. It’s allowed me to learn, stay fit, and cook – what more could I ask for?

This year, I ran 581.4 miles on the program and hosted five dinners. My stops have included Lillehammer, Røros, Trondheim, Kristiansund, and Ålesund, though I will likely land in Geiranger by year’s end.

2. Repeat Travel Adventures

No European vacations this year, but we still got out of the house quite a bit. While our overnight destinations this year were all repeat offenders, we had an absolute blast traveling to Las Vegas for KBIS (and seeing Fremont St., and gambling away every penny we brought), Nashville to see Metallica do a two-night, no-repeats concert (and getting a two-hour massage experience), Asheville for my annual mother-son shopping trip, Chattanooga for a quasi-staycation trip (that included finding a killer little dive, a trip to the Hunter Museum of American Art, the Tennessee Aquarium, and Ruby Falls), and Charleston to celebrate a major family accomplishment. Fingers crossed for some serious globe trotting in the next year if we can help it, but I’m also happy just road tripping with my favorite co-pilot.

3. New Local Restaurants: 27!

Food is an adventure for Katie and I, no doubt. We don’t eat out very often, and when we do, we prefer to try new places we haven’t been to (or haven’t been to together). This year was a major year in new restaurants for us, tracking 27 new local-ish restaurants tried. Note that I’m counting Chattanooga as local since at this point you can drive there almost as quickly as you can get downtown here on a busy weeknight.

New spots include: Alleia (Chattanooga), Abridged HQ (Cedar Bluff), Hemmingway’s Cuban Kitchen (inside Kern’s Food Hall, South Knoxville), Lilou (Downtown, Gay St.), Don Delfis Pancake House (Farragut), Northshore Brasserie (West Knox), The Abbey (Townsend), Chismoso (Downtown, 100 Block Gay St.), The Kennedy (Downtown, Gay St.), Whitebird (Chattanooga), Unknown Caller (Chattanooga), Kenny’s (Chattanooga), Rembrandt’s Coffee House (Chattanooga), Scottie’s On the River (Chattanooga), Bento Ya (Chattanooga), Whiskey Thief (Chattanooga), Gavino’s Pizzieria (Bearden), Bocado’s Latino Fusion & Cocktails (Choto), Central Flats & Taps (Happy Holler), Dancing Bear (Townsend), Frauleinwunder Bakery (West Knox, Ebenezer – now closed), Myrtles Chicken & Beer (Downtown, Market Square), The Humble Hog (Downtown, Gay St.), 35 North (Farragut), Flying Biscuit (Turkey Creek), Super Chix (Farragut), and Dos Agaves Mexican Grill (Turkey Creek).

4. I Was In a Movie

My friend Taylor wrote and directed a film called The Hell Cat and cast me as a muscleheaded goon who kidnaps a young girl on behalf of her mother for a religious reform school/cult. It was so rad to get to be a part of a production again and even more rad to get to see the final film shown at Central Cinema in Happy Holler! I’m very proud to have been a part of this project and even more proud of my bro Taylor for his directorial debut.

5. I Funyaked the Hiawasse

Not my first time and certainly not my last. This time around, though, we went with Pops and brother Nate. I decided that day that this little adventure is one of my favorite things in the world to do, so I want to make sure it happens every summer. I wrote about it a bit over on my Substack, Iconoclast.

6. I Tubed the Little River

Again, neither my first nor last time doing this. The day was hot, the water was cold, and the swimming hole was exactly what we needed that day. This is also something that is a must-do for me every year now. Something about being surrounded by that type of nature just gives you life.

7. I Flung My Phone Off My Truck

Earlier in the year, I upgraded my old iPhone to a spiffy new iPhone 16 Pro. Within weeks of acquiring it, however, I nearly destroyed it. A routine trip to the dump turned into a panicked disaster when I forgot both my phone and my Yeti knockoff travel mug on the back bumper of my truck. 

I was going out to the dump, then for a quick run when I noticed my truck’s Bluetooth connection with my phone was broken. I thought I’d left both items on a table just outside my garage door and decided to go without. Then it hit me just how impossible it would have been for my Bluetooth range to be nearly a quarter mile. I knew what I’d done.

I turned around and drove home as quickly as I could only to witness someone – seemingly intentionally – drive over what I thought was my phone. Thankfully it was just my Otterbox. My travel mug was crushed to bejeezus and back and my phone was nowhere to be found. We had to set up Katie’s phone as a mobile hotspot so I could connect my Macbook with my Find My iPhone feature out at the corner of Muddy Creek & Virtue Road. 

I had to carefully scale a steep ditch and found it in the weeds merely inches away from the creek that lends its name to the street to which it runs parallel. Somehow only the screen protector was destroyed.

Kinda funny now, but this adventure sucked.

Accomplishments This Year

8. I Got Back Into Building Halloween Props

Long-time readers of this blog (mostly just me) will remember that I used to be a Halloween prop-making machine. I kinda lost my mojo there for a while and just didn’t have the time, resources, space, or inspiration to get back into it. I’m happy to say I’m back and this time with a savage vengeance. This year, I built a rad, functioning movie marquee and an interactive ticket booth complete with motion-activated sound and a color-changing lightbox.

9. I Wrote Multiple New Songs

Music is one of my truest passions and every once in a while I’ll write some stuff of my own. I set out a goal to write several new songs this year and I did just that. This year, I wrote “To The Left Of Me” (country-esque love song), “I Gotta Wife” (power-pop love song), “Untitled” (folk punk), “Letters to Me” (indie rock) and “Jump Off” (punk). 

10. I Read 9 Books

My goal this year was 15 and I maybe fell short, but I’m not too terribly upset. I was killing it for a bit, but I had a brief spell where I wasn’t reading anything, then I started reading what is probably the most dense book I’ve ever picked up and it’s a real ass-pounder. I’ve had to take a break from it, though mind you that I do intend to finish. Books I read this year include A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, Existentialism is a Humanism by Jean-Paul Sartre, Make Your Bed by William H. McRaven, The Uncommon Leader by Mike Murdoch, The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner, The Sagas of Ragnar Lodbrok as translated by Ben Waggoner, Speeches That Changed the World as compiled by Emma Beare, and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

My favorite read this year was by far the Grapes of Wrath – I’m putting that up there with 1984 and A Clockwork Orange, my favorite books. My least favorite read was The Uncommon Leader. Skip that if you have a choice, total evangelical snoozefest.

I’m currently reading The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli. My intent is to have it and the Whisperings of Woden by Galina Krasskova read by the end of the year, bringing my yearly count to 11.

Other books in progress include A History of the Vikings by Gwyn Jones (the aforementioned dense book), and The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. I plan to start 2026 by finishing both.

11. I Built a Trash Can Screen

It may seem silly, but this was a big win for me this year. I had no idea what I was doing, really didn’t have the tools to do the job right, nearly quit multiple times, and even went so far as to bodyslam my half-finished project in my driveway. Still, I finished it up and am very proud of it, though it’s far from perfect. In fact, I was so proud of it, I wrote a thing about it here.

12. I Began Using My Pizza Oven

For my birthday last year, a group of friends pooled their money together to buy me a pizza oven and it has completely changed the game. I’ve since slung somewhere around 20 pies total, including Neopolitan and sourdough style crusts, cheeseburger pies, Margherita pies, pies that replicate those we had in Italia, our favorite go-to delivery combinations, and everything in between. Making your own pizza at home is a game changer since it allows you to eat pizza while not consuming all the junk you’d usually receive from a takeout spot.

Not that I care, because pizza is life, but if I can eat pizza and stay shredded, I’m going to.

13. I Started and Maintained Iconoclast

Back in January, I started a Substack called Iconoclast. My original goal was to have a spot where I could rail against toxic forms of masculinity. Timely, since our country is currently being led by racist, bigoted clowns who pose and posture as peak masculinity, but whose actual understanding of the topic is shallow at best.

What it turned into, however, was a place where I could publish medium-length essays where I can wax philosophical and nostalgic about things that make me who I am or the things that are forming who I’m trying to become. It’s maybe not as militant as I had envisioned, but I think it’s doing the same job, just with more subtlety. I’ve posted weekly for 45 weeks now and have a small handful of subscribers, which is cool.

14. I’m Still Not on Facebook

Thirteen months and counting. And while I do not miss it, there are times when I wish I could still access Facebook Marketplace. My bank account is glad I cannot. That was about as dangerous for me on eBay, something else I also intentionally avoid.

15. I Started Slice Riot

To piggyback on my new pizza oven adventures, I started a new Instagram account called Slice Riot where I can share not only my own pizza creations, but also my pizza excursions around the world. I’m not trying to be a social media influencer or even claim my rightful space in the foodie world. Rather, I’m just putting out positivity while simultaneously building a refreshed social feed made of nothing but punk bands and pizza.

16. I Celebrated Three Years with My Bride

None of these adventures or accomplishments would mean anything if I weren’t getting to experience them all with my favorite person by my side. This year we celebrated three years of marriage, but also five years of being together. I feel like “best friend” is an understatement when it comes to that woman. She’s the single greatest thing that ever happened to me and every day I find ways to show her how much I realize that fact.

I wrote a few words about it here.

17. We Hosted Three Rad Events

I’m going to post more about each of these in depth below, but this was a goal I had this year and I’m hyped to say we nailed it. Katie and I love hosting events at our home, and I don’t care to brag that we’re really very good at it. This year we hosted about 15 people for a Memorial Day Cookout, seven people for an Italian dinner party, and about 20 people for a Halloween Party that is currently the best damn event we’ve ever hosted. We have more plans for next year and I can’t wait to share them!

18.  I Replaced My Hot Water Heater

“Big deal,” you say, and you’re right. By installing my own hot water heater, I saved us about $1,500 in labor. Granted, it took me more than half a day to do, I damn-near flooded my laundry room (but didn’t!), and I cut up and bruised both of my hands in the process. However, I learned more than I can explain while simultaneously enjoying the satisfaction of knowing I did something rad for our home.

Bonus: I got to drop the old water heater into a pit of appliances.

19. I Wrote a New Screenplay

Last year, I published my debut book, TUNE IN AND LOSE YOUR MIND! How I Created a Cult Classic in Small-Town Tennessee. This year, I spent some time converting that story – and exaggerating elements beyond all reason – into a 90-minute-ish screenplay that I plan to submit to a few competitions for shits and giggles. It’s definitely a blast – think of it as what happens between “Vampira” and “Wayne’s World.”

20. I Began Learning Norwegian

I may have started this late last year, but I definitely put in a lot of work in learning Norwegian this year with the help of Duolingo and Babbel. I’m far from fluent or even conversational, and I maybe even slacked off for the last month or so, but I’m still learning and I’m happy with my progress.

Veldig god, you could say (very good).

You could also say drit og dra (fuck off, or literally, shit and leave).

Highlights

21. Bands I Saw in Concert

I only made it to three concerts this year, but I was hyped to see such a dynamite list of bands! This year, I saw Suicidal Tendencies, Pantera, Metallica (twice), Ice Nine Kills, Limp Bizkit, Fulci, Full of Hell, Municipal Waste and Cannibal Corpse. My favorite was Metallica, of course, but Limp Bizkit’s set was an absolute party! It was also an honor to see Sam Rivers play just a few months before his death. I was also grateful to finally catch the mighty Cannibal Corpse in my hometown, though I have to admit they’re a “one and done” show for me.

22. Memorial Day Party

We start every year with a “kick off” party on Memorial Day weekend. There’s always food, always mead and almost always a fire despite it being unseasonably hot – and hotter every year. Still, it’s always great to get everyone together and this year was one for the record books. We gathered together around 15 of our friends and family members for an evening of dynamite eats and fellowship.

This year we did a burger slider bar that was such a massive success that nobody noticed we didn’t have any ketchup. I smoked three different types of homemade bacon the night before (Italian, vanilla-bourbon, and coffee-rubbed), and grilled up about 50 sliders. We had leftovers, but not many.

23. We did an Italian dinner party

On a more intimate level, we hosted five friends for a fully-authentic Italian dinner party. We had everything from custom menus to seven courses. Everything was fresh and made to order, which was exhausting but SO MUCH FUN! Our menu included Italian Amaretto Spritz cocktails, homemade rosemary focaccia, country ham arancini, homemade mushroom ravioli tossed in truffle butter, balsamic braised chicken thighs, squash al forno, cherry-amaretto tiramisu, and homemade limoncello.

24. Halloween Party

Completely in our element, we went out with a bang this year with the best party we’ve ever hosted the weekend before Halloween. We had lights and props all around the house, both inside and out. There was a creepy bathroom peeper, two successful fire pits, an unbelievable rum cocktail served in blood bags, a slew of edible treats that included the smash-hit chicken parmesan sliders, and my wife may have murdered everyone with her ax. Twice.

We had wicked clowns, Thomas Shelby, a witch, a psychiatrist, the Dude, Ghostface, two sets of Bob and Linda Belchers, and more! It’s so much work, but worth every bit. Thankfully, we’ve decided to host Halloween every other year, so see you in two.

25. Shows watched This Year:

Confession: Katie and I are positively obsessed with Desperate Housewives. We don’t watch much TV and there are so many new series we want to watch, but when we finally sit down for some TV time … it’s Desperate Housewives every time. 

Other shows we got into this year: Breaking Bad (finally), the Golden Bachelorette (no shame), Wednesday (S2), The Traitors, and The White Lotus (S3).

26. Favorite Dishes

Having visited 27 restaurants, something would be amiss if we didn’t have more than a handful of memorable dishes. My favorites this year include: Truffle-Stuffed Baguette at Vanderpump a Paris in Las Vegas; Kvæfjordkake in my own kitchen; Rigatoni with Lamb Ragu and Calabrian Chiles from Alleia in Chattanooga; Golden Rooster pizza at Abridged HQ in Knoxville; Reuben Quesadillas at Eureka in Las Vegas (Fremont St.); Fried Calamari at Scottie’s On the River in Chattanooga; Filet Mignon at Dancing Bear in Townsend; She Crab Soup at 82 Queen in Charleston.

27. I Hosted a Viking Dinner

Totally unrelated to the Oppdrag: Norge project, I hosted a “Viking Dinner” at home to celebrate my friend Aaron and I finishing a half-marathon earlier in the year. My original goal was to treat us to a Viking restaurant in downtown Bristol, but by the time our race came and went, the place closed. Turns out they weren’t very good at running a restaurant.

Lucky for us, I can make a better steak anyway and it’s way cheaper to host, so Aaron came over, I smoked some tomahawk ribeyes and we drank mead from drinking horns. While the horns are barbaric by nature, it’s still better than straight from the bottle, which is how I usually end up taking my mead.

We finished the night by introducing Aaron to Katie’s homemade limoncello. I like to think we were just simulating an attack on Rome.

28. Favorite Things I Cooked

Bragging: there needs to be a “from the kitchen of Firefly” television series – listen up, Food Network! This year, my favorite dishes I made included:  Grand Marnier Orange French Toast (made for my parents); Italian Smoked Bacon (for the Memorial Day party); Norwegian Fiskesuppe and Kvæfjordkake (Oppdrag: Norge dinner at home); Authentic Italian Pici (Valentine’s Day dinner at home); Country Ham Arancini (Italian Dinner Party), Cheeseburger Pizza (called the Anarchy Burger); Bourbon Peach Cobbler with Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream (to celebrate Brother Nate’s promotion); Smoked Cajun Turkey Breast finished in a “Butter Bath”* (for Thanksgiving).

*I could enter this into a smoked turkey contest and beat everybody. Be warned.

29. Best Drinks

Originally labeled “Best Cocktails,” this list now includes a non-alcoholic drink so we’re being all-inclusive. If you’re ever at any of these places, this is what you order, full stop:

Halloween Punch in Blood Bags from our Halloween party; Speaking in Cursive at Alleia in Chattanooga (rum blend, falernum, allspice, passionfruit, macadamia nut orgeat); Victor Hugo at Lilou in Knoxville (Byrrh, Créme de Cassis, Crémant de Loire); Trashy Tea at Happy Camper Pizza in Las Vegas (can of Brisk Iced Tea cut open with a submerged bottle of Deep Eddy Lemon Vodka and a crazy straw); Iced Apple Chai-der at Rembrandt’s in Chattanooga; Apple Butter Fizz at Dancing Bear in Townsend (apple butter, bourbon, ginger beer and a pinch of cinnamon).

30. Tattoos

I got two tattoos this year. They say if you can still count how many you have, you don’t have enough. I think I’ve now lost count. Anyway, this year, I got an American Traditional tattoo of Wednesday (our kitty) and the largest piece I’ve ever gotten on the other side of the same leg: Odin and Thor. Both done by Justin Harless at 2-Ton Gallery in Kingsport, Tennessee.

31. Celebrities I Met:

This year’s FanBoy Expo in Knoxville was a killer experience. I got to meet Rick and Scott “Big Poppa Pump” Steiner of WCW wrestling fame and got autographs from James DeBello and Edward Furlong who both starred in one of my favorite films, Detroit Rock City.

On our way to the ballroom, my friend Aaron and I had a great time getting to briefly hang out with Allan Covert and Nick Swardson. We mostly just talked about how Grandma’s Boy is now available on Disney+, which is incredibly weird.

32. We Were Vampires for One Night

Maybe not as cool as the Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy event we attended last year, but this was still pretty fun. Any chance we get to goth it up a bit (let’s be honest, I’ll leap at any opportunity to don eyeliner) we’ll take it! The cocktails at this event received a C- from me (the garlic vodka shot was a disaster), they didn’t offer enough seats for the amount of tickets sold, and the entertainment was poorly organized and executed. Still, we had a great time with a small group of friends.

33. Bands/Artists I’ve Gotten Into This Year:

Sabrina Carpenter, Kit Sebastian, SOFT PLAY, Turnstile, The Halluci Nation, Clown Core, Maruja, and Fulci. Many others, of course, but these are the ones I’ve repeated multiple times. I’ll have a much longer bit about music later this year with my annual 5-5-5 posts, but these are the acts I got into the most. I think my favorite of all of these is SOFT PLAY.

34. We Got to Attend a Really Cool Chicago-Themed Dinner Party

My good friends Melisa and Jim hosted a dinner party themed after their “true” home. Before we went, Katie and I wondered if they’d go with Chicago-style pizza or hot dogs, so imagine our delight when we learned that not only did they do both, but they also threw in Italian beef sandwiches for good measure! A variety of other Chicago-brand snacks and desserts were included along with Jim’s signature smoked Old Fashioneds (the bartender was in, you could say). We had a blast getting to know their friends and enjoying some dynamite food!

Health & Wellness

35. Duh, I Ran a Half-Marathon

I’ve said “I’ll never run another half-marathon” twice, yet this was my third offense. From now on, I’ll never rule it out again. It didn’t work how I wanted, but it was a nice route, I still completed it, and I got to basically just spend the day hanging with my bro. We maybe got rained on and crossed the finish line hurt (both of us!), but it was still a good experience and there’s a pretty good chance I’ll do it again.

I wrote about it a bit here.

36. Mileage

Thanks entirely to the Oppdrag: Norge project and my half-marathon training early in the year, I’ve ran a total of 581.4 miles this year with a few more to go in these final weeks.

37. Favorite Anabolic Breakfast: Breakfast Potato Bowls

I nabbed this recipe from the Protein Chef and it’s absolutely golden. These bowls are packed to the lid with hashbrown potatoes, egg whites, mixed vegetables, lean ground meat, fat-free cottage cheese, and fat-free cheddar cheese for a breakfast that comes out to 475 calories and 47g protein!

38. Running Injuries

Running has hurt me this year … Like, a lot. For starters, in the freezing cold of winter, I had IT band issues that were caused by obscenely tight hamstrings, that in turn were caused by a range of motion that was inhibited by running tights. I lost about two weeks to this “injury.”

In the late winter, I took a new route through downtown Lenoir City and tripped over an uneven sidewalk slab that caused me to face-plant in front of God and everybody. I popped back up and hobbled along, having to stop at my massage spa to clean up a bloodied knee. I lost half a week to this “injury.”

Six weeks before my half-marathon, sloppy running form caused more hamstring-related IT band issues, forcing me to take another week off from training.

Four weeks before my half marathon, busted running shoes on a 10-mile run caused me to suffer from plantar fasciitis in my left foot and extensor tendonitis in my right. I mostly took the next three weeks off and ran the race with these injuries.

In the heat of the summer, I tripped over a bit of busted trail at Mayor Bob Leonard Park and went down pretty hard. I popped up and thought I had only suffered a little scratch only to find later on that I had skin hanging off of my right hand, blood was running down my wrist, and my knee (not the one I previously busted) was bleeding to the point of sock saturation.

Running isn’t for wimps, y’all.

Goals for 2026

39. Woodworking

As it turns out, building the trash can screen and the Halloween props inspired me to get creative again, but this time with lumber. I’ve been really getting into the idea of building some simple things, spending my evenings in the “shop” working on picture frames and cutting boards. 

Before I get going though, I have to create the “shop,” which means my first project is getting the garage figured out. More on that in the coming weeks. I have a pretty major winter project that’s about to begin.

40. Spartan

This has to be the year that I do the Spartan race. Aaron and I have talked about it for years, but I think 2026 has to be it. Not sure where we’re going, but I’ve got my sights on it. The good news is I’m staying conditioned so there won’t be much “getting ready.”

41. Dinner Parties

It felt really good to host our events this year, but it’s inspired me to do more in 2026. My goal is to tentatively set dates for a pizza experience evening, a burger slider trust fall event, a brisket dinner and a dinner party where I serve homemade chicharrones bahn mis.

These are in addition to our annual Memorial Day bash and next year’s “Friendsmas” dinner.

Which one are you going to be invited to?

One More Thing

My man Mark Manson sent out a pretty killer thought via his weekly email recently:

You don’t find your purpose.

You build your purpose, experiment by experiment, mistake by mistake.

This is a really valuable insight. Ever since I stopped being a personal trainer and completely retired from the fitness business, I feel like I’ve lost my purpose, like I’m floundering to find purpose in the wake of my decision to exit stage right.

But maybe – as Manson suggests – I never lost my purpose because it was never found to begin with. I learned a lot from my time as a trainer, found my bride and two of my best friends. Maybe my purpose is what I continue building with my experience from that chapter along with the invaluable tools I’ve acquired along the way.

I’m looking forward to 41 being another year of building.

Ever onward, friends.

-jtf