100 Things That Made My 2025

Written By: Zachary Kai » Published: 25 Dec 2025 | Updated: 26 Dec 2025

Every year, Austin Kleon writes this post. A gigantic gratitude list for the past 365 days, if you will. In 2024, I also wrote one, though I only made it to 35 things. Still, a worthwhile exercise!

While it’s still the last days of December, I encourage you to write one too! If you do so, please contact me, and I’ll link to it on this post. Here’s mine for 2025, in no particular order

Visiting countries I didn’t think I’d ever go to: Turkey, Albania, North Macedonia, and Kosovo, where I’m living as I write this.
Meeting some wonderful folks while traveling. Chance encounters are often the best.
Being interviewed about my zines, live on radio! My first interview, and my first radio appearance. The hosts were a delight, and I’m so grateful for the fun (and nerve-wracking) experience.
Getting my zines selected for the Glasgow Zine Library’s collection!
Discovering new (to me, at least) artists I really enjoy: Chappell Roan, Omar Apollo, Sabrina Carpenter, Sombr, Wyatt Flores.
Reading a wonderful selection of fiction!
And equally great nonfiction!
Getting to see a literal ‘hidden oasis.’ Right in the middle of the urban forest, there was one of the plant and tree kind. Just extraordinary.
Watching the fireworks erupt all across the city on New Year’s Eve at midnight.
Discovering ‘UnOffice Hours’ as created by Matt Webb and further syndicated by Dave Smyth. I got to speak to some lovely people!
Seeing the enthusiastic response to the Internet Phone Book’s second printing!
Getting a piece published in the inaugural issue of Good Internet Magazine.
Submitting an essay for the second issue. Can’t wait to see it published!
Because of that first piece for the magazine, someone emailed to say hello, creating a friendship.
Doing a collaborative reflection on paintings with James.
Having a conversation with Sara about fanfiction, published on their website.
Finding the idea of ‘blog post title trades’ courtesy of Kami via Ava, and trading with folks.
Writing a few pieces on this site.
Writing a poem for competition, the first of many years. Despite it not making the cut, I really enjoyed playing with the art form again, at the encouragement of a family member.
Having folks chance upon my site and sign the guestbook. Always a joy.
Rediscovering old songs and artists I haven’t listened to in years as I re-compile my mixtapes.
Being able to admit to myself I love pop music! Even the mainstream stuff! What does it matter? Taste is subjective, as is joy. I’ll enjoy those tracks without overthinking.
Swapping mail with folks from the IndieWeb.
Making apple cake for the first time, and despite a few mishaps, it turned out well.
My first attempt at zucchini fritters since the previous year.
Having quinoa and farro for the first time, and really enjoying the taste.
Attending the monthly webweaving workshops hosted by James and Jay from 32-Bit Café.
Continuing my professional education by taking the following certifications from Hubspot: it was wonderful to learn new things and brush up on the basics!
Starting (but not yet finishing) a photo portfolio to showcase all my shots.
Commitmenting to finish what I’ve started instead of beginning a million things and then letting them fall by the wayside. I’ll be playing catch-up for a while, but it’s worth it!
Continuing to use, and slowly become more organized, with Obsidian.
Having waffles! The taste reminds me of ice-cream cones.
Taking on freelance projects for a software-as-a-service company, getting to learn how to use new programs, and deepening my existing skills.
Contributing to Wikipedia and Open Library.
At last, I converted Road Less Read, my book blog, from running on WordPress to static HTML and CSS files. It’s nowhere near finished, but you’ve got to start somewhere!
Watching these excellent films: Wallace & Grommit: Vengeance Most Fowl, Wallace & Grommit: A Matter Of Loaf & Death, What’s Up Doc, The Electric State, Knives Out, and Glass Onion. I didn’t watch many this year, and most were early in the year, but they were great!
Watching Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight. It was a hilarious miniseries.
Participating in Weird Web October. I blame Joe, and it was such fun.
Attending Homebrew Website Club on almost every Wednesday evening it ran! Many thanks to James and Mark for being such generous, welcoming hosts.
Trying traditional North Macedonian food. It’s amazing!
Discovering how much I love avjar (a spread popular in the Balkans made with roasted red capsicum, chili, olive oil, and salt) and also roasted eggplant, unskinned and available in a jar.
Watching videos from my favorite folks online, including: NerdForge, Overly Sarcastic Productions, PricklyAlpaca, Kaz Rowe, and Rachel Maksy. And discovering some new ones: Honeybunch Of Onion Tops and Ashralouisa (thanks to Eri.)
Finding folks online who make videos about zine-making: Bri and Dayna Moth.
Listening to the Hard Fork podcast. Also, The Creative Penn, Ologies, Gastropod, Imaginary Worlds, Long Arm Stapler, and otherppl. Looking forward to discovering more!
Learning a few tricks to improve my cooking/baking, including: using a water bath to prevent burning a cake in a temperamental oven and getting a pudding-like texture and tossing veggies in olive oil and cutting them to even sizes to ensure consistent roasting.
Learning to make do with ingredientsavailable in a country and improvise when tools called for in recipes aren’t available. Using a peeler and knife in place of a grater or zester, or a solid-bottom metal cooking pot in place of a mixing bowl, for example.
Watching the third season of The Reluctant Traveler.
Meeting new folks and engaging in delightful email exchanges.
Having people notify me about my RSS feed breaking (thank you, everyone, and hopefully it won’t happen to you again!) I didn’t know so many folks take the time to read what I write.
Participating in several Kobo Writing Life promotions and having people take a chance on my space fantasy short story collection.
The never-failing delight of recommending songs to people and having them enjoy them.
A writer I deeply admire complementing my work (and reading it!)
Meeting a fascinating, educated, and well-traveled older couple by chance and eating out with them a few times. Having discussions I still think about today.
Chance encounters with strangers that turn into a however brief friendship: like getting a tour of a historic city center from a person starting a walking guide company for ‘practice!’
Rediscovering many artists I used to listen to in 2019-2022 but haven’t since. Nostalgia!
Starting a new job in publishing. Learning lots and building something I’m proud of.
Starting, but not finishing, the following zines: ten issues of Overwrought Observations, Back To How To Belong In Myself, The Way I Always Feel At Home, No Need To Be Original, three issues of Esoteric Uses, Why I Don’t Talk About The Weather, and ironically, The Great Finishing.
Reading weekly issues of Fix The News. Such hope! Such optimism!
Visiting some architectural marvels in Southern Europe.
Spending time in parks and walking the streets of new places. Always something new to see.
Visiting a bakery just to buy bread but then getting a guided tour on how they make their produce. That business had been in the same family for eighty years!
Eating a delicious bagel with bacon, egg, and avocado.
Speaking Spanish with native speakers for the first time in years.
Eating a custard tart, invented by the Chinese, inspired by the Portuguese, made by a Brazilian, living in Spain, while a couple from Brisbane waited in line to order theirs.
Trying authentic Italian gelato for the first time, ironically also in Spain.
Seeing a cherry blossom tree in full glory in a random alleyway.
Making cartoon faces with rocks on a beach of stones in the most extraordinary colors.
Taking photos of sunsets and sharing them with folks halfway across the world.
Seeing the Mediterranean from the other end of Europe.
Discovering a fondness for turmeric spice mix in milk.
Making the wise decision not to touch a beautiful plant hanging over the wall of someone’s garden. It’s Brugmansia, also called Angel’s trumpet. I quote Wikipedia: ‘Brugmansia species are among the most toxic of ornamental plants…’ Beautiful, but dangerous!
Trying pastries and egg dishes.
Perhaps being among the first people to attempt making a pizza with Bazlama, translated to ‘Village Bread.’ It was amazing.
Seeing amazing street art. Felt like a piece was on every corner.
Trying Nordic baked goods.
Tortoises everywhere. Under bushes, behind trees, in backyards…and they all looked to be the same species. Thanks to Wikipedia, I discovered the Hermann’s tortoise.
Thanks to Al Abut, paying attention to the stickers people leave in urban environments and found a world of delightful mini graffiti. A post is coming!
Realizing street poetry is also a thing. Please send your favorite examples.
After only knowing Hozier through ‘Take Me To Church’, taking the time to try a few others in his catalog, and discovered (surprise!) I adore his work! The back discography! Try it sometime.
Taking perhaps the only decent photo of a snake I’ve ever taken. This one was the Dice Snake.
Seeing cool public lighting with covers like the houses in the traditional style. I’ve said it a thousand times, and I’ll say it again: the small details are everything.
Ignorance, though so often derided, once broken, is glorious. Who knew North Macedonia existed in all its glory until this year? I didn’t. You can’t know everything!
Re-discovering Traveling Wilburys’ song ‘End Of The Line.’ I need to listen to more of theirs.
Seeing a bunch of cygnets grow up.
Reveling in my insignificance in front of trees of over five-hundred years.
The simple pleasures: like eating a sandwich wrapped in foil while watching the lake.
Being in mountainous areas. There’s something comforting about something so huge.
Having a ‘chip open sandwich’ to honor ‘Crisp Sandwich Day’, on Oct 25. I blame James.
Seeing the colors change as the season went from autumn to winter.
Reviewing books via Netgalley.
Being brave enough to ask some friends if they’d like to call for the first time.
Succeeded in making a banana cake in an oblong glass container.
Having an orange for the first time in ages!
Keeping track of things helps me notice patterns.
Getting an ARC copy of two books in one of my favorite series. Thanks, Sarah Wallace!
Starting the IndieWeb Book Club again, hosting the first month, and participating in the two subsequent ones. Looking forward to a year of fascinating reading!
Hosting an online event for 2025’s HTML Day. So much fun.
Hosting the first iteration of a spin-off of the above, Pixel & Prose.
Starting my third and fourth websites: one for my independent press/freelance work, and another for messing around with experiments so I don’t break the other three.
And, the internet. My livelihood and lifeline. Long live the web.

Writing this took a while and much digging, but as always, it was such fun! Highly recommend doing it also. Thanks for everything, 2025. I’m looking forward to 2026.

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