For the third time, I have graduated college.

That’s right, after scoring an AAS degree from Century College in 2002, a BA from Hamline University in 2017, I have now earned an MA from Southern New Hampshire University.

Here’s the proof:

Unlike my last two degrees, this one was earned across two different school. I began taking master’s courses at Hamline in 2020, but then transferred to SNHU after my third class.

Here’s my transcript, which shows both universities:

Yeah, I know it’s just a picture of a sheet of paper, but I didn’t feel like going through the rigamarole of locating a digital copy at my school’s site.

Here’s another way this degree differed from my first two: My Associate’s degree cost my about $6,000. My Bachelor’s degree cost me exactly $2,057.74. That’s a pretty good price, especially considering I live in America – you know, the land of the free, where we are free to pay tens of thousands of dollars for an education. But…I didn’t think it was good enough. So, I am therefor happy to announce the my Master’s degree cost me -$162.60. That’s right, by working through this degree, along with its associated tuition and textbook fees, I earned $162.60.

I told Owen I am done with school, and he replied “you’re done…for now.” Which, yeah, I supposed I should never close the book on further formal education but, at the moment, I don’t plan to ever take another class ever again.

Unless I can get paid even more to do so.

I temporarily jumped on the AI bandwagon by asking Copilot to suggest a new song for me to like. First, I scrolled through the 1,216 songs I have saved on my phone, and selected the ones that I really, really like – my favorites of my favorites, basically. Then, I copied that list of songs (there were about 100 in that list) and dropped it into Copilot and said “Here are my favorite songs. Based on my preferences, provide what you think would be my favorite song that is not already listed here.”

I figured Copilot would just offer me a song by one of the artists on the list, a song which I probably already know and like, but just wasn’t on this abbreviated list. So I added, “Be sure that the song you recommend is not performed by any of the artists listed above.”

Here’s what Copilot said:

Thanks for sharing your list! Based on your preferences, here’s what I notice:

• You enjoy lyrically rich, introspective songs (Paul Simon, Mason Jennings, John Lennon).
• You like classic rock and iconic bands (Beatles, U2, Queen, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin).
• There’s a mix of folk, alternative, and progressive elements (Simon & Garfunkel, Radiohead, Crosby, Stills & Nash).
• You appreciate songs with strong storytelling and emotional depth.

Given that, and avoiding all the artists already listed, I recommend:

“The Sound of Silence” (Disturbed version)
Why?

• It’s a powerful reinterpretation of a classic Simon & Garfunkel song, but by a completely different artist (Disturbed is not on your list).
• It has the introspection and lyrical depth you seem to love, combined with a dramatic, modern arrangement that adds emotional weight.

Other strong contenders you might love:

• “Black Hole Sun” – Soundgarden (dark, poetic, alternative rock vibe similar to Radiohead)
• “Hotel California” – Eagles (classic storytelling, iconic instrumentation)
• “Hurt” – Nine Inch Nails (or Johnny Cash’s cover) (raw emotion, haunting tone)
• “Creep” – Radiohead (but you already have Radiohead listed, so skip this one)

…Okay, that was a pretty good response. I know all of these songs, and they’re all good songs. However, I already have “The Sound of Silence,” only I have the Simon & Garfunkel original. Actually, I have two versions of that song on my phone – the other is a live version performed by Paul Simon in the 1990s. So, I don’t think I need yet another version. I also have Johnny Cash’s version of “Hurt” on my phone, and though I don’t have “Creep” on my phone, I do have other Radiohead songs, as Copilot noted.

Therefore, I decided to add one more caveat. I said, “Okay, recommend a different song, but no covers of songs.” Copilot then responded by suggesting “The Man Who Sold the World,” by David Bowie. Again, a good choice, but I already have the Nirvana version on my phone. So I then requested Copilot provide me with 10 songs, figuring one or two would be new to me. It replied:

1. The Man Who Sold the World – David Bowie
   Haunting, poetic, and introspective—perfect for fans of Pink Floyd and Paul Simon.
2. Hotel California – Eagles
   Iconic storytelling and rich instrumentation, similar to your love for Beatles and Crosby, Stills & Nash.
3. Black Hole Sun – Soundgarden
   Dark, surreal lyrics with a grunge edge—great for fans of Radiohead and U2.
4. Hurt – Nine Inch Nails
   Raw emotion and depth, resonates with the introspective tone of Mason Jennings and Pink Floyd.
5. Life on Mars? – David Bowie
   Dreamlike and lyrically complex, appealing to fans of Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel.
6. Go Your Own Way – Fleetwood Mac
   Classic rock with emotional honesty, similar to Billy Joel and Elton John vibes.
7. No Rain – Blind Melon
   Alternative rock with a reflective, melodic feel—great for fans of Radiohead and Mason Jennings.
8. Wish You Well – Bernard Fanning
   Modern folk-rock with heartfelt lyrics, in the spirit of Paul Simon and Mason Jennings.
9. Round Here – Counting Crows
   Narrative-driven, moody alternative rock—perfect for fans of Simon and U2.
10. The Pretender – Foo Fighters
    Dynamic, powerful rock with introspective undertones—ideal for fans of U2 and Queen.

Pretty interesting, I’d say. I already have songs #1 and 4 on my phone (albeit by different performers), and I have song #9 on my phone already as well. The only two songs on here that I did not know were #8 and #10. So, all in all, a good exchange between me and our new robotic overlords.

Here is a list of all the books I completed reading in 2025.

I finished reading 28 books this year, which is the least amount of books I’ve read in a year in a long time. In 1997, I read 28 books, and every year since then I’ve read between 33 and 75 books. Until this year. Refer to the post below, “Movies I Saw in 2025,” for an explanation.

The shortest book I read this year is Benito Cereno, by Herman Melville, with only 78 pages. The longest book on this list is the 462-page An Immense World, by Ed Yong. I read three of these books for school; besides the Melville novel, this also includes One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and The Yellow Birds. This trio of novels, plus A Father Reads to His Children and When We Cease to Understand the World are the only fiction books on the list. My five favorite books from the year appear in bold.

I don’t think I’ll see any more movies in the remaining few days of this year, so here’s a list of every motion picture I saw for the first time in 2025.

I saw 49 movies for the first time in 2025; this is fewer than the number of movies I’ve seen in any of the previous 10 years. I would attribute this relatively low value to two things. First, I am working on my graduate degree, and this year I completed four courses and, so, a few times when I would have watched a movie, I was busy working on schoolwork. Second, I was feeling pretty down during the second half of the year and often did not feel like watching a movie. In fact, only 21 of the movies on this list are ones that I watched during the second half of the year.

I saw four films at the theater this year, and nine films while on an airplane. Three of these films are animated. The shortest film on this list is 75-minute long Velocipastor, and the longest is The Great Race, which is 160 minutes long. These are also, coincidentally, the two lowest-rated films on this list. Velocipastor is also the first movie I saw this year (watched with my kids on January 3rd). The most recent movie I saw this year is Wake Up Dead Man, which Brycie and I watched on December 26th. The month in which I watched the most movies is June, with nine. The month in which I saw the fewest movies is September, when I saw only Cool Runnings. The oldest movie on this list is The Reluctant Dragon, from 1941. The newest movie on this list is Wake Up Dead Man, which was just released a few weeks ago.

Anyway, next to each movie’s title is a rating of 0 (complete waste of time) to 10 (among the best films I’ve ever seen). The third column indicates the year in which the film was released. Film titles in bold print are ones that I saw at the theater. The English title of non-English films appears in parenthesis after the title.

When I was a teenager, I made a list of things that I had wanted to do, and had done. One item was that I wanted to visit Disney World, and I did, when I was twelve. On that occasion, however, the ride “It’s a Small World” was closed for repairs, so I did not get to go on that ride. So I also made a second list of things I wanted to do at some point in my life, and I added “ride the ‘It’s a Small World’ ride at Disney World” to that list. As the years progressed, other things attracted my attention, and I added them to my list. Some of them were big things – such as owning my own home or obtaining a bachelor’s degree – and others were relatively small things, such as reading a smutty romance novel or having a backyard garden. As I accomplished or achieved various goals, I moved them from my list of things of I wanted to do, to my list of things I was glad I did. Eventually, of course, I did own my own house, and so I was able to move that item. I even read a smutty romance novel, and if you want to read about that silly adventure, visit this old blog post.

Once, about 20 years ago, I posted online my Ultimate To-Do List, which recounted nearly all my goals in life. I say “nearly” because I left off certain personal goals, such as things about my mental and physical health. Like I said, that was 20 years ago and a lot has changed since. Here, then, in no particular order, is an updated list of things I’d like to do at some point in my life…

• Obtain a Master’s degree
  • I added this to my to-do list back when I achieved my undergraduate degree and, guess what? I am on track to complete this goal by the summer of 2026.
• Attend a science fiction convention
• Be a member of a TV audience
• Be a tour guide
  • Probably saving this for my later years. I’d love to do this at some historic site.
• Step foot in every US state
  • I’m getting there! I’ve been to 40 of our nation’s states. I’d love to accomplish this within the next 8 years, because then I’ll have been to all 50 of them within 50 years.
• Visit Denali National Park
• Visit the Hennepin History Museum
  • Okay, this one is almost laughable. It’s not very far away, it’s not very expensive, and I could just drive there right now. In fact, I’ve probably tried to visit it 20 times since I first learned of its existence 6 years ago, but something kept postponing it. Once I actually do visit this museum, I’ll make a maudlin blog post detailing the hilarious misadventure.
• Visit Yellowstone National Park
• See the Grand Canyon
• See the big trees in California
• Travel across the Golden Gate Bridge
• Visit Voyageur’s National Park
• Ride a Segway
• Visit the Wabasha Street Caves
• Visit Las Vegas
• See a concert at First Avenue
  • As much as I love music, concerts are not really my thing. They’re often overpriced, too crowded, and take place in lousy venues. Still, I’d like to find out firsthand what is the big deal about this place.
• Visit a Presidential Museum or Library
  • I almost achieved this goal in October. I was in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and only about ten miles away from the Gerald Ford Presidential Library. This seemed like a good presidential library to visit, as Ford was President when I was born. Alas, the government shutdown rendered this museum closed during my entire time in Michigan. So…hopefully another day.
• Try my hand at glassblowing
  • I used to have a renter in my workshop who used the workshop for precisely this activity. It seemed pretty cool.
• Bowl higher than 150
  • This should come as a surprise to no one, but I’m completely abysmal when it comes to all sports. I do, however, enjoy bowling, and I’m at least reasonably competent at it. I’ve come close to a half-perfect game, but have never quite gotten there.
• Visit the Boundary Waters
• Visit the Northwest Angle
• Make something out of pottery
• Visit New Orleans
• Ride a unicycle
• See every film directed by Buster Keaton
• Observe the planet Uranus through my telescope
  • This in one of those goals I could do from the comfort of my own home, ostensibly. Alas, whenever said planet is in the sky, the weather is not accommodating, or there’s too much light pollution, or I haven’t succeeded in finding it via my telescope. I’ll keep trying.
• Observe the planet Neptune through my telescope.
  • Ditto.
• Attend a state- or national-level session of Congress
• Visit the Academy of Motion Pictures Museum
• Publish a second book
  • Okay, so I didn’t really enjoy the process of publishing a book, but I don’t want to be a one-and-done type of author.
• Visit every one of the Minnesota State Historical Society’s sites
  • There are 26 sites; I’ve been to 16. I even have a water bottle with 26 spots for stickers to place on it as I visit each one. I definitely plan to visit at least one in 2026, but achieving this goal might be hampered due to some of the sites being indefinitely closed.
• Visit the Continental Divide
  • I recently read the book Travels with Charlie, by John Steinbeck. In one scene in the book, he comes upon the Divide and gets out of his jalopy to stand astride it for a moment and he wrote about how, even though it’s not much to look at, it’s a pretty cool thing to think about. So, I wanna do that. Actually, I maybe have driven (and have definitely flown) over it during my travels, but I did not pay attention to it. I’d like to be intentional about it next time.
• Keep up with the Oscar winners for Best Picture
  • I suppose I have achieved this goal, because I have seen every motion picture that has ever won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Still, the powers-that-be over at the Oscars insist on anointing a new winner each year, and so I am compelled to seek out and watch the latest winner each year.
• Take a train ride to a destination in the US
  • Okay, so I’ve probably been on dozens of train rides, but they have all been just a quick jaunt for fun (such as a 2-hour ride through Duluth and back that Brycie and I took a couple years ago), or have been in another country (I took at least 6 train rides in Germany), or have been short trips within a big city (like when I took the light rail to the Minneapolis Pride Parade back in June). But what I’m talking about here is a serious ride – one that takes hours – and go across the country.
• Be in one of those olde tyme photos
  • This just seems like something everyone does at some point in their lives. Everyone’s got a picture like this hanging in there house. Even I do…but it’s a picture of my kids. I wanna dress like an Old West gunslinger and proudly display it on my wall.
• Visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

There you go. Thirty-six things I’d like to do. If you are doing any of these things soon, or know a way to make them happen for me, let me know! I’d love to join in.