A Look Back - January 2026
This is going to be a rather short recap this month, as we really didn’t have a ton happen. We knew after the holiday break that Jenn and I would be moving from going 0 MPH to 1000 MPH at work. We spent the first days of the year at home, which was a beautiful start to the year. It is still mind-boggling how it can be January and 60-70 degrees. After all of the festivities of the holidays, we took down all of our Christmas decor and started the year fresh. Jenn and I even got a date early on in the year at CDM Restaurant. They had a great happy hour with a perfect duck liver pate.
After a week of working at home, I went for my first work trip of the year back home to New York City. I flew from SNA, which made the entire trip to Newark and then the Dream Hotel in the West Village that much easier. It felt so odd being back in New York as a visitor, not someone who was just going to hop on the A/C line, get off at Columbus Circle, and walk home. Instead, I walked from the hotel to the Hudson office over the next four days, with most of my evenings free. During the evenings, I was able to see two shows (Maybe Happy Ending and Death Becomes Her), but it wasn’t the same without Jenn.
I came back to much warmer weather and a family that was all getting over mild colds. Jenn and I went to see The Wiz at Segerstrom, which we really didn’t like. Luckily, we made up for it with a nice dinner with Jake at Fable & Spirit. Outside of Darkroom, it is the second-best restaurant, I think, in Orange County. Between the crudo, pork belly, great entrees, and exquisite dessert, we all had a fantastic meal.
One of my favorite memories of the month was actually a suggestion from Uncle Jake. We bought a California State Beach Pass when we moved back in April of last year, and we've used it fewer than a handful of times. He came over for dinner on January 18th and said we should take a walk at Crystal Cove. It was such a beautiful January day that the first parking lot was full, and eventually we found a spot. I sadly forgot Frasier’s leash, so while Jenn, Jake, and Elle walked, Frasier and I listened to an audiobook in the car with all the windows down and the sunset over the ocean. After fifteen minutes, Jenn and I switched, and Elle, Jake, and I went for a walk. It was another reminder of the beauty of living where we do.
We wrapped up January with a date night at the Michelin Guide restaurant Chaak Kitchen. We had a phenomenal meal with some truly memorable dishes and great drinks. It was nice to be able to go out and have a drink and a great meal while Jenn’s Dad and Joan watched Elle. That last weekend of January we started to look at some houses in Irvine to potentially rent next and took Frasier back to the dog beach. Unfortunately he seems to still be having some pain in his back legs so we’re going to get him into the Vet in the next couple of weeks and see if we can’t figure out what’s going on. After a few runs into the ocean we ended up sitting in the sand and letting everyone enjoy a beautiful day at the beach.
TV WE WATCHED
It’s amazing what happens when we’re home more and the holidays are behind us; we get to relax more and watch some great TV. We wrapped up the first season of The Four Seasons on Netflix. Outside of the major twist, it was a simple, fun, and easy show that was a nice way to start the year. We also got around to watching two different Game of Thrones spin-offs in January. We wrapped up the second season of House of the Dragon, a show we both enjoy, but we had trouble finding time to watch it on the big screen. And then we immediately started A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which might be one of the best shows of the year already.
We wrapped up the first season of Running Point and the second season of A Man on the Inside, both on Netflix. Both were fine but completely forgettable; the same could also be said for the fifth season of Abbott Elementary and the rather cringeworthy start to the third season of Shrinking.
There were a few standouts this month. The second season of The Pitt continues to be unbelievably good and will easily contend for one of the best shows of the year again. I wrapped up the second and sadly final season of the excellent Mo. I wish there were more shows that were clever, beautifully written, and funny. I can’t wait to see what he does next. And finally, although not as strong as the previous season, the fourth season of Industry remains great television.
BOOKS I READ (OR LISTENED TO)
I’m a bit worried about my goal of reading 50 books this year, given I won’t have a cross-country drive or 6 months of garden leave to help read more books. Fortunately, I got off to a strong start in 2026. A book that will likely compete for the best of the year was Theo of Golden by Allen Levi. I believe it was his first book, and it is one of the most beautiful, life-affirming, and well-structured novels I’ve ever read. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to start the year. I followed that up with the excellent The Last Green Valley, written by Mark Sullivan, who wrote one of my favorite WWII novels, Beneath the Scrallet Sky. This was a much slower start for me (in fact, I stopped it a few years ago), but once it got going, I really enjoyed it.
Sadly, the final two books weren’t nearly as memorable. The Paradox of Choice was a mediocre look at how choice in our lives has become overwhelming, and at the pursuit to simplify it. And finally Buckeye, a book I’ve been eagerly anticipating but found to be a superficial and had a less than stellar ending.
MOVIES WE WATCHED
It was a very good start to our movie watching in 2026. Four of the six movies we watched this month were for our weekly movie night. The other two, Rocky Balboa and A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, I watched on my own.
For our weekly movie nights, we had:
Jay Kelly - Joel Pick
Wake Up Dead Man - Jenn Pick
Materialists - Joel Pick
The Lion in Winter - Jenn Pick
I personally enjoyed Jay Kelly the most of the four, followed by Materialists, Wake Up Dead Man, and The Lion in Winter. We’ve had a bit of a rough patch though with our movie picks that I hope turns around in February.
GAMES I'VE BEEN PLAYING
Of everything, I probably played the least amount of video games in January. Between traveling up and back to San Jose, a busy work month, and spending time with the family I only had a handful of time to play both Madden and Ghost of Yotei.
2026 GOAL TRACKING
Goal #1: Read 50 Books: I’ve read 4 books and barely on track to hit my goal of 50 books this yearl!!!
Goal #2: 12 Monthly Recaps: 1 for 12!
