How was 2024 for DC CopyPro? Wouldn’t you like to know

• 2024 for DC CopyPro ended with a whimper—but 2025 started with a bang
• How was 2024 for DC CopyPro on a personal level?
• The past year may have been “meh” for DC CopyPro—but it wasn’t for everyone
• Fortunately, 2024 was also full of good friends and good times
• 2024 also involved some “out with the old, in with the new”
• 2024 was a better year for DC CopyPro than some 😉
• Still lots of streaks in 2024 for DC CopyPro
• Pushups weren’t the only streak DC CopyPro kept alive in 2024
• That’s DC CopyPro’s year in review—what’s in store for 2025?

Well, 2024 is in the books, and we’re a couple of weeks into 2025. I guess it’s time to reflect on 2024 for DC CopyPro and see what lies ahead.

To begin with, I just finished a two-week break from work—and I was sick for most of it. I wasn’t deathly ill, but a chest cold/bronchitis had me feeling pretty lousy. It caused me to miss several rowing workouts. At least I got lots of sleep—well, I took a lot of naps! Not the best end to 2024 for DC CopyPro, though disconnecting for two whole weeks was fantastic.

I’ve been with my current employer for 3 ½ years, and each year has been different. This past year was the year of “pivoting.” We reexamined many of our marketing approaches and spent most of 2024 adapting to new things. Though 2025 has yet another new approach, there’s much more of a plan in place. But I’m sure there will be a curveball or two. Things would be pretty dull if there weren’t.

2024 for DC CopyPro ended with a whimper—but 2025 started with a bang

In fact, it didn’t take long for that first hiccup. We just learned that one of our team members is leaving for another opportunity. It’s been fantastic working with him for the past couple of years. Though I’ll be sad to see him go, he’s leaving for a new challenge. Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that.

On the freelancing front, I had fewer side projects for Korean clients this year. But I did have one pretty substantial one. It’s precisely the kind of work I envisioned doing when I changed careers. I provided feedback and updated copy for the English version of a Korean website. It appears the main page has been updated since that project—that ain’t my work. 😉 It was a lot of work and definitely a challenge. But I’m confident my proposed changes helped the English site flow much more smoothly. I would’ve liked the opportunity to review the changes on the site, but that wasn’t part of the project.

With my full-time job, I still don’t have much time to pursue these freelance projects. But I’ll continue to take them on as they pop up. I’m still happy with my full-time job and will keep at it as long as that doesn’t change. When I decide to give freelancing in Korea another go, I’ll be better prepared. I’ll have all my blogs, my daily Instagram posts, and several years of sector experience under my belt.

How was 2024 for DC CopyPro on a personal level?

From a more personal perspective, it’s been a typical year of ups and downs. Thankfully, none of them were very extreme.

After my cover band broke up, I was on the lookout for another opportunity. I found a group of expat dads who were keen to jam. I enjoyed the few sessions I went to. But everyone just seemed so busy, so finding a time to meet up was always a challenge. While that didn’t seem to bother the others, if you know anything about me, I enjoy structure. The constant “Will we/won’t we meet up this week?” just wasn’t working for me. After several months and only a few sessions, I wished them luck but told them this arrangement wasn’t for me.

As a result, I’ve experienced my longest break from the guitar since I broke my arm over a decade ago. When my son got into playing the guitar around 2014, it renewed my interest in guitar. I bought my first electric guitar—there have been quite a few since then. 

I practiced almost daily, often for several hours. However, since I quit the expat dads band, I haven’t touched my guitar in over six months. I keep thinking about getting back into it, and maybe I will soon. I’d love to get back to playing in a band, but I’ll need to find the right fit.

The past year may have been “meh” for DC CopyPro—but it wasn’t for everyone

In the meantime, I’ll have to live vicariously through my son. He’s had a much more productive year musically. He’ll soon be starting his final year of studying music at university. In the first half of 2024, his band found its groove and was performing a couple of times a month. It’s always a good night out when I get to hear his band play.

He also released a song through his university. Though he plays it with his band, he had to record it with fellow students because it was a school project. His professor had a deal with another university’s videography department. This resulted in them shooting a video. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you should. Really.

Just as his band was hitting its stride, the bass player decided it was time for her to move on. They spent six months finding a new bass player and getting her comfortable with their setlist. They had their first gig in early January 2025 and picked up right where they left off. Fingers crossed, they’ll be playing more regularly soon.

Speaking of my son, he went on his second solo international trip—his first outside of Asia alone. He went to London, not for tourism or to meet friends, but to catch his favorite band in concert—Green Day. Green Day was scheduled to come to Korea a few years ago. His dear old dad even scored some tickets, but then COVID hit, and the tour got cancelled. So, he travelled halfway around the world to spend a week in London, mainly for a concert. Ah, to be young again.

Fortunately, 2024 was also full of good friends and good times

This year, I was fortunate to catch up with several friends, some within Korea and some who returned for a visit. I’m thrilled to report that many of those meetups involved sampling Korea’s first single malt whiskey, Ki One. Everyone who’s tried it is a fan—as am I. In December, Ki One settled on three standard varieties that will be regularly available. The second became available just before Christmas. I believe a peaty variety will be available in January. Good whiskey + good friends = great times and memories.

And would you believe it? I broke another rowing machine! After the clusterfuck with my first water rowing machine, I shelled out more money on what I thought was a more robust machine. And for 13 months, it worked fine…until. One day, 10 minutes into a workout, I heard a crack and immediately knew what had happened. Once again, the plastic blade inside the water chamber, which provides resistance, snapped. I imported the machine from China. Though I bought it new, with no branch in Korea, there was no after-service. I emailed the company, but I wasn’t surprised when I got no reply.

2024 also involved some “out with the old, in with the new”

So, on a friend’s recommendation, I decided to splash out even more money and bought a Concept 2 air rower. I was concerned the air rower might be too noisy for our place, but it’s not much worse than the water rower. Aside from missing more days than I would’ve liked over Christmas and New Year’s due to my illness, I’m loving it. I just hit a personal best for my 30-minute time last week. That ranks me 1159/5193 for all males tracking their workouts. Not too shabby for an old fella. And I made sure this machine has a warranty. If I break this one, rowing machine companies should study me. Seriously.

Other than that, it’s been an interesting year in Korea, for sure. Back in the spring, we were startled out of bed shortly after 6 am by “wartime alert” notifications on our phones. We jumped out of bed and turned on the TV to see what was happening and what we should do. Turns out it was a failed North Korean missile launch. Even worse, authorities were aware it would happen. That was a shitty way to start the day. I hope someone lost their job over that one.

2024 was a better year for DC CopyPro than some 😉

Then, of course, we had one of the shortest declarations of martial law in history—lasting 157 minutes. While somewhat concerning, I believed the Korean public wouldn’t stand for it—they didn’t. Watching politicians (most from the opposition party) spring into action was amazing. They scaled walls and confronted soldiers to get into the National Assembly. Once inside, they quickly voted to overturn the declaration. Finally, a few days ago, authorities arrested the impeached president on insurrection charges. While a significant step, I suspect we’re in for a long, bumpy ride. 

And then, just when we thought 2024 couldn’t get any worse, we had the Jeju Air tragedy at Muan Airport. We’ve yet to learn the cause of the terrible accident that took so many lives. Recent reports state that the black box and flight recorder stopped working four minutes before the accident. I wonder if we’ll ever know what happened. Let’s hope 2025 provides some answers and is generally much less eventful.

Still lots of streaks in 2024 for DC CopyPro

If you’ve read any past blogs, you know I love a good streak. I’m happy to report that most of my streaks are still intact. I’ve always tried to practice the guitar and exercise daily. But there are days when it’s impossible to keep those streaks going. Fortunately, several survived 2024—though one was in jeopardy early on.

Two years ago, after a 1-month pushup challenge, I decided to commit to 100 pushups a day. I did it for the first year and was determined to keep the streak going in the new year. However, on the morning of the Lunar New Year last year, I woke up with incredible shoulder pain. I’d slept in an awkward position, resulting in lots of pain and limited mobility. I tried to do my morning pushups and immediately realized I couldn’t do one, never mind 100. 

Later in the morning, I went on a planned hike with my family, with my arm hanging limply by my side. I rested in the afternoon, and my wife and son each had plans to go out that evening. Late in the evening, determined to keep the streak alive, I tried again. While there was definitely pain, at least it was possible to complete a pushup. I don’t remember how many sets I had to do (I usually do three—50, 25, 25), but I managed it. They probably weren’t the best pushups I’ve ever done, but I kept that streak alive. If it had ended, it would’ve been for a legit reason. But I was still elated that I managed to keep it legitimately alive.

Pushups weren’t the only streak DC CopyPro kept alive in 2024

Between sets of pushups, I hold some stretches while doing Duolingo, guitar fretboard intervals and ear training. I recently surpassed 2300 consecutive days of studying with Duolingo. With my fretboard trainer, I was tied for 2nd spot on the leaderboard, with my most recent score (43) from 2022. I’ve tied it a few times but could never beat it…until a few weeks ago. I soon realized I wasn’t logged in, so the leaderboard didn’t update. I made sure to log in the next day! Despite not beating my previous score for over 2 years, I managed to do it again within a week. And this time, it registered. Though it’s only one more point, first place seems like a ways away, but here’s to trying.

I almost made it through the year with a perfect Wordle streak, but I somehow lost it in the fall. For a few days, I didn’t even notice. I just realized one day that the initial screen mentioned my 4-day streak. I still don’t remember missing a day, but I must have. Since then, I’ve missed a day or two, but I’m determined to keep that streak going for all of 2025.

I’ve also started some other game streaks. I recently noticed an ad for a game on LinkedIn called Queens. It’s a quick problem-solving game. After playing for a day or two, I was hooked. A few weeks later, I discovered three other games (Tango, Pinpoint, and Crossclimb). I spend 5-10 mins on them each evening (in addition to making a few moves on Words with Friends). Let’s see how those new game streaks go.

That’s DC CopyPro’s year in review—what’s in store in 2025?

So, that was my 2024. I don’t have any grandiose plans for 2025. I’m looking forward to seeing my son finish university. I hope to go to lots of his band’s gigs this year. I’ll hopefully celebrate my 4-year work anniversary in July. I’ll try not to break any more rowing machines. And hopefully, I’ll pick up the guitar again.

What about you? How was your 2024? What plans do you have for 2025? Are you looking to mix things up or just stay the course? Let me know in the comments!

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