Cover Your Bases #63: My 2024 in Data Points

Looking back, and ahead...

In a year marked by unexpected turns, here's my reflection on 2024:

Professional Impact

My consulting practice maintained a strategic focus while expanding into AI integration:

• Provided fundraising and development guidance to two core clients, supporting long-term development planning and raising new money for each of them

• Guided ten organizations through AI projects, developing customized solutions that enhanced their capabilities

• Successfully preserved work-life balance through sticking to a part-time schedule (that took some work!)

Personal Growth & Connection

The year brought meaningful family time and new physical achievements:

• Made 16 trips to Southern California to see close family

• Spent time with eight nephews and cousins, including a fantastic reunion with a cousin I had not seen in 30 years!

• Improved my strength training metrics, with gains in functional strength and muscle mass

Intellectual Engagement

• Read more than 175 books. Some of the standouts include:

  • "Rouge" (Mona Awad) - A penetrating examination of beauty standards and identity

  • "Acts of Service" (Lillian Fishman) - A nuanced exploration of modern relationships

  • "Hild" (Nicola Griffith) - Masterful historical world-building

  • "Radiant Fugitives" (Nawaaz Ahmed) - Queer family dynamics brilliantly rendered

  • "Filterworld" (Kyle Chayka) - Must-read analysis of digital culture's impact

  • "The Worlds I See" (Fei-Fei Li) - Essential perspective on AI development and personal history

  • "Black Cake" (Charmaine Wilkerson) - Rich multigenerational storytelling

• Watched at least 30 shows and movies through streaming media. Highlights:

  • We Are Ladyparts

  • Shrinking

  • Somebody, Somewhere

  • La Maison

Newsletters

• Subscribed to 40 new writers, including paid subs to Scott Abramson, Timothy Snyder, Heather Cox Richardson, Tembe Denton-Hurst, and Jerrelle Guy.

• Became a paid Guardian news reader.

Kitchen Adventures

Cooked more than 219 dishes over the year, the same quantity as in 2023. Dishes I made more than three times included:

• Bok Choy and Mushroom Stir fry

• Curried Broccoli, Chickpeas and Potatoes

• Eggplant Lasagna

• Bobby Flay Passion Fruit Sangria

• Mark Bittman Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pecans

AI Reflections

I've been exploring AI tools regularly and love how they improve. Transcription services like Otter and Fireflies have stepped up their game since last year. Perplexity has become my go-to for AI-powered search, especially when I need reliable citations. Claude has matured beautifully, and ChatGPT keeps pushing forward. My newest playground is Google NotebookLM - I am still forming opinions on this one, but it's fun to test drive.

Looking Forward

It's been quite a year, hasn't it? Thanks for being part of the Cover Your Bases community. I'd love to hear what topics you want to explore next. I’ll be back in 2025.

Warmly, Susan