the fruitcake enterprises social review—fall 2025

In the fall of 2025, I engaged in in-person or face-to-face virtual social interaction with the following people on the indicated number of days: 1. Shobhit—38
2. Laney—23
3. Alexia—4
4. Karen—4
5. Gabby—3
6. Sachin—3
7. Tony—5 *
8. Jake—5 *
9. Tracy—2
10. Cathryn—2 **
11. Amanda—2 **
12. Amy—2 **
13. Brandy—2 **
14. Sara—2 **
15. Lori—2 **
16. Lexis—2 **
17. Grant—2 **
18. Anita—2
19. Danielle—1
20. Gina—1
21. Daniel—5 *
22. Chris—4 *
23. Derek—4 *
24. Ryan—4 *
25. Alice—1
26. Diane—1
27. Charlotte—1
28. Sanjay—1
29. Cheryl—1
30. Dorie—1 **
31. Ben—2
32. Dave—2
33. Steven—1 **
34. Sue—1 **
35. Mackenzie—1 **
36. Roxanne—1 **
37. Katherine—1 **
38. Jack—1 **
39. Marissa—1 **
40. Cat—1 **
41. Amelia—1
42. Shelton—1
43. Andy—1 *
44. Greg—1 *
45. Damon—1 *
* Regular attendee at Action Movie Night ** Coworker get-togethers Total days in the fall with social interaction: 61 (67%, a -8 percentage point change from summer)
Just a few things to note for this edition: Shobhit and Laney hold their typical positions at #1 and #2, respectively, though Shobhit's points are down 4 from summer, and Laney's are up 3. Ivan actually returned to take up the #3 spot with 6 points last time, but is absent yet again here; he won't appear again until he visits Seattle again, which could be anywhere from one to three years from now. The other notable absence is Gabriel, who usually has one to three points on these Social Reviews, but there's a slew of potential reasons for his absence here. (To be fair, Danielle was totally absent from the Summer review, and I can't remember that ever even happening before; we managed to hang out just once over the fall. Sometimes people just get busy.) No one besides Shobhit and Laney dominated my social calendar this year really, though: even Alexia only got 4 points, as did Karen, although in both cases we managed some pretty significant time together on the days we did hang out. Gabby cracked the top 5 with only 3 points, and although I have others with 5 points, because they are regulars at things like Action Movie Night in which I have comparatively very little direct interaction, I rank them lower. Still, Tony and Jake crack the top 10 for this reason; Sachin visited twice and that's how he wound up with 3 points this season. Tracy came in at #9 just under the wire, after we hung out a second time over the fall just yesterday. I have a lot of other stuff left to do this evening, though, and I usually have these Social Reviews posted in the morning. So let's get to the who did with whom where and when! Monday, September 22: with Shobhit, out for a walk to downtown and back Tuesday, Seotember 23: with Shobhit, out for a walk to the Tuesday Capitol Hill Farmers Market and back Thursday, September 25: with Laney, Happy Hour at Pinoyshki Bakery and then Happy Hour at Saint John's Friday, September 26: with Laney, to a movie (One Battle After Another) Sunday, September 28: with Shobhit and Laney, walking downtown Sunday, September 28: with Laney, to a movie (Eleanor the Great) Saturday, October 4: with Shobhit, hiking Discovery Park Sunday, October 5: with Shobhit, walk to Volunteer Park and back Tuesday, October 7: with Shobhit, walking Marsh Island at Washington Park Arboretum Thursday, October 9: with Gabby, Amy, and Cathryn, out for drinks at Fireside Burien Thursday, October 9: with Shobhit, Tasveer Film Festival Opening Night Gala Saturday, October 11: with Laney, Happy Hours at The Cheese Room and Saint John's Bar & Eatery Saturday, October 11: with Shobhit, out for a walk up Broadway and back on 15th Sunday, October 12: with Laney, to a movie (Roofman) Monday, October 13: with Karen, lunch at her place in Magnolia Wednesday, October 15: with Shobhit, Tony, Jake, Chris B, Derek, Daniel, and Damon, Action Movie Night (Under Siege) Thursday, October 16: with Shobhit, PacSci Practice Day at Pacific Science Center, Seattle Center Saturday, October 18: with Shobhit, Diwali Festival at Seattle Center; and No Kings Mass Protest - Seattle Rally & March Saturday, October 18: with Laney, to a movie (Good Fortune) Sunday, October 19: with Alexia, Braeburn Condos double feature (Death Becomes Her and Something's Gotta Give) Tuesday, October 21: with Shobhit, walking to Twice Sold Tales and Elliott Bay Books Wednesday, October 22: with Sara, Lori, Lexis, and Grant, Office Relocation Team Happy Hour at Yard House Wednesday, October 22: with Shobhit and Sachin, Sachin arrives / dinner at our place Friday, October 24: with Shobhit and Sachin, dinner and drinks at our place Saturday, October 25: with Laney, to a movie (Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere) Monday, October 27: with Shobhit, The Gregory Awards at Town Hall Seattle Tuesday, October 28: with Laney, watching a movie in the Braeburn Condos theater (A House of Dynamite) Wednesday, October 29: with Tony, Jake, Ryan, Ben, Chris B, Greg, and Daniel, Action Movie Night (Pan's Labyrinth) Thursday, October 30: with Shobhit and Sachin, out for Shobhit's birthday dinner (Ramen Danbo), then pre-Halloween Capitol Hill Walk Friday, October 31: with Shobhit, Supplemental North Capitol Hill Walk Saturday, November 1: with Shobhit, Dia de Muertos Festival at Seattle Center Sunday, November 2: with Laney, to a movie (Bugonia) Monday, November 3: with Laney, Happy Hour at Lost Lake Café & Lounge Thursday, Novemner 6: with Laney, Seattle Art Museum Thursday, November 6: with Shobhit, Pioneer Square First Thursday Art Walk Saturday, November 8: with Shobhit and Laney, walking downtown, after walking for an hour with just Shobhit Saturday, Novemner 8: with Laney, to a movie (Die My Love), and then Happy Hour at The Wash Sunday, November 9: with Shobhit, out for a walk to Pike Place Market Monday, November 10: with Danielle, out for hot drinks at The French Guys Monday, November 10: with Shobhit and Danielle, drinks and hanging out at our place Wednesday, November 12: with Shobhit, Tony, Jake, Ryan, Chris B, Derek, Andy, and Daniel, Action Movie Night (The Transformers: The Movie) Thursday, November 13: with Laney, to a movie (The Running Man) Friday, November 14: with Shobhit and Alexia, "It's About DAMN Time" show at Theatre4, Armory, Seattle Center Saturday, November 15: with Laney, Braeburn Condos theater movie (Avatar) Sunday, November 16: with Shobhit, out for a walk to Capitol Hill Farmers Market and Broadway Thursday, Novemner 20: with Laney and Alexia, to a movie (Wicked: For Good) Friday, November 21: with Shobhit, out dancing at The Cuff Sunday, November 23: with Tracy, to a movie (Sentimental Value), out for dinner (Shake Shack) and hanging out at Southcenter Mall Monday, November 24: with Laney, Happy Hour at Gemini Room Tuesday, Novemner 25: with Laney, Seattle Festival of Trees, and BYOB Happy Hour at Café Hitchcock Wednesday, Novemner 26: with Shobhit, out for a walk to Volunteer Park and back Wednesday, Novemner 26: with Shobhit, Tony, Jake, Ryan, Chris B, Derek, Derek's visiting brother-in-law who was also named Tony, and Daniel, Action Movie Night (Attack the Block) Thursday, Novemner 27: with Shobhit, Karen, Dave, Anita, Alice, Diane, Charlotte, Sanjay, Cheryl, Amelia, and Shelton, Thanksgiving dinner at Karen and Dave's house in Tulalip Thursday, November 27: with Shobhit, Tulalip Lights & Ice at Tulalip Resort Casino Friday, Novemner 28: with Shobhit, Gingerbread Village at the Sheraton Hotel, Lighting of the Tree< Celebration at Westlake Center, and Seattle Festival of Trees at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel Saturday, November 29: with Laney, to a movie (Hamnet) Saturday, November 29: with Shobhit, Naked Night at CC's Seattle Sunday, November 30: with Gina, Gingerbread Village at the Sheraton Hotel, chai at Rainier Square, Seattle Festival of Trees at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel, Teddy Bear Suite at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel, doughnuts at Pike Place Market, lunch at Copacabana Pike Place, and Seattle Center Winterfest Sunday, November 30: with Shobhit, to a play (Elf the Musical at The 5th Avenue Theatre) Monday, December 1: with Laney, to a movie (Rental Family) Wednesday, December 3: with Amanda, Dorie, Sara, Roxanne, Lori, Katherine, and more, Dori's Retirement Party at PCC Greenlake Thursday, December 4: with Shobhit, Holiday in the Park at Volunteer Park Friday, December 5: with Shobhit, to a play (A Klingon Christmas Carol at Center Theatre) Saturday, December 6: with Shobhit, The Great Figgy Pudding Caroling Competition at Pike Place Market Saturday, December 6: with Laney, Federal Way Link Extension Sunday, December 7: with Laney, Braeburn Condos theater movie (Avatar: The Way of Water) Monday, December 8: with Shobhit, out for a walk to Belltown and Pike Place Wednesday, December 10: with Grant, Lexis, Sue, Jack, Marissa, Cat, and more, PCC Foraged Feast 2025 Wednesday, December 10: with Gabby and Brandy, Christmas Dive Bar Wednesday, December 10: with Tony, Jake, Ryan, Ben, Derek, Daniel, and Shobhit, Action Movie Night (Blue Ruin) Thursday, December 11: with Shobhit, "Revelry! A Night Of Drag And Other Shenanigans" at Theatre Off Jackson Saturday, December 13: with Laney, Happy Hour at The Pine Box Sunday, December 14: with Alexia, Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad's Christmas with the Clauses Wednesday, December 17: with Amanda, Steven, Cathryn, and Mackenzie, Celebrating Amanda's 15th PCC anniversary at Maiz Molino Wednesday, December 17: with Gabby, Amy, Cathryn, Brandy and more, Merchandising Holiday Social at Métier Brewing Co Cherry St Friday, December 19: with Karen, Anita, and Dave, lunch at their house in Magnolia Friday, December 19: with Laney, Christmas Dive Bar Saturday, December 20: with Tracy, Holiday Magic at the Fair, Puyallup

the fruitcake enterprises social review—summer 2025

In the summer of 2025, I engaged in in-person or face-to-face virtual social interaction with the following people on the indicated number of days: 1. Shobhit—42
2. Laney—20
3. Ivan—6
4. Amanda—6 **
5. Alexia—5
6. Jake—7 *
7. Tony—6 *
8. Daniel—6 *
9. Karen—5
10. Dad—3
11. Sherri—3
12. Gabriel—3
13. Lea—3
14. Gabby—3 **
15. Tracy—2
16. Frank—2 **
17. Derek—5 *
18. Chris G—4 *
19. Ryan—4 *
20. Andrew—4 *
21. Jessica—1
22. Sachin—1
23. Becca—1
24. Cathryn—1 **
25. Brandy—1 **
26. Sara—1 **
27. Jennifer—1
28. Ann—1
29. Steven—1 **
30. Dave—1 **
31. Anita—1
32. Justine—1 **
33. Beth—1 **
34. Tracy—1 **
35. Dave—1 **
36. Gina—2
37. Agastya—1
38. Mariana—1
39. Chris L—1 **
40. Mackenzie—1 **
41. Tristan—1 **
42. Benny—1 **
43. Leon—1 **
44. Robin—1 **
45. Grant—1 **
46. Lexis—1 **
47. Marie—1 **
48. Catherine—1 **
49. Mary—1 **
50. Cavin—1
51. Greg—3 *
52. Ben—2 *
53. Chris B—2 *
54. Tom—2 *
55. Rachel—1
56. Rex—1
57. Prisca—1
58. Howard—1
59. Josh—1
60. Darren—1
61. [Lea's friend]
62. [Lea's friend]
63. [Lea's friend]
64. Ry—1
65. Joe—1
66. Clark—1
67. Santiago—1
68. Zeek—1
* Regular attendee at Action Movie Night ** Coworker get-togethers Total days in the winter with social interaction: 69 (75%, a -3.3 percentage point change from spring)
Some pretty significant differences from the norm this quarter, yet again! By far most notably, Ivan in the #3 spot, due to his visiting for five days in July, and then one night more a few weeks later in August, his first time back to the Pacific Northwest since he moved out three years ago—making this his first return to the Social Review in that amount of time as well. He had been living in the Northeast, but went to Las Vegas for a hypnotism conference, and seemed to feel that was close enough and so he tacked on some time in Portland, Seattle, Bremerton, and Vancouver, B.C. as well. He said he was going to try and look for a job in Vancouver, which sounded exciting on the surface, but I was entirely unsurprised when he accepted a job in New Hampshire instead. That was why the extra night tacked on in August: he stayed with us as a pit stop on his way back down to Portland from Vancouver, which was where he flew out of to go back east. It sounds like he may come visit again next year, especially if he goes to Vegas again for that conference, but we'll see. Ivan's stated plans or intentions for even a year out is always a total crapshoot as to whether it'll actually happen. It was great to finally see him again, though, and have him stay for as long as he did. Amanda at #4, though, is not only just as unusual but just as unprecedented—and this would be because she came along for the Co+nvergence conference trip to Saint Paul. That alone accounted for four days doing social things even outside of strictly conference activity; the other two points come from different office parties in the final days at the old office on Elliott Avenue. That gave her six points, taking her to the #4 position. Shobhit and Laney at #1 and #2, respectively, is now very standard, of course. But, Ivan and Amanda at #2 and #3 then bumped Alexia to #5. And then guys from Action Movie Night basically round out the rest of the top eight—with Karen thus bumped to #9, and then Dad and Sherri, respectively. snagged the #10 and #11 spots with 3 points each, which is actually unusual for them. But, we all had that two-day trip to North Cascades National Park and Winthrop; and then in August they did their day trip to the Seattle Waterfront. Gabriel and Lea come in behind them at #12 and #13, also with three points each; ditto Gaby at #14. I seem to manage hanging out with Tracy now slightly less than once a month on average now that she moved back to Puyallup, which is why she's down at #15 with two points. Most of the rest on this longer-than-usual list are either the rest of the Action Movie Night group, or one-timers at office parties or other parties or gatherings I attended. Funny how the number of people in the list jumped from 51 to 68, but the number of days in which I socialized dropped from 72 to 69. The latter number is a pretty small change, though, and really only has to do with a slight average drop with the people I hang out with most frequently. Anyway! Let's get to the who did what with whom where and when . . .
Saturday, June 21: with Shobhit, Georgetown Pride 2025, and Shobhit's stage reading (C[y]pher) at Theatre Off Jackson Sunday, June 22: with Shobhit and Alexia, walking downtown Sunday, June 22: with Alexia, out for brunch (Lowell's at the Market), and Braeburn Condos double feature (Batman Begins and The Dark Knight) Sunday, June 22: with Shobhit and Gina, building the Braeburn p-patch shed and then dinner at our place Sunday, June 22: with Shobhit, Seattle Center Hot Air Balloon Glow-Up Monday, June 23: with Laney, out for drinks and bites ("Happy Hour" but they didn't have an actual Happy Hour) at Firn Rooftop Bar in Pioneer Square, and having a second drink in Occidental Square Wednesday, June 25: with Shobhit, Tony, Jake, Ben, Joe, Chris G, Derek, Andrew, Daniel, and Greg, Action Movie Night (Parasite) Friday, June 27: with Shobhit, Indigiqueer Festival on Pier 62, and Trans Pride at Volunteer Park Saturday, June 28: with Shobhit, Pancake Breakfast at GenPride Center, out for a walk, and PrideFest Capitol Hill Sunday, June 29: with Shobhit, Ry, Clark, and more, marching in the Seattle Pride Parade Sunday, June 29: with Shobhit, PrideFest Seattle Center, Theatre Puget Sound Pride Afterparty, and watching the rest of the Pride Parade Sunday, June 29: with Shobhit, Gabriel and Lea, drinks in the PrideFest beer garden, and out for dinner (Citizen Collective) Monday, June 30: with Laney, to a movie (M3GAN 2.0) Wednesday, July 2: with Shobhit and Sachin, dinner at our place and out for dessert (Baxter & Frost) Thursday, July 3: with Karen, lunch over Zoom Thursday, July 3: with Shobhit, Laney, and Alexia, to a movie (Jurassic World: Rebirth) Friday, July 4: with Shobhit, out for a walk, then 4th of July fireworks at Lake Union Park Sunday, July 6: with Shobhit, out for a walk to Volunteer Park and back Wednesday, July 9: with Shobhit, Tony, Jake, Ryan, Chris G, Chris B, Derek, Andrew, Daniel, and Greg, Action Movie Night (Dollman) Friday, July 11: with Laney, Happy Hour at Cal Anderson Park (eating Tacos Cometa) Saturday, July 12: with Tracy, Tacoma Pride Festival, and out for dinner (The Office Bar & Grill) Sunday, July 13: with Shobhit and Alexia, walk to Valley of the Gnomes, and Braeburn Condos Double Feature (The Dark Knight Rises and The LEGO Batman Movie) Monday, July 14: with Shobhit, out for drinks at Naked Night, CC's Seattle Tuesday, July 15: with Laney, to a movie (Sorry, Baby) Wednesday, July 16: with Shobhit, Seattle mayor candidates forum at Columbia City Theater Thursday, July 17: with Laney, to a movie (Eddington) Saturday, July 19: with Laney, Happy Hour at Don Armeni Park, Alki, West Seattle Monday, July 21: with Dad and Sherri, Tuesday, July 22: with Dad and Sherri, Wednesday, July 23: with Jake, Chris B, Derek, Andrew, and Daniel, Action Movie Night (Gremlins 2: The New Batch) Thursday, July 24: with Shobhit and Ivan, Ivan spending the night Friday, July 25: with Shobhit, Pier 58 grand opening Friday, July 25: with Shobhit and Ivan, dinner and watching TV at our place Saturday, July 26: with Laney and Ivan, watching a movie in the Braeburn Condos theater (Citizen Ruth) Saturday, July 26: with Laney, watching a second movie in the Braeburn Condos theater (Election) Saturday, July 26: with Shobhit and Ivan, hanging out at our place Sunday, July 27: with Ivan, out for a walk, to Howell Park, Lake Washington, and Leschi Park; then out for dinner (Tandoori Flame & Indian Grill) Sunday, July 27: with Shobhit and Ivan, hanging out at our place Monday, July 28: with Ivan, walk to Voodoo Doughnut Monday, July 28: with Shobhit and Ivan, out for a walk, to Pioneer Square then Seattle Waterfront Park Promenade Monday, July 28: with Laney, Happy Hour at Rainier Square Lower Terrace Wednesday, July 30: with Gabriel and Lea, out for dinner (Joey Southcenter Mall) Wednesday, July 30: with Gabriel, Lea, Josh and Darren, to a movie (The Fantastic Four: First Steps) Friday, August 1: with Karen, lunch over Zoom Saturday, August 3: with Shobhit, A Day in Punjab - cultural festival at Seattle Center Monday, August 4: with Shobhit, Rachel, Rex, Prisca, and Howard, out for dinner (Saffron Grill) Tuesday, August 5: with Gabby, Cathryn, and Brandy 23rd anniversary celebration at Mbar Wednesday, August 6: with Tony, Jake, Ryan, Greg, Greg's guest (wife?), Tom, Santiago, Zeek, and Daniel, Action Movie Night (Starship Troopers) Thursday, August 7: with Gabby, Beth, Amanda, Justine, Tracy, Dave, Steven, Mackenzie, Tristan, Benny, Leon, Robin, and more, Merchandising Social on office patio Thursday, August 7: with Shobhit, out for a short walk to Cal Anderson Park and back Friday, August 8: with Laney, to a movie (Weapons) Saturday, August 9: with Laney, Happy Hour at Lincoln Park Sunday, August 10: with Shobhit and Becca, out for dinner (Old School Pizzeria) Wednesday, August 13: with Amanda, out for dinner (Citizen) Thursday, August 14: with Amanda and Frank, NCG Evening Social at the Science Museum of Minnesota, Saint Paul Friday, August 15: with Amanda, checking out the George Latimer Central Library, Saint Paul Friday, August 15: with Amanda and Frank, Co+nvergence Afterparty at Amsterdam Bar & Hall, Saint Paul Saturday, August 16: with Amanda, touring the James J. Hill House, Saint Paul Sunday, August 17: with Shobhit, Alexia, Jennifer, and Ann, dinner at Alexia's apartment Monday, August 18: with Shobhit and Ivan, Ivan staying the night Tuesday, August 19: with Karen, lunch over Zoom Wednesday, August 20: with Sara, Chris L, Grant, Lexis, Marie, Catherine, Mary, Gabby, Amanda, and more, Farewell 3131 Office Potluck Wednesday, August 20: with Shobhit, Tony, Jake, Andrew, Derek, and Daniel, Action Movie Night (FDR: American Badass!) Saturday, August 23: with Laney, to a movie (Honey Don't) Sunday, August 24: with Shobhit, Agastya, Mariana, and more, party at Agastya and Mariana's house in Kenmore Monday, August 25: with Laney and Jessica, ferry bridge tour, then lunch at drinks (Kingston's Filling Sation) in Kingston, after Kitsap Fast Ferry & Washington State Ferry rides Tuesday, August 26: with Dad and Sherri, day visit in Seattle on the waterfront Wednesday, August 27: with Shobhit and Karen, lunch at Karen's office Thursday, August 28: with Laney, to a movie (Caught Stealing) Friday, August 29: with Shobhit and Alexia, pizza and a movie at Alexia's place (The Batman) Saturday, August 30: with Laney, movie at the Braeburn Condos theater (This Is Spinal Tap) Saturday, August 30: with Shobhit, Naked Night at CC's Seattle Monday, September 1: with Shobhit and Laney, to a movie (The Roses) Wednesday, September 3: with Shobhit, Tony, Jake, Ryan, Ben, Chris G, Derek, Daniel, and Gina, Action Movie Night (Late Night with the Devil) Thursday, September 4: with Shobhit, Pioneer Square First Thursday Art Walk and Seattle Art Museum Saturday, September 6: with Shobhit, Waterfront Park Grand Opening Celebration Saturday, September 6: with Shobhit, Karen, Dave, and Anita, dinner at Karen and Dave's new house in Tulalip Sunday, September 7: with Shobhit, out for a walk on Capitol Hill Monday, September 8: with Shobhit, Naked Night at CC's Seattle Thursday, September 11: with Shobhit and Laney, to a movie (Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale) Friday, September 12: with Laney, to a movie (Spinal Tap II: The End Continues) Saturday, September 13: with Laney, to a movie (The Long Walk) and out for drinks at Captain Blacks Sunday, September 14: with Shobhit, out for coffee and hot chocolate at Mintish Tuesday, September 16: with Shobhit, Tasveer Film Festival and Market Launch Party Wednesday, September 17: with Shobhit, Tony, Jake, Ryan, Chris G, and Tom, Action Movie Night (In a World...) Friday, September 19: with Tracy, day in Puyallup:  out for coffee & hot chocolate (Anthem Coffee; touring Meeker Mansion; out for lunch (Giorgio's Greek Cafe); and hanging out at DeCoursey Park) Friday, September 19: with Shobhit, Juan Alonso-Rodríguez exhibition at ArtX Contemporary Saturday, September 20: with Laney, to a movie (The History of Sound) Saurday, Sepember 20: with Shobhit, Gabriel, Lea, and more, Lea's 41st birthday karaoke party at Rockbox