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One of the most important things that's in this year is create to really settle into being a creator. Welcome to Homemade. I'm Shannon Casen. Happy New Year. I know we like three weeks in, but Happy New Year. This is a wellness check as well. I'm still here. This is my first podcast of 2026 and I don't know if you. I moved back to Detroit again. I'm in my hometown. It's my hometown, Detroit. I was in Chicago, but that was about a year and a half ago. Some of you know I'm in Detroit, but I had to move home to be close to family. Mom, dad, uncle, aunt, daughter. Everyone's getting older and I just needed to be around. I needed to be around to be around people, be around my family. And I'm happy to be back. It's so many good changes. I'm staying healthy. I gained a little weight over the holidays as to be expected, but. But gaining the weight allows me to lift more weight. So I'm building muscle during these winter months so I can show off in the summertime. But I'm nurturing good relationships. I got a new home in the making. I'm working on something new and then there's new energy that's happening all the time. So I'm excited to see what this 2026 will bring. And with that, I'm opening the door to some intentions. I'm opening the door and then I'm closing the door to old distractions. And that's what this episode is about. Be sure to listen to the end, but I also want you to share your intentions and exclusions for the New year, what's in for you, and then what's out of style for you for this year. I'm always curious to hear your thoughts and what you got going on too. So listen to the episode I hope you enjoy. Here's my ins and outs. Happy New Year. I know I'm late. New Year was about three weeks ago, but my New Year usually starts in February after all the New Year energy dies down. It really makes me anxious, all that New Year energy. So I don't like to build up. So I start in February. So I have some intentions for 2026. New intentions, no resolutions. I'd never even use the word resolution, except if it's in a legal setting. So I have intentions and exclusions for 2026 and maybe you connect with some of my ins and outs and maybe you don't, but maybe you have some of your own. Please do share. But here's my ins and outs for 2026. Not all inclusive, but a good start in for 2026 is getting out of the house. I'm typically a hermit. I live in this room and I don't mind being alone in this room for most of the day. But I've noticed that I'm much more productive if I go to a coffee shop and if I go to various places around the city and just get outside of the house. I love art. I go to the museum, the Detroit Institute of Art. Just hang around there, go to the gym, just hang out at the gym all day. I'm much more productive if I get out of the house. Okay. Out for 2026 is spending a lot of money every time I leave the house. Sometimes I don't lead a house in an effort to hold on to money. But just because I'm out doesn't mean that I have to buy everything. It's okay to go out to a coffee shop and just buy the coffee, not stop at a thousand other places and go shopping and go buying food at this restaurant. I don't feel like I have to spend everything. So that's, that's out for this year. I'm not spending a bunch of money every time I go out. In for the year is reading more, especially fiction. This year I'm going to enjoy a lot more fiction. I, I miss crime fiction. I miss my Elmore Leonard books, my Walter Mosley books, my, my Ken Bruin books. And I recently bought a Kindle. And even though I love, like the hard copies, I love having a book and putting it on the bookshelf, but the convenience of the Kindle, I read a lot more with the Kindle. I've noticed that since I've had the Kindle, I'm reading a lot more because at night, like when it's dark in the room, I can hit the Kindle and the Kindle has the backlight and I can fall asleep with the Kindle in my hand. Right now I'm reading a Ken Brewing book called Ken Callous. I'm reading that and I'm reading another book called the. What is it? The Confederacy of Dunces. I'm reading that as well. But it's easy reading with the Kindle. One of the things that's out for 2026 is listening to all this news right now. I have too many news sources there. Something happens and I'm listening to everyone. I'm listening to this person in my feed. I'm listening that person on Tik Tok. I'M listening to this person on YouTube. I'm gonna pick two. Just go pick two. One source from the platforms that I like and maybe two different platforms. One source from maybe two sources from each platform. You know what I'm saying? But I'm not going to go down this rabbit hole of listening to the news all day and just doom scrolling all the news on one particular subject. I'm getting rid of that consistent feed of news. Just pick my one or two and leave it at that end for 2026. More death. Better questions, Better questions. This year I want to become a better question asker and not just the interviewer, although I will do many more interviews. But I don't want to just come across just interviewing people. I want to have great conversations. And to do that you have to be able to ask substantial questions. So. So you have to really listen to the person. I remember I was talking to this one lady, Amy Peterson in Detroit. She, she runs Rebel Nell and the congregation and we just sat down and we just had some coffee one day and she was telling me about Major League Baseball. She wanted to, she worked in Major League Baseball and wanted to become the first woman general manager. She now somebody else became the first women's general manager in Florida somewhere. I don't know the lady's name, but when I asked this lady is successful. She done so many different things and really a powerhouse in Detroit. But we were talking and she was telling me about the Major League Baseball and I asked her, I forget exactly how I put it, but I said, do you. How do you feel about the failure of not making it to the general manager at the Major League Baseball or something in that sense. But I purposely said failure or disappointment or something like that in the question. And she had to think about it for like a full minute because she didn't, didn't reach that pinnacle that she set the goal for, although she's super successful. And she, she broke it down with a insightful answer and about, about how she was happy to be doing the things that she's doing right now, even though her path took her on a different direction. So. But I do want to continue that. I want to ask great questions and have great conversations in that type of way. Everything doesn't have to be a I gotcha moment, but you do want to have great conversations and if you listen, you can ask better questions if you listen. Okay. Out for 2026 is shallowness. I don't want to have only shallow interactions. I know we have to exist in an existing. You do have some. Some surface relationships or surface conversations, but I don't want to go through the whole day with only shallow, surface interactions. We don't have to be in the deepest of waters, but I do want to have some novelty to my interactions throughout the day. And I want to share that with you too. But. But I want to have more depth in our conversations. No shallowness. All right. In for 2026 is DIY Home Repairs. I'm gonna become a do it yourselfer. I'm in the beginning stages of my handyman life. I've. I've always been a figure it outer. I've always figured it out. You present the problem. I'll figure out a drip on a faucet. I'll figure out basic repairs and putting up shelves in the house and all those things. But this year I'm really gonna take it to another level. I'm gonna get the necessary tools. I've always had to borrow tools, but I'm gonna buy the tools this year. I've been on Facebook, Marketplace. I've been watching the videos. I may even ride along with a friendly handyman, be an apprentice for a week or a month. I'm fixing up my home right now, the home that I'm going to be living in. And I want to do most of repairs. You know, a big portion of the repairs I want to do myself, and this is to save money, but also the joy of like, getting my hands dirty and just doing it myself and learning these skills for. For other people as well. Out the door for 2026 is temporary fixes. Anything that's temporary, I don't want it. IKEA furniture. I'm done with IKEA furniture. I may buy a few little toys here and there, do a little hack with some of the IKEA furniture that I already have, but. But nothing flimsy. I'd rather buy something used that's well made, then get something new and flimsy. No Teemu. I'm not buying any. Any T. Boo. All that Tebow stuff, I've never bought teemu anyway. But even IKEA stuff. I get, you know, some shells from ikea, but nothing. No gorilla glue, tape on stuff. I'm done with all that. Just tear that out and rebuild it the right way and put good stuff in there. Good quality materials, good quality stuff. Another thing that's in for 2026 is anything old school. And I know that's popular right now. I know with Stranger Things and all the other movies out, old school is popular. But it's always been My mold, to be honest with you, I've always been kind of old school and I'm really going to settle into it for 2026. And not in a performative way, but in the actual use way, like enjoying my old school music, my vinyl, my. My old school sounds. And that's what I've always played anyway. Even wearing some old school outfits, boldly not performative. I'm wearing a big old afro or no, no white collar suits or nothing like that. But the thing is I'm gonna be fly with it. Just put my old school outfit on, even if it's some old clothes from my family. And maybe even fix up an old school ride. I might, instead of getting a new car, might fix up an old school, enjoy my old school hobbies. I haven't been bowling in a little while, you know what I'm saying? Go, go, go bowling instead of doing. Go bowling, you know, get my, my wrist be kind of hurting. So we'll see, we'll see. Throwing horseshoes or something in the backyard. Old school. Okay, so out for 2026. Is anything before 2010. It might be even like anything before the year 2000. And I know that's not really old school to me. That's not really old school. Old school to me is like 80s, like, like anything before the 90s. Anything before the 90s I look at as old school. But. But specifically nothing before 2010. Like tangible things. I'm going to kind of keep it old school this year. I got AI, I got all this other Internet stuff, but in a tangible department. I'm keeping it old School for 2026. Another thing that's in for this year is intimate conversations. I cherish a good face to face conversation, especially with a beautiful woman. And before you get upset, before you get upset, beauty has a wide range for me. I notice fine that the common man doesn't see. I do, I do. However, I love a good, intimate, sensual conversation about astronomy, about breaking down good movies, you know, like cinema, talking about music. I love that stuff. I love just sitting there, just eye to eye, talking about interesting topics. So that's in for 2026. Ladies this end. Okay, so one of the things that's out for the year is casual. You get what I'm saying? Casual. I've never been one that's big on like one night stands. And I'm not saying that's never happened. You know, I'm honest. It's happened. But I'm always a little disgusted afterwards. I remember even when I was young, I I wasn't really down with that. I remember I was in Atlanta one time, and we went to the Bronner Brothers hair show. And I was. I went to this club, and I met a young lady at the club. And we start filling up each other at the club. This is when I was young. I'm in my 20s at this time, and you know how people dance at the club. You pretty much having, you know, sex at the club. But after the club, we were going back to my hotel room, and I just switched it up. I just was like, what are you doing? Let me just get you back to your friends. I'm good. I don't. I don't. We don't need to. We don't need to finish things. And I know some people might look at that the wrong way, but in my mind, I was just like, I know I can, but I'm not. And there was this bum that was. I know you ain't supposed to call it bomb, derelict. Is that better? But it was this guy on the street, and he listened to the whole ordeal, like me switching it up and saying, hey, let me get you. Let me get you back to your friends. And she went her way and I went mine. And I remember the bump. He was. He was walking like Whitney. And he was like, you smart young man. You smart. Sometimes you gotta let him go. Sometimes you gotta. You gotta throw him back in. Let me have a dollar. And I just remember that guy. And I gave him a 20. I gave him a 20. Cause he was. He was absolutely right. He was absolutely right. Sometimes don't do that. But even this year, I mean, especially this year and for all my life, I don't need casual. I don't need casual. Another thing that's in for 20, 26, getting dressed up for a night out. Get my grown man on. This year, I'm 50. I'll be wearing more and more suits this year, even in the summer. I'm gonna get the linen suits and the cotton suits. I don't have to wear them, but sports coats and slacks. It's just distinguished. So I'll probably get some new custom suits starting soon. It takes months for the suits to. To be made, as the process takes months. I used to sell custom suits, so I'll probably get a few custom suits going from a different. Few clothiers in the. In the city. Might even go see my boy Kircher in. In Chicago. Kircher did a lot of my. My custom suits that I have right now, but I want to wear more suits this Year, okay, so out for 2026 is wearing my workout clothes all the time. I'm a comfortable person. I like comfort above all. But I can be comfortable in nice clothes too. So I'm gonna put my, my comfortable workout clothes. Like I wear the same clothes if, if I can. I'll just wear the same. I wear these prana pants, the prana, I forget what they call it, Prana pants. And then I wear arcteric shoes and I got some arcterics polo shirts. I just wear them things all the time. And I wear this American Apparel T shirts all the time. My daughter laugh at me because my, my, my regimented outfit. But I'm gonna switch that up this year. I'm gonna start wearing some comfortable suits instead. And I'll put my comfortable workout clothes in a workout bag and put that in the car and I'll just change at the gym if needed. And also I'll work out at home a lot more this year so I don't have to to change at the gym. And I'm gonna set up a decent home gym this year, probably in the summer. But no workout clothes every day. I'm not wearing that every day. I wear it all the time. I wear some of my homemade shirts. I wear those. You know, you can get those@shannoncasen.com but I want to get fly this year. I'm gonna get, I'm gonna get fresh this year. One of the most important things that's in this year is create. To really settle into being a creator. I have all the tools that I need right now. I have all the tools that I need. When I look around this room, I have everything that I need. And now you have AI that's available that can make music and videos and, and everything I need is right here in my hands. But things still require taste. And I have good taste. I think I have good taste. So this year I'm going to create cool stuff based on my taste and I'm really going to settle into it. I really go put a lot of effort into just create, which is good for you. So out for me for 2026 and this is an important thing is consuming. It's funny when that tick tock and all the short form medias came out, I wasn't a fan. I'm a long form media type of guy. Podcast, books, documentaries. I didn't even appeal to the short form stuff. I thought it was stupid. I was like, why would I just want to see these short little 1 minute clips or 15 second clips, but as time goes by, it shows you how insidious this thing is, how they, how they've created this. The hardwire into our brain with little dopamine hits. It's an addiction. We're hardwired to watch these things, like, keep swiping over and over again. We may not even want to, but it's, it's addictive. So I'm going to cut those things at specific times in my day, especially when I'm working or especially when I'm trying to go to sleep. I have to. I have to cut them so I can. So I can actually create. And I might create some of the short form things, but I really want to create the long form and then, you know, add the short form from the long form. So. So consuming is out for me for this year. And what about you? I'm curious about you. What, what's your ends and outs for 2026? Did any of mine resonate? I hope that Homemade, the podcast Homemade, is one of your ends for the new year. So make sure you subscribe and I'm gonna talk to you soon. All right, well, thank you for listening. I want to start this year off in gratitude of all the friends who've shown me so much love, even when I'm on temporary hiatus. I don't deserve it sometimes, but I get so much love and I appreciate you. I thank you. Shannon Kazin's Homemade is proud to be supported by the Friends of Homemade, and I want to thank everyone who listens, enjoys, and supports the stories. To my friends and best friends. Bob S. Thank you for all the love over the years. I appreciate you. Sabrina A. Thank you for being so special to me. Devin L. The black prospector. You gave me a new life, man. This is my trainer. I didn't know I had it in me. Seriously. Karina V. Wow. You just been special and we haven't even talked much. Reach out to me. Talk to me wherever you are in the world. Adam W. I appreciate you, man. Austin W. I appreciate you, man. Anna R. You've been so good to me. Keith A. Much appreciation. Bill B. I gotta get out to Florida soon. Visit you hopefully this year. Angela B. You always got me. And I always got you too. Tony D. I love you, man. I need some coffee soon. Let's. Let's get some coffee soon. Let's get some coffee together soon. Sophia M. You've been with me for so long. Thank you. Genevieve G. You know what we got? This is like my homemade significant other, you know? Thank you. Genevieve Doyle M. You've been with me for so long. Thank you for always coming back. I'm gonna come back strong too. Mary M. Much appreciated. Linda K. You've been with me for so long. Thank you. Rebecca P. I appreciate you. Jennifer S. So special. Brin I. Wow. Thank you. Dana H. You've been with me for so long. Too good to me. Monica H. Thank you Jennifer D. Thank you Brett T. Thank you Emily C. Thank you Celeste I appreciate you JR thank you Kenny D. I appreciate you. Jennifer H. Thank you Auntie Faith. You know I thank you big time. Michael E. Appreciate you man. Paul D. Thank you Christine Z. Thank you so much. Joe S. Thank you so much. Ember B. I appreciate you Gary B. Much appreciated. Yaya. You know you my good friend online. Thank you Evermore another good friend of mine. Thank you for all the motivation and creativity. Tara I appreciate you. To my play cousins Robin, Ian, you know you inspired this episode. You got me. You woke me up. Thank you for the continued support. Rajesh. Much appreciation over the years. Thank you so much. Mrs. Esther B. This is the mother of my favorite homemade listener. I visited her home and rest in peace to my friend forever. Kim. Kim B. Kim wants to say the world and I tell you Kim saved my world many times. Mrs. Esther so I love you and thank you Mrs. Esther. Cindy L. Such a special listener. I got something special for you too soon. I should have been sent it but I got something special for you. Stephanie M. Early supporter. You helped me so much over the years. I don't even know if you still listen. But thank you Stephanie Drew H. Andy, thank you for putting me on a great healing journey. All of my family, Cindy, Zoe, my mom, my dad, my sister, my brothers, my uncles, my aunts, my my cousins and my friends. Y' all make homemade what it is and I love you. I appreciate you. Thank you. Join the patreon@patreon.com backslash Shannon Casen Homemade is a friend funded podcast. Visit patreon.com backslash shannon casen or Dollar Sign Shannon Casein on Cash app make it direct. I'm gonna get a rhythm going. I'm gonna keep the rhythm going too with episodes so be sure to follow the channels on YouTube and social media. I'm Shannon Kayson. The beats are by Echo Finch and the stories are by me. I'll see you next week or sooner if you subscribe on social and the YouTube. And that's about it. So where's my mom? Now that's homemade.