Skip to main content

2024–In Review

In this episode, 2024–In Review . . . 

Wow, can you believe another year has passed? Time flies. I hope this year has been an incredible journey for you, too! Looking back at 2024, I’m so grateful for the moments I’ve captured On the Fly; without it, all those experiences would be a blur.

As we wrap up this year, let’s summarize some of the highlights of 2024.

 We begin with a January post titled Childhood Revisited, which reminds us to embrace our childhood dreams and creative notions as a delightful escape from challenging moments.

February brought us the Netflix special The Greatest Night in Pop. This documentary beautifully shares the inspiring story of creating We Are the World and reminds us of how creativity, charity, and the power of music can truly uplift others.

In March, my colleagues and I enjoyed chasing whales. The weather in Dana Point was perfect for a delightful “three-hour tour,” and we enjoyed every moment without any island landings interrupting our adventure!

In April, we visited our dear friends Bill and Linda in Westfield, New Jersey. Then, we took a delightful day trip to New York City to revisit our favorite friends and memories.

May kept us chuckling as Netflix hosted the hilarious Jerry Seinfeld movie Unfrosted. The blog post "That’s Funny" sparked my enthusiasm for exploring standup comedy and what makes people laugh.

June: “Say hey—say, Wille.” The baseball world lost the incomparable Willie Mays. This post, More than Just Stats, highlights baseball of the 1960s.

In July, inspired by our friend John Prock, we bravely stepped out of our comfort zone to celebrate Lori’s milestone birthday! If you didn’t get a chance to join us, we’d love for you to check it out now!

August is my birthday month, and we did something special for this year's celebration: a hike through Griffith Park, one of my favorite places to visit in Los Angeles.

In September, after reading a series of science fiction stories by Isaac Asimov, I started writing The Silent Grid (Gridbot), which I intend to develop throughout the next year.

October was yet another adventure in the Sierras with my good friend Brendan. It was not my best adventure, but sometimes, things happen that you simply cannot control.

November, The Power of the Thank you note. It was an important reminder to cherish relationships with your neighbors.

And finally, December: Everything I Need to Know About Christmas–I learned from a Little Golden Book, this year's Children’s podcast; it summarizes all the audiobooks and poems we’ve created as unique gifts.

Listeners search for pball001 and click On the Fly to find embedded links to each episode.

Thank you all for your encouragement and well wishes for my creative endeavors. Remember, it’s not about my accomplishments; On the Fly is designed to serve as a simple example for everyone to explore their unique gifts.

I challenge you to become the best version of your exploratory self.

As my good friend Dr. Don Hanley says, “When you wake up in the morning, decide to have an enjoyable day; that is “life-giving.”

I'm Patrick Ball; as always, thanks for listening. Have a Happy and prosperous New Year. I’ll see you in the next episode.

Comments

Most Popular of All Time

We Need Awe More Than Ever

In this episode, Why We Need Awe More Than Ever Yesterday morning, I slipped into the cool stillness of my backyard before dawn. The air was crisp, the silence deep—broken only by the faint rustling of leaves and the familiar calls of birds waking early. Then I looked up. A thin crescent moon hung low in the east, with Venus just above it like a shining jewel. The sky was clear and full of stars, and for a moment, I felt something I hadn’t in a long time: Awe! For thousands of years, the heavens have carried on their steady dance, untouched by human noise. No ruler, no election, no breaking news has ever changed their rhythm. And yet here I was, tempted to reach for my phone—to trade the eternal for the urgent. Instead, I stayed. I watched the moonrise, the sky slowly lighten, and the world around me stir. Ducks passed overhead in a loose V, hummingbirds zipped past to visit their feeder, pausing mid-air as if curious about me sitting so still. Little by little, the static in my mind f...

The Birth of a Cubs Legend

In this episode, The 162-Game Exhale — and the Birth of a Cubs Legend There’s a hush in the baseball world on Game 162 — a collective breath drawn in and slowly released. Scoreboards stop flipping. Dugouts empty. For six months, the game has been our steady heartbeat, pulsing from the cherry blossoms of Tokyo in March to the crisp, playoff-charged winds of late September. And now, as the regular season exhales, baseball fans everywhere pause to absorb the story we’ve just lived. For me, that story has been deeply personal. This season unfolded in the rhythms of my daily life. It was the summer soundtrack echoing beneath the constant turmoil of politics and sensational headlines. It was a handful of carefully chosen ballpark pilgrimages stitched together with countless nights in front of MLB.TV. And at the center of it all, for a lifelong Cubs fan like me, it revolved around one name — a young center fielder who turned hope into history: Pete Crow-Armstrong. The 2025 season didn’t begin...

The Pessimism Aversion Trap

In this episode, The Pessimism Aversion Trap Picture this: a room full of bright minds nodding in agreement as a bold new strategy is unveiled. The slides are polished, the vision is grand, and the future, we're told, has never looked brighter. Everyone beams—because who wants to be the one to say, "Um… this might not work"? Heaven forbid someone spoil the mood with a dose of reality. Better to smile, add a buzzword or two, and march confidently toward disaster. That's how the Pessimism Aversion Trap works. Even now, I can still hear the sound—a high-pitched shriek and a digital hum, followed by the slow, rhythmic clatter of data pouring from a 5¼-inch floppy disk. It was the late 1980s, and my makeshift home office (our living room) was dominated by what felt like a marvel of modern engineering: a used Tandy 1000 PC with not one, but two floppy drives. To top it off, we purchased a 'blisteringly fast' 300-baud modem—which, for the uninitiated, could downloa...

Pushing the Pause Button

In this episode, Pushing the Pause Button: Stepping Off the Treadmill Hello, friends — If you're reading this, I'm already off the grid. Today begins a much-needed vacation, and for the next few weeks, On the Fly is taking a break right along with me. For a long time, my inner voice has said, 'Keep every commitment, no matter what.' That's meant early mornings, long days, and a calendar packed with posts, podcasts, and projects I couldn't seem to say no to. I've been trying to be the tireless workhorse—but that kind of grind doesn't end well. Lately, I've noticed I'm not quite myself—shorter fuse, louder sighs, and a few too many grumbles (Lori deserves a medal). That's when you know it's time to hit pause before the spark burns out. So, I'm stepping back to rest, recharge, and remember what it feels like to not live by the next deadline: no tech, no to-do lists, just some space to breathe. Thank you, truly, for all your support and ...