relationship – The Diary of The Deranged Writer

Always Watching V: Person of Interest – Judgment

Tonight, let me take a deep dive into Season 1’s fifth episode of Person of Interest, “Judgment,” where a tough, by-the-book judge is the next number John Reese and Harold Finch have to protect, and Detective Joss Carter has suspicions about her new partner, Detective Lionel Fusco.

Spoiler warning: This post contains major plot spoilers of the fourth episode of Person of Interest (Season 1), “Judgment.” If you haven’t watched it, please do so first before reading my analysis.

Notes to Self XXV

Last night, I was in a reflective mood while I was scrolling through my drafts. Then I found something worth filing under the Notes to Self category. It was a quote I would always bring up on my social media accounts and one of my old main blogs (which preceded The Diary), but I never really explained it personally. Since I’m still in a reflective mood tonight, I figured I should bring it up one more time and finally expound on it.

The quote? It’s a line CM Punk (who was slowly growing out of The Nexus and had entered his Best in the World era) said to Mr. McMahon during a contract negotiation on an episode of WWE Raw in 2011.

XLI: The Return of Light in December 1

Since 2019, December 1 has become a haunting day. It reminded me of a ghost from a failed relationship, and I easily see ghosts through specific dates, photographs, and even songs. For a few years, I had to endure the pain of seeing those ghosts, especially on December 1.

In 2022, I took it upon myself to make December 1 a less sad day. Not happy; less sad. I kept myself busy. I greeted an uncle who is also a December 1 celebrant. I numbed myself with alcohol. I kept myself busy some more. And in doing all of those things, somehow they work, even if I still see that particular ghost.

But today, December 1, 2025, many happy moments have happened. At midnight, I was sharing laughs with an online friend (once again) about the most ridiculously unhinged professional wrestler of all time, “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner. This morning, I woke up early, and I had some lovely FRESH POTS that energized my body and soul. I was able to accomplish the work tasks that I could do before I went running errands. After those errands, I had a fresh haircut and a satisfying massage. And now I’m having my thirst-quenching iced tea at my favorite cafe. I will absolutely have dinner here as well.

But the happiest part of the day? It’s talking to my new friend. It feels nice getting to know more about a gentle, kind soul.

It’s 6:00pm as I type this entry, but thanks to all those moments today, for the first time in years, I can declare that December 1 is a happy day. In fact, December 1, 2025, is the happiest December 1 of my life. Yes, the ghosts are still there, but they don’t haunt me anymore. The light I have been feeling lately outweighs the dark.

Four more days to go before my birthday, December 5!

A part of 14 Days of The Deranged Writer (2025).

Header image: Marta Dzedyshko of Pexels. Edited in Adobe Photoshop 2025.