As we know, today is the last day of December AND the last day of 2020 (thank GOD!), so it's time to go over my....
TOP TEN LIST OF 2020
(not necessarily the best things to happen this year, just the biggest things)
10. Paid Off Credit Card
I got my first credit card somewhere around 33 years ago. I currently have a Discover card that I used most of the time, and a VISA card that I only use for my med purchases and nothing else.
On the Discover, I have had up to as much as $3000 on it. I usually use it starting in September when I begin buying gifts for Christmas, run it up over the fall, and then after the New Year, start paying it down. I have used it for other emergency purchases (like the air conditioners last year). Well this year, one month, I paid off the Discover card and I pay off the VISA each month, so at one point this year, I had zero credit card debt! Of course, the next month, I put something on the Discover card, and I am currently carrying a balance. But that's fine. I'm just happy to have paid it off once...once in the last 33 years.
9. Uncle Randy
In March, my mother's youngest sibling, Randy, died. He was diagnosed with cancer last summer, and it had already spread by then. And it just took him in about 9 months. I wasn't terribly close to him recently, but 40 years ago, he had an above ground pool at this house and I spent nearly every summer day over there, at the pool, hanging out with the neighbor kids and my cousins (his kids). He was only 15 years older than me. His second wife (my favorite of his three wives) was only 10 years older than me. They were a lot of fun back then....but Randy had a rough life. Mainly his of his own doing, and there's no point in going into here. But he also got me a silly birthday card and laughed with me as I opened it every year. And he was fun. And he'll be missed.
8. Seeing Hamilton
Not on the stage, unfortunately, but on Disney+. On Independence Day, my theater buddy Michelle and I went to mom's for a socially distanced, masked cookout. And then, afterwards, we returned to my house and watched it on Disney+. She had seen it on stage at least twice (lucky bitch), and she told me how I'd love it. We didn't get to see any theater this year, but she knows what I like, and she was right: I loved it! Especially Jonathan Groff as King George. I know he's not in it very much, but he steals the show. But anyway, it was a great performance, and I enjoyed watching it with her...the last time we got to see theater...and the last time I've seen her in person. We've talked on the phone several times, but not hung out due to pandemic restrictions. But hopefully next year, that will change!
7. No Sex April
Okay, so no, I didn't really become chaste, but due to the pandemic, but due to self isolation/social distancing, I had not sexual contact (other than with myself) from St. Patrick's Day until Mother's Day....nearly two entire months! And no contacts at all during the calendar month of April! When was the last time I went that long without a gentleman caller? Who knows? I don't. I'm certain I forgot all about it...or tried to repress that previous time!
6. Meeting Turner
I've been friends with Turner online since something around Christmas 2018. I'm not at all sure how we met online, but we've been following each other and having short conversations since then. He lives in Alabama, so I though there's no way we'd ever meet, and that was fine, I have plenty of online only friends.
Then in July, I saw he was traveling. On his own and alone, he booked a week's vacation at a seaside hotel in Maine. And he was driving up himself. We figured out he's going on an interstate just 8 miles form my home. And I was roughly halfway between the two (about 9 or 10 hours each way from my house to Alabama and Maine). He was driving up without stopping other than to catch short naps in rest stops. But we decided he'd stop here on his way back and spend the night. And then head home to next morning. He got here late, we did his laundry at 1AM, he bedded down on the sofa and slept a good 6 or 7 hours. Then showered, packed his stuff up and left. But we did, while doing laundry, have time to sit and chat. He's got such an adorable lil Southern accent. And he's much smaller than I thought he would be. But it was fun meeting him and hanging out for a bit. I doubt we'll ever meet again in person, but we still communicate online.
5. Dental Bridge
Of course, I had tooth problems, when don't I? The back bottom molar cracked in July. I went to the dentist, hoping he could something easy, but he said since I had the space next to it open, but not just do a bridge. After discussing it I agreed, and he prepared the two teeth. We didn't have enough time to get the bridge and installed that day, but I could come back the next day and they'd do it. I was already off cause it just so happens, this was the day Turner arrived. So I had a temp on that night, Turner left the next day, and then at lunchtime I went over and he put the bridge on. And it's worked quite well since then....thankfully, it continues that way.
4. Binging shows
So yeah, even before the pandemic, but especially during it, I binged a lot of shows.
All 15 seasons of ER, 6 of the Practice, 2 of Discovery, 7 of The West Wing and 7 of I Love Lucy. I watched a bunch of other stuff as well, more than usual, but these were the series I binged.
3. Health Issues
yeah, I'm old. Middle aged. And like an old, out of shape, middle aged man, I been falling apart. My sinuses have bothered me all year, with tooth pain, sore throats headaches, etc. I went to an ENT in July, we did an CAP scan, didn't find anything usual, she told me to use the Nedi-Wash thing. And I have been, and it's been helping. Still bothers me sometimes, but that usually helps. My back has bothered me occasionally since I fell last July. My feet have been tingly and at one point the right one even went numb for a few days....that's obviously the diabetes. I have been eating better, my daily blood sugars are lower, and I took a lot more walks, so I hope everything's improving on that front. But yeah....getting old and falling apart.
2. 2020 Election
Free at last, free at last, thank GOD almighty, we're free at last!
In 20 short, but agonizingly long, days, he will be gone. And the American Government can back to being run by experienced, capabable adults, and not....well not whatever they hell they've been the last four years.
Joe Biden was not who I wanted to be in the White House, but I'm not upset that he's going to be there. He's a steady experienced hand. He'll get us out of the ditch we've been in. I don't believe he's forward thinking enough to get us where we need to be, but he'll at least get us back to a functioning government...something we've been sorely lacking.
And all I have to say about the orange shitgibbon is....
1. COVID-19
What else could it be? This thing has affected every aspect of life, of practically everyone around the world. But since this list is about my personal top ten, with all due respect to the 19 million American affected and 330000 Americans dead (as of right now), I'm just going to cover it's affect on me.
I wear a mask now everywhere I got. I use a card to pay for everything, I hate touching coins. I wash my hands much more frequently and use sanitizer. I go to the grocery store maybe twice a week, instead of almost every other day. And I pick up a bunch of things at once, not just one or two items. I'm staying a LOT. I can't recall the last time I was inside someone else's house (maybe mom's on Labor Day?).I've had a few people here, but not many at all. And visitors are generally masked up and kept at opposite ends of the room we're in....gentlemen callers and I are masked up as much as we can be (don't ask). The number of gentleman callers has plummeted. The number of books I've bought and the money I've spent on them has plummeted. I only get gas about once every 10 days now in stead of once every 6 days. I don't have any idea when I was last inside a movie theater, or sat in a restaurant to eat. And I can count on one hand the number of times I've been in a Mall this year, and on two hands the number of times I've been in Wal-Mart. I prepare a lot of my food at home, so I'm running the dishwasher twice a week, sometimes three times, instead of once a week like it was before all this. I did not spend Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas dinner with mom (although I did get to eat some of the food she prepared) for the first time in my 53 years and tonight, I will spend New Years not at the ParisPeking house, which I think will be the first time in 16 years. And I'm certain in February, I will not be watching the Super Bowl at my buddy Duff's house, which will be only the second time in 24 years that I won't be doing that. Days that I don't work, instead of walking to Rutters for coffee and something to eat, I have instant coffee here at home and have discovered the wonders of Vanilla Chex with 2% milk. I'm actually saving money because, obviously, I'm not spending it like I was before, and that's good. I've worked all the way through this (essential job, dontcha know) and they put a large amount of precautions' in place, and we have been SO lucky to not have an outbreak over there. I know several people who have had it: a 98 year old friend of my mom who had no symptoms at all. My boss at work, who only lost his taste and smell and was back to work in 14 days. A co-workers wife who I know who got it and was "the sickest I've EVER been" according to her, but she recovered fully. A lady I used to work with who's been over it for several months...but still hasn't gotten her smell or taste back. Another co-worker's wife, she I didn't know, who died from it. A guy who I used to work the election polls with who died from it. And those are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head. So, yeah, I'VE been incredibly lucky so far too. I'm supposed to get vaccinated in early January, second shot a month later. So hopefully by the end of February I wont have to worry about catching it (although I don't know if I could still pass it on...gotta check into that), so if I can hold out that long from getting it, hopefully, I'll be okay.
But still....all the changes, not only in my life but in everyone's, it's crazy how everything can change so quickly. And hopefully, next year, COVID won't even make my list or need mentioning at all (fingers crossed).
POLT
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