Happy New Year, nerds!
We made it through arguably the craziest year of our lives. For many, 2020 was a dumpster fire. Jobs were lost. Budgets stretched thin. Relationships tested.
If you made it out of 2020 unscathed, bully for you. Like most people, 2020 left its mark on our little corner of this great big world.
Let’s take a look at 2020
January
A strong start to the year. TCU Women’s Basketball defeats Texas on the road. I join a couple of other fans to welcome them back after midnight in a Schollmaier Arena parking lot. That same day my Nerd Partner 4 Life and I attend the Armed Forces Bowl and a Men’s Basketball game. I also score free tickets to see Hello Dolly at Bass Hall, begin volunteering with Urgent Animals of Fort Worth, and we go on a fan road trip to see TCU Women’s Basketball beat OU on the road. Sprinkles for everyone at the postgame stop to Braum’s for ice cream.
February
THE CHIEFS WIN THE SUPER BOWL!!! As a lifelong Chiefs fan, I’m elated. During a trip to New York, I have the opportunity to try Pappy for the very first time. Oh. My. Damn. It was liquid magic. Valentine’s Day was a date to a TCU Baseball game with my NP4L. Just what I wanted! This month also marks the first time I’ve got a homerun ball at a game. We get Hep A and Typhoid vaccinations in preparation for our upcoming trip to Panama. Oh, and there’s the little matter of a leaking seal on my trunk letting water into my car. THAT’S why my car smelled funky.
March
My gas meter has to move for emergency access. In the process, the contractors doing the work for Atmos hack apart my fence. After much discussion and problem solving, the company fixes my fence and hooks me up with gravel for my back yard. TCU Men’s and Women’s Basketball make it through the regular season, but the Big 12 tournaments are cut short. A historic season for Women’s Basketball turns from a most likely trip to the NCAA tournament to no post season at all. 3/15 we join friends for an early St. Patrick’s Day tasting at Acre Distillery. We begin working from home the next day.
April
Breweries have shifted to beer-to-go and we try to support as many as possible. Discovery of the month? Carrots randomly growing in my garden! Stuck at home, the obvious choice is to start working on jobs around the house. We finish painting the fence! First zoom birthday is celebrated, as well as our first birthday parade. Our recumbent bike arrives. Our planned trip to Panama is cancelled. As is our Bahamian cruise.
May
Save the USPS! I buy a billion stamps in solidarity. Fighter jets fly over major cities, including Fort Worth, to lift our spirits. We don’t live close enough to downtown to see them. It’s a let down. In happier news, we celebrate our 16th anniversary and another zoom birthday. Dragged out the sewing machine and made my first mask using fabric and elastic I had in the house. I’ll go on to make four more.
June
June: Happy birthday to me. On my birthday I have to make the decision if I want to take a early out from my company and find a new job. After much analysis, one thorough spreadsheet, and a lot of soul searching, I decide to do it, as does my NP4L. By the end of the month, we’re both unemployed.
July
The job hunt is on. Here’s the thing–I’m only unemployed for a month. Almost to the day I start a new role, in my field, in my metro area. This is why I decided to leave, because I knew that I could find something else and that helped potentially save a job for coworker. For the first time since moving into our current home, we aren’t traveling for the 4th of July. As a result, we discover that our neighborhood embraces amateur pyrotechnics. Hard. Also, HBD to my NP4L.
August
One of my goals in 2020 was to improve my overall health. Not just my weight, but also my skin. As a result, I start a Curology subscription to try to clear up my skin. More beer is bought. I lean in hard on virtual alumni events, which introduces me to the Sledge Distillery in Tolar, Texas. More on that later.
September
My BFF is now selling Color Street nail strips. I support my BFF and have a new obsession. TCU football starts back up and our fans give zero Effs about social distancing and wearing masks in the stands. My anxiety rose throughout the first game. I’ll eventually leave a game because of fans not observing Covid protocols and sitting in every available space around us to get out of the sun.
October
We discover mouse poop in the spare bedroom…which leads to us discovering the deceased mouse. I spend a good portion of the month donning a respirator and dealing with the situation. In bigger news, we rocked that early vote. Despite the spikes, we had to make a trip Nebraska to check on a family member. Flying during a pandemic felt odd. Ordinarily, we fly all the time. But this trip brought on anxiety I’ve never felt before when traveling. Thankfully, we make it there and back with no issues and remain Covid-free. Our original plans to travel to Ireland were, obviously, scrapped.
November
TCU Women’s Soccer become Big 12 champions. To try to get a little taste of a trip, we drive out to the Sledge Distillery. We didn’t even consider that mask mandates vary by county and we’re the only patrons wearing masks. Our visit was brief and we come home with two bottles of Pecan spirits. We also try a couple of staycations with varying success. The issue? Watching a housekeeper come in and out of rooms not wearing a mask…as we’re checking out. Ignorance is bliss. Oh yeah, did I mention there was an election? Happy Zoomsgiving!
December
Christmas spirit is low, but lights are hung. My new door for the back of the house arrives and I spend an entire Sunday installing it. I not only pay off my car loan, but refinance my home loan. In the process, my home appraises for $24.5K more than what I bought it for in 2018. TCU football winds down and, unfortunately, Covid cancels their bowl game. I save my vacation days and roll almost 2 weeks over to next year. Happy Zoomas!
Looking Forward
Undoubtedly, 2020 still had its moments. Time didn’t stand still and life continued on. However, I think we can safely say that most folks are looking forward to what 2021 may bring.
To get off to a good start, we most definitely ate our black eyed peas today!
Does your family eat black eyed peas on New Year’s Day? Mine does. In fact, this is something my family has done since I was just a little nerd. I’ve shared this tradition with my NP4L. Some years, the black eyed peas are straight up. Other years, we cook them into a dish. A typical go-to is stew. This year? I added black eyed peas to the enchiladas!
Fun fact: Did you know that the black eyed pea originated in West Africa? Also the tradition of eating black eyed peas on New Year’s Day most likely was a modification to the “first footer” tradition of colonial Brits. They required the first person to set foot over the threshold on New Year’s morning must in most districts be dark-haired or dark-complexioned; he or she is then a bringer of good luck. The black eyes of the peas replaced the need to have a dark-eyed stranger knocking at your door. You can read more about black eyed peas here.
Goals
Many people make new year resolutions or set goals. Something to help motivate and guide for the upcoming year. Honestly, I’m not much of a resolution kind of nerd. However, over the past few years my NP4L has convinced me to set goals for the upcoming year.
Our goals typically are specific, with quantifiable measurements. When I say I wanted to improve my health in 2020, my goal was to clear my skin, go to bed earlier, read a specific book and incorporate my learnings into my diet, and increase my activity levels. This year, we’re starting with short term goals. What can we achieve in the first 3 months of the year, since we’re most likely still stuck at home through at least March.
These goals include, but are not limited to:
- Finish work on the house (including quoting out some brickwork, installing a railing on the back steps, fixing more cracks in the drywall, etc.)
- Install the floor for the shed in the backyard
- Purge (clothing, papers, things we don’t need)
- Start planning future travel for 2021 (identify destinations, research hotels, flights, costs, things to do, etc.)
Come March, we’ll reevaluate and come up with new goals for the remainder of the year.
We’re all in this together
I want to end this post acknowledging that 2021 is made or broke by all of us. It’s not my year or your year, it’s our collective year. We all need to do our part to not repeat 2020.
So do your part, dear nerds. Wear a mask (because science). Get vaccinated when it’s your turn (again, because SCIENCE). And for the love of all that is holy, have courage and be kind.
Cheers to a new year!
Head Nerd