2021, Down the Hatch

In many ways, 2021 turned out to be a more emotionally draining year than its predecessor, the year the COVID-19 virus shut down the world.  In my review of events I found that while many things endured during the shutdown in '20, many did not in its fallout.  To wit, we lost several employees this year at work.  Folks who stuck with it even when our hours were cut significantly and the future looked bleak.  When salaried employees went hourly for awhile.  But in the spring and summer of this year we lost several long timers.  There are reasons unrelated to the pandemic.  Perhaps due to our move to a much smaller office.  Other reasons you can speculate upon.

Work went hummingly most of the year.  The seasonal migration of snowbirds was generally back on track.  December proved an eventful month as we had a literal waterfall erupt out of our ceiling a few weeks back.  Without getting into too much detail, the drip pan (which hadn't been maintenanced in some time) for one of the air conditioner units gave way, sending cascades down through the grooves of the ceiling tiles and onto the nurses' station and carpet.  It lasted for over a minute.  I will never forget walking over to witness this, the ENT doctor next to me looking up at it and uttering "Holy shit!"  Luckily, no patients were in the vicinity of this catastrophe, which was attended to by two highly annoyed maintenance dudes who swore in Spanish as they vacuumed and set up the industrial fans.  The crisis was contained.   Hopefully it will prompt a decision to ditch the carpeting and get a laminate floor.

The same week, one night the gate for the parking garage got stuck, stranding several of us for over an hour before the same two annoyed dudes came to fix it.

And this month alone three beloved local businesses said goodbye.  The Due South Brewery in Boynton Beach was one.  A shocker; they had always seemed to maintain their following and decent tap room attendance.  They steadily sold their brews to local businesses, including "Oink" to the Park Avenue BBQ chain.  So I'm not sure exactly what happened.  They closed on the 19th and are selling their name and formula. 

My barber Curt informed me that the historic building in which he works will not renew his yearly lease, so he will go month to month at least a little into 2022, until management decides a game plan.  They want to occupy the entire first floor with something new, possibly a gym.  As Curt is almost ninety, he is taking this as his cue to pack it in.  Setting up shop in a new place is too much to handle.  I understand it, but am dismayed.  He knows exactly how to handle the #1 attachment on the razor on the sides and how to snip what's left of the hair on my dome.  Guess I'll have to go back to the place with those young guys in the movie themed cuttery near the house.  They're cool and efficient, though they charge much more and tend to make my hair look more urban (in the Miami sense) than I desire.  Though, a youth leader at my church marveled at their work one Sunday ("I couldn't stop looking at it!").  For a brief period of time, I looked trendy.

And...speaking of gyms.  Ultima Gym in West Palm Beach has once again folded.  A sad tale.  You can read some history here.  I'd been a member for ten years in two locations.  Their move a few years ago would prove to be their undoing.  But even before that a new owner unwisely stopped offering popular classes and focused on boxing training.  The new facility was beautiful but cramped, and the weekend hours became spotty.  COVID and dwindling membership shut it down last year, but new owners bought it and re-opened.  I guess it never flew.  I went regularly, even getting in a few 5:30 AM weekday workouts before I got lazy again.  When I found a sign announcing their closure a week before Christmas it was a true gut punch.  Another reminder of the temporal.  There are a few gyms closer to home but Ultima is a hard act to follow.  Stay tuned.

This year some longtime friends became very ill due to COVID.  A few died.  One was a guy I grew up with in my youth group at church, only a year younger than me. I hadn't seen him since college, lately only corresponding through Facebook.  He was a militant anti-vaxxer, and left behind a wife and three children.  Unspeakably sad.  I can say plenty about this and the continuing denial of the seriousness of the pandemic, but I feel it has been played.  What can I offer that you haven't read (or spoken) elsewhere?   

I'm going to get my booster in early January, by the way.   I would've liked to do this earlier, but I was always trying to schedule a time (like say, a Friday evening) when I have recovery time if I need it.  I did not have too much fallout from shots #1 and #2, other than a very sore arm.   As I write, the omicron variant is raging through the U.S.  Family and co-workers have been identified as positive within the past week.  This pandemic, or at least the semblance of normalcy, continues to wax and wane. 

Good things did happen this year.  The biggest was the sale (finally!) of my late grandmother's condo.  This was a huge relief; the path to it was lengthy and complicated.   I am curious as to how that interior looks now.  For years it remained empty and grim.  Hopefully, it has been updated and someone had a beautiful Christmas there.  I'm tempted to drive by it.

My wife and I still live with her mom (since her husband passed) but as I've said, we are planning to move.  For real.  It's been long enough.   Where and exactly when is still a question mark.

You see I haven't mentioned  the events in Washington D.C. on January 6th.  I'm still disgusted.  Any elaboration on this would be ugly, so we'll leave it be.

As you may have seen, we did a little domestic travel this year.  Just FL and GA.  I documented these trips.  Oh, forgot to tell you about Melbourne.  We went for a getaway on a beautifully sunny and kinda chilly Thanksgiving weekend.  It is a very low key place, one that thankfully hasn't been overdeveloped.  We hung on the beach and in the historic downtown area.  We met my wife's childhood friend for brunch, but we did not get to see my childhood friend who also lives up there.  Next time.

Not eager to fly, but I miss my family up north and have also been itching to get back out West.  There are trips to Norway and Italy on our wishlists, too.  Hopefully they will be possible in the near future.

I feel this year's summary was vague and thin, but I've given you most of the highlights.  I remain grateful for my family, faith, friends, and job.  I kvetch a lot but am always pulled back into the realization that I am extremely blessed.   Yes, we wait with trepidation for the new year, but also anticipate new opportunities and blessings.

Of course, much more to come on the blog.  You do like movies, right?

Happy New Year!