Adieu, '22

Is it really that time again, invisible audience? Another year has slipped on by, yet in some ways I felt every inch of it.  2022 was a year of the loss of numerous family and friends.  Aunts, uncles, fathers of friends.  Dear people, some of whose departures really baffled me.  A few were up in years while others were my age or younger.  I think of my old college friend Amy, a gentle soul who was an advocate for animals (wild and domestic) and a middle-of-the-night friend to so many.  I also think on Chris, a friend from my church who was a talented musician and devoted husband and father.  Another soul who would drop everything for a bud in need.  Both had so much to offer and were such positives in an increasingly smug and humorless world. 

Had a most excellent Christmas.  Beautiful Christmas Eve candlelight service at church and the next morning we held a brunch for a few friends, one of whom is an Army vet who was filled with interesting stories (and CADDYSHACK quotes) and another who is my wife's co-worker.  Panattone and scrambled eggs! Also broke into a box of See's candies, a gift from a patient.  After our gift exchange we drove to my mother-on-law's stepson's house for a quick visit with his family. We ended up having an early dinner at TooJay's, and bless them for being open.

If you know anything about me, you'll recall that I hate warm weather during this season.  Well, this year Jack Frost actually visited these parts and we had temps that did not climb out of the 40s, even during the day, on the 25th.  For South Florida, that is cold.  I would've liked an appearance or two by the sun but no complaints.  It felt like a bona fide Northeastern Christmas, the kind I would've preferred more of growing up.  I did not see any iguana popsicles. 

Work was work, ya know? I still love my patients, even when they aggravate me.  The OTC Act has not really affected our hearing aid business thus far.  The summer, usually a slow down period while the snowbirds head back to their northern enclaves, remained steady as more and more folks moved into SoFL.  I read somewhere - eight-hundred families a day.  Our roadways simply can't handle all that traffic. 

In my company we had at least two entirely unexpected high level resignations and their absences are conspicuous.  We went through several front desk and medical assistant staff before some stability took hold in the last few months.  Aside from the occasional bit of elementary school level drama, they are generally mature and diligent, and seem to respect each other.  In this age of "quiet quitting" and an self-absorbed attitude that justifies failing to inform an employer you are not accepting that job, I am impressed that some work ethic and etiquette still lives and breathes.

But this whole notion of "embracing mediocrity"? We're in real fucking trouble, invisible audience.  Life balance and hard work, beyond the minimum expected of you, can be achieved without acting like an entitled little snot. What happened to striving for excellence? Doing more?  I realize many companies fail to reward above and beyond work, but if that is the case one needs to move on.  OK, rant over!

You may have noticed the lack of a holiday work party posting this year.  Apparently there were plans for one in the ballroom of a local hotel, but it wasn't available this month.  So we're having an after holiday party in January.  Posting to follow (hic).

You may recall last December my trusty barber Curt was near the end of his career.  The historic building in which he worked put him on a month-to-month as they had some vague plans for the entire ground floor.  Curt continued until April or so before he called it quits.   I called him some time later and he seemed content.  He's earned the rest.  He still sees one of the ENTs I work with.  

In one of those "everything old is new again" twists, I returned to Richard's Barber Shop in Boynton Beach, where I got my locks maintenanced all those years ago when I worked down there.   My old follicle maestro Carlos remembered me and I've happily made the fifteen mile drive every three weeks or so since summertime.  I love the old school atmosphere there.  Five barbers trading quips with the customers and each other while football (soccer) matches or '80s music (!) plays overhead.  A lot more fun than these self serious "bro" joints with younger, talented, yet too-cool-for-me head cutters.  More expensive, too.

A little travel this year.  Two trips to NJ/NY - one on my birthday weekend for a Wilco show, the other for Thanksgiving.  Wonderful times with family.  In April, my wife, mother-in-law, and I drove up to the Atlanta area for a cousin's wedding, held in an old Southern estate.  A few months later, my wife and I flew to Charlotte, North Carolina and drove through the mountains in the western part of the state before heading back through Asheville.  You can read about it here.  We're still trying to put together a trip to Norway.

We continue to consider a move out of Florida, though this year the discussion waned a bit.  It will happen.  Yes, I know I've said this year after year.  But maybe the urgency of a nearly impossible real estate market and overcrowding will hasten the move.  But where to go? The decision won't be light or hasty.

We remain at our Presbyterian church, a small congregation that shrank further in the fallout of the pandemic. The church is close to one hundred years old and still has a nice mix of ages among the parishioners.  We received a new head pastor and he is a very friendly and godly fellow.  A surfer with good taste in music, to boot.  One of the associate pastors moved with his wife to Thailand.  The youth director became a volunteer as he needed a higher paying full-time gig.  We continue to teach Sunday School, mainly to second and third graders, once a month.  Our schedules have not allowed us to attend Bible studies during the week.

Back in the summer my 12th grade A.P. English teacher came in for a hearing test.  I hadn't seen her in thirty-five years.  A lifetime.  Spotting her name on the schedule was a serious nostalgic hit.  After some discussion, and reminding her (and later sending her a copy) of a recommendation letter she wrote me for a Pathfinder nomination my senior year, she remembered me.  A beautifully composed piece that I made sure survived all my moves.  You should read it.   She was one of my all-time favorite teachers and we had a blast catching up.  She's a published author now, and recalled that one of my classmates, a BMOC who has since become famous in his own right, invited her to one of his high school keg parties.  It was so great to chat with her again, now as a fully formed (ha ha) adult.  One never knows when paths will cross again in life.     

Interestingly, a former co-worker and a former neighbor both became TV stars this year.  Jenna achieved instant fame after her epic swing at our holiday party at Drive Shack in 2019.  The resulting infamous "Damn Jenna!" video became a YouTube, ESPN, and Tik Tok sensation, leading to her appearance on the Holey Moley show on ABC.   Alas, she did not win the competition, but put in an impressive performance on the obstacle and putt putt courses.  Kerry, a yacht captain who was my upstairs neighbor years ago, one day announced on Facebook that he was to appear on Bravo's Below Deck Adventure.  I haven't checked that out as of yet.   Happy for both of them, two cool peeps who I miss seeing.  

Have you ever been on TV? I have, but not since (as far as I'm aware) I was a kid, seen in an audience shot during a televised church service.  A few years later, I would be behind one of those very cameras on the tech crew. 

So I end 2022 on a positive note, fully aware of all my blessings, and thankful.  My thankfulness includes you, invisible audience.  There are a handful out there who regularly check in to read my amateur film reviews, occasional music and audiology postings, and even less frequent life journals.  Here's to many more in '23!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!