2020 ... you don't have to go home but you gotta get the hell out of here
Unless the universe decides to just send us into a never ending 2020 it’s nearly over. We have finally reached the day when we can tell 2020 get out and leave. It’s been …. Interesting to say the least. It hasn’t been fun, much, and it has been stressful but I guess for some of us it could have been worse. For others however the idea of worse isn’t even something they can fathom.
To fully send 2020 to their room to think about what they have done we have to have a year end recap to remind us just a few of the things we accomplished this year. This year was not without accomplishments….we just have to dig a little deeper to find them.
Blog Accomplishments:
This blog was born in August of 2014 and we have had approximately 238 posts with over 22,324 views since that time. That honestly boggles my mind. Our top post changed this year. “Big Rona” bypassed our previous top post “Original Fiction – A Royal Welcome” with over 225 views 61 more views than my original fiction got featuring Haley and Michaels. I really enjoyed writing those stories I’m glad they got some love. I’m a little surprised to see so many of my “original fiction” pieces making it to our “top post” lists for all time. Maybe that means I should do more ….. I really should. I hope I will.
In 2020 alone we had 17 posts (Counting this one) …not the record for this blog by any stretch but it means the blog isn’t dead and that’s something I can be proud of. In previous years I did challenges to myself to post for a week or for an entire month, something I did not do this year. We spaced them out pretty well too so it wasn’t all at the beginning, middle or end of the year but only missed one month. June. I’m ok with that as June was a pretty challenging month for me as it was the middle of summer, work ramped up hard, I was seeing plans that were in place fall away and the fear of losing Dragon Con was becoming real. So June was just not a good month for me and thus was reflected in this blog.
March was a particularly busy month on this blog but that’s also when the Country ground to a semi – stand still and I had more to “say.” I started working from home in March and see no sign of returning to the office in the near future. I go in when necessary, but I don’t stay long. I am usually there long enough to get through what I need to get through then head back home. The numbers are ramping back up here in my town since Nov and the bossman is a gem of a guy who wants us to all stay safe. I also have two coworkers with very young children (one who just celebrated her first Crimmus) and another coworker who like me cares for aging family members who could be devastated by the virus. She’s a lot like me in that going out isn’t a concern for her but bringing it back very much is. I wonder how long he’s going to be able to keep us at home before someone makes it necessary to come back. So far our group has been successful at doing our jobs and doing it well so right now it’s not an issue.
This year also saw the return of Golden to this blog with AITAH. I’m not going to harp on her, Lord knows she has enough going on without me climbing up on her back yelling about this blog. I hope 2021 gives her part of her spark back and allows her the recovery time that 2020 took away from her. However, I do hope 2021 will result in more blogs from her. Her voice is quite unique and the way she paints a picture with words is something I’ve never been able to match which makes me proud and also very jealous of her. Don’t tell her that tho I don’t want to give her a big head.
Marcy's Accomplishments
I have successfully mastered the work from home side of the table. I never thought I'd be good at it, and some days are frankly better than others. Last year our office floor flooded out and we quickly mobilized to working from home. So we had a trial run before the big thing and I think that helped. My bosses management style also helped. He's not a micromanager. He gives you an assignment and expects you to do it. If you have troubles or problems he expects you to handle them or come to him. He's an ex-professor so he's of the gives you a task and then he moves on expecting it to be handled. There's a few times that has backfired on him but luckily he has a staff that knows when to rally and get something done and that's what we have done throughout is rallied when necessary and kept the balls in the air. In September I crossed the milestone of having been working at my place of business for now 17 years. I know what's expected of me, the time frames required for said tasks. What I am learning as co-manager of this department now is how to lead. My boss and I basically split our already split region in half and he's "managed" one side while I've "managed" the other side. This has resulted in more communication and time management on my part in order to proof their submittals, helping them communicate needs to project managers and subs, and in helping them get their submittals across the finish line. I've learned a lot about not doing it for them but showing them how to do it so they can get better. I'm still working on that.
Another accomplishment on my part is my hair. I have always had a love hate relationship with my hair. I still pretty much think it looks a mess 90% of the time but I truly do not recall the last time I went to a hair dresser. This has resulted in my hair being the longest it has ever been in my life. I have no idea how to style it, no idea really how to care for it but it's there and it is big and busy and long. Now I think I've decided to see just how long I can get it. See I've always kept it short cause it would force me to do something to it. The shorter my hair is the more curly it is. Wavy some times. When I was little mom swears I had the Shirley Temple ringlets and when she got my hair cut sometime after my 1st birthday, as mom's do, it grew back pencil straight much to her horror. It stayed that way until my awkward puberty years when it just did whatever the hell it wanted when it wanted. It's still kind of in that stage. I found some new shampoo (a friend was selling and I wanted to support her and I really like the way it made my hair feel, so I kept ordering it). The goal for 2021 is less ponytails and buns and more actually utilizing the beauty that is my hair cause it is pretty on most days for about 15 minutes.
I have also lost some weight during all this insanity. Not to the point that those around me notice, I'm sure, but I can definitely feel my clothes fitting differently. Clothes that used to be far too tight to wear comfortably now and feel good in them. I attribute it to not eating out as much. I used to go to lunch daily with coworkers and that of course isn't happening. Sometimes on the weekend we'd shop and get lunch on the way home. That's not happening either. Basically on Sundays after church we do lunch before heading home. Otherwise it's food here at the house. That being said I'm also eating Fritos while I type this so in a few months that could all change. However for now I'm counting it as an accomplishment.
You gotta celebrate the little things sometimes guys.
Golden's Accomplishments
I am confident she got to this part of the post and said "what accomplishments" but these are the accomplishments that I have seen for her from a far. She's still moving. there are times during this entire year where if she had just laid down and said enough I'd have 100% understood but she got back up....looked life in the eye and said is that all you got!?
Golden had to quarantine twice, once when we thought she was sick and again recently when her dad got sick. During her first quarantine she made the best of it by purging her house a project she had been working on but the quarantine allowed her to really dive in. It resulted in her finishing up the Mighty Little Library which she fills with books for the community to enjoy and also rearranged the books in her house into her very own library which now lives in her dinning room which wasn't really being used for anything. People that know Golden and the way she keeps books in every square inch of her home knows just what a chore that was for her. I can't wait to see it in person and sit in her awesome new chair. She's really trying to fix up her home and make it very nice, as something she can be proud of for years to come as opposed to a structure that houses her things and sometimes a Marcy for a few days. I'm very proud of her for that. She has packed up things to give away, items for those around her that have had it far worse than she has including clothing, kitchen things, household items and books that she doesn't read but could be used else where.
She has also not missed a single day at her job, unless it was for the aforementioned quarantines. See Golden's an essential worker and as such has not only maintained her work schedule but has worked a schedule that no single human being should have to work ... ever .. in life. It's really amazing she hasn't killed anyone this year and that might have been her biggest accomplishment. Her work has pushed her harder than necessary and then more so to the point where once I looked up a number to call and kick up fuss on her behalf but knew that would make it worse and I honestly wasn't sure she could handle worse. I do however have the number now and will use it if necessary. That's not a threat it is a promise.
Health
Our little Blog family didn’t completely escape the Virus …… my nephew got it, but had very mild symptoms. I also had an Aunt and Uncle and several family, friends, and coworkers that contracted the virus all with varying degrees of symptoms which I find fascinating. Personally for me ... my uncle passed away from the virus which made for one of the more bizarre funerals I’ve ever attended. We also lost a few church members due to the virus that I didn't see coming. Golden’s dad suffered through a pretty rough round of it and is really still in the middle of the fight. He’s no longer contagious but he’s definitely not “well” and might never fully recover.
Prayers for her dad are welcome as well as prayers for all who have suffered through this horrible stupid disease and those that will continue to suffer through it as we move forward cause we as a Country have sucked at this pandemic.
So in an effort to get a post into the December bucket I’m going to end it with some words of wisdom form Golden …
“Dude I’m so over this fucking year, 2020 can go fuck itself!”
Yes 2020 you do just that and here’s to a much better 2021 for us all!
Stay safe out there all you viewers …. We need your eyeballs.
See ya on the other side .....
