52 Things I Enjoyed About 2020

2020 was a tough year. We were more fortunate than others considering as of now we and our extended family have maintained our health. Still, I lost my job, the kids lost time with their friends, we lost our big trip to visit our friend Megan in Switzerland, both kids lost time at school and we lost a sense of community that we love in Bexley. But there were positives. Below is a list of of 52 positives from the year. This isn't a full ranking and I certainly wouldn't try to order it, so instead I grouped it into categories. For those of you who don't care about my random sports teams, feel free to skip that section

The Election

The results of the 2020 election

• What needed to happen, happened. I went into this a lot more in my last post, so I don't need to get into all the reasons why I wanted Joe Biden to win. This could easily turn negative and I have debated writing down my thoughts on how 74,111,419 voted for Trump or the impacts of disinformation or the basic unfairness of the electoral college or how Republicans have acted during all of the baseless election claims from Trump or a myriad of issues we have in our country. All of that is true. All of that makes talking politics with even friends I agree with to not be enjoyable. Still on a gloriously warm Saturday I got a text with the results (a text from a close friend who was up until this election very apolitical) and I almost dropped to my knees. I don't want to be overly dramatic and little about that day changes my overall thoughts on democracy in this country, but still the text, buying Johnnie Walker Blue and then popping champagne with my close friends was amazing and for that one day all was well. 

Volunteering to be a Poll Worker

• I'm mostly a "political hobbyist" meaning I read a lot of news and opinion articles and can speak intelligently on most subjects....but I don't actually engage in politics. The one exception this year was signing up to work the polls on election day. I had a few online trainings, an in person training, setting up for the election and then working a 15 hour day (starting at 5:30am) for the election. It was a little concerning doing this during COVID, but still it felt good to do my civic duty. (Also, seeing the pride people take in voting makes me even more outraged over undemocratic actions like gerrymandering.) I'm not sure if I will do it again (I think I will) or how else I can get involved, but I was happy to do a small part in this election.  

Finances

Getting 97% of our money back for the Europe trip

• We were booked to fly to Europe over Spring Break - this included booking hotels, an Airbnb and train tickets. Some of those were non-refundable. Then when COVID started going bad we made the decision to cancel our trip. In order of ease of getting money back to not easy it went hotels (a simple click of the button on Expedia), Airbnb (a very easy to understand policy when I called and then a click of the button), Rail Europe (they made me take pictures of the tickets and mail it to them before giving us our money back) and then Delta (first they gave me vouchers and then after multiple calls and many hours on hold they finally gave us our money back). Anyway, we lost out on some transaction fees, but still I took it as quite the accomplishment to get 97% of our money back. 

Saving Money

• It turns out that when there isn't much to do and you can't travel it is very easy to save money. On our budget Travel was down 93%, Dining out was down 53% and entertainment was down 27%. We spent more money on our home, but still from a budget perspective we have never saved as much as we did in 2020.

Food

New recipes: Chicken Fried Rice and Beer Battered Shrimp

• Being stuck at home meant we tried out a few more recipes than normal. One of my favorites was a simple chicken fried rice...and mixing it with yum yum sauce. I found out that it only worked when you had all the ingredients (sounds obvious) and included the egg, carrots, peas, chicken and rice. Also, at the start of the pandemic I bought one of those big rice packages and found out that as long as you have time (and working from home meant we had time) it is much better to make the long cooking (20-25 minutes) rice. Another favorite was the McCormick Beer Batter Seafood mix on shrimp. Somewhat randomly our youngest child really likes this and overall it is a great option for cocktail hour. 

Box Wine

• Am I proud of this one? No. But the quarantine plus being stuck at home meant a semi-regular switch from bottles of wine to box wine. The quality isn't bad and I don't feel as embarrassed when I take out the recycling now. 

Takeout

• Takeout in terms of quality and operations has improved so much. Maybe it has always been that way, but really we have gotten much better about ordering online and having a nice professionally cooked meal in the comforts of our own home. 

Picnics

• At a garage sale a few years ago I picked up a picnic basket and somewhat surprisingly we use relatively frequently even before COVID. During COVID though this because an especially great purchase because picnics were the perfect COVID activity.

Home

Painting the basement Green Apple

• Before COVID started we planned on working on our basement with a new couch and by painting it. We picked a light green color (Green Apple) and instead of hiring a painter did it ourselves. This turned our remarkably well and the light green color in the basement makes me happy during family movie time. 

Home improvement projects

• We got a new fence, new computer and a basketball goal for the garage. That combined with the revamped basement (we added on some furniture, changed whats hanging on the walls and got a new TV) made for an improved home. 

Kids

Animals

• This year was likely the start of our live with animals. As I write this I can look over at our fishes and snail....and I can see into the future and see so many more animals. We might have briefly adopted a turtle, bunny and worm, but soon I know we won't be able to say no to the dog question anymore. (We aren't saying no because we don't like dogs, but because our youngest has been afraid of dogs and we are waiting until that is over.)

Cooking with the kids

• The kids (unless they are in one of their moods) really enjoy helping us cook and I feel like that is both a useful life skill as well as helping them try new foods. 

The age 4

• Each age has its own pros and cons, but for my money there might not be a better age out there than the age of 4. Up until 4 there are naps, diapers (or potty training) and meltdowns. Up until 4 it is very hard to have a rational conversation with a child. But then slowly things change and before you know it you are having somewhat normal conversations with your child instead of just waiting for the inevitable meltdown. That happens around the age of 4. Also, one nice thing about the age of 4 is that you can have these normal conversations, but 4 year olds still have the confidence to go to Target wearing a princess costume.  

L and our neighbor (Heidi) walking Heidi's dog

• Our across the street neighbor has a dog that L absolutely LOVES to be around in any capacity. It is cute to see and also a reminder of how great our neighborhood is. 

The kids playing together

• Both M and I grew up with siblings and always knew we wanted to have more than 1 kid. One big reason is that we wanted each of them to have someone to play with. This takes awhile to happen, but it really has blossomed this year and what a perfect year for that to happen. They really enjoying playing whatever games exist in their head and it gives M and I a little bit of a break that isn't TV related. 

Movie marathons with the kids 

• We have watched all 4 Shreks, the first two Home Alones and the first two Beethovens. It's nice having the new basement and that the kids are old enough that we don't have to watch Daniel Tiger. (Not that Daniel Tiger was bad.)

Picking up J at 3:30pm

• Without a commute or having to be in the office at certain times we have changed J's school pickup to 3:30pm. This has given our family a nice routine where we can pick her up and she can play with L and watch a tv show before getting ready for dinner. I've very much enjoyed this routine.

L running a 5k

• One of the more amazing athletic accomplishments of the year was watching my oldest child run a 5k with M. Just writing that sentence seems crazy to me, but J and I followed them along the entire run and I saw it myself. L has really modeled her behavior after M (who really likes running) and I was impressed she could do that.

Misc

Walks / Fitbit

• One of the best things I've ever bought in my life has been a Fitbit. It helps motivate me to get outside more and my daily walks helps me catch up on podcasts (Ezra Klein, fantasy football, Colin Cowherd) or books (see at the end of this post). At one point I walked 10,000 steps every single day for 109 straight days (4/11 to 7/28). I've since had a few days under 10,000, but still I am doing pretty well overall and currently have walked 57 more miles than I did last year (and I felt like last year was a pretty good year)

Drawing logos

• For the Super Bowl every year we create a big Super Bowl poster and hand draw the logos of each team. I won't pretend that I am very good drawer, but I have enjoyed that in the past. This year I've expanded it by periodically turning on music and working on a random logo while L & J draw next to me.

Exploring the city parks of Columbus

• The city parks of Columbus are well-run, pretty and provide a perfect COVID activity in that it's outside and socially distant. That was a common activity this year and one that I would like to continue even when COVID is gone. 

My blue Kevin Garnett retro jersey

• I saw this was on sale the other day and pounced at the opportunity to buy what has to be one of the prettiest jerseys ever. 

Sports

Obi Toppin & the Pine Club

• One of my last "normal" nights before Covid shut things down was a February 28th Dayton basketball game where I went with one of my close friends to see Obi Toppin. Wow. Toppin was dominating and at one point he dunked it on 3 consecutive possessions and each one being better than the one before. Dayton is a truly great place to watch a basketball game....and afterwards getting a steak at the cash only Pine Club is well worth it. I ended up buying an Homage Pine Club shirt as a way of remembering life before COVID. 

Duke at Unc

• Much like Buddy the Elf it was hard not to excitedly say "I know him" when Wendall Moore hit the game winning shot against UNC. The entire comeback and Tre Jones missed free throw turned into tying jumper sequence as spectacular, but seeing Moore (who I met at K Academy and seemed incredibly friendly) hit the shot at the end of the game was special. 

The Dolphins drafting Tua

• There have been two perfect draft matches for the professional teams in my life. Deron Williams to the Jazz in 2005 and Tua to the Dolphins in 2020. The Dolphins started a complete rebuild last year and "Tank for Tua" became a thing. The plan was to lose every game, get the 1st pick and draft the best QB prospect since maybe Andrew Luck. Well it didn't really work out that way as the Dolphins actually started winning games, but then Tua injured his hip and Joe Burrow had maybe the greatest college year ever for a QB....and long story short the Dolphins drafted Tua but in the 5th spot in the draft. That was the most exciting Dolphins draft pick since I became a fan. 

Believing in Brian Flores

• It is nice going into a game and feeling like you have the better coach. It is also nice feeling like the long-term direction of the team is in good hands. As a Dolphins fan I feel absolutely thrilled to have Brian Flores as the coach

Donovan Mitchell in the playoffs

• The NBA moved to a bubble for the playoffs, which overall I think was a net negative. I missed the fans and I missed the hype before a big Jazz home playoff game. However, there was one huge positive that I might be discounting too much and that is the quality of basketball seemed to be significantly higher in the bubble than in previous years. That resulted in one of my all-time favorite basketball series between the Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz. The matchup was absolutely perfect (the complete opposite of the Rockets / Jazz from years past) and it didn't get much better than seeing Donovan Mitchell compete against Jamaal Murray. Mitchell averaged 36 points per game on better than 50% shooting and was truly a joy to watch. As I watching Mitchell dominate I kept thinking about how he was eventually going to have a statue outside whatever they call Vivint Arena

Donovan Mitchell & Rudy Gobert signing long term deals with the Jazz

• Mitchell and Gobert are the modern day Stockton / Malone and with so many star players jumping around (I'm looking at you Lebron, Durant, Kawhi) it is nice to have the same players to root for every single year. I look forward to seeing both players continue to grow and for the Jazz to hopefully take the next step

Derrick Favors resigning with the Jazz

• I'm not sure if the Jazz or really any of my favorite professional teams will ever win the title and I am not sure if a move like resigning Derrick Favors helps that. However, sometimes it is just nice to root for players you like and Favors is a true professional and a very good player. He played for the Jazz for 9 years, left for New Orleans and now is back for this 10th year. 

The Dolphins defense - led by Xavien Howard

• Last year the Dolphins started the year off by giving up 59 points. This year they are the best defense in the league in terms of points against (18.8 per game). I can't believe the turnaround. It's been an entire team effort, but I have to point out how amazing Xavien Howard has been at cornerback. He has 9 interceptions and could win defensive player of the year. 

Watching the Houston Texans lose

• Maybe my most controversial sports opinions is that no team should own their own draft pick. It isn't natural to hope for your team to lose, but sometimes the incentives work that you root for the tank. That happened last year as the Dolphins tried to tank for Tua. This year has been so much better because I could root for the Dolphins to win AND also hope for a top draft pick. Before the 2019 season the Dolphins trade Laremy Tunsil to the Texans for a lot of draft picks...including the 1st and 2nd round picks in this draft. All of that meant Dolphins fans would be rooting against the Texans in every game this year in hopes of getting better draft picks. And the Texans lost, and lost and kept losing. As I write this they are 4-11 and the Dolphins would get the 3rd pick in the 1st round and 2nd round. Every week I text my fellow Dolphins fan about who the Texans are playing and we try to figure out how that team can win. It's fun having two games and two teams teams (the Dolphins and whoever is playing the Texans) to root for each week.

Alvin Kamara and my fantasy team

• Alvin Kamara was the best running back in the league all year and led my fantasy team to top points and a 3rd place playoff finish.

The Ryan Fitzpatrick no-look pass

• Just when the Dolphins season looked to be over Ryan Fitzpatrick completed the most ridiculous pass I have ever seen. I don't know how anyone can throw the ball so far and so accurately while having their helmet ripped to the side by a 300lb lineman. That pass saved the season and provided the kind of joy that makes you just randomly laugh and text friends pure joyful gibberish. 

TV

Mrs. America

• Mrs. America was a 9 part mini-series on Hulu that mostly tracked the life of Phyllis Schlafly as well as other political figures during the fight to pass the ERA. It was incredibly well-acted and covered a time period (the 1970s) that I don't feel like I learned as much about in school. 

Emily in Paris

• If Mrs. America was both fun and educational, then Emily in Paris was just fun. I don't care how unrealistic it was or any of the other criticisms this was the perfect show for COVID.

The Great

• In a show that had absolutely nothing to do with our current (and soon to be former) President, the Great reminded me so much of him. Peter is selfish, cruel and demands 100% loyalty from his subjects. Seeing Peter interact with Catherine was probably the best possible two person interaction I saw all year on TV. 

Trips

New Orleans

• I can't always predict what trips are going to be ok and what trips are going to be great. New Orleans seemed like one of those trips that might be less than ideal because what people normally like about New Orleans (great food and drinking on Bourbon Street) doesn't really fit in the family friendly category. However, it easily was one of our best trips. We got a nice hotel that was close to the French Quarter and had a pool. The kids loved the pool and the various forms of transportation we took including J's first taxi ride, various pedicabs around the city and then finally a train ride from New Orleans to Jackson. M and I both really loved the nice meals around the city including going back to this place (Deanie's) we went to (and really enjoyed) a decade ago. And my favorite was the Pelicans / Jazz game where Brandon Ingram scored 49 points and Donovan Mitchell scored 46 points. It was a dramatic, well-played game that we watched from the 10th row. Anyway, the trip had something for everyone and is something I would definitely enjoy doing again with the family.

Bloomington, Indiana

• During the summer we took the proper precautions (quarantining before) and decided to meet up with two close college friends of mine in Bloomington, Indiana. Why Bloomington? My friends found a place with an indoor pool and I will now say that when you have small kids an indoor pool increases your happiness by at least 73%. Anyway, I remember thinking after the trip about how it was good for our souls and even know I don't think that was hyperbole

Pensacola Beach

• We debated and debated and debated going on this trip, but after much discussion we decided to quarantine before meeting up as a family down in Pensacola Beach. This wasn't our normal location, which was fine since it wasn't a normal year. (We had a normal trip planned but that was canceled during the first peak of COVID). Anyway, despite the very strange middle part, I really loved hanging out with my family and going to the beach. One positive about most things being closed is that the trip was actually a lot more relaxing because there was no "fear of missing out." Sometimes M and I can go to a place and try to check off as many main attractions as possible, but with this trip it was just the pool, beach, cocktail hour and family time.

Lakeside

• The kids love to go to Lakeside for the golf cart rides, donuts and being able to hang out as a family. In a year with most things being canceled it was nice to have a normal trip.

Work

Finding a new job

• Retail is a tough industry to be in right now and trying to find a job remotely is another hurdle. I feel fortunate to find another comparable job as what I had before at another large (but not as large) retailer her in Columbus. 

Getting paid for your vacation days

• I don't recommend getting let go and I also don't recommend not using your vacation days....but....if that does happen it is really nice getting an extra large paycheck paying out the vacation days you rightly accrued. And as I told HR on the day I got let go, that day itself was supposed to be a vacation day but I wasn't going to count it since I called into the two appropriate meetings. 

Meeting new coworkers (virtually)

• I have two new coworkers in general that I really like and feel like I can trust with various observations / complaints. It's a testament to the power of technology (Teams calls, emails and texts) that I can already feel a strong bond with two people I have never met before. 

Writing 

Anything by Wright Thompson

• Wright Thompson is so good....his book of sports, his article on Archie Manning are great and I am going to guess that his new book on bourbon will also be very good. 

Why We're Polarized by Ezra Klein

• I love listening to and reading Ezra Klein and his book this year did not disappoint. It really helped me better understand where we were as a country.

The Victory Machine by Ethan Sherwood Strauss

• I love pretty much anything Ethan Strauss writes, but really his ESPN articles chronicling the rise of the Golden State Warriors were must reads. This book is more of the same about the Warriors and while it is somewhat short is is very compact and extremely fun to read (or in my case listen to). 

The Wax Pack by Brad Balukjian

• I love 1) random concepts 2) sports 3) baseball cards 4) road trips so yeah this book was perfect for me. Brad Balukjian searched out the players from a single pack of baseball cards to see what happened with their life. He made me care about players I never heard of (the pack was from a time before I followed baseball), but really I just appreciated his commitment to such a crazy and unique idea.

It Was All A Lie by Stuart Stevens

• Stuart Stevens is a fellow Mississippian and he writes with clarity of someone who has been in politics a long time and can see the issues we are having with the Republican Party. I remember reading his book about going to every Ole Miss football game with his Dad and loving his writing style....and while this book isn't nearly as fun it is probably even more necessary

Three Ring Circus by Jeff Pearlman

• I never have liked the Lakers - as a Jazz fan that is somewhat to be expected because the Lakers often beat the Jazz in the playoffs, but I really enjoyed this book about the Shaq / Kobe Lakers. I could even get over the fact that the person reading the book absolutely butchered the names of multiple NBA players. 

Joe Posnanski's Browns Diary

• I lived with 3 Browns fans in college and it was enough after that not to be a Browns fan. That being said one of my favorite things to read is Joe Posnanski's weekly diary on the Browns. He is a very logical sports fan and provides a great perspective.

Glass House by Brian Alexander

• This was a recommendation from a writer I like as a great way of understanding the collapse of the American Dream as told through the small town of Lancaster, Ohio. I loved pretty much everything about this depressing American story. It turns out private equity and the "greed is good" culture helped destroy a company (Anchor Hocking) and a city (Lancaster, Ohio) that is just 30 minutes southeast of where I write this. 

Can't Even by Anne Helen Peterson

• Continuing the theme of a Glass House, this is a good summary of what ills the "millennial" generation. I really enjoyed her perspective on technology and work. 

Anyway, I doubt that anyone made it this far in the blog, but if they did congrats on making through a blog that was almost as long as 2020. I am glad to turn the page on this year, but I am also glad that if we had to have a forever quarantine it was with M, L and J.