My 2020 in review
4 min read
As the year wraps up, I wanted to take a little time to reflect on my year. As I wrote this, I attempted to think of it as a year-end newsletter/journal.
Working Remotely #
March 9th was the last day I went into the office in 2020. I know that because when I heard there was a case of Covid-19 reported by an employee at the Batman building, I got up from my desk, walked to the window and snapped a photo.
Because of the type of work I do, it was relatively easy to work remotely, and I've enjoyed building out my desk. This is version 1.0.0 but I already want to upgrade it. I want to build my own desk!
The plants tho #
Rachelle and I both enjoy indoor plants. I enjoy big, NASA approve air purifying plants while she enjoys cool, interesting looking plants. Our collection has exploded this year. I partly blame the pandemic because what else are we supposed to do?! Buy and take care of plants is what.
Hiking and biking #
This year wasn't a big outdoor year for me. I did a few hikes and had a socially distanced FBC ride. You can read more about FBC Nashville by clicking the link.
Here are some photos from the few hikes I did.
Savage Gulf / Stone door #
Fiery Gizzard #
Virgin Falls #
Remote school #
Because of Covid, Carter has been doing remote school. During the week, he comes to my house so his mom can work. Overall, I think it's been going pretty well. I think the experience for remote learners could be a lot better. Mostly, I think the hybrid model, where a teacher is teaching to a class of in person kids while there's a laptop propped up on the desk isn't a great experience for the remote learners.
Rachelle moved in #
Rachelle and I have been dating since July of 2019, and at the end of the summer of 2020, we decided to take the step of moving in together!
Unemployeed #
My job was one of many that were outsourced to Accenture as part of a reorganization of the Bridgestone IT department. My last day was December 7th. Bridgestone took care of us by offering a very generous severance package, so I don't have any complaints there because they were more generous than they had to be. This is the third time I've gone through a layoff, as I was laid off from Crossville Rubber and from Cricket. I wrote about my lessons learned from my time at Bridgestone. I've also been teaching myself web development.
I appreciate the opportunities that Bridgestone gave me; I learned a lot and made some great friends. Plus, I learned to play foosball during my time there, and that's become a passion for me.
New tattoos #
Ian tattooed some ravens on my hands. They're inspired by the Norse legend of Huginn and Muninn. To me they represent the search for knowledge and wisdom. Plus, I think they look really cool.
Gulf Shores trip #
Rachelle and I took a socially distanced trip to Gulf Shores, AL in September. We stayed in a condo a block from the beach. We ate too much, drank too much, and got too much sun. We saw dolphins and mostly avoided jelly fish stings.
New kitty #
You can read more about Oliver in please meet my cats. He's been a big addition to the house and he's integrating really well.
Learning web development #
When Bridgestone announced the layoffs, I started studying web development, as I think being a web developer would be pretty fun and interesting. I built this website with my bare hands. You can read about how I'm building my personal site with 11ty if that's your jam.
Reflecting and Merriment #
I'm pretty privileged in that I able to work from home. My family and I have been relatively healthy, and I hope that we're all going to come out of this Covid thing relatively unscathed. I wish you guys a Merry Christmas, and I hope you and your families stay safe.
Ok, thats it for today! Thanks for reading.
