My 2020 in review
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.