May it be better to all of us than this year was to any of us. May we once again meet up with family and friends, and do something as simple as take a walk, like we managed in this picture (a fall 2019 trip), or gather round a table for a meal.
But besides the pandemic, US politics, climate change, and losing two friends to cancer, we did manage to have some kind of a year.
Bruce reapplied to grad school, and was accepted at UBC for Linguistics. After working intermittently during the pandemic at a dog daycare, he moved up to Vancouver in August. Despite the closed border, he was able to cross, thanks to his student status, and his Canadian passport.
We followed north, to Whistler in October, so we could visit with him, and check on relatives, after a quarantine period. Once here, we decided it might be best to stay put for a while, and celebrated our 30th (what??) wedding anniversary in a much quieter way than last year. We hope to return under a different president!
The rest of it is a blur: careful shopping for groceries, lots of working from home, Liz eventually sneaking into her studio, while trying to avoid studio mates in case any of us might be unknowingly sick. Dave, who had procured a workspace for his video game hobby, soon made it his office as well. Nothing like a few distractions to help you problem-solve, he found. Plus, three people in a 2-bedroom condo, all trying to work, was a little tight.
Liz worked out a virtual replacement for her Monday-night crew, switching to video calls to replace the regular planning sessions. Everyone was thrilled that Cathy could join us for a few of them, and devastated when we lost her in the spring. Dave spent much of his spare time checking on his buddy Sean, and then the family, once he too was gone.
Here are some of the things we were grateful for this year:
- Takeout food!
- Local shops like Sassafras, for hair clips and masks this year, in addition to the more regular clothing and jewelry offerings
- Late-night comedians for their help with perspective
- Absorbing shows like Selling Sunset or The Queen’s Gambit
- Friday night family movies: someone picks 3 options that might appeal, the others choose. See our diary on Letterboxd.
- Technology that worked to keep us connected: Discord, Zoom, GroupMe, Mighty Networks, Skype, Teams
- Logic puzzles like Sudoku and Picross, for feeling like a few moments that problems can be solved
What got you through this year?