It seems this has become a site for yearly wrap-ups, and here we are again. This time we watch 2019 comes to a close.
I look back at 2018’s entry and I wrote “I suspect things will get worse before they get better.” That has held true, but let me try not to get ahead of myself.
This has been a busy year for work, a slow year for travel, and a ridiculous year for the news.
Work has been very busy with some big projects. This has been rewarding as I’ve been able to get some big accomplishments done.
Our one trip this year was to Vermont and Albany to visit some friends and family. Since the previous two years had trips to France and California, this was a year to let our vacation fund replenish a bit.
That brings me to the ridiculousness of the news. Any one week now seems to bring as much news as a year would in “normal” times. It’s speeding up, getting worse, and will likely continue to do so for at least another year. An impeachment vote may be held later today, so it looks like the Democrats finally grew a spine before the Republicans discovered integrity. Still hoping that the integrity will make an appearance, but I’m not holding my breath. I don’t see this getting better any time soon.
So, on to the highlights…
Best Concerts:
The HU
Frank Turner
Tony Bennett
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
Anneke Van Giersbergen
Berlin
Hatebreed
Best Reads:
Exhalation – Ted Chiang
Radicalized – Cory Doctorow
The Testaments – Margaret Atwood
Wanderers – Chuck Wendig
Gather the Fortunes – Bryan Camp
Other memorable events:
Hamilton
Les Miserables
Gasparilla
Fourth of July weekend with friends in West Palm Beach
According to Spotify, my 2019 summary reads like this…
Top Genre:
Punk
Top Artists:
Frank Turner
Hatebreed
The Offspring
The Interrupters
Assemblage 23
Top Songs:
She’s Kerosene – The Interrupters
I Will Be Heard – Hatebreed
Invictus – Lamb of God
Destroy Everything – Hatebreed
Looking Down The Barrel of Today – Hatebreed
Stay sane in 2020 and try to be more kind.