Looking back
Even though the world is in turmoil because of the virus, it
was not all bad.
We welcomed 2020 in the usual way as the new year, not knowing that this year was a life behavior changing event.
The early spring delivered a mandatory vacation aka
lockdown. I did enjoy the “guild free” time off, it allowed me to catch up on
many projects around the house.
I managed to finish the kitchen, laundry room, both guest
rooms to our liking, also in preparation for guests later in the year. Of
course, the guest visits did not happen as planned.
In addition to the renovation of the rooms, I spent considerable time to automate and control areas of the house. As a platform I choose the Home Assistant running on a Raspberry Pi. It connects nicely to Samsung’s Smart-Things, Phillips Hue, Z-Wave and WIFI enabled devices. It took several months of programming, trial and error until I had the screen I was planning on. As usual it is more ornate than some of the other screens Home Assistant shows as demos. Below is the beginning of the year.
Business started to pick up in the late spring, however, it was somewhat unnerving leaving the house every day to go to work.
By June I was booked until September. I was planning on
taking time off after October 1st, but it did not happen until the
beginning of December.
In between projects I continued to renovate and maintain the
house. The annual power washing of the house, driveway, and the deck was one of
the weekend projects. Finishing the garage was another challenge. Moving tools
around, sorting various parts into bins, building doors for the existing
shelves, applying epoxy paint to the floor, paint the walls, installing
baseboards and crown molding (yes, I have crown molding in my garage), new
lights, and a ceiling fan. Most of the crown molding were either giveaways or
left over from jobs and they had to go somewhere.
In the early part of the fall the dining room took shape and we were able to use it for an excellent Thanksgiving feast.
Sadly, my sister was not able to make the trip from across the pond for my birthday because of the travel restrictions. However, there was a highlight this year in the form of a Harley Davidson FLHTCUI Electra Glide Ultra Classic as a birthday present. It has been my favorite motorcycle ever since I was allowed to ride one.
While working on the garage, I ventured into the attic space above the garage and discovered that there is absolutely no insulation. The attic space spans all the way across the house and also holds the walk in closet for the master bedroom. Another project in the making. It took many ladder climbing efforts to maneuver all the insulation batts through the tiny hole in the ceiling.
This year we were on time in getting our Christmas tree, the
day after Thanksgiving. Compared to last years tree, this one was bigger. For a
theme we decided on red and gold.
and the outside decorations
True to the saying that ‘every cloud has a silver lining,' the pandemic-ridden 2020 is bringing a year-end treat for all of us.
This year's celestial spectacle is especially rare for a few reasons – it has been nearly 400 years since both the planets passed this close to each other in the sky. The last time it happened was in 1623, 13 years after Galileo Galilei built his first telescope, when it was given the name 'The Great Conjunction'.
It has also been nearly 800 years since the alignment of Saturn and Jupiter occurred at night. The Great Conjunction is taking place at night this year, allowing many around the world to witness the extraordinary event of the alignment of these bright planets in our night sky. *
Soccer
Needless to say, my beloved soccer playing was cancelled for the spring as well as the fall season. I am hopeful that by the time fall season 2021 comes around we safely can resume playing.
Movies
With most people at home, it seems that the B movie industry boomed. Apart from a few movies or series such as The Queen's Gambit and The Old Guard there were only a few other watch worthy flicks or movies far and in between. Although I binged on Hart of Dixie, Emily in Paris, The Punisher, Warrior Nun, Outer Banks, Lucifer, Shameless, Bodyguard. Even those movies became somewhat repetitive. There must be some writers out there who can come up with some more intriguing plots. Some of the latest seasonal movies resembled a high school play at best.
Football
Perhaps the thought was that after the name change and a new coach it all will change for the better. Not really. The return of a severely injured quarterback, Alex Smith, showed some promise, it also showed who can lead a team. Of all the divisions, the NFC East is a sad story. All the teams in that division have a losing record, yet the Washington Football Team are on top with one more win than Dallas and Philadelphia. Watching the games is somewhat painful in comparison with some of the more capable teams. Although a long-time fan of the WFT, I enjoy watching Kansas City or the Miami Dolphins more. Both teams have young quarterbacks (Patrick Lavon Mahomes II and Tuanigamanuolepola "Tua" Tagovailoa respectively) who think outside of the box and are very dynamic. Yes, the Baltimore Ravens also have a great quarterback, however, it does not seem to be a complete team. Especially when the quarterback has more rushing yards than the running backs. This year, 2020, it seems that the top is more distributed than in previous years – we will see.
Conclusion
* By Jasmin Jose (Gadget 360) | Updated: 21 December 2020 16:50 IST
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