New Year's Eve Eve

Well here we are on the eve of the eve of another holiday. Rather, a so-called holiday, I don't really celebrate New Year's, usually. Probably won't this year either. At least not in any way to distinguish it from any other night of the week. But I'm sure, despite the fact that the world doesn't magically change with the turning of the calendar page, everyone will be happy to see this sorry excuse of a year put to rest. Remember how it started? Full of hope and promise? Neither do I. But it did, it did.

It's been a ridiculous ride.

But to pretend for a moment that I've spent this week celebrating the approach of the end of the year, I will note that I took another trip to San Francisco this past Sunday. Did a walk around the city, stopping at Amoeba Records to shop for CD's, and a New York style pizza joint for lunch, the Disney Store to buy some Christmas ornaments at half price, and finishing with a stroll down the Embarcadero. That's not an unusual trip for me, but we can pretend it was to honor the end of 2020. Why not?

The other night I took a stroll as the sun was setting to our local Starbucks for some hot cocoa. I've done a lot of walking to a lot of Starbucks this year, in-between all of the hours I spent not working or somewhat working from home. What a wild ride!

The sunset was nice at least, as clouds had been passing through the area, offering a nice canvas to reflect and define the rays of light as the colors slid from orange to pink to blue and violet, with every shade in between. And then, darkness. I actually started out a little late, so it was dark well before I made it to my cocoa destination.

But I made it to the Natomas Crossing Starbucks, one of three within reasonable walking distance of my home base apartment. And honestly it's the nicest and friendliest one in the area. They also make their cocoa somehow taste better. More...chocolatey. As if they added, well, more chocolate. In any case, I think I'll need to go to this one more often. That almost sounds like a resolution...but it's not. Just a promise to myself to acquire the best cocoa possible.

And tomorrow is New Year's Eve, and to treat myself and celebrate the fact that I survived this year relatively unscathed, I'm taking a little road trip up the hill to the Auburn area to explore some new hiking areas. New to me, that is. This one should be a 6.5 mile loop trail around Sugar Pine Peak, assuming I can find it okay. Adventure!

And that will round out 2020. I might watch a movie on Disney Plus tomorrow night, make some popcorn, drink some alcohol. I did in fact buy some Mike's Hard Strawberry Lemonade. Party on! That's about as much partying as I do on New Year's. Or any other day, really. Wild man! On Friday morning we will all awake into a new year, with new dreams and new possibilities, steeped in the reality that it's really not much different than the day before. Or the day before that. Or the day before that. And so on. 

Happy New Year! Or whatever. 

Twas the Night Before the Night Before Christmas

Well here we are, on Christmas Eve Eve. We made it nearly to the end of 2020. Only one more week of this train wreck left to go! Of course, the world doesn't magically regenerate ands reset just because we flip over a page in our calendar book. Does anyone even keep a calendar book anymore? It must be pretty empty, these days. And so it goes.

Tonight though, I took Connor to go see some Christmas lights in North Natomas, in a display that rivals the famed Fab 40's. It was quite nice, if not bitterly cold, and the neighbors out there really go all out for the holidays. 

It was an arranged outing actually, to meet up with his little girlfriend from school and recreate their holiday light trip from last year. That trip happened by random dumb luck, and was actually in the Fab 40's. But who can trust to luck on such things now? If we could, we probably wouldn't be wearing masks today.

This is actually probably one of the few photos I've taken of Connor with a mask on this year. Usually we're not around other folks, and don't don these atrocious pieces of fabric. I'm just glad I could get him centered on the camera screen, as I can't wear my glasses while wearing a mask. Well, I can wear them for about 10 seconds before they fog up.

But tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and then on to Christmas. I suddenly have found out that I will actually have Connor on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning, so tomorrow I get to go in to "work" and find a gift from Santa. Oh, the trials of single parenthood. I wonder...are stores insanely crowded on Christmas Eve? Will they be crowded this year?? Well, after tomorrow I will know. I'm sure it will be fairly ridiculous out there. Technically we're still under a "stay at home" order due to Covid right now...but in reality it doesn't seem like people are paying much attention to that. Not like they did in March anyway. But that was a long time ago, and folks' patience has run thin it seems. 

Anyways, I will brave the crowds - or maybe lack thereof - tomorrow morning, as early as I can manage, and hopefully be in and out in a jiffy. I'm not entirely sure what to pick up for him. Though tonight he did tell me that I had to get him a Rubik's cube. But that's only because he happened to watch a YouTube video of people setting world records by solving them in 3.8 seconds. So now he thinks he can do that, too.  He's so impressionable! 

But who knows what still remains on the shelves right now, which honestly were already somewhat depleted from Covid. It might be like the mad dash at Walmart on the day after Thanksgiving for whatever gimmicky high priced item was being offered at a slight discount off of the MSRP. 

Pray for me, those of you who are so inclined.

Also today, we made cookies. Sugar cookies. With sparkly sprinkly decorations. It was actually the second year in a row I've done homemade decorated cookies with Connor. I suppose that's a new tradition of ours. It isn't easy, in an apartment with a kitchen the size of this one. Next year will be better. 

And next year, I'll do lights and perhaps some other exterior decor for the holidays. And not just because I was inspired by the extravagance on display tonight. But even the lesser-decorated homes outside of the magic neighborhood had some really cool looking displays.  So, if we survive Covid for another year, that's what I will do. 

And that's where things stand, more or less, on this the 2020 Night Before Night Before Christmas. And, well, to all a good night.