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December 31, 2019: The Year In Review

31 Comments

Hope these last 365 days have treated you well, citizens. What were the highlights? What were the lowlights? What odd twists of fate changed the course of 2019?

31 thoughts on “December 31, 2019: The Year In Review”

  2. I just made one of the great running, flying leaps into a train an instant before the door closed (knicked my elbow even). The best part was confidently walking down the car as nearby passengers gave me a weird look.

  3. The New Year's Eve party we are hosting is now also a retirement party and a 70th birthday party, so we have that going for us, which is nice. As certified old f@rts, we'll watch the ball drop in NY, then call it a night.

  4. Twins sign Rich Hill and Homer Bailey. Bailey doesn't impress me much, but Hill has been pretty good when he's been able to pitch. Unfortunately, it appears that he won't be able to pitch until at least halfway through the season.

      1. Sounds like they've offered him 4 years and Nats are only other team to do that but sounds like he's hoping to return to Atlanta and probably would be more comfortable staying on the East Coast. Maybe with these signings, the Twins will be able to up their AAV.

    5. Not what any of us would consider "impact" pitching, but I am happy that they did finally sign someone to give this rotation some depth. If Hill comes back healthy, he is a 4th option for a playoff starter. Basically, I think at the end of the season we will have 4 starters who potentially rate in the top 20-25 pitchers in the league. (Odorizzi, Berrios, Pineda and Hill) That would be depth. It will be a little dicey at the beginning of the season with a rotation of Odorizzi, Berrios, Bailey, and 2 (of 3) rookie options. The hope would be that there are some impact arms available at the trade deadline.

      I am crossing my fingers that they are going to pick up a slick fielding third baseman who can hit to round out the line up and infield.

    6. I think Bailey will be a good number four starter. He had good strikeout and walk numbers last year. His start against the Astros after the trade was horrible but he was otherwise good. The Twins could do something different and have him as a long man with Hill and Odorizzi, plus maybe Pineda, limited in how deep they can pitch.

  5. I for one will not be sad to see 2019 disappear into the vanishing point of my rear view mirror. The year started with lingering pain from hernia surgery and new chest pains that were ill omens indeed. The employment leads I was pursuing in January and February were wiped out with bypass surgery in March and a return to the hospital in April to drain the fluid collapsing a lung. Recovery from the surgery was a 3-4 month physical and emotional ordeal like I've never experienced before. Elder Daughter left the nest once again to move back to the west coast and the place she's come to love as her home. I'm happy for her, but I miss her more than I thought I would, and oddly more than I did the first time she moved away. More recently, I've been a final candidate for two promising job openings, one permanent and one temp-to-hire, and wasn't selected for either. On the bright side, my family has been there to support and help me through all of it and I realize just how blessed I am to have them. I learned that I have many friends who care about me and want me to stay above ground as long as possible. And I've discovered that I have the strength to bear physical pain and personal misfortune greater than I could have imagined just a year or two ago. As for highlights, I have to turn to sports. Tiger Woods' improbable comeback from injury and golfing exile to win the Masters was one of the greatest athletic feats I've ever witnessed. My SCSU Huskies treated me to another great hockey season even though they fell flat in the playoffs. The Twins' awesome regular season, winning the division and setting the AL home run record, kept my spirits up through my recovery and gave me hope when I needed it most. So I say adios to the year that was, and raise my glass to the year to come with the hope and determination that it will be a much better trip around the sun than the last one. ¡Salud!

    1. My year was also quite bad, and I'm greatly looking forward to throwing it in the trash tonight after I eat a whole bunch of Indian food. Sending positive vibes your way for a much better 2020.

      1. 2019 was a very interesting year for us.

        Philosofette had two major health matters, one of which resulted in us being done with children, rather than having another (which is kind of what we both expected, and we'd probably have been pregnant right now). She also got summoned to work when our local elementary school was short of teachers in August. Her being back at work (in a poor paying job, that requires day care for our youngest) has had some really great qualities and some really really bad ones. This all resulted in us spending a lot less time and energy on the things we wanted to, and a lot more time an energy on just getting by. BUT! We've had a great year with the kids. They ones at school love having their mother there. I coached the lego league team and learned a ton. It's been our first full year in our house and we've gotten more quality time with the kids than we did in the last several years.

        I keep thinking in terms of the decade coming to a close. 10 years ago, we had an infant and had just moved back to MN. These 10 years were just full of transition. We moved a bunch, had children, changed jobs, etc. But as I stand here right now, I think that the next 10 years are going to be a lot more stable. At least, I pray they are. We've got the kids we've got. We're in the home we'll probably be in. Our jobs will probably be about the same. Etc. I know, if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plan, and all that... so I'm still trying to brace for changes I'll never see coming. But ultimately, I'm hoping for a "quiet" coming decade. Few losses, hopefully some good gains, and, mostly, an opportunity to live fully in each moment as my family ages.

        1. A rough year in some ways, a good year in others. Mrs. A was discovered to have a low sodium level, which eventually was discovered to be caused by her anti-seizure medication. That meant her anti-seizure medication had to be changed. The first medication they changed her to caused her to be tired all the time, to the point where she didn't have the energy to do much but sleep. When she was awake, she often felt nauseous. Eventually, she had to go to the Behavioral Health Center for a few days so they could observe what was going on and figure out what to do. They switched her medication, but this one fed into her depression, which she has problems with anyway. After about six months of all this, they finally got her on a medication that works well for her, and I am very happy to say that for the last several months she has been back to her old self.

          And then, of course, in April my Dad passed away. It was not unexpected, but that doesn't make it easy. Mom misses him terribly, which is obviously to be expected, and so this has necessitated more frequent trips to Armour (a little over 200 miles away). Plus, in mid-November, Mrs. A's parents went from their home to an assisted living community. It's very nice, but it's still a hard adjustment for them and has necessitated more frequent trips to PIerre (about 65 miles away).

          But on the good side, I continue to have very good health for a man my age. The conference has seen fit to allow us to remain where we are, for which I am grateful. There are good things going on at all of our churches, and good people in them to work with. The work itself is very satisfying as well. I also get to do some fun things, like singing, bowling, and public address announcing.

          So life is not perfect, but it is good. May it get even better in 2020.

          1. 2019 - quality trips to London, Southern Italy, Copenhagen.

            Pneumonia in February after disaster Ski Camp week in Scandia. That went from 2/15 - 4/4. Lung infection. Yuck.

            Then severe coughing again from 10/15-11/14 after hiking trip to Italy. More yuck.

            Here's to yuck-free 2020.

  6. It seems that my nephew will be on the sidelines of the DII national championship game in Texas next month. He's a freshman at NDSU and a student manager for the football team. Congrats to the Bison on their undefeated season.

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