The 2020s keep on burning like a bad dumpster fire. It’s hard to find the highs when we saw the disturbing rise of fascism in the former home of democracy, authoritarianism rising in Alberta (with several uses of the Notwithstanding Clause for utterly invalid reasons), the protracted war in Ukraine not showing any signs of letting up, costs constantly rising (without any reasonable cost of living adjustments), and the next major tech bubble (Artificial Intelligence) threatening to burst, which could throw everything to pot.
To recap, since 2020:
- 2020: COVID
- 2021: Vaccines and COVID backlash
- 2022: War and inflation
- 2023: The Rise of AI
- 2024: Fear of AI and layoffs
- 2025: Cult of Trump and rise of fascism
And it’s now been a decade since we lost David Bowie. I’m pretty sure he was some kind of a demi-god who helped keep this world sane. It’s really the only explanation for the decline ever since he died.
- New Years Tea at the White House (no, not that White House)
- Tried to recover from being beaten up during the last quarter of 2024 (and not being either recognized nor compensated for it)
- Took a class in writing genre fiction (specifically sci-fi, fantasy, and horror), which would change my life…
- Went to Montreal solely for the purpose of seeing a movie
- Saw Kathryn and her family, meeting her daughter for the first time
- Overstayed the visit when Choo Choo caught some serious stomach bug
- Spoke the praises of Porter Airlines for rescuing Choo Choo and I despite no actual plan to get home
- Was sad that we didn’t go anywhere for our last March break before Monkey goes to university (but would decide to go to Ireland…)
- Became a dungeon master for Monkey and her friends, torturing them for several weeks (mwuhahahahaha)
- Endured rounds of layoffs (and yet, still have a job)
- Celebrated Choo Choo’s 15th birthday
- Got another cavity (hey, it’s been a few years), though the fix was easily the worst dental experience I’ve ever had (not the fault of the dentist, to be fair)
- Went on a cruise with my Mom, which was a great experience. We:
- Went to Vancouver
- Sailed on the MS Zaandam with Holland America
- Went up and down the Inside Passage (though a fair bit of it in the dark, which is a bit of a let down)
- Went to Juneau (though still don’t understand why) and got rained on a lot
- Went to Skagway and rode the White Pass & Yukon Route (a bucket list item for me)
- Went to Glacier Bay and was utterly amazed by the massive scale and beauty of the place
- Went to Ketchikan … and caught some crazy flu
- Was Mothered by my Mom for the first time in ~30 years
- Barely a month later, we went on what might be our last great family adventure to Ireland. We:
- Stopped briefly in Dublin (where I stopped a purse snatching) before taking the train to Cork
- Went to Cobh and Spike Island (both are highly recommended, by the way)
- Rented a car and drove to Blarney Castle where we accidentally blew a few hours, which…
- Aborted our trip around the Ring of Kerry – next time!
- Visited Dingle after-hours (also highly recommended, far more pleasant when it’s not crowded), allowing us to…
- See the most amazing view atop Conor Pass
- Played Test Drive while peering over the edge of the Cliffs of Insanity! (Moher)
- Went to Galway (really needed a day there) before driving 4 hours to Donegal
- Visited the Donegal Railway Museum and Donegal Castle
- Nearly lost Alex in Londonderry after we lost cell signal and could not for the life of me find a place to park (but, yay, internal compass continued to work)
- Went to Bushmills and to the Distillery for a family-only tour!
- Stood atop the ruins of Dunseverick Castle
- Went to Giant’s Causeway (and skipped Carrick-a-Rede; the National Trust has ruined both, IMO)
- Found the abandoned Capecastle Station on the former Ballycastle Railway
- Went to Newtonards to visit with the Aicken-Campbell family tree
- Went to Belfast, visiting the Titanic Museum
- Return to Dublin and got screwed by Premier Inns and Suites (thank you, assholes)
- Finally got to see the Guinness Brewery; for the record, Guinness doesn’t taste wildly better there than in Canada
- Saw the Book of Kells again, but the Long Room was overcrowded and being renovated until 2035 (next time?)
- Went on the Ghostbus tour, which might be the highlight of the trip
- Had to replace our oven, which took nearly three months (relatedly, it is possible to survive without one, although it ain’t easy)
- Lost a child and gained an adult as Monkey turned 18
- Celebrated 20 amazing years with Alex
- Wished Choo Choo off to her first day of High School, and Monkey’s first day of University(!)
- I published my first book: The Banshee (remember that class I took?) – this is the highlight of my year, a long overdue bucketlist item I really wanted to achieve
- Found out I have moderate sleep apnea (read: not good), but learned that I can’t use a CPAP
- Went back on anti-depressants after a decade (like I said, 2024 kicked my ass and I’ve not recovered)
- Chased the CPKC Holiday Train out to Lethbridge
- Stayed home for Christmas this year, even though it didn’t really feel like it…
My personal life events are probably what kept me afloat, to be honest. With the way the rest of the world was functioning, I suspect I would have been a lot worse off had I not had the opportunity to do the things above. And for that, I do have to thank my family: Alex, Monkey, and Choo Choo for putting up with me. I’ve been difficult, even if I’ve tried not to be.
I hope this year goes better and I’m less of a pain in the rear… (and no, that’s not a euphemism)
