This year and last year were different but the same.
2020
For me anyway, 2020 kicked off quite nicely and the virus was simply a blip on the horizon. I repaired numerous PCs and laptops, wrote a handful of articles for DCT, and even managed to ride my motorcycle from Buenos Aires to Punta del Este, Uruguay, to relish in the delights of the South Atlantic Ocean. As January turned into February, I bumbled along, as usual, doing collections and deliveries in my courier business and even built one or two brand new gaming machines, which is always a delight. Then, on 20th March 2020, everything changed in ways that we know about already.
Paradoxically, my courier business flourished because everyone was house-bound, with the city of Buenos Aires resembling a state of siege not seen since the military dictatorship of the 70s/80s. For that alone, I will never forgive the government because the sight of soldiers and policemen in riot gear, armed to the teeth and stopping you when all you want to do is go to the corner shop for a pint of milk and a newspaper, simply added fuel to the fire. But of course, we all accepted it and lived in fear, not of the virus, but of being apprehended by the paramilitaries and police who at times even threw people off buses for not carrying the correct documentation. Give a government an inch and it will take a mile.
As the year dragged on, restrictions began to lift, and as 2021 dawned we definitely began to see light at the end of the tunnel. Thankfully, police checkpoints became a thing of the past and we all settled into the new normal. But, all in all, 2021 has been a much better year, at least for me because of some very significant milestones.
2021
In early January my main gaming PC suffered water damage from a leaky roof which thankfully I was able to solve with no long-term consequences.
Later that month I built two new PCs, acquired a superb 32″ LG monitor for my gaming rig, and also upgraded to a Ryzen 5600X.
In March I built another retro gaming rig with a Pentium 4 CPU just for the hell of it and later that month I made a low coffee table for the living room. I must have been inspired.
In early October my other half’s son moved out and into his own flat and on 22nd October, she made an honest man of me by accepting my hand in marriage.
During the year, I was able to find a translator for my novel, The Last British President and as I type this, the Spanish version is finished and almost ready for publication. I also took the wise decision to pay a professional to design the new book cover which has ended up as controversial as I intended it to be.
That October was also significant for relinquishing the garage and acquiring said stepson’s (we never use that word) secluded bedroom on the top floor which is now my den, complete with bathroom, shower, and air conditioning. Name me a man who has never wanted his own den or cave.
Later in 2021 I built two more new PCs, repaired countless machines and appliances because that’s what we do here, and even found time for a long weekend getaway and mini honeymoon to the coast.
All in all 2021 has been a much better year than 2020, for me anyway, but your mileage may vary. The only common denominator is the C-word which has morphed into Delta and now Omicron, which in the end we will all have to get used to living with, as we have done with flu.
How were the two years for you?
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mmmm, I empathize with your 2020 year, Marc. It was a doozy, for sure!
For me personally, I got very sick before the C-word was a thing. And the drugs they used to fix me gave me an illness identical to the Long C-word before it was a thing.
I still have that illness and my life drags on, never seemingly able to escape its clutches.
I haven’t actually ‘seen’ a doctor in person for almost 2yrs. 8-/
Actually, I have hardly seen anyone in person for almost 2yrs. How sad is that?
If I was the only one in this situation then I could say, “well it is my own stupid fault”. But I am not the only one.
There are untold millions in this same boat.
We have all become isolated from each other.
Even now I go to the supermarket with downcast eyes and covered face so I don’t make contact.
I get the job done as quickly as possible then get out of there.
I have aged 10yrs. I’m sure many others will feel the same. My photos tell the story.
It is written all over my face. I feel like crap and my life suffers. I wish I could blame someone.
Under normal circumstances, we could say we are each to blame for our own situation.
But not these days. I want to stop and greet people in the street whom I hardly know.
I want to chat to them about whatever.
But they move with downcast eyes and covered faces, getting the job done as quickly as possible so they can run back to the comparative safety zone of their home.
I hope everyone gets this omicron so we all have the same level of immunity and stop this terrible apartheid that is splitting the community. 8-/
I wish for 2022 to be the year apartheid ends.