2023 is almost complete and it was a busy, challenging, rewarding, and fun year. The news of the world was sometimes too much to watch. Countries were destroying other countries while the dumpster fire that is American politics took up far too much time in the media. Inflation was still high, and we all felt the pinch. Gas prices slowly declined but that fill-up price was painful at times depending on where you were.
For myself, music was huge this year. Moreso, concerts. I saw tons of bands! It all began with the Amish Outlaws. I saw them in February at Daryl’s House in Pawling, NY. That is Daryl as in Daryl Hall of Hall & Oates (who did not have a good year). They play up and down the east coast. Some of the members of the band are ex-Amish who decided not to live the Amish life. But they sure do celebrate it in style!
In March, my job gave me tickets to see Muse at Madison Square Garden on St. Patrick’s Day. I had never seen them, and they brought down the house! The opening band was one I actually forgot about over the years, Evanescence. Muse singer Matthew Bellamy is a unique talent with both his guitar and his voice. Not a concert I will ever forget!
This was followed by the Sea Hear Now Festival in Asbury Park, NJ. Royal Blood, Sheryl Crow, The Killers, The Beach Boys, Weezer, and the Foo Fighters rocked the stages overlooking the Atlantic. I never saw the Foo Fighters before, so this was the highlight of the festival. Full House actor John Stamos took to the drums for the Beach Boys outing with only one original member playing (Mike Love).
Two weeks after the Jersey adventure we went down to Ocean City, MD for the first Ocean’s Calling Music Festival. Same ocean, just further down the coast. While Sea Hear Now was a two-day festival, Ocean’s Calling was three. I was fortunate to see Toad The Wet Sprocket, Alanis Morissette, Jack Johnson, Michael Franti, the Gin Blossoms, Noah Kahan, John Mayer, G. Love & Special Sauce, Fitz & The Tantrums, The Wallflowers, and O.A.R. The best show of this festival is probably a tie between Jack Johnson and The Wallflowers. Both are acts I always wanted to see but never got the chance.
Both festivals allowed me to explore the local environs. Ocean City is chock full of cool bars and stores up and down the boardwalk. We stayed at a friend’s place in the northern part of the island so I got to wake up and go to sleep to the waves crashing on the shore. It was very peaceful.
Finally, after winning another set of tickets to Madison Square Garden from my very awesome job, it was a return to a band I had not seen in 35 years- Depeche Mode! After the death of Andy Fletcher in 2022, the band carried on with Dave Gahan and Martin Gore. They released an album in March that brought back the classic Depeche sound and style. ”Ghosts Again” was my favorite song for 2023.
Speaking of winning tickets from work, I got to see the Yankees trounce the Orioles on July 4th at Yankee Stadium. It had been 25 years since I saw the Bronx Bombers. The Yankees Legends Suite had the best buffet of food I have ever seen at an event and I made sure I sampled as much as I could!
In May, my fiance and I took a long-awaited vacation to Maine. For the first few days we did a farm stay at a wonderful place called Toddy Pond Farm. The weather was beautiful as we hiked around the property while seeing more farm animals than we could count- cows, pigs, chickens, you name it! Following that excursion we went to Bar Harbor for a few days. You can’t go to Bar Harbor without going to Acadia National Park. The ocean surrounds this park, and you get to see coastlines that will amaze you. Panoramic views cannot be captured by a single picture. It is a must to see in person! No trip to Maine would be complete without lobster and we had that. And of course, the blueberry pies were incredible as well.
Other quick trips during the year brought us to The New York State Fair in Rhinebeck, Woodstock, tubing down a river outside of Hartford, CT, an afternoon at Caramoor in Bedford, NY, Kent Falls in CT, the annual South Salem Fire Department Carnival, a winery in Millbrook, NY, an awesome trip with my fiancé to her college town of Plattsburg, NY, the Sinterklaas Festival in Rhinebeck, NY, a house with Guiness World Records for the most Christmas lights ever, and after a 30-year absence, a return to New Canaan, CT.
In February, my brothers and I threw a surprise 80th birthday party for my father in Pennsylvania. It had been a couple of years since we all got together, and my dad was very surprised. I feel very blessed that he has lived such a long and rewarding life.
Work was extremely hard at times during the year, but it also had many benefits. Nursing Home Week was a ton of fun. Our nursing home won a video contest out of the facilities owned by the corporation. My department, Nursing Administration, won the office Christmas decorating contest with our “Elf” theme. In June, we had dress like your favorite musician day. My Robert Smith from the Cure get-up was beat by a CNA’s rendition of Madonna.
But nothing compares to the sheer joy of helping the residents there. They need us, the workers, to help them live the best lives they can. When I see the determination and strength watching them doing things we all take for granted, like simply walking down a hall, it brings a further resolve to serve them. Towards the end of the year, I took on the crucial role of recruiting for the entire Nursing department. All nursing homes have staffing shortages ever since the dreaded pandemic. While this seems like a daunting task, I recognize the severe necessity and responsibility it brings and I am up for the challenge!
While 2023 brought many adventures it also had a few losses. Three men from three different eras of my life, stretching from my earliest days to the present, all passed away this year. Each loss affected me but it also helped in seeing folks I had not seen in decades at the services and/or funerals. One service brought me to the area I was born in and I got to see my very first house. But loss also means there are great joys in life. I saw a very dear friend marry the love of her life in October. Both women planned their whole wedding, and it was beautiful!
My biggest fear in 2024 was the bear roaming the countryside near my home. There were numerous sightings by locals and even some members of my own house. It got into my trash a couple of times. Sometimes, if I was outside late at night, I could hear something in the woods. Was it the bear? It was evasive and didn’t want me to see it. But I know it is out there, waiting to eat me or claw me as I get into my car one morning or taking the trash out. Perhaps seeing Cocaine Bear two times in one day didn’t help my trepidation at seeing this demon bear. One local resident actually got a shot of two bears meeting up for what some felt could have been a drug deal. Maybe I will see it in the remaining hours of 2023 or one day in 2024…
2023 saw a ton of rain! It was the wettest year I can remember. But nothing compared to the very bizarre Canadian wildfire smoke that came down to haunt New York last summer. The eerie orange glow in the sky was haunting and forced us all inside during those smoggy days. Snow was almost non-existent last Winter, and it seems to be doing a repeat this winter.
2024 is going to be a tough year for the United States. We have, in my opinion, two old men vying to be President and neither of them deserve it. We will see trials and court battles and warring political parties at each other’s throats. The country will be more divided in yet another Presidential election year. The sad part is that should either of them drop out of the race there is no one who could come up that would amaze me. I am praying for some last-minute miracle that will pull America out of the mess we have created.
I plan on writing a lot more on here in 2024. This is only the 2nd post I put up this year followed by one or two in 2022. This is a far cry from the days when I would put up over 500 posts a year. While I will never reach that heyday again (nor do I want to), I do want to write about whatever comes up in my imaginary brain. Does this mean I will dive into Delaware education again? Maybe but I wouldn’t count on it. I don’t live there anymore, and I don’t have a son in Delaware public education. If something comes along and I can break it I might be tempted to dive into that well again.
Without further ado, the best and worst of 2023:
Best TV Show: The Last of Us
Best Movie: Oppenheimer
Besst Streaming Movie: Leave the World Behind (Netflix)
Best Actor: Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers)
Best Actress: Florence Pugh (A Good Person)
Best Song: “Ghosts Again” by Depeche Mode
Best Band: Depeche Mode
Best Book: “Surrender” by Bono
Best seafood: Maine lobster
Best pizza: Mezza Luna (Brewster, NY)
Best local restaurant: Amenia Steakhouse (Amenia, NY)
Best beer: Mad Elf
Best beach: Ocean City, Maryland
Best town: Bar Harbor, Maine
Best sports team: New York Rangers (who are having a phenomenal season this year)
Best social media: Facebook (say what you want but it is where my generation lives)
Best local politician: Paul Winters
Best gas station: Gulf in Brewster, NY off Route 22 which has had the lowest prices in the area since Russia invaded Ukraine last year
Best comedians: Colin Jost and Michael Che (Saturday Night Live Weekend Update)
Best blog: Delaware Liberal (I may not live in Delaware anymore, but they get it right more often than anyone else)
Best coffee: Folgers Gourmet Supreme
Best local deli: Somers Super Deli (Somers, NY)
Best deli sandwich: Chicken Vodka Parm (Somers Super Deli)
Best music surprise: the Beatles “Now And Then”
Worst musician who had far too much media attention: Taylor Swift
Worst invading country: Russia and Israel (while justified due to the October 7th attacks, they went WAY over the line)
Worst candidate for Governor: Bethany Hall-Long from Delaware who is as corrupt as the day as long but refuses to drop out of the race
Worst morning: when my dog Zeus ate the Barbecue Pork Macaroni & Cheese I was bringing to work for lunch
Worst person to be indicted five times and act like he did nothing wrong: Donald Trump
Worst man-made disaster: the submersible Titanic dive
Worst natural disaster: the Turkey earthquake
Worst news stories that I pray end in 2024: mass shootings
Worst Ugh moment in the news: when the Dalai Lama asked a child to suck his tongue
Saddest celebrity death: Matthew Perry
Saddest news story: Tyre Nichols death at the hands of Memphis police
And this is what I can’t wait for in 2024: a NY Rangers Stanley Cup win, a NY Yankees World Series Win, Deadpool 3, an official Fantastic Four casting report, no Taylor Swift, no pandemics, no actor/writer strikes, an end to both the wars in Russia/Ukraine and Israel/Gaza, some weight loss, inflation to go down, normal weather, less rain, at least one really good snow-storm where I live in NY, a winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket in one of those massive payoffs, and peace and harmony for my family and friends.
In all seriousness, I have a very simple New Years resolution: work smarter and not harder. It all comes down to organization if you really think about it. If you start organized everything is much easier. This isn’t just my actual job but all aspects of my life. You can give it your all but if you don’t plan ahead it probably won’t succeed.
The Season Of Myths 