So it turns out that the year that I thought would known for optometrist jokes will be known as one of the worst years in recent memory. I think about the only people for whom 2020 will have turned out as they hoped would be the people who rigged the election. Their years of preparation and work to destroy election integrity came to fruition. Can the complete collapse of the country be far behind? Some of those same people have been working at that far longer than merely destroying elections.
In light of just how big a crapfest 2020 has been, I raise my standard argument. There are plenty of ways to delineate time and it's only New Year's Eve 2021 on the calendar the Western world generally follows. It's like the end of the first quarter of 5781 in the Jewish calendar. I'm going to pretend that opening a new year's calendar really does fundamentally change things in a way that flipping a one-page-per-day calendar doesn't. Tomorrow will be a fresh start.
2020 was my fifth year of retirement and for the second consecutive year, our planned trips were cancelled. Thankfully the reason wasn't personal injury as it was in '19, it was the reaction to the pandemic that shut down the events we were considering going to. One of our annual events in the area, February's Orlando Hamcation, has been cancelled, as well as one we might travel to, the Cabin Fever home machinist's show. From my view, '21 isn't off to a good start.
Frankly, that's all the year-end review I have the stomach for.
So Happy New Year, y'all. Let's hope for better, while we prepare for whatever may come. Meanwhile, I'll just paste an image I got from Daily Timewaster.
In light of just how big a crapfest 2020 has been, I raise my standard argument. There are plenty of ways to delineate time and it's only New Year's Eve 2021 on the calendar the Western world generally follows. It's like the end of the first quarter of 5781 in the Jewish calendar. I'm going to pretend that opening a new year's calendar really does fundamentally change things in a way that flipping a one-page-per-day calendar doesn't. Tomorrow will be a fresh start.
2020 was my fifth year of retirement and for the second consecutive year, our planned trips were cancelled. Thankfully the reason wasn't personal injury as it was in '19, it was the reaction to the pandemic that shut down the events we were considering going to. One of our annual events in the area, February's Orlando Hamcation, has been cancelled, as well as one we might travel to, the Cabin Fever home machinist's show. From my view, '21 isn't off to a good start.
Frankly, that's all the year-end review I have the stomach for.
So Happy New Year, y'all. Let's hope for better, while we prepare for whatever may come. Meanwhile, I'll just paste an image I got from Daily Timewaster.
Right with 'ya, SiG.
ReplyDeleteJust got an email that the Northern Colorado Amateur Radio Club has cancelled their Hamfest at the County Fairgrounds.
Happy New Year, SiG.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to 2020 Won.
ReplyDeleteHappy(?) New Year, SiG! You seem to be as optimistic about the coming months designated as The Year of Our Lord 2021.
ReplyDeleteHam-Com here in Texas has been permanently canceled by this mess.
Permanently?
DeleteI know there's something called Ham-Com, but is that put on by a club? Our local ones are. It's their revenue source for the year and pays for everything the club does. It would be fatal to that club to have the show permanently canceled.
They had their show a couple of months ago as normal. I didn't go because I didn't feel like wearing a mask for several hours.
Ham-Com was put on by a number of clubs in the Dallas/Fort Worth area or at least they participated in it. When I moved to Arlington TX in 1987 it was already a going concern. I checked while writing this and they have been going since 1978. As they grew, they became their own separate organization to plan, organize and put on the event. But always with people from many of the local clubs participating. I think that the COIVD response hit them so hard that after the cancellation of the 2020 event it was economically impossible to put the event on ever again.
DeleteWe may still have a couple of smaller Hamfests around Texas. I haven't heard of the Belton Hamfest being permanently canceled; however they have canceled the Spring 2021 event (they held one in the fall and again in the spring) after cancelling the Fall 2020 event.
We had a "Ham-Con" in SoCal, and there was supposed to be a "Ham-Con" in Denver this year last year, but The Virus disrupted things enough that it was cancelled.
ReplyDeleteI think the "Ham-Con" events are (or were...) ARRL affiliated conventions scattered around the country. The one I was involved with was a rotating affair between the various sections in the Southwest Division.
Link to story about the Texas event: http://www.arrl.org/news/texas-biggest-ham-radio-show-ham-com-is-closing
Here are two trend lines:
ReplyDeleteTrend #1: Nearly all of the US voters demanding greater centralization of power; half the US voters dismantling civilization because they're mentally ill with self-loathing; defense establishment pork can no longer build a competitive airplane or ship; nationally bankrupt because boomers retiring. Trend in military power for these largest groups is downward.
Trend #2: Small cheap robotic and electronic gadgets are a military force multiplier for individuals and family groups; headcount to manufacture ICBMs shrinks
from 20,000 (1960) to 2,000 (2020), no reason it won't keep going lower; conspicuous lack of small cruise missiles and drone weapons in play. Trend in military power for the smallest groups is upward.
These trend lines will cross, but will they cross in 2021?