2018 Year-in-Review

Note: This post is AI-generated based on my twitter archive.

It is hard to believe how fast the kids are growing up. Reading through my 2018 Tweet Archive, it is clear that we have officially entered a new era in the Kirk household: the era of tweens, smartphones, and fully embracing my “middle-aged dad” status. Between stepping away from social media, surviving the Atlantic timezone sports schedule, and outfitting the family with new tech, 2018 was a busy one. Here are the highlights:

Family: Skechers, Stardew Valley, and First Phones. In October, I officially accepted my fate as a middle-aged Dad. The warning signs were all there: still wanting to wear polos on Saturdays, transitioning away from white athletic socks to black dress socks, and most importantly, just wanting to slip into a comfortable pair of Skechers.

The kids hit some massive milestones this year, peaking on Christmas morning when they both received their first smartphones. I think Emma sent more text messages on that first day than I have in my entire life! They also got wireless headphones — Andrew’s were quickly put to use to enhance his Fortnite experience, while Emma used hers for music and movies.

Speaking of gaming, a very proud parenting moment occurred when the kids hosted their very first Stardew Valley LAN party together. On the media front, we officially ditched Google Play Music and moved the family over to Spotify, which integrates so much better with our Google Homes and Apple CarPlay.

Technology: Goodbye Facebook, Hello Dongles. 2018 was the year I finally pulled the plug and deactivated my Facebook account. It had basically just become a photo-sharing service for me, and frankly, I didn’t miss it for a single second after I left. I opted to stick to Twitter and rely on Google Photos for sharing family memories.

I also spent a fair amount of time grumbling about the tech industry’s pricing models. I was particularly annoyed with Apple’s trajectory; technology is supposed to get more affordable over time, not more expensive. I was also reminded while traveling just how dumb it is to require a dongle to charge your iPhone while simultaneously trying to listen to music on an airplane. I also noted my frustration with Netflix hiking their Canadian prices up to $13.99 a month, vowing that I absolutely would not subscribe to multiple streaming services once Disney launched their own platform.

Sports: An Exhausting Year in the Black and Gold. If you want to know how the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season went, just look at my Tweet of the Year: “This drama is exhausting for 20+ year fan”. It was a frustrating year to watch football. I spent the season complaining that we needed a $15M superstar on defense instead of spending it on offense, and watching them repeatedly struggle on the road against teams they should have crushed. The worst part of the losses wasn’t even the game itself — it was having to console my kids, who would literally bawl when the Steelers lost.

On top of the on-field struggles, following sports from Nova Scotia requires serious commitment. Those late prime-time games in the Atlantic timezone are absolute killers, forcing me to rely on rare post-supper coffees just to power through to the fourth quarter.

Random: Weather Extremes and Office Dogs. Life in Nova Scotia threw a bit of everything at us weather-wise. We endured a massive summer heat wave that hit 39°C with humidity, and plenty of winter storms that knocked out our power, prompting me to invest in a dual-fuel generator.

On the work front at NSCC, my favorite moment of the year had to be bringing our miniature dachshund, Deebo, into the office right before the holidays to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

All in all, 2018 was full of tech transitions, sports-induced stress, and watching the kids grow into young adults. Time flies when you’re wearing Skechers!