2020 Year-in-Review

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

I don’t think any of us had a global pandemic on our 2020 bingo cards. It was a weird, challenging, and unprecedented year that completely upended how we work, learn, and live. But as I look back through the 2020 Tweet Archive, amidst all the chaos, there were some incredible silver linings for the Kirk family. We spent more time together than ever, leaned heavily into our geeky hobbies, and even celebrated a massive relationship milestone. Here are the high notes from a very strange 2020:

Family: Virtual Learning, Board Games, and 15 Years of Marriage. With the pandemic forcing everyone home, our house turned into a 24/7 hub for remote work and learning. I’ll never forget Andrew preparing for his virtual class on Google Meet by licking the palms of his hands to flatten down his bedhead right before his webcam went live. We spent a ton of time playing video games together to pass the time; I finished a 60-hour run of Subnautica with the kids watching, we screamed our way through Overcooked, and Alicia somehow managed to juggle two virtual boyfriends in Stardew Valley (I’m watching you, Shane and Alex).

Because we played so many board games this year, my “Tweet of the Year” went to a slightly morbid pandemic-themed board game I bought the kids for Christmas.

Despite the lockdowns, 2020 marked an incredible milestone for Alicia and me: 15 years of marriage. As I noted online, “2 kids, 3 dogs, 5 houses… and 10 cars later, and each year is better than the one before it”. We also tackled some major home improvement projects, including a massive three-day effort where my Dad and I completely rebuilt and expanded the back deck.

I officially hit peak “Middle-Aged Dad” status this year, too. My hair retreated enough that I started qualifying for the cheaper “crew cut” rate at the barber (which I quietly fist-pumped about), and I started choosing my breakfast based entirely on what I thought the rest of the family wouldn’t eat so it didn’t go bad. My body also reminded me I’m not a kid anymore when I tore my calf muscle during a family backyard soccer game, leaving me barely able to walk.

Technology & Work: The “Steelers Cave” and Homelab Upgrades. Working in digital innovation during a pandemic meant my professional life accelerated at warp speed. To shake things up, I permanently moved my Work-From-Home setup into the finished basement, forcing my coworkers to stare at my “Steelers Cave” during video calls. I also fully embraced my namesake by using Star Trek virtual backgrounds during Microsoft Teams meetings.

With the whole family hitting our home network hard, I spent a lot of time upgrading my homelab. I deployed zip-tie cable labels and tinkered with Unraid and Synology. Apparently, I over-engineered things, because during a brief power outage, I overheard Alicia bragging to a coworker on a Teams call about the “data center in the basement” keeping her online. Whenever the kids caught me working in a command-line terminal, they would inevitably ask, “Whatcha doin Dad? Hacking?”.

Sports: The Last Dance and an Unbelievable Shot. When the sports world shut down, The Last Dance documentary was a lifesaver. Michael Jordan was the poster on my wall as a kid, and it was awesome introducing my kids to his greatness. When basketball finally returned in the bubble, the Raptors gave us one of our favorite family memories of the year. When OG Anunoby hit a buzzer-beater with 0.5 seconds left to win the playoff game, we all freaked out. Andrew, at 12 years old, turned to us and said, “That was the biggest shot I’ve seen live in my life!”.

As for the Steelers… what a rollercoaster. They started out on an incredible 7-0 run, but by December, the offense had completely fallen apart and become agonizing to watch. I spent the end of the year complaining about terrible fourth-down calls and demanding they use a fullback in short-yardage situations.

The Heavier Stuff. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that 2020 also forced us to have some tough conversations. Following the tragic events in Nova Scotia in April, Emma asked us, “Why are people allowed to have guns?”, which firmly cemented my status as a two-issue voter: climate change and gun control. We also took time to discuss true equality, policing reform, and why Black Lives Matter.

It was a heavy, exhausting, and bizarre year, but I’ve never been more thankful for my family, our health, and our Wi-Fi. Bring on 2021.