It’s hard to put into words how difficult it is to write these monthly posts in 2020. They’re just so different then what I’m used to writing. In the past its been about events that happened, trips we’ve taken, or plans that were made. In 2020 my posts have been mostly about the pandemic and how we’ve found new ways to try and thrive. Not nearly as fun to live or write about but alas we shall persist.

RECAP OF THE MONTH

And like that our first full month back in California has come and gone and in a lot of ways it was like we never left. July started off with beautiful weather, a nearly fully furnished apartment, and an incredibly busy month of work for both Jenn and I but mostly Jenn. Speaking of our apartment. Never in the over ten years of living with Jenn have I seen her have a stronger more perfect vision for what our home was going to look like and bring it all together so quickly. I love what she did with our place, it has made the transition back to California seamless.

The month began with Jenn’s Dad and Joan coming to visit our place for the rest of the year and enjoying Spaghetti Bender outside in one of the beautiful courtyards at our complex. The next day Jake came down and enjoyed Pizzeria Mozza at the same table outside, we had a nice walk along the back bay, and streamed Hamilton on Disney + with the original cast. Like I said it almost felt like we hadn’t left to New York two years ago.

The first weekend of July also brought the 4th of July and if there was ever a year not to be proud to be an American it was probably 2020 as we’ve seen the complete disaster that COVID has laid at the feet of this once great country and how poorly we’ve been able to manage it. And yet we still went to Riverside to celebrate the day and spend a day with family and barbecue. It was a warm day in Riverside but we enjoyed wine, bread and cheese, and time with our niece Gracie.

I truly wish I had more exciting things to share after the 4th of July but most fo the rest of the month was much of what 2020 has become. We wake up every morning, Jenn takes Frasier outside to do his business, I feed him and make our coffee/hot chocolate, and five days a week we go off and work until the late afternoon or early evening. Most days I’ll make us lunch, some days we do takeout, we’ll take Frasier to the dog park when one of us or both of us are done with work. We’ll reconvene and make dinner 4-5 days a week (mostly Hello Fresh or Blue Apron) and then we’ll walk Frasier, watch TV, and spend the evenings together. It’s beautiful but it does miss the sparkle that was our life five months ago with fancy dinners, museums, theater, culture, and plans to travel. We’re insanely fortunate. I know that. We both do. I don’t want to sound ungrateful, or like I’m complaining. I’m more trying to convey the feeling of the moment. We had truly beautiful moments in July. One I'll never forget is after a particularly long day for Jenn in mid-July I drove us to our favorite beach stop after the dog park and the ocean air did its mysterious healing powers of making everything feel OK again. But there’s still a feeling no matter what we did in July that the world was a very unsettled place, one where we spend as much time looking to the future as we do longing for the past.

As the month came to a close we did finally get out and have a day/evening together. We dropped Frasier off at daycare and went to one of our favorite restaurants still open for outdoor seating, Vaca. It’s a Spanish tapas restaurant that we used to save for our annual Christmas Carol viewings at South Coast Rep but this year it felt like it was a good time to just go and enjoy. We started off with cocktails, split some tapas, had a delicious meat paella, and finished with an unbelievable chef recommended dessert. Speaking of the head chef, he came and talked with us for a bit after we pretty much ordered half the menu. Always a nice touch and an evening that felt almost normal for the first time in five months.

One of the things I told Jenn I couldn’t wait to do when we got back for our short respite in California was to go on my favorite hikes at Crystal Cove. Jenn dropped me off early on the last Saturday of the month and after 2+ hours and nearly 10 miles I had completed the full loop and we were off to Bear Flag for a much needed after hike lunch. I have to say there’s something to be said for just getting outside and accomplishing a big hike.

That same evening Jake, Ally, Amy, Ryan, and Gracie came down for what we called “Board Game Day/Night” but turned out to be another excuse to drink wine, eat cheese, and homemade bread sort of afternoon. And to be honest there’s nothing wrong with that either.

TV WE WATCHED

We’ve just been watching less TV even though we have more time to watch it. But by far the show that we will remember from this month is the Hulu TV show The Great which is easily one of the best shows we’ve watched all year. We also continued with Billions on Showtime which we continue to enjoy quite a bit.

BOOKS I READ (OR LISTENED TO)

I’ve read a lot of great books in 2020 and although July wasn’t my best month of reading one book stood out and that was Girl, Woman, Other by Bernandine Evaristo. An amazing book of short stories about 15+ women in the UK and their life stories. It’s fiction but its one of the most powerful books I’ve read this year because it takes you through a very grounded look at women from different walks of life, backgrounds, sexual preferences, and socio-economic levels. It also does the added trick of making many of their stories intersect. A phenomenal book. The rest were all fine I enjoyed The Culture Code although thought it sort of lost steam, 2001 A Space Odyssey was a GamersRead pick and it was good albeit a bit trippy, and Britt-Marie Was Here was a very enjoyable light summer read.

MOVIES WE WATCHED

We only watched one movie this month but it may be the best movie we watched all year. I love (and so did Jenn) Palm Springs. Conceptually it has the same setup as Groundhogs Day but it' takes place in 2020 in Palm Springs and it’s hilarious. I cannot wait to watch it again.

THEATER WE SAW

I continue to heartbroken to say that this section continues to not have any news. We did watch Hamilton but that doesn’t feel like it counts.

GAMES I'VE BEEN PLAYING

Really there are only two games I really played (although FIFA I played once or twice) and that is Ghost of Tsushima and Madden NFL 20. Ghost of Tsushima is my type of game, an open-world action game where you take the place of a samurai and have an amazing adventure. At the time of this writing, I am just about to finish it but I have loved every second of it. I also have been playing a ton of Madden as I continue to be in two Madden leagues with 10+ people in each.

2020 GOAL TRACKING

Goal #1: Read 40 Books: I've read 24 books and am currently ahead of schedule to hit my goal.

Goal #2: Keep Weight Under 140: I've yet to go over 140lbs

Goal #3: 12 Monthly Recaps: 7 for 7.

A Look Back - July 2020