2020 Was a Great Year

 It is approaching 9 pm and I am sitting in my living room with the next 3 days off of work.  Maleficent is on the TV, streaming from Disney+ as my wife fiddles with something in the kitchen.  My boy is blowing shit up in some video game and my girl is singing along to some random Bubble Guppies song and playing with the dog.  After a long week at work I feel totally at peace with my family and my life.

The year 2020 is not going to be remembered fondly by a lot of people because of the world wide pandemic that swept over us all, but I am a firm believer that life is what you make it.  You can choose to give in to your circumstances and proclaim Fuck 2020 and Fuck Covid loud and proud and just accept that your life was decidedly horrible this past year because of what happened.  Or you can be in charge of your life and march forward with a chip on your shoulder because you know  that the only thing that can slow you down is yourself and you did not allow that to happen.

I'm not saying that I ruled the world for the entire year and proclaiming myself king of the underworld but I am stating, as fact, that I sure as shit made the most of it as the year came to an end.

The positives of 2020:

1 - I changed my mindset and decided to take back control of my life.  I jumped on a program called #75Hard and over the course of 75 days I lost 30 pounds while building up a better mental toughness and increasing my will power.

2 - Due to the pandemic, and being an essential worker, the wife and I hit more (and bigger) bonuses at work and are closing the year out with our biggest income to date, and by a large margin.

3 - I finally decided to start a Fantasy Football League with a group of friends from all walks of my life and past.  My brother, my son, my brother-in-law, a friend I met in 6th grade, one from 11th grade, one from college, Co workers that I have met since moving to Vegas and a random dude from the internet that I met because of podcasts and video games.  Quite the gambit!

4 - My children have grown like bad weeds in a flower garden. They have outgrown all of their clothes. Their personalities are shining through loud and clear and they are certifiably crazy, but I love them.  Having gone from never wanting children to having a full brood has made my life more fulfilling than I ever thought possible.

5 - Since October 1st I have lost approximately 40 pounds.  I have cut out 99% of my junk food and fast food consumption.  I have cut out soda's and am drinking a ton of water.  I have started to eat healthier and the wife and I are finding new healthy recepes to replace unhealthier versions as we both work towards a better lifestyle for our family.

6 - While my hobbies have taken a back seat to me taking a journey towards self improvement I have actually reconnected with one that I have been ignoring for a bunch of years, reading.  Starting #75Hard I read through 5 books and have continued to read a little bit almost every day since. I am about 50% through one currently and have a couple more lined up for 2021.

7 - I expanded my podcast from a two man wrecking crew and added three new members to help us push out content more consistently and have formed great friendships with every member of the team.  In addition to the three new members we also have two others who are part of the team in some manner and I hope to expand their roles in the coming year.  

8 - I was forced to buy a car when my 2005 Ford Focus started to need too many repairs and then the AC shit the bed during one of the hottest times of the year.  I upgraded to a 2019 Toyota Corolla.  

9 - While trying to raise money to buy a Playstation 5 and an Xbox Series X I rediscovered some old Magic: The Gathering cards I had in a box and started selling them off so I could afford the new systems.  One month later I accidentally made enough money to pay off my car AND purchase one of the systems (and this was after paying eBay and Paypal fees).  I had ONE monthly car payment and then on month two I made a lump sum payment and now own the car outright.

10 - I still acquired my PS5 and my Series X and then I won a Nintendo Switch (which showed up today, the last day of the year) in a giveaway on Twitter from a video game company.

Ten reasons why the year 2020 has kicked a lot of ass for me and my family.

2021 is rapidly approaching (2.5 hours away as I clack on this keyboard) and I plan on it being an even better year.

I will enjoy my family more.

I will get in better shape.

I will drop another 30 pounds.

I will sink a lot of time into my favorite hobbies.

Life is good people.  Stop making excuses as to why life sucks.  Grab life by the balls and make it your bitch, not the other way around.

The FatManinVegas has spoken.  

Thank you all for being in my life.  Without friends and family you just have ass-hat co-workers  :)

My Corona - March to December

It is almost 8pm on a not so random Tuesday evening in March, the 17th to be precise.
The powers that be in Nevada just announced a total shutdown of all non essential businesses, in the state, for 30 days.  I can only presume that strip clubs are not essential and I worry what those poor young college aged girls are not going to survive without the aid of married dong and wallets.

Wait, I'm sorry.  That is really not where I was going with this. 

My business, big box retail, falls into the hardware store category and is considered to be an essential business and as such we will remain open for the general public.  This means we will still receive product shipments and stock the shelves so that others can come in and purchase.  Will other companies pay their employees to survive while they are not working for the next 30 days?  That is an important question and one that will shape not only Nevada but the nation for the next month or so.

Based only one what I witness people do not have rainy day funds any longer.  Emergency funds are credit cards and if business's are not going to support their workers in this time of crisis then the only people who are going to win are the credit card companies as people are forced to pay for everything on credit and then figure out how to climb out of life altering debt once they go back to work.

This situation truly makes me sad.  I've been in that position before where my only option was to put essentials (and sometimes bills) on credit.  You cannot win in those situations.  If you don't have friends and/or family in a better situation to help you through it you could end up digging your own financial grave.

Today:

It is 10:30 am on a random Wednesday in December, the 2nd to be precise.

I found the above in my drafts where I never finished my thoughts and didn't get around to publishing. The Covid-19 shutdown was supposed to last 30 days but instead it lasted like 9 months.  Small Business suffered while big business thrived.  Many small businesses collapsed and closed.  Some bigger companies did the same.  The food industry might never be the same with some places still only allowing take-out and delivery while their Dine-In seating area stays completely empty.

Masks have gone from "man I can't wait to stop wearing these" to a normal part of our daily routine without even thinking about it.  Strippers and Rub-and-Tuggers (one G or two?) have had to find alternative means to get their income.  The world is in shambles and Las Vegas is suffering.

Yeah, 2020 has pretty much sucked.  The world has changed and we all have to adapt and overcome.  

So how was your 2020?  Did you succumb to the shitiness of the situation and sit around in your underwear eating junk food and taking bong hits all year while getting fatter and making excuses for everything or did you man (woman) up and decide that Covid-19 does not dictate who you are and make some life changes and enjoy it as much as you can?

I decided (later than I should have) that I needed to make some changes.  Covid-19 kills the weak, the sick, the fat, the old.  Not 100% but the percentages do not lie.  If you are young and in great shape then the Rona hits you like a flu and you recover.  If you weigh 400 pounds and a heavy workout is lifting the pizza to your lips you are more likely to get stuck in a hospital on a respirator and perish while your family isn't allowed to come and even say good-fucking-bye.

It is not a pretty picture being painted and I do not want my family, my children to suffer such a fate. So I have decided to get off my fat ass and make some changes to my life.

I started on a journey called #75Hard and am currently on day 63 of it.  I have dropped nearly 30 pounds in the past two months and have added daily exercise into my routine.  I haven't touched any Junk Food (candy, chips, ice cream, donuts, etc) since starting and I have not had any Fast Food (Taco-Bell, McDonalds, etc) either.

I feel better, I look better and I know I am on the right path.  Once I am done with this challenge I will keep looking for ways to improve my health and lose weight until I am no longer considered Obese.

Covid-19 has helped change my outlook on life and while it has wrecked havoc on our planet I am not willing to give in to "2020 sucks and I can't wait for 2021."

Covid-19 is a wake up call.

We need to be healthier.

We need to appreciate who we have.

We need to live better lives.

Now pass the bong.

Kidding.