III XMAS EVE

I realized as I was thinking about the heading for this post, that I missed an opportunity to use Roman numerals as I’m numbering each episode of this blog. I may still do that retroactively because I think they look cool, and the number of this one is in my name, Alec Stephens III.

So, last night my wife and I rented a Zipcar and drove to see the Christmas lights at Dyker Heights, something that I’ve never done, nor had any desire to do, but my wife wanted to go. And as happens a fair amount of time, she was right, I had a good time and remembered how much I loved seeing Christmas lights in Seattle as a kid. Equally as impressive as the lights were some of the houses, I’m constantly impressed by the different types of architecture in this city, and just the variety of experience.

I’ve re-fallen in love with New York during this crazy year, this really is home. And speaking of home, we may possibly move, just around the corner, but to a new home after living here for the better part of a decade. This is a renter’s/buyer’s market, rents have been going down.

I got some Muay Thai training in today ahead of what I know is going to be several days of gluttony and TV bingeing. We totally dropped the ball on Christmas lights this year, this has been a weird year to say the least. Laura’s store moved, and we’re super happy with the new location of The Rack Shack at 17 Thames St. And judging by the negotiations she’s having with the agent over the phone in the other room, it looks like our address will indeed be changing.

Change. That’s been the theme of 2020, for all of us. And really, it’s always the theme, it is the one constant. I was in a pretty good rhythm with work/life/art balance before COVID-19 and I’m still figuring out what that looks like, but I’m super grateful to have my health, mental and physical, and clarity of purpose. It hasn’t been all easy. Especially lately. S.A.D. and winter blues are a real thing, and they've been getting to me. Also on the work front, I’ve been struggling with trying to make an opportunity work, but I feel like a square peg trying to fit into a round hole. I don’t know what is going to happen.

What I do know is whether you feel you had a bad year or a good year, I hope it was mostly good, but no matter what, things can get better. So if whichever holidays you celebrate, and whatever traditions you practice, I wish you great final days of 2020. I will be back here tomorrow with more, because this is only 3 out of 100. But know I wish you a good Christmas Eve, wherever you are and whatever traditions you observe or don’t observe, have a good evening.