Welcoming 2021!

Ah, 2020 be gone! 

With COVID-19 changing our lives (mainly for the worse), we are happy to move into 2021! I look forward to a time when wearing masks is no longer required, when lines to Whole Foods are a distant memory, and when I can sip my Philharmonic coffee at Philz and enjoy my freshly baked croissants at Fleur de Cocoa.

Despite Covid-19 in 2020, we have a lot to be thankful for.

Highlights

• Health (I had no Ulcerative Colitis outbreaks), and both Inna and Alex stayed healthy.
  
• Jobs (both Inna and I adjusted to working from home. We don't miss the long commute!)
• College Visits (we could visit Southern California colleges before the COVID-19 lockdown), so Alex had a chance to visit UCLA, USC, UC San Diego, Cal Poly,  Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount, and Santa Clara.
• Month-long work-cation at Laguna Beach to escape the horrible smoke from nearby fires, where we were able to surf daily and enjoy beach walks and freshly baked pastries :-) 
• Short weekend travel trips to Morro Bay and Pismo Beach to surf and enjoy the sunshine
• Surfing at Trestles and Rockpile Beach in Laguna Beach
  
• Windsurfing at Sherman Island and Waddell Creek in late July, experiencing strong and consistent winds
• Mountain biking at Almaden Quicksilver County Park and John Nicholas trail
  
• Early admission acceptances to Santa Clara University and San Diego State University for Alex
  

 Lowlights

• Inability to meet or hang out with our friends face-to-face
• Massive restaurant closures and restrictions to dining indoors and outdoors. (Only take-out is available for those restaurants still in business.)
• Long queues and limited access to most businesses, including Whole Foods
• Inability to practice or play tennis at Sunnyvale Tennis Center (the ball machine is no longer accessible)
  
• Canceled April's trip to Four Seasons Resort at Punta Mita, Mexico
• Canceled September's Solosports windsurfing camp with Kevin Pritchard to San Carlos, Mexico
• No snowboarding at Mammoth or Lake Tahoe area ski resorts due to COVID-19 restrictions and limited snow precipitation

We made a lot of changes in 2020, including:

1. House Repairs
   
• Contracted James Snyder to repair my torn window nets, rotten wood, and exterior sliding doors with Milgard Patio doors
  
• Contracted Two Men & a Brush (Scoot Cooper) to repaint the house exterior
  
• Installed new Schlage front door deadbolt with Ring support
• Repaired my KitchenAid Dishwasher's Top Rack Adjuster 
• Replaced the Home Master's Water Filter and fixed the poor water pressure coming from the storage tank
  
2. Patio upgrades
   
• Purchased new 6-piece Barcalounge Patio Furniture
  
• Purchased Weber Genesis II S-345 Gas Grill and learned to grill steaks
• Bought a large outdoor umbrella from Outdoor Supply Hardware
  
3.  Family Room Upgrades
   
1. Installed LG CX77 OLED TV to replace my 12-year-old Samsung 58' Plasma TV
   
2. Installed Denon AVR-X3700H receiver to replace my ancient Onkyo PR-SC886 preamp
3. Purchased Ring (2nd gen) Security System with an indoor camera and video doorbell to replace the old and poorly-working ADT Security system
   
4. Service Changes
1. Switched from AT&T Mobile to Google Fi for all mobile phones (to lower overall cost)
   
2. Switched from ADT Security to Ring Security and installed Ring Video Doorbell 3 outside
   
3. Switched from Comcast Internet to another account
5. Gear Changes
1. Purchased a new Keiser M3i Exercise bike so that I could exercise indoors (since Gym access is no longer possible)
   
2. Used Silva Cycles to replace rear disk brakes and install new Maxxis Minion DHF (front)/DHRII (rear) tires on my Specialized FSR mountain bike (all tires had to be pre-ordered on Amazon as there was low availability)
3. Dropped off Alex's Ripcurl wetsuit at Ripcurl Santa Cruz for seam repair. It was shipped to Ripcurl headquarters in San Clemente and took 2 months to repair!
   
4. I used Midtown Surf Shop to repair Alex's Firewire Tomo V4 surfboard, which was damaged at Rockpile Beach in Laguna Beach.
   
5. Purchased Apple Watch SE 44 mm Nike edition (to replace my dead Apple Watch Series 3 (which died after surfing at Laguna Beach)
6. Purchased a lightly used F-One Madeiro 8'5" SUP from Craigslist and sold it after realizing it was too small and unstable to paddle surf.
   
6. Vehicle Repairs
1. Replaced dead motorcycle battery in Yamaha WR-250F off-road motorcycle with a fresh Yuasa YTZ7S from GP Sports
2. Replaced dead auto battery in Lexus RX-350 with a new Costco Interstate MT-24F

We prepared the following gifts for New Year's presents under our Christmas tree.

For Inna:

• MacBook Pro 13' M1 512GB SSD (to replace her ancient 2013 MacBook Pro)
• Practicing Mindfulness: 75 Essential Meditations to Reduce Stress, Improve Mental Health, and Find Peace in the Everyday 
• 4-Tube Natural Latex Sit-up Bodybuilding Expander
• Winsterich Giant Sloth Stuffed Animal Toy, 27.5 inches 

 

For Alex:

• Surf Maps World Map Surf Accessory One Size Multi  
• Swelltech J.O.B. Banzai surf trainer 
• The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results

For Boris: 

• Apple AirPods (exchanged for Apple AirPods Pro) (returned)
  
• Qi-compatible Wireless Charger (returned)
  
• Best Daddy Mug
• Shirt
  
• Apple MacBook Air 13’ M1 512GB SSD