Housekeeping: Merry New Year

Tim Healey
by Tim Healey

I don’t have much to say — you already know we’re on a light schedule until Monday. So I will keep this short.

I just want to wish all our readers a happy New Year. Please celebrate safely in terms of both Covid and booze/drugs. Don’t go to large indoor gatherings, mask up, wash your hands, sanitize. Don’t drink and drive. Don’t get high and drive.

There’s a light, however dim, at the end of the pandemic tunnel. That said, I can’t promise 2021 will be better than 2020, so all we can do tonight is celebrate another new year and kiss this one na na na na, hey hey, goodbye.

Be safe, have fun, see you next year.

[Image: PhotoJuli86/Shutterstock.com]

Tim Healey
Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

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  • SCE to AUX SCE to AUX on Dec 31, 2020

    On the negative side: 1. We've had our first direct friend (acquaintance) die of Covid last week, but we know of many others 2nd-hand who have died, and many who are/were sick with it. Some are so-called "long-haulers", which means you have lingering or recurring symptoms or side effects for months. Somehow, many people still think it's all just a fake liberal/commie ploy to ruin us, or just the seasonal flu. 2. Our family has lost other friends this year, some I've known 40-50 years since childhood. That's life. 3. Working from home - home should be a safe place from work, but now they are hard to separate. 4. My retirement fund got hammered in March-April. 5. My son and his wife lost their jobs in March, right after getting married. 6. No vacation trips - we haven't gone 50 miles from home since March. On the plus side: 1. Two of our sons got married this year, so it's great to see the family grow. 2. My daughter got engaged this year - foreign wedding date TBD. 3. I still have a job and my health. 4. My son and his wife got new jobs this fall. 5. My other newlywed son and his wife each graduated from college this year. 6. My retirement fund rebounded and has never been better - weird. 7. My mother's knee replacement surgery in February beat the Covid mess by two weeks, and she recovered quite well. 8. Working from home: It took me many months to manage my time better, but I like not driving as much. The EV gets nearly all of our miles now, and I buy gas for the other car only every couple months. I hope this downtime will extend its life. 9. We subtracted a car and added a car (used), so did our part for the car economy. Anyway - TMI - but it's not been all bad for our family. To the TTAC gang: Thank you for doing a fine job herding the cats during these interesting times. We're tough on you, tough on each other, and tough on the products, mfrs, and dealers that we hate and love. But I keep coming back every day because I like what you produce. 2021 may not feel much better than 2020 until summer, but I hope it's a happy one for you. -SCE

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    • Picard234 Picard234 on Jan 01, 2021

      @jalop1991 Read number 6 under plus side. Perhaps your new year's resolution should be to be less angry!

  • DC Bruce DC Bruce on Dec 31, 2020

    Well, best wishes for 2021 to everyone! This year has been a challenge for everyone. My 91-year old father died with (not of) Covid but no one else of my acquaintance died of the disease. I know of only two who think they had it. My first grandchild was born this year, and my daughter told me today that another is on the way. Whoo-hoo! My wife and I were successfully able to accomplish a three month cross-country and back trip to see our grandchild, using our Airstream travel trailer. Having made 6 trips cross-country to California and managed to use a different route each time, I can say that doing so is an education worth your time and effort. I celebrate (said without sarcasm or irony) my 13th year as a cancer patient with active cancer, fully functional, ambulatory and not in any discomfort. Few can say that. My retirement portfolio is actually richer than when I retired nearly 6 years ago, but I am taking a lot of money "off the table" because I think the market is richly valued, and I have no reason to believe that the Obama B-team will do any better than the A-team at the economy. The Fed, whose cheap money during the Great Recession, kept happy those of us fortunate enough to own assets, has shot its bolt. So I have a lot to be thankful for and look forward to 2021. I hope that's the case for every one.

  • Lou_BC Lou_BC on Dec 31, 2020

    I just tested negative for COVID-19. I never thought I'd be happy to say that it's just a cold! Happy New Year

  • Inside Looking Out Inside Looking Out on Dec 31, 2020

    Happy new COVID-20 in the new year. We will eventually overcome them.

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    • Old_WRX Old_WRX on Jan 03, 2021

      @Inside Looking Out I've always dreamed of dying in a communal government subsidized apartment. But, hopefully I will get to do my part in building our shiny new socialist motherland before I die.

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