Decade almost done!

What is all of this obsession with the passage of time? In fact, reviewing the last few years of this blog, it's all me bemoaning the fact that I am aging or expressing amazement that so much time has passed since a certain event or experience occurred. So instead, I will do my best of 2019.  I will limit it to that as I can't sort out what happened between this decade and the last.

Best concert: considering that I only went to about 5, I'd say it was Squeeze at Parx Casino. They were among my favorite bands in the 80's so hearing them play all of the songs I loved so well was a pleasure.

Best book I read: The Winter War by Eric Rauschway. About the interregnum between Hoover and FDR in 1932-33 and the steps Hoover took to try to sabotage the New Deal. As with concerts, I probably read fewer books than I would have liked, considering how many and how quickly I needed to read in my master's program. I have spent a lot of my reading time on antebellum America, specifically slavery. The worst part is that I forget a lot of the details in what I have read so can't quote chapter and verse. Right now I am plowing through Black Reconstruction by W.E.B. DuBois, mostly out of a sense of duty. I still haven't investigated adjunct teaching at a community college but with retirement not too far away, I may be more motivated. I am attending a lot of sessions on pedagogy at the AHA convention this weekend for some ideas I can use in the future.

Best Movie- again, not too many candidates. I did see The Irishman in the theater and liked it, despite DeNiro being one of the least Irish looking actors who could have been chosen for the part. Mostly movies on Netflix and Amazon Prime.

Best Run: Love Half Marathon in Philly. It was my best time- 1:53 and I finished in the top 15% of my age group. Unhappily, my IT band has been acting up again. It doesn't affect me when I run, just afterward. I hope I am ready for the Love Run again in 3 months.

Best Training run: Along the Merrimack river in New Hampshire while on a work trip. I was expecting to run a few loops though an apartment complex to get three miles in but on the way back took a detour and discovered a trail along the river. I still only did three miles but in the unlikely event that I stay at the same hotel again, I will do the entire run on the trail, as it looked like it went for several more miles after my turn around.

Best shopping bargain: I forgot to pack a tie to match my sport coat so went to a mall looking for an inexpensive one. I saw plenty of $40 ties but none of them were what I wanted to spend that much on. My last stop was the budget store in the Macy's basement where I found the perfect Michael Kors silk tie for $7.99. It's still in my regular tie rotation.

Best Manchester United season- certainly not this one. They are a downslide since 2013 so even though I usually watch every game, it's never all that pleasurable.  I was definitely spoiled by the success in the 2000s which is when I started following them intensely.

Best wine I bought: Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc. Made even better that it was on a restaurant wine list, so I recommended it to acclamation by my dinner companions who drink white wine.

Best meal: Cava, a tapas place in Portsmouth NH. I was there for work so not my ideal dining companion but food was amazing and we had some good rioja to accompany it. Lots of other meals that were good but not outstanding.

Best experience: grandfatherhood. Hands down