2020: A Look Back

2020 has been quite a ride. I’m glad that it’s over. It hasn’t been all bad, but the bad has really overshadowed almost everything else. It’s made this year a tough year for almost everyone.

Home

This year has been a busy one at home. Luckily, everyone here has remained safe and healthy.

Our 12 year old dog passed away in April. She was a Golden Retriever and she was the best. But she also lived a little longer than we thought she would. I’m not sure we’ll ever had another dog as awesome as she was.

We bought a new puppy. This happened the night before things in our area really shutdown. We decided to stick with Golden Retriever. They have great temperaments and are a breed that we enjoy. The first few weeks with the new puppy were really rough while she got used to us and (eventually) sleeping through the night. Now she’s just another member of the family.

Family life has cycled from very busy to periods with nothing to do. It’s very strange compared to other years (where we are just busy). I won’t lie, I’ve enjoyed the down time from the usual fire hose of events.

The last few years, we’ve been taking trips to Europe to explore new countries. This year, our new tradition of European vacations was put on hold. I’m hoping we can get back over to Europe (and some new countries) sometime next year. We did get away on a single vacation to the Outer Banks over July 4th week. That was a nice escape from reality for a bit.

Work

Work has been busy the entire time. I’ve been a remote employee for a few years now. When lockdown hit us, we didn’t miss a beat. While everyone else was trying to figure remote work out, we just kept chugging along.

In January, I took over as the iOS Tech Lead for DC Universe. I’ve been keeping that position since then. That role has been transitioning into the iOS tech lead for DC Universe Infinite, which is expected to launch in January.

DC Universe: App of the Day

Earlier this year, DC Universe was featured in the iOS App Store. It’s happened a few times before, but it never gets old to see.

Later in this year, I also became the iOS Tech Lead on Boomerang. I had worked on Boomerang a few years ago prior to its initial launch. It’s been nice to come back to this property and work on it again.

Boomerang has also been featured multiple times in the iOS App Store this year. I’ll be honest, it never gets old seeing this. And it’s always a pleasant surprise to see.

Boomerang: Featured

With leading up two different properties at work, it’s made for a super busy year. Sometimes too busy. I’m currently on a well earned vacation for the remainder of 2020. I have a feeling that next year will be another busy year, so I’m getting some rest while I can.

2021?

I have a number of goals for 2021, but I’m going to save those for another post. Posting more here happens to be one of those goals, so we’ll see how well I stick to that goal.