I cannot believe it’s already 2024. The years seem to fly by faster and faster the older you get. I know those are words old people always say but it’s the truth no matter how much you try to ignore it. Every year has it’s ups-and-downs and 2023 was no different. I’ll cover the usual stuff so let’s get into the 2023 Year in Review.
The year started pretty rough. January seemed to drag on; the last 10 days seemed especially long. Two people I cared about passed away. They were not in my family, thankfully, but they felt like extended family. I still mourn them and I’m still praying for their families, especially during the recent holidays.
In Memoriam
Since we are already somber, let’s reflect on the celebrities we lost. I know Hollywood can be a swear word for some folks. If you want to jump ahead, feel free to do so. With that said the celebrities I list will only be those who have had an impact on my life or spark fond memories.
It shouldn’t be surprising that I start with Matthew Perry (54 – drowning). Of the celebrity deaths this year, his is the most devastating, especially for those of the Gen-X/Xennial/Millennial generations. There is a little bit of Chandler Bing in all of us and Matthew perfectly personified it.
Other notable television and film actor deaths include Suzanne Somers (77 – cancer, Three’s Company), Michael Gambon (82 – pneumonia, Dumbledore), David McCallum (90 – natural causes, “Ducky“), Bob Barker (99 – natural causes), Paul Reubens (77 – cancer, Pee-wee Herman), Jerry Springer (79 – cancer) and the great Lance Reddick (60 – natural causes, Bosch and John Wick).
In music and sports, we lost the great Dick Butkus (80 – in his sleep), Jimmy Buffett (76 – Merkel cell skin cancer), Windham Rotunda aka Bray Wyatt (36 – heart attack), Tony Bennett (96), Tina Turner (83 – illness) and the Indiana University basketball coach known for choking his players and throwing chairs, Bobby Knight (83 – dementia).
May they rest in peace, even Bobby Knight.
2023 Year in Review: Movies
We didn’t go to the theater in 2023. It was a combination of how much it costs to go to the theater and out of solidarity for the writers and actors on strike. We should be going to the theater more often instead of watching it on a streaming service. The writers, actors, and crew receive more compensation for their work from the box office and buying physical media than they do from streaming services and digital purchases.
Be that as it may, I did watch two “new-ish” movies (i.e. they were new to me).
I enjoyed both films and provided a review for The Menu and briefly discussed Kate in one of my Monthly Movie posts. I recommend both films. If there are any new movies out that you enjoyed, streaming or in the theater, please post your suggestions in the comments. I’m always open to checking out a new movie.
Speaking of the Monthly Movie posts, 2023 is the second year I completed my monthly movie watching. I really enjoy this activity. It gives me a great reason to go watch the movies I own. I might do something a little different in 2024 for the monthly posts starting with January’s theme post.
Wellness Stats and Run to Mordor
In 2023 I finally broke the dry spell and I participated in the 2023 Flying Pig 10K. It was fun to finally get back out there with everyone again. So the question now is, should I run the Half Marathon in 2024? More on that in a later post. In the meantime let’s do the stats.
- 4,829,641 steps
- 2,514.82 miles
- ** arrows indicate changes from previous year
The good news is that I went up about 200,000 steps over last year and about 120 miles. The bad news is that I did not complete the Run to Mordor when I wanted to. August 27th was the goal date but I didn’t hit it until September 19th. Hopefully, I can do better in 2024.
Next up, 2023 Reading Challenge review and my goals for 2024!
/cheers