State of the Union - December 2021.
GOLF GAME:
Here is a quick overview of my 2021 stats:
Scores Posted: 34
High / Low / Average: 91 / 74 / 84.1
Low Index: 7.1 on 4/18/2021
Current Index: 9.7
When I look back on 2021, the main takeaway is the volume of golf I was able to play. I logged 34 rounds, but if you were to include twilight, 9 hole or off season outings, I probably got out closer to 50 times in 2021. It’s going to be tough to improve on 9.7 while likely playing far fewer rounds in 2022, so the key will be quality over quantity. Additionally, most of my golf in 2021 consisted of actual rounds, rather than dedicated practice sessions. So 2022 will be more range and putting sessions, partly out of necessity and partly out of a desire to truly improve. One of my goals will be to practice with purpose, rather than just mindlessly hitting balls / putts. But more on that later…
Some highlights from the year:
February - My wife and I drove down to Florida and spent two weeks with her parents. I took advantage of the warmer temperatures, open tee sheets and cheap off-season rates - and was able to play 6 rounds.
May - Took a buddies trip down to Streamsong Resort in Florida and played 5 rounds + a loop around the pitch and putt course.
Me on the far right.
June - Mostly played local (North Jersey) with Neshanic Valley, Rock Spring and River Vale GC making up the bulk of my rounds. With the extended daylight, I was constantly sneaking over to Skyway in Jersey City for quick 9s after work.
July/Aug/Sept - When the calendar hits the summer months, I typically play a lot of golf at Islands End Golf Course in East Marion on eastern Long Island. My parents own a home that backs up to the 15th hole, so we take full advantage late in the day when the volume of golfers coming through slows down. Many a bud lights have been consumed on the 16th green…
The 16th Green At IE
Fall - More local golf in North Jersey, including a few trips out to Crystal Springs resort to soak in the fall foliage while playing the excellent Ballyowen and Wild Turkey courses.
Overall, my game is in decent shape, but it’s become super clear that my scores hinge on two clubs - driver and putter. Hardly a unique assessment, but I feel like the range between my floor and ceiling on these clubs is too wide to get into the low single digit handicaps. My iron and wedge play is pretty consistent, so the focus for 2022 will be on driving and putting.
(more importantly), DAD STUFF:
Baby Julia joined us a week early on 12/1/21 at about 6:15 AM at Hoboken University Medical Center. The whole experience was surreal, and the fact that we were up through the night only heightened the dream like nature of it all. My wife Loral was an absolute champion and I am so proud and amazed at how she handled everything with grace and composure. Both Mom and Baby came out on the other side healthy, and we were able to leave the hospital and head home about 30 hours after the delivery. Truly amazing stuff, that no one care really prepare you for.
The last week has been a mix of highs and lows (but mostly highs), as we adjust to our new life. We were able to spend the better part of 3 days with both our families and they quickly fell in love with Julia. The daily range of emotions is huge - joy, frustration, silliness, anxiety, and of course love - are often felt in the span of one day or even a few hours. All we can do is take it one day at a time. Here are a few things I have learned so far:
1) Feeding is so important and dictates almost everything else. It feels like Julia’s sleep schedule, fussiness, diaper count, energy levels, everything, is in someway related to how she is feeding. What makes it hard, is that the feeding process is somewhat unpredictable. Sometimes she’s super hungry and and sometimes not so much. Realistic or not, we want to get her on a more consistent feeding routine in the hopes this translates to more consistency everywhere else. We will see.
2) I don’t need as much sleep as I thought. I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to function during the day due to all the sleep interruptions at night. So far, I feel like I am reacting better than expected. I’ve been able to get about 6 hours per night (albeit not consecutively) and this is just enough to remain functional. I definitely get tired at night, but those who know me, know this is nothing new…
3) Newborn babies are hilarious. I can’t count how many belly laughs we have shared in the last week. Everything she does makes me laugh - her facial expressions, her weird noises, of course the farts/sneezes/pukes are hysterical to me too. I like to sit on the couch and put her between my legs facing me when I feed her. After a bottle, when she is shit hammered milk drunk, her body goes completely limp and she face plants into my lap. I can’t get enough.
Post bottle, pre comatose
I totally realize that all of this is pretty common knowledge and likely would have sunk in sooner for me had I paid a little more attention in our parenting classes. But I am the type of person who really needs to experience something before I learn it, so bear with me. Here is what I am hoping to learn in the coming days:
1) The SNOO - is it worth it really? Mixed results so far, but it’s early.
2) How long until we get some genuine human interaction? I know babies this young really only respond to biological needs but I am curious to know when she will get my dad jokes…
3) How are we going to solve the growing bottle storage problem? We live in a small apartment without a ton of free storage space in the kitchen. Should I start researching a storage unit to capture the overflow? I think that may be the only option. The situation is developing so I will continue to pass along updates on the matter.
This is about half the total bottle supply.
So that’s it for now. More to share in the coming days.
