The year-end provides a time for reflection regarding what happened in the last 12 months. From a travel perspective, not much travel this year, with two trips to Finland for business, and a trip to Cape Cod during the Thanksgiving holiday, where I staying at the Chatham Bars Inn. The Chatham Bars Inn is renowned for its Thanksgiving buffet, which I attended with a good friend of mine and his family. It certainly lived up to its reputation, as the buffet has a huge range of high-quality foods, like lobster tails (for those who like seafood, which I don’t), turkey, roast beef, assorted breads, prosciutto, a huge assortment of desserts, etc. It was fantastic, and if you are looking for a Thanksgiving destination, one would not go wrong with the Chatham Bars Inn — but you must book in advance, including for the buffet.

For much of the year, I have been dealing with various orthopedic issues. I had a torn meniscus, which required surgery, and I continue to have osteoarthritis in both my knees, which will eventually require knee replacement, but for the time being, I get bi-yearly injections to help lubricate my knee joints and reduce the discomfort. In the latter part of this year, I developed a case of Morton’s neuroma. Morton’s neuroma is a thickening of tissue around nerves leading to one’s toes, and you can feel a sharp burning pain in the ball of one’s foot and toes. Needless to say, it has been a challenge this year to play tennis regularly, or even walk, and I have become an expert in applying KT tape. Fortunately, I can still exercise on my recumbent bike for one hour every day without too much discomfort, but without these other activities, like weekly tennis, I have not been able to make a dent in my weight this year, as it essentially remains the same as it was in December 2022. Hopefully, in 2024, these orthopedic issues will not be so prominent, and greater weight loss will be realized.

As I do every year, I went to the US Open, and had a great time with friends and family. That will happen again in 2024. Also for 2024, I am considering purchasing a new car, as my current car is getting a bit old at 11 years old, and is increasingly costly to repair. There is a big push for BEVs (battery electric vehicles), but in my view, they are not ready for everyday use and travel, with many downsides (like increased insurance, lack of range, difficulty recharging on a trip, and high repair costs), so my next car will still be an ICE (internal combustion engine) car.

Like I did in 2012, when I purchased my current BMW, the plan would be to pick up the new car in Spartanburg, SC, at the BMW Performance Center. It is a great experience, where BMW puts you up for free for a night at a hotel, you get track time in a car just like your new car, there is a museum tour, and you pick up your car in its own bay, where a specialist goes over all of the car’s function. After the orientation, you drive your car out of the bay, and start your trip home. That should be a lot of fun, and likely to happen around summertime.

I am looking forward to a more prosperous, enjoyable, and healthy 2024.