2021 has ruthlessly come to its conclusion and I think most of will agree: 2021 was kind of an @$$hole. (I mean, c’mon 2021. Betty White and John Madden in the closing hours!?!)
I posted last week about The Top Ten Terms I’d like to see added to people’s vocabulary in 2022, but let’s talk about what else I’d like to see happen in 2022.
Here Are GEEKY DADDY’S TOP 5 THINGS WE WANT TO SEE HAPPEN IN 2022!
Mt Dew Release A New Flavor That Is Actually An Improvement Over The Original
The couple of years have seen a number introductions of ‘exclusive‘ new Mt Dew Flavors, with rumors of Buffalo Wild Wings getting their own exclusive “Legend” flavor in early 2022.
While I do enjoy the Thrashed Apple (especially with a shot of Apple Crown Royal mixed in), but otherwise, none of these new concoctions have lived up to the original.
End of this Supply Chain $#!TSHOW
Everyone has been affected on some level by the semi-conductor shortage during the pandemic. Whether is was a back-ordered food processor, that impossible to find Playstation 5 or the Ford Mach-e electric vehicle my wife has had on order since mid July 2021 (as of this writing January 2022 we still have no production date).
People often try to oversimplify the semi-conductor shortage into being solely caused by pandemic shutdowns (which was a major contributing factor), but the reality is the shortage was a unique cluster-F combination of manufacturer shutdowns, overloaded distribution channel logistics, poor sales forecasting by purchasers, limited chip manufacturer capacity, U.S. trade relations with China, long-haul truck drivers who left the industry at the beginning of the shutdown, Taiwan’s worst draught in decades…
The sad truth is that micro chips have a lengthy, complicated manufacturing process and the manufacturers were already operating at or near capacity, which means production ramp up is not as simple as “just make more.” But the good news is, over the final months of 2021, we did see improvements in all stages of the supply chain. So things should be smoothing out in 2022….right?
Taco Bell Bring Back The Mexican Pizza
2020 forced many fast food chains to prioritize the Drive Thru side of their operation over the Dine In side.
With the logistics that accompanied that change of emphasis, most restaurants were forced to condense their product offerings and phase out products that were labor intensive, time consuming to prepare or more costly to package.
The greatest casualty of this industry pivot had to be Taco Bell‘s culinary delicacy: The Mexican Pizza.
But stay strong Taco Bell Nation, rumor has it that this fast food masterpiece may be returning in the Spring of 2022!
Movement on the Robotech: Macross Live Action Movie
Let me be up front: There is a 99.9% chance that this is nothing but a pipe dream. But something interesting happened with this property a couple weeks ago…
Robotech: Macross was my introduction to Japanese Animation and will always hold a special place in my heart. Last year, I even put together my dream cast for a Robotech: Macross movie with Spider-Man’s Tom Hollland as Rick Hunter (and no, the irony of Tobey Maguire’s production company at one point having the option rights for Robotech is not lost on me).
In the beginning of December, a couple high grade copies of Robotech Macross #1 sold for record highs. Outlier high sales on low print run comic books aren’t exactly rare, but sometimes when there are a couple outliers of the same issue over a brief period of time, it can be an indication that the property is being potentially optioned by a studio (and some employees in the know are looking to make a quick profit on the speculation).
Or, more likely, the sales were simply to a couple of super-fans. But a boy can dream…
End to all this COVID Crap
Dear god, please let it be so!
Shutdowns, face mask, supply chains constraints, social distancing, lack of Mexican pizzas at Taco Bell…Let this crap cease!
With the latest COVID variant (Omicron) proving to be more contagious, but less severe, than the previous strains, it gives us hope that COVID is moving closer to endemic from pandemic. Endemic is the “optimistic view that enough people will gain immune protection from vaccination and from natural infection such that there will be less transmission and much less COVID-19-related hospitalization and death, even as the virus continues to circulate”. (Basically, like when the Spanish Flu morphed into the flu we know today)
Will life ever be the exact same as before with people passing unwrapped hot dogs across aisles at baseball games or exposed all-you-can-eat buffets? Probably not.
But hopefully this spring/summer will be more like ‘the good old days’ full of fun and safe activities for everyone.
What are some of the things you are most hopeful to see in 2022? Let me know in the comments below!
Geeky Daddy 