Year-End Meme, 2020

[peppermintesse]

Keeping up with tradition since 2011, thanks to brinshannara:

1. What did you do in 2020 that you'd never done before?
   
   Life in a pandemic. We have a peg rack of washable face masks by the back door, at the ready. It's surreal to watch TV and movies from Before Times, realize how much we took going out for granted.
   
   Otherwise, what I did than what I noticed for the first time: cheekbones. I can see 'em!
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
   • I notice that I had hoped to take up yoga: I didn't.
   • Restart bodyweight exercises: I did! I can see muscle definition in my arms and legs. It's amazing!
   • Reading more: I did! As of this writing I'm about at 37 books, up from 11.5 in 2019.
   • Be more creative: Ugh, unfortunately not. Though I did write a little.
   
   
   For 2021, I hope to get back to more artistic things. Hope to continue to maintain my weight, and maybe, just maybe, yoga again!
   
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
   Not super close, but my uncle's girlfriend's daughter had a baby.
   
4. Did anyone close to you die?
   Unfortunately, yes. My brother Johnny (complications from lung cancer) at the end of April, as well as my friend's husband RJ (probable heart attack) at the end of June. (My friend and RJ only got married in June of 2019.) My brother's passing was not entirely unexpected, though he did go downhill very quickly. RJ's passing was extremely unexpected.
   
   We weren't especially close, but another friend from Eugene died unexpectedly, too, in November. And I learned that yet another Eugene friend died in July of 2019.
   
5. What countries did you visit?
   Shortly before the border was closed to non-essential travel, we went to Canada for a Costco / Shopper's Drug Mart run and keto meat lover's pizza at Pizza Pizza for dinner. I miss that pizza, and am running extremely low on the good Prep H (good for helping skin blemishes and under-eye bags), which we can only get in Canada.
   
6. What would you like to have in 2021 that you lacked in 2020?
   Our own goddamn place.
   
7. What date from 2020 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
   29 April. The date my brother died. It's hard to lose a parent, but even harder to lose a sibling, particularly when they're younger than you are.
   
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
   Not only did I hit my goal weight 11 days into 2020 (125 lbs. / ~57 kg), but I've managed to maintain it for the whole year. I'm super proud of this, given *waves arms around*. Also, the bodyweight strength training.
   
9. What was your biggest failure?
   To finish a few fanfics I've been working on. Shush.
   
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
    I appear to have a pinched nerve in my neck—I have an appointment in late January about it. I've been doing PT exercises to help with the shoulder pain. Also had a telemedicine appointment for a possible sinus infection on Boxing Day—currently taking a Z-pack prescription.
    
11. What was the best thing you bought?
    • This year: Powerbeats Pro earbuds. I love how they can seamlessly switch between phone and computer, and unlike my previous Bluetooth headset, they don't fall out of my ears on the regular. Also my fairly new slippers, which have Birkenstock foot beds. Helps greatly to prevent foot pain.
    • A previous year's purchase that came to fruition this year: the extended warranty on the Prius, which we got on the recommendation of the credit union loan officer. Having the warranty meant that the hybrid battery was covered in full when it needed to be replaced.
    
    
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
    Front-line workers at hospitals, grocery stores, and so on.
    
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
    So-called mask-holes. As @JLBarrow tweeted, "How privileged is your life where wearing a mask is the most oppressed you've ever felt?" Fuckers.
    
14. Where did most of your money go?
    Besides the usual (food/rent/bills)? Cat vet bills (14-year-old Nefret needed to have all but three teeth removed—but she came through it spectacularly). But I'm extremely grateful that we could afford to do it.
    
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
    Landing a new job, fully remote, with full benefits. It's not quite strictly technical writing, but I'm willing to expand what I do for what they are paying me.
    
16. What song will always remind you of 2020?
    "Backyard Boy" by Claire Rosenkranz, "Lemons" by Brye, and "death bed" by Powfu featuring Beabadoobee. I first heard these through YouTube videos of TikTok compilations; the existence of such compilations was new to me in 2020. (For the record, the compilations are for "hair fails" (bleach disasters, self-haircut disasters, etc.).
    
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
    1. Happier or sadder?
       About the same.
    2. Thinner or fatter?
       About the same, maybe a little thinner, since I was still a couple of weeks away from hitting my goal weight.
    3. Richer or poorer?
       A bit better off.
    
    
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
    Travelling, but alas, with a pandemic…
    
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
    Attending funerals.
    
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
    At home, quietly. We don't really do much for Christmas, anyway, but we didn't have the obligations of making the rounds for visits, which honestly I was secretly relieved about. Not that I don't love my friends and family…
    
21. What, if any, insight did you gain about yourself in 2020?
    I am a true introvert and a true Gen Xer.
    
22. Did you fall in love in 2020?
    Not with anyone new. This question hasn't been relevant for me for 25 years. (…yikes?!)
    
23. What podcasts got you through 2020?
    (This one used to be "How many one night stands?" but I will never have an answer for this that isn't "None," because that's just not who I am. So I'm officially changing this from now on.)
    
    I'm still listening to most of my true crime faves (My Favorite Murder, Jensen and Holes: The Murder Squad, The Trail Went Cold, Unresolved, True Crime Bullshit (about Israel Keyes)…) but have added the fantastic and funny Bananas (weird news; very funny) and My Momma Told Me (Black conspiracy theories; also very funny, and I'm learning a lot about Black culture). Also just finished a six-episode series on Audible called Heist, about (surprise, surprise) heists, hosted by Michael Caine. They couldn't have picked a more perfect host.
    
24. What was your favourite TV program?
    Oh, gosh. I just finished watching The Undoing, which was really great. I thought Star Trek: Picard was pretty freaking great, though distinctly lacking in Beverly Crusher (c'mon, season two, resolve this). Watched the first season of The Mandalorian, which, eh, I suppose was okay, but I wasn't blown away. I haven't watched the second season yet.
    
    Oh. Almost forgot these were this year: I did very much enjoy the new Unsolved Mysteries on Netflix, and new Forensic Files II on HLN, inasmuch as you can 'enjoy' that type of material.
    
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
    Nope, sill hate the Trumpists, bigots, science deniers, anti-vaxxers, pandemic-is-a-hoaxers. I cannot wait for that fucker to leave office, preferably to then wear correctional system orange to match his complexion.
    
26. What was the best book you read?
    That's hard to say. I really enjoyed two series that were new to me: new Hercule Poirot by Sophie Hannah, and another series (Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders) by Anthony Horowitz, which feature a detective novel (with sleuth Atticus Pünd, who is very like Poirot) within the overall murder mystery novel. I also enjoyed Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline. (You can see my books list in my year-end book roundup, coming soon.)
    
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
    Music from TikTok clips, which is stupid, but there it is.
    
28. What did you want and get?
    The Powerbeats Pro and a upgrade on my Apple Watch to Series 6.
    
29. What did you want and not get?
    A place of our own to unload our stuff into.
    
30. What was your favourite film of this year?
    Gosh, I can't think of a single movie I watched this year.
    
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
    Played the video game Superliminal and ate a bunch of stuff that Andra made for me that was keto-friendly (including lasagna (!) and the tiramisu again). Wasn't my ideal milestone birthday bash for 50, but it was wonderful and I had a great weekend. Though maybe it was ideal as an introvert? (My birthday fell on Friday the 13^th. Tried not to see it as an ominous portent. Hahahaha.) It was a little bittersweet, though, because Johnny's 44^th birthday would have been just two days later.
    
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
    To not be in Niagara Falls anymore.
    
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2020?
    No different than last year: Work From Home couture (yoga pants and tee-shirts). I still wear my Pusheen PJ bottoms but they are huge now, and the weight of my phone pulls them down even with the drawstring tied.
    
34. What kept you sane?
    Andra, the cats, Lily's salted caramel chocolate chips.
    
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
    Colin Firth, again. He's getting old (heh, like I'm not), but he's still handsome and classy AF. I mean, I can't stop laughing at this: "whilst at college I went to a talk with Colin firth and after a glass of red at the reception told my friends I'd drag him into a bush... a voice behind me 'oh would you really?!' With a laugh.... this is the result." (It was a photo with him.)
    
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
    Black Lives Matter.
    Anything to do with the apparent disregard of life and safety by right-wingers; namely, denial of science in a pandemic situation. Assholes who don't (or won't) wear masks, safely distance, wash hands. Was your big wedding or Thanksgiving gathering worth it, dumbasses?
    
37. Who did you miss?
    So many friends and family that we can't see in person right now, but most of all, my brother. He was a pain in the ass at times, but I still can't believe he's gone. At least we were able to go into the ICU on his last day (at the start of the pandemic!) to say goodbye. He knew we were there and he knew he was loved.
    
38. Who was the best new person you met?
    Honestly, I am not sure. I haven't really met anyone new in person. Probably someone I met online? But I'm also not sure who I specifically met in 2020. Time is meaningless.
    
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2020.
    Don't take anything or anyone for granted.
    
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
    Gonna lean on HoJo again, because "Things Can Only Get Better" is my go-to for feeling more optimistic.

Treating today as though it was
The last, the final show
Get to sixty and feel no regret
It may take a little time
A lonely path, an uphill climb
Success or failure will not alter it

Comments

[brinshannara]

What a difficult year, lady. So much loss. I'm so sorry about your brother and the others you've lost this year. It's such a difficult year to start with and then all that...

That said, so pleased to hear about the job and your other successes -- weight stuff, the podcasts and other media you enjoyed... holy crap, I forgot Picard was *this year*, so I went back and added that to my own list. I loved every moment of it except in like episode 2 or 3 wherein Picard's doctor is NOT Beverly. I MEAN FOR REAL. haha.

Also, hard same on being an introvert and a true Gen Xer. I feel like the pandemic allowed me to channel my teenage self, holed up in my room, listening to music, writing or reading, and I've been mostly okay with that. :)

Wishing you and An a much better 2021 than 2020! <3

[peppermintesse]

...and 2021 is off to a galloping fucking start, eh? JFC.

Re: Picard, well, 2020 WAS a decade long. I almost forgot about Forensic Files II and the new Unsolved Mysteries.

Thanks, darlin'. I'll pass that on for ya. *hug* May this year be far better for you too.