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highlyeccentricI have most of yours open in tabs to read between writing tomorrow.
1. What did you do in 2019 that you'd never done before? I mean there's the whole 'living in a pandemic' thing. But I also furnished a flat from scratch!
2. Did you keep your New Years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I only made one, and it was to stop biting my nails, facilitated by shellac. It failed. This year I have many many ways I need to fine-tune my habits, but the starting one is: shower BEFORE breakfast.
Per last year's meme, I wanted to be both productive and balanced, and unsure how to do that. I'm still ??? but I think I did a bit better.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Nope.
4. Did anyone close to you die? Last year's answer was 'no, slightly to our surprise', and Pop lasted out the whole of 2020, right to midday on the 31st.
5. What countries did you visit? I moved to Switzerland, but did absolutely no VISITING, because by the time I could afford it, COVID HAPPENED.
6. What would you like to have in 2021 that you lacked in 2020? Last year I said "Sex life would be nice but let's not get carried away", and oddly, that did happen. Obviously this year the answer has to be 'realistic prospect of seeing Aus partner / family / etc'. Also a book contract, but let's not get carried away.
7. What date from 2020 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? 13 March, both the day I completed moving in to the flat and the day the initial swiss lockdown was announced.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Work wise, I laid the groundwork for achievements to come, I hope. Personally... uh, I managed to achieve Dating, via okcupid, with someone in the same city as me? Unheard of!
9. What was your biggest failure?As with last year and the year before I'm banned from assessing failures.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Quite a few cuts and scrapes. New MH diagnoses, rough meds side effects. But not The Illness Of The Year, nor indeed much in the way of colds and bugs.
11. What was the best thing you bought? I bought... a lot of things. Many practical, many impulse purchases. On the practical side, my couch by far. On the delight side, possibly the stuffie sheep.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration? Oh, actually so many. My boss. Australian partner Shiny, stubbornly slogging away at what is for him a high-stress work year and yet reliably having emotional support change to spare for me. The nursing / palliative care teams and the extended family roster of help that pitched in to provide 24/7 care for Pop in his last few months, allowing him to die at home.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed? *gestures bleakly at global politics* (ie, exactly what I said last year, and the year before) Also special glares for people who get histrionic about COVID-measures being "so afraid of death you're afraid to live" and the like, although as the year has gone on and the gap has widened between Europe and what feels like sensible measures here and Australia and it's reactions, I've become more sympathetic to 'bad yes but is this an over-reaction?' PsOV, even ones I don't agree with.
14. Where did most of your money go? Aside from putting deposit down on flat rental, and the obvious 'paying rent' part... discretionary spending on Items has all gone up (clothes, books, homewares, etc) partly because I needed to build up stuff and partly as a provider of variety. Also groceries. WFH has just channelled all my eating-out bill into HUGE GROCERY BILLS.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Violence in literary adaptation, as you do.
16. What song will always remind you of 2019? Oooh that's tough. Maybe Dessa's Skeleton Key? Fiona Apple's Under the Table?
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? More content, I think, but not really happier
ii. thinner or fatter? Quite considerably more plump, round and delicious.
iii. richer or poorer? Richer, certainly
18. What do you wish you'd done more of? So many things. Exercise. Reading for fun. Academic book proposal work, so it wasn't such a scramble in January. But here we are...
19. What do you wish you'd done less of? See, not so much? I could always have procrastinated less, but otherwise... I don't have any specific regrets in this vein.
20. How did you spend Christmas?: I was alone on Xmas day, on purpose because I thought I'd have a busy schedule of calling Aus. As it turned out I didn't and that was fine. Called K on the 24th, Shiny on the 26th. Had J and Y over for a big lunch on the 26th, too.
21. How will you be spending/ did you spend New Year's? J and Y came over, bringing a veritable army's worth of side dishes, and Y and I had fondue while J had stuffed capsicums. They left just after midnight, and it was a pleasantly chill evening.
22. Did you fall in love in 2020 Er, yes. Unexpectedly.
23. How many one-night stands? None
24. What was your favorite TV program(s)? I have watched ZERO TV.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? I... no. I am mostly exasperated and exhausted.
26. What was the best book you read? As per book meme, my favourite fiction read was Wake, Siren. I'm rather non-committal about the others. The NARRATIVE that absorbed me most was clearly The Magnus Archives.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery? Oooh. Um. Either Namoli Brennet or Alex Sturbaum, I think, although Fiona Apple and King Princess were both also new to me.
28. What did you want and get? A vast array of things really, starting with a lease on this flat.
29. What did you want and not get? Visits from K and Shiny, for obvious reasons.
30. What was your favorite film of this year? Didn't see any new films either.
31. What did you do on your birthday? I think I attended a lecture via Zoom.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? I mean probably 'no plague?' Although some of the things that WERE satisfying in my life only came about because plague. I would probably be more satisfied if I had finished the book proposal earlier.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2020? In Which I Discover Sweaters Are Good, Actually
34. What kept you sane? Acquisition of some good stuffies?
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? None
36. What political issue stirred you the most? At this point, a better question is: is there any political issue that does not fill you with utter dread and despair? (ie, the same as last year. And the year before.)
37. Who did you miss? I mean, everyone. But mostly this year I am sharply aware that I miss people LESS than most people do.
38. Who was the best new person you met? New partner? New doctoral student colleague-friend? Any one of several new internet acquaintances? It's been an oddly good year for meeting people.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2020: Just don't try cutting garlic with a big knife, Amy.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: There's always this one, from Grace Petrie's 'Protest Singer Blues' (2015)
Several years ago I slept through an alarm
And I've been playing catch-up since
And every now and then the sight of my reflection
Makes me stop and wince
How many deaths will it take till we know
Too many people have died?
'Cause I regret we haven't got there yet
And time it isn't on our side
1. What did you do in 2019 that you'd never done before? I mean there's the whole 'living in a pandemic' thing. But I also furnished a flat from scratch!
2. Did you keep your New Years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I only made one, and it was to stop biting my nails, facilitated by shellac. It failed. This year I have many many ways I need to fine-tune my habits, but the starting one is: shower BEFORE breakfast.
Per last year's meme, I wanted to be both productive and balanced, and unsure how to do that. I'm still ??? but I think I did a bit better.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Nope.
4. Did anyone close to you die? Last year's answer was 'no, slightly to our surprise', and Pop lasted out the whole of 2020, right to midday on the 31st.
5. What countries did you visit? I moved to Switzerland, but did absolutely no VISITING, because by the time I could afford it, COVID HAPPENED.
6. What would you like to have in 2021 that you lacked in 2020? Last year I said "Sex life would be nice but let's not get carried away", and oddly, that did happen. Obviously this year the answer has to be 'realistic prospect of seeing Aus partner / family / etc'. Also a book contract, but let's not get carried away.
7. What date from 2020 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? 13 March, both the day I completed moving in to the flat and the day the initial swiss lockdown was announced.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Work wise, I laid the groundwork for achievements to come, I hope. Personally... uh, I managed to achieve Dating, via okcupid, with someone in the same city as me? Unheard of!
9. What was your biggest failure?As with last year and the year before I'm banned from assessing failures.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Quite a few cuts and scrapes. New MH diagnoses, rough meds side effects. But not The Illness Of The Year, nor indeed much in the way of colds and bugs.
11. What was the best thing you bought? I bought... a lot of things. Many practical, many impulse purchases. On the practical side, my couch by far. On the delight side, possibly the stuffie sheep.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration? Oh, actually so many. My boss. Australian partner Shiny, stubbornly slogging away at what is for him a high-stress work year and yet reliably having emotional support change to spare for me. The nursing / palliative care teams and the extended family roster of help that pitched in to provide 24/7 care for Pop in his last few months, allowing him to die at home.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed? *gestures bleakly at global politics* (ie, exactly what I said last year, and the year before) Also special glares for people who get histrionic about COVID-measures being "so afraid of death you're afraid to live" and the like, although as the year has gone on and the gap has widened between Europe and what feels like sensible measures here and Australia and it's reactions, I've become more sympathetic to 'bad yes but is this an over-reaction?' PsOV, even ones I don't agree with.
14. Where did most of your money go? Aside from putting deposit down on flat rental, and the obvious 'paying rent' part... discretionary spending on Items has all gone up (clothes, books, homewares, etc) partly because I needed to build up stuff and partly as a provider of variety. Also groceries. WFH has just channelled all my eating-out bill into HUGE GROCERY BILLS.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Violence in literary adaptation, as you do.
16. What song will always remind you of 2019? Oooh that's tough. Maybe Dessa's Skeleton Key? Fiona Apple's Under the Table?
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? More content, I think, but not really happier
ii. thinner or fatter? Quite considerably more plump, round and delicious.
iii. richer or poorer? Richer, certainly
18. What do you wish you'd done more of? So many things. Exercise. Reading for fun. Academic book proposal work, so it wasn't such a scramble in January. But here we are...
19. What do you wish you'd done less of? See, not so much? I could always have procrastinated less, but otherwise... I don't have any specific regrets in this vein.
20. How did you spend Christmas?: I was alone on Xmas day, on purpose because I thought I'd have a busy schedule of calling Aus. As it turned out I didn't and that was fine. Called K on the 24th, Shiny on the 26th. Had J and Y over for a big lunch on the 26th, too.
21. How will you be spending/ did you spend New Year's? J and Y came over, bringing a veritable army's worth of side dishes, and Y and I had fondue while J had stuffed capsicums. They left just after midnight, and it was a pleasantly chill evening.
22. Did you fall in love in 2020 Er, yes. Unexpectedly.
23. How many one-night stands? None
24. What was your favorite TV program(s)? I have watched ZERO TV.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? I... no. I am mostly exasperated and exhausted.
26. What was the best book you read? As per book meme, my favourite fiction read was Wake, Siren. I'm rather non-committal about the others. The NARRATIVE that absorbed me most was clearly The Magnus Archives.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery? Oooh. Um. Either Namoli Brennet or Alex Sturbaum, I think, although Fiona Apple and King Princess were both also new to me.
28. What did you want and get? A vast array of things really, starting with a lease on this flat.
29. What did you want and not get? Visits from K and Shiny, for obvious reasons.
30. What was your favorite film of this year? Didn't see any new films either.
31. What did you do on your birthday? I think I attended a lecture via Zoom.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? I mean probably 'no plague?' Although some of the things that WERE satisfying in my life only came about because plague. I would probably be more satisfied if I had finished the book proposal earlier.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2020? In Which I Discover Sweaters Are Good, Actually
34. What kept you sane? Acquisition of some good stuffies?
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? None
36. What political issue stirred you the most? At this point, a better question is: is there any political issue that does not fill you with utter dread and despair? (ie, the same as last year. And the year before.)
37. Who did you miss? I mean, everyone. But mostly this year I am sharply aware that I miss people LESS than most people do.
38. Who was the best new person you met? New partner? New doctoral student colleague-friend? Any one of several new internet acquaintances? It's been an oddly good year for meeting people.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2020: Just don't try cutting garlic with a big knife, Amy.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: There's always this one, from Grace Petrie's 'Protest Singer Blues' (2015)
Several years ago I slept through an alarm
And I've been playing catch-up since
And every now and then the sight of my reflection
Makes me stop and wince
How many deaths will it take till we know
Too many people have died?
'Cause I regret we haven't got there yet
And time it isn't on our side