Bahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha…hah…hah…hah…SOB.
I didn’t know if I would do this year-end survey this time around. It’s been such a flaming, festering, incessantly shitty year. Why would my answers to banal questions have anything to do with anything other than a GLOBAL FUCKING PANDEMIC and every other piece of shit the universe threw out this year?
But I am a creature of habit and in dire need of a little normalcy, so here we go.
2021 is the year of the Ox. We have a small herd of cows around here, and Edgar has us covered.
Either that or he just got lost looking for The Mouse.
He probably just got lost looking for The Mouse.
He’s…he’s right behind you, Edgar.
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2011… The House…
2012… Denver and Andy Grammer…
2013… If it Ain’t One Thing…
2014… The Phantom Smoke Stench…
2015… WTF Day Is It…
2016… The Whole Gaddam World is on Fire…
2017… The Nose and OMFG WHAT NOW???
2018… I…Got Nothin’…
2019… Just…Fuck Right Off…
2020 was The Year of…The Global Fucking Pandemic…
Big surprise on that one, no?
And here I thought 2019 needed to fuck right off.
I really need to stop asking how much worse is it going to get before it gets better because it somehow just KEEPS GETTING WORSE.
It’s gotta turn around at some point, right? RIGHT??!!!!?!????!??!?!????!?!??
Woof.
I’m gonna need more cows.
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1.) Where did you ring in the New Year?
I barely remember last week, much less last January in normal times. These days I barely remember what I did twelve hours ago. This time I’m finally changing this question to what we did last night. How did we ring OUT the old year? At home, playing video games, eating snacks, watching Critical Role, and staying up until morning because we are adults on Christmas vacation.
2.) What did you do last year that you’d never done before?
Besides living through an actual Global Fucking Pandemic? I…don’t think I did anything new. Nothing comes to mind at least.
(ETA: I had this thought weeks later…I had jury duty. But it probably completely slipped my mind because I didn’t actually have to set foot in the courthouse. I just had to call in every day for two weeks just to be told not to show up. Maybe that doesn’t really count as new but it counts as time served so I don’t have to do it again for another four years.)
3.) Did you keep your new year’s resolutions and will you make more for next year?
I maintained my trend of posting every month with my Last.fm stats. I’ve never made any sort of pledge or promise to do that. It just gives me a deliberate reason to post something on a monthly basis because I pay way too much money for this inane domain and I don’t want to give it up, so I need to make some use of it until I can get my shit together and start writing here on the regular again. (I’M TRYING.)
4.) Did anyone close to you get engaged or married?
Not that I’m aware of. But I’m so far out of touch with anyone outside of our cave, I really don’t know. There were some famous types that I’m fond of that got engaged and/or married this year, so those were some bright spots to see.
5.) Did anyone close to you get pregnant or give birth?
I learned from their Christmas card that my cousin and his girlfriend had their second baby sometime within the last few months.
6.) Did anyone close to you die?
No. Thank Fucking Christ.
7.) How did you earn your keep?
Still playing at that Trophy housewife thing. Still not very successful at it either. But I’m the best one in this house so, there’s that.
8.) What countries places did you visit?
I went to the grocery store, and Target, and Costco, and the chiropractor, and the doctor, and…I don’t think I’ve set foot in any other establishment since March.
9.) What would you like to have this year that you lacked last year?
Aside from freedom of movement without fear of getting infected by a deadly virus? Some new clothes would be nice.
10.) What dates from last year will remain etched upon your memory and why?
There are a lot of dates I will likely remember, but most I don’t really want to remember. I’ll say August 21st. The new Killers album came out and it’s a good one.
11.) What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I actually got a lot of writing done. And compared to the misery of 2019, it feels more like a fucking lifetime achievement.
12.) What was your biggest failure?
I let the election news cycle get to me far more than I would ever want to and it resulted in some pretty ugly breakdowns.
13.) Did you suffer illness or injury?
In the before times, I had a mystery plague at the end of January that didn’t really have any specific symptoms. I felt awful for about a week and then it went away. I think it was my body forcing a hard reset after too many weeks of really bad insomnia, but I really don’t know for sure.
14.) Did you ever encounter the police?
Bahahahahahahahahahahahahaha…ha…ha…ha… Not directly.
One chilly, Saturday morning I woke up to the sound of loud voices yelling outside my window and opened the blinds to nearly a dozen (seriously) police cars in front of my house, a mystery SUV in the neighbor’s driveway, and a swarm of cops handcuffing two men at gunpoint. As far as we could discern from listening to the chatter, was it was a stolen vehicle, part of a robbery about twenty miles south. The guilty parties had no idea they were pulling into a dead-end neighborhood while fleeing the police, and pulled into the neighbor’s driveway because they had no place else to go. The whole to-do lasted about two hours but there was no gunfire, or even sirens (like at all). It happened right at the start of all the Minneapolis riots, so it may have been connected to the looters, but I never found any specific news reports on any of it.
15.) What was the best thing you bought?
A new camera. It’s somewhere between a basic point-and-shoot and a DSLR, so it has a lot of bells and whistles I’m not used to, and I still have no idea how to use it. It has taught me I remember exactly nothing from my high school photography class. I mean…that was 21 years ago…so…
16.) Where did most of your money go?
Replacing failing technology. We had a rough patch of electronic revolt. It was annoying.
17.) What did you get really excited about?
The new Killers album. Because new music is always a good thing.
18.) Compared to this time last year, are you…
…happier or sadder? Overall just fucking EXHAUSTED.
…thinner or fatter? Still sitting at the fattest I’ve ever been.
…richer or poorer? All things considered, I think we’ve maintained our financial situation.
This whole question is just really judge-y. I should really find a replacement for it.
19.) What do you wish you’d done more of?
Being productive in useful ways.
20.) What do you wish you’d done less of?
Feeling utterly helpless and shitty from the horrifying state of the world.
21.) How did you spend Christmas?
For the first time, we stayed home. Because, you know, PANDEMIC. I haven’t seen my parents since last Christmas. I better fucking be able to see them BEFORE NEXT CHRISTMAS.
We made a nice dinner, and spent the time on the couch while Bob played Cyberpunk 2077.
22.) What are your short and long term goals for the year?
Short Term:
Long Term:
I want to recruit Bob into helping me get the Now Playing field back into my posts on ye olde blog.
23.) What was your favorite TV program?
We’ve still been enjoying Critical Role and I’ve still been watching a lot of old Forensic Files. Bob discovered The Expanse and The Boys. I periodically listened in, but didn’t really watch much. Though I will say that Shohreh Aghdashloo is the best part of The Expanse. The Boys has some real What-the-fuckery but there is also a lot of Billy Joel music, so Bob has to put up with me singing along whenever it plays. We also re-watched Farscape because that one never gets old.
24.) What were your favorite books of the year?
I started a few books, but didn’t really finish anything. Because ADHD. I reread Sarah Dessen’s This Lullaby, which was the first book I ever read by her, and back then it gave me a better idea the kind of stories I want to write. Also, I love Dexter.
25.) What was your favorite music from this year?
The usual suspects (O.A.R., Matt Nathanson, Nine Days, the same Splender song on repeat) and I also fell into music from The Killers and I DON’T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME.
26.) What song will always remind you of last year?
I always pick a song for this answer, but it’s not likely that particular song will ALWAYS remind me of the year. It’s more, what song stands out as something I listened to a lot, that may or may not have any sort of connection to something that happened over the course of the year. That being said…
Fourth of July by Fall Out Boy
Caution by The Killers
Leave Me Alone by I DON’T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME
27.) What were your favorite films of the year?
Much like reading books, I have an impossible time just watching movies without losing focus every five minutes. In recent months, we watched The Big Sick and What If. They were both cute rom-coms and stared the same lead actress. I think I liked the former more than the latter, but that might be because it was based on a true story.
28.) What did you do on your birthday and how old were you?
I turned 41. WAT. We had Culver’s for dinner because I wanted onion rings. Bob gave me a heated blanket and I love it.
29.) What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Not having to live through a Global Fucking Pandemic would have been nice. Actually getting to see my parents. Fewer stupid people in the world.
30.) How would you describe your personal fashion concept?
I will always and forever stand by pajama pants and hoodies.
31.) What kept you sane?
Bob and music and writing.
32.) Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I still love Matt Nathanson and the boys of O.A.R.. Also Brandon Flowers is pretty adorable.
33.) Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned this year.
I don’t know that I really learned anything new, but I certainly had several things I’ve always known reinforced.
…People are awful and selfish and ruin everything.
…Spending almost 24/7 at home for nine solid months with my husband has reaffirmed I really like spending 24/7 at home with my husband. Someday when he actually goes back to a typical work schedule, I’m going to fucking hate it.
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Moo.
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New Invention I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME |