chelseagirl (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
chelseagirl) wrote2022-01-05 04:56 am
chelseagirl) wrote2022-01-05 04:56 am
2021 Meme
Via Scribblemoose:
1. What did you do in 2021 that you’d never done before?
Watched a group of right-wing extremists invade the Capitol.
Physical therapy.
And on a positive side, won a writing scholarship for my mystery fiction.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Mine are more practical declarations, so I think yes.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
A very dear old friend -- in both senses of the word, he was in his mid-80s and I've known him for perhaps 25 years. I hadn't seen him in awhile, as he was suffering from Alzheimer's.
5. What countries did you visit?
There was one brief shining moment when the border was open and life looked hopeful, and a friend and I, who were visiting my mother in Western NY, crossed the border to Canada, just to visit the Falls.
6. What would you like to have in 2022 that you lacked in 2021?
An in-person social life? I was starting to see people and go places in a small and cautious way, and it was lovely. Now thanks to omicron, not so much.
My concentration.
7. What dates from 2021 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
January 6th. I'm American. Enough said.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Some awards: Excellence in Scholarship at work, MWA-NY's mystery writing scholarship.
Some publications: an article on writing center studies, a historical mystery short story.
Surviving 2021.
9. What was your biggest failure?
I don't think I really failed at anything, just didn't do as much/as well as I would have liked in some departments. It was definitely a year for us to be kind to ourselves.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Yup. Too much walking after too long not walking much, in inappropriate shoes (ballet flats, tennis sneakers without real support), led to a repetitive stress injury which led to a lateral knee thingy. Still recovering.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
A new Kindle -- the old one was 11 years old and second gen and once we got a new cable setup and lost our 2G, I couldn't update it anymore. (I'm going to leave it at my mom's so that I always have a library when I visit.)
Clothes and books that made me happy -- although I definitely stress-shopped and need to stop that.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Heather Cox Richardson, historian whose daily "Letters from an American" contextualizes the present and the past, and provides us with support and determination.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled?
Um, there's a long list and they're all still claiming the election was stolen, that vaccines and masks aren't necessary, and etc.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Taxis and Ubers when I was having difficulty locomoting, this fall.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Getting vaccinated! Seeing my mom again after 8 months, once we were both double-vaxxed.
16. What song will always remind you of 2021?
Mostly, I listened to David Bowie. But actually Katy Perry's "Fireworks" -- the video from the post-Inauguration celebrations made me feel so happy and hopeful and I played it a lot.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
a) I think happier, because I've had some time out in the world, though again with omicron not sure how much more of that I'll be getting for awhile.
b) lost the pandemic weight, which was about 5 pounds, so not that different but stuff that was getting tight is better.
c) Got a raise, but things cost more, so about the same.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Stealing Scribblemoose's answer: Being outdoors and seeing people while I had the chance.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Snapping at my partner and being snapped at my my partner. It's been a stressful time and we have survived it pretty well together but we're both way less patient.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
With Marty and my BFF. It made me really happy, when she came down on Christmas Day -- when I was a kid and we lived in the Hudson Valley, my aunt would take the train up Christmas morning to Beacon and then stay over that night. My BFF did exactly the same but in the opposite direction -- taking the train down from Beacon on Christmas morning, and spending one night. (We're in a one bedroom, so one night is good.)
Did Christmas Eve service online; the church I streamed was actually in person, but both my church and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine went online only, and yeah, I just couldn't see going to the most crowded service of the year in person with omicron surging.
21. Did you fall in love in 2021?
I've been married for 19 years and I'm not poly, so pretty much N/A.
22. What was your favourite TV program?
Snowpiercer had me on the edge of my seat. (Didn't care for the movie that much, but the show has developed the world enough that even though the whole concept is absurd, I'm totally there.)
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No. I don't like how hate makes me feel, and I don't like the ragespike that I feel when I see or hear or hear anyone defend a certain D.T. But that's not new.
24. What was the best book you read?
Wow, so many good ones. I'm going to say Kim Stanley Robinson's New York 2140, which I actually read after his latest (The Ministry for the Future), and loved just slightly more because it was in my world.
25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I haven't really been listening to new music very much. When I complained to M about the dismal state of our Christmas CD collection (CDs that had belonged to my Dad and that weren't doing much for me), they found a bunch of English choral Christmas music on YouTube which was glorious.
26. What did you want and get?
A chance to spend some time with friends and get out and about more.
27. What did you want and not get?
45 arrested? A fully-realized return to normalcy.
28. What was your favourite film of this year?
I really loved Matrix: Resurrections. Yes, it's blatantly meta. But the third film was such a downer, seeing Neo and Trinity back was important to me. And having just turned 60, seeing their fifty-something hotness was very cheering.
29. What one thing made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Physical therapy -- beginning to get that full range of movement back.
30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2021?
Vintage/cottagecore/dark academia. Lots of Christy Dawn and Doen dresses, but also lots of jeans and sweaters. Combat boots or Cariunas sneakers (which have great cork footbeds) with everything while I'm healing.
31. What kept you sane?
Oddly, I'd have to say social media. For all the stress it caused, it made it easier to stay connected with both IRL friends and folks with whom I have interests in common.
32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Rege-Jean Page. Timothy Olyphant (perenially). Mike Colter. Simu Liu. Tim Rozon.
33. What political issue stirred you the most?
The imminent potential collapse of American democracy. And climate change.
34. Who did you miss?
So many people, who I saw only virtually or extremely limited-ly.
35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2021
Be kind to yourself -- sometimes you can't do all the things, but you'll get there.
36. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
My inspiration for the year:
You don't have to feel like a waste of space
You're original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew what the future holds
After a hurricane comes a rainbow
Maybe a reason why all the doors are closed
So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road.
Fireworks, Katy Perry
My eternal hope:
We can be heroes
Just for one day.
Heroes, David Bowie
AND
You're not alone,
just reach out your hand. . .
Rock'n'Roll Suicide, David Bowie
1. What did you do in 2021 that you’d never done before?
Watched a group of right-wing extremists invade the Capitol.
Physical therapy.
And on a positive side, won a writing scholarship for my mystery fiction.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Mine are more practical declarations, so I think yes.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
A very dear old friend -- in both senses of the word, he was in his mid-80s and I've known him for perhaps 25 years. I hadn't seen him in awhile, as he was suffering from Alzheimer's.
5. What countries did you visit?
There was one brief shining moment when the border was open and life looked hopeful, and a friend and I, who were visiting my mother in Western NY, crossed the border to Canada, just to visit the Falls.
6. What would you like to have in 2022 that you lacked in 2021?
An in-person social life? I was starting to see people and go places in a small and cautious way, and it was lovely. Now thanks to omicron, not so much.
My concentration.
7. What dates from 2021 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
January 6th. I'm American. Enough said.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Some awards: Excellence in Scholarship at work, MWA-NY's mystery writing scholarship.
Some publications: an article on writing center studies, a historical mystery short story.
Surviving 2021.
9. What was your biggest failure?
I don't think I really failed at anything, just didn't do as much/as well as I would have liked in some departments. It was definitely a year for us to be kind to ourselves.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Yup. Too much walking after too long not walking much, in inappropriate shoes (ballet flats, tennis sneakers without real support), led to a repetitive stress injury which led to a lateral knee thingy. Still recovering.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
A new Kindle -- the old one was 11 years old and second gen and once we got a new cable setup and lost our 2G, I couldn't update it anymore. (I'm going to leave it at my mom's so that I always have a library when I visit.)
Clothes and books that made me happy -- although I definitely stress-shopped and need to stop that.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Heather Cox Richardson, historian whose daily "Letters from an American" contextualizes the present and the past, and provides us with support and determination.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled?
Um, there's a long list and they're all still claiming the election was stolen, that vaccines and masks aren't necessary, and etc.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Taxis and Ubers when I was having difficulty locomoting, this fall.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Getting vaccinated! Seeing my mom again after 8 months, once we were both double-vaxxed.
16. What song will always remind you of 2021?
Mostly, I listened to David Bowie. But actually Katy Perry's "Fireworks" -- the video from the post-Inauguration celebrations made me feel so happy and hopeful and I played it a lot.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
a) I think happier, because I've had some time out in the world, though again with omicron not sure how much more of that I'll be getting for awhile.
b) lost the pandemic weight, which was about 5 pounds, so not that different but stuff that was getting tight is better.
c) Got a raise, but things cost more, so about the same.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Stealing Scribblemoose's answer: Being outdoors and seeing people while I had the chance.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Snapping at my partner and being snapped at my my partner. It's been a stressful time and we have survived it pretty well together but we're both way less patient.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
With Marty and my BFF. It made me really happy, when she came down on Christmas Day -- when I was a kid and we lived in the Hudson Valley, my aunt would take the train up Christmas morning to Beacon and then stay over that night. My BFF did exactly the same but in the opposite direction -- taking the train down from Beacon on Christmas morning, and spending one night. (We're in a one bedroom, so one night is good.)
Did Christmas Eve service online; the church I streamed was actually in person, but both my church and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine went online only, and yeah, I just couldn't see going to the most crowded service of the year in person with omicron surging.
21. Did you fall in love in 2021?
I've been married for 19 years and I'm not poly, so pretty much N/A.
22. What was your favourite TV program?
Snowpiercer had me on the edge of my seat. (Didn't care for the movie that much, but the show has developed the world enough that even though the whole concept is absurd, I'm totally there.)
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No. I don't like how hate makes me feel, and I don't like the ragespike that I feel when I see or hear or hear anyone defend a certain D.T. But that's not new.
24. What was the best book you read?
Wow, so many good ones. I'm going to say Kim Stanley Robinson's New York 2140, which I actually read after his latest (The Ministry for the Future), and loved just slightly more because it was in my world.
25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I haven't really been listening to new music very much. When I complained to M about the dismal state of our Christmas CD collection (CDs that had belonged to my Dad and that weren't doing much for me), they found a bunch of English choral Christmas music on YouTube which was glorious.
26. What did you want and get?
A chance to spend some time with friends and get out and about more.
27. What did you want and not get?
45 arrested? A fully-realized return to normalcy.
28. What was your favourite film of this year?
I really loved Matrix: Resurrections. Yes, it's blatantly meta. But the third film was such a downer, seeing Neo and Trinity back was important to me. And having just turned 60, seeing their fifty-something hotness was very cheering.
29. What one thing made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Physical therapy -- beginning to get that full range of movement back.
30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2021?
Vintage/cottagecore/dark academia. Lots of Christy Dawn and Doen dresses, but also lots of jeans and sweaters. Combat boots or Cariunas sneakers (which have great cork footbeds) with everything while I'm healing.
31. What kept you sane?
Oddly, I'd have to say social media. For all the stress it caused, it made it easier to stay connected with both IRL friends and folks with whom I have interests in common.
32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Rege-Jean Page. Timothy Olyphant (perenially). Mike Colter. Simu Liu. Tim Rozon.
33. What political issue stirred you the most?
The imminent potential collapse of American democracy. And climate change.
34. Who did you miss?
So many people, who I saw only virtually or extremely limited-ly.
35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2021
Be kind to yourself -- sometimes you can't do all the things, but you'll get there.
36. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
My inspiration for the year:
You don't have to feel like a waste of space
You're original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew what the future holds
After a hurricane comes a rainbow
Maybe a reason why all the doors are closed
So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road.
Fireworks, Katy Perry
My eternal hope:
We can be heroes
Just for one day.
Heroes, David Bowie
AND
You're not alone,
just reach out your hand. . .
Rock'n'Roll Suicide, David Bowie