I started blogging decades ago, during the heyday of blogger and Scary Mommy and BlogHer and mommy blogs. There, I found community, but as time went on I began to find my way as the type of writer I want to be. I started writing at Medium in March 2019, and that's where most of my writing happens these days. Still, there are some posts that just don't fit there, so I keep my trusty little blog handy here. To view a list of all posts, click here. Enjoy!

Twelve.

Dear Danny, 

Wow what a time to be... alive? A teenager? A person in the US? Really, anything. Today is November 8, which means that this letter is almost exactly 6 months late this year - not my best work, but in some ways I'm glad because this has been a year of so much growth and change for all of us.

Our year started off with our whole family coming down with Covid. We were pretty miserable for a week, but in the end it was probably good to get it out of the way and know that if it happened, we would be okay. We spent a lot of time in the living room watching movies and whining about being sick.

You finished your first year of middle school, and summer flew by. You marched with the Bellingham all-middle-school-band on Memorial Day weekend, and it was so much fun to watch you march by! I was so impressed by how good you guys were together after only a few practices. It's not set in stone, but I think I'll be pretty happy if you decide to be a band kid. You also attended your first band camp, which you loved. 

Last weekend, you decided you wanted a haircut, and there went your ponytail and the hair you've been growing long. Unlike your brother, you didn't just go for a short buzz, you had specific ideas about what you wanted, and the end product ended up reminding me of the boys in Bop magazine when I was your age (see: Devon Sawa & Jonathan Brandis). You also wanted to dye it blue, and we did that on Sunday night because you really wanted to go to school on Monday and surprise everyone with the full deal. You are so much like me in some ways - that is the exact way I'd want to do it!

You've changed so much over the last 18 months. You've gotten taller, your face has changed, you're solidly moving out of big-kid territory and into teenhood. It's been a strange time for me as a parent because you are in that in-between place of self-sufficiency and self-discovery, and still needing/wanting your mom. 

This year you got into speedcubing, and we've been to a couple of competitions. It's a lot of fun, everyone is really friendly and it's just a pretty wholesome hobby. I learned too, but I've let my skills lapse some and need to get back into practicing more often. I'm sure there are a ton of things I want to remember from this year, but it's so hard to think of all of them when I'm trying.

You're so smart, school is easy for you, and you get bored sometimes. But I think as you get older that will improve, especially once you get to high school and have more control over the classes you choose. You will be doing some extra math work in 7th grade so you can do a combined 8th/9th grade math in your last year of middle school. I think that will be really good for you. 

I love watching you come into your own as an almost-teen and a person. You are so much more confident and able to be your true self more than I was when I was in middle school. It makes me feel like I'm doing something right. I am excited to see what the next year (well, six months now) holds for us, and all the things you're going to do.

Love, 

Mom

Favorites!

Favorite Book:  Maybe Ender's Game?

Favorite Color: Blue
Favorite Song:  Almost anything Taylor Swift
Favorite Board Game:  Uno Flip maybe
Favorite Video Game: Spelunky & Minecraft
Favorite TV Show: Brooklyn 99
Favorite YouTubers:  Jack Sucks at Life, Doug Doug, Jet Lagged, Wilbur Soot
Favorite Food:  Pizza
Favorite Dessert: Sweetarts Ropes
Favorite Thing to Do Outside the House: Boulevard Park, Whatcom Falls Park, Neko Cat Cafe
Favorite Subject at School: Language Arts? Definitely NOT PE or Social Studies

Best Friends:  Miles, Nora, Aurora

Eleven
Ten
Nine
Eight
Seven
Six.
Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One.
Birth Story.

Sixteen!

Dear Sam,

I'm having trouble knowing where to begin this year. I'm sure I've said it before, but this one feels different. Sixteen is such a milestone, and we are rapidly approaching your official transition from teen to young adult. When I think about it, I'm still in disbelief that we are here, and that you have made it for 16 years with me as your parent.

This birthday letter is quite late, not for the first time. I've had it on my list to finish for such a long time, but it just hasn't happened. So, it's probably going to be a bit shorter than usual, but hopefully it means next year's letter will be even better. I can dream, right?! 

10th grade was a challenge. Middle school went so well, and between online school and the difference in curriculum and structure and lots of other things in high school, the transition didn't go as smoothly as we would have liked. At the end of 10th grade, I contacted the school and they were really great. Our experience with all of the special ed teachers has been so good. They worked hard to get you back on an IEP to help you be successful in 11th and 12th grade as well as figuring out how to transition into grown-up world. By the end of the year it was in place, and you started 11th grade at Options in the fall.

It's so strange to be a parent to a 'kid' who is nearing adulthood. You're self-sufficient now in so many ways. You don't really socialize or go anywhere, you're a homebody. You love your routine and are happy sticking to it. It has been really interesting to me over this last year especially to think about your autism and how it manifests. I found this graphic somewhere, and it really helped me understand how people who are on 'the spectrum' can be so different and varied in how it shows up with them. I know there are some challenges we've faced, but there area also strengths in how you see/experience/process the world.

Embracing your autism is something that I haven't talked to you about that much, but that I want to help you to see is not a bad thing or something that has to hold you back. I want to provide you with the tools you'll need to succeed in life and manage things. But you're figuring it out! You are so pragmatic, you have emotions and still get upset when things seem unfair or when Danny's being a pill. But you also don't get as upset about things that are just how life goes sometimes. You see the reason and practicality in things in a way that I don't always, even as an adult.

You've become a bit more independent this year - you've discovered the joy of being home alone, and you've accepted a bit more requests from me for help around the house without protest. You are funny and smart and kind. Those are the things that matter. Everyone enjoys your company, Grandma, and now Kate. You're a cool guy to hang out with. I must be doing something right. 

Of course I still wonder how you'll fare when you're in the world on your own, and it seems like there's so little time now before that is an actual possibility! But I think in the end everything will work out. I love you immensely, in ways it's hard to describe.

Love,

Mom

Favorites!

Favorite Book: John Dies at the End series
Favorite Color: Black
Favorite Song: CG5, Taylor Swift, a lot of musicians who write/publish on YouTube

Favorite Board Game: Garbage (with regular playing cards), Uno Flip
Favorite Video Game:  Kingdom of Loathing
Favorite TV Show: Brooklyn 99
Favorite YouTubers: DougDoug maybe
Favorite Food:  Pizza, waffles, chicken nuggets, mac & cheese
Favorite Dessert: Cake
Favorite Thing to Do Outside the House:  Eat out!

Fifteen

Fourteen
Thirteen
Twelve
Eleven
Ten
Nine
Eight
Seven
Six
Five.Two
Five.One
Four 
Three 
Two
One
Birth Story

Goodbye, 2021. You won't be missed. (Yearly Recap)

 1. What did you do in 2021 that you’d never done before?

Survived a global pandemic SOME MORE.

Went on vacation with Scott to San Diego.

Hosted Christmas Dinner.

Participated in a Craft Fair/Holiday Market.

Went to a cat cafe.

NYT Crossword 60-day streak.

Experienced an actual threat of violence happening at my kid's school.

Got an iron infusion.

Visited Jenn on San Juan Island.

Experienced school closures due to flooding.

Went on a Live-Stream as a guest.

Got a tattoo coverup.

Missed work for multiple days because of a jacked SI joint.

Spent the first of many weekends to come in Spokane with my Dad.

Got hearing aids.

Got addicted to My Favorite Murder.

Learned what it is to live in "heat dome." 100% do not recommend.

Gave up bras forever.

Had a good credit score.

Watched an entire trial - Derek Chauvin.

Asked my doctor to increase my Zoloft dosage.

Witnessed an insurrection, then witnessed it being denied.

Booked a trip to Mexico!

Saw my sister after SO LONG.

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I don't really make resolutions at this point. I would like to read more this year. 

Last year I started taking myself on dates again, which contributed both to self-care and to having time to sit and read again. I would like to continue doing that this year. 

I also want to break my 60-day NYT Crossword streak.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

I don't think so.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Betty White, the every-grandma.

5. What countries did you visit?

Lol none. AGAIN.

6. What would you like to have in 2022 that you lacked in 2021?

More dates, with myself and others. 

7. What dates from 2021 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

May - Trip to Atlanta: My first time travelling since Covid, and spending time with my Mom and her sister. 

May - Trip to Colville to visit Kira and the girls. See link in question 1. 

July 11 - all my most loved ones in one place, Kate and her family, Kira and her girls, me, Scott, the kids, and Mom and Paul. It was the most lovely, heart-filling, fulfilling family gathering.

August - Trip to San Diego with Scott - a real vacation, our first one outside of WA/Vancouver BC. I loved traveling and exploring together.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Having an excellent credit score for the first time ever, at least for a while. Even though it's totally meaningless and an outdated concept.

9. What was your biggest failure?

I think that surviving the second full year of a pandemic and all its challenges means that we had no failures. 

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

I hurt my back at one point, and had to actually take 2 days off work because I could barely walk. So that was a fun new part of aging. I also had catastrophically low iron towards the end of the year, which resulted in having 3 iron infusions, a very interesting experience that magically improved my energy levels after the 2nd one. Figuring out why I'm so anemic is an ongoing process.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Tickets to San Diego, a Mexico vacation, a new laptop... I'm not sure what else!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Doctors, nurses, first responders, morticians, scientists.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

A whole freaking lot of Americans. The "QAnon Shaman"

14. Where did most of your money go?

Living expenses. Not being able to go anywhere was good for the budget, and I finally started a savings account!

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Seeing Kira after so long apart. 

16. What song will always remind you of 2021?

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?

At the beginning of the year, I would have said neither? But now, writing this in February, 100% I am happier than last year due to a change in my brain stuff after having Covid.

Fatter, probably, but who fucking cares?

Richer

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Reading. Volunteering for CTL. 

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Being in my house.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

We spent Christmas day at home, while a mountain of snow fell upon us. We opened presents and probably watched a movie. We hosted Scott's parents and brother and sister in law for dinner, which was postponed to Dec 26 then to Dec 27 or 28 because of the snow. The ham pan leaked and covered the bottom of the oven in burnt ham juice, and filled the house with ham smoke. But the food was delicious, especially the sweet potato casserole and turkey and cranberries. Scott's mom gave us all personalized cards with sweet messages in them, which was really lovely.

21. Did you fall in love with 2021?

No.

22. What was your favorite TV program?

Schitt's Creek, hands down.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

Eh. I don't think so.

24. What was the best book you read?

Feminist Werewolf by Katie Anthony

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Lil Nas X and Dua Lipa

26. What did you want and get?

A Covid vaccine.

27. What did you want and not get?

To not have to wear a mask anymore. For people to act like decent humans.

28. What was your favorite film of 2021?

Dune or In the Heights

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 41. The weekend before my birthday I went by myself to San Juan Island and stayed overnight, visited with Jenn, and explored Friday Harbor. I'm not sure why it is, but being on the ferry and in the islands really grounds me and feels like home. The day before my birthday, I took the day off and Kate and I ate delicious snacks and watched Promising Young Woman (finally). One day we had pizza and mom came over and brought me the world's most delicious pecan pie (and I've had a lot of pecan pies). 

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2021?

Covid chic? LOL. Jeans, boots, and no more bras forever.

32. What kept you sane?

Scott. Xanax. Minecraft. Painting. Weed. Gin. 

33. What political issue stirred you the most?

Probably the Jan 6 treason that people refused to recognize as such.

34. Who did you miss?

My sister Kira.  

35. Who was the best new person you met?

Pat. 

36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2021.

People will put their desire to not feel "told what to do" ahead of science and ahead of protecting themselves and fellow humans just out of misguided spite.

37. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

"Spending all your time tryin' to break a woman down,

realer shit is going on, baby, take a look around,

if you thought that I was ratchet with my ass hanging out,

just wait until the summer when they let me out the house,

bitch!"

Rumors . Lizzo + Cardi B

This is my 10th year doing this. It's a fun ritual to answer the same questions year after year and be able to look back.

Previous Lists:

2020

2019
2018
2017
2016
2015

2014
2012
2011

Fifteen.

Dear Sam,

For the second year in a row, I haven't managed to write this letter on time. I never thought I'd have to write you a second pandemic birthday letter, but here we are. 

There seem to be two main types of people: those who have enjoyed staying home and those who want nothing more than to go out and be with people. You have weathered the pandemic fairly well, I think probably the most challenging thing for you has been spending so much time in a house with your extrovert of a brother while he tried to get all his social needs met by you. It was a doozy.

Now it is November, and you've been back in school for half a semester. I don't think more kids have ever been more excited about going back to school than they were this year. You still have to wear a mask, but you and Danny both seem to just go with it.

Bellingham High School is.... huge. I've been inside a few times, and it was daunting. But you? You have classes on three floors, in two portables. You didn't go to orientation and found the classrooms no problem on your first day. You seem to mostly have friends by proximity, but even with only one person you name, it seems like you're glad to be back at school again. I think a lot of it is the routine it provides, and even though you don't love doing homework, I think you do like using your brain. You're also taking two different computer classes right now (programming and game design), so that makes for learning about things that are actually interesting to you.

I can't believe you're a sophomore, and that you've got less than 3 years of high school before you graduate. If you were any other kid, you'd be pushing for a learner's permit, but you don't have much interest in driving. I think the thought is still kind of scary to you and also you don't have a great desire to be out anywhere. I wonder if/when you'll be interested in it. 

Back in May, we celebrated your birthday on the big porch at Grandma's new house, we had a big pizza from McKay's and a very chocolatey cake. Every year, I love watching you open presents. You always laugh at the cards, and you genuinely appreciate each gift as you open it. I can see in those moments the kindness you have inside you, and that your ability to be positive and attentive is real. You face challenges with executive function - your ADD and mild form of ASD are like the perfect storm to make you seem forgetful or absentminded. Really, it's all just personality and chemicals and brain differences. I hope that in the next few years I can help you learn how to keep track of life in a way that works for you.

Despite flareups of sullen-ness and sensory overload, you are a pretty easygoing guy. You are agreeable much of the time, and argue a lot less than you used to about everyday things. Routine is definitely your friend, and that's okay. Last night you asked me to put your hair in a high ponytail so it would be out of your way while you were sleeping, then you let me take your picture because it looked hilarious, and when I looked at the picture of you with your head tilted to the side I saw so much of myself in you. I love how you just... are who you are.

During bedtime shows recently, Danny told you he loved you and you immediately replied that you loved him too, a lot. It's gotten harder as you've gotten older because you don't always want to do what he does or play with him. You fight sometimes, partly because he wants your attention and goes for it in negative ways. But you two are solid brothers who are able to love each other. You still have a lot of fun - lately you've been playing "Jeopardy" after bedtime shows, where Danny will ask ridiculous questions about geography and other things that you do not know the answers to. I like it because the vibe always ends up being so positive right before bedtime.

Lately there have been new challenges for me as a parent, and I wrote you another letter. I'm going to share an excerpt here:

You have a lot to learn. Everybody does when they are your age. Everybody has strengths and weaknesses, everybody has highs and lows. But I will not give you ultimatums. I will not tell you it is my way or the highway. You are my responsibility, but far beyond that you’re my family. You are a piece of my heart outside my body, and it is my job as your mom to help you succeed.

I don’t know how to reconcile my fierce, deep-seated need to protect you from one thing with my animalistic urge to protect you from this new threat. You are 15 now, no longer a little kid who I need to protect fully from the world. I have talked to you and your brother very little about the things that went wrong in my relationship with your other parent. But you’re getting to be old enough now where it is time that you might understand some of it. This is a brand new, unsteady ground I must navigate by following my heartstring back to you.

The day you were born, they put you in my arms and I fell into your eyes, dark blue pools of trust and family. The whole world melted away and nothing else mattered when you looked at me. I still see you the way I did that day — with unlimited potential and forever my baby.

I don't know what will happen in your relationship with your other parental household as you grow older, but I know that I am instilling in you that Scott and I will always be your home, and that is all that matters to me.

This year Grandma Edie and Grandpa Paul started telling you about Digipen, and my mind is unable to process the idea of you in college. You've only got 2 more years of high school left, and then you'll be almost a legal adult, and that blows my mind. I am so curious to see what you do and where you go. Whatever it is, I hope you'll always stay not to far away from me.

Love, 

Mom

PS I forgot to mention that you are gigantic. You are now the tallest person in the family besides Paul. I never expected you to be tall!

Favorites!

Favorite Book: Illuminae Series by by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Favorite Color: Black
Favorite Song: Keter Qualities

Favorite Board Game: Stratego, but I'm only writing that because you played it with Danny last night
Favorite Video Game:  Antimatter Dimensions
Favorite TV Show: The Simpsons
Favorite YouTubers: Slimccl
Favorite Food:  Pizza, waffles, chicken nuggets, mac & cheese
Favorite Dessert: Cake
Favorite Thing to Do Outside the House:  Eat
Favorite Subject at School: Video Game Design
Best Friend: Andrew

Fourteen
Thirteen
Twelve
Eleven
Ten
Nine
Eight
Seven
Six
Five.Two
Five.One
Four 
Three 
Two
One
Birth Story

Eleven.

Dear Danny, 

This letter is very late. A lesson I never thought I would learn is how being in a global pandemic affects creativity and drive. But here we are! 

I wonder what you will remember most about this time when you are an adult, and how it will shape the way your generation interacts with the world long term. Better late than never, though! You're already so mad about me having a hard time remembering your first word that I would not want to miss these milestones I've created. Haha.

We celebrated your birthday with our family again, since parties were not yet advisable. We had dinner at El Agave by your request, and they put the sombrero on you and gave you a heaping plate of churros. Afterwards, we headed home for cake and presents with your parents, Grandma Edie & Grandpa Paul. For the second year in a row we did things sort of small but it was big smiles and big fun.

Now, it is October and you are finally back in school after 18 months of seeing almost nobody. It has been quite the adjustment. The mental overload after so little stimulation, being around so few people, having so few tasks to juggle has been something that's taken a lot of getting used to. First semester just passed the halfway point and we're now finally to the point where you're settling in some and feeling a tad less overwhelmed.

While it's been an exhausting time in a lot of ways, it's also been good. You are so social, and you love being around other people, and other people love being around you. Since you were little, the other kids always celebrated your arrival, and wanted to be near you. I think it's because you have such an enthusiastic energy about almost everything. I didn't get to know my Grandfather (your middlenamesake) as much as I would have liked, but you remind me so much of him. Your thirst for knowledge, your musicality, your congeniality, and the spark in your eye. I think he would have loved you.

You are still one of the most curious people I know, and it's something I love so much about you. You want to know everything about everything. I am sure there are dozens of things you know more about than I do. Last night after you brushed your teeth, we played country-finding games on the computer. You knew as many of the countries in Africa and Asia as I did. You thirst for knowledge, you're the kind of person who knows a bit about everything. You are at your happiest when you're using your brain to discover. 

You always surprise me, even 11 and a half years in. My new coworker told me you look just like me and it made me happy. You've got hair that falls most of the way down your back, it's thick and silky, and I braid it for you at night to try and keep away the tangles. This year, you dove into middle school with abandon, signing up for band club, yearbook club, and even running for ASB Secretary. You didn't win, but I'm so proud of you for trying something new. You're playing the clarinet, and I can't wait for your first band concert in January. 

You are still my constant companion. You were doing better with sleeping but then all kinds of things changed again. I know that some people think it's silly to sit with a kid every night while they fall asleep, and to be honest, there are nights where I don't really want to. At the same time, I know it won't be forever, and I try to remember that you're going to need me less and less and one day I will miss the quiet moments on the edge of your bed listening to Taylor Swift or singing House at Pooh Corner to you by the glow of your green nightlight. 

In a lot of ways, you are the soft-hearted one - you feel big, just like I do. I hope that I can instill in you an appreciation for the big joy and love you'll be capable of experiencing but also teach you how to get through when that openness means feeling the hard things so deeply. It can be a difficult thing to navigate, but the flipside is that you get to feel amazing things.

Piano is still on zoom, and we've got a routine. You had your fall recital recently (I can't wait to hear you play on the grand piano and have recitals in person - hopefully soon). You're now playing songs that have elements I never mastered. I'm so glad you've stuck with it. You've been able to pick up the clarinet much more easily since you already read music. 

You love math and this year your least favorite subject is Social Studies because your teacher is a bit dry and lecturey. You aren't super challenged by school, but still seem generally engaged. I thought you'd be a sports kid as you grew, but now I think you're probably going to be a band kid, which will be quite interesting.

Aside from Scott and I, you spend a lot of time with your Grandma Edie. She is like another parent for you, and I love that you have another safe person and safe space in your life. Your bond with her is wonderful. You got to go to Colville to see your Aunt Kira & Cousins Nora & Lila 3 times this year, and recently you've been asking me about when we can go back. 

Your relationship with your cousins is magical, the each time you meet it's like no time has passed. It makes me miss my cousin Emaleigh and think of days on the Ocean City Boardwalk, in her dorm at George Washington University, the perfect sunsets behind Phish at the Gorge, and roaming Reading Terminal Market. I hope these beautiful moments continue into your adulthood, and you stay thick as thieves.

My heart aches and bursts with the knowledge that you are on the precipice of not being a kid anymore. You have your own phone now and the other night you set up your voicemail message. You message with your friends sometimes. You still tell me about almost everything, but I can imagine that in a year or two you'll be leaving me in the dust. I'm happy for you because I think you're going to relish it, but it will be very strange to let out that line.

At the same time I look forward to parts of it, I know that our separation is going to affect us both deeply and profoundly. I am excited to see what you will do. Parents tell their children all the time that they can do anything they want to do, and I have no doubt that's true for you.

Love, 

Mom

Favorites!

Favorite Book:  Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Favorite Color: Blue
Favorite Song:  Still digging Taylor Swift, also listening to Owl City
Favorite Board Game:  Recently we've played Sorry, Blokus, and Guess Who
Favorite Video Game:  Minecraft is making a resurgence, we play together
Favorite TV Show: Still the Fox animated shows, but you recently started watching your first non-kid show: FBI. You are into it!
Favorite YouTubers:  Grian, Mumbo, Scar, Daniel Thrasher
Favorite Food:  Chips & Guacamole, Chips & Sauce, Bacon, Sausage, Pizza, Burritos
Favorite Dessert: Drumsticks, Smarties
Favorite Thing to Do Outside the House: Mini-golf? We have been outside the house much less this past year.
Favorite Subject at School: Math
Best Friends:  I don't know as many of your friends now, and you mostly see them at school. I know you are friends with Cas!

Ten
Nine
Eight
Seven
Six.
Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One.
Birth Story.

2020 in the Rearview

 1. What did you do in 2020 that you’d never done before?

Went 6 weeks without seeing Kate (okay I had done that before, but not since we met)

Survived a global pandemic (so far!)

Bought a brand new car, without a cosigner

Wore a mask every time I left my house

Got interviewed on a podcast (two actually!)

Handmade all my Christmas Cards (45 individual paintings)

Volunteered to get the vote out with Postcards to Swing States

Went a year without seeing my sister for the first time in my life

Finally figured out why everyone loves macarons so much

Went months and months without going to the movies

Voted for a woman Vice President and watched her win

Got a gold tooth

Felt my empath-ness more than ever in my entire life

Got highlights in my hair

Had a home office in my bedroom for a couple months (do not recommend)

Got my eyebrows tinted and experienced several moments of intense fear as the color processed:

Bonus COVID content: What I missed out on this year:

Celebrating my 40th birthday the way I wanted to

Going to NYC to eat and see shows with my girlfriend

Road tripping to Canada to see dinosaur bones

Seeing my sister and nieces in person even once

Watching my other sister graduate from college

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I don't really make resolutions at this point.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

My friend Casey had a little girl with the most amazing hair I've ever seen.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Thankfully, no. I really thought I was going to lose people to COVID and it didn't happen.

5. What countries did you visit?

Lol none.

6. What would you like to have in 2021 that you lacked in 2020?

A COVID vaccine.

7. What dates from 2020 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

I mean they're all sort of blurred together.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Not having a nervous breakdown?

9. What was your biggest failure?

Nothing I did was a failure in 2020.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Nope.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

My Portland Leather purse and my Blueberry (2020 Subaru Impreza). Also, my first watercolors.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Doctors, nurses, first responders, morticians, scientists.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

That fucking clown-bag we called 45.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Living expenses. Not being able to go anywhere was good for the budget, and I finally started a savings account!

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Um. I'm not sure about this one. 

16. What song will always remind you of 2020?

Exile - Taylor Swift

Mother's Daughter - Miley Cyrus

But most of all, WAP - Megan Thee Stallion & Cardi B

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?

Sadder. So much sadder.

Fatter, probably, but who fucking cares?

Richer

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Reading. Volunteering for CTL. 

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Being in my house.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

We spent Christmas day at home. The kids opened a frenzy of gifts, and the entire living room became a pit of gifts, boxes, and paper. Then we all read books.

21. Did you fall in love with 2020?

No.

22. What was your favorite TV program?

The Mandalorian.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

Derek Chauvin maybe.

24. What was the best book you read?

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Taylor Swift (renewed)

26. What did you want and get?

A blue car!

27. What did you want and not get?

People to act like they cared about other humans enough to wear a mask.

28. What was your favorite film of 2020?

It's slim pickin' for favorites, but I unexpectedly loved Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 40 and it was underwhelming. I managed 10 days in a row off work and enjoyed a lot of gin.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2020?

Pajamas.

32. What kept you sane?

Scott. Xanax. Minecraft. Painting. Weed. Gin. 

33. What political issue stirred you the most?

Black Lives Matter

34. Who did you miss?

My sister Kira.  

35. Who was the best new person you met?

I didn't meet many people, since we were all in our houses all the time. Virtually, my cousin's fiance Alison.

36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2020.

Pandemics are not as fun in real life as when you watch a movie about them.

37. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.



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2019
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2011