2020 Year in Review

Time for another Year in Review post for 2020! 

This is the 11th (!) year that I've done this year-end meme (first one published in December 2010) -- and, although many of the answers don't change much from year to year (and I can't always think of answers, lol), it's still a great way to look back and keep track. (And I suspect that some of my answers THIS year will be at least somewhat different from previous/non-pandemic years...! -- yikes!! what a year...!!) Feel free to use the questions on your own blog (& let me know if you do!).

All of my New Year's/Year in Review posts are tagged with the label "Year in Review."  

1. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I don't really make new year's resolutions anymore -- they tend to be pretty much the same ones, year after year (although I have modified some over time, and even deleted ones that no longer apply). Here are the perennials, and the progress I made (or didn't) in 2020:   

• Lose weight. I recently read somewhere that most people put on at least a few pounds during this pandemic/stay-at-home year. I steeled myself and stepped on the scale just before Christmas. (Needless to say, I'm not doing THAT again until well after Christmas!!  lol)  I was down 1.2 pounds from the last time I weighed myself, in early November -- but still up 0.2 pounds over what I weighed on January 1st, 2020. That's not a HUGE net gain over almost 12 months, so I suppose I can take some comfort in that.  (And after all, I've spent most of the past year in couch potato & comfort food mode!)  But I'm still reluctant to pat myself on the back. I'm hovering just below my heaviest-ever weight (the early November weigh-in).  I would need to lose a good 40-50 pounds to get back within my old Weight Watchers goal range. I'm now almost 60 pounds heavier than the original goal I had -- and reached -- when I was 30. I know it's not realistic, at almost 60, to expect to weigh the same as I did when I was 30 -- but I know where I am is not a healthy weight for me to be at either. So -- a fail on this one. Sigh... 
• Exercise more. (And hopefully lose more weight...!)  Massive fail on this one. :(  We did try to start a regular walking routine earlier in the spring/summer, and we did pretty well -- for about a month or so -- exploring the looping streets of the subdivision behind our condo building and building our time from an initial 15 minutes on each outing to 30-40. Then the weather started heating up. When it's 9 a.m. and the temperature (not even including the humidex) is already at almost 30C, you just want to stay inside and hide in air-conditioned comfort...!  And once we got out of the habit, we didn't get back into it, even when the cooler weather returned. I've been saying I'd like to find a yoga class since we moved here, and of course that definitely went out the window this year. I've heard good things about online yoga classes (a lot of people have recommended Yoga With Adriene to me), but haven't tried those yet either.  
• Write more in my journal &/or blog. I haven't written in my paper journal in years. I've been far more successful with blogging: I recently marked my 13th (!!) year in this space.  AND -- I wrote more in my blog this year than any year since I first started blogging! (A "Blogging year in review" post will be coming up shortly.) This blog does not entirely take the place of a journal, but it's the closest thing I have to one at the moment. 
• Read more of the books that have piled up around the house. I increased my Goodreads Reading Challenge goal this year from 24 to 30 books, and reached it by mid-August. I will finish out the year with 43 books to my credit, 143% of my goal. (All books read were reviewed on this blog under the tag "2020 books"). Not quite as good as the 50 books I read in 2019 -- and I started counting re-reads this year too! -- but not bad either! 
• Once again this year, non-fiction choices outnumbered fiction (but just barely -- 22 to 21). 
• My  library book club held its last meeting in late February -- just before the pandemic hit -- but online, the Gateway Women book club, D.E. Stevenson fan group and L.M. Montgomery Readathon on Facebook have helped boost my 2020 reading totals and provided me with a lot of reading/discussion pleasure during a very difficult year.  
• I read 1 book for the library book club, 5 for GW, 6 for DES (including 2 re-reads) and 5 for the L.M. Montgomery Readathon (including 2 re-reads).
• (As I mentioned above,) I began counting re-reads in my challenge total, which also helped to boost my reading totals. 
• Since I reached 30 books fairly easily this year (by mid-August), I've decided to increase my Goodreads Reading Challenge goal modestly to 36 books ( = 3 books per month on average) for 2021. (This year, I reached 36 books by late October... I also reached the 36-book mark in October 2019, my best reading year since I started keeping track -- I went on to complete 2019 with 50 books read.  So we'll see how I do in 2021...!) 
• Keep the clutter at bay.  (Goal slightly reworded from previous years.) As I've said before -- having downsized in 2016 from a 1,200 square foot, three-bedroom house (not including basement, garage & garden shed) to an 875-square-foot condo (plus one not-very-big storage locker), there's a LOT less clutter than there used to be -- and a lot less space for it to accumulate. I've tried to establish good habits & a place for everything right from the start, & so far, I think I've been pretty successful at doing that. Whenever the piles of books start to overwhelm my existing shelves, and/or I run out of spare hangers in the closet, I know it's time to do some weeding again, and make another trip to the thrift store...!  
• Return to scrapbooking & complete unfinished projects. (Goal reworded from previous years.)  Sadly, I have not done any scrapbooking in 10 years. And I donated the bulk of my scrapbooking supplies, including most of my substantial collection of pretty patterned paper, to the thrift store before we moved (sob!). I did keep all my unfinished projects, tools & a few other things, though. (They are sitting in a couple of plastic bins down in the storage locker.) So who knows, I may pick it up again at some point in the future & complete some of those unfinished albums...  
• Perhaps a more realistic/pressing related goal would be to work on scanning more of my pre-digital photos. I didn't get a digital camera until 2004, but all my photos dating back to 1991 have been digitized. I've had my own camera since Christmas 1976. There used to be a photo shop chain (whose operations have now moved entirely online) near my office where I could get 400 prints or 35 mm negatives scanned for $99, and I would take them in whenever I had an extra $100.  I have a scanner here at home and do the odd one-off photo myself, but this would be a much greater undertaking...! 

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

Lived through a global pandemic!  Stayed inside the condo for weeks on end!!  Wore a mask!  Had a COVID test!  Had surgery (albeit minor -- hysteroscopy/d&c)!!  Didn't make it home for Christmas! :(  Went an entire year without seeing my parents &/or sister! :(  

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

No. But our little Great-Nephew, born November 2019, was the best thing about 2020, by FAR!!  

4. Did anyone close to you die?

SIL's father died in April. His death was not COVID-19-related, but because of the restrictions in place, the funeral/interment was held in the presence of immediate family only, and dh & I were not able to attend to support them, as we normally would have. :(   

My mother lost several of her cousins, and a close neighbour of my grandmother's that I've known since childhood also died. (None of these deaths was COVID-related either.)  While not close-close, these people were a big part of my childhood memories. I will miss them all. 

5. What places* did you visit?

(* wording changed slightly from previous years;  the question used to read "countries." I noticed that Kathy of Bereaved & Blessed used "places" in answering her version of a similar questionnaire in 2019, and decided to use her wording after that. Makes me feel less travel-deprived!)

Needless to say, any travel-related plans we might have had for 2020, even just for weekend getaways in-province, were completely nipped in the bud by COVID-19.  :(   The furthest we travelled this year was back to our old community a couple of times for a few hours, for haircuts (once the salons reopened!) and to the cemetery to visit Katie's niche -- about 50-60 km, one way (approximately 30-40 miles). Pre-COVID, I went downtown by subway to one of the hospitals in the city centre for a mammogram (about 30 km/20 miles), and then shopping for a while afterwards at the Eaton Centre. 

Many of my Canadian friends have been reluctant (or downright refused) to cross the border as long as Donald Trump was President. I could never say never -- particularly since my mother is American, and I have lots of family & friends Stateside -- but I'm so happy that, after January 20th (and once COVID-19 has been vanquished, and the border finally reopens!), I can once again head south with a clear conscience in that respect!

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

More time with family -- mine & dh's. More time with Little Great-Nephew (before he gets TOO much bigger...!). A trip home (or two, or three) to see my aging parents, especially for Christmas.  (A trip anywhere!! lol)  Leisurely visits with friends over lunch or coffee. Meals out with dh in nice restaurants.  A return to the malls. Hugs. Generally, some return to normalcy.  But that will have to wait until we finally get this pandemic under control...

7. What date(s) from 2020 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

March 12th:  What I call "The Last Normal Day" -- the day after the World Health Organization declared the pandemic. It was the last day we went out for lunch, for groceries & to the bookstore/Starbucks, as we often did -- albeit very much conscious of the gathering storm clouds on the horizon. (The toilet paper aisle at the supermarket was already completely bare!)  

April 4th:  One year from day one of my last menstrual period -- i.e., official menopause!! (at age 59, no less!!). 

July 22nd:  My parents' 60th wedding anniversary. (Sadly, I was unable to be there to celebrate with them.) 

November 3rd & 7th:  U.S. Election Day and the day the election was actually (finally!) called.  

November 17th:  Little Great-Nephew's 1st birthday. :) 

November 27th:  My hysteroscopy and d&c, to check out my fibroids (diagnosed earlier in the fall via ultrasound, after several weeks of on & off post-menopausal spotting). 

December 24th/25th:  A very different Christmas this year! 

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Maintaining my sanity??  Not gaining more weight than I did?? 

9. What was your biggest failure?

Not getting out of the house for more walks!! (one of the few things we could easily leave the condo to do...!) 

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

No real illness or injury.  So far, we have dodged the COVID-19 bug, and we are VERY grateful for that! So far, the closest family member who's had it (that we know of) is the husband of one of dh's cousins. I have friends in the States who have multiple friends & family members who have been ill and/or died from COVID-19 -- and/or who have had it themselves -- so I feel very lucky in that respect. 

In April, I marked a full year since my last menstrual period -- i.e., menopause!  But after experiencing some post-menopausal spotting this fall, I was diagnosed with fibroids via ultrasound, which led to a hysteroscopy and d&c on Nov. 27th. The doctor removed a polyp and some tissue for analysis, and did a Pap while he was at it too. Happily, the results were all benign/negative/clear. 

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Beyond books (both paper and e-versions), and the occasional piece of jewelry from my favourite sterling silver jewelry crafter, I didn't buy an awful lot of stuff this year, for obvious reasons (i.e., we weren't going into stores, either because they were closed or because we were avoiding the malls).  

I ordered some masks from Old Navy -- a batch in July and some fun/festive Christmas season ones on Cyber Monday in November, all of which have been put to good use. Also some cloth headbands from Old Navy, which came in VERY handy when my hair got unbearably long & shaggy while the hair salons were closed!  

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?

The first answer that came to mind was all the frontline healthcare workers who have been putting their lives at risk to try to save others. 

Anyone who stood up to Donald Trump -- whether it was related to the impeachment in early 2020, his ridiculous attempts to challenge the results of the election, or his (non) handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Anyone who stood up for democracy, decency and rational thinking in American (and Canadian) politics. 

John Lewis. Ruth Bader Ginsburg. John Turner (briefly a former Canadian prime minister, who passed away this year). Lives well lived, and examples for the rest of us.   

(Re: John Turner -- I don't think I ever mentioned him on this blog, but in his post-political life, he worked for a law firm in the office tower where I worked. Once known as one of the most powerful, handsome and charismatic men in Canadian politics, he was now in his 80s, stooped and shuffling slowly through the concourse using a cane. Occasionally I'd see him eating lunch -- sometimes with a companion, but sometimes by himself -- at the building's Italian restaurant. None of the younger kids I worked with had a clue who he was. Dh, however (who worked in the same office tower that I did), once found himself waiting for an elevator with him. The elevator arrived and Turner gestured to dh to get on... dh said, "Oh no, after you, Mr. Prime Minister."  He said Turner looked obviously pleased to be remembered, lol.)  

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed? 

Well, that's obvious. In the U.S., Donald Trump & his MAGA cronies/cult members, who first voted not to impeach him (despite the clear evidence against him) -- and who then, after four awful years -- and 330,000+ Americans dead, largely because of this man's complete & utter incompetence and sheer negligence -- said, "Sure! I'll take four more years of that!"  (WTAF??)  (But shall I tell you how I REALLY feel??  lol)   

The people (on both sides of the border -- and around the world) who continue to ignore the science and refuse to wear masks or follow other rules and recommendations, thereby dragging this pandemic out far longer than necessary, and resulting in far more cases and deaths. 

14. Where did most of your money go?

(See #11!)  There was nowhere to go to spend a lot of money for most of the year. Beyond the usual bills, we have probably spent more money on groceries and personal care items.  Dh has been doing most of the grocery shopping, and he is not the bargain hunter I am. ;)  With bookstores closed for several months (and shelf space in our condo at a premium), I also spent a lot more money on e-books for my Kobo, albeit I purchased most of them at a deep discount, watching for bargains. We also still managed to buy things -- mostly cute outfits and books -- for our great-nephew, as well as fatten his piggy bank. ;)  

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

The Biden/Harris victory in the U.S. election. They're not perfect, of course, and there will be challenges ahead. (The inauguration is still a few weeks away.)  But I am already sleeping better!! 

16. What song will always remind you of 2020?

I'm not sure. I Googled "top songs of 2020" and I did not know a single one, nor did I know all of the artists (although I HAVE heard of some of them) -- which shows you how current my listening is, lol.  

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

Sadder/more anxious (given the state of the world at the moment, & our lack of contact with our families), slightly fatter, and probably a draw on the financial front. On the one hand, our investments took quite a hit when the stock markets tumbled earlier in the year. :(   On the other hand, we haven't had as many places to spend our money! 

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

Walking. There was just no excuse for it, although the summer heat & humidity was discouraging. Reading more books than I did (although I didn't do too badly, in terms of meeting & exceeding my Goodreads challenge goal). But hey, there's always next year... 

More Skyping with my parents. 

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

Sitting around the house. :p  There weren't many places to go, obviously, but we could have pushed the walking program more than we did. :p  

20. How did you spend Christmas? 

Very differently this year!  For the first time in my life, because of the pandemic, I was unable to head west to be with my parents & sister. :(  And also because of the pandemic, we weren't able to spend any real time with dh's family here, or to do or buy some of the things that would have made a Christmas here more fun and memorable. 

Still, within the parameters of what was possible, we managed to have a reasonably good celebration with just the two of us. We took presents over to BIL's on the afternoon of Christmas Eve, Zoomed with relatives in the evening, stuffed stockings for each other, had brunch on Christmas morning and turkey breast roast in the evening, and some hotly contested games of Yahtzee in between. ;)   

21. Did you fall in love in 2020?

At first glance, I thought this question said, "Did you fall in love WITH 2020?"  BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...!!!!!!!!! 

22. What was your favorite TV program?

I don't have as many regular TV shows that I watch as I once did. I love watching "Bob's Burgers" (both current episodes and reruns), and dh & I hugely enjoyed watching the entire series of "Downton Abbey" on CBC TV this fall. We still enjoy "Mom," albeit not quite as much now that Anna Faris has left the show.  I enjoyed season 1 of "World on Fire," and loved "Mrs. America."  And I was blown away by "Normal People," the amazing British adaptation of Sally Rooney's novel, which I watched on CBC Gem on my laptop and raved about here on my blog. :)   

In terms of Canadian content ;)  we enjoyed the second season of "Jann" with Jann Arden, as well as a new season of "Battle of the Blades" this fall (one of the few reality/competition shows I will watch!). 

I haven't yet watched season 3 or 4 of "The Crown" on Netflix, but look forward to tackling that again soon. 

23. Do you hate anyone now that you did not hate this time last year? 

Hate is a strong word, and I don't like using it.  Suffice to say, though, that I am definitely NOT a fan of the outgoing President of the United States and his cronies! :p  (See #13.) 

24. What was the best book you read? 

(See #1)  It's always very hard for me to pick a single book as "the best," and I gave lots of books four and five-star reviews on Goodreads!  Four stars was my average Goodreads rating this year. 

I must admit, though, that this year there was one clear standout for me this year -- and that was "The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. It was one of the first books I read in 2020, and it remained at the top of my "best" list all year long!  I have recommended it to many people! 

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

See #16 -- as in the past, I must admit, I don't listen to a lot of new music. 

26. What did you want and get?

Lots of great books to read, both paper & e-books.  And lots of time for reading -- even if I found it hard to focus sometimes...! 

27. What did you want and not get?

A trip home to see my family, especially for Christmas. :(  More time with our great-nephew.  

28. What was your favourite film of this year? 

Dh & I love going to the movies -- but needless to say, theatres closed in March and we haven't been back, even after they reopened this summer.  As a result, we saw just FOUR movies in-theatre in 2020 (mostly during January)(compared to 14 in 2019, 15 in 2018, 16 in 2016 and 2017, and 23 in 2015). They were (in the order we saw them in):  Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Little Women, 1917 (on my birthday), and Knives Out.  They were all very good and enjoyable in their own ways.  

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

I turned 59, last January. My birthday was on a Sunday. We went for dinner on Saturday night at a favourite Italian restaurant near our condo, and on Sunday afternoon, we went to see the movie "1917" at the theatre. (It was really good, beautifully filmed.) 

60 (!!) is coming up shortly (!).  I always thought this would be the year I FINALLY got to spend my birthday on a beach somewhere, away from the cold Canadian winter. Oh well...!! 

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

My answer to this question is usually travel-related. That goes without saying, I suppose...!  But more to the point -- No COVID-19??  More time with little Great-Nephew (but, see COVID-19...). 

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

Mostly yoga pants and T-shirts (worn without a bra)(even more so than usual!  lol). 

Masks, matched to outfits (much to dh's bemusement...!).

I stopped wearing my watch when the battery died. I haven't been to the mall since March, so I haven't been able to take it to the battery kiosk there to get it replaced!  It feels a bit weird -- I've worn a watch almost daily since I got one as a gift from my parents for my 8th birthday (I still have that one!). But there are enough clocks around the house (plus my cellphone) to keep me on time, lol. 

32. What kept you sane?

(This question assumes sanity on my part, lol.  ;)  ) And heaven knows, sanity in 2020 was hard to come by...!  

My usual answer has been a good mixture of downtime at home, and getting out of the house. Getting out of the house was a whole lot harder to manage this year, if not completely out of the question, particularly earlier in the spring/summer (and now again these past few weeks), when most non-essential businesses were completely shut down. Being able to get a haircut again early this summer (after 17 weeks!) was a great sanity-saver. Trips to the bookstore once or twice a month since it reopened in the summer also lent a small semblance of normalcy to our lives. 

My library book club shut down early in 2020, but my online book clubs have continued to be a blessing. Regular Zoom chats & Skype sessions with friends (both online and "real life") and relatives also gave me something to look forward to regularly. 

In the past, I've also responded "turning off the news channels on TV & (especially whenever the Orange One comes on to speak!) and listening to music instead!" That continues to be a good strategy. :)   

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

My first thought was.... Dr. Anthony Fauci. ;) There were several other public health officials who made frequent appearances on television this year, explaining the pandemic to us, and who did a great job of it. Among them here in Canada, were/are Dr. Bonnie Henry in British Columbia, and Dr. Isaac Bogosh  of Mount Sinai Hospital here in Toronto. 

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

Where to start??  In the past, I've answered this question by writing about freedom of the press & media bashing, equality and women's rights, and threats to the environment/climate change. Those are all still important issues to me.

There are two issues that I can think of that were particularly relevant to 2020.  First, the way the pandemic was (mis)handled and politicized in the U.S. has been extremely painful to watch. So many completely unnecessary deaths!! Such a lack of basic respect for the health & safety of others. :(  Our political leaders here in Canada certainly haven't done everything right (and there's a small segment of the population that thinks it's all been overblown and/or refuses to wear masks) -- but even the most conservative/populist premiers seem to have at least some basic respect for science & medical professionals. And most of them are also at least somewhat empathetic to the pain that people are going through. 

Second, the U.S. election. I'm not American, but what happens in America affects the entire world, and nowhere moreso than here in Canada, right next door. The blatant attempts by Donald Trump and his followers to hijack the election results and subvert their own constitution were not unexpected (par for the course...) but still jaw-dropping at times in their brazenness. 

35. Who did you miss? 

Just about everyone!  -- since we hardly saw anyone beyond BIL & his family (and even then, we didn't see them nearly as often as usually do).  

Even though we did get to see him occasionally, we have missed out on a lot of time that we would normally have spent with Little Great-Nephew during his first year -- time in which he grew and changed rapidly, time that we can never get back. :(   We didn't get to attend his baptism and only spent an hour with him on his first birthday, masked.  I HUGELY resent COVID-19 for taking this precious time from us. :p  

My parents & my sister would also be at the top of the list. My mom will soon be 80;  my dad is 81. I know the time I have left with them is limited, and even in a more "normal" year, I generally only get to see them twice (for a few weeks in the summer and at Christmastime). I have not seen them in a full year now. :( 

36. Who was the best new person you met?

Needless to say, this was NOT a good year for meeting new people!! let alone seeing your friends. :( 

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

This year brought home to me, once again, that life, youth & health are precious, and disappear far too quickly sometimes. Enjoy it all while you can! 

Also:  Never underestimate the power of simple things like washing your hands (thoroughly/properly!) and wearing a mask!  

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

Stuck inside these four walls,
Sent inside forever,
Never seeing no one
Nice again like you,
Mama you, mama you.
If I ever get out of here,
Thought of giving it all away
To a registered charity.
All I need is a pint a day
If I ever get outta here

If we ever get outta of here

("Band on the Run" by Paul McCartney & Wings, 1974)

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Coming up:  2020 in blogging and in books!