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 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)
