freya

Meme of the Year 2020

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

Let’s put this all in the ‘Global Pandemic’ category. *sigh*

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I kind of did stop eating all the things. I just ate most of the things. Also, this year was not really a year to give anything up.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Nobody close enough that I’d know about it without social media, and I did exceptionally poorly at checking social media this year.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

My Grandad died, but he got better! We’re all so thoroughly relieved about that. The ambulance people said that he was the most alive looking dead man they’ve seen.

5. What countries did you visit?

We did a Scotland visit to Dundee before the world closed down, but this year was 100% not the year for visiting countries.

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

Freedom of movement! To be able to legally meet up with anyone that I want! To be able to make plans more than ten minutes in advance.

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

Time is meaningless in 2020. I doubt that any day will remain particularly etched. I know that November 3^rd was the US presidential election and I remember I went back to work on the 10th of August, but that’s it.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

I got professional registration with two organisations, and a PGC in Academic Practice, which were pretty big deals. I also helped set up the University’s asymptomatic testing facility with m’colleague, and we did it really well.

9. What was your biggest failure?

I failed at keeping in touch. I have become really bad at textual communication due to too much real life people energy being required, and too little practice. I probably should have reached out to more people, and checked in with them.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

I had shingles, which sucked. I also have a pretty big fibroid that keeps poking my bladder and making itself a nuisance.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

I bought a USB heated eye mask, and I don’t know if it was this year or last year, but it is the best. It’s so soothing and helpful for both colds (with ow sinuses) and migraines. I love it.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?

Rob, for looking after me. My parents for looking after me. My sister for looking after Daisy. Darren for helping keep the university show on the road. (Kam is also an angel.) Also, we’re all in line for 2020 survivors medals. Let’s also give a special shout out to Stacey Abrams and also to everyone who busted their balls to get the vaccines approved.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?

Oh, god. Where do you start? This year was just appalling and depressing and very little of it goes towards individuals so much as the situation.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Amazon, probably. Also rent for a place that I didn’t live in for about five months of the year.

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

Wow. It was not an exciting year, nor a year to pin your hopes on anything. I got really excited and happy whenever I got to see any of my family and friends. Stupid apocalypse. Oh, and also, I got a ploofy mattress topper which is lovely and snuggly and I was super excited to have it. I was a bit ‘TREAT YO SELF!’, because one of the things I like about hotels is that they have mattress toppers, and this is not a year I spent much time in hotels.

16. What song will always remind you of 2020?

I suspect ‘Betty’ by Taylor Swift. Rob and I both listened to Folklore a lot, both separately and together, and this came out as my favourite one. Plus, Taylor swift is wrong, and James isn’t a boy because it makes the story in the song worse.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

i. happier or sadder?

Happier, I think. Just based on reading last year’s answers.

ii. thinner or fatter?

A touch fatter, but only a touch.

iii. richer or poorer?

Richer, for what it’s worth, but largely because I keep managing to put stuff in savings.

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

This year, I did as much as I could of the things I could. I did a lot of walking, especially earlier in the year, I did a lot of studying and thinking and developing and improving, and I’m generally not in the business of regrets this year.

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

I suspect I should probably spend less time sleeping, but also less time playing on my stupid game. I always have a stupid game on the go.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?

We spent Christmas with just Rob and I, with my parents in a tier 3 area, my sister in a tier 3, and Rob’s parents shielding. My grandparents are also shielding. This wasn’t the Christmas I think any of us would have chosen, but it was nice and peaceful and leaves room for Christmas Part 2 when the restrictions are lifted.

21. Did you fall in love in 2020?

Thirteen years with Rob!

22. What was the best thing you made?

I had a really crafty time when I stayed with my parents when I was furloughed. I made lots of face masks, a pair of trousers, a pair of baby dungarees and a really nice bag on my mum’s sewing machine. I knitted a lot of socks and hats, but the best things, the best things I made- CLANGERS. I made a Tiny Clanger, and a Rob Clanger. Rob Clanger lives with Rob’s parents because they often can’t see Rob and he is too disturbed by his woolly alterego.

23. What was your favorite TV program?

I watched my way through Avatar: The Last Air Bender and it was really really good and made me super happy. Very Steven Universe, but without the songs. Rob also introduced me to Ken Burns, and I really love his documentaries and how they fill in the context of a lot of things in US history.

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

Who knew that anyone would have strong opinions on Dominic Cummings? There was this blitz spirit, everyone was in it together, and then someone went to test his eyesight at Barnard Castle. Then everyone was super bitter. It would have happened anyway that the public mood would turn, but he did not help one little bit. Boris is well not good.

25. What was the best book you read?

I read ‘The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet’ by Becky Chambers and it was lovely and soft. Excellent recommendation by Ally there.

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?

I listened to a lot of angry girl country on Spotify, and have also been listening to Folklore a lot, because Taylor Swift is actually quite good, shut up.

27. What did you want and get?

People to look after me and feed me. I spent much more time than usual with Rob around and also staying with my parents. It was lovely.

28. What did you want and not get?

To see my family more- especially my little niece, who is growing and changing so fast. Also, to see my friends more.

29. What was your favorite film of this year?

I watched ‘Knives Out’ a lot, because it just makes me very very happy. I feel like Tenet was probably the only thing I saw at the cinema and it was absolutely atrocious.

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

I was 34, and I went to visit my sister and got baby cuddles. We ate burgers and a lot of ice-cream and it was great. The weekend before, I went to London with my parents and we saw Harry Potter and The Cursed Child. Well, we saw 75% of it. They didn’t manage to start after the interval of the second show, so they cancelled it. We got a refund, and I have no desire to see the rest of it. It was really good, amazingly staged, and if the plot hadn’t been so so stupid, it would have been fantastic.

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

There not being a global pandemic?

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

Leggings and dresses in the winter, t-shirts and palazzo pants in the summer, then 1920s golf lesbian in the winter again.

33. What kept you sane?

Hah. If anything did, probably Rob and my parents. Rob is 90% of my impulse control, something that both frustrates and entertains him.

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

I don’t know? I don’t think a celebrity has really figured in my thinking this year.

35. What political issue stirred you the most?

Urgh. What political issue didn’t? Am relieved that Trump didn’t win a second term, but he’s going out in the worst possible way. The less said about our politics the better- I had to ask people to stop reminding me that Brexit was happening, as it’s too depressing.

36. Who did you miss?

This is just a year of missing people. It’s legally mandated that I couldn’t see a lot of them, and that sucks. I miss my grandparents, I miss my niece and I miss my friends. BOO.

37. Who was the best new person you met?

New housemates seem lovely- and it’s a very chill group. There were also a bunch of people who came in to work on the asymptomatic testing centre, and they’re lovely.

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

A lot of people are a lot more authoritarian than they like to think. I’m more on the authoritarian than the libertarian side and this year stretched my tolerance for “Something must be done, so we will do something!” actions.

Also, it’s been a good year for irregular verbs. I am following the law, you are using your common sense, he/she/they are irresponsible twats with a staggering disregard for human life. I’ve generally seen people being really good, really considerate and really sensible. Everyone’s (apparently) seen social media posts of people socialising in large groups, but I’ve never encountered any in person, and I’ve not seen any of my friends group doing that.

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

Maybe I'll sleep real late
Maybe I'll lose some weight
Maybe I'll clear my junk
Maybe I'll just get drunk on apple wine

Me, I'll be just

Fine and dandy
Lord, it's like a hard candy Christmas
I'm barely getting through tomorrow
But still I won't let
Sorrow bring me way down

Hey, maybe I'll learn to sew
Maybe I'll just lie low
Maybe I'll hit the bars
Maybe I'll count the stars until dawn
Me, I will go on

Hard Candy Christmas- Dolly Parton