End-of-Year Survey 2021

Here's my year-end survey for 2021!

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

Started singing in a band with my dad.

Met my friend Fen in person.



Helped my mom get cataract surgery.

Got fully vaccinated against a plague.

Flew on an airplane during a pandemic.

Attended a same-sex wedding.



Hosted Thanksgiving.

Hosted a Christmas Eve party.



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

Last year, these were my resolutions, and whether I kept them:

• E-mail. Get caught up and STAY CAUGHT UP. [Struggled with this, but got close to caught up!]
• Learn to put myself to bed. No more falling asleep on the floor or with my contacts in. Get a bedtime routine and go to BED! [Well . . . not really.]
• Complete my photos page on the new domain. [Getting closer, but didn't complete.]
• Maintain my healthy choices and my weight that I finally managed to hit this year. [Mostly!]
• Make time for writing projects. Finish at least one book in progress. [Did make some more time for writing projects! Didn't finish a book.]
• Continue to submit short stories. [Did some more submissions!]
• Complete my Steven Universe variant comic books collection! [Still missing the ones I was missing.]
• Actually follow through on drinking more water. [Hmm . . . not really.]
• Less scrolling on Tumblr and Facebook; more working on projects. Set a timer and stick to it. [Hmm . . . not really.]
• Help my mom with some important stuff and touch base with her more often. [Did OK on this.]
• Draw more fun projects. [Not so much.]
• Get a literary agent for my fiction projects. [Didn't stay on this.]
• Become more adventurous with my home cooking. [This I think I did.]
• Improve on ukulele. [This I think I did.]

I'll keep it shorter this year.

1. Maintain my walking goals and health goals.
2. Accomplish something new with publishing.
3. Accomplish something new with completing a writing project.
4. Really get some serious work done on the website.
5. Don't waste so much time.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Nobody particularly close to me. My old pal Brent had a baby just this month but we aren't really in touch.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

• My friend Libby died of cancer this year. She lived much longer than she was expected to. I'll miss her wonderful blog posts and I'm so sad for her husband and four sons.
• Victor's mother died. I met her once and the world is colder with her loss.
• I also lost a former coworker named Evan to Covid.
• And my financial adviser Jack passed away after a long illness. He was a funny guy and a good person.

5. What countries did you visit?

My backyard.

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

• Vacations.
• Gatherings without fear.
• As always, a book deal.
• A copy of the SU comic I'm missing!
• A performance with the band.
• Less stress.

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

• January 6: Ugh. The whole country knows why.
• February 14: My friend Victor began a long hospital stay.
• March 12: First practice with my new band.
• April 23: Met Fen in person!
• May 12: Fully vaccinated.
• October 15: Cara's wedding.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Mostly maintained my hard work from last year's health plan, keeping up with my 10,000 steps a day plan.

Kept up with both webcomics, my YouTube channel, my daily journaling, reviewing books, and karaoke posts.

Survived an entire year working from home.

Finished a short story.

Kept my house quite tidy.

Learned a bunch of songs and became a better performer.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Wasting time.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

I had side effects after my booster vaccine. And I had a week or so where I was having an unexplained fast heartbeat again, but I don't know why and it hasn't returned. I hurt my toe really badly and thought I might have broken it (and maybe I did, I don't know). And at my last doctor's visit I was told to eat more fiber to keep my cholesterol down and take a Vitamin D supplement.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

I really enjoyed my shopping spree at the Cartoon Network online shop when it was closing. I bought a bunch of shirts and pillows and coffee cups.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

• All the people who did what they were supposed to in the pandemic, from mask-wearing to vaccines.
• The scientists and health care workers who did what they did this year to promote health and prevent loss of life.
• My friend Steve who finished a composition degree.
• My friend Meg who is meeting her goals amazingly and somehow pulling through after such a rough year since losing her husband.
• Katelyn who graduated and got her first nursing job.
• Everyone who gave up personally meaningful gatherings, trips, and events to help keep others safe.
• My queer friends.
• Everyone who worked to counter the false narratives about the election.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

• As usual, Donald Trump and his supporters.
• People who spread lies and conspiracy theories (many of which have their roots in antisemitism).
• Everyone who contributed to the coronavirus outbreak by refusing to listen to science and boycotting masks because inconveniencing themselves to literally save someone's life was too much of an imposition on their personal freedom.
• People who are intentionally attending spreader events when they do not need to.
• People who use tragedy to capitalize.
• Every single fatphobe.
• People who blamed oppressed people for their own oppression.
• Rich people who got richer during the pandemic and aren't giving back.
• People who expect me and others to clean up the messes they made.
• People who think it's edgy to repeatedly engage in behaviors they have been asked to stop for the purpose of upsetting others and then minimizing their pain.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Besides rent, I spent it on collectibles, lending/contributing to causes, and a trip to Michigan.

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

Doing a panel and a costume for Metrocon.





Smoothies.



Seeing Meghan again after it was safe.



My Steven Universe collection.



Cara's wedding.



Cleaning my garage (yes, really).

Meeting Fen and watching cartoons with Fen.

Talking to Daria about Steven Universe.

Getting vaccinated.

Going back to restaurants before it was taken away again.



Christmas dessert.



16. What song will always remind you of 2021?

"What You Need."

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

i. happier or sadder?

Happier.

ii. thinner or fatter?

About the same, technically a little fatter.

iii. richer or poorer?

Richer.

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

Writing fiction, completing projects, being creative, practicing ukulele, being a little more active in the asexual community, documenting things I failed to document.

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

Revisiting old drama, being patient with people who take it for granted, staying up late for no reason.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

My sister Lindsay and her husband Mike came over for Christmas Eve (and I had Mom and Jeaux there). We had a nice dinner and exchanged gifts. Mom fell asleep at my house so I saw her for part of the morning on Christmas Day, but after she left, I spent the day by myself.



21. How will you be spending New Year's Eve?

My friends Yasmin and Arthur are coming over for finger food and karaoke.

22. Did you fall in love in 2021?

None of my relationships with other people could be described as "falling in love." I maintain that I have all the love I want in my life.

23. How many one-night stands?

I should probably just delete this question from the survey. But then I'd have to re-number and ew.

24. What was your favorite TV program?

Steven Universe is still my undisputed favorite, but this year I discovered the delights of Hilda, Centaurworld, and Amphibia.

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

I kinda think I do.

26. What was the best book you read this year?

My favorite book this year was The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?

I'm gonna sound bandwagon-y and say I really dug Lil Nas X this year. 

Also that I can apparently sing the song "Highway to Hell" without sounding too ridiculous.

28. What did you want and get?

Great times playing music with the band, satisfying conversations online and off, a home that continues to be comfortable, the confidence to stand up for my needs even when it's painful, a vaccine, a stable work environment, some really fun ace events, some progression on political issues, some great stories, some quality time with my writing.

29. What did you want and not get?

My New York trip, the satisfaction of completing another novel, more progress for social issues, some peace when it comes to a couple people I'm always worried about (nope, still worried), basic good behavior from people who should know better, the missing comic books from my collection, and a downgrade of the pandemic to an epidemic (nope, still a pandemic).

30. What was your favorite film of this year?

I didn't watch any movies this year except Tick...Tick...BOOM! and Encanto. I liked the former better.

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

I turned 43. I wore a king costume and made myself funfetti pancakes, then spent a nice day not doing much. In the late evening my sisters and I got on Zoom and they watched me open presents. I got a bunch of nice stuff, including books, a mask, a Comfy wearable blanket, a blender, a funny coffee mug from my sister, a pair of slippers from my sister, and some clothes.



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

Maybe if losers hadn't tried to hijack our democracy?

Also, sure, a book deal.

And seeing Meggie more and family more.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2021?

The Comfy.



34. What kept you sane?

Polos with Meghan and Patricia, Stephen Colbert, coffee, music, stress cleaning, being out in the sun.

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

Oh, you silly survey.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?

January 6th and the proceedings are pretty important, but I haven't done anything in response besides just be really annoyed and grouchy about it. The issue I've taken actual action on, as usual, is queer community rights and education.

37. Who did you miss?

C'mon.

38. Who was the best new person you met?

I honestly haven't met anyone new.

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

Saying no is both hard and necessary.

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

"But wait, if I could shake the crushing weight of expectations, would that free some room up for joy, or relaxation, or simple pleasure, instead we measure this growing pressure"