2020 In Review
Well, that was a year.
As you may have heard, a deadly pandemic sort of ruined the world in 2020. Vaccines are starting to roll out, so it may be less than a year before this all seems like a hazy dream. I guess that makes it important for me to write down how this affected me, because this period is deeply weird right now, but may fade to a trivial “wow 2020 was kind of crazy” blip in my memory if I don't preserve it.
Personally, I was in a best-case scenario for a pandemic to hit. I already worked from home for a company that was well set up to thrive in a world where everyone stays home. Much of the time, I actually like staying home, and having excuses to avoid social situations. We adopted a perfect dog, Pepper, just before the great dog shortage of 2020, who has made my life so much better, and allowed the part of my heart reserved for furry best friends to open up again.
So, 2020 was, for me, strangely fine?
That’s not to say there was no suffering. Even those in a best-case scenario suffered. Meg briefly lost her job (twice) due to effects of the pandemic, which turned out to be more than okay, but the uncertainty sucked. More importantly, people I know lost family members directly to the virus, and I feel terrible for them, as well as angry at the monsters who still (still, after nearly a year of this) think it’s “just the flu,” or a tool of government control, or that wearing a mask for 15 minutes is too much discomfort to literally save someone’s fucking life. My grandma died this year. Her death wasn’t due to COVID-19, but the fact that she couldn’t have a proper funeral with her geographically-dispersed family was.
I don’t need / want constant parties or hugs from acquaintances, but a funeral would have been at least normal. I also miss just going to the coffee shop and getting a coffee and drinking that coffee there in the coffee shop. Maybe running into someone I know and chatting for a maximum of 5 minutes. That stuff is nice and I hope it comes back soon.
That was my life in 2020. Before I go on to my usual yearly review of music, movies, TV, and games, remember, I’ve started writing at the group blog Across the Board, so you can find more of my stuff there. It’s mostly focused on writing, even though I didn’t write much in 2020. I don’t know why, but it’s like a switch flipped as soon as lockdowns started, and I went into “just get through the day” mode. Since writing isn’t my primary source of income, it faded away, and free time got taken up by activities that take as little thought as possible, like movies and video games. Writing is fun for me, but it’s not an escape; in many ways, it’s the opposite—an intense dive into the struggles of what it means to be human. Maybe I couldn’t handle that in 2020. Maybe it wasn’t healthy to avoid it. But I got through each day.
First, some honourable mentions for albums that came out late in the year or didn’t make it on the list for other reasons:Doves - The Universal WantJARV IS... - Beyond the PaleKiesza - CravePoppy - I DisagreeThe Dears - Lovers RockMetallica - S&M 2Miley Cyrus - Plastic Hearts
And the top 20:
20. BTS - Map of the Soul: 7
19. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher
18. Pearl Jam - Gigaton
17. Cults - Host
16. Five Seconds of Summer - CALM
15. Taylor Swift - folklore
14. Thundercat - It Is What It Is
13. Glass Animals - Dreamland
12. Selena Gomez - Rare
11. Ellie Goulding - Brightest Blue
10. The Weeknd - After Hours
9. Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia
8. Yves Tumor - Heaven to a Tortured Mind
7. Hayley Williams - Petals for Armor
6. Carly Rae Jensen - Dedicated Side B
5. Tame Impala - The Slow Rush (I've started taking baths and listening to music this year, which lends itself to deeper indie music that can be slowly pondered, like Tame Impala's reflections on the passage of time)
4. Lady Gaga - Chromatica (Not her best, but decent)
3. Ozzy Osbourne - Ordinary Man (This album gives off the vibes of a much less subtle Blackstar, and if this is indeed Ozzy’s last album, he went out on a high note)
2. In This Moment - Mother (They are always on this list; just can't get enough of this cheesy heavy shit)
1. Halsey - Manic (This is probably on top of the list because Halsey is on every radio station and playlist non-stop, but it is a good album too)
Television
I liked these shows:
The CircleCobra KaiConnectedDoom PatrolThe Haunting of Bly ManorHow To With John WilsonLocke and KeyLong Way UpLove is BlindThe MandalorianMoonbase 8Murder on Middle BeachOzarkPicardThe Queen's GambitSong ExploderTiger KingToo Hot to HandleThe Umbrella AcademyUploadYears and Years (I'm cheating because this didn't come out in 2020, but I loved this show a lot)
MoviesThese are the best movies I saw in 2019. They may not have come out in 2019, who cares. I'm just listing recent-ish movies I rated 4+ stars on Letterboxd, so go there for full reviews.1917American Murder: The Family Next DoorArcticThe Art of Self DefenceBlack BearBlood QuantumColor Out of SpaceCome to DaddyCrawlEscape RoomFeels Good ManGuns AkimboHail Satan?HostHubie HalloweenI'm Thinking of Ending ThingsIn FabricThe Invisible ManJokerJust Another ChristmasKnives OutThe LighthouseThe LodgeOne Cut of the DeadPalm SpringsParasiteThe Peanut Butter FalconTell Me Who I AmTreadUncut GemsUpgradeVivarium
GamesThis was an active year for video games, after barely playing any in 2019.
I got an Oculus Quest, which is an affordable standalone virtual reality system. That really renewed my interest in games, but also in doing things in 3D electronic form that would have previously been done in person, like going to the gym and socializing.
I also got an Xbox Series X, which is a nice upgrade to the Xbox One. I don't know if I can go back to 30fps games now.
Here are the games I played and liked. Add me on Xbox Live or Nintendo or Oculus to play with me.
Xbox:Assassin's Creed Valhalla - After ignoring this series for years, I got really into this game. Like, playing it for over 100 hours into it.Watch Dogs: Legion - Everyone's talking about Cyberpunk as the unplayably glitchy sci-fi game of this year, but let's remember there's another buggy mess in Watch Dogs: Legion. I enjoy it, even if it's still hard to play with all the issues due to the rushed pandemic-time next gen..Borderlands 3A Plague Tale: InnocenceDead CellsCarrionOvercooked 2Alan Wake - Which is ancient now, but I've been playing it off and on for 10 years, and finally finished it.Overwatch - Still.
Nintendo Switch:Hades - Just got this yesterday for the Switch, and loving it so far.Animal Crossing: New Horizons - As usual with games like this, I played it every day for a few weeks, then suddenly stopped, with no interest in every playing again.
Oculus Quest and Mac:Supernatural - Not really a "game," but a workout app that's gotten me moving in virtual reality on the Oculus Quest.Population OnePistol WhipThe Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners The Jackbox Party Pack - Essential for Zoom hangouts with friends.
Okay, that's the year. I hope the next one is better, for me and for you and for everyone. Later.
