looking back, looking forward
Jan. 17th, 2022 04:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ilanarama2021 has ended; it was a better year than 2020 (at least for me) but that's a pretty low bar. Have a meme (or at least some meme questions from which I have picked and chosen).
What did you do in 2021 that you have never done before? Got a Covid vaccine (and a booster). Got an EKG. Attended a professional baseball game. Retired(!).
Did you keep all of last year's resolutions?
Yes! Because I didn't make any!
Have you any resolutions for next year?
I will revisit my 2020 resolution, which I'm half=convinced precipitated the pandemic: to be more social. I resolve to have friends over for dinner at least once a month! I also resolve to a) get off the nonprofit board I'm on, and b) stand firm and refuse the honor if asked again, by any nonprofit.
Did anyone close to you give birth?
No.
Did anyone close to you die?
My mother-in-law. Covid. See below. :-(
What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Being able to run the half marathon I signed up for. (I threw out my back the week before, and was still in too much pain to run the race.)
What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Quitting Facebook.
What was your biggest failure?
I inadvertently offended an online acquaintance by declining to engage on a topic I didn't want to discuss, and doing so with sufficient gracelessness that she blew up at me. I apologized, but then compounded the error by saying I was taken aback by her anger at me, as I could not actually do anything about her concern, and that caused a kerfuffle that I suspect has caused a mutual friend to lose some respect for me. I feel bad for mishandling things; on the other hand, I also feel aggrieved by this person's OTT reaction, and I'm torn between trying to apologize more - which might just raise the bad feelings again (I certainly feel both sad and angry when I even think about it, and I refuse to apologize for the specific thing I was accused of, because I feel it was an unfair and wrong accusation), and just avoiding any engagement that might bring me in contact with this person.
Ugh, even writing that out made me feel rotten again. And, I mean, this is why quitting Facebook was so important for me; it's too easy to get caught up in Internet Drama, and it's bad for me, it's not fun, I hate it.
Did you suffer illness or injury?
One day in March I went out for a run. The first quarter mile from my door is uphill, and I noticed that I couldn't inhale deeply, my chest was tight, and it hurt. I slowed to a walk, and it didn't get any better, so I turned around and went back inside and took off my running clothes. But I still couldn't take a full breath, and after about an hour of dithering about heart attack symptoms I called my doctor, who told me to come in. She took an EKG and sent me to the emergency room, where I spent the rest of the day (and maxed out my deductible): another EKG, some blood work, and a whole lot of lying around on a hospital bed. Finally they shrugged their shoulders, said they couldn't find anything unusual, and sent me home.
I also managed to throw out my back while mountain biking in Telluride in August. Bless my doctor, who called in a prednisone prescription to the pharmacy there, because the next day we were driving back home and without it there would have been no way I could sit in a car for 3 hours. (It was still not very pleasant!)
What was the best thing you bought?
This display shelf unit, which beautifully echoes the arched curve of our roof. The top two shelves display shells and other keepsakes, the bottom two shelves hold our hard liquor and liqueur. It's stunning and practical and worth the high pricetag and the months of hassle it took to get it shipped here from the store in Scottsdale where we bought it.
Whose behavior merited celebration?
As ever, Britt, who is (still) the best man I've ever married. (Also the worst.)
Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Britt's MAGA brother and his MAGA children, whose failure to get vaccinated or to get my 90-year-old mother-in-law (who lived with them) vaccinated led to all of them getting serious cases of covid that put several of them in the hospital and killed my mother-in-law.
Compared to a year ago, are you?
Happier or sadder? About the same, which is strongly on the 'happy' end.
Thinner or fatter? Fatter, oops. Blame the hormonal changes that come with being a crone.
Richer or poorer? Richer, as we're in the 'rich-getting-richer' category in this weird economy.
What do you wish you'd done more of?
Travel ahahahah sob.
What do you wish you'd done less of?
Arguing with jerks on Facebook. NO MORE.
What was your favorite TV program in 2021?
Beforeigners! It's a Norwegian science-fiction police procedural set in Oslo, where people from the 19th Century, the Viking era, and the Stone Age are mysteriously appearing in the harbor. The actual police procedural part is less interesting to me, but the detectives are a modern man whose wife left him for a 19th C man and his partner, a former Viking shieldmaiden, and the culture-clash theme along with the whole idea of "how do you deal with immigrants who have completely different cultures and values?" is awesome. (S2 is airing now but I haven't seen any of it yet.)
Runners-up include She-Ra and the Princesses of Power and The Dragon Prince.
What was the best book you read?
For fiction, Piranesi by Susanna Clarke; I read it unspoiled and loved the slow unfolding reveal. Runner-up is the Kyoshi Duology by F. C. Yee.
For nonfiction, Why We're Polarized by Ezra Klein. Runner up is Republic of Lies by Anna Merlan.
What was the best video game you played?
Horizon: Zero Dawn (which I'm not done with yet)
What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I finished a relay race, which started the day before, and had a massive seafood dinner with my teammates in the outside dining area of our hotel. I turned 58, rah!
How would you describe your personal fashion concept?
"Urban elf". Tunics and leggings in the winter, loose shirts and capris in the summer, soft fabrics and low heels.
What valuable life lesson did you learn?
The best experiences result from neither planning everything in advance and refusing to deviate from the plan, nor winging it entirely with no preparation, but from a harmonious blend of plans and impulse.
And my year in activities:
Running: 1404 miles, which pleases me, though I'd like to ramp up still more. I ran two 5Ks and the RTB relay; DNS a half marathon.
Biking: Garmin Connect doesn't distinguish between biking and e-biking, but, I'm using my e-bike a lot for transportation (even now, in the winter) and am up over 1900 miles on it. Mountain biking I've done a little less this year, but in addition to local rides we did several fun trips (our spring circumnavigation of the 4 corners, a trip to ride western CO dirt roads with a couple of friends, and our Thanksgiving trip to Arizona).
Hiking: I didn't post about it, but we finally got out to backpack this summer after a few years thwarted by fires, viruses, and injuries. It was great! We did six days in the Weminuche Wilderness with a group of friends, though not everyone had the same itinerary, which actually worked well because we e.g. spent one night with some people, and then did a side trip with some others, and when we got back to our "base camp" the couple that started the day after us were there. Unfortunately I was not in as good shape as I wanted to be, and some of us did an ambitious day hike that was...a little too ambitious for me, I almost broke down in tears a few times, but I made it. I feel like I'm way slower than I used to be, though, and I hate that. But I love backpacking and we have some spring and summer trips planned!
Skiing: Last season I got out quite a bit, which was great; I went several times with my friend June, as well as weekly with Britt, and it was a lot of fun despite the covid-19 precautions that meant that we had to eat our lunches outside (sometimes while being snowed on). After a week of storms between Christmas and New Year's, this year has been dry and sunny, and we've only been skiing once in December and once in January so far. There's no snow in the forecast for the rest of the month - we may end up just going mountain biking in New Mexico the way things are going.
I will try to revive this journal and post more! (See: New Year's Resolutions. :-)
What did you do in 2021 that you have never done before? Got a Covid vaccine (and a booster). Got an EKG. Attended a professional baseball game. Retired(!).
Did you keep all of last year's resolutions?
Yes! Because I didn't make any!
Have you any resolutions for next year?
I will revisit my 2020 resolution, which I'm half=convinced precipitated the pandemic: to be more social. I resolve to have friends over for dinner at least once a month! I also resolve to a) get off the nonprofit board I'm on, and b) stand firm and refuse the honor if asked again, by any nonprofit.
Did anyone close to you give birth?
No.
Did anyone close to you die?
My mother-in-law. Covid. See below. :-(
What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Being able to run the half marathon I signed up for. (I threw out my back the week before, and was still in too much pain to run the race.)
What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Quitting Facebook.
What was your biggest failure?
I inadvertently offended an online acquaintance by declining to engage on a topic I didn't want to discuss, and doing so with sufficient gracelessness that she blew up at me. I apologized, but then compounded the error by saying I was taken aback by her anger at me, as I could not actually do anything about her concern, and that caused a kerfuffle that I suspect has caused a mutual friend to lose some respect for me. I feel bad for mishandling things; on the other hand, I also feel aggrieved by this person's OTT reaction, and I'm torn between trying to apologize more - which might just raise the bad feelings again (I certainly feel both sad and angry when I even think about it, and I refuse to apologize for the specific thing I was accused of, because I feel it was an unfair and wrong accusation), and just avoiding any engagement that might bring me in contact with this person.
Ugh, even writing that out made me feel rotten again. And, I mean, this is why quitting Facebook was so important for me; it's too easy to get caught up in Internet Drama, and it's bad for me, it's not fun, I hate it.
Did you suffer illness or injury?
One day in March I went out for a run. The first quarter mile from my door is uphill, and I noticed that I couldn't inhale deeply, my chest was tight, and it hurt. I slowed to a walk, and it didn't get any better, so I turned around and went back inside and took off my running clothes. But I still couldn't take a full breath, and after about an hour of dithering about heart attack symptoms I called my doctor, who told me to come in. She took an EKG and sent me to the emergency room, where I spent the rest of the day (and maxed out my deductible): another EKG, some blood work, and a whole lot of lying around on a hospital bed. Finally they shrugged their shoulders, said they couldn't find anything unusual, and sent me home.
I also managed to throw out my back while mountain biking in Telluride in August. Bless my doctor, who called in a prednisone prescription to the pharmacy there, because the next day we were driving back home and without it there would have been no way I could sit in a car for 3 hours. (It was still not very pleasant!)
What was the best thing you bought?
This display shelf unit, which beautifully echoes the arched curve of our roof. The top two shelves display shells and other keepsakes, the bottom two shelves hold our hard liquor and liqueur. It's stunning and practical and worth the high pricetag and the months of hassle it took to get it shipped here from the store in Scottsdale where we bought it.
Whose behavior merited celebration?
As ever, Britt, who is (still) the best man I've ever married. (Also the worst.)
Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Britt's MAGA brother and his MAGA children, whose failure to get vaccinated or to get my 90-year-old mother-in-law (who lived with them) vaccinated led to all of them getting serious cases of covid that put several of them in the hospital and killed my mother-in-law.
Compared to a year ago, are you?
Happier or sadder? About the same, which is strongly on the 'happy' end.
Thinner or fatter? Fatter, oops. Blame the hormonal changes that come with being a crone.
Richer or poorer? Richer, as we're in the 'rich-getting-richer' category in this weird economy.
What do you wish you'd done more of?
Travel ahahahah sob.
What do you wish you'd done less of?
Arguing with jerks on Facebook. NO MORE.
What was your favorite TV program in 2021?
Beforeigners! It's a Norwegian science-fiction police procedural set in Oslo, where people from the 19th Century, the Viking era, and the Stone Age are mysteriously appearing in the harbor. The actual police procedural part is less interesting to me, but the detectives are a modern man whose wife left him for a 19th C man and his partner, a former Viking shieldmaiden, and the culture-clash theme along with the whole idea of "how do you deal with immigrants who have completely different cultures and values?" is awesome. (S2 is airing now but I haven't seen any of it yet.)
Runners-up include She-Ra and the Princesses of Power and The Dragon Prince.
What was the best book you read?
For fiction, Piranesi by Susanna Clarke; I read it unspoiled and loved the slow unfolding reveal. Runner-up is the Kyoshi Duology by F. C. Yee.
For nonfiction, Why We're Polarized by Ezra Klein. Runner up is Republic of Lies by Anna Merlan.
What was the best video game you played?
Horizon: Zero Dawn (which I'm not done with yet)
What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I finished a relay race, which started the day before, and had a massive seafood dinner with my teammates in the outside dining area of our hotel. I turned 58, rah!
How would you describe your personal fashion concept?
"Urban elf". Tunics and leggings in the winter, loose shirts and capris in the summer, soft fabrics and low heels.
What valuable life lesson did you learn?
The best experiences result from neither planning everything in advance and refusing to deviate from the plan, nor winging it entirely with no preparation, but from a harmonious blend of plans and impulse.
And my year in activities:
Running: 1404 miles, which pleases me, though I'd like to ramp up still more. I ran two 5Ks and the RTB relay; DNS a half marathon.
Biking: Garmin Connect doesn't distinguish between biking and e-biking, but, I'm using my e-bike a lot for transportation (even now, in the winter) and am up over 1900 miles on it. Mountain biking I've done a little less this year, but in addition to local rides we did several fun trips (our spring circumnavigation of the 4 corners, a trip to ride western CO dirt roads with a couple of friends, and our Thanksgiving trip to Arizona).
Hiking: I didn't post about it, but we finally got out to backpack this summer after a few years thwarted by fires, viruses, and injuries. It was great! We did six days in the Weminuche Wilderness with a group of friends, though not everyone had the same itinerary, which actually worked well because we e.g. spent one night with some people, and then did a side trip with some others, and when we got back to our "base camp" the couple that started the day after us were there. Unfortunately I was not in as good shape as I wanted to be, and some of us did an ambitious day hike that was...a little too ambitious for me, I almost broke down in tears a few times, but I made it. I feel like I'm way slower than I used to be, though, and I hate that. But I love backpacking and we have some spring and summer trips planned!
Skiing: Last season I got out quite a bit, which was great; I went several times with my friend June, as well as weekly with Britt, and it was a lot of fun despite the covid-19 precautions that meant that we had to eat our lunches outside (sometimes while being snowed on). After a week of storms between Christmas and New Year's, this year has been dry and sunny, and we've only been skiing once in December and once in January so far. There's no snow in the forecast for the rest of the month - we may end up just going mountain biking in New Mexico the way things are going.
I will try to revive this journal and post more! (See: New Year's Resolutions. :-)
(no subject)
Date: 2022-01-18 02:43 am (UTC)Yay for retriement and for the gorgeous shelf unit!
How would you describe your personal fashion concept?
"Urban elf".
Hee, I love that! :D
(no subject)
Date: 2022-01-18 11:15 pm (UTC)I am also very glad that the scary heart thing hasn't recurred! I am otherwise fairly healthy by all the metrics (weight, blood pressure, cholesterol etc) so knock on wood.
Here I am as Urban Elf (let's see if this works):
(no subject)
Date: 2022-01-19 03:17 am (UTC)Edited (...it didn't)
XD
But yay that it finally worked -- that is definitely an urban elf outfit! :D (Also, I don't think I've seen your picture with your hair loose either ever or in a long time -- because I feel like it's always tied back for sports things or under a bike helmet or a hat :) I like the waves! also very sprite-y :)
(no subject)
Date: 2022-01-19 03:21 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2022-01-26 08:25 pm (UTC)You're rocking the urban elf look -- you could start a brand for the millions who don't resonate with Magnolia.
But then you've just retired, so, no.
Glad your back misery was cut short with the magic of cortisone!
Sending sympathy to you and compassion to the MAGA family-in-law.
Beforeigners sounds exactly my style thank you so much.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-01-27 10:38 pm (UTC)And do check out Beforeigners, if you can - it's really a great show.
(Nice to hear from you! I hope your drug change issues get worked out.)
<3 <3 <3
Date: 2022-01-28 11:04 pm (UTC)Thanks for thinking of me. The issues are .... ongoing.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-01-18 03:30 pm (UTC)I'm very sorry about your mother-in-law, and the MAGA relatives. And also for your chest and back troubles; I hope 2022 is a year of good health for you and yours.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-01-18 11:17 pm (UTC)Thanks for your sympathies. I am hopefully looking forward!