2020 in Review
01. What did you do in 2020 that you'd never done before?
Gone the longest period of not seeing my brother, joined a union, attended a wedding via Zoom, learned how to bake, started to wear slippers inside and wondered why I had not started sooner and well you know survived a pandemic (so far)....
02. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I was better about practicing meditation more often but still could do it even more often as it really does make a difference. I did not read a book completely in Swedish sadly!! So that is staying on the resolutions for this year. Otherwise I would like to get back into yoga for the first time in over a decade. In the last couple of months I have been acutely aware that I need to be more flexible. Lastly I would like to paint our hallway and bedroom and a few other overdue DIY projects in our flat.
03. Did someone close to you give birth?
Not this year actually!
04. Did anyone close to you die?
After the brutality of last year I am very lucky to say no to this question this year.
05. What countries did you visit?
This one really stings! We had so much planned and booked. Thankfully we did manage to get to Portugal for a week in February. It was a really good holiday and a country we are eager to return to. Otherwise we had some staycations here in Stockholm at some nice hotels around the city. We went down to Småland twice to see my parents. We had our annual summer weekend trip to our favourite island in the archipelago. I went to Värmland for a few nights to visit friends at their summer house. And now over Christmas we spent a week in the Midwest of Sweden near the Göta Canal and Nyköping.
We were booked to go to America for 2 weeks and do a trip through the south, go hiking with friends in Ireland for a week in May and spend a week with my family in Greece at a luxury villa. But well you know....And we had not booked it yet but we would have gone to London at some point in the autumn. This was the first year since 1992 when my family and I landed in London that I did not spend time there.
For the first time in a long time we have absolutely nothing booked at the moment. After losing so much money last year we don't dare to plan anything at the moment.
06. What would you like to have in 2021 that you lacked in 2020?
To see my brother.
07. What date from 2020 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
March 11th when WHO declared it was a pandemic. No explanation needed.
08. What was your biggest achievement(s) of the year?
Holding on to my job in one of the hardest hit industries.
09. What was your biggest failure(s)?
Nothing that I can think of thankfully.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
At the start of March I fainted at work. It was the first time I had fainted in 10 years so it was quite a shock as you can imagine! The hospital said I was low on blood sugar but otherwise was totally fine. A few weeks later I probably would not have been seen!
11. What was the best thing you bought?
I bought basically nothing.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
My family and friends who I connected with in a new and meaningful way.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Politicians. Nothing new there.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Food and drink. That is literally all that is on our credit card bill!
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
All of our trips we had booked but especially Greece with my family as it was going to be our first family holiday together in over 15 years....
16. What songs will always remind you of 2020?
I am not sure!
17. Compared to this time last year, are you...
i. happier or sadder? Sadder...
ii. thinner or fatter? Sigh...fatter for sure.
iii. richer or poorer? Richer! I am not on my full sallary because of the pandemic but because I have nowhere to go....my savings are the best they probably have ever been!
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
I hate to say it but I wish I had worked out more as I am feeling pretty meh right now. Organized the flat more. I was on a good streak in the spring and summer but lost interest as the year continued....
19. What do you wish you had done less of?
Moped around the flat. Not that I did very often but still.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
On the 22nd we actually hopped in a rental car and drove 2 hours southwest of Stockholm and rented the cutest place for a week! We were desperate for a change of scenery and it did us both a world of good!! On the 24th we went out for a big walk along the Göta Canal which was very close to our rental. It was a beautiful crispy sunny day and I got some really beautiful photos. For dinner that evening we had a few different kinds of herring followed by a Jamie Oliver white fish recipe. On Christmas Day we had a champagne fry up of champions and opened presents. We both really managed to surprise each other with our gifts! In the evening we had an incredible t-bone steak that we picked up in Stockholm before we left at a new to us butcher near us. We served it with Stilton hassleback potatoes, balsamic glazed mushrooms and chili butter brussel sprouts. We finally had the really good Australian red wine a friend had gifted us a few years previously. The house had a working fireplace so we enjoyed lighting that every day! We Zoomed with my family for a few hours and with my SIL too later. It was our first Christmas just the two of us and I will look back on the time fondly.
21. What are you most looking forward to in 2021?
The world getting vaccinated...seeing my brother hopefully....working full time and so on and so on....
22. Did you fall in love in 2020?
Just with my friends and family and Irish Ski Bunny as usual :)
23. How many one-night stands?
Zip.
24. What was your favourite TV program?
All I can do is laugh about how much TV I watched this year and how thankful I am that there is such quality content to get through! My two favourite miniseries were Unorthodox and The Queen's Gambit. My favourite comedies were Community, Crazy Ex Girlfriend and Please Like Me. My favourite drama was Suits. And finally my favourite foreign lanuguage series was Call My Agent. Oh and how could I forget!! We watched Frasier from the start as the hubby had never watched it in one go. Still my favourite. SO. MUCH.TV!!
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Niet!
26. What was the best book you read?
I had a very strong start to the year with reading but fell a little bit off a cliff after reading On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous and A Little Life. They were so all consuming heartbreak I found it really hard to pick up anything. Everything felt poorly written after those two!! Oh but we did pay for a New York Times subscription so that was an excellent investment.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Like a lot of people I really loved Lizzo. That is all that really comes to mind though!
28. What did you want and get?
Nothing comes to mind....
29. What did you want and not get?
Same as above...
30. Favourite films of this year?
I really loved Parasite! A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood was so lovely. The Gentlemen was enjoyable escapism. And even though it came out a few years ago we finally watched Get Out which was worthy of the praise and hype!
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
We had a spa day where I was meant to get a massage too but my masseur was sick!! So they gave us a free spa day and the massage is rescheduled for next week which the hubby generously topped up to 80 minutes instead of 50. But back to my actual birthday we had a lovely day there. It was very, very quiet. We had champagne with our lunch. I took my longest sauna yet. We then made our way to the Grand Hotel for their Julbord which is usually a buffet but was pivoted to be a sitdown 7 course dinner. We got a great window seat and enjoyed the meal. It was very, very traditional and kept us full for days after ha! I turned 37.
32.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Same as last year...more weekends off. Damn wrote that last year too...Otherwise just to see my family and friends in person and more often...
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2020?
Comfty...I pretty much lived in loungewear at home. Our laundry loads have never been so light!
34. What kept you sane?
Irish Ski Bunny. Friends and family who I had long video calls with.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Quite frankly, nobody!
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Not enough space here to vent...Gestures Broadly at Everything....
37. Who/what do you miss?
My friends and family around the world...
38. Who was the best new person you met?
I met a friend of a friend in the autumn who I really like a lot. And a couple who moved here from San Francisco in the summer. Otherwise it was mostly about reconnecting with old friends that I had fallen out of touch with a little bit over the years. For example I went to two really great online reunions. One with my BFA program and one with my study abroad cohort.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2020.
I didn't learn it as such but I was reminded after our week away at Christmas how important travel is to me. It is my one true muse in my life that inspires me greatly.
40. What are you doing for New Years Eve?
I worked every day over the New Year period starting at 7AM so the hubby had a genius idea we should stay in my hotel for a few nights so I could get more sleep! Right at the end of my shift some friends surprised me at work so once I got out we had a coffee to catch up a bit. Later I went to our beautiful room the hotel had chosen for us and relax a little after a surprisingly busy day at work. We then headed downstairs for a cocktail. We retired to the room for the rest of the evening. We put on our robes and lounged in style! He had gotten oysters earlier in the day that we enjoyed with our favourite champagne and a good Lebanese meze. I was fast asleep by 10PM. I had such high hopes for 2020 but hey ho there is some light at the end of the tunnel I am clinging to and daydreaming about better days ahead.
Gone the longest period of not seeing my brother, joined a union, attended a wedding via Zoom, learned how to bake, started to wear slippers inside and wondered why I had not started sooner and well you know survived a pandemic (so far)....
02. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I was better about practicing meditation more often but still could do it even more often as it really does make a difference. I did not read a book completely in Swedish sadly!! So that is staying on the resolutions for this year. Otherwise I would like to get back into yoga for the first time in over a decade. In the last couple of months I have been acutely aware that I need to be more flexible. Lastly I would like to paint our hallway and bedroom and a few other overdue DIY projects in our flat.
03. Did someone close to you give birth?
Not this year actually!
04. Did anyone close to you die?
After the brutality of last year I am very lucky to say no to this question this year.
05. What countries did you visit?
This one really stings! We had so much planned and booked. Thankfully we did manage to get to Portugal for a week in February. It was a really good holiday and a country we are eager to return to. Otherwise we had some staycations here in Stockholm at some nice hotels around the city. We went down to Småland twice to see my parents. We had our annual summer weekend trip to our favourite island in the archipelago. I went to Värmland for a few nights to visit friends at their summer house. And now over Christmas we spent a week in the Midwest of Sweden near the Göta Canal and Nyköping.
We were booked to go to America for 2 weeks and do a trip through the south, go hiking with friends in Ireland for a week in May and spend a week with my family in Greece at a luxury villa. But well you know....And we had not booked it yet but we would have gone to London at some point in the autumn. This was the first year since 1992 when my family and I landed in London that I did not spend time there.
For the first time in a long time we have absolutely nothing booked at the moment. After losing so much money last year we don't dare to plan anything at the moment.
06. What would you like to have in 2021 that you lacked in 2020?
To see my brother.
07. What date from 2020 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
March 11th when WHO declared it was a pandemic. No explanation needed.
08. What was your biggest achievement(s) of the year?
Holding on to my job in one of the hardest hit industries.
09. What was your biggest failure(s)?
Nothing that I can think of thankfully.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
At the start of March I fainted at work. It was the first time I had fainted in 10 years so it was quite a shock as you can imagine! The hospital said I was low on blood sugar but otherwise was totally fine. A few weeks later I probably would not have been seen!
11. What was the best thing you bought?
I bought basically nothing.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
My family and friends who I connected with in a new and meaningful way.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Politicians. Nothing new there.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Food and drink. That is literally all that is on our credit card bill!
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
All of our trips we had booked but especially Greece with my family as it was going to be our first family holiday together in over 15 years....
16. What songs will always remind you of 2020?
I am not sure!
17. Compared to this time last year, are you...
i. happier or sadder? Sadder...
ii. thinner or fatter? Sigh...fatter for sure.
iii. richer or poorer? Richer! I am not on my full sallary because of the pandemic but because I have nowhere to go....my savings are the best they probably have ever been!
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
I hate to say it but I wish I had worked out more as I am feeling pretty meh right now. Organized the flat more. I was on a good streak in the spring and summer but lost interest as the year continued....
19. What do you wish you had done less of?
Moped around the flat. Not that I did very often but still.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
On the 22nd we actually hopped in a rental car and drove 2 hours southwest of Stockholm and rented the cutest place for a week! We were desperate for a change of scenery and it did us both a world of good!! On the 24th we went out for a big walk along the Göta Canal which was very close to our rental. It was a beautiful crispy sunny day and I got some really beautiful photos. For dinner that evening we had a few different kinds of herring followed by a Jamie Oliver white fish recipe. On Christmas Day we had a champagne fry up of champions and opened presents. We both really managed to surprise each other with our gifts! In the evening we had an incredible t-bone steak that we picked up in Stockholm before we left at a new to us butcher near us. We served it with Stilton hassleback potatoes, balsamic glazed mushrooms and chili butter brussel sprouts. We finally had the really good Australian red wine a friend had gifted us a few years previously. The house had a working fireplace so we enjoyed lighting that every day! We Zoomed with my family for a few hours and with my SIL too later. It was our first Christmas just the two of us and I will look back on the time fondly.
21. What are you most looking forward to in 2021?
The world getting vaccinated...seeing my brother hopefully....working full time and so on and so on....
22. Did you fall in love in 2020?
Just with my friends and family and Irish Ski Bunny as usual :)
23. How many one-night stands?
Zip.
24. What was your favourite TV program?
All I can do is laugh about how much TV I watched this year and how thankful I am that there is such quality content to get through! My two favourite miniseries were Unorthodox and The Queen's Gambit. My favourite comedies were Community, Crazy Ex Girlfriend and Please Like Me. My favourite drama was Suits. And finally my favourite foreign lanuguage series was Call My Agent. Oh and how could I forget!! We watched Frasier from the start as the hubby had never watched it in one go. Still my favourite. SO. MUCH.TV!!
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Niet!
26. What was the best book you read?
I had a very strong start to the year with reading but fell a little bit off a cliff after reading On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous and A Little Life. They were so all consuming heartbreak I found it really hard to pick up anything. Everything felt poorly written after those two!! Oh but we did pay for a New York Times subscription so that was an excellent investment.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Like a lot of people I really loved Lizzo. That is all that really comes to mind though!
28. What did you want and get?
Nothing comes to mind....
29. What did you want and not get?
Same as above...
30. Favourite films of this year?
I really loved Parasite! A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood was so lovely. The Gentlemen was enjoyable escapism. And even though it came out a few years ago we finally watched Get Out which was worthy of the praise and hype!
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
We had a spa day where I was meant to get a massage too but my masseur was sick!! So they gave us a free spa day and the massage is rescheduled for next week which the hubby generously topped up to 80 minutes instead of 50. But back to my actual birthday we had a lovely day there. It was very, very quiet. We had champagne with our lunch. I took my longest sauna yet. We then made our way to the Grand Hotel for their Julbord which is usually a buffet but was pivoted to be a sitdown 7 course dinner. We got a great window seat and enjoyed the meal. It was very, very traditional and kept us full for days after ha! I turned 37.
32.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Same as last year...more weekends off. Damn wrote that last year too...Otherwise just to see my family and friends in person and more often...
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2020?
Comfty...I pretty much lived in loungewear at home. Our laundry loads have never been so light!
34. What kept you sane?
Irish Ski Bunny. Friends and family who I had long video calls with.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Quite frankly, nobody!
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Not enough space here to vent...Gestures Broadly at Everything....
37. Who/what do you miss?
My friends and family around the world...
38. Who was the best new person you met?
I met a friend of a friend in the autumn who I really like a lot. And a couple who moved here from San Francisco in the summer. Otherwise it was mostly about reconnecting with old friends that I had fallen out of touch with a little bit over the years. For example I went to two really great online reunions. One with my BFA program and one with my study abroad cohort.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2020.
I didn't learn it as such but I was reminded after our week away at Christmas how important travel is to me. It is my one true muse in my life that inspires me greatly.
40. What are you doing for New Years Eve?
I worked every day over the New Year period starting at 7AM so the hubby had a genius idea we should stay in my hotel for a few nights so I could get more sleep! Right at the end of my shift some friends surprised me at work so once I got out we had a coffee to catch up a bit. Later I went to our beautiful room the hotel had chosen for us and relax a little after a surprisingly busy day at work. We then headed downstairs for a cocktail. We retired to the room for the rest of the evening. We put on our robes and lounged in style! He had gotten oysters earlier in the day that we enjoyed with our favourite champagne and a good Lebanese meze. I was fast asleep by 10PM. I had such high hopes for 2020 but hey ho there is some light at the end of the tunnel I am clinging to and daydreaming about better days ahead.