By Any Meme Necessary, 2020 Edition
Crossposted to the Book of Feces. Comment there, not here.
1. Was 2020 a good year for you?
Much better than 2019, thanks.
2. What was your favorite moment(s) of the year?
Moving into my apartment in Tonopah.
3. What was your least favorite moment(s) of the year?
Spending three days in the Reno VA hospital getting my GI tract to calm down.
4. What did you do in 2020 that you’d never done before?
Went to Clarksville to hang out with Mad Mike and others at the Emergency Holographic Convention.
5. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't do New Year's resolutions because I suck at following through on them.
Having said that, I am going to keep making serious attempts to:
a) stay rested and on track dietarily (Better this year than last year)
b) especially during tax season (Not so much)
c) keep better track of my money and put more of it away (Better than last year, because I actually had money)
6. Where were you when 2020 began?
USVETS transitional housing in Las Vegas
7. Who were you with?
Drunken roommates
8. Where were you when 2020 ended?
Home in Tonopah
9. Who will you be with when 2020 ends?
The usual waifus
10. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No
11. Did you lose anybody close to you in 2020?
A lot of people died this year, but nobody close to me.
12. Who did you miss?
Most of my friends and family, from time to time.
13. Who was the best new person you met in 2020?
Met a bunch of folks this year, but nobody really qualifies for this.
14. What was your favorite month of 2020?
September, even with the sickness.
15. Did you travel outside of the US in 2020?
No. What for?
16. How many different states did you travel to in 2020?
Utah and Tennessee. This was not a big year for travel.
17. What would you like to have in 2021 that you lacked in 2020?
A new pancreas. The money situation has resolved itself.
18. What date from 2020 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
There weren't any days like that.
19. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I guess getting the Social Security disability situation sorted counts.
20. What was your biggest failure?
No major fails this year, thank God.
21. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No injuries worth mentioning, but I missed a lot of the EHC because I was sick with self-inflicted GI tract misery.
Spent three days in the Reno VA hospital on the way back home, as previously noted.
22. What was the best thing you bought?
New microwave from Amazon, because the apartment didn't have one.
23. Whose behavior merited celebration?
I continue to be pleasantly surprised by President Trump's performance in office.
24. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Had a couple of friends succumb to really bad cases of TDS, to the point where I had to snooze them on Facebook.
25. Where did most of your money go?
Rent, food, gasoline. The usual.
26. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Going to the EHC. It wasn't Balticon, but it was better than a virtual convention.
27. Did you drink a lot of alcohol in 2020?
No.
28. Did you do a lot of drugs in 2020?
Despite recreational marijuana being legal, no.
29. Did you treat somebody badly in 2020?
Not this year.
30. Did somebody treat you badly in 2020?
Family drama stays in the family. This is the way.
31. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? - Happier.
ii. thinner or fatter? - Thinner.
iii. richer or poorer? - Richer. Between the two flavors of disability, unemployment, and stimulus payments, I was actually able to pump some cash into the Cardboard Box Fund and various savings accounts.
32. What do you wish you’d done more of in 2019?
I'm really behind the curve on unpacking this pile of boxes in my living room.
33. What do you wish you’d done less of?
I would have been better off playing less Civicrack and more Ingress.
34. Did you fall in love in 2019?
No, but I lusted in my heart after a number of women, mostly of the 2d variety.
35. What was your favorite TV program(s)?
I started watching the Korean drama "Age Of Youth" but stopped for no particularly good reason. That's about the only thing on TV I watched, and even that was on YouTube.
36. What song will always remind you of 2020?
Johnny Cash's "God's Gonna Cut You Down"
37. How many concerts did you see in 2020?
None.
38. Did you have a favorite concert in 2020?
See previous question.
39. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I rediscovered Jerry Reed and Fischer Z.
40. What was the best book you read?
Tough call again this year. Larry Correia's Destroyer of Worlds was pretty amazing, but then so was Jim Butcher's Battle Ground, and Peter Nealen's Maelstrom Rising series was also good, if not quite on the Butcher/Correia level.
41. What was your favorite film of this year?
I finally got to see Captain America on Amazon Prime. It lived up to the hype.
42. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Went across the street to the Stage Stop Cafe and had an excellent steak dinner. I am 61.
43. What did you want and get?
I finally got my SSDI and also qualified for 10% VA disability, which helped in other ways than just cash in my checking account.
44. What did you want and not get?
I would have liked to get a 30% rating for hearing loss and sleep apnea, but the VA didn't buy it.
45. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Remembering which of these furshlugginer boxes I put my desktop box into.
46. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2020?
"The Festive Color Of My Tribe Is Black", although I'm continuing to branch out into khaki.
47. What kept you sane?
A better financial situation and being in my own place.
48. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Most of the celebrities and public figures that came to my attention this year were fairly appalling people.
Keanu Reeves and Robert Downey Jr. were notable exceptions to this.
49. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2020.
Not to angry up the stomach with sugar and milk.
50. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"Well you may throw your rock and hide your hand
Workin' in the dark against your fellow man
But as sure as God made black and white
What's done in the dark will be brought to the light."
1. Was 2020 a good year for you?
Much better than 2019, thanks.
2. What was your favorite moment(s) of the year?
Moving into my apartment in Tonopah.
3. What was your least favorite moment(s) of the year?
Spending three days in the Reno VA hospital getting my GI tract to calm down.
4. What did you do in 2020 that you’d never done before?
Went to Clarksville to hang out with Mad Mike and others at the Emergency Holographic Convention.
5. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't do New Year's resolutions because I suck at following through on them.
Having said that, I am going to keep making serious attempts to:
a) stay rested and on track dietarily (Better this year than last year)
b) especially during tax season (Not so much)
c) keep better track of my money and put more of it away (Better than last year, because I actually had money)
6. Where were you when 2020 began?
USVETS transitional housing in Las Vegas
7. Who were you with?
Drunken roommates
8. Where were you when 2020 ended?
Home in Tonopah
9. Who will you be with when 2020 ends?
The usual waifus
10. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No
11. Did you lose anybody close to you in 2020?
A lot of people died this year, but nobody close to me.
12. Who did you miss?
Most of my friends and family, from time to time.
13. Who was the best new person you met in 2020?
Met a bunch of folks this year, but nobody really qualifies for this.
14. What was your favorite month of 2020?
September, even with the sickness.
15. Did you travel outside of the US in 2020?
No. What for?
16. How many different states did you travel to in 2020?
Utah and Tennessee. This was not a big year for travel.
17. What would you like to have in 2021 that you lacked in 2020?
A new pancreas. The money situation has resolved itself.
18. What date from 2020 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
There weren't any days like that.
19. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I guess getting the Social Security disability situation sorted counts.
20. What was your biggest failure?
No major fails this year, thank God.
21. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No injuries worth mentioning, but I missed a lot of the EHC because I was sick with self-inflicted GI tract misery.
Spent three days in the Reno VA hospital on the way back home, as previously noted.
22. What was the best thing you bought?
New microwave from Amazon, because the apartment didn't have one.
23. Whose behavior merited celebration?
I continue to be pleasantly surprised by President Trump's performance in office.
24. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Had a couple of friends succumb to really bad cases of TDS, to the point where I had to snooze them on Facebook.
25. Where did most of your money go?
Rent, food, gasoline. The usual.
26. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Going to the EHC. It wasn't Balticon, but it was better than a virtual convention.
27. Did you drink a lot of alcohol in 2020?
No.
28. Did you do a lot of drugs in 2020?
Despite recreational marijuana being legal, no.
29. Did you treat somebody badly in 2020?
Not this year.
30. Did somebody treat you badly in 2020?
Family drama stays in the family. This is the way.
31. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? - Happier.
ii. thinner or fatter? - Thinner.
iii. richer or poorer? - Richer. Between the two flavors of disability, unemployment, and stimulus payments, I was actually able to pump some cash into the Cardboard Box Fund and various savings accounts.
32. What do you wish you’d done more of in 2019?
I'm really behind the curve on unpacking this pile of boxes in my living room.
33. What do you wish you’d done less of?
I would have been better off playing less Civicrack and more Ingress.
34. Did you fall in love in 2019?
No, but I lusted in my heart after a number of women, mostly of the 2d variety.
35. What was your favorite TV program(s)?
I started watching the Korean drama "Age Of Youth" but stopped for no particularly good reason. That's about the only thing on TV I watched, and even that was on YouTube.
36. What song will always remind you of 2020?
Johnny Cash's "God's Gonna Cut You Down"
37. How many concerts did you see in 2020?
None.
38. Did you have a favorite concert in 2020?
See previous question.
39. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I rediscovered Jerry Reed and Fischer Z.
40. What was the best book you read?
Tough call again this year. Larry Correia's Destroyer of Worlds was pretty amazing, but then so was Jim Butcher's Battle Ground, and Peter Nealen's Maelstrom Rising series was also good, if not quite on the Butcher/Correia level.
41. What was your favorite film of this year?
I finally got to see Captain America on Amazon Prime. It lived up to the hype.
42. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Went across the street to the Stage Stop Cafe and had an excellent steak dinner. I am 61.
43. What did you want and get?
I finally got my SSDI and also qualified for 10% VA disability, which helped in other ways than just cash in my checking account.
44. What did you want and not get?
I would have liked to get a 30% rating for hearing loss and sleep apnea, but the VA didn't buy it.
45. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Remembering which of these furshlugginer boxes I put my desktop box into.
46. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2020?
"The Festive Color Of My Tribe Is Black", although I'm continuing to branch out into khaki.
47. What kept you sane?
A better financial situation and being in my own place.
48. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Most of the celebrities and public figures that came to my attention this year were fairly appalling people.
Keanu Reeves and Robert Downey Jr. were notable exceptions to this.
49. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2020.
Not to angry up the stomach with sugar and milk.
50. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"Well you may throw your rock and hide your hand
Workin' in the dark against your fellow man
But as sure as God made black and white
What's done in the dark will be brought to the light."