2021 came and went faster than a peahen on a wet log.
It’s not unusual for me to make a little year-end wrap up list. But you may have noticed I haven’t been writing as much on this site. That is largely due to the fact that I have not wanted to and also because I have been sending out a weekly(ish) newsletter (I started it because people kept wanting me to update them on my improv shows). You can sign up for it here if you miss me.
Oh, and I made this little 2021 recap video because someone told me recap videos were annoying and I love being annoying.
Before I give you some more dazzling highlights, I will say my 2021 resolution didn’t pan out as expected. Normally I’m really good at my resolutions. I wanted to use all my gift cards. In reality, I used a handful of them. But hey, that’s better than nothing. I guess I just didn’t have it in me to use all of them. Oh well, that’s what 2022 is for.
Okay, now onto the good stuff.
2021 Highlights (in no particular order)
- Left Oregon for the first time in over a year
- Travelled to Yakima, Fargo, Sioux Falls, Minneapolis, and the beach a few times
- Made good ramen at home
- Visited the Tulip Festival AND the Rose Garden
- Self-published a book
- Went to Enchanted Forest for the first time since I was just a baby
- Took a stand up class and did exactly one open mic
- Hit 250+ followers on my anti-crow Twitter account
- Started investing in the stock market (mostly in the railroads)
- I took a lot of surveys and ultimately got $10 to Aerie (and I already used my gift card ✓)
- Became a New York Times subscriber
- Became a Patreon subscriber so I could be someone’s one and only subscriber
- Had my first real massage (I don’t really count my spleen massages because they sucked)
- Ate a record amount of sushi in a year
- Got three COVID shots (and Washington County filmed my booster shot for the #archives)
- Wen to the batting cages
- Worked two days on a secret job where I got pranked
- Killed two plants
- Had a fever three times but it wasn’t ever COVID
- Got my annual haircut at a new salon
- Emailed two Tolstoy experts with questions about a Tolstoy short story and did not receive answers from either of them
Movies I Watched and Liked in 2021
- Spider-Man into the Spiderverse
- Luca
- Tick, Tick…Boom!
- Palm Springs
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Growing Up Animal
- All the Oceans Movies
- SpaceJam: A New Legacy
- 10 Things I Hate About You
TV Shows and Specials I Watched and Liked in 2021
- I Think You Should Leave Season 2
- Nathan For You
- Inside with Bo Burnham
- Black Lady Sketch Show
- Ted Lasso
- Only Murders in the Building – rarely have I been so excited for a new show
- Mantracker
Music I Listened to (A LOT) and Liked in 2021
- Fearless and Red (Taylor’s Version) – Taylor Swift
- Yebba – DAWN
- Collapsed in Sunbeams – Arlo Parks
- Women in Music Pt 3 – HAIM
- Different Kinds of Light – Jade Bird
- Sour – Oliva Rodrigo
- McCartney III Imagined – Paul McCartney (& various artists: Phoebe, Beck, Dominic Fike, etc.)
- Djesse Vol. 3 – Jacob Collier
- This Japanese Jazz Playlist
- Cutting Grass Vol. 2 – Sturgill Simpson
Concerts I Attended When I Could in 2021
- Jade Bird
- Lawrence the Band
- Bedouine and Bill Callahan
- Harry Styles
- LiveWire (kind of a concert)
Books I Read and Liked (and published) in 2021
- The Choice Factory – Richard Shotton
- The Color Purple – Alice Walker
- Dream Big – Bob Goff
- Tweet – Rachel Rogers
Podcasts I Liked in 2021
- Every Single Album
- Composed with Chase Bernstein
- Black History Bootcamp
- Entry Level with Brooks Wheelan
- Pointed Questions with Brent Weinbach
- Comedy Bang Bang
Restaurants I Visited in 2021 that I Could Remember off the Top of My Head
- Teote (what to order: mezcal, arepas)
- Original Pancake House (what to order: pumpkin pancakes)
- Pinolo Gelato (what to order: gelato)
- See See Motor Coffee (what to order: chocolate chip cookie)
Rachel Rogers 