2020 The Big Goodbye
30/12/2020 11:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
izmeinaIt’s that time of year again. The annual quiz which I have been doing for at least ten years now.
It is a miracle the stupid useless Big Mac is still around for the occasion. Mind you, it did take 20 minutes just to get into Scrivener without being endlessly pelted by spinning beach balls.
Just as well that I had written most of it over 2 weeks ago and only had to add some videos and bold text mark up
1. What did you do in 2020 that you'd never done before?
I lurked in the Lair for 3 months because nearly everything was closed so there was no reason to go anywhere except to do grocery shopping
But before the Lockdown way back in January which now seems like centuries ago, I managed to get through the selection processes and ended up doing jury duty
I dodged a bullet with a Supreme Court murder trial that went on for 2 weeks and instead landed a 3 day District Court drug deal trial
This trial was on at the same time as the US impeachment had moved to the Senate. It was a marked contrast to see the behaviour expected of and demonstrated by the jurors in each case.
Falling asleep, taking unscheduled toilet breaks or conducting interview with FUX news would have landed any one of us in the slammer for contempt of court
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don’t do New Year’s Resolutions. I prefer to adopt new habits and add new ones as the old ones go on autopilot.
Unfortunately, some habits that I thought were well and truly established fell by the wayside when the shit hit the fan. So I will try to get back into my old routines again
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Not anyone that I know personally. But Charlie Pride was Petunia’s favourite singer so I guess that sort of counts
5. What countries did you visit?
I had been planning and saving for 5 years to visit Amsterdam, Prague, Lubeck and Vienna and even booked the tickets in early March for a Grand Tour in September
But the Covid gods had other plans.
The Oz government imposed a ban on Australian passport holders travelling overseas and those who did manage to get out were having a lot of problems getting back in again
The plague was not over in September but has started a second wave in Europe almost as bad as the first
6. What would you like to have in 2021 that you lacked in 2020?
A green and growing garden
I have planted out the verge this year and a reasonable percentage of the new weeds are alive and thriving but it is now coming into summer time which is the killing time
An uncluttered, neat and orderly house with a place for everything and everything in its place
I actually did manage to achieve this during the 3 month freeze when my day jobs and all the cafes had shut down but then in September things started falling apart again
7. What dates from 2020 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
So so many. This year is unusual is that since the Dursley divorce last November, there has been very little personal drama so most of the dates I have chosen have to do with the big bad world out there
Thursday 6th January
I rescheduled my work day ahead of time so that I could watch the US Senate proceedings live. Of course it was a forgone conclusion but it was still drama to watch
Monday 23rd March
This was the nearest we had to a lock down in the Wild West of Oz. As of midday that Monday, all restaurants and cafes would be take away only, all pubs, clubs and bars were closed along with the zoo, museums, libraries and assorted theatres and art galleries
By the end of the month, my jobs were added to the list so I basically ended up with nothing to do and all day to do it.
By 18th May, the cafes had reopened again and by July I was back at work again
24th May word got out that the Rio Tinto mining company had blown up Juukan Gorge including caves with a 46,000 year history of human occupation
On account of piss poor and unenforced state and federal Aboriginal heritage laws, mining companies had been doing this sort of thing with reckless abandon for decades
But this time public opinion had changed
Monday 25th May
The infamous George Floyd snuff movie
What was so terrifying about this was not just that a cop knelt on the neck of a man for more than 8 minutes despite the pleas of onlookers and George Floyd himself, but the way that the creepy cop was just staring at the camera with one hand in his pocket and a look of smug arrogant indifference. Like daring anyone to stop him
And all this for an allegation of passing a fake $20 note
Monday 1st June
The BEAST 66 himself does a photo op of himself with an upside down Bible outside a church. Preceded by a march of generals and other creeps to the church along with police using tear gas to clear the area of protesters
Wednesday 4th November
The aftermath of that election - the trump ‘victory’ speech followed by the rapid evaporation of the Red Mirage and the nail biting wait for the result to be called
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Staying alive.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Not being sufficiently assertive. Especially when dealing with dodgy Job Mobsters
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I have been very lucky this year. I had only 3 episodes of the nausea that plagued so much of 2019 which lasted for about a week in October
It was triggered by an unexpected memory of Vernon Dursley
But unfortunately I have been a lot more neurotic and agitated than usual. Especially for most of December. I just cannot seem to shake off those damned Dementors who keep trying to sabotage any attempt at being a contented curly serpent
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Normally the annual zoo membership and subscription to the Washington Post are top of the list but this year I have not yet renewed the zoo membership. Due to a combination of having my card stolen and the zoo being closed for Covid during the time when it expired. I still have not been there yet
So aside from books and trinkets bought at assorted charity shops, it was likely to be Fringe shows. This year I managed to go to more than 20. It seems like so long ago from another era altogether because less than 6 weeks after it ended, all shows and other cultural events were cancelled
12. Where did most of your money go?
This year’s big expense was new roller shutters for the Lair
Summers are getting hotter and longer but I don’t want to install air conditioning because it is like running a tap while leaving the plug out of the bath tub.
The house has insulation which is way past its use by date. I tried to get new stuff when the infamous pink batts scheme was running but was told I don’t qualify as I already have insulation. Never mind that it is no longer effective. Even when the pink batts scheme had ended and insulation installers were desperate for business, they turned me down because the roof cavity was not easily accessible and the ceiling too saggy
After 4 stinking hot days so far,this summer it has definitely made a difference but is not much use when all those days come together because the whole house heats up anyway.
Other than that, bills, buses, coffee and pots of earl grey tea and a ridiculous amount on culture vulture events at the Fringe Festival
And books. Lots of books. I work in 2 different charity shops so I can get some amazing stuff for a fraction of the book shop price.
13. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
The fake trial of the century
The Fringe Festival
Following the Coronavirus drama
The US election
14. What song will always remind you of 2020?
Several parodies
My Corona
Staying inside
It confounds the science
50 ways to leave the White House
15. Compared to this time last year, are you:
Older or wiser?
Obviously older and hopefully wiser too
Thinner or fatter?
Still fat but a bit less so
Richer or poorer?
Richer. It’s an ill wind that blows no good. When the Feds realised that they would have to put the economy in hibernation to slow down the virus, they were surprisingly generous with the stay at home payments. So I saved some for a rainy day and splashed out on roller shutters to keep the Lair cooler in summer
Also, working in an op shop means that even if you don’t have much money, it goes a lot further. I never buy clothes, home wares, music or books new anymore
16. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Being in the Green Zone.
This has been a particularly chaotic and crazy year with never ending moving goal posts
17. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Being cranky and neurotic. Hoarding and other crazy irrational behaviour. Needing to find sneaky ways to get around this stuff
I have discovered that writing in my little black book is a big help for getting shit done. Especially for sneaking messages to the inner serpent. If I have a bunch of jobs on a To Do list written down for particular days and times then it is much more likely that I will actually get them done
18. How did you spend Christmas?
I had intended to spend Christmas Day on a picnic with Petunia at the Fremantle Cemetery. But that was when the weather forecast was a mild 31. Last year I had to postpone my Christmas picnic because the mercury hit 38
This year it got to nearly 41. So once again I had to reschedule. This time for New Year’s Eve which so far seems fairly safe at a mild 32 or so
So while I got up early to sit in the garden watching the birds and get stuff done before it got too hot, by lunchtime I had to slink back inside and spent most of the afternoon either sleeping or jumping in the shower to cool down because I don’t have air conditioning in the Lair
19. Did you fall in love in 2020?
What is love?
20. What was your favorite TV program?
I don’t have a television but I used to like Gardening Australia and The Gruen Transfer - a program about the dark art of advertising.
21. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Most folks on my Hate List have been there since early 2016 and include most of the revolving door White House staff of Don the Con
Some names that come to mind - VP Mike Pence, Betsy De Vos and Pompeo and creepy Kelly Anne Conway
Newbies include Katie McEnema, Jim Jordan and Devin Nunes who made such sad spectacles of themselves with their ranting, raving, bullying and other pathetic behaviour at last year’s impeachment proceedings.
As for Rudy Colludy Giuliani, I cannot quite decide whether I hate his wacky ranting and meddling and peddling of the craziest conspiracy theories or if I love that nearly every time he opens his mouth he incriminates himself and his mob boss with the stupid.
The Four Seasons Total Landscaping event and that axle grease pouring off his head were highlights of his career
Foot in mouth disease on steroids.
22. What was the best book you read?
The School of Good and Evil
A wicked twisted fairy tale about a very strange magical school
23. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I have been so busy with the podcast “America, if you’re listening.” That I haven’t been paying much attention to music lately
But 2 songs did impress me. It was goose bumps the first time hearing them and these days with Google, there is no need to die wondering.
I just got the names and found the artists on Youtube
Fallow
Join Together
24. What did you want and get?
Lots of wicked weeds and books
25. What did you want and not get?
A long planned Grand European Adventure to visit my sister, niece and Fairy Godmother
26. What was your favorite film of this year?
Of course, it was not a typical year for films. Most got cancelled except for Tenet which I did not go to see.
“Mr Jones” which is one of the spookiest most understated films that I have seen in ages. I actually went to see it in November 2019 but since it was officially released this year, I will give it another mention
It is about a journalist who went to Moscow on a mission to follow the money. He was wondering how Stalin could afford to buy so much stuff from Britain when the country seemed to be going broke. The problem was that Stalin kept tabs on journalists and they were not permitted to travel anywhere outside of Moscow. Most were happy to tow the Party line but Mr Jones was not.
Strange how all roads these days lead to Ukraine.
27. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Last year I had a wonderful weekend in Eden Vale pottering around smelling the roses, plotting and planning for assorted nano adventures and reading spooky stories but this time none of that was possible due to the government restricting movement between various areas of the state in order to keep a lid on that bug that must not be named
So instead I planned a picnic with Petunia at the graveyard followed by a visit to Bread in Common. But it rained all day so I made do with a short visit to the city for sushi and a coffee crawl
28. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A spell to banish Dementors because the old ones don’t work for me anymore
A lot less chaos and moving the goal posts
But these days after all the craziness around the rest of the world, just making alive to the end of the year is an achievement
29. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2020?
Fashion is an alien concept to this slobbish serpent. But we are rather partial to green hats and baggy blouses to hide all the blubber
30. What kept you sane?
Sane - Izzie sane? Never ever?
31. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Fancy is not quite the right word but I was inspired by Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren both of whom are serious Goblin hunters. Following the money is the best game in town and they are both on to it.
I was also very amused by The Fly who turned out to be the star of the debate between Senator Kamala Harris and creepy crawly VP Mike Pence
I took a shine to Dr Fauci who had the unenviablle job of being the Geek face of the epidemic presenting science and facts to the public while walking the tightrope of not upstaging the toddler in the room
He performed this seemingly impossible job with dignity and integrity. Only once did he lie to the public. That was when he claimed masks were not necessary for the general public. But he did so with the honourable intention of preventing panic buying so that there would be enough for the front line health care workers
Dr Deborah Birx on the other hand did some cringe worthy performances praising the scientific genius of the trump and doing some amazing Mr Bean impressions while he spouted off his bat shit BS about UV light and injecting disinfectant
32. What political issue stirred you the most?
The Second instalment of the impeachment saga
This time in the US Senate where a so called trial was held with no witnesses and where the jurors just came and went as they pleased, talked on their phones and had interviews with FUX news out in the hall ways
One thing that stood out was Senator Adam Schiff’s closing speech which turned out to be for more prophetic than even he imagined
Which leads of course to
Coronavirus
I think Warren Buffet said it best
It is only when the tide goes out that you see who has been swimming naked
US election
The less said, the better
My personal campaign for the legal recognition of 4 sided triangles ;)
33. Who did you miss?
It’s nearly 3 years now but it’s still Petunia - my old partner in crime, weed and wine worship
34. Who was the best new person you met?
I don’t get out much these days
35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2020:
When faced with a difficult or scary choice, choose the option that preserves or increases your integrity and self respect.
Because acting out of fear just weakens you and the fear does not go away but has babies who then torment you too.
Blessed are those who expect nothing for they shall not be disappointed
I noticed that I can cope with the big disappointments and major dramas but it is the little things that really get under my skin
I soon got used to the 6 week lockdown we had in the Wild West from late March to mid May but it was the unpredictable opening hours of cafes when they came back that I found too confusing. A lot of them never survived and many drastically cut their hours but it was not always clear what they were
By July it was clear that my Grand European Tour would be put in the deep freeze
But it was the changes to local bus time tables that really rattled me. Only this week, a bus that serviced my local area for more than 20 years has now been nuked
And the other big one - never ever underestimate the power of the reptilian brain. Not the wise and playful inner serpent but that miserable irrational paranoid creature that goes into survival mode at the slightest provocation even when there is no actual danger.
I still cannot get that damned creature on a leash and it has been wrecking havoc this December
It is a miracle the stupid useless Big Mac is still around for the occasion. Mind you, it did take 20 minutes just to get into Scrivener without being endlessly pelted by spinning beach balls.
Just as well that I had written most of it over 2 weeks ago and only had to add some videos and bold text mark up
1. What did you do in 2020 that you'd never done before?
I lurked in the Lair for 3 months because nearly everything was closed so there was no reason to go anywhere except to do grocery shopping
But before the Lockdown way back in January which now seems like centuries ago, I managed to get through the selection processes and ended up doing jury duty
I dodged a bullet with a Supreme Court murder trial that went on for 2 weeks and instead landed a 3 day District Court drug deal trial
This trial was on at the same time as the US impeachment had moved to the Senate. It was a marked contrast to see the behaviour expected of and demonstrated by the jurors in each case.
Falling asleep, taking unscheduled toilet breaks or conducting interview with FUX news would have landed any one of us in the slammer for contempt of court
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don’t do New Year’s Resolutions. I prefer to adopt new habits and add new ones as the old ones go on autopilot.
Unfortunately, some habits that I thought were well and truly established fell by the wayside when the shit hit the fan. So I will try to get back into my old routines again
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Not anyone that I know personally. But Charlie Pride was Petunia’s favourite singer so I guess that sort of counts
5. What countries did you visit?
I had been planning and saving for 5 years to visit Amsterdam, Prague, Lubeck and Vienna and even booked the tickets in early March for a Grand Tour in September
But the Covid gods had other plans.
The Oz government imposed a ban on Australian passport holders travelling overseas and those who did manage to get out were having a lot of problems getting back in again
The plague was not over in September but has started a second wave in Europe almost as bad as the first
6. What would you like to have in 2021 that you lacked in 2020?
A green and growing garden
I have planted out the verge this year and a reasonable percentage of the new weeds are alive and thriving but it is now coming into summer time which is the killing time
An uncluttered, neat and orderly house with a place for everything and everything in its place
I actually did manage to achieve this during the 3 month freeze when my day jobs and all the cafes had shut down but then in September things started falling apart again
7. What dates from 2020 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
So so many. This year is unusual is that since the Dursley divorce last November, there has been very little personal drama so most of the dates I have chosen have to do with the big bad world out there
Thursday 6th January
I rescheduled my work day ahead of time so that I could watch the US Senate proceedings live. Of course it was a forgone conclusion but it was still drama to watch
Monday 23rd March
This was the nearest we had to a lock down in the Wild West of Oz. As of midday that Monday, all restaurants and cafes would be take away only, all pubs, clubs and bars were closed along with the zoo, museums, libraries and assorted theatres and art galleries
By the end of the month, my jobs were added to the list so I basically ended up with nothing to do and all day to do it.
By 18th May, the cafes had reopened again and by July I was back at work again
24th May word got out that the Rio Tinto mining company had blown up Juukan Gorge including caves with a 46,000 year history of human occupation
On account of piss poor and unenforced state and federal Aboriginal heritage laws, mining companies had been doing this sort of thing with reckless abandon for decades
But this time public opinion had changed
Monday 25th May
The infamous George Floyd snuff movie
What was so terrifying about this was not just that a cop knelt on the neck of a man for more than 8 minutes despite the pleas of onlookers and George Floyd himself, but the way that the creepy cop was just staring at the camera with one hand in his pocket and a look of smug arrogant indifference. Like daring anyone to stop him
And all this for an allegation of passing a fake $20 note
Monday 1st June
The BEAST 66 himself does a photo op of himself with an upside down Bible outside a church. Preceded by a march of generals and other creeps to the church along with police using tear gas to clear the area of protesters
Wednesday 4th November
The aftermath of that election - the trump ‘victory’ speech followed by the rapid evaporation of the Red Mirage and the nail biting wait for the result to be called
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Staying alive.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Not being sufficiently assertive. Especially when dealing with dodgy Job Mobsters
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I have been very lucky this year. I had only 3 episodes of the nausea that plagued so much of 2019 which lasted for about a week in October
It was triggered by an unexpected memory of Vernon Dursley
But unfortunately I have been a lot more neurotic and agitated than usual. Especially for most of December. I just cannot seem to shake off those damned Dementors who keep trying to sabotage any attempt at being a contented curly serpent
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Normally the annual zoo membership and subscription to the Washington Post are top of the list but this year I have not yet renewed the zoo membership. Due to a combination of having my card stolen and the zoo being closed for Covid during the time when it expired. I still have not been there yet
So aside from books and trinkets bought at assorted charity shops, it was likely to be Fringe shows. This year I managed to go to more than 20. It seems like so long ago from another era altogether because less than 6 weeks after it ended, all shows and other cultural events were cancelled
12. Where did most of your money go?
This year’s big expense was new roller shutters for the Lair
Summers are getting hotter and longer but I don’t want to install air conditioning because it is like running a tap while leaving the plug out of the bath tub.
The house has insulation which is way past its use by date. I tried to get new stuff when the infamous pink batts scheme was running but was told I don’t qualify as I already have insulation. Never mind that it is no longer effective. Even when the pink batts scheme had ended and insulation installers were desperate for business, they turned me down because the roof cavity was not easily accessible and the ceiling too saggy
After 4 stinking hot days so far,this summer it has definitely made a difference but is not much use when all those days come together because the whole house heats up anyway.
Other than that, bills, buses, coffee and pots of earl grey tea and a ridiculous amount on culture vulture events at the Fringe Festival
And books. Lots of books. I work in 2 different charity shops so I can get some amazing stuff for a fraction of the book shop price.
13. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
The fake trial of the century
The Fringe Festival
Following the Coronavirus drama
The US election
14. What song will always remind you of 2020?
Several parodies
My Corona
Staying inside
It confounds the science
50 ways to leave the White House
15. Compared to this time last year, are you:
Older or wiser?
Obviously older and hopefully wiser too
Thinner or fatter?
Still fat but a bit less so
Richer or poorer?
Richer. It’s an ill wind that blows no good. When the Feds realised that they would have to put the economy in hibernation to slow down the virus, they were surprisingly generous with the stay at home payments. So I saved some for a rainy day and splashed out on roller shutters to keep the Lair cooler in summer
Also, working in an op shop means that even if you don’t have much money, it goes a lot further. I never buy clothes, home wares, music or books new anymore
16. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Being in the Green Zone.
This has been a particularly chaotic and crazy year with never ending moving goal posts
17. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Being cranky and neurotic. Hoarding and other crazy irrational behaviour. Needing to find sneaky ways to get around this stuff
I have discovered that writing in my little black book is a big help for getting shit done. Especially for sneaking messages to the inner serpent. If I have a bunch of jobs on a To Do list written down for particular days and times then it is much more likely that I will actually get them done
18. How did you spend Christmas?
I had intended to spend Christmas Day on a picnic with Petunia at the Fremantle Cemetery. But that was when the weather forecast was a mild 31. Last year I had to postpone my Christmas picnic because the mercury hit 38
This year it got to nearly 41. So once again I had to reschedule. This time for New Year’s Eve which so far seems fairly safe at a mild 32 or so
So while I got up early to sit in the garden watching the birds and get stuff done before it got too hot, by lunchtime I had to slink back inside and spent most of the afternoon either sleeping or jumping in the shower to cool down because I don’t have air conditioning in the Lair
19. Did you fall in love in 2020?
What is love?
20. What was your favorite TV program?
I don’t have a television but I used to like Gardening Australia and The Gruen Transfer - a program about the dark art of advertising.
21. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Most folks on my Hate List have been there since early 2016 and include most of the revolving door White House staff of Don the Con
Some names that come to mind - VP Mike Pence, Betsy De Vos and Pompeo and creepy Kelly Anne Conway
Newbies include Katie McEnema, Jim Jordan and Devin Nunes who made such sad spectacles of themselves with their ranting, raving, bullying and other pathetic behaviour at last year’s impeachment proceedings.
As for Rudy Colludy Giuliani, I cannot quite decide whether I hate his wacky ranting and meddling and peddling of the craziest conspiracy theories or if I love that nearly every time he opens his mouth he incriminates himself and his mob boss with the stupid.
The Four Seasons Total Landscaping event and that axle grease pouring off his head were highlights of his career
Foot in mouth disease on steroids.
22. What was the best book you read?
The School of Good and Evil
A wicked twisted fairy tale about a very strange magical school
23. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I have been so busy with the podcast “America, if you’re listening.” That I haven’t been paying much attention to music lately
But 2 songs did impress me. It was goose bumps the first time hearing them and these days with Google, there is no need to die wondering.
I just got the names and found the artists on Youtube
Fallow
Join Together
24. What did you want and get?
Lots of wicked weeds and books
25. What did you want and not get?
A long planned Grand European Adventure to visit my sister, niece and Fairy Godmother
26. What was your favorite film of this year?
Of course, it was not a typical year for films. Most got cancelled except for Tenet which I did not go to see.
“Mr Jones” which is one of the spookiest most understated films that I have seen in ages. I actually went to see it in November 2019 but since it was officially released this year, I will give it another mention
It is about a journalist who went to Moscow on a mission to follow the money. He was wondering how Stalin could afford to buy so much stuff from Britain when the country seemed to be going broke. The problem was that Stalin kept tabs on journalists and they were not permitted to travel anywhere outside of Moscow. Most were happy to tow the Party line but Mr Jones was not.
Strange how all roads these days lead to Ukraine.
27. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Last year I had a wonderful weekend in Eden Vale pottering around smelling the roses, plotting and planning for assorted nano adventures and reading spooky stories but this time none of that was possible due to the government restricting movement between various areas of the state in order to keep a lid on that bug that must not be named
So instead I planned a picnic with Petunia at the graveyard followed by a visit to Bread in Common. But it rained all day so I made do with a short visit to the city for sushi and a coffee crawl
28. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A spell to banish Dementors because the old ones don’t work for me anymore
A lot less chaos and moving the goal posts
But these days after all the craziness around the rest of the world, just making alive to the end of the year is an achievement
29. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2020?
Fashion is an alien concept to this slobbish serpent. But we are rather partial to green hats and baggy blouses to hide all the blubber
30. What kept you sane?
Sane - Izzie sane? Never ever?
31. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Fancy is not quite the right word but I was inspired by Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren both of whom are serious Goblin hunters. Following the money is the best game in town and they are both on to it.
I was also very amused by The Fly who turned out to be the star of the debate between Senator Kamala Harris and creepy crawly VP Mike Pence
I took a shine to Dr Fauci who had the unenviablle job of being the Geek face of the epidemic presenting science and facts to the public while walking the tightrope of not upstaging the toddler in the room
He performed this seemingly impossible job with dignity and integrity. Only once did he lie to the public. That was when he claimed masks were not necessary for the general public. But he did so with the honourable intention of preventing panic buying so that there would be enough for the front line health care workers
Dr Deborah Birx on the other hand did some cringe worthy performances praising the scientific genius of the trump and doing some amazing Mr Bean impressions while he spouted off his bat shit BS about UV light and injecting disinfectant
32. What political issue stirred you the most?
The Second instalment of the impeachment saga
This time in the US Senate where a so called trial was held with no witnesses and where the jurors just came and went as they pleased, talked on their phones and had interviews with FUX news out in the hall ways
One thing that stood out was Senator Adam Schiff’s closing speech which turned out to be for more prophetic than even he imagined
Which leads of course to
Coronavirus
I think Warren Buffet said it best
It is only when the tide goes out that you see who has been swimming naked
US election
The less said, the better
My personal campaign for the legal recognition of 4 sided triangles ;)
33. Who did you miss?
It’s nearly 3 years now but it’s still Petunia - my old partner in crime, weed and wine worship
34. Who was the best new person you met?
I don’t get out much these days
35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2020:
When faced with a difficult or scary choice, choose the option that preserves or increases your integrity and self respect.
Because acting out of fear just weakens you and the fear does not go away but has babies who then torment you too.
Blessed are those who expect nothing for they shall not be disappointed
I noticed that I can cope with the big disappointments and major dramas but it is the little things that really get under my skin
I soon got used to the 6 week lockdown we had in the Wild West from late March to mid May but it was the unpredictable opening hours of cafes when they came back that I found too confusing. A lot of them never survived and many drastically cut their hours but it was not always clear what they were
By July it was clear that my Grand European Tour would be put in the deep freeze
But it was the changes to local bus time tables that really rattled me. Only this week, a bus that serviced my local area for more than 20 years has now been nuked
And the other big one - never ever underestimate the power of the reptilian brain. Not the wise and playful inner serpent but that miserable irrational paranoid creature that goes into survival mode at the slightest provocation even when there is no actual danger.
I still cannot get that damned creature on a leash and it has been wrecking havoc this December
