GOOD RIDDANCE TO 2022 in sixty-one easy questions!
I can't close out the year without at least one year-end meme! This one came from xlovebecomesher this time around.
1. What did you do in 2022 that you'd never done before?
-Physical therapy, along with hospital-based occupational therapy giving me coping skills that did not address the root of my problems
-Participated in a virtual cocktail making class (actually two!) with Catoctin Creek
-Tai Chi
-Memorized a deck of cards and eventually got it under fifteen minutes!
-Got an Instagram account/same name as here (all right, you have to append "512" to the end)! I had resisted for SO long that it can't have JUST been internalizing "80s facebook; 90s instagram"
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Copying what I said last year on this survey but adding one to the years: "I still believe New Year's Resolutions are generally cliche and worthless, so none for 2022 and none for 2023 for me!"
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
I'm sure someone has, but... can't think of any!
4. Did anyone close to you die?
I was SO SURE my Grandpa Meyerson would 'stubborn' his way to 100, but... he finally died on February 7, two and a half years short which may or may not have been related to a COVID infection he got a month or two earlier
5. What countries did you visit?
*laughs in COVID self-isolation* even if you replace 'countries' with 'counties' it's smaller than last year: just Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun in Virginia and Howard in Maryland - plus the cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, and DC
6. What would you like to have in 2023 that you lacked in 2022?
confidence that I don't need to constantly watch over my shoulder to avoid long-lasting damage from a pandemic infection
7. What date(s) from 2022 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Days are such a blur in a persistent pandemic, but...
-June 17 (when my COVID situationship 'formally' ended)?
-July 30 (qualified for the USA Memory Championship finals)
-December 3 (start of only true 'weekend out' of the year, paired with chronicling it on my brand new IG)
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Dodging COVID for another year... either that or that deck of cards I memorized in 15 minutes
9. What was your biggest failure?
Not being able to alleviate my main sensory issues that had been plaguing me (but NOT for lack of trying): namely my 'literally cold blooded Raynaud's issues along with coordination and even spatial awareness
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
spring 2022 was like the worst long UC (ulcerative colitis) flare I had in a LONG time plus that weird bug I got the week around Thanksgiving that was NOT COVID and may or may not have been strep throat
11. What was the best thing you bought?
plane tickets to Florida in the middle of a pandemic so I could get knocked out in the first round of the memory finals because there was NO WAY I could memorize eighty-nine words within the time limie this year... the year I made it through that event was the year the last elimination was at 28 words (which describes why I actually declined my invitation to participate in that final!)
But really? I'll have to go with that getaway to Leesburg and Purcellville Dec 3-4 as the only time I really could escape a year (between pandemic surges): between a very cold winter, UC surge, and pandemic flares, I wasn't exactly indulging in big purchases this year!
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Copying what I said last year: "Everyone who supported me throughout the year, and everyone who persevered despite being asked to risk their own health"
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
anyone who actively uses their power to encourage pandemic minimization and risking your own health for the good of the economy
14. Where did most of your money go?
rent is by far my largest big-ticket purchase, and of course there's food, but... two memory training courses (at a few hundred each)? Physical and occupational therapy along with another colonoscopy? Tasty food and drink to consume at home?
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
USA Memory Championship qualifiers despite knowing I could never accept the invite to the finals THIS year, any chance the pandemic looked like it might let up for a change - a handful of fun online events... but well... 2022 wasn't exactly an 'exciting' year
16. What songs will always remind you of 2022?
*googles 2022 songs because I wasn't exactly clubbing to new music this year* - well, Kendrick Lamar released a song called "N95" this year? Even though I had never heard of it, that sounds PERFECT and I'm listening it to the first time right now! not my genre, not my lyrics, but taking it for the title alone
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. Happier or sadder? about the same... there is less hope than before about the pandemic though
ii. Thinner or fatter? Probably about the same, but I say that every year even in 2020 when I lost 15+ pounds! I think I'm in slightly better shape though...
iii. Richer or poorer? That's tough enough I'll need to wait until I run the numbers to be sure! Not a great year for investments, but I didn't spend all that much... but my net worth should be better this year than last year even if I don't FEEL richer. [EDIT 20221229: After running the numbers - definitely richer, and it's not particularly close, even if not by as much as I would like.]
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
keeping up with friends (hard when you don't see a lot of people in person, but I've been doing the online friendship thing since the end of last millennium when I went to a summer camp in Vancouver and wanted to keep up with those ppl back in Maryland!) The worst part was seeing online people drop off as they phased out of various online platforms and got back into the real world which may or may not have something to do with why I FINALLY got on IG
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
BEING SICK... that fucking spring ulcerative colitis flare was the WORST
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
It's Pandemic Jewish Christmas III: sleep in A BIT but wake up just in time to grab Starbucks before it closes, enjoy it, decompress, watch some movie, and bring takeout Chinese food home - likely a workout factors in too
21. How will you be spending New Years?
at home, by myself - likely watching the ball on TV and getting some delicious takeout... we're still in a pandemic, after all!
22. Did you fall in love in 2022?
NO
23. How many one night stands?
0, bringing my grand total for my whole life to... ZERO!
24. What were your favorite TV programs?
TBH? They all disappointed me! South Park, in particular, placing the pandemic decidely in the past in the new season pajamatime not withstanding... and everything else is essentially background
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
copying last year: "No, though I'm frustrated by many people who seemed to switch sides with regards to the pandemic - doesn't rise to 'hate' though"
26. What was the best book you read? Rhinoceros - near the end of the year - a French play about people changing into rhinos and the one person who does not
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Well, I was tipped off to Klezmer Hanukkah Carols? Even though I don't speak the language:
28. What did you want and get?
that one 'weekend out' in Leesburg and Purcellville where the weather cooperated and I could do everything outdoors
29. What did you want and not get?
an end to Raynaud's, my sensory issues, and the pandemic and my UC
30. What was your favorite film of this year?
The only 'new' one I saw has to have been the South Park Streaming Wars series, which was... disappointing. But I hadn't seen Who Framed Roger Rabbit before and I loved it? So there's that.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
suffered from the worst part of my long UC flare, standing and grabbing onto the computer table while attending a work meeting over Teams, soaks in tubs... but there was also tasty takeout for all three meals - including an affogato, delicious cake from Eclairons, and orgasmic Vietnamese dinner?
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
the pandemic ACTUALLY being over
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2022?
'pandemic chic' for the third year in a row
34. What kept you sane?
seeing myself progress through physical/occupational therapy and memory stuff, very tasty food and drink
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
no NEW celeb crushes, but I placed plenty of OLD ones in my "year-based" number memory system (where every 2 digit number has a person born in the corresponding years)? Well, the 70s begin with THREE old crushes for me: Heather Graham, Krista Allen, and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos! (They are immediately followed by Monica Lewinsky, Leonardo DiCaprio, and a three-date ex in that order.)
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
THE PANDEMIC IS NOT OVER along with the old chestnut of unaffordability of housing. The midterms feel like 'disaster narrowly averted, but we're not out of the woods yet'... and let's not get into what happened to Twitter!
37. Who did you miss?
everyone whom I haven't seen in years and who have switched online media... for example, I REALLY want to make it back to LA as soon as the pandemic actually IS over! So many people I haven't seen, AT MINIMUM, since 2018
38. Who was the best new person you met?
not counting awesome online people? I'll put faith in my new occupational therapist, for - with a simple test, discovering something that had eluded my old visual therapist for YEARS!
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2022.
If other people are changing their minds on a whim based on peer pressure... think very carefully but trust your own judgment!
40. How many concerts did you see in 2022?
IT'S... A... PANDEMIC! No wait, I actually DID get to see a few outdoor concerts this year - 6 or so? At the Netherlands Carillon, which is an outdoor exhibit where bells play for an hour or two on Saturdays in the summer, and it's sparsely populated enough that you can easily get FIFTEEN feet of social distance if you want
41. Were you in school (anytime this year)?
No - gone since 2014!
42. How did you earn your money?
same job as last year and most of the year before (still government contractor, even if an acquisition added a comma and three words to the end of my company's name)
43. Did you have any encounters with the police?
no
44. Did you move anywhere?
No - I really should at SOME point, but NOT during the pandemic!
45. Where do you live now?
Arlington, VA as I have since 2015 (last move, 2018, was two miles down the Orange Line towards DC)
46. Did you see any live sporting events?
No... I'm avoiding crowds for now!
47. What has been your favorite moment(s)?
-my first time being able to have a tasty outdoor coffee after the winter and Omicron wave 1 died down
-getting 68800 on Memory Match Overdrive in the memory qualifiers, winning the event the second time out of three
-winning two different speed based online trivia games, with two wildly different groups
-12/3-4 (the whole weekend trip)
48. What are your plans for 2023?
stay calm and stay true to myself as I survive yet another pandemic year and avoid turning 40
49. How many different states did you travel to in 2022?
Same as last year: VA (which I live in), MD (for two nights in my parents' home for a colonoscopy), and DC (which is NOT a state, but I could visit by foot when the pandemic ebbed)
50. Did you know anybody who got married?
first time in a long time I got wedding invites and I had to decline no fewer than THREE: one involving a cousin and two involving online friends
51. Where were you when 2022 began?
in my apartment
52. Who were you with?
Kristen - the first time I got a TRUE new year's kiss in a long time!
53. Who will you be with when 2023 starts?
by myself... 'still in a pandemic'
54. Did you wrong or hurt somebody in 2022?
Not on purpose, but I very well may have simply by insisting the pandemic is NOT over and refusing to behave as if it was
55. Did you learn any new life skill in 2022?
balance exercises don't REALLY count, but... a few new dishes to cook? Really, it's all about the memory training and maybe the Tai Chi!
56. Any new food or drink preferences developed in 2022?
well, there's the cocktails I learned from Catoctin Creek - and ways to pan fry fish in flour, but really... I don't think my tastes changed all that much.
57. What is your greatest fear for 2023?
two are about equal: getting COVID (with long term consequences) despite my best efforts... and becoming increasingly isolated from the rest of the world including those I thought I was very close to because I refuse to pretend the pandemic is over
58. Did you follow any sports event in 2022?
The Orioles wimping their way to a winning season, and UCLA, though I did keep up with who won the World Cup matches
59. Which social media did occupy most of your time in 2022?
Facebook and Twitter before I realized the latter had turned into Elon's ghost town... LiveJournal of course for the people and things that were still there - and Instagram for December when I finally got on
60. Is there somebody you feel particularly grateful to this year?
I'll say my immediate family, for continuing to love and care for me despite our moderately-to-wildly (depending on family member!) divergent views on the pandemic making it tricky-to-impossible (depending on how much pandemic views diverge) to meet up in person!
61. A song lyric that sums up your year:
directly quoting my 2021 response because the answer and reasoning is the same:
I thought it was over but it's not
I thought it was over but it's not
I'm spinning in circles, I can't stop
I thought it was over but it's not
(I Thought It Was Over - The Feeling)
to be fair, the context is totally different!
1. What did you do in 2022 that you'd never done before?
-Physical therapy, along with hospital-based occupational therapy giving me coping skills that did not address the root of my problems
-Participated in a virtual cocktail making class (actually two!) with Catoctin Creek
-Tai Chi
-Memorized a deck of cards and eventually got it under fifteen minutes!
-Got an Instagram account/same name as here (all right, you have to append "512" to the end)! I had resisted for SO long that it can't have JUST been internalizing "80s facebook; 90s instagram"
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Copying what I said last year on this survey but adding one to the years: "I still believe New Year's Resolutions are generally cliche and worthless, so none for 2022 and none for 2023 for me!"
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
I'm sure someone has, but... can't think of any!
4. Did anyone close to you die?
I was SO SURE my Grandpa Meyerson would 'stubborn' his way to 100, but... he finally died on February 7, two and a half years short which may or may not have been related to a COVID infection he got a month or two earlier
5. What countries did you visit?
*laughs in COVID self-isolation* even if you replace 'countries' with 'counties' it's smaller than last year: just Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun in Virginia and Howard in Maryland - plus the cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, and DC
6. What would you like to have in 2023 that you lacked in 2022?
confidence that I don't need to constantly watch over my shoulder to avoid long-lasting damage from a pandemic infection
7. What date(s) from 2022 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Days are such a blur in a persistent pandemic, but...
-June 17 (when my COVID situationship 'formally' ended)?
-July 30 (qualified for the USA Memory Championship finals)
-December 3 (start of only true 'weekend out' of the year, paired with chronicling it on my brand new IG)
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Dodging COVID for another year... either that or that deck of cards I memorized in 15 minutes
9. What was your biggest failure?
Not being able to alleviate my main sensory issues that had been plaguing me (but NOT for lack of trying): namely my 'literally cold blooded Raynaud's issues along with coordination and even spatial awareness
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
spring 2022 was like the worst long UC (ulcerative colitis) flare I had in a LONG time plus that weird bug I got the week around Thanksgiving that was NOT COVID and may or may not have been strep throat
11. What was the best thing you bought?
plane tickets to Florida in the middle of a pandemic so I could get knocked out in the first round of the memory finals because there was NO WAY I could memorize eighty-nine words within the time limie this year... the year I made it through that event was the year the last elimination was at 28 words (which describes why I actually declined my invitation to participate in that final!)
But really? I'll have to go with that getaway to Leesburg and Purcellville Dec 3-4 as the only time I really could escape a year (between pandemic surges): between a very cold winter, UC surge, and pandemic flares, I wasn't exactly indulging in big purchases this year!
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Copying what I said last year: "Everyone who supported me throughout the year, and everyone who persevered despite being asked to risk their own health"
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
anyone who actively uses their power to encourage pandemic minimization and risking your own health for the good of the economy
14. Where did most of your money go?
rent is by far my largest big-ticket purchase, and of course there's food, but... two memory training courses (at a few hundred each)? Physical and occupational therapy along with another colonoscopy? Tasty food and drink to consume at home?
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
USA Memory Championship qualifiers despite knowing I could never accept the invite to the finals THIS year, any chance the pandemic looked like it might let up for a change - a handful of fun online events... but well... 2022 wasn't exactly an 'exciting' year
16. What songs will always remind you of 2022?
*googles 2022 songs because I wasn't exactly clubbing to new music this year* - well, Kendrick Lamar released a song called "N95" this year? Even though I had never heard of it, that sounds PERFECT and I'm listening it to the first time right now! not my genre, not my lyrics, but taking it for the title alone
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. Happier or sadder? about the same... there is less hope than before about the pandemic though
ii. Thinner or fatter? Probably about the same, but I say that every year even in 2020 when I lost 15+ pounds! I think I'm in slightly better shape though...
iii. Richer or poorer? That's tough enough I'll need to wait until I run the numbers to be sure! Not a great year for investments, but I didn't spend all that much... but my net worth should be better this year than last year even if I don't FEEL richer. [EDIT 20221229: After running the numbers - definitely richer, and it's not particularly close, even if not by as much as I would like.]
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
keeping up with friends (hard when you don't see a lot of people in person, but I've been doing the online friendship thing since the end of last millennium when I went to a summer camp in Vancouver and wanted to keep up with those ppl back in Maryland!) The worst part was seeing online people drop off as they phased out of various online platforms and got back into the real world which may or may not have something to do with why I FINALLY got on IG
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
BEING SICK... that fucking spring ulcerative colitis flare was the WORST
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
It's Pandemic Jewish Christmas III: sleep in A BIT but wake up just in time to grab Starbucks before it closes, enjoy it, decompress, watch some movie, and bring takeout Chinese food home - likely a workout factors in too
21. How will you be spending New Years?
at home, by myself - likely watching the ball on TV and getting some delicious takeout... we're still in a pandemic, after all!
22. Did you fall in love in 2022?
NO
23. How many one night stands?
0, bringing my grand total for my whole life to... ZERO!
24. What were your favorite TV programs?
TBH? They all disappointed me! South Park, in particular, placing the pandemic decidely in the past in the new season pajamatime not withstanding... and everything else is essentially background
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
copying last year: "No, though I'm frustrated by many people who seemed to switch sides with regards to the pandemic - doesn't rise to 'hate' though"
26. What was the best book you read? Rhinoceros - near the end of the year - a French play about people changing into rhinos and the one person who does not
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Well, I was tipped off to Klezmer Hanukkah Carols? Even though I don't speak the language:
28. What did you want and get?
that one 'weekend out' in Leesburg and Purcellville where the weather cooperated and I could do everything outdoors
29. What did you want and not get?
an end to Raynaud's, my sensory issues, and the pandemic and my UC
30. What was your favorite film of this year?
The only 'new' one I saw has to have been the South Park Streaming Wars series, which was... disappointing. But I hadn't seen Who Framed Roger Rabbit before and I loved it? So there's that.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
suffered from the worst part of my long UC flare, standing and grabbing onto the computer table while attending a work meeting over Teams, soaks in tubs... but there was also tasty takeout for all three meals - including an affogato, delicious cake from Eclairons, and orgasmic Vietnamese dinner?
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
the pandemic ACTUALLY being over
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2022?
'pandemic chic' for the third year in a row
34. What kept you sane?
seeing myself progress through physical/occupational therapy and memory stuff, very tasty food and drink
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
no NEW celeb crushes, but I placed plenty of OLD ones in my "year-based" number memory system (where every 2 digit number has a person born in the corresponding years)? Well, the 70s begin with THREE old crushes for me: Heather Graham, Krista Allen, and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos! (They are immediately followed by Monica Lewinsky, Leonardo DiCaprio, and a three-date ex in that order.)
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
THE PANDEMIC IS NOT OVER along with the old chestnut of unaffordability of housing. The midterms feel like 'disaster narrowly averted, but we're not out of the woods yet'... and let's not get into what happened to Twitter!
37. Who did you miss?
everyone whom I haven't seen in years and who have switched online media... for example, I REALLY want to make it back to LA as soon as the pandemic actually IS over! So many people I haven't seen, AT MINIMUM, since 2018
38. Who was the best new person you met?
not counting awesome online people? I'll put faith in my new occupational therapist, for - with a simple test, discovering something that had eluded my old visual therapist for YEARS!
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2022.
If other people are changing their minds on a whim based on peer pressure... think very carefully but trust your own judgment!
40. How many concerts did you see in 2022?
IT'S... A... PANDEMIC! No wait, I actually DID get to see a few outdoor concerts this year - 6 or so? At the Netherlands Carillon, which is an outdoor exhibit where bells play for an hour or two on Saturdays in the summer, and it's sparsely populated enough that you can easily get FIFTEEN feet of social distance if you want
41. Were you in school (anytime this year)?
No - gone since 2014!
42. How did you earn your money?
same job as last year and most of the year before (still government contractor, even if an acquisition added a comma and three words to the end of my company's name)
43. Did you have any encounters with the police?
no
44. Did you move anywhere?
No - I really should at SOME point, but NOT during the pandemic!
45. Where do you live now?
Arlington, VA as I have since 2015 (last move, 2018, was two miles down the Orange Line towards DC)
46. Did you see any live sporting events?
No... I'm avoiding crowds for now!
47. What has been your favorite moment(s)?
-my first time being able to have a tasty outdoor coffee after the winter and Omicron wave 1 died down
-getting 68800 on Memory Match Overdrive in the memory qualifiers, winning the event the second time out of three
-winning two different speed based online trivia games, with two wildly different groups
-12/3-4 (the whole weekend trip)
48. What are your plans for 2023?
stay calm and stay true to myself as I survive yet another pandemic year and avoid turning 40
49. How many different states did you travel to in 2022?
Same as last year: VA (which I live in), MD (for two nights in my parents' home for a colonoscopy), and DC (which is NOT a state, but I could visit by foot when the pandemic ebbed)
50. Did you know anybody who got married?
first time in a long time I got wedding invites and I had to decline no fewer than THREE: one involving a cousin and two involving online friends
51. Where were you when 2022 began?
in my apartment
52. Who were you with?
Kristen - the first time I got a TRUE new year's kiss in a long time!
53. Who will you be with when 2023 starts?
by myself... 'still in a pandemic'
54. Did you wrong or hurt somebody in 2022?
Not on purpose, but I very well may have simply by insisting the pandemic is NOT over and refusing to behave as if it was
55. Did you learn any new life skill in 2022?
balance exercises don't REALLY count, but... a few new dishes to cook? Really, it's all about the memory training and maybe the Tai Chi!
56. Any new food or drink preferences developed in 2022?
well, there's the cocktails I learned from Catoctin Creek - and ways to pan fry fish in flour, but really... I don't think my tastes changed all that much.
57. What is your greatest fear for 2023?
two are about equal: getting COVID (with long term consequences) despite my best efforts... and becoming increasingly isolated from the rest of the world including those I thought I was very close to because I refuse to pretend the pandemic is over
58. Did you follow any sports event in 2022?
The Orioles wimping their way to a winning season, and UCLA, though I did keep up with who won the World Cup matches
59. Which social media did occupy most of your time in 2022?
Facebook and Twitter before I realized the latter had turned into Elon's ghost town... LiveJournal of course for the people and things that were still there - and Instagram for December when I finally got on
60. Is there somebody you feel particularly grateful to this year?
I'll say my immediate family, for continuing to love and care for me despite our moderately-to-wildly (depending on family member!) divergent views on the pandemic making it tricky-to-impossible (depending on how much pandemic views diverge) to meet up in person!
61. A song lyric that sums up your year:
directly quoting my 2021 response because the answer and reasoning is the same:
I thought it was over but it's not
I thought it was over but it's not
I'm spinning in circles, I can't stop
I thought it was over but it's not
(I Thought It Was Over - The Feeling)
to be fair, the context is totally different!