What a year, that 2021!

It was just a weird, bothering time around the Sun. Early on, the January 6th attack on the Capitol felt very surreal. The pandemic still lingers on, ending with the rise of the Omicron variant. Anti-vaxxing movements have become mainstream. Supply chains involving mass cargo on boats have slowed down drastically. There’s still some computer chip shortage. Workplaces are in need of new workers, but a lot not wanting to return to a being underpaid and treated poorly (I am among them). Seattle received some record heat weather at around 108 degrees Fahrenheit, while having two crazy snowfalls in opposite winter seasons. Lots of brutal weather around the world, probably from climate change. Crypto currency is a super crazy thing people are into now. NFTs are huge, and the less you know about them, the better…unless you are super into them. Inflation is wacky. There is so much that we could have done without, but made the year interesting.

I’ve also been very busy with a lot of personal baggage while dealing with a mid-life crisis. There’s a lot of ups and downs, but I do my best to keep going and always find new things to smile about. Sometimes, that’s with friends new and old, in person or online. There’s a lot of mental health concerns among us. But, there’s good stuff. I have new, bigger apartment. I cook a lot more. I have an exciting project that I have been spending a lot of time on, and will hopefully reveal with satisfiable progress in the coming months ahead.

I also adopted Smokey, a 3 yr old rescue cat from Seattle Humane animal shelter.

How cute is Smokey? She demands a lot of attention sometimes, usually when I am on my computer. I have much to write on the challenges of cat ownership, which I will eventually share.

Here are some other fun things and notes that I loved about 2021:

• Favorite full movie released in 2021 – The Suicide Squad, directed by James Gunn
• Favorite animated movie released in 2021 – Klaus (on Netflix)
• Favorite documentary released in 2021 – Life in Color with David Attenborough
• Favorite standalone streaming TV series released in 2021 – WandaVision (on Disney+)
• Favorite continuous or new streaming TV series in 2021 – Chucky (The TV series)
• Best satire of 2021 – Don’t Look Up (movie on Netflix)
• Best dumb pop culture trend of 2021 – Squid Game
• Favorite short audio stories and narratives – NPR’s This American Life
• Favorite YouTube channel of 2021 – Casually Comics, a look at comics past and present, with very fun commentary
• Best music album of 2021 – Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra – Promises
• Favorite movie soundtrack vocal of 2021 – Billie Eilish – No Time To Die (For the James Bond: No Time to Die)
• Favorite fiction book I read in 2021 – Crossings by Alex Landragin (came in 2019, but I really liked it)
• Favorite non-fiction book I read in 2021 – Black Journalists, White Media by Pamela Newkirk (2020 released)
• Favorite graphic novel of 2021 – The Body Factory by Heloise Chochois
• Favorite comic book series of 2021 – Stray Dogs by Tony Fleecs and Trish Forstner
• Favorite video game I played in 2021 – Yakuza: Like a Dragon
• Favorite wrestling match of 2021 – Bryan Danielson vs Kenny Omega- AEW Buy In Event
• Favorite food dish made in 2021 – Alton Brown’s Macaroni and Cheese, but modified with extra sharp white cheddar instead
• Favorite hike of 2021 – Rattlesnake Lake Trail during the summer
• Favorite city I never been to before in 2021 – Bellingham, Washington
• Favorite local development in 2021 – The expansion of the Light Rail in Seattle to the Northgate area
• Favorite park of 2021 – Ravenna Park
• Favorite new food snack discovery of 2021 – Japanese import KitKats bars in obscure flavors

There’s more I likely missed. Yet, I think the above sums up my year well. Now, I must join friends online for the final hours of 2021. Stay safe and look forward to 2022!!

Orion T