It's hard to say exactly how I felt about 2020. After the disaster that was 2019, my expectations were low. And a wry smile crossed my face when the Seattle Space Needle 2020 New Year fireworks were called-off on account of high winds. An anti-climactic entrance of a new decade. I'd already been watching COVID-19 spreading west from China since Thanksgiving 2019, so I wasn't surprised to become gripped amid a global pandemic and all the steps we undertook to protect ourselves. I found increasingly disappointing the politicization of a worldwide health crisis and the red lines I found myself drawing between those who felt similarly to me and those whose freedom/liberty/etc. was paramount to saving lives. I'm not in a rush to get back to normal. I see 'Normal' as an evolution, not a benchmark, so what will be, will be. I'm approaching 2021 with hope, and I 'hope' that hope doesn't kill me. I faired well in 2020. I kept my job, expanded my data learning, assisted, and instructed courses at the University of Washington. I didn't play or see as many shows or attend baseball games as I would have liked, but I did buy a truckload of vinyl to do my part in supporting the bands and artists who were crippled by the events of the year. Like spending most of my year at home since March, I hope that helped in some small way. So, yeah. My expectations for 2021 are similarly low to where I was a year ago. Maybe we'll be out and about more by the autumn? But I'm not counting on it. I'll keep doing what I can to support my friends, colleagues, students, and community from home. As ever, enjoy the music, and happy New Year.
Favorite Songs of 2020
'Serafina,' Bambara
'Wakin' Up,' Lucinda Williams
'Blinding Lights,' The Weeknd
'You Should Be Sad,' Halsey
'Only The Strong,' Laura Marling
'Wildfires,' Sault
'Grow Your Garden,' Brett Newski
'Lone Wolf,' Armored Saint
'Wait 'til Night,' Empress
'Plans We Made,' Son Lux
'Texas Sun,' Khruangbin w/ Leon Bridges
'Domino,' Nicole Atkins
'Numb,' Elderbrook
'Lead Wings,' Dawn of Solace
'Start Paying',' Lo Tom
'State of the Union,' Public Enemy
'On The Mend,' Man Man
'If You Mean It,' Jonah Mutono
'Hard On Everyone,' Kathleen Edwards
'Darkness Song,' Asaf Avidan
Favorite Albums of 2020
Lucinda Williams, Good Souls Better Angels
Puscifier, Existential Reckoning
Armored Saint, Punching The Sky
Lo Tom, LP 2
Sault, Untitled (Black Is)
Joe Satriani, Shapeshifting
Gillian Welch, Boots No. 2
Spirit Adrift, Enlightened in Eternity
Kvelertak, Splid
Lido Pimienta, Miss Columbia
M. Ward, Migration Stories
The Bug. Dis Fig, In Blue
JARV IS..., Beyond the Pale
Fiona Apple, Fetch The Bolt Cutters
Khruangbin, Mordechai
The Beths, Jump Rope Gazers
Kilo, Maybe We Could
Asaf Avidan, Anagnorisis
The Mavericks, En Español
John Lennon, Gimme Some Truth
Favorite Shows of 2020
Bambara, Sunset Tavern, Seattle, WA 03/03/20
Girls Just Wanna Weekend Ensemble, Hard Rock Hotel, Riviera Maya, Mexico 02/02
Brandi Carlile, Hard Rock Hotel, Riviera Maya, Mexico 01/30
Luscious, Hard Rock Hotel, Riviera Maya, Mexico 01/31
Sheryl Crow, Hard Rock Hotel, Riviera Maya, Mexico 01/31
KT Tunstall, Hard Rock Hotel, Riviera Maya, Mexico 02/01
Patty Griffin, Hard Rock Hotel, Riviera Maya, Mexico 01/30
Amada Shires, Hard Rock Hotel, Riviera Maya, Mexico 02/01
Yola, Hard Rock Hotel, Riviera Maya, Mexico 01/31
Lake Street Dive, Hard Rock Hotel, Riviera Maya, Mexico 02/01
Defining Moments of 2020 (in chronological order)
Quitting smoking (finally – it's almost been a year!)
TA-ing and teaching at the University of Washington
Girls Just Wanna Weekend in Cancun
West Seattle Bridge closure
COVID lock down
Learning new skills working on the house
Birthday in Manzanita
Getting back to a more manageable weight
Realizing I'm better-off gluten-free
New Kittens!