Year-End Survey of 2021 in Trichotomy

1. What did you do in 2021 that you’d never done before?
Bake
2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
No resolutions
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Not particularly close, but one of the friends in our musician group gave birth.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, thankfully.
5. What countries did you visit?
Heh.
6. Where did you go on vacation?
Managed to squeeze in a few trips after we got vaccinated and before the Delta surge exploded. Went to a golf resort in New Jersey and Ticonderoga.
7. What would you like to have in 2022 that you lacked in 2021?
An upper management with coherent strategy.
8. What date from 2021 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
I think Jan 6th. The fear in the voice of the usually unflappable Judy Woodruff for her colleagues was unsettling.
9. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
ENT-bot went live and is now being used to organise concerts for my amateur musician group. According to ENT pianist, that saved him a ton of time. Also gotten compliments from many users.
10. What was your biggest regret?
I should have switched teams.
11. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing serious, touch wood.
12. What was the best thing you bought?
Our new Central A/C. The old one was overdue for replacement.
13. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
La Professeure
14. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Idiots who endanger everyone for no reason.
15. Where did most of your money go?
Mortgage
16. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Vaccine.
17. What song will always remind you of 2021?
Maybe Chopin’s Ballade no. 3? The International Chopin Competition was live-streamed this year, and I listened to the evening sessions during work. Most competitors played Ballade 3, so I listened to that many many times.
18. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Same
ii. thinner or fatter? A little fatter, still 20 lbs off my high in 2019.
iii. richer or poorer? Richer
19. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Look into switching teams.
20. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Youtube
21. How did/will you spend Christmas?
With La Professeure’s parents.
22. Did you fall in love in 2021?
With the same person, you fall in love every day.
23. How many one-night stands?
0
24. What was your favourite TV program?
Watched so much TV. WandaVision was probably my favourite. Kim’s Convenience and Schitt’s Creek were good too. We also liked Mike Flanagan’s horror series.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Idiots
26. Who is someone you will probably never see again after this year?
The social committee member in the amateur music group, who moved away and quit.
27. What was the best book(s) you read?
I did not read a single book.
28. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I started listening to Wigmore Hall live streams at work. Evening times in London are in the afternoon here.
29. What did you want and get?
A vaccine
30. What did you want and not get?
New team
31. What was your favourite film of this year?
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom came out last year, but I only watched it this year. Very well-made.
32. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Worked. 44.
33. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
End of the pandemic.
34. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2021?
Just rolled out of bed. Because I did.
35. What kept you sane?
La Professeure. A good broadband connection.
36. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Yamische Alcindor
37. Who did you miss?
Everyone
38. Who was the best new person you met?
My mentee at work. Probably the only new person I met.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2021:
Take nothing for granted (Copied from Katya)
40. Tell us something you’ve learned about yourself:
I can bake! Also it’s fun to flambee.
41. If you could relive any day from 2021, which would it be and why?
July 4th. La Professeure and I had our get-away at a resort.
42. Did any of your predictions for the future come true in 2021?
Did not make predictions.
43. What was the funniest thing that happened to you (or the funniest thing you did) this year?
Designed logo of for the admin console of ENT-bot: it’s a picture of ENT pianist, as a borg.
44. What was the worst thing that happened to you this year?
Sister-in-law catching covid just days before she was coming to visit for Christmas.
45. What was the best thing that happened to you this year?
Resuming recitals, with safety precautions.
46. What was the hardest thing you did this year?
Not being able to make long-term travel plans.
47. A new food that you were introduced to:
Home-made pizza and quiche. La Professeure’s college roommate demonstrated how they are made.
48. What traditions were started?
I can’t think of one…
49. What traditions were broken?
At-home dance lessons. Grocery transfer. Package decon.
50. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
Argh…
51. Did you save any Chinese fortune cookie fortunes from this year, what do they say?
No Chinese fortune cookies
52. What is something you have vowed to never do again?
Under-cook skillet potatoes
53. Headlines in the news from this year that you’ll remember most:
Rioters at Capitol Building
54. In 2021, what did you realize you had previously taken for granted?
Health
55. Are there any memorable slogans/sayings that describe and/or are from this year?
Wealthy nations’ hoarding of the vaccine gives rise to new variant
56. What will you be doing this New Years’ Eve?
Not sure… We were going to host a party, but just cancelled it due to Omicron. So we’ll be figuring that out.
57. Where were you last New Years’ Day (2021)?
Hosted a virtual party/concert.