Happy New Year 2021!

So much can change in the span of one year, and it's not always for the best. For most of us, 2020 has become synonymous with disaster and hardship, thanks to a global pandemic, civil unrest, social injustice, economic depression, extreme weather, and other problems. It's often felt like every day brings more bad news, one thing after another. We've all had to get used to a "new normal" that includes wearing a mask everywhere (or maybe putting up with people refusing to do so), cleaning the everloving hell out of everything before touching things, and becoming more reclusive than usual. Somehow I managed to survive this year without contracting the COVID virus (*knocks on wood*), and vaccines are slowly spreading to the public. I have hope that by spring, 2020 and the pandemic will become a bad memory.

Of course, some things won't revert to "normal" even after vaccines reach every person. We may still need to wear masks and act like germaphobes for a long time. Heck, I might become paranoid of every exposed surface for the rest of my life. It will feel weird to visit a public venue, event, festival, or even a restaurant, especially if it's packed with people. Will movie theaters even make a comeback, or will we have to stream all the movies for now on? Will the future be more Zoom and Skype meetings and less face-to-face appointments? It all seems likely, for better and for worse.

Many folks have pegged 2020 as the worst year ever. The loss of life has been sobering, especially when it comes close to coworkers or loved ones. It's probably the worst event I've faced in this lifetime, but it only makes me realize how horrific even worse events in history (such as the Spanish Flu and the Bubonic Plague) would have been.

I've been fortunate to remain in my own house, support myself, and continue working as I have been. We had a period of time in the spring where we had to isolate ourselves at home, but that time quickly passed, and strangely we've been working harder now when the Coronavirus cases are at their highest. I have to admit, the pandemic had altered our office in odd ways I never would have predicted, and it's forced me to work outside my comfort zone.

With a substantial amount of leave taken throughout the year, you'd think I'd have found time to accomplish everything I wanted too--most especially writing and finishing a good book. It hasn't quite happened, unfortunately. Though I have no shortage of ideas or projects, I seem to always become stuck with the revision process when I realize that story structure, character development, or just plain logic didn't come together the way it should have. As far as other hobbies go, I still have backlogs of media, still have gigabytes of photos to sort, a few years' worth of video I never edited, dozens of books still unread, among other things. Chances are I simply haven't done enough to make time for all this, especially when I've been unmotivated or idle in my free time.

On the plus side, I've made some progress in my interests. Over the past few months, I've even managed to lose fifteen pounds without really meaning to. I've also seen my parents frequently and seen local placed with them. It's been especially important this year since my father had a pancreatic attack, and needed support to and from the hospital before it was discovered that his gall bladder had to be removed. Then he had to be scrutinized for enlarged lymph nodes in the lungs (which turned out to be benign). Fortunately, he's been feeling good lately and we're all motivated to improve our health over the coming year.

When it comes to next year's goals, it seems like it's the same as usual. Losing some weight and getting healthy is always a priority. Given recent success, I believe that less snacking will go a long way in cutting out some body fat. I still want to write and complete something worth publishing--what I need to do is set aside the time and take the effort to plan or replan my stories, then fix the things that need to be fixed. 

Lately, I've reflected on my musical tastes (especially since I want to post about my favorite albums at some point), but it's made me realize that I haven't heard that many albums that are considered classic or great, and I often focus so much on catchiness and hooks that I probably skimp out too much on the overall listening experience. I've resolved to listen to more music, and listen to it deeper.

I may also make a different plan on how I juggle books and movies. I often cram in movie-watching whenever I have time to spare, but it may behoove me to set aside those hours (and maybe not binge as heavily), and make sure I take the time to explore the streaming services I subscribe to (I figure I can assign it by day--Netflix one day, Criterion the next, and so on). With books, I realize that trying to cram in some pages before bedtime might not be the best approach--I would like to consider setting time aside in afternoons to dedicate myself to books. I should probably also carry them with me and read when I'm out and about (I think this is what Stephen King does, the dude can plow through hundreds because he reads every chance he gets).

Much of this involves managing my time more than anything. Maybe I've wasted too much of it being idle (or "shaming" as my boss would call it). Instead of meandering from one thing one hour to the next, I need to dedicate my time to tasks.

There's no telling if 2021 will be any better or worse than before. With my work schedule changing, I might not even find that much time for all these things, especially when juggling other personal responsibilities like cooking and cleaning. I want to be productive though. Maybe I'll even blog more. I have faith that things will get better in the coming year, and I'll find the time and energy to accomplish the things I want to do.