2019 was not a great year, needless to say, although much better than 2017. 2019 no era el mejor año, tengo que decir, aunque era mucho mejor que 2017. 

There were some good points, like the trips I took with my boyfriend. Together, we went to Madison/Milwaukee, Indiana Dunes, Peoria, Colorado, Ohio, Kickapoo and Chicago twice. I introduced him to the characters of Sunnydale on Buffy Cazavampiros and revisited the town of Twin Peaks. Tenía sus momentos buenos, como los viajes que hice con mi chico. Fuimos a Madison/Milwaukee, Indiana Dunes, Peoria, Colorado, Ohio y Kickapoo y también a Chicago dos veces. Le presenté al mundo de Sunnydale en Buffy the Vampire Slayer y volvemos al pueblo de Twin Peaks.

Outside of that, grad school dominated my entire life, and all the hard work didn’t amount to anything as I wasn’t accepted into the Ph.D. However, the fact that I can’t really name anything I did in 2019 outside of grad school has me questioning whether I want to even remain in academia in the first place. Fuera de eso, el máster dominó mi vida entera. Y después, todo el trabajo duro que hice no tenía ningún premio como no me acepataron al programa del doctorado. Sin embargo, el hecho que no me puedo acordar de nada que hice en 2019 fuera del máster es una razón para cuestionar si quiero seguir en el mundo de academia. 

May 2020 be better. Que 2020 sea mejor. 

I always do these memes, since 2003 (and the awards started in 1997) to commemorate the end of the year. Siempre hago estes memes, desde 2003 (y los premios empezaron en 1997) para marcar el final del año. 

The first, the places I slept in 2019/ los sitios donde dormí en 2019: Louisville, Kentucky; Urbana, Illinois; Champaign, Illinois; Madison, Wisconsin; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Chicago, Illinois; St. Louis, Missouri; Salina, Kansas; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Denver, Colorado; Longmont, Colorado; Cheyenne, Wisconsin; Grand Island, Nebraska; Coralville, Iowa; Sandusky, Ohio; Columbus, Ohio.

1. What did you do in 2019 that you’d never done before?:  Grad school.

2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?: Outside the travel ones, no. And yes. To come soon.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?: A few friends.

4. Did anyone close to you die?: I can’t remember. Is that bad? My memory isn’t good right now.

5. What countries did you visit?: Only US 😥

6. What would you like to have in 2020 that you lacked in 2019?: A golden retriever and a Democrat president.

7. What date from 2019 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?: July 5-15

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?: Being alive after that semester.

9. What was your biggest failure?: Grad school Ph.D application

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Depression and anxiety.

11. What was the best thing you bought?: Travel.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Everyone who resisted.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?: Donald Trump and his supporters. (keeping from 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018. Scary!)  At this point, if you support him, you support bigotry and everything the US stands for. If you’re a conversative who is also appalled, though, I still respect you even if I disagree with you. I do not respect Trump and his minions. Keeping from 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019. I will keep Pablo Casado, Albert Rivera, Mariano Rajoy, and all of VOX and their supporters.

14. Where did most of your money go?: Travel, café con leche, books (kept from 2015 and 2016) (and 2017) (and 2018)

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?: Colorado trip.

16. What song will always remind you of 2019?: ¿Qué Tal? by Alejandro Santamaría, Bad Liar by Imagine Dragons

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Sadder
ii. thinner or fatter? Fatter 😦
iii. richer or poorer? About the same but more in debt so fml.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?: Writing, travelling.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Dealing with anxiety.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?: I spent it with my mom in the States.

21. How will you be spending New Years? Eating grapes at 5 PM Central Standard Time, which is midnight in most of the Iberian peninsula.

22. Did you fall in love in 2019?: I’d say we’re there.

24. What was your favorite TV program?:Jane the Virgin, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Pose, Schitt’s Creek.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?: Reply hazy.

26. What was the best book you read?: Good question! I read so many that they’re all a haze right now.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?: DVCIO

28. What did you want and get?: Coffee.

29. What did you want and not get?: A golden retriever, stability.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?: Dolor y gloria.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?: 38, worked on final papers before meeting up with my boyfriend for dinner.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?:  The impeachment of Mike Pence and Mitch McConnell for President Pelosi to happen, plus you know, all the hard work I put into grad school having a payoff.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2019?: Preppy-casual

34. What kept you sane?: My boyfriend, Netflix, travel, and Jordi (my iPod).

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?: David Villa, Mario Casas, Justin Baldoni (Rafa on Jane the Virgin) (Pretty much the same!)

36. What political issue stirred you the most?: Anyone who has been offended by Donald Trump, please raise your hand. I see everyone raising their hands. Enough said. (Kept from 2016, 2017 and 2018).

37. Who did you miss?: Fallon Fey, my golden retriever, and Spain (kept from 2019)

38. Who was the best new person you met?: I guess the new grad students.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2019: Academia is not a meritocracy.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: “I just took a DNA test, turns out I’m 100% that bitch” and also see the song “Problems” by A R I Z O N A.