Do we really need a review of this year? ¿Necesitamos más recuerdos de este año?

I’ll have another entry about my 2021 goals, but they will all be with the expectation I get the vaccination by May. Ya escribiré otra entrada sobre los retos y metas para 2021, con la expectativa que tendré la vacuna en mayo.

Until then, here are my Best/Worst of Brightside Awards, along with the usual year-end memes. Hasta entonces, aquíi son mis Premios Brightside para lo mejor y peor del año, y también los memes que hago todos los años para terminar el año.

Best Artist:  Mariah Carey
Entertainer of the Year (tie/empate): Mariah Carey, Nicole Kidman
Best Film: ,I’m Thinking of Ending Things
Best Lead Actress: Cecilia Suárez, Alguien tiene que morir
Best Lead Actor: Ewan McGregor, Doctor Sleep
Best Supporting Actress (tie/empate):  Nicole Kidman, Bombshell: Carmen Maura, Alguien tiene que morir
Best Supporting Actor: Carlos Cuevas, Alguien tiene que morir
Best Director: Charlie Kaufman, I’m Thinking of Ending Things
Best Series (Drama): The Undoing
Best Series (Comedy or Musical): La casa de las flores
Best Lead Actress (Drama):  Nicole Kidman (Grace Fraser), The Undoing
Best Lead Actress (Comedy or Musical):Catherine O’Hara (Moira Rose), Schitt’s Creek
Best Lead Actor (Drama): Hugh Grant (Jonathan Fraser), The Undoing
Best Lead Actor (Comedy or Musical):  Dario Yazbek Bernal (Julian de la Mora), La casa de las flores
Best Supporting Actress (Drama) (tie/empate): Judith Light (Dede Standish), The Politician; Wunmi Mosaku (Ruby Baptiste), Lovecraft Country
Best Supporting Actress (Comedy or Musical):Lauren Graham (Joan), Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
Best Supporting Actor (Drama): Nikolaj Groth (Jeppe Madsen), Rita
Best Supporting Actor (Comedy or Musical):; Alex Newell (Mo), Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
Worst Acting (tie/empate): Maurice Bernard (Sonny Corinthos, General Hospital), Genie Francis (Lasha Webber, General Hospital)
Best Series Finale: Schitt’s Creek
Rewatch of the Year: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Retro Show of the Year: Parks and Recreation
Worst Artist of the Year: Taylor Swift
Song Most Ruined by Presence of Ariana Grande: (tie/empate) Oh Santa (with Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson); Rain On Me (with Lady Gaga)
Video of the Year: 911 by Lady Gaga
Album of the Year: Imploding the Mirage by The Killers
Song of the Year:Smiling by Alanis Morissette
Single of the Year: 911 by Lady Gaga
Discovered Artist:  Fly by Midnight
Group of the Year:  The Killers
Female Artist of the Year: Mariah Carey
Male Artist of the Year: Machine Gun Kelly

The first, the places I slept in 2020/ los sitios donde dormí en 2020: Urbana, Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, Champaign, Illinois, Louisville, Kentucky.

40 Questions/40 preguntas

1. What did you do in 2020 that you’d never done before?: Quarantine for nine months.

2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?: LOL. 

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?: I don’t think so. 

4. Did anyone close to you die?: My uncle died from cancer in February.

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

6. What would you like to have in 2021 that you lacked in 2020?: A golden retriever, a functioning government and people who take a pandemic seriously. 

7. What date from 2020 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?: March 11, the day it all went to hell. May 16, the day I graduated.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?: I graduated with a MA from the University of Illinois. 

9. What was your biggest failure?: Ph.D rejections

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

11. What was the best thing you bought?: Coffee was the only thing I bought. Unemployed and saving money. Oh, Hulu and Flixolé. I’m over Netflix. 

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? People who voted against Trump and people who wore a mask and stayed home, plus every teacher and first responder/nurse/medical doctor etc. 

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?: Anyone who DID NOT TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY. Racists. Also: Donald Trump and his supporters. (keeping from 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019. 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?: Coffee, streaming.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?: Trips that I had to cancel because Covid, and new albums from several of my fave artists. 

16. What song will always remind you of 2020?: 911 by Gaga, Gaslighter by The Chicks, Smiling by Alanis, Mariah’s MC30 collection. 

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Sadder
ii. thinner or fatter? 20 lbs thinner! 
iii. richer or poorer? Poorer. 

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

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Quarantining. 

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

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 2020?: I stayed in love. 

24. What was your favorite TV program?: Cobra Kai, La casa de las flores, Parks and Rec (I saw it for the first time), The Undoing, Lovecraft Country

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?: Fly by Midnight.

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

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

30. What was your favorite film of this year?: I’m Thinking of Ending Things, Eurovision, Diciesiete. 

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?: 39, got take out, saw Christmas lights. 

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 (keeping from 2019), if people took Coviid seriously. 

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2020: Instead of my usual preppy casual, sweats. Thanks, quarantine. 

34. What kept you sane?: My boyfriend, Hulu, books, puppies on Instagram. 

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?: David Villa. I didn’t really fancy any famous person. 

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, 2018 and 2019.)

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 met someone new?

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2020: Academia is not a meritocracy (kept from 2019). Don’t beat yourself up for streaming and reading too many books when you’re unemployed during a quarantine. 

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: Turnin’ up emotional faders, keep repeating self-hating phrases, I have heard enough of these voices, almost like I have no choice, This is my biological stasis…wish I laughed and kept the good friendships watch life, here I go again..my biggest enemy is me, pop a 911. 911-Lady Gaga.