Annual review at 36
In one way or another, the number 36 has felt like a milestone birthday for a long time. As a tween, I imagined the glamorous autonomy that came with being 36 because I was hooked on watching the televised adventures of a foursome of privileged White women in Manhattan. Now, finally at 36, it feels important that I could’ve had a child as an adult who would now also be an adult. I say “adult” but we all remember the self-important idiots we were at 18.
I enjoyed reading Deschamps-Sonsino' annual review, so here’s mine.
1. What did you do in 2023 that youâd never done before?
Find belonging in a Christian community
2. Did you keep your New Yearsâ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn’t make any
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No
4. Did anyone close to you die?
AA’s father passed
5. What countries did you visit?
Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway by Tesla in the Summertime
6. What would you like to have in 2024 that you lacked in 2023?
Headspace to see what is
7. What date from 2023 will remain etched upon your memory?
February 25
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Landing a job in my dream field: enterprise healthcare SaaS
9. What was your biggest failure?
Not walking enough
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Covid in early Winter
11. What was the best thing you bought?
A Polaroid camera
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Sierra for opening Bar Bario, which I discovered this year
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Non-Jewish Americans hurling zionazism at Israeli pro-Palestinian protesters. I fear this war will be the end of us, but intellectually
14. Where did most of your money go?
To a YNAB category I call “đ± Foreign Kitchens”
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Godzilla
16. What song/album will always remind you of 2023?
Mitski’s “Francis Forever”
17. Compared to this time last year, you are:
Better able to embrace all aspects of myself
18. What do you wish youâd done more of?
Walk
19. What do you wish youâd done less of?
20. How will you be spending the Winter holidays?
Enjoying the lack of commitments. Christmas Eve is a Jewish NYC tradition: best Chinese in town
21. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?
Mary Elizabeth
22. Did you fall in love in 2023?
Yes, with a dog
23. What was your favorite TV program?
Literally can’t even remember â tells me something about how much time I spend watching forgettable things
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didnât hate this time last year?
No
25. What was the best book(s) you read?
Naomi Klein’s DoppelgĂ€nger - also the only one I actually finished
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Marc Rebillet’s “Late to Work”, also the LoFi PokĂ©mon playlist
27. What did you want and get?
A great new job
28. What did you want and not get?
A cute outfit for the dog
29. What were your favorite films of this year?
Godzilla Minus One, Talk To Me, and Past Lives
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
On my 36th birthday, I spent a guilt-free day going to the library, out for lunch, to Bar Bario, and to 101 Gowrie
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
More alone time
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2023?
Office lesbian / mountain lesbian
33. What kept you sane?
Making music
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Philip Seymour Hoffman, as per usual
35. What political issue stirred you the most?
Dutch white people being so shocked at the election results
36. Who did you miss?
Mathilde
37. Who was the best new person you met?
Mehdi
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2023.
Get out of your own way
39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year?
(I’ll have to think about it)