I never get much reading done unless I’m sleeping elsewhere. Most often, I associate sleeping elsewhere with having time off, and having time off means I’m away from a computer screen. This frees up time for reading.

Anja had booked a suite for my birthday at Okura, and six months after I turn 33, Covid measures are finally so mild that we actually get to do it. It’s on the sixteenth floor, overlooking the Amsterdam Centre and West Side. We eat like royalty, and fall asleep watching the sunset from our California King. I’m feeling like a million bucks.

Below is a list of thoughts, opinions, ideas, and tips that I’ve gathered in my 33rd year on Earth.

1. Working from home does wonders for my productivity and mental health
2. I like the term “Torah-observant Catholic” for me
3. Shaving my head has been one of the finest decisions I’ve made in life.
4. I wish I could just answer ‘ Wit Huiswerk’ to most Dutch statements I hear about racism
5. Got my first tattoo in June
6. I listened to ‘ Girls’ by girl in red 208 times this year 🤦🏽
7. We got COVID-19 and it was terrifying, even without a hospital stay
8. It’s very liberating to say “I don’t talk about that” when people ask small talk questions about my family or past
9. This bolognese sauce from Smitten Kitch produces the best lasagna I’ve ever had
10. I found a new job at a company that does great things for the world
11. My favorite part of the pandemic, after Tiger King, was Trump’s campaign team sending out a newsletter every 40 minutes on Election day
12. It’s okay
13. This acoustic version of Mama Kin’s ‘Rescue me’ is so nice
14. I don’t know how to speak with a Jewish family member who has become convinced that there is a satanic cabal injecting corona through 5G
15. I will not forget the empty shelves
16. Got my second tattoo in December
17. I missed Paris in 2020
18. This pen is this year’s favorite
19. My father died
20. I bleached my hair
21. I joined the leadership team of Vine & Fig and it is so very baller
22. Ate Fluff for the first time
23. My man Kit built and opened a restaurant
24. I didn’t watch Killing Eve until now
25. I’ve begun drinking decaffeinated coffee. It makes me feel old, but less headache-y
26. Took part in a wonderful webinar on the Pope and the queer community
27. Trending this year was “OH MY GOD, my back”
28. Carmen Maria Machado
29. Found my new favorite rosary from Olvera Street Rosary
30. No matter which turn I take, I always end up right back at plain text files
31. ‘How to respect my ethnic name’
32. Listen to Bedouine
33. Despite my academic background in linguistics, I was never really a language snob until this