I’m ready for 2020 to be over. Like SO READY. But I always like to do an end-of-year review, to look back at my year and see how far I’ve come and what I’ve accomplished before moving on to the next.

It’s good to always get a sense of what you’re proud of, what has given you your happiest moments of the year, and where you are discontented, so that moving forward you know what to do more and what to do less. It’s THAT simple.

However, after a year like this one, it’s easy to forget what we did.

Humans need moments, landmarks in time, in order to be able to remember things, and 2020 was ONE LOOOOOOOOOONG day.

So, to start…just looking at where I am in my life now vs last year at this same time: last year around this time, I had been working into overtime pretty much solid for six weeks, barely making enough to cover my bills and coming home crying because I was exhausted and in pain from being on my feet 45-50 hours a week.

I posted this picture and swore to the Gods of Instagram that next year at this time, I would not be overworked and exhausted from restaurant work. I vowed to quit working in restaurants altogether before the end of the year.

Mirror mirror on the wall…get rid of my serving job by next fall

Now, if you’re one who subscribes to the whole law of attraction thing, then this one is funny, because you know that part of that school of thought is that you don’t get to control how something happens, you just have to truly believe it will. I swore it would happen, but getting laid off due to a worldwide pandemic was definitely not how I saw that going.

Let’s just say, even when I posted that picture, as much as I MEANT what I said, I really didn’t completely believe it could happen. So, I guess that makes sense that it would be something weird.

This year was a blur of books, audiobooks, streaming TV, Zoom calls, and getting outside in any way possible. Mostly, it felt like one VERY long day that never ended.

But that doesn’t mean it was cancelled. I did PLENTY.

Getting into more specifics:

Acting:

At the beginning of the year, I was just starting to get settled in Georgia where I could put my focus back on acting.

I had just gotten gorgeous new headshots by Kelsey Edwards.

I was auditing acting classes, submitting to agents, and had an interview with a theatrical agent.

Then the pandemic hit, and it all got put on hold. Even now some production is back, I just don’t feel safe resuming yet.

Cliff Zellman is the best and you should work with him in 2021

Voiceover:

Being at home all the time gave me TONS of time to work on voiceover. My biggest accomplishments were producing four new demos—Commercial, Automotive, E-Learning, and Medical Narration, gaining an LA agent, and getting to work with a bunch of new clients.

I appeared on a few different podcasts, including Icebox Radio’s Frozen Frights radio drama, Dave Courvoisier’s Members Helping Members podcast for WoVO, and In Medias Res (twice!).

I studied. I participated in the Atlanta Voiceover Studio pro workouts weekly during the lockdown period, and monthly since. I did the VO Dojo fight club. I sat in on tons of free webinars and workshops. I started coaching again, and went to two virtual conferences!

Who knew a virtual conference could be this much fun???? Thanks OneVoice USA and Gravy for the Brain!

I networked. I started using LinkedIn regularly, having Zoom coffees with fellow voice actors and with potential clients, and met new voiceover friends through social media and workshops.

I also joined some groups, chatting weekly with a group of VO ladies, attending the WoVO meetups, participating in a Friday networking group and accountability groups, and helping to host my MN WoVO group through Zoom.

It was definitely a weird year, but having so much time really allowed me to really dig in.

Blog:

I have been blogging inconsistently for years.

This year, I started posting more regularly. Still not 100% consistent, but I made huge strides.

I posted 37 times this year, and as a result, my website stats (for unique visitors, total visits, and page views) have increased by about 200% over the previous year.

I appreciate everyone that has read and commented on my blog this year!

Since my purpose in writing this is to help other people, it always feels good when someone tells me that they read something that inspired them to keep going or to do something that they’re afraid of.

If you’re reading my blog for the first time, just know there’s all sorts of stuff more useful than this one, and I hope you’ll check them out!

My personal heaven this summer—I swam 400 laps between July and August!

Physical Activity:

Like most people, I managed to gain ten pounds this year, probably because there were months and months where the only walking I got in was from the couch to the kitchen.

I have not regained my daily yoga practice, despite having plenty of time for it, but for two months this summer, I swam laps almost every day.

Since it’s gotten cooler, I’ve started walking. I’ve worked my way up from half hour walks to two hour walks. I used to walk for hours at my restaurant job, so this is just a return to that. Recently, I’ve also begun doing basic floor exercises while watching TV.

Creative Goals:

I had a lot of goals for this year, and I didn’t honestly get that many of them done. I did start blogging regularly, which feels good, and I wrote a new short screenplay, but I didn’t edit the previous two, keep working on my book about the restaurant industry, nor finish my children’s books.

Sigh…can I just go back to the D.R. now?

Travel:

While I stayed home most of the year, I did begin the year in the Dominican Republic with my boyfriend and his family, watching the sun rise over the ocean, eating everything, and reading by the pool.

It was my first all-inclusive resort, and I wanted to do everything, so we used the gym, rode bikes around the complex, did aero-yoga, pool yoga, beach yoga, paddleboard yoga, paddleboard pilates…

We watched the Michael Jackson impersonator and the Queen tribute show, wasted $20 at the world’s tiniest casino, and explored tourist traps along the beach. I’m still kinda mad we didn’t get to go on the pirate cruise with snorkeling. If only I’d have known how this year was gonna go…

Moral of the story: ALWAYS TAKE THE PIRATE CRUISE

For Labor Day, I got to go to the ocean again, visiting Hilton Head for the first time. The very first day, a few people got stung by jellyfish, so we stayed out of the water until the very end, but the change of scenery was nice!

The rest of the year, I’ve been lamenting the fact that I wasn’t in any foreign country with a better pandemic response and turning my balcony into a tropical oasis.

A rare roommate trip outside the apartment

Personal:

This year held a lot of personal challenges. Mostly trying to overcome a lack of connection while in quarantine.

I haven’t been able to see my family in almost a year and a half, and I miss them a lot.

Thank god for Zoom. Zoom has allowed me to do escape rooms and play games with my friends. Netflix Party has allowed me to have weekly horror movie nights with my friend Ryan.

Since March, I’ve mostly only seen my roommates, my boyfriend, and my cat.

Thank god I have a cat.

And a boyfriend.

And roommates.

But mostly cats.

(My boyfriend and my roommate would both agree…we really love our cats.)

The worst thing this year was losing my grandmother and not being able to be there at the end. She was diagnosed with brain cancer, and then a gallbladder infection, and went downhill very quickly. At the same time, my dad and stepmom, and a good friend of mine had Covid. They’re all fine now, but it was rough. November was definitely the lowest point of my year.

My grandma and her fellow nonagenarian siblings

As I mentioned, this year I had time to consume media like I never had before (YAY, ESCAPISM!!!)

Books:

51 and three halves as of publication of this blog post (I still have time to finish one more!) I listen to a lot of audiobooks and also read physical books and e-books. I’ve usually got at least 3 going at once.

If you want to see what I’ve been reading, you can click here to check out my books on Goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/20076405

Just one of the delightfully terrible horror movies I watched this year!

TV series (in no particular order, and I’ll probably forget something):

Letterkenny (again), Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House of Fun, Dark, Castle Rock, Harlots, Barry, Los Espookys, Derry Girls, The Queen’s Gambit, Ares, The Booth at the End, Queer Eye (most recent season), Santa Clarita Diet (most recent season), Hollywood, The Politician (S2), Love on the Spectrum, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, Queens of Mystery, Agatha Raisin, Hunters, I Am Not Okay With This, Curon, Monsterland, Watched, Haunting of Bly Manor, Dead to Me, Cobra Kai, Locke & Key, Nos4atu (did NOT finish), Evil, Ms. Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries, Fleabag (a second time), American Horror Story (Apocalypse and 1984), The Good Place (final season), Twin Peaks: The Return (well, I tried), Shakespeare and Hathaway, Vanity Fair, Floor is Lava, What We Do in the Shadows, and I’m still working on Perry Mason, Kim’s Convenience, Schitt’s Creek, and Jonathan Creek.

Wow, that’s a LOT of TV!

Movies:

I honestly have NO CLUE. So many bad horror movies, some good horror movies. Recently, one terrible Hallmark-style Christmas movie, one really good Hallmark-style Christmas movie, and Wonder Woman 1984. I’ve lost track.

Podcasts:

The Left-Right Game, Borrasca, The Edge of Sleep, Spooked, Life.After, The Message, Deadly Manners, and my friend Alison’s podcast The Pee Rag, which is about the time she hiked the length of New Zealand by herself.

I also listened to individual episodes of others here and there, mostly Audrey Helps Actors, Creative Peptalk, The No Pants Show With Mike Shreeve, VOPreneur, In Medias Res (my friends Brandon and Clayton run this one), and Tim Ferriss’ and Russell Brand’s podcasts.

But I also spent some time learning new things

Sono il numero uno. Yo soy il numero uno. Ich bin die Nummer eins.

Skills:

Ukulele - My goal was to learn 50 songs…I’ve probably learned 10 that I could play well, but I really enjoy playing. I’m taking requests. Is there a song you wanna hear? Put it in the comments!

Languages - I’ve spent over 80 hours on Duolingo this year. I have almost finished the Italian course, practiced my Spanish, and started on the German course.

And now I can say important phrases like “L’anatra mangia il riso”

Cooking - I finally made edible challah, after three other failed attempts. I know I made other new things, but I have since forgotten.

This shit makes some MEAN French toast, y’all!

While I haven’t finished making all my goals for 2021 yet, I have a rough outline, and I’ve also learned a few things that I think will help me in the coming year, like that I need to seek out more novelty, make more plans with friends, and try to spend more time creating than consuming.

Here are some of my plans for the coming year:

I want to revive the acting and seek out a class to keep my skills from atrophying.
I plan to start marketing myself for voiceover on a more consistent and methodical basis
I want to keep expanding my network. I made a goal to reach out and have Zoom coffees with 100 LinkedIn contacts this coming year. It’s an ambitious goal, but I think I can make it happen.
In January I am taking an animation workshop with Lisa Biggs, and I have also begun looking into getting my animation and video game demos created in 2021.
I want to blog every single week without fail, and set up an email list for those who want to get my blog each week.
Starting January first, I’m going to do Yoga With Adriene’s 30 Days of Yoga program with the goal of getting back to daily yoga. And because I love my long walks, I’m thinking about signing up for one of those walking challenges, just because they look fun.
For January, I’d like to go back to eating cleaner for a month, and do more healthy meal planning.
I’m not going to plan for travel, in case we don’t get vaccines for another 12 months and my hopes are dashed to bits, but I might just start posting pictures everywhere and watching travel channel documentaries so I can imagine it’s real. I also realize that even if I can’t travel and can’t be in confined spaces, I do need to get out of the house more frequently and inject some novelty into my routine.
To keep myself working on my writing goals, I think I need to set aside strict writing hours each week, or find a Zoom writers group.
I plan to read at least 45 books again, but this time, I’d like to make sure that at least 5 of those are classics that I’ve never read. As for TV, I’d like to watch a bit less TV and devote more time to creating my own work. We’ll see how that goes…
I’d like to refine my Italian (maybe get the chance to practice speaking to people conversationally), and work on my ukulele more regularly with the goal of having at least 25 songs I can play by heart by the end of the year.
Sometime this year, I’d like to try making some other types of bread, have a Wisconsin supper club night where I make this gorgeous garlic butter prime rib, and learn to make proper pizza dough and pasta. This week, I’m going to start by turning that challah into bread pudding, which is something else I’ve never made. Gotta do that before I start eating everything healthy in January.