It’s 2022. I started this year by writing down the personal goals I want to accomplish this year. I had a good year last year. The goals I have for this year are goals that I believe will propel me toward the life I see for myself. I am hopeful and excited for this year. I know I have to remain positive and stay determined. I even wrote down affirmations for 2022. I say these affirmations on a daily basis. I’m trying to get to a point where I fully believe these affirmations. I also am continuing therapy, which I am grateful to be in. I have a great feeling about this year in regard to my personal life. Whatever your goals or plans are for this year, remember to stay positive and keep moving forward. Happy New Year and may the year 2022 be kind to us all
All posts by Catherine J
2021: Year in Review
This year was a bit of a blur. When I sat down to write this post, I had such a hard time remembering everything, that I spent about an hour watching 2021 recap videos on YouTube. Let’s begin.
News
This year started with an attempted insurrection on January 6. It was a rather funny debacle to be honest. Biden was sworn in as president about two weeks after the attempted insurrection.
COVID kept everyone on the edge of our seats this year even as vaccines rolled out. A new variant, named Omicron, was discovered in October.
US troops finally left Afghanistan after 20 years. The troop withdraw led to the Taliban overtaking Afghanistan within hours.
Mass shootings returned as the country began re-opening.
Tornadoes ravaged Kentucky and wildfires burned California
Collin Powell, Bob Doyle, and Walter Mon dale died this year.
Entertainment
Music was alright this year. We saw debut albums from Olivia Rodrigo (Sour) and Lil Nas X(Montero). Doja Cat released her third album, Planet HER. Billy Ellish released Happier Than Ever. Adele returned after a five-year absence with 30. Jazmine Sullivan released her EP Heaux Tales at the top of this year. Drake released Certified Lover Boy and Kanye released Donda. Chloe Bailey, of Chloe x Halle, released her first solo single, Have Mercy.
TV was lackluster for me this year, but I have some highlights. Squid Games was brilliant. Black Lightning ended after 4 seasons. I didn’t watch WandaVision or Invincible, nor did I see Sex Lives of College Girls.
We lost many in the entertainment world this year. The great Cicely Tyson left us at the top of this year. Biz Markie and DMX left us. Saturday Night Live’s Norm Macdonald departed. Funny girl, Cloris Leachman went on. Larry King and Willard Scott signed off one final time. After a phenomenal performance in last year’s breakout hit, Lovecraft Country, Michael K. Williams, also known for HBO’s The Wire, passed away at age 54. Broadway legend, Stephen Sondheim died at age 91 with his final role being as himself in the film adaption of Tick, Tick, Boom.
Films weren’t too nig this year as many decided to release their stuff to streaming services. Some films went to theaters as limited releases though.
Personal Life
I read some books this year. I learned Python, a programming language. I bought a skateboard to pursue a hobby I’ve been interested in since childhood. I found a therapist.
Conclusion
Like I said earlier, this year was a blur. I’ve compiled all the important things that I remembered. Let’s hope 2022 is kind to all of us. I know I have goals I wish to accomplish next year.
30 by Adele: Album Review
Adele has returned! After 5 years of no word from our favorite British crooner, Adele has come back with her new album ’30’. I wrote about her lead single “Easy on Me”, here.
The album starts off with Strangers by Nature, a soft tune about the disillusion of her marriage. It is an alright tune, but it had to grow on me a bit after a few listens.
The second song, which is the lead single for this album, Easy on Me is a plea to her son and her ex-husband for understanding as they navigate their decision to divorce.
My Little Love is everyone’s favorite track. We get Adele at her most vulnerable as we hear voice memos of her son and small snippets of what I assume is a conversation with a therapist or close friend about how she is struggling emotionally with the divorce and the aftermath, especially with having to explain things to her son in a way he would understand. This song is a LITERAL letter to her son. It is so sweet that she included it here in the album. Definitely a tear-jerker.
Cry Your Heart Out is an upbeat tune which was placed in a good spot here after we all shed tears to My Little Love.
The next two tracks, Oh My God and Can I Get It seems to be nods to her new relationship with sports agent Rich Paul. Can I Get it might also be a nod to sex 😎?
I Drink Wine is another song where she laments about the fall of her marriage, but also opines about how she wants to still have a good relationship with her ex. I believe she said in the interview she did with Oprah that she and her ex are on good terms and co-parent their son. All Night Parking is an interlude.
Woman Like Me is a fiery track about how she thinks her ex messed up a good thing due to complacency. Now, she doesn’t wholly blame him for the dissolve of their marriage, I think this was just a fun little dig.
Hold On is a stirring song about trying to keep it together amidst turmoil. for Adele, that was the divorce, but this song can apply to the hell that has been the last two years for many of us. This song was also featured in a recent Amazon holiday commercial. Sometimes all we can do is hold on 🧡.
To Be Loved is the ballad we have all been waiting for. Similar to the previous track Hold On, To Be Loved is a salve to our hearts.
Love Is A Game is the closing track on this phenom of an album. It serves as a great closer,
Rankings
- Hold On
- My Little Love
- To Be Loved
- Woman Like Me
- Easy On Me
- Can I Get It
- I Drink Wine
- Love Is A Game
- Cry Your Heart Out
- Strangers By Nature
- Oh My God
- All Night Parking
Overall, I give this album 5 out of 5 stars. It’s classic Adele, and some new sounds mixed in. I have to go down to my local Target to get the bonus track version sometime soon.
I’m Back
My last post was in October. I was struggling very much. Since then, I have found a therapist and picked up a new hobby. I’ve also been thinking about moving to another town. I think the monotony of my life is what was causing me to feel that way. It got to a point where I dreaded getting out of bed. It was honestly very rough.
Now that I feel a little better, I wanted to give an update. I will post my year end wrap up at the end of this month, hopefully I’ll have it done on New Year’s Eve. I may do separate posts about the television and music I watched and listened to this year as well.
For the remainder of 2021, I’m going to continue with my therapy, dive into this new hobby, and just take things one day at a time.
It Has Been Quite A Week
It’s been a rough couple days for me. I need melatonin to sleep and even then cannot sleep through the night. Work has been exhausting when I normally am indifferent toward it. Memories from my childhood have now crept into my daily thoughts. I’m honestly struggling right now. Today is my first day off since last Wednesday and all I will be doing today is listening to music and taking naps. I don’t have the mental energy to do much else. I’m really not with the bullshit today. To keep myself from completely losing it, I have to write these feelings out. It’s the only way I can process it. I am trying to understand what keeps people going. What the fuck about this shitstorm of a world makes people want to stay? What is it, because I’m having a hard time figuring this out? I’ve had these feelings before, but it feels different now. When I felt this way before, it didn’t help that I was also in an abusive environment at home and at work. I am not in either of those environments now and up until recently, I’ve been feeling pretty content. I don’t really know what happened. It’s like when you see a balloon deflate but cannot figure out where the hole is.
Frankly, the only thing keeping me sane is listening to music and writing, so here I am. I am so used to bottling up my emotions and hiding my feelings that writing has really been the only way I can express myself. I sometimes feel like I cannot trust anyone thanks to people betraying my trust in the past. I hate that shit. I fucking hate it. I feel very lonely. It sucks because sometimes all I want is to connect with someone, but I always have to keep my guard up because I don’t know when they will turn on me. I think I have one person who I can be honest with and she is going through her own shit right now so, yeah. I love being able to write out my feelings, but I do wish I had someone to talk to.
I hope I start feeling better soon.
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