Review of 2022

What did you do in 2022 that you'd never done before?

Published a textbook (Open Access, no less). Put two refugees from Ukraine up long-term in my flat. Had all four wisdom teeth out. Hosted ETG in Konstanz.

Did you keep your New Years' resolutions?

I resolved to pay more attention to my health. On the one hand, I guess I did this, since I went and got things checked out at the doctor and the dentist more often. On the other hand, my lifestyle isn’t much healthier, if at all.

Have you any resolutions for next year?

No. (And why is there inversion with “have” here? Very archaic.)

Did anyone close to you give birth?

Not as far as I know.

Did anyone close to you die?

Also not as far as I know.

What countries did you visit?

The UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Malta, Vatican City, Liechtenstein, Austria, Andorra, Denmark.

What would you like to have in 2023 that you lacked in 2022?

More free time. And, since I’m on research leave from April, hopefully this one will actually come true.

What date(s) from 2022 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

No particularly memorable dates for me this year.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Me and Míša’s textbook coming out.

What was your biggest failure?

A resurgence of anxiety and panic in the second half of the year.

Did you suffer illness or injury?

See above. I also got Covid for the first time, at ICHL in Oxford, and took it with me to Edinburgh to infect my friends. (Sorry, friends.)

What was the best thing you bought?

Probably my tour of Gozo when I was in Malta - a hell of a place.

Whose behaviour merited celebration?

My lovely lodgers, Olha and Sasha. I wasn’t sure how it would go, inviting two strangers into my home. But they’ve been so nice to me, and so unassuming, that I think I’m happier now than when I was on my own.

Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?

Relatedly: Russia, obviously. And also the Konstanz “JobCenter”.

Where did most of your money go?

Travel and various good causes.

What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Seeing Pure Reason Revolution and Gazpacho, two of my favourite bands from way back, touring together in Stuttgart.

What songs will always remind you of 2022?

Not sure I have any this year! 2022 wasn’t a year for new music.

Compared to this time last year, are you:

Happier or sadder? About the same.

Thinner or fatter? Fatter (?).

Richer or poorer? Richer.

What do you wish you'd done more of?

Repeated now three years in a row: “Real relaxation activities, i.e. hiking, cooking, washing things. I’m bad at relaxing.” Even when I have complete control of my own time and nowhere else to be.

What was the most embarrassing thing that happened to you in 2022?

Missing out on a cool workshop in Edinburgh due to anxiety.

Who did you meet for the first time?

Olha and Sasha. Some awesome linguists in the SILPAC group.

Did you fall in love in 2022?

No.

How many people did you kiss?

None.

How many one-night stands did you have?

None. (I’m asexual, in case you haven’t figured that out by now! And I’ll be deleting these three questions for future editions of this review.)

What was your favourite TV programme?

Didn’t watch much TV this year. The main thing I watched was Stranger Things series 4, which was meh overall. The Korean show Busted on Netflix was fun, but strained my suspension of disbelief to breaking point. But once again I did consume a lot of Roll Together’s D&D streams. Drowning in Blackwater was probably my favourite.

What was your favourite film of this year?

It wasn’t a great year for movies either. Tried to keep up with Marvel Cinematic Universe out of a misplaced sense of franchise loyalty, but they were mostly bad or unremarkable (even Thor: Love and Thunder, for which I had higher hopes); of those, I guess my favourite was the latest wacky Spiderman. The Gray Man on Netflix was similarly unremarkable, despite its star-studded cast. Enola Holmes was quite good, but Enola Holmes 2 was better, and probably takes the title of favourite film of the year.

What was the best book you read in 2022?

Fiction: The Betrayals by Bridget Collins.

Non-fiction: Three-way tie between Piketty, Brief History of Inequality; Táíwò, Elite Capture; and McCulloch, because Internet.

What was the best game you played in 2022?

Some big games played for the first time this year: Elden Ring, of course, and als Red Dead Redemption. Both were great fun, but my favourite has to be a replay: The Witcher 3. I also played the DLCs for the latter for the first time ever. Brilliant game! I also got back into Skyrim and also Dragon Age: Origins yet again, for the purposes of nailing down those last few achievements. Pentiment also gets an honourable mention for being a small, well-designed game right up my street.

What was your greatest musical discovery?

n/a.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2022?

Return of the hat.

What kept you sane?

I think this is a presupposition failure.

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I was 37. Didn’t do much on the day itself, but had a nice meal with Olha and Sasha, and a nice syntax social with linguist friends the day after. Appropriate for a prime-numbered birthday, I think.

How did you spend Christmas?

Quietly with my parents.

What would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Not being Dean of Studies for the Faculty of Humanities at Konstanz.

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

No one.

What political issue stirred you the most?

The war in Ukraine, like most people, I imagine.

Who did you miss?

People who mostly aren’t on here. It feels wrong to list their names.

Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

Only a few people I didn’t know existed this time last year.

Was 2022 a good year for you?

Yes, for the most part.

What was your favourite moment of the year?

There are lots of contenders. Hiking up to a lake in the Pyrenees with D, F & R.

Watching the first half of Madame Butterfly while thunder and lightning crashed across the sky.

Riding the Petit Train Jaune in France.

Exploring Gozo by jeep.

It was also great to get a D&D campaign going in person again after so long.

What is a valuable life lesson you learned in 2022?

Am I too old to be learning valuable life lessons? There doesn’t seem to be one from 2022, anyway.