20 for 2020

Are you doing 20 for 2020? Do you have any resolutions? It’s almost March — how are they going so far?

Last year I accomplished 15 items on my 19 for 2019 list. Hopefully I can outdo myself this year! I’ve already done a few of them, and others are in progress. I’ll post an update sometime around the halfway point, and my final results at the end of the year.

1. Finish reading A Series of Unfortunate Events.
   These books shaped several years of my youth and undoubtedly primed me for the existentialist period of my mid to late teen years. I actually created the first website about them, LemonySnicket.net, before there was even an official site. There was a rather active message board with hundreds of members, a few of whom I’m still connected with. (Most of them ended up hating me because there was drama and I got depressed and shut the whole thing down.) Anyway, I only ever read through book 9 or 10. Last year I reread the first two books, then read the second book in Russian. This year I’d like to (re)read books 3-13, and possibly the related series All the Wrong Questions.
   

2. Collaborate with another musician (or more than one, if possible!).
   I approach music in a pretty solitary fashion, so I hope this goal will encourage me to connect in new ways. Connect in 2020! I’ve been working with Micah McCaw on a video (more on that soon), and there’s a chance I’ll be collaborating with someone in early April. I’ll continue looking for opportunities!
   

3. Make vegan cheese again.
   When Adam and I first got together, we dove head-first into the wild world of artisan vegan cheesemaking, with the aid of Miyoko Schinner’s Artisan Vegan Cheese cookbook. In those days, stores weren’t brimming with vegan cheese options, least of all aged cheeses. We made brie, Boursin, gouda, sharp cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan… Then Adam ended up working for a vegan cheese company and cheesemaking lost its luster. Now I’m finally back at it, and I’ve already made sharp cheddar several times, as well as gouda.
   

4. Finish a second draft of my YA novel.
   This sounded more appealing when I first thought of it. Lately I keep thinking, “What’s the point?” So much work with no indication that it’s worth it. I can do a lot more with music in way less time. On the other hand, it would be nice to be able to do #5, which is…
   

5. Pitch the book.
   In its current state, the manuscript is useless. If I edit it and make it presentable, there’s a remote possibility that someone might want to read it and represent it. Making decisions based on remote possibilities is kind of my whole thing.
   

6. Start or join a group.
   My ideas for a group include a writing group, a music career support group, a general creative career support group, and a young adult / children’s book club (for adults). I’d love to join a local chapter of the Feminist Bird Club, but there isn’t one. (There is a group that I guess exists for a similar purpose, but I haven’t felt confident that I’d be welcome there. And so I don’t have a group to go to, but I also don’t feel like I can start a Feminist Bird Club chapter, because I don’t want to step on this other group’s toes.)
   

7. Participate in Adam’s book club.
   Adam started a book club last year. I keep saying I’ll participate, but every time I find out what the book is, I opt out. I should read the next book whether it interests me or not.
   

8. Go to Eugene once a month.
   I don’t see my family and friends in Eugene often enough!! I’m not doing very well on this one so far. I didn’t end up going there in January, and I’m running out of time for February. I might need to standardize my visits by scheduling them for the same day each month or something.
   

9. Connect with out-of-town (-state, -country) friends.
   Visiting, video chatting, messaging, sending postcards. This month I visited my friend Alli in the Bay Area, so now there’s just everyone else.
   

10. Practice Japanese via video chat.
    I have vague plans to do this with someone, now I need to follow through.
    

11. Work with a personal trainer.
    In progress! I’ve had several sessions already. The reasoning is pretty much that I’m not getting any younger. I want to challenge myself more physically and build a stronger base that I can hopefully maintain in the future.
    

12. Take lessons or a class.
    I have no clue what kind of lessons or classes, but I want to live in an atmosphere of growth. It also strikes me as a nice way to meet people. The problem is that lessons and classes cost money.
    

13. Walk for 20 minutes every day.
    I got this idea from Gretchen Rubin. Last year I spent way too much time inside whenever I wasn’t traveling. Going out for daily 20-minute walks will help me disconnect from distractions and connect to the real world. It’s already going great! I’ve seen so many Varied Thrushes.
    

14. Go out 20 times to pick up at least 20 pieces of trash.
    I want to be a more active steward of the earth, and it would be nice to also make a positive impact on my neighborhood. I’ve done it five times and it’s only February, so I’m off to a good start!
    

15. Get new photos taken.
    Done! I got new Harlequin photos taken, for reasons that will become clear very soon. I do still want to get some non-Harlequin photo taken as well.
    

16. Make two videos a month (ideally every other week).
    I missed January, but I made two videos in February. One is for my new song “Envy,” and the other is my 2020 Tiny Desk Contest submission (see #20). I released these in the same week, but in the future I plan to space them out more evenly. Possibly I’ll release them every other Monday.
    

17. Go to the Portland Japanese Garden at least four times (winter, spring, summer, fall).
    Adam’s sister and her family gave us a membership to the Portland Japanese Garden for Christmas. It would be great to see the garden in each season!
    

18. Learn two more good cover songs.
    I’m getting a lot of mileage out of “Rainbow Connection,” but I could stand to have a few more options under my belt. (I should also get a belt, come to think of it.)
    

19. Take a trip with Adam.
    Last year we went to Vancouver, BC, and it was so nice to make some memories together in a less familiar setting. Hopefully we can find the time and resources to do something similar this year.
    

20. Enter the 2020 Tiny Desk Contest.
    Done! Check it out above! I think this is my strongest submission so far.