Happy 2020! This year marks the beginning of a new decade. The 2010s were a decade of personal growth. I developed a sense of self and became comfortable with who I am as a person. I’m excited to see what the next ten years will bring for me. I wanted to recap everything I did in 2019.

Movies I saw in Theaters:

• Bohemian Rhapsody
• Shazam 
• Captain Marvel 
• Avengers Endgame 
• Spider-Man: Far From Home 
• It Chapter #2 
• Joker 
• Rise of Skywalker 

My favorite movie of 2019 was Shazam. This is a biased answer as I lean more toward DC Comics. DC Comics is not known for making great movies, and Shazam was funny, not too depressingly dark, and worth re-watching.

TV Shows I Watched:

• Ted Bundy Interview Tapes 
• Queer Eye Season #2 
• Shrill 
• Hot Date 
• Lucifer 
• New Girl 

My favorite TV show in 2019 was a toss-up between Shrill and Lucifer. I believe Shrill’s second season will release sometime this year. Lucifer is a fun show too, because it’s a Los Angeles, Law & Order-style show with demons flying around and wreaking havoc. Lucifer’s final season premieres sometime in 2020 on Netflix.

The two shows I watched in 2019 that I couldn’t get into were Castle Rock and Homeland. Castle Rock has potential, but I couldn’t follow the story. Homeland had a strong start, but I lost interest halfway through the first season. Life is too short to waste time watching shows you’re not interested in.

Video Games I Played:

• The Order 1886
• Until Dawn 
• Heavy Rain 

This was a light gaming year for me. I’m looking forward to gaming more in 2020. I’m currently playing Kingdom Hearts III, and I plan on purchasing Jedi: Fallen Order sometime in the future. My favorite video game of 2019 was Until Dawn. This game got me through the polar vortex in Minneapolis. By Polar Vortex, I mean the weather was -32 degrees. -32 degrees!?!?!?!?!? I stayed inside, so I wouldn’t freeze to death, and played Until Dawn. 

Gaming in 2019

• War of the Spark Pre-Release in April of 2019 
• Modern Horizons Pre-Release in June of 2019 
• Cultists & Cthulhu 
• Star Trek Ascension 
• Throne of Eldraine Pre-Release 

My favorite game I played in 2019 was the War of the Spark pre-release. I did really well. I didn’t win a match, but I won a total of three individual games. This set was wild. There were a bunch of planeswalkers wreaking havoc in everyone’s games. I’m looking forward to the next Magic: sets in 2020.

Graphic Novels + Comics I Read this Year (probably not everything I read, I may be forgetting some)

• My Giant Nerd Boyfriend (web comic on webtoons) 
• Hush: Batman Graphic Novel 
• Batman Knightfall series (series I received at CONvergence in 2018)
• Watchmen
• Midnight Task Force (Mad Cave Comics)
• Battlecats Vol #1 Hunt for the Direbeast
• Runaways: Find Your Way Home
• Knights of the Golden Sun Issues #1-#4
• Hellboy Volume #1
• Afterglow
• Paper Girls Volume #4
• Badass Girl 3 issues 
• Prometheite 
• Riri Williams #1 

My favorite graphic novel and/or comic I read in 2019 was either Watchmen or Midnight Task Force. When I first started reading Watchmen, I thought that this series wasn’t going to be for me. When I finished the graphic novel, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the story. With Midnight Task Force, I loved the gritty environment of futuristic Detroit. The series left on a cliffhanger, and I’m hoping the second trade paperback will be released sometime in 2020.

2019 Pop Culture Moments

• Rami Malek winning the Best Actor at the Oscars
• Jussie Smollett’s “fake” hate crime

I truly believe Rami deserved the Oscar for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury. Many people were upset because they felt Bradley Cooper was snubbed for A Star is Born. This is the 4th? remake of this movie, unlike a biopic of Freddie Mercury, who meant so much to so many people. I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I’m sticking with it.

Podcast I Couldn’t Stop Listening To:

• This Podcast Will Kill You 
• Babes at the Table 
• Science Rules: Bill Nye’s Podcast 
• Not Another DnD Podcast 
• Generation Bond 
• 4 The Love of Comics 

Last year, I picked Anna Faris’s Unqualified podcast as my favorite podcast of 2018. Sadly, I don’t listen to this podcast anymore. Apparently, there was drama between Sim and An, who were the co-hosts. Sim isn’t on Ana’s podcast anymore, which destroyed the vibe I originally liked.

My favorite podcast of 2019 has to be Not Another DnD Podcast because it got me through the extremely long drive from Minneapolis to Indianapolis for Gen Con. My brother enjoyed this podcast too.

Catchiest Song in 2019:

This is a toss-up between any song by Lizzo and Bad Guy by Billie Eilish.

Conventions I attended in 2019:

I attended six conventions: Con of the North, C2E2, MSP Spring Con, CONvergence, Gen Con, and Fallcon. This increased by two conventions from 2018.

Personal Memories

Top Three Memories from 2019:

Getting Engaged! 🙂

He popped the question on May 4th, which happened to be Free Comic Book Day and National Star Wars Day. This is something I will never let him forget.

Getting a New Job

Working in downtown Minneapolis has been a blessing. I get to take the bus to work on most days, which has saved me money on gas. I like my new coworkers. This job has better benefits and pay. This wasn’t something I was predicting to happen in 2019, but I’m glad it did.

Orlando Trip

SO COOLLL!!!

My Resolution for 2020?

I have no specific resolution. I wish for a safe and happy 2020.