Last week, I reached out to a friend of mine. She lives in Minneapolis, and we have been friends since third grade. I reached out to her regarding wedding information; however, we ended up talking for much longer. The week after, she called me again, and we ended up talking for almost an hour. Whether our conversation was about wedding stuff, anime, or playing The Sims, it was refreshing to hear what was going on in her life. It’s sad because the thought that went through my head originally was “she’s probably busy, and she won’t answer”. My assumption was incorrect. This post serves as a reminder to check in on your friends.

I was watching the news with my fiancé this week, and I saw a news story that made me sad. Mental illness is skyrocketing in the pandemic. This is unsurprising. It’s a stressful time of trying to stay quarantined, not seeing older family members, and avoiding events or groups of people. I find myself longing to attend conventions again. I miss being around people and cosplay! I haven’t planned any cosplays in a while because I have no place to go. I’m an introvert to a certain degree, and even I find myself feeling lonely or missing old aspects of my life.

My friend and I are set to hang out sometime today, and I can’t wait. I’m hoping we will play Sims, watch anime, and play with her new puppy. This is my reminder to you to reach out to anyone you haven’t seen in a while. Send them a text, Facebook message, call, or DM them on Twitter. It doesn’t matter if it’s been six months since you last reached out. It feels good to receive a message from someone I haven’t spoken to in a while.

Four years ago, I wrote a post titled Wanderlust & My Travel Bucket List. In 2016, I was still in college and excited to graduate. As I re-read the post, I realized I actually crossed off a few of these places. I wanted to revisit this topic to update my list, recap where I have been, and look to the future when the borders open.

Wanderlust *noun* a strong desire to travel.

Universal Studios Orlando, Fl DONE! February 2019

This was my first trip listed in my post four years ago. I didn’t even list this as Universal Studios because I was so focused on seeing the Harry Potter portion of the theme park. This trip was planned for February because that’s my mom’s birthday month. It was also an excuse to leave and go somewhere warm. This was one of my favorite trips I have ever taken, and I’m glad I made this a priority after I graduated from college.

Seattle, Washington – HAHAHAHA 2020.

I was supposed to go to Emerald City Comic Con in March of last year; however, I canceled my trip due to the pandemic. It was 100% the right decision to make. I hope to go to Seattle one of these days.

London

I convinced the fiancé to go to Europe for our honeymoon. With the borders being monitored, I want to wait to go on a honeymoon until it’s safe to travel to Europe.

New York City Comic Con / A Bigger Con Partly Done! Planet Comic-Con in 2018, New York Trip in 2018, and C2E2 twice.

This goal is partly completed. Since 2016, I have attended Gen Con (Indianapolis), C2E2 twice (Chicago), and Planet Comic Con (Kansas City, Missouri). In 2018, we flew to New York, but not to go to New York Comic Con. Once attending conventions becomes safe again, I want to attend NYCC in all of its glory.

Reading my Wanderlust post reminded me how much I have accomplished since graduating from college in 2017. Going through 2020, I struggled with the insecurity of “not doing enough” with my life. 2020 felt like a wasted year. I realize in saying this that it’s a privileged thing to say. None of my loved ones tested positive for COVID-19. I’m still healthy as I’m sitting in my apartment writing this post. My main hope for 2021 is to speed up the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine! Bring on the herd immunity!

Before writing this post, I read my “2019 Pop Culture Year in Review.” Many of us had such high hopes for 2020. I’m trying to stay positive for the most part, but I can’t help feeling COVID-19 took so much from me. Conventions, trips, seeing my family all have been canceled, put on hold, or decreased. While quarantine allowed me more time for my hobbies, I found myself missing social events. This is my fourth Pop Culture Year in Review post and it’s likely the most different recap I have written.

Movies I Saw in Theaters:

• Rise of Skywalker
• Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
• Birds of Prey

Birds of Prey was the last movie I saw in theaters before the pandemic hit. I miss seeing movies in the theater. I hope theaters will bounce back after the pandemic. Birds of Prey was my favorite film of 2020.

Since being in quarantine, I made a point to watch movies I had never seen before. These included the Blade movies, The League of Extraordinary Gentleman, Ready or Not, The Normal Heart, BlacKkKlansman, Ghostbusters re-make, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. My favorite movie I watched for the first time this year was BlacKkKlansman.

TV Shows I Watched:

• Girls
• Fleabag
• New Girl (finally finished the whole series this year)
• You
• Barry
• The Mandalorian
• True Blood
• Normal People
• Challenger: The Final Flight

The obvious choice of the best TV show in 2020 is The Mandalorian. The second season topped the first season in many ways. Pedro Pascal’s back must hurt from carrying the Star Wars franchise. Besides The Mandalorian, I loved Fleabag. Phoebe Waller-Bridge is an excellent writer and Fleabag allows her to shine.

Video Games I Played:

• Spy Fox in Dry Cereal
• Monster Prom
• Sims #3: Supernatural / Late Night expansions
• Kingdom Hearts 3
• Star Wars Battlefront II
• Costume Quest II
• Nancy Drew and the Ghost of Thornton Hall
• Hidden Through Time
• Marvel’s Avengers

This year I experimented with games on Steam. I uninstalled programs on my laptop to make space for my Steam games. My favorite game I purchased on Steam was Hidden Through Time. It was such a soothing hidden objects game. While other gamers were playing Animal Crossing, I played a lot of Sims. There’s something comforting about simulation games while being stuck inside.

My favorite game I played on a console was Costume Quest II. Costume Quest II is a game that appealed to my love of Halloween. I was able to play it for free on Xbox Game Pass, although I’m considering purchasing both Costume Quest I and II on Steam to re-play them.

Another fond gaming memory was spending hours playing Star Wars: Battlefront II. I played Battlefront II for most of the summer. It was such a great way to unwind from work, crack open a beer and play as Lando.

Gaming in 2020

• Star Wars: Outer Rim
• Tattoo Stories
• Virus < how fitting
• Vampire: the Masquerade Roleplaying
• Ravine
• Hocus Pocus

To be clear, I played all of these board games before the pandemic started. The highlight from this year was the Vampire: the Masquerade one-shot. My character was named Karen and she was the “talk to your manager” vampire. She would only feed on managers. I had a lot of fun playing her in this one-shot.

Once quarantine began, I didn’t play nearly as many board games. Besides board games, I missed playing tabletop roleplaying games in person. Dungeons & Dragons podcasts filled the void of being able to roleplay in person.

Graphic Novels / Comics I Read this Year:

• The Weirdos
• Chandra IDW Issue #2
• Pumpkinheads
• Teen Titans: Raven
• The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Omnibus Edition
• Wolvenheart Issue #2
• Birds of Prey
• Batgirl #1 Rebirth
• Lucifer
• Waves
• Ghost in the Shell
• Eat and Love Yourself
• Ghosted in LA
• Doctor Aphra Issue #1 & #2
• She Said Destroy Volume. #1
• Glitterbomb Volume #1
• For Goodness Sake
• Joker 80th Anniversary Edition
• Cult Classic Volume #1
• Berserk Volume #1
• Finger Guns Issue #1 – #5

I read way more comics and graphic novels this year than in 2019. The graphic novel that stood out to me this year was Eat and Love Yourself by Sweeney Boo. This graphic novel discusses some intense topics involving body dysmorphia and eating disorders. It was an emotional read. I adore Sweeney Boo’s art style. I follow her on Instagram where she posts her art. Besides Eat and Love Yourself, I enjoyed Ghosted in LA published by Boom!

As far as individual comics, I was impressed by Doctor Aphra. It captured my attention within the first issue. Finger Guns is another comic series I enjoyed reading. I read through all five single issues quickly.

2020 Pop Culture Moments

• Phoebe Waller-Bridge winning all the awards
• QUARANTINE!
• Celebrities & the “Imagine” video
• President Trump advising people to drink.. bleach?
• President Trump losing the election

Podcasts I Couldn’t Stop Listening To:

• I Weigh hosted by Jameela Jamil
• Ain’t Slayed Nobody

I didn’t listen to as many podcasts in 2020 versus 2019. Once I started working from home, I wasn’t listening to podcasts on my bus rides. I still listen to Not Another Dnd Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Science Rules, however, the podcasts listed above were podcasts I discovered in 2020.

Jameela Jamil’s I Weigh features Jameela interviewing various actors, activists and friends. At the end of every episode, she asks her guests “what do you weigh?” meaning what gives your life meaning other than the weight of your body. Jameela Jamil seems like a lovely human being.

Ain’t Slayed Nobody is a Call of Cthulhu roleplaying podcast. This podcast takes place in the 1800’s Wild West era in the United States. Each episode is well-edited, there’s a recap at the beginning of each episode, and the keeper does an excellent job telling the story. Ain’t Slayed Nobody releases their episodes once a month for their main campaign, but will often feature one-shots as well.

Catchiest Song in 2020

Conventions I Attended in 2020

I forgot I attended C2E2 this year. The convention was in February before COVID-19 hit. I debuted my Punisher cosplay. The cosplay is comfortable. The only change I would make is to wear my new black combat boots versus my workout shoes. At C2E2, they had the outfit Jon Berenthal was wearing on display. It was pretty cool to see.

Personal Memories

Top Three Memories of 2020:

Traverse City, Michigan (replacing canceled Seattle Trip)

Girl’s Cabin Weekend

Taking Our Engagement Photos!

I’m fortunate to still be employed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. I have been working remotely since mid-March, and my company has extended working remotely until March 2021. Being quarantined, I have been able to save money since I’m not spending money on traveling, going out to eat, or at breweries. When payday approaches, I budget out a portion of my paycheck to donate back. I wanted to list my favorite nonprofits to donate to.

Before I launch into my favorite nonprofits, I wanted to make a statement. If you live paycheck to paycheck, I understand giving isn’t a possibility. In my first position out of college, I didn’t have much leftover to donate. I’m excited to be in a new position where I make enough and have money to give.

The Trevor Project

I have discussed The Trevor Project multiple times because it’s one of my favorite LGBTQIA+ nonprofits to give to. The Trevor Project helps young LGBTQIA+ individuals under the age of 25 by providing access to crisis intervention and suicide prevention. It breaks my heart how young LGBTQIA+ folks are abandoned by their families. Society has moved forward in some ways, but clearly not enough. The Trevor Project provides resources, education, and a hotline to call for assistance. I believe in The Trevor Project, so I try to give to them often.

Center for Reproductive Rights

I’m pro-choice. I believe anyone capable of getting pregnant deserves a choice in their reproductive health. I want reproductive rights to be protected. The Center for Reproductive Rights is trying to advance reproductive rights throughout the globe. Reproductive rights don’t mean abortion; they also mean the protection, accessibility, and affordability of birth control. This is a cause I’m passionate about because of how many people in our world are impacted by the lack of reproductive rights or healthcare.

Black Lives Matter

I’m based in Minneapolis, and while I’m passionate about my city, there needs to be change. Philandro Castile, George Floyd, and Jamar Clark are names to never be forgotten. I have white privilege in the sense that I have never feared the police. I believe in Black Lives Matter because of their work to bring awareness to this movement.

Feline Rescue Inc

Feline Rescue Inc. is where we rescued our kitty, Athena. I’m a cat person, and while there are so many cat people in this world, I believe cats are at a higher risk of abuse. Cats have a bad reputation based on outdated stereotypes. I could start crying if I think about all the mistreated cats in our world. I will continue to adopt cats for as long as I’m on this Earth. Feline Rescue Inc. is local to MN, but I encourage you to find your local animal shelter or cat shelter and give them some financial love.

Feeding America

There hasn’t been a COVID-19 financial relief since March, and many who are unemployed are struggling to afford food. Feeding America allows for monetary donations to be routed to a local food bank.

2020 has been awful. Donating to these charities gives me a sense of purpose. If you’re able to financially give, I encourage you to do so. If you’re living paycheck to paycheck, I hope that here in the United States, we get a financial COVID-19 relief package soon.

Happy Belated Halloween! I hope you all had a wonderful, spooky season. I still haven’t taken down my Halloween decorations yet. My stormtrooper holding a pumpkin is still sitting on an end table, while my windows are decorated with fun Halloween-themed window stickers. With COVID-19, I was able to host a small gathering with my friend and her boyfriend. I’m glad I could enjoy Halloween safely.

Me and the fiancé went as Darth Vader and a Stormtrooper. This is the first year we put our kitty, Athena, in a costume. She had a harness with a cowboy mouse sitting on top of it. I think technically, Athena was a horse for Halloween? She hated the harness, so we only put it on for photos and took it off.

We were able to eat pizza, play music, and have a couple of cocktails. I made a cocktail titled Witches Brew. I found the recipe off Pinterest. It has white rum, blue curacao, raspberry juice, ginger ale and I topped it off with blackberries. They were boozy. I did wake up feeling slightly hungover the next morning.

Ultimately, I’m glad I didn’t miss out on Halloween. It wasn’t what I wanted it to be. Last year, I spent it at a brewery dressed up with friends. With COVID-19, we have to make do with what’s safe to do. Now, I’m quarantining until Thanksgiving because we are seeing the fiancé’s family in Milwaukee. Let me know what you were for Halloween this year in the comments below.

The election was this past week. Last Saturday, the results were announced with Joe Biden winning the presidential race along with Kamala Harris being the first female Vice President in our nation’s history. It’s a historic time and I finally feel as a country, we are back on track.

I don’t discuss politics on this blog. This blog is my geeky space where I discuss pop culture, books, comics, video games, and any other topic I want to write about. However, this election is way too important to skim over. I was never a fan of Donald Trump. The way he would talk about various groups of people is appalling. The US is not containing COVID-19 and whether it is entirely President Trump’s fault, he’s still leading this nation. This is his responsibility.

It’s difficult to put into words how happy I am with Biden’s election. I’m more thrilled for Kamala Harris being the first female Vice President. Little girls will get to grow up in an era where they will see representation in the highest office in our nation. I hope this means that we are closer to seeing a woman being elected President in my lifetime.

With any political post, I will not tolerate any hatred in the comments. I reserve the right to not approve any comments or report them as spam. I write this post because I want to make it clear where my opinion lies as this election is crucial in the time we live in. If you’re a Trump supporter, I will not debate you in the comments. I was harassed by Trump supporters when Trump won the election in 2016 and as I re-read this post, I don’t think it’s disrespectful or rubbing it in anyone’s face. I stand by Biden / Harris and I voted for them because they would be the most qualified to lead our nation out of this pandemic we are living in.

Trying to find activities that allow for social distancing can be challenging. My fiancé decided we should go to an apple orchard because at least it’s outside. We settled on visiting Luce Line Apple Orchard, located in Watertown, MN. It was thirty-five minutes away from where we live, which is the perfect amount of driving.

This apple orchard was huge! Their apple fields span at least a couple of miles. At the center of the activities was a white barn to buy fall-themed merchandise. Pumpkins were scattered around the premises, and various animals were sniffing children’s hands looking for food. Since the property was so big, we didn’t feel we were on top of anyone, and it was fairly easy to socially distance. We went on a walk around the fenced-in animals and found a couple of quiet moments to take pictures.

As far as food, we each ordered a corn dog. I haven’t eaten a corn dog in a while since our state fair was canceled back in August. Additionally, we went to the cocktail stand and ordered a tangy apple sangria. IT WAS SO YUMMY. It was worth the $9 purchase. As we sat and drank our tangy sangrias, we saw Bigfoot walking around. Someone dressed as Bigfoot walks around the Orchard. There are Bigfoot signs throughout the Orchard. My fiancé and I couldn’t stop laughing when Bigfoot would scare little kids.

Finally, we stopped at the white barn. I picked up more candle wax for my Owl wax burner (I don’t remember what it’s called, but it burns wax). We picked up some homemade maple syrup and a couple of smaller decorative pumpkins that are currently sitting on our TV stand.

Trying to come up with activities during a Pandemic is tough. My fiancé and I take social distancing and mask-wearing seriously. Luceline Apple Orchard was perfectly spacious, allowing for a cute date day while being safe.

2020 has been a chaotic year. On the bright side, two weeks ago, my fiancé and I took our engagement photos. We are getting married in October 2021 and wanted our photos to have the beautiful colors. We drove to Duluth, MN, which is right along Lake Superior. The colors were at their peak. Our photographer sent us a couple of the many photos taken. I wanted to share them because I’m pleased with how they turned out.

With the Pandemic, I find it can be difficult to stay positive. These engagement photos were a nice emotional boost. I never thought about spending the rest of my life with someone until I met my fiancé. I didn’t know then what I know now, but there’s no one I would rather spend my life with than him.

As a result of COVID-19, my summer plans have been modified. Both CONvergence and Gen Con were cancelled. I’m super bummed about Gen Con, as attending Gen Con last year was one of my 2019 highlights. Despite the pandemic, we still got together at my friend’s cabin for our girls’ weekend. I tried to remember how long we had been doing this cabin trip. My memory goes as far back as 2012, before we all went off to college. I’m thankful for the girlfriends in my life. They have helped me survive this pandemic and subsequent Quarantine.

Cabin weekend is always one of my favorite memories. I can’t wait for next year!