2022 in Review

What a year!

The previous year was exhausting. We moved house 4 times, while expectations about the future kept changing. Everything looked promising, then it didn’t. 2022 was different. Tiring too, but different.

A year of highs and lows

2022 was a year with lots of fun. I’m still part of the Covid cautious crew, but it was a year of travel, seeing old friends, meeting new faces, and discovery. This year was also the first time I had a health scare. Like the previous 2 years weren’t enough, I learned again that health truly is paramount. I’m lucky that I can still count on the EU healthcare system, because good luck with that in the UK. Healthcare there has been defunded and run to the ground.

I left a fantastic job at Dow Jones/The Wall Street Journal in the spring because I needed time off from the previous 2 years. I took time off, and went on a road trip. At the same time, my job search came to fruition.

Overall, apart from the health problems, this was a memorable year. My goal for next year to have as much fun as this year.

Best of

Continuing the tradtion, here we go.

🎥 TV/Cinema

Jesus Christ Superstar (Musical). With Jon Legend and Sara Bareilles. What a show! The intro is one of the most rock’n’roll things I had seen in a while.

Billions, season 6. I loved season 6. It wasn’t as strong as season 2-4, but what can I say, it’s my favourite TV show. I feel like you could tell that the original writers were working on another show at the same time.

The United States vs. Billie Holiday A brilliant movie from Johann Hari and Spike Lee. It’s not a fun watch, but it talks about important subjects.

Taylor Swift: Miss Americana (Netflix) This documentary has changed my perspective on Taylor Swift. I was stuck on the stereotype that the media had decided for me and it was so wrong. She’s been at the top for this long, for a reason.

Albums

Hadestown (Original Broadway Cast Recording): One of my favourite musical albums of all time.

The Great Irish Songbook by Dervish: A great album of irish folk songs with a different artist for every song.

🎙️ Songs

Move on by Jake Gyllenhaal (from Sunday in the Park). Superb performance, Jake Gyllenhaal really can sing, but AnnaLeigh Ashford smashes it.

Better days by Dermot Kennedy. Dermot Kennedy is a world-class singer, and this is my favourite song. Check out the acoustic version.

Single City by Michael Mott (feat Lauren Allred). I’ve been impressed by Lauren Allred since hearing her on The Greatest Showman. This is a beautiful piano ballad about NYC that anyone who lived in a major city can relate to.

Podcast

Plain English — Why Are Teenagers So Sad and Anxious?: Explores the consequences of social media, and other recent changes we experienced in the modern world. Listen here

Strong songs: Wedding Song (Hadestown): The episode that kickstarted my deep dive into musicals this year. Listen here

Basic Folk: Anais Mitchell: Discovered another fun music podcast, the host is fantastic. The episode is with the writer of Hadestown. Listen here

Joe Rogan and The Ethics of Apology — Making Sense: An interesting question about the ethics of the Internet.

Best Purchase

A CASIO CDP-S100 digital piano. I’m still playing 4-chord songs, but I had so much fun with it. It allowed me to learn so much about music in general.

Resolutions

Experience more of life, it’s pretty good.
Replace “but” with “and”