What a god damn rollercoaster this year has been. From Trump downplaying the severity of COVID, to political movements and protests, to Trump downplaying the severity of COVID, to rioting and fires and [continued] police brutality, to Trump downplaying the severity of COVID, to a 5-day election, to Mitch McConnell still being a punk ass bitch – and everything in between.

My 2020 started out as my final year of graduate school. I was living alone in Baltimore with my purfect lil angel pup. I was starting a Fellowship at NIAID, drinking wine and listening to live jazz on Sunday’s, going out for lots of live music, playing in the orchestra, traveling, and all kinds of lit shit.

In March, things really got weird. Like most, I was trying to understand the severity of it all. I was trying to think about the future and how long the weirdness would last. I kept thinking, “The scariest part of this is that there’s no end in sight.”

Alas. 9 months later, there is still no end in sight. Sure there’s a vaccine. But there’s also 328 million people in the US.

No wait. 344,000 have died from COVID, so subtract those.

I’ve learned a lot this year. I’ve learned that this country is a fucking disaster. It is ass-backwards and political priorities are not benefiting the American people. It’s been a real disappoint and so many are struggling much more than they should be.

On a more personal level, I graduated with a public health degree during a pandemic, a time when everyone in the world discovered what public health was, but despite its relevance, no one was hiring apparently. No one knew how to navigate the chaos that hit the world.

Months went by and I began to think, ‘Do I look like a fucking idiot on paper or something?’ I’ve applied to over 100 jobs, dishing out cover letter after cover letter, and no one cares.

August came. I ended my lease. No income = no home. I put everything in storage and took a week long road trip by myself to New England. Came back to a life of transience, signed a lease in Portland, was immediately offered a job in Denver, moved everything to Portland, flew back to Denver to work for 3 months, and here I am, about to make my final drive from Denver to Portland.

No, it doesn’t make sense. But it doesn’t have to. It’s 2020.

Anyways, at this time, I have two leads for jobs in Portland. So, that’s pretty neat. It seems like things may be looking up.

So in 2021, as Biden said, keep the faith!

Many thanks for those who helped me maintain my sanity in 2020. You know exactly who you are. Much love to you all.

K