2021: Glen Edition + Looking Ahead to 2022

Hello friends! Over the past several years, I’ve compiled year-end retrospectives as well as thoughts heading into the new year. Since I’ve already written at length about 2021, this year’s post will be a bit more list-heavy. I’ll include a quick recap of the past year, list out some fun adventures that I went on, and also highlight the music, books, movies, and shows I enjoyed. As always, I’ll end with a quick look toward 2022. Hope you enjoy!

In the meantime, feel free to also browse my past year-end reviews below:

A Look Back at 2021

2021 was a ride, to say the least. Two scary winters bookended a jubilant post-vaccine spring, summer, and fall. Many things changed, while some things stayed the same. Despite the frequent setbacks, it was ultimately a triumphant year for me – I moved back into a more active and social lifestyle, and this season of transition and change was as rewarding as it was insightful.

I started the first half of the year with solo Tahoe snowboarding trips. After getting vaccinated, I slowly moved back into some of the activities and passions that I’d put on hold due to the pandemic. I worried about overexerting myself in this new world, made peace with the fact that I would leave some of the habits and hobbies I’d picked up during the lockdown behind, and began to more intentionally think about my life thesis. For the details, check out my post A New Year and Navigating Post-Vaccine Life.

The second half of the year was filled with activity and learnings. I returned to traveling, enjoying live music, picking up new activities, and meeting new friends. During some of my camping trips, I realized that I’d come a long way in my life journey and resolved to extend myself more grace and understanding. By the end of my 17th consecutive weekend out of the apartment, I also realized that I’d learned how to better manage my energy. Check out these thoughts and more in my post A Jubilant Post-Vaccine Return & Some Birthday Thoughts.

Cities Visited in 2021

2021 marked the first time in over a year where I began to travel more extensively. From local weekend trips to multi-day international trips, I got my fill of seeing new places and being in different environments. It was exciting, eye-opening, and most importantly fun.

LA x3 – holidays with family
Lake Tahoe area x7 – weekend solo snowboarding trips, group ski houses, friend’s wedding
Seattle & Bend (6/22 to 6/28) – road trip to help a friend move from Seattle to SF; backcountry snowboarding along the way at Mt. Rainier & Mt. Bachelor
Las Vegas & Alton (7/1 to 7/11) – road trip from LA to Vegas, Zion, and Bryce with my mom, brother, and sister-in-law
San Diego (8/6 to 8/9) – first music festival in well over a year
Santa Barbara (8/21 to 8/22) – celebrated my mom’s birthday
Amsterdam (8/31 to 9/9) – first international trip in over a year; attended the Dutch Formula 1 race
New York (11/2 to 11/11) – visited my brother and sister-in-law before they moved to Asia

Concerts & Music Festivals in 2021

With vaccinations in the spring, bands and artists finally resumed their tours and performances. As I’ve mentioned before, there are few things in life that foster mutual enjoyment, focus on the here and now, and appreciation of the arts as much as live music does for me. I was extra grateful to attend the following shows and music festivals:

Mat Zo @ The Midway (4/16)
TOKIMONSTA @ The Midway (5/21)
DAY.MVS XL @ San Diego (8/7 to 8/8)
Second Sky Festival @ Oakland Arena (9/18)
James Blake @ Greek Theatre (9/19)
Japanese Breakfast @ The Regency Ballroom (9/30)
Deafheaven @ The UC Theatre (10/15)
Phoebe Bridgers @ Greek Theatre (10/16)
Outside Lands @ Golden Gate Park (10/30 to 10/31)
SG Lewis @ Fox Theater (11/12)
San Holo @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium (11/20)
Illenium @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium (11/26)
DJ Seinfeld @ The Independent (12/9)
CHVRCHES @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium (12/16)
Avalon Emerson & Ben UFO @ 1015 Folsom (12/17)

Camping & the Outdoors in 2021

*Early-season backpacking at Henry Coe. Photo by Jon Li*

One of my greatest passions is the outdoors. Whether that’s camping, snowboarding, motorcycling, hiking – anything that brings me closer to nature brings a smile to my face. In 2020, I camped more than I had at any other point in my life. It was such a blast spending time with friends in nature that I upped the ante in 2021, going on 12 camping and backpacking trips.

Henry W. Coe State Park x2 (4/3 to 4/4, 4/24 to 4/25) – a season-opening car camping trip, another season-opening backpacking trip through a mini-Narrows
Clear Lake State Park (5/15 to 5/16) – car camping with lake-side views and kayaking
Russian River Bend (5/29 to 5/31) – Memorial Day long weekend cabin camping with a Russian River lazy float
Henry Cowell State Park (6/19 to 6/20) – car camping in a grove of redwoods near Santa Cruz
Mendocino Magic (7/17 to 7/19) – a private dock to a lake and a weekend of fun
Samuel P. Taylor State Park (7/24 to 7/25) – motorcycle camping trip with lots of spirited riding on the backroads
Cosumnes River Ranch (7/31 to 8/1) – camping on the sand next to a river
Redwood Camp x2 (8/28 to 8/29, 9/25 to 9/26) – my favorite Hipcamp in a redwood grove by Bodega Bay
Bothe-Napa Valley State Park (9/10 to 9/12) – yurt camping in wine country, what more needs to be said?
Madrone Tree Hill (10/2 to 10/3) – visited Apple Hill farms to enjoy cider donuts & hard cider
Redwood State Park (10/8 to 10/11) – final backpacking trip of the season to the sand bars on Redwood Creek

Favorite Albums, Books, Movies, & TV Shows in 2021

*“That gum you like is going to come back into style…”*

I read 10 books, watched 24 movies, enjoyed 3 shows, and listened to hundreds of albums and DJ sets. With lots going on in the day-to-day especially in the second half of the year, I definitely watched fewer TV shows and movies compared to last year. But with bands and artists touring again, there were so many more new albums to discover and enjoy. I’ll list out some of my favorites below – you’ll notice that my list for books, movies, and TV shows may include pre-2021 selections thrown into the mix.

Favorite music albums – see my selections at Glen’s Favorite Albums of 2021
Favorite book – Know My Name by Chanel Miller
Favorite movies – Nomadland, Pig, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Raising Arizona
Favorite TV shows – Twin Peaks (original run) and Twin Peaks: The Return

A quick note on Twin Peaks – I finally found my all-time favorite TV show. David Lynch’s surreal classic from 1990 as well as the long-awaited follow-up third season from 2017 are some of the most intriguing, well-done, and iconic storytelling I’ve encountered in any form of media. I loved the quirky characters, the wink-wink humor and irony, and the focus on mood and textures.

I would seriously read up on each episode as soon as I finished watching and even supplemented my obsession by enjoying a Twin Peaks-related movie and book. It’s no wonder Twin Peaks went on to inspire some of the best TV shows today – it really marked the turning point of TV shows to the modern era. I think the Atlantic put it best that “without Twin Peaks, half your favorite shows wouldn’t exist.” (contains spoilers)

Looking Ahead to 2022

That’s a wrap for 2021! This is the segment where I typically recount past goals and share some new goals for the new year. Going into 2022, I really didn’t have specific resolutions, and rather than force it, I’m just going to continue living my life to the fullest by further developing my skills and passions, serving the community, and being a good friend, family member, and co-worker.

There were plenty of takeaways and realizations from the past couple years that I’m continuing to develop – life seasons, contentment, managing energy, and extending myself more grace and understanding. Another topic I’ve been thinking about more recently is the fact that progress isn’t linear. Once we finish school, there is no longer a predictable progression as to what comes next. Similarly, working towards goals doesn’t mean that I should expect payoffs at consistent intervals. Sometimes there might be months or years between perceived progress, so I’m trying to periodically remind myself to be patient, to stick to my goals, and to continue to the best of my abilities.

That’s it! As I’m writing this, I’m about to start a month-long stay at a Lake Tahoe ski lease with a couple of buddies. Looking forward to a new environment, time with friends, and a strong start to 2022!