We all have experienced unprecedented times this year. A global pandemic, no answers, lockdowns, incompetent politicians, and really gross weirdos who are putting more people at risk unnecessarily with their conspiracy narratives and actions. I’m glad my little family and I are healthy. Otherwise, this year is just lost. This year in review is getting pretty monotonous except for the first two paragraphs.

Black Lives Matter

Unfortunately, it took until the murder of George Floyd for me to finally grasp the full scope of the injustice against black fellow humans. I have been aware of this movement for a long time because of the abuses in the USA and the violence against black people. However, only so on the sidelines, in Germany the topic seems to be far away.

This year I have learned a lot about the history, culture, and living conditions of black people in America. Books, articles, films, documentaries. It’s shocking what white people in Germany simply don’t know. I also lost the basic trust in the police and the state through BLM, which I had so beautifully cultivated before. While writing this section, I quickly came up with 6 paragraphs, so I decided to write a separate article on the subject.

I support the Black Lives Matter movement. In all its facets, including, of course, the angry protests that lead to riots. Black people have been dying for decades. The perpetrators get away with it. There have been countless peaceful protests and conversations. Nothing has changed. The days of diplomacy are over, the shit has to end.

Space travel

With a successfully completed test mission and the first – still ongoing – regular mission, SpaceX brought a total of 6 people onboard the ISS. On the one hand, these were the first manned flights in the new Crew Dragon spacecraft, but on the other hand, they were also the first manned flights for which NASA contracted a private company for transportation to the ISS. This is cheaper, drives progress, and is the absolute (positive) highlight this year. For company founder Elon Musk, it’s the first step. Next, he’ll take humans back to the moon (including the first civilian/commercial passenger in 2023), and after that, we’re finally going to Mars.

Despite all the negative things that are constantly said and written about him, Elon Musk is in my eyes the most important living person for us as mankind.

2020 Personal

Okay, starting in March, my wife, our two kids, and I was completely “locked up” at home for 22 weeks. Only got out to shop and walk the dog. Homeschooling, home office, childcare, and household all at the same time. Then relaxations, rotating classes. It was hell. Sure, it’s a luxury that we could continue to work from home without financial constraints. There are other fates with job loss, short-time work, or even loss of existence. But this is my perspective. A third of the first grade and a large part of the second had to be taught by us at home to our son. Of course, he didn’t really understand why he actually had time off and we punished him with hundreds of exercises every day. The frustration level of all of us increased from day to day. The following rotation (one-week presence at school, one-week homeschooling) was of course also very exhausting and not really organized satisfactorily by the school as well as by the state. At the end of the day, I’m worried that the basics of the 1st and 2nd grades won’t really stick with my son, the basics on which everything will be built upon later.

In July, there were relaxations of personal restrictions, so after much deliberation, we allowed ourselves 2 days at the Holiday Park. The hygiene measures and other protective measures were implemented really well, so we felt really safe. My wife went to her brother on the Baltic Sea for a week with the children during the year, but I stayed at home because of Corona and work.

I usually eat once a day. Due to all the time at home and the constant care of my children, I was constantly eating. 5-6 times a day. I put on weight. Horrible. Moreover, I realized that contrary to what I thought, I was not prepared at all for such a situation. The pandemic hit me like a blow and made me realize what I need to change to better handle extreme exceptional situations in the future. I will never be caught that unprepared again.

2020 Professional

Before Corona I had 2 days a week of regular home office, then weeks of complete home office and towards the end of the year 1 day presence in the office, 4 days home office. I must confess that during the time at home because of the other circumstances (childcare, homeschooling) I did not perform optimally. Also, it really stresses me out that free time and work completely blur. I get up at 8am, work, and get off work sometime between 7pm and 10pm in the evening. A few more hours of Netflix, then sleep, repeat. In doing so, I only leave the couch for necessary needs. That’s not a healthy work-life balance.

Nevertheless, through my work I managed to move up from designer to art director. I am very happy about that, now I have only one professional milestone ahead: Creative Director. I have also taken over the supervision of apprenticeship in the agency, which will be exciting.

2020 Christian Hockenberger Online

I have planned to write more articles this year. Well, except for the annual review ’19 and a rather bad article on the subject of Corona, there was nothing more. The whole pandemic-related circumstances have let my motivation sink into the basement. So also nothing else has really happened here.

2019 Miscellaneous

  • After a great season in 2019 and a good Divisional Game against the Seahawks, my Packers unfortunately lost the NFC Championship Game against the 49ers.
  • That said, the Packers’ 2020 season has been the best I’ve watched live so far. Hopefully this time it goes all the way to the Trophy
  • Star Trek Discovery season 3 was pretty good, I can accept it all better in the future of the future.
  • I considered Star Trek Picard to be very bad. Story bad and even underground bad computer graphics
  • Next year, against all expectations, there will actually come the Snyder Cut of Justice League!
  • Also this year without any problems completely without alcohol and tobacco, basic Straight Edge in a manner of speaking ( absence of promiscuity goes by itself).
  • I still couldn’t find enough time to draw
  • WHO and German government have neither my trust nor my respect, fired by their behavior in the pandemic

Reflection Goals 2020

  • Attend an IndieWeb event
    Failed, Corona
  • Visit the HWC Karlsruhe
    Failed, Corona
  • Publish a theme to the WordPress theme repository
    Failed, Corona, Lack of motivation
  • Start a podcast and run at least 5 episodes
    Failed, Corona, Lack of motivation
  • Get my weight below 100kg by 30 June and keep it until 31 December.
    Failed, Corona, Lockdown, Homeoffice
  • Going Abroad
    Failed, Corona, Lockdown, Prevent danger to my family
  • Reflect all these goals in the next annual retrospective
    Hereby completed

Goals 2021

Since things won’t get back to normal right away in the new year, obviously, I only have two goals:

  • Surviving the pandemic as well as possible
  • Be vaccinated as soon as possible