The Year that Wasn't

Looking back on 2023 with something less than fondness

A year ago, as we flipped our calendars to 2023, I was ready, even excited, for what felt like the first normal year of my adulthood. After graduating into the pandemic and watching the Hot Girl Summer of 2021 flop in the face of covid variants, and feeling utterly despondent with my first job by 2022, I felt as though 2023 was a perfect opportunity for a fresh start. 

With the assistance of two burly Russian men and their box truck, I packed up my belongings and relocated from Sacramento to Oakland. A few months prior, I had moved from an in-person, nonpartisan policy analyst government job to a fully remote, explicitly political communications role, giving me another chance to do the work I had so enjoyed when I worked on social media for Notre Dame athletics. 

By January 2023, I had shaken off the clutter of moving, acquired the necessary new furniture a…