So long 2020. Tschüß. さよなら.

As a 12-year-old, I had a good laugh when Queen Elizabeth II described 1992 as her "annus horribilis", mostly because of the serendipity of being able to translate it believably as "bum year". Ah, the joys of a 12-year-old studying Latin.

For many, 2020 has been even more of a bum year, and this time I'm pretty sure nobody is laughing--with the possible exception of those who are already so far removed from society that its mere temporal ills can't possibly bother them.

Billionaires got unfathomably richer throughout 2020, while those who struggle to put clothes on their back and food on their table were driven even further into despair.

The pandemic gave us a small glimmer of hope when global emissions went down, only for our government here in Australia to decide it's time to throw all their financial and policy muscle behind a legacy fossil fuel.

Somewhat irritatingly for some of us, governments, corporations, and institutions suddenly found ways to make it easier to get things done: electronic prescriptions and distance learning, for example, were suddenly the norm rather than being left in the too-hard basket.

When able/rich people start to be affected, suddenly it's time to pull out all the stops and do something about the pernicious ills that plague society. Thanks for the scraps, overlords.

And while accessibility for some things became better, the government here in Australia decided that JobSeeker payments should be cut back to below-poverty-line levels just as we roll into a new year.

We're in a nexus, folks. There are many pathways out of it, but only some will make society fairer and more equitable. The people who are in power will be the most determined to find the easiest path that punishes the least-visible people. It's up to all of us to resist.

But that's 2021 work. Throughout 2020 I've been grateful to a number of people who have helped me to make it through the year.

Unlike many, I found 2020 an opportunity to finally live a life (if only for a few months during lockdown) where the voices in my head were quiet, and the only one I could hear was my own. I was lucky enough that our income was unaffected and that nobody we know has lost anyone.

But that doesn't mean I didn't need help or support. And so here's my now-traditional list of people to whom I'm grateful.

During the second lockdown here in Melbourne (the longest in the world!) I discovered @Minecraft. I've now built replicas of every house I lived in back to when I was 14, Neuschwanstein, and a Pokémon theme park. That was a great sanity-saver during the long twilight hours.

On top of that the kids and I have become enormous @hermitcraft_ fans. I'm grateful to all the hermits, but especially @ThatMumboJumbo, @GrianMC, @iskall85, @renthedog, @BdoubleO100, @GTWScar, @WorldofKeralis, @TangoTekLP, and @impulseSV. We're only 30 videos behind now!

I'm grateful to the @GuardianAus crew for keeping the news coming, especially @AmyRemeikis, @gabriellecj, @murpharoo, @msmarto, @GrogsGamut, @joshgnosis, @NickEvershed, @firstdogonmoon, @naamanzhou, @lukehgomes, @callapilla, @SvetlaStankovic, and @adamlmorton.

I'm grateful to @Delafina777 and @AmyThunig, both of whom share perspectives I might otherwise not have insight into and whose messages I carry with me when I'm considering my own actions and the consequences thereof.

I'm grateful to @IndigenousX for providing a platform for me to learn more about Indigenous perspectives in Australia. It's helped me understand why current actions in Australia are never going to be enough. We need to demand more.

I'm grateful to @jonkudelka for his wit and unrelenting derision for the stupidity that is endemic to modern capitalist society. Please let me know when the snakes and blizzards subside enough for me to visit and buy some art.

And above all I'm grateful to my wife @MrsNLD and my kids for getting through 2020 with me. My extended family has been just as much of a support.

Happy New Year folks. It's 2021 time.