Tag: Pandemic

Living in a Post-Covid World

While Covid isn’t technically over with yet, it has slowed down enough for the world to return to somewhat normal. We don’t need masks anymore. We don’t have restrictions on where we can go or what we can do. Life is back to how it was…or is it? With cases on the rise again, we might wind up doing this whole thing all over again.

Looking back on the last two years, all I can think about is how weird it really was. We all essentially lost two years of our lives. It’s like two years just didn’t exist. We couldn’t go anywhere. We couldn’t do anything. Nothing was open. We were confined to our homes.

While Covid did mess a lot up, (like my trip to Germany that’s been put on hold for over two years) it also showed us that there is still good in the worst of times. Because I was required to sit at home when Covid started back in 2020, I met some really awesome people through Twitch and Discord and through playing games like Fortnite and Apex.

But this blog post isn’t about a time during Covid. This is about after it. Basically, my life is back to normal. I’m working full-time. I can go and do whatever I want when I want. I can try to regain some of what was lost over the last two years. I’ve even gone to a few concerts recently.

But going back to normal also comes with a price. I don’t have as much time to play video games. I don’t have as much time to just hang around on Twitch or Discord. And sadly, I don’t really talk to most of those friends I’ve made during the pandemic. Life just got too busy it seems. I do hear from a few every now and then, but we don’t talk like we used to.

The two years we weren’t able to do anything were truly some of the weirdest moments of my life. The world came to a halt and it’s something I never thought I’d see happen. It’ll be interesting to think about Covid times again years from now. How we reacted. What we did. What it was like. It was just such a strange time, and one I won’t forget.

Writing Comedy

There are always TV shows and movies that we find funny and even sometimes hilarious. I always enjoyed comedy and I still do. I’ve always wanted to write comedy too. The only problem is, I could never figure out how to write comedy. How do you write jokes down and then make sure others find them funny? Well, I think I finally figured it out.

I’ve always loved shows like Arrested Development and The Office. Movies like Deadpool or Game Night. I feel like the comedic writing in those examples is fantastic. Then you have people like Ryan Reynolds who are seemingly funny without even trying to be. That’s a talent in itself.

The thing is, I think I’m funny. I tell stupid jokes. I act goofy. I generally don’t care what people think of me. But still, I struggled with trying to write that on paper. I finally realized that it’s a combination of things. I need to write the jokes, and then, when I go to film it, make sure that it’s delivered in a way that’s funny. Comedy is just as much performance as it is writing.

So that leads me to the point of this post. For the past few weeks, I’ve been working on my own comedy series that I will film and then post to YouTube. It’s an idea I had a long time ago that I sort of forgot about. I had filmed one episode for it before the pandemic and it can be found here. I have rewritten that episode and I’ve written another episode to follow it. My goal is to film at least three episodes over the summer that I can release over the rest of 2022.

I just want to write and film something that’ll make people laugh. Comedy can be used as a healer. I’ve always liked making people laugh and I always will, even when they didn’t really want to. I think it’s a gift being able to make people laugh and I’d hate to waste it.

I’m Just Exhausted

So, I pride myself in being a content creator. I stream on Twitch, I edit gaming videos for my gaming channel on YouTube, I write short films and comedy sketches, but recently, I just haven’t felt like doing any of that. It’s not that I don’t like doing it, I’m just tired. And things like streaming and editing video have felt more like a job than fun. I already have a full-time job, I don’t need another. Even coming up with and writing two blog posts for March has been a challenge.

My trip to Colorado in January was my last real break. It feels like I’ve been working non-stop since I got back. I was registered for a film production class too, but I dropped it about three weeks ago. I just don’t have the time to dedicate to it. At the end of April, I should be taking a weekend off to go camping. I know for a fact that’ll be fun and relaxing.

Life doesn’t suck, though. Yesterday I went to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. I always loved going there. They have a new exhibit called The Art of the Brick, where it’s all LEGO sculptures. To be honest, it was both amazing and emotional. Why emotional? I played with LEGO sets since I was a kid. I still buy them sometimes. But to see that someone made a career out of it made me realize that I can still do fun stuff with them too. I can go back and make stop motion LEGO films, something I’ve wanted to do, but haven’t done yet.

Life gets busy. Life gets hectic. Sometimes, we just need a break. That’s why today and tomorrow I plan on not doing much of anything. I just want to sit at home and relax. Being able to not do anything will be just as good as going on vacation. I’ll probably play some video games, watch TV or movies, read comics (I have a bunch of those left to get through). I’m sure this feeling of exhaustion will fade, I just have to power through it.

Advice From a Guy That’s 30

Originally, I wanted this to be an actual blog post, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense to make it into a sort of list. Do I know everything? No. Do I know a lot? Sort of. This is just a collection of things I’ve learned over the last 30 years. They aren’t in any order either.

  • We tend to care too much. We should care about the important things, but things out of our control, we should let go. It took me a long time to learn this one in particular. Once I stopped caring about the small stuff, things were better for me overall.
  • Don’t worry about what others think of you. It’s impossible to make everyone like you. The most important thing is to just be yourself. If people don’t like you, that’s their problem, not yours.
  • Do the things that make you happy. Don’t let others stop you from enjoying your life. I read comics and play video games. People look at me weird when I tell them. Guess what? I like playing games, and comic books are amazing between the artwork and the stories. If they don’t like it, it’s their problem, not mine.
  • Travel when you can. The world is so big, and there’s so much to see. Go out and see it when you can.
  • No life will ever be perfect. The idea is to make the best of what you have. Sure, you’ll have good and bad days, but the bad days will pass. The good days should be enjoyed.
  • Learn your worth. It took me a long time to learn mine and when people weren’t treating me right, I walked away. Even in past jobs. Were they happy? No, but they had every chance to make it right and they didn’t. I have no regrets.
  • Live without regret. I know it’s easier said than done, but take a chance. Get out of your comfort zone. You’ll be surprised how things can turn out. I can happily say that there isn’t a single thing I regret. Just don’t do anything illegal.
  • Don’t wish to grow up too fast. Enjoy your younger years. One day you’ll blink your eyes and you’ll be all grown up. People want to skip to the end, but half the fun is the journey you go on to get there.

I’m sure there’s more but I just can’t think of them at this moment. If I do, I’ll update this list.

Being 30 isn’t all that bad. I work with teenagers sometimes and they like to call me old. They make jokes about how I had pet dinosaurs and that sort of thing. Sure it’s funny, but realistically, I’m not that old. And most days, I don’t even feel like I’m 30. I feel younger.

Over the last 30 years, I’ve witnessed a lot. I remember September 11th (I was in 4th grade at the time). I saw the creation of smartphones, something I never thought I’d have. Now, everyone has one. I saw the Chicago Cubs win the World Series for the first time in over 100 years. I watched the Chicago Blackhawks win not just 1, but 3 Stanley Cups. I lived during a global pandemic that’s lasted way too long. I’m also older than Google. What did I learn from it all? The world is far from perfect. Everyone has their own story to tell. A reason for who they are. But that’s also why I am the way I am.

There’s so many negative things that happen in a given day. So many things that make people feel horrible. I like being the person to make people laugh. I like making a positive impact even for just a moment. I like telling stupid dad jokes. I like being goofy. It’s what I do. We’re all going to grow old one day, but who says that we have to grow up?

People take life too serious; they take themselves too serious. People need to enjoy themselves more. There’s no need to be stressed over things that literally won’t matter in a few years years. Enjoy your life in the moment, because once this moment is gone, it’ll never come back.

Snapping Back to Reality

At the beginning of January, I went to Colorado for a week with two of my friends and one of my brothers. It was an amazing week. I’ve gone there every year for the past five years except 2021 because of Covid. I didn’t know what Colorado looked like at the time, and I didn’t want to risk getting sick. To make up for it, we went to Wisconsin instead.

The trip to Colorado was broken up into two parts. The first half of the week we spend on the mountain at Winter Park. While I can’t compare it to other ski resorts in Colorado because I haven’t been to any, I can say that I really do enjoy going there. It’s not super crowded and we’ve been there enough to know our way around pretty well. It feels familiar.

We skied for 3 days, which is the usual, and then we headed down to Colorado Springs, a place none of us have been to before. While it wasn’t all that exciting, we did go to the Garden of the Gods. It is beautiful there. What made it better was the fact that it was sunny out as well. Colorado truly holds some of the most amazing views in all of the United States.

I can go into more detail on the trip, but that would take way too long to do. Instead, watch this video if you’re interested: Colorado 2022. I basically made a whole video about the trip including some footage from on the mountain while skiing. There’s a part in it where I fall into a big pile of snow. It’s great!

What I really want to say is that Colorado this year was different. It was harder to come home. Covid had us locked up for so long, we forgot what it was like to be free; to do what we want. We went to Colorado and started 2022 off the best way possible.

I’ve been home over a month and I keep thinking about that trip. The fun we had. Living life without worry. Waking up knowing the next day would be filled with fun and excitement. Now, every day is the same. I wake up, do some stuff, go to work, then go to sleep, and do it again the next day. On my days off, I’ll play some video games or do some other random tasks. But I’m not truly free. I’m free to do what I want in a very confined space.

It’s not that I don’t like playing games or my job. I love the life I have, but to be able to just travel, see new places, do fun things all day every day, it’s not a luxury I have. Humans weren’t put on this planet to work all the time. We aren’t here to be miserable. We should be allowed to go out and have fun too. We should be able to enjoy the things this planet has to offer before it’s too late.

In September I’m supposed to go to Germany for a week. That trip will be absolutely amazing, but I already know it’ll be so hard to come home. I’ve never left the United States. The farthest I ever traveled was to Hawaii almost 20 years ago.

Germany will be a completely different experience that I can’t wait for. The things I experience there will most likely change how I view things. And while I’m excited to go, I’m afraid it’ll change my mentally. Not necessarily for the worst, but change it in a way that’ll make me want more. I’ll want to see more. I’ll want to travel more. I won’t be happy just sitting at home and and going to work.

In the meantime, I can only remember the fun times and enjoy the present. We all need a break from reality every once in awhile. My next break won’t be until April at the earliest, maybe July. It seems far away, but it really isn’t. Life is meant to be enjoyed for the short amount of time we’re here. We should all take advantage of that when we get the chance to.