Change is in the Air

March 17th was my wake-up call to life never being the same as we know it. My brother came from San Francisco and during his visit we were even afraid to hug each other and instead of sharing one last hug before his departure we managed to give off a elbow tap to indicate that we cared about each other and to offer positive sentiments and good luck to battle through this troubling period of life.

Prior to covid, I remember on the phone we discussed how we would spend our first night together in the city. We talked about the possibility of going to a Broadway show. "Mrs. Doubtfire" was on my radar, because I absolutely love the lead "Rob McClure." He is so darned talented. I saw him in the musical "Chaplin" and his talent, grace, and believability just blew me away. I ended up seeing that show the week it closed, and it was so amazing that I saw it once again on its closing night. When he sang the 11 o clock number "Where Are All The People" I remember being mesmerized along with the rest of the audience, as he continued to tug on our heartstrings and sing the most beautiful melody that conveyed his character (Charlie Chaplin's) starpower fading from view.

I also saw McClure perform on Broadway when my mom and I went to the musical "Beetlejuice." Although I loved this musical I felt that this role was too one dimensional for McClure and that he was capable of so much more.

The last time I saw him perform was at BroadwayCon. He performed a segment from Mrs. Doubtfire and through that I was able to see that once again McClure would be able to showcase all of his talent through this unique leading role.

But on that day almost seemed surreal to me as everything appeared to be shutting down right before our eyes. That was the momentus day when Broadway decided to go dark. I can't say that we were able to accomplish a huge amount that day, other than elevate my anxiety level, but we were able to go to a "Staples" and print out my book, so that I could easily make corrections. We ended up eating dinner at P.J. Clark's, sort of a New York staple of a restaurant where my mom's friend Pat works. Every time my brother and I are together I feel that it is only right for us to take a "selfie" in order to send to the 'rents in Alaska. As you can see this is an uncomfortable selfie that features forced smiles and questionably distanced stances.

Michael was in town for the next couple of days. I had planned to hang out and watch him perform at the "Improv. festival but was saddened to find out that this too had been canceled. So, in place of piano playing, he took me on the most epic grocery trip of a lifetime that was of course funded by my parents! My roommate and I joke about it being an "apocalyptical" shopping trip due to the 36 rolls of toilet paper and 20 lbs of rice that we purchased. "C-Town" (grocery store) produced an environment that was no laughing matter. Shelves were emptying of pasta and carbohydrates, toilet paper packages were being ripped open, and there were lines galore throughout the store to make it to the checkout station.

Well, after our epic "Apocalyptical" shopping trip, we went home and prepared this soup that I referred to as "the feeding of the 5,000,"because the bowl never appeared to run empty.

After my brother left town I must admit that I had a slight moral crisis, after thinking that my Singlehood series was too malicious. It didn't take long for me to come to my senses. I have to say I was extremely excited to thumb through my book. I left various detailed notes and somewhat outlandish requests. For the most-part they put my requests and corrections into practice, and followed my requests to a "T." There are a few graphics that I am extremely proud of, and I must say that this one makes the cut!

I must say that the first week of the quarantine I wasn't really sure of how to feel. I was scared, unsure, and knew that this would be a perfect climate to foster a good depression. Knowing that with my unique mental state that this pattern could easily become natural and excused, but ultimately I knew this is not what I wanted to do. I knew that depression would lead right back to the basement in Alaska and that's not where I wanted to go, so I started doing anything to keep my mind occupied and busy. I must say I became a master chef, extreme workout enthusiast, and world-classed editor.

I have became quite a talented salad-maker. I must say that I have always enjoyed making salads and this has evolved into the creation of the "Awesome Salad." The only difference between an awesome salad and a regular creation is that "Awesome Salads" also include fruit to provide that tangy flavor.

Throughout the quarantine my favorite meal has been the "Awesome Salad" with a protein element.

Another element that we could see was essential to keep active is the desire to work out. I must admit that I have always been a work out enthusiast, and one day while sitting on the couch naturally we both started exercising. Right then and there we decided to start a routine and in the morning we would do a pilates work out and in the afternoon we would do "Buns of Steel." This photo was taken in the morning as we were about to do Pilates, equipped with our improvised "Quarantine Weights."

Here's a picture of me and Lilly doing our nightly "Buns of Steel" work out. To keep life exciting we gave many of the individuals nick-names. Some of my favorites are Skipper (she was cute like that adolescent Barbie doll) and Mullet man (for obvious reasons.)

Unfortunately as I write this the Quarantine is still upon us and it takes some self-motivating and structure to make it through.