Ahhh yes, the second wave of COVID-19 we were warned about from the very beginning. As we all find ourselves facing a new surge of cases across the world, many are being forced back into lockdown.
I live in Oregon, and the virus hadn’t touched the area I live in– until now. Fittingly, myself and my roommates tested positive just last week so writing this article couldn’t have hit harder.
Germany released a fictional video of an elderly man talking about the winter of 2020 from the future. He claims he was 22 when the second wave hits and recounts his memories of what happened. Or what didn’t happen for that matter.
In a world that ridicules those who live a more relaxed lifestyle, now we’re all being told to stay inside. All day. Never to leave encouraging all of us to embrace our inner couch potato. Let me tell you, I’ve never spent so much time horizontal. Laying on the couch, the bed, the floor.
The man in the video claims a similar scenario where he did absolutely nothing for weeks. Luckily for me, I have school, work, and a couple roommies to help keep me busy. But what about at night, after it gets dark at 4:30pm and you look at your reflection in the window with wandering, lonely eyes… That’s when the isolation hits.
It’s funny to think about what we’ll tell younger generations about this time. Germany’s recount is pretty accurate if you ask me. A time when the whole world stayed home for a year and were forced to relearn how to live in a virtual society.
I know being a couch potato is appealing, but I can tell you it get’s old after approximately five days. We as humans crave stimulation and only so much of that can come from a screen. Since I’ve been searching for new ways myself to stay occupied, I thought I’d share some of the things I’ve been doing this past week.
Using a crock pot. I know this may seem like something that everyones already doing, but I’m 20 and can’t plan ahead far enough to make these recipes regularly. With this in mind, I’ve been perfecting my slow-cooked chili.
Drinking mimosas and cooking pumpkin bread. In all of quarantine I never baked anything so I thought I owed it to myself to try. To spice it up a little we decided to introduce alcohol into the equation. The bread turned out marginal at best.
Running! This has been a nice break from climbing the walls. I read running reduces your risk of heart disease and cancer. In a time when fast food, alcohol, and drug purchase are hitting record highs I’d say all of us need a quick jog.
Champagne bottle racing. Which one of your friends can chug 25.4 ounces of carbonated liquid the fastest? Time to find out. Make it a zoom challenge even?
Remember I am a college student so these activities are catered to a certain demographic if you know what I mean. *Alcohol cough alcohol*. Wherever you are in the world, we got this. Hopefully just a few more months and we’ll emerge with a vaccine in the spring.
If all those suggestions seemed too boring here’s another example. A man was photographed iceskating across a lake being propelled by a chainsaw with no shirt on. That’s one way to stay busy.
Video produced by the Federal Republic of Germany
