ENG 102 Blog #6
4/19 –
Hello! My name is Michael, I hope everyone is doing well and staying healthy. It comes to no surprise to many people when I say this past month has been, in one word, crazy. There was so much planned for my senior year that has been ultimately decimated. I will not be able to attend my classes with the teachers that have guided me since freshman year. I will not enjoy the satisfaction of playing a sport with my two brothers ever again. I will not spend another day laughing with all of my friends in the library. I will not sing with my fellow choir students for the spring concert. I will not dance at my senior prom. Most importantly, I will not be attending a traditional graduation. Instead, I will receive a video recording of me walking on an empty stage and picking up my high school diploma, followed by a photo with my family wearing masks and gloves. I am told that my class will be prioritized and compensated in some way, yet I have little faith in my school district in this happening. Quite frankly, I no longer care. I have moved on from the high school experiences that have been stolen from myself and others like me. I consider myself a high school graduate. I have been looking towards my future, regarding college and career choices and I am no longer searching for some pathetic redemption of my senior year. I have come to terms with the fact that I have had so much fun the last four years and so many memories to carry with me. I am not exactly worried for the well-being of my family and I, since Warren County is nothing close to an urban area. We all do a fairly decent job at keeping our distance from others, anyways. My only concern is this pandemic ending as quickly as possible and my fall semester of university being unaffected.
4/23 –
Today is my littlest brother’s birthday. Of course, his time must be spent with limited company from others. I am under the impression, however, that he does not particularly mind. He regularly interacts with his friends over Xbox, even without the pandemic. I am happy to see he is not horribly afflicted, given the circumstances. Just yesterday was one of my best friends’ birthdays as well. Her friends, family, and I came up with an idea to celebrate without risk of contamination. We all rode in our cars and paraded her neighborhood, shouting and honking, and left her gifts outside of the vehicles. She said it was one of the most amazing things she’s experienced for her birthday. It brought me a sense of harmony in knowing that joy and appreciation still grows fervidly, even with a dangerous virus ravaging through the nation. However, I was also reminded of my AP Chemistry exam that will take place on May 14th. Regrettably, I disregarded my responsibilities of studying and retaining information for this subject ever since the school closed. Whether this was out of carelessness or hopelessness, I do not know. Nevertheless, my teacher reached out to me and urged me to keep up on my studies. I realized I have lost the majority of my confidence in passing this exam. Before the cancellation, my grades for AP Chemistry averaged 99% and 98%, as well as receiving 100%’s on my tests in class. Yet, I am reminded of the incredible difficulty of this exam frequently. So, my tardiness of reviewing the material has rendered me unfaithful in receiving the desired grade. I have made a commitment, as of now, to force myself to rebuild my confidence by relentlessly reviewing the material. If anyone would care to know, my sleep schedule is terrifyingly ruined. I sometimes stay awake until 4 in the morning and finally sleep until noon. I urge myself and others to repair this as soon as possible.
4/26 –
“Supposing we hit the body with a tremendous…uhh…whether it’s ultraviolet or just a very powerful light, and I think you [Bill Bryan, senior of the Department of Homeland Security] said that hasn’t been checked or you’re gonna test it. And then I said supposing you brought the lighting inside the body which you can do either through the skin or…uhh…in some other way. And I think you said you [Bill] were gonna test that too. And I see the disinfectant that knocks it out in a minute or minutes and is there a way we can do something like that…uhh…by injection inside…uhh…or almost a cleaning…” – Words by the President of the United States of America on April 23rd at a press briefing.
So, that happened. May the odds be ever in our favor. On a brighter note, my boredom led to me purchasing Animal Crossing: New Horizons, a game I never knew I needed. I have never played an Animal Crossing game before, so this was my first introduction to the series. The game features home decor, outdoor adventures, and first degree capitalism. Players open to a “paradise island getaway” and experience gameplay in real time. I customized my character and flew to my own deserted island with raccoons who were professional contractors. Almost like real life, I could take out a loan from the island manager, Tom, to purchase my own house. I explored my island to catch bugs, fish, and fossils to ultimately hand them over to an owl, Blathers, for science. Whilst selling the fruits of my excruciating labor for currency to pay off my loans, other animal villagers visited my island to move into houses I built for them and to indulge in a commercial paradise, such as myself. I would highly recommend this game to everyone, truthfully. On another note, I decided to leave my room for the first time in days to try something new. I learned how to shoot a bow! It is something I have always wanted to learn, so my dad bought a recurve bow and some arrows. I surprised myself when I hit close bullseyes from our makeshift shooting range after only a few tries. I am no expert, but I thoroughly enjoy shooting the bow and I hope to hone my skills in the future. Mentally, I am doing alright. There have been days that I just get out of bed in a bad mood, for no obvious reason. However, I occupy myself with quiet, calming activities, such as these, and my nerves quickly settle. I am still wishing with every part of me that this ordeal is resolved quickly. My university has begun preparations for a virtual semester, worst-case scenario. For my well-being, I really hope this does not happen. On the brightside, my family and I are still corona-free! 🙂
5/1-
Today i have officially made my first attempt to interact with the outside world. Cameran and Catrina Edwards, two very close friends of mine, moved down to South Carolina last year. However, they still have family up here in Warren County, so they came up to visit. Of course, their friends and themselves, myself included, planned for a reunion and breakfast, social distancing style. Everyone ordered their meals to-go and parked their cars in a circle in the back parking lot of the restaurant. It was an amazing experience to see them all again, after so long. We sat in our cars eating breakfast for what seemed like hours. It was not any easier saying goodbye to them once we all finished, for they had to leave the next day. While the social interaction was exquisite, it reminded me of how much a yearn for this quarantine to end. I have been talking to someone on practically an hourly basis. A guy named Henry, who i have known for some time, and recently started dating in February. He currently attends the college I am going to for a masters in history and a minor in political science. He has done an excellent job of entertaining me throughout this ordeal. We reminisce on childhood experiences, dream of post-graduate endeavors, and watch Netflix very frequently. Provided the fall semester is on-campus and not virtual, he makes me feel a bit more comfortable for tackling the next chapter in my life. Regarding the coronavirus, I am frankly anxious to see what comes of it. Stay-at-home orders are being lifted all around the northeast, which could potentially cause a second wave of infections. If this were to happen, my opportunity to experience an on-campus college life as a freshman would be squandered. I urge everyone to take extra precaution on the next month or two, as so many people may be exposing themselves to the pathogen. My goals are not entirely selfish, however. There are more important things than living in a dorm room, such as staying healthy and supporting others in their times of need. I hope everyone is doing well, I don’t know what I would’ve done without you all. ❤
5/6-
Today is a wonderful day. My boyfriend has just informed me that Mercyhurst University committed to an on-campus fall semester! These never-ending weeks of worry, anxiety, and frustration has proved completely unnecessary. I no longer have to worry about taking college courses through a computer screen–which undoubtedly would have made me scream till spring semester. It feels as though my passion and drive towards productivity and school in general has been reignited. I finished my entire Anatomy and Physiology packet given to me for my fourth marking period grade in a single day (seven hours to be exact). I also took an AP test demo and some sample questions from last year’s test to help prepare for the actual exam. My confidence has risen slightly, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t still a little nervous. As additional good news, my boss texted my brother and I that we should be able to work again very soon. Since my place of work was accepted for a grant, I will also be working on salary pay. I can hear my bank account crying tears of joy even now. My only wish is to readjust my sleep schedule to normal. I can’t help just stay awake till two in the morning and wake around noon. Hopefully a work schedule will fix this. Some other peculiar changes occurred since the quarantine began. My music taste has evolved to very diverse genres– excluding country— always excluding country music—– I cannot and will not stand for such profanity. Fleetwood Mac has stolen my heart. I could get down to Little Lies and Gypsy every once in a while, but never cared for any of their other songs. Now, much to my mom’s surprise and enjoyment, I’m dancing like a fool to Tusk and Save Me. Grimes, Poppy, Post Malone, and CHVRCHES have also nestled themselves into my Spotify playlist, all of which I highly recommend.
5/8 –
For my last corona diary entry, I wanted to do something a little special. As an outlet for my creativity that has been locked away such as myself during this quarantine, I whipped out the paint and canvas for an art project. It has been quite sometime since I have painted something, and I am not very good to begin with, but I wanted to find a calming and stimulating activity to do. I thought of this painting myself when my boyfriend jokingly wanted me to paint him something. He is very sporty by nature, so I got to work. This is what I came up with:
I got to a point where I just didn’t want to touch it anymore, so this is the finished product. It is subject to change in the future. Honestly, I cannot wait for him to take this away so i don’t have to look at it anymore. For the final part of my entry, I wrote a poem expressing my emotions during this pandemic. Criticize it as much as you like, it has never been my strong suit either.
Hoodie
By Michael Abadie
The routine grows monotonous and arbitrary
I push open my bedroom door
Outside carries a vengeful frost
But the snow here is expected past February
Yearning cannot begin to fully comprehend
The simple act of sitting down when eating out
Or holding one another
Eager for it to come to an end
Mother pushes open the door,
“You need to get rid of some of these hoodies”
A few fall to the floor
I pick out one I think he will like
Boxed, taped, awaiting for arrival
Days pass with no word
It is soon received with overwhelming joy
The comfort of one’s home was certain
Hidden from the maniacal freeze
Accompanied by those you adore
Slew of dreams hung like curtain
But home holds it’s meaning no more
Transformed to a malicious beast
Hellbent on forever locking you in it’s cage
I push open the door, hoodies fall to the floor
Thank you so much! Have a great day, stay safe!
Creative Minds 