Pandemic Positives, Global Pandemic 2020

I wanted to think about positives coming out of this "interesting situation" we were all faced with, so I posted the image below on Instagram and waited for some replies. I then collated those replies, added my own, and made the list below.

Pandemic Positives -

- Better understanding of history - As I walked around my relatively good-sized town that was pretty much deserted during this pandemic, I couldn't help but think about how it must have been during World Wars around the world. So quiet, kind of eerie, but also with others walking around with you (though you didn't know them and you didn't talk to them). I think it gave me a better appreciation for the generations before us that simply "stayed calm & carried on" during those incredibly trying times (at home and abroad).

- Increased appreciation of/for teachers - I mean, having your kids at home all day (while many parents were also working from home), must be a very good way to see that being a teacher is a really hard job. I wonder if salaries would increase after this is all over.

- Reduced global emissions - with people not needing to take their kids to school or get to the office, the emissions around the globe basically plummeted. Nature started to creep back stronger than ever, and quickly. It gave many of us a real glimpse into what the world might look like without all the daily pollution.

- Increased appreciation for outdoors & sunshine - something about being cooped up most of the day is making any chance to be outside that much sweeter. It also seems like people are even planning their day around when they get to go outside.

- Renewed connections - I think many of us might have reached out to people we might not talk with all too often, but this pandemic seemed to make it much easier drop someone a note and check-in. I've reached out to family, friends, and former coworkers in ~6 states so far. Everyone does seem to be staying safe.

- Saving money - not driving to work, school, errands, etc. Not paying for gas. Not buying those METRA or CTA passes. Not much going out for entertainment or restaurants either. No real reason or way to even go window shopping, which can often turn into real shopping. Maybe a bit more beer and streaming content subscriptions though. Still, I think there's no doubt that we spend less when we stay home all day, everyday. And more on the gas point, not only are most people driving much less, but the price of gas has also dropped significantly, so when you do need to refill, it's costing less. Thank you, Coronavirus?

- Increased appreciation for family & friends - I've heard during all this "fun", the term "social distancing" should actually be rebranded "physical distancing". The physical distance is what keeps one safer, and the social aspects of many relationships have actually increased during this pandemic. It's kind of nice to be reminded how many people are keeping up on your own daily life and wondering how you're doing.

- Increased dating app activity - let's be honest, if you were single during this, you had copious amounts of time (and possibly even if not single). So, it was clear that the amount of traffic on dating sites went up. It's not exactly super helpful, since you weren't really supposed to be meeting new people, but I suppose it could lead to some interesting meet-ups and connections once the restrictions on our personal movements are lifted. I'll leave this as, "TBD".

Jessica Vosk @ The Cabaret, Indianapolis, IN

Confession - I didn't know who Jessica Vosk is when I decided to attend her event at Indianapolis' The Cabaret. I will say, I reviewed her info from the Cabaret's website sometime this winter and marked her on my calendar as someone I thought I would like - cool story, relatively young, and potentially full of energy. I didn't know her whole life story, never heard her sing, never heard her sing in shows she's know for, didn't know her famous roles, didn't know she used to work on Wall Street and didn't know she started this career later than most. It turns out, sometimes you just go with your gut and it works out amazingly.

I've heard comments since the show and believe I know quality performances when I see them - Jessica Vosk's performance was above par, super high-quality, and something I will not soon forget, especially since you can download her "cabaret set" on Apple Music (just search her name).

Rather than go through each little song and change in the show, I will leave it simply with a few thoughts - she's a pro. She started out singing her opening number from the back of the audience, walking up through the crowd, saying "hello" to some lucky folks, then let a young girl in the audience sing a line of the song - this young girl knocked it out too, and the crowd went nuts. The show was kind of like that the whole time. Standard cabaret fare with such a fresh spin, and an inclusion of others and her own stories, that it is special. Jessica is very very accomplished as a singer of this genre, as is her support crew (I mean, they literally all are professionals).

The Cabaret was also new to me and I could not have been more impressed with how fancy it all is, yet approachable at the same time. Anyone can come and enjoy the show. Really nice space inside, excellent service & cocktails (didn't try any eats there yet), great staff, even an amazing meet & greet after for a select group of donors and fans.

And no, they asked us not to be on our phones taking videos or pics during the performance, so I acquiesced. I don't have any images of her or her crew from the performance. Might be my only regret.

At the end of the evening, we went into their small gallery space for the meet & greet and I was thrilled again by many large works of art known as "paper cuts". These are really large format, esp for paper. Maybe 5-8' in height and so delicate, so intricate, we cringed any time someone walked near them or brushed up against them. Beautiful stuff to cap off the night...

(for some reference on size, that's the counter of a bar behind this work)

Now, Jessica was so busy with people pressing up to see her at the meet & greet that we didn't actually get to talk to her or take a pic, but it's ok. She'd given us so much of herself already that night, that we were fine letting her end her night and head back to the hotel. 

If you can't tell, I will hope to be back to the Indy Cabaret any chance I get. It promises to be a great night with fun friends. Does it have to be Jessica Vosk? Mmmm, not really, but that sure would be fine with me.

Thoughts on IG, Global Pandemic 2020

In the spring of 2020, the world was faced with a new enemy that had at least two names - corona virus & COVID-19. During this time, many were told by their governments to practice "social distancing" and to "shelter-in-place", which means don't interact with others and stay home pretty much all the time.

I took to Instagram as a way to "talk" a little during my day. Some of these are posted below. Perhaps they show how someone gets over the course of 7-21 days "in-place".

If you'd like to see the results of that final image, head over to the next pandemic post on this blog.

2019/20 Illini Men’s Basketball - Final Home Game, Champaign, IL

Though I didn't know it at the time, I had a pretty major weekend very near the start of all the pandemic stuff. I traveled to C-U Friday night, which was Unofficial St. Pat's, then to Indy for one night to visit their cabaret. pretty sweet little weekend, with a drive back to IL on Sunday, as planned. BUT, during the trip, I was offered a ticket at the last Illini Men's basketball game on Sunday night. Hmmmm. What to do, what to do...

I couldn't pass that up! It did mean I would leave after the game and drive back to Chicagoland, but that's only a 2.5 hour drive at that time of night.

So, I did what any true Orange & Blue would do, I accepted the ticket and went to the game. Turns out it was a pretty good one to attend - the last Illini home game for the season and, I'm pretty sure, the last game the Illini men played for the entire season. They beat Purdue in a tight little battle. Even the last seconds were pretty nail-biting.

The stadium had been refreshed since my undergrad and grad days in C-U, so it was nice to see this new space and also see they have the same level of excitement as we did back in the early 2000's.

While our seats were pretty high up, we walked down near the floor after the game, to see what we could see...

They now have a small museum in the ground level of the stadium too. Pretty cool to spend some time here before or after you head to your seats for the games...

Krannert Center for the Performing Arts (50 years), Urbana, IL

As a young man on the campus of a Big10 school, with a summer's worth of time to kill, I found myself gravitating to where a couple friends worked and could get me into their employers multiple shows, either at a reduced price (cha-ching!) or on short notice (they would tell me when tickets were leftover). The place was the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts on the University of Illinois campus in Urbana IL. 

I also happened to graduate from my bachelor's business program a bit "off schedule", in January of 1998 (please, don't do the math). Due to this "Spring Graduation", our ceremony was held in the Krannert Center, the Foellinger Great Hall to be exact. While I'd seen a number of amazing musical performances in this hall, like YoYo Ma & Wynton Marsalis, this was the first and only time I was ever on the stage myself. It felt good... as good as it could have, I guess. My parents and some siblings had come down for the ceremony, marking, I think, the 2nd time they had visited since I started school in C-U. (To their credit, we had many children to take care of, and a new small business to run, so partying with #3 wasn't high on the list of priorities).

Anywho - This post is simply a walk back in time for myself and the friends that I spent many hours with in this space. Check out the images below and be transported to a simpler time. Also note that this 2019-2020 season is their 50th anniversary. Pretty special. Pretty special place too.

You are told on the tours, I presume still, that while the wood Teak is no longer allowed to be imported into the USA, they received the US' entire annual allotment when this floor was put in. It also is said to represent the look of IL from the air, with all the corn fields in the area...

Don't forget the outdoor auditorium. It looks like it has some fresh new white paint, visible all the way almost to the Quad too.

I love this performing arts center, always have and always will. If you're in the neighborhood in the coming months, you might be able to sneak in a show in their 50th year.

n+1 bike & beer, Verona, WI

I'm not sure the city and area of Madison WI gets the credit it deserves for being an awesome weekend town. If you have a 2-4 day weekend on the horizon, I would highly recommend this area for their small town feel (an technically actual size), restaurants, outdoor activities, Big 10 university, brews, coffee, and much much more (I've done a form of glass blowing here).

Anyways, I was in town for a weekend and with insider info from a Verona native, I wanted to check out this bikes+brews+coffee hotspot in the small(er) town of Verona WI. If you don't live in the world of bikes, the term "n+1" is a sort of inside joke. It represents that ideal number of bikes for a bike lover to have in their collection/garage. As in, if you have 6 bikes, the ideal number is now 7 bikes. And so on. It works out that way for most bike nerds too.

I have to say, this place did not disappoint in much. They had great service, beers, fancy bikes, coffee, and treats-a-plenty. The only thing I might suggest more of is more bikes for sale and on display. Now, I do understand that this is mostly a custom, made-to-order kind of bike shop, but still, people like to drool over things. And it helps plant ideas in their heads too.

I went in for a light brunch and was happy to sample a few things from the menu, like - cheddar-rosemary biscuit, coffee stout, ham&cheese sandwich and a hot chocolate. All were really good, high-quality items. I'd go back for more in a second.