Hanging out, meeting people, and just living life isn’t the same anymore since the pandemic began. I mean, we all know that, but I think it’s something we are all re-remembering now that life has started up again. Though most of us are allowed in school and at work, doesn’t mean all the fun things we like to do are also open. Even just seeing one girlfriend can be an issue because maybe one person doesn’t feel comfortable inside a house, maybe it’s too cold for outdoor dining, maybe things just suck right now. But then, what do you do? I think that’s what we’re all figuring out right now.

For me, I haven’t changed my social patterns. Some might call me foolish, I definitely don’t care,  have been a little more cautious though. I think before you sit in someone’s car, or makeout, you should find out where they’ve been. Be a little detective, it never hurts to ask. But if you do hang out with a friend who is “safe” what can you do and where do you go? I think a plus side of the lack of activities is that you can create new ones. I can tell you that before the pandemic, I hadn’t played frisbee in over 10 years. When the weather’s warm it’s easy to just hang outside, but we have a crazy winter here in NY. 

One thing I did was sit in my car, side to side next to a friend in theirs while we chatted. This is great in most weather conditions. But when will hanging out be like it used to? When can 10 girls walk into a restaurant, get wasted, and party at a club till they are crawling home? I volunteer as tribute whenever that is allowed again. That kind of party isn’t for everyone, I get it, but at least it involved getting out of the house.

Not to get political, but some states have been partying like it’s 1999 since last March and never stopped. Unlike those states, our social lives suffered very badly here in New York and in other states well. But disregarding the party states, I don’t think hanging and drinking will ever truly be the same. That could be a good thing. You only have to do half of your makeup, and you can assume all the guys are ugly which makes them easier to ignore. But it will also suck because it’s not something we are used to. We will have to re-learn how to have fun with masks for now. 

Slowly, things are opening. Slowly the masses are making their way out. When I’ve been inside diners, I’ve sat with plastic tarps between tables, and the same tarps in Ubers. It’s so wild this has become the norm, but even worse it’s because people didn’t care when it all started. 

Vaccines are slowly rolling out, there is a possibility for some normalcy as people get vaccinated. Who knows, maybe one day we can be at a karaoke bar spitting all over each other again, But, before any fun starts up again, before we can go out and have fun we do need to be a little more serious about everything going. It is easy to forget it’s still a big problem, but safety has to be our biggest concern still. Being back to mundane tasks like school can work, we can forget through the boredom that the pandemic is still alive and thriving. Oh, and enjoy the mundane and boring. A year ago we weren’t even allowed to the most boring or tedious tasks outside of our homes, so definitely enjoy. 

Maybe, in 2023 we will look back and say, “What a time, remember when masks were a thing?”

I desperately want to be back to living la Vida Loca as soon as possible. So be safe y’all, and don’t be stupid.