*Flops into chair and takes a deep breath* Okay, I have time to write a blog post before I “meep meep” and zoom off like I’m being pursued by a famished Canis latrans. I feel like all of the socializing and activities lost to 2020 are getting crammed into the back half of 2021. It’s wild, but I’m honestly enjoying it. I know, big surprise that a high-energy extrovert is a fan of social activities. So here’s what I’ve been up to.
For the first time since graduation, I visited my old college campus! I was in Michigan for a wedding and my companion Sydnee (another college friend) and I decided to drive our little rental car down and see what was up.
College buildings come in two varieties. The brand new ones that are completely foreign and kind of fun to explore, and the ones that have not changed at all and that I could walk blindfolded. It was really surreal to go between those two types as we explored the campus. It just so happened to be move-in weekend, so as we passed our old dorms we spied a new crop of freshmen and their families moving boxes and suitcases. I wish them the best as they start a new chapter of life. College was a great time for me, and I hope others can have as good an experience. As we reminisced in the union, relaxing on the couches where we used to study, we concluded that it’s good to be on campus as an alum.
Okay, so once I got back from Michigan, the suitcase didn’t even go back in the closet. The next weekend, I visited my family in Nebraska. This wasn’t just a normal trip home to visit my family, I had a very special person in tow. This was Alex’s official “meet the family” weekend. Because our relationship developed long-distance and the pandemic restricted travel, there just hadn’t been an opportunity to make the trip sooner. I could have waited until Thanksgiving, but that meeting would also include my extended family, which is...a bit much for one weekend. So, immediate family now, extended at Thanksgiving. And we road tripped the 10 hours so my dad could service my car while we were there. Did I mention Alex is a patient person?
Considering that this post isn’t titled “Suddenly Single Again” you can probably guess that the trip went well. We visited all of my grandparents, hung out with my siblings, and taught Alex more about popcorn than he ever thought possible.
We toured Preferred Popcorn (where my mom works) and got to go on top of a grain bin.
And THEN, once we got back from Nebraska, I am now preparing for *drumroll* my first convention since lockdown! *cheering* I have had my ticket for Texas Frightmare Weekend since 2019. And this weekend I will FINALLY be able to use it. I, being a cosplayer, will be dressing up for all three days and thoroughly enjoying everything about this tentative return to my favorite hobby. Yes, I’ll be wearing a mask, and yes, the convention size is capped to allow for proper social distancing, but will I be complaining? NOPE. I missed this so much. The dealer room, the panels, the celebrity guests, and my personal favorite thing, connecting with other people who get really excited about things they like. The convention energy is something that can only be experienced in person, and I’ve been deprived for far too long.
These activities do have a common thread. I feel like I’m checking the boxes of the groups in my life that I need to regularly connect with. With the trip to Michigan I was able to reconnect with my college friends, who truly are some of the closest friends I have made in life so far. In visiting Nebraska, I was obviously able to reconnect to my family, which in my case takes a lot of effort due to the distance, but it’s always worth it. And finally, this weekend, I’ll be reconnecting not only with the broad social group that is my fellow nerds, but with myself as I get back into something that really brings me joy.
I hope you can reconnect in 2021 with family, friends, social groups, and even yourself. This is such an action-packed blog post that I didn’t even talk about my upcoming move into a new apartment. That’s a post for another time. And there’s my birthday on the 29th, so I’ll probably celebrate that somewhere in there. I’ll figure it out, I always have so far. For now, I have to dig up my cosplays that have been waiting for far too long to be worn. Now where is my knife and fake blood?
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