2020: Things that got me through lockdown
Like everyone else this year, I did not expect to be in lockdown at all and for so long. I threw several solo “pandemic parties” to keep my spirits up. On one occasion, I read books for 24 hours. Besides reaching out to loved ones and allowing myself to cry and talk to my plants, the following lists are what helped me get through life in lockdown this year.
Games
I don’t really think of myself as a gaymer, but I did buy a Nintendo Switch last year that I was hoping to make more time for. Lo and behold, a pandemic would help me with that goal. Here are a few games I dove into:
drawasaurus
Drawsaurus is basically a digital pictionary but more fun. A friend recommended it for our group to stay occupied. We might’ve played it once as a group, but I played it so much in the early days of quarantine. You have the option of playing with your friends or other people stuck at home. My favorite thing was giving hints to help people figure out what atrocity I had just drawn; a small way to issue kindness.
Animal Crossing New Horizons
This game has been such a godsend for my mental health; it's been so fun yet therapeutic to play. I took a chance at the beginning of quarantine on this game and bought it. I entered quarantine around March 12 and had no idea how long I would be inside. Simultaneously, buzz about ACNH was inescapable on social media. I did something I don’t normally do: bought into the buzz and bought a copy for myself. I have not regretted it; best purchase. Being on an island fulfilling a purpose (designing your island) took my mind away from the madness of this year. The sunsets in particularly just filled me with warmth and hope. This was my first time playing an Animal Crossing game, so I’m not sure what the previous titles were like, but New Horizons is basically a great big collection game. Each thing you collect unlocks levels to collect more things, meanwhile you’re designing an island. As a product designer, it felt great to use my design skills in a different way. Another function of the game is visiting your friends on their islands and they can visit yours. For Christmas, I invited some friends over to New Virgon (my island), we exchanged gifts and I gave tours of my island. It was awesome to see them in game form even if I couldn’t see them in person.
Truth or Drink by Cut
Truth or Drink started as a web series on YouTube by film studio, Cut (based in Seattle). The studio eventually turned the series into a card game you can purchase. I find the series insightful and amazing to witness people get really deep with each other. They say and express things people wouldn’t normally share. I bought the game myself last year and have played it with friends and on virtual dates. I had to modify for virtual play, but my friends and I loved it that they bought their own decks.
Pokémon Go
“People still play Pokémon Go?” Yes! After the initial launch, there was so much interest and then a dip in activity because there wasn’t much to do. But then Niantic, the game developer, added so many more features, including trading monsters and gifts with friends as well as adding a buttload of monsters from various incarnations of the Nintendo games. The game became one of the most played phone games last year. I was pretty active in playing PoGo with co-workers and friends before the pandemic happened. Obviously, everyone was staying home so Niantic modified the game so that you don't have to leave your house at all.
Books
I barely read this year because I wrote and published a book in quarantine, but I did manage to escape in between some pages this year.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Yes, I am in my 30s, and yes, I love Power Rangers. Millennials will be 90s kids forever. A couple of years ago, I found out that there’s a comic series and graphic novel series for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. It is so very well written. There is a little bit of a 2010s-pseudo realistic lens to it. For instance, Tommy Oliver, the green ranger is cast under Rita Repulsa’s spell and does her evil bidding, which is pretty true to the TV series from the 90s, but the first novel in the series delves into Tommy’s PTSD of being abducted. There’s a bit of grit and just a tinge of realism in the graphic novels, which I appreciate being a realist myself. This year, I continued reading a couple of issues and also continued buying the omnibuses that comprise the stories from the graphic novels.
Vibrating Higher Daily
Like the Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, I have to read Vibrating Higher Daily by Lalah Delia in nibbles because it is rich in thought-provoking, heart-shifting golden nuggets. Here in Austin, our parks were initially closed to the public but when Hippie Hollow opened to limited capacity, I laid in the warmth reading and staining my copy with sunscreen fingers—taking breaks to watch the sun rays glisten on the choppy waves caused by the boats passing by. Admittedly, I’m still nibbling on VHD but enjoying it.
The Meaning of Mariah Carey
Anyone who knows me knows I am a lamb, a Mariah Carey fan. I love Mariah Carey. I’ll save you in listing her many talents and accolades. There’s so much said about this woman, some of which is inaccurate and haterish. When it was revealed that her semi-autobiographical memoir, the Meaning of Mariah Carey, was coming out this year, I instantly pre-ordered it from my local and favorite bookstore as well as the audiobook version. I haven’t read the printed version yet but the audiobook version was amazing. I learned so many knew things and some things that were alluded to were expounded on in fuller detail. She’s had a rougher life than I imagined and overcame a lot to be this powerhouse we know today. It made me love her more. I can’t wait to read my hardcover copy in the new year.
To see what else I’m reading, you can follow me on Goodreads.
Films, Series, and Vlogs
In the past couple of years since I moved to Austin, I have wondered what life would be like if I sat on my couch watching Netflix more and well, luck (I guess) would have it that I would do just that this year. Since I watched so much I am just going to list them. All of these were titles I gobbled up and wished there was more of. I weirdly did not watch too many movies.
Tyler and Todd (YouTube) — I love this Canadian couple so much that I support them on Patreon. Before the pandemic, I’d contemplate tiny living but watching this couple learning together really inspired me. I started somewhere in the middle (thanks, YouTube algorithm!) with my first vlog, so I started from the beginning and look forward to every new video posted, where Tyler rolls his eyes and stifles a laugh at Todd’s sly, sexual euphemisms.
Tiny house everything (YouTube) — I’m seriously considering living minimally. More on this later.
Ocean Conservation Namibia (YouTube) — I needed joy and hope this year. I follow the Dodo videos and I guess YouTube felt I needed more animal rescue videos, so it gave me OCN, where they stealthily stalk seals on the beach, capture them in nets, and cutaway sea trash from around their necks. Some seals are in pretty bad shape; it’s tough to watch. But they assure the audience that the salty ocean water will help keep the wounds from being disinfected. Some seals are grateful; others hightail it back to the water after rescue. I smile every time. It caused me to change some of my habits around plastic, too.
Outer Banks (Netflix) — This one surprised me. Like my investment in ACNH, the world being turned on its end made me try things I wouldn’t normally be into. I really loved this series and still think about violating my no-rewatch rule. Speaking of…
Avatar: the Last Airbender (Netflix) — I’d seen ATLA in full before in college, I believe, and loved it. I love the allusions to various Asian ethnicities, beliefs, and astrological elements. The message of each episode is so profound but told in such a fun and not overly trite way. I violated my no-rewatch rule again and started immediately re-watching after finishing the series.
Love Is Blind, Too Hot to Handle, and the Circle (US, Brazil, France) (Netflix) — All of these series I watched before the pandemic touched down in the US while I was recovering from surgery. Who knew that these series would act like a prerequisite course for pandemic living (and loving). Love Is Blind portrayed people falling in love behind a wall. Too Hot to Handle showed people not acting out their dirty thoughts on each other. And the Circle series showed people interacting solely through social media. Enter the pandemic.
Dark Desire (Oscuro Deseo) (Netflix) — I feel like I watched a few subtitled series in quarantine, but this is the one that stuck out most. Voiced in Spanish, Dark Desire kept me on my toes every episode. It was formatted in a way that you didn’t know if you were in a new episode or not, and I did not care. If there is another season, I definitely need to see it.
The Crown (Netflix) — Bruh. I was not expecting to love this show. I only watched it because I love portrayals of Queen Elizabeth and don’t really know anything about Queen Elizabeth II. It is a loose portrayal, of course, but it is so so good. I am ready for season 5 and 6 already.
The Real Housewives of Atlanta (Hulu) — I caught up on season 12, which the majority was filmed before the pandemic touched down in the US. The reunion episodes were filmed while in quarantine, which was interesting to see how a reality show would pivot to this interesting time. Remarkably, there was still drama while the world was falling apart and it was still entertaining. I caught a glimpse of season 13, and I’m going to wait until the full season is out to binge the madness.
Flavor of Love (Hulu) — I rewatched season one of Flavor of Love in all its glory, and it is still the best piece of television the 2000s offered.
Additionally, I was surprised that I liked Schitts Creek, but I don’t think I was as into it as everyone else. I was happy to dive into the current season of Grey’s Anatomy (Grey’s has gotten me through a lot), but I’m sad it won’t be able to get me through the next three months since it’s on an extended break. However, I’m happy to jump into all of the Black 90s sitcoms that debuted to streaming this year.
Music & Podcasts
Throughout my entire life, music has been the one constant that has gotten me through rough times—this pandemic is no different.
For brevity, here’s my top songs for 2020 according to Spotify.
Albums I had on repeat
Lady Gaga, Chromatica
Lianne La Havas, Lianne La Havas
Taylor Swift, folklore
Troye Sivan, In a Dream
Carly Rae Jepsen, Dedicated/Dedicated B-Sides (listen to my playlist that combines the two)
Songs I had on repeat
BENEE, Gus Dapperton, “Supalonely”
Perlo, “Call Me A Fool”
Free Nationals, Chronixx, “Eternal Light”
Qveen Herby, “SADE IN THE 90S”
Victoria Monét, Ariana Grande, MONOPOLY
Playlists I had on repeat
@majimb.o
Elsa Majimbo says everything I feel and think when people want to hang out whether in a pandemic or not. Like, we didn’t hang out before the pandemic, why are you asking to hang out now? It makes no sense! [chomps on chips]
@Mattbooshell
Matt Buechele is a hilarious comedian based in New York and was actually just featured and performed in a year-end video for Netflix. It was really cool to see how his mostly-apartment style comedy translated to a song-and-dance number.
@nathan
@jazmynjw
I caught on to Nathan McCallum before the pandemic while I was in fitness training. One day I brought one of his videos to my trainer and said, “hey, can we do these type of workouts!” They seem easy but they kick my ass. He’s funny too.
A fellow Texan, Jazmyn W, posts hilarious sketches about being Black in spaces with white people and all the microaggressions that come with it. She posts humorous and super relatable (to me) content.
@embracingblackculture
I love this account so much. It’s carefully curated and each post not only keeps me informed with what’s going on in my community but nearly every post is hilarious. I couldn’t choose just one, so you get a direct link this time.
There were other means I used to stay sane this year besides entertainment and writing a book. I tended to plants, I went for walks and jogs and exercised with my trainer by Zoom. I called friends. I traded nudes with other friends (this is a blog for adults btw). I managed to go on distanced dates. Apps were my main way to stay connected with loved ones and not-so loved ones. I reconnected with people my normally super busy life would kept me from. I clung to online communities a lot this year, too. There were so many reunions and squashed beefs (Will Smith vs Janet Hubert, Monica vs Brandy, Mariah vs Ariana, etc.); so beautiful. But also, this year was full of reflection and introspection. I looked at my identity as a Black and queer person. I felt emboldened to live and present myself as I am without trepidation or fear but with unshakeable pride.
Hopefully these things will help you in the new year.
