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jessnicolevisuals

2020...? What is happening?

Updated: Jan 23, 2022

I think we need a re-do of 2020... or a nap.




Ya’ll – 2020 aint it! Where is the reset button?????


Though there is a lot of uncertainty for COVID-19, aka Coronavirus, aka the Virus, aka the Rona, aka I don’t want this and our government needs to get it together: all we can do is try to remain calm, educate one another… and wash our hands.

But that is easier said than done because… well, typing words are easy. Putting it into action is the hard part.

It becomes too much. The media has become too much, the back and forth of our political leaders become too much, the masses of social media is too much. How do we care for our mental health during this time?

This link above with mental resources helped me today. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about the virus, but I am. The link above calmed my anxiety… along with therapy . My big take-a-way: I can only control what I do.

And what can I do??... well, I can provide some recs to help cope during this pandemic!

Show: before I jump into a new show recommendation, let us back track to Love is Blind for a second. 4 Words: JESSICA. DOES. THE. MOST! If I had to recap the show, this is it: Jessica gave her dog wine… like what? Why? Lol. Cameron and Lauren are #goals, Giannina: girl, you ran like your life depended on it.

Damien apparently got catfished into doing the show (via Vulture.com), Kelly did Kenny wrong, and I’m surprised with Barnett and Amber’s outcome.

Phew! That was a lot! Now - New shows to watch during the pandemic: On My Block (I need to see if Monsae and Cesar stays together!) Gentefied (my girl Julissa Calderon from Buzzfeed is on the series! If you’ve watched Pero Like videos by Buzzfeed, you’ll know exactly who I’m talking about), and Grey’s Anatomy (yes I’m adding the longest TV series in history to this list because Shonda Rhimes is just that good and this season was WILD!)


Book: I was talking to Haleigh G last week about books and I realized, a good chunk of my books on my shelf and TBR are memoirs. If you’re looking for a good laugh during this lockdown, I’m recommending The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish. Now, a lot of people give TH flack because they feel some of her material isn’t funny or upholds stereotypical black perceptions that we try to eliminate. I think Tiffany is living within her means, be unapologetically her, but also handling her life as best as she sees fit. For that, I applaud her.


Food: For the newcomers on the recs page, I shared content about an IG page that gives away free pizza (yes, free pizza). Welp, guess what: Eat Free Pizza (IG: @eatfreepizza) is becoming a brick and mortar in Bridgeport. Eat Free Pizza, an Instagram page started by three friends who made homemade pizza for their followers, are setting up a shop thanks to Maria’s Packaged Goods and Community Bar (which was also featured in one of the first recs). The family who own’s Maria’s also owns Marz Community Brewing I believe.

All three places are key to check out since they are interwoven within each other and will have updates given through the IG handle @pizzachickenicecream. Why is that a handle/how it relates to pizza? The area will be a one stop shop to get pizza (from Eat Free Pizza), fried chicken (from Kimski Chicago) and ice cream (from Pretty Cool Ice Cream) in one location. (if you haven’t had Pretty Cool Ice Cream, their shop is in Logan Square and they have a stand at Timeout Chicago… 10/10 recommend!):

If you can’t wait for the brick and mortar to open: my go to is heading to Target and buying pre-made pizza crust, pizza sauce, pepperoni (or veggies of your choice for vegetarian options), and fav cheese for a quick 10 minute pizza party.

I hope these recs brought a little joy to your day. Since we are all WFH and not sure when we will be back in the office: remember - set time aside for you. We can’t help someone else or perform our jobs well if we can’t help ourselves. If there is anything that I’ve seen or learned so far from this pandemic, it’s that our country has a lot of growing to do. Our leaders are split while some are in it for the long haul for everyone, equally. We may not share the same opinions, political views, or lead the same lives: but I think we can all agree that we want the best for the future of our country and its people.


Our country has the means to take care of our world but how do we get the means to be distributed equally? When there is a crisis here at home (the pandemic, polar vortex, etc), we find temporary solutions to care for the whole person in an instant. When the crisis is over, we send everyone back to square one and try to resolve the same issue again or ignore it. My goal in life is to not find temporary solutions to long-term problems… it’s to be a part of the change that I know can happen for any situation for people and communities on the margins.

So, as we WFH, know that the work we continue to do is making an impact some way, some how. Our scholars will go on and continue to do great things… and so will we. As my favorite podcast duo would say - drink your water… take your meds… call your person (whoever they may be.)

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