A Night Out At Home

My social calendar filled up very quickly tonight. You might think there’s not much to do on a Thursday night in Utah. . .in the middle of a pandemic. You’d be right. The events on my calendar weren’t in Pleasant Grove or even in Utah.

COVID changes everything.

The three events I had to choose from were a piano bar in Nashville, a football game in Seattle, or a book reading. .I think in Russia. Well, the reading was probably not in Russia, but the book was War & Peace, and it’s set in Russia.

The football game started at 6:00, the other two at 6:30.

Of course, all three were virtual events, online events. I realized I couldn’t attend all three. But, it’s all virtual, right? I watched the Seattle Seahawks taking on the St Louis Cardinals. At least I think the Cardinals still play in St Louis. I don’t follow football a lot.

But, football can be watched without sound. So, I tuned into my friend Rachel’s Virtual Piano Bar. I watched the football players crashing into each other to a sound track of “Don’t Stop Me Now,” and “Black Velvet,” and other songs.

Rachel did Virtual Piano Bars from March through July. She then started doing live shows, in and around Nashville and St Martin in the Caribbean. The live gigs have been mostly put on hold again. Weird that I wouldn’t be able to see her perform live, but the fact that restrictions are back in place means I can.

The football game, like all games was held without fans. The sound was pumped in. Even the booing for “bad” calls.

I enjoyed both the concert, and the game (Seahawks won 28 – 21.) I was disappointed I didn’t get to go to the book reading. They were going to explain War & Peace. I’ve read it. I don’t understand it, but I did read it.

Maybe this is what it’s going to be like now. Maybe we will attend concerts in Tennessee while watching sports in Washington and being disappointed we couldn’t attend a reading in Russia.

That’s the thing about a new normal. We get to figure it out as we go.

Stay safe

Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren.

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