By Larree Quixote
This has been a hard year. The year 2020 feels like decade. Things are tight in Hollywood, CA, as there is no work to be had for a live musician in the real world. So, I try to keep things simple and cut back wherever I can. I still splurge for some good takeout. I want to support my local struggling businesses. And I am spending a lot of time on online education. I try to be positive and focus on self-improvement This new world that we have been thrust into is not much fun. There is no entertainment to be found anywhere in my city. No relief; no release; no joy in Muddville.
And that brings us to the big thing. Money. Expenses. Our government gave us that $1,200 check and dumped us on the side of the road. They left us hanging. We watch as they use our hardship as a negotiating chip in their ideological political game. So yes. This has been a hard year. And I, like many around me, have no idea what is coming next. Fear, anxiety, heartburn, stress. This is not an easy ride.
So, I spend enormous amounts of time on my computer. I enrolled in a lot of online classes. I earned two Contact Tracer certifications and I have been sending out job applications. I enrolled in some coding classes and web accessibility workshops. I’m trying to learn to speak a little Spanish and other languages through some free courses offered on my local public library website. I’m learning to sing Italian arias and songs in a live Zoom class. And I am developing life coaching skills so I can perhaps help other people who are going through tough times – like me. I even became an ordained minister. Yes I did. Just like Conan O’Brien, Lady Gaga, and Kris Jenner. Hugh Hefner was even an ordained minister. Hey, I never know when some hippie friends or an LGBTQ couple might want to get married by a non-denominational, non-judgmental, spiritual kind of guy who can even write them their very own wedding song.
And the best part? A lot of these courses and workshops were offered for free. Even the Contact Tracer certifications. Even the ordainment. Okay. The minister thing? Perhaps it was all a come-on to get me into their store to buy stuff – like the wedding ceremony kit and the clothes. The ministerial life can be expensive if you go all in. But even if I never buy the cool jacket and parking permit (which probably would not save me from getting a parking ticket), I am an ordained minister!
Perhaps I will start using my alt, the Reverend Rabbi Moses Christos, to perform various ceremonies in SL. Weddings, funerals, etc. I can drop a donation collection plate somewhere and give sermons on thankfulness in SL. Yes, be thankful for your (second) life.
So much loss this year. So many fabulously influential people left this Earth in 2020.
I met Kobe Bryant. It was his very first day in Los Angeles. A good friend of mine, a heavyweight in the music business at the time and a huge sports fan, invited me to a party at his house. Nothing special. He did this all the time. His phone rang. He answered it, spoke a minute, and hung up.
“Kobe’s coming!” He shouted.
About a half hour later the door opens and in walks Kobe Bryant. A young teenager ready to start his rookie season. I am still so thankful that I got to spend ten minutes alone in a room with Kobe talking one-on-one about basketball, Los Angeles living, and life in general. I cried my eyes out for days the day Kobe, his daughter, and the rest of the people on the helicopter crashed and died on that horrible Sunday morning.
And the COVID was just starting to hit. Soon after Kobe’s death our world was consumed by the virus. It was almost as if Kobe’s death created a great disruption in the force.
We lost Eddie Van Halen this year. EVH. This one hit hard. Being a life-long guitar player, Eddie was an idol. An untouchable guitar god with golden riffs that no one could duplicate. A local guy, just a few years older than me, who played battle of the bands shows on the same stages with my band. Obviously, his band won those battles.
The brutality of 2020 didn’t let up for a minute. 2020 even took James Bond from us. Sean Connery. The original Bond. The best Bond. The coolest guy with the coolest theme song. Taken from us when we needed him the most. James Bond can’t even save us now.
Neil Peart, Alex Trebek, Chadwick Boseman, John Lewis… And George Floyd. And all the lives that have been taken from us by the virus.
Just… brutal.
No birthday parties this year. Except for a drive-by. We did a drive-by back in May. But that was it. No holiday festivities. No concerts, movies, or stage shows. No…
I’m sorry. I thought this piece was going to be about thankfulness, too. I assure you it was not my intention to mislead. This year we will have to reach deep to find thankfulness. But I can try to save it here - in this article.
I am very thankful. I am thankful for my second life, and all my beautiful Second Life friends. My beautiful escape from the reality of 2020 to a place where we can be mask-free and hug each other as much as we want. A place where we can still sing loudly in public and dance until dawn.
Stay safe, and have the best holiday season you can have. Stay positive, be hopeful, and be especially thankful for the life you have. See you in 2021.
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