Off Topic Empire: Quarantine Hobbies

We’ve all lamented it at some point or another. “If only I had more time, I’d be able to [insert reasonable-to-delusional expectation you have for your average self]!” Then, as we all know, the monkey paw curled and the novel coronavirus entered our world, forcing us to shelter in place, causing many of us to lose our jobs, and in many unfortunate cases, affecting the health of ourselves and our loved ones and Boris Johnson.

When the world shut down in March, many of us looked to find the positives and turned our attention back to those elusive, suddenly-attainable personal goals with a newfound wealth of time and solitude and attacked them in earnest. But it’s July now (no really) and we’re all likely well-adjusted to the new normal, so how are we doing with our progress? I know there to be two types of people in the world: people who set consistent goals with their available times and hold themselves to task, and men. Let’s find out where you fall together! (A notable exception to this of course is the stay-at-home parent crowd. I have no kids but from what I’ve seen their world, especially for those also still working, is a different reality entirely where the concept of personal goals is fiction. You’ve kept everyone alive and therefore are crushing it.)

It’s only fair to start with MC FixYoSelf:

• Learn French- I’ve always thought French was a beautiful language (controversial!) and am a bachelor in need of skills, so in April I started an account on Babbel so I could sound cooler and learn the French word for crepes and stuff like that. Babbel seems great, they build on what you know in a more logical way than just throwing a bunch of vocab at you and I was enjoying my progress (we are not sponsored by Babbel but will entertain the option). Then I missed a day, then two, then ultimately forgot until about now. I guess I’ll just keep calling them crepes.
• Get in shape- A classic. I infrequently went to the gym due to lack of time, so shouldn’t the sudden tidal wave of available time be the ultimate panacea. I...I don’t know what happened here. Gym time went way up but the gym went away, so creativity becomes necessary. Not ideal. Occasional runs early in the morning here and there but little else before opting into an elective-but-needed surgery and firmly entrenching myself into the couch cushions.
• Take classes- Learn a new skill! With so much time to work with, developing career skills seems fair game for being productive. Even going back for a degree online is on the table. I have never been one for online learning and was reminded of that as I stumbled to the finish of one smaller class needed for work. That MBA isn’t coming anytime soon.
• Consume as much pizza and beer as possible (unwritten, subconscious)- Fucking crushing this one you guys.

What were your goals for quarantine and how are those looking now? Wear a mask and commiserate below!