Flagstaff, Writing Classes, and the last of the 2020 COVID memes (Weekend Coffee Share #32)
Good morning, and welcome to the Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer! Grab a drink, pull up a seat, and let’s get to it.
Video of the Week
I’ve spent the last several weeks inflicting 2020 COVID memes on y’all (see here, here, and here). We aren’t quite done yet, but before we get to the last batch, I have a treat for you. Trent McDonald, a fellow Weekend Coffee Sharer, created an excellent parody of “Yesterday” at the beginning of the pandemic. Thanks, Trent, for giving me permission to share your work here–I love it! Crisis truly inspires creativity.
Writing News
Nothing terribly exciting, but I’m taking two classes:
- Personal Writing Workshop: Style, Structure, and Prose, sponsored by Flagstaff Writers Connection and taught by Margaret Erhart. This one’s in person in Flagstaff, so: ROAD TRIP!! And, even better: SEEING PEOPLE IN PERSON!!! I lived in Flagstaff for over 6 years, and Flagstaff Writers Connection provided my first exposure to other writers. I made some good friends, and I’m over-the-top excited to see them.
- Writing Thrillers and Other Dangerous Novels from Lawson Writer’s Academy and taught by Julie Rowe.
I’m hoping that second class helps me get back on track with the thriller I’ve been struggling with for over 2 years.
Travel
Once again I haven’t been anywhere interesting, but I’ll be in Flagstaff this weekend for my writing class. I’ll try to take a few pictures, but I’ll be in class almost the entire time I’m there. Besides, having lived there, I have lots of pictures of the area. Here are a few:
2020 COVID Memes, Part 4: The Final Chapter
I promised myself this would be the last week of COVID memes, mostly because I have a big ol’ stack of garden memes on deck that I’d like to share before spring is over. Then I started digging through my collection and found so many gems I haven’t shared yet. *sigh* So this week’s batch will be huge. Enjoy!
Social Distancing
We all learned some fun new terminology in 2020: “Flatten the curve.” “Shelter in place.” “Zoom” as a verb. And, of course, “social distancing,” which was probably invented because, “Stay the f*ck away from people,” was too direct. Or you could go this route:
Some of us (*cough* my husband *cough*) really did have swords.
I like this version:
Greetings from the Writer in Residence at Camp WTF.
Activities at Camp WTF (and everywhere else) included:
Anyone fill the entire card? I almost did.
You can’t be too careful:
Love in the Time of COVID
Social distancing added another layer of difficulty to dating (like it needed one).
Here are some more for you overachievers:
“Prince Charmin…” blahahahahaha.
Another approach:
Even serial killers had a hard time adapting to the new rules:
That last one is one of my favorite COVID memes ever, which tells you all you need to know about my warped, twisted mind.
Personal Hygiene
The Great Toilet Paper Shortage of 2020 added a layer of complication to our personal hygiene efforts:
Toilet paper wasn’t the only thing in short supply:
Surprise–kids are unsanitary little disease vectors:
Shopping
Some of us actually looked forward to grocery shopping, because it was a legit excuse to leave the !@#$% house, but it did feel a bit complicated in those early days:
Toilet paper and hand sanitizer weren’t the only goods in short supply:
2020 was the year even the diehard holdouts embraced online shopping.
Homeschooling in a Pandemic
2020 made me so glad my son is an adult. Kids–and their parents–had it rough.
Remote Work (or when “Zoom” became a verb)
Was COVID-19 human-made? Follow the money.
Here’s another bingo card for ya. Pretty sure I’ve filled about 100 of these.
Remote work is challenging for some jobs:
And now that we’ve introduced sharks to the conversation:
Regional Differences
States and even cities took different approaches to dealing with the pandemic:
Perhaps New Jersey should have taken a lesson from Stockton:
2020: The Gift that Kept on Giving
Some of us like to plan our lives. Some of us have had a rough time with the pandemic.
Hell, I still don’t feel like I can plan anything, because:
As if a deadly global pandemic weren’t enough, 2020 had other fun things in store for us:
IIRC there were murder hornets too. It’s a miracle any of us are still alive.
Wait your turn, mummies, wait your turn.
Probably the best description of 2020 I’ve seen:
Yet, being the resilient creatures we are, we kept trying to find hope:
If you’re reading this, you’re a survivor, and you’ll have so many stories to tell your grandchildren about these strange, strange times. And one day, when the age of masks and hand sanitizer and toilet paper shortages has faded to a sepia-toned memory…
I’ll be the writer-in-residence at the cannibal raider camp.
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! Got anything fun planned?
26 Comments
trentpmcd
I do remember some of those, but others – pretty funny! Glad you liked the video – thanks for posting 🙂 Looking forward to moving to 2022 and seeing garden memes…
Janet Alcorn
The garden memes are coming….
Bobbiem91
Liked the video and some of the memes were fantastic. My favorite was the bookstore one–so true. Have fun in Flag. I’m going to be in Prescott for a class.
Janet Alcorn
Thanks!
Janis @ RetirementallyChallenged.com
I love those memes… and I love humans who manage to find ways to laugh (and make others laugh) in times of stress. Have fun in your writing classes!
Janet Alcorn
Thanks!
Elizabeth Seckman
So funny! It has been a bizarre world.
Janet Alcorn
Bizarre is right! Thanks for stopping by!
joylenebutler
Very funny! Oh, and I’m one of those weirdos who looked at the scene of snow and mountain and thought, “So serene.” But I do live in Mexico, so my memory is untrustworthy.
Janet Alcorn
Oh, snow scenes are serene—till you have to shovel the driveway 🙂
Melis
Thanks for sharing Trent’s video 🙂 So good! I also really enjoyed your landscape photos! Hope you have a wonderful weekend and week ahead!
Janet Alcorn
Thanks!
Kirstin
Your writing classes sound interesting. I always enjoy your memes.
Janet Alcorn
Thanks!
Gary A Wilson
Another great collection Janet.
Since I don’t go looking for memes, I’d missed all of these and you had me laughing out loud several times.
Janet Alcorn
Glad I could make you laugh! I’m in a few meme groups on Facebook, and I also have some really funny friends–great sources of new material.
Elisabeth Ellington
Loved those photographs of Flagstaff–what a view from your front yard! I hope you enjoy the IN PERSON writing class. How exciting! I’ve got a road trip and in person writing class planned for July and I cannot wait. Also laughed at many of the memes, so thank you for sharing!
Janet Alcorn
Yeah, I miss that view. I’m a city girl now, and while I love the convenience, I miss the forest and mountains. I hope your road trip and class are wonderful!
Scribble and Scran
My favourite was the going to the store, do you want anything!
Janet Alcorn
Yep! That one was hilarious.
Julie
The toilet paper one was funny. Elbow bump will be the norm.
Janet Alcorn
I don’t care if handshakes go away, but I’m not a fan of elbow bumps. They require too much hand-eye coordination for clumsy me, and they’re just…weird.
leannelc
Hi Janet – loved all your covid memes. Hope the weekend writing classes went well and you enjoyed your time in Flagstaff and revisiting some old memories.
Janet Alcorn
Thanks! The trip to Flagstaff was great, as was the class. It was gorgeous up there.
Natalie
Janet, Thank you for your funny coffee share. I hope you had a good trip and got a lot out of your writing classes.
Janet Alcorn
Thanks!