Jekyll2020-03-17T18:57:21+00:00https://www.evanhorsley.com/blog/feed.xmlEvan’s JournalThis is my personal blog where I share content about things going on my life.
This. Is. Real.2020-03-17T19:55:00+00:002020-03-17T19:55:00+00:00https://www.evanhorsley.com/blog/coronavirus/covid/covid19/life/2020/03/17/this-is-real<!-- Content -->
<p>As many of you know, the current social and economic climates in America- and around the world- are changing very, very quick.</p>
<p>As a college student who lives two hours from home, this is a huge change for me. After the news last week about classes moving online for the rest of the semester, I’ve had a hard time wrapping my head around everything. I’ve had a hard time with the sudden transition. I’ve had a hard time realizing why this is all happening and understanding everything. I’m overwhelmed.</p>
<p>Myself and my peers have been told we need to move out of our dorm by the end of next week. Although I am in full support of this decision, and am glad to be able to return home during crazy times like this, I’m still overwhelmed with it all. It still all doesn’t seem real to me.</p>
<p>Two weeks ago, I was in classes, prepping for my upcoming midterms, hanging with the best friends I’ve ever had, and going about a normal life of a college student.</p>
<p>I remember sitting in my dorm, just even a week ago, talking with my roommates about this virus and what it was doing elsewhere. I remember thinking “it’ll never happen here.” I remember not worrying about myself, or those around me, thinking that this would never come here and never affect us.</p>
<p>I was wrong.</p>
<p>I remember right before spring break there was a case in the US. I then remember, very vividly, the night the rest of my semester would be changed permanently. I was driving Gena home, and we talked about it the entire way. We talked about it coming to the US and our plan for it. We got to her house. Then, the news came: OSU would hold all classes online until March 30th, with the possibility of an extension. This didn’t seem real.</p>
<p>I sat there thinking about this all. It is real. It is affecting my life now, and the lives of those around me. I couldn’t process this sudden change, and it didn’t make any sense to me.</p>
<p>A few days ago, days after OSU initially moved classes online until March 30th, the university announced that would continue into the rest of the semester. My mind sank.</p>
<p>I was confused.</p>
<p>I still am. It doesn’t seem real to me that I won’t be returning to classes, or to my dorm, or be able to spend the same time with all of my roommates, friends, and girlfriend.</p>
<p>I’m returning right now to my dorm to collect my things and move out. This will likely be the last time I’m outside for anything non-essential until this clears up.</p>
<p>This entire thing is real, and effecting myself, those around me, and those in my community. It is so very real to me, and I understand it’s effects, yet I still feel like I’m in a dream, or a nightmare, rather.</p>
<p>I just can’t seem to process this change. It doesn’t seem real, and yet people are dying because of this. It is real. So why am I struggling to process everything?</p>
<p>I will continue to write about my experience as a college student over the coming weeks, months, and maybe years. Please stay safe, reach out to you your loved ones if they need help, and most importantly, please stay home. Stay inside. Tell those you know to do the same. It is the best way we can help right now to stop the spread. This. Is. Real.</p>Date Night2020-01-25T19:03:39+00:002020-01-25T19:03:39+00:00https://www.evanhorsley.com/blog/date/night/2020/01/25/date-night<!-- Featured Image -->
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<p>Last night, Gena and I went out on a date night. We try to make it a thing to go out on a nice date atleast once a month, sometimes more. This is a great way for us to unwind, relax, and catch up on everything that has been going on in each other’s busy lives.</p>
<p>We decided to go to Melt Bar and Grilled, a really cool restaraunt that we’ve been to before. Melt has awesome food, of which they are most known for their grilled cheese. We got ready and took off, makingo ur way through the crappy, rainy weather that Columbus has brought upon us for this weekend.</p>
<p>We arrive, thankfully at a decent hour with no wait. While walking in, the most memorable part of our night occured: Gena fell. Not just a trip and fall, but she fell for a solid ten seconds. I think her heals coupled with the fact that the floor was wet are what caused this, but it was too funny to not mention here. She’s okay, and thankfully never made it all the way to the ground (a kind stranger helped me catch her). But I definitely did not let her forget about this, as we laughed randomly throughout the night about it.</p>
<p>My favorite thing to get at Melt is their Mac and Cheese grilled cheese. It is one of the most interesting foods I have ever eaten, and one of the most American foods you can think of. Add Bacon, and you’re set! For those that haven’t been to Melt, I highly recommend it, as their food, service, and atmosphere are awesome!</p>
<p>After we finished up at Melt, we made our way to Simply Rolled Ice Cream, where we both enjoyed chocolate fudge ice cream. We also made a stop at our favorite little store in Columbus, Rocket Fizz. All of these establishments are located in the Short North Arts District, which is my favorite part about Columbus.</p>
<p>After this was all said and done, we made our way back to the dorms to watch a movie with some of our friends. “Ex-Machina” was the movie of choice, of which none of us had ever seen before. It was a really good movie, and really interested me since it is highly centered around AI.</p>
<p>Overall, last night was an amazing night. Gena and I both lead very busy lives with school and work, so setting time aside to spend with one another is always a treat.</p>Welcome to my blog!2020-01-22T18:43:39+00:002020-01-22T18:43:39+00:00https://www.evanhorsley.com/blog/blog/new/2020/01/22/welcome<p>Hello, friends! Today I am taking the plunge and have decided to start removing myself from certain social media websites.</p>
<p>This decision has been a long time in the making, especially because I use sites like Facebook to connect with other family members. However, I have been spending too much time on these things, and often get stressed out due to the content on them. These sites are a great way to connect with family and friends, but I have decided to remove myself from them.</p>
<p>The biggest part of my decision in this entire thing was I want to make sure my family and friends are still able to stay in touch with me and see what I am doing in my life. Therefore, I am moving all of the content I normally would post on Facebook, etc., to here. This will be my blog that I write on occasionally showcasing cool things I’ve gotten the chance to do, life updates, etc.</p>
<p>I’m still in the process of setting it all up. I need to setup comments, setup notifications, and configure the theme and layout a bit more. This shouldn’t take too long, but I’ll likely write about it in an upcoming post for those of you that are new to this sort of thing.</p>
<p>As always, I’ll still have my phone and phone number, so those of you that have it can always reach out whenever. For those that have questions, feel free to reach out to me via e-mail currently here: <a href="mailto:evan@evanhorsley.com">evan@evanhorsley.com</a>.</p>
<p>I hope that moving away from sites like Facebook not only removes a factor of stress in my life, but also frees up more time to spend with people, too. I love hanging with friends and family in person, and want to remove distractions such as Facebook from my life so I am able to do those things more. Thanks for reading!</p>Hello, friends! Today I am taking the plunge and have decided to start removing myself from certain social media websites.