ajmarkett11

[ajmarkett11]

Same Old Same Old

What’s going on blog? It’s been a few days since I last checked in, and not much has happened in the past few days. Happy late Easter to everyone. I hope everyone had the opportunity to spend time with family and enjoy the holiday at home. I spent my Easter pretty much not doing anything. It was a weird day, as it didn’t really feel like a holiday or a normal Easter, but I still made sure to remember and celebrate the real reason behind the day. While we couldn’t attend mass or have a big family party as usual, we still had dinner as a family and prayed. Other than that, it was mostly just another boring day.

On Saturday, we were blessed with another decent day outside, having the opportunity to play some wiffle ball and basketball. I started the day by visiting family at the cemetery, always a good thing to do around Easter time. The rest of the day was spent outside with my brothers and step brothers. As I’ve said before, these days pretty much just drag on. I feel like these days are almost unreal, like I’m just going through the same motions every day. I know this is going to get extended which sucks. But, I know we, as a country, need to do all we can to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

It is now Wednesday, and I originally started writing this blog on Monday night, but to be honest, I find it harder and harder to write these blogs each time because nothing new is happening in my life. It’s just the same old thing of not leaving the house every day. I don’t really know what else to talk about besides my boring life. So for the remainder of this blog, I will be talking about Led Zeppelin. Led Zeppelin is the greatest band of all time. Some people might claim The Beatles as the greatest, but that’s just not it. If you really listen to every Led Zeppelin album, you cannot say they aren’t the greatest. You just can’t. I challenge anyone who’s reading this to go listen to Led Zeppelin 1 from top to bottom. That’s their first album, and it only brushes the surface of what they accomplished and how they changed music. Well that’s 400 words, I’ll talk again another time. #life2020

[ajmarkett11]

Felt Like Summer

What’s up blog. I hope everyone is doing well at home and not going insane with this social distancing. The past two days were awesome for me. On Tuesday, the sun shone bright in the sky and the heat from the sun made it feel like a summer day. The temperature in the car read 81 degrees, an almost unbelievable temperature for the beginning of April. But I was the last one to complain about the heat—I love it. My brother Mike and I hopped the fence at Marist to throw and run on the field, once again feeling like I was at a summer practice. After about 45 minutes of some good work, one of the security guards kicked us off. I mean I understand he’s just doing his job but really? Mike’s obviously an alum, and I’ve been going to this school and playing on this field for 4 years. I think we should be able to go on the field whenever we want. Apparently, that’s not how it works. At least it took him 45 minutes to see us.

As the sun started to go down, all I wanted to do was go out and do something—anything. It felt like a Friday night in May during the final weeks of a school, a night where all my friends and I would be together. Tuesday was such a tease of normal life, and it went straight into yesterday. While it wasn’t as hot out, the sun still shone and the heat still resided. I ended up playing basketball with my younger brother for around two hours, completely gassed by the end of it. While my brother Matthew is 3 ½ years younger than me, he’s at least 4 inches taller than me, not an ideal matchup for a basketball game. As his older brother, it’s my job to keep him grounded, as he thinks he’s the man because he’s tall. I can’t say I won the game, but I definitely kept him humble.

As the rain and storms poured in last night, the summer feels went away once again. The temperature dropped significantly, and the cool spring air came back. The rest of the week and into next week looks the same as today—cold, rainy, and windy. This just calls for more days sitting in the house doing nothing which I am 100% sick of. I’ll check back in tomorrow to see if anything in my life changes. (It probably won’t.) #life2020

[ajmarkett11]

Today is Monday, April 6, and it was a tough wake up this morning. I told myself I was going to start going to sleep by before 11 on “school” nights, but I’ve completely disregarded that. The last I looked at my phone before I went to sleep read “2:03 a.m.”, and I woke up a couple of more times in the middle of night. As my alarm beeped off my phone at 8:25 this morning, I immediately hit snooze and turned back over to go back to sleep. After those extra 10 minutes of sleep, I woke up, still half asleep, signed into my Spanish class, and went back to sleep again. When I finally fully woke up at 9:40, I felt a little more well-rested, ready for the day. After a shorter workout and a little brunch I made for myself, I had a zoom session with my Marco class. I’d be lying if I said I paid any attention at all during that. ESPNU is re-airing three Oregon games from last football season and first up was the Washington game, so it was impossible for me to pay attention to the class. I live for Oregon football, and these games are just taking me back to the best time of the year. Friday night games for us, and college football games all day long on Saturdays were the best times. It’s hard to fathom that those times are over, that there’s no more Friday night football games for us. Luckily, I’m still blessed to be continuing my athletic career in college, but it still won’t be the same. Nothing can compare to high school football under the lights. I wish so badly that I can go back and relive those moments, but that’s just not how it works. During this quarantine, that’s what I’ve been thinking about the most. As I sit here watching the 2020 Rose Bowl and Justin Herbert runs into the end zone to put the Ducks up 7-0, all I want is football. The greatest sport in the world and the best time of the year, all I want to do is lace up the cleats, strap on the helmet, and get on the field with my teammates. There’s still at least 3 ½ weeks of quarantine, and it could be longer than that out. All we can is pray that it gets better. #life2020

[ajmarkett11]

What’s going on, blog? I hope everyone’s trying their best not to lose their minds and trying to find ways to be productive. It is now Sunday, and it is the end of the “weekend”, although weekends don’t feel much like weekends anymore. Friday was a beautiful day. Temperatures reached up to 70 degrees, and we were able to get onto the field at Marist to throw and run routes. So much nostalgia hit me stepping back onto that field. So many memories filled my head from the past four years just by standing on the field. I still can’t believe I won’t ever have the chance to strap up the pads and helmet for the Redhawks anymore. I remember people telling me that high school would be the fastest four years of my life, and as an incoming freshman, I just brushed those comments to the side. Now as a last semester senior, I realize that they weren’t lying. Anyways, being back on the field running around and catching footballs felt awesome. It was a chance to get away from everything and be in my sanctuary: the football field. As the sun beat down and the sweat dripped down my face and onto the Marist turf, I was home. That night, the air was still relatively warm, and it was a perfect night to sit by the fire. My brother Mike and I tried to start the fire several times, losing the battle with the logs every time. We tried everything from lighter fluid to charcoal, and nothing worked. So, as we kept throwing leaves in the pit to continue the slightest bit of a fire, we sat there and listened to Led Zeppelin and Bruce Springsteen, acting as if it was a cool summer night. Man, do I wish it was summer.

The summer feels ended when I woke up on Saturday morning to 30 degree weather outside. Just another of laying in bed watching Netflix in and sitting in my chair playing guitar all day. These days of sitting inside just drag on, doing the same things over and over again. Hopefully time starts to move a little faster and the days don’t feel as long. I know there’s pretty much no chance we go back to school, so I just hope the summer comes faster. At least Friday was one nice day... #life2020

[ajmarkett11]

Hey blog. Yesterday was probably the toughest day of the quarantine so far for me; I finished The Office. As one of the best shoes I’ve ever watched, it was tough to say goodbye to the show. When you watch a show for 9 full seasons, you feel a connection to the characters and to the story, like you personally know them and what goes on in their lives. This usually happens to me with every show I watch, but with The Office, it hit harder. It’s crazy how you can get emotionally connected to a TV show, a fictional story about fictional people working at a fictional paper company. While I was sad to see the characters go, the ending could not have been better, and I’m glad the creators ended it how they did.

Besides finishing The Office, I had a pretty productive day. It was a beautiful day yesterday, sun shining and a great opportunity to get outside. I started my day with a run, finished off by some sprints up a hill in my neighborhood. I didn’t realize how out of shape I’ve gotten during these past couple weeks. I’ve been working out almost every day, but my cardio has been minimal. After almost passing out after those sprints, I am definitely going to have to change up my workout routine. I also watched an old Oregon football game from 2014. What a year that was for the Ducks. Marcus Mariota and the boys went all the way to the National Championship, and man was it fun to watch. I miss those days. (I’m a huge Oregon Ducks football fan if you couldn’t have guessed already.) While watching the game, I realized how much I miss football: Marist football. Marist has given me a lot school wise, but nothing can compare to what Marist football has given me. The memories, the relationships, the lessons… I could go on and on. The day we lost to Lincoln Way East in the State Semifinals was honestly the saddest day of my life. I’ve never cried more than I cried at the end of that game. That just goes to show how much Marist football means to me.

It’s only April 3, and I feel like I haven’t seen my friends in months. Two weeks ago today, we all came home from Siesta and that was the last time I saw any of my friends. I don’t think I can go another 27 days sitting in my house, only seeing my brothers and my parents. But I know this is how everyone’s feeling, and we will all get through it together. #life2020

[ajmarkett11]

What’s up blog. I hope everyone is doing well in these quarantined times. Not going to lie, these past few days have been tough. I’m getting very tired of doing the same things all day every single day. From playing guitar to laying in bed and watching Netflix, there aren’t many things I do in between. The only thing keeping me sane is being able to stay active and workout still. I thank my mom for our gym setup in the basement. Because I would always work out at school or would have workouts for football, I never took full advantage of my basement gym. Now, I use it every day, and I would go insane without it. I am trying to have a better mindset towards this whole pandemic, trying not to be selfish. At first, I felt sorry for myself, not truly seeing the big picture. I pushed off the “stay inside” and “social distance” memos as society acting a little over dramatic. In recent days, however, I realized how serious this pandemic is, especially in the United States. We now have the most cases out of any country in the world, and people say it’s only going to get worse. So while all I wanted to do was “break the rules” and go out and do something normal, I now know that these memos are for real. The only way to stop the spread is by staying home and social distancing. While it really does feel unreal, we all need to listen because it is very much real. Is it the end of the world? No. Of course not. But, if we don’t do what the government and higher powers demand us to do, this unusual way of life will last for much longer, and this life STINKS. I’m so sick of it already, and we just got 30 more days added to it. Awesome. I just wish I was back on the beach in Siesta, dusting sand off my body to get ready for another game of Spike Ball. What a time to be alive that was. As I sit here writing this laying in my bed, I feel like I haven’t seen my friends or left my house in months. I can’t imagine what it’s going to feel like when this is all over. I cannot wait for the day where everything goes back to normal, and life goes on the way it should. #life2020

[ajmarkett11]

When I arrived home from Florida almost a week ago, I got off the plane in a completely different world. The gloomy sky and the empty airport was the complete opposite of what I had been used to the 6 days before that. As I drove home from the airport, the streets empty, I couldn’t believe my eerie surroundings. It was in shock at how society had become. As I write this today, it still hasn’t hit me yet. I have been cooped up in my house for 6 days and… 6 days? That’s it? I feel like I haven’t left my house in an eternity. My mom doesn’t want us to go anywhere or do anything because of our potential exposure while traveling. While we most likely weren’t exposed to anyone with the virus, my mom wants us to play it safe for 7 days. Does that mean only 1 more day of quarantine and I’m free to go? Nope. Definitely not. All these commands to stay at home has us staying at home, obviously listening to what the politicians are saying and staying safe. With this quarantine, I am pretty close to going insane (not actually, just a figure of speech). The days just drag on, going about my business monotonously. Sign on Canvas or Zoom for school, take a nap, watch Netflix, workout, and play guitar are the only things I’ve done this entire week. If I could describe this time in one word, it would be “brutal”. I apologize to my family, but I’m a little tired of only seeing them every day. I want to see my friends, enjoy a nice meal out at a restaurant, and honestly, I just want to go to school. It’s our senior year, and we don’t even get to enjoy our last few months together. It’s a sad time, but all of the precautions need to be taken. I don’t know how long this is going to last, but I really hope we get the chance to go back to school and graduate. Not knowing if we’re going to get that chance is a tough pill to swallow, but I have hope that we will get a chance to be honored and to say our goodbyes. In these times of trouble, all we can do is have hope. We must follow all precautions and pray that we will come out of these hard times better than we were before. #life2020

[ajmarkett11]

🤣🤣

[ajmarkett11]

Day 1 3/24

When this whole coronavirus craze really got wild, I had myself seated on a plane on the way to Tampa, Florida, an escape from the madness. The day before my flight was Friday March, 13, the day 11 members of our senior class first started their lives in quarantine because of their exposure to someone with the virus. When I heard this news during the first period of that school day, I immediately texted my dad and left school. With leaving for a week-long vacation the next day, I wanted no risk of obtaining the virus. As Saturday morning’s flight and an hour and half drive after flew by, I found myself in paradise. Siesta Key, Florida: one of my favorite places on Earth. As I chomped down on some juicy, delicious blackened gulf shrimp tacos followed by the smooth, sweet taste of a banana slider daiquiri, I truly believed I stood in the closest thing to paradise at that moment. The slight breeze coming off the Gulf’s water and the blazing sun created a feeling like no other. All I could do was smile. This is my happy place. All the while, all my friends 1,200 miles away woke up to a completely different life than I was living. Back home, everything was changing at a rapid pace. Stores, restaurants closing, sporting events canceled, and wait, are we done with school? Questions and concerns came from everyone, as the whole city was in a clutter. Nothing like this had ever happened before, at least not in my lifetime. This virus created madness, and I was glad to be away from it. All I wanted to do was hit the beach and soak up some sun, so that’s exactly what I did. I know I’ve already said this, but this place was truly paradise. I’d never felt such a feeling before, a feeling of pure joy and relaxation, knowing that I didn’t have a worry in the world. I needed this feeling. It had been a few rough months for me before, and this time away from everything would help reset my mind and body to where they needed to be because I know when I arrived back in Chicago, the world there would not be the same as it is in paradise. The days went by fast in Siesta. Surrounded by my family and a bunch of my best friends, time didn’t register in my brain. Every day went the same way: Wake up, eat breakfast, go to the beach, eat lunch and walk around the town for a little while, go back to the beach, mess around and hangout, eat dinner, go out all night. This sequence of events was repeated for 6 days, the best 6 days of my life. When the week ended and the time to go home came, sadness filled my mind and body, as I never wanted that time to end. When I arrived home, nothing was the same as it was when I left... #life2020