covid19

Au Revoir, Spring 2020!

Posted on by Kaitlynn Turner

Ah yes, cheers! Yet another college semester has come and gone.

But this wasn’t just any college semester. This one was a doozy.

From this being my first semester at Texas State as an ACC transfer student to the global fucking pandemic that broke out, I’d say it was an eventful few months.

And oddly enough, it has such a passionless ending.

I pictured myself sitting alongside Lake Austin, writing this wrap-up post at Mozart’s Coffee Roasters with a fruit tart and iced latte in hand. I anticipated prepping for my Japan study-abroad trip after knocking out my finals. I looked forward to the relief and satisfaction that I’d feel after successfully finishing my first semester at Texas State.

But instead, I’m sitting in bed with greasy hair and a migraine, repeatedly having to scoot my cat off of my keyboard so that I can type and tell the story that I’ve been struggling to find the words for.

It’s hard to sum up a semester that you have such mixed feelings about.

I had so much fun starting at Texas State- walking around that beautiful, topsy turvy campus everyday and seeing a whole new side of the city to which I’ve become a local, sitting front row in my giant, 400-person lectures and loving it so much that I fought even the harshest of hangovers to make it to class, granting a smile and a wave to the Bubble Believer on my way to the coffee shop, and most of all, actually feeling inspired after leaving campus each day- it was all such an improvement from how I felt at community college.

I remember the last day before spring break, there was lots of talk about Coronavirus, but we all expected an extended spring break as the most dramatic possibility. We all laughed when my advertising professor said, “Alright, well I guess I’ll never see y’all again!” to dismiss class that day.

But alas! Here I am, having never seen my advertising class again. All classes are online. Lectures have been either links to podcasts, a short youtube video, or a professor talking over a powerpoint for two hours. Assignments for most classes have been some boring online activity, but thankfully not for Fundamentals of Digital Online Media, the class I am writing this blog for.

I’m both grateful and frustrated that I’ve had to continue content creation in the midst of all this. It feels good to make something and document my experience, and some of it feels even more meaningful than pre-COVID content, but finding the motivation most days is damn near impossible.

But even on the rough days, I have found solace in writing this blog. Even when I’m unable to create the type of posts I imagined myself creating, it feels nice to write and share my experience with those other than my roommates, whom I am quarantined with.

Reflecting on My Blogging Experience

I would have loved to have been able to stay true to my mission for this blog, and fully explore Austin as if I were a tourist. It became quite difficult once this virus hit, but I intend on updating this blog once it is actually safe to return to society.

I predominantly promoted this blog via Twitter, but also shared my first post to Facebook and kept the link in my Instagram bio. I think I could have better promoted my posts and gained a bit more traffic by regularly sharing posts to Facebook, as well as mentioning them in my Instagram stories. I’m still getting used to transitioning my social media pages from a pure source of recreational communication to something that I can also use to promote myself in a professional manner. We’re definitely making some progress though- when the semester started, my Twitter name was “Honda Daddy.” (the fact that i’ve changed my Twitter name does not negate my status as Honda Daddy, though)

Initially, my best experience of this blogging project was finally having an excuse to explore Austin in a way that I had always thought about, but neglected to do. I got stuck in a rut of going to the same few places that I knew and loved, and this blog made me excited to branch out. This plan obviously didn’t work out once COVID hit, but this blog remained my motivation to go out and do something other than lay in bed, work on puzzles or day drink. Having to create content for class in the midst of a crisis sort of kept me sane and forced me to find creative new ways to branch out.

I feel that this blog will continue to give me an outlet as well as a source of accountability for stepping out of my comfort zone and documenting it. I look forward to picking up where I left off once I can continue exploring the area in which I live.

I also look forward to using this blog as a part of my professional portfolio. As someone who is going into a field of communications such as advertising, it is important to continue building on my digital communication/documentation skills. This blog is an excellent way to put myself out there, get some practice and show off my ability to tell a story.

Let’s Talk Numbers

WordPress offers a free look into the stats behind your blog, which is quite interesting to explore. Let’s take a gander:

It looks like my two most popular weeks were the first week of posting (02/03/20 – 02/09/20) with 42 views and 24 visitors, as well as the week of 02/17/20 – 02/23/20 with 47 views and 22 visitors. These two weeks probably had the most traffic because I was more heavily promoting these posts than ones later throughout the semester.

My most popular post as far as visitors was my introductory post, which makes sense as I promoted this post on Facebook. However, my most liked posts were the two where I was actually able to explore Austin as intended. These two posts had the most interesting content in my opinion, which explains why they would acquire the most likes.

You can also see on the “Stats for 2020” screenshot above that most of my traffic came from Twitter, which makes sense because I did the bulk of my promoting here. However, I got a lot of traffic from Facebook from the one time I posted my blog link there- Facebook seems to be the most effective way to promote my blog in the future.

I’m surprised to see that I got a few visitors from other countries. Most of my tags are things like, “ATX, 512, Texas”, etc. so I find it interesting that some people from all around the globe stumbled upon my blog.

This also made me curious about my twitter stats, so let’s take a peek at those:

I find my top tweets to be interesting- the tweet that got the most impressions was just me exclaiming, “!!!!!!! literally” in response to a friend’s tweet- this checks out as I do not have a huge following on Twitter myself.

My other top three tweets this month were all pictures of my lovely new orange hair. This especially makes sense, as I look pretty great with bright orange locks. Thanks for the validation, internet.

Most of my blog-promotion tweets got anywhere between 2-5 link clicks, but my first real post got 13. This one actually got a response from a fellow Austinite who read my post, so it’s likely that some of his followers saw this and decided to give me a click, boosting those numbers.

These statistics are insightful, even when I’m not tracking a project for school. It’s interesting to see who’s looking at your posts, and which types of posts do better than others. I love using data to gather information and piece together a story, so I’m excited to familiarize myself with these tools even further for use in my advertising career.

A Big Thank You

*insert pleading, puppy eye emoji – you know the one*

I just want to say thank you to my professor, Jon Zmikly, and my lab instructor, Faith Fuentes, for such an interesting, enjoyable semester!

I’m very sad that I didn’t get to finish off the semester in person with you guys but I truly appreciate everything you have taught me. This class has opened my eyes to the world of content creation as well as innovations in digital media, and you guys have proven to me that embracing innovation and creating content doesn’t have to be as intimidating or difficult as it may seem.

Thank you for reading my posts, not docking points for my painfully cheesy humor, and making me a better creator and student. Hope to see y’all around once things return to normal.

Date Night & A Drive

Posted on by Kaitlynn Turner

One of the things I miss most from the before times is going on dates.

Remember dates?

There were so many kinds of dates- Tinder dates, friend dates, situationship dates, painfully-awkward dates, nap dates, actually-kind-of-romantic dates… the list goes on. But the most intimate, beautiful kind of date that I crave more than anything is the solo date.

Getting all dolled up, shaving your legs, slapping your finest pair of fluttery lashes on that pretty little face of yours to go sit in Chez Zee all by your lonesome and drop $60 on a four course meal for your best gal: you.

Ah, what a time those were.

On solo dates, there was never any fear of having to devise an escape plan in case your Tinder match turned out to be an undercover frat boy, creep, general douchebag, serial killer or Trump supporter.

On solo dates, you never had to order modestly in fear of being an expensive date for the traditional nice guy who felt a societal obligation to pay for your meal.

On solo dates, you never had to worry about facing the inevitable exhaustion of introducing a new person to the list of triggers you’ve developed thanks to your slew of evil exes.

And, on solo dates, you could listen to your obscure rap music at full volume on the entire drive there and back. *Chef’s kiss.*

Solo dates were second to none – the absolute highest form of self care.

They were chicken soup for my extravagant, self-loving Leo soul.

My attempt at self care in quarantine has been “bubble bath and face mask night”, but it’s proven to be a weak substitution. It’s starting to grow stale. A girl can only take so many goddamn bubble baths.

The other day, during my evening look-out-the-window-and-yearn session, I had an idea: solo date in the Honda.

Sure, I can’t sit down inside of a restaurant and eat. (Well actually.. I can now, but I value my life slightly more than I value restaurant ambiance) I can, however, still get dolled up and go pick up some no-contact takeout to eat in my car.

By the time I had realized that I could do this, most things were closed. I really wanted something familiar and comforting from one of my favorites like Hyde Park Grill or Sawyer & Co. But this inconvenience forced me to follow blog rules and try something new. I remembered once hearing about a good taco shop at The Domain that was known for being open really late: Velvet Taco.

I pulled over halfway on my trek to North Austin to make my online order, which was super easy. They have a great online ordering system and a vast, intriguing menu. I ordered 3 tacos: a Spicy tikka chicken, a Korean pork and a Slow-roasted angus brisket. I also ordered a slice of their red velvet cake- y’know, for science.

Upon entering The Domain, I was horrified to see how many people were actually taking advantage of Abbott’s executive order to reopen restaurants. Some of these places appeared to be way over the allotted 25% capacity with no regard for social distancing. I swallowed my breath, parked in the nearest garage, slapped my mask on and made my way over to Velvet Taco.

Thankfully there weren’t many other pedestrians on the sidewalks and Velvet Taco appeared to actually be following the rules. All tables were spaced out, employees were wearing masks/gloves and they got my food to me with zero contact.

I returned to the safety of my Honda, slathered myself in hand sanitizer and attempted to get some glamour shots of the food.

The tacos were solid, but I definitely wasn’t blown away. All three were flavorful, the tortillas were slightly crisped, and the chicken and pork were tender. The brisket was a bit dry. They were sort of like a less-impressive version of Torchy’s Tacos.

Overall I wasn’t let down by the food, but if I ever drive all the way to North Austin for tacos again, it’ll only be for Taqueria Arandas #3.

I was now full, but still wasn’t quite satisfied on the self care front. There was only one safe cure for this: taking the scenic route home.

The extent to which I love to drive is bordering freak levels. Because of this, I have a definitive list of favorite roads in Austin. Two of them were sort of convenient for my drive home: Burnet Road and Loop 360.

It’s obvious why one would love to drive on Loop 360- it’s a scenic, hilly highway that crosses the Colorado River with the help of the Pennybacker Bridge. It’s stunning.

However, my love for Burnet Road is a bit more personal. It’s nostalgic. It’s really just another long road lined with restaurants and shops, lit by the glow of neon signs and stoplights, but it’s special to me.

So many of the unremarkable storefronts on Burnet mean so much to me because I spent many childhood days and nights staring out the window of grandmother’s backseat staring at them. Driving down Burnet takes me back in time and makes me feel safe.

Just as I was zoning out into these sappy thoughts on my way home, I noticed a bright streak of lights in the sky. Someone popped off a single, suspiciously impressive firework.

Around 11:00 PM, in May, during a global pandemic, some rabble-rouser was fucking with pyrotechnics behind the Subaru dealership on Burnet.

I cannot possibly fathom why someone was popping off fireworks here, at this time, but I’m thankful that they made my drive home that much more special.

Whether its by shooting off some artillery shells at a car dealership or simply eating tacos in your car, remember to treat yourself during this pandemic. Keep yourself loved and keep Austin weird, my friends.

An Excursion

Posted on by Kaitlynn Turner

Forty-five days. I’ve been quarantined at home for forty-five days of painstaking first-world boredom, leaving the house only for essential errands and the occasional, “I give up” Taco Bell run.

It’s been a really bizzare emotional rollercoaster.

Some days, I’m grateful. Grateful for my health, grateful that I live with my close friends, grateful for Netflix, grateful for alcohol, grateful that I have time to do all of the things I never thought I’d have time to do.

Some days, I feel ashamed. Ashamed at how much or how little I eat, sleep, or drink, ashamed at how lazy I am, ashamed at my “I give up” Taco Bell run, ashamed that I’m upset despite my blessings.

Other days, I feel depressed. Depressed because I’m still mourning the loss of my silly little errands or my study abroad trip to Japan, depressed because I can’t bring myself to get out of bed or write a blog post, depressed because I’m terrified for myself, my family and society as a whole.

Some days, I feel all of these things. Others, I feel completely numb.

But most days, I just feel really fucking bored.

The good thing about feeling really fucking bored is that there’s usually something you can do to combat that- you just have to put a little bit of effort and (in quarantine, a lot of) thought into it.

My roommates and I were starting to feel hopelessly stir-crazy, but then we remembered that nature exists. Amazing!

We heard that parks and trails in Austin are still open, which is equal parts delightful and terrifying. We decided that it’d probably be fine to have a little greenbelt adventure so long as we took our masks and turned back if we saw too many people cramped on the trails.

We packed up my Honda and headed to my favorite spot along the Barton Creek Greenbelt– Campbell’s Hole. It’s my favorite because it’s the only spot I’ve been to. Which…. I know this blog is supposed to be about trying new places, but I am using the pandemic clause to bend the rules.

We saw a few people out, but not nearly enough to crowd the trails. To our relief, they all seemed to be mindful of social distancing.

We walked up the trail and admired what would normally be a disappointing, dry creekbed. But when you’ve been shelled up in the house for a month and a half, you take what you can get.

2 months ago, this wouldn’t have been a very exciting outing. But now, this was a thrilling excursion. It felt amazing to have the sun peeking down on us through the tree branches, to hear the crunch of gravel on the trail, to smell the faint scent of spring flowers and to be out of the house for something other than a risky mission to the grocery store.

This may not be the most thrilling or insightful blog post when it comes to exploring Austin, but it’s a look into what recreational outings are like during a 21st century plague. If you’re curious how we’re feeling due to COVID-19 drama, you can check out this short interview I did with a couple of my roommates here. (Even if you’re not curious about how we’re feeling, you can at least check out my mediocre editing skills.)

Spotlight: A Taste of Koko

Posted on by Kaitlynn Turner

This week we’re doing something a little different – we’re staying inside and taking a look at a well-established local ATX blog: A Taste of Koko.

When asked to feature a blog that I’m inspired by, Koko’s blog came to mind for many reasons – it’s aesthetically pleasing, posts are easy to read and well organized, unique local destinations are featured on every post and there’s a ton of content to peruse. There’s good reason why A Taste of Koko is Austin’s top food + travel blog.

I’m particularly inspired by the ways in which Koko is using her platform to promote local businesses and post helpful information in this time of need. It’s quite hard to run a lighthearted local blog in the midst of a global pandemic, and she has found a way to do so – benefitting readers as well as the local businesses who give Austin its flavor.

One of Koko’s most recent posts includes a comprehensive (seriously, it’s organized by location + genre of food) list of local restaurants who are still serving the community. She adds a brief description of each restaurant, including special hours/ways to order food. There’s also contact info for local businesses to email Koko + get added to the list.

Another recent, helpful post from Koko focuses on informing readers about free resources for those of us who are working/taking classes at home.

The list includes creative + educational resources, such as a free subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud and free online classes, as well as important outlets for our mental health, like ways to watch Netflix with our friends virtually.

Due to the major changes brought by this pandemic, I have been stuck in a creative rut for the past couple of weeks. This has made it particularly hard for me to find motivation to continue creating and working on my blog.

I’ve wondered if it is insensitive to continue content creation in a time like this; I’ve also wondered how to make meaningful content without being entirely negative. However, A Taste of Koko is a great example of how to continue running an impactful local blog in a confusing, dim time in history.

Koko has inspired me to find ways to document this time of my life + still shine a light on the Austin community without putting myself or others at risk.

Please show A Taste of Koko some love, and use her content as a resource to keep yourself sane and the local businesses you love afloat in the coming months.

Get social with Koko:

A Pandemic

Posted on by Kaitlynn Turner

Boarded up bars on East 6th street

Last Friday, I woke up and got an iced mocha and jalapeño kolache from my favorite local bakery. It was my grandfather’s 81st birthday, so I picked up some barbecue, then popped into HEB for a birthday cake and went to celebrate with him. I went out with my friends for a drink and dinner, and thought excitedly about what restaurant or store I might want to explore for this week’s blog. It was a lovely Friday.

Today is Thursday.

It hasn’t even been a week.

All bars, restaurants and nonessential stores have closed their doors. There’s a city ordinance prohibiting more than 10 people from gathering together. Classes have moved to online for the rest of the semester and dorms are being cleared. A trip to the grocery store won’t result in restocking your household with toilet paper, but it could result in life-threatening illness.

There’s a global pandemic, Texas is in a state of disaster, and here I am writing a blog about local exploration.

Quite frankly, writing a blog post is fucking hard for me right now.

My mind is elsewhere.

My mind is busy dealing with the fact that it won’t be safe for me to visit my grandparents for the rest of the season, maybe longer. It’s busy figuring out how to deal with anxiety and depression while being cooped up in the house. It’s busy worrying about the people who served us drinks last Friday, and everyone else, who may not have a job today. It’s busy thinking about the HEB employees who are working hard, risking their lives to make sure people can purchase things they need to live.

My mind is busy with overwhelming concern about this big, new threat to public health. It’s busy thinking about the overcrowded hospitals, the lack of ventilators and the absence of testing. It’s busy feeling heartbreak for the doctors who signed up to be heroes, but instead, are having to choose who lives and who dies.

My mind is busy wondering when the COVID-19 pandemic will end and when peace of mind will begin.

But even though my mind is busy, and the world is drowning in collective panic, life goes on. So here I am, forcing myself to write. Writing not only to get a grade for my class, but to document my story and provide some form of entertainment for others.

There will have to be indefinite changes made to this blog.

We’ll have to get creative as far as finding places to go. Many places aren’t safe and lifestyle changes are being made. I’m no longer a local tourist. I’m a local trying to stay sane in a pandemic.

I’ll be back soon with posts about surviving in this very weird time. For now, I encourage everyone to practice social distancing, try to stay healthy, and keep your head up.

There’s been a lot of unnerving changes in a short amount of time, but we are all in this together. We will get through it.