Cliffs of Dover

There is a song that I started listening to since quarantine has started that I used to listen to, but forgot about, and I am truly surprised I did. This song is one of the most enchanting, spellbinding, any word to describe the feeling of being pulled in song I have ever heard. Now this is my opinion but if you listen to it, you might understand where I am coming from. The song's name is Cliffs of Dover by Eric Johnson. Its name is derived from the White Cliffs of Dover in England and as described in the Wikipedia article for the song, the White Cliffs of Dover are “an extensive and visually stunning outcrop that runs along the southeast coast of England.” And the song is a perfect representation of what the feeling of looking onto those cliffs would be. Now for people who aren’t knowledgeable in guitars, each guitar has a different sound. There are many factors that influence a sound such as the amplifier used, speaker used, peddles which the sound goes through, model of the guitar and brand of the guitar. And I describe the sound perfected by Eric Johnson as a crystallization. It has an ethereal feel and makes the listener believe their floating through the sky as his fingers dance across the fret board. And it motivated me to start picking up guitar because the thought of a human being able to do this miraculous feat is amazing. And I wondered how many others he enchanted to pick up a guitar near them, and start learning. This sound would only be capable from a vast amount of practice, and time spent creating the sound he most wanted to portray. In an interview Eric said something that really showed me how miraculous the guitar is. He says it's one of the few instruments with the ability to play individual notes and chords, including piano as another. And he said that he wanted to try and bring piano to guitar because he was fascinated by the pure tone given off by the piano. And hearing this, the inspiration for his sound in Cliffs of Dover is a clear representation of him trying for a clear, pure and flowing sound. I do not know much about music. I don’t know how long it takes to create each component for a sound. But, I can still get a sense of the amazing tone the sound of his guitar brings. So if you have any free time during this quarantine, check the song out. And after you're done with the original version, check out the live version. He adds improvisational elements different from the original that amplify that floaty feeling even more.

My Advice For Quarantine

Well, I haven’t had a lot of contact with other people due to me staying away from social media more, but I do have some very good advice in my opinion that has been very beneficial to me. Now first, it really depends on the person. If you're someone who hates staying home, a true extrovert who suffers as they're forced to stay at home during quarantine, you can still try this. But if you're someone who doesn't enjoy their normal day activities such as work or school, and hopes for the moment they step through their front door, then this is for you. With the ability to have so much free time on your hands, my best advice is to start something new you have always wanted to try. Now I know that's probably a very known idea that you may have been told but when I thought about how quarantine can help, it gave me more incentive to try. So I had always wanted to pick up guitar like my brothers. But the thing was, I was always packed from school, sports or other responsibilities that when I did try to, I would forget the next day to even pick it up again. But the thing about quarantine is you don't have those stresses any more. You can create habits out of the things you want to try by picking them up every day for even 15 minutes. Now it's good to keep the item or the ability to do the task near you, so that you can see it a lot throughout the day. When you remember to do it for the first few days, it just becomes instinct or even a habit that the minute you feel bored, you will do the thing you are trying to get good at. Now I know people could argue that you could just do this even when you're not in quarantine. Yes you could, but for some, the stresses their day puts on them will be an incentive to do something comfortable, and relaxing to relieve the stress of their day. But when you try to introduce something you're not good at, it of course gets stressful when you have those moments of realization that you aren't good. And when you have those moments added onto the stress of your day, in my experience, it amplifies the stress making you stop that task. So with quarantine, some people have less stress because they're stuck at home and need things to do. So if you do like staying at home, and want to pick up something you've always wanted to learn or do, then just try this.

How has my community been affected by COVID-19

So I'd like to start by explaining the evolution of my neighborhood because I think it adds a nice background. When we moved in after my parents divorce in 2005, the neighborhood had a large population of kids. There were about 7-8 families with children that my brothers and I grew up with. But as they went to college, families started moving. And with this, there was a period of 3-4 years of only a few families with children. But then, a new influx of families moved in, causing a new generation of kid activity within the block. And you can clearly see this as the weather is nice, and when it's daytime. When I walk my dog, I have seen kids out and about with their families perusing the block, playing with other kids in other families completely unaffected by the quarantine. I’d also say we are not a close knit community, but more of a friendly with each other kind mentality. We don’t have block parties often, or gatherings. We don’t really spend a lot of time together or at least my family doesn’t, but there is a sense of compassion towards each other whenever you see someone you know. And even when people are social distancing from each other, this compassion has not left the block. Now some families are not that close with the other community members, and you can see them just held up in their house not wanting to be in contact with anyone. But the natural environment within our community of taking walks with a dog or alone, waving hi to each other, kids playing with other children, and even the sporadic conversation you have with someone when you cross paths, have not changed since the COVID-19 epidemic started.