The general consensus is that all time, day, and season since the announcement of the pandemic and the beginning of “these unprecedented times” has flowed together, coagulating into a formless lump of frustrated expectation. The expectation is that life will at any point now return to normal, or at least how we thought of that word prior to March 2020, when it seems that the powers of the world at last conspired to draw their net around the mass of us privileged, who up until that point had managed to eke out our lives in this place without more than the ordinary lot of troubles, looking on more or less helplessly as the “others” of the world suffered for our comfort, and perhaps, in our place.
But normal is one of those words whose meaning seems to fall apart upon close examination. It’s certainly not a universal condition. It can be understood only in a vague sense when conveyed to others. It is transitory. And how much of what we tell ourselves anyway is clouded by our own needful illusions or willful blindness? Did we ever understand what normal was? To anyone who has been paying attention the current situation, though highly abnormal, surely can be explained, even expected. Is it normal to think that we can go about living as we do, from day to day, forever without encountering any challenges to that life? To our assumptions? To our convictions?
It is in these times that we find out who we are. How to live. What to value. We look at things afresh. The normal takes on new meaning. Amid all these constant changes we continue to look for the light, to change our perspective, and wait for the perfect moment to… act, to snap that photo.
Do you see what I did there? I brought it all back to photography. I’m a good writer.
Anyways, it’s that time again, so enjoy this collection of my favorite photos from the year just past. We took a really lovely and memorable trip to Sedona in the spring, and I believe I added several to my collection of personal best photos from our local area.
So begins each video from the rising YouTube star known as Adventure King 1000. Every time I hear that line I know I’m in for a special treat — whether it be of the more traditional variety in the form of candy and snack reviews of the kind made famous by his father, cameraman, and master of ceremonies Brian Hammons (who fans of this site would recognize as our longtime friend and collaborator over on reviewtheworld.com); or the sort of treat that comes by way of new sights for the eyes and sounds for the ears — and yes, sometimes smells that the mind all too easily conjures up when lurking with this crew among the desolated and forgotten flotsam that is the by-product of failed capitalism, changing economic landscapes, and the slow destructive hand of time.
This past year was an incredibly productive one for the channel, and frankly I’ve been amazed at all the different worlds this kid’s creativity has led him out to explore (and conquer.) Computer animation, music videos, abandoned retail exploration, food reviews, gaming reviews, IRL streaming, advanced video and image editing — his shear output and commitment to the channel have been amazing. And, from one father to another, hats off to Brian for no doubt being the inspiration and facilitator for so much of this stuff. Truly some of his best work this year has been showcased on the Adventure King’s channel.
In years past I’ve done a few “Top 10” listicles highlighting my favorite Review the World videos and articles of the year, but this time after watching AK’s 2021 wrap-up video I wanted to showcase his work over on this site, to introduce you to one who I think is an amazing new talent on the vlogging scene, and whose work is only just beginning to shine at its full potential. I can’t wait to see what this year has in store.
Join me then, as I walk through some of my personal favorite videos from Adventure King 1000 in 2021. I didn’t rank these, as that wasn’t what I was going for with this list. They’re shown roughly in date order, from earliest to most recent. I hope it gives you a sense of why I like the channel so much.
Abandoned White Castle - Cincinnati, OH
I read recently that White Castles came about after the book The Jungle by Upton Sinclair caused nationwide outrage over poor sanitary practices in the U.S. beef industry. The owners of the chain wanted to ensure the American public that their meat was safe and prepared in a clean environment, and so they chose the color white to symbolize purity and cleanliness. The castle was chosen as a symbol of strength and security. Whatever the case, I have always loved sliders and really lament the fact that there aren’t any slider chains where I live.
News of the virus in China had already begun to circulate late last year. The videos and stories coming out of Wuhan were quite terrifying. People being welded into their apartments to prevent them from leaving. Bodies being secretly cremated en masse by the authorities. Sick people being burned alive. You have to wonder now if any of that had any basis in reality. I have come to distrust the news, both mainstream and alternative.
Small businesses are an unaccounted for casualty of 2020. The vast majority cannot survive indefinite periods of marginal revenue due to generalized fear or service restrictions. The money that would have gone to them are instead funneled to large businesses and the mega-rich like Bezos. At least there has been some kickback with regards to people being put out of their homes because of an inability to pay rent (and that may change). But not much has been offered to small businesses except for loans — there is no serious talk of debt relief for them or for people put out of work by the virus. So the best case scenario is to emerge from a couple of years of reduced earnings with a mountain of crushing debt.
To be fair that is, perhaps, a lack of leadership that can be blamed on Trump. But nothing new in terms of policy is being offered by the Biden administration. There are no solutions proposed other than the soft mandate of vaccines that have undergone minimal and hurried testing and claim to do something no other vaccine in history has ever successfully done, which is inoculate against a coronavirus. We are being asked to be guinea pigs in a scientific experiment that enriches big pharmaceutical companies, in order to fix a problem that the government created, with the threat that our lives will never return “to normal” unless we comply.
