A lot of folks have been fighting their boredom, and in many cases anxiety and depression, in a variety of ways since COVID-19 came to our shores. Faced with an extended period of staying inside, rather than make any attempt whatsoever to remain productive, my roommates and I chose a different path. We elected instead to start a long process called, "The Big Comfy Quarantine"- colloquially termed after the "Big Comfy Couch", another show that brought us nostalgia.

The process is a grueling one. In sequence, we watch one episode from each of the following: Courage the Cowardly Dog, Codename: Kids Next Door, Sonic X, Teen Titans, Xiaolin Showdown, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, iCarly, Chowder, and finally Regular Show. Then we start the whole thing all over again.

That's a lot of television.

That said, the process has been highly enjoyable. What we found is that while these shows have often not aged well- especially the earlier shows on the bracket- they still provide something that we hadn't valued nearly as much previously: nostalgia. While everyone longs for a simpler and more enjoyable time generally speaking, now we have the historical perspective to say that, yes, the times before this crisis were categorically better. Certainly, no one is going to argue that quality of life has increased as a result of COVID-19.

So nostalgia, therefore, is a more powerful drug than ever during these trying times. I know personally I even have nostalgia for times as early as two months ago, before we knew how bad things were really going to get. While we wait for things to blow over in the world out there, we will sit in our apartment living room, reminiscing on better, happier, more innocent times. Here's hoping that more times like that are just ahead.