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Entry #2016   12:05 PM - April 9th, 2020   And with that, the final date for 2020 has vanished and it's probably time to talk about the future of that business thing I had going for 5 years...   ...there isn't one. It is now relegated to hobby mode and there's a ton of reasons why. More on that in a minute.   So this final shoe dropping was a big one. A $7,000 gig in freaking mid-October. I mean I'm certainly a realist about this virus, but even I think we may be ready to go by mid-October. The trade show hasn't been cancelled but this company couldn't take the chance and it sounded more like their company wanted to just get back any and all money they could to avoid the company going under. There's so much uncertainty, I get it. It's not time to pull out the bells and whistles for a show that may not happen. I gave them a 6 month window for a return on their deposit and they understandably grabbed it at the last moment.   But that brings up the reason I'm writing and that's the obvious end of RentTheDelorean.com. What I don't think people understood was just how my business stayed afloat and just how much business we did. Averaging 8-10 events a month every month for nearly 5 years is crazy. Most people do 8-10 events a year and even THAT is crazy. What I relied on were really big group gatherings and an economy good enough where throwing $600 for a small event to have the Time Machine there was nothing.   Both of those things are gone. They're obviously gone this year, they're probably gone next year and then you have to wonder just how long 80s nostalgia can survive as we push into the 40 year mark for these things. I remember how big 1950s nostalgia was in the late 70s and early 80s. That shit didn't go into the 1990s. There's a sweet spot and we're past it. The 80s will certainly have better legs because of how splintered nostalgia became post-internet but we're pushing it. And the economy? Whew. Sure, rich people will always have money... but I made my money off normal folks lookin' for something amazing. Middle-class surprises for boyfriends/husbands. Birthday parties. Small events. That, and of course, the MASSIVE events and trade shows. There was very little in between. We're about to enter a very deep recession and "essential" and "necessities" will be what survives. You make cakes for birthday parties? You're good. You rent out a movie prop for that birthday party and cost more than anything else there? WELLLLLLLLLL, you're gone.   And what the fuck is gonna happen with trade shows now? I bet in the coming years the number gets knocked down by 80%. I mean, I was doing POTTERY Trade Shows for fuck's sake. This is called: money ain't an option and we're gonna just "theme" our event for no fucking reason. I really do think those days are over and probably for 5-10 years. And here's what no one is saying: It won't be because COVID will still be around, but because people will be planning for how to not have the ENTIRE ECONOMY BE ERASED if something happens in the future.   See, we ain't prepared now. So this is kicking everyone's ass. But imagine if Zoom meetings had been the norm. Imagine if EVERYTHING ALREADY WAS DELIVERY. Imagine that there weren't 1,000 trade shows per year. Take E3 - most companies were moving to video presentations ANYWAY so when they cancelled E3? A lot of people thought: well thank the fuck christ because it was a huge pain in the ass. Produce a damn video of your games and be done with it. I'd venture to say? E3 is done FOREVER. Why put your eggs in that basket when the entire thing can be ERASED by a virus? Working from home will now become a thing for waaaaay more of the population. I think companies are just going to prepare for this eventuality so they're better prepared when the next one hits. It just makes sense.   Which means, in no uncertain terms, RentTheDelorean.com is done. Sure, it'll stay up. Sure I'll do 3-4 events a year. Who knows what 2021 or 2022 might hold. It'll be a nice hobby. But 100 events a year isn't a hobby: that's a job. That shit is DONE. And I was ready for it. I hate to keep reusing videos but this entry and video from December really does say it all:         Cute how that turned out, but yeah - I'm done. As I wrote in the entry: "I'm so sick of this car people. I'm so sick of the constant emergencies and constant danger of driving it. The responsibility is so heavy and although I am a tough motherfucker I just had to break down for a bit. Really nice hotel room actually... and an easy gig with enough time to lay in bed and do NOTHING so I could gear up for the RETURN 370 miles the morning after the event because guess what? Another gig in LA THAT night. Fuckin' fuck."   Like, I cleary wanted this to be over. I was responsible, never missed a gig, took every opportunity and never gave up... but now it has been taken and I'm like "THANK THE FUCK CHRIST." Amazing how it happened, how fast it happened and how prepared I was - but it has happened. It is over. My life being defined by that FUUUUUUUUUUCKING car is now done. I get to recreate Adam Kontras again and it couldn't have happened at a better time.   For now however, I need to keep playing Animal Crossing.   Adam