03/17/2020
Dear Thirst for Knowledge Family,
Thank you for being patient with me as I collected my (many) thoughts to post here. I know many of you have asked me what will happen with trivia and comedy and truthfully the situation has evolved rather rapidly. It has been very hard to keep up. This is like the 4th version of this post I have drafted over the past week as we have gone from "wash your hands" to "trivia will be limited in size" to "trivia is cancelled" to "everything is cancelled." At this time, all Thirst for Knowledge events have been officially cancelled. I mean, the bars are all closed so, duh! My summer comedy class and show has also been cancelled at this time. I will keep you updated on the future if and when things start up again.
On a personal note, this has been a very stressful time for me. The way I support myself financially is literally gathering large groups of people in confined spaces...yikes. All of the bars I work with have been forced to close, my apartment will not allow me to use the communal space to practice comedy (rightfully so), and Lasertron has laid me off (and everyone else, too). I am now effectively unemployed like so many others. I have many friends in the comedy world, the service industry, and even friends with engineering jobs who are in the exact same predicament and who are affected, too. By no means is my situation unique. I wish I could say I have tons of savings and that TFK will get through this, but that is not the reality.
On a bright note, many of you know I have been considering going to grad school in the fall to pursue my MBA. I am pleased to announce that I will be attending the Weatherhead School of Management in the fall in Cleveland, Ohio to do this. Although I was strongly hoping to stay here in Rochester, attend the Simon School of Business, and continue to put on great events through Thirst for Knowledge to support my college education, it became apparent that Weatherhead was the right fit for me for many reasons. The two most important being that I would be close to my family and a wonderful community in Cleveland that has also supported me and...oh yeah...they offered me a huge scholarship! I feel completely blessed to be offered this opportunity to pursue my dream of going back to school. One I have talked about for a few years now and have dreaded the financial implications of. Weatherhead has provided me the opportunity to be close to family, enroll in a program that is a GREAT fit for my career aspirations, and do so at a much lower cost than I could have imagined. I will be sad to leave Rochester, which brings me to my final point...
My initial plan was to leave Rochester on June 30th. I had a HUGE month of May and June planned with multiple comedy shows, some blockbuster trivia events, and even a very special going-away-party idea. At this time, all of that is in jeopardy (oh and I was going to bring back Jeopardy! too). I don't know what the future holds but it is looking likely that I will move to Cleveland sooner rather than later, and will not get the chance to put on these great events or have a formal going away party. It breaks my heart because I put so much of my heart into this community and I hate to see it end like this. Who knows...if this all clears up soon, maybe I'll stick around and start it all up again, but if this "shutdown" lasts for a month or two even (as I suspect it will), I wont be able to afford rent here without income.
I am so grateful for all of the people I have met living in Rochester over the past 11 years. I have met hundreds and hundreds of people and have thousands of memories: good memories, silly memories, loving memories, and epic-adventurous memories. They say, "Memories Make Us Rich" and Rochester has given me so much wealth. The people here have accepted me for me, loved me, and embraced me. I am forever grateful for all of you who have come to my events and supported Thirst for Knowledge and Real.Big.Plans. I am forever grateful to the friendships I have made here and for the loyalty you have shown me. I am forever grateful for all of the people who have given me economic opportunity through employment or by supporting my business. It is weird to say I am going "home" to Cleveland because I have only lived there for 8 years and I have spent 11 in Rochester. This place will forever be a home to me. I really do love this city, its culture, and its people. I plan on being friends with many of you for the rest of my life and please know that you can reach out ANYTIME no matter how long it has been since we last talked and I will embrace the conversation with enthusiasm and joy.
Right now, what would help me in this trying time, is not financial support, but rather for people to share this message among TFK community members and to comment some of your favorite memories from TFK or RBP events. Photos, videos, anecdotes, whatever! Whether it be from trivia or kickball or murder mystery parties, share with me a memory that has enriched your life.
Oh...and keep an eye out because I don't start school until August 14th and you KNOW I want to do something big before that happens. Even if I have to come back from Cleveland to do it. So stay tuned. Wash your hands and wash your butts. Trust and accept each other. Take risks and pursue your dreams. And Love. Always Love.
Rochester, I love you, I miss you, I am grateful for you.
Love Always and Forever,
Eric
