Items

• 
  2021-02-25

  Longing to go Outside

  Like people, my dog seems to miss going out to public spaces (like an out door mall, hiking, the patio of a restaurant, even the Pima Air and Space Museum) and getting attention from all the humans that pass by. He too is missing out on the social experiences that he used to enjoy before the pandemic.
• 
  2021-02-24

  School in the Era of the Pandemic

  Going around the school, there are signs and posters scattered around the entire vicinity, requiring masks and social distancing. Prior to any of these events, people were constantly together, with no masks, crowded rooms, etc. Now it is crazy to even fathom that I've been to a concert with thousands of people bumping into each other. Although this seems like a generic topic to discuss, I'm sure in the future it will seem so inconceivable.
• 2021-02-17

  Pandemic Hobbies

  With all of the free time suddenly on my hands due to the pandemic, I was forced to find new hobbies that would occupy the time. Some of the hobbies that I developed over the course of the pandemic and specifically during the quarantine are following along to Bob Ross videos, fiber arts including latch hook and cross-stitch, and I have rediscovered my love for reading mysteries. These hobbies have helped keep my mind off of and cope with COVID and everything else that is going on in the world these days. Despite the negative effects that COVID has had on the world and individuals, it has allowed me and many others to delve deeper into new and old passions due to the amount of time that we have on our hands that we never had before.
• 
  2020-06-26

  My new hobby

  During the summer of 2020, not a lot was going on in my life. I had just recently finished my undergraduate degree and had little to do on a daily basis, there were no jobs, no friends, not even family. Gradually, I got sick of just playing video games day in and out; however I wasn’t getting sick of the music of these games, many of which used the banjo. Some of these songs seemed pretty simple, and with my previous experience rudimentary experience with the guitar I figured I’d be able to some of these tunes. I started picking up my dad’s banjo, which is in the photo I provided on a daily basis; using YouTube tutorials I started to pick up the basics. In all honesty it was pretty easy to pick up, and just a relaxing experience, I even grew to like the feeling of developing callouses on my fingers? That’s a little weird but it felt like they were physical reminders of how much work I was putting into learning this new instrument. Recently I’ve kind of stopped playing, but I still love just plucking at it every now and then. My friends online similarly liked hearing me play every now and then, so in a sense it was a great coping mechanism to boredom and loneliness. However, I’ve really stopped even plucking at it, I don’t feel a drive to do much anymore; so I just kind of stare at it now every now and again, which is incredibly weird. This item maters to me as it helped me through the initial stages of the pandemic, and helped me stay mentally active during quarantine. However, as the pandemic has dragged on I kind of have lost the desire to play it, or do much of anything else really. I’d like to add this item to the collection of performing arts as it is a musical instrument, and I would perform for my friends on Discord every now and then (but then again I’m not a professional artist or performer so I don’t think it’d be appropriate for me to be in that collection) Mental health on the other hand is a way more accurate collection for this item, as it really helped me stay mentally active during the pandemic.
• 
  2020-11-12

  "How the pandemic got people smoking again" - Vox

  With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have been pressured to develop bad habits such as overeating, alcoholism, doom scrolling, and impulse shopping. But one pandemic indulgence that stands out to medical officials and journalists is smoking, which damages lungs and puts one at an increased risk from dying of COVID-19. In an article for Vox, journalist Melinda Fakuade provides readers with an overview of the reasons why more people have taken up smoking during the COVID-19 pandemic in spite of the increased risk of death. According to Fakuade, a major factor that explains the increased prevalence of smoking during the COVID-19 pandemic is the sheer boredom that comes with being unable to leave home without risking contracting COVID-19. Not being able to leave home and spend money on other amenities also increases one's access to discretionary spending, which can be used to fund cigarette smoking and other bad habits. Fakuade also emphasizes the role of stress, which induces people to take up bad habits such as smoking as a coping mechanism. According to her, smoking functions as a way of maintaining a routine and sense of control in a time of extreme instability. Finally, Fakuade considers whether or not the increased prevalence of smoking during the COVID-19 pandemic constitutes a reflection of an internal "death wish," on the part of smokers.
• 
  2020-08-29

  Building of the house next door: progression

  These are two images of the house being built on the block behind us. Due to us being home all of the time, we have been able to see the slow progress of the house being built. I was looking at this house being built so often, to the point where it wasn’t until two months later that I actually noticed just how much progress had been made. To me, these photos signify the daily repetition of our lives during the pandemic, especially during the lockdown periods. The picture showing the least amount of progress was taken on August 29, 2020 and the one showing more progress was taken on October 30, 2020. HIST30060
• 
  2020-06-03

  The Ribbon Handkerchief

  At the beginning of the pandemic my family was afraid to go out because mom works at a retirement. We were afraid of unknowing contract COVID-19, passing it on to her and then her passing it on to the elderly residents at her work. Most of our weekend activities involved going out: shopping, hiking, visiting friends. Since we couldn't go out save for a few exceptions we needed to find new activities to fill our spare time. Which led us to old hobbies. When I was younger, my mom and I would do needlecraft together but when I entered high school I decided I was too busy for that. We packed all the supplies up and stowed them away in the closet. Since we had nothing else to do, we got out our old supplies and dusted them off. We didn't have many patterns or other supplies left but we did have a few things. One of the few things we had was an old handkerchief embroidery kit, an old gift to my mom from one of my aunts. This particular kit involved ribbons, something I had never worked with before. The handkerchief took longer to complete than it probably should have, especially since it was such a small area, but I got it done even if it wasn't perfect. Although it was such a small thing, working on this handkerchief helped take my mind off of things and alleviate my boredom for at least a little while.
• 
  2020-07-01

  Quarantine

  I submitted a pile of packages in my room as my photo because with nothing to do and preparing for college, I found myself ordering a lot more items and clothing online than I ever had before in my life. Mostly all of the online stores were also having huge sales, which did not help my shopping addiction especially while I was bored with no where to go and nothing to do.
• 
  2020-06-11

  Changing Times for Athletes and Fans

  The social distancing rules enforced to slow the spread of the coronavirus has many negative externalities associated with it. For myself and many others alike, sports have and always will be an outlet from the daily stresses of work and life. Fans, players, coaches, and everyone associated with professional and recreational athletics has been heavily effected in these current times. Losing athletics not only hurts in a mental sense but also in a financial way as well. It was said by ESPN that approximations suggest a total 12 billion dollar loss due to the suspension of sports. Professional athletes have been renegotiating contracts now and the structure of the games have been changed greatly. Being stuck inside seemed alright at first but without live entertainment or the ability to go out and exercise, time seems to move slower and slower in a period that everyone is seeking a way out of.
• 
  2020-05-29

  Humorous Schedule in Quarantine

  At first, people in quarantine didn't know what to do with themselves. This is one person's humorous schedule of his or her day. It shows the boredom and emotional toll of being isolated.