Items
Creator is exactly
Katy Kole de Peralta
-
2021-03-22
Mask trash #21
Disposable mask found alone the metro light rail near Ash & 5th -
2021-03-23
The mask trash series
The mask trash series. Historical records come in many forms, and although history favors the written record, the current pandemic reveals ephemeral stories worth documenting. Globally, many people are wearing face masks daily, some are hand-sewn, others commercially made, and some are disposable. They are necessary, they slow the rate of transmission, but they also come with an environmental cost. Corresponding with this new public health trend is a rise in pandemic-related trash such as face masks littering driveways, streets, sidewalks, parks, and waterways. Face masks choke the landscape and harm wildlife. Disposable masks are spun from polymer plastic, meaning they won’t break down, but they will continue to split into smaller and smaller pieces, some of which will be ingested by animals and even re-consumed by other creatures in the food chain. The mask trash series seeks to highlight the increase in pandemic-related trash, and give space to a facet of history we often wish we could ignore: the waste we either intentionally or inadvertently discard. -
2021-03-18
Mask trash #20
Disposable mask found along the north bank of Rio Salado across from Tempe Beach Park. -
2021-03-18
Mask trash #19
White & blue disposable mask on the south bank of Rio Salado near Rural Road. -
2021-03-18
Mask trash #18
White disposable face mask. State farm building in the background. -
2021-03-18
Mask trash #17
A new day, new trash along the Rio Salado. White, muddy mask found on the south bank just after east of Mill Ave. -
2021-03-17
Mask trash #16
Blue & white disposable face mask near the bus stop by Hardy & 5th in Tempe, Arizona. -
2021-03-16
Mask trash #15
Blue & white disposable face mask east of Rural road found along the South Bank of the riverwalk along Rio Salado. -
2021-03-16
Mask trash #14
Black fabric disposable mask draped over a stick at the boat launch near Tempe Beach Park. This photo shows a lot of other trash washed up here, including a dead fish. -
2021-03-16
Mask trash #13
Child's fabric face mask with a Batman print. This was found near Tempe Beach Park. I picked it up and brought it home as it was in pretty good condition. First, I'm soaking it in vinegar and then I'll wash for my 2yo to use. -
2021-03-15
For Tempe Public Schools, in-person learning resumes
Maya, age 6 returned to in-person learning for the first time since October. Yesterday she got a haircut to get ready for her first day. Today, I asked her how her day was and she said it was good, but sometimes she felt sleepy because she forgot how long a school day is. -
2021-03-15
Mask trash #12
Disposable mask trash near Mitchell Park. -
2021-03-15
Mask trash #11
White and blue disposable face mask found near 9th and Roosevelt in Tempe, Arizona. -
2020-03-08
Mask trash #10
White & blue disposable mask along the rail line. Found near the corner of Ash and 5th in downtown Tempe, AZ. -
2021-03-06
Mask trash #9
It's rare to see trash or even discarded masks on campus. The university does a good job of keeping the grounds tidy and clean-looking. I found this mask near the back stairs of the COOR building. -
2021-03-06
Mask trash #8
I came across this white fabric mask while walking from home to the university. It was near the corner of Roosevelt and 5th. -
2021-03-04
Mask trash #7
Mask trash spotted on the walk back from Whole Foods near the intersection of 5th and Hardy. -
2021-03-04
Mask trash #6
Fabric mask spotted on the corner of Mill and University near Campus. -
2021-02-17
#JOTPYPhoto from Katy Kole de Peralta
Here's mine....online learning has been a struggle, and I've created a hybrid system of part home school, part her normal class meetings. But it's challenging! And I learned that it is a gift to explain subtraction to a 6 yo. #JOTPYPhoto -
2020-03-01
Mask trash #5
Mondays are "no media Mondays," at our house. I went out with the family to the river walk along Rio Salado. On our way back to the car, I found this black, fabric, reusable mask on the path just down from the Tempe Center for the Arts. -
2020-02-27
Mask trash #4
Disposable masks are everywhere, I found this one stuck in my neighbor's fence. -
2021-02-22
Mask trash #3
Disposable mask spotted en route from the Tempe transit center to the Childhood Development (Psychology building) on Campus along Veteran's Way. 33°25'21.0"N 111°55'45.3"W -
2021-02-20
Mask trash #2
I saw this black, disposable mask while vacuuming my van on Saturday at Cobblestone Auto Spa. I picked it up and threw it away before it blew into the water channel. -
2021-02-20
Mask trash # 1
Mask trash on the playground at the Kroc Center in Phoenix, AZ -
2021-02-19
Vaccinations on campus
ASU is now vaccinating people on campus. Members of the ASU community receive an email when they are eligible. I am eligible and have tried making an appointment twice, but the appointments are always full. After you get a vaccine, employees are supposed to upload a copy of their vacine to an ASU website. -
02/11/2021
Tracey Kole Oral History, 2021/02/11
I recorded a mini oral history with my mom about silver linings. -
2021-01-28
ASU COVID Saliva test
I took my employee mandated COVID-19 test at 7:20 in the morning and recorded the process. Test result was negative. Transcript: Katy: All right, I’m taking my COVID test because ASU said that I needed to do it. It’s basically a saliva test. They give you a vile to spit into and a line that you have to meet. When I came in, somebody gave me the vile and wrote down my date of birth. I’ve got a straw. I’m just gonna fill this sucker up with saliva. -
2021-02-08
Oaks Christian Middle School Consent
This is the consent form sent to Oaks Christian Middle School parents. Please link to Oaks student stories -
2021-02-02
It's a pandemic, let there be cake
I was at the supermarket this morning and bought a King Cake on impulse. It was pretty pricey for a supermarket cake ($17). But, it only took me 3 seconds to justify it, my 6 yo has been out of school for a year (she’s learning online, but it’s not the same). The 2 yo is also home and they both get stir crazy. I have really found memories of eating King Cake every year at my best friend’s house, they lived in Louisiana and brought the tradition with them to Michigan. The fun, in addition to cinnamon, bread, and icing, is that there’s a small plastic baby inside the cake that someone will find in their piece. I hid the baby in the cake this morning and told the kids they could have a piece after eating breakfast. The tradition is that finding the baby is good luck, and depending on where you are, you might have to make the next cake. -
2020-01-13
Sensory history submissions and the COVID-19 Pandemic
I am teaching HST 643 Global History at Arizona State University during the Spring A semester of 2021. For the second time, I am asking enrolled students to submit a sensory history story related to the pandemic. The students were instructed to read at least the introduction of Melanie Kiechle's Smell Detectives before posting their story. This way, they would have a better understanding of what sensory history is and why it matters. I revised the instructions this time to push students toward non-visual stories. -
2020-11-12
Negative COVID-19 Test
Last week I felt sick and had a slightly metallic taste in my mouth. I completely understand that many underlying issues can cause this, but because the testing at ASU is fairly quick and easy, I decided to get a test. The test is super fast and easy. You sign up, get a QR code, and drive through a huge parking lot off of Rio Salado behind the stadium. You spit into a cup through a straw, they scan your code and take the sample, and that's it. I had my results in less than 48 hours and all electronically. COVID-19 infection rates are on the rise across the United States, and it's better to know. My test came back negative, but my daughter was sent home from school Monday for coughing and a runny nose. She can't go back to school without a doctor's note or a COVID test, and unfortunately, she can't use the ASU testing site. There's community testing, Embry Women's health, and as far as I can tell, a rapid response site in Mesa that charges $100 for quick results. -
2020-10-16
Stress and hair loss
I’ve felt a lot more stressed since my daughter started school this fall. I’ve also noticed that when I take a shower, hair washes out with each wash. Losing some hair seems normal, but it’s felt like a lot of hair lately, or at least a lot more hair than should fall out. It’s a really subjective measurement, but let’s just say it’s more than normal based on the past 15 years. I’ve been wondering if I should just shave my whole head and start over? Not in a midlife crisis sort of way, but just to start over with healthy hair and more vitamins. I was on FB reading posts in a mom group I’m in. This particular group is for moms who had babies in 2018. I read a post today that talked about stress and hair loss, and I thought…yes…I’m going through something similar. I’m losing hair every day, but I can’t even stop to deal with it, because honestly, I don’t want to deal with one.more.thing. I’d rather just ignore this thing and hope it goes away. -
2020-10-12
Visa extension
My mother in law came to Arizona from Arequipa, Peru in Febuary. She arrived a few days before the news of Coronavirus seemed to be spreading in the United States. She has been an absolutely lifesaver. Without her, I don't think I could have managed, especially once school was effectively cancelled for my kindergartener in March. Having my mother in law around is like having another mother, another set of hands to help. She is pretty active and mobile, so she doesn't mind keeping up with the 2yo and she helps me take care of all those details around the house that I never have time for like cleaning, washing dishes, letting the dog out, letting the dog in, breaking up the fight between siblings, cooking, all of it. Now we split most of those chores, since my husband works outside the house. I couldn't do it without her, and I should say that we don't take it for granted. We pay her what we would have paid the daycare for the 2yo, which is actually a decent weekly income when translated back to Peruvian soles. This image shows that there are limited flights back to Peru and that Peru is still in a waves of curfew and lockdowns. We've applied for an extended visa, and I'm hoping she can stay through December. I know she misses home, but she's also glad to be useful and to be living somewhere that isn't enforcing curfews and periodic lockdowns. -
2020-10-12
Sensory history contribution to COVID-19 Archive
These are the instuctions posted in Canvas for HST 643. Students enrolled in Global History Fall B at Arizona State University will all submit a story related to the pandemic and senory history -
2020-09-15
Constant interruptions
Developmental milestones always throw off the routine. I deleted the “Wonder Years App,” so I couldn’t look up what is happening at about 30 months that makes it unlikely a child will nap, and very likely that they will cry and cling to you over the seemingly smallest of issues. It has been weeks of no naps or naps only in the car. This means that I don’t get my normal break in the day, when the 2yo naps for 2 hours and I can let the 6yo have her media time. This was our routine; this was when I got to knock out work in peace without interruptions. That precious window has been gone for weeks. Until today, finally for the first time in what feels like for freaking ever, Julian napped in a bed at home. Did I have to lie next to him to make it happen? Yes, was I anxious that it was too good to be true and he’d wake back up any second? Also yes. The 6yo, unaware that anything was different walked in the room and started chatting. I waved her away, and she ran off, presumably delighted that her media time was a go. The dog, ever aware that food was on the stove and that her dinner should occur in about 1.5 hours pushed open the door and trotted in. She’s stuck now. No one goes in or out until this nap concludes naturally. Maybe I shouldn’t be this worked up about a nap, but the extra layer of pressure has felt much more present ever since the school year started. There are more meetings to attend, and they all seem to last more than an hour. Emails can stress me out easily if they’re filled with questions. And the 6yo needs about 2-3 hours of support in the morning with distance learning and homework. Which is fine, that’s my job, I’m supposed to help her, but it also means that an important chunk of my workday is interrupted. And it’s hard to recover or snapback from constant interruptions. I feel like it's not possible to get it all done, and then I think...not getting it doesn't feel like a choice I can make. It all feels like it's my responsibility. -
2020-09-03
Fewer planes and much less noise
I was offered a job at Arizona State University at the last minute. How last minute? I had already started teaching on campus in my previous position when I got the official offer. We moved to Tempe, AZ in the offseason. The rental market was full of pricey AirBnBs, but not a lot of homes for rent. I have two kids and a dog, so we set our sights on a house. I also wanted to be close to ASU, preferably walking distance, but I knew that was a big ask. We did, however, find a home. It’s walking distance to Rio Salado, downtown Tempe, and ASU. The catch is that it’s in the flight path for the Phoenix airport. When a plane flies overhead it sounds like a long, dull roar. It’s so loud you can’t hear yourself talk or talk to anyone around you (if you’re outside). Before COVID, the planes flew in and out of the airport like taxis. I counted how often they flew overhead, and it was about every 54 seconds for most of the day. Sometimes it felt so loud you didn’t want to sit outside. Post-March, however, everything has slowed way down. There are fewer planes, and that means we sit outside a lot more and enjoy our outside space. I recorded the sound of a plane passing overhead while I hung up laundry to dry. It gives a sense of how long the sound takes over the area. -
2020-09-08
Homeschool Lesson: Substraction with Cuisenaire rods
When first grade started virtually, I knew in 1 day that I’d have to homeschool my daughter. And while I know it’s the right thing to do for her, everyday I’m learning a little bit more about how to teach her. I started with the easy stuff, and even moved her schedule to Wed-Sun because I work full time and have to cook and clean and take care of a 2 year old, so sometimes it feels like there’s not enough time nor energy to get everything done. It’s not hard for me to get the literature curriculum up and running, but I’m lost when it comes how to teach math. I mean, I understand how it works, but I have no idea how to teach it effectively to a first grader who hasn’t done it before. I bought Cuisenaire rods in March thinking that I’d figure out how to use them over the summer. I didn’t figure it out. But, thankfully YouTube has some great videos that explain how to use and work with them. Yesterday we worked on addition, and today we started subtraction and it wasn’t hard or frustrating, it all felt kind of natural. So for the first time I’m feeling a lot better about teaching her until in-person classes start back up. -
2020-08-29
Homeless in Tempe
As I was driving on Saturday morning, I saw a panhandler at the corner of Priest and the 201 exit. A female cop was talking to her, I was afraid that maybe the cop was telling the woman not to beg or to move, but I saw the woman in the same spot a few hours later. The cop was wearing a face mask. There have been, subjectively, a lot more homeless people on the streets lately. -
2020-08-27
Last day of swim class in Scottsdale
Maya's last day of swim class at the Cactus Aquatic center. I can't imagine what it's like to wear a face mask and swim, especially once that mask gets wet. All the lifeguards and instructors wear masks. It's sometimes 117 degrees when we're sitting on the pool deck and sometimes I feel like I can't breathe in the heat. I wish I could get in the pool, but instead the parents are sidelined. Fortunately, if you're actually in the pool you don't have to wear a face mask. The last class basically involved all the kids jumping off the diving board for half an hour. Were they social distanced? No, but I think we're all leveraging some sort of invisible balance where we try to be careful, but try to keep some activities/normalcy going in our kids' lives. Our next class starts in two weeks and I hope it's cooler. Maya graduated from the guppies class to sea turtles. -
2020-08-26
JOTPY ASU Intern Meeting August 26, 2020
Why is it so hard for me to say goodbye to this group of interns? I’ve taught face-to-face classes, I’ve taught online, and I’ve never had this reaction at the end of a class. HST580: Professional Experience is done. Normally this is the point where I turn in grades and post a meme or giphy about grading. But I didn’t do that, because I don’t want to want to look at their portfolios and I don’t want to read their last journal entries. When I do that, it’s really over. The oh so experimental 15 week internship completed remotely and asynchronously proved to be one of the most fulfilling experiences of my higher ed teaching career. Today, as the dust began to settle after their last meeting, I asked myself. What is the big deal? Why did you cry (again) when saying goodbye to this group of students on Zoom? I think there are a lot of factors at play. One is that we all took a crash course on rapid response archives together. I had barely a hair and sometimes no more expertise than the interns, and their critical analysis of curation, best practices, and ethics helped the team solve problems in real time. Second, although I love teaching online, like many I’ve felt very isolated with the shelter in place rules. Even though I have a wonderful family and a less than wonderful dog, I looked forward to our weekly meetings quite earnestly. It felt like my one or two moments of the week that I got to connect with people and talk about really interesting things, even if sometimes I was just venting. We all got to vent. We vented about the pandemic’s effect on our mental health, the almost overwhelming feeling some days that we just can’t stand it anymore, and the frustration that it feels like things aren’t getting better and normal is so ephemeral we fear we might never know it again. Third is that the interns were true to themselves and authentic. No two were exactly the same, but they were willing to push themselves and evolve with a constantly moving target. What more can one ask for than to work with genuine people, who took on a huge project and found the path of collaboration instead of competition. Today’s meeting culminated in a recorded conversation with a representative from CBS. Potentially, some of the conversation could wind up the program “60 Minutes.” The conversation was so rich, diverse, and truly heartwarming that the entire meeting needs to be a part of the archive. I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything, and I feel so lucky to have worked with such an incredible team. -
2020-08-20
Sensory history and the pandemic
I've been thinking about sensory history and how often it's left out of historical records. We often don't stop to comment on observations we make every day like noise of a busy street corner or the smell of muffins baking in the kitchen. I'm teaching HST643 Global history during Fall B with a module on sensory history. I'd like to ask students to add a perspective on the sensory history of the pandemic. I posted this thought in the JOTPY Slack workspace and Shanna replied with a really interesting observation about sound: “…there is an odd tension of noise inside my home and silence the second I step outside. I find myself needing a quiet space when I’m in my house. Yet the second I walk outside, it’s way too quiet that I start to feel uncomfortably lonely and in need of human connection.” -
2020-08-24
Golden Opportunity
I created this sweet (as in cool) poster to promote the JOTPY Internship and recruit more participants for the fall semester. I love the imagery of hand sanitizer as liquid gold. The fact that it a public mural makes it even more compelling. I started off with 9 students enrolled in the fall internship. This internship is open to ASU history graduate students. Yet, slowly that number dropped down to four. I’m not sure why. I don’t think that there’s a better opportunity out there right now. Nowhere else can you complete a remote internship on the scale of the COVID-19 archive. This archive is magnanimous, it’s important now, but it will be remembered as a watershed moment in public history projects. I do recognize that people are busy, and the fact that the internship goes beyond the normal 7.5 week session is an extra piece to juggle, but in my mind anyone who wants to do public history or gain a serious skill set needs to be part of this project. I hope I can convince more people to join. -
2020-08-22
The meadow people: lessons from homeschooling day 1
Do I have what it takes to homeschool my kid? I never thought I would consider homeschooling, though I find myself in this unusual position. I am working from home, teaching online, and the current online curriculum isn’t working for my daughter. So after talking to one of the ASU JOTPY interns (Chris Twing) who also homeschools her kid I had the chance to look at 3 different homeschool programs she sent me. In the end, I liked the curriculum from Blossom and Root. It seems to encourage creativity and individual expression, and I love that. The math will require a supplemental program, but if she wants to go back to the bilingual school she’ll have to pass a math exam in Spanish anyway. So, either way I’ve got to come up with a Spanish math plan. This picture shows one of the activities from the literature lesson. We read two stories from The Meadow People, the “Selfish Caterpillar,” and the “Lazy Snail.” She had to make characters out of clay and retell the stories in her own words. It was honestly a lot of fun, and much better engagement. I love working, but this is helping me see a way to support by child and connect with her through education. -
2020-08-18
5 hours on Zoom is too much
Sitting next to my 6yo while she sits on Zoom for 5 hours isn’t working. The teachers assume that a parent is there ready to jump in at any moment, and if we aren’t problems bubble up. For example, I was working on Maya’s second day of school and I missed that she took a bathroom break and missed that her teacher scolded her for taking one. I emailed the school’s principal, because while I really, really want her to attend the bilingual school, I don’t think it’s possible with the current set up. I wrote an email and asked, basically, what would happen if she unenrolled and came back. -
2020-08-17
6 hours of Zoom for 1st grade, it's going swell (or like 💩)
Distance learning started for my 1st grader. After seeing the schedule, I could tell it was going to be rough. She’s supposed to be in class just under 6 hours a day. 6 hours on Zoom M-F. I couldn’t handle that as an adult, so why would I expect a 6yo to do it? The district handed out Chromebooks, which are fun for the 6yo because you can touch the screen or click the track pad, but ultimately the processors are too slow. It took so long to load Google classroom that I gave her my laptop, even though I really needed it to get my own work done. Most of the day was spent listening and trying to get the technology to work. If other students are loud or disruptive on Zoom it’s a lot harder to ignore them because they can directly compete with the teacher if they’re unmuted on the screen. The online learning program crashed for over an hour, so she sat and colored while we waited to reconnect. Maya drew this picture of our dog, yes pooping on a flower, but whatever. We resorted to bathroom humor to make light of the moment. The whole time I felt so stressed because the first day was uncomfortable and a bit boring. By the end of the afternoon she was supposed to transition into “special areas.” Today was music, but she didn’t want to stay in class. She was sick of learning on the computer. I’ll also say that the music teacher was a bit obnoxious asking for introductions and really digging in deep to people’s summer activities. I was over it at that point too. I really don’t care if a classmate is at a cabin, why does she need to sit there and listen to all of this? It was already a long day, and she wanted to quit. I logged her out of Zoom early and we’ll try again tomorrow. -
2020-07-21
If we know Hydroxychloroquine doesn't work, why are scientists still experimenting with it?
My husband was exposed to COVID-19 by a co-worker from a different branch. She took the COVID-19 test, but instead of quarantining like you’re supposed to, she continued running errands. One of those errands was going to the bank, where my husband works and making a withdrawal. That same day she got her test results and called to let him know. OK, I feel a lot of things about that, annoyed. I’m really annoyed and frustrated that she believed she had COVID, went to the lengths to get tested, but didn’t self-quarantine. My husband is more empathetic. He thinks she had urgent things to do and no one to help her. OK, that’s the first part of this story. The second part, is that suddenly on FB I saw an advertisement for a research trial on COVID. I filled it out for my husband, and a few days later he got an email offering him the chance to participate in a study. I read the fine print, it seemed sketch. First, the trial is for 4,000 people to take Hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug that we know doesn’t work. Second, the compensation is only $300 total. That seems like a really, really low sum to be a guinea pig. Third, the way that the researchers phrased his options bothered me. On the consent form it lists his choices: “Your other options: There are currently no approved treatments to prevent infection or COVIF-19 symptoms for people who have had contact with an infected person. You do not have to participate in this study. Your other choices may include: • Taking part in another study • Getting no PEP after contact with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19.” This seems far from neutral, and actually to me- sounds like a combination of pressure/fear to get people to participate. This is my first time seeing an informed consent form, and I wonder if they’re all this loaded in terms of trying to manipulate someone into donating their health and body to an experimental process. The study was run by the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and the University of Washington. -
2020-07-26
Trekking to Glendale for the Splash Pad
Everything in Tempe has been closed since late March. Well, almost everything. The bars and restaurants have opened and re-closed. By contrast, playgrounds, splash pads, and pools have stayed closed. It’s been so hard not be able to take the kids somewhere to burn off energy. But, because of the inconsistency in state and municipal responses, the counties surrounding Tempe have different rules. That means we can go to a swimming pool in Chandler or a splash pad in Chandler. I realize that taking the kids anywhere in a pandemic is polemical, but they need a break from the monotony. It’s way too hot during the day (111-118 F) to just go on a bike ride or walk around the neighborhood. Therefore, we have to do something with water. We don’t go out every weekend, but we try to get out once in a while. My 6yo is struggling the most, she misses her friends, she misses school, and I feel like these outings help with morale. -
2020-06-18
Burial Peru
Image uploaded to website for use in Nueva Conviviencia page. Katy Kole de Peralta 06/18/2020 -
2020-05-29
Book Club for 6 year olds
The loss of social interaction has been one of the hardest parts of the pandemic. It's really hard for my 6yo who wants more than anything to see her friends again. Recently, her friend started a book club where 3-4 kids can get together on Zoom and discuss and share their favorite books. They explain what book they like and why. Today, Maya shared the book Potato Pants which is one that we always laugh at. She still misses her friends, and I have to keep promising that we'll see them soon. Fortunately she hasn't pushed for a concrete date, but she's constantly asking and frustrated that she spends everyday at home. -
03/27/2020
Call for Participation
Call for Participation