Items

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  2021-01-15

  Getting Vaccinated at State Fairgrounds

  As the vaccines were getting rolled out in Arizona, we were excited to learn that Arizona State University faculty fit into category 1B, as teachers. When the Arizona Patient Portal opened for 1B appointments on January 11 we dropped by the site at lunchtime, worried that we'd missed our opportunity. As luck would have it there were appointments available on January 15 at State Far Stadium in the wee hours of the morning. We were surprised as we'd heard the rollout of the site had met with difficulties earlier in the morning; we chose the a time just after midnight on the morning of the 15th, rather than at 4am (which seemed just too awkward.) On the 15th, we were antsy and hoped that the wait would not be too long; we decided to leave a bit early for the stadium, which is an hour drive from our home. As we arrived, we saw the shining portable lights of the vaccination center, just south of the stadium, in a parking lot. We navigated to the entrance and were delighted that nobody appeared to be waiting. Volunteers directed us through an elaborate maze of lanes, and traffic cones. (Many of my friends, in fact, served as volunteers, partly out of civic duty and partly to get the vaccine.) We showed one registrar our appointment slips (from the state website), and he wrote our appointment numbers on the window of my car (in either sharpie or wax pencil). We briefly waited in another line, as two registrars sitting under portable heaters that are so common on chilly winter nights in Arizona (normally you'd encounter them at restaurants.) They checked our identification and entered our names into the system, as well as asked about our health. From there we were directed around more cones into traffic lanes, leading up to where the vaccinations were delivered. Again, after a brief wait, and more checking our registration--confirming our appointment numbers (written on the windows) and names--we entered a tent. Two nurses briefed us on the vaccine and delivered our shots. They directed us to a waiting area, where we were asked to wait 15 minutes in case of an adverse reaction. And, voila, it was over--in under an hour.
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  2020-05-29

  Going out to Dinner

  So, we ventured out to dinner tonight. In a restaurant. For the first time. In a couple months. We decided that if the servers were not wearing masks, we'd order and take out. The servers were wearing masks, so we went for it. We had a lovely dinner on the patio, although it was hot (about 105.) We spent part of the meal mulling over our feelings about eating out. Definitely in a new world!
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  2020-05-28

  Haircut

  The salon peeled and I'm getting a haircut in socially distanced mode, wearing a mask. We're chatting about the pandemic and our pandemic activities. For me it's the archive.
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  2020-04-13

  #SHPRSspace: Part 3

  A faculty member from Arizona State University's School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies sharing their home workspace. Most ASU employees are working from home during the pandemic.
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  2020-04-10

  Moonrise

  Experimenting with filters to take images of the supermoon rising over the McDowells. I am colossally bored and find distraction in nature.
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  Social Distancing at the Grocery Store

  There I was, at the grocery store. As I approached the checkout line, I waited, to let the man ahead of me have some space. As he paid I put my groceries on the conveyor, figuring the space between us was more than sufficient. He looked at me and asked, “a little close, aren’t you?” I thought I was sufficiently distant. I said, “ excuse me.” In a perturbed voice, he asked, “Did you see the sign?” What sign? I wondered? I decided to step back and as I stepped back, I looked for the sign. There it was. So, I snapped this picture as he finished. He left. I checked out. As I left the store, I noticed that same guy laughing and joking with his buddies. Not two feet from each other. I laughed to myself. So much for social distancing.
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  2020-03-29

  Unstable Unicorns

  We've always played board games. But, now, the pandemic has transformed every night into game night. After all, who can watch television or surf the Internet 24/7? The term stir crazy comes to mind. Unstable Unicorns is a game for an unstable time.
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  2020-03-18

  Walking the Dog

  Walking my dog has become one of my primary sources of exercise during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, it gets me out of the house and out from under the feet of my family, who are all working at home. And, the puppy enjoys.
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  2020-03-18

  Goodbye Dorm: Sudden Endings for College Students

  Last week, on March 11th, NYU went online, and as it sent its students away on spring break telling them they'd return to online instruction. But, things have shifted so rapidly. On Monday NYU announced that students had to vacate the dorms. Families scrambled, including ours, to help our students cope and to handle the most mundane. Today, quite unexpectedly, my daughter says goodbye to her home and her first year of college. Not the way we expected the semester to go. Poignant. Painful. For all of us.
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  March 17, 2020

  Working remotely in the midst of a pandemic

  ASU Professor Mark Tebeau works from home in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, using videoconferencing technology to participate in an interview with ASU Now that would otherwise have been done in person.
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  2020-03-16

  Voting in the Democratic Primary

  I dropped off my early ballot at one of a very few polling places open on Monday, the 15th, prior to Tuesday voting. Many of the polling places are located at schools or community centers, which were closed because of the virus. Hand sanitizer sits on the box where you deposit your ballots.
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  2020-03-15

  Playing Pickleball

  Folks continue to gather for fun and fitness. In this video, we see a group gathering for Sunday morning pickleball.