Items

• 2020-03

  Zoom, Kraft Mac & Cheese, and Avatar the Last Airbender

  These three things basically sum up how I spent my days during the lockdown of the pandemic. I would go on Zoom for class, would typically make some Kraft mac & cheese for lunch or dinner, and would binge watch Avatar the Last Airbender on Netflix. Sometimes I did a combination of both; I remember eating mac & cheese and playing hangman with my friends on Zoom. These are three things that I associate with quarantine.
• 
  2022-03-11

  High Anxiety: Poll Finds Americans Stressed by Inflation, War

  This is a news story from Health Day by Robert Preidt. This is about a poll on what is making Americans most anxious. War, COVID-19, and inflation are at the top of what is making Americans feel anxious. Another thing the poll tells is that 63% percent said their lives changed forever due to COVID-19. 47% of people that took this poll also said that they have become less active compared to pre-pandemic. 58% said they had unwanted weight changes. Among those that gained more weight than they wanted, the average weight gain reported was 26 pounds. Others have said that the separation from others has put strain on relationships, or ended them. The APA reports that those with reduced social support are more likely to cope with stress. 56% say they could have used more emotional support during the pandemic. This poll had 3,012 respondents in February, and 2,051 from March 1-3.
• 
  2022-03-20

  Covid 19 as a senior

  When Covid first started, I never imagined it becoming, as serious or being as long as it was. I was a senior in high school, and on March 13, 2020 I never thought that would be my last day of high school. All I wanted was to participate in all the fun activities, but that never happened as life never really went back to normal.
• 
  2020-05-21T22:21

  Lockdown Jigsaw Puzzles 2020

  One of the ways that my family and I relaxed in the evenings during the first COVID-19 lockdown was by doing jigsaw puzzles. Here are just two examples of the many we completed throughout 2020. We set up in the living room using a board of sorts (cardboard from the box our television had been in) to do it on so that all the pieces would stay within one area and the whole thing would be portable if we needed the table back. The map one (left) had 1500 pieces and was the first one we completed in May. The second puzzle pictured here (right) was a particular struggle because it did not come with a picture of what the finished puzzle looked like. We all worked on our own little sections before figuring out how they all came together. It was an incredibly satisfying moment to see the puzzle completed finally knowing how each of our little parts fit together to create it. Jigsaw puzzles have been something that have helped me relax for years. There was often one at my high school library that I would do to have a break from my studies in order to take my mind off things. As it was in the library multiple people would join in making it very much a collective effort. Thus, doing jigsaws with other people, in this case my family, during these hard times was one of the things which helped keep me relatively sane during 2020. It was a very rewarding activity that allowed for greater engagement with one another than simply watching television for hours on end.
• 
  2021-07-24T14:50

  Chicken feeding as a lockdown activity 2021

  In July 2021, while on one of my afternoon walks, I discovered this local lockdown activity of chicken feeding. A local household was offering people the chance to feed their very friendly and excitable chickens. I am unsure when this activity first started as I do not usually walk the way that would take me past them. However, it was an amusing and relaxing thing to be able to do amidst the chaos of a global pandemic. The chickens were really very cute, despite not the brightest creatures I've ever known. I have visited them with my family regularly ever since that first time and have noted that other people, often local children, have also relished the opportunity to interact with live animals. In a small way, I believe the chickens have brought the neighbourhood a little closer together and given local children the opportunity to interact with animals they would not normally get a chance to. Sadly, due to old age and the presence of urban foxes the number of chickens has decreased and only one of the original trio remains (as of October 2021). However, she has a new friend now and is very keen to establish her authority. The sign and container of dry food has been removed but we often bring them other food- they are particularly fond of sowthistle.
• 
  2020-06-08

  Isolation Bingo – HIST30060

  This game of bingo is an example of many of the online activities which were introduced as a form of entertainment during the various lockdown periods. Separated from friends and wider communities for long periods of time, innovative methods were necessary in order to encourage continued connection and interaction. This particular game is targeted towards members of the Ormond community, and refers to a number of specific scenarios that many residents would have experienced. While some are related to a ‘non-COVID’ semester at Ormond (such as ‘Survived O Week’ or ‘Got lost in Main Building’), many relate to the lockdown experience (like ‘Kept your camera on for an entire uni zoom tute’). In reminding readers of familiar scenarios, this seeks to inspire a continued relationship between members of the institution, and to reduce feelings of isolation. HIST30060.
• 
  2021

  COVID-19 Story

  During the pandemic, I was able to get back into reading and also once the restrictions were lifted, I was able to get back in the gym and start biking again. I would try and bike anywhere from 10-15 miles per day which was a goal of mine to hit.
• 
  2020-03-01

  Increase of Outdoor Participants since the Pandemic's Onset

  Since the start of the pandemic, I've begun to both run and hike when I get the chance. After talking with people who have done the same since before the pandemic, they've noted how there is absolutely an increase of people outdoors. For me, it's a great way to escape and improve mental health, and I think it's worth noting how many are trying to find ways to improve themselves and keep going through various ways during such a tough time.
• 
  2020-05-06

  Is a Pandemic the Right Time to be Overproductive?

  A blog post from Banner Health about being productibe during the pandmic.
• 
  2020-03-26

  Exercising at Home: Simple Ways to Stay Active

  A blog post from Banner Health offering suggestions for working out at home
• 
  2021-07-19T21:53

  Program Director's Monday Night Campfire Speech

  Every week during camp at Camp Wolfeboro, the Program Director gives a speech near the end of the Monday night campfire. This is an audio recording of the last portion of the speech given by 2021's Program Director, James Mizutani. He mentions and discusses the pandemic that has taken place over the past two years in his speech. Transcription: So, it, it was a lot when I got up here, uh, to work as program director in 2021, it was kind of a shock. Um, I had to— the med lodge was new, the camp director's cabin was not habitable anymore, uh, Kneeknocker¹ was all shiny. The nature lodge, my home for a year as Eco-Con² staff, is now like [in remittal?], and you can't put people in there anymore. So a lot of things have changed, some good, some less good. The less good things are fixable, we'll get a new nature lodge, it'll be fantastic and it'll be great and it'll be better than anything Eagle's End³ will ever have (audience says "woah"). But one of the things that didn't change was my feelings about camp. I love camp. I love everybody who's up here. I love working with my staff. Now I just call them my staff, instead of me being a part of staff, I still am staff [unintelligible]. And getting to see all of you every week, I get to see Scouts every week, I get to catch up with them, I get to see what they're doing while they're not at camp, and I get to see what they're enjoying about camp, why they come back every year. And I find that it's a lot of the same reasons why I come back every year. You're out here, you're away from a lot of distractions, you're with some of your friends, you're doing stuff that you don't normally do on the day-to-day. I don't mind normal days, the last two years have been wake up, move eight feet over onto the other side of my room, and sit down at my desk. Now I wake up and have to like, jog 800 feet to the PO⁴ in order to make it to the staff meeting on time. So, it's a very different lifestyle. And, I think it's a good thing for all of us to have been reintroduced into that lifestyle, into that camping lifestyle. And so I want you all to take advantage of everything that Wolfeboro has to offer. Make the Wolfeboro lifestyle a full lifestyle, a busy lifestyle filled with program, filled with excitement, filled with singing, filled with swimming at the Waterfront and shooting at the Rifle Range and going on hikes and being out here in this beautiful valley looking at the stars. There's no light, there's no artificial light in the valley after 10:30pm. And that's something that you can rarely get anymore. Um, I want you all to take hold of all the advantages that you have here at camp and make the most of it because after two years, you have a lot of catching up to do. So, have a good week everybody and I'd like to reintroduce the 2021 Camp Wolfeboro staff (applause). Footnotes: 1: A bathroom (with showers starting in 2021) found between the Program Office and the Mess Hall 2: Short for "Ecology and Conservation". A program area on the Tuolumne side of camp that handles nature-related merit badges and activities. 3: A program area that handles civic-related merit badges and activities. Eagle's End staff and Eco-Con staff were engaged in a prank war during the summer of 2021. 4: Program Office, where the camp director and program director offices can be found.
• 
  2020-06-20

  Quarantine Bingo

  I created this art journal page in June of 2020. It's a bingo card and each square represents an aspect of the pandemic, from popular shows at the time to trends to ways our lives changed.
• 
  2020-12-22

  Air Travel

  Despite health warnings from the CDC, air travel in the US exceeded 1 million daily passengers for three consecutive days since last Saturday. If you're planning to travel, the health agency recommends getting tested one to three days before the trip and three to five days afterward. They also encourage you to "reduce non-essential activities for a full 7 days after travel, even if your test is negative.”
• 
  2021-03-08

  Article: Late Stage Pandemic is Messing with Your Brain

  I read this, & it struck a chord with me. Several elements in it range true. I thought it was important to save.
• 
  2019-04-16

  The one where we were quarantined

  quarantine has truly been an experience like no other although there has been plenty bad there has also been some good I enjoyed being able to be home with my family more and get to bond on another level much like how we did when we are younger we got to do things like bake, tie dye and watch movies I do wish it was under different circumstances but none the less I am happy I was able to be with my family.
• 
  2020-11

  Puzzling Times

  To me puzzles were nothing more than the stack of boxes collecting dust in the top shelf of the coat closet. Maybe I took them out once or twice when I was in grade school while I was looking for something to do after using up all of my TV time and refusing to pick up a book. I don’t recall every shopping for my puzzles, receiving them as gifts, and now that I think about it, I don’t recall ever finishing one besides, of course, the twenty-four-piece pink Hello Kitty puzzle, of her walking her dogs in the park. Now I look back upon the entire month of March spent working on multiple thousand-piece puzzles, finishing every puzzle I could find in my household. I remember sitting in AP Econ first period of some random Wednesday in February asking my teacher “what if this student does test positive? Why are we here? Isn’t this dangerous? Isn’t this putting us at risk of exposure?” He quickly assured me that classes on Tuesday were cancelled solely for the purpose of disinfecting the entire building. I questioned this response as I looked down at my stained covered desk that clearly hasn’t been cleaned in weeks. However, I wasn’t too worried about the situation as this almost comical idea of a virus was ripping its way through China and Italy, and not a single case was discovered in North America. I go home that evening to discover that a case was in fact discovered in North America, and of course it was in Washington. Completely awestruck, I try to convince myself there is no possible way out of all the schools in the nation this virus found its way to Hazen High School. I forget about the whole thing and go back to cramming for my Stats test. Thursday morning I’m awoken to the news that my school will be closed for the rest of the week. Not understanding the seriousness of the situation, all I’m thinking is “thank God I have more time to study for this Stats test.” That Sunday we receive more news stating school will be closed for the next two weeks and then an addition for that preplanned Spring Break. Still receiving messages from my Stats teacher to keep studying and practicing as we’ll pick up where we left off when we return, I stop studying because at this rate who knows if we’ll be going back. Sure enough, the weekend before our expected return we receive the email stating that all classes will be online for the rest of the term. Around this time my sister and mom were sent home from their work as cases around Washington continued to forcing many places to close and moving everyone online. This was the first time in years that we were all under the same roof again, and this was the first time ever we were forced to spend 24/7 with one another for who knew how long. And this was when the intense puzzling escapades began. For my parents it was a quite easy transition as they were doing the exact same things just in the comfort of their own home, but for my sister and I we had many weeks of nothing as school and work were figuring out what to do in this unprecedented time. There’s only so much TV to watch, so we landed on this brilliant idea of starting our puzzle collection, starting from the sixteen-piece slowly making our way up to two-thousand pieces. The smaller puzzles were obviously quick and mainly worked on between my sister and I, with the occasional visit from my parents forcing pieces to fit together that my sister and I would later discover and have to move. As the size of the puzzles began to grow, so did the time we spent working on them. From completing one in an hour to working on one for days. What started between my sister and I, soon turned into an entire family affair. Staying updated with the number of cases and deaths around the world and in Washington, the time spent working on these puzzles became very soothing to me as my mind was completely focused on sorting the different shades of pink that would eventually become a sunset. This little family project of ours created this sense of unity, collaboration, and overall fun in such a sensitive time and atmosphere. I felt that first month really allowed my family and I to bond in a different way, just because we all had the time to sit and work on puzzles together. Then of course the inevitable happened, no not quarantine ending, but we finished all the puzzles. I still remember asking my sister, half-jokingly, if she thought we would be able to finish all the puzzles before quarantine ended, of course at the time I thought there was no way it would las till August. I was clearly wrong, and we did indeed finish all the puzzles. We quickly looked online for more thousand-piece puzzles to buy, which to our surprise were incredibly expensive, but looking back we probably weren’t the only family doing puzzles so it would make sense the price skyrocketed. With the abrupt ending to our puzzling journey, I was disappointed with the little family activities we would do together, but we had months to go so we eventually did find something. Though puzzles are such a simple object, often associated with children or elders, it’s going to be something I remember from my teen years for the rest of my life. Whenever I see a puzzle, I will think about the strong family bond my family created the summer of 2020.
• 
  2020-06-09

  The Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles Create Puzzles for the People

  At the beginning of June, MOCA updated its online store to include items relevant to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. I have several screenshots of different puzzles, masks, books, etc. but I thought this one was particularly interesting. In the articles I’ve read about museums creating an effective online presence, the main idea is providing the user an opportunity to engage in a transaction. Here MOCA is giving the user an opportunity to buy a puzzle from them and also engage with their focus on contemporary art. While doing the puzzle, the purchaser will be thinking about MOCA, even on some kind of subconscious level. In a sense this helps to build community and, in the future, will serve as a token of the time spent in quarantine. One day the puzzle will serve as an artifact. To state the obvious, selling puzzles is relevant because at the beginning of quarantine this was an activity a lot of people did. I think for a small time was difficult to get your hands on a puzzle. MOCA is not only providing an online user with the opportunity to engage in a transaction, but it is a relevant transaction. This demonstrates MOCA’s ability to effectively adapt to the changing social landscape. My submission is important to me because in pre-COVID times I loved going to the museum and I think it's great to see how they're still trying to build community.
• 
  2020-03-19

  Facing Quarantine, Canadians Want to Exercise

  This article shares one running businesses's increase in sales during lockdown as many Canadians returned or started running. People needed a way to still exercise for not only their physical but mental health, and running became the most popular workout for its socially distanced nature.
• 
  2020-04-03

  It's Time to Consider a New Hobby

  This article shares how one Canadian passed the time under lockdown with a variety of hobbies other than baking bread. The author includes several activities which don't require much material such as knitting, calligraphy, colouring, and puzzles.
• 
  2020-05-11

  Will interests in puzzles, crafts continue post-COVID?

  The maritimes remained isolated largely from the rest of Canada during lockdown, and Nova Scotians pre-occupied their time with not only gardening, but crafts and puzzles, much like the rest of Canada. This article enquires into the sudden obsession with puzzles and wonders if this trend will remain popular post-COVID-19 or become a one-time event?
• 
  2020-11-18

  The Use Of A Commuting Students Vehicle

  A vehicle was how a commuting student got to and from school. I loved driving to school it gave me and opportunity to reflect on my day and go over any activities I need to do during the day and just listen to music. During this pandemic I can not do any of those activities. All classes are online so there is no need to drive my car and it just sits in my driveway. Driving was an everyday thing for everyone and since quarantine I have gone days without driving. However, I didn't not mind not having to pay for gas as often. This is the only plus side I see from not being able to drive during the pandemic.
• 
  2020-08-25

  Jewish Melbourne: Habo chanichim online

  During Melbourne's lockdown, youth movements had to run activities online. Habonim Dror chanichim met online.
• 
  2020-11-04

  A Puzzling Distraction

  HIST30060. Millions of people picked up hobbies during their respective lockdowns, mine happened to be puzzles. A few in this photo I had before lockdown, but most was bought in the lead up to, as well as during. I bought my first colour puzzle about a month before lockdown started, when I first discovered the board games store Mind Games in Melbourne's CBD, though I did not touch it until study at home began. These puzzles gave me something I could be good at, with only one still incomplete months after I first got it (in my defence, it changes colour). They allowed me to multitask, I would watch movies for university while I had a puzzle in front of me, I discovered so much music through my Spotify recommended playlists that have become solid favourites, I've caught up on podcasts that were usually relegated to my daily commute to university. They gave me something I could control, in a time of change and confusion, a welcome distraction from everything happening outside of my house.
• 
  2020-09-10

  Art recreations for R U OK? Day, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne

  As part of RU OK? Day activities for staff in this challenging year, hospital teams were invited to submit a team photo on the internal social media network. The Palliative Care team responded with a compilation recreating famous art works. The Paul Getty Museum popularized the phenomenon of recreating famous art works with a handful of household items earlier in the year.
• 
  2020-09-29

  An Object In Motion

  Newton's first law of motion states that an object in motion will remain in motion unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. I consider myself an object in motion without a doubt. As long as I can remember I have been involved in so much that I really don't get periods of rest, and I prefer it. I'm at my happiest when busy, and between full time college, a part time job, and too many extracurricular interests to count, I've definitely achieved that. So March 13th, 2020, also known as the day the United States came to a general halt, had a deep impact on my mental health. Unable to go to school, or work, or see my closest friends, I spent many nights crying. Both from the uncertainty of what laid ahead, but also the toll this unplanned isolation had taken. My saving grace in the early days was my dad. He had officially retired just days before, and having him at home with me made a difference I really couldn't have predicted. I had never really spent an extended amount of alone time with my dad, not for any particular reason, it was just never what we did. Finding ourselves home for who knows how long, we starting finding activities we could do together. We went on boat rides, canoeing, and did household work together. The project that meant the most though is the photograph I have attached. This desk was made by my paternal great grandfather in 1945, and had definitely seen better days. My dad and I spent three weeks in our garage refurbishing it, and honestly, its unrecognizable from when we received it. I don't want to be misconstrued that the time we spent holed up wasn't generally awful, because boy it was. But this involuntary confinement made me realize just how lucky I truly am to have people like my dad in my life. Covid has brought a lot of bad, more than we thought it would back in March. But I believe it is just as important to acknowledge the good it has brought, The relationships we've kindled through the strife. *Photograph, taken by me
• 2020-07

  Finding Beauty in a COVID World

  In this series my goal was to share how I found beauty this summer, despite everything happening right now in the United States. This collection of photos serves as a reminder for me that although things are not normal and probably won't be for a long time, there is such immense beauty that exists in this world. If it weren't for COVID and losing my job I would not have experienced many of these moments that I captured in these pictures. Perhaps the silver lining of COVID is that for a lot of us, it has forced us to literally sit back and reflect and these photos illustrate the "COVID-friendly" activities I chose to do this summer with all my free time. Some of these photos are some scenic landscapes in NYC, where I live. The rest of these images are from various scenic places throughout the country, mostly in the West, where I began my road trip back to New York City a few weeks ago.
• 
  2020-08-04

  Tennis racket

  I played tennis almost every day during the pandemic.
• 
  2020

  Threads of Connection Virtual Quilt

  Virtual project from the Institute of Contemporary Art Boston that is an extension of their Art Lab installation Threads of Connection. The project prompts people of all ages to create a quilt square of their own and email it to the ICA in order to continue building a vast digital quilt. This activity combines two things that museums have sought to do during social distancing; give people activities while at home and engage with them on social media. in doing so, it keeps museums relevant and engaging even if people cannot physically access their collections.
• 
  2020-06-26

  Empty Street, SF

  I saw the empty street and wanted to photograph it because it felt odd to see such a quiet street at night in a city. Due to the virus the night activities have gone down, and I liked how this picture illustrated that.
• 
  2020-06-10

  #MOSatHome

  Boston's Museum of Science has developed a wide range of virtual activities for virtual visitors: daily live streams, virtual exhibits, family STEM activities, podcasts, and other museum resources. This page gathers these online activities and puts them in one place.
• 
  05/19/2020

  Left on Read

  "Left on Read is an choice-driven narrative platformer about the harsh realities of modern age communication. You play as a college freshman, texting your crush over a long period of time. You must carefully choose dialogue choices to keep the conversation interesting and the relationship alive as you do your best to not get left on read. Good luck."
• 
  05/07/2020

  Email from Nancy F. about life during the Pandemic in Baltimore

  This is an email a very dear friend wrote to me. We are both teachers. She retired this year. The pandemic hit when she was adjusting to retired life - pursuing new hobbies and also keeping up with former colleagues like me about school. *Nancy F. A retired private school teacher. *Nobody else contributed.
• 
  05/18/2020

  Teddy Bear Hunt and Sidewalk Chalk Art Become Popular Outside Family Activities for Children During COVID-19

  Photograph collage shown is from Blanchard, Oklahoma where teddy bear hunts and sidewalk chalk art are popular activities for children to do with their families during COVID-19. The teddy bear hunt is nation-wide activity that was initially based off the book Going on a Bear Hunt by author Michael Rosen and illustrator Helen Oxenbury. Children are encouraged to spot teddy bears on walks with their families and participating houses place stuffed animals or drawings in their windows. Another similar activity that was easily spotted in the same neighborhoods in Blanchard, Oklahoma were detailed chalk art. Children draw pictures on the sidewalks in front of their homes or could view other home's artwork during family walks. Messages of hope or words of praise to essential workers for their dedications were seen as well. Each of the activities coincided with the rise of family-oriented outside walks that were becoming popular during the COVID-19 pandemic. Contributed by Clinton P. Roberts, curatorial intern for Arizona State University, HST 580.
• 
  05/08/2020

  Normal?

  Today was a normal day. It is really weird to think about it that way because no day is the same or has the same feeling. I would do different workouts at swim practice or learn new things at school. Even though I am switching up my workouts and home and am doing schoolwork I still feel like every day is just the same and boring. I am counting down the days until the Rec Center opens. (10) In a little bit I will be able to have access to all the things in the Rec Center. I can’t wait to go to swim practice, play rachet ball, run on the indoor track, and climb on the rock wall. Today I also decided to bake blueberry muffins because I was getting tired or only eating a couple different foods. They turned out really good, so I am happy I didn’t burn the house down. After they cooled, I ate three of them. I have learned how to bake many new things this quarantine. My grandma is stuck here since they are not allowing travel to Romania, where she lives. She has taught me many different recipes during this time. #LSMS #NSD
• 
  04/28/2020

  Newport Beach

  My roommate and I stayed at home for half month. We felt kind of sad and depressed. We heard the Newport beach opens. We spent half hour to find a parking space, because there were lots of people. On the beach, lots of people were playing and having fun. We were surprised the number of people on the beach, because that was a Monday. On the day after we went to the beach, we heard the local government closed the Newport beach again, because there were too many people on the beach.
• 
  2020-04-01

  Graph of importance of activities during quarantine meme

  Meme showing relative increase and decline in some activities during quarantine
• 
  2020-04-20

  #SouthingtonBearHunt

  Families in Southington, CT organize a “bear hunt” to provide an excursion opportunity for youngsters kept at home during school closures. Bears and other stuffed animals were placed in windows or in yards for interested families to find and count. Results were reported via Facebook.
• 
  2020-04-02

  Hitting Softball from a Social Distance Pitch while Riding a Bike.

  During the quarantine I have released some of my manic energy by practicing softball tricks. A young neighbor kept a distance while she pitched to me as I rode bike with helmet on - Safety First.
• 
  04/20/2020

  So Much For Essential Activities

  The Montgomery Bell State Park in Tennessee is shut down and completely blocked off like many others despite the governer stating that outdoor recreation is an essential activity and therefore still allowed.
• 
  04/12/2020

  Pandemic Windchime

  This wind chime, etched with the phrase "pandemic windchime," appeared in a tree on the University of Chicago campus near the Classics building in early April 2020, with no other context immediately available.
• 
  2020-04-02

  A Simple Way to Still Have Fun While Remaining Isolated From Others.

  This is an image I took while enjoying the beautiful desert of Arizona with my brother. It is a great way in my opinion to get out of the house, stay active, and have fun while still doing my part in socially distancing myself from others and isolating myself from the world.
• 
  2020-03-28

  Steps in a week

  I track the amount of steps I take with an app on my phone. This shows the amount of steps I took during the week of March 22-28. Since we are encouraged to stay at home as much as possible, I am not getting in as many steps as I would like. However, I occasionally try to go to the nearby park or walk to the grocery store.