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2020-04-25
Robotics In Quarentine
I am on a world level competitive robotics team with 6 other students at schools across my city. We compete locally and at the world level in a robotics competition released by VEX every year. With a different set of rules every year it's a big challenge to keep up with it but, we all love it. This is one if not the most important thing to me in my life. I put a lot of time, effort and money into it as it is my passion. Last season (April 2019- April 2020), I put around 2,000 hours into the robot. I absolutely love it and I would attach a video of my robot but the file is too big which is why I picked the youtube reveal for the game. It introduces the game and generally summarizes the rules. This season, what I have done during our “summer break” most people would play video games or watch Youtube but I build, program and work on the engineering notebook. It has helped keep me relatively sane and helped me pass the time and keep me from being extremely bored. What I have submitted is the reveal for the game this year. It shows how the game is played what it’s called and everything else about it. -
2020-07
Fighting Boredom
Going into that Ross store, I wasn’t thinking about leaving there with a jean jacket, I was just thinking about how my clothes were no longer starting to fit because I gained a little weight since quarantine started. I spent a couple of minutes in the Ross store and then my older sister came up to me and asked me if I’d want to do something she saw on tik tok. I asked her what it was and she said she wanted to paint the backs of some jean jackets and personalize it. I liked the idea so we then went to go ask my little sister if she wanted to participate and she said yes. Then all of us went up to my parents to ask if they could buy the jackets for us. They agreed. That night we started looking at pictures of the Powerpuff Girls to see what picture we’d want to paint on the jacket. My oldest sister got Bubbles, I got Blossom, and my little sister got Buttercup. Within the next day we had all the things needed to paint the jackets and finished them within a week of getting the jackets. The jackets are important to me because it makes me feel closer to my sisters when I look at it or have it on. It reminds me of a time during quarantine when we all bonded. -
2020-08-20
Leaning Tower of Books
I was never really someone who enjoyed reading, or at least I didn’t by choice decide to pick up a book and read for fun. I would only pick up a book if school required me to. But since the start of the pandemic, I have had a lot more free time and I have had to find ways to fill that time. So I started picking books that seemed interesting, and once I started, I was fully engaged until the last page. And over the course of the summer which is roughly 3 months, I have been able to finish at least 6 books, breaking any record I might have had for summer reading. -
2020-03-19
Fighting Creative Blocks During Quarentine
Of course the pandemic hit everyone's motivation and zest for daily life pretty hard, but as an artist whose social circles are mainly comprised of other artists, I noticed an especially hard hit to the creative output of my peers. I've heard before that suffering and despair is supposed to bring out the best artists have to offer, but in reality the inverse is often true- Van Gogh painted the Starry Night while he was getting specialized care in a mental health facility, after all. It's hard to find your spark when it feels like the world is caving in on all sides, but I was determined to find a way to keep myself from falling into a months long creative drought I knew I'd find myself in if I didn't do something about it. I didn't have the energy or desire to touch full sized pieces, but I reasoned with myself that I could stand to go smaller scale to save on both energy and time without sacrificing the feeling of accomplishment that comes with a finished piece, and so the day before every non-essential business in town shut down, I ran to my local Michael's and picked up the cheapest acrylic paints I could find and 3 packs of six 2 inch square canvases. I tried to think of a subject that could easily be captured on such a small surface, but was also sure to spark joy in myself and perhaps others if i chose to share them, and landed on the topic of pets, since they were easily one of the biggest comforts for myself and everyone else I knew during our prolonged stints sitting at home. It was a good move, I think- looking at an an image of an animal for long periods of time never hurts your mood, and sharing photos of the finished paintings with my friends who own the animals pictured brought a boost of serotonin to both parties involved. More than one person suggested I start an etsy page and sell them, but I think I'm content to just let them be a quarantine hobby and act of kindness during a deeply depressing time. -
2020-07-02
Another Day, Another Puzzle - Day 111
With calendars cleared as a result of shelter-in-place orders we have had more time to enjoy some of our family's favorite past-times. Cards and board games that were collecting dust have made their way out of cabinets. But what we've spent more time on than anything is puzzling. While each member of our family will puzzle here and there, our 5 year old son is a constant at the puzzle board. His attention and focus to puzzling is way beyond his years. Puzzling has given us the gifts of togetherness, joy, and consistency during these uncertain times. A family member that lives nearby was out of town so we decided to pack up for a little get away. The change of scenery was incredible on so many levels. We also scored access to a new collection of puzzles. We started with a small 200 piece puzzle within 30 minutes of arriving! -
2020-07-05
How a Toronto quarantine trend became a London area farm sanctuary's headache
"The program took off like a rocket in April, when the coronavirus crisis reached full swing. Suddenly, adopting ducklings became something of a craze in Toronto, where thousands of families discovered a welcome distraction from the daunting headlines and cooped up days at home because of the pandemic. However, some families who signed up apparently didn't understand what they were getting into. Some seemed to be unaware the pair of ducklings they paid $150 to foster at home would eventually have to be returned to the farm from whence they came in order to be sold..." "A London area farm sanctuary says it's been forced to clean up after a foster baby duck program when some of the participating families from Toronto couldn't stomach the fact the ducklings they paid to raise might end up on a dinner plate." -
2020-05-31
COVID 19
During this quarantine, I've picked up new hobbies like working out or making new food. I've focused on myself a lot and done things to keep me sane during this time of uncertainty. -
2020
Learning to Paint
During COVID-19 and while social distancing, it became very hard to find things to do. It constantly felt like time repeated itself and went on forever, everyday felt the same. So the object I uploaded is a painting I made during the first couple of weeks of social distancing. This painting is important to me because if it hadn't been for staying home due to COVID-19, I never would have picked up a paint brush and made my first ever complete painting. I discovered a new hobby and talent I never knew I had, and it makes me realize that other people have also probably discovered new things to try because of this time we're going through. -
2020-05-31
New Hobby
The pandemic gave me time to work on a hobby that I didn't really give time to try. Last year my grandma bought me a sketchbook so I can practice my art. Since that year I've only drawn one thing in it. I've always liked drawing but never really considered it a hobby since I didn't give it much of my time. Now that I have more time to try things out, I chose drawing. I now consider drawing as one of my hobbies and really enjoy doing it when the urge comes. I hope more people take advantage of this time to perfect a hobby they have or discover a new one such as cooking or croqueting because it's good to have something you like to do. -
2020-05-31
The Introverted Side of Me Is Happy
This quarantine experience so far has left me with many mixed emotions. Seeing and spending time with my family everyday allowed me to grow closer to them, but at the same time, it can be annoying sometimes. School closure was one of the many results of the pandemic. Online learning is rough, there is no interaction with teachers or classmates, but it has taught me to manage my time better. I miss seeing my teachers and hanging out with my friends. But, during this quarantine period, I was able to catch up on TV shows and spend countless hours watching anime. I also have time to get fit and develop useful skills like cooking, or simply just adopting a new hobby. I may miss my friends a lot, but I now have time to spend time with my family and work on improving myself and also watch a lot of Netflix. I also developed a tiktok addiction, which isn't healthy. -
2020-05-31
Yeast Shortage due to Covid-19
With lots of time on our hands, people are turning to hobbies they have been putting off like baking. One of the hallmarks of being a good baker is making bread. This has created a shortage of yeast, which as the article points out, is a living ingredient that can only be rushed so much. Baking has it's seasons, and as a professional baker, you learn when to expect shortages of ingredients, and when orders for products will increase. Typically this is around the fall and into the Christmas season. With the coronavirus pandemic and many bakeries closed, people are baking like it is the Christmas season when most ingredient manufacturers have cut down their output to reflect the coming summer. The shortage of yeast is most likely why many people are turning to sourdough starters. However, the quickest way to get a starter started is by using dry yeast. Contributed by Stephanie Berry, curatorial intern for Arizona State University, HST 580. -
2020-05-01
Staying Active During the Pandemic
Ever since quarantine begins, I’m sure that each of us has developed a new hobby, doing something that we never thought we would enjoy doing. For me it’s running. I never enjoyed running but I decided to give it a try since I had nothing better to do. I’ve noticed a lot of people in my neighborhood who I rarely saw leaving the comfort of their homes started walking and running. I never thought I would love running/jogging this much but now I do, it’s not only a good exercise to stay in shape but it also helps with mental clarity, taking my mind off of all the crazy things that are going on in the world right now. -
2020-03-26
Picking up a Sketchbook after 7 Years
This is important to me because I haven't even touched a sketchbook in so long despite wanting to learn how to draw. -
2020-03-21
Quarantine Hobbies
This painting on a polaroid was made on March 21st, it was the first time in awhile that I had finally gotten some free time. I had always had a passion for artsy activities although I was never good at them. I looked around my desk and found a ruined polaroid laying around so I thought I’d turn it into something pretty. When quarantined, I had a lot of time to think about what I wanted to do when I got the chance to be out in the world freely again. I had wanted to see the cherry blossoms and maybe one day rack up enough money to travel to Japan and experience that. But with a lot of time on my hands and my sudden interest to paint at 10 at night, I grabbed my paint and brushed and started to paint the things I loved. This COVID-19 experience has opened my eyes to the goals I want to achieve as well as hobbies I want to experience, but of course I miss what I had before this pandemic, which is my friends and fresh air. -
2020-05-17
More Time for Hobbies [MISSING MEDIA]
The pandemic is obviously a bad thing. However, there have been a little bit of good that has come out of it. For example, many people now have the time to revisit and develop hobbies that they previously never had time for before the pandemic. Perhaps, they've even picked up new ones. For me, I got the chance to improve my photography and editing. I couldn't shoot people for obvious reasons, so I took my car out instead! The quarantine has definitely given myself and many others a chance to invest more time into the hobbies that we enjoy doing. -
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. -
05/15/2020
my garden
this image shows that it was super sunny outside and super war, but since we were not alloys to leave the house we decided to start a garden and so far it looks really good. -
05/14/2020
Writing in the time of Covid 19
This journal entry is about the effects Covid -19 pandemic on my academic writing and academic goals. -
2020-04-20
Life during Covid-19
April 20th, 2020 Covid-19 is spreading like wildfire. Cases are going up like no other and many hospitals are running out of room for patients. Whenever I look outside, I barely see any cars compared to how it used to be. Roads aren’t as busy and many people are staying indoors. I was riding bikes the other day and we passed by a park with caution tape surrounding the whole thing. Due to gyms being closed people are starting to go on runs and trying to keep themselves fit during this tough time. People are definitely not trying to come in contact with other people and if two people are about to cross each other on the same path one goes to the road. A lot of people have been going to hardware stores to get stuff to build so they would have something to do during the day. Many people are starting to make there own gardens so that they could see the flowers growing everyday to give them something to look forward to. Online schooling hasn’t been the best, but you have to do it. I really miss all my friends and I know that I won’t see them till next school year or maybe later. When I first heard about Covid-19 I didn’t think much of it and then it hit Idaho and know 3/4ths of the news is talking about the Coronavirus. I like to watch the videos that have been posted on social media about Covid-19 because they make me feel like we are all going to get through this but we should laugh about it instead of being scared because then you can have hope, and personally I think that is one thing we definitely need. -
2020-05-15
A personal account of the pandemic.
A personal account of the pandemic -
2020-04-11
Sourdough starter
New hobbies -
2020-04-14
Nature Journal Page
A picture of a page in my nature journal. I started a nature journal when lockdown was announced in order to make sure I was going outside every day and also to share with my girlfriend when quarantine was over. Communicating online is so important, but I also wanted a means to communicate with her that felt like it could be kept forever. -
03/15/2020
“Knitting the Sky during the Year of Coronavirus”
The image is of a scarf I’m knitting, where each morning I knit two rows for one year using yarn that matches the color of the sky. The project came from a book called “Knit the Sky, “ by Lea Redmond. At the time I started, March 16, no one knew that the Covid19 pandemic would cloister us away from everyone for what looks like could be a long time— by the time I finish, I’ll have something that marks the year— and gives structure to the start of each day. I’ve added clear beads and grey yarn to mark days it rained—and white yarn with “bobble stitches” when it snows! The grey and blue and white strands capture the days of the pandemic. *Date entry: "3/16/2020-03/15/2020" -
2020-05-06
Baking as a New Hobby
Being stuck in quarantine could be boring if you have nothing to do. I decided to start new things to keep myself occupied. Since being stuck at home is a new reality for now, I decided to start baking and cooking. Baking after a day of school at home makes me calm and it gets my mind off of other things that are happening. In the beginning I did mess up a couple of times while baking, but I got the hang of it and it makes being stuck at home so much better. -
2020-05-04
The reality of parenting during corona virus isolation
Humourous piece by Lawrence Leung -
2020-04-28
REL Sewing Homemade Masks
This image shows a mother sewing homemade masks for her and her family to use whenever they are outside of the house. -
2020-04-17
My Self-Quarantine Painting
During this pandemic, there is a lot of uncertainty going around and many people are feeling lost, especially when it comes to feeling productive or simply finding things to do each day. I am one of these people. As a child, I loved art, even though I wasn't very good at it. As the years passed, I found that I stopped doing a lot of the things that I loved to focus on things that I felt were more important, such as school and work. Just recently, I figured that I have more time than ever to reconnect with old hobbies, and it really made me happy to go back to doing things (painting, in this case) that I was passionate about. What this says about the pandemic is that although times are tough and you might find yourself stuck in the same routine every day, there are still ways to make the most out of a negative situation. If anything, now is the perfect time to catch up on some of the things you wish you could've done years ago. #REL101 -
2020-04-28
Life After People
Brooklyne Hurley, age 22, has found COVID-19 to cause a lot of reflection for her. When asked how she was entertaining herself, she said "I've mostly just been painting." The piece featured above was inspired by Brooklyne wondering "what would life be like after people. What we've done here isn't just going to go away. These plastics won't ever leave and the Earth has to deal with that, not us." -
2020-04-25
Terrariums as Meditation
Isabella Hurley, age 19, has found both a new hobby and a new means of coping through terrarium creation. When I spoke to her about it, she said "it's like building a little planet. I get so caught up in planning each detail and arranging them, that I am able to forget about all the stress around me. I especially like doing intricate ones because they're time consuming." She said this wasn't something she had imagined doing before the pandemic, but that with her new abundance of free time she's been able to find a hobby that really calls to her. -
2020-04-17
My Self-Quarantine Painting
During this pandemic, there is a lot of uncertainty going around and many people are feeling lost, especially when it comes to feeling productive or simply finding things to do each day. I am one of these people. As a child, I loved art, even though I wasn't very good at it. As the years passed, I found that I stopped doing a lot of the things that I loved to focus on things that I felt were more important, such as school and work. Just recently, I figured that I have more time than ever to reconnect with old hobbies, and it really made me happy to go back to doing things (painting, in this case) that I was passionate about. What this says about the pandemic is that although times are tough and you might find yourself stuck in the same routine every day, there are still ways to make the most out of a negative situation. If anything, now is the perfect time to catch up on some of the things you wish you could've done years ago. -
2020-04-18
One of my rose bushes
This is one of my rose bushes that is in bloom during this quarantine. I believe it is important to find solace during these unusual times. Gardening comforts me and it is important for others to find something that comforts them. -
2020-04-28
REL_Life During a Pandemic
This is a short story about how my life has been effected by the COVID-19 Pandemic. -
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. -
2020-04-13
You Do You
Given the way this virus has inserted itself into our lives, its effects can be felt by almost everyone. In order to stave off the inaction that can easily sneak in and attach itself to me, I have resolved to do two things. Make my bed and take a shower every day. I'm not saying that anyone else has to do them. It's okay to not master a new language or learn the harpsichord. But for me, if I do nothing one day, that soon turns into three or four days of doing nothing. When I see creativity on the web from people all around the globe, I'm inspired. So, I put artwork or drawing and painting tutorials online in the hopes that it might inspire others to be creative. You don't have to create something massive or incredible. Sometimes it's the little things that make a difference to someone else. So, that's the way to do it. Do something. Do you paint? Do you draw? Do you build furniture? Are you a whiz when it comes to growing turnips? Whatever it is, show it to others. Step outside yourself for a minute and maybe be that inspiration for someone else. Or not. There's a lot to be said for just keeping it together and getting up every day. If that's what you got - do that. Just wash your hands. -
2020-04-02
Building a Home Studio in a Pandemic
Reflection of building a home studio during a pandemic. -
03/28/2020
Food in quarantine
I was never a good cook, because I am afraid of cooking. I dislike the smell of oil and am afraid of the hot burn. But this quarantine changed me, and allowed me step into the kitchen and actually enjoying the care brought by food. -
2020-03-28
Grace Papagno
I have spent the first half of my life being angry at my mother, and the second half forgiving her. She was insensitive, narcissistic, and at times, downright cruel. There were, of course, reasons, explanations, and perhaps understandings of my mom’s behavior and I have made a lifetime study of her so that I would not be like her as a mother. And I was not. I even published a memoir about life with her and after her. Now, in the time of Corona Virus, I find myself attributing many of my strengths to my mother. I have not been frightened by this pandemic. Rather, I think I’m coming into my finest hour. I am strong, positive, and yes, even happy. When I was a child, my mother would not “allow” me to be sick. There was no sympathy for illness. If I “chose” to be ill, I would have to stay in bed, eat nothing but tea and toast, and there was absolutely no TV nor friends. I was, after all, “sick.” With that scenario, I did not miss a day of school from third grade throughout high school. Now it is as if my body refuses to harbor a virus. I do take the prescribed precautions, but I do not even entertain the thought or fear of this virus. I do sense that if I did contract it, I would not be stopped by it. My mother would not allow me to watch TV if the sun were shining, and so I learned the joy of the outdoors. “Go outside and play,” was her mantra on the non-school days. As an adult, I quickly learned that gardening is “playing in the dirt for adults,” and so now, isolated, I spend the sunny days – even the cold ones, out in my yard, either cleaning it up, laying down compost, or planting seeds. I do not turn on the television until after I’ve practiced my piano lesson and cleaned up the dinner dishes. Even then, I am so tired from the day, I only watch TV for an hour or so before I am off to bed. Busying herself with her job and caring for her home, my mother had little or no time to share with me. “Get busy. Do something. Read a book or something,” was her order of the day. At age seven I taught myself to use the sewing machine; at eight I learned to knit. I embroidered and did crewel work. Later in life I took watercolor painting classes and resumed piano lessons with a magnificent teacher. I got busy. I seem not to have enough time in each day here, isolated at home, to catch up on my pastimes. Now in the day of COVID-19, I finally have time to do all the things I love to do without being interrupted for social events or volunteer promises. And whom do you think I attribute all the myriad interest, health, and self-sufficiency I find myself graced with – my mother, who unwittingly gave me the tools to find joy in isolation and meaning in the mundane. I am doing fine in this time of the pandemic. Thank you, Mom.