Items

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  2020-06-02

  Sign of the times

  I would say I share the same feeling as most, in that being stuck inside has forced me to venture outside more than ever. Hiking, running, kayaking, sitting in nature has become the one place of solace in this crazy, scary world. As mask mandates began to be put in place I began noticing so many people with their noses sticking out of their masks. I can not understand what possible line of logic they were operating on but what is the point of wearing a face mask if it does not cover your face. One day I was on a hike and I noticed this sticker stuck to a trail marker, I could not help to think that it is simply the best sticker I have ever seen.
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  2021-01-13

  Pandemic Favorite Things

  As so many people's lives have become overturned by Covid, and people had more time on their hands than ever before to become engrossed in a hobby or activity, I feel that it is both a blessing and a curse being in a Masters degree program. Obtaining an advanced degree certainly seems to be a wise use of my pandemic time, but I cannot help but feel slight jealousy sometimes when I have to work on assignments instead of some of the interesting things that people have been doing this past year. However, I do enjoy gardening, fishing, kayaking, playing with my dog, and cooking. All of these are the things that have kept me sane and happy during the pandemic. Especially during the spring and summer, I ensured to take time away from school and work for a bit everyday to do some of those things. I am very fortunate that I live on a river/lake, so I could work in my garden, then launch my kayak with my dog in the passenger seat, and go fish until it was time to cook dinner whenever I wanted. It was a total blessing for me during Covid, for as isolating as it was at times, I was very lucky to have space and the ability to do my favorite things on a daily basis.
• 2020-05-21

  Groovin' Through It All

  A longboard and a kayak: two objects created in order to give the sense of fluid movement amongst a sea of chaotic concrete and wobbling waters- and that is my experience in this pandemic to a T. In the beginning of the pandemic, my family chose to keep ourselves isolated from other people and the possibility of encountering COVID, as my sister and mom had immunodeficiencies. Me, being an extrovert, found this so incredibly hard to be apart from my friends, my rocks, the people who make me feel as though life has color in a scheme of black and white. The first time that I was allowed to see people was when we all met in a parking lot, staying 6 feet apart, and longboarding. A segway. A form of connection. A light. A board. Almost every night after that, I would go on rides around my neighborhood, feeling the curve of each carve, the wind whistling through my hair, the last taste of the golden sun fresh on the tip of my tongue, and the feeling of being a part of something greater that just me in that moment. The same goes for my kayak- the outdoors, and people. For me it really seems to all come back to nature and my loved ones, I guess that is what fills my heart with happiness.
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  2020-07-10

  Kayaks, dumbbells, hot tubs: Recreational items in short supply during pandemic

  An article discussing incredibly increased demand resulting in back-orders of recreational goods across the National Capital Region/Ottawa Valley. These goods include: canoes and kayaks; above ground pools and hot tubs; golf clubs, inline skates, and tennis rackets; and home fitness equipment. The increase in demand is attributed to people having more free time on their hands with less options to fill it due to the pandemic. All these products are also those which can be used at home or outdoors at a significant distance from others.