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post-COVID
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2024-11-11
Parallel Timelines
In 2020, I jumped to an alternate timeline. Everything I had known before became somewhat stranger, uncanny, the familiar suddenly not quite familiar. I began to lose trust and safety in my community, my family, and myself. I wondered if it was the beginning of the apocalypse. I wondered how we would survive -- any of us. It started with an earthquake. We lived in southeastern Idaho, and I had never experienced an earthquake in my twenty-five years. I was home with my partner and our two dogs. There had been news of the virus spreading in places far from us, but it seemed distant and inconsequential. Nothing seemed to touch us in our rural, isolated patch of Idaho desert. Things were as they'd always been and always would be. We had just made dinner -- mini Hawaiian sliders, kettle chips, and orange soda -- and had settled in to eat when the soda in the bottles began to ripple and shake. The dogs lifted their heads and tucked their tails. We both stared at the soda, then shifted our gazes out the window to the dry Lost River Valley, where we watched the land move in a way that didn't seem to make sense. I felt the shift internally as the earth shifted in kind. Something inexplicable had changed. Soon, people began to talk of the apocalypse; swarms of locusts (or murder hornets), natural disasters, plague, conspiracy, political unrest, riots. It was global; it was in our backyard. It was far out of our control and too close to home. And though wouldn't know it for a few more months, I was pregnant. I had never planned to be a mother, but I suddenly had to grapple with bringing a daughter into this unstable, dangerous landscape. The following week, my partner was laid off from work. Uncertainty grew. Lockdown protocols began, but they were ignored by most of our community. I continued going to work at my public-facing job, afraid each day that my unborn child and I would be infected with the mystery virus by the many, many people in my community who didn't believe it existed, who ridiculed me for wearing a mask, who thickly associated the taking of health precautions with opposing political ideology, compromised morality, and poor intelligence. My partner began to experience inexplicable health concerns: sudden, severe bouts of vertigo, rapid heart rate, weak pulse, fainting spells, inability to digest food, and days-long migraines. It was chronic and debilitating, preventing him from seeking consistent work. None of the health providers he met with was able to identify the source of these issues, citing either anxiety or sympathetic pregnancy and sending him home. He worried he was dying of an undetectable disease. I worried that nothing would make sense ever again. When I was seven months pregnant, our landlord made the decision to turn our home into a vacation rental. This left us to either pay highly increased rent or find a new home. However, over a few short months, the cost of housing had nearly doubled in our community, and we could no longer afford to live there. Our only option was to move out of state to live with family. My daughter was born healthy, though I gave birth alone because the hospital would not allow visitors. A couple of months later, in our sick and sleep-deprived states and while navigating new parenthood, we packed all we knew and took the leap. We came out alive on the other side. Nothing was as it had been, but we were hopeful of new opportunities. Trump left office. The vaccine was developed and distributed. My partner found ways to cope with his mystery illness and found meaningful work. We both returned to school. Things moved on, forever changed but not destroyed. But now, in 2024, I've jumped timelines again. It started when I swallowed a pill of Iodine-131, a radioactive isotope of iodine meant to kill the thyroid cells in my body that had become cancerous. Something shifted at that moment, and each event since has eerily mirrored the events of 2020. I once again find myself feeling that sense of strangeness, that uncanny reality, that loss of trust in the self and the other. I am unexpectedly pregnant with a second daughter, and the pregnancy is high-risk because of its proximity to the radioactive iodine treatment. My partner works, but I have struggled to get back into the workforce. There have been sudden personal conflicts with the family that have supported us, and we are now faced with finding a new home within the next six months. My physical and mental health have declined. And as of this week, we are living with the nearly unfathomable reality of a second Trump presidency. I try not to attribute unneeded significance to perceived patterns, but it's hard to ignore the parallels between then and now. Each shift feels like stepping into an uncanny mirror: familiar yet alien. I wonder if these parallels suggest a lesson or are simply the chaotic rhythm of life. In the midst of it all, I hold on to the small victories -- the ways we’ve learned to cope, to rebuild, to love fiercely in uncertain times. Despite everything, we are still here. I hope that this time, the other side will bring more than just survival: it will bring peace. As I sit with the weight of both past and present, I am reminded of what remains constant: the love I carry for my children, the strength I find in my partner, and the quiet resolve to face whatever version of reality lies ahead. Maybe we all live in parallel timelines, revisiting familiar struggles in different forms over and over again. For now, I’ll keep moving forward, one hand in each of my daughters', one uncertain step at a time. -
2020-08-11
Story of Sickness and Travel
During the Covid-19 pandemic, I was mostly at home. I lived in, and currently reside in Miami FL. During the earlier stages of the pandemic, everything was closed, shops, national parks, malls and the like. The only things seemingly open were liquor stores, not sure why up to this day. My first moment outside of Miami, was after the restrictions were lifted and I took, a small staycation in Fort Lauderdale. Things were still pretty uneasy, and heavy mask mandates were still in place. I stayed at a smaller hotel in North Las Olas. And we spent the day in the beach, and went around to downtown Fort Lauderdale. The city seemed to be moving as normal, and the populace was very relaxed with social distancing, and mask mandates seemed to be abided only by a few. Nowadays any remnants of Covid restrictions are few if any. About 1 year after covid officially was put down to a low extent with the use of vaccines, I traveled to New Orleans, Louisiana and I noticed a very similar ambiance as to when I was in Florida almost right after the pandemic. All of the populace was very relaxed and laid back with masks and social distancing was at an absolute 0. My guess as to why these things occurred was with the mentality of certain demographics and political narratives. Southern states generally have a more laidback outlook on life and fear the overall reductions of personal liberty, such as travel, in regards to national emergencies. Where as states such as New York and California were some of the heaviest in Covid restrictions, some even present to this day. Travel was always a beautiful thing to do for me, and Covid-19 put a small halt on it, but not completely. These stories happened between August of 2020 and June of 2021. -
2023-01-21
Our Family's Winter Road Trip
Here, I share a bit about myself and my family. Though many people are still not traveling, my family and I have done quite a bit, especially with my work as a grad student, an educator, and a coach. The pandemic slowed a lot of things. And my very demanding schedule is always a factor. But with the help of family, we are able to do much more than expected. -
2022-05-15
Bahamas 2022 - First Trip Post-Covid
My first trip in the post-covid era was to the Bahamas in May 2022. It had been years since I was last out of the country. The family of one of my close friends has a timeshare and I was invited to spend a week down there with a handful of friends. Heading into the 2022 trip, I was nervous about international travel, especially to a place I had never been before. The fact that I was with my friends made things a little more comfortable for me, but I still didn’t know what to expect or if I would even be able to make it to the Bahamas and back home. See, at the time the Bahamas still required a negative covid test to enter the country as part of their “covid visa” protocol. The country also required a negative test to leave the country. The friends I was with were very cavalier when it came to covid and covid restrictions. I was nervous, and I was and am considered high risk due to the nature of my asthma, but I was still determined to have a good time with my friends… and it ended up being one of the greatest trips I ever went on. New experiences, new food, a break from my life (which had become aggressively difficult to deal with), that trip was everything I had hoped it would be. I always kept a mask in my pocket just in case, but the nature of the negative covid test at least gave me some peace of mind that I’d be okay. The picture I included is of a smaller part of the group - 5 guys having a time on a lazy river. I remember laughing hysterically with each lap we did. That was the first time post-covid where I finally felt free and relaxed. -
2020-03
Canadian Travel During Covid and After
Contrasts domestic travel during Covid to respond to security program needs versus personal travel from Canada to the United States post-pandemic, and the different airline/airport experience. -
2023-04-15
Las Vegas Wedding April 2023
The weekend of April 15, 2023, I flew to Las Vegas, Nevada to attend the wedding of one of my best friends from college, Anthony Dramisino and his soon to be wife, Amy Menegay. I realized I was attending my first post-Covid wedding after the government lifted CDC recommendations and restrictions. I flew United Airlines in economy that Friday afternoon and touched down around eight in the evening due to the time zone difference from Washington DC. The airline did not force us to wear masks but recommended we do so due to confinement in a small space with a lot of people. Other than the presence of a lot more hand sanitizer stations around the airport, Harry Reid Airport in Las Vegas bustled with the activity of people enjoying Las Vegas to its fullest. The first thing I saw when I deplaned was a group of slot machines. I ubered to the hotel, the Flamingo Resort, a Las Vegas icon since the mob sponsored its initial construction in the 1940s. Renovated in the 1990s, it stood as one of the oldest still running hotels in the city and this is where the wedding party reserved a venue for the ceremony. Overall, one could not tell there was ever a pandemic by how the hotels and casinos functioned. People strolled in and out of the building at all hours and the Strip pulsed with noise, lights, and activity. I met up with the wedding party and we stayed up till 3 in the morning on the casino floor socializing unimpeded. The next day, I got lunch with Anthony and some of the wedding party. We went to a Yard House restaurant on the Strip. Like many restaurants, it converted to a QR code menu or optional touch pad ordering system. The server still took our drink order and brought out the food. I had a steak frite bowl over quinoa to steel myself for the wedding day. The ceremony took place in a private outdoor garden grotto that somehow blocked out the noise from the surrounding resort. The moment stood out as strange but beautiful as an Elvis impersonator married my two good friends to each other. Afterwards, the reception dinner lasted well into the night. The balcony at the Caesar's Palace stood isolated from everyone, but overlooked the Vegas Strip glowering in its nightly desert beauty. The venue let us stick around well past the end of the reservation. I went back to my hotel room at midnight to pack for my six am flight back to Washington DC. I took a picture of the new massive globe telescreen built during the pandemic. It danced in a complex light show at night, but apparently it can play full videos as well. I would say my first major post COVID trip was a rousing success and an excellent first time experience in Las Vegas. I would definitely go back again. -
2023-09
My First Solo Trip
During the events of COVID-19, I was in recovery from a serious illness that attacked some pretty valuable organs and, therefore, was immune-compromised. It was pretty shocking as I had been perfectly healthy up until that point and was just entering my early twenties. Therefore, I did not and could not travel during COVID. So, by the time of my first trip, post-COVID, travel restrictions had been lifted. I am currently as physically recovered as it gets from what happened and living life in a new normal! The first trip I took was to visit my sister in Alaska, where I stayed for about two months. We had a blast, and it was great catching up. I saw the ocean for the first time, and it was a particularly emotionally moving trip to experience. I will be heading out to see her and her lovely puppy, Honey, again in January, and I am excited to see them and explore new places! I am also hoping to rockhound in AK to add to my ever-growing rock collection. -
2024-07-22T18:05:00-02:00
Travel during COVID (@HST643).
This story is important because it shows just how long the COVID restrictions lasted, and also how responsible we chose to be after the pandemic. Hello everyone, my name is Lamario Thompson and I’m a first-year graduate student (and History major @HST643) here at Arizona State University @Arizona State University. When the travel restrictions were lifted for COVID, I didn’t travel, and only traveled for the first time during the summer of 2024. I took a flight from Albuquerque, NM to Shreveport, Louisiana from July 22, 2024, through July 26, 2024, however, by then COVID restrictions had been lifted such as six-foot distancing, mask wearing, and fist bumps rather than shaking hands. The only restriction that was still mandatory was getting the COVID booster, but that was primarily for my job as I work for University of New Mexico Hospital as a Patient Care Coordinator in which I come in close proximity to many patients (and staff) @unmhcovidboooster. I still wore a mask while in the airports and on the flights as I felt I could get exposed to anti-vaxxers who felt invincible against COVID. I flew from Albuquerque, NM to Houston, Tx, and then had a connecting flight to Shreveport, Louisiana. There weren’t any indications that there were any COVID restrictions at the airports or when I arrived in Louisiana. It’s interesting to note that when my folks traveled here to Albuquerque from Louisiana in June 2021, COVID restrictions like mask-wearing had literally been lifted a day before they arrived. However, less than 24 hours after their arrival here, the mask-wearing mandate had become mandatory again here in the entire state. The COVID restrictions really didn’t get lifted here at work until Spring 2023. I, however, kept wearing a mask and social distancing until Spring 2024 @covidprotocols. @Fall B Session 2024 @HistoryofTourism. -
2022-06-04
My 21st Birthday in Las Vegas
During the pandemic, I didn't get the chance to celebrate my birthday through a party or the drive-by birthdays that became common. My Grandma was high risk and because of this I was out of work and could not go anywhere aside from the grocery store or her house to bring her groceries. This caused me to feel sheltered in our home for almost two full years until I returned to work late in 2021. Even whilst working I tended to keep a mask on and gloves just to be cautious and protect my family. Despite the difficulties we still ended up getting sick several times, but we kept our time away from the house minimal. This changed with my twenty-first birthday which took place in June 2022 when the restrictions were much lighter. We decided to take a trip to Las Vegas as I could do many things that come with being 21, including gambling, drinking, and the sort. Even though this was long after things had reopened, I still felt very uncomfortable to be in public. The idea of staying in a hotel felt as if I was begging to catch COVID again. This is because it looked as if there had never been a pandemic to most of the people walking around, since nobody was wearing masks or trying to be overly clean (myself included). It looked the same as it had many years prior when I had last visited the city. I did not think about it at the moment but it felt as if we had achieved a level of normalcy that I had taken for granted for so long. It made me understand how grateful I should be for having the luxury of travel or being outside for that matter. Some people will never have that type of luxury again, much like my grandma who I still have to wear a mask around. As she is in her late 90's we still cannot take the risk of exposure, this makes me remember the pandemic and how tired I was of being at home. She is still living through that and this is years after we have left lockdown. -
2021-03-30
#JOTPYFuture from randomquips
I hope that the cases go down, the vaccine is effective, no new virus wreaks havoc, and we can go back to a relatively normal way of living #joptyfuture -
2021-03-30
#JOTPYFuture from _messes
I hope for everyone to bring every lesson they learned during the pandemic in the future. And to remember to cherish simple things that truly matters. #JOTPYFuture -
2021-03-30
#JOTPYFuture from compassrosetattoo
hope to be back in the classroom helping kids recover from the trauma of this past year. I can’t wait to see my grandparents in person again! But I don’t expect the word to be what it was before. Not sure what that might look like. #jotpyfuture -
2021-03-30
#JOTPYFuture from kumarshivani285
I hope that we will remember to appreciate the simple aspects of life long after covid ceases to be an issue. It would be a solid lesson learned and not easily forgotten #jotpyfuture -
2021-03-10
Op/Ed: How to get officers back up to speed in a post-COVID world
In this article, retired California Highway Patrol Lieutenant, attorney, and professional risk manager Gordon Graham discusses the factors police agencies should be considering and planning for as we hope to soon begin transitioning to a post-COVID/post-pandemic world. Among these are traditional and analogous considerations agencies have long dealt with, such as the return of employees from extended military assignments or recovery from injuries. Many of the finely honed skills that helped keep officers and the public safe prior to February 2020 will have eroded from a lack of use, and it will be incumbent upon agencies and officers alike to undertake these returns to normalcy with serious and deliberate caution. -
2020-04-17
Life In Isolation: The Coronavirus... Larry Hanson
A virtual exhibition by the Evansville Museum of Art, History and Science