Items

• 
  2021-02-25

  Creating Art in a Pandemic, Occidental College

  This article captures ways that Occidental College has adapted to the pandemic by modifying performance, exhibits, and classes.
• 
  2021-02-19

  ‘Bet on you’: Brooklyn yarn shop owner spins childhood hobby into burgeoning business, empowering crafters of color

  Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Felicia Stenhouse Eve has seen business for her yarn store from around the world. Felica hopes her store, String Thing Studio, empowers Black crafters and entrepreneurs.
• 
  2020-05-07

  Screen Grab English 7800 Spring 2020

  This screenshot shows three students and their instructor in a moment of silliness on Zoom, where we attempted and mostly succeeded at engaging in rigorous academic work while keeping one another sane and grounded.
• 2021-02-25

  A Strange Way to Grieve

  My father-in-law had an accident last April and passed away about ten days later. He was brought to the hospital in the middle of the pandemic. Nobody was allowed to visit and be with him. My husband was able to speak to him over the speaker phone. He missed seeing him in person. The doctors only would allow visitors in the last moments near death. My husband did not make it in time. Later, he had to retrieve his cremated remains from the car in a sort of curbside pick-up fashion. It was very awkward for him. The usual quiet moments in this situation did not happen. We wanted to hold a memorial for my father-in-law, but because of covid19, we kept pushing it back saying to ourselves, “Well, maybe in October…Maybe in December…” Now we have decided to forgo a traditional memorial for an online one. Soon in March we will have a Zoom memorial with a slideshow of pictures, video, and music, and it will be on his birthday. We hope people will make some remarks. It is stressful getting this together, and I hope it goes well on Zoom. None of us are experts with any of this technology. Handling the affairs of a loved one’s life when they have died is hard enough in normal times. It is even harder during a pandemic. As I write this journal entry I think about my husband and the hardship he and his side of the family has gone through during this time. Knowing them, they would not want to share anything like this on a public archive. I am involved in this grief, but it is different for me. My role is mainly to support. For an archive like this, its collection is all decided on what the public wants to share. Emotionally difficult stories like this may not be shared firsthand as often. My story is also not in depth as it could be if I were the person centrally involved in this grief. I hope that future historians read stories like mine and realize how strange and difficult this time was for grieving people. Nothing is normal. Having a memorial where people get together and support each other through grief with kind words, pats on the back, and long hugs is totally out of the question. We just have to do the next best thing and move on with our lives as we cope with an uncertain future and wonder when life will go back to the way it was before the pandemic or if we have truly lost this aspect of our culture, customs, and traditions.
• 
  2021-02-15

  #JOTPYPhoto submission from Dr. Marissa C Rhodes

  In our endless search for diversions, my husband bought a resin 3D printer last spring and this was his first print. No matter how much we distract ourselves, #COVID19 is never far from our minds. #JOTPYphoto @lmansley @publiccurator @hotdogsssss @keil_jkeil @erin_bartram
• 
  2021-02-19

  'You just gave me life': Groups help seniors get COVID-19 vaccine appointments

  The elderly of Arizona are having difficulty sign-up for a COVID-19 vaccine. Issues with the state website and difficulty accessing technology seem to be the main causes. The ADHS is working on making the website more functional and is using an appointment hotline to combat the issue. Local groups are also assisting the elderly with making appointments.
• 
  2021-02-21

  Mini oral history with Eva Ruth, 02/17/2021

  Transcript of Interview with Eva Ruth by Monica Ruth Interviewee: Eva Ruth Interviewer: Monica Ruth Date of Interview: 02/21/2021 Location of Interviewee: Sacramento, California Location of Interviewer: Sacramento, California (separate location) Transcriber: Monica Ruth Abstract: This is a mini oral history of Eva Ruth by Monica Ruth, about the silver lining of the pandemic experience. MR: Hi, my name’s Monica Ruth and I'm a graduate student intern with the COVID-19 archive at Arizona State University. Today's date is February 21st and it is 12:05 pm Pacific Standard Time and I'm speaking with Eva Ruth. I want to ask you a question about your pandemic experience. But before I do, I'd like to ask for your consent to record this response for the COVID-19 archive, a digital archive at ASU that is collecting pandemic experiences. Do I have your consent to record your response and add it to the archive with your name? ER: Yes, I do. You do. MR: Thank you. So first, can you tell me your name, age, race and where you live? ER: My name is Eva Ruth, I’m 75 years old, and I’m Mexican American. MR: And where do you Live? ER: Oh and I live in Sacramento, California. MR: Great, thank you. Now, I’m gonna ask you one quick question about the pandemic. So we've experienced a lot of changes in 2020. And many have been negative and disruptive. But maybe it's not all that bad. What is one positive thing you've experienced during the pandemic? ER: For me, it has confirmed my faith. Because the challenges that we faced in our church, closing, opening, closing, social distancing, and everything else. But we've been able to go with the flow and abide by all the rules or regulations and still maintain our faith in worshiping God in the church as one possible, outside or in the house. So it's just kind of confirmed for me that God is everywhere. And so I, I think for for that reason, this has been one of the silver linings in my life during this time. Also, I have also been able to do a lot of Zoom, which I'd never done before. And by a lot, I mean, I can communicate with, I communicated with people from South America, Central America, and then in the United States and the East Coast, here, West Coast a lot. And so it has kept me socially active, through Zoom, and maintained our friendships and increased my knowledge of technology. So it's, those are the plus things. Of course there are some negative things, but the plus pluses are strong and I know that other people my age have been able to overcome the challenges. MR: Yeah. Well, thank you very much. I appreciate your response. Thank you for your time. ER: Thank you.
• 
  2020-10-29

  Video Games to Pass Time

  2020 was a good time for video games, particularly those that I am interested in. Releasing in the middle of the year, games such as the highly anticipated Mount and Blade: Bannerlord and Crusader Kings III managed to provide time-wasting opportunities to many people. The latter, abbreviated CK3, is pictured here. CK3 is essentially a feudalism-simulator with role playing game mechanics, famous in the PC gaming sphere for both its complexity but also its ability to organically allow stories to form in the most Game of Thrones way possible. This was one of my earlier games, after I was more familiar with how the game differed from CK2. Starting as the Raja of the real-life Northern Indian dynasty of the Imperial Gurjara-Pratihara in 867 CE, through many generations of rulers I managed to consolidate the entire subcontinent through diplomacy, intrigue, and warfare. Around 1000 CE one of my rulers who had a more intellectual education rather than the usual military one, consolidated all imperially sanctioned Hindu beliefs into the Charvaka school, a real-life ancient Hindu belief based on materialism and empiricism. As this new consolidated Hinduism united the subcontinent at a more local level, regional governors along the Indus River took advantage of political fragmentation around the Indian Ocean and pushed west, taking over not just Persia and Central Asia but also establishing Hindu-Somali outposts in Africa and Yemen. By the 1300s the empire spread from Burma in the east all the way to modern day Libya and Greece, with Rome itself falling to a Pratihara expedition. Peace was maintained within the empire's vassals by a robust series of alliances, as well as the use of the "dread" mechanic to scare any more unruly subjects into submission via planned executions and threats. The most serious threats the Pratihara Empire faced was a series of crusades launched from Western Europe, and the Mongol Conquests which were ended by assassinating a few generations of Mongol Khans leading to political infighting and collapse. Beyond the fake history being made in game, this single play through gave me enjoyment for dozens of hours. While psychical entertainment was shut down, travel impossible, and the shadow of the pandemic hung over everything, games like CK3 allow people like me to immerse ourselves in what begins as real history and ends with an alternate history that we ourselves designed. Many people who don't usually play video games became engrossed in them, particularly early on in the likewise open-ended game Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The need to develop new hobbies as a way to cope with isolation was a boon for the video game industry, which despite its massive market was seen by many people as quaint at best, or worthless at worst. There is value in video games, especially during the pandemic.
• 2021-02-18

  One-time covid vaccine

  It is an article about an innovative vaccine from COVID that is not two-phased, but one-phased.
• 
  2020-11-05

  Echoing Empty Galleries

  This photo, taken at the Detroit Institute of Art, is a glimpse of the drastically different pandemic-era museum experience. Upon entrance to the museum, guests are masked, tickets are bought online, temperatures are checked, and then one can wander the silent, empty galleries. Diego Rivera’s monumental Detroit Industry Murals are even more awe-inspiring when drifting around the cavernous hall distraction-free, with only sentinel machines keeping one company. Presently, Rivera’s personal history of political conflict and pandemic-related loss ring especially true. Although museum visits have adapted, one can still experience a powerful connection to art, in a new, maybe even improved way.
• 
  2021-02-17

  THIS IS YOUR NECK ON ZOOM

  Many years ago, there was a public service ad that said ‘This is your brain on drugs.” It featured an egg cracking into a frying pan, sizzling crisply. I feel the same way about my neck on zoom. It is a horrifying sight. For many of us, ZOOM is the funhouse mirror we do not wish to look into. It has been suggested that staring at ourselves on ZOOM calls sucks the life out of our brains and that it might be better to simply not be able to see ourselves. Apparently, you can block yourself from being able to see your own face while allowing your fellow ZOOM-ers to gaze at you. Honestly, that seems worse to me. What if I look like a Salvador Dali painting? And what about my NECK? Chin high, neck elongated is my mantra. Channeling Audrey Hepburn helps. Otherwise, I look like a candidate for a Thanksgiving carving board. This is what COVID hath wrought. Not a fear of disease or death (although THAT is responsible for the extra furrows between my brows), but a conversation about inner beauty and wisdom vs. gravity and slackness of skin. For women of a certain age COVID has brought a dollop of fear, and a hefty helping of self-pity at the mere thought of newborn grandchildren we cannot hold. And it has also rendered us as insecure and self-conscious as a teenager with a pimple on the tip of the nose. The state of the skin beneath my chin should not matter, and yet it does.
• 
  2021-02-09

  Artists Reimagine How Covid-19 Will Shape the Art World

  In a time when people can't go to museums or concert halls, arts and musicians are improvising. Many are taking part in digital exhibitions and performances. Others are embracing the practice of street art, it always artists to continue creating art and have more exposure to the general population.
• 
  2020-10

  How Tribal Communities Have Dealt with the Pandemic

  A cursory look into A Journal of the Plague Year reveals that the pandemic is nondiscriminatory, all of are affected. Yet, the reality is that Covid-19 is having more impact on certain populations in American communities. Arizona State University's Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict partnered with the Henry Luce Foundation to provide rapid relief funding to marginalized communities in the southwest. As part of the rapid relief program, the Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict is collaborating with A Journal of the Plague Year and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication to raise awareness about the marginalized communities that were assisted via this grant. By joining this "Southwest Stories" project, we at the Podcast of the Plague Year were granted the opportunity to spotlight one Native American community in Arizona- the White Mountain Apache Tribe.
• 
  2020-12

  Maturation and Contemplation

  In the past year I have lived on both sides of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. I attend university as an undergraduate in the west, and my immediate family lives in the east. After being sent home last spring to live with my parents during the first few months of the pandemic in the U.S., my plans just like everyone else’s had been changed forever. I looked forward to moving into my new apartment back on the other side of the state and my initial stay was tumultuous and chaotic. After moving into my apartment in the summer I began to live alone for the first time. All summer I saw very few people and refrained from going out as much as possible. Having lost my job at the beginning of the pandemic I recognized that I was experiencing an extremely rare opportunity where I had more free time than I imagine I will ever have again. Driven by the desire for better human connection, and more specifically in order to ameliorate our historically up and down relationship, I began playing chess online with my brother. It is important to note that the game of chess was taught to both of us by our Father when we were much younger. It has always been something that has a sort of meaning surrounding it for me which was hard to fully comprehend. Despite our foundational knowledge of the game neither my brother nor I played frequently or took it too seriously, that is until the last six months or so. For one reason or another we both began to play obsessively. Chess is an ancient game with centuries of research and strategy surrounding the infinite positions so there is an endless wealth of information, especially in the present day of the internet. I found that the more I learned the more there was to learn, and I continued to practice consistently. Once the winter came around I was able to go back to my parents’ for the holidays. I stayed for two weeks, and it was nothing like what I had experienced there earlier in the year. There were obvious differences in the behavior of people that I have know for a long time, and I had changed as well. I can honestly say that I have never gotten along better with my brother, although this is not to say that chess is solely responsible for this transformation. He is 18 years old and about to graduate high school, and as of February 2021, he has chosen to go to college in upstate New York. It has taken a very long time for us both to mature into what we have become, and the process is certainly not complete, but through the creation of this shared interest a door has been opened for a renewed connection. Growing up just a few years apart we had always been close, but had also fought and competed viciously as brothers tend to do. Being apart in this way, under these circumstances, coupled with the unique place in life that we both are experiencing, I have been able to connect with my oldest and most loyal friend around something that has deep inherent meaning to us both. I am grateful that I am learning and growing in this way during the pandemic and I recognize that it is a blessing to be able to demarcate and appreciate any positive consequences of a global catastrophe. I have uploaded a screenshot of the final position in our most recent game from last night 2/14/21. I had a comeback victory that should not have happened and he resigned in the position shown. One thing that you learn from chess is how to lose when you only have yourself to blame and how to move on.
• 
  2020-08

  A COVID Year in College

  When I graduated high school in the spring of 2020, we had already experienced the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic. I’m not sure how long people really expected it to last, but we had made it through this far with hopes of a sense of normalcy heading into summer. When August came around, many new college freshmen began wondering what starting a new experience, a new chapter of their lives, would entail while still following the same precautions and guidelines that were in place when high school ended. For some, the idea that some colleges may not even begin in person instruction in the fall was becoming a reality. The idea that I may be experiencing college distanced and wearing a mask did not occur to me in March of 2020. However, as move in day approached, the fact that the pandemic would impact college experiences was inevitable. As many freshmen were not looking forward to having to wear a mask and socially distance while trying to experience college and make friends, at my school, we were still getting to move onto campus and meet other students while taking many classes in person. After feeling very isolated for months, the first week of classes was strange as many students had not been in large group settings since March. It was a refreshing experience that reminded us of times before COVID. Because of this, a sense of community was growing as we made the best of the opportunities that were provided. After a while, COVID fatigue set in as it became difficult to balance in person classes, Zoom classes, and a growing workload. As less and less students attended class every week, it became lonely and dreary heading into the winter months. Many students left campus early and opted to take online only classes. The sense of community and hope we had at the beginning of the semester was dwindling by the day. Because of this, beginning classes during the first semester of our college lives was extremely different than we had hoped, despite the first few weeks going well. For many looking forward to new experiences and making new friends, disappointment ensued as it was difficult to meet others while everyone followed COVID safety guidelines. In the end, we are still experiencing the consequences of the ongoing global pandemic in college. Hopefully, this experience only made us stronger and showed us that we are able to overcome extensive obstacles. Being able to grow and challenge ourselves in an already challenging environment just goes to show that we are all stronger than we may believe.
• 
  2020-05

  The Escape of Friendship

  Senior year of high school my hometown friends and I all chose to go to schools in different states so when we all got sent home last March it felt strange to be back from our freshman year of college so soon, but still having to do classes completely online. About a month before college students got sent home, I joined a sorority called Sigma Kappa. These girls quickly became some of my best friends while I was still at Duquesne, and once covid-19 hit we still advanced our connections even further. Everything was shut down and online, including classes for my first time ever, and the social aspect of my life was confined to my immediate family in my house like the rest of the world. The majority of my time was either spent binging Netflix shows or spending time with my friends and family virtually through Facetime and Zoom. This became my own little paradise inside of my house in which I was sharing my experiences with the people in my life in my own area and comparing them to my friends experiences in other states. When my family started to drive me up the wall and I needed an escape, I would hop on Facetime with one of my friends from home or one of my new sisters in my sorority. Once the weather started to get warmer my friends and I followed the lead of the rest of the country’s friend groups by going to a parking lot and sitting in the trunks of our cars socially distanced to get some sort of in person contact. This activity became almost a daily occurrence to get out of our houses for a short drive and fresh air. At this point in the pandemic, I was beginning to go star crazy, and I will never forget hearing the governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, announcing that quarantine will be extended even longer. I burst out in tears in my kitchen because all I wanted to do was hang out with my friends in a normal setting. As this was happening, I relied on my best friends virtually and spent multiple hours with them over Facetime talking it out and realizing that this will eventually come to an end and normal life will begin again soon. One of the biggest things I can take away from this part of quarantine is how much my friendships mean to me. I was not a huge fan of Facetime, but the pandemic has really made me realize how necessary it is for me to keep in contact with my friends to check up on them and have them check up on me, even in the future when normal times occur again. As terrible and heartbreaking covid-19 was and still is, my friends were truly an escape from reality for me through Facetimes, Zoom, and car circles. I believe that my friendships became even closer through this shared trauma of covid-19 and I couldn’t have gotten through lockdown without them.
• 2020-12-24

  Breaking Tradition while the clock continues to Tick

  Every year since I was a child I always looked to the holidays for multiple great reasons. When I was young of course the idea of getting presents always trumped the other great qualities that comes with Christmas. As I grew older, I started to appreciate what these holidays really meant to me. That is family, seeing everyone all together happy for a moment in time like nothing else mattered. When Covid hit now over a year ago it seemed like a bad dream that would pass in a few weeks, but a few weeks turned into a few months which turned it over a year now. When Christmas came around this year, we knew it was going to be different and that was okay with me. What really upset me was that I wouldn’t be able to see those I’m closest to and those I cherish my time with. I am mostly referring to my grandparents, on both sides of my family I have loving grandparents who are always a joy to see. In the last few years, I have come to appreciate every time I get to see them one because I love them but also because there could be only a handful of times left that I will get to see them. It is a morbid way to look at family, but one has to come to reality that family isn’t here forever, and this fact helps me appreciate family while they are here. Covid comes into play in this story because this year the virus separated us at a time when family should be together. It deeply upset me to not be able to make another unforgettable memory with my grandparents. What really hurt me was how I could imagine they were feeling about all this. At their age family is everything and they just want to be around everyone as they are getting older. So, we tried our best to all zoom in on Christmas eve and Christmas morning to try and make it as normal as every other year. Of course, it was not the same but with the technology we have today we were still able to share some great moments through the video cameras around the room. After we had the family zoom call I could tell my grandfather really just wanted to be here with all of us and that is a hard pill to swallow on a day like Christmas. I proceeded to call him and reassure him that with time this will all go away, and we will make up for this lost time that we have all suffered through. He told me through it all through world war 2, Vietnam war and the cold war that this pandemic was the hardest to overcome in his lifetime. Which puts into perspective that this is my first true struggle to go through and has seen to be one of the worst events in recorded history. If I look at the right way, it can only get better from here and I’m ready to make up for that lost time with my close family and friends.
• 
  2020-04-12

  Easter in Quarantine

  We all remember where we were on March 13th. That is the date that quarantine began, I remember sitting in my classroom and being told that we were going to be off for two weeks. At first, I was excited, a two-week break sounded like something I would love. I would have never expected this. I then found myself on April 12, 2020 celebrating the first holiday in quarantine. Easter was usually something pretty big in my family the whole family got together. We did baskets and candy was given out and we had a big dinner. However clearly because of the restrictions it was much different this year. It was only my mom, my two other sisters, and who spent the day together. However, my oldest sister, who is a nurse at a hospital had to spend it alone away from us to ensure the safety of her patients, herself, and us. we are a pretty close-knit family, so going through this experience was hard. Only being able to see my sister through our door or outside significantly distance apart was not the same. Staring through the window as we had conversations through our phones was not something, I thought I would ever experience. Not only, did I not get to see my sister, I did not get to see my Aunt, Uncle, cousins, and Grandma. We always spend Easter day with my mom’s side of her family. This probably was the first time in my entire life that I did not. this day was probably one of the hardest days in quarantine for me, because I really took in account that this is my life now. Easter is usually a time for happiness, celebration, and spending time with your family however this year it was filled of heartache and separation. As I sat down to my table that was set for only four, we put our computer at the end of the table to start the zoom call connecting my family together. We are all separated by miles apart, all in our own houses, yet we were together through this call. Having our dinner looking through a computer screen definitely was not expected. I am very grateful that my family has the technology to still talk to each other see each other's faces even if it is over screen. Something that I will never forget is when we were taking our traditional Easter photo. Usually, my three sisters and I all get together and take a happy picture. But this year we took the picture with my two other sisters and I inside and my sister who is the nurse on the outside of the door. That Easter in quarantine really made me realize what we took for granted. We simply took for granted each other's presence.
• 
  2021-01-31

  HERMIT HERALD, ISSUE 97

  San Francisco school board erases school names
• 
  2021-02-12

  New Year, New Hope

  This Year of the Ox is coming in much differently than the Year of the Rat. Last year, with the smallest shadow cast over the new year with news of a SARS type virus spreading through China, we were still able to celebrate normally, and thought those who had taken to wearing masks were exaggerating the seriousness of the disease. We had new year’s dinner with family, the kids wore their traditional outfits to school and fed red envelopes to the lion dancers, the city held their annual parade, and we even celebrated at Disneyland’s California Adventure, with local community groups coming in to perform and celebrate. Whether you say “新年快乐,” “Chúc Mừng Năm Mới,” or simply “Happy New Year,” Lunar New year is a huge celebration in our community and that celebration certainly isn’t happening in the same way this year. However, even though it’s tempting to focus on the fact that we’re sequestered at home and are physically separated from family, friends, and big celebrations, there is much optimism with the hope of the vaccine. All day, my phone’s been buzzing with new year messages, most of which end with “may the new year bring better tidings” or “may this new year bring much health.” Even talking to my in-laws for the new year today had an extra sense of joy, because they shared they are getting their second dose of the vaccine on Thursday. With light at the end of the tunnel, we are able to talk for the first time about maybe being able to see each other in person by the spring. When my son played piano for them virtually, I imagined it won’t be too long until these FaceTime visits will be replaced by the real thing. So here’s to the new year - may we all see health and peace.
• 
  2020-12-06

  Thank Goodness for Artistic Friends

  When my daughter's birthday arrived this past summer, we realized any in person party was out of the question. Trying to think of what we could possibly do, we reached out to our friend, a part-time artist, and asked if she would mind hosting a virtual painting party for our daughter and three of her friends to do over Zoom. Our friend was amazing, leading the girls in painting a Captain America shield. She made my daughter's birthday quarantine memorable and fun. Three months later, and desperate for ways to make our virtual Girl Scout meetings exciting, I asked if she would consider leading our girls in earning their "Drawing" badge. Not only was she excited, she went above and beyond. Her husband, who does tech work for films (including the Mandalorian) set her up with various camera angles she could toggle back and forth through. She didn't just have the girls copy a picture, she taught them about all the different tools, how to shade, different techniques. Honestly, I learned a lot myself! Though she did this out of the kindness of her heart, I seriously think she should make a career out of this! She was amazing with the girls, they LOVED the meeting and talked about not only how much they learned, but how helpful and patient our special guest teacher was. She really should start an art for kids YouTube channel. One of the greatest things that has come out of this pandemic is the willingness of people to assist and support one another, and use their talents in ways that they may not have thought of before.
• 
  2021-01-24

  Almost a Year of Virtual Girl Scout Meetings

  When our Girl Scout troop transitioned online in the spring, we never foresaw the entire year being online. When my best friend/co-leader and I made the calendar in the summer, we originally made it through the end of 2020, thinking that by January we’d be back in person. I guess that shows how short sighted humans can be, a virus doesn’t run on a calendar, so it was silly to think things would be dramatically different without widespread access to a vaccine. So here we are in 2021, pushing through every other week. It has been really great to maintain the normalcy of meeting together, though. All the girls are either going to school on a hybrid (half the week in person, half at home) schedule or a full distance learning schedule, so it’s just nice to have the regular interaction with each other just like they did before quarantine. This also was a perfect opportunity to give the girls increased ownership of the troop. Now that they’re in fourth grade, we have made leadership roles, so the girls are responsible for different parts of the meeting. This takes the pressure off me for having to fill two hours on Zoom in a way that is fun and meaningful and doesn’t feel like school! I absolutely love seeing their creativity in making up games, activities, snacks, and issues/problems in our community they want to help fix. There also are some girls who used to be passive who have really loved this platform and have really stepped into being leaders. I am, however, running low on badges they want to earn that are easy to do over Zoom. The one shared here ended up pretty fun. To earn the “Simple Meals” badge, the girls worked in virtual groups to make different breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals. Then they basically did their own cooking show by walking the other girls through making whatever the dish was. Bonus - everyone was nice and full by the end! I miss my girls terribly, but we are so fortunate to be able to have the girls continue to meet, share, and support each other while we patiently wait for the cases to decrease.
• 
  2020-03-27

  Eighteen in Quarantine

  I had the privilege of my 18th birthday falling on Friday March 27th of 2020. This happened to be two weeks into the original shut down in Pennsylvania. I was a senior in high school and when I originally heard that we would be off of school for two weeks with no school work I was pumped. I saw it as a nice two week spring break before the best two months of high school. However I soon realized that I would be celebrating my 18th birthday—which is kinda a big deal—in quarantine with my respective bubble. I had no idea what the world would look like but I was so upset that I couldn’t go for dinner with my friends on my birthday. I knew that what was happening was serious but I had no idea how serious it was until we got the official call that schools in PA would remain closed for the remainder of the academic year. I know that it sounds like a first world problem especially during a pandemic, but selfishly I was sad. I wouldn’t get a prom or a normal graduation. I would never get to see some of my classmates again and I would never to hug or thank my teachers for four years of dedication. I couldn’t see my friends or celebrate any of our birthdays. I felt powerless. As a young adult, your 18th birthday is supposed to be the first step into becoming your own person however I spent the day in sweatpants on Zoom meetings with my government teacher. My mom ordered a cake for me from our local GIANT and went to pick it up in gloves and a mask. She wanted me to have a cake so I could celebrate in as normal of a way as possible. My three best friends all called on face time to sing to me from our own respective homes in our pjs after class on Zoom. In total my day was finished around 8 and then I sat in my room—which I had just recently redone cause, why not—and I watched the rest of season one of Outer Banks. This screenshot represents the highlight of my 18th birthday because it was the most amount of human interaction outside of my parents that I had in two weeks and unknowing to me that I would have in a long time.
• 2021-02-11

  Star Trek and the Pandemic

  Since its release in 1966, Star Trek has been an inspiring and comforting series to millions of people around the world. It is unapologetically utopian and hopeful, and throughout the pandemic it has been of incredible utility to people suffering from isolation and other stress in their lives. Even though the pandemic has had little real impact on my day to day life, Star Trek has still remained my favorite piece of media to immerse myself in to feel a little better about the future. Set hundreds or even a thousand years in the future, Star Trek is a setting where diseases like Covid-19 have been wiped from the Earth permanently, and even unknown alien diseases can be cured and eliminated in just hours of study and research. No one suffers from homelessness or poverty, as replicators have enabled extremely high quality of life for everyone. For me, in a time when not only is there uncertainty about disease but also high degrees of political and societal stress, Star Trek is a breath of fresh air whenever I sit down to watch it. For a time I no longer have to worry about Q-Anon cultists ransacking the capital or about catching the disease. I have seen Star Trek referred to as "competency porn," and indeed that is exactly one of the things that appeals so much in this time of strife and angst. Unlike most pieces of media, Star Trek doesn't rely on failures of communication and other frustratingly real issues to drive its conflict and stories. Instead, each show is focused on extremely competent and intelligent characters who are able to work together to quickly and efficiently solve issues using their pooled knowledge, despite their differences. Through this I can revel in the utopian ideal of the show and believe even for just a moment that we could reach that point ourselves one day, even if for now our society is plagued by the very issues Star Trek posits we can overcome. One could call it escapism, but I think many people would agree that escapism is exactly what people need and want right now due to the ever-present and overpowering feeling of doom surrounding everything else.
• 2021-02-11

  Zoom Birthday "party"

  For this journal entry I plan to discuss the changes this pandemic is bringing to children and parents, and continue to discuss how their voices are silenced in this archive. My son’s sixth birthday was the other day, and I decided to host a Zoom get-together for him with his closest friends from school. It was awkward for me to text some moms I have not seen in ages because we do not go to the park anymore for play dates. This group of moms and kids would meet up on Fridays at this park the kids fondly called the “fish park” because it had a play structure with a big fish designed into it. The group got to be quite large at the beginning of 2020 with around eight families participating. As I write this, I am feeling very sad and missing those days when we were all together. We often would each bring something to snack on and share as a group. We were all there to help each other and of course socialize. It was a nice social group. It was also a friendship formed based on our children’s connection to each other. So, when the pandemic hit and play dates were out of the question, some of us drifted apart for a while. I remember when we first started learning about COVID-19, this was the hot topic of discussion in our Friday meetups. We debated and discussed and worried. They all thought I was crazy, I am sure, for going out and stocking up on food back in February because an official from the CDC told people to even back then. Later, they started to realize I was right and followed my lead before it was too late and the grocery stores started emptying out. Four of us formed a text group and have kept in almost daily contact with each other this last year. A lot of our conversation is supportive while we try to get through these challenging times as moms of small children. We share our worries and fears. We share our joys and survival tips. There have been lots of laughs, too. It has been a blessing to have this support group this year. We even met up in a park one Sunday morning last fall and spent the morning catching up. We were of course masked and sitting in chairs well over six feet apart. All these moms have made the same decision to keep their children at home. One mom decided to home school her children because she could not get adequate resourcing for her son who has autism and as a former teacher, she decided to take it on herself. Being online for school has been especially hard for children on the spectrum, I have been told by a few moms with children who are, because mainly their routine is messed up. Two of us have our children in the flex program and one moved hers to a new completely online school our district created to serve families during the pandemic. The flex program was for parents who are wishy washy on deciding whether to send their kids back to school. It is for us parents who were too scared to send their kids back so early (and had the privilege to keep them home) and optimistic that the virus would fade away enough and our kids could return relatively safe. It is not looking good that our children will return at all this year. Every quarter we say, oh maybe next quarter, and then the virus spreads in our community and the numbers tick up and we keep them home again. Anyway, the point is that my two kids have been home this entire time, almost a year, out of a brick-and-mortar school and not socializing with other kids in person. It has been very hard for them. They miss seeing their friends desperately. Obviously, a birthday party was out of the question so I decided to set up a Zoom “party” for my son yesterday to celebrate his birthday and so he could see his friends’ faces for a little bit. It did not work well. First off, I muted everyone to announce the plans and then could not figure out how to unmute everyone and that lead to tears and frustration. Kids kept leaving and coming back. Some would not participate in the games I tried to arrange. We played charades, would you rather, and did a little scavenger hunt by sending them to find objects of the various colors of the rainbow. My kids were not having it. My son was out of sorts which is not like him, and my daughter was so upset with me because I would not let her interrupt the games to play a video from her screen. So, she was pouting, and my son was pouting for some unknown reason. I think he was overwhelmed and just fatigued by it all. This is not what he wanted for a birthday party; I am sure. But I tried. I did the best I could with the circumstances, and I know some of the kids had fun even if the birthday boy did not. The bottom-line is that Zoom birthday parties are hard—harder to facilitate than in-person birthdays and wow do I give props to teachers who are doing this every single day. My son’s kindergarten teacher makes it look so easy! But I know it is not. I already had tremendous respect for teachers, but my respect has grown even more after this experience. I am very thankful for all they do for our children. They should be honored. The problem with this archive is the potential for silences. As I discussed last week, children will be silenced in this archive unless an adult writes their experiences for them. I am writing this story about this Zoom party for the archive and it is getting included, but it is still from my perspective. My son is not sharing what he felt during the party and how he has felt this year collectively. We may never know what he was thinking during the party because little kids move on and forget. At the very least though I have shared this experience from my point-of-view, which I am sure is a replication of thousands of parents and children’s experiences all over the world—at least the ones who have access to the internet and Zoom.
• 2021-02-07

  Instant Pot cooking

  I bought an Instant Pot a year or two ago when it was the new and big thing in cooking. When I got it, I like many felt quite overwhelmed by the device. Therefor, I really only used it every once in a while to cook rice. Otherwise it stayed packed away in my kitchen. Then the Covid lockdowns started in March, which resulted in more time at home and a desire to do other types of cooking. I started to watch Youtube videos on the various functions and countless recepies. During the lockdowns, I have used my Instant Pot to make everything from soups/stocks/stews to tacos and all sorts of different types of dishes. I would say that I used the Instant Pot more than (or as much as) any other tool in my kitchen during the lockdown.
• 
  2021-02-06

  Community Theater Zoom Shows

  With Covid-19 shutting down live performances all over the world, community theaters have been struggling to pay their bills without the income from ticket sales. Because of this, many have turned to Zoom shows and donations so that they can stay afloat until it is safe to hold live performances again. Community theaters are necessary to keep the performing arts alive in small towns and rural areas, but they often receive less grant support than larger theaters and performing arts centers, so they often rely on the support of their patrons. Hopefully virtual performances and fundraisers can keep these theaters alive, so these smaller communities don't lose all access to live theater and performing arts.
• 
  2020-10-09

  How COVID-19 Is Changing American Judaism

  Judaism in America is rapidly changing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Historically, the Jewish community, while having various splits (i.e. Orthodox, Reformed, etc.), has continued to view itself as one, unified community. However, the pandemic has highlighted the various ways in which the community is perhaps more fractured than previously thought. For example, while the Reformed community has quickly adopted having services over Zoom, the Orthodox community, though allowing certain services to be performed over Zoom, will not allow specific holy days to be Zoomed. The pandemic is not only creating new rifts within the American Jewish community, it is bringing previously extant rifts to the fore.
• 2021-02-02

  Silences in Archives, Some Hopeful Musings

  Gaps seem to be just about the only commonality among all public, digital, and academic history projects. One project simply cannot look at everything, nor should it. But this does not mean that each of these gaps should be considered silences. Silences in the archives are more specific. And they are typically the result of silences in the historical archives, left by those collecting the material or creating the documents. Silences can also appear naturally, for example, those who are either unaware of the Journal of the Plague Year, do not have the technical knowledge or infrastructure to access to it, are unaware that they are encouraged to participate, or who do not believe that the COVID19 pandemic is "real." In the present, they represent people who cannot or will not enter their stories into the archives. When large numbers of people in those groups do not contribute, that creates silences for the historians and humanists who will use the archive in the future to attempt to make arguments about 2020, and seemingly, 2021. The archive structure does not exclude these voices by design, but the tangible and intangible realities of the world that it is born into and built in does. And they are hard to account for, even in the most thoughtfully constructed projects and archives. Attempting to correct these silences by making entries on behalf of those perceived as "the silenced" does not always close the gap and sometimes actually silences them in favor of another's narrative. One exception might be that a tech-novice writes a story on paper, and a family member posts a photo of the paper with a verbatim transcription to the archive, listing the original author as its creator. Or assists with an audio recording as a piece of oral history and shares it. But to write stories about another, as another, seems disingenuous to the spirit of the project. Hopefully, if in 50 years the JOTPY is still a two-way street where material can be discovered as well as entered, historians, genealogists, and other humanists will scan, add, and upload the digital and analog records and accounts they find in their work, so that in 100 years historians have fewer silences to contend with. This future, of course, is reliant on sustainability, usually grounded in funding for digital projects and reliant on humanists interested in running it. Many digital public history projects are defunct online due to lack of sustainability and compatibility, and those recorded voices become lost, silencing and re-silencing them over again.
• 2021-02-01

  My College Experience; Covid Edition

  The Coronavirus pandemic has most certainly been a time I will not forget. When I was a second semester Freshman at Duquesne University, in Pittsburgh, PA, this wild spread begun. It was the spring semester of 2020. New year, new decade, new semester and all I wanted to do this particular semester, was rush a Fraternity and join Greek Life. I got initiated into my fraternity on February 28th, the night we were leaving school for spring break. After that week, we arrived back to campus, and all my new brothers and I were very excited to get to know one another and spend the rest of the semester together. When you get initiated, that first semester is meant to be something really special. Unfortunately, however, that semester was cut short. Around the second week of March, we all got the news that the Coronavirus was spreading across Asia and Europe, vastly approaching the United States. On March 16th, 2020, we all got the news that our University was going to be shutting down. Come March 22nd, 2020, I moved all my personal belongings out of my dorm and said goodbye to my school. The worst part for me was, I never got to personally say goodbye to my Freshman year, my friends, or my new fraternity brothers. The semester had to continue, however, academically. We were told that our school was going to be using this Facetime software, called “Zoom”. I of course did not hear of this particular software before. Once it was set up, and running, I quickly got used to everything. I actually made the Dean’s list once the semester was over and done with. Now for me, the summer was nothing bad. I worked at a golf course, spent a lot of time with my family, and got to know some of my neighbors better. Unfortunately, this was not the same for some of my friends. Before we left, I got to know some people who were in other Greek life organizations. One of my new friends at this time in particular, really struggled with mental health. At the end of the day, I still managed to help not only him, but other friends with things that were on their minds. A year later, it is the Spring semester of 2021. We are still going through the same pandemic, and things have improved a little bit, which is good. However, in college, we are still on zoom, and all our fraternity events for the recruitment processes have been virtual. This is not easy, because to get the ideal number of new members, things should be in person. The moral of the story in my opinion, however, is that I am very, very grateful that I joined my organization when I did. I am very blessed for the opportunities that I have come about, and for the people who have stuck by my side since March of 2020. This may not have been the college experience I have envisioned thus far, but It is certainly one I cannot and will not forget.
• 
  2021-01-31

  Growing up online

  I have a lot of family that lives in Italy, which is a place that has been hit harder than most by COVID 19. I have not been able to see my family in over a year now due to the pandemic closing boarders. I now have to talk to all my family members via FaceTime.
• 2021-01-07

  A Virtual Funeral is Now Normal

  On January 7, 2021 I attended a virtual funeral service for a friend's husband. This was the first time I had seen an online funeral. It was streamed on Youtube while the closest family and friends attended in person. I watched the service from my phone alone at work. It felt surreal. I recognized several friends on the tiny screen with familiar voices, but it felt far away. Since then I have spoken to a few people and mentioned how I felt disconnected to be on the other side of the screen. Many others had similar stories about these kinds of services. It was now normal to experience these things, but I can't shake the feeling of how much the experience continues to bother me. I hope some day online services won't be necessary.
• 
  2021-01-31

  Trying New Things With Teaching

  I currently teach sixth grade Social Studies and due to the pandemic, I have been in and out of face to face teaching for about a year. The pandemic has caused me to try new things educational software-wise in my virtual classes. Before the pandemic, I would have considered myself a pretty tech-savvy teacher but now I have fully integrated many new educational programs into my toolbox. I am now using new programs like News ELA and Flocabulary to increase student engagement in my virtual classes. NewsELA lets me choose articles about current events or subjects we are currently learning about. The students then can discuss these topics in class together which has caused many of them to come out of their shells. Flocabulary brings various Social Studies topics alive by turning them into animated rap videos which my students love. I even see myself sometimes bopping along to the songs. Overall, these two programs have increased my student's engagement and interaction with one another in class.
• 
  2021-01-27

  Home.

  The model is about staying at home and being locked inside, while coronavirus is everywhere outside.
• 
  2021-01-29

  Nostalgia in the Pandemic

  For those who have been on the Internet for longer which is the norm, many will remember what memes were in their early days. This Twitter has been working on showing them off to cause both nostalgia and a tinge of nausea from things that have been sleeping deep in the back of some people's mine, including my own.
• 2021-01-28

  Amanda's future pandemic nightmare.

  The scene begins on december 31st 2019. Amanda: This year has been a wonderful year and I am ready to greet the next year 2020 with a few new year’s resolutions. My first new years resolution is- Mysterious time traveling Alien: I'm going to stop you right there. Amanda: who are you????!!!! Mysterious time traveling Alien: You aren’t going to get to do any of your new year's resolutions this year. Amanda: Yes I am. Why do you say that? Mysterious time traveling Alien: You’ll see. In fact, you’ll see right now. All of a sudden with a flash of blinding white-green light, Amanda is zapped 3 months into the future. Amanda: what happened? What day is it? She looks at her computer. Oh no! I’m late for a meeting! She then sees another email. It’s my boss. “Here is a zoom link” what is this? I guess I’ll click it. She enters the zoom meeting. Boss: alright. Hello, Amanda! So glad you arrived! So we have a problem. Amanda: No, I have a problem. What’s going on? Why are we on this call? Why am I not at work? Boss: are you serious? You don’t know? Yesterday you knew fine. You were saying you wished this pandemic would be over with. Amanda: But what’s going on? Boss: a virus has traveled around the world and has resulted in us having to stay at home, wear masks when we go outside, and do everything online. That’s why you’re here. Are you ok? Do you have amnesia? Amanda: i have to leave for a few minutes. Boss: the most i can give you is 20. Be sure to mute your mic and stop your video. Amanda: How do I do that? Boss: you do so like usual. Amanda: oh my god. What is going on? When i was making my new year's resolutions 10 minutes ago i had no idea this was what it was going to be like. How am I going to survive? I am never going to survive a day like this. Boss: um, Amanda? You’re not on mute. Amanda: How do i mute myself? Boss: you click on the bottom left hand corner of your screen and you have the option to mute and stop video. Amanda: ok. She does so, with much difficulty. Oh wait, Tiffany's calling. Maybe she can tell me what’s going on here. Tiffany: hey! How are you? What are you going to do today? Amanda: i was thinking about going to the grocery store, filing reports, and visiting you this afternoon. Tiffany: hold on, going to the grocery store? You have to order online. The only way you’re going to visit me is if you wear a mask. And the only thing you’ll get to do at home is the filling out reports thing. Amanda: how long is this going to last? Tiffany: what? Amanda: the whole “pandemic” thing. Tiffany: I think 2 weeks to a month. Amanda: thank god. Tiffany: I know, right? It’s terrible already! All of a sudden, Amanda’s Boss’s voice comes into her computer. Boss: Amanda? Are you ready to make your statement? Amanda: yes boss. Boss: i can’t hear you. You’re still on mute. Just as she finds the unmute and start video buttons, her 5 year-old daughter Vivian calls her saying she has been kicked out of her meeting. Amanda struggles for a few seconds, but then, with another blinding flash of white-green light, she is zapped into december 31st again. Mysterious time traveling Alien: Now do you see why you can’t do any of your new year's resolutions? Amanda: no, Tiffany said that the quarantining will only last 2 weeks to a month. I’ll have plenty of time to finish my new year's resolutions. Mysterious time traveling Alien: It’s going to be much longer than that. Amanda: *faints*
• 2021-01-28

  Vaccine Rollout Confusion

  There is a lot of confusion and frustration for people eligible to get a vaccine right now—getting appointments for both their first and/or second shots. Our county has derived an online account for making covid vaccine appointments. This online platform is apparently not easy to navigate and often changes. This is a serious problem for our eldest citizens who did not grow up with computers and the internet. Many of them will need assistance from younger family members or friends to make appointments. I personally know of a few older people wanting to give up. What happens to people who do not have support systems in place to help them? What happens to people with disabilities? What happens to people who do not have internet access or even a roof over their heads? Perhaps I am worrying too much, and the government has this figured out, but I fear that I am right to worry. The system is disorganized because it is fragmented. The states and counties are all trying to figure it out on their own. People don’t know what to do, where to go, and when. The categories for who is eligible to get the vaccine at what time are also problematic because they are too broad. Therefore, you have people who are young and healthy and at home getting vaccines before our oldest citizens or those with previous health histories that put them at risk. The previous administration left this situation so chaotic that I wonder if this new administration can fix it.
• 
  2021-02-28T10:55

  No shots for you!

  This picture shows what I get when I try to schedule a COVID-19 vaccination through the Arizona Department of Health Services website. I'm basically out of luck for the time being. It is good that a vaccine is available now and the end of the pandemic is in sight, but the process is frustrating. While I understand that our state agency had to develop their website in a short time, they've known for months that vaccines were on the way. Their site is needlessly complex, buggy, and non-informative. I initially got hung up on a page that required me to enter my health insurance information; it took several tries and a few phone calls to figure out exactly what I needed to enter in each of the fields. Once I get through, I can't find an open appointment. There is no indication on the webpage, but it seems that the system returns no open appointments for me because I am not yet eligible. My mother who is more than 75 years old has managed to get an appointment and get her first shot. I'm concerned that many other people, particularly the elderly who need the vaccination more than others, will not get access to them because they will not be able to navigate through the website. I have read a number of media reports about this. It seems like poor planning to set up a process that relies on individuals to use the internet without offering an alternative.
• 2021-01-26

  covid

  this is my test story...
• 
  2020-12-19

  COVID Birthday

  This is a photo of my sisters birthday party late last year. She is a nurse at St. Josephs Hospital and for the safety of her friends she decided that a Zoom birthday party would be best. At the time she was working in the ICU on the COVID unit; the heart of all the action. She has since been moved back to her normal position but for quiet a while she wasn't able to see or interact with anyone outside the hospital. Her birthday was fun and we got to see family that we hadn't seen in what seemed like years. It was also really fun teaching my older family members how to use Zoom. Putting filters and funny backgrounds was hilarious. It is definitely something I'll remember about living through this pandemic.
• 2021-01-24

  Welcome to My Non-Smelly World

  I am currently in the midst of a once in a lifetime experience that I never thought would occur. First, allow me to lay the foundation for this submission. I was born with a condition called Isolated Congenital Anosmia. In laymen's terms, I was born without a sense of smell. This is a rare disorder that affects between 1%-5% of the overall population.* I rarely volunteer that I cannot smell as it involves laborious conversations answering questions as to why and how it could have happened, what foods I can taste, or if I am sad or angry that I have this condition. People are well-meaning, but it gets old repeating this conversation multiple times, so I avoid it like the plague. Wait. Too soon? My preference to keep this close to the vest changed with the arrival of COVID-19. Those who have still not regained their smell after recovering from the virus are now temporarily just like me. It is surreal. Not so secretly, I admit I feel a tiny bit of satisfaction that they are experiencing a glimpse of my day to day life. As a result, I am now feeling the odd desire to tell anyone and everyone about my condition. I feel compelled to share advice and comments with this segment of society while wearing a hat bearing the words, "Welcome to my world!" Also, ideas of creating a Zoom course titled "How to Survive the No-Smell Apocalypse!" frequently come to mind. I can include concepts such as enlisting close friends or neighbors whom you force to smell your house before having people over, obsessively take the garbage out since you do not know if it smells, or the joys of surviving a dutch oven with zero consequence. Also, I will share my list of candle scents that anyone would enjoy smelling in your home. Hint: There is only one, vanilla. Trust me. I have tried them all using my family as guinea pigs. Finally, I feel like the art of 'fake smelling' is underrated and must now be remedied for society to interact with some sense of normalcy during this otherwise chaotic time. I will demonstrate the proper and accepted social reactions when smelling various odors such as used diapers, spoiled foods, lotions, perfumes, or (insert all world smells). The creme de la creme is learning how to emote false elation at the announcement of another semi-annual Bath and Bodyworks candle sale or when Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes come around again. The ability to avoid drawing attention to yourself via 'fake smelling' cannot be underestimated. In conclusion, this pandemic has provided a unique opportunity for others to experience life through my nose. It is not something I would ever wish permanently on others, yet knowing that it is a temporary condition, I have found it to be a bit of respite in a dark year full of so many unknowns. Now can someone confirm whether my Jeep honestly smells like stinky teenage feet or if my husband is messing with me again? *Disclaimer: This measurement may not still be accurate but comes from articles and journals I have read over the years.
• 
  2021-01-24

  Israel - The Leader in Vaccine Rollout

  Israel is leading the vaccine rollout by a decent margin, with the United Arab Emirates close behind. Indeed, Israel hopes to have most of the population vaccinated by March. The advances in the vaccine rollout in these countries are an excellent chance to review the success rates in a larger population pool. There are many reasons for the success of Israel's rollout, including advance planning, an efficient healthcare system, and methodical shipping, storage, and distribution.
• 2021-01-24

  Differences and Similarities Between the COVID-19 Vaccines

  There are 3 types of vaccines that are or will be available in the U.S. 1. mRNA: uses part of the COVID-19 virus to create proteins in our bodies that our immune system can recognize and remember in order to fight the virus 2. Protein subunit: has pieces of the proteins that the COVID-19 vaccine uses (not the actual virus) that the body will recognize in the future that do not belong in the body 3. Vector: injection of a weakened but live virus that has the genetic material that causes COVID-19 (a vector virus) that will cause the body to make the proteins that cause COVID-19 and force the immune system to remember that protein and fight it in the future The two being offered across the U.S. right now are both mRNA vaccines that require 2 shots 21 days apart Both vaccines are tested with a 95% effectivity, but that effectivity is only proven to be true after both doses are administered and there is not substantial long-term effect research yet Bibliography: CDC. 2020. “Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. February 11, 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/how-they-work.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fvaccines%2Fabout-vaccines%2Fhow-they-work.html. “Covid-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions.” 2021. New England Journal of Medicine. 2021. https://www.nejm.org/covid-vaccine/faq?cid=DM108101_&bid=351587577.
• 
  2021-01-24

  No Hands Across the Water: The Cancellation of Plans for International Travel

  I was planning to go to London this year to present at an international conference of librarians and connect with librarians from all over the world. This conference is only held every three years, and it is an important forum to share thoughts, present ideas and projects, network and build international collaborations, and plan joint projects. Doing so through email and Zoom is a poor substitute for this type of one-on-one conference. I travel internationally frequently, and I was planning to fit in a trip to Ireland before the conference, to visit with the land of my ancestors. I’ve been involved in a genealogy project along with some of my relatives, and my trip to Ireland would have given me the opportunity to do some family research. When I travel, I travel very close to the ground: staying in small B&Bs or hotels, dining in local establishments, traveling by bus or rail, and really trying to fit into the community rather than be a tourist to the extent possible. International travel is so important for this divisive world these days to foster understanding and cooperation both personally and professionally. So the cancellation of my trip meant not only the loss of some fun times but also speaks to a greater loss.
• 
  2020-03-20

  Year of the Switch

  Almost as if Nintendo had made a contingency plan for the pandemic, Animal Crossing: New Horizons came out on the Switch around the same time "quarantine" had started. For a lot of people (including myself) it was their only way of having some semblance of normalcy, of a normal life. I personally began to understand the true value of being able to go fishing with my dad without fear of getting sick, and the value of being able to talk to other people and hang out on a sunny patch of grass without the stifling masks and social distancing. For a while, the game gave us what we needed, and it's honestly been impressive to see how far people have come with it. I know that it was an invaluable tool for me to hang out with loved ones, including my fiancee, in every way except physical. Maybe the same goes for others. This specific game system has been the respite of many people, not necessarily with Animal Crossing, but with other titles as well. I don't think i've ever seen that many games come out for a system within less than a year, and i've been gaming since I was six. I'm asthmatic, so i'm pretty limited in what I can do, so having this teeny little game system has been almost a saving grace for my mental health. Almost. Lol. There's probably something ironic about the fact that you start the game on a desolate island and you make the most of it while still being totally isolated from other islands, and being an figurative island yourself, far away from the reach of others. But you make the most of it.
• 
  2021-01-22

  Pandemic Webcam

  I selected my item because I use the webcam almost every day. It connects to the pandemic because the only reason I have it in the first place is because of online school requiring webcams.
• 2021-01-22

  Anxiety of the Bed

  I guess anyone in pre- or post-Covid-19 pandemic would find me crazy when I say I would like to try and sleep in the street given the chance. One thing I take out from this pandemic is that even though I can’t leave it, I absolutely despise my bed. Oh yes, I am talking about my bed, the object that shoulders my tiredness; and the sheets that keep me warm and cozy at night. But also because of that warmth and coziness, that I had been late to my 0 period class three times in just one semester. For the record, in my entire life in America, I had never once skipped or arrived late to any class, even when I had to wake up an extra hour and bike along the freezing cold mornings to get to school. Now I understand what my family means about the danger that lurks behind idleness. It is not common for me to be at ease in the mind, especially when time is not on my side. But when my mind tells the alarm clock to snooze for another 15 minutes or so because I can quickly get up five minutes before class instead of 2 hours back in the old regular pre-pandemic school day, now that is trouble. Flashback to being in my Medical Core class and studying the histories of pandemic at the time, I somewhat already know we were going into quarantine very well soon because well, let just say, humanity never learns from history mistakes and also because the United States’s healthcare is already a dead end. I’m not going to further criticize the horrible leadership of our soon-to-be-impeached-twice president. But remembering back to the life before the pandemic, I proudly shake hands with my past-self for knowing how to enjoy every moment in life. That day when our school principal sent an urgent quarantine message, I was on my way home carrying a bag of snacks that probably lasted me for a week after hanging out with my friends on our usual Friday afternoon, before being cooped up in the room for more than a year, possibly more. It’s laughable now that I remember the exciting and joyful reactions of spam messages from my friends in all different group chats and compare them to how desperate we all want to escape to hellish quarantine and return to school. My friend was joking around on how I was different and I was because I was never fond of the idea of being stuck at home and knowing that a fluid borne, respiratory disease was sticking around for some time caused me to have anxiety. I hate being at home, not because I’m an extrovert but because that place frightens me, but I am not going any further into that. I am so used to my bed and huge four walls surrounding my rooms, along with family members that I’m so sick of everything. Being on my bed in exchange for those motivational times that I spend walking or biking home or playing sports in my school means that I gain weight despite skipping meals, being non proactive, being tired out by every small thing and being distracted from school. Being on my bed also means that all my free time is spent contemplating life, which is good but mostly bad. In a way, in these uneasy times, it always brings out the worst in people’s mentality, unfortunately, not excluding me. I guess all those extracurricular activities, school works and all the sporting things I do are ways that keep me distracted from my innermost thoughts. But when I lay on my bed to think, those thoughts surface and they give me anxiety and depression in ways that others feel ridiculous but to me, they take me into deep sleep with tears. I quarreled more often with my family and with the limitations of my room and no human interaction with my friends on online conversations, it did make me feel really lonely and melancholic. I did try to find new hobbies but I’m limited to my room only. Both me and my foster family members never see each other as family so there was never any reason to join the dinner table. There was no way of getting out and being alone aside from the going to school for certain businesses. I’m honestly emotionally and physically drained, even when I’m not using much energy to move around the house. Now, how I wish for everything to return to normal. I hope that people who read this will remember to learn how to appreciate their life in every moment and way possible and that they never give up given any situation that follows their way.
• 
  2020-01-22

  The Love Story of Laptop and Me

  Starting from May of 2019, I have been living with my laptop, and I am literal. The screen usages reported by window went up from 4 hours a day to 16 hours. Not only that, chrome crashes at least two times each week because of my gazillion taps. But, beyond the eye strains and frequent crashes, I have to thank COVID-19 for forcing me to use a feature I paid for but have never used on my laptop. The webcam. I still remember the bustling first-day in my bedroom installing zoom while texting my teacher on Instagram to tell her that I was having “technical issues,” looking for the link, and turning on the webcam for the first time. When I saw my face pop up on the rectangular window on the top right corner, something clicked inside me; like a switch, I just knew we were going to do this for the rest of my high school career. Prom will be on zoom, winter concert will be on youtube live, and my distance races will be conducted on my treadmill, all from the comfort of my house. This is my life in the age of CORONA.
• 2021-01-22

  Redecorating

  Before the pandemic, my room was very unorganized and had just a bed and a table with a tv on it. Being in my room for months straight without leaving my house and having nothing to do or having anything to occupy my mind was getting to me. I realized that I was probably going to spend more months in my small boring room. I decided to use my money I had to redo my whole room and add some furniture. I built most of my furniture with the help of my dad. I bought a desk, to finally have a place where I could do my work, and a dresser, to replace my old table with my tv on it and put some clothes in it. I did some DIY things like that mirror on my desk as shown in the picture and added plants and other things. Having a better environment to work in and having a goal I could work on improved my attitude toward spending all day in my room. apart from having this project I Facetimed a lot with my friends and played games like Minecraft. Finding little, or big, fun things to do while staying safe could really help you stay sane during these times.
• 
  2021-01-22

  Pandemic School

  School has always been a great place go to to learn and make friends in an open, lively environment. With a pandemic going on, school has become a very isolated experience. It's hard being stuck in a room with two laptops (because one alone doesn't even work fast enough with Zoom on), with 20 pens (15 of which have no ink), and a limited space so that you have to sit at he very edge to take a test so your math teacher can see you and your workspace... Covid-19 sucks.