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Date is exactly
April 10, 2020
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April 10, 2020
2020 Grocery Store Fashion
“This morning’s grocery store fashion,” I wrote on April 10, 2020 when I posted this photo to Instagram. I tagged #socialdistancing #maskedcrusader and #newyorktough. This was the first time I wore a mask when I left the house and it was one of only a few times I’d gone farther than my backyard or front stoop since lockdown began the month prior. I had been listening to public health officials who advised wearing “face coverings” to help “flatten the curve” (reduce the number of new infections to prevent overcrowding in hospitals). I also followed their advice to opt for cloth and save the real masks for health care workers on the “front lines” of the pandemic who were facing a shortage of “PPE - personal protective equipment.” So many new words and phrases had entered the lexicon and I was struggling to keep up. Masking felt like a way I could protect myself and family and contribute to the effort to squash Covid-19. I found a video tutorial for how to make a “no sew” mask using a bandana folded over hair ties for ear loops. I added a coffee filter in the middle of the folds for good measure. I used this type of mask into the summer of 2020 when I realized masks weren’t going away anytime soon and started wearing more fitted cloth versions. I remember masking felt strange and changed the way I interacted with people I passed who couldn’t see my customary polite smile of acknowledgment. I started nodding slightly and learned to squint my eyes to indicate a smile when I passed people to make up for this impediment. Masking made it difficult to be heard and understood especially through other precautionary barriers like plexiglass shields at checkout counters. These days when I encounter people I first met when masking was more widespread, I sometimes don’t recognize them because I’ve never seen the bottom half of their face. It’s a bizarre set of circumstances. Now I usually only mask if I have respiratory symptoms or if I am around someone particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. When I do mask, I choose an N-95 respirator which is readily available and more effective than my cloth mask and coffee filter creation of April 2020. -
April 10, 2020
Clothing and Display Policy – Pennsylvania Target
This sign in the infant and toddler clothing section depicts the temporary policy at a Target in North Wales, Pennsylvania that asks customers to not try on clothing and not touch displays. -
April 10, 2020
Mandatory Facemasks – Philadelphia
I have to wear a facemask if I leave my house. Philadelphia and its suburbs are fining people who do not wear masks in public. -
April 10, 2020
Local Binghamton Crossfit Gym Moves to Online Classes
My local crossfit gym, where I usually go to work out when I am in Binghamton, has moved to online classes to provide the group experience of traditional classes to everyone staying home. -
April 10, 2020
3D Printing Facemask at Home (in process)
There was a lot of talk online about 3D printing facemasks to donate to hospitals. This is my first attempt at 3D printing my own. -
April 10, 2020
Emma Ouellet’s 103rd Birthday in Quarantine
Family members of Emma Ouellet gather outside her window to celebrate her 103rd birthday. The post description read “We just came back from wishing my 103 year old belle mere a bonne fête pandemic style in Montreal. It was heart-breaking to not be able to kiss her in person but we blew a huge bouquet of them her way.” -
April 10, 2020
Finding New Hobbies And Picking Up Old Ones
The first week of quarantine was a time for relaxation and enjoying being home, but that quickly turned into restlessness and boredom. There’s only so many Netflix shows and movies to binge-watch. Now is the perfect time to develop new hobbies and get back into old ones. Now I find myself crafting for the first time since high school since, as a college student, I all of my time goes to classes, papers, and friends. We have to do the best with what we have, who knows the next time you’ll have some quality time to yourself when this is all over?