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2020-05-05
Staying at home has given me a lot of time to bake many things and cook many things as well. One of my favorite things I've baked so far are my oreo brownies. You can simply get the recipe off google or youtube. All you do is make your brownie mix and pour half of it in the baking pan then place your oreos in it all over then add your remaining batter. its easy as that! I like to do all my dessert and food by myself because it makes me feel more accomplished that I did it by myself and I never need the help anyways. My mom goes and takes a walk for about an hour with my aunt every day and while they head out I get to baking, sometimes I do it when there home but I like to do it when its nice and quiet
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2020-03-18
Personal account of traveling during the pandemic
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2020-03-25
Personal diary entries from 03/25/2020 to 05/01/2020
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2020-05-01
Below is a photograph of Brian Sarkisian. An Auburn Mass. hometown hero, state champion baseball player, and now an essential medical worker at UMass Memorial Hospital in Worcester Massachusetts. Brian is a kind and gentle man whose only goal has ever been to help those in need. He is a nursing student at Worcester State University who previously picked up shifts at UMass Memorial as a student nurse to help people and gain experience for his practice. Now he works tirelessly around the clock handling non COVID-19 patients so that the doctors can focus their efforts. Brian speaks often about the business of the hospital and his constant fear of contracting the virus, but still he says that he would never trade or give up what he’s doing for the world. In a quote he gave me Mr. Sarkisian states “This is what I’ve always wanted to do. I’m in this field and in school for it because I want to make the worst times in people’s lives bearable”. Thank you for everything you do Brian Sarkisian.
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2020-05-01
I don’t get to see my grandparents anymore, it’s sad and it hurts because they were hugely important in raising me, but they are safe and that’s what matters. My grandparents are in their 70’s and my grandfather has underlying medical issues so it is vital he not be infected. In order to see them we zoom or Skype, and sometimes they come over and stay in their car with the window rolled down as we talk 10 feet apart. I don’t know when I can hug them or even go within a six foot distance of them again. I don’t know when I can go to the house I was raised in again. That’s okay because we make do with what we have, we’re keeping everyone safe. Last night we Skyped for Easter Dinner, and even though that was a first, we do what we must during these times. Here’s a photo of their visit a few weeks ago.
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2020-05-05
A personal account of the pandemic.
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2020-04-29
It has been three weeks now since I've been home from school. Three weeks since my friends, girlfriend, dorm room, and the rest of my sophomore year was stripped from me. Before it happened we prayed that it wouldn’t. That we’d be able to finish our school year out. That after we left for spring break we’d be able to see each other again. Now instead of wishing my senior friends, and girlfriend, goodbye with hugs and a wave as they cross the stage at commencement, the best I could do was a “good luck” post on social media. We are all doing our best to stay strong during this hard time. However, it’s okay to be sad. Just because collectively bad things are happening to everyone, doesn’t make you or I selfish for being sad about our own personal troubles. I’ve had too many friends so far start to slip and breakdown because they ignore their feelings of loss and sadness. Here is the last photo I took with my girlfriend before the quarantine. We’ve been together for six months. I don’t know when I’ll see her again.
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2020-04-22
It talks about keeping you hands clean
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2020-04-27
Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix, Arizona, issued this press release. They performed a flyover with 15 aircraft that followed a route that encompassed the entire valley. They encourage people to not gather in areas to watch the flyover, but to stay in their homes.
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2020-05-05
I received a care package from a colleague in my field. It includes snacks, ibuprofen, toilet paper, a positive message, and a craft.
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2020-04-12
This is a screen capture of our Easter brunch with my family. We have family from all over the world that tuned into this meeting, even if just for a little bit.
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2020-05-05
This journal entry illustrates my experiences throughout the pandemic while living with my family in Lemoore, California.
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2020-03-17
"Today, the Karuk Tribe will alter several employees work schedules minimizing exposure to high risk persons."
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2020-03-12
“If you have any activity that is booked but is not required by a grant funder, federal or state agency, and/or not necessary for an essential function of the Karuk Tribe, you are hereby directed to withdraw from any appointment, meeting, convention, and/or training scheduled…We understand that this may be inconvenient and short notice, however the data regarding the COVID19 virus is evolving quickly and the Karuk Tribe must ensure its most sensitive populations are protected.”
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2020-04-01
Coronavirus Covid-19 crisis services "will be provided up to 4 months, but may change depending on the length of this crisis."
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2020-04-14
The struggle of dealing with online classes.
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2020-03-30
A personal account of the pandemic.
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2020-05
A short account of the pandemic.
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2020-05-04
As Phase II begins in this lovely sunny day of the late Spring season, in the heart of Italy, Rome, people from all around take their first breaths of fresh air after 2 months of strict quarantine in the biggest park of the city: Villa Pamphili.
As I find a large space where dancing respectfully of the social distancing normative is possible, or to simply hear the sound of nature, I acknowledge the beauty of our mother earth, taking a moment to breath in, even if through a face mask, the gifts that she offers us and that are often forgotten about.
How wonderful it is to return to this small piece of life.
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2020-05-04
Quarantine College
The coronavirus came in with no announcement and changed everyone’s lives as we know it. For me one of the biggest changes was school. I was just about one third through my second semester in college when news of the corona virus began to spread. At first it was said to be only in China, but more and more cases were being seen around the world. Then the first case in Arizona came, and where else would it be but my very own school, Arizona State University. Still there was no panic or change. We continued with school as usual. We then entered our long-awaited spring break. This is where everything changed.
We never came back to school from spring break, or we never went back to on campus classes. Every class was moved to online. For many this was a horrible turn of events as in class learning helps many, myself included. As for me it was not bad, at first many of my professors even insisted it was only a temporary change. I still visited campus to see my friends or study, but everything quickly changed. I lived at home, but I saw as all my friends were basically kicked off of campus. I have not seen many of them since.
Then came the subject of online school. I thought I would be fine but studying from home was just not the same. On one hand I could study on my own time, but on the other I had limited access to all the universities helpful buildings. I no longer had access to libraries or study areas. Studying at home also means I am with my family 24/7. While I Love my family going to school could be a break from them, but most importantly they can be a big distraction when trying to work. Another problem I have is finding motivation to do my work. I do not not why but it feels as school is optional now even though it is not. I must find a dedicated time to do my work, but I get distracted and or have no motivation.
The coronavirus has changed the way everyone lives their lives in 2020. Some positive changes and many negative changes have come. I think I have finally developed a better way to study. Although it was hard to overcome all the challenges that the corona virus brought I will never forget my freshman year of college.
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2020-05-04
Fighting games are an odd case when considering video games as a whole. Most of the gaming community has matured alongside the internet and as such resides within it, bringing together people from all across the globe and creating friendships that would never be possible otherwise. This pandemic is the perfect time for these games to help bring people together, allowing people to escape from the chaos of the world and find companionship online in anything from a team based shooter that allows one to spend time with their friends like Valorant to an entire social platform with digital bars, movie theaters, and conventions like VRChat.
Fighting games, however, were born in an era of arcades, and their very nature brought people together, first as competitors and then as friends. In-person competition and open tournaments that give anyone a chance to win are a vital part of what the fighting game community, or FGC, is.
Three years ago was my first real introduction to the FGC in the form of my high school’s gaming club. There we played a variety of games, the main one being Super Smash Bros. Two years ago I was running the club, organizing tournaments and large events, and occasionally going to local tournaments with cash prizes. This past year, I began attending Arizona State University and was going to the college’s large biweekly tournament as often as I could.
The reason for me going to and organizing these sorts of events is not because I can win them; I am by no means great at fighting games. What matters most to me is the community they offer. I have made friends through these games, and while I do simply enjoy playing them, meeting new people through them is equally as important to me.
Three months ago, soon before the pandemic became widespread and the world locked down, I began becoming more involved than ever in the FGC. I went to multiple state-wide tournaments and started becoming good friends with the other people that attended. However, life got busy and right before the pandemic I stopped going, figuring there was no reason to worry about it since I could always just go another time. COVID-19 has now removed that option, so I ended up missing out on one of the last chances I had to spend time with these friends before I was cut off from them.
Now people are forced to play these games online, which not only means that a huge amount of the community aspect is lacking, but also that players are forced to deal with online systems that were designed as a secondary option to local play. The largest fighting game tournament in the world, the Super Bowl of the FGC, is being forced to move online, and not one of the games it planned on running has a good online system. I worry the effect this will have on the scene, as it will not only be a terrible experience for those participating, but will show off these games at their worst and may very well harm the reputation of the FGC. The poor state of these games’ online systems and lack of community has also made many lose their passion for the games they care so much about. Personally, my excitement about getting into the community more has been massively stunted, and I have been spending far less time practicing the games than I would like despite an abundance of time.
While the pandemic has been harmful to the community as a whole, if that was the only issue then everything could likely bounce back to normal after the virus has been stopped. However, the largest dangers to the FGC are financial ones. These events already run with very slim profit margins, and so this pandemic has harmed the tournament organizers that had scheduled an event during the crisis the most. Venue and hotel expenses had already been paid, and so organizers were forced to either try to run events that they knew would potentially infect people or take huge financial hits. In the words of Alexander Jebaily, “If I cancel by my own choice, instant bankruptcy.” In my own area, the company that does the most to host events and support others, SAK Gaming, was forced to abandon the venue they had been using for years, a place that was dear to the hearts of much of the community, with some seeing it as their second home. I had never gotten around to going to a tournament there, and now I’ll never be able to have that experience in a place that was so special to many.
I don’t know what’s next for the FGC. While some events will certainly be able to spring back, others are most likely canceled forever. I can certainly hope that everything will return to normal, but just as with every other aspect of society, some things will likely be changed forever.
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2020-05-04
Being an essential worker
Covid-19 otherwise known as the Corona Virus, has affected almost every single life in America. I remember when the virus first started nothing really changed for me or my job at the fast food restaurant, chipotle. Then slowly but surely things began to change in my job. At first less and less people were coming in to receive food, and I was given less hours. Then we closed our dine in option as did the entire state of Arizona. Our Governor Doug Ducey then released a stay at home order, but I as a fast food employee was still considered “essential”. What this meant was that I was still allowed to work, but at what cost.
For many being allowed to work can be seen as a blessing or a curse. I was still allowed to work despite all the chaos happening in the world. Everyday more people were losing their jobs or just not working, but I, being an “essential” worker was still working. Things continued to change at my job as we were given questions on Covid-19 and are now asked every workday a series of questions to take precautions against Covid-19. We also now wear masks to cover our faces. Working at chipotle or any fast food restaurant is not the same. Covid-19 has changed the way we operate for a safer environment.
This can all be seen as a positive turn of events for fast food workers and other essential workers. For we are being allowed to work. Also many companies are being more precautious in the way they handle things. At the end of this global pandemic perhaps all these changes will have been in a positive light.
Overall, in my point of view I see this as a disadvantage. On one hand I am very grateful that I am able to work while others cannot, but I see the disadvantages outweigh the good. For example, the hours I received were already cut and I get paid minimum wage. One of my coworkers even jokingly stated he could make more money quitting and filing for unemployment. We are going to work while this pandemic is happening and are at a higher risk of contracting the virus than others. In the end, I do not believe fast food employees should be essential. This is because the pay simply does not account for the risk these workers are taking to serve food. That is why I am profoundly grateful for the real essential workers like doctors and nurses.
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2020-05-04
Account of the Covid-19 pandemic from a 19 year old college freshman
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2020-05-04
Hi everyone,
As I write this I feel as if this is like a time capsule that future generations will see or read and learn about our experience. For me, it goes like this, my name is Vianney Ruiz and I am a student Tempe's Arizona State University, I am currently studying Mechanical Engineering as well as French. Why French you ask? I seem to have a passion for languages, but I can't just study French so I decided to combine it with Engineering. Now I am back in Texas, I had to give up my new job as an ambassador for Microsoft and online classes do not live up to the standards that universities say they do. On the other hand, it is me who has the problem, why can't I seem to live up to my own standards when I appear to have more time on my hands? Did I have a class in ten minutes? It is one hour past the time. How could I have forgotten? I reminded myself ten minutes before class. I tell myself there is nothing to be done, I simply send an apology email to my professor. I go on with my day, when suddenly I panic did I have a quiz today? I hurry to Canvas. Phew, I am good, no problem. On other days it's, oh no I missed th quiz. I read the announcement, told myself I had a quiz, why did I forget? Once again sends email apologizing to the professor and even decide to ask for a retake. The professor replies back granting me the permission to retake it. Oh, thank God, I feel such relief. Now, what about my C++ class? I was having so many problems with the professor's teaching style before, how will I do it now? I decide to contact my fellow classmates and see if we can work together on assignments. They say yes, I feel relieved. How will I do my final project? This is something I have to do alone. I ask my dad if any of his co-workers if they have any experience with coding. He says he will ask. The next day he forgets, what will I do? Should someone do it for me? No, that's not like me, I will do my best and assume responsibility. Finally, my dad remembers to ask, someone, contacts me, do I know arrays, vectors, structures? I do not know how to answer. I answer honestly, I laugh at myself and say, my current professor, is a student himself, he has a long way in his teaching career, he went over them, but I found it hard to understand him.
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2020-04-30T18
Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science’s Masters of Public Health students had their last class of the entire program at April 30th. Instead of hugs, tears, and thank you’s as we officially completed the program we had to celebrate our excitement via zoom as everyone finishes their last presentation of the program
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2020-05-01
I viewed my county as a safe haven because the Kings County only had a handful of positive cases when the stay at home order was established. Now, we have surpassed 100 cases and the positive cases are continuing to rise.
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2020-05-01
This image illustrates the irony of the protests within the Central Valley. There are currently 743 positive cases within Visalia's county (Tulare County), and 40 deaths within that county as well.
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2020-05-04
Humourous piece by Lawrence Leung
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2020-05-02
WBALTV11
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2020-05-05
Illustrates Council's effort to reduce costs for necessary travel during period of social restrictions
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2020-05-05
Mural illustrating social distancing during lockdown, Ballarat, Australia
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2020-05-05
A mural in Bakery Hill, Ballarat, drawing comparison with earlier pandemics
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2020-05-05
Two virus murals, long-distance shot, Bakery Hill, Ballarat, Australia
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2020-05-04
Shakespeare’s quote, “All the World’s a Stage,” has taken on a new meaning in my
life and the lives of other theater artists during this pandemic. Due to the social
distancing orders, theater as we know it has come to a halt, causing us creatives to
become even more creative with adapting how theater is presented during this time. The
very core of the theater is performing on stage, which is impossible to do during this
time. What do we do when the shows we are working on get cancelled? How do we
continue working on our craft when we cannot be together? How do we continue our
professional goals when the very thing that makes up our profession cannot happen?
So many more questions just like these have arisen in the theatrical community
during this time of extreme uncertainty. We cannot perform on an actual stage, so we
have to be creative and make the world our stage. Personally, in order to stay sane, I
have been trying to keep myself immersed in theater as much as I can within all these
restrictions. This keeps me busy and prevents boredom. Ultimately, it distracts me from
the depressing thoughts, such as the feeling of being alone, or the fact that the show I
was cast in this semester got cancelled. The more I do theater in any way I can,
especially when that theater involves other people, the more these thoughts go away.
I started by creating a flexible routine for myself. A routine keeps me busy, but
keeping it flexible reduces my everyday stress, even just a little bit. I try to start each day
by taking a walk and listening to music or a podcast on spotify. A lot of the time, I end
up listening to my favorite Broadway show tunes and practice acting through the song as
1
I walk. Honestly, this gets some weird looks from neighbors, but once I stopped caring
about what they think, this turned into one of the most freeing parts of my day!
After walking and completing my online homework for the day, I usually practice
singing. I’ve been trying to focus on songs that I have fun with, rather than specifically
picking out audition pieces, which has surprisingly led to me finding some great
audition songs in a no-stress way!
After singing, I move onto play readings. I have a goal to read a play every other
day, which has been great because I’ve found so many new audition monologues without
even looking for them! Whenever I can, I try to read these plays with my friends over
Zoom. We each pick a character, and then read the plays aloud together. It’s a great way
to keep a sense of community with people who are a thousand miles away from me.
One of my favorite experiences during this time has been the Zoom reading with
my fellow cast members of the play I was in that got cancelled. I was still disappointed
that we won’t be able to perform it in person, but it was so nice to be able to perform it,
even though it was over Zoom. It was especially wonderful to get to see friendly faces
again, and I absolutely loved the sense of community I felt when working with these
talented people.
I highly recommend getting a group together and performing over Zoom. The act
of creating theater in times like this is so comforting and satisfying, and can provide you
with a sense of hope. Times like these can be very discouraging, but I hope that my story
shows other theater artists that you can still be creative during a time that seems to stall
creativity. Take a deep breath, and go forth and create!
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2020-05-04
I find time is hard to past by these days. My sleep schedule has changed
drastically ever since we were given stay at home orders. I usually start my day at
around 10 am and then end it by 3 am. The time in between is quite monotonous and I
am really looking forward to the orders being lifted. So my day starts and I grab
something to eat. I then login to my live lectures which are all day. I listen, or at least
try to, take notes, and then do some homework. Often now I have to re watch lectures to
understand the material since when I watch it live I am not really paying attention. I
then study and get ready for the day. I try my best to remain in contact with my friends
but it is not the same anymore. The only interaction I usually have is getting help on an
assignment or us figuring out how to complete a task that we have been assigned. Once
my classes are done I usually eat again and then try and exercise. Normally when I am
on campus I am able to get a lot of walking done, but now since we are inside, I need to
be active. So after I decide to exercise , I unwind a bit and then have dinner. Everyday I
have to make something since I do not want to get food from outside. Cooking has been
the one part that is different, since I try to make something new every day. I then eat and
study some more. I find myself productive for whatever reason that may be. Usually I
have to really try and focus to get work done because it is really distracting being at
home. Something about being at home just does not make me feel like working.
Nevertheless, I am able to study and continue to catch up on the material. This routine is
quite monotonous at this point. It has been roughly 8 weeks like this and it is starting to
get tiring. I know change to the stay at home orders is coming, and I can not wait for it.
I am thankful that my semester ends soon so that way there will be some change to my
routine. 8 weeks of the same thing every day is quite a drag on life and I look forward to
the changes. I really hope the Fall wont have a second wave leading to life like this
again!
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2020-05-04
As a Junior in college, the transition to online classes have been what I expected.
They started off really difficult but as the semester comes to an end, it seems like we are
getting used to them now. We were exactly halfway through our semester when we
were told to shift to online format. That was quite the disruption. All my belongings
were left in my apartment and I had to drive 6 hours to go and move out, since there
were no flights. Along with classes still giving a full workload, this was not easy. I
found it quite difficult to focus with online classes since it was so easy to drift off while
listening to a zoom lecture. Normally, I don’t use a laptop in lecture halls because it is
to distracting. And I was right, it is very distracting. Nevertheless, midterms were also a
fiasco. Only one was proctored and that was a mess. It was through zoom and it was
quite distracting. The average ended up being in the 50’s leading to a big curve given to
us. My exams that weren’t proctored were still difficult since learning the material was
a challenge. I am studying computer science so the material in my Junior year is quite
challenging. Nevertheless, everyone has made their best effort to the transition. One
thing that is the hardest with the transition were projects. My classes had group projects
and working online like this with a group is difficult. We often couldn’t get a time to
work because we are in different time zones. In addition, we had to screen share and
give remote access to each others computers to complete basic tasks. Often I found it
better to just work alone and then collaborate for email. Losing the interaction of groups
was the most difficult. However, the professor was considerate and gave extensions and
a lot of extra credit. He added upward of 40 bonus points to help us. This shows that
professors do understand the hardship to transfer to remote learning, because even they
must be facing hardships during these times. If this has to continue in the Fall it wont be
as bad because I would only be taking electives in my final year. I would miss the
interactions that I have on campus but it is unfortunate situation we are all in and we are
making the best of this situation.
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2020-05-01
Everyone in the entire world has been affected in one way or another by the pandemic of COVID-19. The rapid spread and contagiousness of the virus has made the spread of the virus virtually impossible to contain, because of this, the virus has gone worldwide in a matter of months and has caused many casualties. My mother is a nurse working on the frontlines, and every day I am afraid for her. My family faces the constant fear of exposure. To protect the rest of the family, my mother has been quarantining herself on one side of the house and has been very careful about keeping clean and using disinfectants.
I know that the work my mom does has taken a toll on her mental health lately. She seems more discouraged and less motivated than usual. Part of this is likely her isolation from her family, however, I think that working on the frontlines right now can be very stressful and I know that is it typical to lose faith in modern medicine at a time like this. My mother has mentioned how sad it is to see people on their deathbed, when there is nothing you can do to save them. She told me one of her patients was an elderly man who had no family except for his wife, and he could not contact her, and she could not visit him during his last hours of life. This made me realize how terrifying it can be to have the coronavirus.
While I was discussing the virus with my mother, she told me about the supply shortages that many hospitals are experiencing at the moment. The main issue is with ventilators. Many coronavirus patients need to be put on a ventilator to facilitate their recovery, but without these machines, there are many more casualties. There is also a shortage in Tylenol and medical masks. Tylenol is used as a pyretic to reduce fever in patients and reduce pain from the symptoms. Medical masks are needed most in hospital settings because the healthcare providers need to be protected the most.
Everyday Healthcare workers put their lives on the line by going to work and treating coronavirus patients, and every day they are helping to improve the statistics of the coronavirus pandemic. I worry for my mother every time she goes to work and pray that she stays safe and healthy despite the factors not in her favor.
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2020-05-04
A life size T-Rex outside a metalwork studio in Rutland, Vermont is observing safe Covid-19 practices.
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2020-05-04
The tradition is every first Monday of each month the entire school would gather for an assembly. This Monday the assembly was virtual for the first time. Instead of singing, Lift Every Voice and Sing together, we were muted and we heard a muffle Dr. Roland M. Carter version. This was the first assembly I cried.
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2020-04-10
This image of my dog sleeping on the couch, despite being an adorable take on the subject, is a visual representation of how many people have been feeling during quarantine. I made this meme on Snapchat a few weeks ago to make light of the way I personally have been feeling. After sending it to my friends and getting responses back about how relatable it is, I was relieved to know that I was not the only one feeling this way. The pandemic has caused a state of constant stress in a lot of people, which is very draining and results in higher levels of exhaustion. I know personally, this has caused me to feel isolated and alone, but the good thing about internet culture and memes is that it can show us that we are not alone in what we are feeling. And that sense of hope and community can get us through this, together.
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2020-03-22
During the Coronavirus pandemic crisis over the last few months, it has been very hard to keep in touch with friends and extended family. Because we are all stuck inside, and there aren’t many ways to reach out to people, it has been very hard for me to feel connected to my social circle. Luckily, my closest friends and I stay connected by calling each other on FaceTime at least once a week, and this image was captured during one of those facetime calls. I love my friends like they are family, and these weekly calls are what are helping me get through these lonely and monotonous times.
My everyday life has been reduced to home workouts, schoolwork, and television. Working out at home and by myself often leaves me feeling discouraged, but I have been using this problem of mine as a way to stay connected with my friends. The girls in my group of friends have all started tracking our workouts and activity levels. We have all been communicating about our progress and occasionally we will also share new workouts with each other. This is really great because it is especially important now that we all keep our health at it’s very best in the case that we do catch the virus.
I have realized that some of my friendships rely solely on common classes or certain activities and face to face interaction. Now that I do not have the opportunity to do such things, these friendships have started to fade. It’s hard to know the status of a relationship. Some friendships are strong enough to last through hard times, and some friendships fade when times get tough. Though it feels awful to lose a friend, it is more comforting to realize that maybe they were not great friends if they cannot stay in contact through this pandemic crisis.
Although it is tough not being able to see friends and some family, it is important to stay inside and encourage others to do so as well. Going out to eat and going to places surrounded by people is only going to cause the number of cases to rise. Not only does going out put your own health at risk, but it puts the health of everyone you come in contact with at risk. Right now, it is very important to keep in mind that the best way to care for those you love is to stay away from them and stay safe.
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2020-05-03
I ordered a pizza lastnight from an Italian restaurant, I specifically told no one to take my last slice because I wanted to eat it for breakfast the next morning. I come to see at 9:13 am that it is gone.... I interrogated every member of my family and no one will admit to this Janus crime.
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2020-04-04
My wife and I live in a spacious two story home in a wonderful suburb of Los Angeles overlooking the
Pacific Ocean and Santa Monica Bay. We are both 75 years of age, born 12 days apart. She returned
from a volunteer trip to Tanzania March 5th when word of the corona virus was just becoming known.
March 11th she became sick. Our doctor did not think she had the corona virus but recommended we
practice safe distancing given our age and the unknowns about the virus. I moved downstairs in the
house and lived in 3 rooms. She remained in the bedroom since she was ill and needed to rest.
Thankfully we had the room to make this adjustment in our lives.
The closest I came to her was standing about five feet from her bedroom door to say Good Morning or
Good Night or chat for brief periods. We talked on our cell phones a few times but it proved too strange
and did not accomplish the feeling of togetherness we hoped. We have lived apart in the same house
since March 11th. She is better but still not all the way back to normal. This past Saturday marked the
first time we were in the same room together since March 11th although we maintained the six foot
separation.
We have no complaints. Luckily we both have our health and she is getting her strength back. We have
attempted to use our time well. She has become a history student and taken classes offered via our
public broadcasting station. I have written a novel, just completed it Saturday. We both have become
devotees of the old movies offered by TCM.
Our Governor and our Mayor have done an outstanding job communicating with us and we faithfully
follow all guidelines in hopes this pandemic will soon be under control.
Our short term goal: we are close to the day when we can hug each other. Our long term goal: a vaccine
is developed to make the world safe from this disease.
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2020-04-02
It never occurred to me that a virus starting in Wuhan, China could create a
significant impact in other countries far away. Nevertheless, here I am sitting in
isolation, or as our government calls it "social distancing." Myself, and all the other
college students have had to convert to online learning. Which has not been that bad,
but there are some times where I have missed a class or two to gain more snooze time.
Online school has made me realize how much I miss being in the physical classroom.
The aspect of repetition every week kept my mental health stable. I as well as many
others have also had to deal with heading back home to our parents. Just as I caught a
glimpse of independence, I'm back under my mother's rule of "my house my rules." My
mom works for DCFS (child protective services) and is considered an essential worker.
She as well as many other essential workers are commonly face to face with the virus on
the daily. Specifically, my mom has to evaluate houses in Aurora and Elgin, Illinois,
where the virus is hitting Kane County the hardest. It's scary to know that someone in
my family can be easily exposed to the virus. But I understand that she has to do her job
and keep children safe, especially during a pandemic where she has told me, "people
become crazier when they're stuck in their houses." In the first month of being back
home, many arguments were had with my 22-year-old brother and mom, so I decided to
move to my dad's house and have been here ever since. Many other families have
experienced the same problems with communication and alone time as it is hard when
you're stuck with one another for 24/7.
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2020-05-04
This is the official guidance from the National Park Service Superintendent for the Appalachian Trail National Scenic Trail on the continued suspension of all volunteer activities on the AT. It is a continuation of a previous policy.
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2020-04-26
This is a video of me and my brother playing madden and talking smack.
Playful, explicit language!
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2020-05-04
One of the major grant funding agencies for library and museum projects has extended deadlines for grant applications and has instituted other flexibilities.
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2020-05-04
This phone crashed on me the beginning of last week. While I waited for my new phone to arrive in the mail, it was at first liberating to be without at phone. I didn't check the news as much, didn't feel as weighed down emotionally. However, it quickly became more anxiety-producing to not have a phone. It was harder to communicate with the outside world. When I did have to call someone, I used my husband's phone. This prompted friends to worry that I was laying in a ditch somewhere. It felt very good when that package arrived from Apple.
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2020-05-04
I am currently a rising junior studying at Bates College. This semester has been extremely tough for me, as our school switched to remote learning about halfway through due to the Coronavirus, forcing myself and the entirety of the student body to go home and continue classes online.
When the administration announced that we would be required to leave campus on Friday, March 13th, the student body had the opposite reaction of what the faculty had hoped would happen. As opposed to packing up and getting away from campus immediately, the vast majority of the student body, including myself, partied like there was no plague that could kill us all. I began to appreciate how important genuine human interactions were- sober or not- and knew that this switch to strict isolation in my home would certainly act as a stressor for the mental health issues I had been dealing with for most of my life.
The move to online learning was particularly tough for me, as whereas some of my peers still had set lecture times with their professors and classmates on Zoom, all of my course's professors made the choice to either just post powerpoints and video lectures, or, in one case have us continue to work through the class material, teaching ourselves the ideas in small groups (which turned out to be particularly ineffective, as the groups were mostly focused on dividing up work amongst ourselves). This setup not only completely threw my sleep schedule off, where I was falling asleep around 4 or 5 in the morning, and sleeping till 2 or 3 in the afternoon, but the lack of human interaction and the inability to put myself in a working environment led the time I had dedicated to getting my assignments done extremely unproductive. As the end of the semester neared, the considerably lighter workload that had been given to us became much heavier, as I planned out a schedule for me to finish all my course assignments in 2 weeks, then 1 week, then 5 days, and then 48 hours. When mapping out that last plan, I knew that I had to follow it to a T, and it will be one of the hardest things I ever had to do. However, much like the first 2 months in isolation, I continued to be extremely unproductive, despite staying up however long it would take for me to finally get to work. The stress had finally got to me, and I hit rock bottom the morning after I had successfully carried out the most important parts of my 48-hour plan. COVID-19 was the stressor for my mental health issues to impact my life like they never had before.
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2020-05-04
I don't have the virus and didn't lose my job. I AM in the dangerous older age group, so I've been quarantining. It's been 7 weeks now, and I'm still LOVING it. I love it because I'm an introvert and have too many interesting things I can do at home. I'm getting more creative than in my normal life, producing art and writing, doing more cleaning and decluttering than I would normally be willing to do. I'm also getting creative about using my time and making do with the foods and supplies I have on hand. I keep informed about the virus (and mourn for those who've lost their lives, and feel for those who aim to heal the sick and those who've lost their jobs), but I'm not plugged in 24/7. I'm excited to hear about the creative new ways people are figuring out how to work and connect and thrive. While this is a tragic and difficult time, it's also a creative and growth time, which I think will leave its mark.
