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2020-04-07
This is a photo of a public service announcement as well as sale to the public of the tee-shirt pictured. It was sent out by email to fans of the Chicago Cubs. The man holding it in the photo is a member of the team.
It’s important because it publicizes the need to keep your hands clean as to not spread germs. Notice the team mascot/trademark is wearing a mask. A reminder to wear a mask and not spread the virus.
It's important to me because I'm personally affected on two levels by persons not practicing proper precautions.
One , I'm a member of one of the high risk groups …and two my wife is a member of two high risk groups,. So I'm very interested in protecting myself , my wife and others.
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2020-02-06
This experience of the Covid-19 pandemic is probably very different than most people. My picture submitted of myself shows a selfie that I took while in the hospital dealing with a non-Covid-19 hospitalization. As you will see through reading this I was on sensory overload. My experience with taste when it comes to my hospitalization was not one of joy, but one of provisional change due to introduction of various new medical regiments which made things tasting like metal along with various other side effects. The over powering aroma of alcohol wipes and various chemicals burned my nostrils causing my eyes to water with irritation and redness. Desiring the touch of a loved ones other then the nurses pin pricks and the doctors jabs however, due to Covid restrictions my only comfort was my husband. With the on going treatments of chemotherapy I had caused numbness in my toes and fingers which felt like knives. I am a 35 year old man who is diagnosed with stage Three-B Testicular Cancer who was healthy one minute and who's world was turned upside down the next moment. So, my Covid-19 experience has been that of Chemotherapy, isolationism, crying, hospital smells, changing of all of my sensory parts of my body, and more. This is important to me because it has changed my life, Covid-19 experience, work-life, and many other areas.
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2020-10-12
It seems these days it’s become impossible for people to gather for whatever reason without vandalism and looting following suit. It’s sad to see stories like this because last nights win by the Lakers was such a positive event for the city and now it’s been overshadowed by stories like this. Looting and vandalism aside I wonder how many COVID cases this gathering will cause. It’s hard not to wonder what Kobe would have to say about this.
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2020-10-12
The Los Angeles Lakers had not been to a final in ten years. Our city was full of hope and excitement when this years team was assembled (along with a new head coach). Then 2020 started and our world seemed to fall apart. For the team and our city specifically the loss of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gigi and all those on that plane, that foggy morning in February was almost too much to bare. The truth is that this year has seen the loss of so many positive people in our society, that partnered with the global pandemic and the terrible leadership in the White House has dubbed this year the unofficial official worse year ever. Of course I think the title is a bit dramatic and things can always be worse but I think we can all agree that this year has been pretty terrible, politically, socially, economically and morally. The lakers won last night, I was watching with my city and for the first time in a long time felt the need to celebrate. It’s the end of the year, and I can’t help but hope that this cause for celebration will be a turning point.
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2020-10-12
World's a stage
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2020-10-06
Mask importance
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2020-10-12
I resisted joining Tik Tok, and working on the archive I saw that some of the submissions were from this application, but I wasn't interested in learning a new platform. Then, when NPR started reporting that President Donald J Trump was going to ban downloading the app, I decided to download it and see what it was like. It's a funny amalgamation of short videos, sometimes music, that ranges from bizarre to hilarious. I keep seeing videos from the member TreyTV who does hilarious impressions of DJT, this one is a spin off the Idaho man who make a Tik Tok to a Fleetwood Mac song while drinking Ocean Spray. I have to say, as bleak as thing are right now, it feels so great to laugh.
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2020-08-29
This image was taken during The Rattler's first press weekend. Due to COVID-19 restrictions there is a no eating in the newsroom policy, and so staff now must eat outside in the hallway and maintain social distancing. This scene is typical of a late Saturday night (closer to midnight) as the staff is working to finish the upcoming paper, although now this gathering must take place in the hallway. The staff stays 6 feet apart to eat and due to only a set number of people being allowed in the newsroom at any given time some have taken camp out in the hallway to work "remotely" but still able to communicate quickly with the rest of the staff.
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2020-10-12
- In times of covid I am not as social in person but have switched my social online with friends playing games and D&D through, discord, zoom and text.
-Before covid I had a schedule of when I went to classes, co-ops and saw my friends. Social is now more erratic because everyone is home and schedules are so varied. This makes it hard to talk to friends. So now I have to adapt more to others schedules in order to spend time online with friends.
-Because of the way we socialize I spend more time than normal online.
-My homeschool life however has not changed that much, probably do more academics than before. I have been taking multiple online class over the years so when covid happened things didn’t change that much for me academically.
-Another positive is that my personal library has expanded because getting to the library and picking out books is limited since they aren’t open and only allow curbside pick up.
-Got more chickens, since we are home all the time.
-Since I don’t leave the house very often, I have been able to get more schoolwork done.
-Since I am home more, I have more time for hobbies and have taken up learning blacksmithing.
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2020-10-12
One of my favorite holiday rituals is to go to a park, lay a blanket down, enjoy a picnic with my circle of family and friends along with the many other groups who are also awaiting the start of the fireworks show. The aromas of barbecued items such as hot dogs, hamburgers, and corn wafting in the air mixing with other ethnic delights are reminders of the diversity of this country. I open the doors of my Jeep, connect my iPhone and select my July 4th playlist to share with the people around me. In the distance I hear other groups talking and commenting on the music; it's nice to have background music as the show begins. "What's a July 4th show without the good 'ole '1812 Overture'?" is a common remark. The attraction of the fireworks, at least to me, is being there to hear the reverberation and smell the sulphur as they explode in the air besides the visual display. Timing the music to the show, especially the finale, is my annual challenge; one that I've been somewhat successful several years in a row.
This year's holiday was spent indoors, by myself. I just didn't have the energy or interest to go to the bother of barbecuing for just me. My friends and family were all hunkered down at their respective homes. To observe July 4th via TV was just not same. For me, there would be no physical sensation of the sounds or of the smells that are so closely associated with the holiday. So, I passed on recognizing July 4th as a holiday...it was just another Covid-19 day in the year 2020.
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2020-03-16T12:00:00
My story discusses how throughout Covid , I found a way to make it positive. A global pandemic turned millions of lives upside down. But, I won't allow this disease to kill off my dreams with tennis.
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2020-10-12
April 10, 2020 started as another routine day, but by 7:30pm, my life would be irrevocably changed. My husband of 25 years, Larry, had been diagnosed with advanced stage laryngeal cancer on March 25th requiring surgery; needless to say, we were both quite concerned, scared and anxious. The procedure involved removal of all lymph nodes in his neck as well as his voice box - open airway surgery. We were told by the team at Mayo that once the surgery was completed, it would be a complete recovery...he'd be fine; great news! We hugged each other, and assured ourselves that he will get through this. We hoped that the hospital would be able to move quickly to get it scheduled. Our hopes were fulfilled; surgery was scheduled for April 1st. As we were proceeding with pre-surgery registration, the conversation was interrupted; we were then told that due to Covid-19, all open airway surgical procedures were cancelled. Our elation that Mayo had expedited his surgery was annihilated.
A Zoom consultation with his Oncologist on April 3rd let us know that the team was discussing the best course of action; he would follow up shortly with the decision. On April 7th, another Zoom consultation occurred in which his Oncologist described an aggressive treatment plan starting with chemotherapy starting April 16th with radiation treatment to commence once the 3 courses of chemo was completed. He reassured us that as soon as the Covid-19 restrictions were lifted, the surgical procedure would proceed. Larry felt positive about the treatment plan; he had been at my side throughout my successful cancer treatment six years previously. The news was jarring, but we both felt confident.
As I opened, Friday April 10th started as a routine day. Larry spending the day in his office at an accounting practice that he had nurtured and grown for 20 years. I dedicated Friday's to standard household chores: laundry, grocery shopping, etc. The evening was quiet, dinner was finished and I was watching the evening news program. Larry walked by me to go outside, sit, smoke and think through an issue he mentioned with a client. Several minutes later, he opened the door and his shirt was covered in blood. He looked dazed, walked to the sofa and sat down. Panicking, I called 9-1-1 then sat next to him to help; he leaned against me. Medics arrived at the house in three minutes, performed CPR five times...he had passed within the minutes between when I called and they arrived.
News coverage of Covid-19 deaths focus on those unfortunate who die due to this virus; what the news does not record, nor will it be part of the statistics of this pandemic, are those deaths such as Larry's which could have been prevented. The life we had shared for 25 years and were planning going forward no longer exists. I have wonderful memories of a wonderful man, my best friend; what I don't have is that physical person.
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2020-10-11
As a librarian who works alot with maps, I am very impressed with this site: Justice for George Floyd. This is a way for anyone who wants to protest in the greater NYC area to keep track of upcoming and past events. You can also sign up and add your own events, which will then appear with a description link and an appropriate protesting icon on the map.
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2020-10-12
These are the instuctions posted in Canvas for HST 643. Students enrolled in Global History Fall B at Arizona State University will all submit a story related to the pandemic and senory history
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2020-10-12T09:40
My wife and I were both home from our jobs by mid-March because the COVID-19 pandemic had, for all effective purposes, practically shut down our home state of Alabama. During our long sequestration from the world, we often baked together to pass the time. Tamsie has a sourdough bread starter that was handed down from her grandmother, so to keep the starter “alive”, she has to bake bread every month or so, which of course requires yeast. I believe that millions of Americans were at home baking during that time because we were out of dry yeast for her bread and, though we searched every grocery within a 20-mile radius of our home, we looked to no avail; additionally, yeast was back-ordered on Amazon, Walmart online, and every other online store. We were beyond desperate for that yeast, and the starter had to be near death when, at long last, I discovered an in-stock yeast on Amazon and ordered six pounds of it. Needless to say, I ordered entirely too much and thus unintentionally became that obligatory hoarder with which we’ve all had to deal during the last seven months. Thus, we had to bake dozens of loaves of sourdough bread to use that yeast!
My wife is a dentist, so we baked bread for all her employees and left it on both their front porches and garages. We also baked for our neighbors and our families. The sweet smells of sourdough bread and sticky buns filled our home for nearly six weeks, as baking became an inane, daily ritual in the Rogers household! Today, whenever I smell fresh bread or cinnamon rolls, I think of our time spent together with our puppies in the kitchen, laboriously prepping, waiting for the yeast to rise, baking, and cleaning on a daily basis. I am thankful for this time, and though we now laugh about and much fun is had at my expense over my overzealous yeast spending-spree, whenever I smell fresh bread, I will forever be transported to our happy kitchen along with its aromatic sights and smells during the early weeks of the pandemic. It is truly amazing to ponder what we take for granted in our daily walks, and though I am obviously glad we are standing on firmer ground than in spring in relation to COVID-19, I miss our time together in the kitchen, which seems lonely and destitute without the sweet aroma of fresh sourdough bread.
My association with this simple, yet happy memory during the pandemic is reflective of the joys we should be seeking in small things. Our daily lives are measured by our relationships, our serenity and contentment, and the joy we both provide and glean from others. The extended time at home with Tamsie allowed us a “factory reset” of sorts in our lives, one that brought our already-happy marriage much closer together; consequently, we no longer take life’s simple, quiet moments for granted. In some ways, the lasting human effects of the pandemic on relationships have been positive, in that each of us has had ample time to again focus on those whom we love.
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2020-10-12
My experience during quarantine was not that bad because during the summer I was still able to play baseball and go on vacation. But something that was bad is my basketball playoffs were cancelled mid way through so we weren’t able to finish them. For my mom quarantine was a little bit stressful because she is a teacher and she had to do something new she never knew, and now she has a totally new group of kids.
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2020-04-09
The pandemic caught me unprepared in many ways. I did not expect to run out of flour or yeast. I regularly bake rolls, muffins, cookies, and other treats several times a week. Just a day before New York shut down, I was at my local wholesale club stocking up on freezer items and canned goods, but could not find yeast or flour. The flour and yeast shortage was real and lasted for months in New York. Sourdough bread recipes started to circulate and I realized it was time to break out our food storage. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have approximately a year's worth of dry canned whole wheat in my basement. My husband started the sourdough starter. As a the scientist in our family, I figured he would be up to the challenge of experimenting with a starter. After two weeks of tending his starter, he pulled out the wheat grinder. The grinder loudly screamed through the house as a fine flour sifted through the blades. A warm, homey smell settled in the kitchen. Then, he set about making the bread--a twenty-four hour affair. The tang of the starter smelled promising. The last hour of baking we smelled the rich smell of the bread baking in the hot oven. When he pulled it out, we could hardly wait to taste it. The jagged dark crust had the hallmarks of an artisanal loaf of bread. It smelled so good, earthy and hearty. After it cooled, he sliced the bread, cracking through the rough crust into the perfectly textured inside. The flavor was perfectly tangy, with a gorgeous whole wheat texture. Before the pandemic, my husband worked long hours at his lab and would never have had the time to make a loaf of bread that required so many steps and 24 hours. And before, we never had the need to make a starter or to use our food storage wheat.
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2020-07-21
This document addresses the Board of Collier County's decision to require masks in public buildings. It's important as it shows how different local governments have handled the crisis. In this case, the Collier County mask mandate did not go into affect until July 21, 2020 and was set to expire on September 3, 2020.
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2020-09-28
Community is important to all, especially in these difficult times. For significant events and religious observances, we need to be inventive to stay connected. The Reform Jewish movement in Melbourne, has been broadcasting its services throughout the Victorian lockdowns, and this was especially so for the High Holidays, when thousands tuned into live streamed services.
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2020-04
Moab Utah is a lively tourist town normally filled with visitors from around the world. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has made it a ghost town.
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2020-10-04
Saudi Arabia opens up religious travels after having suspended them for over 6 months. Visitiors are now allowed to go on pilgrimige and holy visits.
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2020-10-11
In January I had heard a few reports of COVID-19 starting to spread into the United States, but it wasn't until late March and early April that the whole thing became very real. I remember the day before UWSP officially announced that it would be sending people home. I was with all my friends in my dorm. I remember looking at one another and saying our goodbyes just in case we were all having to pack up the next day. I personally didn't like the dorms very much, but leaving earlier than I was expecting was particularly hard. The semester before I had gone home because of a death in the family. I was unable to cope with it and school. So the fact that I had to leave once again after having had two great roommates was a blow to my pride in returning.
When I came home it felt very strange. Suddenly I had all this time off without really wanting it. My plans for the summer were originally to go to Japan for the Guy Healy Program, but that didn’t pan out. I didn't want to go back to work and I had some time before online classes kicked in. However, that’s when a long-awaited release appeared. On March 20th, Animal Crossing: New Horizons released on the Nintendo Switch. I ordered it to arrive the day of, and that game took up an enormous amount of my time.
With classes ending and the summer beginning, there was still not too much happening. I put down Animal Crossing after playing it for a total of 655 hours (about 27 days). I felt empty and useless. I wanted to see my friends and enjoy the summer with them. I wanted to have an income but was still afraid to go in public. When I spoke to my mother about this she responded “The virus isn't happening anymore”. I spent most of my time sleeping and depressed. That’s when I decided to buy something I thought to be only for rich people. I bought an Oculus Quest AKA a virtual reality headset. I figured, since I wasn’t spending any of my money on going places, I’ll buy something to allow me to do so.
As July began I grew frustrated with the limitations of my headset. Because of its limited processing power, I couldn't see all the places and people that I wanted to. So, that led me to my second large purchase. I bought a gaming pc (in my defense it was $100 off!) Immediately after placing my order, I got a job. I was very afraid of being around people, but I needed to get some of my funds back.
I started working at one of the Dollar Generals in town and my goodness was it a shit show. To paraphrase: there was a new manager, numerous new employees, stricter rules, a coin shortage, numerous item shortages, I was the only employee who wore a mask every day until I left, and most customers did not wear a mask even after the federal mandate. I legitimately wished for death by the time August ended and had my medication dosage increased. Every day that went by was a day closer to me leaving and living in my new apartment in Stevens Point.
On September 1st my roommate and I moved into our new apartment. I was so relieved and so happy to be far away from my reckless and conservative family. I was now closer to my school, my friends, and now I could plan my own meals! Classes began on the 2nd and they were entirely online, except for one. It was very strange waking up and not going anywhere. For the next few weeks my days went the same: wake up, eat breakfast, attend classes, eat again/nap, attend more classes, play games, do homework, go to bed. Over and over and over..
I started to feel like I was going a bit mad. Sure, I spent a bit of time with a select group of friends and went out to buy groceries, but I was starting to falter in my classes. I was sleeping through class, forgetting to finish my homework, and struggling to fall asleep. Feeling like I had nothing left in me, I made a few changes to my life. For one, I began eating healthier and taking my pills every day. I also had my dosage doubled again. Secondly, I started to work out a bit with a new friend of mine. Finally, I have been trying to fix my sleep schedule so I can have time in the morning to work on things and wake up for school.
These last few weeks have by far been the craziest of them all. With the presidential election and Wisconsin's rising COVID-19 cases, it’s hard to find a sense of peace. I am home at the moment watching my little sister because my mother and step-father went to South Dakoda for their 10th anniversary. Last week I learned that my grandfather became infected, and today I learned that two of my cousins have now tested positive. The lack of fresh food at the house is driving me insane and I honestly just want to go back to my apartment. I can only hope that November won’t be as insane as I expect it to be. But hey, at least I have my 21st birthday coming up in December!
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2020-10-10
Kanye west visits the UK and doesnt even qurantine at all. Your supposed to undergo a 14 day quarantine but Mr. West immediately went out for a day trip with his daughter. I'm over here unable to visit my finace because of the difficulties of navigating the quarantine, but apparently all I had to do was be a famous rapper.
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10/04/2020
This was an interview done with a nurse and the impacts she has seen in in work, life and community.
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2020-10-11
Covid-19 has impacted so many people’s lives and routines, including mine. I left my first year of college early to move back home, switched from in person classes to online, was jobless for a few months, was quarantined, etc. This year, I have felt nothing but drained and tired. Similarly, to man in the photo, I have no source of energy. I am struggling with online classing, struggling with time management, and struggling with being stuck in one place for so long. I am a social butterfly who enjoys hanging out with her friends, being on campus and experiencing life. However, everything has changed due the pandemic. Everywhere I go, I must always make sure I am being careful and taking extra precautions. I must go to work, wear a mask all day and interact with people, despite how worried I am about my safety. I am aware that everyone is struggling and that my experience so far can relate to many others.
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2020-10-11
The end of January was coming closer and closer. Soon, I would be exchanging harsh Wisconsin winters for the rainy winters of London, England. The year prior, I had been there on a two-week study abroad trip learning about art. This time I’d be spending four months living in the International Student House and going to university there. By the time we left on the plane, there were barely whispers of a possible outbreak of a virus across the globe. We didn’t hear much more about it until the end of March. It was everywhere on the news, and we began to receive emails from our university in the States that we might get pulled from our program. We hoped that wouldn’t be the case. The city of London was seemingly normal up until we left. One major change happened with the tube. It was decided that in order to attempt to slow the spread of the pandemic across the city, certain tube lines would close down. This, in fact, had the opposite effect as it caused more and more people to cram themselves into rail cars in order to get to work or to school on time. We eventually received an email from our home university stating we would have a weekend to gather out things and then fly out early the next week. In fact, that weekend I was supposed to fly to Krakow, Poland on a short trip. I stayed back because I had a sinking feeling that something like this would happen. Crazy enough, if I would have gone, I would have been stuck in Poland--my flight back to London was canceled because due to the pandemic. We left a city scrambling to collect toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and masks and returned home to find a similar state of affairs in Wisconsin. We had heard about how horrendous the lines at customs were in the United States airports that were still open, with some having to stand and wait six to eight hours to make it through. When we arrived, it was impossible to adequately socially distance while we waited to get our temperatures checked and then be interviewed by the TSA about where we were coming from. By the time we had arrived, the process of going through customs had become much smoother--we only waited for about an hour. After returning home, we had to self-quarantine for two weeks. We had to finish our university term online, much like the students back overseas who went online after the Easter holiday. It was an odd thing to finish up my semester abroad in London from my home in Southwest Wisconsin. After ruminating about it for weeks, I thought to myself that I was incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to live and study in London for two months and even though our trip got cut short, I still had an amazing experience and got to meet some really wonderful people during my time there.
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2020-08-16
I took these photos of some of my family members during our time at a state park where we were taking my sister’s senior pictures. There were scarcely any other people around, and those that were had masks as well. While we were taking pictures at this park, I thought of how strange it is that years into the future, people in our family will look back on my sister’s senior pictures and will be reminded of the pandemic. Her picture will go up in our house next to ones of her from earlier years and will stand out due to that mask. It will be an interesting sight one day to look back on pictures of us with masks on and be reminded of what it was like to live through a global pandemic.
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2020-09-09
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, August 2020 brought devastating wildfires to the state of California. Many of the Northern California fires were started as a result of the lightning produced during a massive - and rare - summer thunderstorm.
The week leading up to the storm, I questioned the reliability of weather information as I had never experienced a severe summer storm in California. The night of the storm, I lay awake in my bed in awe of the sound of the storm. The combination of wind, rain, thunder and lighting produced incredibly loud sounds that lasted throughout the night. My family stayed snug in our beds. But when the storm continued into the morning hours, we decided to sit on our porch to take in the moment. The smell of rain in the summer was oddly refreshing. My kids were jumpy as none of them remember ever hearing thunder before. During a pause in the rain, we were walking between our home and my in-law’s home about 500 yards away from ours. The thunder hit at that very moment. I turned to look at my son and he was completely jumping out of his skin from fear of the thunder. Following each bout of thunder, silent lighting bolts shot across the sky. In the moment, we soaked in the beauty of nature. Little did we know that these beautiful bolts of lightning would cause some of the largest fires in California history.
Immediately following the storm, fires spread across the state of California. While COVID-19 has completely changed life as we know it, we have found joy in being able to enjoy the outdoors. At the onset of the fires, even that reprieve was taken from us. I live directly between the SCU Lightning Complex and the LNU Lighting Complex fires, two of the first fires that erupted following the storm. The days immediately following the start of the fires brought record breaking days of heat well over 100 degrees. The hottest I have ever experienced in the San Francisco Bay Area. The region experienced rolling blackouts and even functioning air conditioners were so taxed that they struggled to keep the insides of homes cool. In addition to the heat, the skies were filled with ash. The air was so thick with ash it was difficult to even take a breath when outside. The outdoors, our place of solace, quiet and escape during this pandemic, was no longer an option for us.
On September 9, 2020, I woke up and opened my curtains to face a brilliant orange sky. The color of the sky was unlike anything I've ever seen in my life. It truly felt apocalyptic. The air smelled of an extinguished campfire. And the overall feeling was eerie. The weight of the COVID-19 pandemic hit me the day that I stood beneath an orange sky, breathing in the smell of the fires ravaging my beloved state. How did we get here? Will life ever feel normal again? It just can’t get worse, can it? While I stood frozen in place, I heard the sound of birds chirping in the distance. This simple sound gave me the reassurance that I needed. We can do hard things. This too shall pass. I just hope it passes quickly.
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2020-08-20
The photo of my friends- A lot of my social interactions since March have been virtual. Every Friday, I would call my wonderful group of friends and catch up, since we couldn’t see each other in person. The photo of my friend and I with masks- I worked at Menards, in sort of the warehouse section of the store. I worked 10 hour shifts in the heat with a mask on every day. It was definitely uncomfortable, but I do think it was important and necessary for all of us to wear masks.
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2020-10-11
I am an international student from Colombia. I was in the middle of my fourth semester as a sophomore in college when I heard that the pandemic hitting the world just entered the U.S. I was excited at the time because my girlfriend and I bought tickets to go to New York City during spring break. I thought we were going until I heard that New York City was a hot spot for COVID-19. We did not want to risk anything, especially if we were going to encounter a virus that was completely unknown to us, so we cancelled the trip, but the airline still gave us the tickets to fly anytime between then and the end of 2022.
After that, spring break came, and it was announced that the university was closed after spring break and we would have to go completely online. I live with my girlfriend since I first came to the U.S., so I stayed with her at her home that is two hours from the university we are enrolled in. We finished the rest of the semester there at her home. We then stayed for another month there and while we were in complete isolation we took advantage of that to go running together to be healthy, we did not let ourselves get bored, we were always doing something, we would do zoom video calls with our friends, watch movies, play video games, etc.
After that we came back to Stevens Point to work on campus for the summer (with the required restrictions) so we could make some money to pay for our tuition. Though this is considered by many one of the worst years they’ve lived in, I had the most fun summer since I first came to the U.S – me, my girlfriend, and our friends had a blast; we hung out almost every day, we went to isolated beaches and went on boat rides, we had bonfires, we partied amongst ourselves, we went hiking, we went biking, we played soccer, etc.
When the summer was over, we went back to classes and I got also got interested in learning new languages, so I downloaded the app called Duolingo to learn Portuguese and practice some other languages. Since Spanish and Portuguese are so similar, I am quickly picking up the language. I started my junior year in college, and I could not be happier with the classes I picked. My girlfriend and I thought that since we have classes online and more time at home, it would be the perfect time to get a dog, so we adopted a Doxiepoo, the combination of a Dachshund and a miniature poodle. She is 4 months and we have had a lot of time to train her and we couldn’t be happier with her.
Everyone has their ways of coping, and with this ongoing journey through a global pandemic, I have learned that my way of coping is not only adjusting to the situation but also taking advantage of the variety of opportunities that arrive and make the best out of it. This pandemic has taught me in a way that just because we are adjusting, we should not stop living in the moment and while I understand that for some people this pandemic might be harder, it is up to us to either make it a living hell or make it one of the most memorable experiences of our life.
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2020-04-20
My submission to the Covid-19 sensory archive was about the smell and texture of cherry wood chips. During the first month of the Covid19 pandemic my father quarantined with my husband, daughters, and I. After a week or so of organizing, deep cleaning, and binge watching we decided we should find something else to do. My husband had been gifted a small wood smoker a few years ago and my father decided he was going to figure out how to smoke different types of foods. The first few attempts were less than stellar, with large flames, boiled water overflowing out of the bottom of this smoker but after another week he was doing quite well. He had ordered several different types of woods, chunks, and chips, almond and orange etc. I had not been a huge fan of anything he had done but it was keeping him, my husband, and my three-year-old entertained so it was fine. Finally, after his many attempts he came to me with mozzarella cheese he had smoked with cherry wood from our own trees. It tasted so good! I was thoroughly impressed with what he had accomplished. After that I helped him chop the wood and do various other things as he tried different recipes. Now anytime I move those wood chips around my pantry or smell the residual cherry wood smoke on the smoker in our side yard I think of that first month in quarantine. All the memories and recipes and the time in the middle of a pandemic where we got to slow down stay home and figure out how to use a smoker. I think that was a recurring event for a lot of people that were fortunate to get to quarantine with family. My family and I are typically terribly busy with various activities and jobs that we must run from one to the other and never get to have time to slow down and enjoy time with each other.
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2020-04
The portraits overlay a story mostly untold of the feverish “backroom” effort that distinguishes order from chaos inside hospitals suddenly at risk of being overrun. The photographs also explore the new people-and-place aesthetics of casual videoconferencing as first experienced in recent months by millions of people worldwide.
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2020-03-30
It's my personal experience related to the pandemic. This experience prepared my to overcome greater challenges which I may still have to face in the future.
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-0007-10-18
During the early days of the pandemic, I flew from my duty station at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune to attend an eight week school. While most of the country was shutting down, the military was forced to find solutions to mitigate risk of infection while still maintaining readiness. The solution to this was isolating service members for two weeks prior to training, protecting potentially infected service members from each other while giving time to monitor for potential symptoms. Looking back at my experience being restricted to a room for two weeks, what stands out to me is not how I stayed occupied, the food that was provided, or how I communicated with family, but the smell of the particular hand soap I had in that room with me. Through meticulously using it to clean and wash my hands, the scent filled my room, and I became more annoyed with that smell than I was being restricted to a room. The smell of that soap slowly became my memory associated with the COVID-19 Pandemic. Looking back at that time, five months later, the smell of that soap still standouts as my COVID-19 memory, and I don’t think I’ll be buying that soap in the future.
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2020-10-08
Learning how to ride a bike so I can go outside and exercise and be active. It shows I learned something new during the pandemic.
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2020-03-17
Gaming almost 24/7 a day, this meme shows how lives of gamers and normal people were affected during the lockdown.
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2020-09-07
An Indian-Based Bharat Biotech gets the regulatory approval to advance COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxine. After conducting trails on 375 volunteers at 12 different sites, The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) gave a thumbs up to Bharat Biotech into conducting phase || trials.
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2020-03-13
Learning How To Ride A Bikw
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02/01/2020
Registering for my Masters program”2020” was a bit more difficult and time consuming than usual. During Covid-19 “Lock-Down” I could not walk into offices to take care of business like I normally do. Communication was directed through E-Mail, and video calls. First of all, I am not a big fan on emails. I have never considered it an official form of communication. I myself being in the military, and traveling the majority of the year, was subject to scrutiny about not responding to emails when I was traveling around the world. At the time, many places in the world did not have WIFI, and by the time I had arrived from my trips, deadlines had passed; not like I was going to make any kind of meeting while I was on the road anyway. The digital highway is not convenient for me for many forms of communication. Applying for Federal Aid was normal, that has been an online process sense the beginning of my college career but addressing my VA school benefits was another story. Contacting VA coordinators and councilors meant that communication drastically slowed down. During Covid-19, offices were closed, office workers were moving their offices home, and the VA was rapidly changing the process of doing business with its members. This meant that I could not meet with a benefits counselor in my hometown but get a response e-mail from them that would lead me to a national pool of counselors. Applying for school benefits and having the process approved took approximately 5 – 6 months, 4 maybe 5 months too long. I can only guess that the entire system has been compromised because of the Covid pandemic, and the slow to respond, “email effect.”
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06/01/2020
February 2020, Covid-19 was a drop in the bucket, it’s coming to the U.S. from China. What is it? Where did it come from? How will it reach us? Do we close our boarders? Stop international travel? Who is to blame? The first of the infected to arrive, from China, landed at Kelly Field San Antonio TX, and were set into quarantine.
Fast forward about a month (end of March), and I am picking my dad up from BAMC (Brook Army Medical Center), he had been dropped off by his wife, and she was not allowed to stay at the hospital. He was seen at the ER because of stomach pain and continuous vomiting. What was different and a little strange to me was the fact that the hospital would not allow his wife to enter the building, even if she was the only means of his being. Because of strict city, state, and national orders to covid-19, no one other that the patient was allowed to enter the hospital.
After two months of going in and out of the hospital, military doctors had discovered a cancerous tumor growing in his liver, it was putting pressure against his bile duct not allowing his liver to function properly. An emergency procedure was scheduled, but without notice, it was cancelled before he was operated on. A second procedure (Y90) was scheduled, but part 1 of a two-part procedure failed and three days later we said goodbye to Art Reyes Sr.
Planning for his services were difficult. We could only invite 10 people to the church and 20 people to the funeral home, but after gathering information about my dad’s services, my heart went out to those that had lost family and friends due to the Covid virus. Their services were completely canceled. If a person had died in a hospital of Covid-19, they were to be transported from the hospital, cremated, and buried without any type of service
Had it not been for Covid-19, I think that Art Reyes would have had the rapid medical attention that he deserved. Doctors would have been “on the spot” in treating him for his condition, and not meeting just once a month to discuss someone’s condition with cancer. Many times, I felt that he was dismissed because of the covid-rules in place, but there also did not have to be poor/no communication between family and doctors. Funeral services would have been normal for more than 20 people to celebrate his death, and many family members that could not travel from out of town, could have celebrates with us also. The bottom line was his cancer inevitably was the cause for his death, but it wasn’t immediate. His death was due to his failing organs that were secondary to the tumor growth, and medical doctors on a “Corona19 Vacation.”
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2020-10-10
As a mom of a 17 month old the pandemic had me unprepared for what was to come. My mind went into fight or flight mode. I had to get food for my family, enough household goods to last us during quarantine or potential lock down. The first 3 months I had to learn how to work from home, be a wife, plan activities for my son and have me time. Well its October and me time has yet to be here. Planning my days became harder and harder as I was constantly in meetings, while my son screamed for attention in the background. The day that daycare opened I was terrified but relieved at the same time because I had someone to look after my son. It has gotten better but I do fight some moments of anxiety. My mental health took a turn for the worse as I had to seek out help. I am thankful to my husband, family and daycare workers.
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10/01/2020
This fogger is a new sanitization device introduced to our daily cleaning regime at the Athletic Center. It plays an integral part in ensuring that the recreation spaces are sanitized for patrons and for athletes to use the spaces. The fogger is used by custodial staff at 10:00 am and 2:00 pm and the facilities must be closed for an hour each time. The fogger is also used at a closing time ensuring that the facility is sanitized for incoming athletes for their 6:00 am sessions.
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2020-10-10
Though democracy has won two important cases in Texas, the Texas Supreme Court upheld the additional week of early voting and struck down the limit of ballot drop off boxes to one per county, Texas voters must still face unnecessary risk to exercise their right to vote.
Governor Greg Abbott issued both of the orders mentioned above and also issued a state wide mask mandate in the summer of 2020 for all counties with more than 20 reported Covid-19 cases. Masks became a requirement in those counties in the case that social distancing was not possible, places like a polling place where record voter turn out will force people to be waiting in lines for long periods of time and also being with lots of people indoors. The governor's mask mandate does come with a few exception. One being polling places. Texans are not required to wear a mask at a polling place because the governor believes this presents an undue burden to anyone that does not have a mask. This is an especially bogus argument in a state that requires voters to present ID. Not to mention it would be easy enough for the state to offer masks at the polling place.
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10/01/2020
Jackie Fiora has been a life long resident of Cincinnati, Ohio. As a licensed school nurse, Jackie shared her thoughts in this interview about the difficulties of maintain a safe school space during the pandemic. She also discusses her experience of living through the COVID-19 Pandemic and how it has affected her daily life. Having a nursing degree Jackie Fiora provides insight into the challenges that have arisen during this health crisis. Her background in both schools and healthcare has given her a front line view of how the Covid-19 has played out in Southwest Ohio.
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2020-04-01
These series of images are tweets from or about San Antonio mayor Ron Nirenberg and his administration's response throughout April 2020. These images illustrate the way local government mobilized to disperse political, economic, and medical information through social media. Information includes emergency orders, public and private assistance programs, case & hospital statistics, and where to get tested for COVID.
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2020-10-09
Following President Trump's contraction of COVID-19, the White House has not given much information on the President's physical condition. President Trump released a few videos on his personal twitter saying he was feeling fine however they have not released any medical records. He is to undergo a live physical on Tucker Carlson to prove his fitness for office.
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2020-10-09
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announces she will introduce a bill to create a 25th amendment commission. The 25th amendment details the presidential line of succession were the president to become unable to execute the powers of the president. This announcement comes as a result of the uncertainty around President Trump's current physical condition following his contraction of the COVID-19.
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1918-11-26
For a class assignment, I had to look through historical newspapers that discuss the Spanish Flu and connect it to the current COVID-19 pandemic.
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2020-03
COVID-19 came as a shock to everyone. No one could have predicted the rippling effects it has had in everyone's lives. This pandemic impacts all kinds of people- young, old, single, married, rich, and poor. It is the common thread among all of us. It is what binds us together during this difficult time. This time will never be forgotten. It will be written in textbooks and taught to future generations. Many families are going through a hard time. Who knew a virus could infiltrate people’s lives like this and flip them upside down? No one saw this coming. Many families are struggling financially including mine. We weren’t prepared for this. We thought it will all blow over soon enough. Unfortunately, we were wrong. First, my school closed. Then, my job place closed. Then, my gym closed. It seemed as if the whole world was shutting down right before my eyes, slowly stripping the things I love the most. The thought of being trapped in the house, all day, every day, for who knows how long, gave me anxiety. Slowly, life began to become very boring. Waking up knowing that you’re trapped in the house. Curfews were put up in my city. It’s like we were little kids and the Government was our parents trying to protect us from the monster- COVID 19. I suddenly had so much free time on my hands and didn’t know what to do with it. I decided to pick up some new hobbies. I tried everything. From painting to reading. It was a crazy time for all of us. When we were finally allowed out, I was so happy. Happy that everything will go back to normal, happy that I could get my old life back, happy that I could leave my house again. However, it wasn’t what I expected it to be. We had to wear masks, gloves, and maintain six feet apart between people. I remember the first time I went out in months. Everyone had covered faces and only eyes of sadness and fear were able to be seen. We all looked the same, yet on the inside we were different, each of us experiencing the impacts of the pandemic in a different way. I was shocked. I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that a virus, something that is not visible to the naked eye, has turned our lives upside down and forced us to deal with the consequences. As of now, September 2020, life is somewhat what it used to be, but it will never return back to the way we’ve known. The fact that this has become our new reality, is kind of scary. But we are not out of the clear yet, there’s still so much work to do. We have to cooperate with all the guidelines and stick together. Especially during these difficult times, together we are stronger. This is all my own interpretation of the times we live in now and how it has impacted me and changed our lives forever.
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2020-10-06
Because Vancouver Island has the most moderate and mild weather in Canada during winter, Canadian snowbirds flocking there to avoid the harsh winters. This is due to the United States-Canada border being closed to tourism due to Covid-19 concerns. Many of these snowbirds are from Northern BC or the Prairies.
