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Created January 6, 2020
Community? Engagements? Arts? Well, for starters this is a class taught at Transylvania University in Lexington, KY by professors Kremena Todorova and Kurt Gohde. The goal of this class is to form a relationship with the community by engaging in artistic projects with the community. The outcome of this will manifest itself in many ways, some recognizable and others not so much.
CETA 2020: Our first 2 emojis (of hundreds)
Created January 6, 2020
Individual Tasks
Collect addresses, make & write thank-you cards, design pronoun buttons--Anna Davis
Blog Manager--Paige Wessling
Recorder/archivist for This I Believe essays--Sarah Metcalfe
Social Media--Lydia Baggett & Garrett LeVan
Photographic Inventory (3 people)--Yousef Alsdudi, Sarah Bennett, & Faith Boles
Space, raw material, & tool inventory manager AND order enforcer--Emily Neat
Quality Control & Class Ethicist--Alex Toney
Software Design Team (3 people)--Shelby Barker, Emily Cecil, & Abby Pearson
Fabrication Team (3 people)--Brooklyn Greer, Will Hemingway, & Marissa Price
Finishing Team (4 people)--Nannie Baze, Emon Daneshmand, Ally Frederick, & Madison Phillips
Additional photographic documentation--Kremena and Kurt
Working with production design at Kre8Now Makerspace--Kurt and Kremena
Publicity for the class--Kremena and Kurt
Securing materials needed--Kurt and Kremena
As I was sitting in bed trying to think of what to write this essay about, I looked up to see my miniature Robert the Doll.
ReplyDeleteRobert the Doll was a lifesize haunted doll gifted to some rich kid named Robert in Key West, Florida. Doll Robert pretty quickly started making trouble about the house, so much so the family deemed Robert cursed, sending boy Robert away to boarding school to get him away from the doll. Boy Robert came back as an adult, and he quickly took up with doll Robert again, the two locking themselves in their attic, where Robert’s wife said she could hear the two talking all day and night.
When I went to Key West last year, I was desperate to see Robert. My family wasn’t interested, claiming they didn’t have the urge to see an old ugly doll on the other side of the key. My uncle, only a few years older than me and raised to be like a brother, said he would go, and so the two of us went and talked to Robert through the glass. I got my little Robert, Bobby, if you will, just moments later.
I realized that it is probably not normal to have a haunted doll at the top of your sight seeing list, or to purchase a tiny replica of said haunted doll. I’ve always loved the paranormal and the weird side of history and life.
My boyfriend said he thinks it’s just a Southern thing he doesn’t understand. Maybe it is, but I believe it makes life a lot more interesting. It is thrilling to think that there is some unseen world parallel to this one, and I truly believe there are things out in the world I cannot explain, and really, I don’t want an explanation. I want some of the unknown to remain unknown to keep people questioning and working for answers. My little Robert is just a reminder to always keep things weird.
I love paranormal stuff. On my drive from Lexington to my hometown, I often listened to Podcast that either are filled with ghost or Folklore stories! I totally get you!
DeleteI am totally confised about where reality stops and myth begins in your story--and I love it!
DeleteI am a pretty superstitious person, so I would be avoiding Robert lol
DeleteI am also so intrigued by paranormal things. Part of me hates that there is no certainty or control a person can "have" over it, but I cannot look away when I do hear stories.
DeleteI got a lifelike baby doll from my grandmother when I was very young. Being a small child, I apparently decided to chop its hair off, giving it the appearance of Chuckies long lost blonde sister. The doll was known to make strange noises that no one else seemed to hear but me, and began haunting my dreams. I have never been allowed to get rid of the doll as it was a special gift from my grandmother, but i made my mom hide it and never tell me where it is. You've got a lot of nerve!
DeleteI love keeping things weird :) I dont know what I believe in any form or fashion but I thinkn there are so many things that we can't see or understand!
DeleteAs I drive down the bluegrass parkway, my cruise is set to 78, and the sun is shining brighter than it has in days, but I feel heavy, and I feel slow. I’ve spent the last 12 days in my hometown. One day, I painted emoji on my best friend’s front porch while we tie-dyed shirts for something to do. I gossiped about my spring break trip and the beautiful wedding I attended as a bridesmaid for my cousin which of course led to talk about her wedding in the fall. Another day was spent playing board games with a guy that has recently gotten a lot of my attention, but most nights were spent at home watching game shows with my parents and eating my mom’s delicious cooking, but as I sit in my car these happy moments seem distant from my thoughts as I worry for my family.
ReplyDeleteDuring this time spent at home, we discovered that my younger cousin who was also a bridesmaid at the wedding tested positive for COVID-19. As I read the news in a text, I shuttered. She had been sitting right next to me the whole day and night of the wedding. We laughed. We hugged. We celebrated. She had sat next to our grandmother, and her arms had been around our grandad’s neck as she hugged him from behind, like we always do. Had she been carrying the virus at the wedding? Would my grandparents have symptoms? What does this mean for me? I felt defeated.
As I write, it is day 14 since I was in contact with my cousin. I have had no symptoms. I am healthy. I should celebrate as the risk window has closed for me and most of my family today. My cousin feels better, and she did not suffer the extremes of the virus. Although these things are positives, after dinner last night, I read another text that shocked me; the best man’s mom had tested positive for COVID-19, and she was being placed on a ventilator in ICU. She had been at the wedding. She was a short woman with blonde hair and tanned skin. She offered me a glass of wine, and she had on the most beautiful dress, which I complimented as we stood outside for photos after the reception. Two hours later my phone dinged again. This woman had passed away as a result of COVID-19. The beaming lady who had traveled from Arizona to see her son’s friends get married who will never see her own son get married. 14 days ago we talked and laughed in the Florida sun, and now she is gone.
Today, my heart aches, and I feel angry that people won’t stay home, and I feel heavy.
I believe that things are going to get much worse if we do not all follow the advice of our leaders and the CDC. I believe in COVID-19.
Oh my. This is heartbreaking on so many levels.
DeleteI hope that you stay well
That is so sad, but good that you don't have any symptoms or anyone in your close family.
DeleteThis is a super sad story but I am glad you are safe! I hope your family is doing well from this too
DeleteAbsolutely devastating. I hope everybody stays safe and heals!
DeleteI am sorry, Lydia. I am thinking about your mental health during this weird time in our lives.
DeleteI am so so sorry you are going through all of this. It is a crazy and chaotic time. I pray that you and your family stay safe and healthy!
DeleteSEnding <3 your way, Lydia.
DeleteI am so sorry to hear this Lydia. Sending you lots of love
DeleteIt is unfortunate that we do not often recognize the gravity of a situation until we are touched by it ourselves
DeleteI am so sorry to hear about your loss. It is a sobering account of how serious this pandemic is and should be taken.
DeleteYou know what app has everything??? Twitter. Twitter has everything. Anything can be talked about on Twitter. Mhm do I want to read or tweet about reality tv or COVID-19. Any and all information is on twitter. Some is not true while other information is. I love twitter because it is somewhere that I can get comic relief but also get my daily news.
ReplyDeleteAny given time I can open Twitter and see anything imaginable. Everyone just puts out whatever their mind is thinking (can be bad too). With Twitter you can see anyone’s content you aren’t limited to just your friends. There is so much variety.
There is debate about which social media platform is the best. I would put instagram at the bottom of the list because it is just pictures. Next to last Facebook (although I don’t have one) because it can be pictures and content but has an older crowd to it. I would rank second best, snapchat because it is fun to be constantly connected privately and publicly with your friends. At the top of the list I place Twitter. It is the perfect combination of the apps. Usually when someone doesn’t like Twitter it is because either they aren’t funny or don’t have a good sense of humor. Just kidding… unless..
Anyway I believe in Twitter.
I think it's funny that you rank Instagram at the bottom because it's just pictures. Instagram is at the top of my list for the very same reason. Same goes for Pinterest, although ever since Pinterest introduced ads it's been kind of awful and I use it pretty rarely now, when I used to love it and stay on it for hours.
DeleteI had my Twitter app deleted for the longest time because of lack of storage space, but ever since I got it back, I've been an avid user. I deleted it temporarily again because of COVID-19 but still find myself going on the desktop version and mobile website because twitter is definitely entertaining.
Twitter and Snap are what I spend most of my days on now. Its so easy to spend hours on them and not even realize!
DeleteI love Twitter. It is my far my favorite social media too! Makes me laugh.. good stuff on there.
DeleteLike you, I don't find the pictures on IG particularly inteersting. But I actively participate in the world of FB :)
DeleteTwitter has kept me going during this time!
DeleteI think it's because I don't like to read, but Twitter is something I do not engage with often. Kudos to you for being an intellectual
DeleteI disconnected my Twitter account for a while, but I've recently returned. I forgot how great Twitter is!
DeleteNobody giving Tumblr any love? Good. It doesn't deserve it. /s
DeleteGetting on twitter is a dangerous game because of its superiority to other social media platforms.
DeleteTwitter has so many different sides and places to fall deep down the rabbit hole, at least it helps us by reading, right??
DeleteI agree. And, a lot of people say social media is ruining our lives, and in some cases it does, but there are so many times where I see good on twitter. For example, Transy is helping the homeless by letting people stay in the gym. That was on twitter. It was awesome.
Deletei agree with your rankings completely
DeleteI like this a a lot, but like Marisa instagram would be at the top of my list. I love pictures, i think they can tell A LOT.
DeleteFor my final project in ceramics II I was assigned to sculpt an animal that I believed represented me. I knew instantly which animal I would choose. Not only for the way the animal represented myself but for what the animal represented in general, I chose a brown bear.
ReplyDeleteFor years I have obsessed over pictures and videos of brown bears. As a child I spent afternoons absorbed in Little Bear and held tight to my teddy at night. At three months old my dad nicknamed me Bear, and has called me exclusively by this name since. Needless to say, I have many fond memories related to this creature and have carried with me a love and curiosity regarding the brown bear. A naturally gentle creature, fierce when forced to be, the brown bear embodies the strength, compassion and loyalty that I strive to imitate.
The brown bear is typically perceived as a vicious creature to be feared and avoided. However, they are not naturally offensive creatures, seeking out prey to attack. They mind their business as all creatures do, looking for sustenance, building shelter and caring for their offspring. This misinterpretation of the brown bear is unfortunate and misinformed as they compose a beautiful aspect of the wildlife surrounding us.
As a rather outgoing and enthusiastic girl, I have often been misinterpreted as angry, scary, or just “too much”. This was ultimately what drew me to the brown bear. Misunderstood at times, and seeking nothing more than a peaceful life, I believe in the brown bear. A gentle creature who we should admire and cherish for their bravery and loyalty. I believe we should all take the time to swoon over images of the innocent mammals prancing in the forest or swimming in a river.
This has me wondering what animal represents me.
DeleteI've always said I'm an opossum because I love trash, am greasy, and like to pretend I'm dead to escape my problems. So, needless to say, your choice is a lot more thoughtful than mine is!
DeleteI totally see it. You would be a bad ass brown bear!
DeleteAlly, please share a picture of your finished bear with the class?
DeleteMadison, you are so funny!
I also have a "Bear" in my life. Not a person, it was a creative name for a stuffed bear my brother gave me when I was little. Bear still sits on my bed today
DeleteI would also love to see your finished bear!
DeleteWhen I went to Lafayette High, I had a special class that was more of an internship than an actual class, where I would go out to a local business and help out there. Most of them were behind Lafayette, where I would leave out the back door and walk through the neighborhood until i got to my job, and I met some of my most familiar and comfortable workstations there, such as the PCSO, AVOL, and the UK Hospital. But anyways, along the way, I passed over a creek that represented what seemed to be one of the last remnants of the massive, sweeping forests that once lay on this land. It was always fun to just sit and take a break, staring into the wilderness.
DeleteBears have really been on my mind this week. Lots of people in my county are putting them up in their windows at home and work (vacant or not) so that people can go "bear spotting" while on their walks. People are decorating them up and personalizing them. Its a nice way to get connected through the space. Plus, teddy bears are so comforting!
DeleteI wonder what animal would represent me. I would say something basic like a dog or something but I can't think of an exotic animal that describes my personality
DeleteI loved this essay! My parents have always geeked out over black bears, especially from gaitlinburg (lol). Your prespective makes me really see the beauty!
DeleteBears are awesome. My brother is obsessed with bears. He used to have so many bear picture books, and now he has informational books about bears. Now that I think about it, thats probably why my favorite childhood movie is Brother Bear. Have you watched that?
DeleteI found out that the restaurant job I've been on leave from since October is closing until the pandemic subsides. I’ve been planning on returning to it in the summer if I didn’t find another job to replace it with, and after closings began, I thought I might return to it in these last few months of school if I needed to. Being a restaurant job, I didn’t think it would fully close.
ReplyDeleteI found out the Tony Awards are postponing their award ceremony. Originally set to air live on June 7th, my birthday, they decided to push it back until things are safer. This was the first cancelation I saw for something in June-- the thing that made me begin to question summer plans and whether the new part-time job I recently secured for after graduation will even still exist in a month.
I found out that Target is hiring-- via a phone call made by me, less than two hours after hearing the above things. Knowing that I hate calling strangers, I think my calling Target at random at 7:21 pm to ask if they were hiring speaks to the anxiety I feel about my post-grad job prospects right now. I don’t often do things like that on a whim.
I found myself conflicted-- about whether to apply now while they're hiring in hopes that I, one, get a job and, two, keep said job for stability after graduation, or whether I should not apply for fear of risking my health and just stay alone and hope that my summer job plans don't all get canceled.
After talking with a few friends who unanimously encouraged me to apply, I found the online Target application. I submitted it. I still don't like it. I believe this is an impossible choice.
And I know I'm not the only one who has to make it.
Fingers crossed your summer job is still available after all of this is over!
DeleteI feel this. Anxious about an application to Kroger currently. I feel awful for everybody graduating this year, everything is so clouded right now.
DeleteIt is so crazy. I am in a similar position. I was supposed to do research and also work at a coffee shop this summer for money.. both put on hold right now. I hope everything works out!
DeleteMarissa, I keep telling myself that this crisis, too, shall pass. Hopefully, you will need to hold your Target job for a short time only and can then take on jobs you are much more interested in!
DeleteLet me know if I can ever be of help as you look for a job.
I hope everything works out for you. Maybe Target would be fun! My job is on hold right now too.
DeleteI relate to how you're feeling Marissa. My immediate post grad plans are very tentative at the moment as well. I think you're no worse off applying to Target now. You'd rather have too many jobs and have to quit one than none!
DeleteI hope you find some way to get unemployment if possible. <3
DeleteI understand what it's like to not know what your future holds. I had been struggling to secure living. I know Kroger is hiring if that helps at all, good luck! Sending good vibes.
DeleteI also work at a restaurant. Like you, I do not know if I will be able to work there this summer due to the closing because of the COVID-19. I have high hopes that things will get better. Although, I have been struggling with this weird time, I have been thinking about how bad it is for other people. With that being said, we are all in this together. Everyone is struggling with the moneys situation, and their future plans. If you do work at Target, I hope you love it!
DeleteMy level of boredom has reached new heights. I think it has to do something with my sleep schedule. For some reason, this time away from society has given me the ability to stay up till 3 AM. As a result, I wake up around 12:30. It’s not the worst thing in the world, but now I am starting my day at the halfway point instead of at 9 like I used to. I love to play video games more than almost anything, and yesterday I got to my breaking point. I was playing and all of a sudden I was just ready to stop. I have never had that feeling before. It was a sad day when I realized this was going to be our lives now. Waking up, doing homework, eating then going to bed. Not being able to see your friends in person is tough, it’s even tougher when your parents don’t want you to go outside unless it’s to walk my dog. We are supposed to stay inside for at least another 30 days when I am writing this, but I really don’t think this phase of boredom will end until next school year. It is interesting to see how this online teaching will change how we view people actually being in class, or if google classroom will be the place every student learns in the future. If anyone has suggestions on what to do inside the house, please, by all means, tell me!!!!
ReplyDeletesome things to do: clean the whole house with a toothbrush, cut every blade of grass individually, or dump out a bag of rice count them and put them back! hope this helps :)) these are very timing consuming task you will not be bored!
DeleteI totally agree. I am struggling so hard not being surrounded by my people and having to live at home again. I miss my apartment and roommates. I miss Transy in general.
DeleteYou can always make Tik Toks. I know you are a star!
DeleteI agree with Paige's suggestions. I might add: plant a seed and grow a plant (I have some if you need), bake/cook (this has been one of my favorite activities and is wholly satisfying), Google everything you ever meant to Google, and watch lots of Ted Talks
DeleteI recommend taking up Duolingo (for learning languages) and doing a little bit each day! Or however much you want
DeleteI have a 93-day streak from doing a little bit of French every day since late into winter break
I also recommend learning a musical instrument or learning to cook certain things. I learned how to make omelettes last summer and they're a staple for me now
Also if you try any of the things people are suggesting you could write future essays on why they did or didn't work out!
DeleteSo much monotony seems to take the joy out of the greatest parts of life. however, I am finding things constantly that I under appreciated such as laying in my backyard, making dinner for my parents or cutting flowers from the garden. I suggest looking for these silver linings, it takes up time and makes the boredom a little more interesting.
DeleteI know I should promote social distancing, but if you are really bored and want to make money - I think all grocery stores really need more help and they hiring at like up to $15 an hour!
DeleteYou should get a puzzle. :)
DeleteI fee l this on soooo many levels. I am starting to get accustomed to his quarantine which is not a good feeling.
DeleteI never wanted to write an essay about the coronavirus. It’s so… terrifying. So many people have written books about the world falling apart at the seams, and it’s hard to shake the idea that that’s not happening to our world right now. I’m not even certain it’s not.
ReplyDeleteI remember the time when I wrote an essay about Kobe Bryant, who the other person in our class in CETA who spoke up to read that day (I don’t remember whom) also wrote an essay about CETA. One of our teachers, Dr. Gohde, pointed out that that was the first time in at least a good few years that that had happened. And now, we’re in the middle of a pandemic, and every other essay is on COVID-19. This is not a bad thing, we’re all under stress, but it just… it makes me realize how much “normal” has been distorted.
I see a lot of posts on my tumblr dashboard that say stuff along the lines of “Don’t go back to normal. Normal wasn’t working.” And yet, it was so easy to believe that it was, because to so many of us, things seemed okay. My parents thought of the past as “okay”, and I know the short story is that we were stuck in the suburban white cishet bubble, but truly how much effort was spent on keeping that bubble solid? On keeping us believing that a society that was hurting so much of its population was actually so… perfect?
I can’t possibly hope to answer such a question. All I can hope to say is what I feel, which is that I’m scared. I don’t know what’s going to happen, how we’re going to go from normal to okay, if we’re ever going to be okay.
Marissa, Emily, and I were talking about this the other day it is crazy.
DeleteI'm scared too. I've found it helps me to distance myself from social media and limit my news intake. Too much information can be just as damaging as too little, in my opinion.
DeleteI have found myself wondering this same thing. I know the world needs to change and hopefully will after all of this is over, but we are going to have to wait and see!
DeleteMaybe making art will help you keep the fear at bay, Alex. Hang in there. We'll get through this. (And I would LOVE to see a better, more just society on the other side.)
DeleteI had a conversation with my family at the dinner table about the changes that will happen once this is over. I hope the future has much better things in store.
DeleteI am scared too Alex. Reach out if you need anything! I hope something good comes from all of this.
DeleteThis is a very interesting point, Alex! Our essays are a lot more cohesive as a body of works now...
DeleteI hate that so many sad things have happened because of this and can only hope that good change will occur on the other side of it
DeleteIt's incredible to see the blind reach of this pandemic. While it is horrible, it is the first time in my life I have seen the world concerned about the same exact thing.
DeleteI think everyone is a bit worried or scared of things we can't fix right away. I think staying patient and safe are the only things we can do these days
DeleteI agree. I'm scared, too. We just have to think positive and have high hopes. And to stay inside and wash our hands!
DeleteI believe __
ReplyDeleteI believe I am ready for a dog. Specifically, a black pure breed goldendoodle. I have wanted this type of dog for a while now, but I have been putting it off because I wanted to make sure that I was ready, hence a dog needs a lot of love, attention and affection. My father gets mad every time I have brought up the idea of me getting a dog, but my mom has finally come to the realization that I can do this, and I want to do this. I go to bed at night wishing that I had a dog beside me. I woke up wishing I had a dog. I go on walks wishing I had a dog with me. Although I am always thinking about getting my own, this is especially true when I am upset and feeling lonely. My childhood dog I would talk to her and tell her what I was struggling with, but I don’t have her anymore. Now, this virus has me stressed, the fact that I can’t walk on graduation has me stressed. It is also lonely at times because I live with my roommate and her boyfriend. At the same time they have a cat together and at times I feel like I have no one. Alex is worried about how the cat will react to my puppy but I think if we train them they will be better. Thinking about that fact that I may be getting this dog this week makes me so happy. I am going to take great care of him, go on walks every day, and dress him up in cute bandanas. I believe I am ready for a dog.
- brooklyn
YESSS!!! You so deserve a dog. You will be a fantastic dog mom.
DeleteDogs are the best! I hope you get one!
DeleteGet a dog!!
DeleteI hope you get the dog! Nothing beats cute puppies in bandanas
DeleteI hope you are on your way to get a dog right now
DeleteMalibu is so cute, Brooklyn! I'm glad you've thought so much about this and that you have reached this conclusion :)
DeleteI hope you are able to get one!
DeleteYes, yes, yes!! Always in support of adopting puppies!
Deletei have a cat and I completly believe everyone needs an animal! especially in these isolating times, having a cuddle buddy and someone to talk to is so nice!
DeleteI hope you get your dog <3
DeleteYou'd be a great dog mamma !
DeleteWhen we were young, everything was awfully curious; everything was an absolute miracle. We inspected everything and adored what we did and didn’t understand. We marveled at both the extraordinary and the ordinary. As we grow up, we so quickly loose this trait - the trait of curiosity and awe. We lose our eagerness to learn, to create. We surrender our will to stumble and fall with the hopes of doing something genuinely magnificent in exchange for “stability” and “comfort.” We lose what some may say is the very essence of a human being. I don’t have an answer for all this, but I do have two questions: When’s the last time you were awestruck? When’s the last time you allowed yourself to see the world for the first time all over again?
ReplyDeleteI believe in staying forever young.
I love this. Especially in this time when the world seems like its ending. It is good reminder that there are still an uncountable number of things to be amazed by.
DeleteLove this!
DeleteYesterday I was awestruk by a sidewalk tree someone had just decorated with bright, shiny ornaments, colorful lights, and garlands. I didn't know exactly what it was about this tree but I loved it and its snininess. Today I stopped by to take a picture. Alas, the photograph--taken on my phone--doesn't even begin to express its awesomeness.
DeleteAnd I so agree with you, Yousef.
This essay has inspired me to look around at all the small things that really are magnificent. Thanks for sharing
Delete"we surrender our will to stumble and fall," you have so many good quotes Yousef! I agree wholeheartedly with this. I try my hardest to think like a child. Today, I tried walking on the edge of the sidewalk pretending like I was on a balance beam or a princess because it was an opportunity to make something sort of woefully normal into something better :)
DeleteI was awestruck last week by the flowers on the trees outside MFA. They make me happy every single year when I see them.
DeleteThat and seeing people doing good things lately-- professors working to make this as normal as possible, friends offering help, etc.
I went through a very hard time during early highschool. I realized that finding the smallest, most seemingly insignificant details that made me light up, were the very things I needed to save me. I set out to constantly find and acknowledge these details and came up with endless, some of which were: an Ella Fitzgerald vinyl album, light blue nail polish, the brightly patterned wrapper of an ice cream come.
DeleteThis is very beautifully written, but I must admit I know have that song that goes "I wanna be forever young..."
DeleteThis was a cool TIB, Yousef. I believe what you said, and honestly this is one of the reasons I want to be a teacher. The students will help me stay forever young. :)
DeleteObviously, things are not normal right now. We are separated from our best friends and favorite professors. Everything seems totally out of control. But do you know how I truly know that things are out of whack right now? I have been running everyday… and enjoying it. Like legitimately looking forward to the time that I can get outside on my country roads with my once white sneakers on, and just… go.
ReplyDeleteI am sure to the avid runners and actually fit people out there, that does not sound crazy. But for me, running has never been a pastime or a hobby. It was a means to an end. “If I run, I won’t feel guilty about eating Mexican later.” “If I run, I can take a nap and not feel like I’ve wasted my day.” And so on. Those were the reasons I ran. Not because I enjoyed it in any way. In fact, I did not like it at all. I know I run weird. My lungs always burn. My legs feel sore and I get shin splints. I did not enjoy running at all, I just occasionally forced myself to do it.
But recently, my entire view on running has changed. I have found over these last couple weeks that running makes me feel alive again. It is no party with friends, but I am actually enjoying it. It gets my heart rate up. Running is no longer just something I do to avoid guilt. It has given me a goal. Push just a little farther, go up that hill, sprint the last part. As so many things in mine, and everyone’s lives, have been taken away or changed, running can stay. It gives me something to control and look forward to. I run because it makes me feel accomplished and proud, two feelings that are deeply missing in this time. I believe in running, even when it makes your lungs burn and shins hurt.
I've been running too and really enjoying it
DeleteYes to running!
DeleteMaybe I should start up running.It sounds therapeutic!
DeleteI've never enjoyed running either. Maybe I should give it another try during the pandemic.
DeleteI have only ever enjoyed running when I am feeling particularly anxious. It works physiological wonders on our minds and bodies
DeleteI did yoga today when I haven't worked out since before spring break, and I felt so energized afterwards! It's so hard to get around to being active but I love how I feel afterwards!
DeleteThis is a great time to begin running or doing an exercise you typically don't have time or energy for. I have been trying to build up my motivation to begin the same thing.
DeleteThis is a great time to begin running or doing an exercise you typically don't have time or energy for. I have been trying to build up my motivation to begin the same thing.
DeleteRunning allows one to really get out of their head and embrace the atmosphere around them. The dirty boro has so many old country roads to run on, they're just begging for you to use them!
DeleteThat's awesome, Faith. You're awesome and admirable. I hate running too, but I think I would enjoy it better if it was on a country road.
DeleteHonestly, same. running is not something that i would ever do just for fun.
DeleteDue to the current circumstances we are in today I have had a lot of time on my hands with not many places to go or things to do. My one chosen “quarantine friend” holly and I have spent countless hours trying to figure out what to do with ourselves. A few things we have come up with are, lots of board games, cleaning our cars and apartments, baking cakes, going for long walks and nighttime bonfires. Despite all of these activities we still found ourselves unsatisfied and asking each other “what should we do, this is so boring”. This is when we came to the conclusion we were going to have to make the best of the situation while trying to socially distance ourselves from the community around us. With many restraints and ideas running slim we reached the point where we decided we were just going to have to play imagination like kids again. Little did we know this could actually be quite fun as an adult.
ReplyDeleteSince we decided to play imagination there has been lots of creativity flowing through our brains. We spent a few hours outside enjoying the breeze while traveling the world via google maps exploring the great pyramids and gardens of Singapore. We discussed what our personal imagination of paradise would look like and then imagined we were in it. We ate lunch in my families boat (thats parked in the garage) imagining we were out on the water in the sun eating great food.
Ultimately Holly and I believe this is the best time to use your imagination.
This is so fantastic. I wholeheartedly agree. One of my favorite conversations ever was with someone at the train station who asked, "what is your idea of a perfect moment?" It really taught me a lot answering that question, and it was so fun as well!
DeleteEating in the boat sounds so fun! I'm glad y'all are making the best of things!
DeleteIn the middle of Friday, February 14, I spent an hour walking on Transy’s indoor track. I had sat in a small conference room, interviewing prospective students competing for Transy’s biggest scholarship, for 4 hours. An hour-long lunch break provided the only distraction before 4 more hours of interviewing. I had brought my running shoes to spend that time walking outside, but the outside was still freezing cold, despite the brilliant winter sunshine.
ReplyDeleteSo on Friday, February 14, I spent an hour walking indoors and listening to The Daily, the New York Times podcast I listen to every day. On that Friday, I heard a full-length story about COVID-19 for the first time. Prior to that, I had caught online headlines and snippets of radio interviews. COVID-19 was something vaguely threatening, but in a distant sort of way, just like stories about child abductions always seem to be something that happens in others’ families.
The episode I heard on Feb 14 was titled “Fear, Fury, and the Coronavirus.” Despite the name, it was quite comforting, assuring me that, statistically, men over 60 who smoke seemed to be the prime victims of the virus. I felt personally safe.
A month later, I walked around a large church parking lot while waiting for my gym class to begin. It was Monday, March 16 and I listened to an episode of This American Life, a podcast I knew as a radio show long before podcasts became a thing. The episode—“Everyone’s a Critic”—included a story about a Chinese videographer who managed to make videos in hot spots in China without angering the country’s totalitarian government. He had traveled to Wuhan and was making videos from the epicenter of COVID-19 at a time the Chinese leadership was still trying to hide the epidemic.
My gym shuttered after the end of my class on that Monday. The email about the closure arrived in my mailbox while I was exercising. I read it while sitting in my car in my gym’s parking lot. Unlike Transy’s announced transition to online teaching and the closure of local public schools, it was my gym closing that made me realize I wasn’t safe.
These days, on my morning walks, I listen to The Daily, This American Life, Code Switch. These walks are partially my attempt at a measure of normalcy, as if following old routines might bring old times back. But these days the other walkers step away as we get near. We know to keep at least 6 feet of distance between us. Still, sadness washes over me every time I step away from a fellow walker. Then I think of my parents who are self-quarantining in Bulgaria, where people over 60 aren’t allowed outside their homes. I realize I will not see my parents this summer.
These days, I believe in podcasts, helping me recollect moments of life during COVID-19.
I feel similarly about my own parents not being safe. While only an hour away, I fear spending time with them for what it might mean for their health
DeletePodcasts have been so comforting to me too. I break up the stories of COVID19 with comedy episodes by Conan O'Brien or I get lost in the other-world that is "Welcome to Nightvale". They make me feel like I am still around people.
DeleteI am sorry to hear you will not be able to see your parents this summer, that is a devastating effect of Covoid-19. Apart from the podcasts you mentioned above, do you have any suggestions for ones I should check out?
DeleteAlly, thse three are my regular favorites! PLUS I also listen to Dolly Parton's America (which is only 9 episodes), 1619 (which is 6 episodes), and Hidden Brain.
DeleteI hope you enjoy some of them!
I'm sorry, Kremena. I hate that this is happening and wish I could watch it for you. Through this quarantine, you should read The Hate You Give :)
DeleteWhen times are normal, my life and overall headspace tends to feel like a pair of old headphones jumbled up in someone’s pocket, all tied up and impossible to deal with. My thoughts are like intertwined up pieces of yarn that need separating. The chaos in my life is something I know how to compartmentalize, I have done it for long enough, but as I grow older I know that is not the way to deal with things. One of the things I appreciate most about Transy is its allowance of free counseling services available to students and staff. I have seen one of the counselors there since my freshman year and it’s been pretty great. They have always helped me sort out my yarn into their own independent bundles. They give me tips on how to handle my frustration and anxiety, and how to bring me back down to Earth. Like everyone else, I have a past of things that ail me to this day. Even if someone doesn’t think they have something life-changing or small issues to talk about, or whatever the excuse may be (there are a million of them!), I believe that therapy is for everyone.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who also uses counseling at Transy, I wholeheartedly agree!! There's something very different about having a space specifically designed to allow people to talk about their experiences without judgement and to teach them how to deal with any problems they have
DeleteI've been on this soapbox for 3 years now! There's such a stigma connected to therapy, but I think ANY "sane" person would want it and benefit from it
DeleteI was thinking about using the counseling service at Transy right before everything closed since I was away from my old therapist. I have already told everyone I know I am going back to counseling as soon as quarantine is lifted.
DeleteMadison, the counseling office at Transy is working on creating appointments via telehealth services so if you're interested in that I'm sure you could still reach out to them!
DeleteI agree!
Deletewholeheartedly agree!! everyone can benefit from therapy!
Delete
ReplyDeleteI still believe in ducks
Earlier on in the semester I wrote an essay about my memories feeding the ducks with my mammaw and uncle Kenny. My life has recently been filled with ducks. My cousin who lives a street behind me has 6 ducks. There is a medium sized field that separates our houses that the ducks love to scavenge in. I have spent every other day feeding them little snacks.
At first when I approached the ducks they were pretty shy. I laid some oats down at my feet and waited for them to come up to me. The 3 peking ducks were much braver than the 3 mallards and approached me first. They quickly ate the oats and waddled away back home. The first interaction I had with them was full of wonder and glee.
I did some research the next day and found out that the ducks like to eat their oats with water. With this in mind I got a bowl from my cupboard and filled it with oats and water. To my surprise the ducks were excited to see me. I patiently watched them eat the oats and quack at one another. I felt so calm in their presence.
It's been about two weeks since I started feeding the ducks and they have become my new friends. They recognize me when I'm outside and immediately waddle up to me. The male mallard is still kinda shy and keeps his distance, but the other female ducks love to be around me. At this point they allow me to feed them out of my palm and give them gentle pats. With all the chaos in the world right now this has been one of the only things to brighten my day.
I still believe in ducks
I love this! You should send us some pictures of them!
DeleteYou make me wish I were near ducks, Emily. This sounds so cute
DeleteThose ducks believe in you too, Emily. It's nice of you to give them some good food before everything comes out of winter! :)
DeleteHow does it feel to be popular?
DeleteMy neighbor used to have peking and mallards. My parents hated them and were very happy when they all went Call of the Wild duck edition, but I miss seeing them around.
DeleteI miss you and wish I could meet your duck friends. I will have to come visit as soon as quarantine is over.
Delete^^^ what ally said
DeleteThis is awesome because one of my friends is so scared of ducks. I am going to read her this so I can show her that ducks are awesome and not scary.
DeleteThis made me smile. Ducks are so wholesome
DeleteDucks for president and Congress!!
DeleteToday I saw fire.
ReplyDeleteToday I saw my kitchen towel on fire.
Today I saw my kitchen towel on fire, and I did not freak out.
Freaking out does us no good in the case of fire.
The stovetop taught me at age 6 to fear fire...when it burned my wrist when I touched it to its coils.
For many years I haven’t liked lighting matches. Today a towel was my match.
I was making popcorn. All I wanted was popcorn.
So I picked up the hot pot with a towel, SO I WOULDN’T BURN MYSELF and *insert the sound of cotton fibers igniting* bright orange flames came jumping out from behind the pot and I learned what it was like to start a kitchen fire.
First thought: what’s that?
Second thought: ohhh, that’s fire…
Profound, right?
Third thought: ok, gas or normal fire?
Fourth thought: it’s a normal one. Revoke its oxygen! Smother it! Drown it!
Hopefully my thoughts are redeeming themselves now.
Fifth thought: glad I didn’t do my dishes and there’s a nice pool of water in the sink for this burning towel.
Good strategy, Emily.
All this to say, I was shocked when the towel still had a considerable amount of its fringe left. The fire had not eaten away much at all. Yet the panic I was inclined to feel about the fire was that it would destroy everything--that it was a major threat. But like I said earlier, I didn’t freak out. “Freaking out” halts any and all cognitive brain processes I possess, so I am glad I didn’t freak out. Thoughts 1 through 5 would not have happened. And the fire would have probably become a bigger deal.
I believe that’s the irony of our reaction to our circumstances. In general, the more upset we allow ourselves to be by something, the more upsetting (in actuality) the issue will become! Fires get worse when we can’t process how to put them out, assignments become harder and more high pressure the more one procrastinates them, and sickness can gain an upper hand when one’s anxiety cripples one’s immune system.
It’s taken me my lifetime to learn this. Not bad for 22.5 years, I say.
I believe it is so much more strategic to not freak out.
I try to tell myself this when I'm anxious-- especially if I'm about to go up in front of people and speak. I think, "if I don't panic, I won't stumble over my words as much," so I try to meditate or breathe and it works but only to an extent because I am not that good at it yet. I wish not freaking out were an easier task haha
DeleteGlad you put the fire out! And I laughed out loud at the line about not having done your dishes
Thank you Marissa! I am working on my comedic touch during this pandemic
DeleteThis is awesome because I probably wouldve freaked. This is kinda how I feel when I drive in the rain. It probably isn't that bad but then I freak out and then my anxiety just rises. When people talk to me and tell me its okay I get calm, and then feel better.
DeleteI believe in dogs. These are crazy and difficult times not being able to see friends and constantly wondering about older family members. Some days I have trouble finding the motivation to get out of bed, much less do homework.
ReplyDeleteTwo years ago my brother and I had been begging my parents to get a dog. On Christmas morning of 2017, we woke up and my brother had gotten a lizard. We were both focused on that, when my dad came out from another room with a yellow lab puppy we didn’t even notice. Her name is Leeloo and that was my dad’s consolation prize for not wanting to get the dog was he got to name it. In case you’re unfamiliar with the reference Leeloo is from the Fifth Element she is love. Which she has been to my family for the past two years. This week while the world is in a state of panic it’s a relief to see her. As I write this she keeps running to my hammock frisbee in mouth with expectant eyes. She’s thrilled by this weather and that everyone is home (more people to pay attention to her which we all can’t help but do). I believe in dogs.
I'm so glad you're getting to spend time with your dog!
Deletegod i want a dog SO bad
Deletedogs are so cute and friendly, they also provide so much happiness and companionship during these hard times :)
DeleteI am getting a dog and am so excited :)
Deletethis makes me wish i had a dog.
DeleteI am lucky enough to have access to some nice outside space during this pandemic. I am also lucky that a few weeks back I bought a big bag of soil and some planters. On our last Great Outing (the name for the times we have to go to the store) my boyfriend and I bought a bunch of veggie seeds. We planted AT LEAST 50 seeds Saturday. Even though they shouldn’t sprout for another few days, I have checked on them every single day (including late Saturday) for any signs of greenery. I just get so excited thinking about this and about digging a plot in the ground and moving them. I cannot wait to obtain fruits of my labor (and the roots of others). Still, there is so much time to go. I have to wait days for a little sprouts and weeks for the plants to bud and blossom.
ReplyDeleteThere is another type of gardening that I have discovered. The plants grow fully in days, and I can do so much with them. It’s close to the other kind. I have to cut down some plants or find seeds, throw them in some sand or dirt and wait just a little bit for them to grow. I don’t get dirty with this type, but it still is nice to see them grow. Best of all, I can turn them into something useful and edible to give to my friends- even during this social distancing- in order for them to recover their health and live well.
Gardening, whether done with real seeds and dirt or virtually on Minecraft, gives me something to look forward to and a way to share with people I care about. That is something to believe in.
I have so. many. plants. Shelby. They are my company and keeping me sane! It is such a fun task of creating!
DeleteI bought myself a fourth plant as soon as I got home so I would have something to take care of, and I'm waiting to receive my Nintendo Switch in the mail so I can grow a virtual garden and catch virtual bugs on Animal Crossing!
DeleteI tried propagating my zebra cactus yesterday! I'm not known for having a green thumb but I noticed yesterday my other zebra-cactus-like-but-unknown plant has grown after I haven't even looked at it for like a month so maybe I have better luck when I ignore my plants
DeleteThis is so amazing! Thanks for helping Mother Nature :) I admit I am so jealous, any plant I've ever had has died at mine or my cat's hands/paws.
DeleteI believe distance is hard.
ReplyDeleteI suspect I learned this, as everyone does, early in life because parents stop carrying their children at some point. My legs worked, I just wasn’t ready to use them.
Later, I was carried for 15 years by a friend willing to and able to teach me, most of the time without pointing out everyone else learned the difference between to, too, and two in third grade. He arrived—after living in exotic lands far from my small hometown—with long hair and a lifetime of stories I knew I could never match but somehow, in a way I still can’t wrap my mind around, he had never heard of Clark Kent. In those moments when the little popular culture I knew as a child (little due to having no television, no indoor plumbing, and no money to visit the one movie theater less than an hour away by car) allowed me to share new worlds with him, I felt like there was a reason for us to know one another and to spend time together. I learned of once brilliant German rock bands and was able to share my own, comparatively speaking, encyclopedic knowledge of people with superpowers. Eventually I admitted the only way I knew anything about superheroes was because my mother used to buy me one comic every time I went to the dentist, as a reward. Even with this glacially slow process of building a collection of comics (a regular trade of one comic for every cavity), I learned enough to have something to share and I learned, too, it was okay to tell more worldly people who came into my life that my general hipness and stylish clothing* are a thin façade built atop of a childhood of eating meat only when it was first an animal we raised and vegetables only when they were grown in the family garden. This is, of course, why my parents had to stop carrying me all those years earlier—they had to grow a garden large enough to feed four children.
Later still, I carried bread fresh from the oven into a classroom to share with students. There are no students in the classroom now, my friend stopped carrying me some time ago, and my parents become winded if they carry two gallons of milk through cold winter air across a distance greater than the quick walk from the back of their car to their kitchen.
Again, I believe distance is hard.
*note: there was a time, for sure, when I imagined myself both hip and stylish
I love that you refer to different types of distance in this essay-- the distance between people and their destination (from the car to the kitchen,) and the distance between people (students not being in classrooms)-- and I love that these stories are from before this time of social distancing and yet still express why distance is so hard
DeleteDistance is hard. You're right, you're so right. Being away from family is difficult, and walking/running long distance is hard.
DeleteMy mother always parked far away from stores because she said "let someone else have the close spot" and "you got legs". This made me think of your TIB.
I believe in a good storm.
ReplyDeleteThough I love warm and sunny days, my favorite weather is when its a stormy summer night. I love the loud crashing sound of thunder and lighting to crawl across the sky. My mom and I use to stay up late and sit on the porch to watch the storm. Some kids were scared of thunder and went to go wake up their parents, I went to go drag my mom out of bed so I can go outside. I would be very upset if the wind was strong and blew the rain on my porch. My favorite was a night where my whole family was in the porch and the lightning was literally crawling across the sky. It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. To this day I love a good storm. I have even warmed up to the wind. I like it when it howls. Spring and summer bring the best nights. My birthday is in April, the wettest month of all. When I was little, I would always wish for a good storm the night of my birthday. Some years there was, somehow those were always the best birthdays too. I believe in a good storm.
Listening to the rain can be one of the most relaxing things you can do!
DeleteA good storm hits just right late at at night on a Friday night so you can sleep in on a dreary Saturday
DeleteI love storms they're so beautiful!
DeleteI looooove storms. My best friend and I always used to sit on her sun porch and watch storms. My dream house has a big ol' sun porch just for that purpose :)
DeleteMy bedroom is overwhelming and chaotic, to say the least. There’s barely any space on my walls because of art I’ve made or collected over the years. I have whole shelves full of little trinkets, tiny boxes, pressed flowers, old bottles, books, postcards, souvenirs, and more. In my closet, which is filled to the brim with clothes I probably don’t need, I have an entire wall of stickers that had no other home. In a decade old shoebox, I have every birthday/holiday card I’ve ever received. I have a hard time letting things go. I assign too many meanings and memories. I get sentimental over the littlest things, and I can’t find it in my heart to get rid of them. I’m not a hoarder by any means, but this does lead to my room looking like a bomb went off, no matter how much I clean or organize.
ReplyDeleteBut, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love the memories that I’ve been able to keep close. I love discovering new treasures every time I come home. Since being home, I’ve discovered lots of things I thought were gone forever, like a stuffed camel my papaw won for me from an arcade, love notes from middle school, and approximately a million journals filled front to end. My bedroom is filled with these seemingly insignificant things that have important stories behind them. It doesn’t matter that my room is messier than it would be if I got rid of some of this stuff. What matters to me is the nostalgia and the memories that I will have lost if I throw away anything. I believe not in material things themselves, but the stories they hold.