Tag Archives: quarantine

Quarantine Diary 9: The Small Joys

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Hear ye, hear ye, to all the inhabitants of the world, especially the readers of the UGL ‘Quarantine Diaries’. It’s me, Tath, another Graduate Assistant at the UGL. I’m writing from my apartment in Urbana with my windows open, even though it’s cold. Someone told me “being present with the temperature is being present with yourself” and I have developed a small crush on that thought. I do not know how many weeks shelter-in-place has been in effect.

I wanted to be finished with my large assignments several weeks ago, but have instead been spending time biking around Urbana. Although living in Chicago for five years before moving here, I am just now beginning to understand what flatland means as a kind of psychological condition. It’s not actually flat, you can see some rolling hills on the country roads just northeast of Urbana but they’re always a little out of reach, or actually in the middle of an early-season cornfield. 

My eyes are in legitimate pain from Zoom meetings but I like FaceTiming with my sister’s cat, Dusty Butt.

The cat, Dusty Butt, climbing on top of hanging clothes.

Other small joys?

Peppermint Tea:
It just rules. There is no tea I like better. Even Vanilla Rooibos doesn’t compare.

Rewatching the Sopranos:
Anthony Jr. is sick and there’s nothing I want more than to see him wearing the same Marilyn Manson shirt I wore all through middle school through college – the album cover to Family Portrait. Also high-key love Carmella and really really wish she and my mom were friends. In the mid-2000’s at the height of the Martha Stewart, Barefoot Contessa cultural phase, themed homemaking books and cookbooks were published kind of often (as opposed to today’s regional/cultural fusion trend). The Sopranos has not one, but two, whereas something as epistemically massive as Napoleon Dynamite only has a scattering of recipes across the internet. I’m vegan but I’d probably step to Carmella’s ziti.

A tweet that reads: "season 01, episode 4: AJ wears his first band shirt and it's a Marilyn Manson one. Plus, he rocks his room with several posters of Ulver, Moonspell, Nevermore and Stuck Mojo. What a start. #numetal #thesopranos" and has photos of the shirt and room

Reconnecting with an ex who is an actual rockstar.
I won’t tell you who they are but when I saw their picture in December’s Art Forum Top Ten my heart skipped a beat. They are also a rockstar at phone calls, and have good critiques of seltzer. Of seltzer, I highly recommend the Instagram page @seltzerflex.

Geoguessr
 This is a Google Maps oriented game where you guess where you are based on your street view. I have guessed within 30 meters of where I have been dropped. You always know when you are in Australia, but inland regions of Mediterranean countries look eerily like Mongolia.

Skyrim
I’ve been homesick for my native Western Massachusetts since like 2013. Skyrim helps fill the void a little bit because culturally it’s the same place (for better or worse, although without the paranoia), and geographically even closer to a replica of home. My hometown looks like the outskirts of Whiterun.

A water-wheel turning in Skyrim

Falcon Cam
Sometimes I wake up and check on these falcons on top of UMass Amherst’s W.E.B. Dubois Library.

 

Written by: Tath

Edited by: Nicole

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Quarantine Diary 8: Memes in the time of quarantine

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Hey everyone! My name is Amy and I’m writing to you from my parents’ house in southeast Michigan (AKA “the Metro-Detroit area”)! After briefly considering moving back to my apartment in Urbana post-spring-break, I decided that even as an introvert I would likely go a bit nuts if living by myself with no human contact for longer than a week.Due to recent events, morning screaming hours have been extended indefinitely [photo of baby opossum]
So here we are: 6 weeks later, re-wearing the same 5 pairs of leggings I brought home while completely ignoring the “hard pants” (more commonly known as “jeans”) I brought with me, and trying to juggle my new work-from-home, school-from-home, job-hunting-during-hiring-freezes, and Anxiety™ schedule.

"Has anyone come up with a good answer to 'how are you?' I have not." "Oh, you know, same panic different disco."

When every conversation now starts with a slightly-more-sincere-than-usual “how are you?” you have to start getting creative!

But that’s not fun to talk about, so instead I’m going to be sharing some of my (questionable) coping methods (spoiler alert: this includes memes) along with strategies actually backed by doctors and therapists!

Small Joys I’ve been indulging in:

  • Snuggling my kitty, Lucy – but also lots of playtime to counteract the excessive treats my parents give her.

    Photo of cat

    Lucy, my 6 year old rescue cat

  • Virtual happy hours, coffee hours, and game nights with friends and family! Zoom calls can be exhausting, but it is so nice to hear about the antics of my friend’s new puppy and have my 8-month-old niece hang up our video call because she wants to grab my face through the phone screen.
  • Shamelessly binge-watching TV shows/movies:
    • Brooklyn 99: This show has been on my watch list for literally years, with at least 70% of people who know me at all recommending it, but I have only started watching it recently due to who I am as a person. If you’re looking for some fun, light-hearted, and wholesome comedy, this show is a fantastic distraction full of quirky characters and ridiculous shenanigans. Bonus points: there’s a corgi!
    • Wynonna Earp: Canadian sci-fi featuring quips, demons, true love, cowboys, a fantastic portrayal of sister relationships, and a magic gun.
    • Bob’s Burgers: I stan Louise Belcher.
      Louise from Bob's Burgers saying "Let's be clear. I did absolutely nothing wrong."
    • Jane Austen adaptations: more timely than you’d think!
      Jane Austen movies invented social distancing [four stills from Jane Austen movies with characters standing far apart]

      See also: “I went outside and caught a cold. Now I am ill and must be on bed rest for two weeks without seeing any of my family!”

  • Memes: THE MEMES. I would like to thank God and also Jesus for the high quality quarantine memes that have been helping a lot of us to laugh and find amusement in our current predicament. Some favorites:
"crap this virus is turning all the people into pigeons #coronavirus" [images of a plaza: 'before" photo shows large crowd of people, 'after' photo shows only pigeons]

“Nature is healing.”

Photo of a sign from Toronto, Canada that reads "Do your part. Stay apart. Keep a distance of 6 ftt (2 m) (the length of three geese) from others."

6 ft is also an appropriate amount of distance to keep between yourself and a goose.

[image of a tweet] No.. one... cleans like Gaston, quarantines like Gaston, no one stops spreading COVID-19 like Gaston

Image of Gru from "Despicable Me" movie with a blank poster and a speech bubble saying "we can't see the slides"

First two weeks of classes after moving to Zoom, Spring 2020 (colorized)

Photo of a decorative sign that says 'gather', with comment: "Take it down, Karen. It's illegal."

Karen, I want to speak to your manager…

When someone in your house comes back from getting groceries: [image from Lord of the Rings movie with Frodo: "What news of the ouside world? Tell me everything."]

“Was there any toilet paper this week?!”

And now, some actual advice on staying mentally healthy during “these unprecedented times.” The UIUC Psychology Department put together a COVID-19 Mental Health Resources list with tips for self-care, connecting with others, getting help, staying productive, ideas for how to unwind, and more. Here are a few of my favorites I’ve been trying:

  • Keep track of time by planning a schedule for your day with time blocking and other strategies to increase focus and finish out the semester strong.
  • Find natural light! Warmer weather means we no longer have the excuse of “too cold” when deciding whether to stay in bed or go for a walk.
  • Healthy sleep habits can make a huge difference. I’ve been completely thrown off my old schedule and have already forgotten what “mid-day” is supposed to mean (pretty sure it isn’t supposed to be 8 pm), but I’m working on limiting my screentime and caffeine intake before bed to help me sleep during the actual nighttime.

We’re almost done with this semester – hang in there, and keep an eye out for some stress relief activities on the UGL’s social media later this week!

written and edited by Amy

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Quarantine Diary 7: TV and Tutorials

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Hi, I’m Simone! As the semester wraps up, I have attempted to get into Westworld, at the suggestion of a friend. I have finally arrived on the current season, season three. I have binged watched every weekend for the last three weeks. While I do not think it will ever be a favorite show of mine, it is interesting. I now understand all the memes and references on YouTube about Ford (Anthony Hopkins’ character), so that’s a plus. However, my favorite way to relax and destress has been YouTube. I am a devoted watcher of Desus and Mero, CinemaWins, and CinemaSins and I am lucky that they are still posting (I am a movie nerd, sue me 😉). 

Kind Of Wink GIF by Desus & Mero - Find & Share on GIPHY

I am ever hopeful that soon the shelter in place order will be lifted. I signed up on the TRX website for a teacher training course and unfortunately, I do not have TRX cables or the ability to hoist TRX cables in my building. Thus, I am hoping that I will be able to take the course at a gym facility in May, if the order is lifted.  

However, when I am not trying to destress by watching television or exercising (I am quite fond of the Les Mills BodyCombat series), I found a great library resource created by Scholarly Commons. Mallory Untch has put together a series of resources that are downloadable. One I have been exploring in depth is Python Anywhere. It’s a free website where you can code in the python language. If you have never coded before (I am a novice, as well), there are many helpful sites like W3 Schools, which has a tutorial on Python that you can test out on the Python Anywhere console.  Right now, I am trying the tutorials on tuples. There’s also a hands-on tutorial hosted by Matt Harrison through PyCon 2020. 

Hack Coding GIF by Matthew Butler - Find & Share on GIPHY

I hope wherever you are that you and your loved ones are safe and healthy.

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Quarantine Diary 6: Parents & Zoom

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Hello world!! My name is Lauren (also known as Coolest Graduate Assistant at the UGL, I respond to either) and I’m writing to you from warm, sunny, Dallas, Texas! Let me just take this moment to brag; please see the weather forecast for today below……..*chef’s kiss*Screenshot of weather forecast for Monday, April 27, reads a high of 82 and low of 69. The perfect day. As I’m sure many of you did, I ended up quarantining at home after Spring Break aaaanndd……never left. I am currently with my family (M56, F49, F17, F15), which has been /an experience/. There was definitely a period of adjustment and there were many times I wanted to pause my Zoom calls to enjoy food made by my mom;

Screenshot of tweet reads: sorry professor can we pause the zoom lecture my immigrant mother has cut me some fruitwe are finally starting to eat the 20lbs of bulk dried pinto beans that my dad bought when our local grocery store had a half price sale;

Screenshot of tweet reads: My mom was prescient when she bought 2 years worth of TP after a Walgreens closed. The best way to save money is to invest in commodities. Sometimes the survivalist immigrant mentality pays off in times of crisis. I am also constantly finding MY things in my sisters’ room that I have been looking for since the semester began.

Screenshot of tweet reads: #GrowingUpWithSiblings going into their room to steal stuff and seeing stuff stolen from your roomAll in all, there are no other people that I’d rather be doing this with than them!! I have also been spending this time searching for the best Zoom backgrounds to use. My favorite so far is the This Is Fine meme (see image below), but you can decide for yourself and reference this Mary Sue list for more options.

Screenshot of cartoon room on fire, with a dark cloud covering the ceiling and a cup of coffee casually sitting on a tableI’ve also loved scrolling through the memes about Zoom meetings in general

 

Screenshot of a man in an office saying “if you could just mute yourself during the zoom meeting that’d be great” but he looks very sarcasticScreenshot of two dogs: one is captioned with “Audio only” with a dog with scraggly hair, and the other is captioned with “With video” and the dog is neatly groomed and wearing clothes

 

It hasn’t been too bad (yet)!!! I only have one last final research project (20 pages — excuse me while I cry) to do before GRADUATION!! If you’re finding yourself in the same position and have no idea what to do about your research assignment, feel free to ‘drop in’ or schedule a Research and Writing Consultation with me, or other Graduate Assistants at the UGL!! You can schedule an appointment though the UGL website, or ‘drop in’ by saying “I would like a research consultation” in the Ask a Librarian chat.

Still of Laurence Fishburne from The Matrix movie saying “What if I told you there are research methods besides your favorite one”

Finally, I wanted to take this opportunity to congratulate all of you who are graduating this semester. You are about to embark on a new journey – ready or not – and this final semester has not been an ideal end. Thank you for choosing to attend the University of Illinois; the UGL, at least, has been better for your interaction with our collections, staff, and faculty, in any capacity – large or small. Best of luck, now and always.

​Screenshot of tweet reads: First-gen Latinx PhD candidtate here. Was chatting with Mom about possible cancellation of commencement ceremony. Me (in Spanish): I’m bummed cuz I wanted to share that moment with you. Mom: Mijo, I was with you every step of the way. One day doesn’t define the journey. Crying emoji.

Written and Edited by: Lauren

 

 

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Quarantine Diary 4: Tips for a Healthy (Indoor) Lifestyle

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Hello world! My name is Annabel, and I am coming to you live from quarantine in West Michigan! If you’re like me, you’re a person who can’t sit still for five seconds, craves productivity, and is fueled by an anxious energy, which is maddening unless you’re busy. We are the Leslie Knopes of the world, and I would argue that quarantine is essentially the antithesis of our entire beings. While I haven’t yet completely come to peace with the situation, in order to stave off existential dread and debilitating uncertainty, I am here to advocate for a practice that has kept me sane – proper exercise!

Exercise is vitally important for not only your physical health, but also your mental health. Of course, as a graduate assistant for the university libraries, I can point you towards numerous library guides which are full of information on various facets of health. For example, check out this guide on wellness and personal wellbeing, this guide on campus resources for health education, or this guide for mental health resources. !]. In addition, the University has provided us with a free subscription to Les Mills home workout videos! If you haven’t tried them out yet, I have tested a few of them for you, and here are my reviews:

1. LES Video still of LES MILLS GRIT #29 CardioMILLS GRIT #29: I thought I was in pretty decent shape… until I tried this HIIT workout. Let me tell you, it kicked my butt. I had to keep hitting pause so I could breathe! This definitely disrupted my elevated heart rate, but I couldn’t have made it through without some extra breaks. If you’re in an apartment, I don’t recommend this video because it is a lot of jumping around. You will definitely disturb your downstairs neighbors! However, I often find that workout videos are never hard enough. This one is an exception. It’s a great video for an intense cardio workout!

Video still from SH'BAM #36 45 min2. SH’BAM #36: This workout was similar to Zumba or any other dance-based workout you’ve tried! The workout was definitely on the easier side – it was fun, but repetitive and even a little boring at times. The music was great, and the hosts are vivacious, but in the end, I didn’t get as much of a workout as I would have liked. I did this video with my mom though, and we had a lot fun! This video is great for freestyling and it’s also great for beginners.

Video still from LES MILLS BARRE #07 30 min3. LES MILLS BARRE #07: For this workout, you only need a couple of small weights. I didn’t have any, so I improvised with jars of pasta sauce! I think this was my favorite workout of the three I attempted. It was challenging, hit all of the major muscle groups, but it was quick! I want to do this workout over and over, because I feel that I can improve each time I do it. This video also brought me back to my days in ballet class and made me a little nostalgic! I highly recommend this workout for anyone with a dance background, or anyone who wants a quick & efficient burn!

There’s a multitude of other great workout resources online too! One of my favorite places to go for free yoga instruction is doyogawithme.com – my favorite video is ‘Rise and Shine.’ I also love to run, so I’ve been hitting the trails to clear my mind. Exercise is super important, but a healthy lifestyle is made up of a lot of components. To summarize, here are my top ten tips for staying fit and healthy to survive the quarantine:

Annabel’s Top Ten Tips for a Healthy (Indoor) Lifestyle 1. Do something every day. Whether it is going on a walk or doing a full home workout, it’s imperative that you get some exercise every single day! 2. Set a timer. Sitting for prolonged periods can lead to serious health effects such as weight gain or increased blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol. I recommend standing up and walking around every 45 minutes. 3. Set a goal. Setting an intention before you start exercising will remind you why you keep at it. Big or small, goals keep you focused and motivated! 4. Get enough sleep. Get plenty of sleep. Go to bed at a regular time each day and practice good habits to get better sleep. Sleep restores both your mind and body. 5. Stay hydrated. Water is our body’s fuel. It keeps us energized, flushes out our system, and promotes other health benefits – like clear skin! 6. Meditate. Exercising has a lot of positive mental health effects, but it’s important to supplement by checking in with yourself and doing some deep breathing exercises once in a while. 7. Stay accountable. Find a friend to do workouts with, post your progress on social media, or keep track of what you’ve done by writing it down. Anything to keep you coming back! 8. Eat well. Eating and exercise go hand in hand. In fact, the more you exercise, the more your body will crave whole, healthy foods. I can’t stress the importance of fruits and veggies enough! 9. Take time for you. Working out is an opportunity to appreciate yourself and your amazing body. Take this time to be proud of yourself – you can do anything you put your mind to! 10. Get creative. There are millions of ways to fit exercise into your daily routine. Whether that is going on a daily walk, dancing in front of a mirror, or doing squats while you make dinner. Do anything and everything to stay active because it will keep you health – and sane!

Written by: Annabel

Edited by: Amy

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Quarantine Diary 2: Pilates and Cake

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Hey everyone! I’m writing to you from a small town in southern Illinois, just twenty minutes outside of St. Louis. Like many of you, when the governor issued the shelter in place order, I moved home with my parents to be with family during quarantine. I don’t know about the rest of you, but for me “moving out” consisted of packing bags as quickly as I could, shoving in clean comfortable clothes and whatever I thought I couldn’t live without for a week or two. I cleaned out my fridge, put my Cavalier spaniel Hattie in the car, and took off. It’s been four weeks now and our house is bustling with my parents, sister, brother, myself, Hattie, and two cats.

Cavalier spaniel, named Hattie, sitting on couch

One of my favorite things to do, especially with my mom and sister, is to bake and cook. However, not leaving the house + constant baked goods and carbo-loaded recipes + a small dose of stress/bored eating = a dangerous combination. To offset the calories we’ve been eating, we’ve been taking advantage of free yoga and Pilates on YouTube. My favorite Pilates channel on YouTube is Blogilates with Cassey Ho. She does a great job of walking you through each exercise at the beginning of the video and explaining which muscle groups you’ll be working. She has a huge library of past workouts available, and there is something for toning just about any part of your body! All I use when following along to her videos is my yoga mat, but even that is optional. The workouts are very home/apartment friendly and Cassey has even been posting workout calendars for the COVID-19 quarantine, so you can follow along with her recommended workouts, or create your own routine. Hattie is an overall great workout buddy and huge help…

Maybe some of you are experiencing the odd time warp we seem to be in where each day feels like a week and yet each day slides into the next and it’s easy to lose track. One of the best methods I’ve found to fight this is to spend some time in the sun or to break up the day by going outside. We’re lucky to be in a rural area, so we are still able to go for walks and enjoy our yard! In fact, the only one who might not be enjoying our walks is poor Hattie. She’s only two, but she is the biggest couch potato you can imagine! While I think she felt spoiled at first with everyone home, now she just wishes we would leave her alone to take her naps. I have also been going out to the trampoline to get some cardio in since I can’t go to the gym. Apparently, this is a highly entertaining part of the morning for Hattie and the cats. The cats typically spend the day bullying poor Hattie, but they call an armistice for the hour or so that I’m on the trampoline every day to sit and watch their human.

Hattie and Lyla watching Jayde jump on the trampoline from the sunroom

Hattie after her second walk for the day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After burning some calories, my mom, sister, and I love to head to the kitchen! For one of my quarantine projects I am transcribing and posting all of my grandma’s old handwritten recipes onto a blog for my aunts and cousins. We’re making as many of the recipes as we can so that I can add in little notes and pictures of the finished products. One recipe that will always hold a special place in my heart (especially around Easter) is my Grandma Ruth’s pineapple upsidedown cake. It’s sweet as can be and just makes you happy. It’s the kind of dessert where you can have just a little square and have to cut yourself a generous rectangle. My grandma makes her cake batter from scratch, but here’s a quick and simplified version using yellow cake mix. Now Grandma Ruth had a couple tricks to truly knock this recipe out of the park that you can still use with the easy cake mix version. First, toast some pecans in a small pan. You add these to the top of the cake at the same time as the cherries and pineapple. The crunch and texture that these add just takes the cake to another level. Also, if you don’t mind sacrificing some of the neat presentation, use crushed pineapple instead of the rounds. This makes the cake even more moist and ensures you get a bit of pineapple with every bite. If you have enough leftover, you should also consider using a full cup of pineapple juice rather than any water with the cake mix. Finally, use a little extra brown sugar than this recipe calls for. Don’t pat the sugar down, rather make sure it’s well blended with the butter, but leave the top “crumbly.” I hope some of you get the chance to try this and it spreads a little joy! Ours didn’t last long past Easter dinner.

pineapple upside down cake, made with pineapples, cherries, and toasted pecans

My family and I have really enjoyed exploring and preserving my grandma’s recipes, especially those that we know were passed down through generations. If you’ve ever been curious about exploring your own family’s history, consider checking out this guide from UIUC’s Main Library about how to research your genealogy. The guide includes an explanation of free resources available online as well as recommendations from UIUC’s own collections. This is an activity that the whole family can enjoy and get involved in.

That’s all for now! I’m going to get back to my 1000 piece puzzle and maybe sneak one of the last slices of pineapple upsidedown cake. Hattie says she can’t wait until she can get back to Champaign and all our friends–apparently, we’re a little too boring for her!

Hattie, exhausted, lounging on the couch

Written by: Jayde

Edited by: Lauren

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