fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
Day 6 QT- Brain swab
By: Rosalina Menton
Tags: Quarantine, China

I take it back, I take it all back. Everything nice I said about how gentle they went about the nasal swab in Xiamen, scratch it out.

A knock at the door. What? I had just finished breakfast and it was too early for lunch. What was going on? I was hollered into the hallway by a young man in full PPE, he spoke some English and through his mask said he needed a “nuclear acid test” from me.

Obediently I went into the hallway and told him my left nasal cavity was small (deviated septum) and the right was larger, hoping he would only swab the right.

“Head back, 45 degree angle, breathe through mouth” and in it went, a long sword through my tiny left nostril and I was panting and moaning in pain that could be heard down the hallway. He stepped back for what felt like a minute (10 seconds apparently). “Relax and don’t move” grabbed the sword and gave it a mighty twist for good measure before he yanked Excalibur out of my face. Holy shit! What just happened? A flood of uncontrollable tears streamed down my face that I had to wipe up with my shirt. “It makes tears”, he wasn’t wrong! I had my Madonna piercing (above my lip) when I was in my twenties but I don’t remember that process being as uncomfortable. The nurse allowed me the grace to recompose myself as I prepared for the next one.

The right side wasn’t as bad, less friction against my cartilage but it was so deep I was sure I was swallowing the metal q-tip.

I checked my name on the vial said “yes, that’s me, thank you, thanks for your help” and walked inside.

Did I really just thank him for that? I must really be starting to lose my mind.
The Coron-Tine
By: Daniyal A.Aleem
Tags: 2020, Quarantine, Optimism, Waves, Covid 19

Surely Corona won’t come to my country, is what I always thought

But it came, it conquered and it destroyed

What seemed very trivial, soon became a juggernaut

The mere underestimation of this disease made me annoyed

People then became serious, wearing masks and staying at home

Hugging and shaking hands no longer remained a norm

Spirits were broken, just like the Colosseum in Rome

It was as if we were trapped inside a haunted dorm

Children were stopped from going to school

Offices emptied, work from home was the solution

Safety is more important than the economy, was the new golden rule

Not falling prey to this clever disease was everybody’s mission

Hanging out with friends and family became a distant dream

Just like a beggar would wish for a Mercedes

The belief of getting through this was there, but only as a team

This too shall pass, just like a swift breeze

Businesses succumbed under the enormous pressure

People lost their jobs and became distressed

Progression was forgotten, the new priority was survival

Patience and perseverance were the keys to our revival

Just like a dark and deep sea, this too had waves

The second wave being deadlier than the first, threatened to tear apart

But unlike the sea waves, these waves hurt whoever they touched

Fighting back wasn’t easy, it needed a warrior’s heart

All this fighting has made us stronger and reduced the fear

The Coron-Tine continues to stay, but not for long

We continue to take precautions and live life as normal

Whoever thought we would admit defeat, was wrong

2020 will never be forgotten, not for the right reasons though

But it did teach us a very valuable lesson

Things that we took for granted, can always desert us

So love, respect and tolerance should be our apparatus!

Mohammad Daniyal Aleem
They were reverting back to normal as you've written these very words.
By: Loaded Dice
Tags: Quarantine, Coronavirus, USA, Covid 19 Crisis, Covid 19

They were reverting back to normal as you've written these very words. Btw, COVID-19 lethality reached its peak on April 7, and it continues to decline monotonically thereafter, more than 7-fold in total.

Widespread fall in hospital fatality rates among COVID-19 patients is also observed; before the second wave, world critical cases percentage constituted 0.8 %, whereas now it reaches only 0.53 %.

To make long story short, we have already won, and the time has come to clean the battlefield from sharp shards of victory. The virus hath slain his thousands, the quarantine-driven panic — tens of thousands.
Day 13 QT- Final tests
By: Rosalina Menton
Tags: Quarantine, China

The dreaded day 13 has arrived and there is an air of fear in my room. Today is when the infamous last round of nasal swabs and blood tests are taken before release from quarantine.

As a group, we are a much more informed and co-ordinated bunch these days, who use WeChat to track and communicate the nurses in hazmat suits exact locations throughout the building. They are on level 19 and headed down to level 18 imminently. Oh no.

I thought I was the only one who felt like they were aiming to rescue Excalibur without any wizardry during the previous test on day 6, I was wrong. To make things worse and really add a new level of anxiety to the fight or flight response, this time, its been worse for them. Deeper they say. How is that even possible!

I’m thinking of how I can escape from the inevitable, I can’t run away, can I talk myself out of it? Or at least negotiate to only have my right nostril violated?

The girl down in 1801 has finished, sends a message and within 30 seconds the knock is at my door. My attempts to negotiate have failed, even my phone translation of “deviated septum” brings no luck so I suck it up. Once again, outside in the hallway, I take the test. First the right side, then the left. Ok, this is an improvement, he hasn’t dug an escape route to by brain this time but it’s right there, down by my tonsils. He leaves it there for 15 seconds this time. It’s a trickle of tears rather than a flood. But the noise I’m making as I wince and shake in pain was so much louder, has altered a neighbour who opens the door for a look. She’s next!

I report my findings to the group and my pal in 1801 tells me she has just finished her bloods. Already? Damn it!

Blood is drawn, vial is checked and I know I’m done!

Later in the day, John who is quarantining in Guangzhou tells me he only has to have a throat swab tomorrow before his release. I tell him to ask for a refund because he hasn’t had the full Chinese COVID-19 testing in quarantine experience.

My get back to work in China COVID-19 tests thus far:

1. 13th November, pre-flight testing (collection within 48 hours of boarding inbound flights to China)

Blood (finger prick antibody test), throat and Nasal swab

2. 15th November, at Xiamen airport

Throat and nose swab

3. 16th November, at Wyndham Grand Hotel Quarantine

Blood drawn

4. 20th November, at Wyndham Grand Hotel Quarantine

Nose swab

5. 28th November, at Wyndham Grand Hotel Quarantine

Nose swab and blood drawn

Remaining:

6. 30th November, at Xixi Hospital, Hangzhou

Throat swab and blood draw… I hope!
filtkokong
Tags: Quarantine, Motherhood, Feminism, Covid Poetry, Poetry

(Series: Answers to the question no one asked about the people in those commercials. The Less Gives Us More commercial made me scream in rage https://www.ispot.tv/ad/tqIt/ikea-less-gives-us-more.)

“I can be down whenever

dinner is ready,” he calls

from his office (bedroom-turned-office)

Sit in this chair and hope,

if only for a minute,

a body can disappear

into the grey fuzz like crumbs

that hide in the carpet

If still for hours

maybe She will find

another outlet for her

repetitive wit and unfailing questions

Maybe the piles of laundry, the mountains

of guilt will slowly dissolve

if no thought rests upon them

Avoid those twin mirrors

reflecting back the cycle of

annoyance, guilt, shame, annoyance

A load finishes and she complains,

uncomfortable and cold,

drops pristine clothes into

the waves forever crashing

on the couchy shores

Breathe and try not to think

of sugar and vitamins

and pants too short

for growing legs

and how many pounds of pasta

can growing bodies

healthily consume anyway?

A cup of tea, questions of where

I might be going

whether she might have

another sweet concoction

a better mother would never allow

over the threshold

Up the steps, steaming cup

the door to my bedroom

opened at the top, I watch

his successful finger enter his mouth

with the treasure it carried from above

Every moment watched

every movement questioned

anger rises above disgust:

To believe in one’s autonomy

Return to the chair

watch as he descends

attentions rests on the clean laundry still

floods the end of the couch

The girl bypasses his reach,

begs for food, screams for

a reprieve from the chores that prove

she is more than a consumptive viewer

He washes dishes

the unasked words

refusing to leave that spot in his eyes

oblivious

to the steam rising from the drain

Clap if you’re interested in seeing more of what I think of the stories behind the current ads.
Low Effort Life Hacks
By: Ritika P
Tags: Quarantine, Fun, Checklist, Productivity, Wellness

Quarantine Edition.

Productivity hacks are promulgated throughout the internet now that if you’re complying with public health demands and are staying at home. I consider myself to be a relatively productive individual, I do however have my days of “doing nothing.” That’s because I follow my contentment [santosha- a niyama in yoga], and enjoy the course of the activity, instead of gunning for the end result.

Have a look at some of the low-effort tactics I employ to make my life easier. I’ve picked these up from various YouTubers, friends, parents, and teachers.

The Balanced Checklist: I employ 6 Categories: Work [that makes you $$], Sanity, Knowledge Seeking, Health, Finances, Errands. Make sure you have one thing to do under each category. Set goals that are in between being doable and a challenge, this helps prevent procrastination. Set an alarm to sleep instead of waking up. Make a list and go to the store when you’re NOT hungry. Go technology-free one hour before bed. This allows for more reading time. I like to track my reading through the GoodReads app, it serves as a fun game with friends, instead of just following each other on Instagram. Wash the dishes before going to bed. The feeling of waking up to a clean kitchen sets a positive tone for the rest of your day. Plus, it’s more hygenic. Put oil in your hair before you wash it. Wash your hair upside down. Take your medicines with lukewarm water. Ice is the worst- it messes up your body temperature (Ayurveda backed-research). Consume ginger water to aid in digestion. Banana preservation: Wrap your bananas in brown paper to prevent them from browning in the fridge. Take notes with different colored pens. Neuroscience backed research states that different colors aid in memory retention. Do you have a clogged nose and ears? Mix one liter of water with 2 tbsp of Vicks Vapor Rub and put it in an ice tray. When showering, put one at the bottom so the steam giving up helps ease your clogged nose and ears. Trying to get into meditation? Place your palms on top of one another and thumbs joining. Keep your eyes open and stare in front of you. Buddhist monks employ this method.

13. Want to avoid overeating? Stop consuming your meal after your first burp.

I hope at least 1 or 2 of these tips have helped you. Feel free to let me know :).
Social Media Keeps Reminding Me of How Good Things Used To Be
By: James Woods
Tags: Quarantine, Social Media, Wellness, Holidays, Mental Health

Social Media Keeps Reminding Me of How Good Things Used To Be

As well-intentioned as Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram think they are being, the constant reminders of how much I did around the holiday season is starting to impact my mental health. James Woods Follow Dec 19, 2020 · 5 min read

Photo by camilo jimenez on Unsplash

At the beginning of 2019, I decided to remove social media apps from my phone because I was addicted. I needed to see every post and story. My favorite activity before bed became scrolling aimlessly through Instagram. If I went to bed at 10, there was a good chance I’d finish my nighttime binge by midnight.

When I reinstalled social media apps on my phone in March 2019, I had a completely different relationship with them. I didn’t feel an urge or need to check every story or post. It wasn’t interesting to me because I stopped being in the know on people’s lives. By the time I got back on, people had different aesthetics for their profiles, friends had gotten engaged, people were pregnant, and with all of that, I didn’t need to keep up with it.

Even though I wasn’t on social media very often, I still posted and saved enough of my stories/snaps to get flooded with memories almost daily. Snapchat reminding me of what I was doing one year ago or Facebook taking me back 5 years to being in college. Usually, these kinds of reminders just made me smile, occasionally send to friends, and/or roll my eyes at how ridiculous that moment was. A reminder from social media never made me feel bad.
What to Bake During Shutdown, According to Bay Area Bakers
By: Flora Tsapovsky
Tags: Quarantine, Baking, Bay Area, Recipe, Food

Matcha Amaretti Cookies

Rica Sunga-Kwan, Churn Urban Creamery + Bakery

Photo courtesy of Rica Sunga-Kwan

Operating from the small Churn bakery and creamery in Portola, lead ice cream maker Rica Sunga-Kwan is all about healthy yet indulgent treats.

Recipe

Get the full recipe here.

Why bake now?

Baking strengthens the mind and body connection. It requires focus and attention to detail, which is so good for the brain and for regulating moods. At a time when the general population’s anxiety and depression is at an all-time high, working with your hands and baking can be a positive escape from all the negativity happening around us.

Why this recipe?

This recipe represents what Churn stands for: unique, inclusive (because even the gluten-free folks can have it), and delicious.

How can readers support you?

Come visit us at our creamery at 2646 San Bruno Avenue in San Francisco. We have ice cream, coffee, and pastries. On weekends, we have breakfast sandwiches and heartier pastry options. We can also be found at the Outer Sunset Farmer’s Market on Sundays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the Brisbane Farmers Market, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Follow us on IG @churnsf to learn more.
Quarantine Damage
By: Carter Vanschoyck
Tags: Quarantine, Highschoolsweethearts, Mental Health

I know you had a bad Quarantine but mine might be a little worse. Lets start off by saying that I am a 15 year old white male. I spent last semester of freshmen year and the first semester of sophomore year trapped inside my two bedroom apartment with my lovely mother and my golden doodle dog, George. Now to start all the way back in March 2020, just like most kids my age I thought nothing about it I just thought it meant a just a longer spring break. After March passed and everyone started to realize that seriousness of this virus and we went into lock down, nothing big happened at first, It was as if summer began early there was nothing they could do to make our grade go down so I just coasted my way through with all passing grades. Now that we are in the month of May around the time George Floyd past away was when things started going terrible and I think a lot of people can agree with me on that. Around this time was when I first began losing friends, and not voluntarily either. Of course I only lost one or two friends in this month so I didn’t really think much about it. To save you time I will skip to about late October early November when the biggest event for my emotional health happened. About a two to three months earlier I had become pretty open about how I felt about BLM, ACAB, Trump, Thin Blue Line Flag, etc. But for some reason people didn’t seem to care to much till now. This is when all of my closet friends (least 2 years of friendship) started lashing out at me and telling me to kill myself. People who once feared for me when I was sad and home alone were now telling me to end the life they once so deeply cared about. Then I either ended up blocking them or them blocking me, bring great friendships to an end. But that wasn’t the thing that hurt the most, the thing that hurt the most was when the girl who ghosted me the summer going into freshmen year, who hasn’t talked to me sense, whom would cause me more then a year of emotional pain already added me back on snapchat to strictly tell me to delete her and everything of her I have any where. The girl who I was practically in love with and couldn’t and still can’t get over reached out for the specific reason to tell me to throw it all away. Now I know people have had it a lot worse during these troubling times but I don’t think I personally couldn’t have had it much worth.

By,

Carter Vanschoyck

12/17/2020
Your Introduction to Me
Tags: Teens, Quarantine, High School

I never know how to start my writings. I’ve also never had a blog, but is this really a blog? You can call this what you want, I’ll call it my journals. Now lets get to the good stuff. I am a high school senior who has been in quarantine since March 13, 2020. I live in a pretty large city in the United States so I’ve seen the impacts of the coronavirus from a close view. Unlike a lot of students, my district never went back to school. I have been locked in my bedroom for 9 months. I feel like my story is one that a lot of people could be interested in, so hear I am, sharing it!

Prior to Covid-19, my school life was lively and busy. I was president of clubs, a straight A student, and even on track to be valedictorian. I was social and had lots of friends. I spent every Friday night at football games with my friends cheering on my cheerleader best friend. Now, like a lot of people, my life is different. I really only have one friend that I talk to regularly, I am borderline failing out of my last semester of high school, and I have gone 4 weeks since I last left my house for something besides school or work.

I remember the graduating class of 2020 describing what they have lost from their high school experience. They mention prom, graduation, touring colleges. What so many people in my grade are missing is all of the same experiences as well as our motivation and our spirit. Now I know I could have it worse. I am so grateful that everyone in my family is healthy because, frankly, not many people in America get to say that. What I’m getting at here is that I have a unique story and I am actively experiencing something that so many people aren’t. I am actively living through history and I want to share this so that not only I can look back one day to read through my quarantine memories, but also so that others can have a look into my life. So, if your interested in my life, my story, and how I face covid-19 on top of being a teenage girl and all of the affairs that come with that, follow me along on my journey!
5 Netflix shows/movies you will love if you’re lgbtq+
By: Paige Cepeda
Tags: Netflix, Quarantine, LGBTQ, Binge Watching, Series

5 Netflix shows/movies you will love if you’re lgbtq+

“ 3 G enerations ” (1h 32m) Watch a young transgender man go through his transitions as his mother and grandmother try to get comfortable with this change. Not to mention his absent father unexpectedly inserts himself into the picture as well .

G ” (1h 32m) Watch a young transgender man go through his transitions as his mother and grandmother try to get comfortable with this change. Not to mention his absent father unexpectedly inserts himself into the picture as well . “ Sex Education ” (2 seasons, more to come) If you have an awkward/simple sense of humor and like sex jokes, this ones for you. A 16 year old boy with a mother who’s a sex therapist and a best friend that is gay, experiences high-school in a different way than most. Watch as he struggles with girls, his journey through puberty, and much more.

” (2 seasons, more to come) If you have an awkward/simple sense of humor and like sex jokes, this ones for you. A 16 year old boy with a mother who’s a sex therapist and a best friend that is gay, experiences high-school in a different way than most. Watch as he struggles with girls, his journey through puberty, and much more. “Moonlight” (1h 50m) BLM collection. A young, black, gay man grows up in a rough neighborhood in miami. He tries to find himself and his place in life but dealing with the many struggles that come with who he is, can be tough to conquer.

(1h 50m) BLM collection. A young, black, gay man grows up in a rough neighborhood in miami. He tries to find himself and his place in life but dealing with the many struggles that come with who he is, can be tough to conquer. “ I Am Not Okay With This ” (1 season, 7 episodes) Syd, a girl in her early teens, loses her father and things have went in a downward spiral ever since. Her anger is constantly getting the best of her, which lead to surprising outcomes. And she has a secret forbidden crush, which just adds a cherry on top of her whole shpewl.

” (1 season, 7 episodes) Syd, a girl in her early teens, loses her father and things have went in a downward spiral ever since. Her anger is constantly getting the best of her, which lead to surprising outcomes. And she has a secret forbidden crush, which just adds a cherry on top of her whole shpewl. “Feel Good” (1 season, 6 episodes) includes lots of laughs and surprises and even a bit of anger and tears as you watch Mae Martin, a stand up comedian, deal with her journey of sobriety, and a new relationship.
I’m Your Elf on the Shelf and I Hate You
By: Matt Fotis
Tags: 2020, Quarantine, Humor, Elf On The Shelf, Holidays

I’m Your Elf on the Shelf and I Hate You

It’s become pretty popular the last few years to bash me as some kind of Big Brother creeper who watches your kid’s every move. I’ve read all your “think” pieces about how I’m Foucault’s panopticon put into practice, keeping order through the fear of a single set of omnipresent eyes on the kid at all times…blah blah blah, snitches get stitches — we get it.

I mean, you bought an Alexa, but I’m the one spying on you. Right.

Well guess what, Steve? I have been watching you for the past seven years and the only thing I’m certain of is that I hate you. Your kid is alright, you on the other hand…

It’s bad enough that you put me into “hilarious” positions everyday and then post pictures of me on social media fucking a pineapple or doing things nobody should do — or have done to them — with a candy cane.

I can handle some Instagram posts, but 2020 has pushed our relationship over the edge. I get it. This year has been HARD. But, you’re here all the time and I can’t help but find myself spending 20 hours a day thinking about how much I hate you. I used to have some time to myself during the day, explore my own interests, but now you’re always here. Doing nothing. So instead of reading a good book or working on my knitting, I’m stuck here hanging upside down by one leg with five candy canes in my ass watching you watch Netflix. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you’re too old, dumb, and lazy to become a chess prodigy.

And I mean, would it kill you to just wash your plate after you eat? The dishwasher is right there! It’s literally two inches from the counter, so why do you leave it on the counter all day? You have nothing else to do!

Literally, nothing else. Good God your job is boring. Is that really what you do all day? And someone pays you to do that? I didn’t realize 80% of your job was scrolling through social media pretending to do work — and you have the temerity to criticize my job? I can FLY — what magical powers do you possess, Steve? Having twenty-two tabs open on Chrome? Changing your Zoom background? Simultaneously being asleep and eating a bag of chips?

You also need to stop projecting your emotional insecurity and immaturity onto me. If you need to discipline your kid, do it yourself you passive aggressive jerk. How am I supposed to tell her to finish her homework when I’m shitting chocolate chips into a teddy bear’s mouth!?!? Hmm? How can I tell her to respect you when you don’t even respect yourself?

Look, I’ll be gone in a week and by next year I’m sure we’ll both have cooled off and things can go back to “normal.” In the meantime, let me just face the wall. I can’t watch you anymore. And for the love of Santa, enough with the candy canes.
Quarantine Blog: Day Whatever
By: Chris Booth
Tags: Yoga With Adriene, Quarantine, Yoga, Quarantine Diaries, Quarantinelife

Thank god for the content creators. The meme makers, the take takers, and all the comedians and musicians doing videos and livestreams, because hearing the rumor mill of “my friends, friend, friend works on the hill and overheard in a meetings that we’re definitely headed for martial law” and the friend who constantly shares reddit conspiracy theories about tangled, corona, and hair (I assume, i didn’t actually read the whole thing). However, live streams from Taking Back Sunday and Ben Gibbard show there’s a positive side to all the insanity.

It’s day 7 of quarantine, i’ve got a good yoga routine down (shouts to Adrienne) because the tightness in my lower back from sitting is getting incredibly old. Today I set up an “office” AKA dragged in patio furniture just to have a different position to sit in. Impact on the lower back pain TBD.

I ate three bowls of Cinnamon Toast Crunch today…for no reason! I’m well on my way to gaining my Covid 19 but, on the plus side, I already blitzed through all of You on ‘flix and am well on my way to finishing Love is Blind, which has supplied a nice, steady stream of new memes and things to talk about with my friends over text.

It was rainy as fuck in New York today, so staying inside was finally a good alternative. I read a bunch and tried to ignore the news updates for most of the day, gotta take a break every once in a while and embrace the distraction. As Mark McGwire recommends.

The saga of The Nightmare Upstairs continues. I’ve got their schedule down, because they’re loud as fuck and stomp around like elephants. I’m starting to feel a bit like Grimey (yeah, two Simpsons references, times are hard!) They clomp around, drop 40 pound weights (I assume) at all hours of the day and just DGAF. They wake up at 9am and stomp to the bathroom, get dressed around 10 when they roll drawers across the floor, then bang in and out of the room (literally and figuratively) throughout the day. Bedtime at 11, when their smug, assholey voices project through the floor and things begin to fall from the sky again. I go to bed at 10, great timing since i’m just about to fall asleep at 11 (it takes everyone an hour to fall asleep right? Thoughts lol) so their pounding keeps me up another hour. It’s insane to force your schedule to fit their upstairs neighbors right? Right?

I’m writing this at 8pm, getting ready for the insanity of the night. Maybe one more glass of scotch…

Sorry, one more thing. The dickhead writers of Game of Thrones showed up on Westworld (also a terrible show) to shove it in our faces how little they cared/care about the final season. As if we didn’t have enough shit to deal with!
How to Cope with the Covid-19 19 Weight Gain
By: Victoria Hutt
Tags: Self Care, Quarantine, Lifestyle, Exercise

How to Cope with the Covid-19 19 Weight Gain

Photo by Yannic Läderach on Unsplash

My stomach has softened due to ten months of going without a gym, something I used to work into my schedule every day, sometimes even more than once.

Needless to say, I’m a little saddened by it.

I’ve also realized that as fit as I was during my wrestling season a year ago, it was stressful. Being the lightest girl on the team wasn’t easy, and for reference, I’m not even a lightweight wrestler. (120 lb and under) I’m a midweight.

Constantly, my body was being compared to the bodies of other wrestlers by a few insensitive members of the team. I was told that the other girls should try losing weight, which just made me sad. They are such talented girls, and I adore them dearly.

My coach was extremely understanding about how I’ve struggled with accepting my weight in the past, and he never made it about weight for me. He made it about putting in the effort to be the best wrestler I could be. If that meant staying above a certain weight, then that’s what I did.

At one point, he was going through descent plans with the other wrestlers (descent as in weight) and I asked him if I had one. He looked me straight in the eye and said, “You, miss, need to work on loving your body first.”

Before even thinking, I asked, “Fine, but can I have one next year?”

We all had a good laugh.
Birthdays in Quarantine
By: Jyssica Schwartz
Tags: Birthday, Life, Quarantine, Love, Family

It’s been a hard year for everyone. And since 2020 has seemed to last at least 5 years, everyone has had to deal with having their birthday in quarantine during a pandemic.

It’s like having a summer birthday when you’re little: everyone else is out of town and no one can come to your party. So, you celebrate at home with your family.

Today is my husband’s 35th birthday. I love him a lot and wanted to make it special.

Which is why, at the end of 2019, I and several of our friends started thinking about planning a big 35th birthday trip.

It wasn’t just for my husband — his entire group of 5 guys all have birthdays within 8 weeks of each other (Nov 2-Jan 2). So, the other wives and I were discussing a trip this winter to celebrate everyone.

Of course, that did not happen.

Instead, this dumpster fire of a year happened.

But I still wanted to make his birthday feel special.

And luckily, my newest obsession — Tiktok — came through with a great idea.

There have been a bunch of videos of people doing “30 days of 30” or “12 days of Christmas” or “10 days of birthday” games.

Countdown of Gifts Game

@thechistieandjamalshow on Tiktok

Here’s how it works. There is a pile of gifts, each one is labeled with a number or sticker.

There is a board with cups glued to it, each cup has a number/sticker inside and the top of the cup is covered with tissue paper.

Each day leading up to the Big Day, the birthday person punches out one cup and finds the corresponding gift. They get to open that one gift right away.

The same thing happens each day until they open the last present on the actual day of the event, like their birthday or Christmas.

Geoffmas

My husband’s birthday is December 17th and I had enough gifts to do 8 days of presents (and a separate one present specifically for Christmas).

It just so happened that ‘8 Days of Geoffmas’ started on the first night of Hanukkah. And I’m Jewish, so I thought that was a fun coincidence.

His first look. Me showing off my middle school science project of a countdown.

Geoff had never seen anything like it and was excited.

What he didn’t know was that present #8 was what I had originally bought to be his only/main birthday gift (before I decided to do Geoffmas) and I wondered which day he’d get to it.

GUESS WHAT?

He didn’t get to open #8 until his actual birthday!!! So perfect, so unplanned.

The gifts were a mishmash of things. He opened the Rocketbook Flip on day 1, which is a reusable smart notebook.

3 of the days were books from author Randall Munroe, creator Geoff’s favorite webcomic, XKCD. (Great books, highly recommend!)

One day was a funny cat-related t-shirt. One day was a nice new dopkit. Another day was a huge sampler of loose leaf teas in different flavors (he actually likes tea and drinks it daily. bleh.).

And then came today. The final day. Day 8.

I’d been waiting for this moment since placing the order back in October.

Custom portraits on canvas of our two cats as fancy gentlemen!!!!
Making Art in Quarantine
By: Joyce Li
Tags: Quarantine, Los Angeles, Art, Creativity, UCLA

One of the best things about pursuing a BFA in LA is the wealth of visual stimuli wherever you go. In the past, I’d drawn inspirations from a nicely plated dish, an abandoned liquor store, and an interesting dialogue with a stranger. In this city, ideas float in the air, but ever since shelter-in-place was announced, artists have turned to other sources for their creations.

Now, I make work in my bedroom, where the walls seem to be closer to me than ever, and the desk is shrinking by the minute. I made drawings, paintings, animations, and ceramic work. This room. This room where I do my homework, call my friends, complete my at-home workouts, has also turned into my studio.

I recently read the essay “Living in an Inhabited House” by Sophie Delpeux, which discusses an artist’s experience with working from home. Studios have always been “a solitary retreat from the demands of society, sanctuary for private creation, metaphor for the individual artist, metonym for his psyche (storehouse of images and site of encounters with the unconscious).” According to this quote, the studio is crucial because it offers a place for art and art only. In the white-walled studio, there is nothing but the artist’s work. I do miss the space and focus, but creating in my room feels like unlocking a little treasure box and seeing things for the first time. I was always able to see my bedroom, but I never looked.

So, when my whole world was consolidated into a luggage the size of my LA apartment, I started looking inwards for inspirations. I found little gestures within the corners of the room, I found textures that I wasn’t aware of before the confinement. Beyond my room, I watched old movies, attended artist talks over Zoom, and studied old family photographs. In addition, I finally found confidence in consulting contemporary film and music for ideas. Those pictures and songs, like the walls in my room, are so close to me that they have fused into part of my identity.

It is often in adversity that artists learn to adapt and think unconventionally, and quarantine has proven itself as one of those moments.
90 Minutos
By: Priscila Menezes
Tags: Quarantine, Lockdown, Couples, Contos, Literatura

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10 Steps You’ll Go Through Trying to Begin Emails Right Now
By: Danielle Rackley
Tags: 2020, Quarantine, Coronavirus, Pandemic, Covid 19

‘Hi.’ Hi? Hi? No, that is rude.

‘Hello’? No, that’s too formal.

‘Hey’. Hey? What is this the after-prom party junior year? Am I coming on to them? Is this 3AM? Don’t write ‘hey.’

‘Greetings’. Greetings? What on earth is that? Am I a Christmas elf? No. This isn’t the Dayton, Ohio mall in mid-December 2019.

‘Hi, hope you are well,’ oh God, what is THAT? That is absurd, of course, they are not well, no one is well right now we are in a GLOBAL PANDEMIC, everyone has depression, insomnia, and face mask-induced chin acne, no one is ‘well.’

‘Hope all is well’. OH, DEAR GOD that is even WORSE. No, of course, ‘ALL is not well’, ALL is a very large mess! Unless you’re Jeff Bezos and even he doesn’t have it ALL because he is also BALD.

‘Hope you’re doing alright in these trying times’, no that’s bad, what am I, Professor Dumbledore announcing the return of Lord Voldemort? I’m sending an email to set a Zoom call not organizing a witch’s army.

Cheerio?

Fnhudbdhsufbds GAHHHHHH, Cheerio? What is wrong with me? MY GOD IM STRESSED

Hello

Hola

Bon soir

What’s up

What’s the dealio

How’re ya living?

Hanging tight?

Alive?

GAHHH YOU JUST NEED TO TYPE ONE EMAIL JESUS CHRIST I HAVE 1500 EMAILS I HAVE TO SEND

‘YO WHAT’S UP, LIFE IS OVER!!!!!!! Can you do this call at 4:45 next Wednesday? Everything is an illusion, who even am I anymore, does life matter? Am I invisible? Are all my dreams dead? Will I ever find love? Where do you buy a sourdough starter? Do you know how to bake ham? Can you help me vacuum my house? I think there’s a ghost in here, I need to kill it. My best friend is a broomstick with a wig on, I call her Cheryl. Do you know where my family is, are they OK? Did they get Coronavirus? Do I still have a job? Do you remember how to put pants on? I can’t tie shoes anymore; I am so alone. I want to see my family for the holidays but if I do I might kill them but this loneliness might kill me too did you know that I don’t know how to cook anything like at all? Everything I eat tastes like a sandpaper washcloth, I’ve completely lost my mind I have never been so bored and so scared and made so many ugly candles in my entire short depressing neurotic little life I hope you are your family are doing well can you do this call next Wednesday?
adventures of loneliness
Tags: Storytelling, Philosophy, Loneliness, Loneliness Quotes, Depression

Adventures of loneliness

My peers have been going on adventures lately, sounds fun. Adventures full of thrill and joy, dangerous rides that make you feel one step closer to death. That adrenaline rush in their bodies must feel insane. They like to take it a bit too far, I ask myself, why do they do those sort of things?

I get the answers in their Instagram caption-” Gotta Do it for the experience “

I mean, They are not wrong, perfectly valid explanation but for some strange reason, the moment that caption gets into the frame of my eyes. I get the craziest hit of loneliness, despair and nostalgia. Much more intense those guys feel on those deadly rides.

Adventures sound fun, the only adventures I’ve been going through is from my bed to my toilet. I barely have any motivation to take a shower. Music is the only thing keeping me alive. Sometimes I watch motivational videos and drink more cups of coffee than I should, makes me feel like my heart will bounce off my chest.

I was not always like this. I was never an introvert. I used to be that class clown. “Kaka cheers up the class”-they all used to say

Something happened, something strange.
There Is A Sadness~
By: Anthony Cloe Huie
Tags: Loneliness, The Bad Influence, Abandonment, Mental Health

There is a sadness deep within each of us that we struggle to contain

with our Jokes

our humour

our silence

just the deep endless pain

With each passing year this sadness grows

It consumes

yet showing no evidence of it presence

And it grows

yet taking away no visible space

With each passing year our silence shouts louder

yet no sound does it make

and we cry inside yet showing no tears

With each passage of another

one so much younger

so much like us

sadness builds its home as a monument

to its inevitability

evidence of our mortality

and still it grows



There is a sadness deep within each of us that we struggle to hide

with our madness

our violence

our inhumanity

just the endless pain deep inside

With each passing year this sadness controls

slowly we becoming its liege

its grip getting stronger with age

yet our facial and physical maintains

And it grows

and in coming in contact it sews

yet nothing visible grows

but in the mass silence everybody knows

So distance grows

without a word being spoken

loneliness becomes the only one

with whom their support not broken

you listening to Beres Hammond

try putting up a resistance

knowing there is an overnight plan

all worked out

keeping you from hand to mouth



There is a sadness deep within each of us making it a struggle to step

outside

And the sadness deep inside convinces us that happiness is best

on the inside

and we know deep down its lied

and it isn’t as if we haven’t tried

God knows how we’ve tried

I no longer want to be your mental illness

I no longer want to be your madness

I no longer want to be your silence

All I ask is a little human kindness

Cause you truly don’t know how it feels

to me

to see the world through my eyes

to awake wondering why I did not die

So I seek the darkness of avoidance

than to have one more telling me

there is just no more reason to cry

There is a sadness deep within making it a struggle to say

please just shut the fuck up~



@Anthony2020mdh30Vibes
It hurts a lot Bhavna & it is difficult to overcome despite celebrating yourself.
By: Dr. Preeti Singh
Tags: Loneliness

Loneliness.

It can be difficult

As it hurts

To be alone.
Drowning in a sea of Loneliness
By: Camilla Rose
Tags: Poem, Poetry On Medium, Loneliness, Poetry, Poetry Writing

As I sit here drowning in a sea of loneliness

Searching for something, anything to keep me afloat.

I can’t help by remind myself that loneliness does not equal weakness.

You are brave.

You are strong.

You are a warrior.

You might be alone

but you can do this .

There is always something to hold onto. There is always a life raft.
Christmastime Is Here
By: Vikki Sommers
Tags: Dating, Christmas 2020, Feelings, Loneliness, Christmas

Christmastime Is Here

Most of the year I can have company whenever I choose. There’s always men who have spent time with me before and want to meet up again. Many of these men are married, and most have found a way to sneak off and rendezvous at a place we’ve agreed to meet. It turns men on to sneak away and spend a few hours with another woman who demands nothing of him. Then he can leave and go back home, less stressed and in a better mood.

Customers have someone they can go home to. Someone who’s always there, no matter what. And when Christmas comes, families usually spend time together much longer than any other time of the year. My Christmases are spent alone. I look out the window and wonder why time moves so incredibly slow on this day.

Paris is full of Christmas decorations, a reminder of Christmas past, when I excitedly ran down from my room Christmas morning to see what surprises I’d find under the tree. Family was always there. I took it for granted because loved ones were always there.

Today I feel more isolated than most Christmases. For the first time since I can remember, I yearn for companionship, someone who’s familiar and always there, who is generous with his affections.

I have no one close to talk to because women in my line of work compete against each other viciously, so it’s impossible to have meaningful friendships. Christmas is the loneliest time of the year. Not only for me, but for so many others now with severe restrictions on movement. Empty Parisian streets remind all of us without partners, that we want partners.

Will I spend the rest of my life alone? What I do know now is that anything is possible. If I set my mind to it, I can be with someone. I can love and I have been loved. It can happen again. If I want it.

Decisions, decisions….
Lonely
Tags: Friendship, Happiness, Fulfillment, Loneliness, Depression

I want to feel less alone in this world. I want companions. I want the warmth and energy from people around me. I want my voice to be heard. I want to find my place. The place where I belong. I want to have meaning. I want to find meaning. I want to achieve and fulfill. I want to be happy. I don’t want to be alone ever again.
Solace in One Another
By: Amy Pierovich
Tags: Solace, Loneliness, Poetry, Love, Covid

Solace in One Another

Photo by Alex Iby on Unsplash

The days drift by

hidden

cloistered

secreted away

time passes

you and I.

Days turn into nights

a full moon blooms

to kiss the darkness

of our shell

the loneliness of

you and I.

It is as if we vanished

slowly

sorrowfully

and so we grasp at fleeting moments

of joy

our solace in one another

these days of

you and I.
The Allure Of Handwritten Letters
By: Michael Ranjitsingh
Tags: Relationships, Life Lessons, Storytelling, Loneliness, Love

In New Zealand, widely proclaimed as one of the most liveable countries in the world, the suicide rates are alarmingly high. Surprisingly, young people in the age group of 15 to 24 seem to be the most vulnerable. We might be the most technologically advanced generation but statistics clearly show that we might be the loneliest too.

When separated by distance, instant messaging and video chats are great but there is something authentic and special about receiving a handwritten letter. Maybe it's knowing that someone took the time to sit and pen their thoughts especially for you. Maybe it is the look and smell of ink on the paper. Maybe it is the love that pulls you closer to the writer. Maybe it is the written accounts that stir your imagination. Whatever it is, letter writing is something the world needs more of. Even the most technologically advanced first world countries.

There are lots of appeals and initiatives all over the world with people making and sending Christmas Cards to those who are living alone or away from family. An organization in the UK encourages everyone to make cards for the 2.2 million people aged over 75 who would be spending Christmas alone. Sending Love, a New Zealand initiative is focused on spreading love and kindness among the community through the simple act of making and sending cards.

There are many Jacks and Emmas out there today and we might even know some of them personally. Can we make their Christmas a little more special even if we are separated by distance?

It doesn’t have to cost much. Just a simple note or card will do.

As the saying goes:
The Beauty of Missing Someone
Tags: Relationships, Breakups, Grief And Loss, Missing You, Loneliness

Every day I miss you.

Every day you cross my mind. When you do, I smile.

Other days, a lump forms in my throat. Heat rushes to my cheeks as tears form in the corners of my eyes. I either wipe them away, or let them pour out. Depends on the day.

Every now and then, I chuckle at a memory of us. A time or two, I’ve tilted my head back and out came an uproarious laughter.

Oh, how I miss laughing with you.

For what felt like an eternity, I didn’t know whether you missed me too. Worse, I didn’t know if you’d let me see you again. The thought of you no longer being in my life was like 100 wool blankets around me in the summertime — heavy, suffocating, and dark.

And sure, you’re not “in my life” now. I haven’t seen you for almost eight months. Even though I’m conscious of this fact, I’m crying as I write it, when a moment ago all was well. All was “normal”… as can be without you here, anyway.

Eight months. By far the longest I’ve gone without seeing you in these 14 years.

I remember the first time we were apart. It lasted for three months, and it was painstaking. At least then you would talk to me, when you could.

The feeling of missing you is like a constant embrace from a stranger. Unfamiliar, uncomfortable, unwelcome. I want to push it away and invite you in its place.

Oh, how I miss your hugs.

Photo by Isi Parente

When I was in the Cook Islands for 10 weeks, I missed my parents. I missed my brother. I missed my then-boyfriend, even though we broke up when I got home because I’d changed so much. I missed my dog, who died of old age when I was away. And even though it cost me more than I could afford, I texted you when that happened. Because I needed to talk to you when I was in pain, and no amount of money could outweigh that.

Maybe above all, I missed you.

That was over six years ago.

I used to hate missing people I love. It was like a constant, unsettling shadow I wanted to rip away from. Like tinnitus reverberating in my skull, taunting me. Reminding me. You’re not by my side.

One day, I reflected on how to say I miss you in Spanish. There are two ways to say it:

Yo te extraño

Te echo de menos

For a native English speaker, it takes some time to get used to this format. In both these forms, the word-for-word translation is not “I miss you.” Rather, it is:

You are missing from me.

“You (are)… from” = te

“Missing… me” = Yo … extraño

If that’s too much to wrap your head around, don’t overthink it and simply trust me.

When I grasped the translation “You are missing from me,” I thought about a completely different concept. Rather than imagining missing a person, my mind drifted to items that go missing.

What does it mean when an item (say, your car key) is missing?

It means it’s not in its rightful place.

Now, when I miss you, I understand it’s because you’re not in your rightful place.

By my side.

Although this notion doesn’t heal the pain, I respect it, like beautifully haunting poetry.