Tag: covid-19

  • 7 best practices if you’ve been exposed to COVID-19 (or think you have)

    7 best practices if you’ve been exposed to COVID-19 (or think you have)

    With coronavirus and the omicron variant causing rising rates of new cases, it’s more important than ever to remain diligent to keep yourself and your community safe. But what happens when you’re exposed — or suspect you’ve been exposed — by someone you live with?  Mark Bajorek, Director of Health Services at Portland State University,…

  • What The COVID-19 Test Is Really Like

    By Claire Golden After scheduling an upcoming medical procedure, the doctor informed me that I would have to get tested for COVID-19 prior to going. My heart sank. I’ve never enjoyed going to the doctor. Well, nobody does, but for me it used to be a phobia that would lead to tears and panic attacks.…

  • Dorm Pie

    Dorm Pie

    As I’ve written before, I live in student housing. Dorms— a word that connotes many things related to “the college experience”— ridiculously tall beds, hallways decorated to reflect the RA’s floor theme, washing machines that only work half the time … and above all, socialization. From bonding over bowls of instant ramen to flashcard quizzes…

  • Checkmate

    By Claire Golden As we enter Wave 2 of Lockdown, we are also entering a new wave of boredom. Animal Crossings: New Horizons isn’t new and exciting anymore, cooking has grown dull, and the shorter days are making it harder to get outside for exercise. I found myself in need of a new hobby, and…

  • Winter is Coming.

    Winter is Coming.

    Wash your hands. Wear a mask. We’re in this together. Governor Kate Brown recently announced new social-distancing requirements across Oregon. Most counties will have to follow the new guidelines for at least two weeks, but Multnomah County and other COVID hotspots will stay shut down even longer. Washington’s Governor Jay Inslee recently announced similar restrictions.…

  • Not-So-Great Expectations: Adjusting Plans During the Pandemic

    Not-So-Great Expectations: Adjusting Plans During the Pandemic

    I’m a list-maker: Homework assignments, goals, chores, funny things I overheard in the Park Blocks…you name it, I have a list for it! Four times a year, I create a “bucket list,” itemizing everything I want to do that season: swimming and barbeques in the summer. Haunted houses and pumpkin-picking in the fall. Holiday parties…

  • Nailing Stress

    Nailing Stress

    “I actually used to be a nail tech … not that you can tell.” I force a laugh and brandish my bitten stubs. I admit it — I’m a nail biter. Gross and unattractive in the best of times, it’s a literal life-and-death habit in Corona times — a danger to not only myself by…

  • Crafting in Quarantine: “Quaranzines”

    Crafting in Quarantine: “Quaranzines”

    Whether in mandatory or self-imposed isolation, people are turning to hobbies like arts and crafts to keep themselves occupied.  One fun project having a moment on social media is zine-making: The hashtag #quaranzine has over 5,000 hits on Instagram. Merriam-Webster defines a zine as “a noncommercial often homemade or online publication usually devoted to specialized…

  • Making Do

    Making Do

    Recently, I wrote about my experiences under lockdown in student housing. Although being alone in quarantine was weighing on my mental health, I said that crashing with family or friends in Southern Oregon was not an ideal option for me. Since that post, I tried really hard to make the best of my situation — …