STACIA LAVALLIE
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So this is my last required blog or at least one of the last ones. Lately, it's set in that the seniors are leaving school. My brother is included in that, and it is very bittersweet. I am going to miss the few seniors I got to know and even seeing the ones that I didn't. It was pretty entertaining in Journalism, not going to lie. With the front table of seniors always talking about something random, yes I did hear that table's conversations. I'll miss chuckling at the little weird things they would say. I'll miss my track buddy, Cynthia, who was always there when I needed a partner or someone to laugh with. I'll miss seeing my brother completely ignore people or text me for a charger/ride. It was annoying at the time, but I now wish I would have enjoyed it more. I am very close with my brother, and so this will be hard not having him there. We are buying him donuts tomorrow morning, and celebrating on Tuesday when he walks. As well as when the live stream is on. I miss driving to school and parking in the back with my mini cooper because I was still learning the basics of manual. I miss having Wednesday mornings with friends, hopefully next year we will have those back. Even walking into Journalism exhausted and hearing, "Good afternoon." is something I'll miss. Journalism was amazing even when I'd goof off (sorry Mr. Tichy!) I even got the chance to meet Antonia, and talk with her a little bit. All of the memories are flooding in now about this past school year. I miss every aspect and I hope to be back in school next fall. Thank you, Mr. Tichy for always being there for all of us for ideas, random conversations and to just have the class where I felt like I could breathe and get my work done. Thank you for giving us that space to be with our friends and work on articles. It pushed me out of my comfort zone, and I think we got some good ones out there. Even if only a few people read it, it felt good to mark down certain events. This is the longest blog I've wrote. Whoops. Anyways, I am back home and I will miss this class and school in general. Goodbye, seniors. Good luck to you and wherever you may go. I know I never talked to you guys in the class really but you'll be remembered in this class. Thanks again, Mr. Tichy. I have no clue what is going on next week. If I don't blog again, just know you are such an awesome teacher and you made that class as amazing as it was. Sincerely, Stacia LaVallie.
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What has been going on? Time has been going so fast this past week. I work, go to school and bike sometimes. Biking has been going so much better, since I am getting more in shape. In quarantine, there isn't much you can do out. There is takeout but that's about it. Biking with Abby is entertaining, as we also walk by the river. This is the most time I have spent outdoors really, as I am usually working and have nobody to do that with. Her birthday was just last week and I finally got her present in the mail. I got her this sweatshirt that says, "I am so freaking cold," which was cleared with her parents. She loved it, and I also made her frybread. I had to go to my house to get my car worked on by my dad. He had some wipers for my Mini Cooper. Yes, I am that green Mini Cooper driving around in case you were wondering. Okay, it's setting in lately that we are done in two weeks! Two weeks! I feel like we just started, and I just wrote a partner story with Antonia. I am so sad that I don't get to finish in school, because I am missing my friends. I miss everything about school really, except being able to sleep in is very nice. I am very happy that I sleep in, get more time to bike, less time working and just being able to breathe. Summer is approaching and I am thankful my grandparents own a resort by Duluth. That will definitely be so much fun.
So life this week has gone insanely fast. I have been working everyday (except Sundays!) I also have worked the past two Fridays at Hawthorn. My home base! My people! It has been so nice, it feels so familiar to me. I am hoping and praying I get to go back. Although my work here at Bison Plains Lodge has been really nice about giving me breaks when I am exhausted and not feeling so great. The work here is picking up as well, and that is so awesome to see. We have been working so hard on these rooms everyday. I go to school, then go work on rooms and some deep cleaning. We went to St. Cloud this past Thursday, and that gave me a break from the hotel and also from Moorhead. I know we should stay here but we got new furniture for the hotel. So now the hotel can look better, even with how low budget it is. We put our money into it, since it is a family owned business. So yeah, we loaded a UHaul up and came back to Moorhead, and even stopped for ice cream. I was so happy to not feel stuck in one place. This all is not gonna blow over anytime soon, so I feel like everybody is trying to just get things going. I am taking precautions with gloves and masks, so don't yell at me. Also, I have had so much time to get used to my car! I drive a manual transmission Mini Cooper, and I had to learn manual after automatic, it really sucked going from something so simple to manual. I have been driving that pretty regularly, and I have gotten much better. Before, I was so nervous and didn't like to drive it because I didn't know how. Now, with some experience, I feel so much more comfortable. A few slips here and there, but mostly I feel okay. Distance learning is going fine, I suck at remembering attendance but I am human. So, life is going okay right now. A little frustration, but I am doing fine.
So when is this done? I am so ready to return to normal life like everyone else. I am very tired of just hearing the word coronavirus on the TV. Everytime, I feel like it's becoming, "Well there's nothing to report but you all want a report so I will blabber on for a while." It gets old, and I know it will be a while until everything is done. I feel like I keep hearing that it will be a month later. I hope we all get at least some of summer. Everyone says July recently, but I am thinking even then is a stretch. I have been passing time by working, watching shows, and going biking with Abby. As well as eating ice cream, whoops? I also cuddle with my cat, Lola. She loves sleeping and she can be very comforting. Abby has been getting me to go bike, even when it is six miles. I like to spend time with her, 'cause she brings me water and is patient. I am not the most in shape, but it is getting better and I feel great. We went out to Trollwood, and even walked by the river. I like to walk there since I have never been able to do that before. I also have started climbing trees with her, which is also something I haven't really done much before. I am loving to be able to get out, it breaks up the inside time. Besides that, sixty and above is so awesome. It tans the very pale skin I have gained from winter. Speaking of snow, it is mostly gone so I hope it is done. It has been six months of snow, so I think Minnesota is tired of it. The sun shines, I go biking and everything feels so great. I also discovered how much I love Calypso lemonades. So, Summer is rolling in and I am loving it.
There really hasn't been much change recently. I am here at the hotel with my cat and still working when I am not at school. Well, there was an addition of bike riding with Abby. Which has been so nice, having somebody my age to talk to rather than adults older than 20. I climbed a tree this week! I am so happy about that for some reason, although my forearms were SORE for a couple days. Abby and I bike wherever she has planned that day, even when I feel very sweaty and out of breath. I am not used to biking so far, so it is new. I have started tuning into 2 Broke Girls reruns, that show is very entertaining and I have been enjoying it. At the hotel, we are just deep cleaning rooms so that they are in better shape than when we got here. We bought it as a Super 8, so that says a lot about the quality. Well. there has also been the county here too. I have continued to go to drive-thrus from lack of adventure. Whoops? It makes me happy so that is fine. Now the weather is gorgeous and we can go outside and have s'mores (we did last Sunday) and have a couple meals out there since it is sunny and usually 60 and above. I am loving it, it has helped so much with my mood. I am not depressed and lacking sunshine. I am feeling so good! We might be going home soon, which would be interesting. I am kind of liking having my own space and no chores assigned to me on top of working. I do miss my brother, dad and stepmom and the break was needed. I am feeling more independent, which is nice. I also have had time to think about what I want to do as a job, and I am torn on psychiatrist and pediatrician. I need to look into what colleges want and what I would need to do in college. This is definitely a lot of time to think, and I suppose I have more time. I am hoping this will all blow over soon, because it can get kind of old but I am trying to stay positive.
A small break from health topics. We all aware of the current situation but there are definitely differences. I stay in a hotel that my family owns, and I have been for four weeks now. It's crazy and I definitely miss my family and animals. I have a dog, Lena, she is a Border Collie mix with Alaskan Malamute. She is so cute, energetic and just very affectionate. I have a cat, Lola, she is a tortoiseshell cat and she also is very chubby. She is a good sixteen pounds, and loves snacks (Temptations preferred.) She is my personal favorite. Since I am stuck in the hotel, my family runs us dinner most times. We make do with our pizza oven, microwave, griddle and crockpot. We usually have some burgers or even the other night, meat loaf. I have cut down on hours, since school has been a lot lately. It’s not necessarily the hardest it’s been, it has just been a lot of busy work. Which takes time, on top of having a job. Honors Biology sends out checklists on what needs to get done, by midnight on Friday. Honors English also has a meet every single day and then assignments. It’s been okay, we are working on debate which I have liked in the past. I like to prove people wrong. It’s just been kind of boring lately with what’s going on. I want to go play basketball but I can’t. I want to see my friends but nope. I want to see my family for longer than 30 minutes. This is good, keeping me from eating at sit down restaurants. I love my stepmom’s home cooking, so it has been so amazing having that more often. I do miss baking, that was always a blast. I was just getting chocolate chip cookies down. They were soooo good. Positive aspects, having my cat now. Also, only having to work for a couple hours and making money. I’m apparently getting eight hundred dollars in a check here pretty soon. Which sounds like a great time to me, considering I had some maintenance on my car and I need to pay to go to Florida next year. I am so excited and that trip is my motivation. Orchestra is going to Florida with band for five days next year. I get to spend three days at Disneyworld with some of my friends. Back on topic, I heard this will probably end by June or July which I’m hoping sooner than that so we have summer break to enjoy and I can return to my house sometime soon. I am enjoying no dishes, chores and having my own room and bathroom but I do miss normal. This has been really hard but no mental breakdown yet! Even one of my coaches said she has been struggling, and has been doing a lot of thinking. I am in track and was looking forward to that, but I suppose some sacrifices are made for safety and health. I am upset but it is what it is. Anyways, this has been a whirlwind of a time and I am kinda glad we are journaling about it. I think I’d forget so much of this. Like going to get ice cream with Cody, playing cards with Cody and even listening to Cathy yelling at Paul. I’d forget so much of this. I know it sucks but I am creating so many memories I will never forget. My sophomore year, the last few months online because of coronavirus. This is crazy but I guess it’s just settling in now. We will make it through together.
So everyone knows about the Coronavirus, and that social distancing needs to happen. I made a whole blog about what it is, so it's definitely been spreading around. On top of that, we had just stocked up on disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer so that was very convenient. So now we wash our hands often and use sanitizer way more. The place it effected us the most though is our hotel, Bison Plains Lodge. We had just started picking up more business, so we were thrilled when that happened and then the quarantines started happening, That's when we needed to start wiping everything down at least once an hour, and make sure that we got the state's demands for businesses. I also had a job at Hawthorn Suites in Fargo, so that dropped a TON too. Hours got cut and people needed to get laid off. I was cut until everything picks back up, so now I mainly work at Bison Plains Lodge and help my family out because cuts were made here as well. It’s been crazy, working mostly every day at my family’s hotel. On top of school, it can be a lot. I am, like everyone, missing my friends like crazy. It does get old sitting at the hotel and the cycle of school, work, sleep. I go for drives, just to get out of the same space for days at a time. I also go to get food randomly with my cousin in drive-thrus. I know it’s not recommended but it’s something I do I guess. Also, just for future note, my parents are at my house, separate from me. Along with my cat. On the bright side, I do get a hotel room to myself. It has been nice, only having to pick up after myself rather than seven people in a house. School has been okay, distance learning isn’t terrible. I try to get things done ahead of time, and sometimes that works out. I watch the front desk and do homework most days. It’s been working out fine. Overall, I think I should be just fine for a little bit.
Coronavirus- a health topic that is very obvious lately.So, what is the Coronavirus? It's a range of illnesses, starting from an Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome to Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, as well as a common cold. The Coronavirus is zoonotic, meaning it can be exchanged between animals and people. MERS was given from camels to humans, and SARS was exchanged between civet cats to humans. The symptoms are cough, fever, shortness of breath and usually just respiratory issues. If you have symptoms of it, stay home for at least 7 days. If you live with others, they should stay home for at least 14 days to avoid spreading it more than needed. In 2002, many people remember SARS being spread and causing global panic. Although MERS is more lethal than SARS, people remember SARS better. Also, the data is showing that it's a slow burn. The symptoms show up with usually a cough, then get better for a day or so, then completely show up. That is usually when the patient is hospitalized. Common traits that doctors see is obesity, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. A good thing is that people usually get a mild form, and recover. This also isn't something they can look back at a textbook and learn about and how to treat it. Doctor are learning about it as it happens, and gather data as it comes. It's not ideal, but that is how it has to be for now. My house would be screwed if I were to get it, I live in a house of seven, with my grandparents, brother, cousin and parents. All of us work, so we wouldn't be the best house to get it. I am not saying that any house would be ideal, I just know that all of us are "essential" workers and if we got sick, our hotel would go downhill very quickly. Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia, which is memory loss that slowly takes over the ability to do anything including drink and eat. It isn't normal for aging, unlike what most people would say. It's the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. The symptoms include being confused doing normal tasks that are part of day to day. Also, losing track of things, confusion, and challenges in planning or solving issues. If a close family member of your's has Alzheimer's, you have 30% more chances to get it yourself. Even personalities change, when they react to things it can be more dramatic than before. Tangles and plaques occur in the brain, and things slowly break apart. That's why they slowly forget how to do day to day things. In speech, they could struggle to find the right words, vision issues, or even get lost easily. Watching them slowly forget people, including a husband or even their child can be very sad. I think of The Notebook, and how her family she didn't recognize. It's sad but I suppose it's part of life.
Alcoholism- Somebody who is addicted to alcohol. Often referred to as having no control over how much they consume, as well as not regarding the consequences after. Even if they have trouble with work, school, and family; they don't stop. Usually the symptoms include: drinking in secret, going out often, blacking out for periods of time, storing alcohol in unlikely places as well as withdrawals after not drinking. I do have personal experiences with my family being alcoholics, which I have cut out now. I now have a healthy family who doesn't drink very often. A close family member of mine is an alcoholic, and she hides alcohol at family functions as well as progressively spent less time sober and more time drinking and out at bars. I completely agree that it takes over their life, but I do not agree with that they have no control. They chose to pick up the bottle, and they chose to neglect those that they love. The amount of alcoholics is rising, and there is now 12.7 percent of alcoholics in the United States. That is so sad and frustrating, because I think of all the people that are affected by them. It's more than just them, it includes family and close friends. It all disappears, and they usually don't care. Alcoholism is depressing.
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Blog postsHere , you will find posts on my life in quarantine and about some health topics I wanted to know more about. Below you can skip ahead to each month where I posted Archives
May 2020
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