"Frustration–the feeling of being upset or annoyed, especially because of inability to change or achieve something” (Oxford English Dictionary). From the pressing political issues brought up during the presidential “dueling” Town Halls to a looming threat of a second wave of COVID-19 cases, there are many things that happened this week that people may find frustrating. In fact, many of the journal entries from October 11 – October 17, 2020 revolved around issues that sparked annoyance, ranging from minor inconveniences to national concerns. The impact of COVID-19 and society’s response has pushed the writers of these journals to express their dissatisfactions with things in either their daily lives or the current state of the world. –Varoon Phondge, journal curator

“But, where is safe space in a densely populated city? When people don’t wear masks or share the sidewalk… or abide by the 6 feet distance advisory. I’m in line at the dollar store and the agitated people behind me think moving off the mark makes the line go faster… Stores ‘require’ masks but they don’t require customers to wear them properly. When they do, who is enforcing the policy? A number of retail employees and security officers have either been assaulted or killed by customers they confronted to enforce the mask policy… Crazy” – A. Paprika (October 11, 2020)

   Apart from COVID-deniers, an interesting explanation for why people may not adhere to COVID-19 guidelines like A. Paprika saw in her city may be due to Caution Fatigue - “when people experience low motivation or don’t have the energy to adhere to health guidelines, despite the increasing threat, and they crave being able to return to normal activity.” ("Coping with caution fatigue created by COVID-19")

“One thing I have heard almost from the very start of quarantine is that there is a strong desire for everything to return to ‘normal’...I remember reading near the end of April that many people were incredibly frustrated that the quarantine was going to continue into the month of May. Little did these people know that the quarantine would continue all throughout the summer and into the fall. I have found myself having the same thoughts about the quarantine as these people throughout most of the pandemic. But today I just had a thought, what if the quarantine is the new normal for me?” – Kenneth (October 14, 2020)

“On Tuesday we had a faculty meeting that explained our school reopening plan on 10/19.  We are going forward with a reopening for students who are opting to attend school live.  Only 17% of our school population has opted to come back to class.  The other 83% will stay virtual.  How does this work?  Good question - it doesn’t...There is no congregating indoors.  Faculty rooms that used to sit 30 now sit 4.  I will have to find an empty classroom or sit outside in my car between periods.  No eating in the building.  Water fountains are shut down.  We can bring our own water.  The rules seem pretty ridiculous.  And I didn’t even discuss the new standard operating procedure for entering the building.  We have waivers and temp checks, and specific entry portals.  We did get rid of HR (Homeroom) so that's a minor victory, we go straight to first period.  We are in a single session day so kids can go home at noon to eat, but we will have to reconvene at 1PM virtually to finish the day.  In that hour I will be allowed to leave the building and return home to teach the rest of the day from my office (with my dog).  Reeeedicuuuuulous.” – David (October 15, 2020)

   “What It’s Like to Be a Teacher in 2020 America”, a New York Times article that focuses on three teachers and their teaching experiences during the pandemic.

“I’m having trouble writing my master essay again, running into a severe case of writer's block, I have some basic ideas down but I’m having trouble turning it into an actual paper, not sure what the problem is. All I know is that I’m running out of time to figure something else, might as well be throwing my skull at a wall at this point.” – Nemo (October 12, 2020)

“I still can't believe that testing in the USA is still so inconsistent, and offices still have to worry about running out of certain tests or having turn-around times be up to five days, which I consider ludicrous.” – Dominic Putko (October 14, 2020)

“Political discourse in the United States is so polarized right now. The Republicans are embracing full-on, open racism and sexism, chanting things like “Lock her up” and making fun of names that aren’t Anglo-Saxon in origin (usually at COVID-spreading rallies). It is beyond regressive and, accordingly, beyond depressing.” – AT (October 17, 2020)