The COVID-19 Pandemic continues to batter the U.S. and after 9 months of limited social contact, the weary seem ready for a change in leadership.  The results of the election seem certain, but President Trump is not ready to throw in the towel.  – Joe Bagod, Journal Curator.

“I think we took a step forward this week.  I always botch the MLK quote, I quote it as, The arc of history bends towards progress instead of MLK’s original quote, ‘The arc of history bends towards justice.’  I really believe this.  I feel the change.  I agree with Dave Chappel, ½ the country is feeling profound loss right now because their cause lost, but I strongly believe we are heading back in the right direction.”  – David, November 8, 2020.

“I decided to exercise for the first time since I was infected today. One thing I noticed is that when one of my family or friends has any questions about medical stuff/activity/anything COVID-19 related, I am willing to do a plethora of research and give possibly unsolicited advice in my hopeful future-doctor opinion, but I do not put in the same effort for myself. Before I went, I was aware that it was probably not the best idea to go into the cold and play tennis just after having recovered, but my own selfish desires to burn some calories despite the best health precautions was a interesting look into how I think about myself and how I act (very arrogantly) towards others. Either way, it was fun to exercise my severely atrophied muscles and expand my lungs, but I am already feeling the soreness creeping up on me.” – A. W., November 13, 2020

“This is the first day I’ve seen people besides the people in my house, physically, for probably three weeks. My quarantine ended Wednesday, but I’m still staying home, especially with cases rising so quickly. My sister and cousin were in the area, and they stopped by to get some of the cake I baked yesterday. I ran a piece out to their car, and I talked to them from outside their car for a little bit. There was more than 6 feet between us, and I kept having to duck my head because the car was low. I only talked to them for about fifteen minutes, but it was nice to see people.” – N. A., November 13, 2020.

“Following these last three weeks or so, I have decided to try my best to pay a bit less attention to politics until after the semester ends. Trump's legal challenges in states like Pennsylvania are being thrown out of court, so I am fairly confident that Biden will be inaugurated come January. I am still nervous about possible political violence (or worse, mass shootings), but I figure that even if I ignore the news for awhile, any major violent events will come to my attention through friends or family anyways. In this spirit of moving on from the stress of the election, I took a very long nap today, to help reset my brain. Towards the end of the nap, I had a dream. Not just any dream, but a PLEASANT one! I rarely have pleasant dreams to begin with, and certainly have not had any recently. Maybe this is a sign that my subconscious mind is just as ready as my conscious mind to move on.” – Dominic Putko, November 11, 2020.

“Ever go to a Diner by yourself, just to sit at the counter and talk with strangers?  I miss that.” – Joe Bagod, November 13, 2020.

“What a relief! Biden won! Man, last week felt like the longest one all year…

   Monday: Anticipation

   Tuesday: Optimistic

   Tuesday night: WTF

   Wednesday: Anxious

   Thursday: What is taking soooo long [to count]?

   Friday: These memes are great…

   Saturday morning: Practice patience…

   Saturday 11AM: Woohoo! That was fast! I thought we were gonna have to wait ‘til next week. Haha!

I slept so well Saturday night! I haven’t felt that kind of rest in 4 years. Finally, that piece of me could have some peace. Finally, I didn’t immediately check social media upon waking for updates.” – A Paprika, November 8, 2020.

“It looks like we are definitely in the 2nd wave of Coronavirus pandemic that I mentioned in an earlier journal post. We are now experiencing COVID-19 infection rates that we have seen since the early days of the pandemic. Many states are reinstating many of the lockdown measures that were put in place months ago to slow the spread of the virus. I recently saw a map that stated that almost all states are currently experiencing an uncontrolled spread of the virus.” – Kenneth, November 14, 2020.

“Today was a gorgeous day and not only because the era of Trump, along with his cruelty and lies, is coming to end. It was also 75 degrees F today. So lovely, if you can forget the downside of climate change being that it will make many of our homes unlivable and cost many human lives. Once Biden is president, the US will rejoin the Paris Agreement. It is a step in the right direction. 

Today and yesterday, really, were horrific days in terms of coronavirus news. Cases are up, hospitals are being overwhelmed in parts of the country. The death toll will begin to rise soon. So many more Americans will die in the next 3 months, under a lameduck president that would shoot them himself if he thought it would bring him pleasure. My heart aches.” – A. T., November 8, 2020.

“My brief is published! The first thing I did after I got out of bed was to check my phone to see if my Brief got published. I was very happy that it was. It is an amazing feeling to spend time and get results instantly. My hard work and diligence paid off big time. This is my second ever brief that was published. I realize that I still have a lot of time ahead of me but this is a good start in my journalistic career.” – Can, November 12, 2020.