[INTRO MUSIC PLAYS]
Kimberly: Hello and welcome back to Hoo’s At the Writing Center! I’m Kimberly!
Ali: I’m Ali!
Maddy: I’m Maddy!
Kimberly: We are back in the Podcast studio, in the media and production center. Isn’t that so spicy.
Ali: We are sitting in the same room! This is thrilling.
Kimberly: We see each other, we are vaccinated, Maddy is arming the sound board like a boss.
Maddy: [laughter]
Kimberly: We love it here.
Ali: We really do.
Kimberly: So, we thought we would start off season five just talking about you know. It’s been like a year and something months.
Ali: More than that.
Kimberly: Yeah, something like that, I don’t keep track of time, time is irrelevant. Since the pandemic started and so we thought starting fall quarter especially for some of us since this is their last year. Sorry...
Ali: Shhhh we are not gunna talk about that yet.
Kimberly: We just wanted to do like a little reflection episode we just wanted to talk and reflect about what has happened in the
past year. I have written down like you know what we learned and what a Zoom University has been like or just anything that pops to mind.
Ali: Spoiler alert it has been bad.
Kimberly: It’s been... if you have not met anyone who has done online schooling then oh god you are in for an episode. [laughter] Yeah, we just want to do this because what is the harm in doing a little reflecting. You know what I mean.
Ali: We do go to a Jesuit University.
Kimberly: We do go to a Jesuit university we educate the whole person.
Ali: Consolation, desolation moment?
Kimberly: And so we just want to talk about it. Um, so yeah, let's let's just get into it. I don't have any set questions at all. I just earlier, I was just talking to Maddy about how one of the things that I really hated about the pandemic is the fact that we weren't able to record in person. We were stuck. If you've listened to our previous episodes, we were recording on zoom. If you not if you didn't know that, you know now. Yeah. And you can tell the difference in audio. Between now and back then. So one of the biggest things is just like and I'm sure that this goes for everyone, just like how many different things were sort of barred from us or like, like, so many things were halted or like we couldn't let you the services were like completely, you know, banished, all of a sudden, because we had to accommodate for online. And also some people went back home. I know that I'm a Seattleite. So I'm here and you know, all this stuff. I know some people had apartments here, but like,
Ali: Well, I'd like we're at the beginning of it. Okay, so last March, I had moved in to an apartment off campus and lived there for exactly one month. I think it was actually like one month in like 11 days. And then we got the email that school was going to be online and I got a very frantic phone call from my mother. And she said, Actually, you need to get on a train and get home and then I just didn't come back and like move like had my friends helped me move out of that apartment while I was like many states away, which is still pretty wild feels like a million years ago and can't really believe that I did that. Yeah.
Kimberly: Yeah.
Ali: Maddy, were you like, were you in Seattle? Are you back home?
Maddy: Yeah, I, I left because I was living in a dorm room. And like the morning, we got the email. I was like, I'm booking a flight home the next day. And I live in. I'm from California. So like the Bay Area. And I've been there, well, I was there from March until winter quarter. Because winter quarter. I just was like, I'm done. And I got an apartment with my friend.
Kimberly: And that's--I respect that
Maddy: Yeah. That was a really good decision, I think. But it definitely was just like crazy. Being home. I got my family got a dog and a cat.
Ali: Both?
Maddy: Yeah
Kimberly: Just pandemic things.
Maddy: So that's been, that was fun. Um, but it came to a point where I was like, I think I need to like, you know, go back. And like, live life again. Yeah.
Kimberly: Live life safely. And put a mask on and stay six feet away from everyone.
Maddy: Yeah, yeah. Of course
Ali: Well and also to be in Seattle and I don't know like when I was only home, like with my parents for like, a week or two in total for it because I was I was living elsewhere. And I was like, Oh my God. I can't imagine everyone who has been really stuck back with their parents after getting sent home from school. That's a nightmare. None of us would have been happy about that.
Kimberly: You know, the really funny thing is, is I'm a commuter student, I was I'm with my parents 24/7. So when everyone was like, Oh my god, I don't want to go back home and be with my parents like, well, they're like, my roommates so I really have no choice when the whole thing happened. I mean, I think the only change was that my, my siblings were home and like, we could see each other and like, I wasn't like, a whole, like, across the bridge, RIP the bridge.
Ali: West Seattle Bridge come back baby, we need you.
Kimberly: We don’t talk about her. Um, but like, you know, I could like be with them and eat dinner with them. Because I that was one of the things that I had missed out on a lot during the first two years of me being in college was because I was, like, you know, doing so many extracurricular activities. I was living life, you know, I'm just like, the the only, you know, the only condition was that I come back home eventually. And then like, you know, sleep there and I come back. So but even so then, like, living with them is like, Hmm, maybe maybe I can dip my toe into the the other side of independence, but but but no I'm still commuting. So but I saved money.
Ali: Honestly, I mean, my I think you have it probably figured out the best of all of us. Thank you. Yes. Was there like, you said something before before we started about just like how, like we we kind of accepted that the pandemic was just the new normal without really like processing that, like, how's it been very all to come kind of out of the transition, or like through the transition that we're in right now. And clearly, we're not through it in any signs of any sense of finality. But what's what's the past couple months been like for you?
Kimberly: I just want to give a little fun fact, for the listeners. This is the first time that we have met Maddy. In person
Ali: Hey Maddy good to see you outside of a Zoom screen.
Maddy: Yes. It's good to meet y'all in person. It's kind of crazy. It's like, Oh, hey,
Kimberly: That's what I missed out on in the last couple of muscles actually meeting people and like, because everyone was just a zoom screen to me and like, it would be weird to like, I never thought about it, but I was like, I'm gunna see these people in person. I'm gunna be like, I had class with you. And like, I had like this professor’s class and like all this I don't know if they're gunna even remember me because it was like, you know, I think you've just blue screen pardon my pun, but like blue screen when you look at zoom all day. Yeah. And you're just like, yeah, I mean, I don't know where you look at when you look at a zoom screen. I know. Some people
Ali: Oh I am literally just staring at myself. Yeah. I don’t know if that is because I am a Leo rising, but it's literally just me preening the entire time, and I won't apologize because it's very distracting.
Kimberly: People don't like looking at themselves. And
Ali: Oh I didn’t say I enjoy it. It just kinda happens.
Kimberly: I just do it by default. So I'm just like, I don't know, I think I look great. This is my mirror . I'm like, Oh, my hair looks this way. Maybe I can like adjusted a little bit. But I know some people don't like to. But anyway. Yeah, I mean, I think I think everyone agrees, like feels this way like meeting out with people and like, meeting out meeting people and like hanging out with them like actually in a space that isn't just like someone's apartment. Not that you know, apartment hangouts aren't fun, or whatever. But like, you know, I I'm a big foodie. And I love exploring different foods and like, especially in Seattle, but like you lost a part of that, because it was like takeout only or like, delivery. And, you know, we lost a lot of that experience. Also, all of my friends were like, in different states. And so I was like, well, we love that love that for us.
Ali: It's been so weird. Especially Yeah, like, again, Maddy just meeting you in person. Like, I remember, like, just at the center, like the and I know that I think we've said this in probably every staff meeting that we've had this year, but like, it's just so different. And it's, I don't know, I'm like, Oh my gosh, there's this whole group of consultants that we've worked with for an entire year. And I'm like, Who are you? How are you? What's happening?
Maddy: Yeah, it's crazy, because I've never even like, stepped foot in the Writing Center.
Ali: We can go upstairs after recording and do that!
Maddy: Okay, yeah, that'd be good. Um, so that's been kind of weird to like, think about like, oh, and I've only learned how to like, do all this stuff online. So it's like, it'll be an interesting adjustment. I think just going back to in person and like doing consultations for the first time in person, but I'm excited for it. I think it'll be good. But yeah, the last few months have been interesting for me too. It's just like, Oh, I don't know. It's just been, like the adjustment between where we were like winter quarter to now is so crazy early or even fall. It's just like, no one knew what was going on. I feel like now we have clearer signs that like what's going on, but still there's like a lot to think about in terms of like COVID. And like, what are we going to do? How are we going to, like, move forward? Like our masks gunna be a thing forever? I don't know, probably.
Kimberly: Like a Delta variant.
Ali: Yeah, I can't imagine going into a grocery store without a mask on.
Kimberly: I know.
Ali: That like, genuinely makes anxious.
Kimberly: In some states. My partner just told me that in her state of New Mexico, because I think there's like a different there are varying levels of like, in like terms of like COVID vaccinations also, like, you know, who reported to be COVID. And like, anyway, there are like, and I think turquoise or like, the lowest level of having COVID cases. And I think that like, and also like a lot of people are getting vaccinated. So like she walked into an Ulta we're not sponsored, she walked into it.
Ali: Ulta, If you want to sponsor us, I am open, you can email me
Kimberly: Just Ali, though.
Ali: Just me [email protected] Thank you. I will respond promptly.
Kimberly: Can you imagine? But in New Mexico, she walked into an Ulta. And no one was wearing a mask. Isn't that crazy? And like, you're just like, what do I What do I even do like I like, and like she doesn't want to be the weird outsider puts on a mask because like her, like her, her parents were like, what are you doing? She's like, I'm putting on my mask? And they were like, you don't need to?
Maddy: Yeah, I definitely think, I don't know, I've been seeing more and more people without it. Just like going into even like, Trader Joe's or whatever, even some of the people that work there. But I don't know. I think that will be just interesting to see. Like, even in the net, like, at the end of the summer or in by the time like winter rolls around? I don't know.
Ali: Well, and yeah, like, like you're saying Maddy, it's so weird to think about where we were in January when we were like, all clamoring to get a vaccine. And it was like, oh, there's a spot here at this time. I'm going to drive 35 miles and like, get that one. And now people are just like, please get vaccinated. I really mean it. It's and that was only like, relatively speaking a few months ago, right?
Kimberly: Time doesn't exist in my head
Ali: It genuinely doesn’t. And like, it didn't really before. But now I'm like, how? What is this going to do? To my sense of like, not like, like having an idea of like, planning for the future. That's true. Like the future doesn't exist. Not to be super pessimistic, but like, it's just kind of like it's so abstract. Because we've been just like in this really heightened state of panic in a way for so long.
Kimberly: Yeah, for sure. Also, this is completely off topic, but I want to say that I think we've met before when I was part of your interview.
Maddy: Oh, my god, no, you're so right. Yeah.
Ali: You're witnessing connections being made live audience.
Kimberly: But that was like it that we like met. And I was like, sort of assessing you. So I wasn't like building some connection? Because it was your shot to be like, Can I be in the Writing Center? Yeah. And then it wasn't until now that like now we're in a podcast together. We've like built a relationship through zoom. And now we get to, like, finally meet each other.
Maddy: Yeah.
Ali: What did y'all think about your interviews? I know that I left mine convinced that I had absolutely bombed it. And they were never going to call me back.
Kimberly: I think I think I felt the same way. I mean, also, I was like, walking ahead of I like there was just this like person walking, walking behind me. And I was like, they're walking the same way that I am. And it turned out to be the one and only Heidi Basta. Heidi and she walked into the like interview room. And I was like, oop, Hello.
Ali: So for context, for anybody who doesn't know, when we interview for the Writing Center. We like to answer a bunch of things. And then we're also asked to, like teach the staff that's interviewing us, like, teach them something. So I like taught them how to draw a duck. Because that's useful and important.
Kimberly: You never know. When you want to draw duck.
Ali: Exactly true. What did y'all What did y'all teach?
Kimberly: I wish we did a video cast so we can just have a video of you trying to draw that for us.
Ali: Yeah, I'm like I do a lot of art. In my life, that drunk, drunk. That duck drawing was not a, was not art by any stretch of the imagination.
Kimberly: I taught the staff how to play a song on the ukulele. I taught them how to play Riptide which I know was like the bare bones of a ukulele. But it's the easiest song that you can learn. The Wonderwall of the ukulele. It really is. And I taught them that and I brought my little uke in and then like, remember where I was like, I'm gonna look so cute and then I'm gonna teach him all the chords. I have a little PowerPoint presentation, which was hard because I was holding the thing. And I think our point is really this was like, This is my first job. So I was like, I gotta go above and beyond and then...
Ali: Respect.
Maddy: I did like, you know those. They have different names but like, you know, the cootie catcher paper things like the little origami.
Kimberly: I do remember that.
Ali: Oh, wow. I super called them fortune tellers growing up. A cootie catcher?
Maddy: Yeah. Do you call them fortune tellers? Okay.
Kimberly: I call them fortune tellers as well. Maybe? Oh,
Ali: Yeah, I'm like, maybe it's just, a PNW thing.
Maddy: I don't know. I don't know, I guess fortune teller. But I did that. And I remember being like, really nervous. I was like, I don't really know, like what to do. But then I was like, you know what, this could be fun. And this is easy. So then I was like, Okay, oh, you know, get some like origami paper and like, teach them how to do it. But I think it went over well. And I remember people being like, oh, this was like a fun thing from my childhood. And I'm like, okay good.
Ali: Yeah, I honestly don't know if I could tell you how to make one of those anymore. It's been so long.
Kimberly: I would take a lesson from my Oh, I...
Maddy: I don't even know if I remember. You need like a square. We don't have a square.
Ali: I do remember like taking like nine by 11 printer paper when I was younger. And yeah, folding in one part so that you like have roughly a square. Yeah, this is such a really fascinating content. For our listeners out here.
Kimberly: We listened to a full 10 minutes of them talking about their job. And like...
Ali: I'm like, well, maybe that is why you're here. But you know, we love our job. Yeah, we do.
Kimberly: And we love that our job is flexible, true. Coming back to the pandemic.
Ali: Thank God, we have jobs.
Kimberly: Yeah, very grateful for that. And also, we move to synchronous and asynchronous really easily because we were already doing stuff like that. And I think that was one of the like, I know, everyone else was like, the world is burning. And I don't know how to transition. But like, at least a writing center was like, we’ll just do this.
Ali: Yeah, which was really nice. Especially since like, I mean, obviously, no hate. The WC online interface can be a titch complicated and confusing. I love it. But also, you know, but like the fact that we like had been trained and like we're kind of fluent. Like in the video consultation format before the entire world became a sick video game. I'm grateful for. Obviously Maddy, you weren't you weren't on staff at that point, right. When did you get hired?
Maddy: I was hired... (thinking)
Kimberly: I think it was that week.
Maddy: Like a week before I left. I feel like, honestly, like I got the email. Like a week before I left.
Kimberly: Congrats you got hired, now we're in a pandemic.
Maddy: But then it was like, oh, because you have to take the 3090 class. So then that was all online.
Ali: Was that and y'all took that spring quarter, didn't you?
Maddy: Yes.
Kimberly: And we took that fall quarter. That’s so weird.
Ali: Yeah. So when we took it. So also another bit of context, you have to take a course five credit course, in order to work the Writing Center. It's a class in tutoring writing. And it's not so much like, grammar and stuff. It's more about, like...
Kimberly: Writing center scholarship. Yeah.
Ali: And like ideological ideas of
Kimberly: There's actually a lot yeah, like, you'd be surprised listener.
Ali: A lot of reading, like, like a lot of anti racist and cultural responsiveness information, which is pretty cool. Anyway, I digress. So we took that our fall quarter, and we were, we had just begun, like we were taking it concurrently with our first quarter of taking clients. Yeah. And so our, I think our cohort was the one that said like, hey, wait, maybe 3090 should come before we're putting consultants in to like, appointments with clients, so that you're not learning something and then like, or like you're not walking into a consultation, so kind of disoriented or maybe unprepared right? Not that I felt unprepared but just a change.
Kimberly: I definitely was very scared for my first consultation.
Ali: I was terrified.
Kimberly: So you just ended up taking the class and then you didn't start working until fall.
Maddy: Yeah, so I took the class and then I had the summer and then fall you just kind of jump in. But I thought that was nice because it was like, okay, like, I know what I'm doing. And I just can kind of like go jump in and do it.
Kimberly: Maddy’s just a go getter.
Ali: I know same like Maddy just has way more confidence than I did.
Kimberly: I walked in and I was like, Oh my god.
Maddy: Well I definitely was nervous. Um, I don't even really, I'm trying to like think about my first one. I don't really have any recollection of it. I really don't. Cause it wasn’t in person. Like, how am I going to remember that if it's on my computer? That's true. But um, yeah, it must have gone okay.
Kimberly and Ali: Yeah. Probably. Yeah.
Kimberly: Mine was with a graduate student. Oh, my first one. I was like, Oh, god, I'm so nervous. And like, all like, you know, Hidy, and Alex was like, it's gonna be alright, right? You got it, okay...
Ali: Yeah, yeah, I remember. Like, I don't remember. I don't remember the client that I worked with. But I do remember. And I don't know what that says about me. But I do remember, obsessing about what I was gonna wear. I was like, this is the first day of school all over again. I do not know where to begin, like business casual question mark. But then Heidi and Alex were like, no, we don't care. Anyway, because that's what's resonated. Yeah, yeah, clearly, really rich takeaways out here.
Kimberly: Um... what what do we feel was sort of the let's, I think we've kind of been trickling it in, throughout our conversation. But like, maybe we've already talked about a lot about the negatives. There are a lot of negatives.
Ali: Ever the optimist, here comes Kimberly.
Kimberly: There's a lot of construction, constructive criticism to be had about the pandemic. And not that, like, none of it is invalid. But I'm wondering if like there was anything that you took at all away from this experience, considering that we're still in it, like a pandemic has not ended, you know, just about like, the kinds of things that you have, maybe have learned in your growth in a year or over, almost two years of this happening? Because like, it was, it was like in winter last year that we were like, oh, there's like a, there's a virus. And then it wasn’t until...
Ali: what that was? Well, I guess yeah, last year. Yeah. Like this year when do Yeah, yeah, I was already a year into it. But yeah.
Kimberly: And then Oh, my God. Wow, time is so Wow, I just I had I just had a breakthrough moment.
Ali: Tally mark every time we talk about how time doesn’t exist.
Kimberly: Yeah. But anything, you've just like, learn, you know, because growth is really great. And like, anything that you might, you know, tell the people who find this archive of podcasts? And they're like, what is this episode of the pandemic? And 2020? Let’s listen to that.
Ali: Pandemic reflections. Thoughts from the Panini press?
Maddy: I don't know. I think it's like, was just a good overall reminder of like, the little things that you've taken for granted of like, these tiny things that you could do, like you could just go out and go to a restaurant and sit down and eat food with like, your friends. And it's like, no more that.
Ali: That so that's crazy. What a while.
Maddy: Yeah. Yeah, so I think that was a good reminder of like, you're not really guaranteed a lot. Like you kind of just need to be appreciative of what you can do in the given moment.
Kimberly: Oh, yeah, for sure. Yeah.
Ali: I'd agree with that. Yeah. And I think that something like Kimberly, really as you're asking the question, I think the first thing that came to my mind was, I feel like I just like value my interactions to people so much more and I mean, I like, what I study is very people focused or people driven but I think that like I have a whole new appreciation of like people's stories and like their experiences and obviously like it's, it's really devastating to think about the loss of, of life that's come from this pandemic, and there are so many people who lived these incredibly rich lives that aren't with us anymore, which is tragic and also brings I think, at least personally a whole new appreciation just for like, oh, like Tell me about you like what's your life and like I want to get to know like, as many people as possible because like the story is just like it's I don't know it feels like more precious in a way so
Kimberly: Ali is a psychology and sociology student.
Ali: Could you tell? What gave it away?
Kimberly: I'm interested in people and you know...
Ali: Shut up! (jokingly) I deserve that but
Kimberly: Yeah, it's it's just been you know, I think I think we all I really you know, I really resonate with what Maddy said, you know about like, not, making sure that you don't take anything for granted. I know I took a lot of things for granted. And I know
that as we, you said earlier like we can't walk into the same spaces now and be like this is you know we can't go back. I think that's one of the things that people keep wanting is to get back to where we were before the pandemic but like you know I think also the pandemic exposed a lot of things for us yeah. Not to get too political but it's exposed
Ali: Get political Kimberly! Go off!
Kimberly: (continuing) to a lot of the a lot of issues within certain systems unfortunately. Like there are too many to count and I think that the pandemic has just highlighted all the like, all of the the oppression or the countless efforts of like trying to advocate for something and then like now that the inconvenience of a pandemic has occurred and like has highlighted all these issues all of a sudden paper, paper? People are coming out and they're like, I think they're more encouraged to now speak about something because we see the loss happening we see the injustice happening and I think that was one of my the biggest things that I've seen and unfortunately it's so happening I can't tell you that it's not, it's like solved.
Ali: We have not solved racism yet.
Kimberly: We have not solved a lot of things but I like to think that I don't want to be back and what the pre pandemic was because we weren't talking about these issues then and it wasn't until it happened that we were like, oh maybe we should like start really paying attention to this stuff.
Ali: Even just the conversations that we've had at the center I feel like and it was my experience that like coming in to my job here like conversations about mental health and about like emotional wellbeing we're definitely being had but now like I mean, I don't think that any of that like compares to what we've been talking about in the last year. Of being like hey, you’re people before you’re writing consultants, you’re people before you’re students. Like what's what can we do like either on like the leads team or like with our supervisors or like just as co workers to say like, this is awful. No one's having a great time. So like, what can we do to like make it a little bit less awful? Right?
Kimberly: Yeah, just a little pity party for everyone I know.
Ali: But I also like I also really think that there's been so much like really astonishing resiliency that's come out of the last like year and change where I'm like, people are making such cool art and like doing things that they have never done before and we're finding new ways to connect that are like really exciting to me because it gives me hope for this-this silly little world that we live in that can feel so overwhelming sometimes.
Kimberly: I think everyone who has learned how to break bread, bake bread--
Ali: Oh, yes, that is a shout out to Caroline. Caroline Carr. She has graduated but man she is living my cottage core dreams with all of her bread baking skills.
Kimberly: I hope she listens to this episode and feels--
Ali: I really hope she does because I'm like Caroline, you win. You're doing it. Also, Alex makes sourdough all the time.
Kimberly: Yes, Alex, our wonderful director. But yeah, I mean I don't know I picked up also a lot of hobbies that never kind of followed through.
Maddy: Same.
Ali: I have a like a skein of yarn in my living room that's literally been sitting there for months at this point with just the-the hope that I'll learn to crochet one of these random days.
Kimberly: I really tried to pick up cross stitching and I just and I, and I stopped.
Maddy: I tried to do the crochet thing because my friend, Jared, he crochets so it was like, I should learn.
Kimberly: We should all learn how to crochet in these trying times.
Maddy: Yeah, and then I also have just a ball of yarn sitting in the living room, in my living room like okay, yeah, sitting there staring back at me. I’m finished.
Ali: Exactly! Like people were making stuffed animals, like people were just like pulling these beautifully like made stuffed animals just like seemingly out of nowhere. I'm like sorry did I miss that chapter like I don't remember being taught how to make-
Kimberly: Here’s a half-made scarf? like our Yeah, yeah, Like what?
Ali: Yeah, like sculptures! What the heck, guys?
Maddy: Like here's my square [laughter]
Kimberly: Literally the cross stitching had like a pattern for me so that I could follow it so that I was like because it was my first time and I was like “Ooh I'll just make a bee and like look what I made,” but not like on my own accord I had to like follow.
Ali: Hey, it still counts. No, no trash talking the bee. I’m sure he’s beautiful.
Kimberly: I'm sure he is hidden in my back--my backpack. I heard that...
Ali: No one acknowledged it.
Kimberly: [continues] Hidden in my backpack somewhere being neglected.
Ali: What has zoom university been like for y'all?
Maddy: Ooh... [laughter]
Kimberly: I think Maddie has something.
Ali: I was gonna say, umm Maddy?
Maddy: Well, I don't know, it just been, like, hard to, like, just absorb information. I feel like. Because I am the type of person that really likes to, like, sit down in a space and like, just be doing the schoolwork. So I tried to really, like, separate my apartment or my room bag at home, like this is the desk to do work. And that's it, which helped. But I do miss like going in person and like being in like a good workflow with like the professor talking and like taking notes and like everyone else is kind of doing the same thing. So that's something I miss. But.
Kimberly: I couldn't tell you any kind of information that I've retained. In the past two years. I’m going to be honest.
Maddy: Yeah, I agree.
Ali: We are in the same boat there, my friend. Yeah. And I’m like, God, I hope none of that was too important. Yeah, I know, it has not stuck.
Kimberly: Yeah. And I think that I mean, I was talking to my younger siblings, because they were in like in middle school elementary--
Ali: I was gonna say, how old are your siblings?
Kimberly: [continued] They're like, middle school Elementary. And they've all--
Ali: As you just said. Okay, great. Consider me humble, keep going [laughter].
Kimberly: Anyway, they were telling me they've not--they will never hear this episode, but they don't have the best grades. Which is fine. Right?
Ali: That’s alright, you're doing great babies!
Kimberly: But I think but it was such a drastic change from like, when they were in person to when they got on zoom. And they were like, telling me that, like, they hate Zoom University so much, even though they don't want to go to school because you know, you're a kid, you're like, “I want to stay home.” But like, when they were on zoom, they just like, it's hard for kids because you like get you--you walk, get out of bed, and then you like, are just there and like, Where's the like--especially if you're in a new school. Some of my younger siblings got to a new school, and they weren't able to, like, make connections or make friends and all that stuff. So it's like, really daunting for them next year, when in person, and it's like, you know, it's like, you know, who am I gonna talk to? And like, who am I gonna sit with at lunch? And it's like, really, it's really sad and like, and that is also like, you know, impacted their grades because they're like, just staring at a screen all the time. And they're not like engaging with it and or I don't know. There's just so many things and I don't think I say Zoom University by having also zoom school, or just in general, I think it's been so difficult and like, I really feel for these kids because, you know, this is part of their like, growth. This is part of their like you know...
Ali: Yeah I think this is something I think that will we will talk about for potentially the rest of our lives. Yeah. I know that I have made the complaints of being like I just don't want to hear the word COVID ever again. Yeah, but like, I think that there's just no way that we're... because it's impacted everything so. But yeah, I agree Maddy, like I just like even... like routines are super important to me. And so like even the routine of being able to like get up, get my coffee from the Bite (shout out the Bite, love you). Like, get a latte. And then like get to class, get my stuff set up. And like, just like those like physical like steps of like, Okay, this is how I know that, like my day has started and I'm a person and there are other people here. And this is how we do this thing. Now I'm just like... trying to do the same thing at home just hasn't been the same. And so now like that idea, while once very comforting, and like really important to how I existed as a student now feels both like, so foreign and also very overwhelming. And like, What do you mean, I have to get dressed, and leave my house and come to a different place every single day? Like, that’s.. What? No. So, it's gonna be an adjustment for sure [laughter].
Maddy: Yeah, I think it's crazy, too. Because, I mean, you—are you both seniors now?
Kimberly: Yeah.
Maddy: Okay. So [laughter]
Kimberly: I can admit it!
Ali: Kimberly owns it better than I can, clearly I’m just like whooaa [laughter] I still feel like a child!
Maddy: Yeah. I... so like when the pandemic started, I was a freshman. So I just like, got used to like, okay, we're not living with, you know, I'm not living with my parents, like, I'm on my own. I'm living in a dorm and I have to, like, do things for myself. So then, I don't know, that was only like, what? A few months of that? And then I came home and like had to be like, oh, whoa, but now I'm going back to that? Well, I mean, I'm just kind of in that but, like going to school. But um, yeah, so that'll be interesting. Like just walking around and like there's people like on campus and like, there are people in the classroom with me. Okay.
Ali: Yeah, well like, leaving as a freshman and coming back as a junior? That’s a big jump. That’s like... yeah. I'm like, yeah, that's... I feel for
Kimberly: I feel like and I just had a mind blown moment that we spent literally one whole year online. And I was like, what do you mean you're coming back as a junior? What?
Maddy: Yeah.
Ali: It's like, it feels like the world stopped and time stopped passing but it didn't. Unfortunately.
Kimberly: Yeah... that kind of sucks.
Ali: Yeah, I kind of wish we had decided differently. Like we collectively, said like, better not. Hold off here [laughter]
Kimberly: Just like click the pause button and then just like...
Ali: Resume resume post mass vaccination.
Maddy: Yeah, right.
Kimberly: Alas, here we are. I was going to ask what now that we... I just I think that we--first of all time is irrelevant. And that's one of the biggest takeaways I've had like 10 mind blown moments of like when we talk about anything, because I really just think that like the pandemic happen that whole time that we've been online, just like, where is she? We don’t know her. And now we're here. Now we're, I'm like in person with you two. And like, we are seeing each other, our faces, we're in like, the physical presence of each other really blows my mind. But I'm hoping that—I'm interested in what next, what this year is going to look like. With the hybrid of like, being online and in person. I don't know about you guys, I have a couple, I have a lot of in-person classes and one asynchronous class. And so it's just that weird blend of like, I'm in--I'm in an in-person class. And now I have to go find a space somewhere in the campus to be online because I don't have space here. And then I have to jump back into an in-person class. And it's just--I know that they're trying to space things out and by taking like some of the rooms in like, the library, but like, so like, these are things that we're like, anticipating and it's just like when the pandemic first started, like we're “What are we doing” kind of deal but I just would love... just as on ending, sort of like a more... of a less sour note of things that we have coming up for us because we are both--we are all upperclassmen I would love to hear about what kinds of things you have looking forward to. Just to like, you know, give some inspiration to our listeners out there to be like, “It sucks a lot, but--”
Ali: But also, we got some cool stuff!
Kimberly: Here's some cool stuff that we're gonna work on that will hopefully we'll be able to share with you in the future.
Ali: I'm really excited about the show. I'm really excited that we get to like record in-person and kind of explore more about, like, what our podcast is at the Center. I am going to be writing my honors thesis this year, which is daunting as all get out. But it is very exciting. Especially just like getting to work with faculty that I've admired and worked with for several years now and to be able to then say like, okay, like, how do I contribute to this, like greater conversation that we're all participating in, which makes me nerd out a little bit, and I get really excited. So that's fun. Um, but yeah, I don't know. I'm like, what other things? You ask this question, then I'm like, I've never heard of a thing. I've never planned anything. I don't know.
Kimberly: Well, you just planned something right now.
Ali: Yes, correct.
Kimberly: They don't have to be even major things. Like even just being in person together. Like I'm looking forward to more of this in fall for sure. Because like, I don't think I could handle another zoom recording [scared noise] Another like muting, you're like, “Oh can I--” “Oh!”
Ali: I know.
Kimberly: And then like ruining the chat, because and we make each other laugh because we're total--total jerks to each other.
Ali: I know, I'm like, if only we could have, like, like, I'm glad that we didn't like video record all of our podcast recordings, because that would be mortifying and exposing to all of us, but there is a part of me that wishes that we could like, kind of pull back the curtain more and be like, Oh, we were just like, totally goofing around a lot of that. And it was not a professional operation [laughter]
Kimberly: It's called friendship [laughter]
Ali: Precisely [laughter]
Kimberly: What about you, Maddy? What are you looking forward to?
Maddy: Um, honestly, like, I am kind of like what Allie said I am looking forward to being on this podcast because I like pre COVID I don't think I would have imagined myself doing something like this just because I'm more like, introverted and kind of reserved, but after COVID and like how we were saying new opportunities and like new, like, you know, kind of outlooks on life. I just have kind of been like, go for things that like I wouldn't, you know, consider. So, something like this, I don't think I would have, you know, thought about until now, which is kind of fun to think about. And yeah, school-wise, I'm just kind of excited to get into like, more elective stuff because, you know, it's just been like Intro to Psychology and Intro to Criminal Justice which is all super fun and cool but--
Ali: Wait, Maddy. I’m so sorry, but are you a psych and CJ major?
Maddy: Yes, I am.
Ali: Okay, you are, great, a good reminder.
Maddy: Umm, so, I’m excited to get into electives that, you know, I would like to take and learn more about. So that’s what I’m looking forward to.
Kimberly: Dear Listener, we walked into the studio and Maddy at first was like “Oh, maybe I’ll just learn the soundboard.” And then was like, “No, I’ll record too.”
Ali: She did not have any concrete idea that she would be talking today so [laughter]
Kimberly: She walked in and was like “Sure, I’ll do it.” [laughter]
Ali: We love the go-getting attitude.
Kimberly: And hopefully we’ll have more voices as we all get back together in fall and we’ll reserve more spaces. Hopefully our hours will overlap—I did request that we share hours, but I don’t know how that will work. But umm, I just want to let you know we are all psych students here. I’m a minor.
Ali: Psych minor, baby. Did we—did we have a class together?
Kimberly: No, we never did [sighs]. We wanted to, we’ve been texting each other being like, “Oh my god, wouldn’t it be so great, we haven’t had a class together!”
Ali: Well, that’s just tragic. Are you going to take any psych classes this year?
Kimberly: Uhhh, I think so, I think I have one, that was like family and intimacy.
Ali: God I wanted to get into that class so bad!
Kimberly: You didn’t get into it?
Ali: But everyone wanted to take that class, I guess, and also it’s at 8 am.
Kimberly: That’s true. That’s gonna be fun for me, waking up at like 6:30.
Ali: Not excited for you but I was so sad that it was completely full, and the waitlist was like 30 some people long. Because it doesn’t get taught every year, it’s like Family Systems and Intimacy.
Kimberly: Yea I saw it and I was like this is really cool and then I saw it was at 8 am. [sighs]
Ali: RIP but also this is so cool.
Kimberly: Yeah I know. I was reaching out my hand like maybe Ali will come.
Ali: But here I am, telling you no. But also I do this thing every year where I look at my registration time and I think like I’m not gonna forget that. And then I realize like two to three hours after that time has passed that it has already passed, and being like oh no! And then I’m scrambling. I live life by the seat of my pants and it’s stressful for everyone involved, including me. [laughter from all]
Kimberly: We love that. We love to hear it. Chaotic energy this year.
Ali: Wait okay. Not to be that guy, what are your big three astrological signs, the both of you?
Kimberly: I am, sun sign is your main one, I’m a Cancer. We all knew this.
Ali: Kimberly has a lot of feelings.
Kimberly: I do. My rising I think is a Gemini and my moon is an Aquarius.
Maddy: I’m an Aries sun. Um but...
Ali: Lot of fire energy in this building.
Maddy: Yea, um and I think my rising is Pisces, moon Aquarius too. Or it’s flipped, no I think it is, is moon the one that people see you as? Right, it’s Aquarius then, yeah.
Ali: Okay I will contribute now. I am a Sagittarius sun, Aries moon, Leo rising. Which means I am a triple fire sign, which may give some context to the chaotic outburst and explanation of my registration habits a few seconds ago.
Kimberly: But we love it. The triple threat.
Ali: We have fun.
Kimberly: We have fun. Look at we. Look at we? Us. Look at us.
Ali: Well, here we are.
Kimberly: Well maybe I’m speaking French, you don’t know.
Ali: Oh I wouldn’t, I don’t speak French. Have I told you that I saved all of my language classes to senior year? Isn’t that the stupidest thing you’ve ever heard? I don’t know why I did it.
Kimberly: Oh Ali. [all laughing]
Ali: I took Spanish from sixth grade to the end of high school, so I had, what, seven years of Spanish under my belt? And I was like, “I’ll take the placement test later.” Like, it’s fine. I don’t, I’m not that worried about it, it’s whatever. Uh, turns out I waited three years to take the placement test. I took it over zoom, absolutely bombed it. Well your comprehension skills are fair, uh grammar, hello did you pay attention to that at all? So I’m going to be in Spanish one this fall, wait no Spanish two, I tested into Spanish two.
Kimberly: Nice, nice, nice.
Ali: Yeah, I’ll be there as a 6th grade reading level.
Maddy: Wow, that’s good though.
Ali: Anyway completely irrelevant.
Kimberly: Two to three hours after registration time. Placement test three years after. Ali Shaw everybody.
Maddy: Triple fire sign energy.
Ali: Hey, I get there eventually. That’s all that matters. Somebody give me an Earth sign to help me out. I need an Earth sign in my chart. Please God someone ground me. [laughter]
Kimberly: I just want to quickly pipe in some of the really cool things we, at least I am, will be working on. It’s not like a lot, I just wanted the listener, aka myself, will...
Ali: Dear listener, me.
Kimberly: [laughter] Can you imagine. Well we are going to, I am going to be working on an Honors project in theater with my lovely friend Ari who is also a theater and women and gender studies major. We are going to be do something cool, speak more on that later. That’s legit it I think. I thought I was, oh I’m trying to work on a research paper and it’s going... it’s going. We’ll say that.
Ali: Sometimes that’s all you can hope for. I am also working on a research paper that is simply just going. So I get it. And it’s just, hard.
Kimberly: Sometimes you sit with it and you’re like do I wanna do this?
Ali: I don't know. Listen up, cause if you are a client of ours, please know that we are also sometimes like uh what no thank you, I will pass. I appreciate the offer but no. We’re not perfect people.
Kimberly: We’re not perfect people and I hope you don’t expect us to be. Cause we are definitely not.
Ali: I will disappoint you. [laughter]
Kimberly: We are also hoping to do some really fun stuff this year. We are hoping to do some interview episodes to be announced. We are also going to hold our annual spooky story contest, which we will talk about later, in second. We are also hoping to do a fun Q and A episode where you the beautiful listener can send in questions and we get to answer them as honestly and efficiently as possible. So if you get an answer that is three minutes long when you just needed a thirty second answer, we’re sorry.
Ali: Well that’s your fault cause you asked us a question and what do you expect, we ramble out here.
Kimberly: And we analyze and we dissect.
Ali: We’re writers! What do you expect?
Kimberly: We are writers. Writers first, people second. I was joking. It’s a thing you say in theater, dancer first actor second. It’s a joke.
Maddy: I don’t get it.
Kimberly: Don’t worry about it. [laughter]
Ali: No, yes cool thank you. I’m learning inside theater lingo.
Kimberly: It changes, like the season.
Ali: If you want to send us a question, feel free to do so at our brand new Instagram page. We’re getting that set up and launching it off the ground so that we can stop spamming the Writing Center Instagram with all of our content. I’m pretty sure it’s hoo’s at the writing center pod.
Kimberly: It’s hoo’s at the wc pod, I think.
Ali: Ok, [spelling it out] h-o-o-s-a-t-w-h, nope w-c pod. Ok, it will be in the description. You can read it. You’ll find it, I promise.
Kimberly: Yeah, I don’t know it off the top of my head. Um yes, but we will, hopefully. By the way we are recording this in summer and we are hoping to publish this in fall.
Ali: So we’ll see when this comes out but, coming at you live from August 2nd. [laughter]
Kimberly: Hopefully maybe we’ll have a form. You can post questions to us on our Instagram, which will be up and ready by the time we post this.
Ali: I don’t know if this is secret but we are hoping to get interviews on the podcast. Like talk to people that you might be interested in hearing from, so if you have someone who works in Seattle in the art scene, are writers, someone who you think is really cool on campus.
Kimberly: Your grandma.
Ali: Your grandma. I would love to talk to some grandmas this year! Big grandma energy.
Kimberly: Your second cousin twice removed’s dog. We will interview...
Ali: Would love to talk to grandmas and dogs, that’s what I’m here to say.
Kimberly: If you have a grandma or a dog.
Ali: Or a grandma dog. [laughter]
Kimberly: Send them our way. [laughter]
Ali: We’re going off the rails. Yes. Let us know. We’d love to hear from you. We have an email address that was mostly created just to set up our Instagram page, but maybe we can include that in the description.
Kimberly: That is something we’ll definitely have to talk about.
Ali: TBD. I’m talking out my butt here. Kimberly--
Kimberly: We are in fact talking in August 2nd. So who knows what’s going to happen in like a month. [laughter]
Ali: Clearly a lot can change in like a minute.
Kimberly: With that being said, check out our Writing Center blog for transcribed versions of episodes and for posts by our Writing Center staff. New blog posts coming soon because we are technically not really active in summer except for like two
consultants and we don’t have everyone so.
Ali: But if you have a minute, go read some old blog posts.
Kimberly: That’s true. We’ve been at it for a while.
Ali: Honestly! And when I wanted to get the blog up and running, I was like, “Okay, this is something I’m really excited about but maybe two other people will post.” And it has actually has turned out that like almost every consultant has written something that has ended up on the blog. And it’s not all like Writing Center directly related, a lot of it, I wrote a post about journaling, one about baking bread, there’s one about taking care of plants, a lot of LGBTQIA content from our wonderful consultant Bek. Lots of cool stuff to check out.
Kimberly: Lots of beautiful, wonderful stuff. Please check it out. It will be in the episode description because god knows that we can’t memorize things off the top of our head. And trying to tell you the exact wording of it. With that being said, we would love to re-introduce, but not really, but anyway, announce the start of our Spooky Story Contest. [ghostly woo-ing] Our beloved Spooky Story Contest begins today, even though it’s August 2nd, this will be published in September. Begins today. Please check out our corresponding infographic on our new podcast anchor—wow—on our new podcast Instagram for more information. That information will also be in the episode description. As of right now, the rules are... if anyone else would feel so inclined to speak more...
Ali: Maddy, hit us with those rules, babe.
Kimberly: The first rule is that it can be about anything. Keep it university appropriate per in agreement with student code of conduct for communication.
Ali: We have to say that, but actually please do it. We don’t want to--
Kimberly: Please. But have fun with it!
Ali: I don’t want to do any paperwork associated with someone giving us something we don’t...
Kimberly: It’s appropriate but have fun with it. Bonus: share stories of your spooky SU experiences if you have any of those.
Ali: The ghosts in Chardin?
Kimberly: If you have a ghost story about that, feel free to hit us with it. Yeah. A page is fine, we recommend a max word count of 3000-4000 words. I don’t know how many pages that is off the top of my head, gonna be honest.
Ali: I don’t either.
Kimberly: 3000 to 4000 words, how ever much that is, that’s your max.
Ali: Double-space it. Use not Comic Sans or a cursive font. Please let us—I want to read them. Please make it easy.
Kimberly: We would like it to be spooky because it is our Spooky Story context—I can’t speak today--
Ali: The context is that this is a Spooky Story Contest.
Kimberly: So therefore, please make it spooky. We can hold other contests for other kinds of stories at a later time if you’re
interested. If you’re interested, we can do that at a later time.
Ali: Is there a prize for this situation?
Kimberly: Well I’m about to get--
Ali: Oops, sorry! [laughter]
Kimberly: One submission per person so make it count. SU students, faculty, and staff can participate and Word Doc format, just
like submitting a document at the Writing Center. Please let it be something that we can access. [laughter] And so sort of the prize, per say, is that you get your story read out loud for the public to hear if the writer consents to it. It’s fun and like last year we did fun audio effects to it. I know we had like a space story and we had distortion and like radio com kind of stuff. We had one about... I can’t remember, but I know Elena made like a big gust sound for like ambiance.
Ali: Your audio engineer nerd side... it’s showing.
Kimberly: Yeah I know. And I’m proud of it.
Ali: Good. Celebrate it. Just wanted to let you know.
Kimberly: Yeah thank you. Anyway, so basically it’s just a chance for you to have your story read out loud. There’s no like monetary compensation for it, but it’s the ability to say like, “Hey, my story got read out loud.”
Ali: Exactly. And also, we don’t want to make art only about monetary compensation. Because we are... anti-capitalist. Or at least I am. So... [laughter] Make with that what you will! Send us a story, we would love to hear from you! [laughter]
Kimberly: Contest starts now. Why did I put 2 X by--
Ali: Because we don’t know when this is coming out.
Kimberly: Contest starts now, whatever today is. Ends on October 12th to give us time to record and to choose stories and then to publish them, etc etc. Just gives us some time to do some technical, nerdy stuff. But please send in your stories to...
Ali: The Writing Center email. Wait no, we have it written down. [email protected]
Kimberly: Wait no, it is definitely [email protected]. Not SU.
Ali: Actually, please disregard everything we have said today [laughter]. [email protected]. We also have a Gmail if that’s something that you want.
Kimberly: We’ll put it in the episode description anyway.
Ali: Can we read? I don’t know, great question!
Kimberly: We’ll choose the ones we like the best and compile them into a document that can be accessed by the public as well as an opportunity to have your short story be read by us, the Hoo’s at the Writing Center Podcast team on one of our episodes. Contest starts now until the 12th of October. You can submit your story to the email. Tell your friends, your teachers, your peers, anyone at Seattle U to submit a story and get spooky. And most importantly, have fun.
Ali: Yes. The golden rule.
Kimberly: Amen.
Ali: That’s not the golden rule. It should be--
Kimberly: And for all things SU Writing Center related, check out our socials @suwritingcenter on Instagram, Seattle U Writing Center on Facebook, and @writingcentersu on Twitter. But also follow the podcast’s new Instagram at, oh I wrote it here, @hoosatthewcpod for all things Hoo’s at the Writing Center related.
Ali: That’s h-o-o-s-a-t-t-h-e-w-c-pod on Instagram. And maybe we’ll start a Twitter.
Kimberly: Oh that’s a lot--
Ali: Yeah I’ve been running the Instagram and I just want to take on more things that I probably don’t have time for. But yeah, Instagram.
Kimberly: Instagram, for now. With that, be sure to stay safe, take care of one another, and this has been another episode of--
Everyone: Hoo- Hoo- Hoo's At The Writing Center.
Kimberly: Amen.
Ali: Bye y’all, see ya next time!
[OUTRO MUSIC PLAYS]
Kimberly: Hello and welcome back to Hoo’s At the Writing Center! I’m Kimberly!
Ali: I’m Ali!
Maddy: I’m Maddy!
Kimberly: We are back in the Podcast studio, in the media and production center. Isn’t that so spicy.
Ali: We are sitting in the same room! This is thrilling.
Kimberly: We see each other, we are vaccinated, Maddy is arming the sound board like a boss.
Maddy: [laughter]
Kimberly: We love it here.
Ali: We really do.
Kimberly: So, we thought we would start off season five just talking about you know. It’s been like a year and something months.
Ali: More than that.
Kimberly: Yeah, something like that, I don’t keep track of time, time is irrelevant. Since the pandemic started and so we thought starting fall quarter especially for some of us since this is their last year. Sorry...
Ali: Shhhh we are not gunna talk about that yet.
Kimberly: We just wanted to do like a little reflection episode we just wanted to talk and reflect about what has happened in the
past year. I have written down like you know what we learned and what a Zoom University has been like or just anything that pops to mind.
Ali: Spoiler alert it has been bad.
Kimberly: It’s been... if you have not met anyone who has done online schooling then oh god you are in for an episode. [laughter] Yeah, we just want to do this because what is the harm in doing a little reflecting. You know what I mean.
Ali: We do go to a Jesuit University.
Kimberly: We do go to a Jesuit university we educate the whole person.
Ali: Consolation, desolation moment?
Kimberly: And so we just want to talk about it. Um, so yeah, let's let's just get into it. I don't have any set questions at all. I just earlier, I was just talking to Maddy about how one of the things that I really hated about the pandemic is the fact that we weren't able to record in person. We were stuck. If you've listened to our previous episodes, we were recording on zoom. If you not if you didn't know that, you know now. Yeah. And you can tell the difference in audio. Between now and back then. So one of the biggest things is just like and I'm sure that this goes for everyone, just like how many different things were sort of barred from us or like, like, so many things were halted or like we couldn't let you the services were like completely, you know, banished, all of a sudden, because we had to accommodate for online. And also some people went back home. I know that I'm a Seattleite. So I'm here and you know, all this stuff. I know some people had apartments here, but like,
Ali: Well, I'd like we're at the beginning of it. Okay, so last March, I had moved in to an apartment off campus and lived there for exactly one month. I think it was actually like one month in like 11 days. And then we got the email that school was going to be online and I got a very frantic phone call from my mother. And she said, Actually, you need to get on a train and get home and then I just didn't come back and like move like had my friends helped me move out of that apartment while I was like many states away, which is still pretty wild feels like a million years ago and can't really believe that I did that. Yeah.
Kimberly: Yeah.
Ali: Maddy, were you like, were you in Seattle? Are you back home?
Maddy: Yeah, I, I left because I was living in a dorm room. And like the morning, we got the email. I was like, I'm booking a flight home the next day. And I live in. I'm from California. So like the Bay Area. And I've been there, well, I was there from March until winter quarter. Because winter quarter. I just was like, I'm done. And I got an apartment with my friend.
Kimberly: And that's--I respect that
Maddy: Yeah. That was a really good decision, I think. But it definitely was just like crazy. Being home. I got my family got a dog and a cat.
Ali: Both?
Maddy: Yeah
Kimberly: Just pandemic things.
Maddy: So that's been, that was fun. Um, but it came to a point where I was like, I think I need to like, you know, go back. And like, live life again. Yeah.
Kimberly: Live life safely. And put a mask on and stay six feet away from everyone.
Maddy: Yeah, yeah. Of course
Ali: Well and also to be in Seattle and I don't know like when I was only home, like with my parents for like, a week or two in total for it because I was I was living elsewhere. And I was like, Oh my God. I can't imagine everyone who has been really stuck back with their parents after getting sent home from school. That's a nightmare. None of us would have been happy about that.
Kimberly: You know, the really funny thing is, is I'm a commuter student, I was I'm with my parents 24/7. So when everyone was like, Oh my god, I don't want to go back home and be with my parents like, well, they're like, my roommates so I really have no choice when the whole thing happened. I mean, I think the only change was that my, my siblings were home and like, we could see each other and like, I wasn't like, a whole, like, across the bridge, RIP the bridge.
Ali: West Seattle Bridge come back baby, we need you.
Kimberly: We don’t talk about her. Um, but like, you know, I could like be with them and eat dinner with them. Because I that was one of the things that I had missed out on a lot during the first two years of me being in college was because I was, like, you know, doing so many extracurricular activities. I was living life, you know, I'm just like, the the only, you know, the only condition was that I come back home eventually. And then like, you know, sleep there and I come back. So but even so then, like, living with them is like, Hmm, maybe maybe I can dip my toe into the the other side of independence, but but but no I'm still commuting. So but I saved money.
Ali: Honestly, I mean, my I think you have it probably figured out the best of all of us. Thank you. Yes. Was there like, you said something before before we started about just like how, like we we kind of accepted that the pandemic was just the new normal without really like processing that, like, how's it been very all to come kind of out of the transition, or like through the transition that we're in right now. And clearly, we're not through it in any signs of any sense of finality. But what's what's the past couple months been like for you?
Kimberly: I just want to give a little fun fact, for the listeners. This is the first time that we have met Maddy. In person
Ali: Hey Maddy good to see you outside of a Zoom screen.
Maddy: Yes. It's good to meet y'all in person. It's kind of crazy. It's like, Oh, hey,
Kimberly: That's what I missed out on in the last couple of muscles actually meeting people and like, because everyone was just a zoom screen to me and like, it would be weird to like, I never thought about it, but I was like, I'm gunna see these people in person. I'm gunna be like, I had class with you. And like, I had like this professor’s class and like all this I don't know if they're gunna even remember me because it was like, you know, I think you've just blue screen pardon my pun, but like blue screen when you look at zoom all day. Yeah. And you're just like, yeah, I mean, I don't know where you look at when you look at a zoom screen. I know. Some people
Ali: Oh I am literally just staring at myself. Yeah. I don’t know if that is because I am a Leo rising, but it's literally just me preening the entire time, and I won't apologize because it's very distracting.
Kimberly: People don't like looking at themselves. And
Ali: Oh I didn’t say I enjoy it. It just kinda happens.
Kimberly: I just do it by default. So I'm just like, I don't know, I think I look great. This is my mirror . I'm like, Oh, my hair looks this way. Maybe I can like adjusted a little bit. But I know some people don't like to. But anyway. Yeah, I mean, I think I think everyone agrees, like feels this way like meeting out with people and like, meeting out meeting people and like hanging out with them like actually in a space that isn't just like someone's apartment. Not that you know, apartment hangouts aren't fun, or whatever. But like, you know, I I'm a big foodie. And I love exploring different foods and like, especially in Seattle, but like you lost a part of that, because it was like takeout only or like, delivery. And, you know, we lost a lot of that experience. Also, all of my friends were like, in different states. And so I was like, well, we love that love that for us.
Ali: It's been so weird. Especially Yeah, like, again, Maddy just meeting you in person. Like, I remember, like, just at the center, like the and I know that I think we've said this in probably every staff meeting that we've had this year, but like, it's just so different. And it's, I don't know, I'm like, Oh my gosh, there's this whole group of consultants that we've worked with for an entire year. And I'm like, Who are you? How are you? What's happening?
Maddy: Yeah, it's crazy, because I've never even like, stepped foot in the Writing Center.
Ali: We can go upstairs after recording and do that!
Maddy: Okay, yeah, that'd be good. Um, so that's been kind of weird to like, think about like, oh, and I've only learned how to like, do all this stuff online. So it's like, it'll be an interesting adjustment. I think just going back to in person and like doing consultations for the first time in person, but I'm excited for it. I think it'll be good. But yeah, the last few months have been interesting for me too. It's just like, Oh, I don't know. It's just been, like the adjustment between where we were like winter quarter to now is so crazy early or even fall. It's just like, no one knew what was going on. I feel like now we have clearer signs that like what's going on, but still there's like a lot to think about in terms of like COVID. And like, what are we going to do? How are we going to, like, move forward? Like our masks gunna be a thing forever? I don't know, probably.
Kimberly: Like a Delta variant.
Ali: Yeah, I can't imagine going into a grocery store without a mask on.
Kimberly: I know.
Ali: That like, genuinely makes anxious.
Kimberly: In some states. My partner just told me that in her state of New Mexico, because I think there's like a different there are varying levels of like, in like terms of like COVID vaccinations also, like, you know, who reported to be COVID. And like, anyway, there are like, and I think turquoise or like, the lowest level of having COVID cases. And I think that like, and also like a lot of people are getting vaccinated. So like she walked into an Ulta we're not sponsored, she walked into it.
Ali: Ulta, If you want to sponsor us, I am open, you can email me
Kimberly: Just Ali, though.
Ali: Just me [email protected] Thank you. I will respond promptly.
Kimberly: Can you imagine? But in New Mexico, she walked into an Ulta. And no one was wearing a mask. Isn't that crazy? And like, you're just like, what do I What do I even do like I like, and like she doesn't want to be the weird outsider puts on a mask because like her, like her, her parents were like, what are you doing? She's like, I'm putting on my mask? And they were like, you don't need to?
Maddy: Yeah, I definitely think, I don't know, I've been seeing more and more people without it. Just like going into even like, Trader Joe's or whatever, even some of the people that work there. But I don't know. I think that will be just interesting to see. Like, even in the net, like, at the end of the summer or in by the time like winter rolls around? I don't know.
Ali: Well, and yeah, like, like you're saying Maddy, it's so weird to think about where we were in January when we were like, all clamoring to get a vaccine. And it was like, oh, there's a spot here at this time. I'm going to drive 35 miles and like, get that one. And now people are just like, please get vaccinated. I really mean it. It's and that was only like, relatively speaking a few months ago, right?
Kimberly: Time doesn't exist in my head
Ali: It genuinely doesn’t. And like, it didn't really before. But now I'm like, how? What is this going to do? To my sense of like, not like, like having an idea of like, planning for the future. That's true. Like the future doesn't exist. Not to be super pessimistic, but like, it's just kind of like it's so abstract. Because we've been just like in this really heightened state of panic in a way for so long.
Kimberly: Yeah, for sure. Also, this is completely off topic, but I want to say that I think we've met before when I was part of your interview.
Maddy: Oh, my god, no, you're so right. Yeah.
Ali: You're witnessing connections being made live audience.
Kimberly: But that was like it that we like met. And I was like, sort of assessing you. So I wasn't like building some connection? Because it was your shot to be like, Can I be in the Writing Center? Yeah. And then it wasn't until now that like now we're in a podcast together. We've like built a relationship through zoom. And now we get to, like, finally meet each other.
Maddy: Yeah.
Ali: What did y'all think about your interviews? I know that I left mine convinced that I had absolutely bombed it. And they were never going to call me back.
Kimberly: I think I think I felt the same way. I mean, also, I was like, walking ahead of I like there was just this like person walking, walking behind me. And I was like, they're walking the same way that I am. And it turned out to be the one and only Heidi Basta. Heidi and she walked into the like interview room. And I was like, oop, Hello.
Ali: So for context, for anybody who doesn't know, when we interview for the Writing Center. We like to answer a bunch of things. And then we're also asked to, like teach the staff that's interviewing us, like, teach them something. So I like taught them how to draw a duck. Because that's useful and important.
Kimberly: You never know. When you want to draw duck.
Ali: Exactly true. What did y'all What did y'all teach?
Kimberly: I wish we did a video cast so we can just have a video of you trying to draw that for us.
Ali: Yeah, I'm like I do a lot of art. In my life, that drunk, drunk. That duck drawing was not a, was not art by any stretch of the imagination.
Kimberly: I taught the staff how to play a song on the ukulele. I taught them how to play Riptide which I know was like the bare bones of a ukulele. But it's the easiest song that you can learn. The Wonderwall of the ukulele. It really is. And I taught them that and I brought my little uke in and then like, remember where I was like, I'm gonna look so cute and then I'm gonna teach him all the chords. I have a little PowerPoint presentation, which was hard because I was holding the thing. And I think our point is really this was like, This is my first job. So I was like, I gotta go above and beyond and then...
Ali: Respect.
Maddy: I did like, you know those. They have different names but like, you know, the cootie catcher paper things like the little origami.
Kimberly: I do remember that.
Ali: Oh, wow. I super called them fortune tellers growing up. A cootie catcher?
Maddy: Yeah. Do you call them fortune tellers? Okay.
Kimberly: I call them fortune tellers as well. Maybe? Oh,
Ali: Yeah, I'm like, maybe it's just, a PNW thing.
Maddy: I don't know. I don't know, I guess fortune teller. But I did that. And I remember being like, really nervous. I was like, I don't really know, like what to do. But then I was like, you know what, this could be fun. And this is easy. So then I was like, Okay, oh, you know, get some like origami paper and like, teach them how to do it. But I think it went over well. And I remember people being like, oh, this was like a fun thing from my childhood. And I'm like, okay good.
Ali: Yeah, I honestly don't know if I could tell you how to make one of those anymore. It's been so long.
Kimberly: I would take a lesson from my Oh, I...
Maddy: I don't even know if I remember. You need like a square. We don't have a square.
Ali: I do remember like taking like nine by 11 printer paper when I was younger. And yeah, folding in one part so that you like have roughly a square. Yeah, this is such a really fascinating content. For our listeners out here.
Kimberly: We listened to a full 10 minutes of them talking about their job. And like...
Ali: I'm like, well, maybe that is why you're here. But you know, we love our job. Yeah, we do.
Kimberly: And we love that our job is flexible, true. Coming back to the pandemic.
Ali: Thank God, we have jobs.
Kimberly: Yeah, very grateful for that. And also, we move to synchronous and asynchronous really easily because we were already doing stuff like that. And I think that was one of the like, I know, everyone else was like, the world is burning. And I don't know how to transition. But like, at least a writing center was like, we’ll just do this.
Ali: Yeah, which was really nice. Especially since like, I mean, obviously, no hate. The WC online interface can be a titch complicated and confusing. I love it. But also, you know, but like the fact that we like had been trained and like we're kind of fluent. Like in the video consultation format before the entire world became a sick video game. I'm grateful for. Obviously Maddy, you weren't you weren't on staff at that point, right. When did you get hired?
Maddy: I was hired... (thinking)
Kimberly: I think it was that week.
Maddy: Like a week before I left. I feel like, honestly, like I got the email. Like a week before I left.
Kimberly: Congrats you got hired, now we're in a pandemic.
Maddy: But then it was like, oh, because you have to take the 3090 class. So then that was all online.
Ali: Was that and y'all took that spring quarter, didn't you?
Maddy: Yes.
Kimberly: And we took that fall quarter. That’s so weird.
Ali: Yeah. So when we took it. So also another bit of context, you have to take a course five credit course, in order to work the Writing Center. It's a class in tutoring writing. And it's not so much like, grammar and stuff. It's more about, like...
Kimberly: Writing center scholarship. Yeah.
Ali: And like ideological ideas of
Kimberly: There's actually a lot yeah, like, you'd be surprised listener.
Ali: A lot of reading, like, like a lot of anti racist and cultural responsiveness information, which is pretty cool. Anyway, I digress. So we took that our fall quarter, and we were, we had just begun, like we were taking it concurrently with our first quarter of taking clients. Yeah. And so our, I think our cohort was the one that said like, hey, wait, maybe 3090 should come before we're putting consultants in to like, appointments with clients, so that you're not learning something and then like, or like you're not walking into a consultation, so kind of disoriented or maybe unprepared right? Not that I felt unprepared but just a change.
Kimberly: I definitely was very scared for my first consultation.
Ali: I was terrified.
Kimberly: So you just ended up taking the class and then you didn't start working until fall.
Maddy: Yeah, so I took the class and then I had the summer and then fall you just kind of jump in. But I thought that was nice because it was like, okay, like, I know what I'm doing. And I just can kind of like go jump in and do it.
Kimberly: Maddy’s just a go getter.
Ali: I know same like Maddy just has way more confidence than I did.
Kimberly: I walked in and I was like, Oh my god.
Maddy: Well I definitely was nervous. Um, I don't even really, I'm trying to like think about my first one. I don't really have any recollection of it. I really don't. Cause it wasn’t in person. Like, how am I going to remember that if it's on my computer? That's true. But um, yeah, it must have gone okay.
Kimberly and Ali: Yeah. Probably. Yeah.
Kimberly: Mine was with a graduate student. Oh, my first one. I was like, Oh, god, I'm so nervous. And like, all like, you know, Hidy, and Alex was like, it's gonna be alright, right? You got it, okay...
Ali: Yeah, yeah, I remember. Like, I don't remember. I don't remember the client that I worked with. But I do remember. And I don't know what that says about me. But I do remember, obsessing about what I was gonna wear. I was like, this is the first day of school all over again. I do not know where to begin, like business casual question mark. But then Heidi and Alex were like, no, we don't care. Anyway, because that's what's resonated. Yeah, yeah, clearly, really rich takeaways out here.
Kimberly: Um... what what do we feel was sort of the let's, I think we've kind of been trickling it in, throughout our conversation. But like, maybe we've already talked about a lot about the negatives. There are a lot of negatives.
Ali: Ever the optimist, here comes Kimberly.
Kimberly: There's a lot of construction, constructive criticism to be had about the pandemic. And not that, like, none of it is invalid. But I'm wondering if like there was anything that you took at all away from this experience, considering that we're still in it, like a pandemic has not ended, you know, just about like, the kinds of things that you have, maybe have learned in your growth in a year or over, almost two years of this happening? Because like, it was, it was like in winter last year that we were like, oh, there's like a, there's a virus. And then it wasn’t until...
Ali: what that was? Well, I guess yeah, last year. Yeah. Like this year when do Yeah, yeah, I was already a year into it. But yeah.
Kimberly: And then Oh, my God. Wow, time is so Wow, I just I had I just had a breakthrough moment.
Ali: Tally mark every time we talk about how time doesn’t exist.
Kimberly: Yeah. But anything, you've just like, learn, you know, because growth is really great. And like, anything that you might, you know, tell the people who find this archive of podcasts? And they're like, what is this episode of the pandemic? And 2020? Let’s listen to that.
Ali: Pandemic reflections. Thoughts from the Panini press?
Maddy: I don't know. I think it's like, was just a good overall reminder of like, the little things that you've taken for granted of like, these tiny things that you could do, like you could just go out and go to a restaurant and sit down and eat food with like, your friends. And it's like, no more that.
Ali: That so that's crazy. What a while.
Maddy: Yeah. Yeah, so I think that was a good reminder of like, you're not really guaranteed a lot. Like you kind of just need to be appreciative of what you can do in the given moment.
Kimberly: Oh, yeah, for sure. Yeah.
Ali: I'd agree with that. Yeah. And I think that something like Kimberly, really as you're asking the question, I think the first thing that came to my mind was, I feel like I just like value my interactions to people so much more and I mean, I like, what I study is very people focused or people driven but I think that like I have a whole new appreciation of like people's stories and like their experiences and obviously like it's, it's really devastating to think about the loss of, of life that's come from this pandemic, and there are so many people who lived these incredibly rich lives that aren't with us anymore, which is tragic and also brings I think, at least personally a whole new appreciation just for like, oh, like Tell me about you like what's your life and like I want to get to know like, as many people as possible because like the story is just like it's I don't know it feels like more precious in a way so
Kimberly: Ali is a psychology and sociology student.
Ali: Could you tell? What gave it away?
Kimberly: I'm interested in people and you know...
Ali: Shut up! (jokingly) I deserve that but
Kimberly: Yeah, it's it's just been you know, I think I think we all I really you know, I really resonate with what Maddy said, you know about like, not, making sure that you don't take anything for granted. I know I took a lot of things for granted. And I know
that as we, you said earlier like we can't walk into the same spaces now and be like this is you know we can't go back. I think that's one of the things that people keep wanting is to get back to where we were before the pandemic but like you know I think also the pandemic exposed a lot of things for us yeah. Not to get too political but it's exposed
Ali: Get political Kimberly! Go off!
Kimberly: (continuing) to a lot of the a lot of issues within certain systems unfortunately. Like there are too many to count and I think that the pandemic has just highlighted all the like, all of the the oppression or the countless efforts of like trying to advocate for something and then like now that the inconvenience of a pandemic has occurred and like has highlighted all these issues all of a sudden paper, paper? People are coming out and they're like, I think they're more encouraged to now speak about something because we see the loss happening we see the injustice happening and I think that was one of my the biggest things that I've seen and unfortunately it's so happening I can't tell you that it's not, it's like solved.
Ali: We have not solved racism yet.
Kimberly: We have not solved a lot of things but I like to think that I don't want to be back and what the pre pandemic was because we weren't talking about these issues then and it wasn't until it happened that we were like, oh maybe we should like start really paying attention to this stuff.
Ali: Even just the conversations that we've had at the center I feel like and it was my experience that like coming in to my job here like conversations about mental health and about like emotional wellbeing we're definitely being had but now like I mean, I don't think that any of that like compares to what we've been talking about in the last year. Of being like hey, you’re people before you’re writing consultants, you’re people before you’re students. Like what's what can we do like either on like the leads team or like with our supervisors or like just as co workers to say like, this is awful. No one's having a great time. So like, what can we do to like make it a little bit less awful? Right?
Kimberly: Yeah, just a little pity party for everyone I know.
Ali: But I also like I also really think that there's been so much like really astonishing resiliency that's come out of the last like year and change where I'm like, people are making such cool art and like doing things that they have never done before and we're finding new ways to connect that are like really exciting to me because it gives me hope for this-this silly little world that we live in that can feel so overwhelming sometimes.
Kimberly: I think everyone who has learned how to break bread, bake bread--
Ali: Oh, yes, that is a shout out to Caroline. Caroline Carr. She has graduated but man she is living my cottage core dreams with all of her bread baking skills.
Kimberly: I hope she listens to this episode and feels--
Ali: I really hope she does because I'm like Caroline, you win. You're doing it. Also, Alex makes sourdough all the time.
Kimberly: Yes, Alex, our wonderful director. But yeah, I mean I don't know I picked up also a lot of hobbies that never kind of followed through.
Maddy: Same.
Ali: I have a like a skein of yarn in my living room that's literally been sitting there for months at this point with just the-the hope that I'll learn to crochet one of these random days.
Kimberly: I really tried to pick up cross stitching and I just and I, and I stopped.
Maddy: I tried to do the crochet thing because my friend, Jared, he crochets so it was like, I should learn.
Kimberly: We should all learn how to crochet in these trying times.
Maddy: Yeah, and then I also have just a ball of yarn sitting in the living room, in my living room like okay, yeah, sitting there staring back at me. I’m finished.
Ali: Exactly! Like people were making stuffed animals, like people were just like pulling these beautifully like made stuffed animals just like seemingly out of nowhere. I'm like sorry did I miss that chapter like I don't remember being taught how to make-
Kimberly: Here’s a half-made scarf? like our Yeah, yeah, Like what?
Ali: Yeah, like sculptures! What the heck, guys?
Maddy: Like here's my square [laughter]
Kimberly: Literally the cross stitching had like a pattern for me so that I could follow it so that I was like because it was my first time and I was like “Ooh I'll just make a bee and like look what I made,” but not like on my own accord I had to like follow.
Ali: Hey, it still counts. No, no trash talking the bee. I’m sure he’s beautiful.
Kimberly: I'm sure he is hidden in my back--my backpack. I heard that...
Ali: No one acknowledged it.
Kimberly: [continues] Hidden in my backpack somewhere being neglected.
Ali: What has zoom university been like for y'all?
Maddy: Ooh... [laughter]
Kimberly: I think Maddie has something.
Ali: I was gonna say, umm Maddy?
Maddy: Well, I don't know, it just been, like, hard to, like, just absorb information. I feel like. Because I am the type of person that really likes to, like, sit down in a space and like, just be doing the schoolwork. So I tried to really, like, separate my apartment or my room bag at home, like this is the desk to do work. And that's it, which helped. But I do miss like going in person and like being in like a good workflow with like the professor talking and like taking notes and like everyone else is kind of doing the same thing. So that's something I miss. But.
Kimberly: I couldn't tell you any kind of information that I've retained. In the past two years. I’m going to be honest.
Maddy: Yeah, I agree.
Ali: We are in the same boat there, my friend. Yeah. And I’m like, God, I hope none of that was too important. Yeah, I know, it has not stuck.
Kimberly: Yeah. And I think that I mean, I was talking to my younger siblings, because they were in like in middle school elementary--
Ali: I was gonna say, how old are your siblings?
Kimberly: [continued] They're like, middle school Elementary. And they've all--
Ali: As you just said. Okay, great. Consider me humble, keep going [laughter].
Kimberly: Anyway, they were telling me they've not--they will never hear this episode, but they don't have the best grades. Which is fine. Right?
Ali: That’s alright, you're doing great babies!
Kimberly: But I think but it was such a drastic change from like, when they were in person to when they got on zoom. And they were like, telling me that, like, they hate Zoom University so much, even though they don't want to go to school because you know, you're a kid, you're like, “I want to stay home.” But like, when they were on zoom, they just like, it's hard for kids because you like get you--you walk, get out of bed, and then you like, are just there and like, Where's the like--especially if you're in a new school. Some of my younger siblings got to a new school, and they weren't able to, like, make connections or make friends and all that stuff. So it's like, really daunting for them next year, when in person, and it's like, you know, it's like, you know, who am I gonna talk to? And like, who am I gonna sit with at lunch? And it's like, really, it's really sad and like, and that is also like, you know, impacted their grades because they're like, just staring at a screen all the time. And they're not like engaging with it and or I don't know. There's just so many things and I don't think I say Zoom University by having also zoom school, or just in general, I think it's been so difficult and like, I really feel for these kids because, you know, this is part of their like, growth. This is part of their like you know...
Ali: Yeah I think this is something I think that will we will talk about for potentially the rest of our lives. Yeah. I know that I have made the complaints of being like I just don't want to hear the word COVID ever again. Yeah, but like, I think that there's just no way that we're... because it's impacted everything so. But yeah, I agree Maddy, like I just like even... like routines are super important to me. And so like even the routine of being able to like get up, get my coffee from the Bite (shout out the Bite, love you). Like, get a latte. And then like get to class, get my stuff set up. And like, just like those like physical like steps of like, Okay, this is how I know that, like my day has started and I'm a person and there are other people here. And this is how we do this thing. Now I'm just like... trying to do the same thing at home just hasn't been the same. And so now like that idea, while once very comforting, and like really important to how I existed as a student now feels both like, so foreign and also very overwhelming. And like, What do you mean, I have to get dressed, and leave my house and come to a different place every single day? Like, that’s.. What? No. So, it's gonna be an adjustment for sure [laughter].
Maddy: Yeah, I think it's crazy, too. Because, I mean, you—are you both seniors now?
Kimberly: Yeah.
Maddy: Okay. So [laughter]
Kimberly: I can admit it!
Ali: Kimberly owns it better than I can, clearly I’m just like whooaa [laughter] I still feel like a child!
Maddy: Yeah. I... so like when the pandemic started, I was a freshman. So I just like, got used to like, okay, we're not living with, you know, I'm not living with my parents, like, I'm on my own. I'm living in a dorm and I have to, like, do things for myself. So then, I don't know, that was only like, what? A few months of that? And then I came home and like had to be like, oh, whoa, but now I'm going back to that? Well, I mean, I'm just kind of in that but, like going to school. But um, yeah, so that'll be interesting. Like just walking around and like there's people like on campus and like, there are people in the classroom with me. Okay.
Ali: Yeah, well like, leaving as a freshman and coming back as a junior? That’s a big jump. That’s like... yeah. I'm like, yeah, that's... I feel for
Kimberly: I feel like and I just had a mind blown moment that we spent literally one whole year online. And I was like, what do you mean you're coming back as a junior? What?
Maddy: Yeah.
Ali: It's like, it feels like the world stopped and time stopped passing but it didn't. Unfortunately.
Kimberly: Yeah... that kind of sucks.
Ali: Yeah, I kind of wish we had decided differently. Like we collectively, said like, better not. Hold off here [laughter]
Kimberly: Just like click the pause button and then just like...
Ali: Resume resume post mass vaccination.
Maddy: Yeah, right.
Kimberly: Alas, here we are. I was going to ask what now that we... I just I think that we--first of all time is irrelevant. And that's one of the biggest takeaways I've had like 10 mind blown moments of like when we talk about anything, because I really just think that like the pandemic happen that whole time that we've been online, just like, where is she? We don’t know her. And now we're here. Now we're, I'm like in person with you two. And like, we are seeing each other, our faces, we're in like, the physical presence of each other really blows my mind. But I'm hoping that—I'm interested in what next, what this year is going to look like. With the hybrid of like, being online and in person. I don't know about you guys, I have a couple, I have a lot of in-person classes and one asynchronous class. And so it's just that weird blend of like, I'm in--I'm in an in-person class. And now I have to go find a space somewhere in the campus to be online because I don't have space here. And then I have to jump back into an in-person class. And it's just--I know that they're trying to space things out and by taking like some of the rooms in like, the library, but like, so like, these are things that we're like, anticipating and it's just like when the pandemic first started, like we're “What are we doing” kind of deal but I just would love... just as on ending, sort of like a more... of a less sour note of things that we have coming up for us because we are both--we are all upperclassmen I would love to hear about what kinds of things you have looking forward to. Just to like, you know, give some inspiration to our listeners out there to be like, “It sucks a lot, but--”
Ali: But also, we got some cool stuff!
Kimberly: Here's some cool stuff that we're gonna work on that will hopefully we'll be able to share with you in the future.
Ali: I'm really excited about the show. I'm really excited that we get to like record in-person and kind of explore more about, like, what our podcast is at the Center. I am going to be writing my honors thesis this year, which is daunting as all get out. But it is very exciting. Especially just like getting to work with faculty that I've admired and worked with for several years now and to be able to then say like, okay, like, how do I contribute to this, like greater conversation that we're all participating in, which makes me nerd out a little bit, and I get really excited. So that's fun. Um, but yeah, I don't know. I'm like, what other things? You ask this question, then I'm like, I've never heard of a thing. I've never planned anything. I don't know.
Kimberly: Well, you just planned something right now.
Ali: Yes, correct.
Kimberly: They don't have to be even major things. Like even just being in person together. Like I'm looking forward to more of this in fall for sure. Because like, I don't think I could handle another zoom recording [scared noise] Another like muting, you're like, “Oh can I--” “Oh!”
Ali: I know.
Kimberly: And then like ruining the chat, because and we make each other laugh because we're total--total jerks to each other.
Ali: I know, I'm like, if only we could have, like, like, I'm glad that we didn't like video record all of our podcast recordings, because that would be mortifying and exposing to all of us, but there is a part of me that wishes that we could like, kind of pull back the curtain more and be like, Oh, we were just like, totally goofing around a lot of that. And it was not a professional operation [laughter]
Kimberly: It's called friendship [laughter]
Ali: Precisely [laughter]
Kimberly: What about you, Maddy? What are you looking forward to?
Maddy: Um, honestly, like, I am kind of like what Allie said I am looking forward to being on this podcast because I like pre COVID I don't think I would have imagined myself doing something like this just because I'm more like, introverted and kind of reserved, but after COVID and like how we were saying new opportunities and like new, like, you know, kind of outlooks on life. I just have kind of been like, go for things that like I wouldn't, you know, consider. So, something like this, I don't think I would have, you know, thought about until now, which is kind of fun to think about. And yeah, school-wise, I'm just kind of excited to get into like, more elective stuff because, you know, it's just been like Intro to Psychology and Intro to Criminal Justice which is all super fun and cool but--
Ali: Wait, Maddy. I’m so sorry, but are you a psych and CJ major?
Maddy: Yes, I am.
Ali: Okay, you are, great, a good reminder.
Maddy: Umm, so, I’m excited to get into electives that, you know, I would like to take and learn more about. So that’s what I’m looking forward to.
Kimberly: Dear Listener, we walked into the studio and Maddy at first was like “Oh, maybe I’ll just learn the soundboard.” And then was like, “No, I’ll record too.”
Ali: She did not have any concrete idea that she would be talking today so [laughter]
Kimberly: She walked in and was like “Sure, I’ll do it.” [laughter]
Ali: We love the go-getting attitude.
Kimberly: And hopefully we’ll have more voices as we all get back together in fall and we’ll reserve more spaces. Hopefully our hours will overlap—I did request that we share hours, but I don’t know how that will work. But umm, I just want to let you know we are all psych students here. I’m a minor.
Ali: Psych minor, baby. Did we—did we have a class together?
Kimberly: No, we never did [sighs]. We wanted to, we’ve been texting each other being like, “Oh my god, wouldn’t it be so great, we haven’t had a class together!”
Ali: Well, that’s just tragic. Are you going to take any psych classes this year?
Kimberly: Uhhh, I think so, I think I have one, that was like family and intimacy.
Ali: God I wanted to get into that class so bad!
Kimberly: You didn’t get into it?
Ali: But everyone wanted to take that class, I guess, and also it’s at 8 am.
Kimberly: That’s true. That’s gonna be fun for me, waking up at like 6:30.
Ali: Not excited for you but I was so sad that it was completely full, and the waitlist was like 30 some people long. Because it doesn’t get taught every year, it’s like Family Systems and Intimacy.
Kimberly: Yea I saw it and I was like this is really cool and then I saw it was at 8 am. [sighs]
Ali: RIP but also this is so cool.
Kimberly: Yeah I know. I was reaching out my hand like maybe Ali will come.
Ali: But here I am, telling you no. But also I do this thing every year where I look at my registration time and I think like I’m not gonna forget that. And then I realize like two to three hours after that time has passed that it has already passed, and being like oh no! And then I’m scrambling. I live life by the seat of my pants and it’s stressful for everyone involved, including me. [laughter from all]
Kimberly: We love that. We love to hear it. Chaotic energy this year.
Ali: Wait okay. Not to be that guy, what are your big three astrological signs, the both of you?
Kimberly: I am, sun sign is your main one, I’m a Cancer. We all knew this.
Ali: Kimberly has a lot of feelings.
Kimberly: I do. My rising I think is a Gemini and my moon is an Aquarius.
Maddy: I’m an Aries sun. Um but...
Ali: Lot of fire energy in this building.
Maddy: Yea, um and I think my rising is Pisces, moon Aquarius too. Or it’s flipped, no I think it is, is moon the one that people see you as? Right, it’s Aquarius then, yeah.
Ali: Okay I will contribute now. I am a Sagittarius sun, Aries moon, Leo rising. Which means I am a triple fire sign, which may give some context to the chaotic outburst and explanation of my registration habits a few seconds ago.
Kimberly: But we love it. The triple threat.
Ali: We have fun.
Kimberly: We have fun. Look at we. Look at we? Us. Look at us.
Ali: Well, here we are.
Kimberly: Well maybe I’m speaking French, you don’t know.
Ali: Oh I wouldn’t, I don’t speak French. Have I told you that I saved all of my language classes to senior year? Isn’t that the stupidest thing you’ve ever heard? I don’t know why I did it.
Kimberly: Oh Ali. [all laughing]
Ali: I took Spanish from sixth grade to the end of high school, so I had, what, seven years of Spanish under my belt? And I was like, “I’ll take the placement test later.” Like, it’s fine. I don’t, I’m not that worried about it, it’s whatever. Uh, turns out I waited three years to take the placement test. I took it over zoom, absolutely bombed it. Well your comprehension skills are fair, uh grammar, hello did you pay attention to that at all? So I’m going to be in Spanish one this fall, wait no Spanish two, I tested into Spanish two.
Kimberly: Nice, nice, nice.
Ali: Yeah, I’ll be there as a 6th grade reading level.
Maddy: Wow, that’s good though.
Ali: Anyway completely irrelevant.
Kimberly: Two to three hours after registration time. Placement test three years after. Ali Shaw everybody.
Maddy: Triple fire sign energy.
Ali: Hey, I get there eventually. That’s all that matters. Somebody give me an Earth sign to help me out. I need an Earth sign in my chart. Please God someone ground me. [laughter]
Kimberly: I just want to quickly pipe in some of the really cool things we, at least I am, will be working on. It’s not like a lot, I just wanted the listener, aka myself, will...
Ali: Dear listener, me.
Kimberly: [laughter] Can you imagine. Well we are going to, I am going to be working on an Honors project in theater with my lovely friend Ari who is also a theater and women and gender studies major. We are going to be do something cool, speak more on that later. That’s legit it I think. I thought I was, oh I’m trying to work on a research paper and it’s going... it’s going. We’ll say that.
Ali: Sometimes that’s all you can hope for. I am also working on a research paper that is simply just going. So I get it. And it’s just, hard.
Kimberly: Sometimes you sit with it and you’re like do I wanna do this?
Ali: I don't know. Listen up, cause if you are a client of ours, please know that we are also sometimes like uh what no thank you, I will pass. I appreciate the offer but no. We’re not perfect people.
Kimberly: We’re not perfect people and I hope you don’t expect us to be. Cause we are definitely not.
Ali: I will disappoint you. [laughter]
Kimberly: We are also hoping to do some really fun stuff this year. We are hoping to do some interview episodes to be announced. We are also going to hold our annual spooky story contest, which we will talk about later, in second. We are also hoping to do a fun Q and A episode where you the beautiful listener can send in questions and we get to answer them as honestly and efficiently as possible. So if you get an answer that is three minutes long when you just needed a thirty second answer, we’re sorry.
Ali: Well that’s your fault cause you asked us a question and what do you expect, we ramble out here.
Kimberly: And we analyze and we dissect.
Ali: We’re writers! What do you expect?
Kimberly: We are writers. Writers first, people second. I was joking. It’s a thing you say in theater, dancer first actor second. It’s a joke.
Maddy: I don’t get it.
Kimberly: Don’t worry about it. [laughter]
Ali: No, yes cool thank you. I’m learning inside theater lingo.
Kimberly: It changes, like the season.
Ali: If you want to send us a question, feel free to do so at our brand new Instagram page. We’re getting that set up and launching it off the ground so that we can stop spamming the Writing Center Instagram with all of our content. I’m pretty sure it’s hoo’s at the writing center pod.
Kimberly: It’s hoo’s at the wc pod, I think.
Ali: Ok, [spelling it out] h-o-o-s-a-t-w-h, nope w-c pod. Ok, it will be in the description. You can read it. You’ll find it, I promise.
Kimberly: Yeah, I don’t know it off the top of my head. Um yes, but we will, hopefully. By the way we are recording this in summer and we are hoping to publish this in fall.
Ali: So we’ll see when this comes out but, coming at you live from August 2nd. [laughter]
Kimberly: Hopefully maybe we’ll have a form. You can post questions to us on our Instagram, which will be up and ready by the time we post this.
Ali: I don’t know if this is secret but we are hoping to get interviews on the podcast. Like talk to people that you might be interested in hearing from, so if you have someone who works in Seattle in the art scene, are writers, someone who you think is really cool on campus.
Kimberly: Your grandma.
Ali: Your grandma. I would love to talk to some grandmas this year! Big grandma energy.
Kimberly: Your second cousin twice removed’s dog. We will interview...
Ali: Would love to talk to grandmas and dogs, that’s what I’m here to say.
Kimberly: If you have a grandma or a dog.
Ali: Or a grandma dog. [laughter]
Kimberly: Send them our way. [laughter]
Ali: We’re going off the rails. Yes. Let us know. We’d love to hear from you. We have an email address that was mostly created just to set up our Instagram page, but maybe we can include that in the description.
Kimberly: That is something we’ll definitely have to talk about.
Ali: TBD. I’m talking out my butt here. Kimberly--
Kimberly: We are in fact talking in August 2nd. So who knows what’s going to happen in like a month. [laughter]
Ali: Clearly a lot can change in like a minute.
Kimberly: With that being said, check out our Writing Center blog for transcribed versions of episodes and for posts by our Writing Center staff. New blog posts coming soon because we are technically not really active in summer except for like two
consultants and we don’t have everyone so.
Ali: But if you have a minute, go read some old blog posts.
Kimberly: That’s true. We’ve been at it for a while.
Ali: Honestly! And when I wanted to get the blog up and running, I was like, “Okay, this is something I’m really excited about but maybe two other people will post.” And it has actually has turned out that like almost every consultant has written something that has ended up on the blog. And it’s not all like Writing Center directly related, a lot of it, I wrote a post about journaling, one about baking bread, there’s one about taking care of plants, a lot of LGBTQIA content from our wonderful consultant Bek. Lots of cool stuff to check out.
Kimberly: Lots of beautiful, wonderful stuff. Please check it out. It will be in the episode description because god knows that we can’t memorize things off the top of our head. And trying to tell you the exact wording of it. With that being said, we would love to re-introduce, but not really, but anyway, announce the start of our Spooky Story Contest. [ghostly woo-ing] Our beloved Spooky Story Contest begins today, even though it’s August 2nd, this will be published in September. Begins today. Please check out our corresponding infographic on our new podcast anchor—wow—on our new podcast Instagram for more information. That information will also be in the episode description. As of right now, the rules are... if anyone else would feel so inclined to speak more...
Ali: Maddy, hit us with those rules, babe.
Kimberly: The first rule is that it can be about anything. Keep it university appropriate per in agreement with student code of conduct for communication.
Ali: We have to say that, but actually please do it. We don’t want to--
Kimberly: Please. But have fun with it!
Ali: I don’t want to do any paperwork associated with someone giving us something we don’t...
Kimberly: It’s appropriate but have fun with it. Bonus: share stories of your spooky SU experiences if you have any of those.
Ali: The ghosts in Chardin?
Kimberly: If you have a ghost story about that, feel free to hit us with it. Yeah. A page is fine, we recommend a max word count of 3000-4000 words. I don’t know how many pages that is off the top of my head, gonna be honest.
Ali: I don’t either.
Kimberly: 3000 to 4000 words, how ever much that is, that’s your max.
Ali: Double-space it. Use not Comic Sans or a cursive font. Please let us—I want to read them. Please make it easy.
Kimberly: We would like it to be spooky because it is our Spooky Story context—I can’t speak today--
Ali: The context is that this is a Spooky Story Contest.
Kimberly: So therefore, please make it spooky. We can hold other contests for other kinds of stories at a later time if you’re
interested. If you’re interested, we can do that at a later time.
Ali: Is there a prize for this situation?
Kimberly: Well I’m about to get--
Ali: Oops, sorry! [laughter]
Kimberly: One submission per person so make it count. SU students, faculty, and staff can participate and Word Doc format, just
like submitting a document at the Writing Center. Please let it be something that we can access. [laughter] And so sort of the prize, per say, is that you get your story read out loud for the public to hear if the writer consents to it. It’s fun and like last year we did fun audio effects to it. I know we had like a space story and we had distortion and like radio com kind of stuff. We had one about... I can’t remember, but I know Elena made like a big gust sound for like ambiance.
Ali: Your audio engineer nerd side... it’s showing.
Kimberly: Yeah I know. And I’m proud of it.
Ali: Good. Celebrate it. Just wanted to let you know.
Kimberly: Yeah thank you. Anyway, so basically it’s just a chance for you to have your story read out loud. There’s no like monetary compensation for it, but it’s the ability to say like, “Hey, my story got read out loud.”
Ali: Exactly. And also, we don’t want to make art only about monetary compensation. Because we are... anti-capitalist. Or at least I am. So... [laughter] Make with that what you will! Send us a story, we would love to hear from you! [laughter]
Kimberly: Contest starts now. Why did I put 2 X by--
Ali: Because we don’t know when this is coming out.
Kimberly: Contest starts now, whatever today is. Ends on October 12th to give us time to record and to choose stories and then to publish them, etc etc. Just gives us some time to do some technical, nerdy stuff. But please send in your stories to...
Ali: The Writing Center email. Wait no, we have it written down. [email protected]
Kimberly: Wait no, it is definitely [email protected]. Not SU.
Ali: Actually, please disregard everything we have said today [laughter]. [email protected]. We also have a Gmail if that’s something that you want.
Kimberly: We’ll put it in the episode description anyway.
Ali: Can we read? I don’t know, great question!
Kimberly: We’ll choose the ones we like the best and compile them into a document that can be accessed by the public as well as an opportunity to have your short story be read by us, the Hoo’s at the Writing Center Podcast team on one of our episodes. Contest starts now until the 12th of October. You can submit your story to the email. Tell your friends, your teachers, your peers, anyone at Seattle U to submit a story and get spooky. And most importantly, have fun.
Ali: Yes. The golden rule.
Kimberly: Amen.
Ali: That’s not the golden rule. It should be--
Kimberly: And for all things SU Writing Center related, check out our socials @suwritingcenter on Instagram, Seattle U Writing Center on Facebook, and @writingcentersu on Twitter. But also follow the podcast’s new Instagram at, oh I wrote it here, @hoosatthewcpod for all things Hoo’s at the Writing Center related.
Ali: That’s h-o-o-s-a-t-t-h-e-w-c-pod on Instagram. And maybe we’ll start a Twitter.
Kimberly: Oh that’s a lot--
Ali: Yeah I’ve been running the Instagram and I just want to take on more things that I probably don’t have time for. But yeah, Instagram.
Kimberly: Instagram, for now. With that, be sure to stay safe, take care of one another, and this has been another episode of--
Everyone: Hoo- Hoo- Hoo's At The Writing Center.
Kimberly: Amen.
Ali: Bye y’all, see ya next time!
[OUTRO MUSIC PLAYS]