Collected Item: “Janice Simone Simon Oral History, 2021/02/19”
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Silver Linings Oral History with Janice Simone Simon
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oral history & transcript
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Silver Linings Oral History_ Janice Simone Simon
Interviewee: Janice Simone Simon
Interviewer: Dana Lee Bell
Date of Interview: 02/19/2021
Location of interviewee: Redding, California
Location of Interviewer: Fairfield, California
Transcriber: Dana Lee Bell
Abstract: Dana Lee Bell is an intern for Arizona State University’s Journal of The Plague Year archive and is interviewing eighty-two-year-old Janice Simone Simon for a collection called Silver Linings. Janice lives in Redding, California in a senior living apartment complex. Janice talks about feeling introspective and rediscovering new hobbies such as knitting since Covid began. Janice also talks about her friends and how they are coping with the pandemic. Dana is the granddaughter of Janice. Janice thought it was very amusing to try and act formal with each other for the sake of the interview.
Dana Lee Bell (00:00)
Okay, can you hear me?
Janice Simone Simon (00:10)
Yes, I can. Young lady.
DB: (00:13)
Okay. Hi, my name is Dana Bell and I'm a graduate student intern with a COVID-19 archive at AASU. The date is February 19th, 2021. And the time is 1:53 PM. I am speaking with Janice Simon. I want to ask you a question about your pandemic experience, but before I do, I'd like to ask for your consent to record this response for the COVID-19 archive. The COVID 19 archive is a digital archive at ASU that is collecting pandemic experiences. Do I have your consent to record your response and add it to the archive with your name?
JS (00:57)
I would be proud for you to do that.
DB (01:00)
Okay. Thank you. So first, could you tell me your name?
JS (01:04)
Janice Simon.
DB (01:07)
And how old are you?
JS (01:08)
82.
DB (01:11)
And what is your race?
JS (01:14)
I'm a Caucasian.
DB (01:16)
And where do you live?
JS (1:18)
I live in Redding California in a senior housing, uh, apartment building.
DB (01:24):
Thank you. Now I'd like to ask you a quick question about the pandemic. We've experienced a lot of changes in 2020, and maybe have been negative and disruptive, but perhaps it's not all bad. What is one positive thing that you've experienced during the pandemic?
JS (01:43)
I've found that I have become slightly introspective and that I've taken up more reading, studying, keeping a journal and returned to some hobbies that I had, uh, kind of abandoned. Because I'm not leaving home very often. And the outside experiences have, are limited, so therefore I've tried to find some experiences and some things I can do on my own and learn more about myself, maybe.
DB (02:14)
Awesome. What kind of hobbies have you picked up again?
JS (02:18)
Well, uh, I would like to say that I had picked them all up, but I have taken back up knitting a little. I knitted a scarf for a friend of mine for Christmas, and, um, I am doing more puzzles, you know, crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, uh, things that kind of keep an 83 year old, almost 83 year old mind going. Um, I haven't really taken up the painting that I wanted to because of this limited space in my apartment. Uh, but I still plan to do that.
DB (02:53):
Nice. Is there anything else you wanted to add?
JS (02:56)
Um, well I asked a couple of what they found positive about it, and they said pretty much the same thing, that they felt more disciplined personally, that they were able to, you know, wear the mask, limit their visiting, limit their outdoor activities, outside activities with members other than their own family. And that discipline evidently, they felt was a good thing.
DB (03:27)
Awesome. Thank you for sharing. Well, I want to thank you for your time today.
JS (03:36)
You're welcome.
DB (03:38)
And you have a great day.
JS (03:40)
Thank you, Mrs. Bell.
DB (03:44)
Thank you Mrs. Simon. Bye.
JS (03:48)
Okay, bye bye.
Interviewee: Janice Simone Simon
Interviewer: Dana Lee Bell
Date of Interview: 02/19/2021
Location of interviewee: Redding, California
Location of Interviewer: Fairfield, California
Transcriber: Dana Lee Bell
Abstract: Dana Lee Bell is an intern for Arizona State University’s Journal of The Plague Year archive and is interviewing eighty-two-year-old Janice Simone Simon for a collection called Silver Linings. Janice lives in Redding, California in a senior living apartment complex. Janice talks about feeling introspective and rediscovering new hobbies such as knitting since Covid began. Janice also talks about her friends and how they are coping with the pandemic. Dana is the granddaughter of Janice. Janice thought it was very amusing to try and act formal with each other for the sake of the interview.
Dana Lee Bell (00:00)
Okay, can you hear me?
Janice Simone Simon (00:10)
Yes, I can. Young lady.
DB: (00:13)
Okay. Hi, my name is Dana Bell and I'm a graduate student intern with a COVID-19 archive at AASU. The date is February 19th, 2021. And the time is 1:53 PM. I am speaking with Janice Simon. I want to ask you a question about your pandemic experience, but before I do, I'd like to ask for your consent to record this response for the COVID-19 archive. The COVID 19 archive is a digital archive at ASU that is collecting pandemic experiences. Do I have your consent to record your response and add it to the archive with your name?
JS (00:57)
I would be proud for you to do that.
DB (01:00)
Okay. Thank you. So first, could you tell me your name?
JS (01:04)
Janice Simon.
DB (01:07)
And how old are you?
JS (01:08)
82.
DB (01:11)
And what is your race?
JS (01:14)
I'm a Caucasian.
DB (01:16)
And where do you live?
JS (1:18)
I live in Redding California in a senior housing, uh, apartment building.
DB (01:24):
Thank you. Now I'd like to ask you a quick question about the pandemic. We've experienced a lot of changes in 2020, and maybe have been negative and disruptive, but perhaps it's not all bad. What is one positive thing that you've experienced during the pandemic?
JS (01:43)
I've found that I have become slightly introspective and that I've taken up more reading, studying, keeping a journal and returned to some hobbies that I had, uh, kind of abandoned. Because I'm not leaving home very often. And the outside experiences have, are limited, so therefore I've tried to find some experiences and some things I can do on my own and learn more about myself, maybe.
DB (02:14)
Awesome. What kind of hobbies have you picked up again?
JS (02:18)
Well, uh, I would like to say that I had picked them all up, but I have taken back up knitting a little. I knitted a scarf for a friend of mine for Christmas, and, um, I am doing more puzzles, you know, crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, uh, things that kind of keep an 83 year old, almost 83 year old mind going. Um, I haven't really taken up the painting that I wanted to because of this limited space in my apartment. Uh, but I still plan to do that.
DB (02:53):
Nice. Is there anything else you wanted to add?
JS (02:56)
Um, well I asked a couple of what they found positive about it, and they said pretty much the same thing, that they felt more disciplined personally, that they were able to, you know, wear the mask, limit their visiting, limit their outdoor activities, outside activities with members other than their own family. And that discipline evidently, they felt was a good thing.
DB (03:27)
Awesome. Thank you for sharing. Well, I want to thank you for your time today.
JS (03:36)
You're welcome.
DB (03:38)
And you have a great day.
JS (03:40)
Thank you, Mrs. Bell.
DB (03:44)
Thank you Mrs. Simon. Bye.
JS (03:48)
Okay, bye bye.
Use one-word hashtags (separated by commas) to describe your story. For example: Where did it originate? How does this object make you feel? How does this object relate to the pandemic?
HST580, Arizona State University, SilverJOTPY, hobbies, elder, community, knitting, art, introspection
Who originally created this object? (If you created this object, such as photo, then put "self" here.)
Dana Lee Bell
Give this story a date.
2021-02-19