By Lani O’Foran
I filled my one hour of media by reading an article and watching Youtube videos. I first read an article on the new omicron variant BA.2. Apparently it is spreading rapidly, and scientists don’t know how severe the symptoms are in comparison to the previous variant. I started to worry and decided to not read articles anymore because I was supposed to be relaxing. I then went to Youtube for the remainder of my time. I first watched a video on resin 3d printing, specifically on where to place supports and how to orient your print on the build plate. I then started watching a video on a rattlesnake the owners so cleverly named Justin Timbersnake. I learned an interesting fact that you can get a rough estimate on how old a rattlesnake is by counting the segments in its rattle. However, sometimes the segments can fall off when trying to escape or they fall off when the snake slips off something. This could mean that you could either be seeing a young rattlesnake or an old rattlesnake with a broken rattle. After the video was over, I watched the last video of the hour. It was about people moving an alligator into a zoo enclosure. There is a tunnel under the enclosure that leads to a part where a person can stand and essentially be inside the tank with the alligator. There is glass separating the person from the alligator of course.
For my one hour of being outdoors, I visited my parent’s house on the Chesapeake Bay. I walked down to our dock with a pair of binoculars and a folding chair. It was very windy and cold out, but thankfully I enjoy the cold and had many layers of clothing on. One interesting thing I noticed was that only the water in the cove was frozen over. All of the other water to my left was flowing like normal. The snow was blowing off the trees, making it look like a blizzard. It was especially gorgeous because the sunlight was showing the sparkle on the snowflakes. There were about 8 ducks swimming together, making ripples in the water. I used the binoculars to get a closer look. I was able to see them dive into the water every now and then. I wasn’t able to see what they caught in their beaks, but I assumed it was small vegetation floating just below the surface. I really enjoyed watching the ducks. I thought they were so cute. It was fascinating to see how the water just runs off of their feathers even though most of their body is completely submerged when they dive. I recently learned that their feathers stay dry because ducks spread oil made by their uropygial gland (located on their back). It was really cool for me to see the effects of the process in person.
I certainly struggled a little bit with sitting outside in the same spot for a full hour just watching the water and my surroundings. I got bored pretty quickly unless I was looking at the ducks or other animals. I feel like my brain can’t be bored for long because it is so used to being able to have an immediate release of dopamine when I start using my phone. One interesting thing I noticed was that I felt more refreshed and relaxed after being outside rather than spending time in front of a screen. What I learned from this experience is that sometimes it is better to slow down and enjoy the quiet. You don’t always need your brain to be constantly overloaded.