Pilots Prevent
October 12, 2021
If there was any silver lining to the COVID-19 shutdown in early 2020, it’s that many people found themselves with a lot more time on their hands. With events canceled and commutes measured in steps rather than miles, people found themselves with more time to reassess their priorities and open themselves up to a new world of possibilities.
We asked around the UP community and found many people who had rekindled their old hobbies or found new ones — people like Marija Hobbs, associate director of Alumni Engagement, who took up knitting and Elizabeth Gilmore, associate director of creative services in Marketing & Communications, who got back on her road bike and completed her first century.
A few in the UP community even graciously shared their stories of discovery with us. Read on to find out what inspired them.
The Baker
Joane T. Moceri, PhD, RN
Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, School of Nursing
During the first summer of COVID I decided to join the millions of people who were creating sourdough and baking. I have never been much of a baker, but I loved the scientific aspect of creating this living organism out of flour, water, and air (well, what was in the air; yeast) that would provide delicious bread and other bakery items.
So, I mixed and watched and fed my creature, who as tradition demands needed a name. Because we were living in a time that a microorganism was all we talked about, and the leading spokesperson about COVID was Dr. Fauci, whom I greatly admire, I named my sourdough "Fauci."
Next, I had to learn to bake with "him." After many experiments in my “baking lab,” I have come up with several recipes for breads, rolls, hot dog buns, and biscuits. We rarely buy bread from the store and, over a year later, Fauci is alive and has several progeny that I have shared with others, including Faucini, Faucelli, and Walt (after Walt Disney who was cryogenically frozen) because I kept that one in the freezer for a year.
The Crochet-er
Jen Heideman ‘22
Resident Assistant, Mehling Hall
I started crocheting last fall when I was living in Fields because there weren’t any on-campus activities happening and I had a couple of friends who crocheted. One of my friends living in Fields offered to teach me, so then I started making my first blanket.
What I like about crochet is that it’s really relaxing and it allows me to do something with my hands while I watch TV or sit through Zoom meetings. I’ve made a bunch of things like blankets, coasters, plushies, scarves, and sweaters. The things I like to make the most, though, are tops and earrings. Right now I’m trying to work on a couple of sweaters and trying to figure out how to make socks!
Picture of a top that Jen made.
The Quilter
Nancy Nofziger
Administrative Assistant, Alumni & Parent Relations
I grew up with the tradition that when jeans are old you cut them up to make a quilt. I’ve made three big jean patch quilts for my kids over the years, with polar fleece on the back so they are heavy. They are very plain with no real design.
I hadn’t sewn for a while other than fixing things, but with the extra time at home and the excess jeans on hand, I wanted to make a quilt for me. I was planning on just doing a patchwork quilt again, then I started thinking about the Eiffel tower and how I could make that work…that one is still to come. But I also love nutcrackers and was looking at Pinterest to see what people were making. There weren’t any quilts but lots of other things, which inspired me to create the one I made. 
I’d rather not follow a pattern and create as I go. It is all out of jeans I cut up and then added some embellishments. His shoulders and hat were pieces of pockets that were decorative. His face has a Carhartt nose and blue button eyes. His hair, mustache, and beard are lines of stitching.
I think I picked up quilting again to have some creative me-time because no one seems to interrupt me at home when I’m sewing — except for the dog coming to find me.
The Roller Skater
Tori Ward
Serials Technical Assistant, Clark Library
When we were first put under quarantine in early 2020, I was afraid to go outside for a long time. A quick trip to the grocery store was anxiety inducing and seeing people outside en masse without their masks on made me feel unsafe. I hated the feeling and wanted to find a way to still stay healthy and active while also being able to stay socially distanced.
Early this year (2021) I started noticing that people were roller-skating and blading in the streets. For some reason it never occurred to me that it was an option since I've only been familiar with rink skating. It was something I had always wanted to do since I was a kid watching my older brother roller blade and skateboard. It also didn't help that I always had Roll Bounce queued up at home. So, I did my research, found a pair of skates, and have been skating since early May and loving it.
I started skating outside mostly because it was easier to spread out. I would go to meetups around the city and meet other skaters and occasionally get some pointers. It was fun because it was like I got to discover other parts of the city that I never really had a reason to go visit. Some of my frequent haunts were Rigler Elementary and King Elementary School. Both have pretty smooth surfaces, King being the best.
Nowadays I go to Oaks Park to skate. I started going mostly because I was getting more comfortable with businesses that were maintaining safety protocols and adhering to masking mandates. I also had a set of indoor wheels that weren’t getting enough love and I wanted to start using them more. Oaks Park also offers lessons. Up until now, I’ve just been learning by watching instructional YouTube Videos (Dirty Deb’s Dirty School of Skate and Roller Diva Dance Fit have been a godsend) and any tips I get from my more experienced skater friends.
What I love most about skating is how much I can express myself and be able to make a different connection with my body. I feel more in control and understand how my body works in a bit more detail. Being inside for so long where I couldn’t do much, I felt like all the activities I used to do weren’t possible anymore. I used to go dancing a lot but touching other people in order to salsa isn’t really my jam anymore. Skating, in a way, gives me more freedom.
My goal is to hopefully become an Artistic skater (basically a figure skater on wheels).
The Basket Weaver
Karen Bridges
Marketing & Communications Coordinator
I’ve always loved arts and crafts, but I’m not sure what spurred my initial interest in basket weaving. When I started researching it, I realized it’s not a very common craft, and there are not a lot of resources available (supplies, YouTube videos, classes) compared to other crafts. It’s interesting because basket making is such an ancient craft, and every culture has their own unique style and uses their own fibers and materials. Therefore, researching weaving is also about cultural research and understanding.
There are so many ways to weave, and so many kinds of materials you can use—willow, reed, cane, vines, pine needles, yarn. There’s no wrong way to make a basket. You can make mistakes of course, but there is no limit to the different ways you can put the fibers, colors, and weaving techniques together to create something.
I did research and watched as many online tutorials as I could find, and then I just jumped right in. I think that’s a great way to approach and learn this craft—exploring at your own pace, making mistakes, and learning from them without the pressure of someone watching. Creating whatever and however you please.
I find the process meditative. I love working with my hands. When I’m weaving, my mind is focusing on the task at hand instead of wandering and worrying. It’s really satisfying to have something in the end to show for your work, something useful and hopefully nice to look at.
The Cook
Elvia Montanez, UP mom
We started Sunday night dinners at our house for whichever of our four adult children were around. Even though nightly family dinners were a sacred constant when they were growing up, we had become inconsistent. The pandemic renewed our commitment to it, and it brought us even closer.
As a bit of background, our four children (one married with two small children) lived or went to school in different states prior to the pandemic. We live in Southern California. Our daughter was going to school in San Francisco (USF), our son at UP, our other daughter lived in Boston, and our son and his family lived in Texas. When my husband was diagnosed with advanced stage cancer, two of our children quit their jobs and moved back to Southern California. Our college children would come home for summers and whenever else they could come down.
Cancer and COVID brought many challenges and changes, but it did not take away love or opportunities to grow in relationship to one another. Our dinners took place in many forms—outside on a picnic table, around our dinner table, and as my husband's health declined, wherever he was. There was always laughter, loudness, tenderness, and the sharing of communion with one another. We would play board games or charades after dinner (some a bit more competitive than others). With little ones around, the games were often kid-friendly, but generally hysterical.
As for the food, I’m not a great cook (I can make a mean dessert and a great salad, though), but my children are and Dominic, my husband/their dad, was one of those people who could taste something at a restaurant, go home and play with ingredients, and generally make it even better. He was never afraid to fail because he believed the failures led to successes. He especially loved grilling. We had a small Weber kettle grill. He was able to do almost anything on that little charcoal Weber, from smoking cheese to his amazing tri tip to grilled veggies and even grilled fruits. It was a gift he used well and loved sharing. He had always dreamed of someday having a "real" outdoor grill.
One day, our oldest son, Dominic (junior), found a free massive grill. It was filthy and in major need of elbow grease. He and our younger son, David (the one at UP), spent a week in secret buffing, cleaning, and refurbishing this grill to surprise their dad with it. By that time their dad wasn’t well enough to use it, so the boys did the grilling every Sunday when home while the rest of us made the sides and desserts.
Even after my husband's passing (All Souls Day 2020), the Sunday dinner tradition continues. It's hopefully a "no-strings-attached, come-if-you-can" dinner night.
The mental pictures I have of those dinners as a complete family are part of the love that sustains me in the grief of such a loss. So many have lost loved ones around the world in this past year, and surely at UP. I pray they too have the moments of beauty and grace which remain and can never be erased.
Brothers Dominic and David making the final buffs to the grill they had worked hard to clean up, right before they called their dad over to surprise him with it.
University of Portland
5000 N. Willamette Blvd.,
Portland, Oregon 97203-5798
503.943.8000
This website uses cookies to track information for analytics purposes. You can view the full University of Portland privacy policy for more information.
