As we have been working from home during social distancing for COVID-19, we have all had to figure out ways to entertain ourselves, escape or maintain a sense of normalcy. Some of the editorial staff have written about how they are spending their time while social distancing, and hopefully, we can inspire our readership to try some new things.

Caryl J. Espinoza Jaen, Assistant Opinion Editor

One of the biggest things I’ve had to get used to as we practice social distancing is the lack of everyday noise around me. With public spaces closing, I no longer get to relax and go about my day under the soundscape of my peers interacting with their environment. It feels awfully empty, so I’ve taken up this time to learn piano. I usually messed around with the pianos with my friends at Price Music Center, so getting back to mashing around notes for fun and learning songs makes the atmosphere feel less empty.

Lauren Greene, Social Media Editor

As someone who has always maintained a super busy schedule, the social distancing has hit hard. I will shamelessly admit I have already watched a full season of “Seinfeld” in one day. Although I do love binge-watching Hulu and sleeping in late, I plan on making some sort of routine in the hope that I won’t go stir crazy. I start my day off by exercising with some gym equipment I have at my house. Even if it is only 30 minutes, I still feel better throughout the day. In the last couple of days, I have been eating every meal outside, as long as the weather is willing. This gives me the chance to spend some time outside even when I am busy with online classes. 

Dan Gilliam, Editor-in-Chief

I’ve fallen into a nice routine during this self-quarantine process. My classes aren’t until 3 p.m., so I usually wake up at noon. Eventually I eat dinner. End of routine. I moved back in with my dad, who recently bought a marimba, so I’m playing that every now and then, even though I don’t know how to actually play it — yet. Other than that, I’m playing guitar, binge watching trash on Netflix and playing video games. 

Isaac Tolbert, Social Media Analytics Manager

I’m getting through my social distancing by practicing my cooking skills. I’m a pretty terrible cook, so I used to eat out or get takeout for most of my meals, but now that I’m stuck in my apartment, I’ve been able to cook things that I haven’t made in ages and try a few new things out. So far, my favorite has been a blackened chicken pasta with homemade alfredo sauce, and a close second is a recipe for homemade oatmeal pancakes that my grandmother gave me.

Emma Sheppard, Photo Editor

I never thought that I would ever want to be going back to school and having in-person classes, but I’m having withdrawals, so to get me through this quarantine and self-isolation, I have been binge-watching Hulu like there’s no tomorrow. I am obsessed with “Manifest,” “Station 19,” “Grey’s Anatomy” (call me basic) and “Chicago Med.” I hang out with my mom all day, and have been helping my dad with his woodworking in the garage. I have also hit an all-time low by playing “NHL 20” with my boyfriend, and I never in my life thought that I would enjoy doing that, so someone needs to get me back to civilization ASAP!

Austin Dunlow, Assistant Arts & Entertainment Editor

Social distancing has been interesting for me. I’ve never thought of myself as an extrovert, but I am officially craving socialization. To get a false sense of socialization, I’ve been playing the newly released “Animal Crossing: New Horizons.” In order to give myself a false sense of being anywhere but my house, I’ve been rereading one of my favorite books: “The Setting Sun” by Osamu Dazai. To give myself a false sense of normalcy, I’ve been listening to “Songs for You” by Tinashe (look, don’t judge me) and “When I Get Home” by Solange. Finally, to feed into my feeling of nostalgia right now, I’ve been rewatching “That ‘70s Show” on Netflix. All of these have come together to make me feel as normal as I possibly can after feeling like I’ve reverted back to my high school years.

Rachael Davis, Managing Editor

Instead of reading all of my required books for class and writing countless essays, I’ve decided to relax during this chaotic time. Every three hours of the day, you can catch me playing, of course, “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” on my Nintendo Switch. I have been a huge “Animal Crossing” fan since “Wide World” in 2005, so this game is a complete delight for me. Also, as a history and pop culture fan, I started rewatching my favorite docuseries, “The Toys That Made Us” and “The Movies That Made Us,” where each episode focuses on the history of a certain childrens’ toy, like the Barbie doll or Hello Kitty, and/or movies like “Dirty Dancing” and “Home Alone.” Additionally, I have been endlessly scrolling through TikTok, and it has also taken over my music library. You can catch me listening to “Savage” by Megan Thee Stallion, “Supalonely” by BENEE and “Say So” by Doja Cat. I am also trying to learn the dances! However, I cannot wait for Dua Lipa’s new album, “Future Nostalgia,” that will be released on Friday. Hopefully, her disco-inspired album can make this social distancing a little more fun.

Jaylan Harrington, Video Editor

In these trying times, I’ve finally dug into my list on HBO Now to watch “Barry,” a great comedy about hitman turned theatre actor Barry Berkman. The first season is about Barry finding his purpose on the stage and struggling to escape his former life as he learns to take control of his life. Bill Hader is surprisingly believable as a killing machine, and Anthony Carrigan is the funniest part of the show as the very friendly second-in-command of the Chechen gang Barry does jobs for.

Ben Wolf, Copy Desk Chief

I never sign up for online classes because I’m very bad at keeping up with them, so true to form, I’ve been ignoring my classes and focusing on more important things, like watching “BEASTARS” on Netflix and sleeping. I also got so bored over the extended break that I bleached and dyed my own hair blue with a box kit from Walgreens while my parents weren’t home. I’ve never done anything to my hair before besides get it cut by a professional, so it was a wild time. As an English major, I’ve also been meaning to build my writing portfolio, so I’ve been working a lot on my creative fiction works, including building a choose-your-own-adventure story and forcing my brothers to playtest it.