The Independent Voice of Southern Methodist University Since 1915

The Daily Campus

The Daily Campus

The Independent Voice of Southern Methodist University Since 1915

The Daily Campus

The Independent Voice of Southern Methodist University Since 1915

The Daily Campus

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Social Distancing During Spring Break? Here Are Our Suggestions to Help Pass the Time:

Illustration+created+using+Canva.+Photo+credit%3A+Cristin+Espinosa
Illustration created using Canva. Photo credit: Cristin Espinosa

Okay, so a global pandemic is ruining your spring break.

You might have had to cancel your plans to get wasted in Cabo with strangers. Maybe your parents said you couldn’t go on that road trip with your friends, or worse: you have reason to believe you came in contact with COVID-19, and now you’re locked away in your room nervously Googling the difference between a dry cough and a normal one.

It’s okay. The Daily Campus is here to help. Who knows? Maybe at the end of this, 30 years from now, you’ll be telling your kids about how the best spring break you ever had happened while you were in quarantine. Just saying, it makes for a pretty bad-ass story.

Here are some of our editors’ picks to help make the most out of this situation:

Cristin Espinosa’s picks:

Listen to Niall Horan’s new album.

Harry Styles may have taken the world by storm with the release of “Fine Line” back in December, but don’t let the One Direction heartthrob overshadow his fellow band member Niall Horan. Horan’s second studio album, “Heartbreak Weather,” has an array of bops and ballads that tell the story of a relationship from its beginning to end. Horan will be touring the U.S. with Lewis Capaldi starting in late April and returning again in July. Hopefully, we can all leave our homes by then, otherwise, Horan might just have to perform via Zoom.

Watch urban exploration videos on YouTube.

You may not be able to leave your home for a little while, but you can still take adventures around the world by watching Explomo videos on YouTube. Explomo is run by two handsome, European twenty-somethings named Maureno and Remon who are self-proclaimed urban explorers that search across Europe for hauntingly beautiful abandoned buildings to film and photograph. You can travel with them to forgotten Portuguese mansions, ornate French castles, and untouched 20th-century Belgian farmhouses. The traveling duo uploads new videos about twice a week, so there will be fresh content for you to enjoy throughout your time in hiding.

Teach yourself some TikTok dance routines.

TikTok isn’t just for high schoolers prancing around in crop tops anymore. Now everyone seems to be on board–even Bernie Sanders has started an official TikTok account. Now’s the perfect time to download the app and start learning some choreography, if you haven’t already. TikTok has blown up with iconic dance videos for pop tunes like Dua Lipa’s “Don’t Start Now” to Doja Cat’s “Say So.” Plenty of TikTok-ers have gone viral just by filming themselves dancing from the comfort of their own homes, so why not get famous while in self-isolation?

Audrey McClure’s Picks:

Play online games with friends.

There are endless amounts of multi-player online games like skribbl.io and agar.io that you can play online with your friends (or random players). If you’re looking for a way to still hang out with each other, these games are just a few among many more that can keep everyone connected.

Bake up a storm.

What else will consume hours of your day and make everything smell delicious? Online recipes abound, and some of the beautifully impossible YouTube tutorials out there are experiences in their own right. Warning: expectations often do not meet reality.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B6ZXokUAp4O/?igshid=1dr9t9wokz5em

Learn some breathing exercises.

I love my family. But if my brother would just listen, maybe we could finally get that third star on Overcooked. Stop. Breathe. Many of us will be spending (slightly) more time than normal being cooped up with our families. When you need to focus on something other than the sound of your neighbor’s TV or the way your sister snorts every time she laughs, breathing exercises can help.

Sriya Reddy’s Picks:

Journal.

Anyone who has ever met me has probably heard me tell them to try journaling. It’s cool to think about how 30 years from now, people will be looking back at this time in history. Might as well help find some primary sources with my mindless writing.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9lXx7hDLDW/?igshid=csgtqy5p8ns4

Do some online shopping.

Uhhh… noo… I absolutely did not just buy a new pair of boots, among other things, from ASOS when I’m not going outside for a hot second. And I definitely did not spend hours on the ASOS app creating outfit-spiration boards with clothing I cannot afford.

Read!!!!

I’ve been picking up my childhood favorites at my parent’s house and I’ve never been more excited about it. Right now, I’m reading the Mysterious Benedict Society series and, like, damn, it’s good. But I can’t find my copy of Matilda if someone wants to donate it to me.

Connor Pittman’s Picks:

Binge-watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

As a kid, I remember going home on Friday nights to make sure that I caught the weekly episode the first time it aired at 7:30 p.m. For a while, my life had an Obi-Wan Kenobi-sized hole (he was my only hope), but Disney+ has all the episodes and even the new season they’re releasing weekly. Whether it’s watching two seasons a day or watching the Jedi duke it out with Admiral Trench, I’ll be checking out the new episodes and tons of the old ones while I’m stuck inside.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B911JpkBJuE/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Dust off your record player.

I haven’t pulled out the vinyls for almost a semester now, but something seems right about pulling them out and playing a record from my collection. While the music isn’t super relevant today, I think we’ve all had moments where we belt out the opening lines of “Don’t Stop Believin’” recently. While I’m sitting around for two hours in between classes, I might play a side or two and sip some tea. Music has always been a great way to kill time and there is a nice aesthetic about a record that Spotify and Pandora don’t provide. Plus, who doesn’t like Prince’s “Purple Rain”?

Pull an all-nighter playing video games.

I haven’t had enough time to play a new video game recently and MLB The Show 20 just came out. What’s better than crushing baseballs all night while being fueled by Dr Pepper? Nothing. While the professors are away, the gamers will play, and I will be fixated on my television, controller in hand, sitting on a 2-0 fastball. Maybe I’ll throw a little Assassin’s Creed Odyssey in there, since I still haven’t finished it yet. That’s what happens when the term papers pile up. In the meantime, I’ll be enjoying my time in the house by staying up past my bedtime melting my brain with video games.

Michelle Aslam’s Picks:

Watch “The Sopranos.”

Look, everyone from your high school geography teacher to your loud-mouthed younger cousin gives you shit for not having seen it. Do you know how many references probably fly right over your head on a daily basis? It’s pathetic. Come on, it’s time. Grab some orange juice, the kind with some pulp, and binge six seasons of The Sopranos on HBO.

Make it through a “best films” list or start your own.

The iconic duo that brought you the incredible migraine that is “Uncut Gems” brings you another gem that is just as foreboding: “Good Time,” which ironically is not at all a good time. If you’re into movies that make you want to pull your hair out, this gritty Safdie Brothers thriller starring Robert Pattinson is now on Netflix.

The bad news is, there are a lot of amazing cinematic creations that we will never get the chance to experience. Fortunately, many people with the privilege of having way too much time on their hands have taken that time to curate a list of must-sees. That’s how I found “Good Time”!

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bb42VnJgmJy/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Watch “The Real Bros of Simi Valley.”

This Facebook Watch series is a reality show parody by some of our generation’s most loved comedians, including Cody Ko, Petter Gilroy and Casey Frey. My friends and I loved watching the first and second season together, and now that season three is out, you can bet there is going to be an overcomplicated group FaceTime situation so we can all watch and laugh together.

https://twitter.com/JimmyTatro/status/1236021323169771520?s=20

Taran Stahle’s Picks:

Become best friends with your dogs.

Now that I am home from SMU for what could be quite a while, Stormie and Stella could not be happier. This is not helping their narcissism…

https://twitter.com/TaranStahle/status/1239651485723570182?s=20

SLEEP!

I’m taking full advantage of my schedule, and that means catching up on some much-needed sleep. That magical feeling of turning off all the alarms on my phone and burying myself in pillows, it’s incomparable!

Bake some more!

I love trying new recipes! Being trapped at home basically just means keeping my apron on all day. I get to play around with new methods and ingredients, and it’s really a win-win for my family.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9sDgDEFeWc/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

What will you be up to during this spring break of social distancing? Let us know on Twitter at https://twitter.com/thedailycampus!

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