I am UIC: 10 things to do without ever leaving your apartment

Hello! I did intend to make this blog post about “engaging in conversation in the classroom even when you disagree,” but considering the fact that I have not been in class at all this week, I figured now is not the right time for that kind of post.

Instead, I want to write about doing… nothing. My favorite thing today. Due to the polar vortex and sub-zero temperatures, I have literally not been outside in three days (we are discounting the time I walked across the street to get fries from Bacci’s). Which is pretty crazy, because UIC doesn’t just close for anything. We UIC students are resilient; we can tough the snow and slippery ice. But freezing, life-threatening winds? You won’t catch me out there.

So anyway, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the time at home. And if you ever reach a point where you are trapped in your home for three days, with nothing but food, books, and the internet, take these tips from me.

Ten fun and productive things I did without ever leaving my apartment:

1. Cleaned my ROOM!!! My closet has been overflowing with sweaters and summer clothes that I have been too busy to pack away. So guess what I did today? That!
2. Art! The last three days I drew pictures, painted pictures, wrote a script for a short film, wrote a blog post.
3. Worked from home! I asked my boss and internship supervisor to send me things to read over and go through to stay on top of everything without risking my life in the cold.
4. Watched a lot of TV. Caught up on “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” and Shane Dawson fortunately came out with a new 1 hour and 44-minute-long conspiracy video. So amazing. I feel so full.
5. Read all my assignments for school! I really did that!
6. Finally cooked/ate all of the leftovers that were slowly making their way to the back of the fridge. Cooking for one is hard when you don’t understand portions. I always end up with an unnecessary amount of leftover food. Well, guess what? No more!
7. I actually saw my roommates! The semesters are so difficult when all of your roommates have different schedules.
8. Realized I have friends to talk to! Now that I think about it, I talk to about two people regularly during the semester only because I see them all the time because our schedules work out. But this time at home forced me to realize that 1. FaceTime is so useful and 2. Friends actually want to catch up with me.
9. Sleep a lot. Last night I slept for 12 hours. I wasn’t even tripping about that. In fact, staying awake until 9 p.m. is tough when you do nothing all day.
10. I read all of my emails! Apparently, there are so many emails and texts that I accidentally miss while going about my day. I even caught an email about a 75 percent off sale on Levi jeans. You best know I needed new jeans. I feel so productive and thrifty.

There you go. I hope you learned a lot. Stay warm, and stay in school, everyone.

Abigail Floresca is a junior majoring in criminology, law and justice with a minor in professional writing. Writing is how she connects, processes, expresses and relates to the rest of the world. Increasingly aware of the power of storytelling in bringing about change and reform, Abigail earnestly seeks to find a way to incorporate a perfect blend of writing and social work within the criminal justice system — she dreams of bringing about a positive change, one story at a time. At UIC, she is involved in campus ministry; conducts research with the criminology, law and justice department; interns with the Chicago Justice Project, and loves exploring new places downtown.