Introduction to Quarantine Season 2
So I'm from Washington state, but came to OU thanks to scholarships and am currently studying chemistry as my major. I love chemistry because spending time in lab is a pleasant experience where I can just vibe out to music and mix chemicals, even with COVID canceling all my other in-person classes. The best class I took last semester was 9 Things About College and Money due to all the little things about personal finance I picked up. I'm usually smart about my money but the class was super informative on little things I'd need to know down the road like loans and credit cards. Besides class, I spent a lot of time catching up on shows in my free time since there's not much else to do when you're quarantined at home. One of my favorite franchises is the Star Wars universe, and watching season 2 of the Mandalorian was a blast. I'm not the biggest fan of the recent Disney trilogy, but the extended universe definitely makes up for all its shortcomings. Last semester I decided to do an entire listen of Kanye's discography since I was spending 3 hours every week in lab with not much else to do but wait for reactions to finish. The Life of Pablo still ranks as one of my top Kanye albums but College Dropout reminded of some classic bangers I haven't listened to since middle school. COVID-19 didn't really stop all of my hobbies though, and most of my free nights during the week consisted of playing Warzone with my roommates. When quarantine first started last year during spring break, we installed the game and proceeded to play nearly every single day nonstop from spring to end of summer, totaling 286 hours of game time. Quarantine brought me and my roommates together everyday and we made the most of our first year in quarantine, ending with a release of our own Christmas card. Most of us are pre-med students but with COVID-19 restricting our shadowing, volunteering, and work ability, the only thing we could really do was study and keep our grades up. I had a great semester all things considered, and still made tons of memories to look back on when I'm older.
Chem labs are definitely a lot of fun. I have some labs in person now and weirdly wearing masks just worsens the experience. I hope you'll be able to come back to labs this semester! Being pre-med is definitely hard now due to the COVID19 challenges. I have a medical school interview coming up and it's all in ZOOM! Ah! I hate it. I've spent most of my break cooped inside my room playing Overwatch. I should definitely checkout Warzone. I wish you luck in all your future ventures!
ReplyDeleteI spent a lot of quarantine catching up on tv shows as well, but, don't judge me, I have never actually watched any of the Star Wars Franchise. Maybe one of these days I will have to.
ReplyDeleteI am also a Pre-Med student, hopefully these COVID restrictions won't continue to limit our shadowing, volunteering, and working abilities and we can all get back on track.
I think it is so cool how you are doing out of state college. I would never be able to since I am so close with my family. I agree with you that chemistry is an enjoyable experience. I have never watched a Star Wars film or television series. From what I have heard from many people, I guess I need to start watching them. That is a lot of game time! I think it is so nice that you were able to connect with your roommates due to COVID-19 because otherwise it probably would not have happened. It looks like you have made a lot of great friends and memories.
ReplyDeleteHello Aaron, I took chemistry freshman year, and it was super interesting but definitely not my cup of tea lol. I’m glad you have found something that you enjoy and are so passionate about. I also did not do much over quarantine except watched a lot of tv, went on runs, and hung out with my family. I think quarantine was kind of a blessing in disguise because I was able to spend more time with loved ones and work on myself. I hope this semester treats you well and good luck in the future!
ReplyDeleteHi Aaron! It's nice to finally see someone who is studying chemistry as well! I started college as a chemistry major but ended up switching over to biochemistry later on! I completely agree with you chemistry lab can be fun! I would definitely say I enjoyed general chemistry labs more than organic chemistry labs though. I am a pre-med student as well and I 100% agree with you that with covid-19 and restrictions on shadowing etc the only thing we can do is keep our grades up but hopefully things will go back to somewhat normal and we can get some shadowing done!
ReplyDeleteHi Aaron! I agree with you on the lackluster new trilogy of Star Wars, but I don't think any of the other films make up for it except for Rogue One, which in my opinion is the single greatest movie ever created in the Star Wars franchise. The plot makes sense, there is real danger and loss, and the ending...wow. If only those graphics had existed for the original movies. I also enjoy Warzone from time to time, but definitely not as often as you! (But I did catch the Gulag reference!)
ReplyDeleteVery nice to meet you Aaron! I've also been binging shows like crazy between classes and work. I never had a desire to watch Gray's anatomy until this year and now I'm on season 9 out of 16. I'm glad to hear about the games you were able to play non stop with your roommates. That sounds like a very fun way to spend time while you're all stuck inside together. I wish you the best of luck in the semester and your endeavors!
ReplyDeleteHey Aaron! I’m going to be honest, I am a little bit jealous you’re from Washington since the nature is a bit more scenic than Oklahoma. I’m also going to have to look into that class to improve personal finance. I feel like it’s such an important skill to have, and I didn’t know OU offered a class teaching more about it. While I haven’t played it, my roommates have talked a lot about Warzone, and it definitely seems addicting and really fun!
ReplyDeleteMy husband was a chemistry major in college, Aaron! He ended up becoming a meteorologist in the end (which is how he ended up at OU)... he's retired, so now he mostly uses chemistry for being very scientific about cooking (he's both the scientist and the cook in our family). And all those hours you've spent gaming during COVID I've probably spent writing... I would rather magically make the COVID go away, but at least writing has been a good (and cheap!) way to while away the time. :-)
ReplyDeleteHey Aaron! I am also at OU on scholarship, having moved pretty far from home as a result. I totally love it though. Ill have to take a look at the 9 Things about College and Money class- I've been trying to find a class that will make me feel more competent with personal finance. I don't think that I am particularly bad now, but I also realize that college isn't exactly an accurate representation of real life....
ReplyDeleteHi Aaron!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're taking quarantine in stride and have kept a positive outlook on a less than ideal situation. I wish I had known about the 9 Things about College and Money course sooner! In my freshman gateway class, we had a crash course about it for one class period, which was helpful, but I definitely would've benefitted from taking that class. It's too bad I had heard about it after I already enrolled for this semester, which is my last semester. It is nice that labs are still in person, and I can relate to just using that time to jam out to music or have me-time while doing something I love. On that note, it's refreshing to hear you say that you love chemistry. Every major I have had has centered around chemistry because I also love it, but when I tell people I love chemistry I get really weird looks in response. If you can relate to that, let me know!
Hey Aaron!
ReplyDeleteHope the new season of Quarantine is going well for you! I also picked up Warzone during that time, I unfortunately don’t live with my friends, so I was stuck playing with them on Discord for most of it. Between Warzone and Destiny 2, we were up from 8pm to 3am playing every single night. I also made my way through the Star Wars extended universe and found it much more enjoyable than the sequel trilogy.
Hi Aaron,
ReplyDeleteMy major is chemical biosciences, so I have taken my fair share of chemistry labs over my time here at OU. Yes they are long, but yes music is awesome in lab. It makes the time of sitting and waiting for a reaction to finish fly by! I think it's awesome you're here from Washington though. One of my friends from high school is enrolled there right now and says he's on track to graduate pretty soon. So, I need to visit him there before he's done! Thanks for sharing Aaron.
Hello Aaron! You seem like a cool guy to hangout with! I'd be very interested to hear about what you have to say about the pre-med track here at OU. I enjoy STEM classes and always thought that going to med school would be another fun path to experience. Also, I think we can all get behind listening to a lil Yeezy haha! Now I'm heading to read one of your stories.
ReplyDeleteHi Aaron,
ReplyDeleteI think it is fascinating that you really enjoy chemistry, and is definitely not for everyone. (I am one of those people) I also think it is really cool that you moved all the way from Washington State to come to OU. Did you know anyone that was coming here? I also like the play video games, but I like to play sports games such as 2K, Madden, and NHL. I have a few buddies that play warzone and love it, so I feel like I should start playing that next. I am glad that COVID didn't take away any of your hobbies.
Hi Aaron! I love your Christmas card - I think it's great that you and your roommates made the best out of quarantine. Being in quarantine with my family brought us closer together as well, so that's one good thing about covid, at least! I'm glad you all had a great summer together, and I hope the upcoming one is just as good for you!
ReplyDeleteHello Aaron. It is cool that you are studying chemistry as I have found that to be a very interesting and deep field of study despite not personally liking it myself. It is also cool that you took a finance class about how to responsibly spend your money as this is a very important to skill to have in life no matter what point you are in life. It was great to read your introduction, and good luck with the rest of the semester.
ReplyDeleteHey Aaron! First off, I absolutely love your Christmas with all your roommates! I love that you have people you are so close to! I am also so happy COVID did not stop most of your hobbies, it is good to still have something during such a hard time. I totally relate to the lack of volunteering and shadowing during COVID, it has caused me a lot of stress as well but I hope as things are getting a little better you are able to get some experience!
ReplyDeleteHey Aaron! It's really good that you've got hobbies that didn't get interrupted by the pandemic. It's also great to see someone else who enjoys chemistry labs - seems like everyone hates them, but they're my favorite part of the major (though I'm chemical biosciences, technically.) I hope you've had a good semester, and best of luck with your finals!
ReplyDeleteHey Aaron! Your Christmas card with your roommates is awesome! It's really cool that you are so close with them and that y'all were able to make the best out of quarantine. It definitely must be hard being a pre-med student trying to fill out a resume during quarantine. I hadn't even thought about how the virus might affect pre med students trying to shadow doctors or intern at hospitals. You seem like a really cool guy and good luck with your finals!
ReplyDeleteHey Aaron! Washington sounds like a cool place to live. Also, your Christmas card with your friends looks so adorable. Especially since you are all in matching PJs. I can not believe how many hours you all spent playing warzone either. That is so impressive. I bet you all got very good. Last semester I took the 9 things you need to know about money class. I also learned a lot, and it was a very fun class. I liked the simulation they made us play through.
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