Headphones – I used to have to wear these most of my waking life. When I went out, I’d wear them for my Misophonia, and when I was at home, I’d wear them so whatever I listened to wouldn’t distract my roommate. Now that I’m always at home and my roommate is gone, I never really need them. But I find myself still listening to most things through my headphones because I’ve gotten so used to the way it makes everything sound.
Seaweed – My roommate never came back to campus after Spring Break, so she left behind a lot that wasn’t worth mailing back. I’ve inherited several things from her this way, including a lot of food that I typically wouldn’t buy. I never really ate seaweed plain before this, but now I have a huge 10-pack!
Whiteboard – This whiteboard has been on the door of my room since freshman year, but since the quarantine it’s been repurposed for 15-251, the course for which I’m a teaching assistant. I use it to hold office hours and recitations (sometimes paired with a document camera). It’s actually pretty effective.
Microwave – Previously, I got most of my meals from campus eateries or local restaurants. I used this microwave to make tea or sometimes reheat leftovers. Now I’m using it multiple times a day. From pasta cups to mug cakes, much of my food comes out of this microwave.
Blinds – Most of my time at home used to be during the night. Since there wasn’t sunlight, I didn’t need to open the blinds, and so I closed them for my privacy. They probably went months without being opened. But now I sometimes open them to look outside or just let light in. I also find myself much more aware of where the sun is during the day because it affects the lighting in my video calls.
Webcam – I didn’t use my webcam for much before this, so it always made me a little uncomfortable to see that little green light turn on. I’d have to perfectly stage every video call. Now I’m 100% over that. I’ll hold a meeting from my bed while wearing my pajamas, and that light doesn’t phase me at all.
Microwave – Previously, I got most of my meals from campus eateries or local restaurants. I used this microwave to make tea or sometimes reheat leftovers. Now I’m using it multiple times a day. From pasta cups to mug cakes, much of my food comes out of this microwave.
Shoes – These were and are my go-to pair of shoes. I used to spend most of the day in them, but now I’m almost always barefoot. When I want to go outside, I have to get out these shoes and a new pair of socks, and it feels like a major event.
Polyhedral Dice – My dad and sister and I have been playing D’n’D together over Skype since before the pandemic, but since it started we have a lot more time. We’ve spent many hours playing it in the past few weeks, and I look forward to our sessions as a much-needed social time. We each have our own set of dice to roll from our respective locations.
School ID – This used to be extremely valuable to me. I used it to buy food. I needed it to get into my room (and several other academic buildings). It was a library card and a bus pass. I’ve had it with me almost every day for the past 4 years. Now most of its applications are gone. I still take it with me when I leave my room, but it’s a lot less useful otherwise. And I’m getting bummed out by the expiration date.
I’ve been interested in trying slit scanning on a computer screen because the standard scrolling interaction seems to give itself to the slit scanning technique. To test this I downloaded a few of my old profile pictures from Facebook and set up my phone in front of the screen with a slit scanning app running. I scanned the images as I scrolled down through the photos. Here’s what I got:
