In the true fashion of my quarantine experience, I waited until the last minute to write this Office DJ. With all the excess time on my hands, you'd think I would get ahead on my final papers, apply for jobs or organize all of my belongings to prepare for my imminent move out of state.
Instead, I am actively rewatching shows I haven’t seen since high school (see: “Glee,” “The Vampire Diaries” and “Teen Wolf”). Now, I’m halfway into my favorite season of “Project Runway” and have no plans on slowing down.
Because the truth is, I need a distraction. Quarantine is an odd mixture of mind-numbing boredom and extreme stress; and when I’m not distracting myself by going on runs, listening to podcasts or watching any of the aforementioned shows, I am daydreaming about what comes next. This isn’t how I imagined graduating and moving on to the next phase of my life, but it’s what’s happening, so I am determined to make the most of it (in my head at least).
I’m moving to New York City — a move that has been the goal for years now. But, it’s discouraging to think that it probably won’t happen as soon as I planned and I probably won’t find a job very easily once I get there. So, to get through all of these negative thoughts, I’ve been latching onto the playlist that will forever feel tied to my favorite city and my favorite people located in said city.
Last summer, “girly girl” got me through 45 minute train rides into Brooklyn, hours walking through the city running errands for my boss and countless times I managed to get lost despite the fact that the streets are numbered. It can certainly get me through the next few months.
So, this Office DJ has a touch of selfish nostalgia in it. But, it’s also just my chance to show off an amazing playlist full of strong female artists that I spent nearly three months cultivating. Hopefully, it can be your distraction for a little while too.
