Who knew there was such a thing as a productive Friday? Today is March 27.

I’ve never been one for boredom. Even when I’m chilling in my room binge-watching my favorite shows on Netflix, I can only take so much down time before I start to lose my mind. Today, luckily, I managed to find the ideal conditions to be mentally and physically engaged in everything I did. For me, that is a rarity.

I woke up around 9 a.m. to a dust-colored sky. I stayed up until almost midnight last night reading chapters five through eight of Thomas C. Foster’s How to Read Literature Like a Professor for Advanced Placement Literature. Foster’s writing had an engaging voice and enough humor to keep me entertained. The four chapters discussed the roles of intertextuality, William Shakespeare, religion (specifically the Bible) and children’s tales in literature. I used this information, as well as my understanding of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, to write and submit a one-page response on Schoology. In addition to sharing my thoughts on the importance of religious symbolism in McCarthy’s work, I discovered the book transferred to the silver screen in 2009. With how depressing and dismal the original text is, I shudder to think how it morphed when it became a movie.

After I finished my semi-brief response, I took a break and watched a few more episodes of Criminal Minds, which follows the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit in a fictitious, yet thrilling, drama. I enjoy the show not only for it’s high-speed chases and intellectually stimulating conversations but also because of the various social and character dynamics. From Aaron Hotchner’s rare smile to Dr. Spencer Reid’s obliviousness to social cues, the characters humanize themselves in a show that so easily lends itself to alienation and compartmentalization. One of my favorite parts of Criminal Minds, however, is its strong, witty and compassionate female main characters. They are the type of women I hope to one day grow up to be.

All was well and good until I finished the second episode of the sixth season. While I will give away no spoilers, suffice it to say I was shocked and disappointed with a surprising turn of events. To help me recover my sense of justness in the world, and because I was in need of a good snack, I headed to the kitchen to whip up a loaf of banana bread. I ended up making two loaves because we had four ripe bananas I didn’t want to go to waste. I tweaked my recipe a little from when I made it earlier in the week and added even more nuts, cinnamon and vanilla extract for flavor. After about 75 minutes in the oven, both loaves came out with perfect golden-brown hues and a delectable scent.

While I waited for them to cool so I could have a slice, I decided to go outside for a bit. I’m usually too caught up in whatever work I’m doing to take time for physical activity. Since I’m unable to play volleyball (not the ideal sport for social distancing), I’ve decided to start walking and jogging to stay in shape. Since today was overcast, but still almost unpleasantly humid, I wore shorts and a t-shirt, as well as a light running jacket. Rather than repeating my mellow walking music, I opted for my “Running Tunes” playlist. It contains songs from Jared Lutes, Sia, The Vamps, Young the Giant and a number of my other favorite up-tempo artists. I feel energized and ready to move whenever I hear them. For about 45 minutes I walked and jogged, getting my heart rate up and my blood pumping. Although I am not as in shape as I would like, it felt nice to move around and push my body.

When I finished working out, I grabbed a bottle of water and cooled off in my room for a little bit before cleaning up in the shower. After I dried off and changed into non-sweaty clothing, I headed to the kitchen to cut myself a slice of banana bread. It was perfect. The ideal mixture of a sweet, soft inside and a crunchy outside was exactly what I needed to finish off a great day.

“You begin saving the world by saving one person at a time; all else is grandiose romanticism or politics.” — Charles Bukowski, American-German poet

How did you spend your tenth day of social distancing? Let us know in the comments below.