Distractions Are Everywhere
One of my favorite sites to peruse during the week is Cup of Jo. At the end of every week, Joanna Goddard posts a rundown of favorite things to make your weekend better. I decided to post a few things to make your quarantine time better, or at least less awful. A few of the things on the list were taken from Cup of Jo posts, but most are things I find entertaining, amusing, and interesting from around the Interwebs. Enjoy!
It’s a stressful time so why not take a few minutes to practice self-care. To help you do that, The New York Times posted this.
Need to laugh? Gemma Correll’s comics are a great place to start. I like this one.
We all know and love Paul Rudd (if you don’t, get yourself familiar asap). I took this quiz to see if I could determine which Paul was younger. I failed miserably. Maybe you’ll do a little better.
Are you a podcast listener? I love podcasts and sometimes if I find an episode I particularly love, I listen to it multiple times. The episode by RadioLab—Living Room—was one of the first podcast episodes I ever consumed. I really love it. I hope you enjoy it as well.
The website, Great Big Story, showcases stories from around the world in short, easy to follow videos. There are some fascinating stories. Here is one of my favorites: The Library That Checks Out Dead Animals
Cooking or baking can be very relaxing for me. I tend to bake more than cook, but the NYT Cooking page is full of good recipes. I think I might try this one for Baked Beans next.
#IMOMSOHARD is one of the best things on the Internet. Kristin Hensley and Jen Smedley are such funny women. Their videos not only make you laugh but make you really grateful for your female friendships. I think I could make some pretty funny videos with my best friend, but not sure anyone would want to watch them. Here is one of their videos that I find particularly amusing.
Maybe shopping is your coping mechanism. There’s no shame in that, although I do suggest purchasing from local businesses as much as possible.
Need books? Try Powell’s Books or one of your local book stores that has online shopping. Powell’s is offering free shipping on all orders over $25 (that shouldn’t be hard).
A great little consignment shop in my town, The Storm Cellar, is doing online shopping via their Instagram stories. Businesses everywhere are finding innovative ways to stay connected to their clientele.
Last night we had a delicious meal from our local Mexican restaurant, La Casa Lopez. We ordered and paid by phone and gave them the make and model of our car. Thirty minutes later, we pulled up to the curb where they had designated parking spots, and someone brought our food out to us. It made me feel great to support a local restaurant.
This list feels like a pretty good start. I hope it helps you while you are at home self-quaranting, or in need of something to keep you from refreshing that news page obsessively. What are some of the things that make you laugh, or keep you occupied while you are self-quarantining?