How To Survive Staying At Home During The Coronavirus
(Some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. And with all of my productions on hold because of the coronavirus, I could use the extra gravy, so thank you in advance)
The world has gone crazy. Schools are closing. Sporting events and concerts are canceled. Toilet paper is flying off the shelves as if we’re all going to start pooping like we’re prepping for a colonoscopy. It’s pandemonium.
And all the talk is about social distancing. CDC guidelines recommend that people remain between six to 10 feet away from each other at all times. Frankly it now gives me an excuse not to be near some people. And to slow the pandemic, it’s been heavily suggested we all just stay home as much as possible.
So how does one survive shutting themselves in until the apes take over the world?
Here are a few suggestions:
Visit A Museum
No, I don’t mean actually go to a museum. These 13 museums offer virtual tours.
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Musée d’Orsay, Paris (One of my all-time favorite museums)
National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City
Read a Book
Now is a great time to hunker down with a good book or seven. (Lord knows how long this will last). Here are a few of my favorite books. (Affiliate links ahead)
Beautiful Ruins
All The Light We Cannot See
The Little Red Guard: A Family Memoir
Tales of the South Pacific
Berlin Noir
Binge on TV Shows
There are a ton of binge worthy shows. Some of my favorite shows of late are:
Lost in Space (thank god there’s going to be a season three)
Gotham (Sometimes a little goofy but Robin Lord Taylor is wonderful as The Penguin)
Hunters (What’s not to love about Pacino and a misfit crew hunting down Nazi War criminals?)
Legends of Tomorrow (Gloriously campy)
The Flash (Come on, it’s The Flash)
Ragnorak (The Norwegian Language drama)
The Mandalorian (Baby Yoda. Need I say more?)
Babylon Berlin (Change the settings to German language, English subtitles. The English voice-overs are the worst)
Trace Your Family Tree
Join Ancestry and find out your family’s history. Maybe you’ll find some relatives who perished from the Spanish Flu. (Sign up for a Rakuten account and get 7.5% back)
Learn a Language
Learn to say “I’m not contagious” in another language. Duolingo, Babbel, and Rosetta Stone are great apps. (A Rakuten account saves you 20% on Babbel and 3.5% on Rosetta Stone)
Play a Board Game
There are so many great choices. When we play Clue, we use a bad German accent as we shine a flashlight into the person’s face we’re questioning.
Learn to Play a Musical Instrument
Why not? I basically taught myself to play the guitar over 45 years ago. I haven’t gotten any better since then but that didn’t stop me from writing the musicals China the Whole Enchilada and Tom Jones the Musical. (Pardon the shameless plug)
Watch Some Movies
Pop up a big bowl of popcorn and make your way through AFI’s 100 Top Movies.
Do a Puzzle
I used to love doing puzzles with my dad. When my mom passed away, we donated all of our puzzles to a senior citizen’s group. There must have been about 50 puzzles.
Take an Online Course
My dad was a big advocate of always learning. There are a lot of online courses. Oxford University is my favorite.
Stress Eat
Okay, maybe not the best thing in the world for you to do, but these are trying times. I came home from the grocery store the other day not with toilet paper, but with chocolate ice cream, chocolate bars, and a Kringle.
Drink
Again, maybe not the best choice but we’re in uncharted waters. Here are some of my go-to drinks.
Vodka and Orange juice
Rum and Coke
Spiced rum and ginger beer
Call Your Friends and Family
Now more than ever we need our friends and family — just not within 6 feet. So call them. FaceTime with them. Don’t forget to connect with your loved ones.
What are your survival tips?
