I long to be outdoors, though it is cold and rainy. I made it as far as the stoop.
And now I empathize with the friend who told me, “I’m an indoors person, so lockdown makes no difference.”
Indoors? We’re all indoors now. But she confessed for the first time to being an indoors person the day I knocked at her door at 6 a.m. We’d planned to take a bike ride in the country. With great difficulty, I coaxed her out of her apartment. On the way to the lake, we stopped at a tiny country church. No idea what denomination, but I was enthralled by the service.
Less enthralled, she refused to ride on until she’d smoked a cigarette in the graveyard. “Because I’m an indoors person and I’m outdoors.”
Oddly, standing on the stoop under the awning today, I wanted to smoke a cigarette. Perhaps I saw too many photos of Karl Ove Knausgaard smoking when I was reading My Struggle last week.
Everything is boring on a rainy day when there’s nowhere to go except the convenience store. So here are some things I’ve tried. And I’m sure you’ve tried them, too. What next?
Want to watch a cabin fever video? This strange video was filmed by a woman who was confronted by the London police for sitting on a park bench. They said she had to exercise if she were outdoors, and she said she was mentally exercising. Now that’s cabin fever.
Want to go to the movies? Sure, sit down in your living room and watch one. Why is it not the same? We have treats (one chocolate egg each), and we enjoyed the comic film we picked, Local Hero. But the whole event, such as it was, seemed drab. It’s rainy! We want to go someplace besides Target!
How about TV? I’ve watched everything, including the excellent new season of Ozark, the bookstore comedy, Black Books, and the Modern Family finale… and now there’s nothing left.
Sew a mask? I broke down and ordered one on Etsy. But if it becomes the fashion, I’ll host a sewing bee. And not virtual… it will have to be a circle of two, maybe three. And somebody has to know how to sew.
Knit blankets for the Animal Shelter? My own knitting is erratic, so I love the animal blankets you get when you adopt a pet. I use an especially pretty one as a doily. Surely a little pet blanket would be easier to knit than the tea cozy I once made.
Write a dystopian coronavirus novel? Dystopian novels are banned at my house, because they seem too real nowadays. But it will keep you busy if you’re imagining the worst. Just open a notebook and write.
Bake bread? I used to picture myself as an Earth mother. Alas, I don’t bake bread or read the Whole Earth Catalogue. But last week I made chocolate chip cookies, which anyone can make. And then you dole them out over the week–just don’t weigh yourself ever again..
Paint? We painted two walls of the bedroom and then took a break. Ladders, tarps, paint, rollers… fun, fun, fun. It’s time to finish walls 3 and 4.
Board games? I wish we could go to Barnes and Noble and buy a new game. Scrabble, Monopoly, Clue: they’re exhausting. We could memorize our dictionary, I guess, and improve our Scrabble.
Transcendental meditation? Kurt Vonnegut thought it a harmless sop for the middle class, though his wife and daughter loved it, and he admitted they were serene. What’s the harm? Maybe it’s time for me to sit cross-legged and say a mantra. I can make up my own mantra, as can any blogger or writer.
Hope you’re feeling well. AND HOW ARE YOU PASSING THE TIME?
Did you know that you can order board and card games online from their publishers, just like you can order direct from book publishers (most of them currently offering shipping discounts to encourage shoppers while these industries cross their fingers that they’ll survive these difficult times). If you are looking for recommendations, shoot me an email, but in short, I’d say that “Patchwork” is a good gateway game for those who are only used to classic MiltonBradley type of gaming but you like two-player games (if you could convince your husband to play) or “Ticket to Ride” if you like the idea of little trains making their routes across various landscapes, it’s also easy to learn. Between books and games (and a single daily walk for exercise) I’m just not bored yet…but I haven’t finished “Ozark” yet either, so maybe it’ll hit me then. LOL Take good care!
Oh, thank you! We don’t actually play many, but when cabin fever strikes… Oh, Ozark is fantastic. It will take so long for another season though. Only 10 a year. Damn!
Every day is a haze – maybe I’ll try one of your ideas.
They work sporadically. When it’s rainy they work less well.
The weather really appears to have an impact on our state of mind, certainly at the moment. Fortunately, there has been a fair amount of sun in the UK over the last week or so, and it is quite heartening to see the seasons continuing to develop as usual despite everything else. I hope things are a bit brighter now and you are able to go out doors again, as it certainly makes a difference.
Yes, the sun makes a difference. We had some mild weather, and had forgotten that it can get cold in April. I’m glad to hear that you’re seeing the sun. Everything is better then.
Kurt Vonnegut’s whole purpose in life was not being serene.
If he was serene he wouldn’t be Kurt Vonnegut.
An idea for a novel – an angtsy best-selling writer – like Vonnegut or Heller say – takes up TM or some othe spiritual exercise and loses his angst and his talent. His agent, publisher, family – everyone dependent on his continuing to be a best-seller – sets out to make him miserable again.
Sorry for specifying “him”, but I don’t know of woman writers with those qualities. I’ve no doubt there are some – I’d be interested to know of them.
That sounds like a Kurt Vonnegut novel! I’m also fond of Heller. As for specifying “him,” that doesn’t matter in the least to me, because I was brought up using the third person masculine pronoun. He or she, him or her–same difference! I can’t think of any women writers like Vonnegut but if I do I’ll post another comment.