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Nicole Simeone
Five Ways to Combat Coronavirus Boredom
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Coronavirus boredom. Everyone, just about, has had something canceled or postponed. I don’t know about you, but uncertainty as to whether or not something planned for May is going to happen makes my eye twitch. But, this is a pandemic, and precautions need to be taken. So what are we going to do without sports or any gathering over two hundred and fifty people?
There are memes, some pretty funny ones too, predicting a baby boom. And people are probably going to get really sick of scrolling through social media reading cleaning updates from their favorite spots. I know I’m close to the threshold myself.
Taking those two possibilities out of the running, let’s explore some alternatives.
Home Improvement
Seriously? That’s your suggestion? I kid, I kid. I threw that in because, as of this writing, this is how my stairs look. Well, they are nonexistent at the moment.
Books
Yes, my real number one answer is reading. No one is shocked by this.
Don’t we all have an infinite list of books we want to read? Since entertainment options are becoming limited, we can take it old school. I’m sure some of us have stacks of books on bookshelves or digital stacks on their Kindles and Nooks. But for those folks who have a lean supply on hand, have no fear, you have affordable options.
Amazon’s Audible and Kindle Libraries are great, but they are either book stores or subscriptions. My go-to choice of the library might seem like a dark horse given our shelter in place directive. Libraries are still my first option. The physical doors may be shuttering, but their tomes are accessible via electronic means.
My library system is connected to Libby, an Overdrive reading app. I can digitally take out books, audiobooks, even magazines without ever leaving my house. Your library system probably has a similar option. Check out their website or give the front desk a call. Some of the books I’ll be targeting are:
Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie
Baptism by Fire by Andrzej Sapkowsi
Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport.
Catching up on TV & Movies
Production on current shows and films might be on hiatus, but if you’re anything like me, there is a mental list a mile long of shows and movies I want to see.
Classic movie Wednesdays definitely will be making a comeback in this house. Maybe now, we’ll get through our 100 Greatest Movie scratch poster.
Frozen 2 and Rise of Skywalker are being released on Disney+ early, so it wouldn’t surprise me if we started seeing more of this from other services.
In terms of TV, Adam and I are working our way through Castle, but we also want to get to Westworld season two, finishing up all of the Netflix released Marvel shows, and Deadwood.
Games
Since everyone else is treating this virus like the second coming of the Blizzard of 78, why not highlight old school stuck in the house entertainment too. Not everyone has a wall of board and card games like I do, but that wasn’t always the case. Pretty sure as a kid, we had Monopoly, Uncle Wiggly, Parchesi, 13 Dead End Drive, and multiple decks of cards. Really, a deck of cards would be enough to keep evenings fresh. My Dad and I have spent many a night embroiled in a heated 500 Rummy battle.
If you are in a position to venture out to the store for some shopping, here are some fun options to consider.
Family-friendly: Villainous, Apples to Apples, Telestrations.
Adult (general gamers): Blockbuster the Game, Munchkin, Guillotine, and Monikers.
Adult (more serious gamers): Stuffed Fables, Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective and Unlock!.
Small households have no fear, there are board games for you too. Patchwork is a fun two-player game, as is the Toy Story game I reviewed a few weeks ago. Some of the games I noted above are also two-player.
Google Arts and Culture app
A few minutes ago, I was walking around the National Museum of Arts, Architecture, and Design in Oslo, Norway. And I never left my couch. Technology is a beautiful thing sometimes, and this is one of them. There are over thirty virtual tours with screen navigation on Google Arts and Culture from around the world. If you get bit by the travel bug, this is definitely something that will scratch that itch.
Crafting
This one is a tough one to recommend seeing as not everyone digs fun time with glitter, glue, and the like. I have lost count of how many times I’ve heard someone say, they don’t have any hobbies or wished that they did. Given the amount of free time you might have in the house, it’s worth a shot trying your hand at something new. You never know what will come of it. For me, a go-to hobby is crocheting. But maybe grabbing an adult coloring book would be better. Or getting back to painting those game miniatures. Whatever tickles your fancy, really.
Alright, Nerd Girls, I’m sure I missed some other good ways to amuse ourselves, comment suggestions below, or on the Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram posts.