Keeping Grown-Ups Sane During Social Isolation

I have read the thread about how to keep students sane during social isolation.  What are adults who don't have children in the home doing to keep sane at this time?  

You know you are going stir crazy when you:

Seriously consider engaging telemarketers and spam callers in conversation as a means of retaining your socialization skills only to realize that you haven't received any such calls in days.  Are they in isolation far from their phones?

Download 50 new jigsaw puzzles for your jigsaw puzzle program and store them all in your cloud account so they will be there when needed.  An Internet equivalent of the hording of food and cleaning supplies?

Find yourself watching the same reruns on demand or DVD over and over again until you can recite all the parts along with the actors.  Lack of new programming due to social isolation in the entertainment industry is a serious problem for those who must have their soaps on a daily basis.

Think to yourself that this would be a great time to get started on decluttering only to realize that you have no way of getting the clutter out of the house once you move it from storage areas to the middle of your living room floor.

Start threads like this one because you have run out of other things to do that don't involve large quantities of hand sanitizer, which you don't have anyway.

What other suggestions are out there?


Pore over articles about "The 50 Best Movies on Netflix in March" and dig out those crossword puzzle books.

Think that you have all the ingredients to bake those cookies you've been thinking about, why not make them today since you've got all this time but then realize, "who's gonna eat all those damn cookies?"


Books, books and more books. Also, walking outside since Spring is so near.

Also, let us not forget YubeTube rabbitholes, -so addictive.


We have a lot of long-delayed projects - photos to organize, storage boxes to go through, and some deep cleaning.  I remember how clean my apartment was after being snowed in for 5 days (of course that was before the internet!)

My nephew has decided to learn how to juggle!

Friends have started to schedule virtual happy hours.  

One personal goal is to reach out to one person a day - call my Aunt in California, a cousin in Colorado, a work friend who retired years ago, etc.

And of course, checking in on Maplewood online!


EBennett said:

One personal goal is to reach out to one person a day - call my Aunt in California, a cousin in Colorado, a work friend who retired years ago, etc.

I like this one in particular because I'm not a good correspondent. 


MW library has a lot of really good resources for e-books. Check it out! 


HatsOff said:

MW library has a lot of really good resources for e-books. Check it out! 

 E magazines and films too.


I ordered a dumpster so I can take advantage of being home for a few weeks and clean out all the crap that I’ve been putting off getting rid of.  It should be arriving sometime today


spontaneous said:

I ordered a dumpster so I can take advantage of being home for a few weeks and clean out all the crap that I’ve been putting off getting rid of.  It should be arriving sometime today

Pictures or it didn't happen. 

We can cheer you on as it fills! Set up a 24/7 dumpster cam.


Empty 20 yard dumpster, delivered about half an hour ago


This has sat, unused, for over two years.  The car this goes to was totaled in December.  I go to put it in the dumpster and my son pipes up, he wants to use it for a project.  I pointed out that it has been sitting here for TWO years.  He started to protest, paused for a second, and then admitted that I had a point


spontaneous said:

This has sat, unused, for over two years.  The car this goes to was totaled in December.  I go to put it in the dumpster and my son pipes up, he wants to use it for a project.  I pointed out that it has been sitting here for TWO years.  He started to protest, paused for a second, and then admitted that I had a point

 What is that?


Looks like a center console cup holder and storage compartment. 


Yes, for a 2015 Nissan Quest minivan that died a horrible death, but went down swinging.  A Ford Explorer ran a stop sign and crossed right out in front of us, no way I could stop.  The ford flipped, and they found my license plate embedded in its side

Amazingly, everyone walked away

EricBurbank said:

Looks like a center console cup holder and storage compartment. 

 


Wow!! Glad no one was hurt.  


And if you get really, really, desperate for someone to correspond with in the wee small hours, don't forget that there are at least 3 MOLers who are in radically different time zones to NJ, and who might be up for a chat of sorts.

smile


If anyone else gets this inspired, here is how to help defray the cost:

If you need a 20 cubic yard dumpster, order the 40 cubic yard size (doesn't cost much more).  Offer friends, neighbors & MOLs, that they can add a contractor bag full for $5/bag.


Joan, I’m glad someone mentioned juggling! I saw that in a local article, and remembered that I gave D some jugglers balls for a wedding anniversary or birthday present 20-odd years ago. One can still garden etc - I’m pruning trees (climbing ladders to do so). A lot of neighbours are talking about putting small veggie plots. (We’re not allowed to do much because of the ducks)

I know a few book clubs have moved to phone links or video calls. A couple have decided to learn a language together, inviting a native speaker to join them and using a common taped book program. 


I forgot! The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is live-streaming it’s concert season from tonight (Melbourne time) on youtube! Why not relax and enjoy?

https://www.timeout.com/melbourne/news/the-show-must-go-on-the-mso-is-livestreaming-a-concert-tonight-031620


OMG.  (and apologies if this is somewhere else)

All Essex County Parks are closed.  Including the Reservation.  They will, apparently get to securing it.

I mean, I guess if we are not to drive *anywhere* but grocery/pharmacy, many can't.

But, oy.  That's always part of my sanity.


jfburch said:

OMG.  (and apologies if this is somewhere else)

All Essex County Parks are closed.  Including the Reservation.  They will, apparently get to securing it.

I mean, I guess if we are not to drive *anywhere* but grocery/pharmacy, many can't.

But, oy.  That's always part of my sanity.

 Reservation was open this afternoon.


Audible (stories.audible.com) has launched a free streaming offering that allows consumers to listen to hundreds of titles. The title selections are available in six languages — English, Spanish, French, Italian, German and Japanese. Consumers are not required to create an account or log in and listening is unlimited.

Above information is from Frank McGehee's latest e-blast. 


For those of you who don't read the Movie Talk thread, there's a great movie streaming site that's free and works with your library card.  It works with a WO card - not sure about SOMA.

kanopy.com

Check it out.


My spouse acquired fertilizer and other lawn products, and I've been told that this is the year we tackle that lawn.


drummerboy said:

For those of you who don't read the Movie Talk thread, there's a great movie streaming site that's free and works with your library card.  It works with a WO card - not sure about SOMA.

kanopy.com

Check it out.

 It works with any BCCLs library card:  Maplewood and Millburn among others.


nohero said:

My spouse acquired fertilizer and other lawn products, and I've been told that this is the year we tackle that lawn.

Heh. My spouse has acquired about a half-dozen heavy bags of garden soil and tons of seeds. I think he's preparing for the later stages of the apocalypse.


I just read about something called Netflix Watch Party. It's a browser extension you can download to Chrome. It allows multiple people with Netflix accounts to watch the same programming simultaneously, as well as pause and rewind. There's a side chat window. 

Here's an article from CNET about it. I like the fact that it's from CNET because it makes me feel better about the legitimacy of the extension.  It is NOT an official Netflix product and Netflix will not help you download, run or troubleshoot the feature.

https://www.cnet.com/how-to/netflix-watch-party-how-to-simultaneously-stream-movies-with-your-friends-remotely/


meanwhile, youtube TV, my primary streaming service, has been down for a couple of hours.

grrrrr


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