You've Binged Watched Everything, So What To Do Next?

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We are settling in to our 4th week of social distancing and have accepted schools are online for the rest of the semester, we’re working from home for the foreseeable future, and kicking ourselves we didn’t invest in Zoom and Charmin. Taking a walk outside and encountering a fellow human being heading in our direction has become a game of “chicken”. Who will get off the sidewalk and walk in the street, taking the risk of getting hit by a car so the other has the luxury of embracing the cement they walk upon? But then again, what traffic? There’s really not a great deal of automotive transportation to talk about. I find it interesting to gaze upon walkers wearing an assortment of decorative masks, or to see if they will smile at me, though some have an understandable look of fear instilled on their face. On my power walks, I absolutely give way to those with strollers and don’t even bother with dogs on leashes. Quite frankly, I don’t appreciate how dog owners let their pooches commandeer the sidewalk real estate due to their loose leashes. So I don’t give it a second thought and power walk it over to the street and take my chance with the oncoming traffic.

Well, I ranted a bit about my walking drama so let’s get to the point why you’re all here: more ideas are needed to fill your time because you’re BORED! You’ve binged watched enough “Tiger King” or some other guilty pleasure. Time to think outside the box. So here are a few ideas for you and your family to pass the time:

VIRTUAL IDEAS

  1. 100 Ideas to Do at Home (well, this one will get you off to a great start): Ideas to do at home during the quarantine

  2. For you Disneyland Wannabe Cooks: Disneyland recipes

  3. Have a Night at the Met Opera in NYC from the Comfort of Your Couch: Watching the Opera

  4. Join My Favorite Health Website: WellandGood.com

  5. Learn to Cook Like One of Your Favorite L.A. Chefs (or at least try your best): Cook like a famous chef

  6. Really cool board games (and can you believe one is called Pandemic?): Awesome board games

  7. Visit some of the coolest museums from around the world (including the Vatican: Incredible museums

  8. My favorite cooking sites:

AMAZON LINKS

These are some of my faves (NOTE: I will never recommend a product I have not tried or do not like):

  1. This is an amazing spacesaver for your kitchen: Roll up drying rack for your sink

  2. You will never go back to regular peanut butter again (I have turned on dozens of people to this): the BEST pb

  3. Thanks to that turtle, no more straws: rainbow metal straws

  4. No more manicures for awhile: portable electric nail drill

  5. An assortment of fabulous mini hand lotions for your purse, car, desk and more: hand cream gift set

  6. One of my fave facial masks: Mario Badescu night cream

  7. Light up your kid’s room like never before: Sky light

SUGGESTIONS

  • My favorite ideas are virtual get togethers: game nights, recipe sharing, happy hours, meals, cooking together, self care (such as facials), brunches, and more. All of these can be done on various social media platforms such as ZOOM, MICROSOFT TEAMS, GOOGLE HANGOUTS, FACEBOOK GROUPS, WHATSAPP, WEBINARCHAT, and more. Don’t lose these personal connections or you will begin to feel like a hermit. This is also a great way to see family… parents, grandkids, siblings. Have dance-offs, Simon-says, just be creative. Kick the boredom blues.

  • Check in on friends you haven’t spoken to in a long time. Someone might need a virtual hug right now. The one thing about this ordeal is this is affecting every single person in this entire world at the same time. But it is affecting some more heavily than others. The longer this goes on, the more someone will know someone that is ill from this disease. It’s just a matter of time. So reach out and SAY HELLO.

A PARTING NOTE… I have a couple of thoughts because for those of you getting to know me, or those of you who already do, I always have a thing or two to say:

  • Let’s be mindful of the high school senior: Most everything we are missing right now can be rescheduled. You cannot recreate prom, grad nite and graduation. Most everything in life can be rescheduled, but after high school ends, kids go off in a zillion directions. These are HUGE milestones for them and are events they have looked forward to for years. If you have a high school senior, it’s time to give them extra special hugs right now.

  • I’m going to restate a common theme here: STAY HOME! Those of you with teenagers, you have the power over your kids to give them the cold, hard facts how contagious Covid-19 is among all of us. Even if they just have mild symptoms, OR NONE AT ALL, there are so, so many people that are high-risk (my teenager has epilepsy) and what if YOUR teenager has an underlying issue you just don’t know about? Think about that! I’m not trying to scare you but sometimes we don’t know what’s going on inside our bodies until something sets it off. So again, STAY HOME!

  • Some of you know the restaurant industry is near and dear to my heart. They employ hundreds of thousands of hard-working people all over the country. They don’t have a union to back them like hotel and airline workers. Some of your favorite restaurants will close and never return. Most restaurants work on a slim profit margin on a good day. They are struggling right now to stay afloat by offering takeout and delivery. Please support restaurants by ordering from them directly (see my blog “We’re Stuck At Home, So What Do We Eat” for the largest list of restaurant takeout and delivery options in L.A. County), buying gift cards and/or merchandise, TIP GENEROUSLY, purchase alcohol and/or your produce, follow and tag them on social media, visit them when we return to normal, and you can even donate to a few organizations that have been set up to support these amazing people:

Thank you for reading my blog. You will be notified by my newsletter (please remember to sign up if you have not done so and spread the word… THANK YOU!) when my next blog is ready for you to read and digest. If you have anything you’d like me to add, comments, or suggestions, please contact me directly at kimberly@laanyday.com.

PLEASE REMEMBER… when we are free to roam around town, L.A. ANY DAY will be here for all your Los Angeles vacation and staycation needs:

  • Staycations and vacations

  • Friends and family coming in town (for fun, weddings, business trips, Airbnb, and more)

  • Long and short visits

  • Large group tours

  • Hotel, corporate gatherings, large groups

  • Just to see the best of L.A.

Thank you for your support. Take care, be safe, and stay well.

~ Kimberly 🌞🌴💕

All images courtesy of L.A. Any Day, LLC 2019-2020

Kimberly Jaffe