I’ve been working from home since March 24. When Gov. Jay Inslee’s stay-home order forced closure of Main Street retailers, drying up advertising revenue for The Daily Herald, I was one of the employees to have my hours reduced. I’m one of the lucky ones — I still have my job. More than a dozen Herald employees were laid off. Now that I work 24 hours per week, I also have more spare time.
I may be stuck at home right now, but I’m not bored.
I’ll admit I have yet to go through my closet — I’ve been putting that chore off for years. I may be sleeping in more than I should — you’d think I was still a growing teenager, but in fact I’ve been 5-foot-1 since the eighth grade. And I have yet to board the sourdough-bread-baking train. I have, however, made that banana bread recipe I love from Simply Recipes.
Here’s what I’ve been up to in my spare time for the 80 days I’ve been staying home.
Folding origami. I loved origami as a girl, so I decided to pick up the pastime again. I found “Origami Made Easy” by Kunihiko Kasahara — a book my boyfriend has had since he was a boy — and started folding. I’ve made a praying mantis, a fox, a crane, a fish, a rabbit and more. They turned out OK, but not great. I must have been better at the art of paper folding when I was 12 years old. If you’re new to origami, I recommend you avoid the 3-inch squares of paper until you’ve mastered a few animals. Be kind to yourself and grab the 6-inch squares or even the 10-inch squares of paper. That’s origami made easy.
Reading books. I’m reading more books in the COVID times than I have in my average year. Right now I’m reading “The Valley of the Horses” by Jean M. Auel. It’s the second book in Auel’s “Earth’s Children” series that followed the success of her prehistoric novel “The Clan of the Cave Bear” in 1980. I’m also reading “Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart” by John Guy. I’ve been interested in Mary Stuart ever since I watched “Mary Queen of Scots” with Saoirse Ronan in the title role. And, it just so happens, the 2018 film was based on Guy’s award-winning biography from 2004.
Coloring. I break out my colored pencils and print off a few free coloring pages to help me relax. When searching for travel photos to go on a recent Venture page, I found coloring pages on Kayak.com. Ever since then, I’ve been coloring scenes from top destinations around the world: Banff National Park in Canada, Mount Fuji in Japan, the Church of the Good Shepherd in New Zealand and El Castillo in Mexico. I’m not the greatest colorist, so I ordered “New Guide to Coloring” by DesignOriginals. It’s a beautiful book filled with tips, tricks and techniques to help me color like an artist. When what I’m coloring turns out looking OK, I’m even more relaxed.
Watching oldies. My boyfriend and I have been watching classic movies via his Netflix DVD subscription. Notable films we’ve watched include “Dr. Zhivago” (1965) and “12 Angry Men” (1957). “Dr. Zhivago” is a romance/war epic set in Russia between 1917 and 1923. Since the movie is more than three hours long, we paused it periodically to research the Russian Revolution. We were captivated by “12 Angry Men,” which spends most of its 96 minutes in the deliberation room. Twelve men consider the conviction or acquittal of an inner-city teen tried for murder on the basis of reasonable doubt. It’s a timely film to watch with all of the Black Lives Matter protests we’re seeing. Also good: “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (1961) and “In the Heat of the Night” (1967).
Playing video games. While I may have written about the coronavirus-era phenomenon that is Animal Crossing, I don’t actually play the game. I’m sorry, but I can’t help you sell your turnips in the stalk market. Mostly because the only Nintendo console I own is Super Nintendo, when you need the Switch to play Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the latest in the franchise. But I have been playing The Sims. I downloaded The Sims 4 for $4.99 because Origin is having a 90% off sale. Just like Animal Crossers, Simmers have turned to the game to escape the pandemic and to feel in control again. I’ve logged 72 hours of life-simulation fun so far.
Zoom chatting. My sister and I meet up each Tuesday evening via Zoom for Ruby Tuesday — a day nicknamed for my 16-month-old niece Ruby — so I can see the baby before she goes to bed. When Ruby’s sound asleep, my sister and I catch up before we watch an episode or two of “Outlander” together. We held Ruby Tuesday before COVID, but now that we’re hosting it through Zoom, I find that we’re actually talking more. It’s been nice to spend time with my sister, even when we’re social distancing.
Following Webtoons. I’ve been a fan of Webtoons ever since a Facebook ad suggested I read “My Giant Nerd Boyfriend” by a Malaysian artist in 2017. Now I’m subscribed to seven comics on the webtoon platform from South Korea, including “True Beauty” (Korea), “Age Matters” (Korea), “Waffles & Pancakes” (U.S.) and “Lunarbaboon” (Canada). I finished reading all 79 episodes of the Korean comic “A Good Day to be a Dog” during the quarantine. (The Korean strips are translated into English.) When I want to laugh, I click on the app on my smartphone and scroll through some of my favorite comics.
Even now that Snohomish County is in Phase 2 of the governor’s transition plan, I’m still playing it safe. I don’t need to go out to restaurants, I don’t need to get my hair cut. Not yet, anyway. I’m happy to just check in on my Sims 4 neighborhood instead.
Sara Bruestle: 425-339-3046; sbruestle@heraldnet.com; @sarabruestle.
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