Lessons from Quarantine
An entertaining COVID-era show, a fast nonfiction read, and tropical birds.
Hello there,
This week, much to my surprise, my husband and I got our first dose of the vaccine. Our governor abruptly announced a change in eligibility by age, I spent some time furiously searching for appointments, and we both managed to get our Fauci ouchie within 48 hours.
It still doesn't feel real, but I'm trying to get it through to my brain that in less than three weeks, I will be fully vaccinated. And something I've been thinking about is what comes next and when, and how I'd like to use what I learned over the past year once it's possible to return to semi-normal life.
Watch
After quarantine ends, I suspect videoconferencing will continue to play an outsized role in our lives, even if we don't have to rely on it as often. As Zoom fatigued as I am, I think this is a good thing, as it increases accessibility and social connectivity, and cuts down on the need for unnecessary business travel, among other things.
That said, Zoom as an entertainment format is another thing. After being on videoconferencing all day, watching other people on a Zoom sounds incredibly unappealing. But remarkably, BBC managed to pull off an entertaining show that was shot in a Zoom-style format. Staged (Hulu) stars David Tennant and Michael Sheen and their spouses as themselves, along with a variety of star cameos. It's funny and endearing, and I didn't even mind the Zoominess of it.
Read
Reading in quarantine has been weird. I gobble up books that are really compelling in record time, but some books take me even longer than usual to finish because of a limited attention span. Why Fish Don't Exist falls into the former category, as I read it practically in one sitting. It's hard to describe: it's part memoir, part biography, part scientific tome. I have a lot of thoughts on the framing of the scientist at the heart of the book and how his views infected all of his work, but I don't want to spoil anything. (If you read it and want to discuss, I will share my rant with you.) The author's journey to finding meaning was definitely something I appreciated much more during the pandemic, and I found the science accessible and fascinating.
See full watch and read recs here.
Follow
During the pandemic, people in quarantine have had a new appreciation for the creatures in their backyards, particularly birds. That was definitely the case for me, watching seagulls endure every type of weather and exclaiming whenever I catch a glimpse of our friendly neighborhood red-tailed hawk.
That's why I enjoy the Birds of Oz account, run by an Australian woman who started documenting the amazing tropical birds visiting her deck in quarantine.
Do
I'm just beginning to dream about the ability to travel again. Scott's Cheap Flights is a fun way to learn about flight deals and imagine the possibilities. (I get the free emails, but there's also a paid edition.)
Until next week,
Rachel