Quarantine Reflections | 3 Things Bringing Me Joy in Isolation
Where have I been, you're probably (not) wondering? Because, well, you know exactly where I’ve been. Home.
I'm just a girl, sitting in front of a laptop wondering whether she can get away with a Titanic reference having never actually seen the movie. But maybe by the time I leave my house many months from now I will have seen titanic, though I doubt it. I've never been one for intentionally sad romances. Some things I do love, however, are listed below for your reading pleasure. You see, I haven't been writing anything since being in self-isolation because I felt like there was nothing to write about other than self-isolation. All I want is to escape the madness, and I've found little ways of doing so in the days that are blurring into one bizarre blob of time. If you're nosy like me, maybe you'll be interested in a few of my joyous quarantine anecdotes. I'm not trying to give any advice or preach to you about staying home and braving through this madness all together (though I strongly believe in both of those things), I simply want to share a few harmless ways to waste time.
Podcast - My Dad Wrote a Porno
If you're from England you're probably already familiar with this overnight sensation podcast. In these lonely times, I often turn to Jamie, James and Alice, the overwhelmingly delightful hosts of this absurd podcast where the trio read Jamie's Dad's self-published erotic novel. Though I've suggested, pleaded, and nearly forced my friends (and a few strangers) to give it a listen, everyone in my inner circle seems either too busy to try something new or they don't realize it's a book, start on a random episode and tell me, "I was so confused the entire time". Why would you want to listen to porn written by an Irish man in his 60's, read aloud by his son and friends? I would argue the most convincing aspects of the podcasts are the true skepticism around whether or not Jamie's dad has ever actually had sex, and the combination of sex, and ... wait for it... the detailed dive into the UK pots and pan industry. There's pots, there's pans, there's espionage, and there is absolutely nothing sexy about any of it. I couldn't be more obsessed.
Reading Like a Mad Person
My goal of reading ten books this year may seem pathetic to any reader of average speed, but as a reader so painfully slow it took me nearly 6 years to finish Harry Potter, this is a daunting task. I’ve just started book 5 of 10 and I'm feeling pretty darn proud of myself. I would not have finished four books at this point in the year had it not been for the quarantine, so this is one aspect of the isolation I am extremely grateful for. My book choices are extremely varied and while I’m immersed the the world where the story exists end up dictating many other aspects of my life. For example, right now I’m reading A Moveable Feast by Earnest Hemingway. Hence why I’m choosing jazz over any other soundtrack at the moment, wearing Chanel No.5 L’eau every day, and forcing my family to watch Midnight in Paris. I hate to think of how my choices were altered while reading about the twisted dystopian future in Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments back in February, which I will boldly say is my favourite book of the year thus far. Another set of reading material keeping me distracted from what my family is calling “these strange times”, are the Vogue issues of 2019. While I was away from home for the majority of last year my American Vogue subscriptions continued to come and collect dust in Kelowna. I’m thoroughly enjoying flicking through them each morning partially to immerse myself in last year, when all of “these strange times” were our unknown future, but also to test Vogue’s ability to predict the future. Old magazines could be the saviour of my sanity the next few months.
Caring for My Face
Never have I spent so much time doing face masks and subsequently making stupid faces at myself in the mirror. There are absolutely no time constraints to keep me from milking the most possible enjoyment out of my skincare routine right now. Over-exfoliation should be a genuine concern of mine in the future but as of now my skin is bouncy and clear and happy being treated nearly everyday with masks, peels and serum cocktails that make me feel brand new. Many hours of my free time have also been spent researching skin care brands in search of adequate sustainability reporting. The results have come up unsurprisingly mixed in terms of transparency, admittance of past environment wrongdoing and plans to improve in the future. If my obsession with this research continues — and I suspect it will — I hope to share my findings here on emeroo to help guide your next skin care purchases towards brands that are taking responsibility for their impact on our earth.
Thanks for reading.
Em
