HOW TO USE UP 24 HOURS IN QUARANTINE
WRITTEN BY ALEXA SALIMPOUR
AUGUST 2, 2020
24 hours in quarantine can feel like a week of hibernation—endless and inactive.
Here’s a guide to making your 24 hours in quarantine worth it.
Make pancakes
First and foremost, never start anything worth your time on an empty stomach. Pancakes are a glorious invention and the best part is that they’re customizable. Banana walnut for you, chocolate chip for me, and blueberry for them. Pull up your favorite recipe and use whatever ingredients you have left in your house to create a delicious meal (my go-to recipe: https://blog.williams-sonoma.com/buttermilk-flapjacks/).
Watch the movie you tell yourself you’re going to see but never do
Now that your stomach is satisfied, it’s time to sift through that list of movies you constantly tell yourself you’re going to see but, when popcorn time rolls around, you watch When Harry Met Sally… for the 13th time. I have a very long and well-organized inventory to choose from, including movies that convinced me I would have a whirlwind romance when I went to New York City, which to my dismay, did not happen. Please refer to your own list or see below for a few suggestions of “classics.”
Casablanca
The Godfather
It Happened One Night
A Clockwork Orange
Citizen Kane
Lawrence of Arabia
The Shawshank Redemption
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Pulp Fiction
Roman Holiday
Fight Club
Inglorious Bastards
Fargo
Annie Hall
Die Hard
The Graduate
Psycho
A Few Good Men
Learn from The Hustle
I don’t have the first idea how to play poker. I don’t know how many cards you’re supposed to have, what a “good hand” is, and while I assume the objective is to win, the only thing I do know is what I’ve learned from Molly Bloom. What I would really love to do, not today but one day, is to hustle someone. In the near future, a couple of guys will say, “Let’s play poker,” and I’ll agree excitedly because “it’ll be so much fun!” I’ll ask what a “good hand” is. I’ll look at the cards as if I’m sitting in an AP Calculus class, and the next thing they know, I’m sitting there with nothing but a devilish smile and a stack of Benji’s while they’re left wondering when it happened. Whether it’s learning strategies in chess, memorizing the capitals of every country in the world, or solving a rubix cube in under 30 seconds, do it so that you’ll learn something new. More importantly, do it so that one day in the near future, you can sit at a table with a couple of friends and watch as they get hustled.
Write a love letter
If you’ve seen the teen romance on Netflix, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, you know writing love letters can lead to a great amount of embarrassment, but also to a fake boyfriend who may or may not turn into a real boyfriend. Essentially, writing a love letter can be quite fun. It doesn’t have to be to your ninth grade crush or to the person you pretend to just be friends with. Write a letter to someone you wish you could be with right now or someone whom you miss making fun of. Acknowledge the cheesiness of it all and then write about anything. It will bring an element of excitement into your monotonous day and trust me, you need the drama to stay sane.
Play dress-up at 19 (it’s still entertaining!)
Your parents will call it cleaning your closet. They’ll say, “You might as well clean your closet because you’re doing nothing else.” Here is an excuse to pretend you’re seven years old again and play dress up. Try on the jeans you haven’t worn in years or just something you haven’t worn since quarantine started. Blast music and remember what it felt like to put something on other than sweats. If that doesn’t sound exciting, you can also pull a Joey from Friends (season 3, episode 2).
Try Meditation
I’m from the West Coast so meditation is talked about frequently. If you’ve tried it before, great. If you’ve never done it, here’s your chance. It might not work for you or it might become your new best friend. Either way, give your eyes a break from being glued to a computer screen and disconnect from the hours spent on TikTok. You don’t necessarily have to follow a guided meditation or formal routine. Just sit down, close your eyes, and let your mind wander.
Read something, anything
Read your favorite book. Do something you love, no matter the number of times you’ve done it before. If that book makes you happy, read it again. Allow yourself to enter another world. For those of you who don’t have a favorite read, use this time to find one. Give yourself permission for the words to distract you for a while. It can be anything. Something by Emily Bronte, Nicholas Sparks, or an article in The New York Times.
Discover the next:----
If you have ever wanted to discover the next Justin Bieber, this is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for. Pretend you’ve been tasked to discover the next artist, actor, musician, or any other talent who might one day be famous. Spend some time searching and see who you find. Worst case is you come across a band you actually like.
Tie dye something!
Yes, tie-dye sets are very much a thing. I’m sure you have a t-shirt whose purpose is waiting to be found again. Take a t-shirt, sweats, or both and start tie-dying. Follow a DIY video to ensure the success of the mission or go solo. Remember, there is no right answer.
Have a Netflix Party
We have been blessed with Netflix Party. Netflix Party syncs whatever you’re watching with your friends. If someone pauses the film, it pauses on everyone's screen. Install Netflix Party, text your friends, and decide on the time and the show and/or movie. Laugh, cry, and scream together again, all through the chat function.
Play a game of Monopoly
If you are one of those families who still has Monopoly stuffed inside a cabinet that hasn’t been cleaned since 2010, dust off the box and tell your family members that this time, the game won’t end in tears. You will be lying to your family, but it must be done. The game is never ending, perfect for this situation. One by one, the weak links will go bankrupt and be forced to storm off in an anti-climactic fashion. The cheater will be discovered and insist there’s a conspiracy against them. For you, the night will end in victory or in the ultimate destruction of the board. It’s all part of the game.
