Watch a 90-Minute Movie on YouTube
Douglas Sirk's All That Heaven Allows is available in its entirety on YouTube. It is the perfect quarantine movie. It is 90 minutes long, the platonic ideal of a time commitment. The film itself is unbelievably prismatic, nearly psychedelic—snow so bright that it looks purple, trees buoyant and verdant as a Bob Ross painting, lipstick in exemplary shades of red. Even on the ancient, gigantic tv set in my childhood basement, it is superficially gorgeous in a way that renders actual, lived experience comparatively dull. The plot is ideally low effort, droll and sensationalistic—Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson share deep kisses and breathlessly discuss different species of trees. There are undercurrents of the prison that is posh suburbia, but they're all shot far too beautifully to be rendered existentially depressing. Pairs well with: two expired Ativan (if not available, a melatonin pill or glass of red wine will do), a newfound appreciation for the trappings of domesticity. A good chaser? Todd Haynes' brilliant queer send-up of 1950s melodrama, Far From Heaven. — Arielle Gordon
Prepare to Bird
Social distance birding. Download the free Merlin Bird ID and eBird apps from your app store & make an account. Sit at your apartment window and count how many birds of each type you see in eBird (if you have binoculars or a camera with a Big Lens this helps). When you're tired of birding you can submit your checklist and help bird scientists around the world! — Kate Wagner
Watch Star Trek: The Next Generation. In the series premier Captain Picard and his crew are asked to prove that humans have evolved beyond their violent past and deserve the right to explore the galaxy. People demonstrating compassion and generosity in the face of the unknown: it's not not relevant to our current moment. Plus, Riker is hot and ... so is Data? And with seven network seasons, you're not going to run out of episodes anytime soon. — Miranda Popkey
Drink New Kinds of Booze
I think everyone should drink a Modelo Chelada. they're very nice and refreshing and you can get them at any bodega, and they come in three flavors!! the concept of a canned michelada may seem gross but they're actually very nice :) the only downside is they only sell them as tallboys so you really have to commit. they will not get you drunk, which is also kinda nice. — Gaby Del Valle
Play Animal Crossing
The sense of community you've been missing from walking around your neighborhood and seeing your friends and frenemies alike? These pastel furries have it. Give Tom Nook his blood money and join the party. For me, Animal Crossing is the most soothing facsimile of day-to-day life imaginable. You have chores, a mortgage, social obligations, but you're going about all of them in this gently acoustic microcosm where your most pressing task is, like, catching a butterfly for your pink poodle pal that came to town. Many of the villagers are recurring characters with distinct personalities, and it's easy to develop favorites and feel like there is an actual social fabric to this virtual snowglobe. You can also visit your IRL friends' towns online, which is a particular blessing in a time when even taking a walk with a friend in meatspace feels fraught. AC also proceeds in real-time with weekly/seasonal events which feels more valuable than ever for carving up the monotony of self-isolation days. You can also make toast now. What more could you want? — Angeline Rodriguez
What I'm doing tonight: Working my ass out of Tom Nook's debt on Animal Crossing come find me on my island. — Nick Quah
Take a Hot Shower
My recommendation is to take a hot shower. We can do many things to make ourselves feel better, or to take a break from our brains (or screens, or the news), but none are better than a hot shower. Tend to your body. Then open a window. — Molly McArdle
My recommendation is to take a hot shower. We can do many things to make ourselves feel better, or to take a break from our brains (or screens, or the news), but none are better than a hot shower. Tend to your body. Then open a window. — Molly McArdle
What are you doing tonight? Send us suggestions at indoorvoicesblog@gmail.com
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