things to do (other than disinfect the world)

This is it! My giant list of things to do that don’t include trying to a.) construct some sort of Marie Antoinette-style skirt to keep other humans six feet away from me at all times; b.) figure out how to create an Eric Whitacre-style virtual choir (If you do not know what I am talking about, you need to watch it immediately, and don’t come back until it’s done); and/or c.) consume all the candy and bread currently in our house.

1. Successfully bake a Victoria Sponge as an homage to my favorite show EVER, “The Great British Bake-Off.” (I have made several attempts previously–all total failures. Paul and Mary would be horrified.)
2. Storyboard all the way through the novel currently referred to in my hard drive as “Kate”–a book I began 8 years ago, and made the mistake of letting people read before it was finished…
3. Finish writing above manuscript
4. Sew new cushion covers for my dad’s sailboat. Fabric has been sitting in my house for the past nine-ish months…oops…
5. Memorize some of my favorite Psalms
6. Get back into yoga, so I can do a tricep push-up without wanting to die.
7. Make chalk. Write positive messages to my neighbors on our sidewalk.
8. Pack a picnic lunch. Walk somewhere to eat it while appreciating social-distancing.
9. Actually make my China years t-shirt quilt (I’ve been holding onto the t-shirt squares since I got back stateside seven years ago…?)
10. Read Robert Frost
11. Learn to make bagels
12. Order prints of all the photos I like from the last (shameful wince) 11 months. Put them in our photo album.
13. Memorize some Shakespeare sonnets (I don’t know which ones yet.)
14. Read all the awesome books I checked out from our library before it closed.
15. Write a thank you letter to the authors whose work I love to read.
16. Learn Italian! Rosetta Stone and all those other programs were LITERALLY invented for this moment!
17. Take time to do wood-shedding in the long list of arias I need to learn, so when I get to work with my (amazing) teacher again, we can work on the fine-tuning and music making.
18. Write letters to the people who I love who are far away from me right now.
19. Knit a project to get yarn out of my stash.
20. Defeat the gnats in my house.
21. Learn to bake cinnamon rolls.
22. Write in this blog.
23. Marie Kondo my closet–if I don’t want to wear a t-shirt after two months in my house, I never will.
24. Sit on my front porch and read a book. Fresh air is good for everyone.
25. Listen–really listen–to great pieces of music. I’m talking “put on the album, lay on the floor and let the music overwhelm you” kind of listen. (I was inspired by this L.A. Times article.) Titles on the list: Eroica, St. Matthew Passion, Brandenburg Concerti, Ein Deutsches Requiem, Mahler 2 (Resurrection), Sea Symphony, and literally ALL the Mozart. Probably Chopin and Debussy, too. I’ve never spent much time with Debussy. If I need a break from the classical world, I’ll move onto Broadway (Big Phish, Les Miserables, Jekyll and Hyde…) If you have suggestions, include them below! I’m always on the prowl for new music.
26. Finish the paint-by-number I bought last summer.

It’s a start. I expect this list will grow and change with time (as do all things.) But what a grand opportunity we are given–so much time for focused attention to the “extras” which really are, at their core, the things that make us most human.

So make your own list. Use this time to do the things you love.

See you tomorrow!

Emily