Making it up as we go along, folks...

Like everyone else alive on Planet Earth during the COVID Era (because I think we can all agree that by now, regardless of what the actual calendar might say, the "real feel" of this crisis can be measured in years, rather than months, and therefore deserves its own, named period in history, yeah? You know, like the Jurassic..or, um, The Dark Ages....) we here in Casa WestEnders are striving to figure out ways to keep ourselves busy and entertained. And with so many options off the table due to social distancing recommendations and governmental shutdowns, we've been forced to get creative with our fun. (Chilling with friends? Nope! Going out to eat? Nuh uh! Group workouts? Fuhgeddaboutit! Zoom calls with fam? Siiiighhhh.....fiiiiinnnnne, I loathe the phone, but if it's the ONLY way to keep in touch...) Fortunately, it turns out we're pretty easily amused, as evidenced by the following activities that occurred over the past week:

Because the...reading...must go on (that's the saying, right? Eh, in this house it is...) I used some of my extra spare time to figure out how to borrow ebooks from our local library. Now, before you think "Jeez, lady, are you a total luddite? Get with the 21st century already!" let me explain. If I remember correctly, I tried this a couple of years ago, and at that time Kindle was being very snooty about cooperating with any platform other than Amazon--thereby rendering it difficult or impossible to actually connect with an outside institution and download a title.

For whatever reason, however, they seem to have gotten the heck over themselves, and in a few short minutes I was able to browse Chapel Hill's collection, select a novel, check it out, choose my preferred format, and have it sent to my tablet. (Yay!)

While I was on a roll, I also used my membership privileges to access the Kindle Lending Library and snag a backup bonus story, just in case. And then, because you can never have too many things in your TBR pile, as I always* say (*never once have said in my entire life before now), I got all fancy and contacted a nearby independent bookshop for a couple of tales I've had my eye on, which they kindly arranged to be shipped directly to my house. I might have gone a little overboard, sure...but at least I'll be well-read? And kept out of trouble? (On second thought, let's not get crazy and expect too much, okay? I honestly can't make any promises at this point...)

As for the boys, they've resorted to various methods to keep from going stir-crazy. One of these, for example, involved the basketball hoop in the driveway, combined with the set of miniature football goalposts...for some kind of nonsense competition that seemed to include lots of attempts at trick shots...and copious amounts of trash talking (and laughter...and a little blood--but whatever, everyone survived. And I soooo wish I had photo documentation, but I don't, so you're just gonna have to take my word for it...and visualize the ridiculousness. I trust you to use your imaginations....).

For a less boisterous endeavor, Riley began tuning in with me during the nightly Jeopardy broadcasts, although he wasn't that engaged in the beginning, due to the questions not being particularly age-appropriate. BUT, then the College Tournament started, which was thoroughly game-changing. Suddenly he was able to join me in the time-honored tradition* of shouting out answers, congratulating oneself for possessing arcane tidbits of information....and, of course, complimenting, reprimanding, and/or taunting the players for their performances. (*as it was done by my family during my formative years)

Eventually, after we'd tempted Derek to get in on the circus--um, "contest"--with the assurance that "they usually have sports stuff, so you'd totally clean up!" he deigned to sit in on a show one night. And participated by yelling random facts, usually obscure and unrelated in any comprehensible way to the category at hand. Well...frankly I should have seen that coming. Suffice it to say he's been eliminated from the proceedings, presented with his lovely parting gift* (*a swift kick in the rear on his way out), and dismissed from the living room. Ha!

In a completely different realm of media distraction, we've had to compensate for the unprecedented (sorry to beat a dead word even further into the ground) lack of televised sports. It's gotten to the point that even Derek--my diehard fan of all things involving grown men (or students) throwing, catching, hitting, dribbling, running with, or shooting a ball--huffed out of the family room one day complaining that he was fed up with ESPN's coverage of...nothing but LeBron James and Tom Brady, apparently.

Fortunately, there's Disney+ to take up the slack, so we've been able to give some favorites another screening (mostly Marvel...and Frozen 2). And this past Saturday night, because he couldn't get together with his buddies like he usually would, he hung out with the 'rents and we all enjoyed an evening with...Zombieland. (What? Are you suggesting that a darkly humorous, profanity-laced, gruesome film about a post-apocalyptic world overrun by the undead doesn't constitute wholesome family bonding? Eh, it worked for the 3 adults in the household [Riley, who would have hated it anyway, having gone to bed already]).

Speaking of the pals from whom they're separated, I've witnessed both of the lads using technology to their advantage during the pandemic. When I pass by either of their rooms during the day (or even late night, for the nocturnal college kid) I might hear Riley's voice chatting on the phone with his AP Chemistry lab partner, or Derek FaceTiming with his North or South Carolina crews. So at least they're getting to stay connected to a certain degree--and yes, I've taken the opportunity to remind them how indescribably lucky they are to have this capability...because if this whole situation had happened while I was in school, in the desperate age before mobile networks or the internet...there'd be a whole lot of sitting in their rooms staring at the walls and interacting with only us...and believe me, NONE of us would come through that in very good shape.

In the midst of all this, Easter tried to sneak up on us--but luckily I caught it in time, and made a stealth run to Target to procure supplies. Now, I'm well aware that my sons are technically waaaayyy too old for the Bunny Basket Bonanza...but this year, in particular, it just felt like the occasion provided us with a bona fide excellent excuse for some joyful surprises...and candy...to lift our spirits. So I chuckled my way through the shopping excursion (6 feet away from every other customer and employee at all times, naturally).

With wild abandon (I'm out in public--wheee!) I tossed must-haves (Hazelnut Spread M&Ms, anyone?) and fortuitous finds (stuffed amphibian for Riley, who's been a frog aficionado since he was a wee tot...and Olaf pillow pet for Derek? Are you kidding me? My self-proclaimed Disney hype-beast who's seen both movies more times than I have? Clearly these are No. Brainers.) into my cart, relishing the idea of setting them out after everyone went to bed, since they weren't expecting anything at all on Sunday morning. Oh, and since we have so many more leisure hours at home these days, to spend with each other, I ordered a couple of diversions from Barnes & Noble (contact-less curbside pickup FTW) for us to try out in the coming quarantine weeks.

And you know what? The Male Trio were just as pleased and startled as I'd hoped they'd be. Like a true college dude, Derek immediately broke open his jelly beans, proclaiming them a lovely breakfast. Riley happily relocated his new mascot to his desk, to keep him company during work times. Husband put forth a reasoned argument that Oreos were somehow a health food and could therefore be consumed without guilt in the a.m. (which no one was going to refute anyway). And I had somehow managed to overlook buying a spare bag of the Dove dark chocolate eggs, so I purloined a few when people weren't paying attention to me. (Shhhh! I'll get some on the clearance shelf next time I go out, and no one needs to know, 'kay?)

So there you have it: our clan's attempts to stave off cabin-fever, avoid getting on each other's nerves TOO much, and manufacture recreation. The way I see it, we might eventually end up slightly smarter...with encyclopedic knowledge of the Disney film catalog...and vastly enhanced IT skills...but also a sugar addiction that needs to be addressed...and/or scars from an ill-advised DIY driveway sportsball stunt. Stay tuned!