Hi All,
We’ve officially been in quarantine for a month. Days of the week seem arbitrary. It’s normal to drink every night, there’s nothing to look forward on the weekends, and it’s relief on Monday morning when there’s actually something to do. Enjoy the Rapport!
What I’m Reading
Joy at Work by Marie Kondo
It’s been a little hard to “spark joy” – as Marie Kondo calls it – while working from home for possibly the rest of time. As I noted in my last blog and Instagram post, I bought a standing desk from Walmart and changed my whole work station to make it a little more comfortable and efficient workspace (picture below). I have an odd obsession with tidying up. Not cleaning. F that. But I do love purging my apartment of old clothes, knick knacks and useless junk and then reorganizing everything neatly into stacks and boxes. Marie Kondo, of The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up fame, just gives simple philosophical and emotional steps to change your working space. I literally finished this book in about 4 hours and my apartment looks amazing now, if not a little cluttery. But hey, it’s Queens what are you gonna do?
What I’m Watching
Baseball, a PBS documentary by Ken Burns [free on Amazon Prime]
Ok I’ll admit, if you’re not super into baseball this documentary will feel like those boring history shows the teacher would make you watch when they came in hungover. Alright, it may feel like that even if you are a huge baseball fan. It’s reallllly slow. Lauren makes fun of me because I look like an old man watching black and white footage of Cy Young and Honus Wagner in the early 1900s. But I miss baseball and I need something to kill time. It’s 9 episodes and each one is like an hour and 45 minutes. It’s similar to the sport itself, ironically.
On My Wishlist
I used to see people in the office (remember those) who thought they were better than me because they use an ergonomic mouse and keyboard like they’re operating a space shuttle or landing an airplane. But now that I’m cooped up in my apartment office, I might as well invest in some good quality office equipment. Has anyone ever tried these things? 16,000 Amazon reviews at 4 stars so it must be decent…
Also that picture is hilarous. Is that 2 degree wrist angle really gonna make the difference? Sellers gotta sell.
What I’m Listening To
I love Freakonomics and can’t recommend their books and podcasts enough. Stephen Dubner does a fantastic job. The past month, they’ve been doing great episodes on how COVID-19 is impacting different parts of our lives – from an economic standpoint, relationships, food, and physical touch. Fantastic, quick recaps of all the info you need from top experts in the field.
Episode 412: What Happens When Everyone Stays Home to Eat?
Description: Covid-19 has shocked our food-supply system like nothing in modern history. We examine the winners, the losers, the unintended consequences — and just how much toilet paper one household really needs.
Great Reads Across the Internet
- Lessons in Constructive Solitude from Thoreau (New York Times – subscription): “He used his semi-seclusion at Walden, which began in July 1845 and ended in September 1847, to pursue an intensive course in self-education, one that required undistracted reading. “Books must be read as deliberately and reservedly as they were written,” he wrote. The list he compiled was long, ambitious and culturally far-reaching, stretching from Classical Greece to Vedic India.”
- How Coronavirus Could Change Office Life (Vox – Recode): I thought this was a really good summary of how work-life can change in the coming months, both at home and in the office. “Working from home all the time is not for everyone, and many will want to return to the office. As the public health crisis continues, however, office space will probably have to be altered in order for people to feel safe being there. That could mean a reversal of the open office trend.”
- I Was Quarantined in China, Then in the U.S. Here’s How Things Differed (Vice): This seems like a really honest account of two countries that politically and medically handled things way different and how it’s played out is a clear sign. Here’s a glaring excerpt:
- One large difference, in my opinion, is the media: Mainstream media here [the U.S.] responds to the fear and panic and in ways can perpetuate it, whereas in China you have state-run media showing videos of doctors helping people, with this kind of unifying message. “This is bad, but we can beat this. Be careful, but don’t be afraid.” It was sort of positive or at least hopeful, but in the U.S., that’s just not the case.
- Justin Thomas is Ready to Be Famous (ESPN): This article just re-confirms my belief that pro-golfer is the greatest profession.
Poem of the Week
Remember the moments when we were together
in a white room and the curtain fluttered.
Return in thought to the concert where music flared.
You gathered acorns in the park in autumn
and leaves eddied over the earth’s scars.
Praise the mutilated world . . .
—“Try to Praise the Mutilated World,” by Adam Zagajewski
Feel Good Video of the Week
John Krasinski is back gracing us with the third week of Some Good News
I hear you Cole…
Keep sending quarantine suggestions!
-KB