While You’re In: Look for laughs, ‘visit’ new locales and swim with the fishes
Laugh about it: Sure, “laughter is the best medicine” is a cliché, but there’s truth in it. Neuroscientist Scott Weems confirmed it in a recent New York Times piece about the value of humor during a pandemic, “We’ve adopted this simple physical response as a way of sharing anxiety or confusion in a social way.” Give it a try with the shelter-in-place sitcom “New Couple Gets Quarantined,” the coronavirus project of comedian couple Taylor Tomlinson and Sam Morril. In episodes brief enough not to tax even the most anxiety-shortened attention span, the duo decides to spend the lockdown in the bedroom (at least for the first six hours), bickers over seaweed snacks and discusses what movie to watch — and it’s not “Contagion.” Once you’ve finished with that, follow along with Laura Clery’s “Quarantine Workout” or watch Julie Nolke visit her past self with clues about what’s to come.
Add zing to Zoom: The now-ubiquitous online conferencing program has a feature that allows users whose computers are sufficiently equipped to replace the view of what’s behind them with fanciful background photos and videos. It’s a fun feature — and useful, too, for hiding a cluttered home office. A few backgrounds are included, and you can create your own, but with the program’s zooming popularity, new background options are showing up. Animate your next happy hour or meeting with backgrounds from Studio Ghibli, or be king or queen for a day with a throne backdrop from King Arthur Flour, which also offers mouthwatering baking-themed backgrounds.
Frolic with fish: It’s ironic that a pandemic makes visiting the Seattle Aquarium easier than ever for South Sounders, who now can get up close and personal with all kinds of sea life without dealing with the traffic on I-5. One highlight is the sea otter webcam, but there is a wide range of other programming available, too. Want to learn more about what’s happening behind the scenes at the aquarium while it’s closed to the public? The Seattle Times sent in a photographer to capture the aquarium’s animal care routines, socially distanced meetings and humorous hand-sanitizer dispenser.
This story was originally published April 29, 2020 at 5:45 AM.