Issue №37 | 30 March 2020 | ‘I’m Still Standing’
Issue №37 | 30 March 2020 | ‘I’m Still Standing’
Honestly, well done. You’ve made it to week three of self-isolation and frankly, you’re looking good. Your hair is washed, you’re wearing fresh undies and — with the increased exercise you’re doing out of sheer boredom — you’re starting to develop a small ab.
This week is the test. This is the week when a pile of socks starts to form in the corner of the room, the autoplay function on Netflix really comes into its own and you start growing hair in places you didn’t know you had. While it’s fine to wallow in boxsets after a long day of hustling at the kitchen table, at least remove the two-day-old noodle that’s in your hair. Freya and Alex
What Freya has been up to this week: Crafted a spreadsheet — based on recent findings thanks to her one-form-of-exercise-a-day — of the best isolated areas in Bristol to view a sunset. Hit ‘reply’ if you’d like a slice of the action.
What Alex has been up to this week: In a week sponsored by Zoom video calls with friends, he’s revisited The Lord of the Rings film trilogy and embarked on the deepest spring clean of his flat. I guess it’s got to be done.
Read
An article…
Wildlife Photography Competition Winners, BBC
While us humans have stopped what we’re doing, for nature it’s just business as usual.
And while they’ve been going about their daily activities, us humans have taken some incredible pictures of their routines.
Big or small, in frozen seas or lush greenery, the photography on show here is super cool, serving up some wholesome content for you to enjoy while cooped up inside. Alex
Hear
A playlist…
Working from home can be quite the slog. When that clock hand passes the 4pm mark, the smell of the gin and tonic is palpable, but just a little too far off. Margaret from Accounts still needs you to send her the invoices, Barry from Production needs final amends on that copy you should have done this morning, and Richard won’t stop banging on about the new social media campaign he needs you to put together. You need a pick-me-up.
Folk music — we shit you not — is the greatest way to get you through that final hour. We’ve put together the perfect playlist, just to prove our point. Freya
An album…
Disco goes futuristic in this second full release from the UK pop artist. Get dancing.
Do
A TV Series…
Mark Kermode’s Secrets of Cinema (BBC iPlayer)
Last week we shared a great discount on independent and foreign film streaming website Mubi.
If you’ve already started tucking into that offer and want to go beyond what’s on screen, or are just fascinated by how films are made, this series should do the trick.
Mark Kermode is a film journalist, podcast presenter and all-round legend. In this dinky little series he explores the filmmaking tricks behind some of cinema’s classic genres. Alex
Free online courses…
Harvard: The Architectural Imagination
If, like us, you’ve always nursed a secret obsession for design and architecture, now’s your chance to scratch that itch. The course teaches architectural drawing and looks at the overall power of architecture in society.
The Open University: Forensic Psychology
Watched enough CSI Miami and think you’ve got what it takes to be the next hotshot forensic psychologist? Put that theory to the test with this course, which uses videos of real witnesses to explore the psychology of testimony.
Yale: Introduction to Classical Music
Don’t know your Brahms from your Beethoven, but fancy getting learning what that great piano tune you always listen to on that ‘Relaxation’ playlist is? This is the course for you.
Yale: The Science of Well-Being
This is the most popular course ever taught in Yale’s history, and hit headlines when it launched in 2018 with record numbers of applicants. It explores misconceptions of happiness and how to build happier habits.
University of Pennsylvania: Hollywood: History, Industry, Art
Always loved film but wished you knew more about its history and what it is about Good Will Hunting (or She’s the Man) that makes it so iconic? Look no further.
For an extensive round-up of free Ivy League courses on offer, click here.
Cribs of the Week
Although the interior choices leave much to be desired (that pink armchair… kill it with fire), the roof terrace is the payoff. Plus, the building is rich with history: it used to house Melbourne’s first feminist bookstore.
This pint-sized cottage in the Welsh Valleys has got our name all over it. There really would be no better place to self-isolate than this cosy little 17th-century stone haven. Plus, it’s around the corner from literary haven Hay-on-Wye.
This house is architectural porn. Nestled in the Surrey countryside, its spaceship aesthetic jars sublimely with its surroundings. Those smooth curves. All that light. Dreamy.
#PanicBuying
In an attempt to not give into the allure of a pyjama pant or legging during self-isolation, Freya is envisaging getting into a lot of floaty fabrics. This nehru ruffle dress fits the bill.
Meet Rick. He’s due to be delivered to Alex’s flat this week.
Odds and Ends
We’re making this an extended section this week, thanks to the seriously high quality of internet content doing the rounds at the moment.
The Storrie family in Harpenden are under extreme isolation lockdown because of father Paddy’s ‘smol lung’, and are tracking their progress on their Instagram account storrie_staycation. Quite frankly, it’s a gift.
Wes Anderson did social distancing before it was cool.
Imagine that video of the celebrities singing John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’, but with a full band. Actually, you can just watch it here.
Nick Heath is the coronavirus breakout star. Pigeon dressage and the Middle Class Arena are our personal favourites, but it’s changing by the day.
