How to Survive the Covid 19 Quarantine

I thought I would give you a bunch of recommendations, ideas, and best practices to spend your time productively and why is that beyond the obvious “hang out more with time with your family” or “Think about the important things of life.”

I want to mention some movies, some books, and some board games.

MOVIES

If it’s not available on a streaming service click on the links below to grab a copy. Money well spent.

Let’s start with Tender Mercies, the 1983 film directed by Bruce Beresford, written by Horton Foote, starring the great Robert Duvall. It’s Duvall’s only Best Actor Oscar, and you can see why watching this movie. Tender Mercies is the story of an alcoholic named Mac Sledge at his utter rock bottom. With the help of a shy young widow, he slowly pieces his wrecked life back together, and we see glimpses of his musical greatness and his simple direct way of speaking and acting. Betty Buckley plays his ex-wife Dixie Scott, and it is Ellen Barkin’s first speaking role as Mac’s daughter.
Next, Les Choristes, the 2004 French movie set after World War II. This is a story of a middle-aged composer who takes a job as the choir director of a bunch of unruly boys at a reform school in rural France. The main character is Clement Mathieu, and his story focuses on the effect his music and kindness has on this bunch of demon seed social rejects. Les Choristes, which one just about every international cinema award, is a brilliantly executed little movie, with exquisite choral music.
Third, and this is a movie for adults as it has lots of potty words and content not suitable for children. I’m talking about Calvary, the 2014 Irish some written and directed by John Michael McDonagh. It stars Brendan Gleeson as Father James, a small-town Irish priest who learns in the opening scene that’s the voice on the other side of the confession screen belongs to someone who is abused at the age of seven by a priest who is now dead. The voice informs Father James that he has one week to get his life in order because revenge is the order of the day, and not revenge on a bad priest but on a good one. Throughout the movie we see what this late vocations priest— Father James is a widower with the young adult daughter—is up against in post-Christian Ireland.
Calvary asks as many questions as it answers about forgiveness and virtue, and finding meaning in life…especially the suffering part of life.

BOOKS

Indistractible: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life, by Nir Eyal. If you are looking for a way to manage your time and get things done and finished as opposed to started and ignored I know you will love this book.
Consecration to St Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father, by Father Donald Calloway. It’s not only a 33-day program of consecration to the great Saint Joseph whose feast day we just celebrated, it’s also a small encyclopedia of information and insight into the greatest Saint in the Catholic Church next to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Alien Hand Syndrome and Other Too Weird Not to Be True Stories by Alan Bellows. All I’m going to say about this book is that Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert, wrote of it “it’s always a treat when great writing meets fascinating topics. This is my favorite book in a long time.” This off-beat collection is a very enjoyable book to enjoy near the crackling fire in these days of self-isolation.
And if you’re married, have fun contributing to the baby boom. Check out my SEX BOOK for ideas: The Contraception Deception: Catholic Teaching on Birth Control

BOARD GAMES

Our family picks are:

Have fun with these. We do. They’re all great for vocabulary expansion, and great fun besides.

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How to Survive the Covid 19 Quarantine