Laughs and Naps in a time of Coronavirus

You know what I’m missing the most?  Going to the movies.  Watching movies at home isn’t quite the same as a trip to the cinema.  It might be the first thing I do once restrictions are lifted. After I’ve had a drink (seriously I’ve been almost teetotal my whole life but the ‘rona has me hankering for hard liquor).

The one thing that I keep hearing is that, during lockdown, people are feeling very tired.  I have felt this myself and while this situation causes lots of worry from change being thrust upon us, potential illness plus a lack of stimulation – I have wondered if there is another reason.  People might be sleepy because, (to quote the title of Blur’s second album) modern life is rubbish and we've finally got a chance to realise just how fucking tired we are. We are compelled to live at a frenetic pace; life comes at us quickly.  There is little respite - even on holidays we don’t really rest with all the fun that must be had. So perhaps one of the upsides to being made to stay at home is that we can slow down, take a breather, and catch up on sleep.  When this is all over, it would do us good to remember to not be busy more often. Probs won’t happen though – there’s too much to repair.

So my advice during lock down is to take naps and often, while you have the chance. And maybe all expenses paid holidays for the supermarket staff, doctors, nurses, delivery drivers etc when all this is over.

But enough of the existential dread – humans have a couple of redeeming features, one being music and the other being comedy.  Laughing in the face of adversity (because if you didn't laugh, you'd scream). It’s gallows humour, a coping mechanism, and the socials have been a source of some absolute crackers.  Starting with some astute and succinct political satire…

Witty cultural references...

Not to mention the excellent observational comedy...

This is funny to me because it's true

and moments of whimsy...

In response to the often repeated factoid that Shakespeare wrote King Lear while in isolation during an outbreak of the plague...

but I think this one brings all the elements of comedy together...

but for posterity, a laugh for the ages, it has to be this clip from You Tube Well done makeshift macaroni.