An ODD Farewell
It was a year ago this month that we launched Our Domicile (definitely not) Daily, intended to provide “all the excitement of pandemic life in one easy read.” ODD gave us a place to share the ridiculous things that occupied our days and nights in quarantine, the husband’s popular Bee Hive column, and random “Tips for Surviving the Pandemic.”
That was fun, but the most fun was that you wrote to us from your domiciles all over the country (and even Australia!) to tell us that you identified. You took the time to share thoughts and tips with us, and we got to share them with the whole ODD community.
But as our lives move beyond our own domiciles, into a (hopefully!) post-pandemic future, we decided it’s time to end ODD’s pandemic run. We’re writing to wish you all good luck and good fortune, joy, happiness, and health. But mostly, we wanted to take a moment to thank you for laughing with us. While we might have helped you get through the worst of this 100-year pandemic, there is no comparison to how much you helped us.
Because we couldn’t leave without one last issue, herewith, our swan song!
Top Stories
Who's Not Ready?
“I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but honestly,” the wife told ODD. “I’m not ready.
“I liked wearing a mask because I didn’t have to smile at everyone all the time. During the pandemic, nobody asked me what I was doing because nobody was doing anything. But now? One friend’s loading up on Broadway show tickets. Another can’t stop going to museums. Another just went to see an American Ballet Theater performance on Manhattan’s new ‘floating park’—wait, what?
“Plus, no more phone visits, people are showing up! One friend had neighbors over for dinner. After a few hours, they ran out of things to say.
‘How do you hint that, maybe, it’s time to call it a night?’ she wondered.”
As AAPR magazine observed, when you’re a houseguest, the ante is really upped. “We’re not used to being in the same room for a few hours, let along the same house for several days!” they wrote. Give your hosts breathing space—go do something by yourself. Don’t wear out your welcome (stay two days, max). And in a tip of the hat to our liminal state, they added: Ask if you should bring your own towels.
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Pandemic Body News
“Being a loyal contrarian,” said the husband, I gained weight before the pandemic. Then, when lots of other people were packing it on, I lost 20 pounds.”
“How?” queried ODD.
“I ate my own cooking, we rarely called out, and I spent copious hours in the basement, on my bike trainer, Zwifting through mystical and mythical lands.”
“So you did a lot of traveling during the pandemic,” the reporter observed.
In related news, the wife’s feet lost weight. She’s swimming in her favorite sandals. “Nobody told me this might happen,” she said.
Americans on Spending Spree!
According to press reports, Americans are on a post-pandemic spending spree. Top of the list? Skirts! Followed by champagne (sales up 103% ), shoes (mostly not high heels!), and shaving kits!
“They’re buying big things too,” reported the wife. “One friend bought an AC. Another bought a new bed, couch, and two new chairs. We bought a new car!”
“That’s big,” said the ODD reporter.
“It’s really big!” the wife said. “I’ve been driving a little ‘zoomzoom’ Mazda for 13 years, so I’m actually afraid of our new car. But it’ll be great for our post-pandemic travels. And it looks pretty terrific in our driveway.”
Introducing: The Husband in the Kitchen!
“While a lot of people dropped their pans as the pandemic ebbed, not the husband! He stepped up his cooking game with great new meals and augmented old ones, for which I am deeply grateful,” said the wife.
“It’s been fun, feels healthy and I think I’m starting get good at it,” said the husband. “I also found tricks and workarounds, ways to enhance and vary recipes, and strategies to deal with the ways that standard recipe presentations frustrate me and slow me down…and maybe you too.
“With that in mind, I’ve decided to share our favorite recipes (and tricks) with other folks looking to step up their cooking game. It’s all in my new blog, The Husband in the Kitchen.”
“At this brand new site, an offshoot of Our Domicile Daily, you’ll find our go-to dishes and of course, my ratings,” added the wife. “So come visit and be sure to sign up!”
Not-So-Short Takes
Kudos on Macron's Workaround!
Record number of French citizens booked vaccine shots after French President Emmanuel Macron said cafes, bars, shopping centers off limits without vaccine certification or a negative test. Unvaxxed, untested? No Brie for you!
Suprising Post-Pandemic Trends
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Unruly airline passenger duct-taped to seat!
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UFOS—not so crazy after all!
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Murder hornets—who cares!
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Undo Me-Too? Cuomo, Cosby
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Sink holes in, zoom weddings out!
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Republicans to Americans: No votes for you!
Post-Pandemic Fun Ideas!
Dance!
We made our first foray into the wider world to Jacob’s Pillow in the Berkshires. Our first outdoor dance performance was rained out; dinner-serving restaurants were packed or closed (on a Tuesday?), but all was not lost! The next day, we ambled along, watching Michelle Dorrance and Company tap their way through six great performances at six sites on the Pillow grounds (photos here). Stage and on-site programs through August 29. Hurry--get tickets, or sign up for free online viewing!
More Wine!
Vineyards in Virginia? Who knew! Our favorite neighbors did! They headed to “Virginia’s beautiful wine country,” and recommend visits to CrossKeys Winery in the Shenandoah Valley, Afton Mountain Vineyards, Flying Fox Vineyard, and Blue Mountain Brewery with its “outdoor patio with perfect views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.”
That Floating Park!
Storytelling festival, dance festival, music, oh my! That new floating park in Manhattan? It’s “The Little Island at Pier 55.” “It’s magical,” says the friend who watched the American Ballet Theater performance there on the Hudson, along with “spellbound seagulls.” Tons going on—check schedule out here!
Full Stream Ahead!
Yes, we can go to the movies! But looks like folks are still streaming too—best of both worlds! (Or not—read A.O Scott’s great piece, “What Are Movies Now?”). We suggest definitely streaming Call My Agent (and there will be a new season!), Unforgotten, (three seasons on Amazon, new one on PBS), Anne with an “E” (Amybeth McNulty as Anne Shirley is incredible), and Hacks (how about that Jean Smart!). Never stream False Positive (yuk! the ending) or Tim Robinson’s I Think You Should Leave (OMG, we dipped our toes in—awful!).
Art-challenged?
“We love zentangling,” said the husband (who only learned about it because the wife took an online class, and he was shocked at the quality of the work she produced—so was she).
“But now he’s way ahead of me, doing complex ‘tangles’ (designs) in record time, running off with zentangle the way he ran off with the New York Times Spelling Bee!” said the wife.
“That’s not fair. You know I never do the Bee online until you’ve had at it,” said the husband. “And zentangling’s not a competitive short. It’s called “Zen” tangling” for a reason!”
“I hate when he’s right,” muttered the wife. (Photo, a few of their tangles)
Closing Note
So that’s it, dear reader. (Sorry if this issue is a bit shorter than prior ones but remember, we only had three+ months to write it!) Again, our deepest thanks for taking this journey through the pandemic with us, and best wishes for health, happiness, and a safe and healthy post-pandemic life. (And, God forbid, it’s no longer “post,” rest assured, ODD will be back!)