What some of your favourite Montrealers are up to during self-isolation

As social distancing becomes our new day-to-day, people from all over the world are looking at ways to make at home living fun, whether it’s social, personally rewarding or both—it’s a great way to stay sane during self-isolatation.

Taking queues from some of our favourite Montrealers, Time Out—er, Time In—has polled local restaurateurs, journalists, comics, actors and musicians for their suggestions as to how to pass the time and the importance of maintaining distance during to help squash the spread. From new recipes projects to sexting, their suggestions will help make this uncertain time as pleasant and as productive as possible.

Yannick Belzil, illustrator and co-host of 3 Bières podcast:

As to what to do at home, take time to learn a skill is a pretty good way to pass the time and it gets me in a positive headspace. Youtube is filled with tutorial channels for that. So I'm brushing up on learning how to use colour or draw different things, but others learn an instrument or try out yoga that way.

Lesley Chesterman, restaurant critic:

Over the past week, I started out by cutting down on the nagging and focused on “suggesting” that my kids do things like read a book, organize their drawers, clean out unnecessary stuff that has accumulated in their rooms. Every night we watch a movie together and for every meal, I ask one or both of my sons to participate. This can mean stirring the pot, chopping an onion, tossing the salad, making the dressing, setting the table. I'll even hand them a recipe and let them go to it on their own. The results have been good — it keeps them busy — and I expect that by the time this quarantine is over, they will have some solid cooking skills under their belts. For little kids, I would recommend trying out a bread recipe, especially something fun like monkey bread. You’ll find plenty of recipes on the web and the results are delicious — even if you mess up a little bit. Finding yeast, however, might be a problem in some supermarkets. Be patient: they will restock!

Christopher Curtis, Reporter at the Montreal Gazette:

Start making Tiktoks. I remember being in college and thinking if only I had the means to make movies. Twenty years later, I can write, shoot, edit and publish a relatively coherent little movie in an hour, all on my phone. You have to figure out how it works, I just realized you don’t have to do music video stuff and you can make little movies that last 59 seconds.

I was sitting on my table across from Ulysses, my cat, and it looked like an interrogation scene and I thought what it would be like to interrogate a cat who wasn’t co-operating; he was licking himself, ignoring me, and I was just pretending those were lines of dialogue. It was just a really fun way to spend an hour. Even if nobody had seen it, I took an hour of my day and I made something. I wasn’t consuming something, lazing around, scrolling through social media. I don’t know if it’s art, but I love it.

It reminds me of being a kid and my brother used to make these fake radio shows with a tape recorder. It takes me back to that boredom and having to use your imagination. If you’ve noticed, but the videos are getting more elaborate -- I can’t go to the store and buy things, and I have to use what I have in my apartment. It’s like reverse engineer a movie from the props.

Alexa-Jeanne Dubé, Actress and Filmmaker:

• The app Down Dog for yoga at home is the best and available for free until April 1st.
• Make your own levain so you can make your own sourdough bread at home. Follow along with faim.du.monde on Instagram. They’re amazing and I love them.
• Create an indoor garden if you can’t leave the house. Find a room in your house and fill it with plants to create an indoor oasis where you can relax.
• Start meditating. For real!
• Adopt a dog, we are going to have so much free time and there are many dogs looking for homes. It can also be a cat! Go to les Pattes jaunes. (Remember though, an animal is a friend for life, it’s very important!).
• Put on some headphones, put on some loud music and have a home dance-party.
• Once a day call someone you are an acquaintance with but who you’d like to be better friends with.
• Watch to my short film SDR on La Fabrique culturelle and my other film SCOPIQUE on la Vithèque de Vidéographe. Both are free. Many filmmakers and distributors have put their work online for people to watch for free. It’s a great moment to learn more about your local cinema.
• Go out and help people you might need your help, those who are fragile or who might be in quarantine after a trip. Go run errands for them and leave what they need at their door.
• And most important, learn to accept doing nothing and just learning to be by yourself, even if it can be unpleasant. Learn to live with silence, your interiority and accept what might emerge from those conditions.

Iggy the Dog, Instagram Influencer & Fashion Icon:

One way we’ve been keeping busy is putting on a “fashion show”, or making various video montages. Tika has lots of clothes, so we get her dressed up and have her walk the catwalk (aka our hallway). She gets to run up and down, while also getting many treats in the process. We share these little videos online to give some comic relief during this period of unknown.

Antonio Park, Chef/Owner (Restaurant Park, Jatoba, Café Bazin, Kampai Garden and more):

I believe this is the time we have to catch up with some of our loved ones. Exercise at home, yoga, and many things. Cooking together with the family, Clean thoroughly our home, share more time via phone, all this amazing way connect with family and friends. Read more books about what we love and learn more and more. Stay positive and this is the time to get back to the things that we missed working and focus because sometimes we forget the simplest things.

Adam Susser, Comedian and host of Hockey Inside/Out:

Here are some ways to occupy yourself indoors during the pandemic:

• Dwell on your regrets and past mistakes.
• Start a family feud.
• Disinfect every square inch of your apartment or house.
• Look at photos of tropical birds.
• Take up a very loud instrument and make enemies in your apartment building.
• Call your grandparents.
• Get pregnant or impregnate someone (consensually).
• Write hand-written letters to people telling them what you really think of them.
• Stare out the window (my personal favourite).
• Go to adamsusser.com and get lost in my videos.

Mike Ward, Comedian:

Do all the stuff that you’ve been wanting to do but never had the time. Learn a language. Cook elaborate meals. Write a book. Start a podcast. Take an online class. Day drink and watch Netflix. Do whatever makes you happy. It’s like a vacation, a horrible 1-star vacation. Just remember that if you don’t have to leave the house, DON’T. Not even for groceries. Get them delivered and tip like crazy. Oh, and call your parents and grand-parents, but don't visit. Kind of what you do now, except for the calling part.

Tranna Wintour, Co-host of Chosen Family:

I recommend sexting. Now is not the time to be hooking up. Horniness is not a social distancing loophole. I'm shocked at how many people on the apps are still trying to hook up. But sexting can be really hot and fun. Stay home, send nudes, save lives. Social distancing is the new foreplay.