For the past 4 years, I have fought post-Holiday blues by scheduling a vacation for February/March. This year, no vacation, but I decided to schedule myself a “staycation” instead, just to shake up my schedule. And now y’all get to help me make plans!
I’m taking a 4 day weekend February 18, 19, 20, and 21. And I want to make it Special. Which is hard, since it will be basically the same as all my other weekends, just slightly longer.
I think what I need to do is plan it out, just like I would a “real” vacation. So I will pick special fancy food to order from restaurants, maybe drive out to a nice park, and also (my favorite part of vacations) pick some addictive wonderful books that I can just lose myself in. Or, since this is a Staycation, TV shows.
Already on my list of possibilities:
A Discovery of Witches Book Series
WandaVision TV Series
All the Marvel Movies of the Past 5 years that I Still Haven’t Seen
And for other activities:
Order diner pancakes because they are always better than homemade
Drive to a random outdoor monument/artwork somewhere about an hour outside the city just for an adventure.
Get really good coffee, and then park my car where I can look out at a park and drink it while reading my book.
And now all you nice people get to give me advice and crowdsource this vacation! I won’t promise to watch/read/do everything you suggest because it is a vacation, I am supposed to not feel obligated. But I will promise to seriously consider everything you suggest!
dontcallitbollywood 
I can barely think of things to do for myself, but I might have some book recs. What kind of books do you want?
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Fun absorbing fiction
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Have you ever read Miles Franklin? Actually very substantial but also funny.
Also, if your brain need a break, I really recommend the Murder She Wrote novelisations.
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I have heard that the Murder She Wrote novels have the Sheriff get a divorce and I simply can NOT accept that!!!!! Is it true?
On Fri, Feb 5, 2021 at 3:49 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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None of the ones I read mentioned it, but there are a lot of them.
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Not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, but The Blue Castle reminded me a lot of Ms. Pettigrew Lives for A Day. If you’re looking for something in that vein, then that might be worth a shot or on your TBR, at least.
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Oh! My Mom has been recommending that to me!
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It’s really great but it’s got a lot of weird race stuff.
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My media choices have been rather serious as of late – but have a lot of hot chocolate!! Add whipped cream and chocolate chips and candy canes, maybe a splash of bourbon/rum, depending on the chocolate you choose!
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`
Read the Mrs. Pollifax series:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Pollifax
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And I still wonder: What gives you a “post-holiday-blues”-feeling in pandemic times? When every day is like holiday and vice versa? Kinda can’t relate.
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It’s just cold and dark.
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Can you get thru the whole weekend without blogging? We’d go thru withdrawal of course, but you’ll be a stranger in a strange land, a real tourist, go where no laptop has gone before.
Happy vacay!
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I’m gonna try!!!! If this was a real vacation, I’d do it. If nothing else, I will do Friday Watchalong from my bedroom instead of the living room. That’s like a vacation, right?
On Fri, Feb 5, 2021 at 9:11 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Well, when I think Staycation, I think you should vacation where you are. That means treating your hometown like a destination. Walking Tours, museums, reading up on all things Chicago, watching all things Chicago.
1. Walking tours: https://travel.usnews.com/features/the-best-chicago-walking-tours
Or you can lead yourself: https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/city-walks-chicago-50-adventures-on-foot_christina-henry-de-tessan_bart-wright/2995089/item/10456619/?mkwid=%7cdc&pcrid=475040327171&pkw=&pmt=&slid=&plc=&pgrid=113312445778&ptaid=pla-987469527739&gclid=CjwKCAiA9vOABhBfEiwATCi7GFdyB49oKuARGzeMrxIj2Ht3CUXnAGKQHZBTpbY2yGd1QfKds-gkZRoCv1cQAvD_BwE#idiq=10456619&edition=3050271
or: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=yKNaDwAAQBAJ&gl=us&hl=en-US&source=productsearch&utm_source=HA_Desktop_US&utm_medium=SEM&utm_campaign=PLA&pcampaignid=MKT-FDR-na-us-1000189-Med-pla-bk-Evergreen-Jul1520-PLA-eBooks_Travel&gclid=CjwKCAiA9vOABhBfEiwATCi7GE5JOoBZpTEU7iTsFLCgzNKwWv7pnEO_1r-5hJ4q936mvtmd86rd0RoCMRQQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
or: https://www.abebooks.com/Chicago-foot-Walking-tours-Chicagos-architecture/30697572864/bd?cm_mmc=ggl-_-US_Shopp_Trade-_-naa-_-naa&gclid=CjwKCAiA9vOABhBfEiwATCi7GNYqQY4DVtrKH8wI0rQXWLgDpyYnhmGWpoBR1dpQm-GvHEXFoDhP8BoCRD4QAvD_BwE
Or you could do what my family would do and make your own walking/public transit tour by trying to go to every bookstore: https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/illinois/articles/chicago-s-10-best-independent-bookstores-for-bibliophiles/
Museums: https://www.choosechicago.com/blog/museums/open-chicago-museums-reopening/
Books (Studs Terkel is a true stud, if you haven’t read his book on chicago you really really should): https://www.insidehook.com/article/advice/the-40-books-every-chicagoan-should-read
Film: https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/chicago_film_office7.html
https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/chicago_film_office6.html. (notice Dhoom 3 is included!)
Although it is a staycation, you don’t actually have to stay in your apartment. Of course I love wandering cities, and you aren’t me.
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Oh yeah, I know it is cold and snowy. If you don’t have some already figure out your shoe size in men’s shoes and get these (removable liners are the BEST): https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/kamik-mens-hunter-insulated-waterproof-winter-boots-18kmkmhntrblckxxxfbo/18kmkmhntrblckxxxfbo?sku=20375397&camp=CSE:DSG_92700040964170782_pla_pla-505108027379&segment=&gclid=CjwKCAiA9vOABhBfEiwATCi7GJJ8RSy04USBXQOQsP8twHPQuPkRzBxbIVOFMfoK7Pzi3DbbJgfDMRoCpVgQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
I assume you already have ankle length down coat, but if you don’t, try taking a tour of thrift stores.
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Ha! I have 4 coats!!! Light coat, regular coat, heavy coat, and “it’s so freakin’ cold I am going to die” coat. My “it’s so freakin’ cold I am going to die” coat is an old army surplus wool coat we got at a yard sale when I was a teenager. It is amazing. And I can stand outside for half an hour waiting for a bus/train and feel nothing.
On Sat, Feb 6, 2021 at 12:52 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Ooh! You know Discovery of Witches would be my first recommendation. But if you happen to get through those and need other books to read, I recommend the Graceling series. Really good fantasy romance with enough substance. Another YA historical fiction novel that I would recommend to anyone is Code Name Verity. It has amazing female friendship and just a great story. Fair warning, though, while it’s YA, it’s not a frivolous at all, so if you are not in the mood for anything remotely serious or substantive, then I wouldn’t read this one.
Suggestions for shows to binge:
Normal People on Hulu (coming of age romance based on Sally Rooney’s novel)
Carnival Row (fantasy, romance, mystery, being an “other”)
Get Even (At a British prep school, 4 teenage women come together to expose injustices but get tangled in their own mystery)
Emily in Paris (same creator as Sex in the City and Younger, so if you liked those, then you may enjoy this one)
Sweet Magnolias (Three small town adult women who have been friends forever deal with the ups and downs of every day life and also romance)
Fate: the Winx Saga (Based very very loosely on the winx cartoons. It’s fine but I wish I had waited until the second season came out to watch it. Also, the main heroine annoyed me, but you may have more patience with selfish teenagers than I do).
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Ooooo! I considered Sweet Magnolias when it first released but it was just a little too light for me. Of course, that was before a year of quarantine, now light sounds nice.
And Discovery of Witches, I am starting to track down kindle copies NOW!!!!
On Sat, Feb 6, 2021 at 4:34 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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