Our Favorite Epidemic Gift

When you have gone through a difficult time – and we all have – sometimes all you need is a distraction or something that makes you feel good to get through it. We asked the staff of Report door What have they treated themselves to help make all the turmoil and lockdowns of the past year a little more bearable.

These are some of the things that made him smile over the past year. Hopefully, you have something that makes you smile too.

World of warcraft membership

Nothing feels more like an escape from the world of Orcs, Mages, and Warriors. I’ve played world of Warcraft Off and on throughout the years, but – faced with utter boredom during Netflix hours, at-home workouts and epidemics – I decided it was time to re-commit to play. About six months into my renewed membership, I am grateful for it. Winter was long, lonely and dull, but I found a community Wow Which helped me to escape mentally. I don’t know if I’ll continue playing after life is normal, but I’m happy for the hours spent in that magical little world. – Kaitlyn Hatton

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Blue apron

Blue Apron helped me get through lockdown (and continues to help) in more ways than one. Initially, when going to the grocery store was as difficult as a trip to Mordor, BA meant three fewer meals for shopping each week, which was a huge relief. It has also been a less effortful way to help break the monotony of “feel like Groundhog Day every day” after dinner at home. I get to try something new, but my hand is completely on hold with the pre-made material and a recipe card. Some meals have been more successful than others, and I’ve really gained some confidence as a home cook – this is huge for someone like me who can simultaneously worry that a piece of meat is more Both ripe and undercooked. I don’t think I’ll hold the membership for long, but I have a stack of recipe cards and have a few more skills to rely on when I decide to strike out on my own. – Allison Johnson

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Circular knitting needle

Weaving is the only skill I have that has never produced a horrific mental death spiral. And during a long year at home, I realized relying on straight needles – when I started I was almost exclusively involved with weaving – is a sucker game.

Circular needles are designed to make round projects such as caps. It took me a long time to understand that they are also very good for shawls, scarves and other flat-knit items. Also, screwing needles and cords of different sizes together From an interchangeable set Is inexplicably satisfying. I wish I had bought this thing sooner – although my fast-woven clothes-laden friends and family might disagree. Adi Robertson

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Remodel your bed

I got sick – not with COVID – in November and early December, and came January, I was still very tired. I was spending more time in bed than usual, so I thought, “Why not make the bed more pleasant?” First of all, I bought the Slumber Cloud Necrosis Mattress Pad, which has also kept my temperature pleasant. Again Core linen set of brooklyn (In cream), which softens and feels lovely on the skin every time I wash my bed. Finally, I added Tempur-Pedic Tempur-neck pillow, Which looks dark but has been an absolute pleasure of sleeping.

I am standing on my feet again, but this shopping is paying off. I don’t think I’ve slept so well or well in years. There is nothing better than crawling into a comfortable bed and getting carried away after a long day. – Liz Lopato

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Fully Jarvis Standing Desk

I need to make many unnecessary pick-me-up purchases during an epidemic, such as a PS5 And a Oculus Quest 2. My latest purchase is the most expensive yet, but it seems more logical. I just bought a completely Jarvis Standing Desk so that I can actually stand up a few times during the day so that my blood can bleed. There are many days per week when I don’t really move around as much as I should (even the days I walk, I’m still not doing much), so I think it helps me Must be found. If not, how can I blame Jay Peters and Dan Seifert for their completely Jarvis desk about their What’s On Your Desk? Post. I haven’t even got the desk yet, so I’m eagerly waiting for him.

Will this be the funniest pandemic gift for me? Probably not. For one, this desk cannot run Retail. Seriously, this is one of the few things I’ve done for myself over the past year that takes into account my future wellbeing. It is not easy to do these days, but I hope that I have this desk for many happy years to come and I can see it as my favorite epistemic gift. – Cameron Faulkner

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A water kettle

Buying coffee equipment is like painting a house: the second you improve a part of your setup, it immediately exposes something else that needs an upgrade. So after switching to the Hario V60 coffee dripper for my home brewing, I quickly craved after a good gooseneck kettle. Ultimately, I chose Hario V40 Fit Drip Kettle Stovetop kettle.

I don’t think it’s the best pick for everyone – it doesn’t have a temperature gauge, and many people prefer electric kettles over stove-top models – but it fits my needs perfectly. It has a nice plastic handle that does not heat up when the water is boiling, it works on the induction coil (which was not guaranteed Fellow’s otherwise beautiful stag kettle), And overall, it’s easier to control when you’re trying to pour fine coffee. Mostly though, I’m glad that it doesn’t have the oddly hanging design of Hario’s previous drip kettle. – John Porter

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A playstation 4 more Final Fantasy VII Remake

Like many fans of the original Final Fantasy VII, I followed years of Remake Evolution with the expectation that this would indeed be a candle for the classic PlayStation RPG. And to my surprise, the game turned out really well, and it prompted me to drop about $ 400 to buy the PlayStation 4 so that I could play the game.

This was a big part of the change, and I worried that I would regret spending all that cash for just one game, but it was one of the best gifts I had bought last year. Final Fantasy VII Remake Was an absolute pleasure to play through, and it gave my wife and me hours of entertainment (and some memorable jokes from the protagonist Claude Strife).

Since i beaten FF7R, I am working my way through many fantastic PS4 games that I missed. I’ve also been lucky enough to hold a PS5 And An Xbox Series X, great machines for older games, meaning I’m spending even more time catching up to the previous generation of gaming. And it’s all thanks to the jump on play Final Fantasy VII Remake. – Jay Peters

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Pepper cannon

I moved into an apartment with a kitchen shaped like a real person at the onset of the epidemic and found a new love for cooking. (I gave up on the bread-baking trend.) This meant that many of my favorite gadgets from Pandemic were things like my blender and my stand mixer. The gadget that really found the sweet spot between the kitchen equipment and the super neat thing scratching the gadget’s itch was the obscenely priced “pepper cannon” that I kickstarted.

I have spent a lot of money on this “pepper cannon” which is designed to churn more pepper with every turn. It is an expensive device, and its only function is to grind black pepper, meaning that it is not worth the money at all. But Paper Canon is so thoughtfully designed and good at its job that I really don’t mind that I spent $ 150 months ago to return Kickstarter. My eggs are completely speckled with black pepper, and my steaks look great before hitting the grill. I had to put the pepper in a mortar to grind them into dust for rubbing and soup, but now I can just give the pepper cannon a few turns and be done with it. – Alex Cranzo

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Ring Fit Adventure for Nintendo Switch

Being instructed to stay home made me feel less bad about not going to the gym, but there was a point in the epidemic where I really needed to exercise more in my day. After playing hours animal Crossing On my couch, I realized that the thing I was going to exercise was another video game: Nintendo Ring fit adventure Fitness rpg. In the game, you are doing a variety of exercises using a Pilates ring and a leg strap, both connected to the switch’s Joy-Con controllers, while you defeat the monsters. It has made walking in my living room a good amount of exercise every day, fun and easy. It has been a staple of my morning routine ever since I bought it. —Andrew Marino

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The puzzle

My biggest feature usually comes in the form of putting things together and putting things together. I had a grand plan to use the time of the epidemic to repair some Super 8 movie audiences that had been lying in my family’s attic for years, but it’s been several months now, “Maybe I do this weekend Will do. ” Instead, I’ve invested in things that scratch a similar itch: puzzles. I know that puzzles, jigs or otherwise, can be divisive (many of my friends outright hate them), but for me, there is no better self-pleasing than spending a few hours on a bunch of pieces while listening to podcasts or music. No activity. I will annoy my spouse with the announcement that I am “in a strange mood” and need to be taken ASAP to a local puzzle store where I can select one Sea creature saw Or a small model dinosaur skeleton begging to be assembled and displayed on my shelf. I also splurged on the Lego Space Shuttle Discovery set and spent an entire weekend exacerbating my arthritis. – Kat Sanchezzo

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Amazon Echo Show 8

Until the epidemic struck, I tried to visit my mother once or twice a week. However, when the lockout occurred, I realized that the visits would have to be stopped indefinitely. So as soon as I could – in other words, as soon as I could go in brief and with security measures – I set him up with an Echo Show 8. This allowed me to make video calls with him, rather than directing him how to use the zoom (which may seem easy to us but is problematic for someone who has not grown up with a computer). It also allows him to listen to music and, among other things, get the weather by just asking for it. It made her life a little easier, and it made me feel a lot safer. – Barbara Krasnoff