Are you bored in the house? Are you in the house bored? (thank you Tyga X Curtis Roach) Need a new hobby on the cheap? Want a fresh perspective on that old box of Chutes and Ladders? Today Kym drops some clues on inexpensive hobbies and Kris has trivia about board-games, jigsaw and crossword puzzles. Because singing a song about useless game knowledge on your guitar you just learned to play goes a long way with breaking the ice at your next Zoom par-tay! WHOOP WHOOP! BOARD IN THE HOUSE!
Kym kicks things off with some great ideas for keeping your mind and body busy (Kris has not broken the couch/tv habit yet, but there is always room for hope). There’s always meditation and yoga, yah yah….but what about baking amazing bread? Go ahead and learn. Your jeans will thank you for giving them time off to pay more attention to your sweatpants. (You might want to channel your inner Great British Baking Show contestant Val, who always got her cardio in whilst whisking, so getting back into your jeans won’t take so long).
When was the last time you read a book? You don’t have to have an actual paper book, there’s always Kindle and iBooks, and if you’re broke – like the over 22 million other people in America on unemployment – you can “borrow” a digital book from your local library.
If reading ain’t your thing, how about starting an herb or succulent garden? No room? No problem…even apartment dwellers can have a tiny box garden to help spice up all those amazing meals they’re learning to cook via YouTube and TikTok. Speaking of, so you think you can dance? Go toe to toe with the rest of the world in 60 seconds or less with the latest TikTok dance craze.
Other ideas include candlemaking, writing, poetry, learn to crochet or knit, and learning calligraphy. And there’s always learning how to pick a lock. We’re just saying, use your newfound power for good.
Kris then gets into her portion of the episode, talking about the greatest American pastime: Crossword puzzles!!! YEAH! Baseball what? That’s right. Live life on the edge, do your puzzle with a pen. Boom. Cruciverbalists can thank Liverpool native Arthur Wayne who immigrated to America, and worked for the New York World as the editor for the “Fun” section of the paper. In 1913, for the Christmas edition, he spiced up the page with a new puzzle: a diamond shaped grid with the word FUN across the top to start readers off. The readers loved it and the rest is, as you know, history.
Moving on to more insanely fun and interesting history trivia, yeah, it’s all about jigsaw puzzles! We’ll wait while you catch your breath. It’s ok. We know. It’s almost too much to bear. Anyway, these puzzles have a longer history than our dear crosswords, having been around since the 18th century. Apparently cartographer John Spilsbury thought it would be a grand idea to whip out his hatchet, chop a wooden map into bits, and then ask friends to put the pieces back together. That must have been an amazing party.
Kris rounds off this episode of majestic trivia with a (truly) fun list of facts about popular board games Monopoly, Chutes and Ladders, Clue, and Scrabble. For instance…do you know the name of the crook in Monopoly jail or the cop who put him there? Does Mr. Monopoly (not his first name, btw) actually wear a monocle? Do you know the origins of Chutes and Ladders were actually to teach karmic lessons? Yep, your 5 year old is playing a game meant to teach the difference between virtues like Faith or Kindness apart from evil behavior like Theft and Drunkeness. It’s the ol’ desire and destiny playbook for today’s recess boys and girls. Go ahead and read them the origin story of Cinderella for good measure. While the littles are napping and you nip out to buy more boxed wine, just mutter “MUZJIKS” (thank you Scrabble) in a bad Russian accent at people. Don’t forget to sneer. That should keep everyone 6 feet away at all times.
To read the articles we discuss, as well as other information we bring up in the episode, please check out the following links:
Quarantine 12 (11? 13? We can’t count them all) by Kym:
- didyouknowfacts.com: 19 Inexpensive Hobbies You Can Learn While You’re Under Self-Quarantine by Matt Gilligan.
- styleblueprint.com: 8 New Hobbies To Discover During Quarantine by Zoe Yarborough and A Quarantine Bucket List: 30 Things To Keep You Busy by Katelyn Caughron.
- bestlifeonline: 13 New Hobbies to Master During Quarantine by Tracy Collins Ortlieb, 17 Things to Do by Yourself While You’re Social Distancing by Allie Hogan, 7 Things That Are Now Free Because of Coronavirus by Tracy Collins Ortlieb, 7 Free Anxiety Apps to Help You During the Coronavirus Pandemic by Diana Bruck, 18 Quarantine TikToks That Are Guaranteed To Make You Smile by Allie Hogan, 10 Expert-Backed Tips for Singles in Quarantine Alone by Diana Bruk, and 9 TV Shows We’re Watching While in Quarantine by the Best Life Editors at bestlifeonline.
- Oh the humanity! Read about how to be naughty with friends online (NOT porn. Tsk. How dare you. We never…. GASP. Faint.) Cards Against Humanity online.
- Make moogiful music. Free Moog app to make….free music
Kris calls Kym’s list, and raises her 6 more!
- Ya’ll are drinking to that! Apparently American alcohol consumption is WAY up during these heady self-quarantine days.
- You Say SATOR I Say RASTOR: Details on that cool little 5 word/25 letter palindrome can be found right here.
- Game on! For all things Hasbro, including the games we mention above, go here.
- X’s and O’s. For the December 2019 Smithsonian Magazine article by Deb Amien, please read How the Crossword Became an American Pastime. And now you know forever more pastime is not spelled with two t’s. The things you learn on the internet. My word. (See what we did there. That’s slap-your-knee HIIIIIIII-larious that is).
- Pick Up the Pieces. To piece together the intricate history of the jigsaw puzzle (we’re beside ourselves with amazement at our ability to pun. We are also exceptionally tired), please read this June 2015 article at thegamewhiz.com: Interesting Facts About the Jigsaw Puzzle
- Board in da House! Definitely check out this buzzfeed.com list of board-game trivia by Adam Ellis, 60 Facts About Board Games That Will Change The Way You Think About Family Game Night
Check out The Mugly Truth Podcast’s episode “Bored in the House!” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Libsyn, Pocket Cast, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. Then all you need to do is 1) subscribe 2) download and 3) listen! AND!!! 4) If you enjoy what you hear, please leave a rating and a review (pretty please?). The more subscribers and reviews we get, the more opportunities we get to grow this podcast and bring you richer content.
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Intro and outro music, “Clever as a Fox” by Espresso Music through premiumbeats.com.
Featured photo of Bored Girl by Daria Shevtsova on Pexels.com
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