From our calendar to yours comes this carefully considered agenda of things we are doing while self-isolating. Please note that you can now get the Scout List – with a few extra pieces of intel included – sent to your inbox every Thursday. Sign up for your subscription in the sidebar.

For over 10-years running, the whole point of this column has been to get Vancouverites off their asses and out the door to try new things and support cool people doing cool things. Alas, that’s not going to work so well under these current circumstances, so I’ve temporarily adapted it to focus on cool things you can do at home…

DOCUMENT | Vancouver photography studio, The Good Side, has a timely series of portraits that’s starting to take shape. The ”Through The Window” portraits capture Vancouverites as photographed in social isolation. If you want to participate, you can read about the program and connect with Good Side here. Commissioned portraits are made available for download through an online gallery at a sliding scale – a session of this nature would typically run you somewhere in the neighbourhood of $250, but Good Side understands that many Vancouverites are experiencing financial hardships right now, thus the sliding scale. Even if you aren’t in the market for professional photos, we think this is a cool project documenting an uncool time and we hope to see it grow.

Our podcast suggestions for this week:

Broken Record | Music industry conversations between Malcom Gladwell and/or Rick Rubin and key figures in the music industry. DETAILS

EMCRIT Podcast | Fascinating (if technical) medical education episode about “knee-jerk” intubation in the treatment of Covid-19 patients. DETAILS

Who The Hell Is Hamish | Binge worth story of Australian con man Hamish Watson. You’ll be hooked after one episode. DETAILS

The Penguin Podcast| Noteworthy authors discuss writing and inspiration via three objects that they bring to the studio. DETAILS

PLANT | With the world at a standstill, it can be extremely satisfying – even therapeutic – to watch something grow. This week, I’m focusing on tomatoes. To be clear, I don’t know the first thing about growing vegetables, so if you’re experienced in the garden, you might as well skip ahead to the next entry on the list right now as this one is for the noobs. As a novice gardener, I’ve been relying on the Old Farmer’s Almanac. I also tried making a mini greenhouse from a spent salad container and it’s working beautifully. Take a look at the tutorial on that project here.

EASTER | Looking for something to uplift spirits over the Easter weekend? Beta5 and East Van Roasters have some nice looking chocolates available. Railtown Catering is offering Easter To-Go Heat-and-Serve packages (details); Belgard Kitchen is offering an Easter feast meal kit designed to be served and enjoyed at home (details); The Pie Shoppe has both sweet and savoury pies to take home (details); and our pals at Big Day BBQ are taking orders for an array of take-away BBQ feasts (details). For more options, check out our A-Z guide to quality take-out, delivery and nourishing provisions in this time of crisis. Need a beer to go with your meal? Check out our list of local breweries that are rolling with take-out here.

NATURE | Missing it? The Vancouver Aquarium can help with a penguin cam, a sea otter cam, and a jelly cam. It’s not quite the same without the beach smells and the sound of waves, but it’s something! And trust me, that jelly cam is particularly soothing at night. DETAILS

LAUGH | Have you seen HBO’s Talking Funny? It came out in 2011, but it’s held up over the years: Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Ricky Gervais and Louis C.K. are just sitting around talking (unscripted) about their unique craft. Interesting, insightful and funny. Watch it for free on YouTube (here).

WRITE A LETTER | Just think of how great would it be to open the mailbox to find a beautiful, hand-written postcard or letter from a friend right about now. Be thoughtful and write a few letters to friends. Not sure how to reach out when you’re not on social media? The Regional Assembly of Text can set you off on the right track via their helpful “Maintaining a Friendship During These Hard Times” application form set. “Sold in a set of 3 assorted yellow cards, these handy new applications will help you negotiate new ways to stay connected with your loved ones during these hard times.” Worth a look.

ORGANIZE | Need an activity? Sick of cleaning but not sure if you’re ready to graduate to a creative project? Why not transition from the former to the later by way of organizing things neatly? Empty junk drawers, forgotten boxes, dusty bookshelves or crowded closets and arrange contents in to interesting patterns on your floor, desk or kitchen table. Sound pointless? Give it a try, it might actually jumpstart your creativity. Need inspiration? Check out Things Organized Neatly. You can do this!