To do this week: It’s time for fun and games

This week: We've got comics, board games, and a twist on a favorite comfort food.

Refresh your game collection and support local biz in the processRead moreMicah Fluellen / MCT

by Staff Reports

Published Feb. 25, 2021, 4:09 p.m. ET

On the to-do list this week: Find space for some fun, games and comfort. Think of it as self-care, each with an extra feel-good twist. We have some good local businesses to support (the best spots to buy comic books and board games), and comfort food (the creamiest vegan mac and cheese). Plus, on the practical-life front, we some great how-to guides on preparing for your vaccine appointment, and making sure that your heating bills don’t spiral out of control. If that’s not enough, there’s a way to hang out with goats this week, too.

And remember: We’ve collected our best Philly tips all in one place here.

Stay healthy, stay safe, and, as much as possible, it’s still a good idea to stay home.

— thingstodo@inquirer.com

Know this

📈 Can my utility bill spike like what happened in Texas? How can I prevent it? by Andrew Maykuth
😷 Which masks can I double mask? by Grace Dickinson
💰 When will I get the next stimulus check? by Erin Arvedlund

» Ask us a question through Curious Philly: inquirer.com/askus

Do this

Here is one highlight from our weekly events calendar:

🐐 Goat Walk & Maple Tapping Talk (Nature / in-person / kid-friendly / free) Goats + maple syrup = wintertime heaven. Awbury Arboretum hosts a socially distanced, masks-required walk through the woods, to the arboretum with goats from the farm’s goat barn. Then listen to Jethro Heiko, founder of the Oak Lane Maple Collective, talk about turning tree trunks into a pancake’s best friend. Rain date: Feb. 28. (Donations accepted, Feb. 27, 1-3 p.m., phillygoatproject.org, add to calendar)

🔎 Find more of this week’s events, and we even have a kid-friendly events calendar, too.

Make space for fun and games

OK, the weather is warming up. But it’s not exactly warm yet. So finding a few ways for some more indoor fun is still a useful pursuit. Plus, it’s a good opportunity to support some local businesses. Nick Vadala has compiled a great list of local comic book and board game shops, many of which have been hit hard this year. You can be the superhero here, and find new ways to pass the time, which sounds like a win-win.

Games have gotten bigger. Local stores have vast selections of games for kids, people who love the classics (I mean, a game of RISK could take up an entire weekend), and newer classics like Catan or Pandemic (it might be a little soon on the latter, but we digress). But there’s more. Dive into a new hobby with paintable mini-figurines, start a Dungeons & Dragons campaign (which can easily outlast the pandemic), or get into Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon, or Dragonball Super. And there are spaces to welcome you, even if you’re just starting out, and a many that are Black-owned or designed to be especially friendly for women and LGBTQ players. There are whole worlds within. Find your new favorite shop here.
A lot of heroes do wear capes. For decades, when it comes to helping comic fans with their pop culture obsessions, local comic book stores have been our heroes. There, you’ll find rows and rows of new and back issues, graphic novels, manga, and even some toys and collectibles. Philly is home to the first Black female-owned shop on the east coast, one of the oldest spots in the country, as well as a spot that played a starring role in M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable and Glass. This is a great way to support local artists, find graphic novels or Japanese manga, or find your new collectable obsession, whatever your age is. Find your closest comics connection here.

Prepare for it

Really, we’ve been preparing for a vaccine for a year now, right? Well, once you score an appointment, there are some things to keep in mind. Grace Dickinson has put together a comprehensive guide for before, during and after your appointment. But here are a few basics to keep in mind:

Schedule your appointment as soon as possible, ideally with a rest day afterward. Side effects are a normal part of getting vaccinated. Because symptoms like fatigue and headache may occur, you’d be wise not to schedule your vaccine right before, say, a job interview.
Don’t schedule within 14 days of any other vaccine. “If your body has just spent its energy reacting to a different vaccine, we want to give your body a little bit of time to get back to its routine state.” says Joseph Teel, an associate professor of Clinical Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Pennsylvania.
Don’t take Tylenol or Ibuprofen before your appointment. There’s no need to take an over-the-counter medicine for the purpose of preventing side effects.
If you’re feeling sick the day of vaccination, reschedule. Even getting the vaccine is not worth the potential risk of spreading COVID-19. It’s OK if you have an injury, but if you’re feeling ill, reschedule.

Lots more advice, including what to bring with you to your appointment, in Grace’s full piece.

Order in

It’s a tall order. Find creamy mac and cheese with no cream and no cheese. What? Yes, it’s not only possible, there are a LOT of options. Grace Dickinson got to the bottom of the bowl on a number of Philly options, which use any variety of plant-based ingredients to add luxe richness to the comfort classic, including nuts, potatoes, carrots, coconut milk, cashew cream, oat milk, nutritional yeast, and more.

Bookmark it

We’ve been answering questions about COVID-19 for many months now, questions like When do I replace my face mask?, Can I get the flu and the coronavirus at the same time? and How can I wear a mask and not fog up my glasses?

We break down all the answers to your questions. And we’ve collected all of our stories at inquirer.com/covid-tips