Free entertainment in an expensive time
As my fiancée Ash is wont to say, “being a person is far too expensive.”
I’ve always agreed with this sentiment, but never more so than right now.
On Dec. 1, the National Bureau of Economic Research declared that the United States entered a recession in December of 2007, citing employment and production figures as well as the third quarter decline in GDP. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 679 points that same day.
On Friday, the Labor Department released a report stating that employers slashed 533,000 jobs in November, which was far worse than the 320,000 that economists forecast.
Even our ever-hopeful President-elect Barack Obama said in a pre-taped interview Sunday on “Meet the Press” that things are going to “get worse” before they get better.
So in the spirit of finding things to do on the cheap I thought I’d share a few absolutely free things I’m dealing with at the moment that are keeping me sane.
1) Library
Why they’re awesome: How rad is the concept of the free library system?
As Matt Damon’s character said in “Good Will Hunting” when confronted by some tipsy Ivy Leaguers: “You dropped a hundred-and-fifty-grand on (an)...education you could’ve got for a dollar fifty in late charges at the public library.”
Not only can you order books at the Ukiah Library’s Web site that draw from not only the collections of Mendocino County institutions, but the entire Sonoma County system as well. (Score!)
But wait, there’s more: they have DVDs and VHS tapes you can order as well. Too cheap to pay for cable or Netflix? Well, if you don’t mind waiting until the 27 people in front of you are done with it, the first season of “The Wire” could be yours (for a limited time) in just six to eight months. (Double score!)
Drawbacks: There is something nice about owning books. Also, as I pointed out above, the best, newest and most popular items generally come with a long waiting period. (Like when I ordered a book entitled “Mike’s Election Guide” in October that I didn’t receive until two weeks ago.)
2) Podcasts
Why they’re awesome: True, this entry requires an internet connection (and preferably some sort of portable MP3 player) to take advantage of, but once you’ve gotten past those little bumps in the road, podcasts really are the way to go.
Podcasts are video or audio files that can be produced by anyone and, for the most part, downloaded and subscribed to for absolutely nothing.
And just like magazines there is a podcast for everything. Everything? Yes. Every. Thing. A quick look at the Web site Podcast Alley reveals 51,256 of them ready to be downloaded covering everything for music to Harry Potter to knitting.
If you have ears and even a passing interest in anything there’s no reason not to jump in. Except...
Drawbacks: Listening to them can sometimes be a chore if you subscribe to too many of them. (Like I do.)
For example, right now I’ve got six podcasts on my iPod: “Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me” (the National Public Radio news quiz), “Real Time With Bill Maher” (an audio-only version of the HBO show), “Savage Love Podcast” (a call-in advice show), “The Moth Podcast” (a collection of true stories told live on stage without notes), “This American Life” (the best radio show ever made) and “RadioLab” (an hour-long science program.)
All told, that’s a solid six hours of listening right there. And most of those update every week. And those aren’t even all the podcasts I subscribe to.
Needless to say, I’ve doing a lot more walking around town lately with my headphones stuffed into the side of my head.
3) Streaming network television shows
Why they’re awesome: We live in what could easily be considered the new golden age of television. TV is so good right now and in a wonderful coincidence many of the best shows are also available to to watch online right now for free.
Do I really need to explain any further why this is a good thing?
Drawbacks: Most of the series I enjoy watching online (like “The Office”) only keep their episodes up for a month before taking them down. Also, the networks really haven’t worked out all the kinks involved with the advertising attached to the shows, so it can be a little frustrating sitting through the same jumpy video advertisement for the new Prius five times just so you can watch the latest episode.
4) Other people
Why they’re awesome: My friend Ryan and I were at sitting at the Ukiah Brewing Company on Friday talking about the state of the world when she said something that really stuck with me.
“At least everyone’s going through the same thing right now,” she said.
This struck me as incredibly insightful and kind of funny.
“Yeah,” I said. “It would really be terrible if everyone else was like, ‘Yeah, we’re just doing great over here. I don’t know what’s wrong with you.’”
Pretty much everyone I know is going through some manner of hardship at the moment and those you love and trust need you more than ever. Just like you need them. (Like I had to tell you.)
Drawbacks: I guess the only drawback to the whole company of others concept is that you have to be careful about who you let into your circle. As a postcard I once saw in a coffee shop put it: “Other people ruin everything.”