Cheap Time-Off

Can it really have been a month and a half since I last posted? That's a crime. And I have no good excuse for it, either. Just pure laziness and a lack of inspiration. That combination unfortunately can go a long way.

So what have I been up to in the past month? Mainly looking for ways to entertain myself on the cheap. Here's a list of the best ways I've found to do so. All completely legal and completely fun...for one person or a group of friends.

- Watch a new show that you never had a chance to follow when you were too busy with life. Renting can get expensive, especially now that Blockbuster is up to about $5 a DVD. There's always Hulu where you can find at least the last 5 episodes of many series. Or, for more complete seasons try Netflix of Blockbuster online. It's all about the free trial! Most last for 2-3 weeks, so just be sure to cancel before they charge you. And if you're quick, you can probably make it through a season or two. I've been spending my time on Ugly Betty...probably the funniest show since Gilmore Girls.

- Library cards are free and so are the books they loan you :D And if you don't get them back on time, you may be charged a fine of 50 cents or more. But no worries because until the fine adds up to oh, say, $10 or more, they don't make you pay it off! So save your petty change and keep on checking out. I've kept a list of the books I've read since school got out and I'm getting close to 30. That's quick reading for me. Everything from Sophie Kinsella (Shopaholic, anyone?) to Jhumpa Lahiri's beautiful short stories about displacement and finding home. I'm rather enjoying finding my own literature, following my own reading path, after four years of reading what I was told to. And though that education opened my eyes, it didn't always match my tastes.

- So to be honest, I don't know what else in life could possibly be free. Coffee and happy hour with friends is the closest I can come, because either a latte or a pepsi is going to be about $3 along with your $5 burger. Window shopping is actually exceptionally dangerous. Especially when you continue to tell yourself that you're buying the article of clothing for a future job interview (that may or may not be fruitful). Movies at the theater can add up.

-Except for one more thing...finding myself? Ok, that sounds awfully corny. But seriously, I've spent a lot of time with myself, my thoughts, my worries and fears, considering my hopes for the future and why the present doesn't seem to match up. And I've enjoyed learning more about myself through the process. Terrifying at times, relieving at others. Conversations with friends and family members are a priceless activity that bring with them many lessons and much-needed encouragement. Reading, watching a television show, listening to a song with truthful lyrics, these are all forms of art (in my opinion) that have led me back to the one thing that shows me the actual Truth about my life.

What I'm saying is that it's extremely easy to lose sight of yourself, of who created you, and what your purpose is, when life doesn't seem to add up. When you're too poor to add up anything! When your life compares poorly to others and doesn't seem fair and seems tragically unimportant. And when you forget that life is about the downs just as much as it is about the ups. Time is a funny thing. We certainly shouldn't waste time, but if we understand the important lessons that can be learned even during our "time off," we may be better off in the end.