Simple Pleasures

Taking a brief respite from composing a very intricate resume for an available position, I ran to the bank and decided to take along my iTouch.

For me, that's the best invention ever since I can recall lugging around those cumbersome Sony Walkmans (both tape and CD..yes, I'm old)! I only have the 8GB but, with about 1,600 songs on there, I never lack for entertainment (my only issue is that it should shuffle songs randomly a little better since I finally had to remove Curtis Mayfield's "Superfly" since I had heard it at least 6 days in a row).


While driving in the rain, I heard Gary Wright's "Dream Weaver" followed by a song from Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog courtesy of Joss Whedon. At that point, I had to just listen to the whole damn soundtrack.

And why?

Because one of my simple pleasures is listening to great lyrics...especially if from a musical.


I can admit it...I have a soft spot for great musicals! Jesus Christ Superstar is probably my all time favorite as I've seen it about 5 times with each production vastly different from the last. In Vegas, my friend Scott and I would belt out selections from West Side Story while at our local watering hole much to the chagrin of fellow patrons and friends. And I love when TV series break out into song with a musical episode. Writing dialogue is difficult enough, but combine lyrics with the power of music and I'm sold! (With any luck, my friend will still need me to supply lyrics for a low budget movie he's writing...fingers crossed as I've already jotted some down...lol.)


When it comes to other simple pleasures that just get me through the day, I think I'm a little different than most. Maybe I'll just hit the bookstore for some magazines like the Canuck periodical Rue Morgue that's designed for horror fans. Perhaps the new issues of Fast Company or Wired are available. And always...the one, two, three weekly combo of Time, Newsweek and Entertainment Weekly.

I also love discovering a great movie on TV. Last week I was all set to watch a Netflix selection when I noticed that TCM was running a old favorite, Capricorn One (1978). They also tend to air old "underground" or cult films each Friday night at around 2am.


Sometimes, a new simple pleasure can come about while toiling away at another task. Last year, I was cleaning the condo when I spotted a Flipping Out marathon on Bravo. I tuned in because I thought the chick was pretty hot. I kept viewing not because of her or the "reality" and drama of it but because I was intrigued by what they did to upgrade the homes to turn a profit. Ok...the hot chick helped! ;)

I love a rainy Saturday when I don't have anything to do. Kicking back reading comics, writing or just even enjoying a late day nap can be enough for me. A Friday night out with friends just chatting while enjoying some fine frosty beverages and sampling wings can be fun. Or, getting a bunch of people together to play board games is always a perfect change of pace. (Speaking of which, I'm dying to play one that I read about in Wired called The Settlers of Catan. I'm also a sucker for strategic board games, by the way.)


But people don't get to enjoy these things as much as they used to. I was talking to a friend who said she works about 70 hours a week. I recall a time when I was interviewing for a management position at a restaurant years back and they asked me how I felt about working 100 hours a week.

I quickly did the math in my head.

There are 168 hours in a week.

Subtract the 100 hours working. That's 68 remaining. Not feeling too good about it so far.

Factor in showering (at least I hope so for some), dressing, meals and a commute and that's at least (we'll say based on a 6 day work week which is gracious of them) another 20 hours. That's 48 remaining. Feeling downright sick at this point.

That's two whole days of fun and frolic, right?

Not unless the side effects of sleep deprivation happen to tickle your fancy. So...based on the recommended amount of 8 hours of sleep a night, that's another 56 hours you can shave off.

Oh...wait...that's unrealistic. Mostly because everyday stress will keep you awake for part of the night. Not to mention that those hours would put you in the negative, so let's amend that number to 5 1/2 hours a night. That eliminates 37 1/2 hours (let's drop it to 37 because fate shines kindly upon you in this life! That leaves 11 hours.

ELEVEN HOURS!!!!

Enjoy...grab life by the horns and don't let go, my friend, because you are in for quite a ride! As for how I feel? Flatlining at this point!

Now I realize that this is an extreme case, but even working 60 hours a week doesn't leave you much time. Those numbers above are also based on a single person. Can you imagine having a family and only having 11 hours of quality time?

There's rarely time for simple pleasures anymore for many. And, based on those numbers, no wonder there's a severe decline in family values. When both parents are working those types of hours, the relationship with the children and each other suffers. For single people, the hermit lifestyle is born because the time and energy to enjoy life is almost nil.

Oh well...until I figure out how to get that perfect balance, I'll just keep singing my own tune. Maybe people will sing along someday...and perhaps we can all find time for our simple pleasures!

"You've gotta
Make your own kind of music.
Sing
Your own special song
Make your own kind of music
Even if nobody else sings along"
--"Make Your Own Kind Of Music", "Mama" Cass Elliot