The Weekend Proposal

When it comes to lacking funds and the ability to do things because of it, very few options are opened to the unemployed who actually desires to save what little cash exists in her bank account (or at this point, under her mattress).

The weekend poses a particular problem because society dictates that young people like myself should be out at bars romping it up with others of their ilk. Under other circumstances, i.e. college, I'd have no problem making plans Wednesday through Sunday, with a few days to recoup. Now-a-days, I possess a little bit more of the natural, laid back flavor that has made me popular amongst the online crew. I am a couch surfer.

I throw this term out loosely because I'm more of an internet surfer, spending lots of quality time in my room or in the dining room bringing up funny videos on Youtube for my 15-year-old brother while drinking coffee in my PJs.

This has become an 3-day event.

I'm a telecommuter by "trade", so there really is no reason for me to, uh, leave my room, but reclusiveness aside I've discovered at least five activities to keep myself occupied that don't require me to release the tight grip I have on my wallet.

1.) Reading - I already belong to Paperbackswap.com, but since I no longer have even the 3 dollars it takes to send out a book, let alone receive one, I'm stuck with the 20+ I've managed to amass over the past four or five months. Instead, I've discovered our local library all over again, and have pretty much cleaned them out for decent reads. I just have to read them quick enough so I don't garner any late fees *crosses fingers*.

2.) Hulu.com - Thanks to plenty of East to Midwest flights via United, I've become interested in shows like 30 Rock which appear regularly updated on Hulu. My computer has definitely overheated itself 3 times during my Hulu sessions and at this point I should probably consider taking a mini break and using my old dorm-room TV to watch DvDs.

3.) Spending time at other people's houses- When I do decide to change out of my sleep encrusted PJs and shower, I join the land of the living by watching movies at friend's houses/apartments or taking the train into Manhattan to see other friends or my boyfriend to do much of the same. The latter is rare because tickets are expensive, but due to my father's monthly I'm able to supplement my addiction to NJTransit for "free" on the weekends.

4.) Sleep - I will admit that when you sleep, you miss a good portion of what's going on. When I did not have any job what-so-ever to amuse myself with, I had to settle for sleeping in until noon. Not exactly the sort of life I was hoping for, but on the weekends when there truly is nothing to do, it makes sense. Also, makes the night time come faster.

5.) Bar specials - These are hard to find locally on the weekends (heck, anywhere), but I can do as a close friend of mine does and pick up a guy to buy drinks. Technically that could be referred to as a "special", but I'm pretty happy being taken and it seems like so much work for a vodka tonic...I'll settle for waiting until Tuesdays when house margaritas are $2 and don't include me giving a guy my cell number.

There are of course many other options, like art projects, taking a walk, supplementing your increasing boredom by cleaning, etc...

What I usually do on weekends is look at want ads...but the newspaper is shrinking in size so rapidly that the wanteds look more like obits. And some of you wonder why I stick to the internet...