Beat the No-Job, No-Cash Blues: There's Plenty You Can Do for Fun
ÐÊ o many people with jobs, I the word ÛÏrecessionÛ only means something else to worry about during the evening news. I knbyMPecession from both sides; in August: of 1981, the Washington Star .newspaper went belly up, taking with it my job. Many emotions follow^), primarily fear. I remember the terrible fear of losing the home',purchased only three months earlier."'The panic of not having a job. And, of course, the dread of going>tb job interviewsÛÓhoping the desperation would not show jn my eyesÛ_,</br></br>Fear, and stress, piled on top of one another, need diversions. Otherwise-anxiety may become more of a prqtilqm than unemployment. But what'diversions? Once securing the necessities of life (meager as they were),, little cash remained in our familiEbudget for entertainment. FriyMties such as movies and sit-dowfJJStestaurants were the first while, television seemed our9S8y refuge for entertainment. ButjSterevision is such a passive meatwof killing time that I could sit watSSng a show all the while think-ingcaBSut nothing but being out of woå£d?o. I needed an evening away froffiSb house, some activity that miSfiH^stract sufficiently to allow begjjjgjng the next job-hunting day rejuvenated. But how?</br></br>around your neighborhood so everyone knows itÛªs you driving that rolling passion palace. When returning to the dealership, drop the keys snootily in the salesmanÛªs hand and sniff, ÛÏNo, IÛªve changed my mind.Û Then boogie out of there as fast as you can. ÐÊ Preschoolers not yet jaded by life adore helping mom and dad pick up and recycle discarded aluminum cans. Where to find them? Well, can you still remember where you and your cronies sneaked away to imbibe? TodayÛªs teenagers possess little more imagination. Behind the bleachers, deserted country lanes and cemetery parking lots still can supply a pretty good haul of empty aluminum beer cans. In one day of searching, my daughter and I gathered enough cans to treat the family to a meal under the golden arches. However, aluminum recyclers paid 10 cents a pound more back in 1981 and most of Mickey DÛªs prices have increased since then.</br></br>w Test-drive a new luxury car. You donÛªt have to buy it. (You couldnÛªt if ybu wanted to.) But dealers willingly hand over the keys. Cruise slowly</br></br>ÐÊ	Television can supply a fun family game. Watch the TV Real Estate shows. DonÛªt pay any attention to the outrageously priced homes for sale; that would be depressing. Rather, choose sides and count the adjectives and adverbs. School-aged children can while away hours arguing whether "delightfully-rusticÛ is one word or two. Since these real estate shows use up to 500 adjectives for each kitchen, the game can last -an eternity.-.Smaller children (who wouldnÛªt know an adjective if it dangled in front of them) can be assigned counting repetitions of a single word, such as ÛÏcharmingÛ or "quaint.Û