Recreation

Man doesn’t live by bread alone.

After the unravelling, we will most likely have quite a bit of time on our hands. If we do work, the chances are it will be fitful and intermittent at best, because until the factories are rebuilt and the real work is brought back, we will likely have to downshift our lives considerably and share jobs. You can only garden so much, and foraging won’t take up all your time.

I won’t tell you to shoot your TV, but a good argument can be made for this idea. You don’t want to be shut off from the news, some shit might be coming your way that will be in your best interests to know about. Maybe radio would be a better way to receive this information. Radio has music and news, and usually no one sits and rots in front of the radio. TV on the other hand will be doing everything that it can to anesthetize the sheeple. If it is on, some of that lethargy might rub off onto you. Be careful.

Movies will be available, in the depression it was a big deal. But be aware of alternate means of viewing these divertissement. I would never in a million years dream of advising someone to violate copyright law (heaven forfend), I have been told that there are means to watch movies without paying the excessive costs of going to the movie theatre. Some research on your part and a friendly relationship with your local computer hacker may well be in order.

Start reading again. Books are great. I am thinking about setting up a prep of books as well as everything else. There are these little used bookstores everywhere that take in your old books and give you credit. Keep a bunch (I am thinking 20 or so) unread books on hand and as you read them, turn them back in for new unreads. keep ahead of the game. Since these stores are not the Barnes and Noble type bigbox stores, they will probably muddle through after the deluge. Speaking of which, go to www.baen.com and check out their free library. I would download the books 1632 and 1633 (FREE!!) by Eric Flint. The premise is a bunch of folks from 20th century America get dumped into 17th century Europe and how do they get along. It is entertaining and food for thought

Start downloading and storing media from the internet where possible. Project Gutenburg has just about every important book ever written. Go and download these, if you are not working or job sharing, you can read them on your computer at no cost. I also have been told that perhaps music is available on the internet.....Hmmm, Imagine that. You might want to get an older used computer and keep it around for a spare....these things don’t last forever, but don’t spend a lot of money.

Stock up on cards, these are great time killers.

Board games are fun.

The possibilities are endless.