‘Just browsing’ wastes time stresslessly
By Mark Hain
Staff Reporter
It was only the second week of
school and already I had that suffocat
ing feeling of being in over my head.
Alter surviving drop and add and set
tling into a new environment, not to
mention drowning in a spiraling mael
strom of introductory assignments and
procrastination, I had to participate in
some mindless, time wasting activity to
relax a bit. Being basically a selfish,
indulgent person, this meant only one
thing: browsing for material items on
which to spend my money.
It all seemed so perfect, save for one
slight detail: I was virtually penniless.
But that’s the beauty of Drowsing;
money is simply not necessary. Brows
ing is just an excuse to sensually imbibe
the wonders of the marketplace.
Although the specific types of
browsing are as innumerable as the
products to buy, I’ll indulged in only
tour of the more popular forms.
Books: Considering that reading is
an activity simultaneously stimulating
yet relaxing, what could possibly be
better than leafing through one of the
classics? The answer is shopping for the
classics. Although the memory of wait
ing in lines of intimidating length to pay
$35 for a Calculus text may still be too
recent, don’t let it taint your impression
of Lincoln’s fine bookstores. It’s surpris
ingly easy to completely lose tracx of
time while wandering through the
peaceful racks, and if you have a mind
to, you can even stake a place on the
floor to lounge and read.
Window shopping: The process of
casting longing gazes towards display
windows particularly lends itself to
those who love clothes but don’t have
the bucks to pay for sweat socks. Win
dow shopping also keeps you in a pri
vate, safe atmosphere, thus avoiding
that uncomfortable "condescending
snob disguised as helpful salesperson"
situation. Nobody will ask if you need
any help, and you won’t be forced to
sheepishly reply that you’re “just look
ing.” So go ahead, fantasize about that
Armani suit.
Records; The pursuit of new and
interesting music is not only enlighten
ing, it’s also an easy way to make your
friends think you’re cooler than you
really are. Musical taste can be ex
panded by prowling through the bins of
albums and tapes and absorbing the
tunes played over the store’s stereo.
The experience can either be calming
or jarring, Everything but the Girl or
Einsturzende Neubauten; either way,
you’re better off than listening to local
radio.
Thrifting: Lincoln has an amazing
assortment of second-hand, thrift, and
vintage clothing stores, many of which
can be found in clusters. These busi
nesses can even be viewed as museums
specializing in the fashions, furnish
ings, appliances, and pop-culture para
phernalia of decades past. At times,
touching memories may be stirred as
you recognize a toy from childhood.
Some may feel self-conscious about
thrifting, but remember that these
stores attract a cross section of Ameri
can consumers, and often the other
Peggy Olsen-Soto browsing at twisters
customers are as interesting as the
merchandise. Merely browsing is fasci
nating enough, but you may also pur
chase whatever you wish. Here is a tip:
incredible things can be found for next
to nothing, it just takes patience and
searching. It’s unbelievable what
people will throw out — feed off their
ignorance.
I felt strangely at peace. I stood on O
Street, and I understood what Bud
dhists mean by Shakti, the earthly state
of bliss. It was like a new age experi
ence; my mind was clear and com
forted.
Mood music calms like warm milk
Song revives frazzled nerves
By Kelly Anders
Staff Reporter
Ever screamed at the top of your
lungs to Black Flag after bombing an
exam? Or snickered with the Beastie
Boys when you felt particularly pleased
with yourself? Or even stumbled
around your pad an unhappy and unco
ordinated wreck after be ingdumped by
the one you love looking for that certain
Bob Marley tape? Don't knock it ‘til
you’ve tried it. Music can be many
things, including a great stress reliever.
I always know when my friends are
feeling raunchy by the music they play.
My friend Dave insists that The Clash is
good anger music. Other faves amongst
my buds are The Replacements, me
Smiths, The Cure and Public Enemy. I
dig Hendrix, myself.
Whenever I’m down, I like to retreat
to my room, put on some tunes that I
like to refer to as "mood music,” and
reflect on what's bothering me. Assum
ing I’m depressed, I’ll throw on some
Sade, or something else that mirrors my
mood. What usually ends up happen
ing is pretty amazing — by the time the
tape is over, my lousy mood usually is
too.
One needn’t confine oneself to his or
her abode to partake in such an outlet.
Several Lincoln bars are sure to offer the
kind of music you’re searching for blar
ing loud with beer to boot. For ex
ample, Duffy’s, Bash Riprocks and
Chesterfield’s play great alternative
music, while the Zoo hosts some pretty
mean blues, R & B and reggae bands. If
your tastes run on the calmer side,
Julio's and Sandy’s have live jazz on
Thursday nights. And lest us not forget
O’Rourke’s for those of you in need of a
Big Chill fix.
Underage and sans I D.? Hangout in
front of the Douglas 3 downtown and
groove to some relaxing guitar music
complements of street musician John
Davis.
Suzanne L William*/Diversion*
If you’re so modern that you con
sider oldies passe, try New Age music. I
also recommend this art form for all of
you insomniacs. Like warm milk, it’s
Dland and sure to put you to sleep. One
word of caution—watch out for that
deadly aftertaste.
The beauty of mood music Is that it’s
totally personal. The meanings you at
tach to Thomas Dolby are probably
nothing like your friend so-and-so’s,
and so on.
Again, if this concept of music-as
catharsis is completely foreign to you,
don’t be a skeptic, try it. It’s cheaper
than a psychiatrist, and it gives you an
excuse to expand your music collec
tion.
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