a different kind of something for nothing
Jan 17, 2008 at 12:00AM As per my usual demeanor when I find something that I like or have interest in, obsession becomes me. The most recent of which being the daily helpings of This American Life, purchased at $0.95 per hour long episode from iTunes, yes apple, another ruler of my personal universe. My new commute, although within the city, leaves me with a good 30-40 minutes of travel time each way in which I can mentally escape from the subway or crowded sidewalk around me and listen to the extraordinary tales of ordinary people.
Today as I was coming home, the third act of "Allure of Crime" was a discussion of senior citizens with shoplifting habits. The woman apparently a shoplifter for most of her life explained that in her latter years since her family doesn't visit her and she has no interest in spending time at the senior center, after all, all they want to do is play bridge, she'd rather be out amongst a great spectrum of people, shoplifting. Because it gives her a sense of accomplishment, that's what she's good at, and she enjoys it. When sent to a shoplifter's rehabilitation class after getting caught nabbing a bottle of aspirin from a drug store, the interviewer asks if she befriended anyone. Oh, no, I wouldn't want to associate with thieves (other old people who steal), I"m not a thief, well technically I guess I am, but.
This will definitely have me questioning the motives the sweet little old people I see walking down the streets.
In my week's worth of knowledge about the show I can recommend the following episodes:
Notes On Camp - great if you're a "camp person," also great if you're still wondering what's with these "camp people"?!?
The Fix Is In - a fraud-tastic anti-trust and then some story
You can listen on their website for free, but for the privilege of carrying it around in your pocket you'll have to dish out some $$ to iTunes or audible.com, OR you can get the free podcast, but I believe in that case you have to wait it out for the new episode every week and that can't solve my 2-a-day fix! Happy listening!
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