Exploring the Free Stuff

First, here's some inspiration for those toiling away in the rat race (and something for those students out there to keep in mind). This is Penelope Trunk's (Brazen Careerist: The New Rules for Success) "Nine Biggest Myths in the Workplace." (by way of Guy Kawasaki's blog) Here's my favorite:

The glass ceiling still exists.

The glass ceiling is over, not because people crashed through, but because people are not looking up. Life above the glass ceiling is 100-hour weeks, working for someone else, and no time for friends and family. And it’s not only women who are saying no to the ladder up: Men are as well. People want to customize success for themselves, not climb someone else rungs. So if no one is climbing to the top, the glass ceiling isn’t keeping anyone down.

Now...exploring the free stuff. After reading Judith Levine's Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping, I was inspired to try find as much of the "free" entertainment as I could, in Dallas. Instead of buying books, new or used, I would check them out from the Dallas Public Library. Ironically, I had already started this practice before I read her book. In fact, I checked her book out at the library! Then, I began thinking about music. Now, free concerts happen occasionally but not necessarily with the acts that I like to listen to--indie rock. Besides, those guys need my money, if they want to keep playing and making records. It got me thinking about music that I like to listen to and what I've been neglecting. Classical music.

A collision of events turned me to on to WRR Classical 101.1, the "First Radio Station in Texas, est. 1921" and the "second oldest commercially licensed station in the U.S." And, get this: it's owned by the City of Dallas. Perhaps, Dallas is a Can-Do City after all. Note: the station is funded by advertising revenue alone. It is NOT subsidized by the taxpayers.

One of the precipitating events in my "switching on" was the effective end of the sports landscape, here, in North Texas. With an early, first-round exit by our beloved Mavs (and Stars) and a practically non-existent pro baseball team and with Cowboys training camp miles away, I was going to have to turn my attention to something else besides sports-talk radio--which is my first love. For some reason, one day, I tuned the dial to 101.1FM and, behold, classical music. Nothing novel, I realize. But, this station really does it right. Great hosts. Top-notch music (obviously). A word about the music: they play quite a good bit of baroque, which I like, but they also mix in a nice helping of lesser-known composers and acts such as the great Eric Whitacre's work.

Another reason that I like it so much is that I've been looking for some kind of ambient music to play while I'm working. Our office gets pretty quiet at times and the silence will drive me nuts, occasionally. I've tried listening to my AM Sports stuff but that mostly distracts me. WRR has been a welcome addition.

Another reason is that I've neglected the Classical genre for far too long in my listening habits. It's such a rich and diverse tradition that deserves our attention. I like indie rock as much as the next guy but I really think one needs to consider more complex music from time-to-time.

Lastly, it makes me feel a bit smarter and more cultured--even if I'm not.

Oh, and before I forget--and this is my favorite part--everyday, WRR posts their playlist for the day with time marks. So, I can follow along what's being played, at any point during the day. I would imagine that a big part of generic-music-listener's disinterest in Classical is that they don't recognize what's being played, when they hear it. Reading a note about what you're hearing (including composer, song title, conductor, and performing musician(s)) is half the appreciation.

Enjoy!

WRR 101.1 FM
WRR Daily Playlist