Jackpot

With the majority of my time spent at the gym, at practice or possibly out for business (and rarely, pleasure) with other members of the Tigers, one could argue that I might have a lot of free time on my hands. I can assure you, this is only true part of the time. Planning to get from place to place on a bicycle takes time, as does cooking, cleaning, laundry, personal grooming, grocery shopping, watching film and preparing for practices and games at home. Not to mention, writing this damn thing, which always takes me much longer than it probably should (does anyone even read it, I wonder?).

So there you have it, my time is rarely NOT occupied with this, that or the other thing. I dare say I'm the busiest guy I live with. But things do get a bit lonely at times. Going out and exploring is fun for a little while, but I usually end up seeing the same things and following the same routes on bike. Some company doing that might make things more enjoyable, yet everyone that I know is either busy during the day or probably has no interest in looking at things they've been surrounded with their whole lives. No biggie, I can take a hint.

Actually, living in solitude isn't entirely undesirable. No one complains if I eat the last few Digestive Biscuits (the best cookie/cracker in town), and I always do. I don't have to worry about making anybody else cold if I open a window for some fresh air. The toilet seat is always down (if I leave it that way). The music I play, quite loudly sometimes, is generally well-received. Come to think of it, this is a pretty sweet gig here.

However, in the interest of establishing that I do need to do something fun and blog-worthy once in a while, I must proceed. Before arriving here, I planned on getting a Netflix subscription and pass the time watching all the movies I've meant to over the years. Sadly though, Brian informed me that Danish copyright laws prohibited services such as that from operating here. The same also goes for various (legal) online TV services like Hulu and Adult Swim. Since I'm not much of a downloader, that kinda narrows things down a bit. I should be getting cable soon to go with the thirteen inch TV I'm borrowing. But, the allure of watching past seasons of American TV shows I didn't even both to watch while living there doesn't seem to captivate me. Who knows, maybe I'll find a few Danish shows to fill that void?

I honestly don't miss TV that much. If anything, I'd rather resolve the movie issue to preserve my entertainment sanity. And thus, I was introduced to this:


Just like so many of our public libraries in the States, the book depositories here aren't just limited to those papery things filled with words. The Aarhus Public Library is no exception. Brian told me all about its wares and I thought he was exaggerating when he told me about everything that they have. After two visits now, I am a believer for sure.

They have books. Lots of 'em. Some of 'em are probably in English, I just haven't looked for 'em yet. Same goes for magazines, journals, periodicals, the works. When I finish up the reading material I brought on my own (sometime in September, probably), I might just look to expand my literary horizons at the library. For now though, I'm more interested in their multimedia departments.

Music: Any and all genres. New and old. Good and not so good. CD, cassette, vinyl, sheet, you name it, it's here. Take a look for yourself:


That's maybe an eighth of what they have. I'll give you three guesses where I spent most of my time during my first two visits ...


Oh yes, indeed; just like yours truly. I couldn't believe some of the things they had here. Stuff I can't even find in record stores back home, or even on iTunes for that matter. From the look of things too, I believe they rotate the catologue pretty frequently and are always bringing in new releases. I definitely have my work cut out for me if I want to make the most of my free library card. Tough job, but I think I'm up to the task.

I didn't take any pictures of the films section, but you get the idea. Same principle. Back home, Mom and I always enjoyed a few selections from the good ol' Merrimack Public Library. Pretty much the same idea here, except there's now a Blockbuster in the foyer area and new releases won't run you six bucks apiece. Free music. Free movies. Zero judgment (checkout is self-serve and I don't think there are limits to how many things you can borrow at a time, or if there are I haven't reached them yet).

Apparently there are pretty nice readings and speakers that come by from time to time, also. Perhaps if something catches my fancy one of these days, I'll see if nobody wants to go with me and check it out. At the very least, I feel that I should be documenting the goings on of the Aarhus Public Library and submit my findings to the US Government. Want to get our kids to like reading? Turn our libraries into Barnes and Nobles and throw away all the price tags. Seems easy enough, right?

Going to sleep now. I've got some heavy stuff on my mind; well, at least in my ears.