Stay in (movies) or go out (music)
In the two weeks since becoming the library’s new communications editor, I’ve been a little spoiled by an office in the bunker-like lower level of the library, a cool, climate-controlled bubble where I can don a cardigan and cozy up to the glow of my computer screen, my coffee cup full of Millennium Café Roast.
But lately, when I coast to the end of my day through those automatic doors and step outside, it’s like plunging my body into a hot tub. People, the heat has been nothing short of oppressive. Sliding into my car is akin to walking on hot coals. And once my kids and I are settled into the air-conditioned apartment, we stay put for the evening. It’s the muggiest part of August. We’re homebodies.
It’s a good thing I discovered that my library has Hoopla while we’re busy being homebodies. This is a streaming service much like Netflix, but it’s free. And it has a lot of feature films that aren’t readily accessible elsewhere, contemporary titles as well as classics like E.T. Before bedtime, we can chill out indoors with a movie on the iPad and settle in for the night. It’s free with my library card, and I don't have to sweat in pursuit of entertainment.
As great as it is to shore up at home, I’m still pining heavily for cooler weather so we can get out of the house a bit more. Where will we go? Our usual haunts are hiking trails or the park, sometimes dinner out or over to a friend’s house. But the destination isn’t always the best part of our outings; I love being en route with my little ones, too, listening to music with the windows down.
It took me getting a job at the library to realize I’d been missing out on free music downloads, too. You can download three songs per week, actually, via Freegal, and since the songs are free I don’t have any qualms about letting the kids pick out a track or two. Even if it’s Katy Perry or Pharrell Williams (which they can then privately listen to on their headphones; I do have my limits).
It’s a shame I didn’t discover free music and movies at my library until I started working here. But it’s pretty cool that now I get to work to make sure you know about these things, too.
Whip out that library card and get going with Hoopla or Freegal. Or both, because we're in Kansas, and as you well know, the weather could change radically at any moment.
