Volume I, Issue 27
December 8 - December 15, 1997

Life is busy and so are we. Buzzing about, we hardly have time to think, let alone relax and get perspective on our lives. As for quality time, well, forget it. There's no room in the schedule.

For a number of people, however, this is changing. They're reclaiming their lives via something called "voluntary simplicity." This means: giving up that 60-hour-a-week job, letting go of luxuries, and otherwise restructuring one's life so that there's plenty of free time left over. Free time to talk, go for walks, eat at Denny's, whatever.

"Free time," of course, is a misnomer. Nothing good is free; there's always a cost lurking somewhere. Take used clothing, for example. In the good old days, it was "second-hand" and cheap. But shoppers took advantage so well that the market kicked in; now used clothes are "vintage" and pricey. That's the way it works. What are you going to do?

I'll tell you what to do. Be not just a thinker, but a doer. You needn't sacrifice everything; just shop around! Don't see a $15 art show when you can see one just as good for $3. Don't wear a clip-on tie when you can hogtie your neck in a silky real one. And by all means, don't settle for 15 minutes of fame when you can be on 60 Minutes! Never settle! Never hide behind a mask! Never depend on a crutch! I'm telling you, make waves! Mix it up! Manufacture some spectacle!

Follow your bliss, baby!

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Tim After Tim
Tracking down retired Tiny Tims, from the Chicago-based Goodman Theatre's production of "A Christmas Carol." [6]
Sam Weller

Switching Sex-Roles
Shakespeare's work withstands revisionist tinkering and the comedic brilliance of "Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet)." [7]
Scott C. Morgan

Guerrilla Girls Attack Santa Fe
Art activists in "full jungle drag" speak on the "conscience of the Art World." [8]
Jessica Schurtman