Keeping Myself Productive on my Commute

As a follow-up to my post on music, there are a few other reasons why I don’t listen to as much current music as I used to. For one, I don’t have a car anymore so I don’t have a FM radio. It makes it hard to follow music when the main mechanism that feeds you Top 40 or Hip Hop doesn’t exist anymore. Add to that fact that you can’t exactly get reception on the subway and it doesn’t bode well for following current trends.

Instead what I’ve found myself doing is going back to my Pimsleur language CDs. A former co-worker of mine actually introduced me to them a while back. He was kind of a social retard as most smart people are. On his commute to work instead of listening to the radio or music, he would spend his time listening to the CDs and learning a new language. I thought it was a great idea and I tried to do the same thing but I just felt really weird talking to myself in a foreign language and I got funny looks from other drivers. So I put them away and went back to the radio. Now that I’m in the city though and the radio isn’t an option I’m listening to them again. I’m currently working my way through Mandarin now. I don’t feel as self conscience now since a guy talking to himself on the New York subway isn’t exactly strange.

Along with the language tapes I’m having my PSP download some financial podcasts every morning so that I can keep track of news and developments. I’m considering getting a subscription like Audible so I can listen to business audio books on the subway. That will have to wait until I finish all the Pimsleur CDs though. No need to spend money on something I’m not going to use right away.

~ by Master Phu on April 8, 2008.