Rainy days and Mondays
October 27th, 2009With all the rain we’ve been having (30 consecutive days, at last count), I’ve had quite a few days of wanting to just lay on the couch and do nothing. So I got to wondering, “What do other people do on rainy days? Is everyone as lethargic as I am?”
So I conducted a completely unscientific, totally unreliable survey that asked the question, “What’s your idea of the perfect way to spend a rainy day?” My respondents were whoever was in the hall when I passed out the papers. (My thanks to all those who filled out the green sheets!) Here’s what I learned:
Watching TV is a popular pastime. But nobody watches Masterpiece Theatre or the History Channel. Sure, some people listed TLC, Bravo and the reality realm (cooking, decorating, fashion). But most of the favorite rainy-day viewing centered around sitcoms, which makes a lot of sense, if you think about it. A rainy day is sooo depressing; laughing makes it better. So it’s no mystery that responses included SpongeBob SquarePants, Sex & the City, The Simpsons and Gossip Girl.
Movies are also a popular rainy-day activity. Now that Netflix has movies you can watch instantly, on TV or computer, you don’t even have to wait for them to be delivered by your friendly mail carrier. What movies do people watch, you ask? Well, the comedies rule there too. Disney is a big favorite; that’s no surprise. What lifts a sagging spirit more than singing candlesticks or dancing dwarfs?
It wasn’t all sweetness and light, though. Casablanca, Indecent Proposal and Fiddler on the Roof made the list too.
Some people actually read on rainy days. Responses varied from The Pelican Brief by John Grisham and The Stand by Stephen King to a collection of short stories by Shirley Ann Grau and trashy novels.
In all fairness, the people answering the survey questions were mass comm majors, so it’s not so bizarre that most of their answers centered around media activities. (In all honesty, most of the questions dealt with media anyway!)
As you can imagine, SLEEP was a very popular response. And seriously, isn’t it really the perfect way to while away a day that’s too nasty to venture out into?
October 28th, 2009 at 7:02 am
My favorite thing to do on a rainy day: work! Might as well be working when you can’t go play outside.