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If you're as busy as we think you are, you probably have about 2 hours of me-time a week. How to spend those precious minutes? Here are some books, movies, and music that will feed your head and nourish your soul.

The Whole Earth Catalog

Steve Jobs calls it "one of the bibles of my generation." Chock-full of "neat tools and great notions," The 30th Anniversary Original Whole Earth Catalog by Stewart Brand is available used on Amazon.com.

Why: As Jobs says, it'll inspire you to "stay hungry, stay foolish."



Punk Shui, Home Design for Anarchists, by Josh Amatore Hughes and published by Crown. Part satire, part how-to, this tome will teach you to home-decorate with humor. (Hughes suggests, for instance, cutting your sofa in half and putting your alarm clock under your bed, simply to shake things up.)

Why: Feeds your inner contrarian.



What the Bleep Do We Know?

What do your cells do when you get angry? Fourteen top scientists and mystics give their answers for this and other great mysteries in this 2004 documentary. Go to whatthebleep.com to get a hold of a new director's cut, subtitled Down the Rabbit Hole.

Why: To go metaphysical but skip the pretentiousness.



The Office

Watch these three episodes�"Halloween," "The Fight," and "Booze Cruise"�and cringe at boss-from-hell Steve Carell. You can download them at itunes.com in the TV Shows genre. The comically painful original BBC series, starring the brilliant Ricky Gervais, is available on DVD.

Why: To help us remember not to get too wrapped up in work.



The Celestine Prophecy and The Da Vinci Code
Two choices for big-screen spiritual doings, both adapted from best-selling books. Celestine is an inexpensive production with no stars; Da Vinci features Tom Hanks on lavish sets shot on French locations. Let either spirit move you.

Why: Choose your weapon against existentialist torpor.