Think you can make this mudder tougher? We’ve got a job for you

Financially speaking, 2012 was a pretty drastic year. The economy got drunk and drove off a fiscal cliff, global money markets are in turmoil, NY unemployment rates remained depressingly high, Hurricane Sandy wrecked havoc on our local economy and in another sad turn of events, people who have been unemployed for 6 months or more are about to suddenly lose their benefits.The good news is a cursory glance around the web shows that there are lots of interesting ways to exchange your time and skills for monetary compensation (aka “work”) right here in Brooklyn, so you can start 2013 right.

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Go see Coney Island’s Nights of Horror, for non horror-ible prices.

Without a doubt, here at Brokelyn our favorite holiday is one that involves ridiculous dress, conspicuous consumption and varying degrees of spooky nonsense. If you’re like us, every year you say you’re going to do one of those cool haunted tours or something and every year you end up sitting on the couch until the last minute before you decide to go as Hall and Oates. Step it up this year! There seems to be a glut of Halloween discounts on group deals sites, from haunted houses to booze (boos?) cruises to treasure hunts. We’ve found the best deals on all sorts of Halloween-themed debauchery that fit every lifestyle (if your lifestyle is awesome).  (more…)

Why should Manhattan get all the $1 slice fun? Photos by Deena Atkinson.

Did you wake up hungover today and realize you spent all your money? Well the good news is, if you can scrounge up a dollars worth of coins in your couch cushion you can still eat today!

New York City is a magical place where you can get a $1,000 pizza with 6 kinds of caviar on it. Meanwhile, the pizza wars in Manhattan are driving the price down to 75 cents per slice in some areas! But most places in Brooklyn (which is, shamefully, home of the $5 slice) are clocking in at around $2.50. Anyone who’s strolled around the East Village knows that $1 slices are all over Manhattan these days, so where’s Brooklyn’s slice of the pie? We want to have our pizza and only pay a dollar for it too! (more…)

Wanna see some girls get into nasty bar brawls for a good cause? You’re in luck! 5 Borough Ladies Arm Wrestling (5 BLAW) is holding its annual championships at Public Assembly in Williamsburg this Saturday, and it’s free to watch. There will be theatrics galore as eight lady arm-wrestlers compete in a round-robin style tournament complete with an MC, referees, heckling, celebrity judges, performances, culminating in a dance party, all in the name of feminism and charity. Find out more reasons why you should go, and marvel at my use of alliteration. (more…)

Jon Hamm in an apple suit, among the surprises at Brooklyn’s free comedy shows. Photo via David Andrako.

If you’re like me you probably don’t have a job that provides healthcare, and since Obamacare has yet to actually take effect, the only sensible way to treat illness is with the medicinal powers of laughter. This huge roundup includes regular, hilarious Brooklyn (and a few Manhattan) comedy shows that provide hilarity for free, or at least on the cheap.

The shows featured here are distinctly not your average hit-or-miss, audience-heckling standup acts (partly because I can’t bring myself to sit through that stuff long enough to review it). Even as Brooklyn’s comedy scene has gotten larger and better, churning out the Kristen Schaals and other future stars of the world, the best comedy has remained budget-friendly. These are the kind of shows where you can see big names as well as the best up-and coming entertainment in the New York scene without having to break the bank. To paraphrase a Hannibal Burress quote, comedy shouldn’t be a luxury. It’s a necessity. (more…)

This live stream will probably be better than Prometheus.

You guys! It’s finally happening – we are one step closer to fulfilling the only interesting ambition George W. Bush had during his entire presidency (and potentially life): Let’s go to Mars! Or, at least, let’s send a robot to Mars first because “in this economy…”

So, here’s the deal. The Mars Curiosity Rover will begin its decent to the Red Planet tonight and NASA will be live streaming the coverage from Mission Control, which you can watch for free on the dual LED Toshiba Vision screens in Times Square below the New Years ball. I know, no one goes to Times Square, but you have to admit this is a pretty cool public venue from which to view the landing. Coverage will begin at 11:30pm tonight and continue through 4am tomorrow with touchdown on the surface expected at 1:31am Monday.  (more…)

Tonight’s singalong.

Here is a free Thursday thing to add to your calendar that contains all of the following: caffeine, alcohol, cookies, cheese and charcuterie plates, fun, mysteriously intriguing strangers and awesome music. Little Zelda Coffee Shop and Wine Bar in Crown Heights, a recent addition to the up-and-coming neighborhood, has started weekly sing-alongs of iconic albums. Previous Sing-Alongs have featured Weezer’s Blue Album, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, The Smith’s The Queen Is Dead and Neutral Milk Hotel’s In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. And this week (tomorrow) they’ve chosen The Beatles’ classic Abbey Road.  (more…)