Have I Mentioned that I Love National Public Radio?
Sunday, April 16, 2006
I woke up super early this morning despite having been out pretty late last night. I could not fall back asleep. So what did I do? What any normal twenty-something would do! I turned on NPR and straightened my room.
Which brings me to declare something. I love NPR. No, really. I LOVE NPR. In a somewhat alarming fashion. Part of this is that my job basically revolves around their programming. And up until now, I've been writing off my need to listen to NPR as a "work thing". On road trips with friends, I claim I need to know what they're covering and force a local station check periodically. When I was in Chicago last year, I insisted on listening to the local programming so that I could "know the shows". I'm all for music and fun when with friends or on the road, but do NOT ask me to go more than two hours without those sweet, soothing voices and calm, clear delivery of the headlines.
This isn't anything new, really. I grew up on it, and have a completely Pavlovian response to the "All Things Considered" theme song of stomach rumblings from listening to it on the way home every day with my mom. But my love for NPR is slightly over the top. An admission? I think the on-air talent are celebrities. Utter and complete celebrities. I once went to a luncheon where Michelle Norris was speaking just to see her in person. Yes, it was work-related, but the real reason I went was to put a face to the voice. (And much as it pains me to say this, I found her to be really annoying and borderline insufferable. But this is all a moot point, because I love Robert Siegel. The man could talk to me about the properties of iron and I would find it fascinating. And when he laughts? Oh, I love his laugh. It's just so soulful yet intelligent.)
Ahem. Pardon the swooning there.
Now, you might wonder how I took the dismissal of Bob Edwards. I didn't take it well, people. I didn't take it well at all. To be frank, I cursed out Renee and Steve every morning, and when I got the news via email at work that they were the permanent replacements, I literally flipped off the computer. I still miss Bob's soothing chatter in the morning and remember how I loved waking up to him. Nothing got me out of bed like, "SARS is on the rise in the far east, causing much concern throughout the western world. We'll hear the latest from a summit on the topic. Today is Monday, March 27th, and you're listening to Morning Edition on NPR." Cue theme music, and I was up and at 'em!
A few years ago, Linda Wertheimer called my coworker Megan. This was when we shared cubicle space, and I could hear every conversation she had. The conversation went like this: "Hello? Oh, hi! Uh huh? Hm. Oh, that's interesting. May I ask you to hold for a minute? Thank you!" and then she put the phone down, turned to me, and said, "Oh my god, that's LINDA WERTHEIMER!" And I'm not kidding when I say I squealed. Now, Meg loves NPR every bit as much as I do, so I wasn't too embarassed. But you can see how that could be a tad, well, laughable to other people.
Meg and I often take it a bit further. During the transit strike in December, for instance, we were walking from dinner to a nearby bar and discussing the utter lack of public transportation. It was all anyone could talk about here, and Meg and I were no exception. Except this is what our conversation was:
Me: Man, can you imagine how much money the cabbies must be pulling in? I mean, for me to get to work [50 blocks, roughly a $10 ride under normal conditions] costs $35! And that's WITH three other people so that we can cross the "96th Street Blockade!"
Meg: I know, I can't believe there haven't been more stories on it. I mean, the Times hasn't even covered that to my knowledge.
Me: Yeah. Frankly, I'm a little disappointed in Marketplace. WHERE is the financial coverage on this here transit strike?
Meg: Oooh, good point. I can hear that intro.
Me: I know! "Hi, I'm Kai Ryssdal, and this is the Marketplace morning report. The transit workers in Manhattan may not be getting paid, but there's money to be made amidst the transit strike currently paralyzing the country's most denseley populated city. Taxi drivers are making money hand over fist, and with no end in sight, this Christmas season could be a record-breaker for medallion holders. Stacy Vanek-Smith has the story."
Meg, laughing and picking up Stacy's part: "John Kowalczyk starts every day at the car wash on the West Side Highway, where he gets his taxi ready for the morning shift. But for the past two days, he hasn't had a moment off to clean his classic yellow cab..."
I shudder to think what the people walking past must have been thinking about us.
Is this a problem? Do I need an intervention?
Oh, and be sure to stay tuned for these scintillating forthcoming posts:
"I miss Ted Koppel. Terry Moran can't even read the damned teleprompter properly!"
"If it's wrong to DVR CBS Sunday Morning, then I don't want to be right."
"David Brancaccio is really mixing things up at NOW--how about last night's shocking report on the state of our national fisheries?!"
and the one I know you all will be clamoring for:
"Five reasons why I have an unnatural and completely inappropriate crush on Tim Russert."
Which brings me to declare something. I love NPR. No, really. I LOVE NPR. In a somewhat alarming fashion. Part of this is that my job basically revolves around their programming. And up until now, I've been writing off my need to listen to NPR as a "work thing". On road trips with friends, I claim I need to know what they're covering and force a local station check periodically. When I was in Chicago last year, I insisted on listening to the local programming so that I could "know the shows". I'm all for music and fun when with friends or on the road, but do NOT ask me to go more than two hours without those sweet, soothing voices and calm, clear delivery of the headlines.
This isn't anything new, really. I grew up on it, and have a completely Pavlovian response to the "All Things Considered" theme song of stomach rumblings from listening to it on the way home every day with my mom. But my love for NPR is slightly over the top. An admission? I think the on-air talent are celebrities. Utter and complete celebrities. I once went to a luncheon where Michelle Norris was speaking just to see her in person. Yes, it was work-related, but the real reason I went was to put a face to the voice. (And much as it pains me to say this, I found her to be really annoying and borderline insufferable. But this is all a moot point, because I love Robert Siegel. The man could talk to me about the properties of iron and I would find it fascinating. And when he laughts? Oh, I love his laugh. It's just so soulful yet intelligent.)
Ahem. Pardon the swooning there.
Now, you might wonder how I took the dismissal of Bob Edwards. I didn't take it well, people. I didn't take it well at all. To be frank, I cursed out Renee and Steve every morning, and when I got the news via email at work that they were the permanent replacements, I literally flipped off the computer. I still miss Bob's soothing chatter in the morning and remember how I loved waking up to him. Nothing got me out of bed like, "SARS is on the rise in the far east, causing much concern throughout the western world. We'll hear the latest from a summit on the topic. Today is Monday, March 27th, and you're listening to Morning Edition on NPR." Cue theme music, and I was up and at 'em!
A few years ago, Linda Wertheimer called my coworker Megan. This was when we shared cubicle space, and I could hear every conversation she had. The conversation went like this: "Hello? Oh, hi! Uh huh? Hm. Oh, that's interesting. May I ask you to hold for a minute? Thank you!" and then she put the phone down, turned to me, and said, "Oh my god, that's LINDA WERTHEIMER!" And I'm not kidding when I say I squealed. Now, Meg loves NPR every bit as much as I do, so I wasn't too embarassed. But you can see how that could be a tad, well, laughable to other people.
Meg and I often take it a bit further. During the transit strike in December, for instance, we were walking from dinner to a nearby bar and discussing the utter lack of public transportation. It was all anyone could talk about here, and Meg and I were no exception. Except this is what our conversation was:
Me: Man, can you imagine how much money the cabbies must be pulling in? I mean, for me to get to work [50 blocks, roughly a $10 ride under normal conditions] costs $35! And that's WITH three other people so that we can cross the "96th Street Blockade!"
Meg: I know, I can't believe there haven't been more stories on it. I mean, the Times hasn't even covered that to my knowledge.
Me: Yeah. Frankly, I'm a little disappointed in Marketplace. WHERE is the financial coverage on this here transit strike?
Meg: Oooh, good point. I can hear that intro.
Me: I know! "Hi, I'm Kai Ryssdal, and this is the Marketplace morning report. The transit workers in Manhattan may not be getting paid, but there's money to be made amidst the transit strike currently paralyzing the country's most denseley populated city. Taxi drivers are making money hand over fist, and with no end in sight, this Christmas season could be a record-breaker for medallion holders. Stacy Vanek-Smith has the story."
Meg, laughing and picking up Stacy's part: "John Kowalczyk starts every day at the car wash on the West Side Highway, where he gets his taxi ready for the morning shift. But for the past two days, he hasn't had a moment off to clean his classic yellow cab..."
I shudder to think what the people walking past must have been thinking about us.
Is this a problem? Do I need an intervention?
Oh, and be sure to stay tuned for these scintillating forthcoming posts:
"I miss Ted Koppel. Terry Moran can't even read the damned teleprompter properly!"
"If it's wrong to DVR CBS Sunday Morning, then I don't want to be right."
"David Brancaccio is really mixing things up at NOW--how about last night's shocking report on the state of our national fisheries?!"
and the one I know you all will be clamoring for:
"Five reasons why I have an unnatural and completely inappropriate crush on Tim Russert."
This entry was posted
on Sunday, April 16, 2006 at 10:40 AM.
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