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Grady Kirkpatrick, of WPR Morning Music, just said...

"The weather today sometimes feels like we're in a snowglobe..."

or something to that effect.

Too bad I didn't have pen and paper to catch his direct quote.

Aw well...

I guess it's one of those "had to be here moments."

Windy

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While walking cross campus this morning, the wind was literally “whistling” around my head and ears.

I’ve never experienced anything like this before.

Wind whistling around the house and the corner of a building, yes, but never around my head.

As I was listening to WPR radio in my car after class (and feeling very depressed about my just taken Psych exam), Grady Kirkpatrick, of Morning Music, came on with the weather report:

“A High Wind Advisory with potential wind gusts of up to 70 MPR“!!!

It’s another one of those days.

Hang on tight to the car door, otherwise the wind will whip it open and slam it into whatever is next to it, or yank your arm from its socket if you happen to be holding the door handle.

I’ve already learned the hard way.

What the Heck was I thinking!

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I was stopped outside the food store not 30 minutes ago by WPR and asked a question about health care.

I feel passionate about the health care issue and love WPR, so I decided to try and answer the questions.

What was I thinking?

Obviously, I wasn’t!

Remember my comment about synapses misfiring?

I’m sure if they use any of my comments it will be for a broadcast here in Wyoming, during WPR’s Open Spaces.

On the slim chance that you do happen to hear me, not to worry.

It’s okay.

You can pretend like you don’t know me.

I know I would.

Ugh! And on my favorite radio station too!

Tweet - Grady Kirkpatrick on WPR Morning Music…

is featuring Canadian musicians in honor of the Olympics.

Fun!

I LOVE “The Band,” and the music video, “The Last Waltz.”

Also loved Grady’s Valentine’s Day play list, “Spreading the Love…”

Who needs Kojo Nanmdi or Diane Rehm when you have Grady?

Okay. Well, I would still love to have Diane Rehm…

The Way We Get By…

photo from PBS.org

I heard a fitting piece for Veteran’s Day on WPR this afternoon.

It’s a documentary film on ‘troop greeters in Bangor, Maine.’

"On call 24 hours a day for the past five years, a group of senior citizens (many of them veterans) has made history by greeting over 900,000 American troops at a tiny airport in Bangor, Maine."

"These citizens have taken it upon themselves to greet every troop plane arriving or departing Bangor, which is the last and first piece of U.S. soil many GIs will see before and after their deployments."

"The film is an intimate look at three of these greeters as they confront the universal losses that come with aging and rediscover their reason for living."

I heard the filmmaker and his mother (one of the inspirations for the film) interviewed on Talk of the Nation.

I was deeply moved by their interview and the story of these troop greeters.

I have yet to see the film, as we were at the dinner banquet, but it’s been recorded and is waiting to be watched.

You can find more info about the film here and here.

Rosanne Cash and “The List”

It’s parent/teacher conference time, so the teenager was home yesterday and again today.

We hung at home yesterday…piddling around and taking a break from the normal school, errand and house routines.

I listen to WPR when I’m home…both the news and the morning music program.

We have the whole house intercom system so news and music follows me wherever I go…am.

The teenager (and his Legal Dude, dad) don’t like to have whole-house news and music when they’re home.

So…I turn down the volume on all the intercoms except for the room where I’m working, playing, etc.

This morning it’s bothering the teenager.

So I’ve pulled out my rusty old boom box and put this cd on the spinner.



I heard her interviewed on “Fresh Air” with Terri Gross several weeks back.

Thanks to my dad, I am a longstanding fan of…the “Man in Black.”

I grew up listening to that gravelly voice and it’s probably one of the reasons I love folk, bluegrass and (the old style) country music.

So, I was intrigued when I heard the story about “The List,” 100 essential country songs that her dad gave her to listen to…and told her to learn…when she was 18 and primarily a fan of rock music.

According to Rosanne Cash…”The list encompasses critical moments in the evolution of American music…Southern American music, folk and protest songs, Southern Blues and gospel and Appalachian music.”

You can read about it here at http://www.the9513.com/rosanne-cash-discusses-the-list/ and
So if you like the “Man in Black,” folk, bluegrass, country, blues and/or rock music…then this album is for you.

The Boss joins Rosanne on “Sea of Heartbreak, which you can hear here http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/30138422/rolling_stones_2009_fall_music_preview/8.

The likes of Elvis Costello, Rufus Wainwright and Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy can also be heard on the cd.

And if you listen hard enough…you can almost hear the “Man in Black” in the background.

Now I’m being kicked off MY laptop, by whom else...the teenager.

So I’m off to listen to more of “The List.”

Tweet: NPR Pledge Week…Wyoming Style

WPR has 3 (sometimes just 2) pledge hours per day…that’s it.

Pledge request ends whenever the stated goal is reached…then it ends.

WPR seeks 5 to 6 new members per pledge hour…that’s all.

WPR broadcasts from the UWYO campus; just three blocks form J’s school…not far.

(Makes it easy for me to personally deliver my new membership contribution).

Interesting Factoids:

From WPR Website

Approximate representation of WPR signal coverage

Red, yellow and green indicate a strong signal.
Blue and purple indicate a weaker but stable signal.

WPR broadcasts to over 80% of Wyoming, with 26 broadcast sites throughout the state.

WPR broadcasts its signal to its remote transmitter sites via Satellite from the studio in Laramie.

From time to time, there can be problems with reception due to Satellite signal interruption caused by heavy snow or rain or, other weather related interruptions.

Just thought I’d share…

Got Flu? A Good Book?

S is feeling under the weather.

No pun intended. Honest!

He started feeling cruddy mid-week. J was struggling with something all last week and half of his science class was out one or two days.

I hope S doesn’t have the flu. He was silly enough not to get the FREE flu shot given at the University and I just got mine last week. I hear tell it takes two weeks before it becomes effective. Here's keeping my fingers crossed!

Anyway…I’ve been trying to catch up on my blog.

J is reading, Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card. I heard OSC on WPR a few weeks ago and just KNEW that this would be a good book for J.



Of course, he didn’t think so. Said he had tried it once and it was...well, we just won't go there.

Great mom that I am…I went to the library, checked out the book and let it sit on the coffee table. He asked, and I told him the book was for ME.

Anyway, this afternoon he wanted to play a game on my laptop, after watching TV.

Smart mom that I am…I said “Only after you spend 15 minutes reading Ender’s Game.”

He huffed, and he puffed, but he couldn’t budge this brick wall. We agreed on 30 pages.

He’s still reading.

Smart mom. That’s me. Only for the moment, though.

Thanks for checking in…

I heard it on WPR…

Candy and fruit-flavored cigarettes…?!

I heard this morning on WPR, that President Obama signed into law on Monday legislation that grants the FDA the authority to regulate tobacco products. Among other things, the law will restrict tobacco advertising and ban candy and fruit-flavored cigarettes!

I had no idea such a thing…as candy and fruit-flavored cigarettes…existed!

Nor that they apparently come in packaging resembling high-priced flavored chocolate bars.

Think: packaging resembling those wonderful looking bars sitting at the check-out counters at Barnes & Noble or Borders...

[Edited to Note: This is in no way meant to imply that any high priced chocolate bars including, but not limited to, Godiva chocolates are in any way related to tobacco products or that B&N or Borders sells tobacco products!!!]

With a new teen in the house, I’m realizing (or am I already too late?) that I REALLY need to get more on the ball and pay attention…to Everything!

I do know…that despite our best hopes and intentions as parents…teens are at some point tempted to venture and think about experimenting and exploring things we’d rather they not even know about.

After all, I was once a teen (albeit a good one).

So, how can I try and circumvent something…when I don’t even know it’s out there?!!

Good “wake up” lesson for me.

Diligence…Diligence…Diligence

BTW: FAB music…as always…on WPR (but I still miss Diane Rehm, et al.)

Hope you all have a great day!