I believe Weekend America was the first podcast to which I subscribed. I was thrilled! I didn’t have to feel so bad about not being able to stay home on Saturdays all the time. I particularly began experimenting with podcasts when I had to take a long road trip. I stocked a device with about twenty hours of Weekend America shows I had not yet heard and a few other programs and hit the highway. That was amazing. For me, podcasts work better than books on tape because the variety better engages my brain. And I finally had time to listen to the hours of backlogged podcasts.

A highlight of a former job was when I got to do some radio work for the show. Talking to the then-host was one of those moments where I was so excited, I couldn’t think about what to say. My professionalism might have stopped me from blurting “I LOVE your show!” Silly me.

When my commute changed, I felt elated because I finally had time I could set aside to catch up on the show’s podcast. Over the last two years or so, I’ve worked hard on that and was pleased a few weeks ago when I did. I listen to hour 1 on the way in and hour 2 on the way out. It’s ideal!

I learned about the show’s cancellation while listening to a podcast a few weeks ago. The drivers around me might have wondered what happened to cause my jaw to land on the seat and keep me shaking my head and saying “NO!” repeatedly. A tear might have come to my eye, too.

I blocked out Saturday, 1/31, with the hopes that I’d be able to listen to the last show “live on the air,” so to speak (I’m pretty sure the show is not live), but, alas, Chinese New Year’s plans interfere. I’ll hear it as a podcast. While I could procrastinate hearing it, thinking that if I don’t listen to the end of the series, it really hasn’t ended, it includes good incentive: some recently discovered poems by Langston Hughes, one of my favorite poets. That will sweeten the fact that this episode will be the last.

What will happen to the hours of audio, archive of the show, and the people who brought all of that to us? I can’t help thinking about how valuable the snapshot it provides of America in the 2000s will be to historians, sociologists, and other folks who study people, culture, and American society.

While I freely admit I am sad to “hear” it go, I wonder what the radio station will put in its place. At some point in time, this favorite show was new to me. Maybe I’ll discover another really terrific show. I have to confess, though, that I am looking forward to working down the backlog of the other podcasts to which I subscribe.

Goodbye, Weekend America! It’s been fun listening to you. Where else will I ever get such creative weather reports or learn how to transport a hamster safely across many states on a journey I took several summers ago in the opposite direction? Weekend America, we might very well be weakened America without you.

Posted by Rich

This holiday season, some people are campaigning for a discussion about death and last wishes via blogs. I have decided to participate because I am always surprised at how few people have thought about their last wishes or the wishes of those whom they love. I am thankful that my Mom and I have had frank conversations about these subjects and I feel like we have a good understanding about what we want. Hopefully, those days are far in the future, but it doesn’t hurt to have some kind of plan in mind early. It saves a lot of stress, trouble, and panic in a time of shock and grieving and alleviates the pressure of having to guess at what someone might want.

While it seems odd to discuss such a heavy topic during holiday gatherings, the festivities provide a great opportunity for the chatter because so many of us are with the people about whom we care and for whom we might be caring or who might be caring for us. I’ve sometimes found that people know what they want, but they just don’t know how to broach the topic because talking about death seems to be taboo. Just do it. “I’ll pass you the potatoes if you tell me whether you’d prefer to die at home, in the hospital, or in hospice.” “Can you believe some people encourage us to talk about death during these joyous holiday celebrations? I’ve been thinking a bit about it, though, and …”

The usual Black Friday online sales, including a link to
a Consumer Report article on Black Friday websites on the consumerist.com website  Planetbargains.com and Techbargains.com also have sales stuff too!

Posted by Rich

(I still don’t really want to discuss the election in this space. It makes me cringe.)

Enjoy free general admission for you and a guest to hundreds of museums and cultural venues nationwide.
Saturday, September 27, 2008

Present the Museum Day admission card to receive free general admission at participating Museum Day locations. The admission card is available in the September 2008 issue of Smithsonian magazine or downloadable via the Smithsonian website

Some of the Massachusetts venues include:

Blue Hills Trailside Museum
JFK Presidential Library and Museum
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Museum of Science, Boston
New Bedford Whaling Museum
Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Boylston

For more info:

http://microsite.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/about.html

Link via Lifehacker:

http://lifehacker.com/

Posted by Rich

I first saw her on Saturday Night Live many years ago and became an instant fan. Kate was the first singer to use a wireless microphone headset during a concert. She also is credited with creating various music production techniques.

Here’s a link to one of my favorite Kate Bush videos, Running Up That Hill Enjoy!

 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/jkbaumga/2008/07/24/aimee-mann-berklee-performance-center-boston-july-26-8-pm/ Aimee Mann will be performing at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston on Saturday, July 26 at 8 pm. Tickets, I believe, are still available. I have been a fan since her Till Tuesday days. Her concerts are very good if you can get chance to go to one.