I must be like 100 years old because I am just not interested in listening to music radio anymore, only talk.  Opie and Anthony had such a short tenure here, it is almost not worth mentioning, and normal “safe” morning zoo-type radio disgusts me.  I can’t handle listening to political talk radio of any persuasion because I abhor fanatics and I always end up so mad when I get where ever I’m going.  So after football season ended, I just couldn’t take listening to the radio anymore (you KNOW I wasn’t going to listen to baseball talk) but what the heck was I supposed to do on my extremely boring commute to and from work? (*for NPR see below)

But then on a whim, I discovered that the Chicago public library lets you check out and download audio books for free!

To make a long story short, I tried many (mostly illegal) ways to get the audio books onto CDs to listen to in the car.  Ignoring the price of the blank CDs I would go through (audio book are really long…like 16 hours), most of the methods for cracking the encryption etc. take so many steps and so much effort, it just wasn’t worth it.  I am too lazy even for criminality!  Finally Sara agreed to buy me an mp3 player for my birthday (not an iPod since they’re not compatible with the audio books) and the matter was settled.  For much less than the cost of satellite radio I have basically unlimited entertainment now!  (I’d also like to take this moment to point out that I didn’t get the mp3 player until like 3 months after my birthday and only then because I ordered it myself…Happy Birthday! 😛 )

Oh man, and it is so fantastic!  Thanks to Evie I don’t have much (any) time to read anymore, and that was really killing me.  And now I find more and more reasons to listen to my audio books.  For example, I used to read before bed every night, but had to stop when Evie was in there.  Also, it passes the time when I’m doing dishes, which I hate more than anything in the world except yard work.  So anyway, I am thoroughly enjoying the mp3 player.  Oh yeah, its good for music too.

*What about NPR you might be asking?  I will admit that I stumbled upon NPR a little late, but that might have fit the bill.  By the time I figured out how awesome it was, I was already committed on the mp3 player path and that worked out so well I haven’t really gone back.  Everybody I know already listens, so in my desperation for entertainment I gave it a try.  I used to think what everybody who doesn’t listen to it thinks; that it is boring, random and snooty.  But it turns out the first two end up being the strength of the station.  A story comes on about like the shell mound people of central south america (as opposed to south central america) and you think to your self, “how could I possibly be interested in that?” but then you listen to the whole thing.  And then it jumps to a story about a special filthy hippy school at Waldon pond, and you get sucked into that.  You couldn’t make up a transition more random than the ones they actually have, and surprisingly, it ends up being great.  So anyway, I now listen to NPR when I get a chance, but that’s not often now that I have the mp3 player.

In other news, my vast network of Internet spies has informed me that if you liked the Internet Forum Business Meeting, you will perhaps enjoy the sequel or see what happens when the Internet takes on a funeral.  (Take that Meg) (Aw shoot, I went over to her blog and she already had something better! )

P.S.  I think this marks the first occasion when somebody actually submitted something to me for my blog.  Usually I either find the stuff myself or people send me stuff because I would enjoy it personally and it ends up on here.  It’s going to be Fark around here soon…