Sit Ubu, Sit. Good Blog.

Busey'd!

2011-01-25T20:24:00.011-05:00

When I die, this is the picture I want at my service, in lieu of an open casket or a portrait of me. Thank you.

Also, I will be missing my show AGAIN this week. I have had the sinus infection that ate New York for three weeks, but am finally better. As my reward, a Nor'easter is dumping five to ten inches of snow on the mid-Atlantic I-95 corridor. I swear, once I am able to get to WVUD, I am there! In the meantime, the capable John will do my show (again) this week. I'll be on next week!

Not Sure if Serious

2010-11-19T07:06:00.000-05:00

This makes me giggle each time I see it. I think I'm sleepy.

Did you hear the show yesterday? I might have been sleepy then, too.

Here are playlists for the last two shows:

Log for first part of November 11, 2010 show

Log for second part of November 11, 2010 show

Log for first part of November 18, 2010 show

Log for second part of November 18, 2010 show

Holmes & Yo-Yo, Yo

2010-10-28T19:42:00.000-04:00

The show Holmes & Yo-Yo haunted me when I was a kid. Unfortunately, I remember nothing about it, other than that I found it amazing and wonderful. It took me years of random internet searches to figure out that my vision of a lantern-jawed actor with a computer panel for a chest REALLY HAPPENED. It happened on my family's television, but it happened.

Also, Yo-Yo had a built-in Polaroid camera. Press his nose and a photo would eject from his shirt pocket. Androids are pretty cool. (Watch the intro to the show on YouTube here.)

Playlists are cool, too.

Log for first part of October 28, 2010 show

Log for second part of October 28, 2010 show

Dovedale by Moonlight

2010-10-21T19:53:00.000-04:00

My mother went to Oberlin College and would go stare at this painting in their gallery whenever she felt blue.

It's by Joseph Wright of Derby and is now called "Dovedale by Moonlight," though it was once known by a different name, I believe.

It was painted in roughly 1784. Here is a write-up from Oberlin's Allen Memorial Art Museum website that tells more.

And here, with (out) all the majesty of a superior nocturnal landscape, is today's playlist.

Log for first part of October 21, 2010 show

Log for second part of October 21, 2010 show

Filled With Shame!

2010-10-07T18:59:00.010-04:00

And here, like a big fat elephant rump that you haven't seen in months but could never actually forget about entirely, is today's playlist.

Log for first part of October 7, 2010 show

Log for second part of October 7, 2010 show

Hooray!

2010-06-07T06:01:00.004-04:00

Bricka bracka fire cracker
sis boom bah!
Monday morning Monday morning rah rah rah!

Rusted

2009-12-07T20:59:00.007-05:00

And here, a little rusty, are last week's playlists.

Log for first part of December 3rd, 2009 show

Log for second part of December 3rd, 2009 show

And furthermore, other rust.

Monster Trucker

2009-11-19T21:32:00.010-05:00

One of my favorite songs is "It's a Monster Trucker" by Eels. It is ridiculous. I recommend it. I play the clean version, of course, but you can read about the original and the decision to make a clean version here.

I also recommend that, if you are 40 years old and female, you get a mammogram every year from now on. Eat that, Task Force. EAT IT FOR LUNCH.

And here, faster than you can admit that Task Forces are just dorks with Audis, is today's playlist:

Log for first part of November 19th, 2009 show

Log for second part of November 19th, 2009 show

P.S. I'm sorry I linked to a USA Today article. I know you're judging me. But it was the one w/ the quotes I wanted to share, darnit.

Stampede

2009-11-12T18:49:00.000-05:00

At work, a nice woman sent out an email saying that there were some Target tote bags available upstairs. You have never seen so many ladies swarm the elevator bay. I hate to say it, but I was excited about the tote bag. It felt like a BIG DEAL. So now I have one. And I have to say, the thrill is not gone. I wonder if it's not just because it's a tote bag, but also because it's from Target. Everyone loves Target. If it were from the Mealy Funeral Home, maybe I wouldn't have been as excited.

Get to totin! Playlists for the last two shows:

Log for first part of November 12th, 2009 show

Log for second part of November 12th, 2009 show

Log for first part of November 5th, 2009 show

Log for second part of November 5th, 2009 show

Doggies Have it Rough

2009-10-29T18:56:00.012-04:00

And here, faster
than you can
completely
humiliate
your dog,
is today's playlist:

Log for first part of
October 29th, 2009 show

Log for second part of
October 29th, 2009 show

Arf.

Like the Haystack Needle

2009-10-23T17:08:00.001-04:00

I am on a Stevie Wonder kick the likes of which you have never seen. I am All Stevie Wonder All the Time. I showed incredible, herculean strength in not playing ALL of his album "Music of My Mind" on the show yesterday. I would have played it TWICE if, during the show, I had realized that he was only 22 years old when he created that album.

I knew he was Little Stevie Wonder in the Sixties, but I couldn't figure out how he could be so mature in his music in 1972 if he were a teen in the Sixties. He must have been in his thirties when he wrote Music of My Mind and its follow-up, Innervisions. Right? RIGHT? No. Twenty-two for Music of My Mind and 23 for Innervisions. Which means, sportsfans, that he was 23 when he wrote "Higher Ground" and "Living for the City" AND "Golden Lady" AND "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing," for god's great glorious sake. COME ON, WONDER.

I wonder if there were hundreds of extraordinarily talented musicians in the early Seventies who were just coming up dry and couldn't figure out why. "What is this miles-deep, sucking wound in my chest? Why do I hear wind whistling through the place where my very essence should be?" they'd all think. Then, Stevie Wonder would enter the room, with a ribcage the size of a dinosaur's, and they'd all think, "Oooooh, I get it. Stevie Wonder SUCKED ALL OF THE TALENT, SOUL, AND GOODNESS OUT OF EVERYTHING and used them to make the tightest, most poetic, loveliest albums possible. Oh. Well, then. That's okay, I guess." And then they would serve up another vanilla-choco twist at the Tastee-Freeze and think about the giant bag of weed they would use later to numb their psychic pain. Sorry, Leo Sayer. You were adorable, but you didn't stand a damn chance. Enjoy that cute dancin' song, though. It was really nice.

Okay! So, now that we've discovered my obsession, let's see yesterday's (remarkably restrained) playlist!

And here, faster than you can say "Todo 'sta bien, chévere," is the list:

Log for first part of October 22nd, 2009 show

Log for second part of October 22nd, 2009 show

Art is cool

2009-10-20T15:43:00.013-04:00

Mark Jenkins is making me really happy. Enjoy his website.

Hooray!

Also, I'll be back on the air this week. Thursday, 6am to 8:30am. Thanks to Tom for filling in for me while I was at a wedding.

91.3FM, WVUD. www.WVUD.org

One Reason to Love and/or Hate a Dog

2009-10-09T18:55:00.000-04:00

Three reasons to love and/or hate your DJ =
Playlists for the last three weeks:

Log for first part of October 8th, 2009 show

Log for second part of October 8th, 2009 show

Log for first part of October 1st, 2009 show

Log for second part of October 1st, 2009 show

Log for first part of September 24th, 2009 show

Log for second part of September 24th, 2009 show

Not in a Blogging Mood, But Definitely in a Playlist Mood

2009-09-18T18:45:00.000-04:00

Hot diggity! Playlists:

Log for first part of
September 17th, 2009 show

Log for second part of
September 17th, 2009 show

Log for first part of September 10th, 2009 show

Log for second part of September 10th, 2009 show

Spader Found

2009-09-04T19:48:00.000-04:00

I stumbled across this ridiculously James-Spaderesque image on Found.com. It was, apparently, found in an old building somewhere in Canada. Which is where I get all of my good photos of James Spader.

Holy cow, it's Labor Day Weekend! And you know what that means! Playlists:

Log for first part of September 3rd, 2009 show

Log for second part of September 3rd, 2009 show

The Robot and the Dandy

2009-08-27T17:04:00.009-04:00

I don't know how or why I stumbled upon this image, but I'm glad that I did. Finding out that the file itself was named "robot-dandy" was just the icing on the cake. Look at them. You can tell they're friends. Any second now, we'll see them do a little soft shoe and/or sing "He's a Little Bit Country, I'm a Little Bit Rock and Roll." I'm sure of it.

And here, just as you're realizing that I could really use some sleep, are my playlists:

Log for first part of August 27th, 2009 show

Log for second part of August 27th, 2009 show

Also, I'm really digging Santigold, even though I wish she could still call herself Santogold.

Hap Birf

2009-08-20T17:20:00.015-04:00

So I had a birthday a few weeks back and it was pretty great. A cab driver gave me a discounted fare, I had dinner with friends and a nice feller, and a waiter made a smiley face out of pesto on my risotto. Life is sweet. What could make things better?

Playlists, that's what.

And here, smiling up at you like a grim,
green bio-hazard, are my playlsits:

Log for first part of August 20th, 2009 show

Log for second part of August 20th, 2009 show

Log for first part of
August 13th, 2009 show

Log for second part of
August 13th, 2009 show

Log for first part of
July 23rd, 2009 show

Log for second part of
July 23rd, 2009 show

Hooray! Flowers!

Phew

2009-07-10T16:56:00.009-04:00

Looks like we made it through the week without another mass exodus of our famous people. You're safe for now, Jim J. Bullock!

And here, faster than you can put on your Cosmic Cow hand-puppet, are today's playlists:

Log for first part of July 9th, 2009 show

Log for second part of July 9th, 2009 show

Screw Loose-ifer

2009-07-02T16:04:00.010-04:00

My new favorite weirdness is from one of CNN's articles on Michael Jackson – here are the last two paragraphs of the specific article (which isn't easy to find on CNN, sorry):

-----
In the day's final development, a London woman filed a 93-page* handwritten document in Los Angeles Superior Court claiming she was Jackson's secret wife and the mother of all three of his children.

In asking for all of Jackson's assets, the woman also added: "I have up to 30 children. My Father (Satan the Devil) Khalid Lucifer as he is known, gave them to us."
-----

I told my mother about this article and she said...

Mom: Do they tell the woman's name?
Me: No, but I assume it's "Tammy Lucifer" or "Wanda Lucifer..."
Mom: More like "Screw Lucifer."

THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT.

And here, faster than your mother can squirt seltzer in your eye, are today's playlists:

Log for first part of July 2nd, 2009 show

Log for second part of July 2nd, 2009 show

*Also, please note that the letter was 93-pages and HAND WRITTEN. Crazy people are some of the best workers out there.

Also, rest in peace, MJ.

I Really Like Your Enormous Umbrella

2009-06-18T13:11:00.009-04:00

Dear Citizens of the rain-soaked mid-Atlantic area:

Unless it is 1809 and/or you are trying to create the first helicopter, you do not need an umbrella with a five foot diameter.

Please stop trying to a) rip my hair out with your broken umbrella's enormous, exposed metal rods and b) blind me or otherwise injure me with your insane stadium-covering, tarp-like protective device.

And here, with the perfectly acceptable level of semi-dryness afforded you by a normal umbrella, are today's playlists:

Log for first part of June 18th, 2009 show

Log for second part of June 18th, 2009 show

P.S. On the first playlist, I don't mean to suggest that my mother is a grizzly bear. Rather, she requested them.

P.P.S. The above image of the flapping man is from a 1908 early try at the helicopter. It was called an ornithopter. The linked video is of the "Sky Car," from some OTHER year that I don't know.

Totally Committed, Absolutely

2009-06-13T15:53:00.008-04:00

Don't get me wrong, I love a seven-month nap as much as the next guy, but it felt right to fire up the blog today. I think I could really commit to posting things every wee-Zzzzz

And here, after a long winter's nap, are playlists from the last two shows:

Log for first part of June 11th, 2009 show

Log for second part of June 11th, 2009 show

Log for first part of May 28th, 2009 show

Log for second part of May 28th, 2009 show

You'll Have to Have Them All Pulled Out...

2008-11-23T19:45:00.011-05:00

I am so ridiculously happy that wit/brit pop is alive and well. I get to enjoy the honeyed cheer of bands like The Ting Tings and Passion Pit.

Who is unhappy when they hear a song called "Better Things"? Maybe only August Strindberg. Surely, no one else.

And here, sweetly, are Thursday's playlists:

Log for first part of November 20th, 2008 show

Log for second part of November 20th, 2008 show

I Can't Believe It's Not Hilarious

2008-11-18T20:46:00.011-05:00

El oh el! Here is my most recent playlist:

Log for first part of November 13th, 2008 show

Log for second part of November 13th, 2008 show

Invisible Phenomena

2008-11-12T06:43:00.010-05:00

My blog has been invisible for a long time, but I'm working to get it back online. It's always been here and my thoughts have been with it. However, much like a cough, you just couldn't see it.

So! Here, even more lovely than visual representations of heretofore unseen shockwaves (or coughs), are my last two weeks' worth of playlists:

Log for first part of November 6th, 2008 show

Log for second part of November 6th, 2008 show

Log for first part of October 30th, 2008 show

Log for second part of October 30th, 2008 show

P.S. Feeling stressed? Have a few of these.

The Art of Not Irritating Me

2008-06-17T07:04:00.010-04:00

Help me out, please. How is it grammatically correct to call people, who are protesting the policies or actions of President George W. Bush, "anti-Bush protesters"? Isn't that a double negative? If one protests things that are anti-Bush, isn't one supporting Bush? (Think "the enemy of my enemy is my friend," people.) I hear this phrase, this "anti-Bush protesters" phrase, on NPR. I hear it everywhere, actually, but it bothers me more on NPR. Aren't they actually talking about "anti-Bush DEMONSTRATORS"? Or, perhaps, "Bush protesters"? I believe that they are.

Thanks to lolgeeks for this Donald Knuth picture. It halps.

And here, with all of the twitching you'd see if you said something like "the reason why is because..." in front of me, is last week's twitchy playlist:

Log for first part of June 12th, 2008 show

Log for second part of June 12th, 2008 show

Grumble.

Bloodlust

2008-06-12T19:20:00.006-04:00

I'm not going to lie to you. I am going to kill tonight. This fly has been buzzing me all evening and I'm sick of it. He's been strafing my apartment.

In other news, woohoo, I have some playlists for you!

And here, almost as if I'd dipped that insipid fly's little puddies in ink and had him dance all over three weeks' worth of blank playlists, are three weeks' worth of completed playlists:

Log for first part of May 22nd, 2008 show

Log for second part of May 22nd, 2008 show

Log for first part of May 29th, 2008 show

Log for second part of May 29th, 2008 show

Log for first part of June 5th, 2008 show

Log for second part of June 5th, 2008 show

On the Run

2008-05-01T19:26:00.009-04:00

Woo hoo, it's been a busy day. This morning's show was a pleasure, though. I got a lot of good requests, and was even able to find one or two of them.

The last song of the show was by Simple Kid and was called "Lil' King Kong." It's the song you've been hearing on that Saturn commercial.

Simple Kid is kind of a dude. We got his album "2" last Autumn and it's a tight amalgam of depth and fun. I encourage a visit to his website to listen to some music and watch some videos.

And here, faster than your little legs can carry you,
is today's playlist:

Log for first part of May 1st, 2008 show

Log for second part of May 1st, 2008 show

Rip Van What Now?

2008-04-30T20:00:00.014-04:00

I have been slacking off. I have neglected this blog for the past 20 years.

Really, it's been three months. But it feels like 20 years.

I've had legitimate computer, scanner, and internet connection troubles staggered throughout the last twelve weeks. All told, I'd say I had about six full weeks of down time. The rest of the time, I was busy getting a fantastic new job and brushing my hair, one hundred strokes at a time, until it shone like flax, like creepy, lawn-choking flax.

So! Faster than you can twitter "I'm reading three months' worth of Sarah's morning show playlists," here are three months' worth of my morning show playlists:

Log for first part of February 7th, 2008 show

Log for second part of February 7th, 2008 show

~~~

Log for first part of February 21st, 2008 show

Log for second part of February 21st, 2008 show

~~~

Log for first part of February 28th, 2008 show

Log for second part of February 28th, 2008 show

~~~

Log for first part of March 6th, 2008 show

Log for second part of March 6th, 2008 show

~~~

Log for first part of March 20th, 2008 show

Log for second part of March 20th, 2008 show

~~~

Log for first part of April 3rd, 2008 show

Log for second part of April 3rd, 2008 show

~~~

Log for first part of April 10th, 2008 show

Log for second part of April 10th, 2008 show

~~~

Log for first part of April 17th, 2008 show

Log for second part of April 17th, 2008 show

~~~

Log for first part of April 24th, 2008 show

Log for second part of April 24th, 2008 show

~~~

In other news, in my efforts to remember the name of the fable involving the man who slept for twenty years (Rip Van Winkle), I hit the internet and found several fables I'd forgotten about. For instance, I'd forgotten that Rumpelstiltskin was about a poor miller who lied to the king, telling him that his beautiful daughter could spin straw into gold. Wikipedia seems to have forgotten this, too. Their plot synopsis: "In order to make herself appear more hot, a miller lied to the king that his daughter could spin straw into gold." Huh. In order to make herself appear more hot.

Dear nine-year-olds,

Please stop editing Wikipedia.

Love,
Sarah

If a Floridian Votes in the Forest and There's No Delegate Around to Tell You About It...

2008-01-31T16:04:00.001-05:00

Things are heating up politically! What will happen? What's to become of our country? Read my playlists to find out!*

Log for first part of
January 31st, 2008 show

Log for second part of
January 31st, 2008 show

*what I played this morning

My Scanner Gets Told

2008-01-25T15:03:00.000-05:00

Bits and pieces of our old station equipment are being sold off. If I had money to burn and a lot of space, I'd snap up a few of these items. I can't believe how simple and innocent that console looks to me now. It's really not terrifically different from what we use now in that we're still just moving buttons and levers around to regulate levels and turn machines off and on. Yet, it is cleary from a different era. I miss the feel of the little toggle switches that let you switch from A to B on channels. I am needlessly nostalgic and wistful.

Speaking of nostalgia, wouldn't it be splendid if you could reminisce about all of the songs I've played over the last five weeks' worth of shows? And wouldn't it be nice to reminisce by seeing links to those playlists conveniently lined up in the same post? Heavens! Get out of my head. That's just what I've planned.

What's that, scanner? You say you're broken and I can't scan my playlists and put them on my blog ever again?

Oh, snap!

Here are my playlists from January 24th (yesterday), January 17th, January 10th, January 3rd, and December 27th:

Log for first part of January 24th, 2008 show

Log for second part of January 24th, 2008 show

Log for first part of January 17th, 2008 show

Log for second part of January 17th, 2008 show

Log for first part of January 10th, 2008 show

Log for second part of January 10th, 2008 show

Log for first part of January 3rd, 2008 show

Log for second part of January 3rd, 2008 show

Log for first part of December 27th, 2007 show

Log for second part of December 27th, 2007 show

Taco Bell's Cheesy Gordi---OH NO!

2008-01-15T19:48:00.001-05:00

Joe Jackson, WHAT ARE YOU DOOOOOING?!?!? I mean, I'm excited that the nation's masses are now turned on to your song "One More Time" from your 1979 album "Look Sharp," but did you really need to sell it to Taco Bell?
I SAID TACO BELL, JOE. Well, maybe it'll make the cheese-eating public realize that "Look Sharp" is one of the finest pop/rock albums ever made. Ever. I love Joe Jackson. Truly. Everything about "Look Sharp" is wonderful.

"Look Sharp" is the first album that made me really sit up and take notice of a bass player, by the way. (Well, the first since many of the Beatles' albums.) Graham Maby, the bass player who plays with Joe Jackson to this day, is a virtuoso.

When I think of all of the wonderful, earning bands whose songs I've heard on mediocre adverts on television, I don't remember ever screaming "No!" the way I did today when I heard Joe on Taco Bell. I don't know what that says about me.

I hope you invest the earnings wisely, Joe. You're a wonderful guy and I bought your book.

Steve Kramarck's Super Holiday Funtime Boom!

2007-12-19T14:00:00.000-05:00

Once each year, for the last 19 years, Steve Kramarck has come to WVUD and raided the airwaves with Christmas music, intelligent talk, and a boatload of panache. This year, it's happening during my show. It is rare for me to have the opportunity NOT to wake up at 3:30am on the Thursday before Christmas, so I leapt at the chance to have Steve fill in. He'll be bringing all of you listeners six luscious hours of comfort and joy, from 6am to Noon, on Thursday, December 20th, 2007. From the horsie's mouth: "Musically, it's a mix of the trite and sublime, the standards and the unknowns, long form, short form, etc... oh yeah, we have leg lamps, too." Tune in to 91.3 or listen online at wvud.org.

I'll catch you all on Thursday morning, December 27th, for my next show.
Happy Holidays!
-Sarah

P.S. Kramarck and I went to high school together and he never once gave me a swirlie. NICE!

Sweet Sweetness

2007-12-19T13:35:00.000-05:00

I ended up watching Little Miss Sunshine again this past weekend. I hung out with three of my favorite humans and we had a wonderful day. I'm not sure I've been that spectacularly lazy in a while, but it was well worth it. Laughing, snacking, more laughing, watching movies on cable, more snacking, and, finally, a hair fire. What's not to like?

Here, with the anemic wheeze of a dying car horn, is my playlist from last week. Why did it take so terribly long to post, Sarah? Why are you so lazy? I was busy laughing. Enjoy:

Log for first part of December 13th, 2007 show

Log for second part of December 13th, 2007 show

Embarassing

2007-12-07T15:33:00.000-05:00

Today I spent some time looking at some of the "Top 5 Embarassing Moments on YouTube." That's not accurate. I tried to look at them. They were too embarassing. I'd link to them, but they're all so miserable, I just can't. Oh, YouTube. You vindictive pop-culture movement, you...

And here, faster than video of your most embarassing moment can make it to YouTube, is my playlist from yesterday's show:

Log for first part of December 6th, 2007 show

Log for second part of December 6th, 2007 show

Lady

2007-12-04T18:53:00.000-05:00

I found this picture of a lovely cabin a while ago and never posted it. There are lots of things I've never done, but I don't have all night to get into that.

So here are my playlists from the last two shows:

Log for first part of November 29th, 2007 show

Log for second part of November 29th, 2007 show

Log for first part of November 22nd, 2007 show

Log for second part of November 22nd, 2007 show

Hey, it's snowing! This is pretty exciting. Philadelphia looks all fresh and glisteny and, somehow, hopeful. Atta boy, Philadelphia.

Also, you'll be pleased to know that I'm back to yelling at the lady (while, of course, doing everything she tells me to). Oh, exercise video lady, you'll get yours. "Just one more set of crunches!" Oh, you insidious hag.

P.S. The Philadelphia snow picture was taken from Rob Bender's site.

Pig Roast Cancelled

2007-11-15T12:14:00.000-05:00

Here, faster than you can set a nervous pig free, are playlists from today's and last week's shows:

Log for first part of November 15th, 2007 show

Log for second part of November 15th, 2007 show

Log for first part of November 8th, 2007 show

Log for second part of November 8th, 2007 show

You might remember the above sign and building from a post at around this time last year. I've driven by it a few times lately and didn't notice a pig roast scheduled, so I was surprised to see that it had been cancelled. I've never been to one. What causes people to have a pig roast? What causes them to cancel it?

In other news, I'm sleepy.

Elijah Foxface Maxwell

2007-11-14T10:12:00.001-05:00

This cartoon from The New Yorker is one of my favorites. All hail Bruce Eric Kaplan for coming up with what I feel should have been the vanguard of pretentious baby names.

Sadly, I keep forgetting to scan in last week's playlist. I'll have to scan them both in after tomorrow's show. I can tell you this, though: I plan to play more of OK Jones and will revisit a few songs from Rilo Kiley's newest album.

Now, onto one of my obsessions. The Making of Aja by Steely Dan is one of the most fascinating music documentaries you can own, especially if you really like Steely Dan. If you merely respect them, but don't particularly love them, you'll still love this DVD. I was blabbering about my love for Bernard "Pretty" Purdie in this video earlier today.

One of my favorite parts of the DVD is when Purdie demonstrates the Purdie Shuffle (which he used when playing drums on the song "Home at Last"). I've found a video of him demonstrating it on YouTube here. Find me a cooler man. Go ahead. Try. "Don't worry about those ghost notes! Ain't nothin but rebound. Ta make it sound... and feel... good."

My other favorite part of the video is when Donald Fagan and Walter Becker discuss and deconstruct "Peg." See the video below or click here to see the Peg deconstruction on YouTube. At about 4 minutes and 55 seconds, you'll hear the guitar solos that they rejected for Peg (played by musicians other than Jay Graydon, who ultimately did the solo used on the recording).

This same Peg YouTube video [above] will also remove any possible lingering doubt that Michael McDonald is, in fact, a shiny, glistening robot with razor-sharp mandible pincers and a neck filled with buzzing, sparking electricity where vocal cords should be. Listen to his hauntingly lovely and undeniably eery backing vocals on the above Peg video at about 6 minutes and 20 seconds in. Again, one of my favorite car-trip pastimes is trying to imitate Michael McDonald's singing voice. "Minute by Minute" by The Doobie Brothers is my favorite and I'm not bad at doing it. Of course, it makes sparks shoot out of my throat, but it reduces me to giggles shortly thereafter.

Darnit, I have to rush off to a meeting. Oh, WVUD.

Don't Call it a Comeback

2007-11-02T10:41:00.000-04:00

Here, significantly more slow than a one-two punch, are playlists from my last three shows:

Log for first part of
November 1st, 2007 show

Log for second part of
November 1st, 2007 show

Log for first part of
October 25th, 2007 show

Log for second part of
October 25th, 2007 show

Log for first part of
September 27th, 2007 show

Log for second part of
September 27th, 2007 show

That's right, listeners. I've been back on the air for a few weeks, after a few weeks off. My triumphant return last week was marked by the laziest playlist I've ever compiled. On yesterday's and last week's shows, I played a lot of CDs from my home collection. I figured I'd take it easy and give myself a chance to do less running back and forth to the library. A few listeners called in to say they liked the shows, which was wonderful. I'll admit, I loved them because I got to play songs that I've loved for years and not played for a while. I usually try to avoid my own collection because it's comprised of so much of the music I've played at WVUD over the years. You've all already heard a lot of it if you've listened to the show much.

But for the folks who don't get to listen regularly, and for me, it was a nice diversion. I even played Haircut One Hundred, a favorite band of mine from when I was a kid and put my Walkman to good use on the school bus every day. I distinctly remember Brian Turpin asking me why I listened to jazz on the way home from school (he could hear only the distant shriek of the brass section from his seat near mine). But who doesn't enjoy a little new pop in the afternoons?

In other news, it's marathon season in many cities. I'm pleased
to say that, though I am back on track with my workout routine, I am also participating in a sleep marathon, every night, in my bed. After a solid eight to nine hours of sleep, the world is a pretty simple place. I recommend this strategy to all people. Running actual marathons can flat-out kill you. Instead, break the tape reaching for the snooze button, then exercise in a way that won't make your heart explode. These and other tips for maintaining your health available in my new book, Please Keep in Mind That I Hold a B.A. in Communications.

Flattered

2007-09-20T13:39:00.000-04:00

I didn't have a show today and the area has taken it hard. Buck up, Newark. You still have College Square Shopping Center. Here are last week's playlists:

Log for first part of September 13th, 2007 show

Log for second part of September 13th, 2007 show

It's 4am. I've just finished breakfast...

2007-09-13T04:05:00.003-04:00

...and your worst fears have been realized.

Bridezillas really IS on
twenty-four hours a day.
Who watches it? Who has
such a hearty appetite
for mean-spirited brides?

A green apple isn't worth
eating unless it's got
Crazy Richard's all-natural chunky
peanut butter on it.
Ingredients: PEANUTS

Down to One Musical Dime

2007-09-06T10:10:00.000-04:00

I've played and enjoyed a few songs from Fountains of Wayne over the years. They've been around for a long time and know their way around a pop song, certainly. I also enjoy that they named themselves after this store, in Wayne, New Jersey.

During today's show, I played one of my favorite songs. It's not by Fountains of Wayne, but it is an homage, of sorts. Alt country hero Robbie Fulks released a pop hook monster of a tune in 2005 that not only sounded remarkably like Fountains of Wayne, but lovingly chided them for seeming, on occasion, formulaic.

Fulks's song is called "Fountains of Wayne Hotline." Click on the song title to read a bit more about it *AND* to hear an mp3 of the song in its entirety. Robbie Fulks and this song were introduced to me in 2005 by Steve Klinge (also of WVUD 91.3), a hero by anyone's standards.

And here, faster than you can try a wider
interval, is today's playlist:

Log for first part of September 6th, 2007 show

Log for second part of September 6th, 2007 show

Hardcore workout update: I caught a little cold, so the last day that I worked out was Monday. Don't you worry, though. I'm on the cusp of being done with this little setback and will resume kicking rump tomorrow morning.
Bonus: The workout is working! I saw ABS and LOTS OF 'EM in the mirror on Monday. Then I sneezed until my pancreas shook loose. Sicky. The Lady is going to be so mad at me tomorrow. Stop yelling at me, Workout DVD Lady. I'll crunch it when I'm good and ready and not sooner.

P.S. My friend Ryan has just informed me that he's "decided to start a dogfighting circuit in Philadelphia. Except instead of having dogs fight, it's going to be babies. I'm going to run the first babyfight circuit in the U.S. One year or younger ONLY." You may send him hatemail (and babies) at hamster.nutz@yahoo.com .

Panacea

2007-09-05T16:12:00.000-04:00

Click the link following this sentence.

You're welcome.

Exalted Warrior

2007-08-30T11:47:00.000-04:00

I have begun a new exercise program. I started last Friday, August 24th. I'm supposed to work out six days a week. Um, I guess Thursday will be my day off. Something about waking up at 3:30am, doing a show, then working until 5:30pm is not conducive to exercising. So. This new DVD that I follow every morning is kicking my butt. There are three phases of workouts. I'm now in Phase 2 (Phase 1 was really just meant to teach some basic "don't injure yourself" moves). The first day of Phase 2 was really difficult. The workout video felt like a 47-minute dragging death. Now that I've done it a few times, though, I think I'll make it. My goal is to firm up a bit and maybe lose a few pounds. I'd also like to be able to bench press a bench. A bench with 4 people sitting on it. I think this is realistic.

Exalted Warrior is one of the yoga poses the video exercise lady does / wants me to do in the cool-down portion of the video. Sweating, losing my balance, and giggling with exhaustion are not, I'm guessing, what she has in mind during this pose. But it's what I do.

And here, even though I spent the week panting and sweating and yelling "Jesus Christ, Lady, why aren't you sweating yet?" at my television, is today's playlist. If it's messy, it's only because my arms are still shakey from the push-ups:

Log for first part of August 30th, 2007 show

Log for second part of August 30th, 2007 show

P.S. Even though I hate the exercise video lady, I also secretly love her. Especially at minute forty seven. Exalt this, Lady.

The Cheddar Hut

2007-08-28T13:58:00.000-04:00

I spent August 17th, 18th and 19th at the beach. Three friends and I drove to Ocean City, New Jersey and had a grand old time. Our hotel was plenty decent and the weather was grand, so we had pretty much everything we could hope for. Imagine our glee when we found that there was one more thing we could hope for, and it would be given to us, immediately. We realized we could hope for affordable and tasty culinary fare in a friendly atmosphere. The Chatter Box provided. I should also mention that everyone who works there (male, female, young, not-so-very-young) is kind of attractive. Additionally, they're all incredibly attentive. You can pretend you're on a date: a date with The Cheddar Hut. (You'll begin to call it that after a long day in the sun and a glass of pinot noir.)

And here, though you had no reason to believe it would ever be posted, is last Thursday's playlist:

Log for first part of August 23rd, 2007 show

Log for second part of August 23rd, 2007 show

Here is photographic evidence of my vacation. My companions in Ocean City (two witty women, one witty male) forgot their cameras and I forgot mine, so we decided to take a few important shots with cellphones and boardwalk photo booths.

Photo 1: We were informed by the liquor store owner that wine coolers were not only definitely in style, but they, in fact, never went out of style. I believe we each had one.

Photo 2: Collectors' items are all the rage on the boardwalk. Don't forget to pick up your $500 Ewok Stuffed Animal / Symbol of Poor Money Management. Squint at the sign. Honest to Pete, it says $500.

Photo 3: The aforementioned witty male and I squeezed into a photo booth and hammed for the camera.
Shot 1: Hey. We wear glasses.
Shot 2: Wait a sec, no we don't.
Shot 3: Now we're scared because we can't see anything.
Shot 4: When we ham like this, we annoy even ourselves.

I'll be on the air tomorrow morning. Catch you then.

Doggie!

2007-08-14T18:57:00.000-04:00

And here, with the same amount of vigor your estranged, urban lionbaby shows when jumping for joy at seeing you after he's spent a year in the wild, is last week's playlist:

Log for first part of
August 9th, 2007 show

Log for second part of
August 9th, 2007 show

My grandest apologies, friends, but I will not be on the air this week. I am taking a very tiny vacation and will return to the show next week, refreshed and several inches taller. Refreshed, at least, surely.

Please Hold for Mr. Click

2007-08-06T11:38:00.000-04:00

I just got telemarketed at work. The woman upstairs buzzed me and said, "there's some guy on the phone yammering about website stuff [I built and maintain our site] and we think he's a sales guy, but, just in case, you should take it." I had to laugh. She then added, "so YOU get to launch him. Good luck."

I am surprisingly unmeek on the phone now that I am well into my thirties. This poor telemarketer guy gets transferred to me and...

Me: Hi, this is Sarah. May I help you?
TeleGuy: Hi, Sarah! (he's learned the valuable say the person's name after a pregnant pause! device forced on people when they're learning to influence others)
Me: Hi. Is there something I can help you with?
TeleGuy: Yes, [breath] Sarah. I wanted to talk to you about your company's website and
Me: Sir, I'm sorry, but I'm with a client [lying]. I really can't take the ti--
TeleGuy: Sarah, I understand your hesitation completely.
Me: Thanks for your interest, I have to go now.
TeleGuy: Sarah, are you in charge of the marketing for your website?
Me: Well, we're a small company and we market ourselves directly to our customers on the site, which I created and maintain."
TeleGuy: I completely understand, Sarah, but I really wanted to talk to you about - - -
Me: Thanks for your interest. I'm with a client and we don't require your services. Have a great day! *click*

I think he may have been talking when I hung up. I feel kind of terrible about this. But, come on. I was polite, right? Gads, he was loud and persistent. I still have an earache and am NOT interested in the hard sell. Sorry, fella.

I should have done what the women in my boss's brother's office used to do. Salesmen would be extremely pushy on the phone and would keep angling to talk to their manager or boss. The secretaries would repeatedly and politely deflect them, until they could take it no longer.

Infuriated Secretary: You want to talk to the boss? Okay, then. Please hold for Mr. Click.

*click*

No more telemarketer.

The Art of Seduction

2007-08-01T11:30:00.000-04:00

I know what boys like. It's called "adenoiditis" and it's all about pretty. It's been maybe 5 years since I last had it, so I guess I shouldn't complain, even though my neck is oddly swollen and my throat hurts. For all of you Munchausen folks out there, the fast track to having your doctor pay attention to you is telling him that you have swollen, painful glands and you've already had your tonsils out. "Get in here now," he'll say. Then, he'll say, "Enjoy sitting in my waiting room. Bring a sack lunch."

This is my way of saying, dear listeners, that I won't be on the air tomorrow. I will be back next week, however. Just you wait.

P.S. Boys like, boys like...me.

P.P.S. That is not really me.

Furry Harbinger of Death

2007-07-26T10:32:00.000-04:00

Dear Heavens. What's not to like about the news lately? For example, they've come up with this winner. It's all about a kitty who lives in a rest home and, apparently, predicts when patients will die. They say that it curls up next to a patient roughly four hours before the person expires. My first thought was how horrified these poor people must be when that hellcat comes a callin. What a nightmare. Elderly, inconsolable people, screaming for that cat to get out get out GO AWAY FOR THE LOVE OF GOD I'M NOT READY. The article clarifies, however, that Oscar, the "furry harbinger of death," puts the death cuddle only on patients who are unconscious or, at the very least, unaware of their surroundings. O Merciful Oscar.

There are a few other fabulous articles floating around this week. For example, this one talks about "obesity networks," where heaviness is inadvertently encouraged by one's social contacts.

And here, faster than you can blame your friends for all the weight you've gained shotgunning butterscotch topping, is today's playlist:

Log for first part of July 26th, 2007 show

Log for second part of July 26th, 2007 show

"Quit yer worrying,
you guys.

News is for losers."

PSSST! It's my birthday this weekend!
Thank god my mother never put me through this.

Impenetrable Mindlessness

2007-07-20T15:39:00.000-04:00

I'm currently reading William Manchester's book about the Middle Ages called A World Lit Only by Fire. The very first paragraph has a wonderful sentence in which Manchester says that most of what is known about the Dark Ages (the early portion of the Middle Ages, from roughly A.D. 400 to A.D. 1000) is "unlovely."

He then goes on to describe the era as a time of "incessant warfare, corruption, lawlessness, obsession with strange myths, and an almost impenetrable mindlessness."

Thank heavens that's over!

Just Passed Me By

2007-07-19T11:20:00.000-04:00

And here, full of the sultry charm to which you've become accustomed, is today's playlist:

Log for first part of July 19th, 2007 show

Log for second part of July 19th, 2007 show

The Style Council did a fabulous song called "Long Hot Summer" in 1983. It was on their album "Introducing the Style Council" and I wore it out. I believe I'll play them next week.

Cause / Effect

2007-07-17T15:54:00.000-04:00

Meow.

Ow.

Friends/relatives:
Don't worry. It is a small scrape/booboo.
I just find the trail of blood impressive.

Go-Getter

2007-07-13T15:47:00.000-04:00

This

bear

is

getting

things

done.

Run!

2007-07-12T11:14:00.000-04:00

And here, faster than a dog named Bullet, is today's playlist:

Log for first part of July 12th, 2007 show

Log for second part of July 12th, 2007 show

Thanks so much to Steve for coming to visit me during my show this morning. He always brings interesting and new music, as well as a few solid, dry jokes. I have a great time with him. You can listen to his show on Tuesday nights from 8pm to 10pm, on 91.3FM, WVUD.

Tag, I'm it

2007-07-06T13:00:00.000-04:00

I was just tagged by Leigh. She's a trickster, that one. Now, I'm supposed to tell you

8 Random Things About Me

1. I weighed exactly 5lbs the day I left the hospital as a baby. I think I weighed five and change when I was born, but babies tend to lose a bit the first day or so. I was also two weeks early, which is something I've made up for since.

2. I had a recurring dream as a child that Paul and Linda McCartney lived in my neighborhood and would frequently let me interview them after school.

3. As a very small child, I referred to my brother as "My Andy" instead of just "Andy" or "my brother." It made sense at the time: This is my mommy, this is my daddy, this is my Andy.

4. Each month, during PMS, all I want to eat is a meatball parm. It's been a recurring craving for about five years. I have not had a meatball parm since I was a teenager, though. I don't know why I want one so badly, and I don't know why I always deny myself that stupid sandwich.

5. I like to sing "Minute by Minute" by the Doobie Brothers, as Michael McDonald. It's not a perfect impersonation, but it's not bad and it amuses me to no end.

7. I cannot handle karaoke. If the singers are terrible, I feel awful for them. If the singers are dazzling, I feel awful for them. I have many friends who can and can't sing and they all seem to enjoy karaoke. It shames me to say that I just don't enjoy it. I've done it only once and it was fun, but I think it filled my quota. Now, it seems like it won't be fun.

8. I almost never see famous people. Except this one time, when I saw Vincent D'Onofrio. Just like Leigh.

And now, I tag three others: Ryan, Matt, and Mike Garvey.

Monkey Dulcimer

2007-07-05T10:48:00.000-04:00

I helped my friend Ryan move last weekend. His cat has this little monkey toy (it squeaks!) that she loves. She sort of tore it apart and I sewed it back together rather roughly with some black thread. Here is the inimitable monkey, perched on a hammered dulcimer. "Why does Ryan have a hammered dulcimer?", you might ask. I'm not sure, but I suspect it's for the purpose of rocking out.

Interestingly, if you follow the above Wikipedia link and read the definition for "Dulcimer," you'll learn that "Dulcimer" was the code name used for the iPod during production. You can go ahead and whip that one out at parties without giving me or Wikipedia credit. We don't mind. We're cool like that.

And here, faster than you can rip the stitches out of your monkey while gleefully ignoring the death rattle coming from his squeaker, is today's playlist:

Log for first part of July 5th, 2007 show

Log for second part of July 5th, 2007 show

Here is a very somber and artful picure of Ryan's cat, Neko.

Not to be outdone, here is a somber, yet not artful, picture of my beloved, departed sheepdog, Tosh (with her summer haircut). Who would have come completely unglued if she'd ever met Neko.

P.S. This is how tough Philly is: They cancelled the fireworks at the art museum due to rain. They waited a little while, and, though it hadn't stopped raining, they went ahead and did the fireworks anyway. After thousands of people had left. Oh, Philadelphia. You merry prankster, you.

This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things (#2)

2007-07-03T11:22:00.000-04:00

Oh, Philadelphia. You fell off the wagon. You were doing a fairly good job of not interfering with my happiness, and I appreciate it, I do. However, you can't go back, Philadelphia. No one wants to see you degrade yourself this way. You don't need to repeat your mistakes. They're done. I forgave you, and I thought we'd both moved on.

Also, geez, what's with all the garbage on the streets? Show some pride, would you?

Okay, enough complaining about Philly's snarky attitude towards my car. Instead, enjoy the site of these kids cooling off on one of those very, very hot days last week. Philadephia definitely has its charms. Some of them are illegal, but still charming.

Click here for "This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things (#1)"

Panda Sings the Blues

2007-07-03T10:39:00.000-04:00

The National Zoo in Washington, D.C. thinks that Mei Xiang, the mother of famed two-year-old Tai Shan, may be pregnant again. It's hard for them to tell, as female pandas' hormone cycles can often mimic pregnancy. I took a screen shot of the Panda Cam this morning, and one can see that Mei was relaxing on some rocks. I suspect that she is not pregnant, as this pose strongly resembles the supine stagnancy of every woman I know during PMS. My friend Alli said that it would be more accurate if she had a television remote in her paw.

In other news, it's taken me a while to post last week's playlist.

But here, more satisfying than 40lbs of scrumptious bamboo when nothing else will satiate your cravings, is my playlist from June 28th.

Log for first part of June 28th, 2007 show

Log for second part of June 28th, 2007 show

P.S. Two hours later and there she remains, slumped on that rock. I suppose this could be PMS, abject bear-despair, or actual pregnancy. I'd like to pet her on her head and tell her everything is going to be okay. I'd also like not to be mauled.

Sacrebleu!

2007-06-21T12:35:00.000-04:00

Good heavens!

Here is today's playlist.

Why, it's not even 1 pm and I've already posted it.

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!?

Log for first part of June 21st, 2007 show

Log for second part of June 21st, 2007 show

Time

2007-06-19T09:04:00.001-04:00

Here is last week's playlist. Why did it take me so long to scan it in? I've been busy. See? I made a doggie!

Log for first part of June 14th, 2007 show

Log for second part of June 14th, 2007 show

P.S. I know it looks like Heavy D's fella is trying to grope the nice young lady in that still frame from the video in the previous post. But he's not, honestly. He's reaching ACROSS her. Heavy D simply wouldn't allow anything untoward in his video. He and I are like, totes BFFs. I should know.

Pretty in the Face, Heavy in the Waist

2007-06-13T15:40:00.000-04:00

I can't help it. I like this guy. He's got nuttin but love for me. I could have used his guidance that day the power went out in the radio station a few years back.

Good Day, Sunshine

2007-06-08T15:48:00.000-04:00

I slept for thirteen hours the other day. You might've heard me talk about it if you caught the show. It's noteworthy only because I slept through several alarms, including one of the terrifying wind-up ones that make such a racket they bring the plaster down when they go off. There was NO REASON for this slumber. It made no sense. I have slept wonderfully all week, I'm not ill, and I certainly hadn't had any alcohol or, you know, laudanum or anything. This has never happened before. I slept through all of the alarms and eventual phone calls. Nothing could wake me. What on Earth happened?

Here are two weeks' worth of playlists. I would have posted them earlier but I wasszzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz:

Log for first part of May 31st, 2007 show

Log for second part of May 31st, 2007 show

and

Log for first part of June 7th, 2007 show

Log for second part of June 7th, 2007 show

Note to current and future bosses:

I don't plan to do this again.

Pocahontas

2007-06-04T11:39:00.000-04:00

I've always loved this Neil Young song. It's sad, sweet, and this 1992 performance is just plain charming. He forgets to sing the second verse, but gets help on the lyrics from audience members. There's something very comforting here, despite the firesticks and wagons.

American Glutton Baby

2007-05-29T09:32:00.000-04:00

I was talking with Ryan today (well, typing on Gmail Chat, which you all should learn about) and he asked me what my first words were. To my gluttonous, American chagrin, I think my first word was either "cookie" or "TD," which is Baby for "TV." Ryan asked if I was sure it wasn't "Triscuit." Yes, Ryan. I'm sure. But I do love the delicious goodness of low-fat Triscuits, I can't lie. They are my staple grain.

Ryan then asked, "you know what I ate yesterday?" which is a great way to get me to list vile things ad nauseum. His response:

Ryan: soy bacon

me: wow. any good?

Ryan: no. i know that some of my advice is suspect and that sometimes people should take things i say with a grain of salt. this is not one of those times. DO NOT EVER EAT SOY BACON. i spent the rest of the night wishing i was vomiting. it was awful.

There it is, citizens. Soy bacon is a bad idea.

It wasn't a bad idea for me to skip my radio show last week, however. I'm sorry I abandoned the airwaves, but I was exhausted and needed to have a Thursday on which I could wake up at 6am instead of 3:30am. I will be back for my show this Thursday, of course, and will play glorious tunes for you. We at WVUD are back to our full schedule, so the show will last for three hours. I'm looking forward to it.

Drip

2007-05-17T12:34:00.000-04:00

Last night, we had a ferocious rain. My lovely landlord is particularly proud of the new roof he had put on the building where I rent my apartment. This man is so good and kind. It broke my heart to have to call him this morning to tell him that water leaked into my bathroom through the skylight and damaged (well, released onto the floor, really) some of the plaster on the ceiling. Oh, rain. Why you gotta be like that?

And here, faster than you can be a smart alec and say, "BUT, SARAH, I THOUGHT YOU *WANTED* WATER IN YOUR BATHROOM," are this morning's playlists:

Log for first part of May 17th, 2007 show

Log for second part of May 17th, 2007 show

It had just begun to rain as I was nearing home yesterday evening. When I was about six blocks from my place, the rain began simply HOLLERING at the ground. I saw a couple on a far corner get literally hammered with water as they scrambled toward a nearby building. I was lucky enough to be in my car, but felt the sting during my short sprint from car to apartment.

With all of that said, please enjoy this video of the drum battle between Buddy Rich and Animal. Bad pun, indeed.

Please Note:

Next week, all of WVUD's shows will be on the old schedule. That means that Java Time will again go from 6am to 9am. That's three full hours of glorious music, folks!

Box Thursday!

2007-05-10T16:50:00.001-04:00

It's Box Thursday! It's the day when my buddy Ryan comes over to take away four million of the boxes I've emptied. I'm nowhere near unpacked, but I have many, many empty boxes piled in the hallway. I'll write more later when I can think of something other than boxes! And Thursdays!

Here are two weeks' worth of playlists. They have nothing to do with boxes and everything to do with Thursdays:

Log for first part of May 3rd, 2007 show

Log for second part of May 3rd, 2007 show

and

Log for first part of May 10th, 2007 show

Log for second part of May 10th, 2007 show

Enjoy trying to read my handwriting on the May 10th logs. The only pen I found in the station was so enormous that it was like trying to write with a pen made from a beer can.

How Can She be So Skinny and Live So Phat?

2007-04-28T10:18:00.000-04:00

It's gorgeous, right? I know, it really is. I'm delighted with this place and have the guilty, wonderful, nervous feeling that I've really stumbled onto a FIND. I feel LUCKY. It's making me nervous in that "dog-anxiously- hunkering-over-meat
-found-in-garbage" kind of way.

Despite my acknowledged glee, I can't deny that I'm deep in the middle of a boxed scavenger hunt. Each day, I go on a mission to find one particular item. Boxes get opened and rifled through, and out of guilt and nothing else, I place maybe three items in a cabinet or a drawer somewhere, telling myself that I'm really making some progress on this unpacking thing.

I know it takes more than three days to unpack after a move and I'm not one of those insane people who has everything JUST SO immediately. Unpacking takes two months (at least) for a one bedroom apartment. If I lived in a house and had roommates, a husband, or children, I'd up that to eight months (at least). I know that most 4-person families who move from one house to another end up with never-unpacked boxes in the basement until well after the children have graduated and moved into their own apartments or homes. Then, the children become seasoned adults with their own never-unpacked boxes and go through their childhood homestead boxes when it's time to think about moving the parents to a one bedroom apartment where they don't have to worry about climbing stairs. Such is the cycle of life/boxes. This reads like a metaphor for "personal baggage," but is, in fact, not. I'm really just talking about how people are slow to unpack.

Segues are for jerks! In a radical shift of subject, I present, The YouTube Video That my Friend Liz Cannot Stop Watching. This video has been around for a good while, but it has staying power. I revisit it every few months. It really is just like a mini-mall. Hey, hey.

And here, faster than you can say "Montgomery" in three syllables, are my playlists from the last two shows:

Log for first part of April 19th, 2007 show
(It was Radiothon! Thanks for your pledges!)

Log for second part of April 19th, 2007 show
(You gave us money! Thanks for supporting WVUD.)

and

Log for first part of April 26th, 2007 show

Log for second part of April 26th, 2007 show

P.S. Auditions are rough.

Déjà Vu

2007-04-23T19:40:00.000-04:00

It's funny, I remember being here before. The movers come tomorrow to haul my prodigious amount of stuff over to my new apartment. Remember my fabulous loft bed that Maurice put together for me? Well, I've taken it apart with a fancy power drill and a socket set I bought at Home Depot. I'm so proud of this socket set. Proud enough to mention it to you folks.

Annnnyway. There is one, tiny screw left in this loft bed, holding the headboard to the main piece. The head of said screw is all stripped out so I can't drill it out. This remarkably tenacious screw is making my life very difficult. I suspect I will triumph, regardless.

Good news coming: Talking to my new landlords is like holding a sleeping puppy. But only because I feel so soothed and content. For heaven's sake, they fed me cheesecake and tea when I went to sign the lease. CHEESECAKE AND TEA, PEOPLE.

You know what word is funny? Zamboni.
God, I'm sleepy.

Radiothon 2007

2007-04-18T13:59:00.000-04:00

It's Radiothon time again! I'll be on the air tomorrow, trolling for dollars in the most polite way I know how. I'll also, of course, be playing lots of good music, as I don't like to clutter up my show with too much blather. The small amount of blather you'll endure tomorrow is for a good cause, obviously, so please do what you can to help out listener-supported WVUD, 91.3, in Newark, Delaware. It's one champ of a little radio station and has been serving the area for decades.

Now, for your amusement, go to YouTube and watch the Beatles prance about on stage in 1964, in a faux-Shakespearean performance.

Smurfin Not Rehearsin

2007-04-13T18:53:00.000-04:00

My apartment will soon look like this. I can't wait. Tired of hearing about how I'm moving to a fabulous new apartment yet? GOOD. I'm not done. Not by a longshot.

Now, I hate to promote the wasting of company time, but this site has some funny stuff on it. I'm not even all that into cats. Unless they're talkin' jive and causin' trouble.

And here, with more biff than you can bonk,
are two weeks' worth of playlists:

Log for first part of April 5th, 2007 show

Log for second part of April 5th, 2007 show

and

Log for first part of April 12th, 2007 show

Log for second part of April 12th, 2007 show

Biff Bonk!

2007-04-12T17:20:00.000-04:00

Good Things Come to Those Who Complain Incessantly for an Entire Year

2007-04-11T12:37:00.000-04:00

Holy heck, people. I have a new apartment. I am crazily excited. Last night, I was so giddy that I couldn't get to sleep until nearly 2am. I know that seems extreme, or, at the very least, painfully childlike, but you have to understand how sad and grumpy I've become in my current home. The shocking contrast of feeling so elated kept me wide awake.

I'd like to write at length about the process of finding this new place and all of the strange and fortuitous things that led me to it, but I'm too excited right now.

Let the packing begin!

Finally

2007-04-02T12:30:00.000-04:00

And here, just barely faster than it took this guy to learn his new trick, are three weeks' worth of playlists:

Log for first part of March 15th, 2007 show

Log for second part of March 15th, 2007 show

and

Log for first part of March 22nd, 2007 show

Log for second part of March 22nd, 2007 show

and

Log for first part of March 29th, 2007 show

Log for second part of March 29th, 2007 show
A note about the second part of March 29th's playlist: I don't know what that schmutz is on the playlist there, but, in an effort to provide you with an authentic radio-playlist-viewing experience, I've not photoshopped it out. Also, I tend to throw things and mash food into my hair while on the air. Mrowrrf.

I gotta tell ya, I feel better already. These playlists have been weighing me down. Thanks to this animator, Justin, who supplied me with a perfect image of exhaustion without even knowing it.

Slow Your Roll, Pam

2007-03-26T12:49:00.000-04:00

All right, folks. I'm having trouble getting my most recent playlists up here on the blog. I have a new computer and must load photoshop on to it, etc. I don't know if it's bumming YOU out, but it's making me impatient not to have photoshop. And playlists.

In other news, my apartment hunt continues. I decided not to take the glorious, but slightly overpriced apartment that I mentioned recently. All I know is that the next place I live in is going to have one heck of a good shower.

I'll be on the air Thursday and hope to have the playlist deal all fixed up before then. Kablam!

P.S. Chicken sandwich, you know the drill.

Que Sera, Sarah

2007-03-14T13:12:00.000-04:00

I think I have found the perfect new apartment for myself. It's bigger than what I currently live in, it has a washer and dryer in it, it's in a quiet area, and it whispered my name when I saw it. Oh my heavens, I want this apartment. I'm waiting for the landlord to talk to me about the cost, as it's slightly more than I can afford. He might actually come down a bit in price, though, as honestly, I am a really good tenant. [Note: Pictured apartment is no where near what I live in now or will ever live in. I just like this new place so much that it might as well be a penthouse apartment in Manhattan.]

Sure, contrary to what a good tenant might do, I'll whine at you and call you several times in the mornings, using a tearful voice, if you're my *current* landlord. That happens, however, only if I'm forced to take showers in a GARBAGE CAN. Which, currently, I am. The water pressure in my apartment sometimes just disappears. It could happen every day for several days or not at all for a full week. I never know.

Here's what happens: I've noticed that, if I am in the shower at 7:15am, the water pressure abruptly drops. It gets so low that the water can no longer make it up the wall to the shower head and, instead, defaults to trickling out of the bathtub faucet. Trickle is a good word for it. Another way to describe the strength of this water pressure would be to ask you to imagine the effect of feeding a toddler nothing but talcum powder and saltines for, say, three weeks. After said three weeks, ask the toddler to urinate on you. Can he do it? Is there any liquid coming out? No? Such is my shower at 7:15am on many days.

I'm a reasonable gal, so I've changed my shower time to 6:30am. Some days, it happens then, too. When I had bronchitis last week, I took a shower at 3pm. It happened then. Sometimes, the water disappears and trickles weakly out of the tub faucet for only 5 minutes, then comes back to its usual, adequate-ish stream. Other times, the water simply stays gone for an hour.

My solution: I keep a 13-gallon Rubbermaid garbage can in my bathtub. First thing in the morning, I fill it with warm/hot water. When I take my shower, if the water disappears, I simply scoop water out of the garbage can with an empty cottage cheese container and wash/rinse myself that way. I told my mother that I've had to do this several times recently and she remarked that that was how they bathed when she and her family briefly lived in Burma. In 1950. BURMA IN 1950. Call me crazy, but when my current landlord told me he was going to raise the rent $40/month, I thought it best to begin looking.

EAT UP, KIDS.
THAT LADY'S HAIR AIN'T GONNA WASH ITSELF.

So, dear listeners, I'm now hoping hoping hoping that I get this new apartment. I'm trying to be very "whatever happens, happens" and "if it's meant to be your apartment, you'll get it" about the whole thing, but, I must admit that I am VERY excited.

Oh boy! I'll be on the air tomorrow. The bronchitis is just about over and I look forward to doing my show. Talk to you then.

P.S. My current landlords aren't bad folks. Sure, the place was filthy when I moved in, but they made solid efforts to fix that when I complained and they've even sent a plumber out a few times to check on the water situation. It seems that my shower just loses priority if anyone else in the building is using water. Who is to blame? No one. Or maybe this guy. Whatevs.

DJ Plague?

2007-03-08T06:29:00.000-05:00

Well, I just got word that my substitute is now sick, too, the poor gal. I'm sorry, dear listeners, but that means you're hearing Radio Romania or some such thing instead of a show. This DJ plague must end.

P.S. This is how we all got sick. Communications majors. What ya gonna do?

Phlegmatic

2007-03-07T17:35:00.000-05:00

Okay so I'm not going to be on the air AGAIN tomorrow. Stop YELLING. I know, I know, it's the third time in the last few months. I feel guilty enough as it is, people. But go easy on me. Your sweet, old Uncle Sarah has had bronchitis for about 5 days. My voice is starting to come back and today is the first day that I've been up and about. I thought it best not to push it by yammering at you folks for a few hours first thing in the morning. Besides, I'd just cough and wheeze all over the microphone, thereby sickening every DJ to use the station after me. Is that what you want?

In other news, I am sad to report that cough syrup with codeine is not the aperitif you've heard it is. Its sole purpose is to quiet down the ladylike horking that I do all day so that I can sleep at night. It does stifle the cough, but it does not make me sleepy. In fact, I'm wide awake. One teaspoonful of this stuff and I've paid my bills, done my dishes, and am now blogging, despite having NOTHING to say. It's the devil's elixir, it is. I don't want to be successful and productive. I want to nap.

Happily, I have decided that I am done with all injury and illness. The weird back thing I did at work last week is all better and my white blood cells are like tiny super heroes, fighting this bronchitis thing to the death. In other words, I plan to become a redoubtable force of strength, health, and drive-time radio. Taste my pop/rock steel, naysayers. Please stop staring at my super-hero chest. Stop it right now. I mean it.

Holding Back

2007-03-01T12:27:00.000-05:00

This picture resembles my posture for a little while at the radio station this morning. Have you ever done something so stupid that you could barely believe you were allowed to walk the earth? Yeah, me either. Except for yesterday, when I helped my boss carry a mildly heavy bookshelf up the stairs. The first trip went swimmingly. On the second trip, however, I must've done some fancy dance move, as I managed to really strain something in my back. I remember thinking, "wow, that hurt a bit. I wonder if it's going to turn into someth----OH MY GOD." So today is a bit rough. I'm pretty good with stretching and doing the right thing when I occasionally pull muscles in my back or neck during a workout, so I think I'll be fully dandy again in a few days. Besides, Mama likes to work out frequently and I'm not about to turn squishy just to accommodate a little pain in my----OH MY GOD.

I mentioned this back thing on the air and got several calls. One was of the chiding "you're no spring chicken" variety. He encouraged rest and said I'd be back to my septuagenarian tricks in no time. Another caller recounted her story of back pain and injury and said that, since her surgery, things have been better. She encouraged a doctor visit, suggesting that it certainly couldn't hurt to get looked over. Still another caller suggested that I play a Cindi Lauper song. I believe that this had nothing to do with back aches, but rather, it gave me the impression that said listener wanted to hear a Cindi Lauper song.

And here, faster than I can turn a little heavy-lifting strain into an excuse to post glorious pictures of folks in traction, are today's playlists:

Log for first part of March 1st, 2007 show

Log for second part of March 1st, 2007 show

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Chimps! Tools! Killing! Wow!

2007-02-22T16:02:00.000-05:00

WOW. These chimpanzees in Senegal have been making spears from sticks and using them to kill prey. This is the first evidence that a non-human animal can do that. I suspect that those snotty Geico cavemen are feeling a little chagrined right about now.

And here, faster than you can tear the side branches off of long straight sticks, peeling back the bark and sharpening one end, are today's playlists:

Log for first half of February 22nd, 2007 show

Log for second half of February 22nd, 2007 show

Oh, stop pouting
and go listen to
Röyksopp.

Glassy McHalfFull

2007-02-21T14:54:00.000-05:00

I just stepped into a very deep, cold, slushy pile of snow in my sweetie-pie work shoes. These are adorable shoes. Little heels and everything. I was stylin. Needless to say, wearing little pantyhose sock thingies and adorable little kitten-paw shoes and landing your foot ankle-deep in snow is annoying. I was trying very hard not to swear. I nearly succeeded. My co-worker heard me bleat out some mild expletives as I entered the building and told her that I'd just stepped in the ONLY patch of snow deep enough to accommodate my foot. "Could have been worse. Could have been dog sh*t."

Touché, Co-worker.

I'll be on the air tomorrow, y'alls. Get ready.

Absent!

2007-02-15T12:38:00.000-05:00

I didn't do the show today! I was busy being stuck in the ice in my parking lot, spinning my wheels (no metaphor here). My landlord eventually helped to push me out when he got to his nearby office. What a guy. Sorry, folks! I'll be on the air next week, playing happy songs.

P.S. Think Spring:

Your Frozen Heart

2007-02-14T10:53:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day, Folks! I hope you're enjoying the freezing rain and brown snow that undoubtedly greeted you this morning. Don't worry, though. Your V-Day can still be special. Assuming you haven't careered off of the ice-slick road and landed in the median.

I chose to spend Valentine's Day in the traditional way: Risking my life driving to work in an ice storm. What says commitment more than spending half an hour scraping away at the icy sarcophagus surrounding my idling car, then driving 23 MPH on a 4-lane slip 'n' slide to work? Nothing, say I!

I found this gorgeous picture of an ice storm from an Ontario government website. That's in Canadia! It's from some time between 1900 and 1919. Click on it to see the full image. Ryan noticed that it was reversed (notice the sign's letters are backwards on the website's original), so I've flipped it. It's intimidating, but beautiful.

Stay warm, folks. And for my friends who loathe this day, it's okay. There's enough wine and sarcasm in the world to get anyone through this silly faux holiday.

You'd Better Believe I Bought That Coat

2007-02-08T10:53:00.000-05:00

I went ahead and bought that enormous coat I was talking about. It's no Triple Fat Goose, but it's pretty good. I wore it to walk around in Valley Forge and Philly last weekend, when the insane coldness began.

Yeah, yeah, I noticed that the deep freeze began just after my OH NO GLOBAL WARMING post. Don't be a smart alec.

Here, through the haze of my frozen breath, are today's playlists:

Log for first half of February 8th, 2007 show

Log for second half of February 8th, 2007 show

Greetings

2007-02-07T16:18:00.000-05:00

Greetings. After taking last week off, I'll be back on the air tomorrow morning for my show. I'm really looking forward to it, as the new Bikeride CD is waiting for me when I get there. It promises to be a good morning.

Tonight, however, will be devoted to sitting on my sofa and blasting myself with my space heater. It is, officially, Cozy Stay-at-Home Wednesday tonight. Enjoy!

Climate Changes (Way to Go, Bi-peds)

2007-02-02T10:07:00.000-05:00

Nice going, Humans. You can't blame THIS one on flatulent cows... According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (comprised of governmental officials and scientists from 113 countries), rising global temperatures (otherwise known as Global Warming) are happening because of, wait for it, people. The report also predicts that future climate change will be a result of this human influence. In 100 years, if folks don't change their warming ways, we could radically change our weather for the worse. Earth would have a much different climate at the end of the 21st century than at the beginning (with thermal expansion of the oceans, melting glaciers, and a plague of tiny, vicious monkeys). Here is a link to the Panel's report. It is in pdf format, so don't get scared when Adobe comes a callin' after you click the link.

Here is a link to NPR's Steve Inskeep's brief report on the subject.

Remember when you were a kid (assuming you were born in the early eighties or before) and Halloween was cold? Remember snow days? The mid-atlantic area has been getting balmier every winter. It's creepy. How much of your behavior are you willing to change to help out Earth and keep yourself from being boiled alive in February? Maybe you should lower the amount of greenhouse gases you emit. Turn down your thermostat. Drive a fuel-efficient car. Plant a tree. Walk or take public transportation when you can. I plan to contribute by living in the dark and never, ever breaking wind again. Conservation is fun, kids! HOP TO IT!

P.S. The above cow picture pleased me to death and I wanted to email Tyler Larson to ask his permission before I used it, but could not find his email address. Here is his site, though, and I hope he's cool with his picture being on my blog.

P.P.S. Many thanks to Mark, who covered my show for me yesterday while I did important things. I'll be on the air next week, folks.

I Put a Hurt on You

2007-01-30T15:14:00.000-05:00

Dear Grilled Chicken Sandwich from Wawa,

I put a serious hurt on you.
Recognize.

Sincerely,
Sarah

Cold. Cold. Very, Very Cold

2007-01-26T13:07:00.000-05:00

And here, ice cold, are my playlists for yesterday:

Log for first half of January 25th, 2007 show

Log for second half of January 25th, 2007 show

It's insanely cold and I'm thinking of buying this coat. Is this overkill? Will I actually find myself too warm on freezing, 16 degree days like today if I buy this monster?

Area Woman Plays Hard to Take

2007-01-18T14:43:00.000-05:00

I was FIFTEEN MINUTES LATE for my own show this morning. Why do you even put up with me? I'll tell you why: You feel sorry for me because I sat in hairspray.

And here, right on time, are my playlists for today:

Log for first half of January 18th, 2007 show

Log for second half of January 18th, 2007 show

Image courtesty of this website about unusual gravestones. It took me a minute to notice, but the Allen gravestone has a clock on top, set to 2:30.

How to Sit in Hairspray (5 Easy Steps!)

2007-01-18T11:00:00.000-05:00

1. Be vain

2. Stand at mirror in lilliputian bathroom at work

3. Endlessly spritz hair with Frizz-Ease in attempt to rectify Nature's truculence

4. Go to bathroom, realizing that you've overshot your head and covered toilet seat (and, shortly thereafter, your rump) in "special conditioning and glossing agents"

5. Be cranky

Thumbs up, y'all!

Téléphone

2007-01-12T16:08:00.000-05:00

And here, faster than you can speak into a mouthpiece, allowing the acoustic vibrations from your speech to push a metallic coating slightly closer to an electrode in the mouthpiece, resulting in variations in voltage and therefore a speedy conversion from acoustic to electric energy, which is then conveyed through a wire to the speaker on the other end, where electric pulses are converted into acoustic energy again, [BREATHE] are my playlists from yesterday's show and the December 28th show:

Log for first half of December 28th, 2006 show

Log for second half of December 28th, 2006 show

Log for first half of January 11th, 2007 show

Log for second half of January 11th, 2007 show

Interestingly, a search for "telephone" on Wikipedia yields this page.
Incredibly slammingly cool-ly, a search for "téléphone" on French Wikipedia yields the above awesome picture of Alexander Graham Bell from 1876. Yes, okay, so it looks like he's using an elaborate bong. It is, in fact, an early telephone.

Candy Canes and Mammograms

2007-01-05T15:01:00.000-05:00

Some important business:
Firstly, I just ate a candy cane and enjoyed it a lot. Sure, my pancreas is now working overtime to provide enough insulin to compensate for the fact that I just ate pure sugar, but it was worth it. I'm in minty heaven.

Secondly, I have a new lady doctor. (This is a family place, kids. If you want to read smut words like "gynecologist," you'll have to go elsewhere.) After giving me a requisite breast exam, he said he felt some lumps, but that they could be normal changes that occur before menstruation. He suggested that I come back in a few weeks (at a different time in my cycle) for a second breast exam, just in case. Okay, fine. I chose not to panic. (Note for nervous friends/family members who don't want to wait until the end of this post: Not panicking was a great idea, as I'm fine and everything's cool, according to two exams and a mammogram. Hooray for health! Now, back to the chronology of events...)

THEN, he asked if I'd ever had a mammogram. I hadn't, and my understanding was that women didn't require them until at least 40. He explained that many doctors encourage their patients to have a baseline mammogram at 35 so that they have something to compare their future ones to (assuming the mammogram you have at 35 shows you to have healthy breast tissue).

So! Armed with the knowledge that my new doctor felt "lumps, but probably nothing to worry about," I left the building and scheduled my first mammogram. Everyone knows that smashing a body part between two plates isn't going to feel GOOD, but I'd heard a few stories that suggested real pain, not just discomfort. I was scared.

Here's the good news: It didn't hurt. It was barely uncomfortable. [Here is the part meant to comfort the ladies] Different women have different sensations and they say that certain breast types will feel more discomfort. I can't remember if softer-tissued breasts or denser breasts feel more pain, but, regardless, it's not the intensely painful and lengthy procedure you fear it is. I learned that my tissue is on the dense side of average, and, for what it's worth, it really wasn't bad. The machine compresses the breast between two plastic plates, yes. But its goal is not to smash you until you can't bear it. It just needs a firm enough grip to get a good scan. I wouldn't want to eat lunch in the thing, but for the three or four seconds of compression, I was just fine. Once, it really smarted for about a split second. Then, it released. Don't be scared, I beg of you. This is coming from a woman who was VERY scared and who does not have a particularly hearty or cavalier philosophy about pain. Translation: I went in there feeling like a sissy, expecting to have to really struggle through something horrible. I left whistling whatever song was playing in the elevator and thinking about lunch. Nooooooo worries at all. [End lady comfort]

There was nothing humiliating or demeaning about it at all, either. The mammographer was a heck of a gal and we shot the breeze the whole time. I even managed to make her laugh pretty hard, which was fun.

WHAT? YOU WANT TO HEAR WHAT I SAID? OKAY. So I'm sitting there with my gown on, open in the front, answering her questions before I stand up and get positioned at the machine thingy. Her head's down, and she's diligently recording my answers on her clipboard.

"Is there a history of breast cancer in your family?"
Nope.

"Have you ever had any breast surgery?"
Nope.

"Do you have breast implants currently?"
Yeah, but I'm thinking I should get my money back.

The mammographer looks up from her clipboard, eyes my 36As, and trumpets out a big, snorty laugh.

SCORE! Radiologists love a good laugh, I tell ya.

The moral of the story is this: If you have breasts, do frequent self-exams and make sure a professional checks you out every year. (Here is a 5-step diagram of how to do a self-exam.) If you have 35-year-old breasts, get a baseline mammogram and continue your self-exams. If you are prone to feeling "lumpy" at certain times during your menstrual cycle, do your exams more often so that you become familiar with what's "normal" for you before and after your period. Some women are kind of cystic and their terrain is a bit bumpier than other women's (that doesn't mean that they are any more or any less prone to cancer. It just means that they're bumpy and that's fine - but get to know your normal/healthy bumps so you can tell if a new, unhealthy bump shows up). Your caffeine intake can also affect how "lumpy" you feel.

In other words, I'm fine and my doctor was just concerned (not alarmed), but this was still a bit frightening. I'm now even more motivated to keep myself healthy and to know what's going on with my body. For example, right now, my insulin level has skyrocketed to compensate for that candy cane I ate and I'm really close to dozing offffzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

P.S. If clowns and cancer scare you, I'm really sorry about this post and its pictures.

2006 Music Reviews

2007-01-02T13:54:00.000-05:00

Out and About Magazine printed a few blurbs from me about albums I liked in 2006. They had to edit for space (removing a few sentences and a few bands), as I'm the verbose type. Below are my original reviews. The upper right photo here (taken by the lovely Joe Del Tufo) is the original that is cropped in their article. What's with me and the weird faces when I'm photographed? I'll never know. I was pleased to finally figure out that Joe was using a wide-angle lens in these pics. That explained my enormous rump in two of the photos. I kept trying to figure out when I'd become, literally, pear-shaped. Oh, Joe. You tricked the lady!

Reviews:

Band: Grand National
Album and (Year): Kicking the National Habit (2006)
Songs: Drink to Moving On
What better way to end the year than with a song called, “Drink to Moving On”? Grand National are mature and sometimes stern-sounding lyrically, but their music is infectious. They are an intelligent fusion of Brit-pop and electronica. The album “Kicking the National Habit” was released in England in 2004, but finally made it to our shores in early 2006.

Band: Slow Runner
Album and (Year): No Disassemble (2006)
Songs: Everything is Exactly What it Seems, Break Your Mama's Back, Redneck Bar
According to their website, Slow Runner sounds “like if r2-d2 had an aching heart and a love for the noisiest Beatles songs.” Who am I to disagree? They have a tightly-produced sound, but the personality of the band makes it through the mix. I like that they have such crestfallen lyrics layered on top of tight, beat-driven pop.

Band: Ambulance, LTD
Album and (Year): New English EP (2006)
Songs: New English, Sugar Pill, Straight A's
With a bit of blues and jazz in their background and a love of 70s pop and rock, Ambulance LTD, from New York, is a band with a wonderful mix of wry lyrics and solid pop. In keeping with my apparent love of downbeat lyrics set to upbeat music, I particularly like the song “Straight A's.” It's a sarcastic, yet strangely supportive, look at a young girl's choice to go to trade school, specifically, DeVry Institute. Enjoy their wit-pop sound.

Band: The Magic Numbers
Album and (Year): The Magic Numbers (2005)
Songs: Forever Lost, Love Me Like You
Comprised of two brother/sister teams, The Magic Numbers are sweet-as-pie pop rockers who will, simply, make you feel better. In “Love Me Like You,” there's something incredibly hopeful about the way Romeo Stodart sings “oh, but baby you could turn it round” after lamenting his bad luck and worse reputation. Feel better about love: listen to a love song sung by a young man named Romeo.

Band: The Format
Album and (Year): Dog Problems (2006)
Songs: I'm Actual, Time Bomb
Over-the-top vocals reminiscent of 70s bands like Queen and Rainbow add fantastic power to these poppy, sweet tunes. The Format manage to be funny, acerbic, and somehow poignant. For example, in “I'm Actual,” the plaintive first lyrics are, “Can we please take an hour and talk about me?” The song “Time Bomb” is a straight-ahead, hip-wiggling good time that will leave you wishing you could sing as powerfully as lead vocalist Nate Ruess.

Band: Mosquitos
Album and (Year): III (2006)
Songs: Mama's Belly
A New York band with a whisper-voiced Brazilian chanteuse, Mosquitos have made buoyant, lively Bossa-Nova-Pop their specialty since their first album in 2002. Their third album delivers the same soothing, cheerful charm as the first two, with a cache of songs that will make you feel like you've just woken up to discover that the world is kind of awesome.

Band: The Long Winters
Album and (Year): Putting the Days to Bed (2006)
Songs: Fire Island AK, Honest
The Long Winters provide straightforward, driving indie rock that always tells a story. Singer/songwriter John Roderick delivers pensive lyrics in a powerful and no-nonsense vocal style that demands attention from the listener. I love that this album appeals so strongly to both men and women, with vulnerable songs like “Honest” and “Ultimatum” along side quirky rockers like “Fire Island, Alaska.” My listeners have had to deal with me playing a LOT of Long Winters songs lately. I can't get enough.

Band: Bikini Test Failure
Album and (Year): Another Day, Another Fat Pile of Cash (2006)
Songs: God Only Knows (What's Going On)
Bikini Test Failure isn't just another pretty reference to atomic energy. It's the brainchild of a fellow named James in Manchester, England, who writes, performs and produces everything on the new album, "Another Day, Another Fat Pile of Cash." If you like strong, solid Brit-rock with a side of sensitive sarcasm, he's your man.

===========================

P.S. Here's another pic from Joe Del Tufo. I have laser-like focus when I'm on the air.

And here's what my buddy Ryan thought of the photo of me in the article: "Nice tattoo, tough guy." He then attached his version of my photo...

I still have last week's playlist to publish, so I'll get to that in the next day or two. I'm missing this week's show. A very nice man named Mark is filling in for me, so be sure to tip him as you would your regular DJ. I'll be back on the air next week!

Christmas Day

2006-12-25T08:51:00.000-05:00

And here, faster than you can destroy your brand new Barbie Country Camper, are my playlists from Thursday, December 21st's show:

Log for first half of December 21st, 2006 show

Log for second half of December 21st, 2006 show

I had a big, adorable post planned, but it's Christmas morning! Forget that! I'll post the rest later. For now, this adorable picture of my brother and me will have to do. Come on, people. If little, red, velvet outfits and hand-holding aren't THE spirit of the season, then I don't know what.

Have a happy holiday, even if it just means you got Monday off.
Hugs and hope and stuff,
Sarah

Doctors Without Borders

2006-12-14T13:26:00.000-05:00

And here, faster than Michel Gondry can solve a Rubik's Cube with his puddies, are my playlists from today:

Log for first half of December 14th, 2006 show

Log for second half of December 14th, 2006 show

Okay, so. I have a friend who told me that his ex-girlfriend was asked out by her male gynecologist. I was sort of appalled by that. One time, my doctor asked me out, but he was NOT a gynecologist. He was, however, roughly thirty years older than I, which was what made it a little uncomfortable for me. He'd been my doctor since I was a teenager. Hmmm. What do you all think of that? Is it always crossing a line if a doctor asks out a patient? What if it's your ear, nose and throat guy? Or your podiatrist? What if he or she is your age?

In other news, Senator Tim Johnson, the Democratic Senator from South Dakota, has fallen ill and the Democrats' Senate majority is now looking much more tenuous. Republicans could end up in charge of the Senate again. Read this Reuters article for a brief explanation. Sigh.

In still other news, Bikeride has a new album coming out and is sending me a copy. How nice are they? Very nice. Read wonderful, gushing reviews of Tony Carbone's (lead singer/songwriter) and Bikeride's work over here.

Kiss Me With Apocalypse

2006-12-13T15:18:00.000-05:00

How I love Super Furry Animals. Lately, the song "Zoom" really does it for me. Their recent album, "Love Kraft", is a delight. Click on the link to hear little samples of songs from
Amazon.

I've recently revisited one of my favorite things on the web. Channel 102 has 5 minute films submitted by improvisors, comedians, and other folks in New York. The films are voted on and, if one wins, it is invited to make a second episode, which will then be voted on the next month. Some brilliant things have come from Channel 102. My all-time favorites are "Cat News" and "Fun Squad." Enjoy! Note: some of the episodes of each of these shows have swearing in them, so be careful if you're at work.

P.S.

Bikeride!

Yaaay!

Cold December

2006-12-08T10:51:00.000-05:00

It snowed! For maybe six seconds! I saw a few snowflakes on my car last night!
*Jumping up/down zealously*

And now, with the zeal usually reserved for special occasions like a dental cleaning or March, I present yesterday's playlists! Hooray!

Log for first half of December 7th, 2006 show

Log for second half of December 7th, 2006 show

Also, if my playlist scans are ridiculously too large, just comment here or drop me an email. My handwriting leaves much to be desired, so I try to make sure that the scans are at least large enough to try to read.

In other news, I'm such a sucker for Matt Costa's "Cold December" song. Here's a link to the video on his site. I don't know what to make of this song, but the first time I heard it, I knew I would listen to it a few too many times. The video's sort of pleasant, too.

Yesterday, during the last half hour or so of my show, a really nice photographer named Joe Del Tufo came by to photograph me for Out and About Magazine. Despite making his life a living hell (no one on Earth blinks more or twitches-in-response-to-a-flash more than your Uncle Sarah, kids. It's a real problem), he managed to get a few nice shots. All of them were lit wonderfully and looked fabulous, except for, you know, my face, what with the blinking and all.

I also got to write a few brief music reviews for the Out and About thing. I'll post them, in their entirety, after it's published. They edited down for space and took out a few bands. But I'll make sure that the deleted bands have their day on ye aulde blog.

Be nice to someone in traffic today. Or pet a doggy or something.

Flatiron

2006-11-30T13:43:00.000-05:00

And here, nearly as lovely as a blue-green pigment, gum bichromate-over-platinum photograph of the Flatiron Building taken by Edward Steichen in 1904, are my playlists:

Log for first half of November 30th, 2006 show

Log for second half of November 30th, 2006 show

I've been a bit obsessed with this image for a long time. The bluish green print at the top-left of this post is my favorite. I tried to buy it again and ended up with this [see right] slightly more washed-out looking print from Metropolitan Museum of Art. I've never had it properly framed, as I just don't like it as much as the other one.

Here is probably what the original looked like. I've brightened it a bit so you can see the Hansom Cab driver a bit better and have greyscaled it.

Here is a sepia-toned version of the same photo. I'm not sure if a 1904 print would have looked more like this or more like the greyscaled one just above. Anyone know?
Hmmm. Did I mention I really like this photo?

Bar Fight

2006-11-29T14:56:00.000-05:00

And here, faster than a safe, everyday jaunt down I-95 can turn into what can only be described as a degenerate bar fight*, are my playlists from last week's show:

Log for first half of November 23rd, 2006 show

Log for second half of November 23rd, 2006 show

*No, really! I get it! You're not just another insane, tailgaiting jackal with no coping skills and a misplaced vendetta against everyone you think is in "your" way. On the contrary! You're very important. The other 15,000 people on the road should get out of "your" way!

We don't have parents, children, pets, friends, or lovers who depend on us and adore us. We never feel hurried or stressed because we're not YOU! It's a miracle we even know how to DRIVE. We have NO IDEA of what YOU, you INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT PERSON, are going through! Drive two feet from our rear ends while we're already going 65 in the slow lane on a 55mph road, please. It makes your problems go away! Surely, you'll be happy now that you've endangered our lives.

Why not make it a REALLY classy affair and just drunkenly break a barstool over our windshields while accusing us of sleeping with your man/woman/whatever? Your behavior is no better than that of your average barfly who swings at imaginary rivals during last call. You're out of control and you're no longer simply an enormous annoyance, you're dangerous to yourself and to others. Cut it out. Drive like a person who wants to live another day and then find JUST ENOUGH compassion to understand that literally tens of thousands of people around you want that very same thing for themselves.

Moral of the story: Please don't tailgate and drive aggressively. Leave a safe and ample distance between you and the car you're following. If you drive selfishly, like the aforementioned maniac, you might have the idea that you are more important than most people or that you are entitled to something that most people are not. You are incorrect. Driving like a bully is simply wrong; please get help. We want to like you and prefer to avoid horrible car wrecks.

And so ends my open letter to roughly 40% of our nation's drivers. Thank you. *slowly drifts off to sleep while hugging an imaginary 6' tall Valium*

P.S. I hope your Thanksgiving was awesome! Mine was actually incredibly sweet, unlike my tone for the driving rant. Forgive me, dear listeners...

Here. Look at the happy, pretty dancing. Don't think about mean Sarah's driving rant any more.

Riboflavin and Hops

2006-11-16T10:35:00.000-05:00

I pulled off the highway the other day to get gas and came across this sign. I don't like what they're feeding those children. (Click on the image to see it legibly.)

*BONUS*

I just drove by the sign again to get a clearer picture (have put it in place of the blurrier one that was above) and ran into a fella who came out of the building. He looked at me quizically and I explained that I thought the spare wording of the sign was amusing. "It sort of makes it seem like that's what they're feeding the sick children," I said. He stared at me, irony-free, and said, "No, I think it's a benefit for 'em." Oooooohhhh.

My favorite part of the above exchange is that each of us left it feeling certain (and with good reason) that we'd just met the stupidest person on Earth.

Today's show was a sporting good time. That makes three shows in a row that I've actually liked. I usually like doing my show, but find that there are always a few songs I could do without and am not fully pleased with. These last few shows, though, have made me happy from beginning to end.

And here, fortified with enough riboflavin and hops to make anyone feel better, are my playlists from today:

Log for first half of November 16th, 2006 show

Log for second half of November 16th, 2006 show

Hush!

2006-11-11T12:04:00.000-05:00

More hushed than a nervous Democrat's tentative cry of joy at winning the House, the Senate, and a majority of the gubernatorial spots, here are my playlists. For the love of god, don't go getting loud about it. Do you want to jinx the ENTIRE COUNTRY?

Log for first half of November 9th, 2006 show

Log for second half of November 9th, 2006 show

Today's artwork, by the way, is courtesty of a fine, local artist named Constantine Frangos. He made the above picture of and for me. Nifty, eh? Constantine is also a capable mountain climber AND kayaker. Well, I can only assume he is. I've never actually asked. He seems really well-rounded, though, so I feel safe in assuming these things about him.

On yesterday's show (Thursday, November 9th), I had the good fortune to receive a phone call from our very own James of Bikini Test Failure. I've been playing his new album for weeks and really enjoy it. After a brief email correspondence, James decided he was comfortable with calling in to say hello. Despite having a nasty cold, he was even lovely enough to read a station identification on the air. He is what we in the business call "a dude." What's not to like about a fellow who will post a photo of himself on his MySpace page looking like he has enormous, metal, bunny ears?

More on art and bunny ears later.

I Fell in Love Today (again)

2006-11-02T16:08:00.000-05:00

This cat picture and caption crack me up. Enjoy.

Brought to you with the passion of my deep and anxious fealty for the redoubtable wit of John Roderick (of The Long Winters), here are today's playlists:

Log for first half of November 2nd, 2006 show

Log for second half of November 2nd, 2006 show

I read a bit of The Long Winters' online diary today. A few posts from 2004 made me simile like a noun in noun (I couldn't decide what they made me laugh like, so you must do the simile work for me, dear reader). I especially enjoyed the part where The Long Winters and The Decemberists had a bit of a faux rivalry resulting in one band quietly being labelled "sissies" and the other being labelled "meanies." John Roderick's assessment of the amicable end to the feud (about 8 or 9 paragraphs down into the previous link) made me guffaw. Good on ya, Roderick. Enjoy his journal entries. You may not immediately agree that humans are a plague, but part of you will want to, as he is a formidable writer.

I really enjoyed today's radio show. I got great requests, sweet phone calls, and everything flowed nicely. I hope it was good listening, because I really enjoyed playing it.