The ride home

Ross hates NPR . Hates it. I know. It’s something about the sound bytes when they’re reporting on things like coal mines in West Virginia - they must always read a few lines and then cue a clip of pick axes cling-clanging to “for ambiance.” It doesn’t bother me, but it sends him into a rant. We try to just not talk about it. But, I love NPR. I think it stems from the fact that my dad loves NPR. When I hear the Lake Wobegon bit on A Prairie Home Companion , I think of riding in the car with my dad as we made the every-other-weekend switch when I was in middle school. When I leave work, I try listening to music, but it’s just too much stimulus for my introverted brain. I need soothing voices and intelligent conversation, however pretentious it may seem to some people. I know that during that 15-minute ride, NPR will remind that good books do matter and there are things more important out there than the state of my kitchen. And I’ll be ...