“The press can hold its magnifying glass up to our problems, bringing them into focus, illuminating issues heretofore unseen, or they can use that magnifying glass to light ants on fire and then perhaps host a week of shows on the sudden, unexpected dangerous flaming ant epidemic.” –Jon Stewart
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Expeditions in musical mischief
A dear friend from high school is a music geek, and not surprisingly, he possesses a huge collection of songs. His musical tastes span the spectrum of genres, from rock to pop to ELM to Broadway soundtracks.
For years, he’s created “mix tapes” — first on actual cassettes, later on CDs and MP3 playlists — that introduce his friends to new artists and extraordinary tunes. I’ve been a fortunate recipient of many of these tapes, and listening to them has broadened my musical horizons in so many ways.
To thank him for his latest gift (hilariously titled “Touch That Fishy”), I went ahead and curated a mix tape of my own. If you’re interested in listening to it, send me an email and I’ll forward the link.
–Photo by Eduardo Schäfer
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“There’s something about the night. It’s smaller. It lets you think.”
The Nocturne podcast recently shared this story on Facebook with the status: What do President Obama and Jade Walker have in common?
Answer: We’re both night owls.
I’m also fairly sure it’s the first time anyone has ever written my name and the president’s in the same sentence. How cool is that?
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In which my vampire side is revealed to all
The awesome Nocturne podcast recently interviewed… me!
We discussed my “vampire” life, the delicious quiet of the night and what it’s like to cover news while the rest of the country is asleep. Check it out:
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Spotted shirts and other minor inconveniences
Lately I’ve been buying my T-shirts on sale and in bulk. All the ones I own have stains on them.
This is not entirely unusual since I’m a large-breasted woman who clumsily consumes food. I also have terrible luck; ask me about the ketchup incident some time. Most of these stains disappear or fade over time.
The difficult-to-remove stains come from my youngest cat, Sera. As many of you know, our wee girl is dying of cancer. The tumor on her breast has grown so massive that it occasionally splits open and secretes a clear or bloody fluid. We’ve placed puppy-training pads throughout the house — on floors, pillows, couches — to make her comfortable and to keep the tumor from staining everything, but I rarely have one handy when she’s in need of some snuggling. So I carefully pick her up, place her on my pillowy rack and let her sleep for as long as she wants.
When Sera is ready to get down, she leaves both a stain and a little heartbreak in her wake.
