driving and music

I crashed our Earth rover. Perhaps if it had been equipped with six wheels rather than four, this could have been avoided. Alas, Earth rovers generally only have four wheels, unless they are transport units. Never fear, there were no injuries to any living creatures, just an expensive injury to the little blue automobile that/which, nonetheless, is still operable.

What else is in the news? Waves, signals. While producing decals for various other mass-produced pleasure-vehicles at my work-place, I tuned in to a far-out station. The same 50 hard-rock songs by the likes of Van Halen and Guns 'n' Roses become very dreary after a short while, let alone six months, on the job. Most were dreary to begin with. Yet, the station favoured by my Earthly co-workers tends to be the one that plays these dirges. Experimenting with the tuning dial in hopes of finding "K100: Home of the Blues" I discovered that the Blues are once again and appropriately homeless in this icy town. However, meteorological events have brought us "100.7: Breeze FM" to fill the empty glasses of bourbon, scotch and beer.

The Blues have given way to schizophrenic optimism. To paraphrase: "...playing the misses of the 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, and Naughts". BUT you know what? It was amazing. There was so much variety, and all of it up-beat, dorky, weird, optimistic, "refreshing"! There were Polkas; there was Space Aged Pop aplenty; Bryan Adams and Bruce Cockburn were there. Il Divo showed up with Toni Braxton and wrecked the place; Rod Stewart put in an appearance with a lounge number. Nana Mouskouri warbled about undying affection. Old country numbers? CHECK! That Led Zeppelin song they over-play on the old station- not the one about the stairway, the other one about "big-legged women" not having souls- well, I never have to listen to it again. I don't have to hear a repeated song ever again, and that's the way it should be in the 21st century. So much music has been produced by human beings since sound-recording was made possible. Why can't we tune in and hear a little bit of everything?

A small update is in order. In attempting to tune in this morning to this new favourite of mine, I inadvertently discovered another fantastic radio station located at 107 on the FM dial. Nostalgia radio. Along with the Breeze, there is now enough music to keep seniors in Viagra for millennia! How I'd been missing the crackle and hiss of analog. I was stiff for over an hour last night.