Radio is a sound salvation.

I need to have music when I work. I bring CDs with me because I am there by myself for a good while, and no one complains about the music I like (plus I still like the whole album structure, take that iPod!). Sometimes, if I'm really tired, I will bring only Beatles with me to work. This way I can sing along and stay awake. They're also good when the other people start coming in, as there is no cursing on Beatles albums (I work with Amish women, Christians, and Mennonites, and I try to be nice about the language, even though it is a federal baker law to curse like nobody's business).

Sarah bought me the portable CD player that I now have at work. She got it because it played mp3 CDs, so I wouldn't have to change CDs as often. For some reason, it refuses to play any mp3 CDs that I make. I have tried many different program and two different operating systems, but no dice. So I bring lots of CDs with me in my bag (I have a lot of cracked jewel cases now because of this).

The CD player is probably 4 or 5 years old at this point, and it's getting a little flaky, which I think is because of the flour. I make everything from scratch, and flour dust gets everywhere. There is flour dust in my cell phone. Not on it, IN it. There is flour dust in my CAR for Pete's sake. So naturally, it's going to affect the CD player. I suppose because it's an mp3 CD player, it has to read everything, including actual redbook CDs. So it takes longer to spin up than a regular CD player. This morning it would not read anymore CDs, after I had already played one. I tried everything (including punching the damn thing), but the CDs were useless. Wow, this is waaaay too much back story.

I had to turn on the radio. I don't ever listen to the radio anymore, I can't stand it. There's too many commercials, there's too much talking (especially in the morning. Morning jocks, YOU ARE NOT FUNNY, SHUT YOUR MOUTHS!). Most of the stations play the same songs over and over again, which I was burnt out on back in the early 90s. To top it off, we only get the local classic rock station, a top 40 station, and a country station in the building I work in. I chose the classic rock station, which was a prime offender of playing the same songs over and over again. They recently switched their format over to Tom, or Jack, or something like that. I used to listen to the New York City oldies station WCBS-FM, and I was really mad when they switched over to this format, but I dismissed it out of hand; I didn't give it a chance. This was all I had this morning.

You know what? It wasn't anywhere near as bad as I thought. Sure, they played Sweet Home Alabama and Brown-Eyed Girl, two of the most overplayed classic rock songs. I heard Amy Winehouse's Rehab for the first time (what a great song!), and they played a lot of stuff from the 70s and 80s that I like. You what really stunned me though? They played Copacabana. COPACABANA!! Can you believe that? I haven't heard that on the radio in YEARS. It really was a pretty eclectic mix for a mainstream radio station.

Radio is not what it was, even from when I was growing up. I got the last vestiges of when Top 40 AM stations were king, back in the 70s. When I was 10 and 11 I used to wait by the radio with my tape recorder and tape songs I liked. I found a station that would have comedy plays on Saturday afternoons. Radio was magic back then, but MTV came along, and video did really kill the radio star. Sometimes if you travel, you can find a great station. But mostly it's the same crap that you get at home.

I enjoyed listening to the radio today, but I doubt that I will continue to do so, despite the fact that they played some great music. I'll just bring some great music with me.