this american life recently had a t-shirt design contest. i considered submitting something for about twenty minutes, and then i got so sick thinking about it i had to cease any thoughts of a contest.
after this, i promptly sent the email to my nephew who, among a million other things, is also an artist. as well, his lady love hello kitty is ALSO an artist. in fact, she teaches it in a SCHOOL with real people. not the made up kind of people that i gravitate towards.
seems that nephew was a tad busy preparing for graduate school. i hear there are real people at that school too. what’s up with all this real people stuff anyways? who has TIME for that?
the contest is over, and a winner was chosen. i’d personally like to congratulate brian kaas of san francisco for an excellent design. you can see the tal favorites here.
one of the recent podcasts from this american life, title “fear of sleep” will possibly make you laugh out loud in a public shopping place if you listen to it on your mp3 player of choice.
not that it happened to me, i’m just sayin’. actually, i did laugh out loud as i was navigating a shopping cart around a certain store that forces me to break out into a rash. if you don’t laugh as you listen then you probably need some shock treatment or something b/c it would mean, if you didn’t laugh, that you are dead. being dead isn’t good, so go and get some help for that.
the following weekly podcast, a show titled “breakup” is a must hear too. well, only if you’ve ever broken up with a person, or had a person break up with you. you know how you think you are the only that did really bizarre things that you would never normally do during a heartbreak? well, you aren’t. listen to this and you’ll feel a thousand times better about all those goofy and stupid things you did/do during a “breakup situation”. added bonus, phil collins takes time out of his busy schedule to speak with the narrator (who, by the way has an awesome voice!).
ira glass, you are ACES and i love you. along with all of the other people that help to make this american life possible. this american life is the thing in your life that you are missing but have NO IDEA YOU ARE MISSING.
it is quite possible that my life’s dreams would be fulfilled if this one thing could happen.
it would be to have ira glass, augusten burroughs, john elder robison, jesus christ, elton john, sheri lynch, leah peterson, and peeved michelle at my house for dinner some night. all of them together. i realize that jesus might be busy with other stuff, but if i could get all the rest of those people here my life would almost be complete. for real this time, i swear!
the last podcast i’m going to recommend is on a topic that i’ve always been fascinated with. it is, the driving need to put each other into categories, to make judgments about who people are by looking into their shopping carts, or reading their blogs before we know anything about them.
this show, titled “got you pegged” has four acts in which people describe their own experiences with this phenomenon of “assuming” things about other people.
i’m fairly certain that one of the most helpful things that this american life does, is to bring humans together. the show is hugely successful and if you think about it, it is successful simply by delving into the human condition that we all suffer from. that’s better than any reality show, american idol, breaking news items that we’ve been inundated with for many, many years.
one last plug for this american life, i hear they take donations to keep the show running. they offer the podcasts for free but it takes a lot to even make the podcasts so if you need to earn back some good karma for maybe something ridiculous you did during a break up, i hear donating is a great way to get things balanced again.
*note: you don’t need an ipod of other player to listen. those links will take you to a place where you can listen on your computer!
August 29, 2008 at 4:19 pm |
When I was in grad school, the DJ for our college radio station handed me a cd and said, “This is for your master’s Thesis.” It was something I’d never heard of. It was called This American Life Episode # 195: War Stories. The dj was not my favorite person. And so I threw it aside and dove into my books, forgetting all about the cd. He asked me about it, the dj, every time he saw me. I made up some lie, “Yea, yea, it was great, thanks.”
Then, like a year later, I listened to it. I put it into my cd player by accident. And I went to pull it out, but Ira’s voice and the music – it just haunted me and I was spellbound. Then, like an act of contrition, or some sort of karmic punishment, my mind was hooked. And so I listened to it again, and again, and again.
Since then, I’ve missed a lot. But there was a period there when I was hooked on TAL. Thanks for reintroducing me to it. My love affair begins anew.
August 31, 2008 at 12:58 am |
WPoFD: that is an awesome story! it’s fate that you got to hear it. i think a lot of people think it’s gonna suck but they are always surprised how awesome it is.
p.s. i’m a bit on the slow side, but i’m thinking you are r&r’s brother? the VERY handsome and interesting one she wrote about?
August 31, 2008 at 10:07 am |
*sigh* alas, I am not R&R’s handsome and interesting lil brother. However, R&R and I go way back…though not as far as her lil brother, obviously. No, we know each other from junior high school–or was it high school?–forward. Nevertheless, I’d like to believe that I’m moderately interesting and somewhat handsome.
August 31, 2008 at 10:20 pm |
wpofd: my apologies to you, good man. an honest mistake, of that i am certain.
i would imagine you would have to be of advanced intellect, and of above-average outside appearance in order to walk with the one and only rock and roll mama
thanks for stopping by, i checked your blog out and, you are indeed awesome.
October 20, 2008 at 2:19 am |
[...] public links >> listen this american life podcasts you really should listen to Saved by mtk100 on Sat 18-10-2008 Barack Obama Saved by mplanchant on Thu 16-10-2008 am I an [...]