Under the Weather, Over the Public Radio

Well, I've been under the weather this week. I don't want to go into the details of my symptoms since they were rather gross. Suffice it to say my stomach hurt.

Even when I'm sick, I hate not having anything to do. Although I could hardly lift my head from the pillow, I tuned the radio to Minnesota Public Radio, 91.1 KNOW, so I could learn about the Holocaust and Donald Rumsfeld's strategy in Iraq. (Holocaust remembrance day took place this week. As for Donald's strategy, it's a daily topic on MPR.)

I kept sliding in and out of consciousness, dreaming about the MPR news. In one of my dreams Tony Blair was following me through Burnsville mall, politely asking for some of my Hob Nobs. (They're an odd oat-filled cookie/biscuit from Britain that I really like. Oat cookies are my favorite cookie.) I was just trying to get to Old Navy to buy another pair of flip-flops and I didn't have any Hob Nobs to share.

Sometime during the afternoon, I staggered out to the kitchen, used the Hot Pot to make some instant tomato soup, and listened to an educational speech about the emergency response to Hurricane Katrina. I was lucky that it wasn't pledge drive week. Being in a suggestible state, weakened by illness, I probably would have pledged the balance of my credit card for a Prairie Home Companion coffee mug.

After two straight days of nourishing myself with MPR broadcasts and soup packets, I finally felt strong enough to return to work. My first day back was actually very productive. Although the stomach was still a bit off, I didn't let it distract me from a busy round of meetings, email and documentation.

After all of that MPR listening, I was ready for something a little different. On the way home from work, I tuned in Gina B on Power 96 out of Faribault, for the "Hard Rock Drive Home". I can just barely pick it up at the park and ride, and as I get closer to my abode, the signal gradually gains strength, until I'm really rocking by the time I pull into the driveway. I know I'm home when I'm hard-rocking to a band famous for their spandex and hair farming technique. Despite my dedication to MPR, Power 96 is a special benefit of living in Farmington that the rest of the world (save Faribault, Northfield, and Owatonna) misses out on. Farmington forever!