::Radio Vegas

It took ten days for the swelling at the corners of my jaw to go down enough that I could take a bite of a sandwich. In the mean time, I have discovered that I can survive on mashed potatoes and applesauce, and STILL lose no weight.

Of course, that’s probably because I stopped going to the gym. Something about being dizzy from Vicodin and throbbing through half my head that made it seem inadvisable.

It’s times like this that I really hate being a slow healer. I can talk and function like a human being again, but I still have to be careful about what I eat and where I chew it. Tiny little Tinkerbell bites….

When we bought our car, it came with an XM Radio receiver and a few free months. I really enjoyed it, and was all ready to fork out some money to have it for a year. And then XM merged with Sirius — and they got rid of all the stations I liked. Seriously, all of them. Sirius stations have obnoxious DJ patter. And shallow playlists. Not worth paying for, not in the slightest.

Maybe a month ago, I discovered Pandora. The iPhone app is free. I hear one or two 15-second commercials a day, and in return I get as much goddam music as I care to listen to. Anywhere I go. In the car, on the computer, at work, at the gym, whatever. I am in loooove.

It reinforced for me how irrelevant over-the-air radio has become. The local alternative station used to be REALLY cool. Now it’s stale and corporate – not really different from any other station, just with a little more distortion in the ten songs they play.

Even XM/Sirius is irrelevant compared to Pandora. Why would I pay MORE money for a product that I can only listen to in my car? And isn’t customizable? …Yes, for those of you that haven’t yet tried Pandora, go and do so. You can skip a song you don’t like, and ban it from being heard ever again. You can suggest a band or song, and Pandora will find you music that ‘sounds like’ your selection – which you then refine by giving Pandora’s choices a thumbs-up or thumbs-down.

It is the bestiest music heaven. It will do me well on my business trip next week.

To Las Vegas.

Har har har. Sure, sure, I will have to work… some. But a free trip to Vegas is totally where it’s at. Anyone want to meet me Thursday night? I hope you like blackjack.