6 hours worth of reflections in 6 minutes...

So I went home this weekend. Which was fun, and pretty uneventful in itself.

But, to me, what was eventful was what I did with myself over the 5 and a half hour drive from Upstate New York to Mid-Massachusetts. I listened to NPR podcasts. Newsmagazines, most e-mailed stories, the interviews from the day, a quiz show even, and one thing I noticed...it really kept my brain active. Once I arrived in Massachusetts I felt so much more learned and much more up on current events than I had in a long time.

Something was different, I felt than the news reports or news magazine shows on television. These reporters and interviewers could create a completely different world. I felt so much more a part of the worlds for each individual story than I really can say I have for any television story I've seen.

With a television news report, there's the video, which I think we can tell, because it's not our own eyes, that we have absolutely no control over it. We can only see what the camera shows us. But I think with a radio news story or a podcast one, the audience gets a chance to imagine the scene a little more fully. It becomes more vivid in our imaginations than a story in print because of the sounds and descriptions come to life in the voices of those that lived something tragic, extraordinary or fantastic.

That's what hits hardest to me. I can imagine the scene that envelopes my person as a whole, while a television image is flat and 2 dimensional.

So do your ears a favor.

Download an NPR Podcast

my favorites:

-NPR: Day to Day
-NPR: Fresh Air
-NPR: Most E-mailed Stories

Matt Wertz and I'm embarrassed like whoa

I have severely been neglecting this particular blog...I sincerely apologize.

Just like I apologized to Matt Wertz on Myspace for my almost-drunk-but-a-little-too-excited behavior...here's how it went.

Hey Matt,
I don't know if you are the one that actually checks this myspace...but what the hell. I don't know if you remember me or not, but again...what the hell?
I was the girl in green from Texas that talked about how we were supposed to have an interview. Upon waking up the morning after that show, I was thoroughly embarrassed about my somewhat drunken behavior on Tuesday night. So, I wanted to apologize first of all, and second of all thank you for being nice to me regardless of how ridiculous I was.

Well...I'm a DJ and webmaster and keeper of the podcast for VIC Radio, Ithaca College's premiere (well...to us) Internet radio station (www.vicradio.org). We love your stuff and we're currently spinning "The Way I Feel".

We were trying to set up an interview for on-air purposes as well as our podcast. If you're at all interested or have time, let me know and we'll find time to do it over the phone or something.

-Maggie
(Green/Texas/Ithaca/Interview-type person)

I seriously doubt he'll write back...he's a busy guy and he's got lots of tour dates. But it's worth a shot...I'd still like the interview, regardless.

Review of Castaways Show 4/3/07
Jon McLaughlan
I'll be honest...I didn't listen to much of this guy. I don't think I really paid a lot of attention, well at least not while he talked between songs, mainly because I didn't realized until my sister in Connecticut told me that he was the Free Single of the Week on iTunes. Dude...this guy's going places. He's signed to Island Def Jam (Hanson's former label) and they're starting to push the guy marketing wise, he's up for voting on AOL's page as a "New Music Breaker" or something like that, and he's on iTunes.

Dude.

His album doesn't even come out until May 1st. For a whole month! Which artists do you know were getting press and a push a month beforehand? Not many, unless they're decently good, which Jon is. He's great. Nice guy too. Really nice guy. Even if I was a bit buzzed from the 2 beers I had, he treated me nicely and even took a picture with me! YAY!

So keep an eye out for this guy. He's going to be the next James Blunt...but I'm going to hope for a less annoying song and more staying power.

Thennn (the extra Ns are necessary) there was what I had been waiting for...

MATT WERTZ!

I'm going to tell you this was an amazing show. Even from the start it was. And I'm not just saying that because I got a bit tipsy at it either. Matt rocked the house. He had a band (which I wasn't expecting) and Jon McLaughlan took over the keys for his band and sang, which was great!



He seriously rocked our faces off. Or...well...mine anyways.

I loved the renditions of "The Way I Feel" and "5:19" he did. Fantastic...the end. LOOOVED it.

If you haven't heard much of Matt go to his website, now. This is an order. www.mattwertz.com
or
myspace/mattwertz



I went and talked to Matt after his set and he was super nice. He remembered that I had shouted "Texas" at him...

He said that he was glad that someone knew his music in Ithaca. Uh...duh...he rocks...everyone should know about him.

So...dear Matt...thank you for a great show.



thennn....

STEPHEN KELLOGG AND THE SIXERS!

I knew I had seen this band before...I didn't really remember them. I remembered them playing and it being a rockin' fun good time. But I had no idea it was such a rockin' good time listening to this band playing a show!

Drop whatever you're doing now...and go see this tour. IT"S AMAZING. These guys put on a show like no other. There was a song with multiple quotes from such movies as Wedding Crashers, Anchorman, etc.



There was also a section where the guys came down into the audience and played a song semi-acoustically surrounded by a circle of us that kind of resembled a break-dancing circle...you know. You know what I'm talking about. Yes...you've been to that Middle School dance.



Whatevs...good show.

Go see this if you're in an area they're traveling to. It's totally worth it. Trust me.


And Jared Campbell came and hung out. I'll blame him for one of the 2 drinks that got me semi-plastered that night.

Maggie + some alcohol + little dinner + awesome concert = a little too loud for her own good

Coming Soon to a Fried TV Tater Blog Near You...

Coming later this weekend...

-New Music I've discovered...thanks to a little radio station called ViC Radio
Including: Morris 8, Mat Kearney, Matt Wertz (yet again), Locksley, and so much more! YAY!


-Updates about the Jared Campbell Documentary I'm working on

-Craig Bierko news...Boston Legal/The Office news...oh man...this could change everything.

OMG...I've got stuff to talk about that one.

-Survivor-ness...maybe I'll just post some of the chatter from "The Fix: Monday" from PJohn and I's radio show...onnnnnn www.vicradio.org

But...you know.

I'm baaaaaack

So, I'm back-ish.

I've got my computer back and I couldn't be much happier. Well, that's a lie, but having it back completes my life for the moment. Fills in that large gap I seem to have that is only filled by electronics and computing power and gigabytes of space.

I'm fantastic like that.

If I seem like I'm rambling, it's because I am. I just realized that I've spent more time already today in the radio studio than in my bed last night.

But now, I've got someone shadowing me so he's operating the board, all I have have to do is talk. That's nice.

---

Ok...but you really need to watch this. Especially...you, courtney. Watch it now.

Steeley was right

Steeley was so right about 2006.

I hope 2007 is 200 times bigger and better.

It wasn't a bad year...ok, yes, yes it was.
Not my favorite.
I did get Beyond Ramen out of it!
And a host of new friends and a newfound committment to radio.

But really, the other things that came from it weren't all that great. A lot of relationships deteriorated and even more completely fell apart.

That should be my new resolution, getting back on my feet and meeting new people. Taking life by the horns and telling it, no, I'm in charge here. I'm going to fix this mess and make it better, that's just how it's going to be.

Questions, Questions, Questions...

So all I have are questions right now. Well, and a to do list.

To do...
-Knitting Scarves and Headbands and Scarves for various amazing people
-Editing reality show with hours of footage to comb through...damn I should have logged all that
-Uploading video to internet/podcast
-Uploading audio to VIC's podcast
-Changing VIC's website to be AWESOME...the end.

hmmm...big projects...so little time

So much TV to watch and waste time in front of! Damn. I'm so screwed. ;)

I should get going on some of that and stop pretending like I should be translating a song's lyrics into Sign Language. Because really, I have no business doing it. I can pretend like I know what I'm doing, but I don't. Like how I pretend to play guitar.

A To Do List

Click on the title link for a fantastic to do list of comedic proportions.

I don't know if that sentance actually made sense or not. It's almost 8am and I'm on the radio, so that's my excuse.

btw...go to

http://www.vicradio.org

do it. Now.

Only Me

Only I would find the college radio interview of Hanson on iTunes while searching for something else completely.

Crazy...

Search for WJRH and you'll find it under podcasts...it's from October 2005...but it's there.

And I found it.

Plus...this is pretty much the best video.



Have I mentioned that I love YouTube?