Greeting from seat 4A. I have no clue where I am except it’s 10:01 PM and it’s dark outside.
I’m on Southwest which is old school as far as entertainment is concerned. There is no entertainment other than what you bring yourself.
There’s a laptop in my bag in the overhead, but it’s the iPhone I writing this blog entry on that’s been stocked to entertain.
It was video coming down. It’s been audio on the way home. I just listened to “This American Life” then WNYC’s “RadioLab.”
What sets these two podcasts apart is their ability to tell a story in a full and richly detailed way. You just don’t hear radio like this ever. It’s a shame. It’s really entertaining. I’d say it’s also educational, but that would probably turn you off.
The first story was about a young girl who became General Manuel Noriega’s pen pal. The story was fascinating and I’d never heard it before. Second up was a woman whose imprisoned husband wrote a letter every day for eight years. Not as good. Finally I heard the story of a assisted living facility in Germany that erected a faux bus stop to catch wandering patients. I couldn’t stop listening.
Maybe this is an acquired taste? I’m not scared to listen. I can’t see my daughter doing this willingly. She’d probably enjoy them anyway.
“Sully” says 50 miles to go. I can now see New Haven under the plane. Almost home.
It goes more quickly when you’re entertained and busy.