How National Public Radio is Ruining My Life

I feel like I have three listening choices while driving on my way to work:

1. NPR

2. Ryan Seacrest

3. My iPod

I suppose I have a 4th one...

4. Nothing

Generally, I choose number 1 because I can't stand Ryan Seacrest and I'm too indecisive about my iPod and it distracts me.

So, I'm driving down the 110 through downtown at a snail's pace while listening to Anne Taylor or Robert Siegel or Michele Norris...and all they're talking about is gas, gas, and gas. All the while I'm watching my gas gauge slip further and further toward that terrible letter 'E'--the bane of my existence. "Oh crap," I think, "the truckers are striking in Europe again." "Oh crap, oil prices hit a record again." "Oh crap, I live so far away from work."

Then I get to the 105 and I'm sitting on the on-ramp for 20 minutes and they start talking about the economy. "Stocks hit bear market numbers today..." or "Record unemployment rates..." or "Tough getting jobs out of school..." or "Value of the dollar still dropping..."

These are just the obvious ones.

Then they have these guests on, like lawyers, doctors, historians, analysts, writers...the list goes on. EVERY SINGLE TIME anyone with anything REMOTELY interesting to say (that I think is smart and agree with) I always decide--DECIDE--that that's what I'm going to do for a living. So I get home and I say to my roommate, "Liz! I decided I'm going to be an international human rights lawyer!" The next day, it's "Liz! I'm going to be a politician!" The next day, it's "Liz! I'm going to go to law school and then become the youngest person ever to be appointed to the Supreme Court!"

I think she's starting to get sick of it. Sorry Liz!

Then there's the really really sad stuff that they report on, such as the earthquake in China, terrible conditions in the world's hospitals, the WAR(s), or just random sad stories from around the world. Sometimes they are VERY upsetting but often there's really can't do anything about it!

And of course, there's the election. Now that Hilary has endorsed Barack Obama, everyone's looking to November. All of this talk is just making me freak out worrying that John McCain will actually win.

This is not good for my blood pressure.

NPR is Ruining My Life.

But I cannot stop listening to it.

Does ignorance truly = bliss?