Listening to a Long Distance Friend

Once upon a time I was a dj for my college station ("KUPS Tacoma! 90.1 fm The Sound!"). I had a lot of fun doing it, and made a lot of good memories (Adam I am looking at you remembering our Safe Harbor shenanigans). I loved making my play lists, and my anal retention tended to serve me well in said endeavors (you can see traces of it when I make mixed cds, which I don't seem to do very often these days). It was fun, it indulged my exhibitionist tendencies, and it meant that I knew a crap-ton about emerging music, which always ups one's status in college. All in all, an excellent experience.

At this very second, I am listening to my friend Kat's show (on KZUU), and it's just making me all warm and fuzzy. For starters, it's wonderful to hear her voice again after so many (three?) years. For seconders, she has impeccable taste in music, so it's not like I'm having to suffer in between hearing her talk. And finally- well, the nostalgia factor. The remembering my own time in a booth, with headphones and a mic of my own.

Which brings me to the time I got caught in my headphones. Yes, you read that correctly- I got caught in my friggin' headphones. I was wearing a faux-diamond stud in my upper cartilage, and the prongs managed to work their way into the mesh of the earpiece. And I was stuck. I was so very, very stuck, and utterly unable to free myself. And so I got on air and said, "Hey listeners- if any of you are near the station right now, I'd sincerely appreciate it if you'd come over and free me from my headphones. No I am not kidding- I am stuck and I need your help."

Fortunately I actually had listeners, and this wide-eyed guy wandered in and unhooked me. And then he laughed, like, a lot ("I thought there was no way you were serious!"). But so did I, so that's okay.

It's good that I'm amused by my own haplessness. I'd lead a pretty miserable existence, otherwise.