Tuning in the Love

I'm having an I-want-to-go-to-nursing-school week, so I'm sure that following this will be an I-wanna-pee-my-pants week.

Also, you may remember that I have Sirius satellite radio. It keeps my mood light at work; in the morning I listen to "Alt Nation" (they play a strange assortment of mostly rock and pop), and in the afternoon I switch to "Chill" (which plays everything from light techno and house to Enya). The radio was also a huge lifesaver last year when making the drive from Pittsburgh to anywhere. But lately I'm wondering if it gives me more trouble than it's worth.

I got it as a Christmas present last year. Within the month I already had to take it back to Radio Shack, something about the car docking kit wasn't working. A few months later the screws started falling off the docking kit and I had to find new ones at Home Depot. And most recently, the power supply for the car kit died.

I figured that this time I could just take it to Radio Shack and they'd replace the part like last time... WRONG! Stupid Seredne, always thinking things might work the logical way! In fact, even though it's only the cigarette lighter/power supply part that died, I have to mail the ENTIRE damn radio package back to some department in Texas. They told me to send: the radio, the car docking station, the giant cords, the remote control, the instruction manuals (good thing I'm such a pack rat!), and the antenna.

Oh no, it gets better. After they receive the entire package via UPS, then they'll mail me a gift card. Then I have to trot my ass back out to Radio Shack (keep in mind they never have Sirius in stock and I'll have to go to 8 different stores) and purchase a brand new radio and car kit. All the while I'm paying for a monthly subscription that I haven't been able to use the way that I want. It's too ridiculous. I'd switch to XM satellite radio except that I have a subscription through December 2006.

I also recently learned that Sirius used to have a channel just dedicated to Folk, but right before I signed up they killed the channel thinking that the channels "Acoustic Coffeehouse" and "Bluegrass" were folky enough. Those channels really fall short, though. I wish they would bring "Folk Town" back.

One of the things that makes it so hard to go home is that I have such a great time wrapped up with such a painful time. My boyfriend's family is from the same city, so we often see them as well. Time spent with them is great: his father listens to loud folk music at night, he makes us some amazing home cooked meal, we play games, we have great conversation that isn't judgmental at all about careers or life, and the evening is full of laughter. They'll take us to festivals around town or have over a bunch of interesting people. My parents don't go out, they don't like people coming in, and we certainly don't have a night of folk music and laughter. We have nights of silence or screaming.

It's amazing how much sound or smell can evoke a memory or even a particular feeling about a time and place. I can't hear folk or celtic music without thinking of those happy times. I want to wrap myself in my happy memories and feelings. I want to snuggle up next to them and make a wall so that the hurt can't get in.

Those jerks better fix my radio!