NPR. National Public Radio.

Hello, loyal reader!

I'm working in Salem, Oregon this summer for the Oregon Supreme Court. I write memos about interesting things like rape, sodomy, and murder. So far it has been a great experience. It is 65.6 miles from HQ to the court. I have a carpool buddy who has made the hour-and-change drive fairly enjoyable. We have been listening to a lot of NPR on our trips. I'd like to tell you about some of the thoughts I've had while listening to NPR this past week. Why? Because it will be awesome. Fine, agree to disagree.

On All Things Considered, listeners can submit sound recordings that they make of "cool," "interesting" (their words, not mine) or "retarded" (my word, not theirs) things. On Wednesday's show, listener Glenn Weyant from Tucson submitted a sound recording that he thought would add to the current immigration debate. Glenn took a contact microphone and a cello bow down to the border (the US-Mexico border, not Taco Bell) to "play" the fence separating the US and Mexico. Mr. Weyant wants to get a bunch of Americans and a bunch of Mexicans to meet on either side of the fence on a certain day (surprisingly, he hasn't really planned this out completely) and use the fence as a musical instrument. I don't know what his plan is after that. Probably just smoke a joint. I don't know Glenn very well but I am sure that almost all of his ideas start and end with smoking a joint. Here is the sound clip. You should probably download it because you'll want to put this on the ipod. I promise that the 196 seconds you spend listening to Glenn's art will be the best 196 seconds of your life. Oh yeah, Glenn says he is a professional sound sculptor. I think that is what David St. Hubbins meant when he said if he couldn't be a rock star he would be a full-time dreamer.

Glenn's is only one in a series of SoundClips from NPR. Check out all the great things people waste their time recording. You can hear what a log trimming machine sounds like or what a crane moving from one end of a warehouse to other end sounds like.

I get on NPR kicks every once in a while. Usually I'll listen fairly regularly for three months or so and then not listen for a while. NPR loves to have stories about two things: (1) current political/social issues and (2) stories about Elliott Smith. I guess Elliott's music is pretty good. Plus, he did kill himself, (although I think there is some debate about whether he stabbed himself in the heart or if he had "help" from his girlfriend), and he had one song on the Good Will Hunting soundtrack, but does there really need to be a story about him every three weeks? Why not just one story about someone else? How about Falco? FACT: Falco's music changed the world. FACT: He was featured on at least one movie soundtrack. FACT: He is dead. FACT: He is the greatest recording artist of all time. I rest my case.

I think I'm going to submit a sound clip. But what? Any ideas? Maybe the sound of the effect GOB's chicken dance has on immigration? Here is a good one too.