Wump, wump, wump… vacation all I ever wanted, vacation have to get away. I’d like to get out of dodge, but we will be rejoining a life already in progress when my classes start on Tuesday. I’m still planning on a Labor Day escape to cheese land. Keri asked me about my Wisconsin roots – most of my extended family lives around Lake Winnebago – that’s the big lake just in from Green Bay on your map. My mom came from a very big family and then she had a big family so I have uncles and cousins in a line that stretches from Decatur Illinois all the way up to Rheinlander Wisconsin, where my uncle Dave owns the roller rink.

Our family farm is in Navarino, so that’s home base. I lived in Milwaukee until I was eight and in Brillion until I was twelve. Then I became a Missourian and have been one since, but for six months as a Californian and a summer as a Carolinian. I’ve been to most of the fifty states, but I like Missouri well enough to keep it as my home. Mary says that St. Louis residents are provincial, maybe so. I’m a big fan of our city and am paying some bizarre academic dues to find work here.

I did my stint as a representative listener last night for The Red radio station. You can see me in the back on the left if you look here. They paid me twenty bucks and gave me pizza. It was fun really. As I said to Brad by way of explaining my interest in participating in this little marketing widget, “Who knows why I do anything. It’s all a big mystery to me as well.”

We got to tour the studios of several stations. Most of them were on automatic pilot. They tape the overnight shows and most people leave by six p.m. unless they are doing demographic twenty questions with groups like ours. I nearly knocked a signed Metallica guitar off the wall as the hallways were quite tight. It was odd to stand in the K-SHE booth and watch the inert vinyl gather dust while the ghosts of prerecording made it all sound live for the masses. All five Emmis Communication radio stations are in that one hallway promoting synergy all day long. The Red is completely digital and is run via a touch screen linked to a large database. Jeff Burton gave us a crash course in running everything and was quite personable and knowledgeable.

After the tour they did an hour long round table discussion with us that they videotaped and they also piped it into a viewing room for the station staff. Christy Carson had been hanging out with our group and just about tackled me with a big hug after the round table. I think I may have said of few things that the DJ’s had been trying to covey to management for some time. Anyway, it was good time and several of us repeatedly conveyed our desire to hear a greater range of music. The Red has become known for being repetitious and has lost some listeners because of that. To paraphrase Shakespeare, swing’s the thing wherein you’ll catch the conscience of the king.

After the thing I went up to Third Degree to watch Jes work on her show. Shit. Now I have to learn how to blow glass, one more thing to put on my to-do list.