AM/FM

While many the Christmas list included an iTouch this year, I was wishing for something a little less intense. You see, I'm funny about noise. A quiet house is okay by me, and the last thing I want is music being fed directly into my ears. I had a brief fling with an mp3 player, thinking it would be something I'd use at the gym, but I spent all my time skipping songs, looking for that elusive song that's just right, rather than, well, just listening.

On the other hand, my ten minute ride to work is too short sometimes, when I'm listening to a good interview on NPR or enjoying some Monday morning quarterbacking on WIP. What I needed, I decided, was a radio.

Now, because listening to the radio seems like such a 20th century thing to do, I decided it couldn't be just any radio. I wanted something with a history. I wanted it to sound good, look cool, and be cheap. I flirted with some radios I saw on etsy, but none really spoke to me. And then, after weeks of looking, I walked into the thrift shop and saw this one.

The wood grain. The brushed metal finish. The amber light that illuminates the clock dial. I liked the size, the style, and I liked how the knobs and dials felt. The thrift store provides an outlet for trying the electrical goods. --click-- And the sound comes on gradually. --click-- It fades to silence. My stations tune in clearly. And do you see where that volume is set? I've never had it up past two.

I've been living with this radio for a few weeks now, and it's opened my eyes to things I'd have missed if I'd been plugged into an mp3 player. I just listen--and take things as they come.