Author Archives: Tom

Tracker Zee

Yesterday I ran out of gas in the Costco parking lot. I had to push my car the last 100 yards to the gas pumps.

Last night after work I merged onto the freeway and set my cruise control for 70 mph. I didn’t have to use my brakes once until the off-ramp in Vacaville.

I sat next to the window in a nameless coffee shop, back in the corner. On the other side of the room, around the coffee bar, I could hear people laughing.

Leaves fell from the tallest tree in the yard.

He sat, unmoving, staring intently at his iPhone, gesturing away…

Old Time-y fun

So I have this little radio that I bought at Amazon Prime.

It’s a cheap little radio, a TRANSISTOR radio I suppose. It only has AM/FM. It has a telescoping antenna. It fits in the palm of your hand. To change stations you have to manual tune with a dial.

As I play with the little radio, that Yum has affectionately dubbed ‘Buddy’, a wave of memories washes over me.

I’m reminded of my youth (which is loooooooooong gone now) as I had a little transistor radio like this new one. I used to stay up late at night and tune in to KFOG, giggling to the Dr Demento show under my sheets. I remember laying in my sleeping bag at night up in Yosemite, fascinated that I could tune in to AM stations as far away as Seattle or San Diego. I remember placing my little radio next to my tape recorder, using the cassette deck’s built in mic to record my favorite songs. I remember the cheap, half broken, held together with duct tape radio I had when I lived in Long Beach. At the time, it was my only source of entertainment. I used to place the radio in my window sill and listen to jazz.

Yum plays with the new radio and remembers the good ol’ days, before the world went and got itself in a big ol’ hurry.

I love this new little radio. I’m looking forward to bringing it to Yosemite later this month.

I should have bought two.

Damn you, Amazon

Amazon.com is my nemesis.

I have had a tumultuous past with Amazon’s 1-click checkout. I’ve turned it off, then on, then off, then back on again more times than I can count. *shakes fist*

Enter Amazon Prime. For $79 a year you get free 2-day shipping on almost all their stuff. Dude. *sighs*

Items bought in the last two weeks:

RA Salvatore’s new Drizzt book in paperback “The Orc King”
D&D Player’s Handbook 4th ed.
Lego Indiana Jones for Xbox360
Kershaw Ken Onion Baby Boa Folding Knife with Speed Safe
Sony ICF-S10MK2 Pocket AM/FM Radio, Silver ($9.95!!!)

Amazon 1-click checkout + Amazon Prime = (awesome goodness) && (certain doom)

Curse you, Amazon!