the underwear drawer

free association

Remember when I used to have that "Currently Reading" section at the bottom of each post, where I'd talk about books that I was, you know, currently reading? Mostly on the subway? Remember when I stopped including what I was "Currently Reading?" Well, I will tell you why. The reason is because maybe about two years ago, I got an iPod. And then I wasn't so much reading on the train anymore, I was listening to my iPod. Or, in some cases, watching TV on my iPod, like back when "Lost" was a good show and I still had yet to memorize every single episode of "The Office." Since those days, I am not so much with the TV anymore, and I don't really listen to music unless I'm in the OR setting up before a case (it helps me work faster), but I think I have officially listened to every single broadcast of "This American Life" in the iTunes library. Seriously Ira, time to stop with that TV show, you need to not be playing those rerun shows on the radio and tape some new episodes, because what am I going to listen to on my way to work?

So I have been going back to reading more books lately. Sure, there are other podcasts, many of them free, some of them maybe even interesting, like that one that the New Yorker puts out, but the problem is that many podcasts are too short. My commute is anywhere between 45 minutes to an hour, if you count the time it takes me to get changed in the locker room at work. And many podcasts are between 10 and 15 minutes long. Where are the longer podcasts? And don't say "Car Talk," I can't listen to those honking Boston accents at 5am.

I did get a few new books from Amazon, just to have something to read, but the problem is that I eat breakfast on the train, and if I'm holding a book, I only have one hand to hold my yogurt or plastic baggie of cereal or whatnot, and this is problematic. I need one hand to hold the spoon, and one hand for stabilization of the food receptacle. Maybe I should just start eating a liquid breakfast and get one of those hats with the spots for the two beer cans on top, all hands-free-like. Only instead of beer, it would be something nutritious and fortifying, like Jevity. I have considered drinking Jevity more than once in the past, by the way. What can I say, it was late, I was in the ICU, I hadn't had dinner. Don't judge me, you've been there too.

I guess I didn't have much to talk about today.