2 things make a post

[jenett]

- There has been more swimming (6 laps, 10 minutes treading water, and 5 minutes walking in shoulder deep water. Also 10 minutes in the whirlpool, because *bliss*) I continue to be deeply impressed with the facilty, and intend to write up a post about that sometime sooner than later.

- I am deeply fond of the NPR news quiz show "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me", which is my check on how much I've been paying attention to the news recently, but also very funny.

Anyway, one of this year's Yuletide fics is a Wait Wait story. With zombies. For your amusement, go have a look at Wait Wait Don't Eat Me.

If you're not familiar with the show, there are three panelists (usually humorists of some kind or another: there are a bunch of regulars, and then sometimes people who don't do it very often.) It's a combination of them competing for points, and of callers answering questions (there's a "Which one of these really improbable news stories is accurate", and a limerick challenge). There's also a segment of a famous person answering questions about something they know nothing about ("Not My Job") - this week was George Takei, who was lovely, but my favorite is still Madeline Albright, who was amazingly funny and dryly witty.

The prize, for people calling in, is Carl Kassel's voice on your answering machine/voice mail/etc. message. (For those who aren't NPR listeners, he's the main news anchor for NPR national news in the mornings: regrettably retiring very shortly, but he's going to continue doing Wait Wait.) He also does impressions of famous people in the news every so often, which are hilarious.

And I mentioned the limericks.

Anyway, the fic is very true to the show's question structure (though condensed: the show is an hour.) There are also musical interludes that hinge on a recent question, and the author picked the perfect one for this.

Comments

[aedifica]

That Wait Wait story is excellent! Thanks for passing it along.

[finch]

Seconding the thanks for the rec.

[walk_of_the_fallen]

I envy your pool time. I was a bit of a water phobic for many years, but love the way it feels. Finally, 25 years ago, made myself take lessons and I can swim enough to make it round a pool now---most comfortably in back-stroke. But, I react horribly to chlorine; my lungs slam shut in asthmatic spasm the second I walk into a heavily chlorinated pool room. So do a lap for me---how wonderful a warm pool would feel right about now!

[jenett]

I sometimes react to chlorine, but I've been very pleased with the levels at the Y - they have both a lap pool and a recreation pool, and the lap pool is kept at a quite tolerable level. (The recreation pool is a bit higher, though I haven't been in there: that's the one for kids play space.)

[walk_of_the_fallen]

I haven't tried the pool at the Y. I simply cannot afford it. $80 per month seems extreme to me. The only nearby gym was Ballys...their pool just about made me choke before I even got into the water.

Ah...if I could win that lottery, lol, and have my own lap pool!

[jenett]

Ours is just under $60 a month (though my first six months are a present from my mom), but my health insurance also gives an incentive: any month you go to whatever health club you've selected of the number of ones they have an agreement with, you get $20 back. There's a month's delay for processing, but it brings the monthly fee down to $40, which is pretty reasonable.

This Y also has some options for people with lower incomes, though I didn't look into the details at all - I will see if I can do a post later this afternoon about it, though.

[selkie-b.livejournal.com]

Carl Kassel made his last news report this morning... he'll still anchor Wait Wait though!