Deval and Ira: Separated at Birth?

Maybe it's just me, but have you ever noticed how much Gov. Deval Patrick and NPR's Ira Glass (host of This American Life) sound alike on radio? Once you realize what they're talking about--Glass rarely, if ever, discusses state-wide healthcare for Massachusetts; Patrick rarely, if ever, talks about the allure of the mean friend (one of my favorite TAL eps)--you can tell them apart.

But for those first few seconds, I'm always caught off-guard. Must be the Chicago connection. (Yes, I know Glass wasn't born there--he's from Baltimore--but I also know from living out West for several years how you can adopt the native accent with little effort.) Maybe Glass should have the governor on his show and see if listeners have trouble telling them apart. They could call the episode "The Allure of the Vocal Doppelganger."

If You Don't Want to Pay for Public Radio, I Have Another Reason

Another fundraising drive on WBUR is finally over. I waited until the last couple of hours of this year's spring beg-a-thon to make my yearly donation. I always send money (god knows I listen to enough NPR), but I still hate those fundraising drives--how they disrupt the programming, how the announcers start to sound a little cranky near the end. (I've written about this before--I had the bright but unworkable idea of a secret, password protected second WBUR feed, just for people who had already sent money.)

Please people, if you listen to NPR in the Boston area, send WBUR something--$5 bucks a month, whatever--so they can cut back on future fundraising drives. But here's the thing: If you don't want to do it for public radio, do it for me.

That's right--me. My doctor has been on my case to reduce stress, exercise more, and in general, take better care of myself. If your donations can delay the next fundraising drive by even a month or two, that will go a long way to reducing my stress. And a fundraising-free commute makes for a happier, less stressed Alison.

So there you go--do it for NPR or do it for me. Either way, I'll be grateful.