Tuning Out...

It must be a sign of age that I've started to be very sensitive about what my eyes see and my ears hear. When I was younger, I used to avoid horror movies. They seemed to slither into my subconscious, their raking claws and glowing red eyes appearing when least expected. Usually at 3:17 a.m. when I was all alone and in the dark. Eventually, this avoidance progressed to movies with any kind of cruelty or abuse to animal or human. Then it evolved to include even a good suspense. Now I watch mostly animated movies with the odd rom com and special effects superhero movie tossed into the mix. Some might think me a bore. But I've come to embrace my delicate psyche. 

Recently, I've noticed this fragility has expanded to include my sense of hearing. When I first moved to this area nearly twenty years ago, I listened to EZ Rock 104.9. They played music from the seventies, eighties and today, which happened to be the nineties back then. Great tunes. Easy on the ears. I even enjoyed the banter between the early morning hosts. My listening life was good. Then someone mentioned a new station called, Magic 99. I abandoned tried and true for new. Their programming was similar to EZ Rock so I settled in to their wavelength. I even won Leonard Cohen tickets and his complete CD set through one of their contests. Life was humming along. Until suddenly, without notice, they became UP 99. I didn't like what I heard so I said, "Up yours.", and tuned out. 

I searched the dial and eventually found Lite 95.7. Jamie and Dan, a young married couple hosted the morning show. I liked how they talked about life and what it's like to be a couple, have kids, work together, juggle everything. I joined them on Facebook and often commented on their posts. Once again, my listening life was good and I was content. Then in January of this year, without warning, Lite 95.7 became CRUZ 95.7. Gone were the familiar deejays and playlists. I was incensed. How could they??? I was in search once again. Press seek and ye shall find. 

I tried Capital FM with Rob and Audie. As much as I enjoy the oldies, that's not all I want to hear. I tried CISN but I can't overdose on country either. I even tried CBC. Gack!!! So I tuned in to 104.9 again, hoping to find an old friend. Instead, I found Virgin radio. The morning show is hosted by Dylan and Pepper. That should've been my first clue. They talk about commuter dating and when was your 'first time'. If you're a virgin when you started listening, you won't be for long. Ryan Seacrest provides some reprieve from ten until two but he's miles away from where I am and what matters to me. The playlist is a little edgier too and I'm not fond of rap. So once again, I'm left without a station to call home. 


Mornings will be quiet. Maybe I'll do some yoga and write more. Goodness knows I could use the practice in both. But wait. I hear there's a new station in town. It's called, Fresh 92.5. An optimist by nature, I should give them a try, see what they're all about. If I don't get Fresh, I might have to dole out some cash and get Sirius.