If I still lived in the city proper, I'd be taking the subway. If it were warm out, I'd be biking. But considering my current geographic and meteorological contraints, driving is how I navigate beween points on the Earth-grid now. And while both traffic and those who belong to the Church of Turn Signal Renouncement make the whole experience even less bearable, I do get by. Particularly, with a little help from WBEZ, Chicago's National Public Radio affiliate. Yes, I'm aware this makes me even whiter.

When did I get to be an old lady and start listening to NPR? Fun fact, homies: Since I was 16 and learned how to drive. As an educated human being, one should be getting one's news from a variety of sources (you aren't only depending on the New York Times or Fox News, right? Right?) but I just happen to have this personal fave. It might be a vice at this point, really.

Here are a few stories I heard on WBEZ recently that I didn't hear anywhere else:

Four Lions

The audio isn't available for the discussion I heard on the film "Four Lions," which premiered this week at  the Sundance Film Festival.  But the interview described it as a satire of terrorism. A funny, smart, controversial satire of terrorism. I had to look up the trailer; I laughed my ass off.

The Nigerian Olympic Bobsled Team Hopeful

I wish I could say this story was a modern "Cool Runnings," but it's far more twisty and tragic. A 26-year-old guy creates (and trains to be on) Nigeria's first-ever Winter Olympics team in skeleton, that head-first bobsledding event. Then he finds out he has leukemia. When finding a proper bone marrow donor looks grim, he starts Nigeria's first-ever bone marrow registry. He's also a Yale Law School grad studying for the bar exam and still hopes to compete in the Olympics. And what have you done lately?

5-minute audio here, from All Things Considered

Radiolab

My friends have started calling this show "The science version of This American Life." I'd say that's pretty accurate. The parasites episode in particular has found a way to crawl inside my brain and animate my mouth into discussing it everytime there's an appropriate break in conversation. Parasites: How they help, how they attack, how they might be a cure for allergies. Subscribe to the podcast for a +100 in brain power and for perpetual cool facts to impress your smartypants friends.

The hour-long story on parasites can be found here.

I tried breaking up with this show, I did. Last season lost all credibility with me in the first three episodes, only to make a comeback late in the season, like a football player just given a speech by this guy.

Now I'm writing weekly recaps of the show for TV Guide. And six seasons in, it still makes me frantic, which I couldn't hide in my recap of last night's episode. I don't always love the choices they make on Grey's, but for all the scenes I scoff at, there are just as many well-written ones that remind me why I watch TV in the first place: To witness those magical parts of life. Not mine, of course, but maybe some of that stuff happens to you. I'm sure you too had seemingly-inoperable brain cancer and then survived and then got fired from your job and then divorced your husband in a note. No? My bad.

I await your snarkage.

Want to see what your favorite shows are bringing to the web? My regular gig over at TV Guide Magazine's Web Hot List collects all the best online clips, contests, widgets, games and web series (you know, everything) for TV junkies, like Sesame Street's spoof of Mad Men. Check out my take here.

Where am I and why do I appear to be a character in a Jackie Collins novel? I had the opportunity to visit the set of Ugly Betty a few weeks ago to see the amazing Becki Newton (Amanda) and Michael Urie (Marc) film the show's hilarious web series "Mode After Hours" for TV Guide Magazine's Web Hot List.

So when a producer asked if I'd like to sit at the evil Wilhelmina's desk, I immediately took over the leather throne, let out a Cruella DeVil cackle and began making long-distance calls to Milan. "Ankle boots are so 2K8," I whispered to no one.

For reference, here's Vanessa Williams as her nas-tay alter ego/the person I apparently become when given a tiny bit of power and a shiny desk to sit in.

The "Mode After Hours" article will be in the September 14 issue of TV Guide Magazine, on newsstands tomorrow. I'll include a link when the site is back in business.

This site's sporting a lovely new banner, and I can't say how thrilled I am at the new look this web site's rocking. The banner was custom-made by the very talented Sally Heron, one of my favorite visual artists who crafts clever beauty with personality in everything she draws. I would date her pen strokes, I'm so smitten by them. This is one of my recent faves:

And be sure to  check out her fantastic blog, a marriage of art + ice hockey.