But it took a while to adapt ourselves to what really was a
computer on four wheels. It took some time before I was able to “pair” our
phones to the car. I had no idea what
that was all about. Soon we not only adjusted but we could now no longer go
back to a car without a rear camera, burn your but seats and a heated steering
wheel. There was something that I lost in the Malibu that I only regained in
the last few days.
The Malibu had a CD player. On long trips, particularly with
our two grandchildren, the player was a way of exposing them to jazz, punk
rock, baroque music, Astor Piazzolla and Neil Young. The Cruze has no CD
player. On long trips to visit our daughter in Lillooet I connect a portable CD
player to the car’s very good Bose sound system.
In the last three years I have suffered with CBC Radio 1 (
Gloria Macarenko, and As It Happens
excepted) with what to me is run-of-the-mill (if not mediocre) popular music
and announcers with speech impediment, bad diction and unpleasant voices. I
have depended on Radio 1 for news and on Saturdays when I take my
granddaughters or daughter back t Burnaby in the evening I enjoy Vinyl Tap with
Randy Bachman. He is a man with a voice I like and with a very good taste in
the art of association. Ideas is still good but I miss Lister Sinclair.
For reasons that completely escape me I did not have CBC
105.7 on my radio favourites (the only other being Radio 1) until today.
So there was Tom Allen (the trombonist!) a wonderful voice
from my past of listening to the radio in bed. His program is still called
Shift. What a delight! He played music that was entirely dedicated to women who
were composers or performers in preparation to celebrating Women’s
International Day on March 8. So 105.7 is now in my radio. It will soothe me as
I navigate in the city.
Listening to Tom Allen brought memories of being in bed at
night years ago and listening to Katherine Duncan who would begin her program
with, “This is Katherine Duncan in Calgary.” Her voice made Calgary sound
exotic!
Thank you CBC!
And today March 7 2022 I must add CBC Reclaimed and CBC Ideas.