“What the?”
Tuesday September 19, 2023
From the messy desk of Amanda Eichstaedt…
What the heck? And other musings…
ast week I rolled into the Olema Post Office parking lot, ready to retrieve my mail (which is back to being delivered in Olema). I walked in and leaned down to insert my key into my box, except it wasn’t my box any longer…. It’s been 18 years of muscle memory getting my mail in the same box. After some head scratching I did locate a box with my PO Box number on it, and the key worked. I retrieved my mail, still perplexed, and headed on home. The USPS certainly does keep us all achatter, don’t they?
The concept of “Who Moved My Cheese” comes to mind. This is why it’s good to be able to identify change, adapt quickly, and even enjoy when change happens. This is not always an easy task.
Cheese, feel free to move it around. photo: Pexels
What struck me was how much muscle memory there is in the every day things that we do. How accustomed we get to things being a certain way. We recently experienced a little leak in our kitchen plumbing (it is all fixed, go Ken!). While doing the repair we removed a drawer and every time I catch a glimpse of it out of the corner of my eye, I want to shut it. It’s out while the cabinet dries out. With Waylon we joke about “changed conditions,” and how English Shepherds are not keen on them. I think Waylon may be rubbing off on me (and not just his fur)!
Imagine the aural memory whiplash that Bolinas and Stinson listeners had when they turned on 89.9 FM last week and there was no KWMR signal. A power surge knocked KWMR’s equipment for a loop. It took a few days to get a crew up to evaluate what the issue was and come up with a fix. Richard Dillman and Ian McMurray went up on Friday to find out, and then Richard singlehandedly returned on Saturday with the appropriate equipment and got y’all back on the air. If you see the Wrangler about town, thank him!
Ian McMurray and Eric from WebPerceptions on the task. photo: Richard Dillman
People keep telling me that “Mercury is in retrograde.” I checked and it just went out of retrograde on the 14th of September, whew!
However, if Mercury in retrograde has rendered your car, truck, boat, or airplane out of commission and even your mechanic is deterring you from undertaking a fix, consider donating your car to KWMR. People are doing it! We are very appreciative of folks considering KWMR when they decide to get rid of their car. Here is how it works. You click HERE, or call 1-866-KWMR-CAR, to get the process started. We work with CARS, a nonprofit organization that handles all the details. Fun fact: KWMR does not get the cars, nor do we have the ability to sell the cars, CARS takes care of the details. Your donation helps support KWMR!
Speaking of cars. Every time I hear Curtis McBurney, who works at Cheda’s Garage, I think, “That guy should be on the radio! What a voice!” I was recently having some tires put on our vehicle and asked him if he would consider it. He has said “no” in the past. So I floated the idea of asking KWMR listeners to submit questions via the Round Up, and then I come over and record his answers and build it into my new “Lowdown” segment. He’s game. So if you have a vexing vehicular conundrum, submit it HERE. We’ll see what happens. We have a great name for this segment….
We learned last week that Herb Kutchins has passed away. Herb has not been on the air in a while at KWMR. He was an early member of the KWMR “Epicenter” team and held the informal title of “KWMR Political Correspondent,” interviewing elected officials and digging deep into the issues that impact West Marin. Herb, you will be missed and your many contributions to KWMR will always be cherished. Herb also contributed regularly to the “West Marin Report” that George Clyde produced steadfastly for a year. Our condolences to Gina and his entire family. Tess Elliot informs me that a full obituary will appear in the Point Reyes Light this week.
Intrepid KWMR reporter, the late Herb Kutchins. photo: KWMR archives.
Including here also, an update on the euphonious Jeff Wilkinson, host of “Saturday Night Function.” Jeff is doing well, and in great spirits and heading home (again) after a bit of a health setback. He has returning to the airwaves in his sites, and we certainly are looking forward to hearing him back spinning great tunes on KWMR.
And if you missed hearing “Bring It On Home” on KWMR’s airwaves for a while, you can hear about Neil Dickman’s bout with sepsis on Epicenter this Wednesday. It is National Sepsis Awareness Month, and it is nothing to mess with.
Thanks for reading (one of the longer ones),
Amanda Eichstaedt
Station Manager/Executive Director