New Bloggers! Hooray!

Since things went so well with Gura on the blog, we've decided to open it up to our favorite valley girl, Ashley Grashaw. Take it away, Ash....

Hey bloggers. Ashley here, bringing the West Coast perspective to Blog of the Nation -- represent yo.

Although I spent my college years at Berkeley -- hugging trees (once, but it was a bonsai); wearing Birkenstocks (a temporary blip when they suddenly became popular again for about a month in 2003); and waging protests (against racist Abercrombie t-shirts, for example) -- I lived in LA long enough, having been raised there, to realize that it's OK to want to make money. Enter: Public Radio. Unpaid intern turned editorial assistant, my job is to talk to experts all day about topics I pretend to understand. But that's the great thing about working behind the scenes: I only have to find the expert, I don't have to be the expert.

Here's a few spicy tidbits about myself, the better to judge my blogging capabilities:

Currently Reading: Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman.
Special Talent: Ability to get a crowd going in a karaoke bar.
Favorite Sex Scandal: Michael Jackson, for its irony -- this is the same guy who wrote "Heal the World," no?
Random Quirk: Listening to Christmas music in July.

--Ashley Grashaw

Barrie Hardymon

10:02 AM ET | 10- 1-2007 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Laundry, Not So Much

We're chasing an ender today about when "green"... gets gross. Sometimes saving the environment can be sort of a pain in the butt (literally), or, in the case of overgrown lawns and clotheslines, downright eyesores. (More on that later, hopefully on the show.) Which brings me to the clotheslines. When I moved into my first house, my sister was nice enough to give me this book on housekeeping. It's no secret that I'm not much for the domestic sciences; it's hard to walk out of my house without cat hair and a string cheese wrapper clinging to you. But I felt inspired by this encyclopedia of domesticity. Finally! A method to fold fitted sheets! A complete explanation of what dust mites eat (you)! The enzymatic makeup of stains! I spent weeks in my dusty and dirty house, eating string cheese and reading the book. I was much enthused. I was going to become one of those people whose homes you can walk in barefoot! I took my good intentions to the bedroom first - "The Cave of Nakedness." (How can you possibly not love a book that quotes Auden for housekeeping inspiration?) The list was endless: air the bed out, windows open, while you're in the shower. Iron the sheets, and if you can't manage that, at least the pillowcases. (Seriously, my clothes are wrinkled. %^#%$ the pillowcases.) And while laundering one of your three sets of high quality sheets, remember, don't put them in the dryer. Put them on a clothesline, in the sun (I felt like "in Tuscany," might be coming next). And that's where I got strung out -- the clothesline. Imagine stumbling out to your balcony with soaking sheets, waiting for the sunny day, stringing up a line that's long enough for a queen set! I gave up. I want to be environmentally and domestically healthy, really I do, but it's simply too much. I am unashamed to say I've let go -- every night I crawl into my wrinkled bed with a good book, and eat a cracker and some string cheese.*

*This is not to say, however, that the book is not fascinating, and those who are morally superior to me will probably benefit greatly from it. Happy ironing.

Barrie Hardymon

10:29 AM ET | 09-13-2007 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Guidelines for Commenting

Every website has its own rules, and these are ours. If you break them, don't be surprised if we block your comments.

First things first: If you can't be polite, don't say it. Of course, we don't want to stifle discussion of controversial issues. Some topics require blunt talk, and we're not always going to agree with each other. Nonetheless, please try to disagree without being disagreeable. Focus your remarks on positions, not personalities. No name calling, slander, comments about someone's mother, comparisons to notorious dictators -- you get the idea. And under no circumstances should you post anything that could be taken as threatening, harassing, sexist or racist.

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Sarah Handel

11:48 AM ET | 03- 5-2007 | permalink | comments (9) | e-mail post

Frequently Asked Questions about Blog of the Nation

What is Blog of the Nation?

Blog of the Nation is the blog companion to NPR's Talk of the Nation, a daily live, two-hour, call-in talk show hosted by Neal Conan.

What is Talk of the Nation?

Talk of the Nation is a live, call-in program that airs Monday through Thursday. Neal Conan is the host, and also blogs here. We talk about everything from Condi to Britney ... if it's news, and well, you know, the talk of the nation!

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Sarah Handel

11:44 AM ET | 03- 5-2007 | permalink | comments (11) | e-mail post