It's January, and freezing outside. This week 5 stories from the sunny beach! Including David Sedaris telling us how losing a sister in 2013 prompted a family reunion, and an impulse buy of a lifetime — an oceanfront cottage big enough for all of them.
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Prologue
All over the United States there are ice storms and blizzards. Today we get away from all of that, first to sunny California. We hear from Sharon Jacobucci , who loves to work, and she’s got one of the stickiest jobs — she’s a parking attendant. But that’s no matter to her, because she works along Venice beach, where the weather is warm and the view is always great. (4 minutes)
Mexican Beach Doctor
Alex Blumberg talks to Shane Dubow about a time decades ago, when Shane went sea kayaking and camping with his friends on the beach in Baja California, Mexico. When Shane’s neck stiffens up on him, he finds himself looking for an unlikely chiropractor, in the middle of nowhere. (11 minutes)
Song:
Long Talk on a Short Pier
Comedian Sam Mullins tells a story onstage about being in middle school, and throwing a party for his longtime childhood friend, who is also a girl. Sam sees the beach party as the perfect opportunity to impress a bunch of teenage girls in bathing suits. Only when the moment comes, things go so horribly wrong that Sam winds up half naked, injured and crying for his mom. (10 minutes)
The Beachcomber
Note: This story only appears in the podcast version of the show.
This clip is from what Ira calls “the beachiest show” public radio ever made. It’s a segment from NPR’s 1970’s show, Ocean Hour. In it we hear from a man who lives on the beach, literally. He explains how it provides him everything he needs to survive. You can hear the original hour of radio, which included The Beachcomber, here. Courtesy of National Public Radio, Inc. (3 minutes)
Now We Are Five
David Sedaris comes from a big family, who for many years growing up, took annual vacations to the same beach house. In this story, David tells us about losing a sister last year, and how her death prompted a family reunion back at the beach. David is the author of many books, including Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls. (27 minutes)
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