Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me

Jon and I are nerds. This is not a new revelation.

However, this was confirmed when we got geekishly excited over the announcement that "Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me!" the NPR news quiz was coming to town. For the uninitiated, "Wait, Wait" is a current events quiz show that airs weekly on public radio. We stumbled upon it several years ago and have been hooked ever since. It's hard to explain the appeal, but rest assured that if you listen to it, you will love it, too.

The show is usually taped in Chicago, and we've actually discussed going to the Windy City for a broadcast. The closest we came to seeing it live was watching a simulcast at a local movie theater this spring. (In fact, it aired the night before Elsa's due date, so we weren't sure if we'd get to see it. I thought for sure that if I had gone into labor during the taping that Carl Kasell would have recorded our birth announcement.)

It turns out we didn't have to go to Chicago after all because "Wait, Wait" came to us. The announcement was made on our local public radio affiliate, and we were buying tickets within the week. Merry Christmas to us!

The stars aligned in that the taping was right down the street at the Orpheum theater and the night before we left for Christmas vacation. Some friends came over to watch Elsa (who was beyond fussy--bad parents that we are, we left anyway), and off we went.

Ready for the show

I will proudly wave my nerd banner when I proclaim how cool it was, especially to hear all of the bonus material that gets edited out. Jon was not exaggerating when he said it was definitely a bucket list item for him, for both of us. Follow this link to listen to segments of the show: http://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/255821620/wait-wait-dont-tell-me-for-december-21-2013?showDate=2013-12-21 If you listen closely, you'll probably hear us laugh. 

But the story doesn't end there. Early the next morning, in line at the airport, I noticed that one of our fellow passengers at the ticket counter was THE Carl Kasell, longtime NPR newsman and current score keeper for "Wait, Wait." Jon and I completely geeked out, introducing ourselves and gushing about how much we love the show. I think Carl was a bit taken aback, but we viewed it as an excellent omen for our day of travel.