The Morning Commute

April 28, 2026

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 13:34:54 GMT

I remember when driverless cars meant using your knees.

Intro: Bad Bad News, Leon Bridges, Columbia (2018)
Poem: In the Morning, Before Anything Bad Happens, Molly Brodak
Music: Tender Defender, Vulfpeck;Theo Katzman, Vulf Records (2025)

April 27, 2026

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 10:30:00 GMT

// April 27, 2026

That's emotional support rust.

Intro: Bad Bad News, Leon Bridges, Columbia (2018)
Poem: And Isn't Everything at Risk, Gregory Orr
Music: Comfortably Numb, Scissor Sisters, Polydor Records (2004)

April 24, 2026

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 10:30:00 GMT

These donuts aren't gonna eat themselves.

Intro: Come on Eileen, Save Ferris, Epic (1997)
Poem: Late Fragment, Raymond Carver
Music: Groove Is in the Heart, Deee-Lite, Elektra Records (1990)

April 23, 2026

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 10:30:00 GMT

Nothing says 'productivity' like people who won't take their right of way.

Intro: Come on Eileen, Save Ferris, Epic (1997)
Poem: Te Deum, Charles Reznikoff
Music: Grace Kelly, MIKA, Casablanca Records/Island UK (2007)

April 22, 2026

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 10:30:00 GMT

The merge lane is about momentum, not courtesy.

Intro: Come on Eileen, Save Ferris, Epic (1997)
Poem: The Committee Weighs In, Andrea Cohen
Music: Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat), Digable Planets, Pendulum Records (1993)

April 21, 2026

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 10:30:00 GMT

Is this existential dread or just...Tuesday?

Intro: Come on Eileen, Save Ferris, Epic (1997)
Poem: In Memoriam, Leo Dangel
Music: Ooh La La, Goldfrapp, Mute, a BMG Company (2005)

April 20, 2026

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 10:30:00 GMT

We're all just one poorly-timed intersection from being late.

Intro: Come on Eileen, Save Ferris, Epic (1997)
Poem: Cabbage, Charles Simic
Music: Hollywood Swinging, Kool & The Gang, Island Mercury (1973)

April 17, 2026

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 10:30:00 GMT

Get in, losers, we're getting donuts.

Intro: About Damn Time, Lizzo, Nice Life/Atlantic (2022)
Poem: From time to time, Matsuo Basho
Music: Ice Cream, New Young Pony Club, Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. (2007)

April 16, 2026

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 10:30:00 GMT

What's the deal with commuting, am I right?

Intro: About Damn Time, Lizzo, Nice Life/Atlantic (2022)
Poem: A Prayer for Future Us, Harriet Solinas
Music: Sun of a Gun, Oh Land, Epic (2011)

April 15, 2026

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 10:30:00 GMT

Day-old coffee is still coffee.

Intro: About Damn Time, Lizzo, Nice Life/Atlantic (2022)
Poem: My Mother Asks How I'm Doing with Just Whiskey and Cats, Joyce Sullivan
Music: Chains of Love, Erasure, Rhino/Warner Records (1988)

April 14, 2026

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 10:30:00 GMT

The door's not child-locked, it just...won't open.

Intro: About Damn Time, Lizzo, Nice Life/Atlantic (2022)
Poem: Love comes quietly, Robert Creeley
Music: Bear with Me, Propaganda;Marz Ferrer, Fair Trade/Columbia (2017)

April 13, 2026

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 10:30:00 GMT

Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts will take you past the QuikTrip.

Intro: About Damn Time, Lizzo, Nice Life/Atlantic (2022)
Poem: Watching the last boat, Linda Gregg
Music: Bend & Break, Keane, UMC (Universal Music Catalogue) (2004)

April 10, 2026

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 10:30:00 GMT

Two dozen glazed and nobody to share them with. Just me and this exit ramp.

Intro: Funky Times 1.0, Funky Times, K-Mountain Productions (2021)
Poem: To Kiss a Forehead Is to Erase Worry, Marina Tsvetaeva
Music: Rock Steady - Radio Edit, The Whispers, UNIDISC MUSIC INC. (1987)

April 9, 2026

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 10:30:00 GMT

Close your eyes. Now open them. That's the closest I get to ASMR while driving.

Intro: Funky Times 1.0, Funky Times, K-Mountain Productions (2021)
Poem: Those Winter Sundays, Robert Hayden
Music: Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing, Incognito, UMC (Universal Music Catalogue) (1992)

April 8, 2026

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 10:30:00 GMT

Bitter gas station coffee pairs well with exhaust.

Intro: Funky Times 1.0, Funky Times, K-Mountain Productions (2021)
Poem: Road Warrior, Eileen Myles
Music: Don't Wait Too Long, Madeleine Peyroux, Rounder Records (2004)

April 7, 2026

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 10:30:00 GMT

No housework day. I also subscribe to no roadwork day.

Intro: Funky Times 1.0, Funky Times, K-Mountain Productions (2021)
Poem: Arrival, Michael Longley
Music: Lady Day, Gil Scott-Heron

April 6, 2026

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 10:30:00 GMT

New week. Fresh start. Slightly stale Twinkie from the glove box.

Intro: Funky Times 1.0, Funky Times, K-Mountain Productions (2021)
Poem: In California, Margaret Levine
Music: Yellow Daze, Jafunk;Triple H Horns;Adi Oasis, Luckie Star Records (2024)

April 3, 2026

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 10:30:00 GMT

I took the chains off the donuts. Tires. I mean tires.

Intro: Happy Idiot, TV On The Radio, Harvest Records (2014)v
Poem: Maple, Jane Hirshfield
Music: Gypsy, Fleetwood Mac, Warner Records (1988)

April 2, 2026

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 10:30:00 GMT

If you don't fishtail at least once are you even commuting?

Intro: Happy Idiot, TV On The Radio, Harvest Records (2014)
Poem: To Be Alive, Gregory Orr
Music: Smoke and Mirrors, PJ Morton, Morton Records / EMPIRE (2024)

April 1, 2026

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 10:30:00 GMT

Birds sing; I croon.

Intro: Happy Idiot, TV On The Radio, Harvest Records (2014)
Poem: Mrs. Darwin, Carol Ann Duffy
Music: Tieduprightnow, Parcels, Because Music (2018)

March 27, 2026

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 10:30:00 GMT

I love when the traffic clears and everyone forgets how fast they were going.

Intro: Discopolis, Discoholic, Discoholic (2024)
Poem: April, Sandra Lim
Music: Keep That Coffee Hot, Scatman Crothers, Universal Digital Enterprises (1956)

March 26. 2026

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 10:30:00 GMT

My GPS and I aren't on speaking terms.

Intro: Discopolis, Discoholic, Discoholic (2024)
Poem: Tired, Langston Hughes
Music: That's Love, Oddisee, Mello Music Group (2015)

March 25, 2026

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 10:30:00 GMT

Is it zipper merge or button-fly merge?

Intro: Discopolis, Discoholic, Discoholic (2024)
Poem: From 'Vita Nova', Louise Glück
Music: How Much Do You Love Me?, Vulfmon;Jacob Jeffries, Vulf Records (2022)

March 24, 2026

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 10:30:00 GMT

We've been in this turn lane so long we're facing the wrong way.

Intro: Discopolis, Discoholic, Discoholic (2024)
Poem: We shake with joy, Mary Oliver
Music: Can't Steal My Heaven, Caleb Hawley, Storage Unit Records (2023)

March 23, 2026

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 10:30:00 GMT

The light was yellow. I believe that with my heart.

Intro: Discopolis, Discoholic, Discoholic (2024)
Poem: Concurrence, Denise Levertov
Music: Bulletproof, La Roux, Polydor Records (2009)

March 20, 2026

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 10:30:00 GMT

C'mon, this box of donuts isn't gonna eat itself!

Intro: Take Your Mama, Scissor Sisters, Polydor Records (2004)
Poem: Love Is Not All, Edna St. Vincent Millay
Music: Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, Wham!, Columbia (1984)

March 19, 2026

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 10:30:00 GMT

Some days you drive the commute, and some days the commute drives you.

Intro: Take Your Mama, Scissor Sisters, Polydor Records (2004)
Poem: I Am Panting, Anna Swir
Music: Tee Time, Vulfpeck, Vulf Records (2017)

March 18, 2026

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 10:30:00 GMT

This morning's traffic jam brought to you by A 4-Way Stop That Should Be a Roundabout!

Intro: Take Your Mama, Scissor Sisters, Polydor Records (2004)
Poem: You Ask Why I Make My Home in the Mountain Forest, Li Po
Music: Small Change, DON WEST, Mandatory Music (2024)

March 17, 2026

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 10:30:00 GMT

Had trouble scraping this morning. You can be my right eye!

Intro: Take Your Mama, Scissor Sisters, Polydor Records (2004)
Poem: Yes, That's When, Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
Music: Survivor, Destiny's Child, Columbia (2001)

March 16, 2026

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 10:30:00 GMT

Don't let the snow worry you. I learned how to drive in Iowa.

Intro: Take Your Mama, Scissor Sisters, Polydor Records (2004)
Poem: As if from the End Times, John Burnside
Music: Believe, Cher, Warner Records (1998)

March 13, 2026

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 10:30:00 GMT

Birds! I hear birds this morning!

Intro: Run-Around, Blues Traveler, A&M (1994)
Poem: The Jewel, James Wright
Music: Hey Mr. D.J., Zhané, Motown (1994)

March 12, 2026

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 10:30:00 GMT

You know, I spilled a yogurt smoothie in here two days ago. Can't smell anything, can you?

Intro: Run-Around, Blues Traveler, A&M (1994)
Poem: Rites of Passage, Audre Lorde
Music: Alberto Balsalm, Will Van Horn, Crystal Beach (2018)

March 11, 2026

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 10:30:00 GMT

Sometimes it's nice to drive in companionable silence.

Intro: Run-Around, Blues Traveler, A&M (1994)
Poem: Ode to Friendship, Noor Hindi
Music: To Be, Shubh Saran, Shubh Saran (2024)

March 10, 2026

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 10:30:00 GMT

Get in, losers, we're going commuting!

Intro: Run-Around, Blues Traveler, A&M (1994)
Poem: It Is March, Victoria Chang
Music: Salvation, The Cranberries, Island Records (1996)

March 9, 2026

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 10:30:00 GMT

Mondays are always better together. With coffee.

Intro: Run-Around, Blues Traveler, A&M (1994)
Poem: A Poem Is a Place, Isabelle Correa
Music: Everything, Gotts Street Park;Rosie Lowe, Blue Flowers Music (2020)

March 6, 2026

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 11:00:00 GMT

These floormats have really retained their value.

Intro: Happy Up Here, Röyksopp (2009)
Poem: Fulcrum, JS Gilbert
Music: Mystery, Allen Stone & PJ Morton (2024)

March 5, 2026

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 11:00:00 GMT

Drive like no one's watching.

Intro: Happy Up Here, Röyksopp (2009)
Poem: Conspicuously Reading Nikki Giovanni in a Coffee Shop, JS Gilbert
Music: Daft Punk Is Playing at My House, LCD Soundsystem (2005)

March 4, 2026

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 11:00:00 GMT

If I wanted directions I'd unmute Google.

Intro: Happy Up Here, Röyksopp (2009)
Poem: Stalker, JS Gilbert
Music: If You Want Me to Stay, S.L.Y. and the Family Stone (1970)

March 3, 2026

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 11:00:00 GMT

There are emergency donuts in the trunk.

Intro: Happy Up Here, Röyksopp (2009)
Poem: But What Do You Bring to the Table, JS Gilbert
Music: How Long Do I Have to Wait for You?, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings (2005)

March 2, 2026

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 11:00:00 GMT

It's not empty: it's 'E' for 'ehh just a little further'.

Intro: Happy Up Here, Röyksopp (2009)
Poem: She Forgot the Grits, JS Gilbert
Song: This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody), Talking Heads, 1983

February 27, 2026

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 21:05:13 GMT

Hey, that's my Aldi quarter!

Intro: Lose Yourself to Dance (feat. Pharrell Williams), Daft Punk (2013)
Dream Deferred, Langston Hughes
Golden, Jill Scott (2004)