8) NPR

When I was little my mom would listen to NPR in the car. For me, the dreaded 88.5 KQED was a source of great headache. I would complain, and ask for a channel change, wondering why anyone would want to listen to someone talk constantly while driving. To me it was droning, boring white noise that I couldn't quite follow. Think Teacher from Peanuts.

I can't remember exactly when I fell in love with NPR, but it was some time after I graduated from college. I had joined the work force, gotten out of the Westwood bubble, and was clocking a lot more time on the road. There are only so many times you can hear the same five hip-hop/R&B songs (currently: Bedrock by Young Money, Nothin' on You by B.o.B., Sexy Chick by David Guetta, Carry Out by Timbaland, and In My Head by Jason Derulo) on LA radio before you go searching for something else. Stereotypically, it's like realizing that the cool, popular jock in high school is still showing up to under-age townie parties in his 30's, and that the shy nerd full of random facts blossomed into a well-spoken, cultured member of society.

Now that I've grown into NPR, I can't live without it (as people often gush during the pledge drives). It turns my long commute into a news absorption hour that I wouldn't otherwise have. The familiar voices and jingles are like markers in my day. Hearing Steve Inskeep and his catalytic intonations is indicative of the morning drive to the office. After work, the silky baritone of Shay Stevens winds me down and gets me home.

Don't even get me started on their entertainment programming. Though I'm not consistently in the car on weekends, it's a treat when I catch parts of This American Life and Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me. Ira Glass has even managed to migrate from my radio to my iPod, as I hoard his weekly podcasts.

It may not have been love at first listen, but maybe it's a rite of passage. A you-know-you're-an-adult-when you come to appreciate NPR. Much to Mom's approval.