Did anyone else listen to her on KUOW this morning? It was one of the most awkward, uncomfortable interviews I've ever heard. Her contempt for Steve Scher was palpable over the airwaves. Not that I'd fault anyone for disliking Steve Scher, but it wasn't really a good plug for her book, either.

Her interview on the Daily Show last week was classic. "If the eastern seaboard is American enough for Al Qaeda, then it should be American enough for Republicans."

All I heard on KUOW this morning was them begging for my money. I already gave you my car, bitches, what more do you want from me?

Seriously. KUOW's constant appeals for money make them tough to listen to in the mornings. I bailed months ago and now use my cheapass secondhand Shuffle.

To nitpick: Sarah Vowell's radio work is on This American Life, a show distributed by Public Radio International, a competitor to NPR. So she's not, strictly speaking, an "NPR commentator."

I picked up Assassination Vacation on iPod for a long car trip this summer, and I was stunned by how unceasingly whiny she is. Not about politics or history especially, but everything. From car rides to food to boat trips, the whole thing was like listening to a hypochondriac acquaintance describe their recent allergy test.