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Madeleine Brand: One Day at a Time

By Madeleine Brand
March 23, 2009
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Editor's note: Every month, one of your neighbors - famous, anonymous, maybe infamous - will be joining the KCET Local team in order to blog about their corner of Southern California. First up is radio host Madeleine Brand, formerly of the late great NPR newsmagazine Day to Day.

For the first time in nearly 12 years, I'm no longer "Madeleine Brand, NPR News." The radio show I hosted for five of those years, here in LA -- DAY TO DAY -- was canceled and I was laid off.

During the last five minutes of the show, most of the staff was in the studio, and we did the show close live, all together ("Day to Day was a production of NPR News and Slate dot com.") It was intense. I cried after it was over. We all hugged. I miss them all already. That's one of the best things about the office, about work: the camraderie, being part of a group effort.

Day to Day One (of my new life)

I slept in this morning. I got up at 6:30, a full half-hour after I would have already been at work in my old life. For the past five years (minus a few months off for maternity leave), my hours have been 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Now, as of today, they're pretty much what I want them to be.

So, what did I do with all this newfound freedom? Before the kids were up, I did the laundry, unloaded the dishwasher, made breakfast for everyone, made the kids' lunches. Then, I got the kids up, fed them, got them dressed, took them to school. So far, this is sounding pretty un-free, I know.

OK - here's the freedom part: I went to an exercise class, met with my agent about some tv pitches, had lunch out by myself, and did some window shopping (I love that expression; it reminds me of my Jewish grandmother who wore animal print pantsuits.) And now I'm writing this blog entry.

So, far nothing that's earning me any money. That will change, I'm sure.

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