One of the first people I had a nice chat with was Matt Pack. He mentioned the radio program he’s working on, Fair Game with Faith Salie. So I added the show to my podcaster and loaded 20 episodes to my mp3 player this morning.

What a great show. It’s mainly an interview format in the same category as say Fresh Air, which I also love, but younger and funnier with comedy bits sprinkled in. Faith Salie is a good interviewer and the show genuinely made me laugh. The first episode I listened to featured a sort of op-ed segment by Matt Pack. It was a nice surprise since Matt only said he was writing for the show. I didn’t realize he did on air segments as well.

I ended up thinking about Matt a lot today on my drive as I listened to the show, and I felt compelled to post something about him. He is one of those rare people who always makes you feel better. I can’t think of time that I’ve seen Matt Pack and haven’t felt happier because of it. He has an infectious smile and is just a great guy to hang out with. Hell, I feel better just thinking about Matt now.

Matt Pack should be used to visit sick people in the hospital. He should rent himself out for special Matt Pack therapy sessions where you play XBOX games with Matt Pack to cure depression. They should use him to break log jams in tough negotiation sessions between companies and labor unions. He would just come in and listen to both sides, get them smiling and make them shake hands. How could you stay mad at someone with Matt Pack in the room? I’m having a vision of some future leader of Israel and some future leader of Palestine shaking hands. In my vision, Matt Pack is standing in between them surrounding their hands with his. They all have big smiles on their faces.

Maybe I’m starting to tease a little, but that’s because Matt Pack also has that little brother vibe. I tease him because I love him and I’m not sure how else to express it.

Matt, I’m jealous of your new gig and couldn’t be happier for you at the same time. Hope to see you soon.

Addendum: I decided to google Matt to find a place to link to him and I found a thread on my message board from 2003 entitled “is there anybody out there who hates matt pack?” As you can see, I am not alone.

What are the requirements for inclusion on my list? Books must be in paperback and ubiquitous enough to be found in a local library. A big bonus if they are available for the Kindle (I may only use Kindle-available books for purely selfish reasons). Oh and they must be good books, hopefully with a bit of an edge.

I’m also considering doing some kind of virtual version of the book club. Perhaps I would do it in SecondLife, or via a group in Facebook or on my message board. Sounds like fun and not that much more work since we would read the same book in the different locations.