smacky and bucky

I started reading one of my Christmas gifts last night (you'll be relieved to know it was a book and not a sweater!).

The book details one man's quest to work as a dishwasher in all 50 states. I first heard about "Dishwasher Pete" Jordan from a segment on the This American Life radio show I heard about 10 years ago. The husband of a fellow Peace Corps volunteer regularly mailed cassettes of the show to her in Burkina, and we'd trade them around. (Why a woman joined the Peace Corps and left her husband at home is a different story I can share if asked).

Back to the book: The book has a definite On the Road feel to it, with Pete getting hit with wanderlust every few weeks and anxious to see what's around the bend in the road. Pete's been on Letterman a few times (his story is certainly odd enough to interest Dave) and I'm sure a two-second search on YouTube will bring up clips. Sigh. OK, hold on... HERE. You can watch both of his appearances. The first from the 1990s (which wasn't actually him! Read the story at the link) and the second from this past summer. I finished half the book last night while the wife watched Virginia Tech lose in the Orange Bowl.