Podcast Freak

Ok, so I'll admit it. I'm a podcast freak. I blame my daughter of course. The last time she was home (at Christmas) we hopped in her car to do some errands and she plugged in her iPod and started to play a podcast. Something we laughed ourselves silly over (a conversation between Fred and Barney of the Flintstones after Barney had run over and killed Dino - it was hilarious). This was all the encouragement I needed to look into downloading some popcasts for myself.

I started out slowly, looking over each one carefully. I wasn't sure if I would even enjoy listening to the spoken word but within a few days I was totally hooked. Before long, my son had the hook up installed in my car so that it would play right through that system along with charging. Not that I'm in the car all that long, but suddenly my trips between my jobs and home seemed much shorter.

Let me see if I can find more podcasts I might be interested. Funny how just about everything looks interesting when your thirst is great. I downloaded things from NPR, APM, CNET and many independents.

OH NO, then I discovered video podcasts! A whole new genre to enjoy.

I checked for update almost every day. The heading into bed at night, I would put the iPod on the docking system I kept in there and watched any of the videos that were new that day. After I was done with the videos, I would listen to an audio podcasts and fall asleep. The next morning I would hook up the ipod in the car and try to figure out where I had fallen asleep the night before. I no longer went into the bus garage between routes. Why would I want to talk to anyone when I could sit in my bus and listen to a podcast? While grocery shopping I would walk around listening to another podcast. Waiting at the doctor's office, I would sit where I could watch for the nurse coming to get me so I wouldn't miss my name being called while I listen to another podcast. Out to lunch on my own, no problem, a podcast on the good old ipod would keep me company.

Reading became a thing of the past. I haven't touched a book in weeks. None of my friends listen to podcasts, much less own an ipod so I had nothing to share with them. On occasion when my daughter and I would talk we could share different podcasts that we enjoyed and amazingly, we have very similar tastes.

Today I sat down at my computer and deleted ALL my podcast. I wanted to start out fresh, wipe out all the old podcasts that needed deleted and then reload just my favorites again. Would I remember them all? I ended up with 18 podcasts, both audio and video. That's down from over 30. Now let's see if I can control myself!

But in case you are interested, here is some of my very favorite podcasts.

I guess I would have say the podcast I enjoy the most is NPR's Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me. It's a game show based on events of the past week, mostly political with guest stars playing for people who call in. It is hilarious. The host, Peter Sagal is a riot. I often worry about listening to this while grocery shopping because it makes me laugh out loud.

Another favorite is CNET's The Buzz Outloud. This is a technology podcast that is very funny and educational. Many time I don't have a clue what they are talking about but I still love the way they present things with so much humor.

More Hip Than Hippie is another timely podcast. Two woman talk about how to live a greener life with simple suggestions for around the home and also discuss much larger world issues of energy and the like. All is told with much humor as they sample the beer and chocolates that are sent to them. These girls now how to have some fun!

My week wouldn't be complete without Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion from APM, the news from Lake Wobegon. His calming voice is very easy to listen too as he weaves his tales about life in Minnesota. I think maybe it reminds me of listening to my Dad telling stories when I was a kid. It's amazing how a soft spoken male voice can pull you into the story so completely. This is another podcast that I find myself laughing out loud.

Another story teller that I've become fond of is Baba The Story Teller, Timeless Tales Told Tastefully. Baba gives hints on being a good storyteller, gives a moral of the day and tells a very simple story, often very short but with much meaning.

Because I'm a knitter, I decided to download some knitting podcasts. I'm not down to listening to only one, Sticks and Strings done by a bloke from Australia. I guess part of my first fascination was to listen to a guy talk about knitting but after a few weeks I realized he was the only one I was listening to and have deleted all my other knitting podcast. With the accent, he's fun to listen to but I also really enjoy his style and what information he presents. In his "real" life, he's a school teacher so I'm sure that's why he present himself so well. What is most fun is trying to figure out what he is talking about sometimes as some of the terms he uses aren't what we use here in the states. Luckily I have an online motorcycle friend in Australia and he helps me out when I have a question about what this podcaster is talking about. An example, recently he was talking about knitting a jumper. Turns out that is a sweater to Australian, not a dress like I thought. Then I found out that they call sweatshirts sloopyjoes! Oh the many things I have learned!

There are many more podcasts that I'll be listening to in the future including The New Yorker's Animated Cartoons (a video), The Onion News Network (another laugh out loud item), The Twisted Wrist (motorcycling) and NPR This American Life (which takes a different and interesting look at life with three acts, extremely thought provoking)

There are so many other podcasts I would like to try but now that I'm riding the bike more I won't be listening to podcast as much. The spoken word just doesn't come across as well on my radio speakers. But there is certainly something for everyone in the world of podcasting!

What a Week!

What a week it was. I had the week off from school due to Mid Spring break. I was hoping to be able to really enjoy some time to myself, but I'm sure you know the saying "the best laid plans of mice and men........". All and all, I did have some additional time to myself along with more time to do things that had to be done and had been put on the back burner for a while. I guess I've also been blessed because no matter how out of control things seem to get, I'm usually able to find the bright side of just about each situation.

I was able to put in extra time on my Aspire job so that I was able to take a day off in the middle of the week. I had set up an appointment to meet with a social worker from the Catholic Health Systems to have Mom evaluated to see if she needed to be moved into a nursing home. I prepared myself for a week for this decision and how Mom would deal with it. Wednesday morning I meet with this woman at Mom's house and to my surprise, Mom is OK'ed to continue living on her own. You could have knocked me over with a feather. I explained to the lady that I was having some health problems, that I have no real support system here to help me out with Mom and that due to my health, I'm still trying to travel as much as possible while I can. I was assured that this is no problem, all I need to do if find some outside help and that Mom should be fine for who knows how much longer on her own.

I leave that meeting to head to the post office to apply for my passport. Fortunately I had notice there was a newer form to fill out and had that ready along with my birth certificate. I had the cash in my pocket to pay for it and knew that the folks at the post office would be able to take the needed pictures. The woman at the post office looks at my birth certificate and what the hey, they can't use my birth certificate because it doesn't have a raised seal! OK, nice way to make a person feel old. She explains to me that I have to go to the Buffalo City Hall to get a copy of my BC with the raised seal and all I can think if how much I DON'T want to drive into Buffalo and find a parking space and have to take time off from work in order to accomplish this whole project. Meanwhile, they went ahead and took my pictures for the passport and checked my other paperwork to make sure that was all in order.

I'm soon back on the road again, luckily on the bike so I can enjoy the beautiful day. I head on over to Don George's Sports Center to drop off my lien release on the FJR and also pick up the plate so I can turn it in. I also tell Steve to sell, sell, sell. I need, want, lust, desire for the money I can get for the sale of this bike.

That night I decide there has got to be a way to get a new birth certificate online and save myself the trouble of going downtown Buffalo and sure enough, there is a link right from the Buffalo Vital Statistics page to order new BCs at a cost of a fee of only $8.50. I'm pleasantly surprised at this as what I will save from not having to pay a parking fee and taking time off from work, this is a true bargain! So I proceed with the process then end up having to print up a form which I just need to fax to the proper office. The next morning I do just that once I get to work at Aspire. Then I figure it will take a week or more time to receive the goods. Surprise, Surprise, it's in the next day's mail! When I open it, what another surprise, it must be a copy of a microfiche or something as it appears to be a negative image meaning the paper is black and the writing is white! and it's tiny but sure enough, it's got the required raised seal so I guess it is official. This morning I take a good long look at it and find out it's really the very original with more information then what my regular BC has. I know now that I was born at 6:59PM which is something I never knew before. Turns out this is the form that the attending doctor signed, the same doctor who delivered my sister and most of my cousins. The only thing it doesn't tell me if how long I was when I was born.

Friday I get to go out to lunch with my buddy Jody. As some of you will remember, Jody was my "spiritual guide" during my divorce. The other day we realize how much we missed having some time to just spend together and really catch up on each other's life's twists and turns. Keeping true to form, we couldn't meet on Thursday as we had planned the week before but were able to meet on Friday. Jody had worked in the early morning at school doing some training of new drivers then came to my Apsire office but of course I was in a last minute department meeting which went a bit longer then I expected. Top that off with Jody having to get to the Vet's office to pick up Merle from his surgery by 1PM, well, our lunch was shorter and faster then what we had hoped but still very enjoyable. All I can say is that I hope we find time again soon to get together hopefully with Bev when she gets home from her winter in NC.

Friday afternoon was topped off by taking Mom to the doctor's office. I called her to remind her that she had an appointment which of course she had forgotten. It was a long wait at the doctor's office but it was good to see her leg had healed up very nicely and the swelling in her legs had gone down very nicely as well. While we were waiting in the office I received a phone call from a florist telling me they had just delivered flowers to my home and left them on the front porch. Flowers! Wow! I texted Nicki and sure enough she had sent them to me. I couldn't wait to get home to see them. I get Mom home and then get to my home and there are my beautiful flowers.

A couple of weeks ago, I found half of a $20 bill laying in the bus garage yard. I took that to the bank just the other day, hoping to get a new $20 but alas, you have to have both side with both numbers in order to get it replaced. I'm assuming the other half was blown away when the snow uncovered that half. I'm not sure it's worth hunting around the yard anymore. That same day I finally turned in a lottery ticket worth $2 that I had received as a Christmas present from a family of some kids that ride my school bus. Hey, $2 is more then I expect! While I was disappointed not to get the $20 from the bank, then next day I open my mail and there is a check for $20 from Mercy Hospital from something I had done in May of 2007 which would have been a co-pay. Must have been for some x-rays I had taken last spring. So that was like found money in it's own way.

The worst news/event of the week was that Russ has pretty much made up his mind that he is going to move to North Carolina. He recently sold his house and after some time in the hospital and having a stint put in one of his arteries for a blockage, his company came to him asking him if/when he was going to be ready to move. While he says he is still conflicted about the move, he is going down there next weekend to look for a place to live. They expect him to move there by the first of June. He needs to be out of his house just about the same time. So our time together is limited now. Not that our time hasn't been limited all along due to our/his circumstances, but now he will be 600 miles away, not 10 miles. Yeah, I fell apart for a while, but I'm dealing with it and I know I will be just fine. After all, I have in the past and I know I will be just fine in the future.

With all the ups and downs of this past week or two, the weather has finally turned around and spring is finally here. The flowers are blooming and the trees are starting to leaf out which means that the grass is starting to grow so I guess that means I need to get the lawn mower out. I'm started siphoning the water off the top of the pool, the peepers have been peeping for the last couple weeks and just a couple days ago I started hearing the boy toads making the love calls to the girl toads. I've been able to leave the bedroom window open over my bed during the night and Penny, my new Saint Bernard, is shedding as is Dickens the cat.

I'll try to be more in touch with my blog, but not making ANY promises!