This Week's Shorts

1. March was (a) interesting, (b) plenty busy, and (c) interminably long. I'm relieved it's over. Now if only I knew how April might turn out...

2. I spent a good chunk of the last month on the road. I'm still trying to decide how to post about that. It shouldn't be this complicated, but since it'll probably be mostly a photo post ... yeah. Technical difficulties complicate things. In the meantime, here's one picture.


3. A year ago, this happened.

4. I've been diving a little too heavily into podcasts lately... My time is very much my own and a lot of what I'm doing means that I like background not-music -- something for my brain to latch onto while I'm cleaning/sorting/etc. It wouldn't be so bad if so many of them weren't related to true crime, but those who know my reading habits aren't surprised to hear that.

Here are my current recommendations:

The True Crime Ones:
Casefile. This is what I'll call the most serious in this section. An anonymous (Australian) narrator leads you through the facts of each case, from beginning to end (if an end exists), exploring theories and witness accounts along the way. As factual as it is, it's also fascinating and creepy and truly addicting. (Also, the production is excellent.)

True Crime Garage. This one is unique -- it's two guys who sit down each week and chat about a crime, from unsolved disappearances and notorious events, and they ... pair each one with a craft beer.

Okay, yes, that's why I started listening. And I love it. The tone is lighter than Casefile (while still taking each story seriously) and the guys who host it (Nic and the Captain) sound like people I hang out with on a regular basis. It's more like a conversation with some friends than a formal radio show.

Last Podcast on the Left. Yeah, this one is more like Bob & Tom Do True Crime. A mix of topics (famous and not so famous, cults, murders, disappearances, aliens, etc.) and full-on satire a lot of the time. Three guys my age, so once again it's a bit more like hanging out at someone's house, but in this case much funnier. It is a little alarming at times to realize what's making me giggle, though...

The Others:
StarTalk Radio. Neil DeGrasse Tyson and a comic co-host talk about ... all sorts of things. Sciencey things. Pop culturey things. Other things. Experts come in, commentators come in, and you get a fairly full scope on all sorts of topics.

Dan Carlin's Hardcore History. Okay, I only just started this one at the recommendation of a cousin, and wow. These are long format shows (we're talking at least 3 hours, sometimes more like 15 per topic) that take a single historical topic and cover ... everything.

Again, I've only been listening to this one for a couple of days, but I can say that (a) Dan Carlin is easy to listen to, and (b) I'm already learning things even though I haven't actually finished a show yet. (They're long, remember?)

Yeah, the whole podcast topic could be it's own post, but ... that's what I've got for the moment. So we'll leave it there.

5. Pokemon Go is a dangerous thing.

6. I hadn't realized just how much I'd missed spring. Thank goodness it's here.

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