The MSG Golem

It was easy to decide on my favorite thing this week. I am still smiling over PodCastle's  The MSG Golem by Ken Liu.

I love PodCastle anyway. This podcast is all short Fantasy Fiction stories, and they are almost always wonderful. (Rarely there is something I just don't get, and even rarer something I just don't like.) But The MSG Golem from the July 2nd podcast is definitely a favorite.

I think one of the reasons I love it so much is the scene when Rebecca argues theology and religious ritual with God. It's so much my Rebecca. Especially since she seems to be winning.

I also love that God keeps whining about the way He gets blamed for everything when, having given man free will, He has no control. There are a few lines in the story that have me thinking about the God that I believe in and what obligations exist on both sides because of that belief.

If you've never listened to PodCastle before, this is a great first cast to start with. It's got God, a Golem, a sassy teen, space travel, and rats.

Whatcha listening to?

At our knitting group, a friend and I got to talking about the different podcasts we listen to. Now that I'm commuting to work (my drive can be anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour each way, depending on the whims of traffic), I've been listening to even more podcasts.

Some of my long-time favorites podcasts have ended. Meaghan of Stitch It! recently decided to spend more time with her family and less time recording. I've listened to her for so long that I felt like I was losing a friend when she made  the announcement. There have been a few other podcasts that have just faded off this past year.

Luckily, there are several new shows that I've found. And surprisingly, not all of them are knitting. Here's a brief summary of what's on my ipod. By the way, all of the podcasts can be found on itunes.

FIBER-RELATED:

The High Fiber Diet Podcast - This was the second podcast I've found, and by now I feel like Coggie and Sarge are members of my family. Lately there's been a bit of language that bothers me (I have my own little soapbox, and Sarge has gotten me up on it a few times), but I just can't let go. Family is family. Besides, Coggie is funny, informative, and I love her style.

Knit Obsession with Zknits - She's only putting out a show every month or so, but it's worth catching them when they come out.

Knitting Brooklyn - This is a brand-new podcast. She talks about knitting, spinning, and anything else that pops into her head. My big negative on this is that she refers too much to other podcasts - I don't listen to the same ones that she does and even if I did I'm not sure I want to hear her talk about them. I'd rather hear her own stuff. On the other hand,  I love that she's so close to where my daughter is - I recognize many of the places she talks about. So I may stick with it.

Knitting Pipeline - Paula talks about knitting, nature and bagpipes. Plus she actually met Elizabeth Zimmermann. (How cool is that?)

Subway Knits - A knitting podcast by a NYC teacher - how could I not love it?

Never Not Knitting - This is an extremely well-done knitting podcast by an extremely talented designer.

FIBER-FREE:

Betty in the Sky with a Suitcase - Although I didn't read her book, I've always enjoyed Betty's stories that she's collected while working as a flight attendant.

The Crush - This is one of my two wine podcasts. I've learned a lot from Whitney and Christina, although they do make me feel rather old and un-cool.

Escape Pod - Science fiction stories. Do I need to say anything else?

The Moth - This is always the first podcast I name when someone asks me for a recommendation. It's true stories, told by real people. Sometimes the people and stories are everyday tales, and sometimes they're incredibly amazing. I have a dream that someday I'm going to attend a live Moth event in NYC.

Pub Songs Podcast - It's all Irish/Celtic music, with a lot of geeky spoofed songs added in. It's wonderful. Plus Marc Gunn reminds me of one of my favorite cousins (Charlie) - I'm not sure why, but I think of Charlie every single time I listen to this podcast and it makes me smile.


Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me - I just started listening to this podcast. It's a public radio call-in show that's very funny and very up-to-date. I also get a kick out of hearing the technical advisor for the show is Robert Newhouse. I know it's (probably) not one of my relatives, but I still get a kick thinking it might be.

Wine for Normal People - Everything I know about wine, I learned from Elizabeth.

A 50x50 update

Sadly, here's my update on the 50 by 50 list. I wish I had a bunch of items that I could cross off. But that would mean actually working on the list. Instead, I keep changing my goals and going off on other tangents.

9. Take a trip to NYC. Naturally, I haven't been able to do this yet. However, I did get an invitation. For my birthday, my three children have offered me a trip to NYC for a week in October. I've always wanted to go to Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival. (Okay, I haven't always wanted to go, but only because I didn't know about it when I was younger. Now that I'm an avid knitter/spinner/weaver, I really would love to go since this is one of the biggest fiber festivals in the country.) The birthday trip from the kids includes Rhinebeck. They really are amazingly wonderful children. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if I can accept, since I literally just started my new job which means that I don't have any vacation time coming to me yet. But I'm going to talk to the powers-that-be, if I can figure out who that would be, and see if I can flex at least a few days off. Keep your fingers crossed for me! Even if I don't get enough time to make it to the festival, I might be able to still get up to spend a few days visiting with my daughter.

12. Write 50 thank you notes. I am a really bad person. Because a good person would have written several notes by now. I owe thank you's to so many people. And even though I sent emails thanking them, a handwritten note would be so much better. I really have to make this goal a priority.


13. Go to SAFF in October (or any of the big fiber events). If I can talk enough time off from work, I may be attending Rhinebeck. Which is way better than SAFF.

16. Finish or frog the 10 existing WIPs. I actually got to cross off one of my long-standing WIPs. The lemonade sweater was frogged and then knit into a shawl that I actually like.

23. Start recycling  at home (for at least 3 months). It's been over 3 months, and my recycling bin is still in use. I think I can call this goal a success.

41. Change my job. Although it wasn't what I had in mind, I have totally changed my job. As of this week, I am the Administrator of a church. It's a little bit of a commute, so I'll be moving when my lease is up in October. I think I'm really going to like this job. I get to do a lot of different things, so it's not going to be boring. The people are great (although I do miss my students). Best of all, there are no angry rants or politic bullying.

44. Podcast twice a month for 9 months. I have tried twice in the past week to record the next episode of the Lilypad. The first time, I erased the entire thing because I went off on a tangent and never came back. The second time, everything went beautifully. It sounded great. But I wanted to tweak it just a little bit, so that the intro music and the conclusion music merged a little smoother with my words. Unfortunately, I was very tired and didn't remember to save as I went along. There was a system crash, and my files were lost. It took every bit of willpower to keep the computer from being lost. I'm having tech service done with the computer this weekend, so I might be able to record on Sunday.

It's a pretty short list, considering how long it's been since I updated it. But on the plus side, at least I was able to cross off several items. So that's a good thing.

Podcast Episode #3 has been posted!

I had originally intended to post episodes of the Lilypad Podcast every other week. So far, I've managed to post one every other month. Sigh.But at least the third episode is up and ready for you to hear. You can listen to it over at the show notes, which are found at www.lilypadpodcast.com. Or you can subscribe to the podcast over in itunes. (You could also do it the easy way, and click on the episode's link in the sidebar.)

Let me know what you think of it...

Friday's Favorite Thing

I love listening to podcasts. I can plug my ipod into my car radio, so I listen whenever I'm driving. I also get to listen to the podcasts when I'm waiting on Becka to get out of work. I don't often listen at home, just because it's too noisy to hear over the kids' music and shows. But I manage to get in quite a few of my favorite podcasts each week.

Here is a list of my current favorite podcasts:

• BarknKnit - Okay, she hasn't put out an episode since last October, so I should probably take her off this list. But I keep hoping she'll get time to start up again.
• BeanKnits and Spins - This is another podcast that I should probably take off the list. She stopped podcasting back in 2006. But she did put up an episode in January 2011, stating that she was going to start again. I hope so. I love her New York attitude.
• Betty in the Sky With A Suitcase - This is one of my non-knitting podcasts. Betty is an airline hostess, and she tapes stories told by her co-workers about their adventures in the air. It's a lot of fun to listen to.
• Escape Pod - This is another non-knitting podcast. Mur Laffity is the editor (I love her writing!), and each weekly podcast is a short science-fiction/fantasy story. I wasn't sure if I was going to like this podcast, but I got hooked quickly.
• High Fiber Diet - Coggie is one of my all-time favorite podcasters.
• Insubordiknits Podcast - Another podcast that I should take off the list, since there hasn't been an episode since 2009. But I keep hoping.
• KIPing it Real
• Knaked Knits - Their last podcast was December 2010, so there's still hope that it will come back.
• Knit Obsessions with Zknits
• Knitters Uncensored - There isn't any hope that this is coming back. They ended the podcast in 2008. But it was good enough to keep on my list.
• Knitting Pipeline - I just started listening to this podcast, but I really like it. It's knitting, Zimmermann, nature notes and bagpipes.
• Knitwit: Rantings of a Rabid Knitter - This is another of my all-time favorites. She's starting to get away from the knitting content, but I still enjoy listening to her.
• Manic Purl Podcast
• The Moth Podcast - This is a non-knitting podcast, but should be a must for everyone who enjoys a good story. It's personal stories, told live onstage. Someday I'm going to go to a live Moth show in New York City.
• Never Not Knitting
• Pub Songs Podcast - Irish music with a comedy bent. Enough said.
• Socks int he City - She stopped podcasting in 2009. But maybe she will come back. Please.
• Stitch It! - I've been listening to Megan for years, and I feel like we're best friends. Even though she doesn't have a clue that I exist.
• Subway Knits - This is a new podcast, started just before I started mine. She's better than I am.
  

It usually takes more than three weeks to prepare a good iimpromptu speech. (Mark Twain)

The first episode of the Lilypad Podcast is officially posted. You can go to the show notes for details. Or go directly to the podcast itself to download (especially if you don't care about seeing pictures of the projects discussed).

This episode took me approximately 432 attempts before I finally just gave up trying to get it perfect. I've done the first episode so many times in my head, I never expected it to be so difficult to say out loud.

I'm still not really happy with it. First of all, my voice is still very quiet. And the one taped tale is extremely loud. I need to figure out how to moderate the two parts to a more evenly toned recording. I also need to figure out how to get intro music. And how to stop saying "um" so much.

But for a first episode, I'm pretty pleased with it.

The next episode will be wonderful!

At times it is folly to hasten; at other times, to delay. The wise do everything in its proper time. (Ovid)

I've been working on a list of topics for the Spun in the Sun podcast, and I would really like to record a show in the next couple of days. But I'm not sure if I should or not.

Michelle and I started the podcast together. It was something we had both wanted to do, although she had taken it a step farther than I had at the time by getting the equipment necessary to record a show. From the start, we were able to merge our ideas really well. There were a few technical difficulties (she and I talk in different volumes, making it hard to edit properly), but I'm proud of the episodes we did. Plus it was a whole lot fun to do.

Unfortunately, since returning from our New York City adventure we've had problems getting together to record another episode. First it was my personal life -- my son's medical discharge and all the anxiety as I waited to see what would happen, and then the sudden move into an apartment when my landlord went into foreclosure on the townhouse we had lived in for three years. On top of that my student's mother died, leaving me to act as his temporary parent. Just as my life was settling down, Michelle and her fiance closed on their house. The new house required major renovations, and she's been spending all her time knee deep in sawdust and paint -- when she isn't at work or school, that is.

So with one thing and another, we've gone four months without publishing an episode of our podcast. Considering that we had only been "on air" for five months prior to our hiatus, this is not a good thing. We're pretty much going to have to woe listeners all over again.

So this is my dilemma. I now have the basic equipment to record and edit the podcast. I also have the time to record an episode. And we really need to put an episode out if we want to retain any credibility with our audience. BUT. I would rather not do it without Michelle. The thought of sitting and talking all by myself is terrifying, even though I know I'm capable of talking on and on for hours. (That's what I do for a living. Eh, I'm a teacher after all.) And more importantly, I don't want to leave Michelle out of it; I don't want to give her the impression that she isn't wanted or needed; I don't want her to feel that I'm trying to take over the show; and I don't want any bad feelings of any sort. If I do a solo episode, it would be strictly on a temporary basis. Because the show is definitely the two of us -- or the three of us if we can ever get Faith to talk up. (Faith is our third partner on the podcast, known as the silent spinner because she isn't ready to talk on the air yet. She's shy.)

I've left messages for Michelle, so hopefully I'll hear back soon. It's hard though, since her schedule is so wonky and mine just doesn't mesh at all with her's. And I'm not sure why I shared all this, since I usually keep Spun in the Sun separate from this blog. But this is what is occupying my mind, so I'm sharing. Suggestions and/or advice would be welcomed.