Very First Post

The entire time I was creating this blog -- and considering writing this blog -- I kept thinking about what I was going put in my first blog entry. (That, and how much I was going to have to improve my writing ability: no sentences ending in prepositions!) Was it going to be some activist resource type of blog, maybe with an annotated bibliography? A kind of random blog, like some kind of library or crafting or cooking adventure? I couldn't decide mostly due to the fact that whatever I wrote first would seem to be the most important thing in my life; this is the type of decision I don't think I'd ever be able to make let alone want to make.

Then I came upon a solution that would solve all my problems: podcasts.

If you know me personally (which some of you might) you know I sort of obsess over podcasts. A lot of my sentences start "This one podcast I listen to...." My obsession is a combination of three (3) major factors:

• not owning a television set for over a year, thus having to rely on the Internet for any dirty little mass media cravings I might have
• having a work/class/social schedule that resulted in missing most of those dirty little mass media cravings when I even still owned a television
• realizing the amazing availability of actually creative, interesting content via podcasts

I quite literally downloaded dozens of podcasts when I discovered them in my graduate school technology class. While I no longer subscribe to many of them, I loved them all and still look for good podcasts on a regular basis.

That being said, I want this blog to be sort of an informal information resource rather than an actual "I'm mad as hell and not going to take it anymore" kind of blog or a life/news update kind of blog. I figure the best way fulfill that particular goal is an abundence of lists, bibliographies, etc. What does this have to do with podcasts?



My (completely subjective) Top Podcasts (annotated)

• Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! I have been listening to this show since I was about 9 or 10. I love it and I aspire to some day have Carl Castle's voice on my answering machine. If you have never listened to it, Wait Wait... is basically a news gameshow that is recorded by the Chicago NPR (National Public Radio) station that is entirely hosted by comics. The best thing about it I think is that it manages to make fun of the stupid stuff that everybody does, rather than picking a side and going from there. They also manage to round up an interesting assortment of guests, from President Obama to Leonard Nimoy. It was not originally made in podcast form but I am very glad they decided to put it up as a podcast since I also don't own a radio.

• YOGAmazing I have found this to be a fantastic resource as a yogi. The nice thing about Chaz's podcast (aside from the "Down Dog is Man's Best Friend" shirt) is that it provides a full hatha yoga workout -- warm-up through savasana -- in 20 to 30 minutes in your own home. (Yoga Journal's 20 to 30 minute podcasts, by comparison, are pretty much meant to be combined to make longer practices since they don't usually include a warm-up or savasana.) Also, Chaz makes it interactive by doing specialty classes that have been requested by viewers so there are cool themes like "Yoga for a Hangover" and "Yoga for Menstral Cramps." He recently started adding YOGAmazing in a Minute podcasts as well ("Tree Pose while brushing your teeth"). The level of difficulty is kind of variable because he does do some more hardcore shows but because they are so short even I of the arthritis-in-every-joint type can still manage to do them fairly comfortably.
  

• TEDTalks This is one of those podcasts I originally downloaded over 2 years ago for that technology class and it never ceases to supply me with downright AWESOMENESS. The TED Conference, which is all about technology and design, invites innovative thinkers to come present; they then record the presentation and make it available to the public, either by podcast or on their site. The result? A kickass compilation of 30 minute or less presentations on topics ranging from crochet's contribution to mathematics to the history of Chinese food in the U.S. to the crisis of the mass bee disappearances. Honestly, there is rarely an uninteresting TED presentation.
  

• Vegan A Go-Go I love this one for a couple of different reasons. First, it is the epitome of what a homemade video podcast can be. It is filmed in an actual apartment with actual people (who are not established chefs or cookbook authors) with actual recipes. It is very obviously a small apartment kitchen outfitted with normal kitchen stuff -- I have the same Target spice rack the host does. The recipes are the kind that you would actually make on a regular basis and are, for the most part, simple. The host wears a sweatshirt in one of them even. Another plus for me is that they are not fake meat/dairy based recipes, rather they are mostly good vegetable recipes. I have recommended this podcast to most of my friends, including omnivores, who needed some easy veggie cooking.

• Vegan Freak Radio If you are vegan, you should be listening to this podcast. If you aren't vegan and can't deal with some omnivore or vegetarian criticism, maybe tread carefully. This is not your happy hippy veggie podcast. Vegan Freak is really a podcast for vegans, especially those who might not know other vegans, to connect with the community. There is quite a bit of ranting and no shortage of profanity. They read a lot of listener e-mail, play a lot of listener voicemails, discuss relevant animal rights and vegan news, and have some guests on occasionally. Bob and Jenna have made it more professional over the years but it still has a discussion-with-friends appeal thanks to various technical difficulties, their dogs getting in on the action, and their off-topic tangents/giggle fests. Be on the lookout for some of the best usage of audio clips I have ever encountered.
  

The next blog topic is still up in the air but here are a few possible ideas for in the future:

• Young Adult Resources
• Multicultural Picture Books
• Fat Acceptance/Health At Every Size Resources
  
• Graphic Novels
• Vegan/Vegetarian Resources
• Weird & Random Reading Lists