I started a podcast

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  • I don’t know about anyone else, but I’ve been very busy lately, and there’s no slowing down (relatively) in November. I attended a conference – in person! – earlier this week, have Board meetings next week along with Veteran’s Day, then am taking an actual vacation the week after that, coming back to have Thanksgiving week. I have lots to do for each of the events, and it’s not like work has slowed down any. In fact, with a retirement in the office, I have added a few tasks that I have to do in the short term.

    I hope that I’ll actually be able to relax on the vacation (but I do have one Zoom meeting I need to attend on Monday of the vacation). Isn’t it time for me to slow down? Thanksgiving should be good – I’ll have to make a few sides for the meal, but I’ll get some time with my grandson that weekend – but the rest of the time will be go-go-go. Please let December slow down some.

    Today’s podcast reflects some of the go-go spirit of the month, with tunes from the Rolling Stones, the Flamin’ Groovies, Hot Tuna, the Allman Brothers Band, Jason Isbell, My Morning Jacket, Wilco, Mike Nesmith, Stephen Stills, Leon Russell, Al Green, Ann Peebles, and Mavis Staples.

    Please go to brennick.net to stream or download or download the podcast brennick.net. Thank you for tuning in.

  • edited November 2021
    Time to retire or reduce hours, Bremble? I did a phased retirement, reducing hours over a three year period to about 12 hours per week (which actualy meant much more than that!) I thenincreased my voluntary work in the education sector - some weeks 'working' half time. Last July, having reached 70, I give up my Directorship of a school trust and a few other things, so now I only do 5 or 6 hours a week average, which gives me time to do other things, like more reading and listening!
  • Oh, Greg, if only I could. My job is a 50+ hour a week job as it is - don't see how I could cut back now. Maybe in a year or two, once things calm down, and that maybe I can get another person working under me, maybe then I could cut back on hours. As long as I still enjoy the work I'll keep at it. I did check retirement benefits and my wife and I could retire without cutting back on anything...until the economy collapses again.
  • I understand Bremble. I worked in the public sector and our salary was not that good at all much of the time, but the pension benefits were good
  • In 2020 Kate and I had planned our long-awaited trip to France. I was researching hotels and places to visit (beyond the obvious ones). Something happened to derail those plans – wait, I’m getting old and don’t always remember what happened… anyway, we did not go.

    We finally decided that we would take a vacation this year – not to France but somewhere where we could visit friends. That also did not happen, so we arranged a November vacation back to Hilton Head, SC. Surely by November, the world would be getting back to normal. Hmm, I guess not.mOh well. I’m used to wearing masks a lot of my day, anyway.

    So we’re in Hilton Head for the week. We’ll visit local attractions, take a day trip to Savannah, GA, and maybe take a day trip to Charleston, SC. I’ve been to both for conferences, but Kate has only visited Savannah for the day, and not even some of the cool places I found when I was there. We will hopefully have fun. We’re fully vaxed and have even gotten the booster shot, so with that and our masks we’ll be well-protected. Unsure whether there are any mask mandates in SC – I don’t think so, but we’ll still mask up in some places when we’re inside. We’re hoping for the best.

    Today’s podcast, done way before we left on vacation, features Lower Dens, Charlotte Wessels, Christine & the Queens, Dirty Projectors, the English Beat, Madness, General Public, Fine Young Cannibals, Quantic & Nidia Gongora, Sideral, Celia Cruz, Tome Ze, Redbone, Dr. John, the Meters, and Batty Harris.

    Please go to brennick.net to stream or download or download the podcast brennick.net. Thank you for tuning in.

  • I do hope that you do get to France Bremble, it is an amazing country, with brilliant restaurants. We love Paris, but one of our favourite places is Antibes and around off season, so it is not too hot or crowded. For us we can get there by train in a day, a nice way to travel. We've got our first overseas trip in over two years planned for mid December to Vienna, still hoping that it will be able to go ahead. 
  • S.C. seems to be doing OK - not great - but, with precautions, can probably be doable for a week (tho, I would  leave off the part about “visit[ing] friends”).

    Austria, on the other hand, would be a really bad idea now and especially so in December.
    The numbers are soaring like a rocket. Just in the last month, they’ve gone from about, the already high, 2500 cases/day to over 13,000! This is a country whose population is about the size of New York (which is still experiencing “only” about 1000 cases/day and considered high-risk). So when you compare 1000 to 13,000/day and also realize that you may have to do things like order take-out food in German and possibly have to do other things that would not be familiar interactions under normal circumstances, then I would definitely reconsider. The country has now ordered a lockdown of unvaccinated people, so even tho you are vaccinated, you can be sure there will be some unhappy people there who may begin protests or worse. Austria is wonderful - been there many times - but, really, do some extra research before settling in on this. 
    A news article.

  • Thanks Bremble, don't worry we are very cautious on this. It is a family trip with my wife's brothers and wives, plus a niece, to visit another niece and her husband pre- Christmas. We booked everything so thst we can cancel, which seems the most likely outcome, although all of us are triple vaccinated, including the 28 year old niece who is a hospital pharmacist. 
  • Glad to hear you're cancelling.
  • rostasi said:

    I noted the QAnon flag and the silly people claiming to be anti-vax for their children's sake. Good Grief Charlie Brown! Plus the usual far right nut jobs.
  • Just back from vacation in Hilton Head. The word of the week was alligators. We were in Hilton Head previously, ut it was at Christmastime, and it was much colder, so all of the alligators were hibernating.

    Not last week. We had an alligator in our back swamp (we named him Beauchamps). We also saw them laying out in the sun as we walked through our complex. When we went to a nature area, we saw signs warning us that we were not allowed to harass or feed the alligators. The Audobon Preserve had one named Big Al – we didn’t see him on our visit.

    We had a great time. Lots of walking in nature areas, ate at a lot of great restaurants (most very reasonably priced), and took trips to Savannah and Beaufort. The travel wasn’t bad -I’ve gotten used to wearing masks, so masking at the airport and on the planes wasn’t a burden. We remained safe for the week and had a great time.

    Today’s podcast, pre-recorded much earlier, features train songs, with Elvis Presley, Allen Toussaint, the Kinks, the Shangri-La’s, Crazy Horse, Tarheel Sam, Kames Brown, Little Feat, Bob Dylan, Los Lobos, the Johnny Burnette Trio, Marshall Crenshaw, the dB’s, Paul Kelly, and Rank & File.

    Please go to brennick.net to stream or download or download the podcast brennick.net. Thank you for tuning in.

  • djh said:
    rostasi said:

    I noted the QAnon flag and the silly people claiming to be anti-vax for their children's sake. Good Grief Charlie Brown! Plus the usual far right nut jobs.
    America still has that undue influence for some ridiculous reason.
  • I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family on Thursday. Food was great, company fantastic, nothing (really) went amiss. The next morning at 1;30, I started to projectile vomit, and did so every ninety minutes until 6:00 AM. Thus I had the stomach flu that was going around.

    It started with my grandson last weekend, then with my son and his wife on Monday. We picked up our grandson on Wednesday so the kids could sleep in and rest up, and all seemed fine on Thursday. Then I had the bug, and it was then passed on to the rest of the family on Saturday. Fun times for all! Actually, my wife didn’t get sick (although who knows what today might bring), and I think her sister didn’t get sick, either (I was quarantined on Friday – saw no one and stayed in bed). Still, a memorable Thanksgiving was had by all.

    Today we have an illness-free edition of the podcast, with Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, The Allman Brothers Band, Chuck Prophet, Steve Wynn, John Prine, Lyle Lovett, the Fall, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., Drive-By Truckers, Jason Isbell, and Grace Potter & the Nocturnals.

    Please go to brennick.net to stream or download or download the podcast brennick.net. Thank you for tuning in.

  • No post this week. See you next week.
  • Taking a break from posting and podcasting. Have a happy holidays!
  • I'm back. Am I back? I've been off since November 30, and truthfully, I haven't really missed putting together a playlist for a new podcast. Every once in a while I'll hear a song and say that it would be good on the pod, but it's been fleeting.

    So why now? Don't know - I just felt like putting something together, and here we are. I did want to highlight my cousin Vicki, who put out an incredible album. Seriously - she's an amazing singer and the way she handles the tunes on the new album are incredible. Please check her out. - she's Vicki Burns. She's on Bandcamp, and I believe that she's on the streaming platforms as well (definitely on Tidal). Her new album is called Lotus Blossom Days.

    So I don't know how often I'll do this, but I'll do a couple of podcasts anyway (I have this one and am re-doing the one I quit on early this year), then we'll see. haven't missed the time off Facebook, either.

    So please, listen to these great female vocalists, including Vicki Burns, Maria Muldaur, Ella Fitzgerald, Amanda Shires, Hollie Cook, Melody Gardot, Bonnie Raitt, Tami Neilson, Joni Mitchell, Fairport Convention, and Dusty Springfield.

    Please go to brennick.net to stream or download or download the podcast brennick.net. Thank you for tuning in.

  • Good to see you're back. After 100 shows, I'm still teetering on the idea of getting back to Random Radio whenever I hear (often!) something engaging. Maybe...
  • Second straight week of posting. Must be some sort of record. I remember a time… seriously when I was in high school and college I was a very good letter writer. I had a lot of friends that I corresponded with on a regular basis. Sometimes it was just a card with a humorous sentiment, but sometimes it was pages and pages of what I’m sure was a lot of nonsense. I’ve gotten out of that habit, and the thought of sending something now freezes me up.

    If I did regular correspondence now it’d have to be typed on the computer and printed out. My handwriting, never good to begin with, has gotten much worse over the years. I can barely make out what I wrote down sometimes when I take notes. I received a nice letter a couple of weeks ago and I know I should respond, but… I’ll have to find a way to get back into the habit.

    In the meantime, my updated mix tapes that I used to mail to friends continue as my podcast. This week I have songs from 10,000 Maniacs, Kitchens of Distinction, Gorillaz, Psychedelic Furs, Johnny Horton, Dwight Yoakam, Buck Owens, George Jones, Merle Haggard, Townes Van Zandt, Nick Drake, Rickie Lee Jones, Pete Townshend, Bonnie Raitt, and Fruit Bats.

    Please go to brennick.net to stream or download or download the podcast brennick.net. Thank you for tuning in.

  • Kate and I were babysitting from Thursday through Saturday afternoon. It was exhausting but fun. We have two grandchildren – Owen, 2 years 8 months, and Antonia, aged 5 months. They are very fun but are very active. The kids were very good and we had a blast looking after them (my son and his wife still have weddings to attend and had a wedding Friday night, so they went down Thursday night for the pre-wedding festivities and came back Saturday afternoon). We were happy to stay with the kids and had lots of fun, but we’re really tired now. One child was exhausting enough – how do they do it with two, even with one that’s not really mobile yet? And what happens once she starts moving about on her own? I guess we’ll just have to find out. The podcast continues with a set from these artists: David Bowie, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Pretty Things, Elvis Costello, the Blasters, Elmore James, Bo Diddley, Jimmy Reed, the Chordettes, the Association, the Everly Brothers, the Beach Boys, the Mamas and the Papas, Ibibio Sound Machine, Seratones, Nilfer Yanya, and the Weather Station. Please go to brennick.net to stream or download or download the podcast brennick.net. Thank you for tuning in.
  • edited August 2022
    Bremble - enjoy while you can, I remember that stage with our grandchildren. They are now 13, 11 and 9 and very independent, growing up fast. You'll remember this weekend fondly in years to come!
  • edited August 2022
    bremble said:

    I'm back. Am I back? I've been off since November 30, and truthfully, I haven't really missed putting together a playlist for a new podcast. Every once in a while I'll hear a song and say that it would be good on the pod, but it's been fleeting.

    So why now? Don't know - I just felt like putting something together, and here we are. I did want to highlight my cousin Vicki, who put out an incredible album. Seriously - she's an amazing singer and the way she handles the tunes on the new album are incredible. Please check her out. - she's Vicki Burns. She's on Bandcamp, and I believe that she's on the streaming platforms as well (definitely on Tidal). Her new album is called Lotus Blossom Days.

    So I don't know how often I'll do this, but I'll do a couple of podcasts anyway (I have this one and am re-doing the one I quit on early this year), then we'll see. haven't missed the time off Facebook, either.

    So please, listen to these great female vocalists, including Vicki Burns, Maria Muldaur, Ella Fitzgerald, Amanda Shires, Hollie Cook, Melody Gardot, Bonnie Raitt, Tami Neilson, Joni Mitchell, Fairport Convention, and Dusty Springfield.

    Please go to brennick.net to stream or download or download the podcast brennick.net. Thank you for tuning in.


    I've suffered some of the same ennui about getting Bird is the Worm started back up.  It's been over two years since I last wrote on it.  I keep thinking I'll get it started back up.  My first obstacle is getting a new site design, which is probably easier than it was two years ago because of the advancements in Gutenberg and block design, but it will still be a learning curve.  Another obstacle was the same time interval I've been away from the music blog has been spent on a new fiction project.  Well, that's done now and I'm currently approaching literary agents, so it's not like I've got a book stopping me from working on the music blog anymore.  Mostly, it just comes down to taking a step away from the music blog and really attaining a clarity over just how much of my life it consumed and really not feeling like committing that time again.  I mean, I enjoyed it, all of it, I really did.  I just feel like it's time to find another source of enjoyment.  And in the same way I know I can't realistically only eat half a bag of potato chips, there's no avenue to doing the music blog at half speed... once I start again, I'll dive in head-first and that'll be that.  I miss the music blog.  Just not sure I want to live it again.  But we'll pretty much have to see.
  • I've been in the same kind of limbo about "Random Radio." I've seen other shows (that were kind of boring really) referred to as "Random Radio," but an anagram of the title produces phrases like "Radioman Rod," "Drama Indoor," "Radar Domino" "Android Roam" and others that I like and feel represent what I want to convey, so I'm torn between renaming and not.

    Also, the lack of interest can be stultifying at times, but the real irritant is when people "favorite" your shows without even listening to them as if they think I'm interested in some kind of numbers game rather than getting true verbal feedback about music that the person may have been introduced to or music that gives a memorable feeling, etc.

    The reason why, tho, that I'm even considering resurrecting the show is that nearly every day I get so excited by things I come across - mostly new - that I think, "wow! I think people would really like this ... and I can stick in a set of similar music, etc..." In other words, music is so exciting these days, that it really becomes difficult to not want to share it with others whether it's a new jazz, rock, ambient, etc. release or a rediscovered classic or a newly discovered genre, and so on. Radio's been, both, my baby and mentor for so long that I really can't shake it. But, then again, why should I shake it off - especially in an era when I think that nearly everyone should express themselves by having their very own radio program.
  • End of the Summer holiday. I don’t think this is what everyone had in mind when Labor Day became a national holiday, but to bookend Independence Day (US) and Labor Day as the beginning of and the end of summer worked out nicely. Let’s hope the weather cooperates and we start getting autumn-like weather now.

    Of course, with temperatures climbing, the beginning of summer might be Memorial Day. Longer summer! The end of mankind as we know it!

    Lots of Soul start out today’s podcast, which has Baby Huey, the Honey Cone, Ann Peebles, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye & Tammy Terrell, the Four Tops, the Marvelettes, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, St. Vincent, the Dream Syndicate, Khruangbin, Neil Young with Crazy Horse, and Metronomy.

    Please go to brennick.net to stream or download or download the podcast brennick.net. Thank you for tuning in.

  • Actually, Memorial to Labor Day is considered to be the summer season socially in the Northern Hem (as opposed to astronomically). No more white shoes after tomorrow!
  • I've put my white shoes away, but with many public schools ending in mid-June, summer is usually considered the 4th through Labor Day. I'm originally from Maine so we see people from away from July through Labor Day.
  • edited September 2022
    I've been amazed by the time-shift for school over the years. Schools starting as early as mid-August and ending mid-June. I have to figure that the change is because students have a lot more days off now. I see, locally, things like PTA-like meetings that give kids days off from school, etc. There's talk of year-round school too, so I guess if we're to base our "seasons" on school, we will soon no longer have seasons. One of the few nostalgic things that I still take comfort in is the early knowledge of Labor to Memorial Day school. We always knew when the school year happened - and would celebrate on those weekends. It was something you could always count on.
  • edited September 2022
    Interesting discussion. For us summer can begin with the end of May Public Holiday and end with another at the end of August. But the weather can impact that! School holidays tend to run from late July to very early September, many schools started back today. For those of us without school age children September is a good holiday month to travel to southern Europe
  • Quick one today – we’re babysitting and will be heading out to pick apples and have fun at a local farm/orchard. Hope everyone’s had a good weekend.

    Today’s podcast includes Little Feat, Jesse Ed Davis, Bob Dylan, the Byrds, the Delgados, Steve Wynn, the Primitives, La Sera, Murray Head, Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello, John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, and Grin.

    Please go to brennick.net to stream or download or download the podcast brennick.net. Thank you for tuning in.

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