Podcasting into the big wide world

Just to be clear, I am not podcasting; I am on the receiving end. And it is all new to me. Oh, I have listened to the odd podcast now and again over the years, to be sure, but it was never something I ever got into. It could be that I just picked the wrong ones to listen to. I remember one being incredibly boring: a monotone monologue, almost. Another one was some version of a radio show with multiple hosts. There were some banter and jokes, but seriously lacking in structure, or indeed, any semblance of sense. The banter was basically them talking over each other, getting louder and louder to be heard over the other; the jokes, which droves them into fits of cackles, were not funny. It was painful. Needless to say, I clicked away from both fairly quickly and was never tempted back.

My interest in podcasts was recently awakened. A random comment here or there about someone having heard something interesting on a podcast, or some radio or television show or other encouraging their listeners or viewers to check out their podcasts on this or that subject, got me thinking that I should perhaps look into this at some point. The thought hovered unobtrusively somewhere in the back of my mind. Then I met up with a particular group of friends a few times within a relatively short space of time, and they were (or some of them, at least) were really into podcasts. Part of the conversation had been them discussing the various podcasts which were following and whether someone had heard the latest episode of this or that. There were many “oh, it’s soo gooood!”s being thrown about. On the latest occasion where someone mentioned listening to a podcast, I asked.

The first question was where and how they listened to these things. I had only ever listened on my computer – having not succumbed to the iPressure of acquiring a smartphone of any description until 2013. Oh, and the only tablets I own are the ones you ingest. I am still not used to there being any other kind. About a year ago, I was at a party where there were a few kids, including a very sweet, maybe 8-year old girl. I saw her quietly lean over to her mother and very politely asked “Can I go upstairs and get my tablet, please?” Her mum said, oh yes, of course she could. I turned to the mother after the girl left the room and discreetly asked what was wrong with the girl and what she was taking tablets for. Hmm.. yes… That's me and tablets. The girl was just bored at the party and wanted to play a game. Anyway, back to the story: so reintroduce myself to the world of podcast, I sought to remedy my ignorance as to how one goes about the business of listening to podcasts on one’s phone. I was patiently guided through the very few, very quick and very easy steps of downloading and using the podcast app, and I was good to go.

Oh, and how I went! I was shown the list of podcasts which my friend listened to. There were a few which she said I HAD TO listen to, and which she said I would love. So of course I started with those. She was right about at least one of them, by the way! I have since spent quite a lot of time searching for podcasts and test-listening to shows. I spent so much time trying to decide what to listen to on my walk to work the next day, that I was late for work. For me, it was like discovering TED talks all over again. It opened up a whole new world to me, and I was hooked. I am catching up on all the episodes of SERIAL, I listened to a history lecture on Henry VIII and Henry, the young King; and another about some Scot who spied for the Germans during WWII. I listened to Bastian Schweinsteiger's latest post match commentary and a discussion on the assisted suicide and legal right to die. I am loving it!

And completely unplanned, it is in keeping with a unofficial resolution which I did not make. I don't do resolutions, but I do tend to take stock of my life and where it is heading and where I want to be towards the end of the year. It starts with my birthday, which towards the end of the years, and which always makes me think about where I was last year, and how far I'd come, or not, as it may be. Then comes Christmas, which makes me thinking about people in my life, current and past. Then comes the new year, which makes me thinking about all I've done in the last year. I don't make official resolutions, but I do make decisions about what I is lacking and what I wish for myself, and so on. Sometime last year, I had started to realise that I was getting left quite far behind when it came to current affairs. Part of this is deliberate. News depresses me, especially when it involves terrorism or religious and racial issues, and nationalistic movements.  On some issues, I prefer ignorance to impotent frustration and despair. So, I avoid the news. To some extent. I used to still keep up with what was going on in the days when I took the bus often. I could always pick up the free Metro on the bus and quickly scan all that had made it into the few pages of the thin newspaper. Since I now live within walking distance to the places I frequent, I no longer have my access to free news. I do not watch a lot of television and I did not own a radio, so I did not catch any news there. It did not bother me, as such. But sometime last year, I decided I should make some effort on the current affairs front.

Coincidentally, I got offered a free trial subscription of a newspaper for a month (coincidences are amazing! More on that in another post, hopefully, soon), so I took it. I also ended up subscribing to a weekly on an impulse, and I acquired two radios. So nowadays, instead of iTunes or Spotify, I listen to the radio, which inevitably gives me the news on a regular basis. And now this.  

And just like that, I feel like my brain has been switched on and I am in touch with the big, wide world again. (Thanks, J! )