The GGA Project -- Day #300 "On Storytelling"

300 is a big number.  Big day.  I should have planned for it.  But even though the day was consumed with the drudgery tasks of early morning gym and all day work, the evening giving way to the fun of a mini-party to celebrate my son's 2nd birthday (which is tomorrow), I did manage to make a discovery that became


Today's New Activity: The Joy of Moth Radio


I first heard of The Moth last week while listening to a radio story about books, generally.  I hadn't heard of it before, and all I gleaned from the brief mention was that it involved storytelling, so I stored it in a corner of my mind reserved for things I know I'll love...when I get around to it.


So this morning I added The Moth Podcast to my Stitcher stations (wonderful little app out there for anybody who likes podcasts) and gave it a listen.


A true OMG moment: this podcast was made for me!  It's as simple as this (the tagline on their website banner): True Stories Told Live


That's it.


But what more does a person, could a person ever need to keep herself entertained for a lifetime?!  I come from a family of colorful storytellers, and listening to an engrossing (or even a mundane) tale, well-told, is probably on my top three list of Favorite Things to do While Alive.  It helps if they're true stories.  To me those are the most interesting kind.


The story I heard this morning was from an adult radio personality in Pittsburgh, telling the story of his first mass as an alter boy.  I didn't find the building of the story as funny as he clearly meant it to be, but the punchline or climax that he built to was hilarious.  What a way to enjoy a super rained-out commute!


I can't wait to hear all the rest this podcast has to offer.

The GGA Project -- Day #142 "Pod(cast) People"

The world of podcasts is one I've yet to explore much.  It's just one of those possibilities I never think about or feel I have the time for.  Until now, my podcast experience has been limited to shows I would listen to anyway but sometimes miss, namely Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me and This American Life from NPR.

But there's a whole world of podcasts out there I'd like to listen in on if I can manage to fit them in somewhere.

Today's New Activity: Right up my Alley Podcast, "The Nerdist"

I knew I'd have some extra work commute time today, so yesterday I poked around on the podcast offerings from iTunes and found The Nerdist, which is Chris Hardwick's show.  I used to have a crush on Hardwick way back in the day when I was just out of high school and he was a host on Mtv's Singled Out.  It wasn't a physical attraction so much as a crush based purely on sense-of-humor....which happens to be exactly how I feel about The Soup's Joel McHale.  How fun to realize the two of them are friends when today I listened to an episode of The Nerdist starring McHale. 

For me, listening to these two joke around was like having my brother and his friend Adam at their funny best, right there in the car with me.  And what was remarkable to me about these two is that they're both such nice, down-to-earth and self-conscious people.  It's refreshing to hear famous people who don't come off as arrogant and over-compensatory.

And I also love knowing that people can still get paid to just do what they enjoy well, which in the case of these two is to observe the world and make fun of it.  The Soup is the only show I record on the DVR besides Glee, and it's always my pure pleasure to hear what McHale will say about the goofy train wrecks that make up reality t.v., and most of t.v. in general.

I honestly don't know how there are any radio stations still alive out there when there are so many other options.  I've now got about 20 different podcasts (5 shows, 4 episodes each) to listen to during my drives and other moments of quiet that are itching to be disquieted.