On My Drive Home

Back in March, I visited art exhibition highlighting the works of local artist Tiit Raid. I have always enjoyed visiting art galleries. However, for the first time in my life on that night in March, I experienced an unexpected, profound, and repeatable emotional response to one particular painting. In this episode, I share my experience along with a number other ramblings you have come to expect from me in this format. The title of the painting is:  "Fall Creek: Late Afternoon II". Mentioned in the episode: Tiit Raid - A Retrospective

Pickleball is one of the the most popular and fastest growing sports, and it seems I can't go a single day without meeting someone else I know that is now playing pickleball.  Okay, that last part is hyperbole, but I know A LOT of people who are seriously into the sport. Many invitations have been extended my way to play.  And though it looks like fun and seems to be a great sport, I have decided to take a pass for the time being. This is my why.

When was the last time you bought a hardcover novel from an actual book store? If you had asked me that question a month ago, I would not have been able to answer. It's been a long, long time. But that has changed, and I'm now the proud owner of a brand new hardcover work of fiction: "Fairy Tale" by Stephen King. I have not read anything by Stephen King in decades as my taste for the horror genre went away in my early 20s.  But with this release, Stephen wanders back into fantasy, and my experiences some of his prior fantasy work led me to make the impromptu purchase. In this episode, I share some of my cautious optimism as a revisit a favorite author from long, long ago. Happy New Year!

In an unprecedented event last weekend, I rearranged my Sunday morning schedule to stay home and watch the World Cup Final between Argentina and France.  I recap my thoughts about the game and share some personal introspection about my recent and unexpected experiences watching and thoroughly enjoying soccer. A special thanks to my big brother Bob for the inspiration to record this episode. Merry Christmas!

In this episode I primarily talk about my newfound interest in soccer as I have been watching and enjoying the World Cup over the last month. But before I jump in to soccer thoughts, I share quick udpate on my recent experiences testing Tesla's FSD Beta with my friend John.  We got out for a drive over the weekend to record video #3 in the planned series. This time around, I was back behind the wheel for *MY* second FSD Beta experience, and we invited our friend Charlie to join us as a brave and adventurous back seat passenger. You can check out the video of our drive here:  Pilot Friends' Impressions! Tesla FSD Beta 10.69.3.1

I had a fun experience recently when I got to drive (or more accurately, "be driven by") my good friend John's Tesla Model Y with Full Self-Driving. John has a YouTube channel focused on electric vehicles and invests a lot of time and energy into testing and reviewing Tesla's Full Self-Driving capabilities and performance. He set up his cameras, put me in the driver's seat, and captured my real-time reaction as I not only drove a Model Y for the first time but also let the Tesla do it's thing with FSD. This episode captures some of my initial thoughts and reactions.    You can watch the video here:  Friend's 1st Tesla FSD Beta Drive (He Did It - First Try)

Nearly 30 years ago, I had the opportunity to demonstrate great sales and marketing skills at a concert for one of my favorite musicians at the time, but my chops had not yet been developed.  So, instead, I inadvertently offered a less than enthusiastic commentary about his most recent album release. After all this time has passed, I still wish I could have that moment back and say something else. This, my friends, is that story.  Mentioned in the podcast: L.J. Booth (Spotify) Willy Porter "The Stranger" by Richard Dobson (Spotify) Miking Change Podcast: "Episode 11: Conserving Marine Life With The Pew Charitable Trusts"

I have recently (re)discovered a fantastic note-taking app called Notion. To be fair, saying it's just for notes is something of an understatement. I'm testing it out as a replacement for Evernote which I have been using for years and like a lot.  However, Notion just offers more interesting features and a fresh user experience that I am loving so far. In this episode, I share some of my very preliminary thoughts. Check out Notion for yourself here: https://www.notion.so/

About ten years ago, I was on a business trip in the Silicon Valley, and for about 15 seconds, I thought I still had "it". I didn't. Curious?  Listen on for a fun and lightly self-deprecating story.

I guess this is the closest thing to environmental activism I have ever done.  That is, recording my thoughts about what I consider to be one of the most wasteful uses of fresh water.  But it is something that I find unnerving. Oh, and I include a driving PSA, as well. Enjoy!

Earlier this week, I saw an article on Medium.com titled: Do You Have Autumn Anxiety? What Causes Fall Freakouts and How to Manage Them. by Jennifer A. King This caught my attention as I love autumn, and I cannot identify whatsoever with the fall season creating anxiety. For me, autumn does the opposite. September through November are my favorite months of the year, and I feel invigorated, hopeful, and encouraged. So, naturally, I grabbed my Zoom recorder and starting talking about it. Also mentioned: OMDH Episode #6: The Season of Jason

I was both convicted and inspired by something that Ray Edwards said in a recent episode of his podcast. Intersted in learning more?  Listen on, my friend! Ray Edwards Show Link: "This Is Your Time to Become a Millionaire Entrepreneur"

When I walk through the doors of a local coffee shop - or any retail store, for that matter - I do not expect immediate service.  I get it, people are busy, and it's hard to find a busier atmosphere than a coffee shop from 7:00am - 9:00am. However, I've noticed a recurring phenomenon where I feel completely invisible as a customer patiently waiting for help, and that doesn't make sense to me. In this episode, I share some thoughts on my recent (and ongoing) experience with what I consider a very-easy-to-fix customer service issue.

For a brief period of time last week, I was a shoplifter on the run.  To be fair, it was an accident, and as soon as I realized what I had done, I fixed the situation. This is my story.

I realized a while back that I often get inspired to record podcast episodes after starting a new book. I was reminded of this after listening to episode 67 of Jon Acuff's "All It Takes Is A Goal" podcast: "How to read 100 books in a year". And so, after more than three months of inactivity, I'm here to share my thoughts about how reading inspires me. I specifically talk about: Episode 67 of Jon Acuff's podcast My new read, "Hero on a Mission" by Donald Miller "The Earned Life" by Marshall Goldsmith Also briefly mentioned was my love of math books.  If that caught your ear, here are a couple of recommendations: "Here's Looking at Euclid: From Counting Ants to Games of Chance - An Awe-Inspiring Journey Through the World of Numbers" by Alex Bellos "Fermat's Enigma: The Epic Quest to Solve the World's Greatest Mathematical Problem" by Simon Singh "The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets", also by Simon Singh Does reading inspire you?  What books have you read recently that motivated you to action? Thanks for listening, and I hope your spring/summer is kicking off well!

I was very fortunate to have a number of excellent and caring educators as a child and in my college years.  I don't know what brought him to mind, but I was recently thinking about one of my third grade teachers, Mr. Bolden. In this episode, I share a couple of short stories about him that I am pleased have remained etched in my brain all these years later. Thank you, Mr. Bolden.

I only had a short window to capture this episode, so I thought I'd use it to share a brief update on my DJing hobby exploration.   As you may have already gleaned from the title, I decided to hang-up the jog wheels for now. It was a fun diversion, but I don't think it's really a fit for me.   I have a lot of thoughts and stories I want to share in 2022, so let's get this thing going again!   Happy New Year!

My inner serial hobby jumper has been somewhat dormant recently, but I think I have found the next thing I want to investigate: learning how to DJ. The world of professional DJing is flush with all kinds of new learning opportunities related to gear, software, technique, music curation, entertainment, event management, and more! For me, the fusion of technology, music, and entertainment creates a potential feast of fun and learning that's just too tempting to pass up. In this episode, I share what led to me deciding to check out the whole DJ thing and where I think I'm headed with it, longer-term. Also, with this release, I am introducing the "Long Form Content (LFC)" label to alert listeners that the episode is longer than my typical content.  We'll see how that goes.  Enjoy! Mentioned in the podcast: Numark Mixtrack Pro FX Numark Party Mix II Serato DJ Lite Mixxx

In this episode, I share my recently-found enthusiasm for a YouTube channel and podcast produced by the owner of Lofty Pursuits and Public Displays of Confection, a candy store and much more in Florida.   Greg, the owner and host, creates fun and interesting videos on their YouTube channel, and I love the style and content of the Lofty Pursuits Podcast, as well.   So, on *this* drive home, I'll share a few more details about how I discovered this stuff and why I enjoy it so much.    I'm hoping you will check it out, too!  Links below.   Lofty Pursuits website:  http://www.loftypursuits.com/ Public Displays of Confection: https://www.pd.net/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LoftyPursuits Podcast: https://loftypursuits.libsyn.com/website

I was publicly and enthusiastically complimented on my shoes by two different young gents this week. In both cases, the accolades came as somewhat of a surprise given the source and situational conditions.   However, it was enough to inspire this episode where I share just a bit about my...well, shoe problem.  Or maybe it's a gift?   I'll let you decide.

Why did I decide to turn my Spotify dial to Milli Vanilli?  Great question.  But I did. And I remembered all of the lyrics!  That took me by surprise. This experience and a few other thoughts during this very short On My Drive Home episode. Happy October!  

I unexpectedly rediscovered reading magazines this summer thanks to the subscription that accompanied my new Experimental Aircraft Association membership.   I really enjoy it!   As a result, I've (mostly) leaned into magazines and a book as the go-to sources for my morning reading over breakfast, and I find that it makes for a much more relaxing start to my day.   In this episode, I share my thoughts for why I think this new habit is more relaxing than engaging with my iPhone as I sip my morning coffee.   Mentioned: "Adorning the Dark" by Andrew Peterson EAA Sport Aviation Magazine

There have been a handful of memorable times in my music listening history when I heard a song for the very first time and *IMMEDIATELY* liked it. When I say "immediately", I mean within the first few bars of the song. It is a rare experience, and I have to ask: Why? What is it that catches me off-guard, stops my brain, and engages me in such a unique way? I have wondered this about music over the years, and I'm curious if there's any hidden pattern to these specific occurrences. In this episode I share a short list of tunes that had this impact on me. Are there any songs that you instantly really liked the first time you heard it? Does it happen often? Or, like me, are there only a small number that left that kind of impression?

My father rarely swore. But when he did, it was passed through the language cleansing translator in his brain and delivered as a common, benign word that still communicated the intensity of his emotions.   In short, he used Alternative Cuss Words.   In this episode, I introduce the concept of Alternative Cuss Words and share some of the more common examples my dad often used when I was growing up.   I also share some of the other unique Dad Sayings from both my dad and my father-in-law.   Did your family have their own vernacular for replacing foul language? Most families did. And it's something I never really thought too much about until I witnessed another family using their own unique vocabulary of Alternative Cuss Words.   Mentioned in the episode: A Way with Words Podcast Eats, Shoots & Leaves

I'm a huge fan of small, local hardware stores. And for most of the last 20 years, I have had the great fortune of living within a few minutes of a small neighborhood hardware shop.   In this episode, I share why I think they are so great and tell a short story (that I spontaneously recalled) about how sweeping compound nearly closed the personal space gap between me and another shop patron I had never met.   Mentioned during this episode: Jacobson's Ace Hardware of EC South Jacobson's Market An Example of Sweeping Compound

I took a solo trip to Duluth, MN on Sunday, June 27, to check out the Duluth Air and Aviation Expo. It was a great show, and I wanted to share my thoughts and enthusiasm with you. Oh, and I also share a short rant about people leaving early.   Duluth Air and Aviation Expo: https://duluthairshow.com/  

I'm currently on my second pass through the book "Soundtracks" by Jon Acuff. I remixed one of his soundtracks, "Writers Write", to "Podcasters Podcast" and that became the catalyst to fire up my recorder and capture a new episode. Jon's books are fantastic, and I highly recommend grabbing a copy of "Soundtracks" for yourself!   In addition to my thoughts on my new soundtrack, I also talk a bit about my cycling vs. lawn care dilemma, and I share an Apple Watch update. Spoiler Alert: I bought one. And it's great.   Mentioned in the episode: "Soundtracks" by Jon Acuff Heartbeatz by North Pole Engineering

I heard a Billy Joel song last month called "Laura" on Sirius XM that I had not heard in decades. It was never a hit, and few people would likely have ever even heard of it. But I knew it because it was the B-Side of the 45 single "Pressure" released by Billy Joel from his "Nylon Curtain" album.   It got me to thinking about the songs I discovered and learned to like just because they were on the other side of the record from the song I initially cared about.   In this episode, I muse a bit about my memories of this musical discovery mechanism and share a few other vinyl-inspired thoughts and stories.

Years ago, I learned a great technique for managing my anger when dealing with very frustrating situations - especially when it requires interacting with other people. I learned this valuable lesson somewhat by accident as I listened to how my good friend Rich handled a thorny travel situation as he held his phone off to the side with me on the other end.   I don't think that I ever told Rich about the lesson he didn't know he was teaching. But it has stuck with me and been a handy tool when I want to be sure I manage myself well in difficult interactions.   I hope you find it as valuable as I do.

Over the holidays, I decided to try my hand at making a custom frame bag for my fat bike. It was a fun project and great way to spend a day between Christmas and New Years.   Rather than purchasing new fabric, zippers, and all the other bobbles necessary to construct the bag, I decided to repurpose an old Columbia winter jacket that picked up at a local thrift store for only $11.   The idea was inspired by my friend Josh who make custom bike bags of various shapes and sizes with his small business The Nxrth.   I was also influenced by this article on BIKEPACKING.com:   DIY: How to Make A Simple Frame Bag   Check out the blog post for this episode at onmydrivehome.com for some pictures and a video of my completed frame bag.

In an effort to be somewhat environmentally conscious and serve my desire for drive and eat convenience, I once tried asking for something out of the ordinary at a local fast food chain and threw a wrench into the whole system.   Not long after that experience, I tried it again at a different establishment and experienced the briefest moment of cosmic connection and understanding.   Lesson learned? Some systems are optimized for conformity; others are not.

A few years ago, I tried calling an upstart organic foods company to give them a compliment. Apparently, sharing positive feedback via phone call was not accepted by this company.

We bought a mobile home back in 1995. But before we bought that one, we did not buy another one. This is the story of the other one. You'll understand why.   Oh, I also mentioned the Meta Minute concept again not realizing that I already released my first Meta Minute episode in December. Ha! Oh well, these things are often stream of consciousness, and sometimes these kinds of things will happen.   Enjoy!

With this episode, I’d like to introduce a new podcast segment I call the “Meta Minute” where I share some behind-the-scenes stories about the process of producing these episodes.   With this first Meta Minute release, I talk about my mild frustration with the episode release tasks and share my thoughts for some things I want to try in order to streamline the work.   Specifically, I use Libsyn as my podcast host and run a WordPress them using the Divi theme from Elegant Themes.  It’s a great theme, and I have been using it for years both personally and professionally.   But some of the mechanics for releasing each episode get tiresome, and I’m ready to try some things differently to make the whole experience more efficient.   I hope you enjoy this slightly different angle on this humble podcasting journey.

Big news on the fitness front: I finally bought a fat bike!     I have wanted a fat bike so I could start winter mountain biking for at least five years.  But every year, I have seemed to find other ways to prioritize my spending or just couldn’t convince myself it made sense.   But last weekend, the murky clouds in the overcast sky of another non-cycling winter season parted, and glorious rays of sunshine shone down upon me and led me to the fat bike sale post I have been waiting for all this time!   Less than three hours later, I was driving home with an immaculately clean used 2018 Specialized Fatboy.     Oh man…I am so excited! And in this episode, I share some of my enthusiasm about the newest addition to my stable.

I decided to pass on the Apple Watch Series 6 this week. Care to hear my rationale? Listen on!

In this episode, I revisit a podcast I recorded several years ago about my newfound love for Nordic skiing, a.k.a. skate skiing.     I change things up a bit this time by doing some recording from my studio as well as integrating the original audio from back when I recorded my skiing thoughts.    Also, during the episode, I discuss the book that really inspired me checking out cross-country skiing in the first place:  Younger Next Year by Chris Crowley and Henry Lodge.  Great book!

Are you feeling the fatigue of all these "virtual conferences"?  I know that I am. I understand the shift to all online delivery, and I've been playing along.  But I confess I am growing weary of this new pattern.     In this episode, I share some of my thoughts on why I am feeling Virtual Conference Fatigue and share at least a couple of ideas on possible ways to change how we do things going forward.

Here’s a simple idea that would get me spending more money when I walk into your retail store. At least sometimes it would.

I thought I really wanted to get into 3D printing...until someone gave me one. As it turns out, I just don't really have enough interest to engage this particular hobby. And as a registered serial hobby jumper, this surprised me. In this episode, I talk a little bit about why I love being a Serial Hobby Jumper and then share the insights I had about myself and my apparent lack of interest in 3D printing as a hobby.  At least for now. I also tease the idea of the Season of Jason, the details of which are shared in Episode 6: The Season of Jason. During this episode, I mention the brand "Missionary" Belt which is wrong.  It's just "Mission" Belt, and they are awesome.  Check them out here:  https://missionbelt.com/ Also, I used the wrong intro on this episode.  I accidentally dropped in the original "On THE Drive Home" intro.  The vs. My.  Oh well, it's fine.  I'll fix that next time around. Listen in to hear more, and I hope you enjoy this episode.

After the better part of 5 months, I am finally releasing another episode of On My Drive Home. And the funny thing is, I actually recorded this one in early June, so it still took me 2+ months to release it. Join me in this episode as I talk about reigniting creativity and what it might take to find that original spark that inspired me so much last year.

Great news everyone! Our style is back! Yes, rolling the cuffs of your denim jeans is once again cool. And I have seen it in the wild by native 20-somethings. I can't help talking about this fun blast from the fashion past.

In this episode I fondly recall the now seemingly arduous process us teenagers of the 80s had to employ just to find our friends in the pre-GPS cell phone era.

In the fall of 1995, an entire room full of college students may have left class that day surprised, confused and a bit creeped out by what someone said about me and, by association, my family. Unfortunately, I don't think that the young woman was listening very carefully after all, because... That's NOT what I said!! Tune into this episode for a funny story that harkens back to my last semester at UW-Stout. Episode webpage: https://onmydrivehome.com/thats-not-what-i-said/ Podcast website: https://onmydrivehome.com

In this episode, my son Cole and I have a brief discussion about our shared feelings regarding flavored seltzer water. Originally recorded, December 23rd, 2019.

The new “On My Drive Home” podcast is LIVE!! This is a copy of an episode I released on my old Getting Started Podcast feed to let listeners know that the podcast is moving here. So, if you are already subscribed to On MY Drive Home, you are already in the know!

It’s time for this On The Drive Home experiment to grow-up and move to it’s own place on the web.  However, there is already another podcast out there with the same name.  DOH!!! So, I’m changing the name of this podcast from On The Drive Home to On MY Drive Home.  Small change, but it all works out. In this episode, I talk give a bit more detail into mildly arduous process of choosing a podcast name. The website for On My Drive Home is up and running here:  https://onmydrivehome.com/ But I am still waiting approval from Apple, so you won’t find it in the podcast app, yet.  I’ll provide an update and share another episode when it’s available.  

Finally! A podcast player that will allow me to create HearMarks – clips, bookmarks, notes, whatever you want to call them. In this On the Drive Home episode, I talk about my new fondness for RadioPublic podcast player app.  For quite some time, I have been frustrated by the fact that the Apple Podcasts app does not allow me to simply mark a clip like in the Audible app. I love being able to go back to things that I found interesting or valuable in the audio books I consume, and I have wanted the same features on my podcast player for years! Two days ago, I discovered the RadioPublic podcast app, and it provides that feature plus more! I am loving it, so far. Though, admittedly, I’m only a couple of days in. We’ll see how it holds out over the long term. You can learn more about RadioPublic at their website here:  https://radiopublic.com/ And the app is available for iOS and Android. RadioPublic also provides a host of tools, learning guides, and marketing plans for podcasters. If you’re like me and want a better podcast app, this might be the ticket for you! 

This is the first episode in a short series I want to do revisiting some of the concepts that inspired me from Chase Jarvis’ book “Creative Calling: Establish a Daily Practice, Infuse Your World with Meaning, and Succeed in Work + Life” This episode focuses specifically on suggestion to create before consuming. All too often, I find myself consuming the content of other creators before I do any of my own creative work. I tell myself that it’s all about inspiration and encouragement, but it is usually just a distraction.  Even worse, I find that I can get discouraged which really derails my progress. The answer?  Create BEFORE I consume.  

In this episode, I talk about the “Creative Gap” – a concept that Chase Jarvis briefly mentions in his new book “Creative Calling”. In addition, I try out a different microphone setup which does a decent job, but I think I’ll stick with my prior methods going forward. Also mentioned in this episode: The Zoom H5 Handy Recorder Rode smartLav+ Willy Porter (This guy is awesome!) Enjoy!

Last Saturday, I met with a friend I had not seen face-to-face for over 20 years. It was very fun and got me to thinking about the value of the relationships we build – particularly in the early formative years of our lives and careers. I hope you enjoy this short story and some of my thoughts around it.