ODO Ep 12: What’s My Age Again?

Tonight I planned to talk about harvesting oranges, the craziness of the weather this winter, and the full blown force of El Niño. Fortunately I did NOT spend 30 minutes talking about the weather and got sidetracked into complaining about HOA’s. I also realize that I am terrible at perceiving the basic passage of time, or my age, or whatever age I’m supposed to be.
• It’s winter time. That means harvesting season for the citrus in Arizona. I’ve been slowly working on picking all the oranges from my tree. I’ve gotten about 150 lbs down already and probably have another 200 to go. In the mean time winter has officially reared it’s head and there are blizzards in some parts of the country. Northern Arizona has actually gotten 30 inches of SNOW in the last week. Some towns are nearly inaccessible because of the ice and snow on the mountain roads. Of course down here in Phoenix that just means it’s been raining for 4 days straight with 40 degree temps. I realize that is warm for a lot of places, but for us here it’s damn cold.
•Because I can’t complete a thought, HOA’s suck. Pain in the ass organizations that make something as basic as checking your mail or mowing your lawn difficult. I don’t need somebody telling me how my house should look. Going along with HOA’s are the “snowbirds” that run them, all the old people who basically fly south for the winter because they live in cold places. I dunno, I’m not a fan of humans migrating seasonally. They may try to act nice, but they are the most nit-picky old bastards who will ever live next to you for 3 months a year.
•Time is a funny thing. Time and age are relative. I have to remind myself from time to time that I am actually an adult with a wife and 4 children. Then I have to remember that I’m 31 and that is actually perfectly acceptable. I think about my age in relation to other things like my children or my younger siblings and then I really feel old. Then I remember how old my big sisters are and it’s not so bad. I think about my dad (65) in relation to my youngest brother (18) and think he’s old. Then I’ll remember that my oldest sister is 37 and it’s suddenly not so bad. Again time and age are all in how you perceive them.

Should I try out live streaming shows? I’ve considered trying out a possible live show either using Spreaker or Mixlr. Let me know on Facebook or Twitter @odddadout.

Donate to the show at Patreon.com/odddadout

ODO Ep 11: The Road Ahead

Goodbye 2015, Hello 2016!

For the first show of the new year, I am giving a quick recap of where we’ve been on this crazy little podcast, and where I want to go with things in the new year.
  • Found Spreaker App for Android, allowed live streaming and recording of a podcast from my phone.
  • July 22, 2015- Spur of the moment broadcast first Odd Dad Out Podcast live from my car while driving home from work. (My apologies to anyone who’s listened to it.) I had no clue what I was doing, and used a Skyrim ringtone and canned audience for the intro. That actually stuck for a few shows.
  • August 6- Episode 3: “Rowdy” show, recorded the night before son #4 was born. First time actually using notes for a show. Took 3 tries to record and left me completely exhausted the next morning when it was time to have the baby.
  • Episode 4: First and so far only show with a co-host. Recorded show with my wife and realized how much I need better recording equipment if I’m gonna have anybody else on the show.
  • Hiatus- After Episode 5,  which was my strongest show up to that point, maybe still, the combination of new baby, work, 3 other boys, and plain old writer’s block resulted in an unintended 2 month break from recording.
  • November- Show resumes with the appropriately titled “I’m Still Here.” I’ve got a new resolve to not Pod-fade and promise to get on a regular release schedule.
  • Enter Flu Season- Plagues of sickness overtake our house in a seemingly endless chain of rotating illness lasting for weeks and derailing the regular recording schedule.

-NOW-

I’ve now got a mixer, 2 desk mics, 2 headsets, more recording software (and know kinda how to use it,) and a solid intro format for the show going forward. This gives me both a static studio to record and a mobile setup for recording elsewhere.
Odd Dad Out Studio

-Going Forward-

  • Format changes- Gonna start actually planning out the shows somewhat and creating better show notes (like these.)
  • Upgrades-
    • Aiming to get the official OddDadOutPodcast.com up and running soon.
    • Want to upgrade my media hosting and website to have more space for shows and a better web presence.
    • I’m gonna try to be more active on social media.
  • Guest co-hosts- I want to start having guest co-hosts join me from time to time. I don’t do interviews, but having somebody else to talk to would definitely be an improvement.



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ODO Ep10: Holiday Cheer

Episode 10: Holiday Cheer

  • Show delays: Been sick again but this time I’m pretty sure I got food poisoning. I swear I don’t usually get sick this often. Well maybe just in wintertime…
  • Visit from my little brother: My younger brother came to visit with his wife and daughter from San Antonio, TX this past week. (This also contributed to not doing a show last week.) They stayed with us for a week and my boys couldn’t have been more excited. My sister in-law even managed to get them to clean up the house while I slept off an especially long night at work. Included in the trip was the first holiday celebration with our mother and all 6 of her children in 10 years.
  • Holiday Season: Recorded on Christmas Eve 2015 the topic of the holidays had to come up. I don’t care how you say it, or what you celebrate, it’s that time of year when we are all supposed to get together and be merry and giving. If you are seriously going to be offended because somebody wished you a Merry Christmas, you’re being an asshole. And I don’t know of any asshole holidays this time of year. Whether you celebrate any particular holiday or none at all, there is no reason to be offended by somebody sharing a positive sentiment. No matter what holiday you observe, the over-arching theme is togetherness and love and giving. What reason is there to be offended. Even if it’s not your religion, or your holiday, suck it up and stop being such a dick.

Have a  Happy Winter Solstice based Seasonal Holiday, and a Pleasant Upcoming Calendar Cycle as well.

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ODO Ep 8: Pajama Pants

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Coming off a 3 week string of illnesses, I get started with a rant about wearing pajamas as normal clothes in public. Later on things twist into how we are all so attached to our smart phones. Finally I end up talking about my podcast habits and my educational resources for trying to improve this show.
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