Packing and Podcasts

​Packing and Podcasts 

by Julie Carpenter

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I was supposed to post something this morning, but I’ve been a little lost in unpacking. We are in the middle of a cross town move.  This means, of course, that instead of sensibly packing all our things at once, we are moving in fits and starts, filling up plastic totes, odd boxes, and pillowcases with whatever we think we might need in the moment. This morning, for instance, I finally found the coffee pot in a laundry basket of socks. Don’t judge me, the socks were clean. The frying pan is still AWOL.  Maybe I should check the box of cat toys or in my basket of garden tools that's sitting by the garage door.

​All of this is somewhat beside the post I’m actually trying to write.  The actual point is this. My crazy moving experience has been made somewhat more palatable by podcasts. They don’t require quite as much concentration as Audible books, which comes in handy when you’re trying to find the window guy’s business card under a box on which you’ve precariously stacked wine glasses. (I only broke one.) 
 
Here’s what I like to ponder while I pack and unpack.
 
 True Crime: 
 
I will never tire of trying to figure out how some humans are so completely narcissistic that even the bodily integrity of other humans is meaningless to them.  
 
My favorite is Last Podcast on the Left: Three guys, Marcus, Henry, and Ben try to add some comic relief to some of the worst cult and serial killer mayhem in modern history. A little levity can help you hang in there while you sift through the information and ponder the black depths of the human heart . Besides that, they often venture into alien abduction and cryptid stories, so you can take a breather now and again.
 
Other favorites are one-off, in-depth looks at specific cases.
 
Dirty John, Dr. Death, The Root of Evil, To Live and Die in LA, and Over My Dead Body
 
Politics:
 
I would also like to know how and why people vote for humans who are so completely narcissistic that integrity of any kind seems meaningless to them. 
 
My current top pick is Pod Save America. Some of Obama’s top former aides discuss politics and have meaningful, policy driven interviews with candidates. While you may not agree with all of their positions, the behind-the-scenes knowledge is very helpful in parsing current events.
 
There are some other political podcasts I  like as well.
 
LPOTL host, Ben Kissel, hosts Abe Lincoln’s Top Hat. Pod Save the People, and Lovett or Leave It are part of Crooked Media, the company that produces Pod Save America.

Miscellaneous

I've become addicted to Show Me the Meaning. A group of friends, some of whom are in the movie industry, sit around and discuss the meaning of movies with each other.  They discuss everything from feminism to videography.
 
A side benefit of this podcast is that I discovered Owls at Dawn, a philosophy podcast hosted by one of the regulars on SMTM.  If you want to consider the high concepts behind West World or consider how hedonism affects modern society, this is your podcast.  It gets a little deep, so maybe don't pull business cards out from under stacks of wineglasses when you listen to this one. 

 
Here’s the thing, I have a lot of unpacking to do. And then even more painting and wall paper removal. What are some of your favorite podcasts? What should I listen to next and why? I would love to discover my next favorite podcast.

Bio:
Jarad is the co-administrator and writer for Sacred Chickens, attends college at MTSU, loves tea and coffee, and tries to spend every spare second reading. He recently developed an interest (some might say obsession) with gardening. Jarad is an English major with a concentration in literature.  Bless his heart!  Let's all light a candle for him and send him happy thoughts!

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