Shed Dogs

There are probably caves in France where Stone Age artists depicted the tribe’s appreciation for those who didn’t lead the hunt or strike the final blow, but who showed up and helped out. In this episode we reiterate that some things have not changed as much as old haters might think, and that just showing up was rewarded back in the ’60s as well as it is today. We also unveil wondrous new software for creating music, a little PSA about glasses, a ton of Snappers, and an amazing robotic foosball table, not yet available in Canadian Tire, but amazing all the same. We invite you to listen in… and participate! 

Links: Shed Dogs; the monkey puzzle tree; Costco Optical; participation trophies; the 2024 Tornado World Series Foosball Championships; cap guns; the amazing foosball robot; udio.com (the AI music generation site—create an account so you don't lose whatever you come up with).

Theme music is Escaping like Indiana Jones by Komiku, by permission.

Listener Leigh of Courtenay gives us a lot to talk about in another great email, leading us to into the whole business of clearing out the house for sale, and eventually into the topic of bank money. KJ once again hits it out of the park with a selection of Snappers, which leads quite inevitably to getting some fun facts about the Jewish lunar calendar. The stars and planets align for 35 or so minutes of fun in the Shed, and we’ll be happy to see you there!

Links: Shed Dogs; our YouTube podcast page; Swedish Death Cleaning; banks still create money; the Grizzly-Polar bear; shotgun houses; the Hebrew calendar.

Being in the latter half of one’s 60s isn’t all bad: you have time to learn things like how to make a decent video, as RJ did to celebrate a notable foosball celebrity, or learn how to paint, as KJ has been famously doing for some time now. You begin to feel free to express your thoughts and opinions perhaps more candidly than you ever have, or take an interest in politics, like PJ. You can use the depth of long experience to provide Public Service information about things like Old Age Security, or brake fluid, or leap days. However…this intellectual and temporal freedom can be perilous, as we get a light taste of in this episode along with those positives above. How do younger people change word pronunciations on us, and get away with it? How can they not be reprimanded for their glib and arguably unconscious mimicking of the Speaking Styles of the Rich and Famous? And how did that bumblebee get in here and why can it not just shut up? If you’re too young to find it relatable it’ll at least be educational, and if you can relate…well, misery or even fleeting irritation loves company. Get some company and have some laughs by taking a listen.

Links: Shed Dogs; Geoff Lerner's videos on dropping Ts and vocal fry; should you change your brake fluid?; calendars; what's happening with nonplussed?

Theme music is Escaping like Indiana Jones by Komiku, with permission.

We have Snappers galore, a PSA, another money making idea, a few collisions with and observations on our ongoing development into Cranky Old People, and then suddenly out of nowhere a couple surprising and insightful observations about words and identity that we wish way more people would hear. We manage to get past that and resume our usual posture as Geriatric Adolescents (we can just hear the emcee introducing this band name) to conclude a pleasant session in the Shed. It’s a little educational, a little foolish, and very easy. Take it in. Put your feet up. Order some takeout from the I Don't Care Cafe.

Lots more episodes at Shed Dogs.

Theme music is Escaping like Indiana Jones by Komiku, with permission.

As we go through our days, we do some things well, some badly, some by dint of noble effort and some by chance. And some things we do just work, for no reason we can name. KJ tells us a story of a thing that just worked when dealing with earnest visitors. No one was hurt or offended, but we were very amused as well as forearmed should we receive these same visitors. We also got to do Snappers and discuss another sure fire blockbuster money maker, and RJ was able to give us an overview of how to navigate city bureaucracy and neighbourhood tensions at the same time. There’s some first class adulting paired with the usual hefty glass of foolishness here, so sit down and dig in!

Links: Shed Dogs; Koi cafes in Vietnam; 15 Ways to Get Someone Out of Your Head; the Jehovah's Witnesses view on what Jesus looked like.

Theme music is Escaping like Indiana Jones by Komiku, with permission.

Faithful listeners will know, and new listeners should know, that KJ of the Shed is a productive and well known actor, in addition to his many creative endeavours within the actual Shed. Here in Episode 180 we hear more about how the other two more shadowy Dogs are spending their time, working, playing, and absorbing little bits of occasionally useful information, like: the real story behind the old “I want all green M&Ms in the green room” diva trope, the world of used tires, the little known connection between the trivia business and the pub business, and speculating about what kinds of substance abuse the early creators of moving cartoons were indulging in. Your head may well be spinning coming out of this one, so take a good look at your surroundings as you begin listening!

Links: Shed Dogs; Van Halen's tour rider specified that M&Ms be provided backstage with the brown ones removed; used tire shop in Burnaby; Steamboat Willie out of copyright; over 200 viruses cause cold symptoms; RJ plays in the Senior Doubles semifinals at the 2024 Vancouver Foosball Championships; vertigo; the Rossland Senior Secondary Grad 50th Anniversary; nicknames.

Theme music is Escaping like Indiana Jones by Komiku, with permission.

We went to the locally legendary Northern Cafe and Grill, and brought back our opinions. This episode was recorded the afternoon of that visit, and also includes our customarily excellent Listener Mail, a marvelling discussion of the anachronistic and fabulously talented genius YouTuber named Bobby Fingers, and a seldom seen phenomenon that occurs when an uninvited rodent guest finds its way into a large and crowded food venue: the Rat Wave. There’s all that and quite a bit more in here, so settle in and have some laughs! 

Bonus: Keep listening after the music fades to find yourself on a road trip with the Dogs to the Northern Cafe!!

Links: Shed Dogs; The Northern Cafe and Grill’s web page and the CBC review that resulted in long lineups there; bands that played The Breakers; why some teens refuse to dress warmly for winter; Do’s and Don’ts of Dog Discipline; rare footage of Dick Cavett in Into the Woods; what the BOBs say in Marathon; the Dan-D-Pak web site is a marvel; Apple’s advice on wet phones; enshittification; late stage capitalism; red envelope (lucky money); Bobby Fingers’ YouTube page (highly recommended!); and an old article on why UPS trucks rarely turn left, at least in 2017.

Theme music is Escaping like Indiana Jones by Komiku, with permission.

We’re still here, and so are you—win/win! This episode finds us enjoying ourselves in the Shed with a lot of Listener Mail (thanks to all of you - so appreciated!), a dissection of what makes Costco shoppers tick, our genuine awe at KJ’s ever more sophisticated art skill, PJ’s new(ish) job, RJ’s cool new high tech wallet, throwing shade at Cybertrucks, and more. Spring is slow arriving this year and as a result so are we—we’re sticking with that story, but only for the moment. Have a look at the art on the website, and take in the Dog version of the news - we’ll be glad you did! 

Links: Shed Dogs; AirTags; RJ’s new wallet tracker (if you have a US PO box, it’s much cheaper to buy from amazon.com); the International Appalachian Trail extends north from Mt. Katahdin in Maine; where to find K-Chicken; Why Shopping at Costco is So Enjoyable; best microphones for podcasting; Consumer Reports on extended car warranties; the EV battery repair issue we discussed; a really fun video about Cybertrucks.

Theme music is Escaping like Indiana Jones by Komiku, with permission.

A belated and hopefully auspicious Happy Chinese New Year! We’re sorry to have been away for so long. This was recorded December 30, but then there were virii and work commitments and Buddy ate our show notes… we’re sorry and feel really grateful anyone misses us. In this episode we share yet another brilliant money making idea (MMI™), we discuss how our Christmas celebrations went, and we get to talk about a couple of Tales from the Shuttle (PJ did a month back at the old job over Christmas). RJ has podcast and movie notes and KJ has a Christmas movie. That he’s in! Very exciting. And, as you might guess from this episode’s art, we sample some doughnuts, which requires us to issue a misophonia alert! (Also known as newjerseydetectivophobia). Settle in and get to know us all over again. You won’t regret it. Much. Not right away, at least.

Links: Shed Dogs; naming your iPhone timers; the Hey Jude podcast episode RJ refers to; Nativity bath bombs; Bad Santa; Top Gun: Maverick; Dream Scenario; putting gasoline in a diesel tank; walking soccer; math disability; Lucky’s Doughnuts, mmmm.

Theme music is Escaping like Indiana Jones by Komiku, by permission. Doughnut photo by Nik on Unsplash.

RJ took a boat trip, touring the bay and inlet in a sporty rental with some in-laws, and we get to hear about how urban boating works these days: rules you have to follow, examples of navigational hazards we landlubbers are blissfully unaware of, and how a real ship’s captain behaves when questioned. We even managed to transition into Snappers with at least one nautically related one, and we take another marvelling look at the seamy underbelly of the dental industry—the mysterious “Little Man” who collects and somehow profits by your old crowns and bridges. Who is this person? How do you get that job? Do you have to be within a maximum height limit? Questions, questions, questions, laughs and a few answers await in this our 176th epic episode.

Links: Shed Dogs; Northern Cafe and Grill; Deadloch; Word of Honor; One Spring Night; The Morning Show; Sam Altman reinstated to OpenAI; scrimshaw; olly olly oxen free.

Theme music is Escaping like Indiana Jones by Komiku, by permission.