Shed Dogs

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.

Okay, we were maybe a little caught up in our lives, Christmas, work, and families…we were getting behind both in new episodes and in revelling in email about episodes we did publish. We cover a lot of ground in this episode, from special precious knowledge about how to stop a pit bull attack, to how great Taylor Swift is, to theories on why Christmas decorations are up earlier every year, and to the happy sound of the carousel you can hear from the park. But really…we spend about half the episode enjoying reading your responses to past episodes, and to discussing those responses. You can hear it all right there in our voices, so have a listen to us enjoying you enjoying us.

Links: Shed Dogs; Under the Boardwalk: Tom Tom Club version, Drifters version (the original); the timing of Christmas decorations; as of December, 2023, that right wing party in the Netherlands has been unable to form a coalition; “Jenny Jennifer”, a shill for a hotel linen company, holds forth on brown hotel blankets on Quora; the Taylor Swift Eras Tour movie trailer; spoiling the Taylor Swift dive magic; glacial erratics (and yes, they can be as small as a pebble!); Aldergrove Regional Park (this short video gives a good tour of an awesome park).

KJ, famous Shed Dog stage and screen actor, continues to be sought after in the acting world. Less important is our apology for the long delay between episodes. PJ has been asleep at the editing switch once more. Still…have you ever wondered what bath bombs do or what they’re made of? Me neither, but all of a sudden here’s KJ explaining it and working on making his own with Pattie of Vancouver. We also have Snappers in this episode, and whoever is feeding him these killers needs to knock it off. Halloween is reviewed (we’re talking to you, Jessie of Montreal) and there’s yet another solid gold money making idea from PJ. A long delay, yes, but worth the wait? You be the judge.

Links: Shed Dogs; The London Beer Flood; collective nouns for animals; Notches of New England; The Camino and Porto; that Teresa Teng song referred to in the episode; Matthew Perry obituary; bath bombs; Taylor Swift; Leonard Nimoy sings that Bilbo Baggins song; William Shatner sings Mr. Tambourine Man.

We cast the net of shareable experiences and learnings wide in this episode, as your faithful correspondents report from the far-flung reaches of Portugal and the Northeastern United States in autumn. Thrill to the pounding surf of Maine! Marvel at everyday Roman ruins! Let your mind wander free as we describe 40 degree heat, pounding rain, beautiful fall colours, and untold thousands of acres of olive trees! You’ll get valuable tips on managing rental cars and dealing with immigration and passport issues, as well as hearing our unique insights on such things as Portuguese cuisine and motel temperature management techniques. Think of the money you’ll save as you realize you’ll never have to go to these places after our vivid narration! So, grab a pulled pork sandwich or a lobster roll and settle in!

Links: Shed Dogs; passport requirements for travel to the EU; do colours repel insects?; how table olives are prepared; social class in the UK; the Festa dos Tabuleiros; the Moors; the waves of Nazaré.