The Scribble with Jeremy Bradley

Our bodies move in strange ways. Stranger yet, people put their bodies through weird motions, movements and acts, not to mention make extreme enhancements. Jeremy Bradley starts at the head and works his way to the feet for a body assessment and commentary about what people do to and with their bodies. Whether it's dying hair blue or purple, or piercing all over, or participating in extreme fighting sports that hurt themselves, or putting things in their body's openings, JB discusses the ins and outs (literally) of body use.

It's become a new trend in Hollywood: actors complaining about how little money they're making... from work they did 30 years ago. Jeremy Bradley talks about the outrageous entitlement actors have just because they were on a hit TV show decades ago. He compares it to other careers where people don't cash in on their work years later. "I was a newspaper columnist for 20 years. I don't expect to be getting paid royalties or residuals because people are still reading my work online. So, you were on a TV show in the '90s. Why would you expect to be paid today?" JB outlines the differences between a creator and someone participating in a project.

When you see someone in the distance and think they look familiar and it turns out to be one of your besties from the past, it can be a fun reunion. Jeremy Bradley talks about a meeting in passing that turned into a hilarious walk down memory lane... for hours. (Good thing he always has an empty social calendar!) JB talks about former friends and connections with people that pick up right where you left off, even if it was nearly 20 years since you went separate ways.

Elections, elections, everywhere. While Americans consider it "election season" because the midterms and presidential campaigns run for two years straight, voting is happening all over North America, seemingly at the same time. Jeremy Bradley talks about all the recent elections in his homeland of Canada, and the major news still breaking all over the U.S. with this week's midterm elections. He talks about the differences between elections and their campaigns in the respective countries. The overall observations: Canadians don't understand the American election mentality.

Some people think social media is a dumping ground for every thought, every picture, every vacation, every meal, every relationship change, every life milestone. Jeremy Bradley singles out one specific social media woe-is-me rant that has him embarrassed for the user who posted it -- a user with no shame in sharing every sad detail of his life... for public sympathy, of course. Later, JB shares a story about his dogs that left him devastated.

It's increasingly common for neighbors to be strangers. People are spending less time with others living around them and it's made some communities cold and impersonal. Jeremy Bradley talks about growing up and knowing each of his neighbors and going to their houses for celebrations. Fast forward to owning his own house and having the opportunity to form relationships with those in the area, JB says people have little interest in having conversations with other residents. "I couldn't tell you the names of the people on one side (of my house), or anyone across the street." When he did finally strike up a friendship with a neighbor, she got married and moved in with her partner.

Since he went trick-or-treating as a kid, Jeremy Bradley concludes that Halloween ain't what it used to be. He recalls the excitement of getting creative with the most basic of costumes and the plan of attack for when to head out, the street route and which houses to visit with his brothers. He talks about the uncertainty of Canadian prairie weather that often defined the routes and time outside on Halloween night. Later, the traditional candy dump on the floor and intense negotiations with his brothers that had everyone get more of their fave sweets. JB also talks about two distinct changes to the Halloween experience that shocked him.

When there's drama in the family and you're forced to take sides, is it an easy decision? What is your loyalty based on? Jeremy Bradley talks about how family dynamics need a second look when chaos ensues. He tackles the question: "Is it OK to not care about your family?" He responds to an email from a listener whose family took sides in a fight and she wondered how to deal with the fallout. 

It was a tragic case of mistaken identity -- x2. Jeremy Bradley talks about police officers approaching his table at a restaurant, saying that the staff wanted him to leave and there was no negotiating to clear things up. What had he done? What was the problem? JB talks about the awkward officer interaction and how the restaurant staff disappeared after the incident. But when the manager finally appeared to discuss what transpired, JB got the last laugh -- big time. Later, JB recalls being at a different restaurant and a woman aggressively confronted him about something he, again, had no idea about. 

Canadian, Jeremy Bradley, talks about the conversations he has with Americans and how it's changed over the 20 years since he started interacting with his neighbors (neighbours) to the south. He remembers having business meetings and dinners with American colleagues and how the conversations would always take the same turn: "So, you're from Canada." He talks about the four topic areas that regularly came up: guns, politics, health and jail. JB shares the widespread Canadian view on these points and how they differ wildly from (some) Americans.