On this episode of This Is My Thing, we’re talking with Elizabeth Warren (not the senator from Massachusetts – a different one) about her love of trash collecting. We’re talking here about 'trash collecting' in the sense of picking up trash that’s lying around where it doesn’t belong, not about creating a collection of trash to keep at home. Although there is a bit of that involved, too, and we’ll get into that during the show.

Elizabeth has always been the type to pick up a stray piece of litter when she sees it, but in recent years she’s been a bit surprised to discover that trash collecting has actually become her favorite hobby. We’ll talk about how that happened, why she loves to pick up trash, what is trash and what is not, and lots more. Plus we'll go over a big bag of trash-but-maybe-not-trash that she brought with her to the studio.

If you've got a thing you want to talk about on the show, you can tell us all about it and apply to be on the show here!

This is My Thing is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support this podcast by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

On this episode of This Is My Thing, we’re talking with Scott Cohen about his love of Austin’s trail system. He discovered the trails after moving from New York – where wooded hiking and running trails are a little less plentiful – and they became his favorite place. He likes to run on them, walk, on them, and just spend time on them thinking, relaxing, and feeling more grounded.

How does Austin’s wildlife compare with New York’s? What happened that one time Scott got lost on the trail? And what’s up with those three roosters who live near the Onion Creek trail? We'll hear about all of that, and more! 

Scott also spent a lot of time on his favorite trail (the Onion Creek trail) with his late and beloved dog Gracie, a French bulldog he affectionately nicknamed ‘the bug.’ We’ll talk about the trails, about Gracie, and about what both of them continue to mean to him. 

If you've got a thing you want to talk about on the show, you can tell us all about it and apply to be on the show here!

This is My Thing is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support this podcast by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

On this episode of This Is My Thing, we’re talking with Robin Arnold about her longtime love of clog dancing! It's a centuries-old form of dance that's still a little misunderstood by some folks, Robin says. It doesn't involved wooden shoes (that's a different, unrelated use of the word 'clog') and while it shares some similarities with tap dancing, it's much louder, which Robin says also makes it more fun.

Robin is a longtime member of Austin's Clickety Cloggers dance club (who are always looking for new members if you're interested), and we'll talk all about the club and the dance itself and what it all means to her. What role did Aunt Jean play in Robin's clogging journey? Why aren't the Clickety Cloggers allowed to perform at the Luckenbach Dance Hall anymore? Listen to find out!

If you've got a thing you want to talk about on the show, you can tell us all about it and apply to be on the show here!

This is My Thing is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support this podcast by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

On this episode of This Is My Thing, we’re talking with Kenneth Liechti about his nearly lifelong love for the Great Highland Bagpipes. He took up the instrument as a part of his school's pipe and drums band (roughly the Scottish equivalent of an American school's marching band) and just never really stopped playing.

Even after moving to the states for grad school, Ken found places to play the pipes and has spent the past several decades as a member of Austin's Silver Thistle Pipes and Drums. And at 75, he's still competing in solo competitions.

We'll talk about what the pipes mean to him, why he calls the instrument 'the octopus,' the best ways to practice the pipes indoors (though they're really an 'outdoor instrument,' Ken says), and much more!

If you've got a thing you want to talk about on the show, you can tell us all about it and apply to be on the show here!

This is My Thing is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support this podcast by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

On this episode of This Is My Thing, we’re talking with Sarah Bentley about her love of community singing. It’s a world she entered during the Covid lockdowns, and now it’s become a very large part of her life, helping her find connections and a creative outlet.

We'll talk about where she sings, what she sings, who she sings with, and what it all means to her.

If you've got a thing you want to talk about on the show, you can tell us all about it and apply to be on the show here!

This is My Thing is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support this podcast by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

On this episode of This Is My Thing, we’re talking with Kim Vidrine about Cake Club, which Kim created around seven years ago to celebrate two of her great loves: her friend group and cake. Every month, Kim and five of her friends (Kathy Nicklebur, Rowena Suarez, Yadira McCarter, Rachel Woodall, and Kelly Gin) each bake a cake then meet up to reconnect while eating six pieces of cake.

We'll talk about the club's origins, its rules (and about how closely various members stick to those rules), and what it's really all about (it's not just the cake). Are vegetable-based cakes ever any good? How sweet is too sweet for frosting to be? And does it really matter what the cakes look like? We'll get into all of it in this episode!

You can see some a video of one of Cake Club's monthly gatherings on our website, and you can tell us about your thing and apply to be on the show here!

This is My Thing is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support this podcast by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

On this episode of This Is My Thing, we’re talking with Travis Smith about his love of sidewalk stamps! That term might not be immediately familiar to you, but you've probably seen them -- they're the imprints, usually of contractors' names, left in curbs, sidewalks, and driveways. They're not used much anymore, and most of us probably walk past them without really noticing them. But not Travis.

Travis seeks out these stamps, photographs them, researches them... they're meaningful to him in a way that their creators likely never imagined. We'll talk about when he started noticing them, why they captured his interest, how he looks for them, and what it all means to him.

You can see some photos of Travis and a few of the sidewalk stamps we encountered on a recent walk around Austin's north campus neighborhood on our KUT show page. And you can check out Travis's instagram page to see his own sidewalk stamp photos!

Tell us about your thing and apply to be on the show here!

This is My Thing is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support this podcast by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

On this episode of This Is My Thing, we’re talking with Matt Jeanes about his love of vintage film photography. Matt's taken photos all his life, but a few years ago he made the switch back to using old-school cameras — the kind that use physical film. That quickly led to a hobby of collecting vintage and unique film cameras and a love of experimenting with different film, including some rolls that expired decades ago. 

Matt shows off some of the cameras in his collection, which range from the sublime to the ridiculous -- he's got 1930s era cameras that look like works of art (and still work!) and a 1980s era Voltron toy that's also a working 110 camera. And lots more, too, of course! 

We'll talk about the the unpredictable nature of using decades-old film in decades-old cameras, why that unpredictability is actually the point, and whyhe wouldn't have it any other way.

You can see a treasure trove of Matt's photos (and one photo I took of Matt using his vintage Minolta Hi Matic) on KUT show page.

Tell us about your thing and apply to be on the show here!

This is My Thing is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support this podcast by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

On this episode of This Is My Thing, we’re talking with David Karp about his love of crocheting and knitting (as any crocheter or knitter will tell you, those are two separate but related yarn-based arts). David kind of stumbled into the hobby, deciding to work on a crochet kit after his kids lost interest in it. Much to his surprise, he fell in love with yarn hard and fast.

We'll talk about his origin stories, how he discovered that crafting with yarn quieted his mind and soothed his PTSD more than just about anything else, and so much more!

We're always looking for more interesting things to talk about so tell us about your thing and apply to be on the show here!

This is My Thing is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support this podcast by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

On this episode of This Is My Thing, we’re talking with Yael Ouzillou about her love of doodling. It's a practice she took up several years ago; she draws colorful and intricate designs, patterns and pictures to process events in her life and the world around her.

We'll talk about why she started the practice, why she prefers to call it 'doodling' and not 'art,' how it's helped her to embrace imperfection while seeing beauty all around her and so much more.

You can see some photos of Yael and her doodles at our KUT show page.

Tell us about your thing and apply to be on the show here!

This is My Thing is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support this podcast by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org