My 48 Minutes of Fame

I'm obsessed with reading.  It's a passion that has returned after losing the passion during college and going back for my MBA years later.  I've also carried a long lost dream to have my own radio talk show.  As a youngster, I would use my Dad's recording equipment and make up stories and record myself as if I was on the radio.  I even included commercial breaks by saying, "Thanks for the interruption."  

Marrying my obsession with a dream became a reality when I was the guest on the What Should I Read Next podcast hosted by Anne Bogel.  I decided to submit a request to be on the show and see if I was a fit and I was!  I couldn't have been more ecstatic.  My episode aired on August 9 and I've felt like a star ever since.

Along with Anne's recommendations (which you'll hear when you listen to the episode), I've received oodles of suggestions from the podcast blog post and gotten tons of requests to connect with listeners on GoodReads.  I feel famous!  All because of my 48 minutes of fame.  

If you are a reader, or even if you're not, be sure to have a listen.  One item checked off my bucket list.  Now to really get that radio show....

Picnics, Podcasts and Pokemon Go

Yesterday, our church had a "Dinner on the Grounds" as part of our 100-year celebration.  For those non-Baptists, or people under the age of 30, a "dinner on the grounds" is really a picnic where the church provides the fried chicken (or some other meaty entree) and the church members bring sides.  Our organized picnic assigned salads, sides and desserts by last name so we'd have a more even distribution and not end up eating nothing but chips and dessert with our fried chicken.  And everyone was tasked with bringing a 2-liter, so the drinks were plentiful.  It was hot.  Maybe if you were under a tree somewhere it wasn't, but if you were out long, you couldn't miss the heat.  I was privileged to serve the chicken in one of the serving lines and found myself sweating so much I thought my eyes were watering.  A good time was had by all, and the food was plentiful.  I did learn that KFC-provided serving tongs are not very sturdy.  I broke two in a matter of an hour.  

This morning, I was interviewed by Anne Bogel for her podcast, What Should I Read Next.  I was so excited about this opportunity and consider an item on my bucket list checked off.  I've listened to her podcast for a while and it adds fuel to my already obsessive love of reading.  Though it might sound stalkish, I would love to discuss books with her regularly.  The one thing I realized from the podcast (which I'll link on my blog when it's live), is what I thought would be the theme of the books I love was way off from reality.  I won't give away the content of the podcast, but after analyzing I came to realize and had confirmation that I love historical fiction (what!?!) and stories with a female protagonist (not as surprising).  I left wanting to spend the next three days in a bookstore.  

Pokemon Go is the newest craze in the world these days.  I'll admit I've played the game and it is kind of fun, though I'm out of Poke Balls to continue play right now.  Being in technology, this take on augmented reality will forever shift the paradigm.  Now, everyone "gets" augmented reality and businesses can reach consumers with that technology, maybe easier than they could have before Pokemon Go.  To let you know how much it has infiltrated the world, I was driving down a main road the other night and a local church had on their sign "We're a PokeStop, so feel free to stop by."  I give them credit for creativity and engaging the culture.