The Shed Dogs finally talk about our very great, hugely enjoyable 50th high school grad reunion: what we thought, what we noticed, and how well we enjoyed it. Spoiler alert: it was just great. KJ then floors us by announcing that he’s nominated for not one but two Leo awards (BC Film and TV industry awards). Realizing again that we are in the presence of acting greatness leads us to talking about what we are watching these days, and “Ripley” on Netflix comes in for some very warm acclaim indeed. Of course we mix in our usual bits of super valuable advice on how to live your lives, and finish by bidding farewell to the AM 730 traffic station, which left without saying goodbye. We look to you, listeners, to help fill the void they left. Okay, done, and thanks.

On a sunny afternoon in the Shed, your Dogs enjoy great listener mail, albeit with several sidebars. Part of the outcome of that great mail is us taking our first and best shot at offering travel accommodation advice. We are now dying to hear whether it worked. We remember the 1980 cinema classic “Popeye”, and then to remind ourselves that people are decent, we share a great lost and found story. Generally, we recall that it’s pretty great being around and doing whatever it is we each do, which is a recollection there can never be too much of.

We’ve touched on KJ’s painting accomplishments several times over the years, as well as his acting, and we get yet another look into both in this episode, in which he shares his ingenious homegrown approach to painting landscapes, his creation of very special cards for special occasions, and the latest in his acting and video dancing career. We also have a great time with our special friend Leigh of Courtenay as she once again sends us mail that makes all the little neurons fire off in all directions. Throw in a little of our usual grumbling about pronunciation and usage and there you have it! It’s us again, your Shed Dogs, lowest on the totem pole.

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! 

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!

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.

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.

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!

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!

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!

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! 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

By the time you read this, the Barbie Movie bandwagon we’re jumping on with two emphatic feet will probably be collecting dust on a Hollywood back lot, but in this episode we respond in a big way to Susinn of Vancouver’s challenge back in Episode 169: see the movie, give our thoughts. We also take time to enjoy another round of KJ’s Snappers, and PJ and RJ compare their starkly contrasting notes on economics instructors they had 50 or so years ago. But mostly: Barbie! 

Podcasts are a lot like a stroll in the woods: one minute you’re wandering along soaking up the silence and sun, flowers and trees, and the next minute you’ve missed a step and find yourself worried about survival. In this episode, just like in the real world, we are going along enjoying Listener Mail after complaining about health care (as is our wont) when suddenly an idle reference to current politics leads us into the murky and dangerous waters of discussing racism. Walk with us here to see how we fare—you’ll be able to feel us concentrating. After we emerge from that swamp, we wash off in the cool clear waters of a conversation about PJ’s (as of this recording) upcoming trip to Portugal and KJ’s remarkable journey as an artist. All’s well that ends, they say, don’t they? Keep those feet moving!

We are even more directionless than usual here, and we’re hoping the resulting unplanned conversations about the nature of light and heat, about the use of cookies and the practice of asking whether they’re acceptable, and about the concept of dark patterns in web design are both entertaining and educational. We also get to enjoy sharing listener mail with you, do a bunch of KJ’s Snappers, and talk about approaches to berry picking. Finally we receive a Barbie challenge from special Guest Susinn of Vancouver. So centre your chi, picture a limpid pool deep in a silent forest, and put on some bug spray: it’s the Shed Dogs! 

We recorded our record 169th episode on the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, and noting that fact led us to a conversation about the effects of nuclear bombing, levels of background radiation in several places, and the degree to which those effects are widely understood. But somehow we still managed to get to discussing the proposed Enhanced Games, the English Corner, and KJ’s very clever approach to an audition for a part in an animated series. After discussing another of PJ’s YouTube pastimes (“Vice Grip Garage”), RJ also proposes a rock solid theory on who drives which flavours of vintage North American cars. We look forward to responses from those of our audience that feel they fit the theory…or don’t. Get listening and start writing!