Continuing our trademark quest to gather and share knowledge with faithful listeners, in this episode we get a first hand review of KJ’s quest for deep connection and insight via Golden Teacher mushrooms, and of Rich’s first hand observed report on how the shell game scam works, direct from the mean streets of Paris. We also talk a bit about eSIMs and AirTags for those of you soon to jet off to those mean streets yourself. On top of those chewy morsels, RJ gives us a surprisingly interesting and wholesome look at, of all things, a coffee maker repair shop, and PJ muses about human nature after a conversation with his dental hygienist. There should be something here for everyone, is what we’re saying, so dig in and fill up!

This time around the Dogs provide an uplifting (not) view on the state of the world with respect to climate. But we cheered up while hearing that KJ’s “Beachcomber” work is still paying residuals, that PJ had fun on Canada Day, that a pastoral setting accentuates the Pops, how East Van’s own English Corner is going, and whether VanDusen Gardens gets it done (it does). So, come on along with us and see that it works out for you, too! 

Rob of Saskatoon returns to join us on a gripping journey through RJ’s recent confrontation with his citizenship, and let’s face it, himself. We manage to make a couple of complete meals out of just the titles involved in that process before moving on to other things like what it was like for Rob and RJ and Mike of Rossland to come to Canada as Young Americans around 1970 (hint: discard the notion of Canada’s warm regard for our southern cousins), the results of KJ’s recent foray into expanding his consciousness even further, the Robson Zoo, and a hearty round of agreement on what a fine fellow Chroner of Duncan is (hear his visit with us in Episode 52). It’s a lot of good clean fun with four old good friends—join us! 

RJ’s revered elder brother and serial listener Rob arrives from Saskatoon and his current listening position at about episode 61 (or put another way, about two years ago in Shed history), joins us in the Shed to the excited joy of all three Dogs. Mayhem ensues, and listeners will want to focus as a fast paced hour of chatter and laughs and coffee takes us through the recovery of an iPhone 14 from 30 feet of water, RJ’s long lost wallet, BC by-election results, happy news for Bowinn Ma, million dollar ideas, unusually ridiculous Snappers, memories of Charlie the Lonesome Cougar, and more, with constant cross talk and Buddy the actual dog participating the whole way. We really had a lot of fun on this afternoon and we’re really hoping you’re able to catch some along with us.

Today you’ll learn (and tomorrow you’ll tell your friends about) the shocking new news about dental hygiene, and you’ll never believe what we tell you about sitzpinklers! Remember, you heard it here first. As an antidote to that graphic conversation, KJ steers us into uncharted waters as he reveals to us his recent learning and future plans around Golden Teacher mushrooms. We get to share some fun listener mail, too, and along the way we hear about the perfect sandwich, an exploding gas station, and RJ’s homage to Mutual of Omaha as he tells us the latest news from the Robin Cam he set up under his deck. There are things to learn and things to dream of here, so close your eyes, centre your chi, and journey with us.

Love, derision, amusement, anger, wonder, curiosity, satisfaction and many other emotions accompany a tour of snappers (with bonus words from Brett K. and RJ), medical news on Alzheimer’s and tooth brushing, robins nesting under RJ’s deck, and KJ’s fascinating recent stint in Ottawa. We get some positive news on Sun Life, which is PJ’s new friend with benefits, and tips, too, on how to decide which health facility to attend when your next Big Moment arises. There’s a lot here to take in, so if you’ve had a balanced breakfast after a good sleep, you’ll get a lot out of what was a really fun episode for us!

This episode is more than just okay. In fact, we expect an avalanche of encomiums as we coin an all-new acronym while sharing a truck repair story that’ll singe hair (and find out that even the pros do dumb stuff now and then). It’s certainly egoism that leads us to think you’ll want to hear it, and egoism will decide if you do, not mere caprice. As usual we will cavil about the things that annoy us (like people other than Stevie who use phrases like “what the deuce”), but there are more than a few iotas of smiles to be had, so we hope you’ll settle in and have a cocktail while you listen.

Over the past few years we’ve said many times how much we appreciate, even love, the listener mail we get. Many times, the response to a segment generates more interesting conversation than the bit they’re commenting on. In this episode we have mail from Leigh of Courtenay (honourary weather Dog), Rustica of Portland, and Joanne of Rossland, covering, among other things, weather wardrobe, simple syrup, Diet Coke, a really bad movie, composting, and (our upcoming) T-shirts! We hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we did, and maybe feel inspired to write your first (or your hundredth) letter letting us know what caught your attention.

Episode 160 continues our lazy-faire approach to content management, and we give you another wide ranging session where we just…well, we just enjoy ourselves. We begin with RJ lawyering up, and continue on as the Junos and the Oscars (again) pass under our watchful eyes. We then cover Uncle Tim’s birthday and a fond farewell to one of our high school teachers. Sue finds some stolen mail, and then a “newspaper delivery man” skulks around a house in the wee hours. We have trouble digesting Uber Eats and then get all excited about season 2 of The White Lotus. Your mind might not end up spinning but may well end up pleasantly full.

In this episode we go with a light touch on the editing. Those of you who have joined us in the Shed will recognize the ways time slips away, interruptions come and go, laughs are had. This time, we let our listeners hear nearly all of it!  We make our way through the Oscars, through a really bad movie, through Buddy’s endless antics, through giving KJ professional advice, through some backstage business, through our marketing pitch, and yes, through even more. Sorry to our Courtenay listeners, but it does go on and the hope is it’s just soothing careless waves-on-the-shore company and we hope you and everyone just pictures us and joins us as we coast along having fun.

Last episode we saw Shed Dog art, heard great listener mail, and enjoyed hearing PJ and RJ rightly savaged by KJ’s impenetrable Snappers. At the danger of repeating ourselves, in this episode we see Shed Dog art, hear great listener mail, and enjoy hearing PJ and RJ rightly savaged by KJ’s impenetrable Snappers. On top of all that we, after having hopped around the multiverse, also get to marvel at what celebrities like KJ have to handle as they go about their exotic movie star business in far-off places, like Calgary. This is your big chance to either (1) feel all superior to two of the Dogs, (2) feel like a Hollywood insider alongside KJ, or (3) feel like an elite only-a-small-bit snobbish con-wah-seur of the ahts. In Surrey. Or all three! It’s an ersatz win-win-win! 

This episode sees the Dogs reporting on trips to Calgary (KJ, for a month, for work) and Nelson (PJ, for a day, for fun in what ended up involving an artistic endeavour). We dabble yet again in thoughts of ChatGPT, and even talk a bit about a Tom Hanks movie that hardly anyone is likely aware of. But this episode also has us revelling in Listener Mail, and feeling grateful to get it. What you won’t see, since this is an audio experience, is the amount of effort KJ made to share the Shed with his real dog Buddy as well as unreal Dogs PJ and RJ. A small space, a large, young, and restless dog, and a lot of opinions and questions - it’s another afternoon in the Shed!

Special guest Cam of Vancouver joins us for a second episode and he and RJ go deep on their foosball experiences: how they got into it, how it’s going, their results at a recent tournament in Portland, and the mental and emotional journey they’ve both been on. To our surprise, it’s a journey that nearly everyone has undertaken in different avenues in life, from interest, to participation, to competence, and to expertise. It’s a particular kind of joy to hear about! We also spend time here talking about kind strangers and how we make choices that change our lives, so we hope you relate and enjoy. Sit! Stay!

We asked ChatGPT to write the blurb for episode 155 and the following, is the self-promotional fluff she came up with. In this episode of Shed Dogs, we sit down with Cam Burrows to talk about everyone's favorite AI language model, ChatGPT! Join us as we talk about ChatGPT’s impressive adoption rate and its wide range of uses, from writing to customer service. We'll also dive into the controversy surrounding the product, including attempts to jailbreak the model and the legal implications of its use. Plus, we'll explore some of the more lighthearted aspects of ChatGPT, like its tone and potential for advertising [huh?—Ed.]. We even share some hilarious mishaps with Google's AI [nice work Chad!—Ed.]. And don't worry if you're new to the ChatGPT game—we'll explain how it works and why it's such a game-changer. So kick back, grab a cold one, and join us for a fun and informative chat about all things ChatGPT!

Thinking of renting a car? Heard any of the Hertz horror stories on your social media travels? RJ has his as-usual useful advice for doing business with the megalodon of motor vehicles, as well as any of the lesser fry. It could keep you out of jail! The Dogs also discuss escape rooms, melting keyboards, preparing old laptops for sale, and saving money when repairing them. Also in this episode, RJ takes a deep breath and leaves Twitter now that Elon won’t let him use Tweetbot any more. And yes, Angry Birds still exists so we talk about that, too. It’s another seriously light hearted afternoon in the Shed! 

By now, many of you will have heard of ChatGPT. If you haven’t, you will before long, so here in Episode 153 you will find an opening round of info about this groundbreaking software, in advance of an in-depth interview with friend-of-the-show Cam, who makes extensive use of the product. It’s way too important to just call a Public Service Announcement, but knowing about it is worthwhile, seriously. We have another gold-plated, if not somewhat puzzling, money making idea; an encounter with an antique cigar; a newly-functional sink in the Shed (way to go KJ!); and we find out that the world has not entirely moved on from wooden hockey sticks. We’re sure you’ll be as interested and relieved as we were to find that at least one thing hasn’t changed.

Maybe it was all the talk about the long-forgotten Robson Zoo (and whatever happened to Charlie the Lonesome Cougar, anyway?), or maybe it was our conversation around the Trophy Town documentary on the 1961 Trail Smoke Eaters, or possibly our warm reminiscence of this Christmas just past… But whatever it was, it led us to a long contemplation of the future, specifically the question of whether there is a future after this current turn on the stage of life. KJ has Thoughts, and we wonder whether you do, too.

PJ publicly announces his doddering phase as he struggles to come to grips with how much movies cost, while KJ and RJ happily discuss what they’re watching these days, and we all detail how movies will change when it’s us making them. In our ongoing quest to actually improve your life, RJ comes up with yet another golden PSA nugget on how to find your phone when you’ve taken that (not) inevitable fall on a slippery street. Speaking of inevitable, we spend some time dwelling in happy nostalgia while remembering innocent people we injured in our youthful sporting lives. And a couple added bonuses!: PJ 3.0 has become obsessed with rusty guns and how to fix them, and RJ provides a resource for you to learn how to use a rotary dial phone. Wait, don’t look into the sun, and keep your g****** eyes on the road! We’re looking at you, cinematographers and actors.

Our special guest this episode is Jenny of Rossland, with whom your Dogs went to school and generally hung out 50 or so years ago. We talk about what she’s been up to over the long past and will she will be up to in the near future (Ecuador!), and she helps us out with KJ’s Snappers and some bespoke Listener Mail as well. Anecdotes and arguments abound! 

Another afternoon in the Shed sees your Dogs coming to grips with a veritable shintangle of words and phrases in a KJ’s Snappers session. After he showed us the ropes we got a close-up tour of the ins and outs of renouncing one’s U.S. citizenship—this might be useful info for some listeners, so you’re welcome, it’s just what we do. Finally, we also got to read Listener Mail, a regular favourite. It all adds up to a ronnogram of fun, which is quite a lot!