We survived the holidays and had some interesting experiences. There was one particular drum circle in Melbourne that deserves it’s own blog post. After counseling I might be able to get over the images of Nearly Naked Nick and Thong Lady dancing around the Wiccan full moon bonfire.
On the positive, more family-friendly side, Laura and I celebrated 35 years of marriage with a delightful sunset cruise around West Palm Beach. Then it was back to Greenville with doctor appointments and cold weather.
2024 marks 20 years of blogging here on RandomConnections. I find this space therapeutic, and as long as I can afford the web hosting I intend to keep writing. I am going to be adding a few new wrinkles, though.
One of the things Santa brought me was new podcasting gear. I got a Zoom Podtrak P4 recorder and a new Zoom dynamic mic.
This, along with the other audio gear I already have, has given me the impetus to start podcasting again. I’ve been very impressed with the simplicity for use and the quality of recordings I’ve gotten with my first initial attempts with the new recorder. This makes it easy to do remote phone interviews, as well as on-site live interviews.
There are actually two different podcast series in the hopper. The first podcast to drop will be more of a practice run. I’m going back through my archives and research on ghost towns and doing a show on that subject. Each episode I’ll take one location and explore its history and its ultimate fate. These will be short episodes with just me narrating. Carolina Ghost Towns will probably premier in couple of weeks.
The second podcast was the one that got me thinking about getting back into the game, and is a bit more involved. During the time I’ve been playing banjo at the Pickens Flea Market I’ve heard some amazing stories and met some equally amazing people. With my co-host, Paul Wagenknecht, I hope to capture those stories. This is a long-term project, so the Flea Market Chronicles probably won’t come out until summer.
I’ve learned a few lessons since my first failed attempt at podcasting. I do OK with audio production and writing. I’m not crazy about my voice, but I’ve learned to live with it and I can edit things so that I eliminate vocal tics, etc. The biggest problem was ambition. I had all of these grand designs for episodes, but I didn’t allow for the time needed to produce them. I was trying to write, record, and produce the episode then drop it as I’m done. It all got ahead of me and I got frustrated that I couldn’t keep up. Those folks that do real time podcasts, I don’t know how you do it. I know some have teams that include writers, fact checkers, producers, and lots of funding, but this is just me.
My plan is to get most of the episodes completely recorded and finalized before I release anything. For Carolina Ghost Towns I’ve got several episodes ready since they are not as complicated. That’s why that one is coming out first. The Flea Market Chronicles has more moving parts and will take longer. For each I’ve got enough material for LOTS of episodes. It’s just a matter of putting it together.
Both podcasts will be hosted right here on Random Connections. Each will be available on its own feed on Apple podcasts and all the other pod venues. So, be watching. I’ll make a more official announcement when the episodes drop.