What we’re watching:

  • Not TV! We cut the “cord”! Our TV had switched from digital cable to an app on a fire stick when fibre optic rolled into town, but ever since we started paying for a YouTube subscription to strip out its commercials, we really watch mostly YouTube – the real reality TV! So a couple of weeks ago we cancelled our access to the TV app. Jeff has purchased a year of DAZN access to watch football, and so far we haven’t missed anything else from regular TV.

Cecilia in Svalbard – Jeff discovered this channel. Cecilia lives on a small Norwegian island above the Arctic Circle. She lives in a cabin with her boyfriend and dog. Life parallels ours in some ways, but then there are some differences, like the law mandating you must walk with a rifle in the dark winter for polar bear protection! It doesn’t seem to get as cold there as here, but so windy!! With a long stretch of winter darkness.

Beard Meats Food – I can’t stop watching. Beard is a competitive eater. When he isn’t in a competition, he challenges restaurants’ eat-this-in-an-hour-and-its-free meals, and just generally is capable of eating an absolute mountain of food. Shortly after discovering this channel, I heard of a study that says your food cravings can actually be satisfied by watching someone else eat the item. Maybe that’s why!? He’s also pretty amusing, and watch for Mrs. Beard – everyone’s favourite! He has over 600 videos on YouTube so you can scroll and find anything you’re craving and watch him eat a mountain of it. Cravings gone!

Outdoor Boys – Jeff found this channel too – mostly featuring Luke and his three sons, sometimes his wife, and sometimes his extended family. Luke goes on outdoor adventures and takes 1-3 sons each time. It’s great, clean, heartwarming fun. One of my favourites is when Luke and his oldest son Tommy catch fish after fish after fish on an Alaska charter! It’s really nice to see a father spend so much time with his kids, getting them outside, teaching them survival skills, and letting them try things.

Miranda Goes Outside!! – I stumbled upon Miranda, who was once the face of REI’s YouTube channel, a few months ago. Now breaking out on her own (with her team), Miranda shares her outdoor adventures, tips, and equipment recommendations. She’s so silly, quirky, and fun. Reminds me of me. I think we’d be fast friends.

What podcasts I’m listening to:

Wiser than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus. I’m partway through this series and really enjoying it. Julia (Elaine from Seinfeld!) interviews older women, mostly Hollywood famous women, about their lives, families, and relationships. It’s insightful and candid. I think a series like this with any older women, not just the Hollywood famous, would be just as fascinating, if not more. Give it a listen! It’s well done. After every interview, Julia calls her own Mom at the end of each episode to discuss the highlights. Very sweet.

The rest of my podcasts have been kinda blah lately. Any recommendations?

If you’re looking for a new app for your podcasts, I highly recommend Pocket Casts – not just because it is owned by the company I work for but because it is really nice to use. I recommend the Plus membership! I love the “Up Next” feature. I can have any of my podcast subscriptions automatically download and go to either the top or bottom of my Up Next list, depending on how much I love them. Then when I’m walking or driving, I just turn on Pocket Casts and it plays through my Up Next list.