This week I get meta, check my mic, and tell you how the sausage is made: why I started this podcast, how I structure them, how I publish and promote it, and hopefully rekindle something to keep going. Show notes: https://www.thatsahobby.com/podcasting-how-to-start-market-and-challenges/ Videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuZlQnD7nY0 https://w…

I dive into the world of witches and witchcraft, which has seen a resurgence in the last decade. What does it mean to be a witch? What does practicing witchcraft look like? Is it harmful? Show Notes: https://www.thatsahobby.com/witchcraft-history-modern-witches-and-crafting/ Videos: https://youtu.be/3nIAIc2q3xg https://youtu.be/tRckGlNQesk https://…

I try to figure out what really happened and what's really going on by learning about conspiracy theories, why they're so prevalent right now, and the type of people who rarely believe what they're told, and how often they end up being true. Show notes: https://www.thatsahobby.com/conspiracy-theories-psychology-types-and-real-conspiracy-theories/ V…

I pin up pictures and articles on my wall, attach strings to pins to connect the dots, and try to solve some unsolved mysteries. People can't get enough of true crime and with the Internet and the speed of social media, it's not a surprise that people are taking it upon themselves to crack open cold cases and find clues that detectives have missed.…

It's October so this month Im going to focus on more morbid hobbies. I light some candles, turn on a fog machine, and try to channel the other side. I learn all about ghosts across time and cultures, study common ghost hunting techniques, and try to detect paranormal activity in my house. Show notes: https://www.thatsahobby.com/ghost-hunting-histor…

I squeeze every mile out of gallon of gas in my cars to save some money and just because I can. I try some safe and somewhat unsafe ways of making my gas guzzling cars more efficient while trying not to be a victim of road rage. Show notes: https://www.thatsahobby.com/hypermiling-techniques-for-efficient-driving/ Videos https://www.youtube.com/watc…

I get the best seat on the sofa, a bowl of salty snacks, and dive in the world of super powers and cliff hangers with a stack of comic books. I explore the different eras of comic books, talk about discovering graphic novels, and how digital comic books changed everything. Show notes: https://www.thatsahobby.com/comic-books-eras-graphic-novels-and-…

I grab some milkbone treats, tell my dog he's a good boy, and give him a makeover. Through necessity, I learn how to groom my cockapoo, Waffle, and learn to respect groomers. I learn about the controversial world of creative dog grooming and its competitions. And finally, I try to figure out what dogs think about all of this. Show notes: https://ww…

I scroll endlessly through Reddit, the so called "front-page of the Internet", and go down rabbit hole after rabbit hole in an effort to learn something useful to justify the time I spend on the largest community-based site on the Internet. I talk about how I curb bad habits, including focusing and system thinking. Show notes: https://www.thatsahob…

This week I grind medium roast beans fine but not too fine, I get the water the exact right temperature, and I use one of the many coffee brewing techniques to try to make the perfect cup of coffee. I talk about learning to love coffee in Cuba and my experiences with the classic drip coffee machine, a French Press, and Chemex pour over coffee maker…

This week I learn all about hitchhiking. I'm curious about people who throw caution to the wind, stick out a thumb, and roll the dice on getting where they're going without getting murdered. Do people hitch out of necessity or is there a thrill to it that we're all missing? What about people who pick up hitchhikers? What goes through their minds? S…

This episode is a bit different. When I learn about a hobby, I set out to actually try it. Obviously, it's not going to happen with climbing Everest, but after reading Into Thin Air, probably the most popular account of climbing it, I had to learn more about it and the people who do it. Think of this as a book report. Show notes: https://www.thatsa…

This week, I learn about the hobby of collecting, why we collect from a psychological and neurological perspective, and get sucked into collecting the 118 known elements in our universe. How do you even collect radioactive elements or elements that are so volatile, they breakdown almost instantly? Show notes: https://www.thatsahobby.com/element-col…

This episode I give my senses a break to have a mental and spiritual breakthrough, or at least I try to, by giving isolation tanks a try. I'm not a spiritual person but I don't like the feeling of missing out so I try to take a shortcut to a meditate state by getting in an isolation tank. Show notes: https://www.thatsahobby.com/isolation-tanks-medi…

This episode I get behind the wheel, go to a park lot and floor it through cones trying to not spin out. I talk about my history with used, German cars, learning to repair them on a shoestring budget. Then I take you along around the track where I spin, I forget to breathe, and I get a shot of adrenaline. Show Notes: https://www.thatsahobby.com/aut…

I try stand-up comedy, a hobby that unique in its impact on society and culture, and one where a lot people experience and think "I could probably do that". How hard could it be to make people laugh? As a huge comedy fan, I stumble on the dark art of comedy writing and write my first set. Then, I experience my first open mic. Links: First open mic …

There are maybe a handful of hobbies more physical than obstacle races and the Spartan Race is the most popular. I underestimate the race, confirm what I know about myself, and learn about heat stroke the hard way. Learn about what makes the Spartan Race infamous for some and a community for others. Maybe you'll register for the next race. Show Not…

I go hands on with Hikaru Dorodango, the Japanese art of making shiny mud balls. I learn where it came from, about its resurgence, and how to make them. I grab a handful of dirt from my backyard and give it a try, and uncover a myth I never considered along the way. Show Notes: https://www.thatsahobby.com/hikaru-dorodango-meditation-japanese-mud-ba…

One of the more unusual hobbies, mooing. Making animal noises is strange enough but competitive mooing in the 80s laid the ground work for reality TV competitions. Find out how and see if you can tell the difference between cow and human - I moo twice, see if you can spot it. Show Notes: https://www.thatsahobby.com/mooing-competitions-reality-tv/…

Taking surveys online to make money. How does it work? How much money can you really make? Is it a scam? I fill out surveys for a day to see how much I can make. Show Notes: https://www.thatsahobby.com/taking-surveys-for-money-how-much/

It's the last part of my interview with Andrea where we pick up after Korea in Canada: how she got started in events management and the software world, our first impressions of each other when we met at work, startup life and all the opportunities it provided, and Andrea turns the tables and asks me a bunch of questions.…

This episode I find out that Andrea always wanted to be a teacher. We talk about the path that got her to Korea teaching: going through high school, then university for criminology, playing varsity volleyball and why she stopped playing, and moving to Korea.Then we talk about Korea itself and you don't want to miss it: how she was basically sexuall…

This episode I interview Andrea. She’s one of the reasons why I wanted to start a podcast. As Andrea puts it, "we’re two peas in the same pot". She has a way with sayings. In part 1, we laugh our way through her childhood, how her family escaped Czechoslovakia, what her memories of communism were, her first impressions of the west and Canada, and h…

In the second part of my interview with Tad, we pick up in a small town where Tad has lived for the last 30 years. We talk about the loss of his wife, how to get along with everybody, and what he thinks has kept him going for so long.

I interview my wife's grandfather, who is was born in Poland in 1912. On his own since he was 14, I couldn't wait to record his story so I took my gear to Thanksgiving dinner. I had heard many of them before but am always blown away. The first time I heard it, it sparked a change in me for the better. In Part 1, we explore his life in Poland, a Ger…

We pick up in Turkey, where Manoo walks me through applying for refugee status at the UN, life in Turkey, reuniting with my Mom, and his first impression of Canada. We end on a favourite topic: western political conspiracy theories.

This week I interview Manoo, a fantastic story teller, about growing up in Iran, his experience of the Islamic revolution, joining the Kurdish rebellion, and eventually escaping to Turkey.

This is a bit of wild one. I interview my friend, Leo/Juan, about immigrating from Honduras, his life and career in real estate, starting a food truck with no experience, and how he's not interesting.

I interview my Father in law, Henry, about being the child of WW2 survivors, growing up in Montreal, working his way up through factories, and how he got into the horse racing business.

I interview my brother, Alan, who is the definition of a rebel. He's got stories and I pulled some of out him. We talk about his memories of Iran, going through school his way, and his life and career in the music and entertainment industry. Note: this episode contains swearing.

I interview one of my best friends, Nathan, about his Indian-ness, moving to Canada, his very successful interior design career, and being a parent.

I interview my wife, Laura, to learn about how her parent shaped her, times she got in trouble, and her fascination with decomposing bodies and crime.