Woodsmeister's Other Blog

Since getting the Christmas iPod, I have joined the ranks of the regular podcast listeners.  Having a full slate of podcasts comes in handy when I’m walking at the Metropark instead of working full time.   Here is the list of podcasts to which I currently subscribe (in alphabetical order):

• Bill Moyers Journal (audio only) – great guests, intelligent interviews.  Since it’s a classic sit-down interview show, there’s not much reason to get the video feed.
• From Our Own Correspondent – BBC show featuring personal essays from their foreign correspondents that typically go behind the news stories
• Irish and Celtic Music Podcast – From Marc Gunn (of the Brobdingnagian Bards).
• LeShow (with Harry Shearer) - Apologies of the Week, News From Outside the Bubble, topical humor and more
• NPR All Songs Considered – Features a wide variety of popular music
• NPR Live Concerts from All Songs Considered – Live recordings from a variety of popular acts
• NPR Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me – Current events comedy quiz
• ObviousPop – Power pop faves from Dr. Tony Shore – good stuff
• Q – The Podcast – Arts and entertainment interview show on the CBC hosted by Jian Ghomeshi (formerly of Moxy Fruvous).  Was recently in the news for Ghomeshi’s interview with Billy Bob Thornton where Billy Bob totally melted down.  Kinda like Fresh Air, but Canadian, with a much hipper host.
• Stuff You Missed In History Class – short (15-20 minute) episodes on a variety of historical topics

Last week, my wife had a very bad day when she went to the doctor in the  morning and found out that she had fibromyalgia and went to work in the afternoon and found out that she was being let go from her job.  This week, it was my turn.  Yesterday afternoon, my boss told me that my hours and hourly rate were going to be cut back substantially.  Essentially, I am going from full-time salaried employee to half-time at about 60% of my previous hourly rate.

The good news is that I will still get to keep my health insurance, a significant advantage since I am diabetic and have recently been put on insulin.  Given my previous condition, I doubt very much that I would be able to get private coverage.   The bad news is that at the hourly rate and amount of hours that I’ll be working, I will not be making enough to meet the mortgage, let alone eat. We have savings for a couple months, but things will be very tight for awhile.

So, both my wife and I will be looking for full-time work in the worst economic climate in our lifetimes.  We trust that God will bring something good out of this.  The good news is that we have a great support system of family and friends who love us.  We know that there are a lot of people out there who are in a lot worse condition than we are.

Initiating the first regular feature of this blog: Thirty For Thursday.  Every week, I’ll feature the first 30 random songs from my iPod.

1. “Let’s Start a Band” – Amy MacDonald
2. “Thousand Year Prayer” – Cowboy Junkies
3. “All Things Being the Same – Ellis Paul
4. “Keep on Shinin’” – 2nd Chaper of Acts
5. “Turn This Off”  – Daniel Amos
6. “Satan’s Paradise” – Kieran Kane, Kevin Welch and Fats Kaplan
7. “Carpenter Gone Bad” – Bob Bennett
8. “Blue Horizon” – David Wilcox
9. “Behind the Lines” – Phil Collins
10. “Tarzan Tells All” – Jan Krist
11. “You Don’t Make It Easy” – Josh Ritter
12. “Did Trouble Me” – Susan Werner
13. “Pursuit of Happiness” – Southeast Engine
14. “Mulqueen’s” – Laura Cortese
15. “Chelsea Embankment” – Pete and Maura Kennedy
16. “Who’s Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Little Foot?” – Joyce Andersen
17. “Journeyman’s Grace” – Fairport Convention
18. “A Shark in New York Waters” – Christine Lavin
19. “Susan Falls Apart” – Black 47
20. “Lighthouse Light” – Redbird
21. “WHT” – Blogurt
22. “Porrohman” – Big Country
23. “My Love Is In New York” – Black 47
24. “William” – Daniel Amos
25. “Other Side” – Josh Ritter
26. “The Ghost of Norma Jean” – The Steep Canyon Rangers”
27. “The I Don’t Know Where I’m Goin (But I’m Goin’ Nowhere In A Hurry) Blues – Steve Goodman
28. “Ravenswood” – Jeff Lang
29. “Black and White” – Cherryholmes
30. “Love of Midnight” – Peter Himmelman

Some classic CCM, some bluegrass, some steel guitar virtuosity, and some Celtic angst-punk.

Greetings, crimestoppers!

My name is Greg Grant, I live in Columbus, Ohio and my online handle at a variety of sites is woodsmeister (long story, maybe I’ll tell it here some time.  At any rate, I already have two other blogs:

• FolkBlog - On FolkBlog, I discuss folk music and new adds to my online folk radio station, Festival Radio (see widget in the box to the left).
• Pronk Needs You! – On Pronk Needs You! I discuss Ohio sports, more specifically the Cleveland Indians, with occasional musings on the Browns, Cavs, Columbus Blue Jackets and Columbus Crew.

One would think that two blogs would keep me busy enough, and they do, but sometimes I have things to muse upon that are beyond the realm of my other two blogs, such as religion or politics or music that is beyond the bounds of that covered by the FolkBlog.  Those posts will be here.    If you’re interested in my other two blogs, I have links to their feeds in the right-hand sidebar.