The Potts House General Purpose Podcast

I made this recording with my Olympus LS-10. The quality is not terrific since the gathering was in an outdoor tent, the recorder was simply sitting on the table where the panelists were seated, and some of speakers from the audience did not use the microphones, but it does have a "you are there" quality that you might enjoy, especially if you listen on headphones. The bagpipe clips at the beginning are from an early-morning warm-up outside of Lowry Center, and the start of the reunion parade of classes.

Gift Cyclist Ried Stewart Waring Meyer visited us here in Saginaw, Michigan and we took a few minutes to interview him about the project. We were not able to record this in the studio, so the audio quality is not quite as good as I would have liked, but I hope you will enjoy the discussion anyway.

Fair warning - this one is quite long (almost two hours). Also, the audio from Rich's side came from his laptop microphone so it doesn't sound great.

After some casting about for topics we talk about a few books including Haruki Murakami's _1Q84_, Terry Pratchett's _Snuff_, and Barry Hughart's _The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox_. Technical note: I'm having some trouble with my audio recorder. In the previous recording, there was distortion on both channels. On this recording, it seems to be limited to the right channel, so I was able to work around it by making this a mono recording, taken from just the left channel.

The shortest day is here! Technical note: I'm having some trouble with my audio recorder, which just started with today's recording. There is some distortion happening. My apologies; it was a complete surprise, and I haven't yet been able to figure out what is wrong or what it might take to get it repaired.

An early drive down to Ann Arbor for some follow-up medical care for Grace, and then a long chat on the drive back.

An ordinary walk with no topic planned turns into an extended discussion about our respective positions on abortion.

We're almost there! Joshua accompanies us for another walk around the neighborhood, to our regret.

In which we host a pre- and post-caroling party, and I take the recorder with me with a group from the Adams Boulevard Neighborhood Association.

In which we take you around our neighborhood for a sort of audio tour of some homes.

Cookies, Christmas ornaments, a new song in progress, and Christopher Hitchens. Also, the sadly crippled Kwanzebra, Kweezna.

Paul blathers about rarity schemes and the psychology of collecting collectible card games, and Grace expounds about invasive species such as the Emerald Ash Borer.

Driving with Veronica, back down to pick up Grace and the new baby.

Another long night begins in the Family Birthing Center.

Crawling along on a spare tire with a very pregnant wife, and then a flat spare with a very pregnant wife whose water is broken, and a bleeding gash on my scalp. Fun times.

Paul fires his psychiatrist and drives home in a rainstorm.

Paul plays a Jonathan Coulton cover live in the family room.

Marching triumphantly under overcast skies, stopping only to contemplate the problems with vinyl siding.

Love will keep us together.

Paul talking to himself on April 20th of this past year, a few days before the birth of baby 5.

Paul in full Seasonal Affective Disorder Anxiety Depression Freak-out, because he loves to over-share.

Three years ago I had an interview with Veronica (episode 3) that was just delightful. This was an attempt to follow up with that chat with some unfortunately all-too-rare "just Dad and daughter" time. We'll have to try again in a setting where she can express herself a little more -- perhaps another walk, although County Farm Park in Ann Arbor is now now a long way away.

Grace and I talk in our bedroom about her health issues. I also wind up on a digression about a recent musical collaboration with JoAnn Abbott, our cover of Paul and Storm's song "More than Two."

I was imagining that the Gallbladder Season chats would be done with part 4, but Grace's medical issues continue to linger, so we're in gallbladder overtime, and will not soon be completely resolved.

I've been wanting for a long time to get Grace engaged in a talk about race. This is a sort of opener, in which we talk about segregation, schools, and a bit about being a bi-racial couple. I'm calling this "Part 1 of N" because I'm hoping to have some related follow-on conversations, perhaps with other people in the mix, and I have no idea how many parts might eventually be involved.

I caught up with storyteller Sean Hurley for a slightly meandering chat. OK, an extremely meandering chat.

I first became aware of Denise and her work via the Song Fu and SpinTunes songwriting competitions.

Phillip Blond is an English political thinker, Anglican and theologian, and director of the think tank ResPublica. ResPublica's ideas are shaping David Cameron's "big society" program in the UK.

Phillip Blond is an English political thinker, Anglican and theologian, and director of the think tank ResPublica. ResPublica's ideas are shaping David Cameron's "big society" program in the UK.

Phillip Blond is an English political thinker, Anglican and theologian, and director of the think tank ResPublica. ResPublica's ideas are shaping David Cameron's "big society" program in the UK.

Phillip Blond is an English political thinker, Anglican and theologian, and director of the think tank ResPublica. ResPublica's ideas are shaping David Cameron's "big society" program in the UK.

I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay, you're okay.

It seems to finally be all over but for the rest of the fall Grace will need to spend recuperating.

Includes Paul's complete "Gallbladder Season" essay.

Ten days in the hospital and one near-death experience later, Grace is receiving a blood transfusion.

Grace has been experiencing gallbladder problems and things are starting to get complicated.

Note that there are a number of show notes and related links on the web site to accompany this episode.

Isaac and I continue to cook and talk, wandering into topics like the last Harry Potter movie, Godel's Incompleteness Theorem and

In this episode he and I work on preparing this epic meal and talk about his summer job, mathematics, The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks, Hare Krishna cuisine, and the joys of clarified butter.

Fried eggs and fried brains come together on a slow morning.

In which I talk about Gene Wolfe's enigmatic long novel The Book of the New Sun, and why it is one of the few science fiction novels worth studying in depth.

Paul is still sick of winter and it's really windy.

Paul is sick of winter.

Paul and Grace wander around wintry Saginaw talking about the Patisserie bakery and other contentious topics.

This is a long series of chats Grace and I recorded on a snowy day last December. Grace and I talk about health care, President Lieberman, Protector Maximus Petraeus, Mr. Horton's dining establishment, fingerpicking, and brussels sprouts. The audio unfortunately ends rather abruptly as my recorder runs out of battery power. Or perhaps by that point you'll cheer when it finally ends...

Recorded the day after our minivan transmission melted down, Paul rants for a while about the car situation (edited down) and Isaac's school options before settling down to talk briefly about some of his favorite contemporary science fiction writers.

An audio collage made of bits and pieces recorded over the past year or so. Listen on headphones for maximum immersion.

Over the plaintive cries of the wild haggis and the occasional cell phone and tornado warning siren, I chat with Joe about his life in performing, Genesis, Disco Duck, songwriting, writing, Song Fu, Duality, and the joys and frustrations of time-shifted online collaboration between musicians who have never met in person.

Our Honda Odyssey just blew its second transmission at 140,000 miles. We're a little ticked off.

Unlike most of my online friend and fellow podcasters, I've actually met Mer and her partner Dani in person. They are, both of them, all kinds of awesome.