Another Sign I'm Getting Old

I like news radio.  I like history podcasts.  I like recorded books.  I prefer all of the above to listening to music.  GASP!!  Don't get me wrong I do like music and still listen to music.  If push comes to shove though I'll listen to news, history or someone reading me a book while I do house work or drive.

Why I say it's a sign of getting old is because when I was 17 I moved in with my Grandma to go to college.  Every morning while getting ready for her day, which included at least an hour of as she called it "putting on her face" and then another hour of teasing up her hair, she'd listen to talk radio.  I remember at the time thinking it was the most boring thing I'd ever heard.  Why listen to someone talking when you could be dancing!

Now I feel why listen to music when I could be learning.  Save dancing for times I have nothing else to do or when the mood strikes me.

Lately, I've been in love with and I don't mean I'm going to marry it, but I really really like the podcasts from "Stuff You Missed in History Class."  It's a free podcast I get off iTunes.  It's claim is "Didn’t pay attention in history class? HowStuffWorks has you covered."  Well, I did pay attention in history class.  These podcasts take single subject and really delve into all the bits of info that make it interesting.  Kind of a CliffsNotes kind of idea. They are usually about 20 minutes long give or take a few minutes, which makes it easy to squeeze them in on car trips or waiting in line or doing a load of dishes.  Every topic is so varied from the other, but some topics will spin off a future podcast on a bit of information that can be expanded upon.  For instance there was a podcast on William Randolph Hearst, which spun off a podcast on Hearst Castle and later a podcast on Patty Hearst.

I love these podcasts, because they jog my memory on what I know, fill in gaps and even add new info I've never heard of.  And they do it quickly in 20 minute bursts.  They are done educating me before I can figure out whether or not I'm in the mood to dance.