Subject[of]reality

A podcast with another neighbor.  This time it is Nancy and we discuss her two favorite topics: religion and politics.  We talk about how her faith has transformed as she has gotten older.  We also delve into her thoughts on modern politics, the election, and how the political atmosphere in America has evolved in her time.

A good friend of Bernice, John agreed to talk to me about how he sees life as well as some of his experiences.  He is prolific in thought and creativity, but particularly humble about it.  He has patents to his name, published books, and creates many things out of what most would consider the mundane. He describes his philosophy and how he stays passionate about life into his elder years.

I finally landed some time with Bernice, the woman whom I have been living next to for over four years.  We sit down and discuss her humanitarian work with the Shan people as well as other topics.

I am joined on the shores of mighty Long Lake by Woodrow and Mary.  They are the grandparents to my friend Emma opposite Grandma Pike.  Among the topics that they talk are about coming to Minnesota from Pennsylvania for family reasons as well as a bit about their upbringing.

I recently took my annual trip to one of my favorite parts of this planet, Long Lake in Hubbard County, MN.  There I met up with my friend Emma who had grown up around that area who introduced me to some of her family.  I had two conversations, and this is the first of them.  This is the conversation with Emma's grandma Edith who she affectionately refers to as "Grandma Pike." Edith is in her nineties, had grown up in the area, and reflects on a true rural Minnesotan upbringing.

The next door neighbor to my grandpa (who has been on the podcast a couple of times) expressed interest in coming on the show so we sat down for a brief chat.  If you have ever been to Halek's bar in North Minneapolis, Bill was the owner for many years.

The show returns with Mary K. Boyd and Susan Mackay.  Susan is a returning guest, and Mary K is the friend she referred to as her "Xena: Warrior Princess."  Mary is highly active and well recognized within the anti-racism community.  We have a candid discussion about race and race relations in this country today.

Grandma Sis and Megan are my first returning guests.  Grandma Sis delves further into her spirituality and belief that we are living in an illusion.  I come to realize the benefits of her mindset from my own perspective.

In this episode I travel to my grandmother's house with my girlfriend Abby and we start drinking and talking gender differences, society, and some insights into my family past.  Also, I am currently looking for more folks who want to come on the show, don't be shy email me at inspectyourelders@gmail.com.

This show features Dr. Robert O. Fisch.  He is 90 years of age.  He was born in Budapest, Hungary.  He is a holocaust survivor, anti-communist revolutionary, pediatrician, author, painter, speaker, and many other things.  Before listening to our discussion, read up on his past at http://www.yellowstarfoundation.org/ and check out his books on Amazon.  He also can be found on Wikipedia.

Susan Mackay is the president emeritus of Mixed Blood Theater in Minneapolis, MN.  She also runs her own consulting agency.  She sits down with me to discuss many things including social justice issues, compassion, and how to avoid giving in to cynicism. Also side note, if you are listening to these podcasts and wish to contact me about a possible candidate for my show, please contact me at inspectyourelders@gmail.com .  I am always looking for more people to talk to.

Merry Christmas from my family to yours.  A quick one from myself, my grandpa and grandmother.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you Leonard.  The man that inspired the idea for this podcast a couple of years ago.  He talks and I try to keep up.  Enjoy.

A quick message as to where things are at, where they are hopefully going, and what the deal is with episode 5.

This episode I sit down with my friend Heidi and her mother Barbara.  I wanted to talk about a life in nursing, and some of her thoughts on the current state of the world.  This conversation was recorded in early October.  Our discussion provides some foreshadowing of events that have unfolded in the past couple of weeks.  This is in particular relation to Paris.  Our discussion includes geopolitics, religion, and what leads people to extremism.  Episodes will continue to air closer to the time of the conversation going forward. This means current events discussed will be, well, more current.

I decided to re-upload this episode in order to clear up some sound quality issues, and also start using my logo with each episode.  I will be releasing new content roughly every week and a half until I am able to get enough guests when I can release weekly.  I also need to express that my opinions and ideas DO NOT reflect in any way or form reflect the ideas and opinions of my employer.  All guests are aware of our conversations being published for distribution on the internet.

This episode I sit down with my friend Megan and her grandmother who goes by the nickname of Sis.  She has a lot to say about death, dying, and spirituality.  I examine her views, and also share some of my own experiences.  They had wine, I drank whiskey, and we had a great chat.

This is the introduction episode to my new podcast series.  This is a brief prelude to full episodes to come.  I decided to include my grandpa in the inaugural episode, as it would only be right to give him the honors.  I don't go deep into it with him, but we touch on the idea of this podcast and what I hope to achieve with it.