memories | Croncast - From Cool to Cul De Sac

better days

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 21:43:47 -0500

this project has found its way to my father's clutches. many memories of cars coming in and out of this garage.

Tags: memories cars coming garage clutches

One of those moments

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 17:54:24 -0600

With so much going on around here - Croncast hiatus, kids on vacation, seeing old friends, the holidays and looking for a new job, I've got time to be both stressed and relaxed at the same time. Which, has my brain in a wildly creative state.

I was thinking about my life today, and more specifically my life with Betsy, and the circumstances in both of our lives when we knew each of the other was the "one". We had many of the same friends and participated in the same recreational activities but had not all that much in common. It was the right fit though!

Since that time, over 14 years ago, and like many married couples there have been good times and bad times. In all of these situations most of my memories of them include associations such as people, places and the emotions of those times.

As I was processing this out today while writing some code I was able to sum it up, if only to myself, like this - the only ghosts in this world are the ones that we create.

Life is all about choices. It's time to ring out the old and welcome the new!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU AND YOURS!!!

Tags: New Year ghosts 2007 Croncast

Betsy and her husband Kris Jun 29, 2007

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 08:11:04 -0500

Croncast - 2007-06-29.mp3
Show: #380
Length: 27:03
Size: 18.5mb
Format: mp3

Betsy and her husband Kris Jun 29, 2007

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Back from vacation
The show quality has changed a bit with new replacement gear
I will miss you UA 6176's but welcome the new dbx 1066 as an able stepchild
The dbx 1066 just doesn't have the same punch or open sound
Betsy is making up words "non-dramicle"
Definition - normal
Vacation with kids is racing to bed time for the adult vacation
It's a great time with the kids but for relaxation they need to be sleeping
Souvenirs gets Betsy going
No, you can't buy Maggie a rabbit pelt
Sure, 30 feet of rabbit pelts means 300 ft of sausage

Did I ever tell you what my dad brought back from a Florida vacation?
I bought you this really nice present
My sister gets a doll toy
I get a dead shark in a bottle
Yes, you have talked about your purely irrational fear of sharks
Shark week is just hell for me
I don't even watch television
It's so irrational
Have you ever had an encounter with a shark?
It's some sort of fetal shark in jar
It still had the soulless glare
That shit doesn't pass with death
I was afraid of death of the thing
I left it on the deck in the middle of winter
After about 3 weeks my mom saw it on the back porch
It had exploded, epitome of my mom's memories of my father
Then I had to go and clean it up
This is why I am a messed up person Kris
If it wasn't for my parents I wouldn't be so messed up
Ahhh, vacation was good
Doping up the kids with souvenirs to placate them
The "me" time on vacation . . . Indian gaming casino - Ho Chunk
Man, slots have changed in the years since we've been there
No more tokens or quarters for them
Digital machines with receipts that have bar codes
Tracking your slot usage
Betsy signs up with the frequent gambler program
I know you get a lot of class acts in here
You guys are making this too hard to spend my money
So I get you to come
The slots are now just computers
When you get tired of it robbing you blind
You take your receipt
A document of the heist that has just happened
Or a document that measures your joy in dollars
The great Wheel of Fortune penny slot machine story
Kris walked out with some loot in a way that only Kris could score it
Karma hooked me up
The all inclusive takes its toll when it comes to buffets
All the crab that we ate
The breakfasts and deserts
The breakfasts with deserts
The whole joint was staffed by Moldavians
They make some powerful drinks
Who knew that the Wisconsin Dells was powered by a foreign workforce?
Well, Chula Vista is

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Tags: Wisconsin Dells Chula Vista Ho Chunk casino vacation 2007 shark in a jar

Routing synapses: Portable Media Expo thoughts

Thu, 05 Oct 2006 10:46:55 -0500

It has taken me nearly a week to find some time to sit down and write about this year's Portable Media Expo. My brain takes so long to process situations that when you stack about 200 new situations right on top of one another my synapses begin to flutter a bit like a dancer dropping it likes it's hot. If you missed that analogy just turn on MTV and watch any rap video to see things dropping and gyrating.

So as this stuff has shaken out in my thought process I keep seeing the faces of those I shared some words and grub with . . . Nicole Simon, Garrick Van Buren, Greg Cangialosi, Mark Chernesky, Rick Klau, Eric Olson, Paul Figgiani (Paul got a hug), Tim Bourquin, Scott Fletcher, David Lawrence, Frank Barnako, Holland Cooke, Giovanni Gullacci, John and Erin Paxton and Craig Patchett (he told us not to drive Slowsky).

On the social side there was Evo and Sheila, Dave Slusher for 3 mintues on the way to his seesion (I think the best session of the Expo) . . . damn, that is the end. I should have hung out more!

New train of thought, thinking of my sessions I wanted to thank everyone who attended especially the 40 or so people who showed up for the one on Saturday at the Portable Media Expo. There I met some great people with podcast consulting and production motivations like myself. It was fun to share how you too can loose a client like MTV Networks and how you can gain a client like Alltel and produce for NFL players.

The take aways from the Expo are varied for me. It was a great time to meet and hangout with other podcasters and listeners (Tom Davies you rock). The meet-upability of the Expo is hands down the biggest reason for attending if you have been podcasting for some time. If you are new to the community then I would guess that the Expo was probably extremely overwhelming as the sessions popped off and the social component took hold.

I can't say that I was really disappointed by things but did have some low moments:

1) Pink spandex at the Marriott and the wood inside
2) Being told repeatedly that no one in podcasting is making any money (Ahem, because you're not doesn't mean that others aren't)
3) Rehashing the same discussions that have been going on since the beginning

Now that I have my memories in some semblance of real activity and spared you the personal details of many of those interactions I want to say thank you to Tim, Emile and the PME staff for producing this event and allowing podcasters to be themselves . . . pink spandex shorts and all.

Tags: Portable media Expo PME pink spandex Alltel

Vacation: Act #1 Naperville to Omaha

Mon, 12 Jun 2006 05:59:32 -0500

Croncast - 2006-06-12.mp3

Show: #235
Length: 37:05
Size: 25.4 mb
Format: mp3

Betsy and her husband Kris June 12, 2006

Thus begins our sharing of a vacation that ended 5 days early. We are not quite sure that our big summer vacaction driving to Denver in Slowsky was really a vacation. But we are sure that we will never drive anywhere on vacation again.

What we can say about our trip is that with the help of many lucid memories and five days to regain our footing on solid ground that we would like to bring your our trip in three separate podcasts. There is too much to share in a single 30 to 40 minute podcast that deserves great attention to detail.

What do you call a thousand mile trip in you wife's savings account? If you're us, show prep.

The long, feel good intro
Sending email easy like
When we last left you it was June 2 of 2006 a millenia ago
Things were much simpler then
H.G. Wells Time machine could take us back
Walking hand in hand with your spuse at the beach
I would have liked to have decided not to go on vacation
We should have flown
Short version, we leave, there's trouble and we come home five days early
Here we go
We're going to rcap the whole thing in 3 shows
It is June 2, 2006 in nice and sunny Naperville, IL
Kris is an hour late and damned Skype showed it to Betsy
Moments of our life are really important to you
Betsy pretends that she is me on Skype sometimes
The planets seemed to be aligned for our trip
The eBay pick-up guy got here right on time
Naperville was going to be hardest part with traffic
Driving Slowsky is like launching a boat
An hour and a half later w'ere making 8 miles of progress
The van is too tall for most drive thru awnings
Slowsky went to the dealer and got $1500 of repairs to travel worldwide
This is the point where you start adding up the costs
Gas doesn't count as vehicle maintenance
We finally make it to I-88
Slowsky is topping out at 70 mph with nothing more to give
First omen . . . we ignore it
We're gonna make it to Omaha
It wasn't a shifting issue but I am pushing Slowsky really hard
We get near DeKalb which is 50 miles from home and think about turning it around again
We push on
Betsy says "no" to my lead foot and thinks the 70 mph thing is good Slowsky is sucking gas and needs refill at 180 mile mark, still in Illinois Another omen Kris starts venting that we should have flown at gas station number two
"I drove the Alaskan Highway and need a new car."
All the signs were there
It was our decision to keep moving on
Not true to Betsy's faith
Dinner at The World's Largest Truck Stop on I-80
Maybe it is safe because it's a tourist trap
Nope, it's a 3-D world of a sex offender registry
All just minor inconveniences at this point
Bleeding money out of my eye balls
10 years ago this would have been an adventure but with kids it is a nightmare
In Iowa they drive on the grass
Not a single room vacant
Pulling off on Omaha hoping for an empty hotel room
Scoring a room 20 miles north of downtown
10,000 lesbians converged on Omaha the same day as our vacation, of course

Coming up on Wednesday . . . Vacation: Act #2 Omaha to Denver

Tags: vacation Denver John Elway Dodge Naperville Omaha Slowsky thetrip

Betsy and her husband Kris Apr. 24, 2006

Mon, 24 Apr 2006 06:00:06 -0500

Croncast - 2006-04-24.mp3

Show: #219
Length: 33:22
Size: 22.9 mb
Format: mp3

Betsy and her husband Kris Apr. 24, 2006

You haven't bought me a present in a while, like three years
Kris went all out one year
Then we starved for three months later
A fistfull of testers from a dumpster for you Betsy
Smelling like a $10 hooker
I'm good and Betsy is great
Betsy has a first
The My Twinn foot hanging off the Goodwill rack
Maggie's like, "No no no" body shake
If Maggie could learn her orangutan moves she could do Clint Eastwood movies
Kris doesn't know what My Twinn dolls are
The pulse of my own heart in my ears
80% of Betsy's Goodwill posse is continually questioning their reality
Betsy had to evacuate on Saturday
Goodwill is cheaper than going to the laundr-o-mat
The Diet Coke gets opened
Yet another chubster addicted to Diet Coke
Designing a doll to look just like your child
Sending in the profiles of your child and they put the head on the doll
Moles, freckles and all
The doll hospital
Technically it would be murder if they replaced the doll head
Where can I send you when I am dissatisfied
Betsy had to check herself
Send a pic of Elliot with a pic of Maggie and ask them to combine them for the head
Michael Jackson's black or white video
Googie looks like my mom
Doll pricing follows the call girl market could be sold on futures
I don't understand paying for sex
Betsy is uncomfortable talking about this subject
I've been propositioned for garage sale money
Betsy had her own garage sale
She leaves in the middle of her own sale to go to others
Strangers coming to the door asking "How much?"
Buying from your neighbors
Tracking your childhood through your mom's eBay history list
Honey if you miss it I'll find you another one next week at a garage sale
Selling Legos a pound at a time
Audio quality is up, I am really happy, let us know what you think
Elliot's got an electric guitar out of the purchase
The opporunities that I never had is what I want for kids
If you've got it, it's ok
The first step to Republicanism
What are they paying for . . . social programs?
Putting your kids needs right on top and first
The blue house memories
"I like this house, it's bigger and I like walking to school. When I get old Maggie's going to bury me in the backyard."
Kris never moved as a kid
Transients moving in and out when I was a kid in a small town
Kris busts out small town speak - "druggie"
Missy is the other colequial for a teenage mother
Faith or Hope or Diamond or Princess
Euphoria
Kris won't tell when his vasectomy date is
Funding your lifestyle with 8 kids plus
Watching Big Love - Kris says, "Bluh. I don't get it."
Betsy says, "Sopranos Salt Lake style."
The gnats attack
I just saw a gnat fly between your glasses and face

Tags: Goodwill My Twinn Republicanism Michael Jackson FirePod

Croncast - Betsy and her husband Kris 141

Fri, 28 Oct 2005 05:54:51 -0500

Croncast - 2005-10-28.mp3

Show: #182
Length: 39:56
Size: 27.4 mb
Format: mp3

Croncast - Betsy and her husband Kris 141

Show Notes

The mime
Calling each other 47 times a day
Kris' birthday party events balloon volleyball and jello through a straw races
The Geriatric games
More chest hair than head hair
The digital camera fiasco
Telling a nerd they did good could be the most dangerous thing a person can do
We're not buying today
Prints only from the camera store
He's making prints from a Nikon D50 8 mpx
Kris' rats nest hair
Why didn't somone tell me I need to brush my hair
My hair looks like a pelt
I can't do the bald guy with a goatee anymore
Detriment in Chicago during winter
Balding over-weight men with goatess are the dominant species in this planet
Kris' goatee is like a shrub hiding a rotting porch
There is a podcast voice
Betsy is going to put her dipthong to work at the telephone porn line
Well, okay der bear
It is pledge and donation time again
Cyclical with NPR
Server money is needed
Betsy says $4 per month doesn't make sense, $5 a month or $9.95 is better
The kids aren't yours
The one year anniversary of Croncast is coming
Doing the show 3 times a week is difficult
Kris has other projects to work on podcasting and not
Croncast will be moving to one day a week starting November 14
Send your audio or email of your Croncast memories
Harriet Mier, "liberals will rue the day that she didn't get the job"
New segment, "Goodwill Tonight" Betsy does sound effects
Visual a steam sterilizer and a triple stroller
I'm taking it to Goodwill to teach you a lesson
Screaming serpent roller coaster and rippin rocket
Betsy takes on an 11 year old girl at Goodwill
Someone took her on, she was the home team
First born kids are sibling slappers
Kris apologizes to his brother who is ripped
The hariest, largest woman in Goodwill
Time to scurry away with the baby
Dart them and take their stuff?
Betsy decides to stalk the family
Applies social work principles to get what she wants
Situation assessment for procurement
Lowlights of the old days
Why people don't want to remember the worst times
People work through it and move on and react out of fear
If you look behind you feel like it can happen again
A lack of empathy
Falling back on family if it is an option
Social service programs
How did Betsy make this political
A bit too harsh

Tags: betsy kris croncast hair work

Croncast - Betsy and her husband Kris 111

Fri, 19 Aug 2005 05:38:50 -0500

Croncast - 2005-08-19.mp3

Show: #152
Length: 49:06
Format: mp3
Bit rate: 64 kbs
Size: 22.6 mb

Croncast - Betsy and her husband Kris 111

Pledge drive starts today!

For the next week we beg for dollars like my cousins who say they are dancers. When we all really know they are just making enough money to get through cosmotology school.

I'll get to show notes (short show notes) in a second. Man this is a long show today, everything started out great and then someplace in the middle Betsy asked me to tell a story of one of the most horrific memories of my childhood.

So the show is really low for a while then picks back up again. We decided not to edit the story out or any of the ensuing conversation because Betsy says it gave her more understanding of my attitudes, personality and perceptions when it comes to everyday life.

Show notes like this:

Kris is graduating from with a BA this Saturday after 12 years
Wife's putting husbands through medical school . . . hmmmm.
Betsy's family rip and how she misses my mom
People you respect you think are taller than they really are
Changing the kids' last name to famous names from Smith
Elliot ends up in wrong class and Betsy flips
How to deal with being picked on as a kid, Kris' idea is way off from Betsy's, Kris says he needs roids at an early age.
Green river sodas
The dog story and other small town talk
If you're 40 and not crazy looking for a lady Betsy has one for you
Betsy's continued inability to hook up her friend
Choking on your first date (Billy Blazes wouldn't have choked)
More Rock Star INXS profiles
Betsy tries to tell story she told on Monday
Pledge drive starts today

Tags: betsy kris story croncast notes

Croncast - Betsy and her husband Kris Ep. 90

Fri, 17 Jun 2005 05:28:13 -0500

Croncast - 2005-06-17.mp3

Show: #131
Length: 32:19
Format: mp3
Bit rate: 64 kbs
Size: 14.8 mb

Croncast - Betsy and her husband Kris Ep. 90

Here we go everybody, Betsy and I talk about our super white trash mecca weekend that began with a skiing squirrel in an above ground pool, the Wisconsin Dells the Tiajuana of the Midwest.

Betsy talks about her bathed in gasoline seagulls from Mexico while the baby pukes on her hand, how I will be in charge of the man and how his memories of this trip will probably be great and Betsy's will be, "Thank god I didn't have to go to the waterpark." and a short bit about how Betsy and her mom used to just call me at work and tell me they were leaving for vacation.

Listener Russ sent us this about naming pharmaceuticals;

"Vi---meaning hard ( as is Vitamins,minerals,rocks,,HARD )
Agra--meaning root ( agriculture etc...)
so ViAgra = Hard ROOT"

and Ben sent this version;

"Viagra is taken from the word "Viagraha," which means Tiger in Sanskrit."

Good thing this isn't CBS because I am not going to check these facts. Betsy and I fit Viagra, Wal-Mart and Nascar into the same 5 minutes, proof positive we've been living in the midwest forever, we get into Wal-Mart being evil and their funding of NPR shows, the darkside equivilant of this; Darth giving a free shirt to Yoda with his likeness and Yoda sporting it day and night.

Our long distance Casey Kasem shout out to Melanie from Nova Scotia, all songs being euphemisms for sex, Wang Chung? and Billy Ocean and his commercial for his song.

Tom sent in a notice that my new car was one of the top 10 "Nerdmobiles" by CNET look for the Scion xB, we talk about Betsy's love fluff and we wrap with a final story of my youth and the small town.

Tags: betsy croncast hard viagra sent

Croncast - Betsy and her husband Kris Ep. 12

Tue, 14 Dec 2004 11:17:58 -0600

Croncast - 2004-12-14.mp3

Length: 34:18
Format: mp3
Bit rate: 64k
Size: 15.7 mb

Croncast - Betsy and her husband Kris Ep. 12

Kris is a grumpy bastard today and ready to scrap the show about a third of the way through but Betsy thinks the better and convinces Kris to continue on.

Today's Show

Intro
Don't move the mic
Ben sends kick ass Texan concealed weapons
Flying with gun nuts
Kris' horrible childhood book memories
Ben's cube steak follow-up
Betsy is pregnant and sick
Baby-X
Betsy and Elliot have same hair cut
Here we go - Elliot and his epilepsy
Cats and the mics
Big day for school accedidation
Sally Struther's gunsmithing
Vodka in gasoline tanks
Kris breaksdown on show quality
Betsy lays it down . . . we're goin' on
Muffin happiness and cheer
Splitting the kids
Kris's lactating issue
Kris is gonna talk bad about people tomorrow - AIU
Elliot needs cheese
Grumpy
Betsy says, "I love you."

Tags: kris betsy elliot croncast grumpy