Meet Your Friend The Podcast

I spend nine hours in a car during the typical work week. At the beginning of this commuting life a year ago, a friend recommended "podcasts." At the time, podcasts were this vague, slightly "techie" notion encased in a haze of complication. What are they for? Why would I want them? As I always do with something out of my comfort zone (I once made a friend give me a lesson on how to use an elliptical machine) I forced her to spell it out step by step.

I am eternally grateful. Podcasts (basically radio's equivalent to TV) present a seemingly endless supply of entertainment in nearly every imaginable variety. I found TWO fictional (duh) podcasts about the apocalypse so if that exists, there is truly something for everyone. It's also life-changing in terms of making the long rides actually enjoyable.

I have a routine. The drive begins with The Writer's Almanac, a daily five-minute "this day in history" summary followed by a poem, all read by Garrison Keillor who soothes the soul with his deep, magical voice. On Mondays, I follow that with Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, a hysterical current events and news quiz show, and This American Life, an hour-long program featuring 3-4 stories held together by a weekly theme. Those are the go to's, but others are quickly joining the ranks. And Apple's Podcasts app allows you to easily search for new content, subscribe to your faves, and sort them into playlists. If you're interested, here's what I would prioritize.

• Serial - This took the podcast world by storm, apparently breaking new ground with its serial format. 12 episodes detail the murder case of a teenage boy accused of killing his girlfriend. You're going to want to binge listen. Season two comes out soon.

• Snap Judgment - Similar to This American Life with its story telling format loosely connected by a weekly theme. A little edgier.

• RadioLab - Created by WNYC, this is basically an hour-long, weekly radio documentary covering a range of topics from week to week. The most recent episode dove into regulated trophy hunting as a form of wildlife conservation.

• Mystery Show - Fairly new with just 6 episodes available. The host solves mysteries, regular every day ones, and her tone is charming and addicting. Lots of lag time between new episodes, which is kind of a bummer.

• Selected Shorts - Famous stage and film actors read short stories by both established and emerging authors. Yum!

• Various NY Rangers and hockey related podcasts - I won't provide links because I realize no one cares, but I mention them to demonstrate that if a team or sport is your passion, it is nearly 100% guaranteed that there are people creating podcasts dedicated to discussing them. 

So many others and seriously things that would cater to just about any interest you have. It's a world worth diving into. Go for it!