What People Do

Episode 5: Kevin keeps sewage moving

Note: There are a few four-letter words sprinkled throughout these 45 minutes. Instead of “feces,” we, umm, say, y’know. That S-word. Skip this podcast if that bothers you. 
As we all sit through this COVID-19 crisis, packed under "stay at home” orders in most states, it’s a good time to remember, yes, the toilet paper you’re having trouble finding, but also that wonderful sewage system that keeps your shelter nice and safe.  
As far as I’m concerned, keeping the system working is one of the most important jobs around. A quote attributed to Gandhi agrees: “Sanitation is more important than independence.” Armies can dig trenches for poop and move on. Thinly populated farms can use outhouses. But without a place for urine and feces to go, we can’t be packed like sardines into modern urban and suburban environments.  
Electro mechanic assistant Kevin works on sewer lift stations. He helps make sure they keep running. As you’ll learn in the podcast, most water and sewage moving around a city uses gravity as much as possible (most everything with liquid is pitched at very small angles to keep it moving, he says), but when stuff collects lower than where it needs to go, Kevin’s motors push it on through to its next destination. 
“It’s like a rollercoaster,” he says. “My sewer lift station is the thing that lifts you up to the top of the hill so you can ‘gravity’ back down to wherever you’re going.” 
Kevin also explains a bit how he got into this gig (no, he didn’t pick poop on purpose), what he wants you never to flush in the toilet, what smells the worst down there ("Poop’s not even close,” he says. “And it’s oily. It sticks.”) and what’s the creepiest living thing he’s seen running around. 
“This job is stable,” he says. “I don’t think anyone’s gonna’ stop pooping in the near future.” 
Warning, all the best stories are in the last 20 minutes or so. Don’t skip! 
Want to know more? 
The Environmental Protection Agency has an eight-pager on sewer lift stations. Nerd out. 
Early on, Kevin talks about folks who keep the pipes clean, using rodders and jetters (links go to Youtube videos about those devices, but not the exact devices Kevin’s colleagues use). 
In addition to Kevin’s No. 1 choice for stuff not to flush, don’t dump F.O.G. Here’s one utility’s FAQ.
Kevin schools me on motors and engines; he’s mostly right. Brush up on your terminology with a layperson-friendly explanation from MIT. 
Kiewit’s fleet of Caterpillar equipment is mentioned. Kiewit builds stuff. Like everything.
The insect Kevin says he hates the most is a house cricket. We don’t think that’s it. We think he means a big one of these.
Hyperion is big, and Kevin’s never been there. But this website story calls it the “Disneyland of Poop.” 
CAPTION: "Abercynon" by gwallter is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Episode 4: Zahara does TikToks

Note: I happened to record this podcast as the world's coronavirus pandemic started to kick into gear. I'm now back home under the similar "shelter in place" order (or some version of it) that you are. This one seemed usefully short and easy for my first week under quarantine. Stay safe. :)
Zahara just turned 11, and this podcast is short. She's not necessarily used to answering detailed questions, hearing herself blather on (like me) and she had no preparation. She did a great job.
Zahara says folks use TikTok for dances, for art, for anything short and visual. I got onto TikTok a few months after it started, got bored with it and came back to it to keep up the young un's. It is hellishly addictive, providing just enough amusement to keep you swiping up and down. Some creators are phenomenally talented at whatever craft they're showcasing, but I agree with a creator's video I saw a while ago: TikTok is designed to give mediocre people the chance to do fairly mediocre things and maybe blow up virally from it. ("They're dances that people make up to songs, and then other people do them," she says.) In other words, amazing dancers doing dances are viral ... but so are any good-looking for high-energy Tomasina, Dick or Harriet.
There are also sad videos, where a TikTok user makes one to sing about or dance about or talk about, "like, when your dog has to go to the hospital," she says.
Zahara's account is private, only for friends, per her father. :)
Want to know more?
TikTok is this. Tik-Tok is this. There's a big difference. Tik-Tok's dancing skills are way under par for the preteen girls on TikTok.
TikTok has a darker side, so watch over those kids, gang.

Episode 3: Joshua Fultz is a deacon

I am a convert to Judaism, and Joshua is a convert to the Catholic Church. And he has always been one of the most fun people to talk about religion with, which led me to understand that us weird converts have something about us and our journeys that crosses spiritual paths. There is something about being a person who chose a faith that is always a little different than someone born into one. (If you hear us thumping the table a lot, forgive us: We're excited converts.)
Joshua exemplifies the intensity of the convert, having traveled from dissatisfaction with religion in his teenage years to marrying his awesome wife, and the both of them growing into a life of service and learning in their new church.
Today, he's a permanent deacon for the Roman Catholic Church, a level of lay leadership and service to the Church. Joshua explains what drew him to the diaconate and what it's like doing the work. (He had to go through the stages of Instituted Lector and Instituted Acolyte, FYI, which were set up with Vatican II back in the 1970s.)
The process is a lengthy curriculum of study, service and spiritual growth over five years. And anywhere along the way, the people watching your development in the program can tell you, y'know, this isn't for you.
"It's the Church, your wife and yourself making the decision, is this calling really there?" Joshua says.
And Joshua was never totally sure; he says he understood deeply his own flaws, and he always wondered whether he belonged in this service: "I know all my own sins and my past, and I'm going, 'I'm not the pious guy who should be a deacon.' But ... God doesn't use pious guys all the time. Sometimes he goes out and finds the guys with that past, and you can talk to those people living in those circumstances ... and explain to them the faith."
He also shares a very personal tale of dreams that guided him toward God and through life as well.
Joshua's spiritual and religious journey is a fascinating one, and you'll learn some awesome stuff about what's happening during that Catholic service.
Want to know more?
The Archdiocese of Newawk (New Jersey) has a bit more about the history of the position (it's new ... and old!) in the Roman Catholic Church.
Here's one diocese's deacon formation application 22-pager.
Joshua mentions the four pillars of deacon formation. Bam!
Want to get a little more feel for the reverence, ritual and tradition Joshua likes as a self-described "traddy" (more Latin, older hymns)? Check out this interview with a fellow traditionalist Catholic (Joshua didn't suggest this, so this may or may not represent Joshua's feelings)
Yup. Bible stories on felt board is definitely a thing.
Want a feel for what's on that altar with Joshua and the priests? Check this sample out.

Episode 2: Theresa Entriken on birding

I worked with Theresa Entriken, DVM, for many years at a company that offered magazines, websites, podcasts, educational products and national conferences to veterinarians and their team members. But I wanted to come at this veterinarian from a tangent: birdwatching.
While an avid hiker, Theresa says she glommed onto the hobby from her husband (also a veterinarian).
“Hiking, I do like to do for exercise, you cover a lot of ground,” she says. “When I hike with my husband, it’s a lot slower, because you tend to stop and look at things you see fluttering in the trees. And I do like to bird by ear, observing what’s in your environment and just putting the images to the sounds.”
Imagine, then, hiking … only with an intense curiosity constantly pricking up your ears your eyes scanning the trees and the skies, your ears listening and your footsteps falling more gently to catch a distant bird call. Theresa’s thoughtful, measured voice puts me perfectly in mind to imagine a crisply cold, quiet birdwatching trip in a Minnesota bog.
“It’s slowing down and taking notice of what’s around you,” she says. “[Birds] are these biological works of art that are just available for you to enjoy.”
Found out what a “life bird” is, whether birdwatching is ever not relaxing but frustrating, and why Theresa is fired up about suburban backyard plants for conservation.
Want to know more?
Yes, scientists think birds are descended from dinosaurs. Cool, right?
What locations does Theresa mention? Sax-Zim Bog in Minnesota (check out their friends page on Facebook or their website), Lyon State Fishing Lake in Kansas (website) and Loess Bluffs (website) and Marais des Cygnes, the latter two both in Missouri (website).
What are some specific animal species she mentions? American Three-Toed Woodpecker (photos), Barred Owl (photos), Boreal Owl (photos), Gray Fox (photos), Great Gray Owl (photos), Great Horned Owl (photos), Long-eared Owl (photos), Northern Hawk Owl (photos) and Spectacled Owl (photos).
Theresa talks about a birding database, a cool citizen science and hobby app, at eBird.org.
What does a birdwatcher’s list – their version of a personal avian bingo card – look like? If you want it prepackaged for you, maybe something like this.
The coolest toy, of course, as Theresa says, is binoculars. Pick up a cheap pair at retail to get started. If you really get into it, then you can invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in a stellar pair of binoculars or even a scope on a tripod.
Theresa’s enthusiasm about birding got me to start reading a book that’s been on my bookshelves for more than a year.
Last but not least, Theresa says folks interested in wildlife and birdwatching should check out their state’s conservation magazines. Here’s a sampling I found searching on the internet right now:
Outdoor Alabama (website)
Alaska Fish & Wildlife News (website)
Arizona Wildlife Views (website)
Arkansas Wildlife (website)
Colorado Outdoors (website)
Connecticut Wildlife (website)
Outdoor Delaware (website)
Outdoor Indiana (website)
Iowa Outdoors (website)
Kansas Wildlife & Parks Magazine (website)
Kentucky Afield (website)
Louisiana Conservationist (website)
The Maryland Natural Resource (website)
Massachusetts Wildlife (website)
Minnesota Conservation Volunteer (website)
Mississippi Outdoors (website)
Conservation Magazine in Missouri (website)
Montana Outdoors (website)
Nebraskaland (website)
New Hampshire Wildlife Journal (website)
New Mexico Wildlife (website)
New York State Conservationist (website)
Wildlife in North Carolina (website)
North Dakota Outdoors (website)
Wild Ohio Magazine (website)
Outdoor Oklahoma (website)
Pennsylvania Wildlife (website)
Wild Rhode Island Journal (website)
South Carolina Wildlife (website)
South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Conservation Digest (website)
The Tennessee Conservationist (website)
Texas Parks & Wildlife (website)
Virginia Wildlife (website)
Wisconsin Natural Resources (website)
Wyoming Wildlife (website)
Miscellaneous
Anthropocene (website)
Audubon (website)
Defenders of Wildlife (website)
Mother Earth News (website)
Nature Conservancy Magazine (website)
National Parks Magazine (website)
National Wildlife (website)
Sierra (website)
Spire: The Maine Journal of Conservation and Sustainability (website)

Episode 1: Rachel Rilinger does music therapy

For my debut episode, I introduce to you both good and bad. Let’s start with the bad. I ask board-certified music therapist Rachel Rilinger questions from a distant location, which is really right across the table from her, but apparently I, as a grown adult, can’t manage my settings on my microphone. But you didn’t want to hear from me. The good part of this episode is all the great stuff from Rachel! 
We kick things off with Rachel by talking about certification for music therapy. Don’t stop here. Keep going. She respects the education and the work of her chosen profession, which she reveals she’s been excited to do since she was 15 years old. Then we get into what’s really amazing about music therapy, how it helps with mental illness, rehabilitation, chronic conditions – with everything where music can be a modality to heal and help. 
You’ll hear Rachel’s origin story and feel her intense passion for the work. You’ll even get a little about the neurology behind music and why it can do things other therapy and treatment can’t. And you’ll get to hear Rachel rock the autoharp. (After demonstrating the power of ascending and descending notes, she says that “in a nutshell, our brain wants to do what the music’s doing. We’re built to respond to that.” And that can be put to therapeutic use.) And, finally, Rachel touches on the mystery of life, the “why” and the spirituality behind music. Last but not least, don’t leave before Rachel tells her story about the power of music therapy. (“There are times when I felt like a magician,” she says.) 
As for the audio quality, maybe by the third of fourth episode I’ll have my crap together? Stick with me. Can you believe what amazing things people do?  
Want to know more? 
Need more details on music therapy? Maybe think you want to be one or know someone who’d make a great one? Want to see the definition of music therapy Rachel likes? Want to hear about legislation in your states that supports the professionalizing of board-certified music therapists? Want to find a music therapist? Find out about this profession from the American Music Therapy Association.
Rachel plays an autoharp in this episode and explains why it’s amazing. Here’s more on this cool instrument.
And, yes, the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying has Rachel’s frog story. (It’s on page 42 here.) 

Episode prequel: Brendan Howard tries to make podcasts

I had an amazing interview with Jahmal Brown, somebody who gets people and games and nerd culture and is an all-around exciting person to bounce ideas off of. I even got to meet his awesome dog. And my own user error scuttled it all. So. Yeah. His website is madjayzero.com. Check it out.