Teddy Radiator

What started out as a Valentine Day episode soon became our most contemplative episode to date. It became pretty obvious soon out of the starting gate that we had a lot of thinky thoughts, which led to some soul-searching, thought-provoking subjects.

Among our topics are memories and regrets, what keeps you up at night, mushroom suits, social media dating, and the very serious and sometimes upsetting subject of gaslighting, featuring a list of signs that may help you to spot if you are the target of a gaslighter. All this, along with the usual mélange of vintage commercials, silly jingles and cool music.

Featured Music:

Something About You – Level 42
Theme Tune – Vision On
I Remember You – The Four Freshmen
She Talks To Angels – Black Crows
Cloudburst – The Pointer Sisters
Eminence Front – The Who

Click on the pic below to have a listen:

Fresh from Teddy’s return from Viva Las Vegas! Join us for Part Two of our conversation with the lovely Helena Rickman!

CLICK HERE FOR THE LINK

The Helenameter is brought in once again to critique, we talk about the concept of holding space, the art of throwing yourself under the bus, being friends and Obduction, the newest Myst game, due out any day now. All this, along with the usual mélange of vintage commercials, silly jingles and cool music.

Featured Music:

Dance du Mardi Gras – Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys
The Sun and The Rain - Madness
Waiting for You - Seal
Done Enough Dying Today – Larry Gatlin
Theme from Route 66 – Nelson Riddle
Love and Happiness – Emmylou Harris and Mark Knophler
Roobart and Custard
Calling Dr Love - Kiss
John The Revelator – Clay Ross
You’re Sixteen – Johnny Burnette
Gresham Blues – Level 42

And as if having an anniversary wasn't enough, we've just found out that we're officially nominated for the Podcast Awards in the Mature category! Thank you for all of the folks who submitted a nomination - we're so stoked! Watch this space - voting will start on Sunday, May 29, and that's when we'll really need your help. In the meantime, thank you for making this a great day for us!

But Teddy & The Bassman are being put forward for a small podcast award, and if you would be able to take a minute to nominate us, that would be awesome. The more votes we have, the more chance we have to win!

The site can be accessed HERE, and all you have to do is type in our name (Teddy & The Bassman) in the Mature category, along with our URL: http://teddyandthebassman.podbean.com/. And, if you want to vote for anyone else, please do so at the same time - they won't let you vote twice, even if you're voting for different podcasts in different categories.

It costs nothing to vote, and it would mean the world to me if you would take a moment and cast your vote for us!

Thank you. I really appreciate it!! ♥

We're having friends over tonight for chili, so I've got a few short minutes before I'm up to my parts in frying onions, ground beef and tomatoes.

It's been a short work week, which meant lots of relaxing things. I am spoiled. Writing, writing, I love it. It's been lovely getting back into the writing saddle again.

I've submitted my prompts for the sshg_promptfest, and at least 5 of the prompts have intrigued me and one especially. I'd call that a good catch. I've also put myself forward to read a fic for hp_podfic_fest, and I'm looking forward to that.

mywitch's Village Broom colouring book is a scream, and I'm loving everything she does. It's so awesome to have talented artistic friends like her and akatnamedeaster and toblass and all the other amazing friends who are so generous with their talents here. Inspirations - yes, please and thank you.

Episode 16 of our Teddy & The Bassman podcast is up and I'm really pleased with it. These things take a good two days to produce, but I'm very proud of them. Please go and have a listen if you're so inclined. Be warned, most of our podcasts are for mature audiences. You can access them via Stitcher HERE.

I posted the following on Facebook today, but I wanted to repeat it here, because of the impact of friends.

Today, a friend asked of me a simple request. She asked me to tell her my story. And while writing it, I was made to remember a part of my life that up until now had been a landmine of pain and remorse and guilt.

I confronted a dark time in my past and realised how much I've grown from my experiences. And though it made a huge, nuclear bomb-sized impact on my life at the time, it no longer has any power over me. Writing it all down, I sliced through those memories with the Sword of Gryffindor and pulverised them with the Hammer of Thor.

And the best part? This same friend did something years ago that helped me to realise I had the power to do all this, and it has all come full circle in the most beautiful, healing way. Because of this friend, I am a different person. I am the person I am supposed to be, because of what she did then, and what she asked of me today.

Pretty cool, huh? I have the best friends.

I feel very clean.

I am delighted that we have just published our 12th Podcast of Teddy & The Bassman - Christmas Edition. It's very Christmassy and full of our favourite music, vintage radio Christmas programs and commercials, a special Christmas poem by TheHubs™ and a short story from yours truly about Christmas memories. I think I'm more proud of this one than any of the others simply because it is probably the most personal. I hope you will give it a listen - no contraversy, just Christmas scmaltz and good cheer.

I have a much-needed three days off this week, which is good because I need to clean house, which I'm not doing, and bad because it means a low paycheck next week, oh well. It's been pretty good, no body part giving me any particular misery, just the creaks and groans of increasing age. I have developed a bit of arthritis in my left jaw, which means that chewing can be a little tiresome on certain days. I think this is nature's way of telling me I've eaten too much over the years and now my jaw is no longer under warranty.

I'm settling back into being a blonde, and with it has come this insane urge to wear my hair in victory rolls and bandanas and actually wear makeup - they seem to go together like cookies and milk. I haven't bought any makeup since before MISTI 2013, so I'm woefully unprepared for that part. Bandanas are cheap - makeup isn't. But I have a $3.50 off coupon and a little money left on my Ulta gift card from Christmas, so I'm going to try and get a few bits and pieces this week.

TheHubs™ and I finished Episode 8 of our Teddy & The Bassman podcast, and I am deliriously proud of it - it is our best yet. I would love for you to have a listen and tell me what you think - just click on Sevvy below to listen:

( Cut for spoiler alert )

TheHubs™ is in a play which begins a week from today. He has a really juicy part, with an American accent no less. He is going through his pre-opening night checklist - upset stomach, patchy sleep, achy, flu-ey symptoms. Poor guy - he is such a fine, solid performer, but he still has those jitters.

Well, I'm off to see what I can get into today. Wish me luck - hugs to all who needs 'em.  ♥

I feel like it's been absolute ages since I've de-lurked and actually wrote something. At least a couple of weeks. I am officially a 'theatre widow' for the foreseeable future as TheHubs™ works on first a play for September, then A Christmas Carol in December, and another one in April next year. I need to use the time to write, so we'll see how that goes. Lots of stories in my head; not too much impetus to get them out in the open for some reason.

Work is proving to be a frustrating mess right now. I won't bore you with the dreary details but this new computer system has everyone so screwed up it's not funny. We have been slogging along, trying to keep up, but it's just running us into the ground. It's nice to have work, but not when we are literally driving around hundreds of miles every week to do it. So much for this system being augmented to 'cut back on drive time'. Uh huh.

The Podcasts are really coming along well - I love editing and producing them, and folks tell us they like them. I hope so. We're enjoying ourselves, anyway, so that's good enough for me. We also have a new Twitter account, and I would love for  you to follow us - Teddy&TheBassman (@TednTheBassman ) so please feel free. if you would like a link to the podcast itself, you can listen HERE.

My Uncle Jim died this weekend, and the funeral is tomorrow. His death came as an absolute shock to us all - he was in relatively good health, and literally sat down after breakfast on Saturday morning, gave a little gasp, and was gone. As sad as it is, I can't think of a better way to go - in my home, with my loved ones, just taking a breath, and the lights going out. His wife, my Aunt Mona, said there was no pain, no struggle, nothing but a surprised intake of breath, then she was alone.

She is devastated. I can still remember the day they got married. I was maybe 8 or 10, and it was the first time I'd been to a wedding that took place in someone's home instead of a church. Jim had been married before, and had a son Michael. When Michael was little more than a toddler, Jim's wife Martha and Michael were involved in a terrible auto accident, and Michael was killed. I don't think Jim ever really got over it; it destroyed his marriage with Martha, and he married Mona quite a few years later. She doted on him shamelessly. She petted and babied him their entire marriage, and she's just devastated.

They lived a very quiet life, just the two of them - Jim told her from the start he could not bear the idea of any children after what happened to Michael - and we hardly ever saw them after they retired from work. Jim was a very quiet man; he had a low speaking voice, but a lovely tenor singing voice. He and Mona both battled addictions during their lives, he with alcohol and both of them with prescription drugs, but in their later years they were clean and sober and just kept to themselves. I had the chance to see them earlier this summer during a get-together, but we didn't go, and I regret it now, of course.

Funerals upset me, no matter whose they are or how close or not I was with the deceased. But I must go; poor Mona is not in great health, and they didn't have any life insurance to speak of, so the red tape of the next few weeks are going to be hellish for her, I suspect. They're having the funeral at a local church they didn't attend, so we will have to listen to someone who didn't really know Jim eulogise empty words about him. That's the part I hate the most; I don't think you should speak words over a stranger. I just wish they'd let us all just get up and say a few words about him or tell a story about Jim. It would be lovely to hear him sing, but to my knowledge there are no recordings available, even though he did sing solos often when I was a teenager. I even once sang a hymn he wrote. It's been a long time ago, and both mine and his hymn-singing days are long past, but I can still remember most of the chorus:

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, on this rock forever I'll stand
Jesus, Jesus Jesus, my heart is at your command
Savour, Master, keep me humble as I walk through this land,
Lead me, guide me, stay close beside me, my life is in your hands.

It's funny what you remember.