Category Archives: The Less Desirables Network

The TLD 500 or: Breaking at the Speed of…

12 Thursday Sep 2019

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Salutations™!!

There are milestones and there are milestones!!! Last night, I recorded the 500th episode of The Less Desirables. Of those 500, I have been on 497 of them. I’ll explain. In 2012, on April 18, a Wednesday, I had my heart surgery. That was the first show I missed. In 2013, I was in Europe for two weeks. Brian and Eugene handled the recording for those. Also, in 2013, I was in Costa Rica and Brian had to be at a school function (he was in the MBA program at Wake Forest) and Eugene had a problem with the studio equipment so he went home. That was the only week in 501 weeks that we missed a show. I don’t blame Eug for that. My setup isn’t the easiest to operate. TLD

Last night, Danielle had a family function to attend so she couldn’t be there. Our friend Tracy Bush was there to fill in. Of course, Bethany was with us, because that’s her spot! Eugene was there to celebrate with us. Our guest for the night was Chad Nance, who hosted a podcast on the network at one time. He was instrumental in the whole John Lawson story, or as the press wants to call it (and how Lawson would want it), “Pazuzu.” We really talked just a little about story and more about the production. It was a fun show. A bit long, sure, but still great.

501 weeks. That’s almost 10 years. That happens in February. I’m planning on a big deal for the 10th-anniversary show. So, keep an eye on that. It was good to have my pals on the show with me. I did talk a little bit about doing all I feel I’ve accomplished doing the podcast.

If it weren’t for TLD, we may not have ever done the Camel City Dispatch (now defunct) or Fan Interference, the first two podcasts that made The Less Desirables Network an actual “network.” There wouldn’t have been a Tart & Tangy Triad which eventually led to The Man Who Ate the Town. There wouldn’t have been The Beer Dads, Sipping NC: The Art of Drinking, Apartment 5B, or Beeswax Vinyl & More. Without doing those podcasts, I wouldn’t have gone on to produce the TVA vaping podcast, the Thrive podcast, Rule One podcast, Open the Blue Door podcast, The Owner’s Manual podcast, Wine About Real Estate podcast, Dr. Shawn Ricks’ podcast, a few new ones that I can’t talk about, yet and more. I would never have gotten the local nickname “the Podfather.”

With all these shows (and other things that either is in the works or never materialized), I estimate that I have produced around 1300-1400 podcast episodes. I really need to go back and do a full count because I’d really like to know. I have every episode of every podcast I’ve ever recorded, published or not, save one episode, or so I think. I may have found it on the server and downloaded it but if I did lose it, it was from 2011, I think. Jerry Chapman was our guest. But, other than that, I have every single one. Perhaps I’ll put that number together someday.

But, 500 episodes. To toot my own horn. That’s really something. And, it’s really impressive, for any show. Especially one that is weekly. Some podcasts do several a week and may have bigger numbers but I don’t know what those are. After all, The Less Desirables is the longest, continuously-running pop culture podcast in North Carolina. Some may have been there before me but didn’t keep it up or they showed up just after me, but I have been at it longer. Toot! Toot!

Here’s to the next 500 and I appreciate every listen you may have ever given us, Dear Reader. Thank you so very much. Thank you, Brian, for starting this with me. Thank you, Eugene, for bringing us into prominence. Thank you, Caitlin, for keeping us all in line and taking those shots at Eug and me. Thank you, Bruce, for teaching us how to be more professional in our “radio selves” and being there for us. Thank you, Danielle, for coming in and teaching us humility and how a badass woman can run a business with authority (and taking over as the “shot-taker” from Caitlin). Thank you, Bethany, for always having my back and being my other badass “work wife.” I love you all for what you have meant to this “little project.”

So, I’ve rambled enough. Until the next 500,
Scorp out!

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“Better than tuna fish on cinnamon swirl raisin bread…” – TLD Announcer

No Pep on the Back or: TLD Balanced

04 Wednesday Sep 2019

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Salutations™!!

Tonight on The Less Desirables, we had my friend Melissa Curran from Scented Balance on and she talked about being a certified aromatherapist and Bethany talks about the thing you don’t do with peppermint oil.

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You can listen HERE.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

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“I’m here to help you find your happy, feel less stressed, manage your pain, soothe your emotions and feel like you can take on the world – and win.” – Melissa Curran

Is There a Doctor in the House? or: The Fort in the Woods

28 Wednesday Aug 2019

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Salutations™!!

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Me with Dr. C!

Tonight on The Les Less Desirables we had brothers Jacob and Issac Rudolph who were promoting their new business, Fort in the Woods, which focuses on getting young folks’ noses out of their electronic devices and out in nature and the great outdoors. We talked about the business, nature, outdoors, life, music, beer and trebuchets. If you don’t know what a trebuchet is, Google it. It seems it would be a world of fun!

In addition, Danielle had to leave early because she was under the weather. But, Caitlin Weaver, former co-host of TLD came in for the last part of the show. She had her dissertation defense today and she passed! Yay! So, now we will call her Dr. Caitlin, or as she liked when I called her, Dr. C!! Congrats to her!

You can listen to the episode HERE.

We also recorded Fan Interference for the first time in a month. Hear that HERE.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

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“At Fort In The Woods, we embrace and celebrate a boyish, adventurous spirit and seek to create content that encourages boys and young men to be creative, value wisdom, and find adventure.” – Fort in the Woods

Not All Bad or: Adjustments to be Made

21 Wednesday Aug 2019

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Salutations™!!27355884_1566060836794640_7319029638097085167_o

So, I told you on Monday about the craptastic predicament we were in by means of a floodin’. Today the insurance inspector came by and it turns out we’ll end up with the closet holding the AC, the laundry room, the adjacent bathroom and part of the kitchen redone. We still have to go through mitigation for the mold and ServPro will be coming to assess that process on Friday. But, it all looks like it’s gonna be a good thing, although we have to go through the bad thing for it.

It’s a big relief on us as we thought we’d have to pay out the wazoo to just clean it up. I hate that we have to go through it, but we do appreciate having the right insurance. Thanks to our agent, Corbin Dirks at the agency, Fortress Insurance and Andrew our adjuster, as well as our ServPro rep, Ed Dean.

We’ll keep you updated on the progress!

For the heck of it, listen to this week’s episode of The Less Desirables HERE.
And, listen to the newest episode of Apartment 5B HERE.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

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” It’s easy to underestimate the real cost of homeownership.” – Suze Orman

Boss or: The Less Fit

14 Wednesday Aug 2019

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Salutations™!!

In my infinite wisdom (or lack thereof), I forgot to schedule a guest on tonight’s The Less Desirables. So we had a roundtable discussion and Danielle talked about going to The Big What Festival this past weekend. She talked about the fun she had, the people she met, the bands that she saw and the bands that were coming to Bull’s Tavern. 20190814_194006-01

Bethany talked about her daughter moving to Hawaii, new cigars and such.

And I talked about how I will be doing some work with Liz Hronek, aka Miss Fit Boss. I told you last Wednesday of the connection I felt with her about my weight problem. We talked about how to at least try to combat that over the weekend and into this week. Liz is teaching me to believe that I can get to a reasonable goal of under 300lbs and then work on other goals of less weight from that point. But, anyway, she’s awesome to work with. I just wanted to say that again.

You can listen to our episode HERE.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

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“Whether you are the BOSS of a business, the BOSS of your family, or the BOSS of whatever life throws your way…You can also be the BOSS of your BODY, SOUL, & NUTRITION. This is what Miss Fit Boss is all about!” – Miss Fit Boss (Liz Hronek)

The Butcher or: Piggyback the Bull

12 Monday Aug 2019

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Salutations™!!

Mondays are usually chock full of podcasts but today, there was just one. That was The Man Who Ate the Town. No Fan Interference, no Beeswax Vinyl, no The Beer Dads.

Fan Interference has been on semi-hiatus for the summer with Hayley Brooke getting in the groove of her Master’s degree program. Really, other than off-season moves by NFL teams in anticipation of the regular season and baseball, nothing big is really happening in the world of sports. If there is, follow the Fan Interference Twitter account for up-to-the-minute updates.

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Wagyu Shoulder Tenders from Butcher & Bull

The Beer Dads and Beeswax Vinyl were thrown off by scheduling conflicts. But, hopefully, TBD will be back next week and BWV in two weeks.

The Man Who Ate the Town, however, has been busy all day. First, I wrote a blog post about The BCPF’s and my awesome “date night” tasting at Butcher & Bull in the Marriott downtown WSNC. You can read about that HERE.

The Kids In Need Foundation (KINF), a national non-profit dedicated to providing free school supplies to students most in need, will partner with Carrabba’s Italian Grill to host a Back-to-School Wine Pairing Dinner at over 200 Carrabba’s Italian Grill locations throughout the U.S on August 14. My pal, Daniel Butner says that there are 14 WSFCS teachers that are up for these school supplies for their classrooms. You can read more about that HERE.

Finally, Ray and I recorded TMWATT podcast. It was our first with Ray still in Mt. Airy. We talked about Butcher & Bull, the new Little Richard’s Bar-N-Que, Skrimp Shack, Abbott’s Frozen Custard, The Habit Burgers, and more. You can listen to that podcast episode HERE.

So, for the other podcasts, listen to past episodes and for TMWATT, I appreciate your support in reading and listening.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

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“A contemporary take on the traditional steakhouse, Butcher & Bull veers from the formal stereotype to provide Winston-Salem diners with an energetic atmosphere, authentic hospitality and adventurous dishes featuring the freshest ingredients possible.” – Butcher & Bull

Podcast Confessional or: TLD Y’all

07 Wednesday Aug 2019

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Salutations™!!

Tonight, on The Less Desirables, we had Allan Younger and several folks from the Small Business Center at Forsyth Tech’s programs in to talk about what they do.Forsyth_SBC_4c

We had ‘Trice Jeffreys from Trice’s Eatz, Annette Nichols – who is starting her business, Too Sweet for Diabetes, Chrissy Klumber who owns Himalayan Hideaway Salt Cave, Aaron Singleton from Aaron Singleton Communications, Cynthia Reavis who does several things but she was there to represent the SBC.

The one that hit me the most, though, was Liz Hronek from Miss Fit Boss. Not that her business was more interesting or anything like that. All the businesses were amazing. But, Liz is a body empowerment coach. Yeah, she’s a personal trainer and all that, but this is living, breathing proof this stuff works. Liz used to be 300 lbs. She’s lost 150 lbs. She looks amazing. She has a great smile and attitude. No, settle down, I wasn’t drooling over her. Yes, she’s beautiful, but not just on the outside.

I talked with her about how I’d love to not be 300+ lbs. She talked with me about believing in myself and not beating myself up about it. Self-worth and understanding my “power” is important. I’m not going to give any more as I want you to hear the whole thing for yourself. Let’s just say that she made me at least feel better about getting started on a better me.

Listen to more about Liz and the other guests’ stories and businesses HERE.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

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“The fitness and nutrition can be done but why you’re doing it is what’s important.” – Liz Hronek

The Buzzing Piggyback or: The Week So Far

06 Tuesday Aug 2019

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It’s only Tuesday and there are already four podcasts to tell about. There will be two more this week, at least that’s the plan. One for sure and other is probable.

The Man Who Ate the Town has developers of the new Sentinel Commons center talking about the project. Listen to that HERE.

The Beer Dads talk about Tom Cruise. Listen HERE.

Beeswax Vinyl & More features a great conversation about Rumours, the debut Boston album, Bob Seger and The Eagles. Listen HERE.

Apartment 5B talks about a fight that breaks out on a UK cruise ship after a guest shows up dressed as a “clown.” Listen HERE.

I appreciate you giving us a listen!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

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“I don’t want to know the reasons why love keeps right on walking on down the line. I don’t want to stand between you and love. Honey, I just want you to feel fine.” – “I Don’t Want to Know” (Nicks)

Nunya or: Spinning It

30 Tuesday Jul 2019

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Salutations™!!

As if I didn’t already have enough to do, I added yet another podcast to my plate, and this one is mine. Well, mine and Clay Howard’s. It’s on The Less Desirables Podcast Network and is called Beeswax Vinyl & More. Beeswax and More Logo Large

When I started The Less Desirables nine and a half years ago, I wanted it to be about movies, music, sports, technology, television, beer and more. Yeah, that’s right, Pop-Culture. TLD has kind of gotten away from a lot of the pop culture aspect. We still talk about music and beer. But, those conversations are more about the guests that we have and not necessarily about music and beer. Beeswax Vinyl & More gives Clay and me the opportunity to talk about music more in-depth.

I like this or I like that isn’t the topic of conversation, here. This isn’t about taste, although there are some elements in that. This is actual conversations about music.  We have certain subjects that we talk about.

One section is called “Leave Me Out of It.”In this segment, we take a certain album, let’s use the example of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, and we discuss if you have to leave one song off of it, which would it be? Hard, right? To many people, even people outside of Floyd fans, that’s a darned-near perfect album as it is. So, that is the point here. Something to add depth to the conversation. How about you, Dear Reader, which song would you leave out? Immediately, I think “On the Run.” Obvious, right? Well, hold on. “On the Run” ties together “Breathe” and “Time,” so that can’t go. I wasn’t thinking just because it’s an instrumental either. The one that I would go with is “Any Colour You Like.” Yes, another instrumental but where all the other songs have some tie to its predecessor/successor, “ACYL” is kind of stuck in there. I’d say that one.

How about Rumours or the debut Boston album or the debut album from The Cars? These are what most people would look at as “perfect how they are,” which is why we have the discussion.

Another segment is “You Mean You Like What?” That could be a debate about a band that one of us likes but the other doesn’t. Or, it could just be something we agree on but want to expound on it.

In “Random Grab,” Clay and I both use our Discogs collection (or perhaps a suggestion from the audience) and use the randomizing feature to, you guessed it, randomly pick an album. Then we will listen to them and give a review.

Neither Clay nor I like the phrase “guilty pleasure.” I mean, if I enjoy it, it’s not guilty. It’s just a pleasure. So, in “Yeah, I Said It!” we talk about something we like that others may not, or we may have a profound statement about something. That section has room to wiggle. 

We will talk about the local/regional music scene some because we are both a part of that and have a lot of friends that are, as well. We may have some guests that may or may not be part of the local/regional scene. We may have some record people in to talk about the topics with us. We may talk about some of these subjects every once in a while or we may add more topics to switch in or out. You never know.

So, we recorded the first two episodes last night and will do the next recording session in two weeks. If you’re keeping score, you probably know that The Beer Dads records around two episodes a session so that’s every other week and we will alternate them.

As of now, the only place to listen to this podcast is either on our website or the TLD Network site. But, I’ll be adding them to Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify and more in the next week or so.

Yesterday, Ray and I also recorded The Man Who Ate the Town podcast and had Will and Latasha Lewis and their son, Cam, in to talk about Cam’s Coffee and a lot of other foodie things.

We also released The Beer Dads’ latest episode, as well.

So, you can hear the brand-spankin’ new Beeswax Vinyl & More podcast HERE.
The latest The Man Who Ate the Town HERE.
And, the latest The Beer Dads HERE.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Yeah, I said it!” – Clay Howard

TLD Network Stuffs or: The Week

24 Wednesday Jul 2019

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Salutations™!!

We finished recording all the stuff we had this week and I’m just gonna highlight it. That’s how we roll. Or, the way I do, anyway.TLDNetwork

The Man Who Ate the Town had George Memory of Organix Juice Bar and the soon-to-be-opened Cafe Vara Du. Listen HERE.

The Beer Dads talk about Dad Jon’s drive back from Denver to WSNC through the nation’s “heartland.” Listen HERE.

The Less Desirables had Chris and Jamie from Ember Audio + Design and, really, they’re just two of the coolest folks. Listen HERE.

Fan Interference is having its normal “Summer hiatus/’Getting Hayley Settled in Grad School” time. Hopefully, we’ll get that back.

And Apartment 5B has had some scheduling conflicts due to a couple of the residents’ work schedules. We hope to be back next Tuesday.

And, there is news about a new show on the TLD Network, which I’ll share in another post later this week, or heck, just wait until it comes out, right?

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Scheduling is always tough.” – Thomas Ian Nichols