Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast (Podcast Pick)

Listening to a past episode

If you like to travel you've probably thought about taking a cruise. I'm anxiously counting down the days to my next cruise. Royal Caribbean is the cruise line that I am loyal to. When I want expert cruise advice from knowledgeable insiders I listen to the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast. The podcast is a companion to royalcaribbeanblog.com. This fan created podcast features interviews from cruisers along with guests from the Royal Caribbean company. Each week you'll get a new episode that is around 30-45 minutes discussing Royal Caribbean news, reviews of cruises, advice, and listener questions and emails. The host is Matt Hochberg who is a cruising enthusiast. I've found his commentary and experience to be invaluable. Each week I get excited when I see a new episode arrive in my feed! Even if you haven't cruised before or thought about it I encourage you to subscribe and see what all the fuss is about. If you are a fan of Carnival, Disney, Norwegian, or another line still give this podcast a listen. You'll be able to compare what Royal Caribbean offers with your favorite cruise line. This is how I got started on cruising and its been a great journey! Who knows maybe I'll see you at sea!

How to listen to the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast:

1. The official website of the podcast: http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/podcast

2. iTunes:   https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/royal-caribbean-blog-podcast/id685427740?mt=2

3. Google Play: https://play.google.com/music/m/Ivzhqk4apf244bja3v54p2pzpaa?t=Royal_Caribbean_Blog_Podcast

4. Pocket Casts: http://pca.st/UNVE

5. In other podcast clients search: Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

Enchantment of the Seas (my last cruise)

The Clark Howard Podcast (Podcast Pick)

Overview

Do you want to learn how to save more, spend less, and avoid ripoffs? If you do I suggest you subscribe to The Clark Howard Podcast. The Clark Howard Podcast is a daily podcast ( Monday - Friday) that takes Clark Howard's nationally syndicated radio show and packages it for distribution as a podcast. Each episode is approximately an hour and 15 minutes long.

Radio Shows as Podcasts?

I find podcasts to be an excellent format for consuming radio shows that you can't listen to for one reason or another. Podcasts can be like a DVR for radio! I've even discovered new radio shows by listening to their podcasts!

Summary

Clark Howard has vast knowledge on funding your retirement plan and building/rebuilding your credit. Clark has put his vast knowledge to use in his own life as proof of its value. Still, Clark doesn't claim to give perfect advice. For example, occasionally a segment called Clark Stinks will be played. Clark Stinks covers when listeners feel that Clark didn't give the best advice. Clark covers these audience concerns on air. I find it refreshing to listen to a true consumer advocate that is focused on helping his listeners have a more enjoyable life. I listen to every episode of the podcast and highly recommend it as a Podcast Pick.

Links

Clark Howard's Official Website: here

Clark Howard On Demand app (Android): here (iOS): here

Pocket Casts (Android & iOS) link to subscribe: here

iTunes link: here

Broadcasting

I love to research, study, and learn. The topic that is interesting me right now is: broadcasting. I have become fascinated with broadcasting because I have been relying on broadcast services for my entertainment. Meanwhile, I've noticed that Silicon Valley has been pushing streaming services on the general public. These streaming services and ala carte video services offer lots of choice to the public. One downside is the cost. Streaming services require an internet subscription and many times internet plans aren't unlimited which will restrict how much content you can consume. Many people have overlooked AM/FM radio and over-the-air (OTA) TV as valuable sources of entertainment. All you need is a tuner (a radio or a televison) and an antenna to receive the content being broadcast 24 hours a day over the airwaves. While I am researching this topic I will continue to share little bits of my research. 

Do you listen to or watch any content from a broadcast network? If you do leave a comment!

Keurig

I started my morning at 7:15 a.m with a 10 ounce cup of coffee from my Keurig coffee machine. I really like how quick and easy it is to operate the Keurig line of  products. The products aren't perfect and a few issues have been magnified since Keurig switched to its new 2.0 system. For example, I got irritated when I put one of my favorite K-cups in the brewer and it wouldn't brew. This is because Keurig 2.0 systems have digital rights management (DRM). This means that in a 2.0 brewer a K-cup won't brew unless it is made specifically for the 2.0 system. I didn't know this and I got disappointed when my stash of K-cups were seemingly useless. All hope isn't lost if you have a collection of older K-cups. Your first option is to brew all the cups with your original brewer before switching to the new machine, or you can buy this chip that will trick your Keurig 2.0 into thinking all K-cups are compatible with it.

The coffee I've been drinking recently is called The Original Donut Shop which is a medium roast coffee. I use the most diluted setting on my brewer which is 10 ounces per K-cup. I'm not a coffee fanatic so I can't go into great detail on flavor but it has a good slightly bold coffee flavor without needing much sugar or creamer. When I price shopped the K-Cups I found that a cup of coffee was about .66 per cup which is a bit expensive but the instant coffee is so convenient that I find it worth the extra cost compared to operating a traditional coffee machine.

So even though the Keurig HOT beverage system has its flaws I still like it and use it to kick start my mornings.

(The blue words are links to the products they describe)

My First Pet

Humans are naturally attracted to watching and playing with animals. This fact is why we often want pets with us in our homes. I've always had a special love of animals. When I was seven years old I got my first pet. My first pet was a fish I named Rainbow. Rainbow was a male Betta Splendens (more commonly called a Betta or Siamese Fighting Fish). Betta's were trendy pets in the late 90's. You would often see them in bowls or vases with houseplants growing out of the top. The attention surrounding this species of fish attracted me and my parents to bringing one home. We only brought Rainbow home after we had made sure we had the necessary supplies to take care of him so he would live a healthy and long life. Even though it has been over 15 years I can remember feeding him and watching my mom do the maintenance of changing his water and cleaning his bowl. The experiences I had with my first pet grew my love of animals. Since then I've expanded my fish keeping hobby from having one 2.5 gallon bowl to having four aquariums! Having a pet also helped teach me responsibility. I learned that certain tasks needed to be completed at certain times for Rainbow to stay healthy. These tasks included feeding him and changing his water. Rainbow lived for over three years because my parents were involved with his care and I'm grateful for that. A child shouldn't be left to care for a pet without any oversight. While pets can teach responsibility we also have a responsibility to take care of them when we bring them home. I'd love to hear the story about your first pet! You can share your story in the comments below :)

Walking: A Beneficial Exercise

Walking is a beneficial exercise. Walking regularly can help you maintain a healthy weight. Walking can help you prevent or manage heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes. Walking can build bone strength over time. Walking can improve your balance and coordination. My favorite benefit of walking is that it makes you feel better and happier. With all those benefits you probably want to quit reading and walk right now. That sounds like a great idea! You can walk and come back to finish this article later.

Many people don't walk because they don't know where to walk. Usually you can walk around your neighborhood. However, if you don't have sidewalks or you live in a high traffic area you could consider other options. You don't have to buy a treadmill or gym membership to go walking. You can go to your City Hall and find a list of local parks. Usually a city park will contain a walking path. Every once in awhile you can mix things up and enjoy walking a nature trail at a state park or forest. (Some state parks may have a small entrance fee.)

The most important equipment you need when walking is your shoes. Make sure your shoes are sized correctly, not excessively worn, and support your feet. If you will be going on a long walk or the weather is warm consider taking a small water bottle to stay hydrated.

I like walking to relax. Here's a tip: Keep your phone in your pocket. I find that walking offers a nice time to collect your thoughts and disconnect from the high stress world that we live in. By being observant when you walk you'll get to enjoy the natural scenery. It's amazing how seeing a butterfly or a squirrel can brighten your day if you're feeling sad. If you are feeling really anxious listening to some easy listening music may help you as you walk. Be careful walking with noise cancelling headphones. You should always be aware of your surroundings to stay safe from any form of danger.

These are some basic suggestions I wanted to share so you can be happier and healthier by walking . I'd keep writing but... I'm lacing up my shoes to go walking. 

Criminal (Podcast Pick)

I enjoy crime mysteries and if you do too Criminal is a podcast you should listen to. I've been binging out on Criminal and now I've listened to all 26 episodes. I completed this binge in less than two weeks (I enjoy it that much!). The production quality of Criminal is top notch and has been increasing ever since Criminal joined the Radiotopia network. Phoebe Judge narrates Criminal and even interviews people of interest. Phoebe Judge is easy to listen to and she asks excellent questions that make you think. What I like about Criminal is that most of the episodes resolve the mystery or case. However, even though a case may be resolved curiosity will move you to do more research to find what material didn't make it into the episode. I've enjoyed hours of free entertainment from listening to Criminal and doing further research on these cases. New episodes get released every three weeks and each episode is about 20 minutes long. Each episode covers a different case so you don't have to listen in order. My favorite episodes are 1,2,5,8, and 12. What's your favorite episode? You'll have to listen to find out! If you click the link you can go to the official website of the podcast and listen online, download episodes, or find links to subscribe in your podcast app.

Criminal (official website) http://www.thisiscriminal.com