On a blustery cold November day, your Dogs warmed their old erudite hearts reading emails from resolute listeners… and then reverted to propense form by prattling on about KJ’s Snappers and genteelly discoursing on why Apple has appellations and numbers for operating systems, what canine Buddy has been up to, impedimenta PJ is spending money on, and RJ’s and Sue’s Halloween. In other words, and propitiously, it’s us!

Checking in at a small but busy hotel can be tricky business, as RJ explains to us here in a little segment we call Down in the Bayeux. Attentive listeners will pick up a small yet vital tidbit that could avert all kinds of problems, and globe-trotting sophisticates like our audience will do well to lean in and listen. To complement that information, we also get highly entertaining and informative Listener Mail; it turns out your Shed Dogs don’t have really deep operatic history knowledge, after all, but we do now. Who knew Warner Brothers cartoons were so vital to our cultural education. On top of all this goodness, we do our duty as citizens and bring you some insight on political campaigning on the ground floor—something you’re considering trying? You get a look here, because we are Those Guys.

A little over 5 months ago, we spoke of a few interesting things, as we do. Here at last, we share it with you: some good phone-related travel tips (hint: avoid roaming charges!), some great listener mail (thanks!), and as always some reflection on how we are dealing with things like using the tap with debit cards, what music RJ is listening to, and in this case the novel venue he was listening to it in (half time at a Lions football game, replete with cheerleaders doing the Pony Dance). Really, we had this episode kicking around and we needed the cupboard space, so enjoy!

The Shed Dogs fall back into Daylight Losing Time with a look at all the fun things Apple’s new operating system brings to your phone: good tips, highs and lows, and favourite features. When we’re done with that, we need a change of pace and so bring you, under RJ’s tutelage, a thorough background on baguettes, followed by a rigorous taste test of three different local baguettes so that you can know what to put in that big basket on the front of your bike. After this, you’ll be able to dazzle your friends and scare your enemies with your confident cosmopolitan knowledge of one of France’s most carefully guarded culinary treasures. All you’ll need is that beret you’ve been wishing you could wear.

Have you wondered what “ortolan” might be? Have you ever been dissatisfied with the air conditioning in your discount hotel or motel? Perhaps you’ve been looking for a solid gold business investment opportunity and just haven’t landed on the right thing yet. Maybe, even, you want to wear your own dog’s fur. Regardless, do we have an episode for you! All those topics and many, many more besides are waiting to march happily from the Shed to your head, right here, right now. We know you’ll be all happily satisfied after another tasty mental meal, so pull up a chair, grab a napkin, and tuck right in.

About 50 years ago, the Whole Earth Catalogue was published, providing people with all the information and tools they needed to build their own geodesic dome homes and grow gardens and weave clothing. It also had a fun story in a lot of episodes entitled “Divine Right’s Trip”. In this episode we mainly hear about RJ’s recent 31-day sojourn in Europe, his driving experiences, food experiences, phone and translation app experiences, and increasingly hopeless efforts to talk to security guards and people in very long washroom lineups. It has that same sort of good-natured-slightly-chaotic-but-I-wanna-do-this feel as that 50-year-old column. Dig in. Listen. Laugh. Pick up a tip or two. It’s all here.

Way back in Episode 95, Member of BC’s Legislative Assembly (MLA) for North Vancouver – Lower Lonsdale Bowinn Ma made her first appearance here on the podcast via Zoom. Here in Episode 140, she returns for a live in-person visit to the Shed. We spent a great hour or so discussing major transit projects with BC’s Minister of State for Infrastructure, as well as talking about the future of electric vehicles in BC, the relationships between housing and traffic, and the concept of attempting to future proof major infrastructure. Along the way we discover to our surprise that politicians do not get free food at the Legislature cafeteria and that the general public can go eat there, too! Mostly, though, what we get is time with an active, imaginative, constituent-centric representative who wants to accomplish things other than just being elected. As if that all weren’t more than enough, you’ll also get to hear a candid account of how fascinatingly eclectic the Shed experience really is for first time visitors.

Hayley and Ron of Montreal return to experience first-hand the swirling, murky mental landscapes of a session in the Shed featuring KJ’s Short Snappers. We are very fortunately grounded by excellent listener mail, but our connection to Earth gets a little tenuous here…again. Strap in and turn on!

Special guests Hayley (formerly of North Vancouver but now of Montreal) and her partner Ron (grew up in Montreal) step into the Shed to…well, really just to compare notes, pros and cons, of the two cities. Food and weather, culture and history, and of course the big one: language. PJ’s hope for a black or white, right or wrong opinion on which is the better place is once again dashed, but along the way are a few surprising insights from our guests. For instance, who would you think loves the outdoors more? Where can you get a better hot dog? In which city will a perfect stranger shovel out a parking spot for you? You’ll just have to listen. Vive la différence!

RJ returns from Las Vegas bearing at least one gift nobody wants, but still we get a great look at the world of competitive foosball (and a qualified endorsement of discount operation Flair Airlines). PJ is so excited he tries to volunteer to go play in France for Canada’s World Cup foosball team, in spite of an almost total lack of expertise. KJ shares with us some of the fruits of his steadfast attention to US politics, which leads us seamlessly into reflecting on the definitions of the words “psychopath” and “ sociopath”. Finally, we speculate on what the coming summer’s weather may look like, as a way of coping with KJ’s disappointing travel news.

It’s that special, lovely time—the time when we hear about how this year’s Oscars program went down. We build up to it with some talk about a couple of Beatles and Steely Dan specials as well as hearing the latest from KJ on the run up to the Emmys, and on the technical marvel that is the Murphy bed he is building. Finally, RJ and PJ exchange notes on their adventures in language and travel, both today and 30 years ago. There are a lot of twists and turns here, so make sure to be safe while you listen!

“In the spring an old man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of table saws and robotic waiters and new tech deployed in old games like curling”. That’s roughly what the famous poem says, and the proof is right here in this episode as we talk about those very things, as well as about RJ’s date with destiny in Las Vegas and whether 1980 was the best possible year to have been born in. We also have a lot of very fun email from faithful listeners, which goes a long way towards offsetting a bit of PJ’s customary vinegar (this time about the Pope, among other things). So sit in the garden while the bees buzz and the birds sing and have a listen!

Sure, this could be an opus, but really the title refers to RJ’s thorough and affectionate review of the old TV series Magnum, P.I. If you’re less than of a certain age you may wish to look it up. RJ is becoming his parents and this review is one of the many fruits of that growth. We also get to hear of a terrible misunderstanding about how to prepare a turkey, talk about the amazing new refreshment Liquid Death, and provide some helpful—if a little unwelcome—news on changes to recycling rules. All this and more in the time it takes to have lunch - we’ve set the table and now all you have to do is enjoy!

In this riveting episode we discuss KJ’s work on the stage comedy Little Red Warrior and His Lawyer, now playing to live audiences in Vancouver. And an excellent show it is! We also provide perhaps our most enthusiastically harsh movie review ever, in addition to reviewing a lot of very terrific Listener Mail. On top of even all that goodness, we have another instalment of the crowd-pleasing “KJ’s Snappers” to entice and inform listeners worldwide! The Doginators give the thumbs up and middle finger in the same episode: it's a Hobson's choice. So put on your sunglasses and dive in… we are back!

When you were young you played Snakes and Ladders, right? Well, this episode isn’t that. Here we get gritty insights from KJ and RJ on solving rat problems, and have to recover with the palate-cleansing pleasure of reading Listener Mail. Maybe it was all that talk about nasty smelly rodents that led us to it, but we end up talking about the movie “Terminator: Dark Fate” (spoiler alert: just say no) and what makes actors do bad movies. There are no real shockers here, but a lot of good mostly clean fun, so sit down, face off, and listen up!

Here we find reflective, philosophical Shed Dogs pondering the path to great art and good parking spots through visualization at the same time as they provide solid, practical information on important day-to-day challenges, like how to pronounce that fast moving COVID-19 strain name. From these dizzying mental heights we return to mere mortal levels and talk about what’s good on the streaming services these days. You’ll certainly feel embiggened after this 39-minute visit, ready to plunge whole-heartedly into your day, secure in your new knowledge in these important areas. It’s just what we do.

When Kirkland Body Wash is labeled 100% All Natural, think twice. When we tell you we are 100% all natural, take it to the bank. It won’t be worth much to all the newly created billionaires out there, maybe, but to you? Solid gold. In this episode, speaking of the nouveau riche, we discover what the Internet thinks KJ is worth, we hear about a CBC gig he has coming that should increase that yet more, we learn that Chromer of Duncan is very pleased with his new dentures but that KJ is unmoved by beautification efforts involving surgery. Pity. It’s a lemon-scented potpourri of opinion and information, and we invite you to just breathe it allllll in. Now, with jojoba!

Whether this reaches you before, during, or after December 25, and whether you celebrate it or not, the Shed Dogs wish you and yours a very merry Christmas with the promise of a great New Year to come! In this episode RJ pulls back the curtain on the surprisingly opulent lifestyles of certain foosball players, while KJ lets us in on the real highlights of going to a Canucks game. PJ drops some left-handed compliments and we promote some twitter accounts. We even manage to work in some more beloved Listener Mail, so have a listen while the video fire crackles on the screen, and slide right into the season with us.

Some edits may confound, but, hey, it’s waves from the shore baby.

Way back in Episode 113 we blundered our way through a non-explanation of non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Friend of the show Jesse of Montreal heard the call and sent the best-ever explanation and you get to hear it! Leigh of Courtenay heard us recommending a podcast whose ultimate author may have some credibility problems, and she responds, too. From handling bananas to NFTs to Canadaland to garburators and beyond, our listeners get involved in this episode and it’s great! We also get a nice helping of KJ’s quick snappers and spend some time on a bunch of movies and TV shows and stars, like Ted Lasso and Steve McQueen (and yes, it’s only here that such strange bedfellows make any sense). Have a listen, form your opinions, and keep sending those notes!

Join KJ as he takes a full-glam trip to New York City to join in on a Screen Actors Guild panel for Schmigadoon!, hobnobs with other famous people, sees several Broadway productions, and dazzles his daughter Lucy with the full weight of his fame and personality. He really does go where everybody knows his name, even in der Grosser Apfel! Bonus: dog medical procedures and waterproofing Gore-Tex.