Transcription
Hello all my buddies, this is Carmen, and welcome to another Chatty Crochet With Me!
In this video series, I will be crocheting something while talking about a random topic, like we’re just hanging out, and maybe you’re crocheting too! This is definitely not a tutorial video.
First, I’d like to talk about my blanket progress! So for June’s blanket, I was doing the Baby Blocks blanket, but since I didn’t want to be working on a whole blanket in my lap during heat waves, I did them in blocks, which isn’t the pattern, or the way you’re supposed to do it, but I like it like this. I started putting it together, but again, I abandoned that because it became too hot. I’ll just have to finish this during the cooler months!
I just started my July blanket, which is this simple Lap Blanket. I love this scrapbusting blanket, and this blanket was made especially for blocks, so I was glad to get started. Now, I’m going to switch the view to top down, and I’ll start crocheting! Let’s go!
This is only the second time I’m doing a top down video for crocheting. Again, I don’t want to make a tutorial video, so I’m just going at my own speed, which my fiancé Taylor says looks pretty fast. Last time I did have to speed the video up because apparently I thought I talked a lot but I don’t actually talk that much when doing voiceover, but this time, there’s a lot to say, so there’s no issue there.
First, a little more about the blanket, I’m using a bunch of scrap yarns that I had, so I’ll list them on the screen if I know what they are, but some I may not know, as some are from my grandma’s stash!
Anyway! I will go ahead and start talking about the topic today, which is the podcasts that I listened to during 2020! These will include mini-series, podcasts shows as a whole, and some specific individual podcast episodes that were great.
A warning, or more like a caveat before I go forward, I listen to all my podcasts from oldest episode on the feed to newest, no matter how old the podcast is. So, some of the podcast episodes will be from several years ago, and honestly it’s been an escape this year with this listening method; thinking and listening to events and issues from several years ago allowed me to forget about the craziness that was 2020. Also, there will be spoilers, whatever that may mean!
Anyway, I listen to a lot of true crime, so let’s start there!
These are the limited or mini series that I listened to!
Bad Batch was a show about stem cell treatments, and how one company was not providing good stem cells for those treatments. The series was really interesting, because I think it’s the first one where the perpetrator was on the podcast, talking about his scheme. Really fascinating, but that dude is a total sociopath.
Case Closed, season 3, this was the Amish season. It was interesting to learn about a community that is not widely talked about, but it just makes me really mad when a man seduces a woman to kill his wife. In general, it’s a good rule that if you’re not up to the task you’re asking someone else to do, you don’t get to ask for it!
Dirty John was about a con artist who seduces and marries an interior designer, and all the drama that entails, including family members being suspicious, and her own suspicions. There’s also a Netflix series; season 1 is based on this podcast series. I still haven’t seen it though; I’m waiting until I forget all the details before watching it.
Dr. Death, season 1, this season was about a surgeon who basically thinks he knows what he’s doing when he actually doesn’t. This will make you really mad about the system that keeps doctors working, because this guy was reported several times, and he is just transferred from hospital to hospital. A series on Peacock was made and is out now, I believe, and in late 2020, a second season was added to the podcast, and just now, there is a season 3 as well, the first two episodes are out as I am recording this. I plan on listening to those later, but I haven’t started them yet.
Park Predators, this series was about killers who killed in or escaped to national parks. I liked a lot of these episodes, but many of the ended with mysteries, which I don’t like. I like having finished stories, and knowing what happened to the killer. However, one of the standout episodes for me was episode 5, the Survivalist, who led a double life; he had two wives, and two houses. And when those lives came together one day, he committed a triple murder and has been on the run ever since; that’s right, they still don’t know where that guy is. I hope a mountain lion or something just as ferocious, got him early in his escape, but we just don’t know.
Predator, this series was about Australia’s first convicted serial killer. It involves the death of a child, so make sure you’re in the right frame of mind when listening to this. This was a really interesting series, because it included interviews with the victim’s mother, and they were very emotional.
Room 20, this series was about a man in a coma, who was called Sixty-Six Garage, that’s right six-six garage,, because he didn’t have ID on him. The reporter recording the podcast is really nice and relatable, and she quit her job to focus on identifying Sixty-Six Garage’s real name. I won’t tell you what happens, but the whole series is really interesting!
The Sneak, season 1, is about a man who robs an armored car, and gets away on an inner tube down a river. I had heard about this case on a different podcast (that I’ll talk about later!) but this season goes in-depth with interviews and details in how the perpetrator was caught. I don’t think anyone is very sympathetic in this series, but you’ll have to let me know what you think! There’s already a season 2 and 3, but I haven’t gotten through those yet!
The Thing about Pam, is a series about the murder of Betsy Faria, whose husband is initially convicted of her murder. However, it isn’t aways the husband, as we come to suspect, and the story is so much more than “husband-kills-wife”. This is another series that is going to be turned into a mini-series.
The Wonderland Murders, is a series about the murder of four people, the crime scene is said to have been bloodier than the Tate-LaBianca murders, which sounds like it would just be chaos. The story includes robbery, drugs, porn, and of course, a brutal and violent murder. This was the first time I had heard of this case, so it was interesting to hear about, especially since this happened before I was born. This case was turned into a movie back in 2003, and it’s called Wonderland. Carrie Fisher is in it, so now I totally want to watch it, but it looks like it’s not actually a great movie…
Those were all the true crime miniseries, so let’s talk about the other true crime podcasts that are always in my queue. I’ll break them down into tiers: my top tier favorite podcasts, those second tier ones that provide the good details or interesting and new cases, the third tier ones that are still pretty enjoyable, and finally, the podcasts that I’m iffy about.
Top Tier, Favorite podcasts
Bloody Murder: They’re funny, they’re swear-y, they also like having a fully wrapped up story. They try to focus on Australian true crime, or at least cases that aren’t covered a lot. They usually both share a unique true crime story, but sometimes it’s just one long episode that they talk about. They also have a great segment called “Bloody Oz” where they share a silly Australian crime. I just heard they are on an indefinite hiatus… I’m so sad!
Court Junkie: Even though the court part of the criminal justice system is not my favorite part of the proceedings, I think the host makes the proceedings really interesting and provides a lot of detail to keep me interested. The one episode that really stuck in my mind is Emily Doe and the Stanford Rape case. Being from the area, of course, I had heard of the case and voted in the recall of the judge. However, I didn’t know all the details, and that episode was really informative.
Criminal: one of my oldest true crime podcasts that I have in my queue. The podcast isn’t always about a murder, any crime can be highlighted here for an episode. One of their lighter episodes was called “Who’s There” and it was about mistakes made, such as: a couple was housesitting and heard unfamiliar noises coming from the bathroom. They saw a shadow under the door and called the police. The police spent a while trying to coax the intruder from the bathroom, and finally, they breached through the door, only to discover a rogue Roomba.
Once Upon a Crime: my favorite true crime podcast! I love everything about this podcast: the host (her voice and her research), the fact that the episodes are sectioned into themes, that each case is interesting, and very often, one that I have not heard of before. Some of the more interesting themes were: Sick and Murdered, which had an episode about Munchausen by Internet, Academy Award Winning Crimes, which had an episode about the life of Dr. Haing S Ngor, and of course holiday episodes like Halloween Tales, and the 12 Crimes of Christmas. I’m just seriously in love with this podcast.
Scam Goddess, a new true crime podcast, is solely about scams! They talk about little scams, sent in by listeners, like people stealing credit cards in drive thru lanes, and historical scams, like the adoption of a 9 year old Ukranian who was actually 22, or about Theranos’ Elizabeth Holmes. This show is a lot lighter than the heavier murder podcasts out there, and it’s becoming a fast favorite! It’s definitely on the more fun side of true crime podcasts, there’s a lot of laughing and talking.
True Crime Obsessed: a really fun, and amusing podcast, these two hosts have really great chemistry. They watch a true crime documentary, or crime adjacent, and talk about the documentary in-depth, often with jokes about the documentary itself or with the filmmaker, but they are always respectful to the victims. I haven’t seen most of these documentaries, but they really go scene by scene so it’s easy to understand not only the documentary, but the case at large as well. The one that sticks in my head from this series is definitely “There’s Something Wrong with Aunt Diane”, but “TalHotBlond” and “Holy Hell” were also really good!
Second Tier, podcasts that provide good details and interesting, new cases
Crime Beat: a Canadian based true crime show, hosted by a crime journalist, who is localized in Calgary. These episodes have all been cases that she has covered previously, and she mostly covers cases that are finished or have been closed.
Crime After Crime: a podcast that features two crime YouTubers, and they tell cases based on a theme each month. Listeners can vote each episode to see which host who told it best. I like these episodes, they’re short and not always murders, so it’s usually light. This is where I originally heard the story from The Sneak, season 1. They always have fun or interesting themes, like “Craigslist Crimes”, or “Criminal Doctors”. For July’s episode, they did a “Stolen on the 4th of July”.
Dark Poutine: another podcast about true crime in Canada, and this one is more down-to-earth. The hosts share their feelings towards the episode, and if an episode or case has been really hard to talk about or research, and they share that process. I really appreciate the honesty and insight that they provide.
Extraordinary Stories Pod: a podcast about interesting stories, crime related or adjacent. It’s hosted by a Scot, and the accent is amazing! He picks out these stories and he always tells them very empathetically and enthusiastically. He’s a great story teller.
Let’s Taco ‘Bout True Crime: a podcast that is hosted by the same person who hosts Once Upon a Crime. In this podcast, she brings on a guest and they watch a true crime documentary or mini series. I really liked this series and am sad that it looks like this died during in the pandemic.
I Said Goddamn!: a podcast where the two hosts each share a true crime story. This one is nice because the hosts are friendly and mostly no-nonsense. They share something personal that happened to them that made them say “goddamn” but other than that, they mostly dive straight into their stories. The banter is kept at a minimum, and I can’t think of a time they went on a long tangent.
Minds of Madness: a newish addition to my queue; this one goes in-depth into one case, and breaks down all the details into parts. The premise is that it goes in what goes into the mind of a person who kills. The first episode is still the most memorable for me: Gary and Jody Plauche. The whole episode alone really cemented my subscription to the podcast.
My Favorite Murder, one of the classics. The two hosts each share a story and there’s a lot of banter and tangents and laughter. Now, I’ve heard that there’s some drama going on in the fandom right now, but my listening is not even close to recent. Generally, I find their energy really fun, and I like their chemistry. It really feels like I’m talking to a friend about true crime, and that’s what I like about it.
Obscura: another newish addition to my queue, this podcast does a deep dive into the details and I think talks about lesser known cases. One episode that I listened to was the Hart Family Crash, a case that I had heard of, but didn’t know all the details. It was really interesting and extremely sad.
The Asian Madness Podcast, is a podcast centered around true crime from Asia, as well as some superstitions and paranormal tales too. There’s definitely stories I had never heard before on here, and I really like the host’s deadpan tone. I’m not a huge fan of the supernatural stories, but I like hearing the superstitions behind them.
Third Tier, podcasts that are still enjoyable, but there is something that bugs me about them (maybe they do cold cases more often than I like, or I simply just don’t like them as much)
Canadian True Crime: another Canadian true crime podcast, I started this show in 2020, and picked the murder of Tim Bosma, and the killer Dellen Mellard to begin with. It’s a six-part series, so it’s a good diving in point. However, this podcast tends to be more background noise instead of active listening for me. I’m not sure what it is about the podcast though!
Southern Fried True Crime: a podcast that focuses on the true crime stories out of the southern United States. The host is from Tennessee, so she also has a nice Southern accent that’s pleasant to listen to. I just started this podcast last year, and it’s been a really nice addition to my listening cue, because there has been a lot of cases that I’ve never heard of. However, this podcast also does cases that are open-ended, so that’s been my only misgiving.
They Walk Among Us: a podcast about true crime cases centered in and around the United Kingdom and Great Britain. Another podcast that does a deep dive into the victims and also the background of the perpetrators as well. I’m not sure why, but the episodes don’t tend to stick in my mind after I finished listening to them, but I do enjoy the episodes when listening!
True Crime All the Time: a podcast about true crime with two hosts that take turns talking about just one story. They also have another podcast that focuses on unsolved cases, but I don’t like unsolved cases, so I don’t listen to that one. This is another one where the cases just don’t tend to stay in my head after I’ve finished listening to them, I’m not sure why.
True Crime Campfire: a podcast about true crime cases, that breaks them into multi-parters. I just started this podcast in 2020, so it’s fairly new to me. I only listened to 10 episodes last year, which amounted to just one case.
True Crime Island: this podcast has a lot of really interesting true crime cases, and I really like the host, he gets really, really angry and emotional for the victims. However, where I am at in the listening, sometimes he does “Special Edition” episodes, where the cases featured are shorter and are often still ongoing cases. I’m not a huge fan of these episodes and would prefer all the cases to be just the “regular” Island episodes.
True Crime New Zealand: this podcast features cases in and around New Zealand; it also includes some history as well. I really like this podcast, the team behind it seems to be really respectful of the Maori and indigenous peoples of New Zealand, but again, for some reason, the cases just don’t stick with me as well as some other podcasts.
Wine and Crime: a podcast that pairs a true crime theme (arson, peeping toms, Munchausens’s Syndrome) with comedy and wine. In this, there are three hosts, one who gives some history or a description of the theme with some short examples, and then the other two each share a story they found. I find the hosts really fun and entertaining, but I don’t tend to laugh with them.
Fourth Tier, podcasts that I’m iffy about
Crime Junkie: one of the more controversial shows that I listen to; this podcast gained popularity quickly, but it was revealed that they plagiarized some of their episodes from other podcasts, Reddit posts, and other sources, some being my favorite podcasts. They still have a huge following, from what I understand, and I do listen with a grain of salt now, knowing that they don’t have a great work ethic. Eventually, I do see myself unsubscribing from this; they do a lot of mysteries and unsolved cases that are really interesting, but just end up frustrating me.
The Serial Killer Podcast: a podcast about, yes, serial killers. This one isn’t a favorite for me; I’m not a fan of his storytelling or his interview methods. But, basically, this podcast is a super deep dive into serial killers, both known and unknown serial killers. The known serial killer episodes are good for me because that usually means they’re cases that are finished and the killers are caught. And, the podcast covers the well known serial killers (of course) as well as the not-so-well known ones.
Sword and Scale: the podcast that is probably the most problematic on my list that I still listen to. Let’s just say…. the podcast host was or is extremely problematic. I heard that there might be a new host? I’d just suggest looking up the gossip if you’ve never heard of this before. Anyway, this podcast I know I’ll eventually give up and stop listening to. I think I’m just waiting until the drama starts so I can hear how they address it on the show, and what the podcast sounds like after the drama. I’m just really curious about the whole situation! Anyway, I’ve still got a whiles to go before I catch up to the drama. I actually wanted to give it up way before this, because of other reasons, but I wasn’t picky with my podcast picking before this, and now I’m getting pickier, I guess. (Not that picky, considering it’s taking me forever to get off this podcast and the Serial Killer Podcast!)
Finally, these are all the non-true-crime podcasts I listened to in 2020. I’ll bundle these up into categories so they go a little quicker!
I’ll start with a pandemical podcast, since it was 2020, first up is Stay F Homekins. Paul F Tompkins is my favorite comedian, and during 2020, the podcast was him and his wife, talking about their week and the weekly happenings of the world, during the pandemic. It really felt like I was hanging out with a friend each week and that feeling was needed during the pandemic!
I listen to a bunch of California and Bay Area-based podcasts hosted by KQED, the ones I’ve tried and kept are The Bay, Bay Curious, and California Report. I’m still several years behind, so for me during the pandemic, it was kind of like traveling around California without moving, and it’s just nice to listen to! I also listen to a KQED News podcast **for my daily news.
Speaking of daily news, I listened to Curiosity Daily, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, and Weird AF News during 2020 to keep up with the happenings. I also listened to all of I Tell My Husband The News before they stopped. These shows are the only shows I listen to backward; I listen to the newest shows first, and then go back and listen to the older ones. The For Real For Real podcast was also semi-news related, and it focused on Black issues in America, however, it is no longer updating from what I can tell.
For some much needed humor, I had Comedy Bang Bang, The Dollop, and The Dollop UK, Spontaneanation, Never Not Funny, Stop Podcasting Yourself, and Threedom; the last three feel like I’m just hanging out with some friends, just like Stay F. Homekins, except where I am, I’m not near 2020, so it was little escape from reality. Also, I just started Hello From the Magic Tavern, My Brother My Brother and Me, and The Neighborhood Listen last year, and those three were fun additions to my queue.
Two more comedy adjacent podcasts are Who Charted and You Made it Weird: these two often have comedians on as guests, and the hosts are funny, but I wouldn’t necessarily consider them specifically comedy podcasts. I also started and finished You Know Me with Eugene Cordero and that podcast was such a delight! In the same vein of the other two, it has a host and guests who are funny, but I wouldn’t call it a comedy podcast.
Moving onto some pop culture and movie podcasts, I listened to Maltin on Movies, Pop Culture Bento, Pop Rocket, and Popcast. Maltin on Movies is a movie podcast from movie critic Leonard Maltin; Pop Culture Bento is the nerdier side of pop culture, so they talk about video games and comic books (however, it is no longer updating from what I can tell), Pop Rocket was a fun weekly update between the hosts and they would talk about topical pop culture (this podcast has also been discontinued), and the hosts of the Popcast debate or talk about a different pop culture topic each week, not necessarily topical. Minority Korner is also semi-pop culture related with some history snuck in there, with emphasis on issues that minority and marginalized communities face. I just started listening to that in 2020, and I really like it! I’m also going to say that The Cracked Podcast is also a pop culture-y podcast about a large range of topics. It ended rather abruptly and there was a little drama about the end of this podcast, but if you have Stitcher Premium, you can listen to the 7 year archive of it like I am!
Now, I’ve found I really like history if we’re talking about weird or interesting things, so Behind the Bastards, The History Chicks, The Memory Palace, Sawbones, Stuff You Missed in History Class, and You’re Dead to Me are all good listens. And similarly, Ologies is a good podcast that talks about science and jobs that you’re unfamiliar with.
I’m not a big food podcast person, but I have some podcasts about food that are fun to listen to: The Empty Bowl is a meditative podcast about cereal and cereal news. This is a fun podcast even though I’m not a big cereal person. Face Jam is a comedy podcast that talks about the for-a-limited-time foods that some restaurants have. The hosts are fun to listen to even though its a little chaotic at times. And Sporkful is a podcast about food-related discussions; for example, how many toppings can go into a grilled cheese before it is a panini? What style of ice cube is your favorite? Do you like weird flavors of potato chips? I love these types of discussions because they can be so varied and personable.
I also have a handful of game-like podcasts. Factorious is a game show in a podcast, and it’s a fun premise, but I think it would be better if it gave the listener more time to guess. Hey Riddle Riddle is a podcast that features riddles, and seems to be the only one since I couldn’t find another one. It’s kind of fun, but the hosts do little role-plays of the silly scenarios they come up with for the riddle, and I’m less interested in those. Lastly, the Know Nonsense Trivia Podcast is a very good trivia podcast. They give ample time for the listener to guess, and often even discuss if a question is a good trivia question. However, they do spend a chunk of time talking about their own games in real life, so usually I skip that and go straight to the questions.
And, another one of my indulgences in real life is pens and planning! So I have one podcast for each, Pen Addict Podcast and Planners and Wine. Both are good because you can catch up on the news in both categories, and all of the hosts are very friendly and personable.
And lastly, some good ol’ fashioned stories. Cabinet of Curiosities, Let’s Talk About Myths, Baby, Lore, Myths and Legends; these are all podcasts that talk about myths and legends and superstitions and they’re all good fun. Being the scaredy cat I am, Lore is a little on the scary side, but I’m sure if you’re a normal person, you’ll be okay. Slightly different from those are LeVar Burton Reads and New Yorker: Fiction. Both of these feature the host or guest reading a short story aloud to the listener. LeVar Burton can do no wrong, in my eyes, so that podcast is so, so good. The New Yorker: Fiction podcast is a little dry, but still great stories.
And on an entirely different note, but still essentially podcasts with storytelling are The Adventure Zone, Thrilling Adventure Hour, and Welcome to Night Vale. These are more fun for me than the rest of the story podcasts, but I guess that depends on your definition of fun. The Adventure Zone is basically a DnD/roleplaying game podcast, and it features the brothers from My Brother, My Brother, and Me, as well as their father. I’m not a huge roleplaying game fan, but the stories they tell are really emotional and wonderful, and it’s easy for me to follow. They also have graphic novels that are out, so you should definitely check those out if the story interests you, but you’d rather not listen to people play DnD. The Thrilling Adventure Hour is a fake, old radio program, with several really funny shows, my two favorite being Sparks Nevada and Beyond Belief. They also have a graphic novel out, and I wish there were more volumes, but I think right now it’s just the one. This one has uploads “from the vault” which are recordings of old performances, and also new episodes recorded in a studio; the old performances are still really good even though they’re basically reruns of episodes I’ve listened to already, and the new ones feel fresh (since they’re new stories) but have less character since they’re recorded inside of a studio. I just want more Sparks Nevada! Lastly, Welcome to Night Vale is a scripted radio show set in the fictional desert city of Night Vale. The plots are weird and just a little creepy but overall, it’s just a really unique show and I like it a lot!
And THAT’S IT you guys! I’ll cut back to forward view, and let’s see how many squares I ended up crocheting.
Okay, so that was such a long video, I crocheted 4 squares during that time! I already had 20 squares before this, so I only need a million more squares to go! No, it’s really like 70-ish?
Please let me know what you thought of this video, I really like doing the top down stuff so if you like it too, don’t be afraid to give me some feedback!
And thanks for watching, everyone, thank you!