Soul Forge Podcast

Long Weekend Camping - 251

Long weekend camping is a tradition of sorts here in Canada. Long weekends are too far and few between so you absolutely must take advantage of every opportunity. A few days ago, my brother and I, and a couple of his friends went long weekend camping. I shall tell you all about it in this episode.

Originally I was going to release episode 251 as a walk and talk. That is where I record an episode while delivering the mail. However, the recording was too garbled and so you get this offering instead. Airpods are not the ideal way to record an episode! And yet, the weather today was ideal for working. 14 degrees Celsius and overcast with a slight breeze is perfect. I could have done without the 6 sets of flyers to deliver though.

So as for the long weekend camping adventure, a decent time was had by all. Sure, it was cold and windy and we couldn't always get a fire going, but we had fun. We walked and explored and talked and drank. We even tried to build a fence out of driftwood but it didn't work very well at all. The good news is that my new camping equipment worked out well. I was fairly comfortable even if I wasn't overly warm. I also got to see what deer poop looks like.

Also in this episode, I talk about settling down to my new life back in my hometown. I feel relaxed and pretty decent over all. And yard sale season is fast approaching so the good deals will be coming!

Find me on Etsy at Rusted Robot Toys

Find me on TikTok at soulforgepodcast

and you can leave a donation by going to www.ko-fi.com/rustedsoul

This week's podcast promo: Dragon Con Report

Top 10 Things to Love - 250

Top 10 things to love!

Do you make a list of your favourite things? How many people out there in podcast-land actually have a running inventory of the things that make them happy? Obviously there is no way of answering that question. On this episode, I run down some of the things I love the most. If there is a better way to celebrate 250 podcast episodes, I can't think of what that might be.

So, what are some of the top 10 things to love? This episode starts with my favourite authors. It turns out I really enjoy action/adventure stories. Give me international chases, mythology, and harrowing odds and I will be happy. I also enjoy science fiction and self-help type books that aren't overly saccharine or preachy. Some deeply philosophical literature is also in my list of things to love.

Two other top 10 lists I present to you are movies and television shows. Once again, I love some science fiction. But I also enjoy the occasional drama and some cartoons. Coming up with absolute lists is a difficult task. Our tastes change over time. However, for the most part, the top 10 things to love list is from my early days, with a few newer things added in.

Finally, we wrap up the podcast. The last list consists of my 10 favourite episodes of Soul Forge Podcast. There is no real theme to these 10 episodes. Some deal with sex and relationships. Others have to do with regular life. The one thing they all have in common is that I love them, and I hope you will too!

This week's podcast promo: Cosmic Pizza

Is It Poutine or Putin - 249

Comparing and contrasting my 2 main homes or cities. I was born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie (the Soo), went to university in North Bay, and moved to Timmins at the age of 26. Five and a half weeks ago I moved back to the Soo from Timmins where I spent the past 19 years.

There is quite a bit of difference between the two cities. The Soo is a heavily Italian based town. Timmins is very Frence. People in the Soo are more friendly, while those in Timmins are more apt to have a vanity license plate. How people pronounce the word 'poutine' is different, as well as what they call the long weekend in May.

While both towns are isolated and surrounded by nature, Sault Ste. Marie has more culture and travel opportunities. The Soo boasts a wonderful boardwalk and many old buildings. Timmins has many small lakes where people enjoy hunting and fishing.

Also in this episode, I discuss chocolate milk. As a border town, the Soo has quick access to the USA. American chocolate milk is more fatty, and therefore more tasty.

Have you ever wondered how Canada Post operates? Do you enjoy getting your mail delivered to your door? And what are those grey boxes on street corners? In the second half of this episode, I tell you all about how the mail delivery system works. Also, I explain how the job can differ based on the particular depot you work out of. Topics include: flyers, taxi cabs, sorting, supervisors and mailboxes.

The episode concludes with various smaller topics. We are talking camping season and brotherhood. Yard sale season is also upon us. How am I enjoying TikTok? Find out on this episode!

This week's podcast promo: The Con Guy

TikTok Famous - 248

Being TikTok famous has never been my goal. Until now, that is! I have been home for a month and my life has undergone some changes. Let me tell you about some of those changes here on episode 248.

So, I have been back in my hometown for a month now. I moved from Timmins to Sault Ste. Marie where I was born and raised. Although I am not completely certain, I think I am finally settling into something of a regular routine. The feeling of being lost is not so strong anymore. After arriving home, I worked for a week and was then off for 2 weeks. Being off for so long is not a good thing for your body. As a mailman, we walk about 25000 steps per day. When on holidays, this does not happen so coming back to work can be rough.

There is also a huge difference in how Canada Post operates in different cities. Timmins has a much more harsh and unforgiving work environment than does the Soo. The work day is structured much differently. The people don't act the same. It is a lot to get used to. The amount of flyers I get on this new route compared to my last one is huge. So many things to get used to.

TikTok famous! I did a video while working and almost didn't post it. It has blown up! My normal amount of views for my videos is about 300 or so. As of recording the views for my 'work at Canada Post' video was 80000. As of writing these show notes it is up to 103000. Crazy times!

Also on this episode I talk about some camping supplies I have recently acquired. And my Etsy shop! And my recent weekend trying to sell my collectibles at the local used toy store.

This week's podcast promo: Cigar Nerds

Your Things Don’t Love You - 247

Your things don't love you, and you are not your things. It took me a long time to realize this one simple truth!

For the vast majority of my life, I was my stuff. And my stuff was me. We were intertwined. All the things I had were my identity. I didn't know who I was without them. And I didn't know who I could be either. Things were necessary for my existence and my reality. They helped me define myself and my worldview. But, they really didn't. I just thought they did; thought I needed the things to bolster my sense of self.

Recently, I have come to understand that things are just things. Stuff is just stuff. Your things don't love you. They don't know you exist. They don't care. Their identity is not based upon you. They just exist. They just are.

And now, I no longer need things to give me a purpose or a sense of self. I can exist independently outside of my possessions. I can enjoy them and have sentimental attachments, but also take a step back.

Being a collector, or a poet, or a book reader used to be how I defined myself. Now, I'm just me. The things are not me. So, now I'm seriously trying to downsize my collection. Too many things are overwhelming. I'm getting older and books are too heavy to move all the time. My car used to be an extension of me. No longer. It's mostly just a car. Your things don't love you, and you don't have to love your things!

This week's podcast promo: But First, Let's Talk Nerdy

Not Too Old For This - 246

We are not too old for this! Maybe we feel like we are getting too old for some things, but we are not. Age is only a matter of perspective, or so we can tell ourselves. We are definitely not as young as we used to be or want to be.

I just signed up for TikTok. After swearing up and down for years that I would never get involved in such a thing, I did. Blaming my brother is likely a good way to go about explaining this change in my behaviour. He needed the money! I am hoping I'm not too old for this.

Adapting to change is tricky as we age. New phones are full of all kinds of technological innovations. Everything is changing so fast and keeping updated is not easy. 30 years ago a car trip consisted of a Walkman and a cassette tape. Kids today have their phones, tablets and gaming systems. Everything now is on demand with instant access. We want things yesterday -- no waiting.

Another thing that changes with age is memory. The forgetting is real. Distraction is a very real thing. Is it caused by depression, aging, 2 years of Covid isolation or something else? Who can say? And does the cause matter? Remembering life details such as birthdays and appointments is no long as easy. You gotta write that shit down man!

This week's podcast promo: Blurred Nerds

Bad Decisions Make Good Stories - 245

Bad decisions make good stories, or so they say! They actually say quite a few different things when it comes to making decisions. I'm not really sure that anyone actually knows anything about anything. Aren't we all just pretending we know what we are doing?

This week's episode finds me talking about my recent move. After living in Timmins for 19 years, I decided to move back to my hometown of Sault Ste. Marie. It was a major decision. I was scared. Petrified some days to be honest. But, they do say that bad decisions make good stories. This journey is just beginning so there's really no way to know if it is right or wrong. Perhaps it just is.

So, we are talking about the move itself. How did my first week of work go? I tell you. The mail delivery system is much different here than back in Timmins. All kinds of new things to get used to. The roads are equally bad in both cities - potholes everywhere. On Facebook, I made a post saying that all my Timmins people should move here too!

In this episode I also discuss how my room decorating is coming along. I have moved many times. And I have a lot of things - so many collectibles. It's time to purge myself of the burden. I'm going to start selling more things at the local toy store.

The episode wraps up by talking about the early days of the Soul Forge Podcast. Many different names were considered until I settled on Soul Forge. Also, many different topic ideas were thought about. I've talked about almost all of them. Remember, bad decisions make good stories!

This week's podcast promo: Modern Music

I Moved Back Home - 244

I moved back home! Say what? Yes, it's true. After 19 years of living in Timmins, I moved back home to Sault Ste. Marie.

Now why did I do such a thing? Great question. I provide some answers and some context in this episode as to why I moved back home. There is likely a lot more I could have gone into during my explanation. However, it has been a hectic few days, and I'm not quite myself yet. Most of my adult life has been spent up in Timmins. And although it is the land that culture forgot, it became home. It was definitely a huge decision.

There are many reasons for the move and not all of them are detailed in this episode. Let's say that my recent bout of depression is a huge factor. In fact, depression probably played the biggest role in all of this. I have not been in my proper frame of mind and some of my thought processes were a bit muddied and muddled. Regardless of the reasons for the move, the fact is that I am now back home for the time being. Will this move be permanent? Will I want to return back to Timmins? Only the future knows.

This week's podcast promo: Best Saturdays of Our Lives