Soul Forge Podcast

Let's Host A Yard Sale - 323

We love yard sales. Hosting them. Going to them. Finding hidden treasures. There is very little not to love about a yard sale. Or should we call it a garage sale?

On this episode of the Soul Forge Podcast, Shawn and Leah talk everything there is to talk about yard sales. They will soon be hosting their own. Have you ever hosted a sale? Would you do so again? What is the best thing you have ever gotten at a sale? Let us know at soulforgepodcast@gmail.com

Shawn and Leah talk about some of their recent acquisitions. Leah collects and searches for vintage Disney items. Song of the South and Splash Mountain are her main focus at the moment. She also actively searches for toys from the 1980s. Shawn is always on the lookout for Hot Wheels, Star Trek stuff, movies and fodder for Etsy.

Why do people collect? We break down some of the possibilities. Hosting a yard sale can be tricky. There are many things to understand and think about. Making sure you have enough change is very important. There are weather concerns as well.

Let's host a yard sale, you said. It will be fun, you said. Remember that no one wants your old wine glasses. Make sure to price fairly, and display things in an eye-pleasing manner.

We also talk about antique and thrift stores. There are some amazing YouTubers out there that have a lot of great information. Shawn recently spoke with some podcast marketers who wanted to charge a fortune for their services. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and How Disney Built America are recent viewing experiences.

Find Leah on Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/Collectandcaston

Find Shawn on Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/RustedRobotToys

This week's podcast promo: Epsilon Three Podcast

#yardsale #Disney #startrek #thrift #antique #collect #vintage #toys #YouTube

Wedding Week Adventures - 322

Our wedding in Las Vegas and our honeymoon in California.

Leah and Shawn flew to Las Vegas to get married. After spending a few days in Sin City, they drove to Cathedral City, California. This episode of the Soul Forge is a day by day recap of their adventures.

May 2nd and 3rd: The first day was a travel day. Major delays were the main topic of conversation. Mechanical problems caused a 7 hour delay in travel. The second day was much better. The couple got their marriage license. The line was huge. The heat in Nevada is very different from that in Florida. Supper at Bubba Gump Shrimp was decent.

May 4th: Wedding day finds Leah stuffed up and sniffling. The hotel mattress was uncomfortable and the temperature was all over the place. Leah had her makeup done at a beauty school while Shawn and Wyatt picked up their rental car. It was a Mustang! Shawn and Wyatt went toy shopping and picked up comics and hot wheels. Leah and Shawn were married that afternoon. Dinner was at Triple George Grill.

May 5th: A full day of shopping. We visited the Coca-Cola store on the Las Vegas strip. We also went to the Hershey store, the M&Ms shop and the Stranger Things Netflix store. Freemont Street was dirty and busy. The premium outlets were full of moments. The Ocean One Bar and Grill was amazing.

May 6th: We finally left Las Vegas. Before we did though, we visited the Antique Mall of America. It was huge and we probably spent over 2 hours in there. Afterwards, we drove the 4 hours to Palm Springs. The scenery was beautiful, almost as if you were driving towards a gigantic painting. Cathedral City is a warm and comfortable town.

May 7th: We explored the town and area. The roads were fantastic. The thrifting and antique shopping was also amazing. So much fun sticking around our home base.

May 8th: A thrilling drive to Knott's Berry Farm. The highways in California are atrocious. Super busy, congested and full of accidents and slow-downs. The amusement park was fun.

May 9th: The wedding week adventures are coming to an end. We visited the graves of Frank Sinatra and Sonny Bono. Afterwards we enjoyed a couple's massage. Then we had a nap and some drinks.

May 10th: Homeward bound. An early drive to the San Diego airport. We took an alternate route. While it was quite beautiful, it was also treacherously windy and hilly. We were separated for 4 hours on the first plane ride. Fun, but exhausting. We are married!

#coach #hotwheels #strangerthings #shakeshack #bubbagumpshrimp #lasvegas #mustang #starwarsday #triplegeorgegrill #coke #hershey #m&ms #disney #puma #vercini #hottopic #lush #tesla #miraclemile 
#palmsprings #antiques #songofthesouth #volkswagen #elcamino #cowboys #anxiety #depression #whiskey 
#walmart #thrifting #money #knottsberryfarm #themepark #california #amazonprime #rollercoasters #podcast 
#startrek #doctorwho #franksinatra #sonnybono 

This week's podcast promos: Earth Station DCU, Earth Station Trek, Earth Station Who

321 - The Final Countdown

The wedding of the century is almost upon us. Shawn and Leah will be married in Las Vegas on May the 4th. This episode of the Soul Forge discusses their plans and the countdown until the big day!

But first, we talk about smile cookies. Tim Hortons, Canada's number 1 coffee shop sells their smile cookies once a year. This is the big fundraiser that sends kids to camp for the summer. These cookies, while delicious, are not packaged up very well.

There may be some drunk singing in Vegas. Leah hopes to get Shawn singing karaoke. The only evidence of Shawn singing while drunk is on YouTube. Can you find it?

Other topics this week include seed planting. Leah is on a seed planting rampage. Mostly cabbage has sprouted so far. Shawn enjoyed coffee with his brothers this weekend. Many topics were discussed. Also, Shawn and Leah answer a few random questions found on TikTok.

The fedora. Shawn always wanted a fedora. However, he is too self-conscious to wear one. This week he bought one anyway. He's finally reached the age where he doesn't care what people think. That's freedom.

Where are we going for the honeymoon? We have ideas. Fremont Street. Alcatraz. DisneyLand. The possibilities are endless. Will Shawn open a comic shop with brother Robin and their friend James? The final countdown is here!

This is the link to watch the livestream of the wedding: https://littlechurchofthewest.com/livestream/

This week's podcast promo: The Dragon Con Report

Animal Consciousness and Other Ideas - 320

Are animals self aware? Scientific evidence supports the assumption that it “feels like something” for a fish to be caught on a hook. Shawn and Leah have a bit of a lively discussion regarding animal consciousness. They talk about their dads, wedding preparations, taxes, television shows and more!

Scientists and philosophers across the globe agree it is reasonable to assume the vast majority of creatures on Earth are sentient in some way — including lobster, squid and the tiny flies that swarm over drinks left outside in the summer.

The New York Declaration on #Animal #Consciousness, released Friday, was signed by 39 cognition scholars at universities from Canada to Australia. It says there is “at least a realistic possibility” that all vertebrates and many invertebrates have conscious experience.

The declaration rests on recent scientific studies that show garter snakes can recognize their own scent, crows can report what they see, octopi can avoid pain and fruit flies can sleep — and they sleep best when they’re with other fruit flies.

Also on this episode are discussions about fears, and how much work has been recently dumped onto Letter Carriers. #Television shows mentioned include #Fallout, #Crusade, #Robocop and #Star Trek Discovery. Leah and Shawn's dad started planting in the greenhouse. They sat and shared their seeds.

This week's podcast promo: Cosmic Pizza

Our First Fight - 319

Our first fight recently took place. What was it about? How did the issue get resolved? Find out on this exciting episode of the Soul Forge Podcast!

This particular episode premieres on April 11, 2024. It was 17 years ago on this date that Shawn joined the Post Office. Since that time, he has delivered hundreds of thousands, if not millions of letters, flyers, magazines and parcels. How many more years will he continue? Only time will tell!

On Monday of this week, the world experience a solar eclipse. People travelled far and wide to catch a glimpse of the totality. Here in Sault Ste. Marie, we were not in the path. Shawn did manage to take a video of the partial eclipse. However, it was cloudy. There was not much darkness, although the shadows became well defined. And the irony is that after the event was over, the clouds disappeared and the sky was clear.

Star Trek Discovery has returned for its fifth and final season. The first two episodes were decent. Leah created a Facebook group dealing with Jeep ducking. You should all join Soul Forge Jeep Ducks.

Shawn and Leah are fairly well prepared for their wedding on May 4th. Flights and hotels are booked. Dinner reservations have been made. They have plans for several adventures. They hope to go axe throwing and go karting. There is a 2 floor candy store to visit and a movie prop museum to tour. They also plan to visit Disney Land and Alcatraz.

Our first fight happened over the Easter weekend. What was it about? You must listen to find out. And this episode ends with a question and answer session. Leah found some interesting questions on TikTok.

This week's podcast promo: Cigar Nerds

International Love - 318

International love is the tale of two strangers who became friends, and then embarked on a long distance relationship. This multi-year romance blossomed. Soon, it turned into a 90 day fiance situation. A year ago they moved in together. Six months ago they married. This is their story. But that's not all!

Luke and Dakota have a story for the ages. He is American. She is Canadian. They once lived thousands of miles apart. Dating for five years over long distance presents many challenges and obstacles. Somehow, Luke and Dakota found a way to overcome everything in their way.

Due to their distance, they learned to communicate. This was all they had during the long years when they could not be together. Brutal honesty is their strength. Now that they are living together, this communication ability is a major asset. They have learned about their love languages.

Dakota feels spoiled. Her love language is Acts of Service. Luke does everything for her. He ensures she is fed and hydrated. Anything she needs, he makes sure she has. For Luke, is need is Quality Time. As long as he knows Dakota is there, he feels safe.

Other topics on this episode include all the government hurdles they need to jump. So much paperwork and bio-metric work can be overwhelming. Fingerprints and photos have been taken numerous times.

Shawn and Leah talk about their trip to Milwaukee to visit Luke and Dakota. Leah picked up a much sought after DVD. Shawn gathered a pile of Hot Wheels. Their Jeep was ducked. What's ducking? Find out here!

This week's podcast promo: The 42 Cast

Relationship Level Ups - 317

Relationships go through predictable stages. Each stage builds upon the previous one. Are there 4 stages, five, or seven? This all depends on which particular website or expert you check with. For the purposes of this episode, we will assume there are 4 stages, or levels.

The first stage is the initial meeting and attraction. A significant aspect of this stage is the role of hormones like dopamine and oxytocin. Dopamine, often dubbed the ‘feel-good hormone’, creates feelings of euphoria, craving, and motivation, which are typically associated with the early stages of romantic attraction. Oxytocin, frequently referred to as the ‘love hormone’, fosters feelings of attachment and deepens the emotional bond between partners, especially during intimate moments.

Level 2 is the infatuation or romance stage. Infatuation is “foolish” in that we can only see our partner’s light side. We’re in complete denial of their dark side. Early attraction often involves the physical attributes of the potential partner, and include things like outward appearance, body type, interests and personality traits. At this stage, the attraction may not be too “deep” and each half of a couple is generally putting his or her best foot forward.

Stage 3 is the enlightenment or stability level. Couples often go “deeper” in their connection. Trust is stronger and more intimacies may be shared at this next stage as couples take away some of their “best face” and allow themselves to act more naturally and relaxed. As intimacy develops between the two people, more self-disclosure emerges, both verbally and nonverbally as couples act in ways that are more like how they are in their daily life.

Level 4 is the commitment stage. At this stage in a relationship, couples should have a good understanding of their partner’s values, lifestyle, and goals for the future. You’ve learned to love each other by having to like each other. You choose each other consciously.

This week's podcast promo: Watchathon of Rassilon

Disney DREAM Cruise Line Review - 316

Disney Dream cruise of March 3-8, 2024. This is Shawn and Leah's report!

The Disney Dream is a cruise ship operated by Disney Cruise Line, part of The Walt Disney Company. The first of the Dream-class, she is the third ship of the overall fleet, the other four ships in the fleet being the Disney Magic, Disney Wonder, Disney Fantasy, and Disney Wish. She currently sails four-day and five-day cruises to the Bahamas and the Western Caribbean calling at Cozumel and Grand Cayman, as well as Disney's private island Castaway Cay. In May 2023, the Disney Dream sailed across the Atlantic Ocean and began sailings in Europe. She entered service in 2011; her sister ship, Disney Fantasy, was deployed in 2012.

This was Shawn's first ever cruise, and Leah's third Disney cruise. On this episode of the podcast, they give you a day by day breakdown of events. Highlights include: trivia, the food, the people they met, and the weather. The fish extender gift exchange was a fun feature. Derived from the fact that outside every stateroom on a Disney Cruise, there is a fish that is used to hold communications from the ship to you. People started making a pocketed cloth container that hangs from the fish (thus Fish Extender) to collect little gifts from others that were cruising on the ship. Everyone who signs up for the Fish Extender is also volunteering to create or buy a gift for everyone else in the group and leave it in their Fish Extender during the cruise. The gifts can be as simple or as elaborate as you’d like them to be. There are no rules about what the gift has to be.

Shawn and Leah also tell you about the broadway-like events they witnessed. Believe and the Golden Mickeys were great fun! Rum tasting left them tipsy, but happy. Castaway Cay and Grand Cayman Island were beautiful to see. The crystal cave tour was a sight to behold, although the tour felt rushed. Pirate Day, and Marvel Day at Sea were fun to experience.

This week's podcast promos: Modern Musicology, ESO Patreon, Monkeeing Around, Monster Attack, Tales from Hollywoodland