juliabarton

Happy Russians? Yes, I met some. For that reason alone, you'll want to listen. But if it helps, one of them was the Russian mystery writer and all-around mensch Boris Akunin. Hear how graciously he speaks at -20C. I could say more but let's just pause while you click play.

Ever feel like you're on a never-ending carousel of dish-loading and pot-scrubbing? Rhetorical question! The carousel in this podcast is a special form of drudgery perfected in Russia--that of riding a bus from one voting precinct to the next, stuffing ballots. At least there's vodka involved, according to an excellent report from Russian journalist who rode along. I Google-translate and mangle his account. And I reveal the nine-minute reason why I went to Nashville in DTFD 11. Hop on board the podcast that leaves you right where you started, plus dizzy.

Julia peels a peck of dessicated vegetables while exploring her genuine appreciation for Australia's horrible history. And she grooves on the recent words of some public radio iconoclasts, though they have nothing to say about Australia. Furthermore, excuse me, but in WORLD EXCLUSIVE this podcast reveals the inner workings of a shadowy organization known only to outsiders as the Oberlin Mafia. Sprouts, look alive!

Yes, I'm a landlubber. Dragged onto a boat, I apparently survive, camp in the woods, and learn to respect the moose. Though you know what moose have for every moose meal? The bacteria growing in their gut. I cut that fun fact from the podcast. But now you know. DTFD invites you to dine with us.

Your podcastess not only travels into the future (i.e., Nashville), but also does the dishes while explaining certain, um, recurrent aspects of her, um, life*. Also: the first-ever DTFD contest! Guess the correct answer to the impossibly hard and poorly-posed question within and WIN a free scrubby-sponge.** *Euphemism. **Certain restrictions apply. See podcast for details.

Summertime and the dishes are heavy. Also heavy are mysterious boxes that arrive from the distant past. We open them, as well as some gems from the late Cold War era. As George Clinton asks: sleigh bells ring, are you listening? If you are, give me five stars on iTunes, damn ya!

Julia goes to Russia! And survives to do the dishes. DTFD features tape of my wind-screen-free tour around Saint Petersburg during one crazy Friday. (Listening to DTFD 8 first will cut down on confusion here). Peter, my guide, and I bike through corners of the magnificent city while exploring such questions as: Whither Russia in 1849? Or now? What's the difference? Meanwhile, the only story of importance to my three-year-old is how Mommy got that blister on her foot.

Before Julia embarks on an adventure abroad, there are so many dishes to be done. Also, contemplating of more hapless utopians and a Tsar who didn't mess around when it came to mock executions. Finally, your host indulges in a satisfying rant about American ignorance of the Soviet Union or Russia or whatever those places are called.

At the end of my podcast-a-day marathon, I fall into an extended one-sided dialogue with podcasting bad boy Marc Maron. And against the advice of my nonexistent attorney, I tell the abridged story of Christian Science Mother Mary Baker Eddy and dip into this lo-fi version of her life.

I reveal the secret aggression pact among former Axis powers to flood the world with plastic toys. And I smack down a dead amateur historian for not cleaning up his horrible mess.

Julia gets tired of the sound of her own voice, so turns it over to historian Michael Phillips, but spends half the podcast setting that up while clearing out the sink. Also, extra-ultra conservative Dallasite Dan Smoot gets clocked by Erykah Badu. Because that's what I want.

Parallel tracks: sorting through bills in the basement, and remembering French utopian failures in Texas. Who can resist such a fatal and futile combination? Also, GVB blends surprisingly well with Grover. Podcast: it's what's for dinner, in hell.

In which we take a break from (podcasting) ordinary scullery work and make soup with a very nice boy.

DTFD hits its stride! The dishes are done quickly, but toddler anxieties do interrupt deep thoughts on 150-year-old Bengali poets.

I just became virtual friends with Love and Radio producer Nick van der Kolk, and found him wondering (virtually) why there are so few podcasts by women in public radio. I can't answer for the other ladies, but for me, it's because I'm doing the dishes. Of course, men do the dishes, too. Sometimes. But so as not to seem like a slacker, I've decided to podcast WHILE doing the dishes. Now I'm no longer muttering to myself in the kitchen, I am Podcasting.