Into It
I am back to tell you all what I am "Into" and what you should try, buy or yell at me for when you take my advice and hate it. Either way, here is a list of the things I really like from this past week. Actually, this past month because I have some leftovers on this list that I use on a regular basis. Let's begin!
Chadd Wright
The real deal. I don't say that often because in a world of celebrity and social media, it's awfully hard to find a pure soul like Chadd. If you want to know what humility, spirituality, grit and kindness is, look no further. He is not just an inspiration but a person you find yourself asking, "what would Chadd say".
Born and raised in the North Georgia mountains, Chadd Wright grew up salt of the Earth but as he became a young man his ambitions grew beyond the bounds of the Appalachian Mountains and he forged a path to the elite US Navy SEALs. His journey, however, was even more of a challenge than the average sailor pursuing the same feat. With the completion of Navy bootcamp and his contact to start his rite of passage as a commando, the physicians found he had a career-limiting cyst on his heart which was not life threatening but eliminated the hopes of becoming elite.
For most, that would be it and a lifelong dream would stay that; a dream. But not Chadd. In fact, he left the Navy, had heart surgery, came back to the Navy and reentered the program. (Trust me, as someone who has experience, that alone is damn near impossible).
Chadd did become a SEAL and a highly decorated one, in fact. Along the way he grew to be a very spiritual individual from a few, almost supernatural experiences. But the challenges of war and life as a SEAL were not the only ones. Getting out of the community was much harder than he expected and from there he found a new mission and grew even more as a human.
Chadd Wright is an elite ultramarathon runner with world records under his belt with almost no experience in the sport. His attitude of kindness, hope, wisdom and humility is infectious and there is so much to learn from Chadd. And he's only 33 years old.
Check him out on the various podcasts like The School of Greatness and how I found him on The Rich Roll Podcast.
Parallels Toolbox
As someone who is getting back into doing a full multimedia site again with video and podcasting, easy tools are vital. Yes, I am almost 100% Mac and yes, life on this platform is already easy for content creators. BUT! I am pretty thick when it comes to a lot of this, even after years making stupid videos. When people ask if I code, I have been known to respond "10-4?".
But thanks to the world of YouTube, you too can learn almost anything and I found a quick and simple solution to add video clips and audio clips to my videos from any source without fake popup claims my Adobe Flash needs to be downloaded. (Don't ask)
This simple download is $20 from their site and it does a lot more than capture media on various platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Vimeo, etc. It navigates easier ways on podcast, adds different modes for when you are flying or working offline, record screens, add screens and so much more. It's a game changer and it saved me from tossing this Mac out the window on multiple occasions.
You can checkout this video and download from here!
Bill Oakley Instagram
Hey! Do you follow Bill Oakley on Instagram? No? Well, you should.
I have been a longtime fan of Bill as a writer and producer for his work on Futurama, Mission Hill, Portlandia and of course, The Simpsons. But semi-recently, he has been flung from his writing desk and into the social media spotlight as a fast-food guru with his genius 59-second reviews on all things drive-thru.If you ever wondered which chicken sandwich is the best, your question will now have an answer. And he is a mandatory follow.
Each one of these videos is masterfully edited with witty dialogue and honest reviews, mostly from the comfort of his car. His choices in music to accompany said reviews are absolutely spot on and if you watch them as many times as I have, it's impossible to eat at Five Guys without humming Bon Jovi.
The reviews are mostly limited time items or recently released so if you are looking for run of the mill takes, there are many many many many many many other videos for you to chose from. Bill Oakley is for adventure so you know what you are getting into.
If you don't have Instagram, no worries. He archives them on his YouTube channel as well and if you want to cut to the chase even more, he has the annual "Best of" called the "Steamie Awards" based off his creation of the Simpson classic, Steamed Hams.
Check him out here or subscribe to his Instagram channel.
Nerd Lunch: Star Wars Drill Down (The End)
This one is a little bittersweet. I have long considered the Nerd Lunch's panel of the three Trilogies (and the other ones), some of the best discussions of Star Wars. I found myself looking forward to this podcast banter more than the film releases themselves. It's kind of lightening in a bottle to find the right people to make this Nerd Lunch Fourth Chair Army a success year after year.
This particular episode features all the veterans of the Star Wars Drill Downs and while this is the last, it certainly wasn't the least. It was a well thought and witty take on a very divisive film. But the magic of Nerd Lunch, all opinions are considered and respected so in this current period of silliness, it is nice to indulge in smart dialogue.
I have covered the Nerd Lunch Star Wars Drill Downs on The Casserole before and you can find them in the archives. For this final episode covering The Rise of Skywalker, you can find it here.
Thank you Carlin, Pax, Jeeg, Kay and Michael for the journey! May the Force be with you....always.
Well, that's it for "Into It" for the past week. I have a few more to add before the week is over. I've been working almost 12-14 hours a day so time has been a little sparse. Be prepared for more random things that brings me joy soon.
Be well and be kind!