Kinda Don't Give A ....

I find myself doing a lot of k's in the car lately. To and from my work... but also driving my boys to and from their work! (guess I'm just making up for all the sports I DIDN'T drive them to!)

I've become reacquainted with podcasts which have evolved considerably in the last 5 years.

Seriously, if you aren't subscribing to podcasts now, check your phone. It's that Podcast Icon that's been on your last 3 phones but you tucked it away into that folder with the stock market app and the compass. (Really? A compass?)

'S*Town' is like the rock star of Podcasts and broke a heap of download records for good reason. It's a brilliant 'true crime' story that will suck you right into the dark world of genius-madmen-redneck-clockmakers from Alabama - and I know you've always wanted to go there.

But if you want to sit passively in a room while eloquent and interesting grown ups have a thought provoking and often challenging conversation, I love Russell Brand's 'Under The Skin' series.

I have also been smashing audio books. Audible is a great app but there are others. I'm in radio, so I have to get over the constant director in my head that wishes to ask the voice over artist to 'pick up that line again. Come down on that last word and give me a pause before that coma.'

Because those guys and girls are amazing voice artists. They have to sell a story that's 5 to 15 hours long! So - shout out to them.

I'm always slow to the game for books. Never cared to pick up a copy of the latest best seller. I'll queue up for a midnight screening of a Star Wars movie, but I'm not counting down the days til the next Dan Brown hits the shelves.

But in the last year, I've read / had read to me / consumed more 'new' AUDIO books than ever before. I've also jumped into non-fiction to expand my brain. And I've experienced one of my greatest reads with one of my favourite people... The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy - as read by Stephen Fry. That, my friend, is something you must do before the planet gets destroyed by a Vogon Construction Fleet to make way for a hyperspace bypass.

This week, I started on a book title that's no doubt popped up into your social network filter bubble... The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*CK by Mark Manson. Released in late 2016, it really took off last year and has remained on the best seller lists ever since.

They say half of the job of selling a book is coming up with a catchy title.... Well, TICK there!

It's a cracking read / listen, and perfect for anyone who has either been dissatisfied with uber-positive-improve-your-shitty-life-in-10-easy-steps crap, people who don't believe in uber-positive-improve-your-shitty-life-in-10-easy-steps crap, or indeed, those that already have an unhealthy collection of uber-positive-improve-your-shitty-life-in-10-easy-steps crap.

Manson calls bullshit on false positivity and our preoccupation with other people's expectations. However, it's not a guide to being indifferent, inconsiderate and anti social. Far from it. By learning how to give no F**ks, Manson reckons, you figure out what is actually worth giving a F**K about. It's funny, insightful and contains a surprising amount of psychology and philosophy for the human condition we all find ourselves in. It is NOT A NOVELTY BOOK. You will get something out of it guaranteed.

So listen to some podcasts, go for some long drives, long walks or absorb them on your next workout. But do keep an eye out for the audio book of The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F**K which is voiced spectacularly well by Roger Wayne. Or, you know, get the oldskool paperback version of the book and be a purist. I don't give a fuck.