Welcome to a special fall installment of the Real Brian Show! What makes it special, you ask? Well, other than the fact that we have our eye-in-the-sky Green Butterfly gracing us with her presence, we totally nerd out about autumn and Halloween. Traditions, fall favorites, Halloween facts... this episode has it all. We're taking advantage of the themed episode, and our resident Harry Potter expert (ahem GB) to talk about the upcoming Fantastic Beasts film. There's a lot in here, you don't want to miss it!
A co-worker told me recently that he's committed himself to watching 1 Halloween movie every day for the entire month of October. This guy doesn't watch a lot of movies, so it was a surprise to hear that he's undertaking this challenge... but at the same time, I feel like I see as many movies advertised for Halloween as for Christmas. He says that the majority of the movies he's watched so far are what Brian refers to as "Schlock-Horror" (uber B-movies that take themselves too seriously and are poorly acted). Can you find 31 Halloween movies that you'd enjoy watching?
By the way, what qualifies a movie as a Halloween movie? Because it's scary? If that's the case, I know a couple rom-coms that have freaked me out. Because it's in the horror genre? I guess I could get behind that.
My October tradition isn't movies, it's H. P. Lovecraft. Every October I try to read a dozen of Lovecraft's best, since I've made it through them all now... The Lurking Fear is my favorite. I read that one every year, just because. Collapsing Cosmoses is good, too. They're all good, who am I kidding?
Speaking of fall activities, last week I had the privilege of escorting a friend's daughter around Minnesota. She got to experience some genuine autumn activities for the first time! We went to the apple orchard, made apple crisp. We shuffled through leaves and she wore mittens for the first time. It was so cool to see fall through the eyes of someone who never really experienced it first hand before. Fall is my favorite time of year... I love raking leaves and the fact that there are no mosquitoes. Minnesota is definitely one of the best places to be for fall colors. It does get colder here faster than a lot of places, but if you're prepared for it... it's great! I kinda forgot that I'm rather used to it... and my companion was like, 'How do people live here?!'
To each his own, eh?
Do you like a lot of nerdy things, but don’t necessarily consider yourself a nerd? If so, you’ll fit in right here. Some of us nerds, some of us aren’t, but the important thing is where we intersect… because at that intersect is NERD NATION! Captain Influence is back to help Brian break down what it actually means to be a "renaissance nerd".
The Renaissance Nerd. Have you heard us throw this around before? If you've been listening long enough, chances are you have! I've heard Brian use it a lot and though at first it didn't strike me as in a particular way, it's growing on me. In my experience, Renaissance is usually closely followed by the word Festival (which to some is like saying Comic Con, eh?). And it isn't even that I've necessarily had bad experiences at Renaissance Festivals, it's just that I tend to associate them with a very particular kind of person. Not unlike those who attend a comic con!
There's an old saying... "Only those who are inside the convent know what is going on inside." Being a nerd, attending your flavor of festival, is not overtly exclusive. They're actually remarkably inclusive, welcoming anyone who wants to come (with... some exceptions... Brian mentions on the podcast our first foray into podcasting for the TV series "The Flash"). We embrace this idea of a renaissance nerd, acknowledging that we all enjoy nerdy things, but might not necessarily be "nerds". However, some of us are... and it's where these interests overlap that make having this show so much fun. Our variety of guests brings different flavors to the show and we learn all sorts of interesting stuff.
In case you are curious... polymath is the Greek term for someone whose expertise spans a wide variety of topics. Polymath and "universal man" were commonly used... until the Renaissance era came about and due to the cultural explosion that took place during that time, and the likes of Leonardo di Vinci, the term Renaissance Man eventually fell into popular use, but mostly in referring to those who were "gifted" and didn't just enjoy a wide variety of things. But I think that the term still accomplishes what it sets out to do... by the nature of the term nerd (someone who takes a more-than-casual interest in something), we don't just taste hobbies... we devour them. And that inadvertently makes us experts.
Whether you like it or not, you probably fall into this category because you're listening to the show! Do you agree? Leave a comment to join the conversation!
We pull them back because there’s never enough time to get through everything! Welcome back Lord Thunder and Mr. What? to chat about Tesla, new movies and video games!
As Tesla cars are in such high demand, it's always cool to hear someone talk about getting behind the wheel of one for the first time! One of my co-workers has a Tesla and riding in it never disappoints. He's got the full solar hook-ups, as it sounds like Mr. What? is intending on installing, so it basically costs him nothing. He plans trips based on charging stations... and gets around Minneapolis in style!
Despite whatever weird news is circulating about Elon Musk, the Model S is quite the vehicle. High safety ratings, all-time high ranges between charges... sleek design. It is thrusting us into the future in a way I wasn't really expecting. For so long, we all kinda laughed and shrugged about "self-driving cars". How could that be safer than a person? (But, c'mon... are people really all that great?!) The way the future is unfolding is much different than many of us really expected, and it's kind of nice, isn't it? It's nice to be surprised and impressed by technology, as opposed to fearful of it or not excited for it.
Time to get excited people!
Happy October! And welcome back to The Real Brian Show where after over a month, Captain Influence is finally gracing us with his presence... and a full cup of gag-worthy Folgers. But we love him and his silly drink preferences because he brings a fun and energy to rival Brian's! Other than professing our love for this time of year, we dig into some movies, some games, and talk a bit about our observations in watching people {try to} communicate.
Ice cream? Ice cream in October? I drove 2 1/2 hours north yesterday, to spend the rest of the week working from my family's cabin, and it was snowing on the way up. Tornado warnings in Minneapolis, snow 155 miles north. Yessir, this is Minnesota. No, I will not be eating ice cream...
...unless it is served with APPLE CRISP. Yes, this is my favorite time of year because apple orchards and apple crisp.
The key to every apple crisp recipe is - wait for it - the APPLES. They need to be quality apples. Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or freshly-picked apples... they've got to be juicy, a little tart, and nice and firm. (Because, c'mon, no one likes a wimpy apple.) It matters how you handle the apples, too. Getting them as THINLY SLICED as possible makes a huge difference in how the crisp bakes.
If you're doing a large batch of apple crisp, you can sprinkle some lemon juice on the apples to prevent them from browning while you're cutting them all up. But before arranging them in the pan, coating them in a delicious cinnamon spice sauce makes a TON of difference in the final product. This sauce is usually butter and flour with some cinnamon, milk, vanilla and splash of lemon juice (unless the apples have been soaking in lemon, of course).
Then the crumbly mixture that makes a crisp... crispy. Proportions here matter. Having too many apples and not enough crisp is like, "Why am I not just eating an apple?" So after you mix up the crumbler, if it doesn't seem like enough... add more. You won't regret it.
I'll finish off with the ingredients of my favorite apple crisp recipe... but please share your own if you've got one!
| Crumb Mixture | Cinnamon Spice Sauce (filling) |
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| ** Preheat oven to 325... probably AFTER you slice the apples, unless you have some amazing apple cutting skillz 1. Combine crumb mixture with pastry cutter until crumbly. 2. Set aside 3. Peel, slice apples 4. Mix up filling: combine melted butter and flour until well blended. Add lemon juice, milk and vanilla and stir well. Stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. 5. Toss apples in filling sauce until fully coated. 6. Arrange apples in an 8x8 pan 7. Sprinkle crumb mixture over apples 8. Bake for 30-35 minutes 9. EAT IT WHEN IT WON'T BURN YOUR MOUTH OFF! | |