Episode 13 Posted: Bikes, Bikes, Bikes!

We here at The Casual Geographer loves ourselves some Earth. Trust us, if any extraterrestrial force showed up and put it in danger, there's little question how we'd react. Anyway, as it turns out, it's no secret that a number of terrestrial forces have been chipping away at our fine planet for a long time. Take a good look at the Hollywood sign if you're in South Central LA. We'll wait. Oh, you can't see it? That's a bummer.

The automobile's a great invention, no doubt. It compressed space and time and made it possible to travel great distances around this world that Will Smith loved enough to punch an alien in face over. But, there's no denying that cars have unleashed a giant smoggy ghost over many of our major cities and have been bending the international weather patterns and such. (If you are a crazy person who denies human-made climate change, please comment. We could use the entertainment! Just, please check your spelling.)

ANYWAY, now that inflation has dropkicked our wallets in the face with gasoline prices hovering well above $4 per gallon in many places around the US, many people have taken to the buses (good idea!) and their own bikes (even cheaper!) to get from point A to point B. Lest we forget all of the people who enjoy pulling the two wheels out of the garage on weekends for recreation and a quality workout. This episode is for those people!

Tyler, Bret, and (eventually) Abel talk about their own experiences as cyclists in and out of the SoCal area, as well as tips for how to build your own bikes, protect those bikes, and ultimately yourself when out for a spin. Listen here or on itunes, and hope you enjoy it, no matter how shackled you are to your car!


And because (again) we love you, here's a Long Beach bike map by our very own Bret!

Produced by Tyler S. for TDC Productions
Theme Song: "The Face of the Earth" by The Dismemberment Plan
Other Music Included:
The Vandals - "OK"
The Lovin' Spoonful - "Summer in the City"
This Bike is a Pipe Bomb - "The Black Panther Song"
The Descendents - "Bikeage" (you think we couldn't play this?)

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Episode 12 Posted - "Live from CGS" or "Davis Rock City"

We couldn't decide which title I liked more, and to be honest, there's a huge amount of time to write this week's spiel unfortunately. But what we will say is that the 66th Annual California Geographical Society meeting was a blast this past weekend. Memories, networking, and geospatial things and cultural scientific...stuff galore. Bret and Tyler piled into a hatchback (as you'll hear them whine about in the episode) and drove the many hours up to the serene NorCal burg of Davis for the meeting, and got the chance to record a few choice convos with a few conference VIPs. Dig in right here, and of course, who could forget the obligatory iTunes link (you should subscribe, you know).


SEGMENT BREAKDOWN, BECAUSE WE LOVE YOU.

1. Bret loves his CA Pistachios, and he reads why on the back of the bag.
2. Bret, Tyler, and their erstwhile companions Kat and Inky (David, according to the IRS) say hello from scorched desert on the way back down to SoCal.
3. SONG: el Trono de Judas - "Txoko Bizirik!"
4. Bret and Tyler interview Anita, a proud Basque-American from NorNev (Northern Nevada...I'm never going to use that shorthand again) about her research about the Basque People's history and current places in the United States. Interesgarri!
5. SONG: La Polla Records - "Revolucion"
6. Bret and Tyler chat with the righte honourable Dr. Steve Graves, the organizer of the feast, aka this year's CGS President about the conference and his own recent research. Spoiler: it involves weed.
7. SONG: Tad - "Just Bought the Farm"
8. "The Arctic Circle Circle" - Tyler sits down with David and Ashley, both of the CSU system and quite knowledgeable about that area in the great white north that some countries are totally gonna be fighting over in a few years or something.
9. SONG: Tortoise - "Glass Museum"
10. Bret and Tyler chat with Dr. Ray Sumner about her chance visit to the world's most freakishly environmentally sustainable university in the self-named Kaust, Saudi Arabia. 
11. SONG: Artie Shaw - "April in My Heart"
12. We say goodbye. Tear.

How awesome does this episode sound, seriously? If you aren't already jamming this one in your ears now, we don't know what to tell you. Actually, we do. You should listen, because we had fun and maybe you'll have fun listening to the sounds of it, and perhaps learn something.

Produced by Tyler S. for TDC Productions
Theme Song: "The Face of the Earth" by The Dismemberment Plan
Other Music Included:
See the breakdown above, since they were appropriate to their segments (generally).

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And (for the last time, because the show is tonight), if you're in the area, come to our first Comedy Showcase! 8pm @ Pizza Pi, $7 Suggested Donation, all going to benefit the CSU Long Beach Geography Student Association. It's going to be a blast. Flyer with more details here.

Episode 11 Posted - HAWAI'I

Hey, Casually Geographically-minded people, We hope that your weekend was casual and awesome. Ours was more of the latter than the former, we took a road trip up to Davis for the 66th Annual California Geographical Society Conference. What a good time! And of course we brought along our equipment and did a few interviews with approximately 1/115th of the Geographers in attendance, which was all we really had time or resources for. But make sure to tune in Tuesday morning! This also (kind of) excuses our tardiness in posting last week's episode on the blog, as we will do starting... now:

This (last) week, we did an episode about the former Island Nation, now United State, Hawaii (which some may spell and pronounce Hawai'i, correctly I suppose). Our good friend Mystyn, a veteran of life on Hawaii's big island (commonly known as...Hawaii) came on board and shared some of her memories, perspectives, and unique experience of life in and around the city of Hilo.

Per usual, we wove some Hawai'ian-centric tunes in, and we took a good look at US's best state that's also an archipelago (by far). We hope that you enjoy it! And while we went the entire episode without saying it, I will write it now, with our best wishes: Aloha.
Listen right here or on itunes! Boom.

Produced by Tyler S. for TDC Productions
Theme Song: "The Face of the Earth" by The Dismemberment Plan
Other Music Included:
Belle & Sebastian - "Judy and the Dream of Horses"
Israel Kamakawiwoʻole - "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"
Cringer - "If I Had your Pen"
Israel Kamakawiwoʻole - Clip from Final Performance

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The Casual Geographer are teaming up with various geographers at Cal State to bring an awesome comedy show/benefit to Downtown Long Beach on May 3rd! Check out the fb event here, mark your calendar, and pass it around.

A Special Announcement Mini-Episode to Hold You Kids Over.

Also, come to our show on May 3rd! You will laugh, and (if you're of age) drink good beer, and laugh some more. Join the event on Facebook right here!

Episode 10 Posted: EASTER ISLAND!

To be honest, the fact that we aired this topic two days after Easter Sunday was a complete coincidence. Our friend Molan, seen to the right in this nifty photo she took last summer after journeying 17 hours to get to Rapa Nui, was doing a heady amount of research in remote sensing and spatial techniques on the island. Make no mistake: this is one of the most remote settled places on earth, right up there with Saint Helena and Tristan de Cunha (but they're both in the Atlantic, so screw those places, right?)

Easter Island is best known for its iconic mo'ai statues. But many people don't know what their story is, really. Another thing people don't know about Rapa Nui/Isla de Pascua is the wide swath of stone circles that have lasted hundreds, maybe thousands of years. Molan does, which is why she's on this episode to talk about her experiences, and I'm going to shut up now.

Listen right here or on itunes! Boom.



Produced by Tyler S. for TDC Productions
Theme Song: "The Face of the Earth" by The Dismemberment Plan
Other Music Included:
Andrew Jackson Jihad - "Sense, Sensibility"
The Weepies - "Antarctica"
Matato'a - "Here Ma'Ohi"
Modest Mouse - "3rd Planet"

And be a mensch and add THE CASUAL GEOGRAPHER ON...
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The Casual Geographer are teaming up with various geographers at Cal State to bring an awesome comedy show/benefit to Downtown Long Beach on May 3rd! Flyer coming to this site soon, but for now, check out the fb event here, mark your calendar, and pass it around.

New Episode Posted, and Big Benefit Show Coming Soon

Hey, there. We know you're probably thinking about going away this summer or during whatever pockets of it you can escape from amidst the drudgery of your day job or whatever it is that helps you contribute to society. I mean, who wouldn't? Granted, with the economy the way it is now (as in, nobody has the kind of pocket change to get themselves overseas), many people are planning stuff closer to home and domestic.

No matter where you go, though, you have to remember to check for deals early and book early. And no matter who you are going to wherever you're going, mistakes always happen. It's amazing how many little variables we can overlook when trying to save money and trying to make the most out of our spring/summer trips.

That's where Bret and Tyler come in. Two seasoned travelers with more bizarre stories from around the world than could be crammed into one 55-minute episode, they are here to share their own advice for how to best expect the unexpected while you're globetrotting. Because they love you and don't want to have to fly to a Costa Rican prison to come bail you out again.

Enjoy the episode, the intermittent tunes mixed in, and if you do travel soon, remember to pack a towel. They forgot that universal bit of wisdom from Hitchhiker's Guide in this episode. Listen in and look for other mistakes yourself, right here, or on iTunes.



Produced by Tyler S. for TDC Productions
Theme Song: "The Face of the Earth" by The Dismemberment Plan
Other Music Included:
The Arcade Fire - "Neighborhoods #1 (Tunnels)"
Neutral Milk Hotel - "Holland, 1945"
Various works by Artie Shaw

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IN OTHER NEWS, The Casual Geographer are teaming up with various geographers at Cal State to bring an awesome comedy show/benefit to Long Beach on May 3rd! Flyer coming to this site soon, but for now, check out the fb event here, mark your calendar, and feel free to pass it around.

Episode 8: The Geography of Geographer and the Bay Area

Hey, casual (and probably some) serious listeners of the Casual (and somewhat serious) Geographer. This week's episode was special for a number of reasons, the main one being, of course, an appearance by the up-and-coming Bay Area indie rockers Geographer. We couldn't not interview a band with that name. Anyway, they ventured down the Cali Coast on tour with Miniature Tigers and took some time to chat about their name (of course), some tour stories, and how one of them grew up outside of Tokyo and still speaks pretty solid Japanese! You have to listen to find out which one. Though, there are only three of them, so it shouldn't take too long to guess.

It was awesome getting the trio on board, since by the time they hit the stage at the Troubador on Sunday night, the second band on a bill of four, the crowd was already at full capacity and going crazy in anticipation of their set. With lovable indie-pop jams like "Verona" and "Kites" and their new album Myth selling as well as it has been, it shouldn't be long before these dudes are playing to packed houses of pogo-ing fans all over.

In another fortunate turn for this week, the interview with Geographer inspired us to take on The Bay Area as our topic. It's practically impossible to visit San Francisco and not love it (or at least return from there to your less-utopian place of residence without interesting stories about it). We hope you enjoy hearing us go on about the City by the Bay and wondering just why it is the way it is. At least, maybe it will help you better understand why Tony Bennett left his heart there.

Listen right here, or get it on iTunes.



Produced by Tyler S. for TDC Productions
Theme Song: "The Face of the Earth" by The Dismemberment Plan
Other Music Included:
American Music Club - "All the Lost Souls Welcome You to San Francisco"
Red House Painters - "Mistress"
Geographer - "Verona", "Each Others' Ghosts," & "Kaleidoscope"
Moby Grape - "Hey Grandma"
Thee Oh Sees - "Block of Ice"
Jawbreaker - "Accident Prone"

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