Men in Gorilla Suits
Men in Gorilla Suits Ep. 152: Last Seen…On Vacation

A woman splashed by ocean waves - Men in Gorilla Suits Ep. 152: Last Seen…On VacationNo, the title of this episode doesn't mean the Gorillamen have bolted into the trees to take a vacation hiatus from the podcast (although Christopher is taking his last vacation day of the year as this week's episode is being put together). With so many people taking time off at the end of the year, we decided to dedicate an episode to taking vacations.

* * *

We begin with our earliest memories of vacations and where we went (and what we did), and then we define what constitutes a vacation in our minds. After that, we discuss our best -- and worst -- vacations.

When people think "vacation," they often think of exotic locations that cost a bit of money for the trip. But can you take a vacation when you don't have much money?

We are connected more than ever, and that can mean an issue when announcing you are taking a vacation in certain areas. People you may know, there, want to see you, but all you want is to get away from it all and spend time alone, with your significant other, or your family. How do we deal with this situation? Find out!

Some people love taking vacations with family and friends, while others like keeping it to a significant other or immediate family. Find out if we like vacations with a group of friends and family, or just with our wives. Also find out where we like to go on vacation: beaches, exotic locations, cities, or the middle of nowhere.

Solo travel can be a wonderful thing. We chat about whether or not we've taken a vacation with nobody else...and then we talk about a growing issue with vacation: being constantly connected. With it being the end of the year, many workaholics are using up the vacation time they didn't take during the year. We know people planning to work at least a little bit over their vacations or, at the very least, keeping up with email daily. (How that isn't work is beyond us.) Is the actual getaway vacation a thing of the past when living in an always-connected society?

Traveling can be expensive, and sometimes when you finally get a break from work or the busy pace of life, the last thing you want to do is manage an itinerary and still have a schedule shoved in your face. Many people opt for a "staycation" when they have time off work. Is the staycation a valid vacation and, if so, do we like them?

The world is a big, wonderful place, but there are still dangerous places out there. Find out if there are places we'd love to see, but are afraid to visit -- and then find out what our dream vacations are.

We wrap up this week's episode by discussing our next planned vacations.

Have you had a wonderful vacation you'd love to chat about (or a tale of a vacation gone wrong)? Tell us about it in the comments!

Direct download: migs152.mp3
Category:Pop Culture -- posted at: 10:51am CDT

Men in Gorilla Suits Ep. 151: Last Seen…Using Social Media

Various social media icons - Men in Gorilla Suits Ep. 151: Last Seen…Using Social MediaIf stats for Men in Gorilla Suits tell us anything, it's that many of you are reminded about new episodes through social media.

Chances are, your parents and even grandparents are on Facebook. Once "the next big thing hits," and is proclaimed the killer of the previous network or app, something new comes along to take its place.

Our desire to communicate in short bits of information seems to know no boundaries. Social media now drives revolutions and political campaigns. It's a way to stay in touch with people all over the world or sell the things you make. What was once seen as a risk by companies is now an asset.

But it's not all a wonderful thing. Some studies show that social media makes many people feel bad. Despite being connected in ways we never imagined, it leaves many feeling more lonely than ever. But is that the fault of the social networks, or the person using them?

It's a topic that interests us enough that when Shawn pitched this show, Christopher thought, "We've done that one already..."

But we haven't (we just talk about social media a lot). So, finally, it's a show dedicated to social media.

* * *

We kick it off talking about the first social media platforms we ever used -- going as far as why we joined the particular site. Then we chat about Facebook: when and why we joined.

Many people use social media to stay in touch with friends. We chat about which friends we stay in touch with through social media, and then talk about whether or not we have friends who refuse to use social networks.

It seems with each new network that a lot of hype surrounds the launch of new things. Does social media live up to its hype?

There are people (like Christopher) who tire of it all and take breaks. We discuss how often we take social media breaks, going as far as covering if there are some networks we avoid more than others. But even those taking breaks return: we talk about why that is.

Like it or not, social media is part of life. We chat about how life would be different without it, and then jump to the goofiest -- and best -- uses for social media we've seen. We also talk about the most annoying, tone-deaf use for social media.

We wrap it all up as we often do, talking about the future -- this time, the future of social media.

Comments are just another form of social media, and we'd love to hear what you think about it all in the comments for this episode.

Direct download: migs151.mp3
Category:Pop Culture -- posted at: 8:38am CDT

Men in Gorilla Suits Ep. 150: Last Seen…Creating a Body of Work

Pile of cut logs - Men in Gorilla Suits Ep. 150: Last Seen…Creating a Body of WorkWhen we look at something big, our minds are conditioned to say, "Damn, that's big!" Many people will never look at something big and see all the tiny pieces that make up the big thing. Because of that, it seems some people think creating substantial things is beyond them. For every thousand people who say, "Someday I'll finally write the best selling novel I know I have in me," is a person who probably actually does have it in them, but believes it's simply beyond them for a variety of reasons.

  • "I don't know how to start..."
  • "I don't have that kind of luck..."
  • And the biggie: "I don't have the time..."

There are busy writers people look up to who shoot for 250 words a day. Over the course of a year, they have a novel. Inside a couple years, they have a body of work.

But not everything takes as long as a novel. A handful of paintings for a gallery show can be a body of work. Sure, we may not see all the paintings and sketches that got the artist to that point in what they do, but even those sketches in a pile compose a body of work.

With podcasting, one might hear that 7 is a magic number -- that if someone hit 7 shows, they will probably hit 20 or 25. Some shows have an arc that ends, and some are open. Some people have recorded thousands of episodes. We've recorded 150 episodes, which is enough that we decided -- in celebration -- to make our 150th episode all about what goes into a body of work.

* * *

We kick off the episode talking about the first body of work we ever created and quickly jump to what we think is the most impressive body of work ever created. Next, we discuss which body of work we've created that is our favorite -- and our favorite body of work produced by another person. What makes up a body of work -- how big does something have to be? We chat about that, as well as the benefits of producing a body of work.

The world is full of people who want to make things, but don't. We devote some time to why we think some people have a hard time creating a body of work -- and offer advice about how to get started.

Recurring elements appear in most bodies of work. We talk about how important consistency of theme is in creating a lasting body of work, and then chat about the strangest body of work we've ever seen.

After that, we hop into our imaginary time machines to discuss who we'd go back in time to watch work if we could, and we wrap it all up by discussing the next bodies of work we plan on making.

We'd love to hear about what you've made in the comments. (Feel free to link to stuff -- we love seeing what others are up to.)

Direct download: migs150.mp3
Category:Pop Culture -- posted at: 2:52pm CDT

Men in Gorilla Suits Ep. 149: Last Seen…Being Collegiate

College footbal team from early 1900s - Men in Gorilla Suits Ep. 149: Last Seen…Being CollegiateFrom a young age, many of us are primed to believe that college is a thing that will happen after high school. Despite the staggering debt many carry after graduating college, you are more likely to earn more over your lifetime with a college degree. At the same time, many of the wealthiest people out there have dropped out of college or never attended at all. Some have such fond memories of college that they have a hard time leaving it behind, going to their graves die-hard fans of their old school's sports teams and towns; others have no problem leaving it all behind.

We've spent our time in colleges, so we decided to dedicate this week's show to college.

* * *

We begin by talking about where we went to college and when we started. After that, we discuss the major social movements at the colleges we attended.

Find out if we ever lived on campus and how much what jobs we held while attending college. Also find out how many different colleges we attended.

We then chat about all our different majors and why we chose them (and changed them). Next, we talk about how long we attended college -- and whether or not we graduated.

A college degree is the thing many of us are told, from a young age, is the only thing that can lead to success. But is that really true? We then devote some time to whether or not our degree/lack of degree has helped or harmed out careers and also talk about whether or not college is even a necessity?

Before wrapping the episode up, we cover our best -- and worst -- college memories. Finally, find out what we'd do differently if we had our college years to do all over again.

Whether you've been to college or not, feel free to chime in in the comments.

Direct download: migs149.mp3
Category:Pop Culture -- posted at: 4:00pm CDT

Men in Gorilla Suits Ep. 148: Last Seen…Changing Lives

A person standing on a mountaintop - Men in Gorilla Suits Ep. 148: Last Seen…Changing LivesFor some, it comes as an epiphany: just like that, their lives are changed forever. For others, it can be triggered by a place or event. For most of us, it comes slowly, but it happens to all of us at some point.

Our lives change.

We hope it's from something wonderful, like in the movies. In a flash, everything is wonderful and makes sense forever. It's long been the stuff of entertainment, the promise that we matter and that life is wonderful. But for most of us, it comes through harder things: a life-threatening illness, or the sudden loss of a loved one.

Life changes, and that's what we're talking about this week.

* * *

We begin by talking about the first time we felt like we experienced a life-changing event, and then we jump to the age we feel most people experience the most change in life. After that we discuss whether or not we stop having life-changing events by the time we reach adulthood, or if that's when we're most likely to have them.

Next, we chat about the biggest life-changing events in our lives and the effect they had on us. Find out if we've ever changed somebody else's life, and which books, movies, or other things have affected us deeply. Then we get specific and talk about some other bigger life-changing events in our lives.

We devote some time to whether or not the relative safety of suburban existence creates more or fewer life-changing events, and then talk about bucket lists: are they all they're cracked up to be?

Some people fear the changes we go through as we age. We discuss whether or not we fear the future, and if we believe that life changes when we reach milestone ages in life.

We close it all out with the life-changing events we haven't experienced that we hope to experience sometime in the future.

How has your life changed? Feel free to discuss it in the comments.

Direct download: migs148.mp3
Category:Pop Culture -- posted at: 4:32am CDT

Men in Gorilla Suits Ep. 147: Last Seen…Procrastinating

Lazt view of feet while lying down in a park - Men in Gorilla Suits Ep. 147: Last Seen…ProcrastinatingWhen we started Men in Gorilla Suits, we made an agreement to post episodes on Thursdays. It works out that we usually post on Wednesdays, though...with the rare Thursday posting.

With a holiday week in the states, we're posting on a Tuesday. It is not wasted on us that there's a certain humor in us posting an episode about procrastination two days early.

* * *

We begin this episode talking about if we are (or have ever been) procrastinators. After that [spoiler alert] we discuss the reasons we procrastinate -- going as far as chatting about the worst thing we've put off for later.

If you listen that far into the episode, you'll know we see strength in proper procrastination. We devote some time to when procrastination has been the best course of action in our lives before talking about the last thing we put off.

If you've ever wondered, "Who is the worst procrastinator the Gorilla Men know?" -- we answer that question. We also answer this one: "Why do humans procrastinate?"

We close out the episode discussing whether or not procrastination is generally a good or bad thing.

As always, the comments section awaits your feedback; you know, whenever you get around to it...

Direct download: migs147.mp3
Category:Pop Culture -- posted at: 3:32pm CDT

Men in Gorilla Suits Ep. 146: Last Seen…Being Powerful

The power we wield because of this podcast is staggering. We stand like two gods above the masses, our voices swaying your every thought!

Okay, so not really to any of that. We're just two guys with a podcast. (No one's ever done that before!) Some might say the listeners hold power over us; that if you didn't listen, we would have nothing. (Of course, if you listen regularly, you know we'd do this even if no one showed up. This podcast is simply about a good friendship, which -- to us -- is one of the most powerful things out there. We're like My Little Pony, without all the colors and cutie marks...although we both have tattoos (Shawn far outnumbering Christopher...we might even talk about that in this episode...we record often enough that it all kind of runs together. Sometime, recently, we talked about tattoos.))

Anyway...this week is the power-talk mashup. We talk about power as a thing many crave, but we also talk about power as physical strength and even pure energy. You even get to hear tales of minor (and not so minor) electrocutions. (Self inflicted, at that! We never claimed the power of intelligence, but where the power of curiosity lies, we are thunder!)

Christopher loved that damn game...

* * *

We begin this episode with our first memories of something powerful...and then go right into whether or not we crave power. After that, we talk about how we deal with powerful people.

Then we hop into time machines and discuss what act of power in history we would love to go back to witness. Want to find out the most powerful things we've ever done? We cover that before sharing stories of our [stupid] encounters with electricity. (If nothing else, our heads seem fairly impervious to electric shocks. But not really. And those shocks so close to our brains might explain a thing or two about the show.)

Find out not only what super powers we'd love to have, but why we'd choose them. And then we throw out another random power topic: what's the most powerful animal? We also share when we feel our most powerful.

We get a little serious and talk about how much a problem the abuse of power is in society...and the best ways to prevent those abuses. And we wrap it all up with how power of all sorts will change in the future.

You have power of your own in the comments if you so choose to make that power known...

 

Direct download: migs146.mp3
Category:Pop Culture -- posted at: 10:55pm CDT

Men in Gorilla Suits Ep. 145: Last Seen…Being Philosophical

How do you know you're really reading this right now? (We mean, other than you are sitting there reading and comprehending it.) So scratch that opening -- that kind of thing is not what we're into when talking about more philosophical things. We understand that at some point, many of those kinds of questions needed to be asked, but...that's not the kind of philosophy we're chatting about this week.

Every week, we drag philosophy into the show...even when dedicating an hour [and a special added interview with Christopher's mom] about poop! But it's not philosophy in the way you remember it in high school or college. Chances are, you have been philosophical about something today. And you will be tomorrow. So...we decided to finally dedicate an entire show to philosophy!

* * *

We begin by talking about the first time we were aware that there were different schools of thought in life, and then we jump right to what "philosophy" means to us. After that, we discuss the major school of philosophy we most -- and least -- identify with.

Some people consider religion and philosophy separate things (funny thing, semantics). Find out if we believe that, or if we think religions are just other philosophies. Then we chat about whether or not a philosophy can become a religion (and how it happens).

We tackle whether or not philosophy is a scalable thing (or if it's meant to be personal), before moving on to what personal codes we live by. Next, we talk about which or our core tenets have changed as we've moved through life...and which have remained the same.

As we near the end of the episode, we discuss whether or not we've taken any formal philosophy classes (and if they helped in some aspect of our lives), and then we wrap it all up with this question: "Is philosophy still relevant in today's society?"

We'd love to hear your philosophical thoughts in the comments.

Direct download: migs145.mp3
Category:Pop Culture -- posted at: 9:05am CDT

Men in Gorilla Suits Ep. 144: Last Seen…Talking about Tools

These are just some of the tools we use to create an episode of Men in Gorilla Suits:

  • Our brains
  • Smartphones
  • Web-based email
  • Cars
  • 2 Audio Technica ATR-2100 microphones
  • 2 Gator Frameworks tabletop boom mic stands
  • Zoom H6 digital recorder
  • Computers
  • The World Wide Web
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • morguefile.com or unsplash.com (for images)
  • Skype (on occasion -- like this episode)
  • Audacity
  • Auphonic
  • This website
  • Libsyn

Tools can be as complex as the International Space Station or as simple as a stick used to dig holes or defend yourself. What some deem as tools, others claim are something else. (Are our brains really tools?) But there's not a person alive who won't use a tool of some sort today. So...we decided to dedicate an entire episode to the things that make life a little better.

* * *

We begin this week's episode talking about the first tool we remember seeing, and then...the first tool we ever used that helped define who we are.

After that, we discuss a tool we regularly use that many might not consider a tool. Next, it's back to school, where we ask if the use of traditional tools was taught to us at any point during our educations.

Most people associate tools with work. We dedicate some time to talking about working jobs where we've used what most would consider traditional tools, and then we jump to the one tool we cannot live without.

We constantly find new ways of doing things, and that usually involves new tools. We talk about some recent tools we've incorporated into our lives in recent years before chatting about the most badass, tough tool we've ever used.

It's not uncommon to use tools to make new tools to fit one's needs. Find out if we've ever invented or repurposed tools for other things, and also listen to us discuss out favorite tools of the trade. After that, it's on to the one tool we do not own that we'd love to have in our possession.

We close out this week's episode talking about the future. (Big surprise, huh?) Find out if we think humans will use more tools -- or fewer tools -- in the future.

And please consider the comments section your tool for telling us what you think about this episode.

Direct download: migs144.mp3
Category:Pop Culture -- posted at: 7:14am CDT

Men in Gorilla Suits Ep. 143: Last Seen…Talking about Pets

We can't think of one person we know who didn't grow up with a pet of some kind. Whether a dog or a cat, fish, or something exotic, some of our earliest friendships are with animals. For many of us, we learned about the pain of death from losing a pet. Some of you are probably reading this with a pet in the room -- maybe even on your lap.

Scroll down on our About page and you'll see photos of Shawn's dogs -- we consider them part of the podcast crew.

It's about time we finally talked about pets!

* * *

We begin by talking about the first pets we remember having, and then jump to the first pet that was considered our own. Next, we discuss not only how many pets we've had, but we devote some time to the first pet we had that died.

We chat about our last/current pets before talking about whether we prefer dogs, cats, or something else entirely.

It's no secret that Shawn has a tiny Wolfpack living in his home while Christopher currently has no pets. We discuss why we have/don't have pets before talking about which we find easiest to relate to: pets or people?

We round out this episode sharing our favorite story about one of our pets and what kind of pet we'd have if we could have any kind of animal we wanted.

Definitely feel free to share a favorite pet story in the comments...hell, even links to photos!

Direct download: migs143.mp3
Category:Pop Culture -- posted at: 6:36am CDT