This Week's Obsession: I'm a Podcast Freak

Procrastination is a funny thing. I haven't blogged for months and then all of a sudden I have 1,001 things to do and now is when I feel like blogging. So here we are. Buckle up because I'm about to tell you ALL about my podcast addiction.

I'm obsessed with podcasts. (In case you couldn't tell from the title of this post). My obsession started with Serial because I'm a total bandwagoner, but since then I've discovered several more that I absolutely love and you should too, so I'm going to tell you about them.  These are my favorites (in no particular order).

1. This American Life 
Okay so maybe I put my favorite podcast at #1. I love This American Life so much. I love the three act structure they use and the stories they choose to tell are engaging and informative. I also love that the commercials are at the end so you can skip them if you want. New episodes are weekly, usually posted on Sunday. Episodes are generally 1 hour long.

2. Serial
Serial is the podcast that started it all for me. Over the course of 12 episodes it goes over an old murder case that has more than a few weird things happening. I'm not going to say any more in case you are planning on listening to it (which I HIGHLY recommend). New episodes are on the way, (I think the last thing I read was January 2016?) but in the meantime feel free to binge listen to the first season. Episodes are about 1 hour each.

3. TED Radio Hour
I'm a big fan of TED Talks and this podcast picks a theme every week and discusses that theme with TED speakers. The host, Guy Raz is a fantastic interviewer, and it's really fun to get learn about all sorts of things that I would never have know existed. New episodes are weekly, usually posted on Thursday. Episodes are generally 40-50 minutes long.

4. Lore
I found this podcast by accident, but I really like it. Lore is about scary stories and spooky folklore. The host does a really good job and so far the stories are really good and spooky. I've gotten goosebumps more than once while listening. My only complaint is that there is background music that can be distracting. New episodes come out twice per month. Episodes are generally 20-30 minutes long.

5. RadioLab
Similar to This American Life, RadioLab tells really interesting stories, although they usually focus on one story per episode. I love the hosts and they do a really good job with interviews and story telling. New episodes come out about twice per month, sometimes more. Episodes are generally 30 minutes to an hour.

6. 99% Invisible
Really interesting stories and background information about things that you never think about. My favorite episode so far has been about milk carton kids and how that whole phenomenon was started. New episodes come out weekly, usually posted on Tuesday. Episodes are between 20-30 minutes long.

7. Happier 
Hosted by Gretchen Rubin (the author of The Happiness Project) and her sister Elizabeth, this podcast gives you tips and strategies on how to build better habits and ways to be happier. They have lots of good ideas, but my biggest problem with this podcast is that ads are really super annoying. However, I enjoy the podcast enough that I still listen to it anyway. New episodes are posted weekly, usually on Tuesday. Episodes are between 30-40 minutes.

8. Stuff You Should Know
My friend Ashley introduced me to this podcast and I really like it. The hosts take on a different topic each episode and explain how it works and the background/history behind it. The hosts have great chemistry and all the episodes I've listened to are engaging and fun. New episodes are posted about every 5 days but sometimes they're more frequent. Episodes are between 30-50 minutes.

9. StoryCorps
I started listening to this podcast after an episode of the TED Radio Hour where the creator of StoryCorps was interviewed. StoryCorps is a podcast based on interviews recorded by people in StoryCorps booths around the country. They generally focus on a topic each episode and have 1-2 interviews associated with that topic. The interviews range from lighthearted and funny to serious and heartbreaking. New episodes are posted about once a week, but sometimes they're more spread out. Episodes are between 10-20 minutes.

10. Stuff You Missed in History Class
This podcast focuses on more obscure figures in history that you may not know about but still had a significant or interesting contribution to make. One of my favorite things about this podcast is that I learn something new every single time I listen to it. The hosts do a really good job of not being lecture-y and all the stories they pick are really interesting. New episodes are once or twice a week depending. Episodes are between 30-50 minutes.

Anyway, podcasts are the best and I'm always on the hunt for new ones, so if you know of any great podcasts not on my list let me know!

Love, Brontë

Wednesday Confessions

Hey remember when I used to do these? And my last one was in February? Well never fear, Wednesday Confessions are back!

-I've recently developed an obsession with house plants, particularly succulents. I bought myself two small ones, and since then I've read about 30 articles about potting, propagating, and taking care of succulents. I'm worse than a first time parent.
-I bought myself a subscription to National Geographic just so I could get more mail.
-It's my week off and somehow I haven't watched Netflix at all. I'm both shocked and impressed with myself.
-I made banana bread for the first time ever yesterday, and it actually tasted pretty good. Maybe someday I'll achieve Domestic Goddess status.
-I am eternally sick and tired of Marvel movies. I haven't seen any of the sequels or the new Avengers movie, and I don't plan to for a while. I feel like I'm watching the same plot over and over again, just with different characters, and I get SO bored. #unpopularopinion (Sidenote: I started Daredevil on Netflix, and while I did enjoy it, I still haven't finished it and I started watching in April so....)
-I've been hit hard by the wanderlust again, and I have a trip to Morocco almost completely planned out for next May after I graduate. The only question will be whether or not I will actually be able to fund it. Stay tuned.
-I actually love 80-90 degree weather, so this week has been BLISS.

Love, Brontë

Apologies and a Promise to Be Better

I would be 0% surprised if nobody even checks this blog anymore. I haven't written since February and I have a new URL that I told nobody about, so even if you did want to read it you wouldn't have been able to find it! I fully intended to write a post right after I changed it..... Aaaand then I didn't. It's not even that I didn't have anything to blog about, I just could not bring myself to sit down and actually do it for some reason. 

But. 

I'm very sorry, and I'm turning over a new leaf. There are actually lots of exciting things happening in my life right now, and I want to keep track of them, and because I'm only slightly better at blogging than journaling, so we're going to give this another shot, and I will try my very hardest to blog more consistently. 

Are we good? 

Good. 

Look for a post later this week that's actually interesting. 

Love, Brontë  

P.S. The new URL is life-out-of-frame.blogspot.com in case you missed it. 

Love Is...

Image via

Surprise! I wrote a Valentine's Day post. I would have posted it on Valentine's Day, but I got distracted/Cafe Rio was calling. Anyway, this year I decided to put away my dislike/apathy for Valentine's Day and instead use it as a day to celebrate love. And what do you know, I actually enjoyed it.

As I was thinking about it, I realized that I can't really explain exactly what love is, even though I've experienced it countless times in my life and seen it at work in the lives of others. So I decided to make a list of things I've  experienced that, to me, exemplify love. So here we go.

Love Is...

-Letting your daughter keep various pieces of DI furniture on the side of your house and in your garage for several months, even though it's a huge pain.
-Taking your friend to a movie at 10pm on a weeknight because she just ended a relationship and needs a distraction.
-Helping your best friend bury a dead cat in the middle of the night.
-Buying your sister food all week because she's stressed and too busy to feed herself.
-Answering the phone at 2am when your college daughter calls because she had a nightmare.
-Listening to your friend tell you their biggest secrets without judgement.
-Holding your best friend's hair while she throws up.
-Not saying "I told you so" to your teenage daughter when she gets hurt over something you told her not to do.
-Literally picking your friend up off the floor and singing songs to cheer her up after she just got her heart broken.
-Keeping your criticisms to yourself when they're not necessary.
-Letting the other person pick the movie for once.
-Calling just because.
-Really, honestly trying to understand another person, even when you don't agree with them.
-Remembering birthdays.
-Looking for the good in people and reminding them it's there.

Love, Brontë

P.S. To the person who left this on my doorstep: Well played. Bonus points for remembering things I just mentioned in passing. Extra bonus points if you're actually reading this right now.

Wednesday Confessions

Another Wednesday, another set of confessions:

-I have listened to Maroon 5's song Sugar over 200 times in the past 5 days. Not ashamed.
-The last time I showered was Sunday night. It's Wednesday. Sorry everyone.
-I was on campus for 12.5 hours today and only cried once. So we're calling it a success.
-I was so overwhelmed today that I took a 30 minute Parks & Rec break and it was a Treat Yo' Self episode so I feel completely justified.
-I attended 4 major social events this past weekend, which is more than I've been to in the last two semesters combined. Fun was had.
-I've recently become addicted to podcasts and I barely watch TV anymore. (That'll change this weekend when The Walking Dead comes back on.) It's probably a good thing.
-My stress level this week is dangerously close to combustion levels.

Happy Wednesday!

Love, Brontë

P.S. This is a link to the kickstarter for a project I'm working on. If you can spare a dollar or $5 or $20 it would be much appreciated!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/motheroftheyear/mother-of-the-year-webseries

Today, Right Now

Life goes by so fast, and I feel like I miss too much of it. I forget what happened three days ago, and maybe it's not important to remember everything, but in 5, 10, 15 years I know I'll wish I had more of a record of who I was, even on an ordinary Tuesday like today. So this is a personal inventory. Today, Right Now.

Name: Brontë Judith Campbell
Age: 21 years 8 months and 9 days old
Hair Color: Brown
Wearing: Green running shorts, grey long-sleeve pajama shirt with picture of mistletoe on it, matching pink and white socks (surprisingly)
Current City: Provo, UT
Religion: LDS (Mormon)
Political Party/Views: Moderate (although I'm considering joining the "Rent Is Too Damn High" party, because that's really what's applicable to me right now)
School: Brigham Young University - First Year Senior studying Media Arts (film)
Relationship Status: Single (and mostly loving it)
Last Movie Watched: The 400 Blows
Last Book Read For Pleasure: The Happiness Project (because let's be real, the last book I actually read was a textbook) 
Currently Listening To: Sugar by Maroon 5 (on repeat)
Last Thing Eaten: Raspberry Cream Cheese ice-cream from the Creamery
Worst Habit: Procrastination
Current Stress Level: 7.5 out of 10
Best Thing That Happened Today: Getting a letter from my sister Aimee
Worst Thing That Happened Today: Waking up 45 minutes late
Current Obsessions: Podcasts and finding the right iPhone case
If I Had Free Time I Would: Blog more, watercolor, learn Photoshop, work on my screenplay
Last Time I Cried: This morning listening to a podcast
Last Phone Conversation With: Aimee
Current Emotion: Content with stressed undertones
Projects Currently Working On: Mother of the Year (web series), Video Game Studies Symposium Exhibit
Success Of The Day: Getting all my groceries for under $70

Love, Brontë

Just Some Resolutions

I absolutely love making resolutions. The crazy organizational part of my brain always has a field day at the beginning of January setting goals, making resolutions and doing general life planning. I wish I could say I was as diligent at keeping my resolutions as I am at making them, but that is unfortunately not the case. This is what my resolution making looked like this year: 

I actually read The Happiness Project in November, and I love the idea of setting goals and making a conscious effort to be more happy. I definitely used this book as a guide when I was making my own resolutions this year.

I like to make my goals in categories. Physical, Spiritual, Health, Financial, Academic, Social, Fun/Happiness, Organization and Other. The last three categories tend to change depending on what I feel like I want to work on, but the first six tend to be pretty constant. I won't bore you with all the resolutions and goals I made or am working on, but I'll share a few.

2015 Resolutions 
- Save money
- Stop procrastinating
- Check at least one thing off my bucket list
- Read for pleasure
- Run a 10k
- Take your vitamins
- Remember birthdays
- Pay it forward
- Take pictures
- Attend the Temple at least twice a month
- Show up - parties, events, wedding receptions
- Get up the FIRST time the alarm rings
- Take the stairs
- Do laundry more frequently
- Choose happiness

May your 2015 be full of surprises, excitement, joy and growth.

Love, Brontë