I’d Record Something, But….

I had a busy weekend, I’m having a busy work week, and I’m just too pooped.

On the bright side, I am not sick! Also, I should be going from insanely busy to just plain busy after tomorrow. So maybe I can get this podcast moving again soon.

As always, I apologize for the inconvenience.

#834: Ch. 2, On the Incarnation by St. Athanasius

On the Incarnation continues, with a chapter on why the Son became a man with a real body.

Chapter 2: The Divine Dilemma and Its Solution in the Incarnation (Part 1)

16:27.

Envy Is a Sin.

Fr. Z of wdtprs.com is afraid that his PODCAzT isn’t providing a good ROI (return on investment). I mean, he’s only having 200-1000 downloads per episode. In a month.

*sound of grinding teeth, then amused laughter*

Yeah, Fr. Z. Some of us get 1000 downloads — divided by twenty chapters! Or only after a year of downloads. Or….

Sure, I know I’m not as popular a blogger as Fr. Z, so I don’t have the bleedthrough. I’m not as topical a podcaster, either, and I’m not doing original work. Also, he probably is doing more important and time-consuming Stuff at his day job than I do at mine. But man, a lot of us would like to have his problems!

UPDATE: I don’t do too badly. But I really do rely on the Long Tail. For the first month or so of a podcast, only those of you who are regular listeners here or on the feed, or regularly search for audiobooks on archive.org,  are likely to download a piece. This is anywhere from 10-60 people. Afterwards, I get people new to my podcast who are going through the archives, people searching around on the Internet, and people over at archive.org, and the number gradually increases. Still, 60-200 downloads is about as high as the medium popular stuff goes, even after a year. Really popular stuff, with lots of parts to download? That’s when we get to 1000+ territory.

So I don’t know how other podcasts run. But I think Fr. Z’s probably doing pretty well.

#833: Ch. 5, The Worm Ouroboros by E.R. Eddison

The Worm Ouroboros continues. We meet King Gaslark of Goblinland, as he discovers what King Gorice of Witchland’s magic has done.

Chapter 5: King Gorice’s Sending

21:29.

#832: Ch. 1, The Girl of the Golden West by David Belasco

The Girl of the Golden West by David Belasco was a hit play, then a novel, and finally a classic Italian opera! This one’s the novelization.

I’ve been meaning to do this one since the beginning of the podcast, but I was kinda afraid this one would turn people off. I mean, a Western? That’s best known as the story of an opera? A crazy spaghetti Western of an opera at that?

But now, I no longer care. Trust me! Embrace the Belasco! It’s fun stuff.

Chapter 1

25:10.

#831: Ch. 18, Bk. 2, The Dark Night of the Soul by St. John of the Cross

The Dark Night of the Soul continues, with a chapter on how God’s wisdom is like a ladder to holiness.

Book 2, Chapter 18

7:36.

#830: Ch. 20, The Lani People by J.F. Bone

The Lani People concludes in old school sf style — with a twist! (Also, many of the things I was concerned about were addressed in the final chapter.) It’s been an interesting ride, and I’m sorry this author didn’t write other novels for us. Thank goodness for the public domain.

Chapter 20

31:26.

Take that, evil sinus oppressor!

Return of the Undead Sinus

Just as soon as I get over one sinus infection, my sinuses start giving me more trouble. Yes, my throat’s sore again. In the middle of summer.

I really need to get some serious intercession from St. Blaise….

Please be patient with me.

Can’t Win for Losing

Sinus infection is gone. Inability to sleep through the night is back. Still no energy.

I hate being such a wimp about this, but expect podcasting to be light this week. Again.

Bah.

Throat Still Sore; Knight Still Doleful.

Sorry, folks. I think I’d better just adjourn the podcast for the week. Next weekend, I’ll feel better.

Meanwhile, the folks at Librivox have finished reading an unabridged English translation by John Ormsby of Don Quixote. Your literature teacher will love to point this out as an anti-chivalry book; but really, I think it’s the Northanger Abbey of knightly romances. As we all know, you can’t really mock a genre effectively unless you’ve read a ton of it…. What’s more (as Chesterton pointed out), Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was a great knight and gentleman himself, who Went Places and Did Heroic Things. So if he finds chivalry funny, it certainly didn’t stop him from doing a lot of it himself.

Where, risen from a doubtful seat and half attainted stall,
The last knight of Europe takes weapons from the wall,
The last and lingering troubadour to whom the bird has sung,
That once went singing southward when all the world was young.

…Cervantes on his galley sets the sword back in the sheath…
And he sees across a weary land a straggling road in Spain,
Up which a lean and foolish knight for ever rides in vain,
And he smiles, but not as Sultans smile, and settles back the blade….

I haven’t given a lot of links for kids here, I’m afraid. Activated Stories seems to be a good podcast for them.