Lisa turned me onto podcasts about a year ago, telling me I simply had to listen to Rosary Army. At the time I didn’t have an iPod or any other version of an MP3 player, but she would play the podcast – excitedly pointing out they too have a “cloffice” – everytime I went anywhere with her in her car. Eventually, I downloaded all four of the Rosaries to pray in my office, and I even saved one onto my daughter’s MP3 player to take with me on a business trip that required a long plane ride.

Last year my husband gave me an iPod Touch for a joint Christmas/birthday present and I started building my own library of music and podcasts. Geez, there are a lot of podcasts available on iTunes and other resources such as SQPN!

Lisa advised me to start with Secrets of Battlestar Galactica and I thoroughly enjoyed the final season listening to Jeff & Zina talk about the cultural and religious references found in the series. It reminded me of being in college, sitting up late having intelligent, academic, discussions with other history or English majors. I even found myself talking back to the podcast as I listened.

Also at Lisa’s recommendation I started listening to Daily Breakfast with Father Roderick, Catholic under the Hood, and Catholic Moments. Since going to the Catholic New Media Celebration, I’ve subscribed to nearly a dozen new podcasts and am trying to weed through them to find out which ones I really prefer. A few new favorites are clearly emerging, but I’m having trouble finding time to listen to them all!

I can’t listen at work, because I’ve discovered that I need the part of my brain that listens consciously to think about what I’m working on, as opposed to having music on in the background.

I listen while I’m doing something solitary like painting the hallway trim or riding my bicycle around the neighborhood. Occasionally I’ll listen while I’m preparing dinner and last week I listened in the car while driving back from a conference in Austin, though I really dislike driving with the earbuds in my ears.

I’ve discovered my family really doesn’t like me listening to podcasts when they’re around. You know the old adage that the kids don’t need you for anything until you pick up the telephone to make a call. It’s true with putting earbuds in your ears and turning on a podcast. In the evening it’s one thing to sit on the couch with my husband and watch tv together, but it feels rude to sit on the couch and listen to a podcast while he watches television. Why? Is it because listening to a podcast is such a solitary activity?

We were driving to Oklahoma City last month and while my husband is driving I feel as though I can read a book and not be rude, but the minute I put in the earbuds I felt as though I was ignoring my family. I know this probably isn’t the case; trust me when I say that my husband will tell you I ignore the family plenty when I read.

If you have any suggestions for me on how you manage your podcasts or even how to prioritize what you listen to and how often, please leave me a comment! I know I could use the advice!