Howdy,

On Saturday I sped through my old stomping grounds of Petaluma, California.

OLD stomping grounds, as in we moved from Petaluma about 30 years ago, I believe. It’s a little hazy — on account of it being another lifetime ago. Another life. Good memories. Those I can remember. Mostly roaming the hills rolling west of the 101 as a young boy and catching black mosquito squigglies and tiny dark tadpoles in an old scummy well with my younger brother, Christopher. He’s more-so Chris now, but then again he’s not three anymore, and I’m still Billy, so I digress.

And SPED, as in speed limit on Highway 101 since our old house hugs the highway just south of Petaluma. A dilapidated dump, with construction happening adjacently so no doubt about to be pushed over, but it’s a million-dollar-line-of-Marin-and-Sonoma-counties-dump so I’m not ashamed. I’d take it. Plus the old Victorian also on the property would make for a great old ghost house, if you’re into that sort of thing. It’ll probably get leveled too.

I don’t even know how many acres and acres that childhood Petaluma property was. Probably worth a billion dollars … But it never was ours.

Anyway, I traveled to Petaluma with my brother-in-law Matt Garman and his childhood friend Jeff Dershem, a recent guest on our TNC Podcast — Episodes number 22 and 23 — to sit in as studio guests for Leo Laporte’s television, radio, podcast shows The Tech Guy with Leo Laporte and The New Screen Savers.

 

 

I’d never followed Mr. Laporte or his works, but Jeff is a knowledgeable follower and fan and Matt’s definitely in touch and years ago visited one of his many shows when Leo’s studio was in San Francisco.

Jeff arranged our visit, and I’m glad he did. Besides the fun, bombing in on the studio was an education.

 

 

First off, all the members of the studio staff were wonderful hosts. Thank you to them for being so warm and welcoming and shooing us in rather than out. We were literally told to just watch our heads for the hanging cameras and allowed to wander all over the sets; high-stepping AV cords and bobbing and weaving cameras and screens suspended from walls and ceilings. I believe we even made it on the shows a couple of times — in the livestream, if nothing else. Couldn’t blame them if they edit us out for the final piece. A blast being behind the scenes.

Then simply watching an obviously (very apparent) seasoned veteran do his thing. For The Tech Guy show, being aired on radio in Los Angeles and wherever else, including the internet with live chatroom, and later as podcast, Leo Laporte ran his own camera shot switches, pulled up websites, held running conversation with callers and the scrolling chatroom commenters, read ads, invited in remote video guests via Skype, pulled up websites for live review, answered questions, and acknowledged us in his “intimate” studio: it was the three of us and a man from Australia, Richard, who sat in with The Tech Guy. Richard had traveled to see some of the States, but certainly also to see Leo.

And Leo Laporte founder of the TWiT network did it all sitting — no bouncing — on an exercise ball. No chair behind his desk for his 3-hour show; just a balanced ball for his behind.

I asked him his reason, and he quickly responded he wanted the energy it brought. Bouncing, on his toes, not slumping in his chair with no life. The balance ball helped him bring it.

I’ve blogged the experience of driving past an old home from another life and about visiting a broadcasting studio, but this was the thought for why I wanted to write about our travels to see Leo Laporte: thinking about this approach to life, living and working on our toes and finding tools to keep us balanced and bouncing atop challenges, with energy, smiles, joy, and readiness.

I’m thinking Matt and I should podcast perched on our own balance ball all the time, not just like he exercised in this episode. (Unless, maybe shortly after a spinal injection.)

Our Australian friend Richard even later got to open and introduce The New Screen Savers show, which used a much more complex studio — though also all impressively arranged in a modest space; lighting and use of space deftly employed. Tiny corner sets appeared full on screen, as we were privileged to witness scenes play out on both.

On our journey, may we be Living, approaching life bouncing the whole time on a balanced ball. It’s good for the core and our crowd.

 

—Billy

Reading. Writing. Living.

Please subscribe to mailing list for the Reading Writing Living journey we’re on and get the goodies that’ll come from time to time with my newsletter. Thank you.

                                       *indicates required