I love stories. I love writing them. I love telling them. And I love hearing them. In previous podcasts, I’ve told mostly my own stories, and there are plenty more where those come from for later.

With this episode of Hoytus Interruptus, I introduce you to my friend Jim. I’m posting his story on December 7th, a date that continues to “live in infamy” through its association with the beginning of a very, very long journey.

Jim’s story is connected, but tells of a different journey altogether.

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Jeff Hoyt
Vashon Island, WA
12.07.07

Mary and John Wilson
on their wedding day

Here’s the music you’ll hear in this podcast, some of which can be found in the iTunes Music Store:

“In the Beginning,” by Emerson, Lake and Palmer
“Ke’ala’s Mele” by Ledward Ka’apana
“Battle Intro” by Hans Zimmer
“Mapuana” by Henry Allen
“Waimea Lullaby” by Ledward Ka’apana
“The Closing of the Year” by Tori Amos and the cast of “Toys”

I love the desert. There’s just something about vast stretches of open land and sky that calls to me. Perhaps that’s why I struggle whenever I find myself in Las Vegas. All I see there are vast stretches of open slots and no sky (except for the fake ones in the Vegas versions of Paris and Venice).

Is there a place on earth that is more diametrically contrasted with the land that surrounds it…than Las Vegas, Nevada?

Earlier this year, I tested the outer limits of my Vegas Endurance Threshold.

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Jeff Hoyt
Vashon Island, WA
10.16.07

Here are the songs from this show, some of which can be found through iTunes:

“Glass Onion” by the Beatles
“Within You, Without You” by the Beatles
“Vegas” by Two Tons of Steel
“Chant Jam” by Blue Man Group
“The Fish (Shindleria Praematurus)” by Yes
“Dancing Queen” by Abba
“Money Money Money” by Abba
“Too Many People” by Paul McCartney

Growing up in Indiana, Thanksgiving was the holiday that always brought my sisters and me together with my cousins for hours upon hours of good times and goofball fun. We made up games and created delightful distractions that would hold our grumbling stomachs at bay while the feast to come inched ever closer.

Then the dinner bell rang and we kids were sequestered in the kitchen where we were not seen, but definitely heard.

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Jeff Hoyt
Vashon Island, WA
11.20.06

Several of the songs in this podcast can be found through the iTunes Music Store:

“One Prairie Outpost” by Carbon Leaf
“The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” by Paul Brooks
“Thanksgiving Day” by Ray Davies
“Down” by Harry Nilsson
“Thanksgiving” by Loudon Wainwright III
“Superball” by Aimee Mann
“The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” by the International TV Orchestra
Plus movie soundtrack music from Carter Burwell and Caleb Sampson

What a combination! Airline seats keep getting narrower while the passengers who occupy them keep getting wider. It’s an unsettling reality that has caused a significant spike in nasty confrontations, both at the gate and up in the air. As airlines try to enforce their “if-you-need-an-extra-seat-then-buy-one” policy, complaints are on the rise, not only from overweight passengers who feel discriminated against but from the skinnier flyers who are feeling the squeeze.

Personally, my butt is just wide enough for me to appreciate both sides of the issue. Then, on a recent flight between Minneapolis-St. Paul and Seattle, I came face-to-face (or, rather, ass-to-ass) with the heart of the matter.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN NOW

Jeff Hoyt
Vashon Island, WA
11.01.06

Nearly every song in this podcast can be secured on your hard drive for just 99¢ through the iTunes Music Store: