Podcasts during shelter in place are a gift. With plenty of time, fresh sneaks and new Airpods, I’ve been filling my miles with stories and interviews. I am extra productive on my productive days because I don’t want to stop listening. Airpods changed everything.

Life before my recently acquired technology, was rough going. My first of three productive days in quarantine, I tucked my iphone in the pocket of my hoodie and connected my earbuds so I could listen to whatever I wanted and not bother anyone. I really enjoyed my “alone” time until I’d catch the earbud wire on a drawer knob and rip the left earbud clean out of my head.

“Ouch!”

Airpods were on my wish list for Mother’s Day, but now they were essential. (My new favorite word.) BestBuy is considered an essential service so I ordered curbside pick-up at a $20 discount.

So, on my second of three productive days, I tried my Airpods, it was freeing. I could swish my hair like a L’Oreal shampoo commercial, no snagging or gagging wire. I cleaned my bathroom while jamming or learning. I discovered a couple of things.

One, do not use Airpods while cleaning a bathtub. All that bending and straining somehow flexes a muscle in your ear or something, so the pod pops out and rolls right into the bathtub muck. I caught it before it drowned, luckily.

The second thing I learned is that there are TONS of podcasts out there. I tried a few to pass my productive time. I had never really explored other programs outside of  my in-depth news stories, i.e. The Daily, from the NYT. Finding a new show was one of those things, where an extra few minutes to download something different seemed time consuming or too much thought. But, in a pandemic when every day is like Ground Hog Day, I took the time and the low risk.

Just add podcasts.

I thought I’d share a few faves for anyone looking for company while scrubbing down countertops or on your zillionth walk.

Even The Rich with Brooke Siffrinn and Aricia Skidmore-Williams: The first story is the trending Royals and Meghxit. The hosts are young and comic-light, but they know their stuff and it’s entertaining. It’s sort of a People Magazine of podcasts. I keep coming back to this one.

Unlocking Us with Brene Brown: I’m not really a self-help follower but I had heard of Brene and was curious. I was pleasantly surprised. She talks about her learning from her own mishaps or with celebrities. She swears sometimes and that feels real to me. I especially liked the interview with Alicia Keys.

The Ron Burgundy Podcast: A spinoff from The Anchorman, Will Farrell stays in character as Ron Burgundy and partners  with co-host Carolina Barlow, playing herself. It is hilarious and a bit raunchy. My first listen was the best, an interview of an FBI agent. I walked the neighborhood, giggling, getting a little side-eye from passers-by. My college kids think I’m kind of cool. I got a second look.

Staying In With Emily and Kamail. If you saw The Big Sick, here is the couple now being themselves in their New York Apartment. The first episode includes celebrity chef David Chang of Momofuku and Netflix series Ugly Delicious. Restaurants are suffering big and David offers suggestions how people like us can help. He also reminds us how we can improvise like a chef during quarantine. A thought I come back to when I’m missing a dinner ingredient. Canned diced tomatoes save a lot of dishes.

Lavar Burton Reads: The first episode Lavar read a short story by Toni Morrison, Recitatif. The experience reminded me of the childhood read-along records that rang a bell to tell the young “reader” to turn the page