TWO OLD BUCKS

Send a text Dave reads the short story, THE QUIET by Carys Davies.  Davies was born in Wales and now lives in Edinburgh, Scotland. The story takes place in Australia, where Thomas and Susan Boyce, young newlyweds from Liverpool, have come to live. Their nearest neighbor is Henry Fowler, a small, creepy middle-aged man who lives six miles away.  We joke [or not] about our podcast putting listeners...

Send a text Del discloses a social experiment he ran to see if people would make eye contact with him.  Dave discusses some Master Class videos he watched, what he learned, and what he didn't expect. Del discusses an article on Monarch butterflies and wishes he could burn as much fat as they do. CBS copies the Bucks by running a story on Cameo. They must have listened to our Feb. 18 episode....

Send a text Dave got this story from Dr. Jack Wang, from whom he took a writing course in 2020 via Zoom. It was an excellent class and Jack was a great teacher. Jack teaches writing at Ithaca College. You can learn more about Jack here. The story, Mud, was written by Geoffrey Forsyth, more about him here . It is only 990 words but very thought-provoking, dealing with loss and grief. A man, about t...

Send a text Dave shares a special recipe for Bagna Cauda from his cousin Nancy. This stuff is great but you have to quarantine for 12 hours until the garlic stops oozing from your pores.             3 cans anchovies, chopped             1 large bunch of fresh parsley, chopped             2-3 cloves garlic, minced [go for 3]             Olive oil, enough to mix so not dry  Put on crackers, pasta, a...

Send a text XALATAN? ZETIA? XYZAL? Where do the drug makers come up with these names for the medications they sell? Do they feel X and Z have been ignored too long in the English language and are trying to make up for it in their brand names? Shouldn’t the names have a connection to the condition they are treating? Well, the Bucks think so. Dave and Del discuss this bizarre naming  scheme and offe...

Send a text Del has some big ideas on the questions you may get asked during your annual physical. Can you hop on one foot in the dark while carrying  a full cup of coffee? Really, Del? Dave discusses the rules of cycling, referencing an actual website where you can find and study the rules. The Velominati, keepers of the cogs list them all here.   There will be a test. We get a special letter fro...

Send a text In this special episode, Dave interviews his grandsons as they gathered in Florida to celebrate spring break, double shots for all the adults, and just have fun together after not seeing each other for a long time.  Be aware the audio quality has lots of pops, scratches, and sound level changes as the boys tell us of their adventures.  Seven-year-old Gabe prefers to be called Officer S...

Send a text Del is still stuck in South Carolina and still unable to find a new studio. He vows to come back and do face-to-face episodes again, not exactly a plus for Dave's eyes. The Bucks inadvertently invent a cure for insomnia as more and more listeners report we put them to sleep. While this was not our initial goal, we are happy to provide this public service. We must be saving the goo...

Send a text Dave relives two party crashing episodes in London. At one, he saw Gloria Gaynor live at a BMW party and saw the second act of  Les Misérables live onstage at the Palace Theatre. Fortunam bonam est. The Bucks recommend  video offerings. These include Wisting , a Norwegian detective series on Acorn, Lupin , a French whodunit offering on Acorn, Midnight Diner , a Japanese series on Netfl...

Send a text Dave wonders why the rat crossed the road. did it think it was a chicken? Del has the BIG IDEA. Well, maybe more than one. Ever get put on hold indefinitely by an autobot ? Del has the solution. Is there an app for that?  Del volunteers for the first manned flight to Mars. What else has he got to do for the next seven months? It's not as easy as you think, folks. But at least he c...

Send a text This special episode is our first interview with anyone and for the inaugural interview, we're talking to old friend Gene, who has been bandied about in previous episodes. Gene was the guy who blew up his car far from home in the days before cell phones. Gene is the guy who roped Dave into the hardest and lowest paid work week of his life a few episodes ago.  Gene shares his remem...

Send a text Del Zooms in from Columbia, SC and thinks he may have found our new studio. Dave thinks he's full of it. Del shares his secret recipe for the weirdest peanut butter sandwich ever. Dave counters with a recipe he lifted from a restaurant and served successfully for many years. Rocky's Rib Pit in Scott Haven, PA gets a free plug [don't tell the state inspectors].  Dave reca...

Send a text Description Del is still out there searching for a studio that is within our zero-based budget.  Muscle Shoals is out. Maybe we can come to your town. Dave shares some experiences selling on Craigslist, do's and don't's. How do you know if it is a real person? Del proposes what he feels could be an earth-shattering approach to haggling and Dave is puzzled, as always. Dav...

Send a text WARNING: Many links to great music below. Del is Zooming in again, this time from a windy, remote mountaintop in Polk City, or so he says, where he meets Old Buck Kirg, a longtime friend and classmate. He's been looking for a new location for our studio now that the Disney deal has gone sour.  Dave reviews foreign listenership stats and finds Germany has strengthened their second...

Send a text Dave is pleasantly surprised by a letter from Old Buck Wayne, a former colleague with whom he  shared many similar work experiences in Russia and Bolivia. This reminds Dave of his trip to a tungsten mine on the side of 21,000 ft. Mt. Illimani in Bolivia. Dave is gasping for breath and grasping for words. Del offers some sarcastic sayings which he feels are often misused. I told you so?...

Send a text Dave reviews the latest listener stats, welcoming new listeners  in the Czech Republic and Turkey.  Thanks to a huge surge in German listenership , Germany surpasses Canada as the #2 country in our fan base. Russia also displayed a strong uptick in subscriptions,  thanks mostly to retired KGB agents. Dave runs into OB Tom, who shares some terrifying experiences associated with listenin...

Send a text Note : There are a couple curse words in the book excerpt Dave reads. Del dispenses some astute observations on shaving and shavers, immediately losing half our listener base. He discloses that he uses an old style 2-bladed safety razor and tells us about an ingenious razor invented by an old African man. Next come the modern cartridge razors that have evolved to five or six blades wit...

Send a text Dave presents an idea from loyal listener Phil from Punxutawney [possibly not his real name] whereby the w hole country could be vaccinated in 13 weeks. Phil reasoned if garbage trucks could do pickups every week, why can't the feds procure a fleet of medical vans staffed with "shooters" ?  Follow Dave's math and you'll see how it could be done for $3 billion, ...

Send a text The Drinking Contest is an essay -a true story- Dave  wrote and published ~25 years ago about something that happened ~60 years ago. The contestants were Danny, Tom, and Jim; Dave wisely decided to watch. Tom and Jim have both read the story and vouch for its accuracy.  We hope you enjoy it; let us know at buckstwoold@gmail.com. Give us your thoughts: BUCKSTWOOLD@GMAIL.COM Find Two Old...

Send a text Del plumbs the depth of his brain for words of wisdom learned along the way, especially fatherly advice he received as a dumb young buck. Dave, when put on the spot, can only come up with John Lennon and Mick Jagger lyrics.  Del chides him for not remembering the words of a bunch of dead Greek guys. Upon further reflection , they share some father and son episodes from the distant past...

Send a text [Explicit Warning]  In this episode, Del discusses the importance of what he calls book buddies, people who can recommend books to a friend that the friend might not normally read otherwise. During the discussion, the following books are touched upon: I AM THE MESSENGER and THE BOOK THIEF by Marcus Zusak, IN THE GARDEN OF THE BEAST by Erik Larsen, and THE BARTENDER'S TALE by Ivan...

Send a text Del attempts to describe the proper usage for the words always and never. " Attempts" is the operative word here.  How do you use these words? Dave has a flat tire on his bike the last week of 2020 after no flats all year. But there is a happy ending. A surprise ending?  You decide. Note that he says 2021 the first time but it is really 2020. Remember, he's old. Del refl...

Send a text The Bucks reflect on  2020 TOB highlights and review the segments nominated in the various award categories.  The first category is Most Controversial Topic and the segment that dominated all others in the nominations was Loser Lotto. After a massive dropoff in listenership, Del mercifully euthanized it, sparing us further confusion in 2021.   The two nominees for Most Surprising Subcu...

Send a text Del commandeers the mic for a surprise opening.  Astute listener Lucy from Chester, PA teaches us about Calming Spray for Cats as Del wonders if you can buy it for people. Del gives another lightning book review, discussing All The Light You Cannot See. We recognize two Russian heroes [in our minds, at least] who saved the world from thermonuclear destruction. Continuing with the Russi...

Send a text Hello, this is old buck Dave introducing a special TOB episode, otherwise known as episode 7. This episode was actually a test of using zoom audio for remote interviews so Del and I were winging it from separate locations as opposed to following our usual in-person winging it program format. While I like to say there is no failure in science, Del’s audio, in particular, is decidedly su...