Bounced
Bounced
Travelling Through Time and Space with Your Ears???
We’re travelling through time and space! Join us as we explore the dynamics of sound一 how sound not only affects our memories and emotions but also connects us infinitely to the past, present, and future. This episode you’ll explore sound’s healing and therapeutic properties, travel from Portugal to Pelee Island Ontario, and glimpse into the future of electric vehicles. We’ve got podcasts, audio books, ambisonics and more all created by RTA’s talented media students.
Produced by the RTA School of Media at X University
To read the complete show notes click here
Visit our website to view the transcription or access hyperlinks in this description: https://bounced.buzzsprout.com/
Timestamps
0:58 - 4:45 To Avô and Avò Feature
4:46 - 11:47 The Good the Bad and the Affective Feature
11:48 - 16:48 Town Travellers Feature
16:49 - 18:56 Dreaming of Venice Feature
18:57 - 31:08 EVs OTW Feature
31:09 - 36:48 Networks of Sound Feature
36:49 - 47:13 Something for The Road Feature
Featured Projects
To Avô and Avò - Stephanie De Sousa (3rd yr Media Production Internship)
The Good, the Bad and the Affective - Jess Schmidt, Inga Breede and Alexis Perikleous (RTA 907 W2020)
Town Travellers - Manny Bissell (RTA 996 W2021)
Dreaming of Venice - Kezia Shipclark (RTA864 W2021)
EVs OTW - Luke Farwell (RTA 104 F2019)
Networks of Sound - Madeleine Hackborn (RTA 104 F2020)
Something for the Road - Anita Pogorzelska (CJRU 1280)
Credits
Podcast Producer and Host: Sam McNulty
Project Supervisor and Guest Host: Lori Beckstead
Artwork: Yvette Sin
Sound Design (Trailer, Opening and Sweepers): Anita Porgozelska
Opening and Closing Music: PHAS3.EXE by Drake Sanderson
Show Notes and Transcription: Yixin (Cherry) Yang
Feedback and Post Production Notes: Emily Bak
Anita Pogorzelska (Opening) 0:14
You're listening to bounced an RTA school media student showcase podcast.
Samantha McNulty 0:27
One of the things that I love most about sound is its malleability. Sound is multipurpose. It can make you dance or cry, it can tell a story and most importantly, it can transport you to other worlds. The quality I think many of us enjoyed during our time in quarantine on Sam McNulty and this episode of bounced were traveling through time and space. And our first stop is the beginning of a lifelong love story.
Stephanie 1:06
It's a warm summer evening in the south of Portugal in 1950. A 17 year old girl and her mother begin their walk uphill to the village of Santa Barbara. Feelings of angst and excitement traveled through the young teenager she anticipates what might happen at the village dance tonight. While walking down the winding roads, the sun begins to set on the sandstone hills of her village. She looks up at the orange trees and almond trees that outline the path. They're separated by low walls made up of flat stone slabs stacked up one against the other. The sun sets brilliantly red and orange light preaches through the trees and paints them half golden. Its fiery light engulfs the wild orchids and ignites the young teenagers' untamed mind. Walking through such a romantic sunset, all she can think about is who she might meet tonight. An hour passes and her and her mother have finally arrived at the village dance, which was held in an open backyard outdoors where everyone pitched in to bring food and drinks. Live Band beam already a couple of drinks into the night were giddy as they played their instruments.
She stood for a moment mesmerized as the accordion players' fingers flew over the keys.
When suddenly a gentle tap on her shoulder brought her back down to earth. She reacted to the tap with a quick twirl to find a young man standing behind her. He had a muted smile that was also somehow warm and inviting. From just a quick glance, he had broad shoulders and a rugged mannerism about him. Since this was the village dance in the Algarve, the traditional dance that was popular among couples in this region of Portugal was called Corridinho. The young man's nature was undoubtedly irresistible to this young teenage lady, but it would take some more effort and charm if he wanted her to be his dance partner. After some time chatting and getting some food and drinks, they would eventually make their way to the center of the party, where the Corridinho was taking place.
As the night went on, she danced under the moonlight with this young man until the band would not play any longer. This serendipitous moment in time of two people meeting for the first time would lead to an enigmatic chain of events. Which brings me here, the granddaughter of these two people being able to tell the story of the night they met.
Samantha McNulty 4:06
That was an excerpt from Stephanie De Sousa's podcast To Avô and Avò. Fascinated by music's relationship with memory recall and its ability to transcend time the Stephanie wanted to pay tribute to her grandparents' love story. When her grandparents were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, Stephanie learned that listening to music can help provide a link to a patient's past. She wants to make something that could share their story and transport them back in time to their village in Portugal. And the rest of her podcast she explores the music of her grandparents' favorite artists and tells the story of their journey to Canada. If you'd like to listen to the rest of her project, you can find the link in the show notes. Stephanie's project is a great example of how music can transport a listener back to their favorite memories. But did you know that even regular sounds have that power?
Inga 5:01
Welcome to an exclusive episode of the Good, the Bad, and the Affective a podcast that explores the impact of everyday sounds around us through the lens of Affect theory. I'm Inga and with me are my two lovely hosts, Jess and Alexis.
Jess 5:16
I'm Jess.
Alexis 5:16
And I'm Alexis.
Jess 5:18
So when we were talking about the theme that we wanted to tackle a recurring topic that we kept coming back to, sort of just evolved around how sound affects our mood and our emotions, especially in considering how the sounds in your everyday life affect you.
Alexis 5:33
Right, so we decided to do a little experiment. And we each went our separate ways and recorded a sound that we associated with a positive affect, and then a second sound which we associated with a negative affect.
Inga 5:45
So Affect theory is basically just a framework for analyzing how emotional reactions inform our understanding of the world. Alright, ladies, so how about we just get right into it and have a listen to the sounds we just recorded?
Alexis 5:58
Yeah, sounds good.
Jess 5:59
Okay, here we go. So I'm going to start with Inga's sound first. So this is the first time Alexis and I are hearing this sound.
Inga 6:15
You can stop it now.
Jess 6:18
I don't know what that sound is.
Alexis 6:20
I first thought maybe it was a moving vehicle.
Jess 6:23
That is what I also I thought it was a moving vehicle.
Inga 6:25
Isn't it God awful though? Okay, so that sound was from a TTC bus that I took one night, and every time it came to a stop, this loud, booming sound would just erupt in the bus. And it was so friggin annoying after a while because I couldn't think over it. I was introduced to Tomkins' affective signaling, which is essentially something that's affectively contagious so that sound then transfers a mood or a feeling from one thing to another. So I guess in this case, it's transferring from the bus to me, and it's transferring this negative feeling.
Jess 7:00
Okay, so now we are going to play the bad sound that Alexis recorded. I feel like I can safely say that this is chips.
Inga 7:12
Chips sounds like someone who doesn't know how to close their mouth.
Jess 7:16
I want to say plain but could be all dressed hard to determine the flavor from the sound.
Alexis 7:20
So you are correct. It was someone eating chips. I feel like most people don't love the sound of other people eating but it actually makes me so angry and irritated that I become a different person. For my sound when you we talked a little bit about sound imperialism. Not that mine is necessarily loud, but I find that it invades a lot of different spaces in my everyday life. Someone can be on the subway, like crunching away on their chips in my ear. So I think that's another thing like when sounds are very overwhelming, whether it's volume or just infiltration of your space.
Inga 8:00
Alright, Jess, are we going to hear your horrible sound?
Jess 8:03
Yes, this is my horrible sound. I hope that you guys hate it.
Inga 8:20
To me, the most horrible sound out of all of that was the high pitch.
Alexis 8:26
There's a big finish.
Jess 8:29
So you guys are both half right? It is the fax modem that I use in my home office like it is this like screechie nostalgic, but I associate it entirely with s word like it's very emotional and like just right up in your earholes kind of affiliations. So kind of thinking about the fax modem as being able to transmit similar feelings but then also sort of nuanced feelings.
Alexis 8:54
Okay, so now we are going to take a listen to some of our good sounds that we recorded. So Jess you want to start with your good sound?
Jess 9:03
I'd love to start with my good sound.
Alexis 9:13
I kind of feel like this is at 10 Dundas, like where the subway entrance is only because I know that they've been playing a lot of classical music.
Inga 9:23
I was definitely thinking subway, but I was thinking more Yonge and Bloor because it sounded like live music. I'm just guessing here that the positive sound out of that soundscape was the cello player?
Jess 9:36
Correct. It was the cello player, and it was at Bloor and Yonge. I think the thing that I was most drawn to is this idea of the intentionality of the affectual object, especially when thinking about the comparison with 10 Dundas, where it is just so overwhelmingly loud to hear that music there. It's like the complete opposite effect. I think we'll do Inga's good sound and now.
Alexis 10:08
Okay, I am going to guess that this is a shower turning on
Inga 10:12
interesting.
Jess 10:13
It sounds like a stream of water with things dripping in the background.
Inga 10:18
So it was actually butter. It was butter on a pan. So every Sunday morning, the tradition at my house is to make pancakes. That sound for me was definitely the affect was comfort and nostalgia. I like finding the connection between the memories I have of my mom cooking and hearing that sound and connecting that to me now as a mother and doing the same thing for my kids.
Jess 10:46
Okay, so now we are going to do Alexis' good sound. It's got a nice rhythm to it has a really nice rhythm to it. I wonder if it's like a typewriter.
Alexis 10:57
Okay, so that is actually the sound of my dog's feet like pitter-pattering across the hardwood floor. The overall soundscape of my home has changed a lot. It's almost odd or eerie now if it's too quiet in our home. And yeah, just going back to you know, Chion's mode of listening, I like the sound because I'm listening causally to it I enjoy or love the thing that's making the sound not necessarily the actual sound of pitter patter.
Samantha McNulty 11:40
That was the Good, the Bad and the Affective by Jess Schmidt, Inga Breede and Alexis Perikleous. Next stop, we're going to one of Ontario's lesser known travel jams. Manny Bissell takes us to Pelé Island through a reading of Pelé Harbor for Odd Birds by Ronald Tiessen.
Manny Bissell 12:08
Winter was a tough time for a lot of Islanders, especially since before the airport opened, the ice surrounding the island would cut the community off from the mainland. The only way to travel to and from the island was on the ice itself, which could be a treacherous task.
Had spoken of earlier days on the island when several men own ice boats and race them in island competitions. Much was made of the rivalry between the South and North ends. For this sport, perfectly smooth ice was necessary in its arrival could not be predicted. When the ice formed in this manner, smooth as glass, farmers stopped husking corn or stripping tobacco or splitting wood to take advantage of the opportunity to play. Believed a few of these iceboats were still around, stored away in barns and sheds. The main frame, the runners, the mass, even maybe the sails, but for these he had not seen for a while. He recalled the neighbor telling him that while he was a student at the continuation school, he played hockey one day because the unbelievable expanse of ice blemish free and inviting all the way across the lake. He borrowed the famous ice boat and before he knew it, he flew lickety split from the island to Leamington. Not quite 20 miles in less than 30 minutes he said. The trick was courtesy of a very strong South wind, one that would not alter direction for two days. It turned out the young lad played hockey for more than a day, not able to return the way he came. Before he came to the island, Lawrence likely had his last adventure on the ice. He had settled with three other islanders Felix's father among them, his father needed to go to a veterinarian for two of his horses were suffering from severe muscle cramps and showing a darkening of their urine. Uncle Lawrence was to see a doctor for stomach ailment. The other two in the party have their own errands to complete. The party made its crossing in early March. In places the ice already show signs of rotting. The four men had borrowed someone's to make the trip. They did their business in the towns of Leamington and Wheatley, and by late afternoon had begun to return crossing. During the day the drizzle commenced accompanied by warm air that edged across the lake from the South. A fog arose and with each hour, it thickened. After prolonged meandering, the men stopped, disoriented, no longer certain the direction they've led the island. By now, two or more inches of melting water covered the ice. And if that were not frightening enough, unusual sounds emanating from beneath the ice. Sounds of mourning or groaning. Matters could not have been worse. Hans, however, kept up a brave front and reassured the others that his horses needed him, and therefore he would find the way home. The party waited anxiously for a few hours, and then miraculously, an island farmers' prize winning rooster crowed. Hans who alone heard the rooster led the way. In a short while the whole party approached the West Shore with the silhouette view of the Lombardi poplars lining the island. Two of the shivering men, Uncle Lawrence, one of them, fell on the knees and kissed the beloved mud of Pele. Thanks to a rooster, they made it home safely. In the moment they did not know how close they had come to perishing. By the next morning, an east wind had pushed away both fog and ice where they had stood hours earlier. Where they heard the rooster was now open water. Eurin added that despite numerous invitations over the next winters, Uncle Lawrence never went out on the ice again. Doctors and dentists and horse medicines could wait till spring.
Samantha McNulty 16:18
I hope you enjoyed that excerpt from Manny Bissell's podcast, Town Travelers, your guide to Canada's most historical and unknown places. Earlier in the episode he talks to the author of that book and dives into the history of the island. If you want to take a listen and maybe find your next local travel destination, a link to the rest of that episode is in the show notes. Speaking of travel, dreaming of your next vacation? Well, how does Venice sound?
Sit back and relax as we float through the canals of one of Italy's most iconic cities in this ambisonic scene.
That was Kezia Shipclark's ambisonic project from RTA864, our new immersive and interactive sound course here at the university.
Sound isn't just for transporting us through time and space, it can also get us thinking about what's ahead. Next step we're driving right into the future with Luke Farwell's, EVs OTW.
Luke 19:08
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, start your...batteries? Welcome to EVs OTW an electrifying podcast discussing our ever changing world filled with fully electric vehicles. I'm your host Luke Farwell. I've been interested in technology and electric cars for a while now, and I'm extremely excited to share that interest with all of you today. This episode of EVs OTW focuses on Tesla, the $63 billion company known worldwide for its impressive autopilot and full self driving capability features so let's dive in or shall I say accelerate into the thrilling world of Tesla.
Luke (EVs OTW opening) 19:49
You're listening to EVs OTW with Luke Farwell.
Speaker 1 19:56
Beats you know, having to buy gas every couple of days.
Speaker 2 19:58
Yeah, probably look into buying it. So like, I'm pretty self conscious about the environment.
Luke 20:06
The world of electric cars has changed drastically over the years. I wondered what other people thought about Tesla and electric cars in general. So I went to downtown Toronto and asked people what they thought. So I'm just outside the Rogers Communications Center right now and I'm looking for people to interview on electric cars and Tesla to maybe get some outside opinion and their possible experience with the industry. Do you know anything about Teslas or electric cars in general?
Speaker 3 20:34
Not too much, except that they're probably better for the environment.
Speaker 4 20:38
Not using fossil fuels. But I guess depends on the electricity source too. If you're charging at home and your power is coming from fossil fuel generation then it's done environmentally friendly and not as widespread as they could be. But that has to do with I guess, price point.
Speaker 2 20:52
I was like in engineering back home and like a lot of us would talk about that kind of stuff. So just like when Tesla would make a new car like we talked about it a little bit. We talked a lot about like, the hydrogen cars like sustainable cars in general we talked about like a little bit like I know like about, like the self driving.
Luke 21:14
Have you ever been in a Tesla before?
Speaker 4 21:16
Yeah I can't really even say I've been in very many fancy cars honestly, in my life. But you know all I care about is getting from A to Z.
Speaker 3 21:24
Yeah, once I was picked up by Uber actually downtown that was a Tesla was really sick. Yeah, I thought was pretty cool.
Luke 21:30
Yeah, they're pretty unique car.
Speaker 2 21:33
Yes, I've been in a Tesla before. My friend owns a Tesla. Big flex on her
Luke 21:39
Would you consider you have a sort of high or low interest in buying a Tesla or just any electric car?
Speaker 3 21:45
I'd be alright with it. I mean, beats you know, having to buy gas every couple of days.
Speaker 2 21:50
Yeah, I'd probably look into buying a Tesla, like I'm pretty self conscious about the environment. And like, you know, waste and fossil fuels that are being such a big part of emissions. And like the reason why our planets dying. So yeah, I think I think I'd look into I think that's the way our futures heading towards.
Luke 22:05
That was some very valuable experience and commentary and opinion on electric cars and how they can affect our world. Goes to show that electric cars really are starting to make their mark on society.
Wow so it seems like a lot of people in downtown Toronto have quite a deep understanding of Tesla and the environmental impacts of driving an electric car. One thing that I've always wanted to know about is what it's like to actually own a Tesla. So we brought in someone who owns a Tesla Model S in order for us to get a more deep understanding of what it's like to own a Tesla. We've got Jeff Neagle in the studio today, he's been kind enough to give some time to talk about his experience with his Tesla. Jeff, thanks. Thank you so much for coming in today. Great to see you.
Jeff 22:56
No problem. Glad to be here.
Luke 22:58
Yeah. So start off which which model of Tesla do you have?
Jeff 23:03
I have a Tesla Model S 75d is the name of it.
Luke 23:08
That's the 75 kilowatt?
Jeff 23:11
Yeah. Which kind of no longer exists, but because it's, it's a couple years old, but by branding, that's the one I have anyway,
Luke 23:18
What kind of range do you got on the 75 d?
Jeff 23:22
It's about 400 kilometers. It gets pretty good. Yeah. I've lost a little bit from through battery degradation, but I'm still very close to 400 and it's still very usable for what I need.
Luke 23:32
What made you choose the model and you're buying was it right?
Jeff 23:36
I laugh because it was kind of an impulse buy for me. I had put money down in a model three way in the pre in the early phases before they kind of came out it was about a year and a half away. It's been amazing so far and that's kind of it was I went test drove it and I just I got hooked right in it was just absolutely amazing.
Luke 23:54
What would you say your favorite parts of your car overall are?
Jeff 23:57
It's fun to drive. It's incredibly fast. And I joke I have the slowest one and I'm still like zero to 100 kilometers an hour at which gets me probably under four seconds like I'm throwing out 3.7 or so. And I have the slowest one and it but so even that acceleration is amazing. The autopilot that I use the autopilot regularly and it helps on the drive to work I arrived a little less stressed. Unlike today because I didn't have the car today. And I think one of the best features that I kind of look forward to the most are the updates the software updates. I have more features in the car today than I did when I bought it just through software. Yeah, it changes the way the autopilot drives it does everything.
Luke 24:40
Do you have a charger like at your home or do you go to superchargers?
Jeff 24:44
So I bought the Tesla what they call it the high powered wall connector. Also I have it installed in the garage. It costs a couple of about 350 bucks or so for the electrician to put it in and it can easily charge my car and it's Tesla specific but i get i can i get about 15% battery per hour into car, which equates to about 60 kilometers an hour, it's six and a half cents a kilowatt, plus tax plus that stuff. So I work it at about 10 cents per kilowatt. So worst case, I'm putting in about five bucks a night, I do 4000 kilometers a month. And roughly because I go back and forth so much, and it cost me about 80 bucks a month. So one tank of gas gives me 4000.
Luke 25:20
Any, any advice that you would give to potential Tesla owner,
Jeff 25:25
Talk to people, get a ride one, you know, if your friends will let you drive it. And again, you just what sold me was driving the car like I went for test drive. And I was just like, whoa.
Luke 25:35
Well, Jeff, thanks so much for coming in was great, amazing to talk to you. Obviously. It's been an amazing experience sounds like.
Jeff 25:41
That's been awesome. No, I'm glad to be here. I'm glad I can answer the questions for it.
Luke 25:47
Again, that was Jeff Neagle, who we had talk about his experience with owning a Tesla Model S. It's always so cool to hear about those kinds of experiences. And in fact, I've got an experience in my own that I'd like to share about when I was in a Tesla Model S.
The first time I was in a Tesla will be a moment that I remember for the rest of my life. Okay, that may sound a bit extreme, but it's still true. The first time I'd ever heard of a fully electric car was when I was in middle school. Back in grade seven. I had heard of hybrid cars, like the Toyota Prius, which had come out just a few years before. But when I learned that something so futuristic, and something that was so well designed existed, I was in awe. This was right around the end of grade seven, when I saw a Tesla Model S right in front of my house. It obviously wasn't mine. Since this was the moment that sparked my interest in Tesla in the first place. It was black with silver rims and beige leather interior. Don't ask me how I remember that. But I do. And I do not regret it. A couple of months went by and my birthday was coming up. No, I didn't ask for a Tesla. But I wanted to have a ride in one. I wanted to finally experience what it was like to drive in a Tesla. The silence, the simplistic iPad looking center console, and of course, the speed. And on my 13th birthday, it was a dream no more. The night of my birthday, when my dad got home, he wasn't driving our car, which was an SUV. But instead, he was driving a sedan. A sedan with those weird led front lights, which I knew our car did not have. So I knew this was not a regular night. My confusion led me out our front door, and they're sitting in our driveway was a Tesla Model S. I immediately started smiling. My dad had rented the car. So I knew of course it wasn't permanent. But still, my excitement levels were through the roof. And I got in the front seat of the car and went for a drive with my dad. And boy, was it fast. This was the moment that I knew I wanted to buy a Tesla when I was older. It was even better than I imagined. The speed, the technology, and the electrifying feeling that I got whenever I was in the car amazed me. And to this day, five years later, a Tesla is still my dream car. Now, I didn't get to experience the famous autopilot feature that most Teslas have today, because it wasn't in full effect yet. There was one thing that I learned recently, that surprised me just a bit. I learned that Tesla's autopilot feature doesn't technically allow the car to drive itself. Since you have to touch the wheel every 30 seconds in order for the car to make sure that you're not dozing off.
You mentioned the autopilot feature is probably one of those well known features of Teslas are what's that experience like?
Jeff 29:11
Yeah, I mean, they use the word the term autopilot. I mean, and I use one for my job all the time. I use an autopilot. I fly airplanes. So I think the autopilot is kind of a bad word in a way it's more like s really good Driver Assist nice for those short term things. Like if you got to look down, you know, maybe open your coffee or whatever, it keeps the car incredibly in the center of the lane. I can see all the traffic on the display around me in front of me and behind me so the car's reading the traffic as we go.
Luke 29:40
That was Jeff Neagle, who's an airline pilot for Air Canada. He flies Boeing 777, which is the biggest plane in Air Canada's fleet. Airplanes also have come a long way just like cars they're able to fly themselves, which is where the autopilot term came from. So Jeff knows a thing or two about what the term autopilot really means. After learning this, though, my dream of one day owning a Tesla is still very much alive. Whenever I see one, I'm still in awe of what the team at Tesla and company's CEO, Elon Musk have accomplished. And I'm so excited to see what's to come in the world of electric cars.
The world of electric cars is forever changing. We saw recently that the new Tesla cybertruck was released, and in less than seven days, they received over 250,000 orders. And Elon Musk has said that there's even more to come, even if they're just small things. So to stay updated on the world of Tesla, make sure you stay tuned and listen in to the next episode of EVs OTW. I'm your host Luke Farwell. Thanks for listening.
Samantha McNulty 31:17
Earlier in this episode, we talked about music and sound being a tool for connection. Mostly we've explored the ways we associate sound with certain memories, moments and feelings. But what we hear, and what we create, can also connect us with people, even ones we've never met before. In this next project host Madeleine is just coming out of a few interviews where she and her guests discuss and explore music spiritual properties.
Madeleine 31:51
I found it interesting that both AJ and Sergio mentioned music as a tool for understanding themselves, by listening to it, and by creating it. I've been thinking about this a lot recently, music as a way to connect with yourself and your lineage. To give some backstory, my dad is currently in the process of converting all of our analog tapes into digital USB keys. He stumbled upon a tape of his mother's my grandmother, it was a recording of her getting a spiritual reading done by a clairvoyant. So he converted it, and he showed it to me. I never really heard my grandmother's voice before. All I knew was that she had MS in her final years and died before I was born. I had no idea that she was interested in spirituality, like me. While listening to the hour long file, I got emotional. hearing her struggles being voiced so intimately hit me. It felt like a personal message in a way. Part of me believes that ancestors communicate with us throughout our lives. They send us messages and intuitions, in a way because of what we know of ancestral trauma, we subconsciously carry the emotional memory of our ancestors. Maybe that's why they try to help us to be a vehicle for their own healing. In any case, I wrote some music to the recording. In the process, I connected it with my grandmother, and myself. All through sound. So here it is. Marcia's spiritual reading.
Medium 33:46
This is November of 1990. And it's the first reading of Marcia. First I touched you and did go into your vibration, usually I receive a vision, but it is the message I receive that is so beautiful. I hope I can repeat it, because it comes and goes. So let me see. Those who suffer will loom. Those who cannot claim on their own feet will be lifted. Those who strive to reach the mountaintop will be placed on wings to carry them to the highest place there is. That's the message. Marcia do you know that you are your soul your spirit? Do you to know that this body is just something during this lifetime? It's not the true you. I look into your eyes. That's where I see you, your soul. And you're an old soul. You have been on this earth plane many, many times as we are souls we go through evolution, everything is in constant evolution. Why should we be different? But we go through soul evolution. That means, with every lifetime, we have a better chance to grow, to lift ourselves out of the material, physical into the spiritual into the real substance of what we are.
Madeleine 35:56
Now, my grandmother Marcia lives on in the sonic world, and we all do with our lives constantly being recorded. We now have the inability to forget for better or for worse. And in this way, sound is a time capsule, a memorabilia as AJ said, and if we allow it, we can learn, connect and transcend through generations. All through the networks of sound.
Samantha McNulty 36:34
That was an excerpt from Madeleine Hackborn's Networks of Sound a podcast that explores the relationship between music and spirituality. The link to the rest of that episode is also in our show notes. Finally, to end the show off, we've got a project to take you to a place that is familiar to all of us. Join our next feature student in the Six.
Anita 37:03
I'm Anita Pogorzelska and this is Something for the Road. Welcome to something for the road on CJRU 1280 AM. Everyone knows that road trips are best enjoyed in the company of other people. So even if you can't go anywhere right now, why don't you join me on this adventure as we take a look at one of Ontario's road trip destinations. Most of the time, I want nothing more than to escape the city. But Toronto does hold if you treasures, including quite a few beaches. It always surprises me how many we have. There's 11 beaches listed on the City of Toronto website. And that's not including places like sugar beach. Anyway, today I'm taking you to the beach, more specifically cherry beach. We'll also be joined by my road tripping buddy...comes say hello.
Yvette 38:12
Why? No. This is like when your parents tell you to like say hi to relatives on the phone and you run away. I always ran away.
Anita 38:19
What's our itinerary for today?
Yvette 38:21
So our itinerary today is that we will leave at...well we're late.
We're going to cherry beach to have a picnic and to just chill.
Anita 38:31
And watch the sunset?
Yvette 38:32
And watch the sunset and we were going to build a fire but the government won't let us. The amount of times I wanted to start fires and the government said no.
Anita 38:40
Located at the tip of the Portland's area, Cherry Beach is surrounded by marshlands and factories but somehow manages to be a charming destination that actually might be one of my favorite places in Toronto. And it's right by Tommy Thompson Park which is also a lovely place to spend a peaceful afternoon in. The water is impossibly blue on sunny days. It's pleasantly secluded with lots of little nooks and long walking trails. You can even catch a glimpse of the city's iconic silhouette right beside a stunningly ugly brown brick factory. But you can't have everything can you? Cherry Beach is a blue flag beach, which means it has clean water that's suitable for swimming. For a long time. It was actually one of the few Toronto beaches where the water was clean enough to swim in.
Noooo! The eggs have squished out of the sandwich! The eggs have moved.
Yvette 39:36
That's fine. Push it down and this is how you lock it.
Anita 39:44
With the cooler packed we set off on our journey.
TTC Voice 39:48
Arriving at, Union, Union Station. Doors will open on the left.
Anita 39:54
Are we taking the 121?
Yvette 39:57
I guess?
Anita 39:59
The 121 D?
Yvette 40:00
Oh I don't know I didn't look at the route.
Anita 40:03
Front street...
Yvette 40:05
I feel like it's that way, yeah?
Anita 40:07
Probably.
You can get there by car pretty easily. But if you want to travel by public transit like leedon you'll have to wait for the elusive 121 D bus.
Yvette 40:24
Okay we're waiting at the stop for the 121 D bus.
Anita 40:28
We've been waiting for like 21 minutes
Yvette 40:30
Yeah,
Anita 40:31
Unless you don't have another choice. I really wouldn't recommend taking the TTC.
Yvette 40:35
We've been here for so long.
Anita 40:35
We've been here for a really long time. We've here for like half an hour at least, probably more.
Yvette 40:43
Wait wait wait. Nope that one's turning.
Anita 40:46
No it's turning away.
Yvette 40:47
No! Why does everything I love turn away? I'm hungry.
Anita 40:52
Me too. I see a number that looks similar to our number.
Yvette 40:57
Oh my god bless.
Anita 40:58
It says 120, no, yes, it's 120.
Yvette 41:02
it's here!
Oooh look it's...Mmmm that's some good nature.
Anita 41:34
oh it smells, I mean sounds so peaceful. I wish there was more sun.
Yvette 41:41
But I kinda like this washy bit. You know like when the horizon doesn't- it looks like a mirage.
Anita 41:47
Any way we're here.
Yvette 41:49
We made it. It took a while.
Anita 41:51
A long time. It's almost six. We started today's adventure at 3.
Yvette 41:57
There's more people this way. But like there, further further. Oh I want to go in the water.
That's not a good idea cause look at all the bugs.
Anita 42:07
Also you don't have a towel.
Yvette 42:10
But I can air dry like a dog.
Anita 42:13
But it's easier- did you just kick a bunch of sand at me?
Yvette 42:17
I slipped by accident, there may have been casualties
Anita 42:21
you know how i feel about sand.
Yvette 42:25
Well we came to a beach
Anita 42:27
I know that was our first mistake.
Yvette 42:33
This?
Anita 42:33
Here?
Yvette 42:34
Or what's the alternative?
Anita 42:36
I don't know. We walked the entire length of the beach, I don't want to walk back.
Yvette 42:41
No here is good
Anita 42:50
If you spend enough time at the beach and really pay attention, you start to notice the people there. They're all the storylines that unfold and converge as you sit, hour by hour and realize that you are just a side character in a big ensemble cast. There's something beautiful about the moment when you realize the world does not revolve around you. When you see all the different lives happening around you in real time. All the characters that leave and return and interact with one another. There's the woman who gets very excited about a swan, who we later see joyfully skipping on the grass. There's the older man swimming alone who we think has a lot of tattoos.
Yvette 43:34
It's dirt. Cause in my head I thought it was a back piece. Very convincing for a second.
Anita 43:45
Until we realized that he's just covered in dirt. They're the two men who sit in the sand, talking and staring out onto the water. One of them skipping stones sitting down so aptly we're enthralled by it. Then the men leave and moments later two other men appear taking their place so perfectly you can't help but wonder if all these people are really real. Or if they're just performing actions on a loop. There's the lonely looking young man who leans his bike down next to him and spend several minutes with his hands in the water.
Yvette 44:19
Is he just playing with mud?
Anita 44:21
That's kinda fun
Yvette 44:22
He looks like a model
Anita 44:24
For real.
Yvette 44:25
Like, for hiking and adventure Bass Pro Shops
Anita 44:29
There's the grizzled, angry looking old man who brings his bright pink remote control motorboat into the water and makes the most obnoxious amount of noise, only to take his boat under his arm and hike back up the sand. He returns later and sets the boat back in the water driving it at full speed for maybe a minute before he takes his boat and leaves and we realize all those hours in between he was waiting for the boat to charge only to drive it for a moment before the battery drained again. Was this fun for him? we wonder. He looks so unhappy, driving his boat and it seems like such a sad, pathetic thing to do. Not to mention disruptive. The man appears again to yell at a family having a bonfire, telling them it's illegal and moments later, he returns to dump a bucket of water over their fire and all of their things. He makes several trips with his bucket and a large menacing rake, putting out the fires of the surrounding groups of people. We watch the action unfold and through all the yelling learn that he is a local that he lives somewhere nearby. Finally, he leaves but the beach is only still for a moment before he returns with his pink remote control boat. This time the boat sputters for only half a minute before the motor gives out. Clearly, he hadn't waited long enough for it to charge. He takes the boat under his arm and charges up the sand in defeat. So many characters, each with their own plotline, their own role in the script of this one day at the beach. And who are we? We were the duck ladies. or at least Yvette was.
Yvette 46:12
He brought his wife!
Anita 46:15
That's presumptious of you.
Yvette 46:17
His girlfriend? His female duck friend? His duck buddy? Aw look at em. To be a duck gently bobbing in the water. They're coming! Oh my god does he remember? Oh he's asking me to feed his friend! Here. You missed it.
Anita 46:09
It's right here
Yvette 46:09
Here.
Anita 46:09
I think I'll name you... Feather. Jesus!
Yvette 46:09
She did not like the name Feather.
Samantha McNulty 47:05
That was Something for the Road by our very own Anita Pogorzelska. She's the talented individual behind her opening in any of the sweepers you hear. That said that was our final projects. While I'm wrapping up I want to give a big thank you to all the students whose projects were featured today and all those who contributed to the making of this episode. Without you this show wouldn't exist and RTA wouldn't be the fantastic place that it is. That's it. That's all for this episode. I'm Sam McNulty, your host and Podcast Producer. We'll catch you next time on the next installment.
Robot Voice (Closing) 47:51
Thank you for your cooperation.