Hello Reader,

Last Sunday afternoon I went on an hour long road trip to visit my Dad because I didn't get a chance to see him at Christmas. We had a nice time visiting and eating together. He showed me a painting he was working on restoring. Pretty cool! And, as many of you know, I'm an avid podcast listener, so I had my podcast app LOADED with shows to keep my ears and brain busy on the road. I've been looking for new shows to like so many of the episodes I downloaded were brand new. Never heard them before.

Sadly, only one became a favourite, and I thought: I've gotta share this with you!

Have you ever listened to Decoder Ring? It's, according to the show tagline, all about cracking cultural mysteries.

Here's the episode I listened to: Yo-yo's, Sandboxes, and Encores. Loved it from start to finish! I think you will too.

My favourite part? Learning where the expression "Elvis has left the building" came from.

(Have you ever heard it?) Anyway, the whole episode is quite interesting, and well put together.

No...it doesn't have Canadian English, but it's still a worth while practice session for you. Give it a listen, and let me know what you think, ok?

And for all you power commuters out there, this episode is nearly an hour long - but there are commercials, so be warned! :)

And Julia, a lovely member of this community, shared a few of her favourites with me - and I realized that I don't think I ever passed these along to you. (Sorry Julia!)

She loves listening to:

1. Science VS (I also enjoyed listening to one of their episodes!)
2. Muddy York

If you have a favourite podcast that you'd like me to share, please reply to this email and let me know. I'll gladly pass it on.

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And don't forget - special Boxing week pricing on my CELPIP speaking skills program ends on December 31. Let's start 2026 rocking your speaking skills! Just $149 a month $97 a month for as long as you remain a member.

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Have a great week!

Aaron