17 | The Hobbies of Entrepreneurs

Introduction

Welcome back to the AIB show notes! I solemnly swear that I am up to no good. If you get that reference, you’re doing better than James, who isn’t what I’d call a “Potterhead.” As you have probably guessed already, Jeremy is missing again this week.

It turns out that Thanos is a comic book character created for Marvel Comics, so what he does in the Infinity War was just for pretend. I guess those rumours of my death were greatly exaggerated.

This episode is all about un-business, the things that the hosts do to relax.

The Show

Since this is an episode about hobbies, you can bet that Kevin talks about his hobby-horse, woodworking.

James has recently discovered his own hobbies of close-up magic and card collecting.

Rob and James go down a very weird rabbit trail of David Blaine conspiracy theories. Well, just one theory, really, the one that says Mr. Blaine has been possessed by a Satan. Apparently his wizardry is such that Rob feels the only possible explanation is demonic possession.

When he’s not pivoting, Rob loves to fly fish. He suggests that fly fishing is so multi-faceted that you’ll enjoy it even if you don’t like murdering fish. Do you like making things? You can tie flies. Do you like drinking while operating a boat? You can drink and float down a river. Do you like to be out in nature? Where do you think they fish?

Kevin tries not to get teary-eyed while discussing his new hobby of gardening, and Rob tries to help him explain why growing vegetables that are probably going to be chucked anyway is so meaningful. Perhaps in order to connect with Rob and Kevin on a natural level, James makes up a story about growing up in the country. Of course he insists that it’s completely true, but, like Kevin and Rob, I have my doubts.

Finally, Kevin and Rob try to decide which Harry Potter wizard house James belongs to. Rob is pretty insistent that James would be Ravenclaw, while Kevin maintains that he would be Gryffindor. This is the kind of hard-hitting journalism and discussion that I’ve come to expect from this show.

Our Recommendations

Do you want to get into woodworking? Yeah, me neither, but if you DID want to risk cutting off useful appendages just to make Christmas gifts that family members are probably going throw away, Kevin has a recommendation; buy a jigsaw. For less than $50 at most home improvement stores, you get a saw that can make most of the cuts you need for small-scale projects. Jigsaws are also handheld tools, and so they take up very little space in your garage or other workspace.

If you’re a playing card nut like James, you might like his recommendation, playingcarddecks.com. Specifically, he likes their Pip Box Subscription, which is a fancy way of saying Deck of the Month club. Every month a curated number of playing card decks will be sent to your door. Talk about convenience! I’m just kidding, that sounds awful. I can’t wait till we hit the cultural backlash against subscription services. You can get a subscription service for literally anything you consume. It’s a bit ridiculous.

I’ve saved the best recommendation for last. AIB’s very own Rob Alderman has offered to take our five listeners fly fishing. All you have to do is make your way to South Eastern Tennessee and reach out to him. Of course, this recommendation would be a lot better if Rob were willing to pay your travel expenses. Now that I think about it, Rob may just be a lonely fly fisher. Maybe this is just a sad man’s cry for friends.