Episodes

  • Is Marcel Proust that author we all should be reading or just the founding father of internet trolling and incel culture? In this new old-stock episode (recorded February 2021) we finally get around to reviewing Alain de Botton’s How Proust Can Change Your Life. In addition to 50 minutes of mispronouncing “Proust” we also go off on a bunch of tangents including curated bookshelf backgrounds, loving/hating Scott Adams, the good and bad of Proustian moments, Andy’s misadventures in tiny European countries, and the “frosted kiss” of beer angels/ defrosting your soul with Dunkin. (Trigger warnings: We also briefly talk about suicide, death, and hitting rock bottom)

    Book: How Proust Can Change Your Life by Alain De Botton

    Drink: Pommeau De Normandie and Ben Franklin Hard Cider (sometimes mixed—don’t do it)

    References and Attributes:

    Philosophy: A Guide to Happiness presented by Alain de Botton-Episode 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S24FxdvfOko&list=PLxRuhrcSjnv2weFRcqOeCpk4Wy7_hay2j

    “Marcel Proust” by the School of Life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mLdo4uMJUU&t=513s

    “How to Cope with Bureaucracy” by the School of Life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CL_IoZqyb1I

    Alain de Botton on The Tim Ferriss Show (Podcast): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KreaV59NkE

    Opening Background Music: “Mastermind” from https://www.FesliyanStudios.com

    Closing Quote: Marcel Proust read by Alan Rickman

  • Hope…. Is it the one thing that kept you going the past six months? Did hope sustain you through the recent drought of Red Taped episodes. Do you find comfort in the simple fact that no matter what happens no one can take your hope away? This episode we give your feeling brain what it is craving and leave your rational mind wanting by discussing (poorly) Mark Manson’s latest book, Everything is F*cked, A Book About Hope.

    Please join us as we drive an unruly elephant, get a beer from a green turtle, and visit a very blunt panda.... Ooops!!! One last thing…..we kinda, sorta, maybe, subtly…..take hope away. Set your existential angst to eleven, party with nihilists, and find a better way forward.

    Book: Everything is F*cked, A Book About Hope by Mark Manson

    Drink: Esperante (Mexican Style Lager)- Aslin Beer Company

    References and Attributes:

    Opening Song: “Scheming Weasel (faster version)” by Kevin MacLeod (CC Attribution 3.0)

    Opening Quote: “Rixty Minutes.” Rick and Morty, TV (Season 1, Episode 8)

    Closing Quote: The Big Lebowski. Film, 1998.

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  • Has it been minutes, days, weeks, months, years? We are not sure because life has become the overlapping timelines of the Witcher.

    Back in April your fearless and house-bound hosts decided to watch Season 1 of Parks and Recreation and talk about it with their friends. Yes, season 1 is pretty horrible but re-watching it was just a small, fading ember of the dumpster fire that is 2020. (Don’t’ worry, dear listener, just like pizza, bad Parks and Rec is still pretty good and season 1 is only 6 episodes.)

    This week we are joined by our buddy Norm to help us tackle episodes 1 and 2. What happens when three bureaucrats born in the 1980s get together to talk about a sitcom from the early 2000s? They talk about Cheers. We know our listeners are fans of big and bigger government but sit back, relax, and feel some small township energy.

    Production Note: This is episode 1 of a 3-episode series. We will be returning to our book reviews soon. The next book to face our scrutiny is Everything is F*cked: A Book about Hope by Mark Manson.

  • “When you light a candle, you also cast a shadow.”- Ursula K. Le Guin

    “Ready to give up so I seek the Old Earth. Who explained working hard may help you maintain. To learn to overcome the heartaches and pain.” - “C.R.E.A.M” by Wu Tang Clan

    Is this episode good or bad? Trick question: Only a Sith deals in absolutes. This episode two caged bearcats wrap-up their lengthy discussion of Ralph Waldo Emerson by reviewing his short essay, “Compensation.” We were hoping for a get-rich-quick scheme but instead we got an essay on the inherent natural tendency of all things to find balance and the resulting ethical framework that transcends artificial institutions. This “deep stuff” is balanced out with a lot of discussion about: Star Wars; sleeping on the job (and failing at it); life changing fortune cookies; financial fitness and weight loss: bowling and drinking at 7am; St. Nick Offerman; Star Wars, again; quarantine-induced Malort tolerance; and the very fine line between six-pack winners and losers.

    (Note: This is a follow-on episode to our review of “Self-Reliance.” You should probably listen to that episode first but you do you.)

    Book: “Compensation” by Ralph Waldo Emerson

    Drink: Reis (Rice Lager brewed with Jasmine Tea, Green Tea & Yuzu [tastes like Coors Light in a good/bad way]) by Aslin Beer

    References and Attributes:

    American Philosophy: A Love Story by John Kaag (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28116747-american-philosophy)

    Closing:

    Excerpt from the Urban Dharma Podcast, episode “Karma: Friend or Foe” August 5, 2019 (https://www.urbandharma.org/udharma9/dharmatalks.html)

  • “Ray, when someone asks you if you're a god, you say YES!” ― Winston Zeddmore, Ghostbusters (1984)

    “We have time to grow old. The air is full of our cries. But habit is a great deadener.”― Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot

    Social distancing, teleworking, beans and rice/rice and beans, TP shortages, virtual happy hours, and forgetting to hit mute—is Ralph Waldo Emerson the person we need to transcend all this? This week the Red Taped lost boys try to grow up and become self-reliant (although we would prefer not to). This quasi-normal episode gets a little off topic and explores: tiny mammal things (friend, foe, or delicious?); virtual train travel for cool guys; less than horrible elevator music; cider virginity stories; hot and bothered bats; and the erotic lives of America’s nonagenarian intelligentsia. If you want to skip us catching up and get straight to the book forward to 17:50.

    Read your Emerson and keep listening!

    (Production note: please hang in with us and we work on improving the quality of the remote recording.)

    Book: “Self-Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson

    Drinks: a moral imperative at this point

    Next episode: “Compensation” by Ralph Waldo Emerson

    Attributes and References:

    Go for a train ride:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw9qiV7XlFs

    Background music for work:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuBCIwEzBBI

    American Philosophy: A Love Story by John Kaag (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28116747-american-philosophy)

    Ethics by Baruch Spinoza https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/205218.Ethics?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=jCFmYrXPgq&rank=1 )

    Hot Bats?

    https://massivesci.com/articles/bat-immune-systems-ncov-sars-nipah-mers-ebola-coronavirus/

    Opening:

    Charles Ives “Symphony No 1” : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SM5e9fjFRHg&t=89s

    Reading of “Self-Reliance”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pEhC3345JE

    Closing:

    “Bartelby the Scrivener” (short film): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUBA_KR-VNU&t=1307s

  • Fat monks, tigers, cobras, and viruses, oh my!

    A few weeks ago, two bearcats met via technology from their respective cages to honor a fellow bureaucrat with the prestigious Walter Peck Excellency in Bureaucracy Award. They also took some time to talk about their recent transition to “all-telework-all-the-time” and other random things. This is the first in a series of “Caged Bearcats Episodes” where we will be playing around with different formats and topics while social distancing.

    If you were ever curious what Andy and Larry talk about when they have nothing to talk about, this episode is for you. The short answer is snakes, mostly. The long answer: technology burn-out; neighbor shaming; becoming members of the siesta club; how mundane bar food can transcend into sublime memories; how turning 40 while social distancing is strangely like other life milestones (in a dark basement, scared, and so very alone); snakes, snakes, and more snakes; Demolition Man as prophecy; and the trials, triumphs, and tribulations of quasi-illegal hiking.

    Book: none

    Drink: whatever we could find.

    Next up: Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essays Self-Reliance and Compensation

    References:

    The "Monk and the Tiger" story is from this video (Check it out, it will help):

    “What do to when everything falls apart” by Ajahn Brahm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe4gks2rAGg

    Next time you are in Albuquerque, form some new nightmares:

    https://www.rattlesnakes.com/

    Technical assistance for the toilet paper shortage:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7nFEnFtvCM

    Be back soon with Emerson and Parks and Rec...

  • I asked him, “How can a man be brave if he is afraid?” “That is the only time a man can be brave,” he told me. – Robb Stark describing Ned Stark, Game of Thrones

    Two bearcats went over the mountain to see what they could see. When they got to the peak, they immediately fell into a deep valley where they “dulled-out” for several months. We taped this episode two months ago, put it on a shelf, and quasi-retired. However, during these trying times we all need to do our part. Unfortunately for you, our part is keeping you occupied with a meandering podcast about the meandering trails of peaks and valleys that form modern life.

    This week we retire “the king of parables,” party (responsibly) with Dave Ramsey, discuss a monk’s dilemma, and eat love-sushi until we get sick. Hold on tight…this episode will leave you with truth-bumps (noncontagious). Stay well, bearcats!

    Book: Peaks and Valleys by Spencer Johnson, M.D.

    Drink: Lagunitas Cherry Jane Sour Ale

    Next Episode: Bearcats in a Cage?

    Attributes/Clips/References:

    The Dave Ramsey Show (https://www.daveramsey.com/show/podcasts)

    Who Ordered This Truckload of Dung?: Inspiring Stories for Welcoming Life's Difficulties by Ajahn Brahm

    https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/647579.Who_Ordered_This_Truckload_of_Dung_)

    The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson https://www.goodreads.com/book/photo/28257707-the-subtle-art-of-not-giving-a-f-ck

    Closing Quote: Sean Penn in the film, Casualties of War

  • Q: What do you get when you combine 1-part Sean Connery, 1-part Jimmy Stewart, and 2.5-parts sketchy guy that lives in a van? A: Santa Claus.

    This week we finally meet the legendary Santa Claus and he is not the jolly, old elf you imagined. In reality, Santa is a hard-driving, down to brass tacks CEO with lots of leadership (and other) secrets to share. We also spend some time rambling about the joys and miseries of the holiday season, discover the true meaning of “bearcat,” feel some slight remorse about being capitalist pigs, worry about our parents’ Hallmark addictions, and Andy leverages a reckless food order to brand our new bartender. In the short tradition of the modern-day office holiday party, this podcast is one-hour of mandatory fun.

    Warning: This episode contains, holiday music, bad acting, excessive consumption of raw eggs, copious swearing, an extremely deep cut to our least downloaded episode, mythical adultery, and a few explosions.

    Would you rather listen to this or watch the Star Wars Holiday Special? Let us know by leaving a scathing review on iTunes, or contacting us at: [email protected] (email) and @RedTapedPodcast (Twitter).

    Book: The Leadership Secrets of Santa Claus; A Walk-the-Talk Resource by Eric Harvey, David Cottrell, Al Lucia, and Mike Hourigan

    Drink: Eggnog with Bearcat Bourbon

    Next Episode: How Proust Can Change Your Life by Alan de Botton

    Attributes/Clips:

    Opening music: Jazzy bells, by Dee Yan-Key from the album My Christmas Music, 2017 (CC BY NC SA)

    Shaking Christmas Holiday Sleigh Bells Sound Effect by Sound Effect Factory (CC): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYIxR_86Ck0sCL26eVuumvQ

    Debris Sound effects by Das CREATIONS: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvoCGqqsa8aYAmw_ZgWn99w

  • We don’t want to be a couple of old guys that disappear for months and return unannounced to give you poorly-informed life advice, but we think you should listen to this episode. This week we remedy all your dysfunctions while discussing The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni. We also travel to the Napa Valley to eat Pizza Hut and drink domestic beer; fall in love with a narcissist ex-ballerina; dabble in office politics; rant about the growing gaps between episodes; raid a toddler’s snack drawer; and opine on the evolving norms of meeting etiquette.

    Sorry for the delay on this one!!! The new Fiscal Year required a sacrifice and your hosts were on the slab. A belated happy FY 2020! Let us know your Fiscal Year resolutions, book recommendations, or general dislike for what we have to offer at: [email protected] (email) and @RedTapedPodcast (Twitter).

    Book: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni

    Drink: Lagunitas Daytime IPA

    Next Episode: How Proust Can Change Your Life by Alan de Botton

    Links:

    “Patrick Lencioni: Five Dysfunctions of a Team” ( a quick overview) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sqvWEI1CVg&list=LLr-99XFH1ODOK52gAJk1Jjw&index=3&t=229s

    “Summary of Every Self-Help Book EVER” by AvE (Yup, he pretty much nailed it)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7RgtMGL7CA&t=257s

    Attributes/Clips:

    Opening music: Hachiko (The Faithful Dog), by The Kyoto Connection from the album Wake Up, 2015 (CC BY SA)

    Quotes: “I hope you stay.” Euphoria, Pilot Episode 2019

  • “You wanted to kill your father in order to be your father yourself. Now you are your father, but a dead father.” -Sigmund Freud

    “Your son is gone. He was weak and foolish like his father and so I destroyed him.” – Kylo Ren

    Once again, the Red Taped bros found themselves becalmed in the doldrums of summer. Despite valiant efforts, the Navy SEALs could not salvage our voyage of redemption and the core beliefs that once served as our ballast violently shifted leaving us adrift. This week we break up with the Navy SEAL management/self-help genre. We also find Aristotle’s wisdom hidden in a table-saw, drown our broken hearts in rum and Cuban food, find the delicate balance of The Dilbert Principle and Extreme Ownership, and reminisce about our first sticky-fumbling catastrophe of a pilot episode. The father-wounds run deep this episode, as we detach from our dominant podcasting daddies and set a new course into uncharted waters.

    Please join us as we navigate a messy break-up and discuss The Dichotomy of Leadership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. Did you really think a couple of bureaucratic, soy-boys and a pair of Navy SEALs would last? Please feel free to express your disgust or support: [email protected] (email) and @RedTapedPodcast (Twitter).

    Book: The Dichotomy of Leadership: Balancing the Challenges of Extreme Ownership to Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

    Drink: Mojitos and Caipirinhas

    Links:

    Jocko Podcast #138: The Dichotomy of Leadership with Leif Babin: http://jockopodcast.com/2018/08/15/138-the-dichotomy-of-leadership-with-leif-babin-self-control-and-how-to-find-the-balance/

    Upcoming Episodes:

    The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni

    State of the Pod- Midyear Review

    How Proust Can Change Your Life by Alain de Botton

    Attributes/Clips:

    Opening Song:

    “Demon Trooper” by GroovySauce: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KurBhSzAko

    Jocko Willink from Jocko Podcast #3: http://jockopodcast.com/2015/12/31/jocko-podcast-3-jocko-echo-the-last-hundred-yards-book-jiu-jitsu-bosses-failure/

    Quotes:

    “Waiting for my next mission” from Apocalypse Now (Film), 1979

    “You need me on that wall” from A Few Good Men (Film), 1992

    Closing:

    “If you want to change the world, start by making your bed.” An excerpt from Admiral William H. McRaven’s Commencement Address to the University of Texas Austin (2014): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxBQLFLei70

  • In this episode we return to Trillium, Oregon to visit our fictional hero and the “James Bond” of the public sector, Ben Cromarty. As true fan-boys of author Scott Lazenby, we were enthralled to partake in a new bureaucratic adventure. However, as Ben began slipping in and out of statutory loopholes without hesitation or remorse, aligning himself with questionable nonprofits, throwing basic principles of competitive procurement to the wind, and hobnobbing with venture capitalists, we found ourselves questioning our loyalty and devotion. Is Ben a double-agent fixated on watching his state government burn? Did Ben sell us all out for a few craft beers and a couple hipster friends? Are the feds Ben’s next target? Can a humble EPA agent named Walter Peck save us by shutting this whole mess down?

    Dear bearcats, you only live twice: once when you are born and once when you stare true bureaucracy in the face. Let the intergovernmental mayhem commence!

    Sorry for the lack of episodes…. It has been a cruel summer in bearcat country. We will attempt to get back to our biweekly production as soon as our schedules show a little mercy. Please feel free to express your disgust: [email protected] (email) and @RedTapedPodcast (Twitter).

    Book: State of the City by Scott Lazenby

    Drink: The Vesper (If want to get drunk while increasing your deadlift, Coach Rip will show you the way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgL2IWuXiy8 )

    Upcoming Episodes:

    The Dichotomy of Leadership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

    How Proust Can Change Your Life by Alain de Botton

    State of the Pod- Midyear Review

    The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni

  • After being lost in the woods (actual and metaphorical), we have returned to the parasocial experiment that is Red Taped.

    Representative democracy, separation of church and state, a system of checks and balances, and national independence form a very small sample of our forefathers’ legacy. However, the greatest gift they bestowed upon the American people is a national, common weird-uncle— Ben Franklin. When dealing with a weird-uncle, you must only call upon him when you are in desperate need. Red Taped was dying without a roar and only the faintest impression of a whimper. For better or worse, Uncle Benjamin saved us. His “feel-good juice" restored our vigor and his 13 virtues fortified our minds, bodies, and spirits. Today we explore the question: “Who has a better story than Ben Franklin, the tamer of lightning, the First American, and O.G. bad-boy MPA?”

    Three of the authors we previously discussed on Red Taped – Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People; Stephen Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, and Mark Manson, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck— all reference and praise Franklin. These episodes are among our favorites, and it would be a truly virtuous act to check them out.

    Did you miss us? Want us to go back to the woods? Please let us know: [email protected] , or leave a review on iTunes.

    Book: The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin

    Drink: Ben Franklin’s Shrub: https://www.thenest.com/content/go-back-in-time-with-these-historical-shrub-cocktails

    References:

    Drunk History vol 2.5: Ben Franklin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABFQ-T3uAVI

    Shrubs: An Old Fashioned Drink for Modern Times by Michael Dietsch (Additional Shrub Recipes and history/ great summer drinks): https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/18430105-shrubs

    The 13 Virtues (America’s first excel table?): http://www.knowledgehouse.info/Ben%20Franklin's%2013%20Virtues%20Chart.pdf

    The Radicalism of the American Revolution by Gordon S. Wood: (How do you like them apples?): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6956.The_Radicalism_of_the_American_Revolution

    History of Poor Richard’s Almanac: http://www.benjamin-franklin-history.org/poor-richards-almanac/

    Summer Schedule:

    Early July- State of the City by Scott Lazenby

    Late July- The Dichotomy of Leadership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

    August- How Proust Can Change Your Life by Alain de Botton

    August- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni

    Attributes:

    Opening:

    Simple Gifts by the United States Army Old Guard (CC Public Domain 1.0)

    Closing:

    Our homage to A Walk in the Woods, the book by Bill Bryson (2010) and film (2015) starring Robert Redford and Nick Nolte that inspired our own adventures on the Appalachian Trail.

  • Feeling hopeless, lost, and stuck? It happens to most people at some point or multiple points in their lives. Fortunately, the solution is easy: 1.) find a manic pixie dream girl; 2.) expand your mind by consuming some “not-red-rocks”; and 3.) lucid dream yourself to a new reality--Basic stuff, people! We hope you are hungry because this week we are reading Out of the Maze: An Amazing Way to Get Unstuck by Spencer Johnson and concluding the “Red Taped: Cheese Trilogy.” Brace yourself as we wrap up this epic hero’s journey and celebrate the return of the fable-writing king.

    Book: Out of the Maze by Spencer Johnson

    Drink: Assorted local ciders from Mt. Defiance and Cobbler Mountain (Mint Juleps also had a preshow appearance).

    Show Schedule:

    5/27- The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by America’s weird uncle Ben.

    6/10- State of the City by Scott Lazenby

    6/24- The Dichotomy of Leadership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

    7/8- How Proust Can Change Your Life by Alain De Botton

    Links:

    More about the hero’s journey (pdf file): http://www.tlu.ee/~rajaleid/montaazh/Hero%27s%20Journey%20Arch.pdf

    The truth about John Chapman (aka Johnny Appleseed): http://mentalfloss.com/article/62113/9-facts-tell-true-story-johnny-appleseed

    More about the manic pixie dream girl trope in fiction: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ManicPixieDreamGirl

    It’s been 50 years since Mr. Rogers taught Congress that “they can stop when they want to.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKy7ljRr0AA

    Attributes/Clips:

    Opening music:

    The Planets, Op. 32-IV Jupiter Bringer of Jollity by Gustav Holst performed by Skidmore College Orchestra (CC PD)

    Quotes:

    “Die a hero or live long enough to become a villain.” The Dark Knight (film), 2008

    “It’s not a lie if you believe it.” Seinfeld: “The Beard” (TV), 1995

  • Do you have a minute? How about sixty? If so, please join us as we meet the New One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson. In addition to offering a plethora of “1-minute man” jokes, we eventually get around to sharing our analysis of this management classic. We also criticize management cults after unconditionally pledging ourselves to a Red Priestess, proclaim the power of motivational screensavers, consider tattoo placement options for managers, learn how not to train a dog, and impregnate a pause or two. There is a little GoT talk at the beginning but it is spoiler free.

    Book: The New One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson

    Drink: The Red Priestess (https://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2014/04/10-great-game-of-thrones-themed-cocktails.html)

    Show Schedule:

    5/13- Out of the Maze: An A-Mazing Way to Get Unstuck by Spencer Johnson

    5/27- The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

    6/10- State of the City by Scott Lazenby

    6/24- The Dichotomy of Leadership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

    7/8- How Proust Can Change Your Life by Alain De Botton

    Attributes/Clips:

    Closing:

    Opening dialogue to “One Minute Man” music video by Missy Elliot

  • Lovable losers? These two bearcats have something in common with the Chicago Cubs. At Andy's request or insistence, we celebrate the beginning of the baseball season by discussing The Cubs Way by Tom Verducci. In this episode, we discuss and analyze the key management players that built the team that finally broke the famous Cubs curse. In order to do this, your hosts were joined by a hibernating bearcat to equip them with the only drink you can have when discussing Chicago. Pour yourself a shot of Malort, give yourself a "Chicago handshake" and "Try Not to Suck."

    Book: The Cubs Way: The Zen of Building the Best Team in Baseball and Breaking the Curse by Tom Verducci

    Drink: Jeppson’s Malort

    Show Schedule:

    4/22- The New One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson

    5/6- Out of the Maze: An A-Mazing Way to Get Unstuck by Spencer Johnson

    Attributes/Clips:

    Opening:

    “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” by Hadyn Quartet (CC PD) (freemusicarchive.org)

    “Green Apples” Harry Caray

    Closing:

    “Cubbies Win?” from Back to the Future II (Film, 1989)

  • It was not the threesome we wanted but it was definitely the one we deserved. This week we are joined by our one listener/special guest, Spartacus and discuss his book recommendation: Unsung Heroes: Federal Execucrats Making a Difference by Norma. M. Riccucci. We also explore the uncharted realm of bureaucrat porn (Spoiler: It consists entirely of peer-reviewed articles); upset some fellow MPA bros by doing poli-sci in the squat rack; look for Reagan era officials in Pound Town; watch a brawl between a humble philosopher and a big, swinging Richard; and desperately try to forgive our mothers for the irreversible damage created by their '80s hair choices. Three guys in a basement, it was destined to get a little rowdy so don’t listen with your kids. (Production note: Never listen with your kids unless they are the “cool” type that call you by your first name while making off-collar remarks about your love life and career choices.) (Executive Producer Note: Seriously, no kids).

    Book: Unsung Heroes: Federal Execucrats Making a Difference by Norma M.Riccucci

    Drink: Virginia Gentleman-Virginia Whiskey (planned but not procured)

    Links:

    Kelly, Norma “Can the Government Fix Its Corps of Managers” The Atlantic Jan 11, 2016: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/01/senior-executive-service/423435/

    And the Band Played On (Film 1993): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106273/

    And the Band Play On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic by Randy Shilts: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28212.And_the_Band_Played_On

    Show Schedule:

    4/8- The Cubs Way: The Zen of Building the Best Team in Baseball and Breaking the Curse by Tom Verducci

    4/22- The New One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson

    Attributes/Clips:

    Opening Songs:

    “La Melancolie Viennoise” by Dan Yan-Key from the album Trois Valses Sentimentales (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) (Source: freemusicarhive.org)

    “Dragon Knight Riders” by GroovySauce: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp6Dxd0yyyreiIEAH0Rd_cQ

    Closing: “Eat Cake Scene” from Groundhog Day (Film, 1993)

    Interesting read about this scene: https://reasonandmeaning.com/2018/01/13/poem-from-groundhog-day/

  • If you are seeking a paradigm shift that creates synergy and results in an unprecedented win-win situation, this episode will be 7th heaven for you. This week we review the leadership classic, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen Covey. We also test the effectiveness of bottom shelf whisky, meet the neighbors, find a new bar, fly with Harrison Ford, go on a blind date with the author, welcome ourselves to show biz, and sharpen our saws until we feel the burn.

    Help develop your Red Taped interdependence by contacting us at [email protected], @RedTapedPodcast, or leave a review on iTunes.

    Book: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen Covey

    Drink: 7&7

    Links:

    Treat...Yo...Self and check out the Cigarette Burns podcast (https://anchor.fm/cigarette-burns ). Two guys who have seen way too many movies discuss their love of all things film and tv. It is like Red Taped but with a much better topic and more knowledgeable hosts.

    Tony Robbins Interviews Stephen Covey- Improve the Quality of Life & Career: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFf0f6t3HFU&t=177s

    Show Schedule:

    3/25- Unsung Heroes: Federal Execucrats Making a Difference by Norma M. Riccucci

    4/8- The Cubs Way: The Zen of Building the Best Team in Baseball and Breaking the Curse by Tom Verducci

    4/22- Out of the Maze: An A-Mazing Way to Get Unstuck by Spencer Johnson

    Attributes/Clips:

    Opening Song: "in THE crowd" by The Years from the album The Years (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US) (Source: Free Music Archive)

    Bonus Closing: Theme Song to 7th Heaven (TV)

  • It will be funny, he said. It is an easy read, he said. We’ve earned a little light-work, he declared.

    This week your hosts get hypnotized and led down an oyster-crab infested rabbit hole. We also complain about the outbreak of live music in the DC suburbs, review bureaucrat fashion trends, and travel via chicken wings to Korea...Don’t worry we stayed true to form and got drunk on aged coffee while discussing the merits of the Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams.

    Are you repulsed by our linking Dilbert to Plato? Are you team “tie-no-coat” or “suit-no-tie”? Pancakes or waffles? Send thoughts, complaints, or rambling diatribes to: [email protected], @RedTapedPodcast, or leave a review on iTunes.

    Drink: Peak Organic Brewing Company: Oak Aged Mocha Stout

    Links:

    Sam Harris Podcast #87- Triggered: A conversation with Scott Adams: https://samharris.org/podcasts/triggered/

    The Tim Ferris Show- Scott Adams: The Man Behind Dilbert: https://tim.blog/2015/09/22/scott-adams-the-man-behind-dilbert/

    Scott Adams’ Blog: https://blog.dilbert.com/

    Show Schedule:

    3/11- Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

    3/25- Unsung Heroes: Federal Execucrats Making a Difference by Norma M. Riccucci

    4/8- The Cubs Way: The Zen of Building the Best Team in Baseball and Breaking the Curse by Tom Verducci

    Attributes/Clips:

    Opening Song: “Skate” by Komiku from the album Captain Glouglou’s Incredible Week Soundtrack (CCO 1.0) (Source: Free Music Archive)

    Dilbert, “Drive by Management” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iny4wDkyrTo

    Dilbert, “The Key to Happiness and Top Performer” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kZ_8C9vCQQ

  • This week two bearcats walk into a bar to wrestle with a green turtle and leave with bleeding eardrums— I am still not sure what Andy said during the past hour but I am sure it was heartfelt. We also get our hopes smashed by a panda, get needlessly nostalgic over forgotten sodas (Coke 2, Crystal Pepsi, Upper 10, and Super Mario Bros?) and find a politician who has mastered the F-bomb (Spoiler: Beto O' Rouke is a true cussing artist). Most importantly, Mark Manson teaches us The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by showing us how to give a f*ck?

    We had to turn our explicit language warning to “11” for this one.

    What do you think about this episode? Were the f*cks too few, too many or, just right? Let us know: [email protected], https://twitter.com/RedTapedPodcast, or leave a review on iTunes.

    Book: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson

    Drink: Chufly Cocktail

    Links:

    “U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke lets f-bombs fly on the campaign trail” by Justin Dehn, The Texas Tribune, September 28, 2017: (https://www.texastribune.org/2017/09/28/us-rep-beto-orourke-lets-it-fly-campaign-trail/?utm_campaign=trib-social&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_content=1506626893 )

    A short description of “Eudaimonia” from the School of Life: “Why ‘Happiness’ is a useless word- and an alternative’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GocIobQ9MLs&t=140s

    Show Schedule:

    2/25- The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams

    3/11- Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

    3/25- Unsung Heroes: Federal Execucrats Making a Difference by Norma M. Riccucci

    Attributes:

    Opening song: “Corporate Technology” by Scott Homes from the album Corporate and Motivational Music (CC BY NC) (Source: Free Music Archive)

  • It is only during that brief transition between a late-night and an early-morning that life’s weightiest questions become apparent, such as: Does drinking an ultra-light beer make you ultra-unlikable? Is the opening theme to Unsolved Mysteries the scariest music of all time? Could a woke as f**k mouse steal your college girlfriend? Do mice even lift, brah? Is the world just one maze within another maze? OK, seriously, who moved my cheese?

    This week is book two in the “The Red Taped Cheese Trilogy”: I Moved Your Cheese by Deepak Malhotra. If you are new to the maze consider going back to our discussion of book one: Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson, M.D.

    Unsatisfied with our answers? Let us know: [email protected] (email) and @RedTapedPodcast (Twitter)

    Show Schedule:

    2/11- The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson

    2/25- The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams

    3/11- Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey