Work Stew Podcast

Listen to the interview by clicking the arrow on the audio player below.

Some of you will remember my big get from January when Santa Claus, one of the world’s most famous seasonal workers, granted me an interview. This interview also focuses on seasonal work. Just in time for Halloween, Rhyne Armstrong reminisces about a gig he had writing scripts for haunted houses. 

About Rhyne Armstrong: Rhyne Armstrong has worked in the field of technical communications for over 16 years. He is currently the Director of Documentation at RouteMatch Software in Atlanta.

Armstrong hails from South Carolina and, on his blog, he describes himself as “really nobody special…just a guy with a wife, kids, mortgage, and too many pets.” But at a conference I attended recently, Armstrong wowed the crowd with a presentation that revealed not only a deep understanding of social media but also an impressive command of horror flicks. You had to be there, but trust me—when it comes to all things spooky, Armstrong knows his stuff.

Podcast: Download

Listen to the interview by clicking the arrow on the audio player below.

I have a distinct weakness for workplace dramas of practically any quality, and the really good ones—Mad Men, Dexter, Homeland—have the power to consume me completely until every available episode has been exhausted. I come away from these sorts of shows feeling not only like I’ve had a glimpse into their worlds, but also that I have somehow received actual job training.

Recently I decided that if I’m going to be held in such ridiculous thrall by these fictional workplaces, the least I could do is fact check them from time to time. Down the line, I may chat with a real-life Don Draper and a (hopefully non-homicidal) blood spatter expert. But first I was thrilled to reconnect earlier today with ex-spy Lindsay Moran, who gave me her take on Homeland.

About Lindsay Moran: Lindsay Moran served as a CIA case officer from 1998 to 2003. In 2005, she published a memoir about her CIA experience called  Blowing My Cover, My Life As A Spy.

During her tenure with the CIA, Moran was deployed to the Republic of Macedonia, where her primary job was to identify, vet, and recruit foreigners willing to sell information related to the Serbian genocide in Kosovo.

Before joining the CIA, Moran graduated from Harvard, won a Fulbright scholarship, and worked as a teacher in Bulgaria.

Her freelance writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, and many other publications (including Work Stew). The photo to the right is of Moran in disguise (yes—really!), during the summer of 2000.

Podcast: Download