I don’t know why I chose today – February 12, 2026 – of all days to do this.
Perhaps it was the idiotic activity I did earlier in the day that shocked my nervous system three times.
I jumped into the sea pool in Helsinki Harbor, screamed at the freezing temperature, remained in the cold water for about 10 *whole* seconds, got out and ran into a sauna.
Rinse, wash, and repeat times 3 (3x). More on this later.
Maybe it was the sudden death of a popular American actor today – who was near to my own age – after a battle with cancer. Reading about his priorities shifting from Hollywood to family was inspiring. But the thought came across my mind about all of the things he will not be able to do in life.
I’d been sitting on this project for a while.
I don’t know what held me back.
Permission to post? No.
Fear of failure? I don’t think so, or won’t readily admit it.
Afraid that the project wasn’t perfect? Maybe, but it was less about perfection and more about fear of dishonoring the men who lost their lives in the crash. I’ll talk about this more in a podcast episode on the crew.
The (first) government shutdown gave me a bit of time to work on this project I’d been considering over the last five years. I had time to write up a transcript from notes I’d accumulated over the last ten years on an obscure aircraft crash near Albuquerque, New Mexico. I spent six years working on a book about the crash, but felt that a limited podcast series might be easier to digest during a ride to work or lounging about at home on a weekend.
So I recorded Episode Zero of the “Boomtown” limited podcast series. (https://rss.com/podcasts/boomtown-albuquerques-first-broken-arrow-nuclear-accident/2543676/)
Coming from a love of science fiction, all of the best/worst/scariest/traumatizing things start with “zero.”
This episode is nothing more than a six minute teaser to the series. I’ve got the rest of the episodes planned out and partially written – I just need to sit down and record them in the following weeks.
So sit back, double-click on the link above and subject yourself to a project I’d been sitting on for a long time… likely awaiting that “perfect moment” that never came.
I’m going to quote Steve Jobs here: “Real artists ship.” Recognizing that everyone has ideas, but few folks actually start, and complete their projects, Jobs was holding a high bar to those who claim to be artists.
I don’t consider myself a “real artist,” but I recognize the intent of the quote.
Boomtown Episode Zero has shipped. Now, the challenge will be to finish what I start.
JTP
Joseph T. Page II 