I mention last week that I try to keep abreast of what things are trending so that I can report these awesome new ideas to my baby boomer readers. That way we can ALL be hip.

I’m pretty sure that I fail miserably since the only way I find out about anything is if one of my kids or a younger friend happens to mention it to me. And then I generally don’t really understand it, but pretend I do by looking at them with feigned rapt interest.

Have you heard, for example about this new interwebby thingy where you can access information from your computer? And there’s something about a cloud, although I might be getting that confused with Weather Channel.

I’m only half kidding.

So keep that in mind when I pass along this astounding piece of information that I just learned about last week. You’ve probably known about for a year.

My son Court texts me last week (yes, I do have a smart phone Smartypantses) and asked me if I ever listen to podcasts. Now, I vaguely knew what he was talking about from some of the blogs that I read. That, plus my MUCH hipper sister Jen talks about podcasts. She listens to them on occasion.

Anyhoo, I admitted I had never listened to a podcast. “Do you?” I asked him.

He said he did – mostly having to do with basketball.

“But I recently came across a podcast I’m hooked on that I think you would like,” he said. “You should check it out. It’s called Serial.”

It took me a bit of time to find it with only that much information and being so technologically inept. But I found it and figured out how to listen to it. Ladies and gentlemen, I AM FLAT OUT HOOKED.

Hooked to the point where I may stop taking showers and cooking so I can spend more time listening. (Well, I guess I can listen and cook at the same time, but since showers involve becoming wet which would damage my IPAD, that may be a no go. I will begin to look like John the Baptist.)

So let me tell you about Serial.

Serial is a podcast narrated by a former Baltimore Sun reporter named Sarah Koenig. She has begun investigating the real life 1999 murder of a teenaged girl, Hae Min Lee. Lee’s estranged boyfriend, a teenaged American Muslim named Adnan Syed, was tried and convicted of her murder way back in 1999. But Koenig has gotten wind of the case, and as she  investigates further, many questions arise placing Syed’s guilt in question. At least in question to we-the-listeners. An episode in which she explains her process and findings is released weekly.

As you know by now, I am an avid mystery reader. Mysteries are far and away my favorite type of fiction. However, I have never really been a big fan of television programs such as Nightline or 48 Hours. I can’t really tell you why. Apparently real-life murders don’t interest me as much as fictional murders.

But there is something absolutely compelling about this story and what appears (at least after listening to only four episodes; I believe there have been 11 released thus far) to be an almost criminally badly defended case.

Based on my limited knowledge of journalism (a bachelor’s degree and one year as a reporter for a small town newspaper), Koenig seems relatively objective, smart, likeable, and fair. Plus, she has a really pleasant voice and I enjoy listening to her. It’s like listening to a friend.

I’m reminded of the days (before my time, and I emphasize that because hardly anything was before my time) when people used to listen to the radio instead of watching television. I find it a pleasant diversion as I work at my crocheting.

Serial – you  can find it and listen to it online. Just like our children. I recommend you give it a try/