Thirteen is supposed to be unlucky—but in this episode of Cool Hand Dross, we reclaim it.

Episode 13 explores the history and fear behind the number 13 (triskaidekaphobia), and how choosing discomfort can become a rite of passage. CHD shares the story behind The Lucky 13—a 13-mile ruck with a 20-lb pack ending at the Gulf of Mexico—and uses it as a metaphor for endurance, intention, and having an endpoint worth walking toward. Along the way, he breaks down the physical and mental benefits of rucking, steady-state stress, and why carrying weight can quiet the mind.

The episode then shifts into a personal State of the Union—what the address is meant to do, why individuals and families should hold their own annual check-ins, and where the Cool Hand Dross podcast stands today. Expect reflections on mental health, books, geopolitics, creativity, community, and what’s next for the show.

Four pillars remain unchanged: 🧠 Mental Health 📚 Books 🫙 True Tales from the Mason Jar 🎭 Culture Call Outs

If you’re feeling worn down, overloaded, or overdue for an honest check-in—this one’s for you.

Why does Into the Wild still matter—especially now?

In this episode of Cool Hand Dross, I revisit Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild through two lenses: the young man who once idolized Chris McCandless, and the 55-year-old teacher reading it again alongside his high school juniors. What’s changed isn’t the book—it’s the cost of living on autopilot in a world of comfort, convenience, and digital sedation.

We explore McCandless, Alaska, and the myth of reckless freedom, alongside Eddie Vedder’s haunting soundtrack (Society, Guaranteed, Life Wasted) and the film adaptation directed by Sean Penn. From there, the trail widens to Cheryl Strayed’s Wild and the Pacific Crest Trail—2,650 miles of discomfort, agency, and earned self-trust.

This is not a call to recklessness. It’s a call to presence. To intentional risk. To choosing a real life over a watched one.

The danger today isn’t wildness—it’s sedation. The question is simple: Are you living… or just consuming the idea of a life?

If this resonates, follow, subscribe, and leave a review. The road is still there—but let’s come back from it.

#IntoTheWild #ChrisMcCandless #PacificCrestTrail #LifeWasted #EddieVedder #JonKrakauer #CherylStrayed #CoolHandDross #BooksAndLife #MidlifeAwakening #LivingOnPurpose

Alright, alright, alright.

Episode 11 of the Cool Hand Dross Podcast is a layered, reflective, and slightly unhinged audible offering that moves from classic literature to Buddhist psychology—and ends with a true story that nearly burned down a quiet New Jersey neighborhood.

We start with a re-reading of The Catcher in the Rye and the evolving meaning of Holden Caulfield. What felt rebellious at sixteen reads as heartbreak and psychological unraveling at fifty-five. Is Holden a timeless symbol of teenage alienation—or a warning flare about a mind with no container?

From there, we explore J.D. Salinger’s deep ties to Zen Buddhism, the “monkey mind,” and spiritual attempts to escape ego, hypocrisy, and post-war trauma. Two accessible Buddhist psychology reads—The Misleading Mind and Becoming Your Own Therapist / Make Your Mind an Ocean—offer practical tools for navigating anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and modern mental overload.

And finally, a True Tale from the Mason Jar: teenage painters, clear wood finish, a sewer, one cigarette—and the moment someone yells, “Dude… the sewers are on fire.”

Reflection, recklessness, meaning, and luck—this one has it all.

Be the ocean, not the waves. The sun is always there shining just like true self. Let the clouds of thought and emotions come and go. 

#MentalHealthPodcast #CatcherInTheRye #HoldenCaulfield #BuddhistPsychology #Mindfulness #TrueStories #CreativeNonfiction #AnxietyTools #StorytellingPodcast

Tashi Delek. Tashi Delek. Tashi Delek. Episode 10 of the Cool Hand Dross Podcast is a milestone—and a grounding mental health reset.

In this episode, we focus exclusively on mental health, anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and emotional regulation through simple Buddhist-inspired frameworks that help you reconnect with your true self.

You’ll hear two powerful mental models I practice daily:

🌊 Be the ocean, not the wave — emotions rise and fall, but you are the steady depth beneath them. ☀️ The sun and the clouds — your true self is always shining; thoughts are just passing clouds.

We explore:

• Anxiety as future-thinking
  

• Sadness as past-thinking
  

• How thoughts create mental pollution
  

• Why peace exists between the breath
  

• Naming thoughts without fighting them
  

• Letting emotions pass without attaching meaning
  

This episode blends mindfulness, Buddhist psychology, meditation, journaling, and lived experience into a practical mental health practice you can return to anytime.

If you struggle with anxiety, overthinking, emotional fatigue, or staying present—this episode is for you.

The sun is always shining. Let the clouds pass.

Tashi Delek.

👉 Subscribe, rate, and review Cool Hand Dross Podcast to help others find the work.

#MentalHealthPodcast #AnxietyRelief #Mindfulness #MeditationPodcast #EmotionalWellness #BuddhistWisdom #Overthinking #InnerPeace #BeTheOcean #MentalClarity #SelfAwareness #HealingJourney #PodcastRecommendations

Episode DescriptionThis episode opens with a respectful nod to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. an affirming mantra for uncertain times. before diving into the organized, sophomoric chaos of the Cool Hand Dross Podcast.

Before teaching, podcasting, or writing novels, CHD was a successful painting contractor working high-end homes across NJ, NYC, Brooklyn, Connecticut, and the Jersey Shore. Interior work. Exterior work. And a front-row seat to human behavior.

Two doors apart. Same street. Same zip code. Two radically different women. One was an aging-out stripper—honest, warm, dignified, a single mother trusting him with her home and her truth. The other was a Rutgers PhD horticulturist—polished, status-driven, and lacking basic decency.

What followed? A detox gone horribly right. Aloe vera. Charcoal. No bathroom. A manicured garden. And a group of academics wondering if bears lived nearby.

This is a funny true story podcast episode about interior vs. exterior lives, work, class, and why titles don’t define character.

Just be cool, man.And never detox without home-court advantage.

#StorytellingPodcast #TrueStory #HumanNature #CoolHandDross

In this episode of Cool Hand Dross, Scott explores the art and science of journaling as a powerful, low-cost mental-health tool for anxiety, emotional regulation, self-honesty, and nervous-system healing. Backed by real psychology and neuroscience, he breaks down why expressive writing works, how journaling calms the brain, and shares simple, practical techniques (including gratitude journaling and The 5 Minute Journal) to make the habit stick.

Then things take a turn into literary confession as Scott admits he’s no longer a monogamous reader he’s a proud poly-curious book cheater currently juggling Underworld by Don DeLillo, 2666 by Roberto Bolaño, and Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon. Along the way, he reflects on time, mortality, attention, modern ADHD, and why it’s okay to cheat on books but never on yourself.

This episode blends mental health, journaling, books, creativity, humor, and raw honesty into one life-affirming reminder: you are in a lifelong relationship with yourself, and journaling might be the marriage counseling you didn’t know you needed.

🎧 Plus: a ridiculous gratitude shout-out, a legendary remix outro (“I tried to push a fart out but some poo escaped”), and a teaser for Episode 9: True Tales from the Mason Jar — Strippers, Aloe Vera, and Bear Scat.

Subscribe, leave a comment, and remember: stories heal, words save lives, and it’s never too late to start writing your way back to yourself.

Who shows up when you’re at a crossroads?

In Episode 7 of Cool Hand Dross, I talk about the strange, meaningful ways guidance has knocked on my door—through Jetsun Milarepa (a blue-skinned Tibetan saint), James Joyce’s Dubliners, and the Beastie Boys.

I tell the story of Milarepa, a man who destroyed his life through revenge and violence, then rebuilt himself through discipline, humility, solitude, and compassion. His transformation in a single lifetime is proof that we’re not too damaged, our past isn’t our future, and real change is still possible.

I share personal experiences from meditation retreats outside Boston and family time at the Milarepa Center in Vermont, and how Tibetan Buddhism helped save my life.

Then I turn to James Joyce’s short story “The Mother” from Dubliners, and how ego, pride, and the need to be “right” can ruin human connection and creative spirit.

I also talk about the Beastie Boys, MCA’s devotion to Tibetan Buddhism, the Milarepa Foundation, and how sincerity, growth, and community impact can come from unexpected places.

This episode is about guidance, humility, discipline, art, ego, and the quiet teachers that keep showing up when we’re ready to listen.

Sometimes it’s a monk. Sometimes it’s a book. Sometimes it’s rappers from Brooklyn.

Pay attention to what keeps showing up in your life. It’s probably trying to teach you something.

#mentalhealthpodcast  

#spirituality  

#personalgrowth  

#mindfulness  

#milarepa  

#tibetanbuddhism  

#jamesjoyce  

#dubliners  

#beastieboys  

#meditation  

#healing  

#selfimprovement  

#booksandculture

Welcome back to Cool Hand Dross — a candid, comical, and compassionate podcast about mental health, books, culture, and the stories we carry.

In Episode 6, host Scott Drosselmeier weaves together panic attacks at 3:37am, Star Wars, Andor’s quiet rebellion, the poem Invictus, and a true childhood story about saving his brother’s life.

For nearly two years, Scott lived with daily anxiety and predawn panic attacks. To protect his young son, he and his wife created a gentle lie: the noises in the hallway weren’t Dad, it was Chewbacca.

From there, the episode becomes a meditation on endurance, identity, fatherhood, and unseen heroism — drawing parallels between Invictus, Cassian Andor’s moral awakening, and the invisible strength of people who quietly carry the weight for others.

Resist and Multiply.

#MentalHealth #PanicAttacks #AnxietyRecovery #StarWars #Andor #Invictus #Resilience #Fatherhood #HealingJourney #PodcastLife #Storytelling #CoolHandDros

In this episode of Cool Hand Dross,

reading is no longer a hobby—it’s an act of rebellion.

CHD explores what deep reading means in a world wired for scrolling, speed, and distraction. Using Flannery O’Connor, modern attention science, and the Eastern concept of samsara, this episode examines the loops of craving, repetition, and digital noise that keep us stuck.

We talk about burnout, fractured focus, and why rebuilding reading stamina is quietly radical. Think of reading as mental vinyl in a streaming world.

This episode is for readers, writers, educators, and anyone who feels distracted, overwhelmed, or trapped in patterns they didn’t choose.

Put the phone down. Pick the book up. Start the rebellion.

#reading #attentioneconomy #mentalhealth #deepreading #literature #mindfulness #burnout #creativity #philosophy #CoolHandDross

Happy New Years. Today Scott has a treat with the finale of the Compound Fracture Story