From the Middle

#186. The Dew got dangerous. We commence this episode with the new Hard Mountain Dew in hand as we begin running down some lists of what made 2022 special. The highs and lows of the year as it pertains to film, tv, music, and pop culture are all on the table. Was it truly the year of sequels? And hey, remember the “Corn kid?” We then set aside some time to mention a few of the celebrities we lost during the year. After the break we take a look at our New Year’s celebrations, Christmas party continuations, and the time sucks we’ve been cultivating. Polish the holiday season off with football talk, and you have a solid year-end episode. Go Horned Frogs, stop using AI art, and tread carefully into new Netflix originals. Let us know what you’re up to! The LinkTree below guides you to wherever you’d care to do that. Until next time, be kind to each other.

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#185. It’s officially the holiday tweener week! We probably (definitely) made that up, but just roll with it. In the midst of our still ongoing Christmas celebrations, we took a moment to catch up with each other and share our stories. Dillon’s family is finally in the stages of having a child of the fun Christmas age, and boy did they deliver. Barbie Dream Houses have gotten fancier from when we were kids. They have smart thermostats now. Or I think that’s what’s going on, I wasn’t really listening. Kendall’s Christmas dinner was imported baked beans which he shared with his kid’s new friend, Alexa. Or something like that. Kory and his wife went to New York where they encountered the progressiveness of tushy sprinklers. I’m sure that was it. Sorry if I seem distracted. I’m still trying to figure out why we’re all paying so much attention to subtle facial movements to house music on TikTok. Are we too old for this? Is this really what the kids are into? If you want to clear your mind of whatever that is, no worries, we have some streaming suggestions for you and some well-wishes for a continued safe and joyful season. Check the LinkTree below to interact, and until next time, be kind to each other!

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#184. Merry Christmas everyone! It’s Christmas week, and while Kory is off traveling with his wife, Dillon and Kendall celebrate the holiday week with some lists, statistics, and nostalgia surrounding this time of year. We discuss our favorite sweet treats while we look into a state-by-state chart of America’s favorite cookies. We mention a fun little surprising tradition we’ve heard about from Japan as well as other nations around the world. We go down a list of popular Christmas gifts for kids from the 90’s as we reminisce about our own Christmas lists from our youth. Finally us Americans are into an egg based drink, only we don’t call it that because its gross. But eggnog? We’re all about that and we learn a bit about its history. We hope you all stay warm and safe this weekend, and if you have a chance, share your holiday traditions with us! The LinkTree below gets you to all the ways you can do that. Until next time, be filled with good cheer!

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#183. It’s chow time! Dillon had an idea a while ago that we call “One Last Shot” where we would record eating foods we hate just to see if we maybe have changed our tastes since we’ve last tried them. Resulting from a wager on the Michigan vs Ohio State game, that idea has turned around to bite him and Kory as they eat themselves through a grid of terror. There is some relief built into the challenge, and a couple minds were indeed changed, but mostly what we experienced is horror or hilarity depending on which chair one was sitting in. In the back half we do a quick catch-up as Dillon’s home was rescued from carbon monoxide poison by the ever-comedic Dave. Kendall performed a hit-and-run on a deer, and Kory experienced some interesting reporting from the local Taco Bell news reporter. And then we get into the real heart of this episode as Lily, Kory’s daughter, takes us on a journey we would never expect as she shares a long kept secret from her childhood. No spoilers; you just absolutely have to let her story hit you. This one is a zoo of ups and downs and it’s totally worth your time. Share your related stories or unrelated topics via the LinkTree below! We enjoy calls, texts, emails, and the like! Until next time, be kind to each other ya filthy animals.

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#182. One man’s “hail” is another man’s dry heave. The game has been played and Kendall’s Michigan Wolverines have defeated Dillon and Kory’s Ohio State Buckeyes. Yes, this means that in a future episode we will feature the outcome of the disgusting food bet the fellas wagered, but for this episode, we’re still in shock by the viewership numbers this game had. The Vegas odds were beat, but Kory in his recent trip still didn’t feel like pressing his luck. Instead he and his special guest took in the sights and ate the overpriced food. Meanwhile, Dillon listened to the nostalgic harmonies of The Gaither Vocal Band. The faces are mostly different, but the aroma of the room never changes. Speaking of aromas, Kendall is past his first COVID infection, but some of his sense of smell remains awry which is effecting one of his favorite beverages. We touch on LIV golf, the Saudi-backed competitor of the PGA before we get into our media usage. Dillon is loving seeing Ted Lasso on FIFA 23 for PlayStation while also continuing his “Aladdin and Jasmine” journey into World Cup soccer. Kory has finished Andor and has watched Beast, Force Majeure, and The Square. Kendall is ruining his brain on professional wrestling. Please chime in via voicemail! If that’s too forward for you, try making your thoughts known on social media. All the links and info can be found in the LinkTree below. Until next week, be kind to each other.

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#181. Have you ever wanted to get into the mind of a game creator? Jordan McLaughlin is the founder of Rookie Mage Games, a company producing clever card games for friends and family of all ages. We take some tangents including horror films, pizza, and mashed potatoes, but the bulk of this episode is us picking the creative brain behind some masterpieces of story telling. The beauty, as we find, behind the story telling of his games is the freedom for the player to create a visual world inside their own imagination as they relate to others to try to solve mysteries and stash nuts. We also get into some of the logistics behind producing games including manufacturing, troubleshooting, and navigating kickstarter. We know we have more in common to chat with Jordan about than one episode can hold, but Jordan, thank you for this one and we look forward to meeting you again and seeing what the future of Rookie Mage Games has in store.

Rookie Mage Games - https://www.rookiemage.com/

Rookie Mage Amazon Store - https://www.amazon.com/stores/RookieMageGames/page/08B0814E-C32F-4933-8225-C6D12072B18A?ref_=ast_bln

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#180. Happy Thanksgiving! Don’t burn the turkey. Or do it and replace it with ham, bacon, or even bologna and enjoy your celebration that much more. But if turkey is your thing and you turn to a Thanksgiving-themed TV dinner, you have an inept employee from Swanson’s to thank! If you’re looking to pack a TV dinner for a school lunch and have no idea how that could be practical, just wait for “Anything But a Backpack Day” and bring your microwave with you. After stuffing yourself this week, be like Dillon and go all Clark Griswold on the house before THE game. And if you lose a bet, your friends might make you eat something like dry turkey. Also known as turkey. Why can’t we have venison for Thanksgiving? We can all follow Kory’s lead and harvest a deer to feed our extended families for a day. Then we can make a coat out of the pelt so when we get it dry cleaned, some kid in the back can score some pics for IG. Anyway, we also streamed some stuff: The Severance, The Crown, Spirited, The Bad Guys, The World Cup, WWE, and Andor. Seriously, happy turkey day everyone. We love you all. Until next time, be kind to each other.

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#179. Stoke the fire and find a cold one; the fellas from Grab’em in the Brisket are here! We wish we could say we’ve known these guys before they were cool, but their quick wit and Texas charm precedes us. We love food and there’s no better brains to pick than this collective who run a mouthwatering podcast centered around America’s favorite culinary pastime: BBQ. They graciously shared their experience as we asked our meat smoking, steak, and sides questions. But we do take some time to sample the infamous Mt. Dew Fruit Quake which they cheekily mailed to us and is likely still smoldering in Dillon’s intestines. We also talk about other things like sports, Star Trek vs. Star Wars, and commercialism for the elderly. This was truly a blast for us. Thank you, Grab’em in the Brisket!

Grab'em in the Brisket - https://www.grabeminthebrisket.com

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#178. Halloween is barely over, which is just another way of saying “Merry Christmas!” Or at least, it’s time to take a look at the movie trailer for A Christmas Story Christmas, the highly anticipated sequel to the classic Christmas Story film. We recommend checking out the sequel, but in the privacy of your own bathroom at home where you may listen at full volume without the judgement of the stranger in the neighboring stall. If you do have time to watch the film in a public restroom, there may be something wrong with you. Perhaps it’s just the fruit cake flavored Mt. Dew you sampled, or perhaps you should talk to your chiropractor. Enough bathroom talk. Now onto our streams. We have recently watched and offer some thoughts on The Patient, Only Murders in the Building, The Mole, and just to level things out, we share our thoughts on Kanye. What are your thoughts on Ye? How about movie sequels potentially ruining your love of the original? Any questions you’d like us to field? Let us know via the LinkTree below. Until next time, be kind to each other. Don’t shoot your eye out.

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#177. Happy Halloween, Middlers! We kick off our spooktacular with a look into Halloween and Holiday adjacent movies; films which aren’t necessarily holiday specific in plot, but perhaps support the holiday setting we enjoy. Die Hard would be a good example, but we all know that one is a Christmas movie through and through. Kendall brings up a book because he thinks he’s soooo smart. Nerd. Then, before we get into some state-by-state stats on Halloween costumes, Kory ponders a question about feet on planes. Should men take their shoes off mid-flight? Is it different for women? Finally, we close this abbreviated episode with a peek at Kory’s thoughts on Hocus Pocus 2. Have you seen the long awaited sequel? Do you want to see man feet? Did you dress up as an inflatable dinosaur? We would love to hear from you! The LinkTree below will guide you to the various methods of interacting. Until next time, be kind to each other and check under your bed before falling asleep.

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