A Note to Listeners: This is another episode from the vault that Jim has been relentlessly hounding us to publish. Recorded back in late summer when life was simpler and Peggy's biggest worry was hosting 89 people in her backyard with only one bathroom available. We're clearing the backlog one episode at a time—you're welcome, Jim.

What starts as a casual catch-up about summer travels becomes a masterclass in party planning anxiety. Peggy reveals the elaborate (and slightly terrifying) logistics of hosting bluegrass band AJ Lee and Blue Summit at her house—complete with a hospitality rider, professional sound guy, makeshift lighting, backdrop installation by her son Gavin, and the band doing laundry in her home. Oh, and Charlie won't be back until 4pm the day of the 6:30pm concert. What could go wrong?

In this episode:

• Jim's epic LA trip to see Cyndi Lauper's final farewell tour performance at the Hollywood Bowl (featuring surprise guests Cher, Joni Mitchell, John Legend, and SZA—plus multiple song restarts)
• Jim's elaborate ketchup smuggling operation: bringing two bottles of Heinz No Sugar Added across the country
• The great burger debate: In-N-Out vs. Fatburger vs. Islands (spoiler: get fries at In-N-Out, shakes at Fatburger, burgers at Islands)
• Beth's Rod Stewart concert, Maine lobster adventures, and her upcoming Japan trip (country #41!)
• Shelly's Grand Rapids weekend with Peggy featuring breweries, bocce ball, the Gilmore Car Museum, and tribute concerts at Connor Prairie (Fleetwood Mac, dueling Elton John/Billy Joel pianos, and Fab Four Beatles)
• John's bathroom ticket proposal for Peggy's concert (one ticket = one bathroom use)
• The revelation that Beth got drunk on margaritas in Connecticut and accidentally told people about the podcast
• Why Jim's body apparently emits "an odor that is exactly the same as mosquito sex"
• The tragic loss of four email subscribers (RIP)

Plus: Detailed discussion of Hollywood's post-strike struggles, the Billy Joel documentary on HBO, and whether we'll all win the Powerball.

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📧 Feedback: [email protected]

🌐 Website: www.insearchofanargument.com for more episodes and exclusive content

📱 Social Media: Follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, and BlueSky

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Fun Fact: Recorded in late August/early September 2024, approximately 48 hours before Peggy's backyard concert. We still don't know if it was a success or a disaster, but we're assuming Charlie made it home in time and the single bathroom survived the evening.

Warning: Contains extensive burger taxonomy, Hollywood gossip we can't share (Alex Berger is still working in the industry), and the controversial claim that John doesn't think phones are really listening to us. Also: Peggy wants people to pee on her bushes to keep the deer away.

A Note to Listeners: We recorded this episode on November 29, 2024—just three and a half weeks after the election—but we're only releasing it now because Jim insisted we complete our backlog. Consider this a time capsule from a moment when we thought we knew what was coming. Spoiler alert: we had no idea. Perhaps we'll address how wrong (or right) we were in our next episode.

In three unrelated segments, we discuss our immediate reactions to Trump's second election victory, explore how we're all secretly (or not-so-secretly) using AI in our daily lives, and confess our embarrassing shoe and coat collections prompted by Black Friday shopping (or lack thereof).

Election Segment: From John's unsurprised acceptance to Beth's devastation, from Ian's "Rat Pack" theory to Peggy's frustration with gender bias, we capture our raw, immediate reactions. Jim offers historical perspective on center-left parties struggling globally while we debate whether America is ready for a woman president.

AI Segment: Shelly leads us through the world of generative AI, revealing how John has increased his productivity by "an order of magnitude," how Peggy accidentally wrote poetry with ChatGPT, and why Ian is trying to avoid learning any of this before retirement. Plus: the story of Daisy the chatbot grandmother who wastes scammers' time.

Black Friday Segment: Beth discovers the dark history of Black Friday (hint: it involves a gold market crash in 1869), and we confess our ridiculous wardrobe inventories. The tally: Shelly owns 156 pairs of shoes and 62 coats, Peggy has 100 pairs of shoes, Jim owns exactly three pairs of shoes, and Ian's father was a cobbler which explains everything about his shoe philosophy.

Special Guest: Ian Williamson joins us, bringing glamour, British perspective, and strong opinions about slippers.

Connect With Us:

📧 Feedback: [email protected]

🌐 Website: www.insearchofanargument.com for more episodes and exclusive content

📱 Social Media: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and BlueSky

☕ Support Our Show: Forward the show's link, leave us a review, buy us a coffee or become a patron!

Fun Fact: Recorded on November 29, 2024—Black Friday—when we still had hope that Senate Republicans might push back on some of Trump's cabinet picks. Also: Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford were once named People Magazine's "Sexiest Couple Alive."

Warning: Contains speculation about the future that may not have aged well, passionate disagreement about whether John Krasinski is sexy, and the revelation that Jim doesn't understand the purpose of slippers.

A Note to Listeners: This is an unusual episode—just John and Peggy troubleshooting some technical issues by recording a test run. We're not promoting this one, just putting it out there. Consider it a bonus peek behind the curtain.

What was supposed to be a diagnostic session turns into a surprisingly fun conversation about Peggy's word game addiction (Wordle, Connections, Tightrope, and Strands—sometimes all day long), John's $1,600 roller rink birthday party for his six-year-old, and why they both ignore the constant flood of game scores in their group chats.

They also discuss: the economics of streaming services and newsletter subscriptions, why email is better than texting, custom phone vibration settings, and why Jim is going to have a "conniption" when this gets released before the September 2024 backlog.

Connect With Us:

📧 Feedback: [email protected]

🌐 Website: www.insearchofanargument.com for more episodes and exclusive content

📱 Social Media: Follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, and BlueSky

☕ Support Our Show: Forward the show's link, leave us a review, buy us a coffee or become a patron!

Fun Fact: Recorded as a technical diagnostic on a Wednesday afternoon in February 2026. If Peggy's video actually uploads this time, we'll know we've solved the problem.

Beth Shannon finally makes it to Japan after years of avoiding the trip, and returns with stories of humidity that could defeat a Bangkok veteran, a $100 vegetable knife she guards like treasure, and strong opinions about 25-year-olds who use TikTok to pick restaurants.

Traveling with nine friends (ranging from age 25 to 77) through Tokyo, Kanazawa, Takayama, Kyoto, and Osaka, Beth discovers that Japan's trains run with three-minute precision, its deer are aggressively sacred, and its gender equity ranking is shockingly low at 118th out of 146 countries.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why Beth bought a $100 vegetable knife at a highway rest stop (and checks it like a baby)
• The art of navigating Tokyo subway stations without working Google Maps
• Group dining dynamics when TikTok ratings trump common sense
• Japan's surprisingly low rankings on gender equity (#118), English proficiency (#92), and happiness (#51)
• The cultural clash of naked hot spring expectations vs. American modesty
• Why there are no public trash cans in Japan (and how the streets stay spotless anyway)
• Beth's sushi certification and calligraphy adventures
• The bullet train's terrifying three-minute boarding window

Plus: Jim quizzes Beth on Japanese statistics she definitely didn't research, the gang debates charcoal ice cream, and we learn why you should never spoil a stranger's 40th birthday surprise in a Tokyo hotel lobby.

Connect With Us:

📧 Feedback: [email protected]

🌐 Website: www.insearchofanargument.com for more episodes and exclusive content

📱 Social Media: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and BlueSky

☕ Support Our Show: Forward the show's link, leave us a review, buy us a coffee or become a patron for special episodes!

Fun Fact: Recorded on October 20, 2024—exactly nine months since the podcast was last held hostage by technical difficulties. The #1 US record 54 years ago that day was "I'll Be There" by The Jackson 5.

Warning: May cause intense desire to book a flight to Tokyo, purchase expensive Japanese cutlery, and argue about the merits of online restaurant reviews.

As America collectively loses its mind over microwave metal objects, our podcast crew finally emerges from an extended technology hostage situation to deliver our annual year-in-review episode.

John explains why we have three unpublished episodes (spoiler: it's a story of betrayal and fruit), while Peggy achieves her lifelong dream of recording podcasts that never actually reach human ears.

Then our hosts take turns sharing their 2025 highlights and lowlights:

- Beth discovers that moving to Poughkeepsie means joining book clubs, learning mahjong, and becoming a condo board member (with sincerest condolences from her co-hosts)

- Peggy misses John's birthday card for the first time since living in Sudan - and was 34 minutes late to this recording

- Shelly got laid off on Halloween but found love, a Rhine cruise, and part-ownership of a house with the love of her life

- John celebrates the end of diapers and discovers his kids want to buy a house among West Michigan Nice

- Jim reveals he's seen 140 movies in theaters this year (almost three per week, for those counting)

Along the way, we explore: IU's miraculous football season, the state of college athletics compensation, why Beth got off the train on the wrong side, and the belt situation that required immediate intervention.

Then Jim subjects everyone to a deeply personal quiz ("How much is my rent?") before we make our official 2026 predictions on Trump's approval rating, unemployment, inflation, and the midterm elections. Spoiler: Peggy's economic forecast involves 9.6% unemployment AND Trump becoming more popular. We have questions.

Warning: This episode contains extensive discussion of Jim's weight loss journey (the weight of a small animal), multiple references to shoes and belts, John's desperate plea for babysitters, and a surprisingly moving reading about Rob Reiner and national decency.

P.S. The Lost Episode from November 2024 still exists. John found it under a little box he didn't know was there.

P.P.S. If you're in Indiana, congratulations on your Heisman Trophy winner. Kurtis Rourke seems like a genuinely impressive young man.

P.P.P.S. We don't know why Peggy's video failed. We kind of like the ghost-feel.

Jim kicks things off with his latest scientific discovery made while consuming an entire bag of Cool Ranch Doritos 🧬 - a New York Times article that promises to explain why he's fat (spoiler alert: it's complicated).

Our resident genetics expert Shelley Cummings leads us through the fascinating world of polygenic risk scores, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and why your ancestors might have doomed you to a lifetime of struggling with your jeans (and genes).

Join us as we explore:

The difference between "fat genes" and genetic risk factors - it's not as simple as having "the obesity gene" 🧬

Why lifestyle interventions work differently for different people - those thermostat analogies hit different when genetics are involved 🌡️

The ethics of genetic testing - do you really want to know if you're predisposed to Alzheimer's? (Spoiler: our hosts are split) 🤔

Why these studies work better for some ancestries than others - hint: science has a diversity problem 🔬

Plus, we dig into whether knowing your genetic destiny early could help you intervene, or just make you obsess over every dessert for the rest of your life. Peggy makes the compelling case for blissful ignorance, while Jim argues for radical transparency about your biological fate.

Warning: This episode contains extensive discussion of Jim's weight management philosophy 📊, multiple Virgin River references (Huntington's disease edition), and a surprisingly deep dive into whether we'd rather die in our sleep or have time to say goodbye.

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Can science go too far in the quest for motherhood? Playwright Nikki Brake-Sillá returns to discuss her powerful new play, Rewombed, exploring the emotional and ethical turmoil surrounding uterine transplants.

Highlights:

Intersection of faith, science, and fertility

Personal motivations behind Nikki’s writing

Deep ethical debates on bodily autonomy

Upcoming project, Invisibility, addressing race and disability

Thoughtful, compelling, and deeply relevant—tune in for an unforgettable conversation.

Beth Shannon leads the crew through a therapeutic rage session about life's most irritating moments in this hilarious episode.

What's Bothering Us:

* 📱 People who answer the phone to say they can't talk

* 🚘 Bad drivers who should be removed from the road (Shelley has plans)

* 👖 Women's jeans with useless pockets

* 👓 The on-again-off-again glasses struggle

* 🍽️ Dishwasher loading/unloading etiquette (bottom rack first!)

* 🗣️ Speech patterns that drive us crazy: "kind of," "so...," "right?"

* 🚶‍♀️ Sidewalk and airport traffic management problems

* 🎭 Virgin River's impossible timeline (5 months = 4 seasons)

Plus: Jim's mice visitors with no boundaries, toilet paper theft between family members, Renaissance Fair cosplay, and Beth's detailed rules for kitchen etiquette that nobody asked for but everyone must follow.

The episode wraps with a touching story from Beth about a positive encounter during Trans Visibility Day that reminded her that despite life's annoyances, connecting with others is what truly matters.

Recorded April 2025

Jim, John, Beth, Peggy, and Shelley prove once again that complaining together is the best form of therapy!

#PetPeeves #VirginRiver #BadDrivers #DishwasherWars #InSearchOfAnArgument

Join us for an hour of wanderlust, wishful thinking and travel debates as we dissect the New York Times' ambitious "52 Places to Visit" list and discover we've collectively visited... approximately 10 of them. From Detroit's renaissance to Northern Lights obsessions, we're planning adventures while questioning our travel choices! 🌍

Connect With Us:

🎭 Website: www.insearchofanargument.com for more episodes and exclusive content

📱 Social Media: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and BlueSky

💌 Feedback: Have strong opinions about Amsterdam's restaurants? Been to Detroit lately? Email us at [email protected]

💝 Support Our Show: Forward the show's link, leave us a review, buy us a coffee or become a patron!

Travel Highlights & Discussions:

✈️ Jim's scathing Virgin River review (brain cells were harmed in the making of this episode)

🧀 John's controversial take that Amsterdam is "just a village" with "no good restaurants"

🚢 The eternal cruise debate: floating prison or genius invention?

🌽 The mysterious "amazing" Nebraska girls trip that has Shelley and Peggy suspiciously excited

🩺 Peggy's revelation about almost joining Doctors Without Borders in Angola

❄️ Beth's travel philosophy: "There's no bad weather, just bad clothing"

🌌 Everyone's sudden obsession with Northern Lights photos

Stay Tuned: Subscribe for our next episodes, including more travel tales, entertainment recommendations, and John potentially releasing that long-promised "lost episode"! 🎬

Fun Fact: Recorded on March 10, 2025—just as the NYT's annual travel list was making everyon

Join us for an hour of strong opinions, surprising confessions, and entertainment guidance from people who've watched the bad stuff so you don't have to! From bizarre Super Bowl commercials to streaming shows we love to hate, we're here to help you navigate the overwhelming world of modern media. 🎭

Connect With Us:

🎭 Website: www.insearchofanargument.com for more episodes and exclusive content

📱 Social Media: Follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook (where Peggy somehow found us), and BlueSky

💌 Feedback: Got strong opinions about Virgin River?

Email us at [email protected] 💝

Support Our Show: Forward the show's link, leave us a review, buy us a coffee or become a patron!

Shows & Media Discussed:

📺 TV Shows: Slow Horses, Virgin River, Shrinking, Sex and the City

🎬 Movies: Poor Things (Jim has thoughts...)

📺 Super Bowl Commercials: The Dancing Tongue Incident, Mountain Dew's Seal, Stella Artois with Beckham

🎭 And much more we're warning you about!

Stay Tuned: Subscribe for our next episodes, including the mysterious "lost episode" that John swears he'll edit someday. Plus: more heated debates about what's actually worth your precious viewing time! 🎬

Fun Fact: Recorded on February 23, 2025—just as we were all recovering from this year's Super Bowl commercial fever. 📺

Thanks for Listening: We hope this episode saves you countless hours of mediocre media consumption and points you toward some hidden gems! Stay opinionated, and keep arguing! 🎙️

#Recommendations #AntiRecommendations #PodcastLife #SuperBowlAds #StreamingWars #VirginRiver #SlowHorses #WhyDoWeWatchThis