Get out your new microphones and—what's that? You don't have a new microphone? That's okay. You can come sit next to us and use ours. It even comes with UV protection.

Jenny sees Hamilton, FINALLY. Caitlin gets some Nutmeg State shame off her chest. Jenny debases herself with puns. Caitlin literally yells at James Comey. Most important, we learn something—multiple things can be true at the same time—all without once reading Infinite Jest.

Caitlin and Jenny discuss a new feminist icon, movie recommendations, and disgusting sodas and the disgusting CEOs in charge of them (and lots of disgusting possible pronunciations of said soda). Plus what Infinite Jest is about!

Put on your Infinite Best because we have company! Jenny and Caitlin's Infinite Guests are a couple of fellow Gemini friends who joined to discuss how we're coping with the Infinite Mess we live in, which astrological sign is most likely to tell you to read Infinite Jest, and the same-sex dating equivalents of straight white boys telling girls to read IJ. We know it''s July now but just indulge us. It's a June Gemini Jamboree!

Join Jenny and Caitlin for a Very Special Episode of Infinite Jest. Online shopping, LOTS of drink recipes, a recitation of the Starbucks menu for some reason?, a cameo from Caitlin's spouse (last heard as background noise in Episode 1), a culinary journey for Jenny, a pep talk from Caitlin, some (surprisingly intelligent, given the circumstances) thoughts on the state of the world and Chris Hardwick, and, eventually, what Infinite Jest is about.

Jenny and Caitlin experience breakfast-related struggles, test some babies, and ponder what Infinite Jest might be about.

CONTENT WARNING for this episode: there are some in-depth discussions of mental health and suicide. If this will be difficult for you to hear, you may want to skip this episode for now, or skip from about 17:54 to 34:35.

Resources:

Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

Crisis Text Line: https://www.crisistextline.org/

Preventing Suicide (for Family Members and Caregivers): https://www.nami.org/Find-Support/Family-Members-and-Caregivers/Preventing-Suicide

Jenny and Caitlin renew their pledge to never read Infinite Jest, reclaim Canadian pronunciations, and remind everyone that Bill Clinton is trash.

Links:

"Mary Karr Reminds the World That David Foster Wallace Abused and Stalked Her, and Nobody Cared" by Whitney Kimball in Jezebel: https://jezebel.com/mary-karr-reminds-the-world-that-david-foster-wallace-a-1825799769

"A cat gave birth under this man's bed, but it wasn't his cat — and his Twitter thread is a must-read" by Jessica Booth in Hello Giggles: https://hellogiggles.com/news/man-found-cat-birth-under-bed/

"Bill Clinton Says He Does Not Owe Monica Lewinsky an Apology" by Brian Naylor for NPR: https://www.npr.org/2018/06/04/616769504/bill-clinton-says-he-does-not-owe-monica-lewinsky-an-apology?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20180604

Caitlin and Jenny are back and hope you didn't forget to not read Infinite Jest while we were gone!

We've got a lot to catch up on this week, but the Cliff's Notes version is: Michelle Wolf, Jessica Walter, Chrissy Tiegen, and Mary Karr are national treasures.

You'll also hear some Basic Lady tips, what we think Infinite Jest is about, and lots of loud exasperated sighs.

Relevant Links:

"Basic Lady" by Allen Toussaint: https://youtu.be/tkGSAIOGU58

"'Arrested Development': We Sat Down With The Cast. It Got Raw." by Sopan Deb in the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/23/arts/television/arrested-development-netflix-interview-jeffrey-tambor.html

Square Foot Gardening: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_foot_gardening

Michelle Wolf freaking nails it: https://youtu.be/DDbx1uArVOM

Spring is the season for Basic Ladies but May Day is the most Basic day of them all. Jenny and Caitlin provide some Basic Lady tips, discuss the feminist news of the week, and will still stop at nothing* to figure out what Infinite Jest is about.

*Will stop at reading Infinite Jest.

Jenny talks about Hocus Pocus in this episode but she actually means Practical Magic but never realizes it so just KEEP THAT IN MIND.

We're taking a little break until June, but in the meantime check out Caitlin's guest appearance on The Lemon Grove podcast: https://soundcloud.com/merylhathaway/caitlin-cushman

Discussed in this episode:

Brett Connelly attempts to give a young Capitals fan a hockey puck, is thwarted by the patriarchy: https://twitter.com/Capitals/status/985660146037788675

"This Year's Other Two Pulitzer Finalists on Losing to Kendrick Lamar" by Marissa Martinelli in Slate: https://slate.com/culture/2018/04/pulitzer-finalists-michael-gilbertson-and-ted-hearne-on-kendrick-lamars-win.html

"8 Classic Overnight Oats Recipes You Should Try" on the Wholefully blog: https://wholefully.com/8-classic-overnight-oats-recipes-you-should-try/

Caitlin and Jenny report live from their Earth Day holes to bring you reluctant apologies to Baby Boomers, enthusiastic apologies to Beyonce, and some uncomfortable subconscious feelings about Seth Meyers. Do your part today to destroy humanity and save the planet.

The hair! The clothes! The music! The problematic men who refused to acknowledge their privilege and instead abused their power at the expense of marginalized groups! Jenny and Caitlin revisit the men of the late 20th century through a #metoo #timesup lens. Plus: what is Infinite Jest about this week?

"What About 'The Breakfast Club'?" by Molly Ringwald in the New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/personal-history/what-about-the-breakfast-club-molly-ringwald-metoo-john-hughes-pretty-in-pink&source=gmail&ust=1523922795321000&usg=AFQjCNE_9na-2WqTqWy0KfrFToAIJmLrtg

"Monica Lewinsky: Emerging from 'The House of Gaslight' in the Age of #MeToo" by Monica Lewinsky in Vanity Fair: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/02/monica-lewinsky-in-the-age-of-metoo

This American Life episode 526 "Is That What I Look Like?" (featuring Molly Ringwald in Act Three: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/526/is-that-what-i-look-like