MidThoughtCrisis

MTC Show Notes...

The boys are back, and somehow we made it through another week without anyone pooping their pants. That's a win.

This week, we're getting into childhood sick-day traditions, questionable home remedies, and the great debate over when Christmas season is actually allowed to begin. Is it immediately after Halloween? Or do we respect Thanksgiving like civilized people?

Then we take on the modern grocery store experience: self-checkout. Are we customers, or are we unpaid employees? And why does buying groceries occasionally feel like a criminal investigation?

Plus, some questionable local news, unusual internet discoveries, and the kind of mid-thought detours that probably should have stayed in our heads.

In this episode:

• Sick days, chicken noodle soup, ice cream, and the public library
• Nature's Three: the home remedy that tasted like sand
• When is it acceptable to start celebrating Christmas?
• Permanent Christmas lights and the Mariah Carey thawing process
• The death of Black Friday shopping and the decline of the mall
• Kansas City barbecue gets put on trial
• Self-checkout: convenient or unpaid employment?
• Local news, questionable Facebook comments, and things you can't unsee

Timestamps...

00:00 – The boys are back: voting, bodily functions, and questionable introductions
05:10 – Sick kids, parenting, and the great childhood sick-day debate
06:05 – Sick-day traditions: libraries, VHS tapes, cartoons, and chicken noodle soup
09:30 – Eric's childhood sick-day survival kit: books, soup, and ice cream
11:00 – Everybody shares their sick-day stories
11:35 – Producer Mike introduces Nature's Three, the sandy home remedy
14:25 – Investigating Nature's Three: what's actually in this stuff?
16:45 – The main event: When is it too early to start Christmas?
19:00 – Eric makes his case for protecting Thanksgiving
20:30 – Christopher Columbus, Disney World, and an unexpected history lesson
22:50 – Producer Mike's Christmas music policy and the Mariah Carey thaw
24:15 – Permanent Christmas lights, Govee, and questionable sponsorships
25:25 – The Christmas verdict: Thanksgiving first, decorations second
26:00 – Black Friday shopping, online deals, and the decline of the mall
28:00 – Outlet malls, Mission BBQ, and the Kansas City barbecue debate
30:00 – Chris delivers his final Christmas-season ruling
32:20 – Self-checkout: Are we customers or unpaid grocery employees?
33:45 – Does self-checkout actually save anybody money?
34:15 – Grocery-store robots and the self-checkout experience
35:30 – Walmart vs. Martin's/Giant: the self-checkout struggle
37:00 – The trauma of having to bag your own groceries
38:00 – When do you finally give in and use self-checkout?
39:10 – Chris confesses his self-checkout habits
44:40 – Local news and the Record Herald enters the chat
45:25 – Washington Township Police and a very unusual local news story
47:00 – The internet reacts: Facebook comments deliver the real entertainment
48:40 – Proofreading is important: local journalism under the microscope
50:50 – The Cypress knee lamp: What exactly are we looking at?
51:30 – Is It Cake? meets Facebook Marketplace
58:50 – The puzzle investment and what's going on with Chris's shelf
59:30 – Political satire, Russian nesting dolls, and some familiar faces
61:10 – Facebook Marketplace: When scrolling takes a very strange turn
62:00 – A flashlight, mannequin parts, and things that should probably stay online
64:00 – Zoom, enhance, and a closer look at the latest discovery
65:30 – The Triumph Scrambler listing: ridden frequently, price negotiable
67:00 – The comments section is doing the heavy lifting
69:00 – Malt liquor, tea cups, and the Scrambler character is born
71:30 – The boys reflect on the episode's finest moments
72:00 – Wrapping up and what's next

Mid Thought Crisis – Live with Jason + Producer Mike

We finally got everybody in the same room. Chris, Eric, Jason, and Producer Mike. No agenda. Immediate problems.

Producer Mike (truck driver by trade) opened with a night-shift parking lot story that ended with him dropping drawers in the dark and later throwing the pants away. We then spent a long stretch on Eric’s greatest hits of pranking Chris: the dirty diaper left in the car for a multi-state drive, the “Follow me to the g.. bar” magnet, the official g.. cruise confirmation that showed up in the mail, and the object left on the bottom shelf that we wish the dog found first.

Jason asked actual questions (morning vs night shower, most embarrassing rejection). We got a snow-cone breakup from college, a full debate about pomade and wet hair, and then Eric launched the Amish Secret Wish Marketplace segment. That produced $199 foul balls from the Angels, a $350 reborn baby that looked possessed, a Soviet child gas mask, a “g.. hat,” and a childbirth book written by a man named Grantly Dick-Read. We closed with a redneck brawl video featuring Throat Goat vs Big Thumper (probably outside a Hardee’s). Viewer count remained theoretical. We stopped before anyone could reconsider.

• 0:00–4:00 – Full group. Immediate chaos. Producer Mike is back.
• 4:00–10:00 – Producer Mike’s truck parking-lot story. Nighttime. Pants did not survive.
• 10:00–17:00 – Eric’s pranks on Chris (diaper in the car, magnet, cruise invite, bottom-shelf object).
• 17:00–27:00 – Morning vs night shower debate. Pomade. Wet hair.
• 27:30–32:00 – Jason’s snow-cone rejection story.
• 51:00–1:06:00 – Amish Secret Wish Marketplace segment.
• 1:07:00–1:15:00 – Weirdest fight start + Throat Goat vs Big Thumper.
• 1:15:00–end – Grok talk. Sign-off.

All the links:

https://linktr.ee/MidThoughtCrisis

We welcomed a very special guest, Jason, to Mid Thought Crisis. After roughly 22 years of friendship, it was finally time to put him through our highly prestigious guest interview process.

Jason talks about getting into improv, his love of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, and why a good audience suggestion can make or break a show.

Three grown men. Three embarrassing poop stories. One airport parking garage. One unfortunate morning walk. And one commercial truck incident that permanently changed the way Chris thinks about underwear and bidets.

We also get into the dangers of coffee before hunting, the questionable state of public restroom toilet paper, and the kind of Facebook Marketplace listings that make you wonder what exactly is going on in your neighborhood.

Stick around for questionable collectibles, a suspiciously affordable basement apartment, and the birth of a new segment: The Amish Secret Wish.

It's an episode about friendship, vulnerability, questionable life decisions, and the things you probably shouldn't admit on a podcast.

In this episode:

• Meet Jason, our special guest and aspiring improv performer.
• Whose Line Is It Anyway?, bad audience suggestions, and the art of making things up as you go.
• Our most embarrassing bathroom emergencies.
• Why airport parking garages are not public restrooms.
• Chris makes the case for bidets.
• Eric's ongoing battle between coffee and hunting.
• Real Facebook Marketplace listings that absolutely needed a second look.
• The Amish Secret Wish makes its debut.

00:00

We're Live! Apparently.

The show gets underway, with our usual technical confidence.

01:36

Meet Mid Thought Jason

A guest introduction, a questionable interview process, and a suspicious lack of viewers.

04:42

Dumb and Dumber, Friendship & 22 Years

Jason's favorite movie and how he ended up on the show.

10:34

Jason's Improv Era Begins

How a trip to Cancun turned into a new hobby and an upcoming show.

13:29

Whose Line Is It Anyway? (Eric Has Questions)

Stand-up, improv, Colin Mochrie, Wayne Brady, and a minor format misunderstanding.

18:00

The Question Nobody Should Ask

The guys open the door to a deeply unfortunate topic.

19:03

The Great Poop Story Confessions

Jason's morning walk goes sideways, and the backyard becomes an emergency cleanup zone.

24:24

Chris vs. the Commercial Truck

An industrial park, a wardrobe emergency, and the long road to the bidet argument.

27:30

The Bidet Debate & Terrible Theme Park Toilet Paper

Chris proposes a better way forward. Eric defends Hersheypark's paper products.

32:17

Eric's Airport Parking Garage Confession

A story kept secret for years, revealed in the tree of trust.

42:00

The Aftermath & The Unofficial Support Group

The conversation continues into bathroom emergencies, survival tactics, and the realities of being human.

48:00

Coffee, Deer Hunting & Terrible Timing

Eric explains why his morning coffee routine and hunting ambitions don't always get along.

59:26

Facebook Marketplace: What Are We Looking At?

Eric introduces the next round of deeply questionable listings.

01:00:09

Naming the New Segment

Observational Obscenities? Twisted Thoughts? Midlife Manifestos? The brainstorming begins.

01:01:08

The Marketplace Rabbit Hole

Squishy toys, strange collectibles, questionable dolls, and a growing number of questions.

01:11:16

A $450 Basement Apartment & The Amish Secret Wish

A rental listing that raises more questions than it answers, plus a new segment name that somehow sticks.

Chris got on the Twizzler at Hershey Park with one skinny lap bar and a nine-year-old whose bravery put him to shame.

His safe word was Apple.

He said it a lot.

The ride still didn't stop.

Eric has done that ride eight times and still can’t find the happy medium between his manhood being squished or feeling like he could be launched into the ether.

Then Raising Cane’s, a new segment where we hunt strangers in Marketplace mirror photos, a $200 roach colony, and a toilet listed as barley used.

The call keeps going.

00:00 We forgot how to start again

• 01:55 Mark clip (still doesn’t work)
• 03:17 Singlet pics, half off
• 04:23 Chris breaks the mic
• 08:05 Florida vs the bunker
• 09:08 Hershey Park / Twizzler
• 13:21 That tiny lap bar
• 14:33 The kid who threw up
• 16:59 Too loose or it crushes the beans
• 20:21 My safe word is Apple
• 20:48 Help me Tom Cruise
• 23:11 Eric has other friends
• 25:41 The pool picture / the visit score
• 27:48 The drop tower that gets Eric
• 30:12 Raising Cane’s, first time
• 32:53 He Googled the sauce
• 34:01 He said she’s “bad”
• 35:30 Who decided Gen Alpha
• 38:02 The swings in a monsoon
• 40:37 NEW: Let’s Reflect
• 55:30 Chubby pan sculpture
• 57:48 $200 roach colony
• 1:00:55 Escape hatch on Air Force One
• 1:07:44 Toilet, barley used
• 1:09:18 That’s the show

https://linktr.ee/MidThoughtCrisis

We’re back. We didn’t quit. We just went fully dark for six weeks and didn’t warn anybody.

Catch-up episode. Eric’s summer: beach, camps, pool, Fourth of July, hostess with the mostest. Chris flew into Dulles, officiated a wedding, and the “compact” rental was a Longhorn Ram. Then the family trip — Venice, Florence, Tuscany, Rome, a seven-day Disney cruise (Santorini, Mykonos, the Pompeii stretch), Paris, Disneyland Paris — booked by Leanne at LV Travel Co.

Europe had a heat wave. They canceled the Louvre. Chris would like to introduce France to a technology called air conditioning. Eric would like to introduce eBay: 1941 French rifle, like new, never been used, dropped once.

Also: a CDC chart about heat deaths vs gun deaths that we swore wasn’t political, Max Martin writing every pop song you’ve ever heard, Jacob deGrom back on the IL (again), Producer Mike’s battery magazine and Fenwick Island AC situation, Christopher Columbus and 11,000 virgins, and Conor McGregor fighting tomorrow.

If you found this from a Reel — the call keeps going. That’s the show.

Don’t @ us about the chart. Not a political show. Allegedly.

Mid Thought Crisis — back after six weeks.

00:00 We forgot how to do the intro

01:20 We didn’t quit. We just vanished.

04:10 Eric’s summer vs Chris’s Gulf water

08:15 The wedding and the Longhorn Ram

13:00 Italy, Greece, Disney cruise, Paris

15:10 Plug: LV Travel Co

15:43 It’s called summer

19:50 Never been used. Dropped once.

21:00 French government vs actual French people

24:47 The heat-vs-guns chart (not a political show)

27:16 Eric’s C+ in “How Things Work”

32:15 That’s Randy. It’s always Randy.

33:40 Stranded in Atlanta (get a travel agent)

36:10 Name tape on the butt

39:05 Colosseum, quickly

48:31 Taylor should get divorced for the catalog

52:20 We forgot to pay the LLC

52:51 deGrom to the IL (again)

59:47 High-capacity battery magazine

1:01:48 Why they’re called the Virgin Islands

1:05:03 The Odyssey trailer is getting cooked

1:13:57 Producer Mike’s European AC on Fenwick

1:20:56 McGregor vs Holloway tomorrow

1:24:32 That’s the show

Listen wherever you already waste a commute.

Two best friends who talk about nothing — and somehow still wind up talking for an hour and a half. In this episode (which was recorded two months ago - we know it's been forever...and we're sorry), we brave technical disasters, Florida thunderstorms, welcome guests, and a whole lot of ridiculous tangents. Expect sarcasm, zero filter, and our usual “somehow still positive” outlook on life’s chaos.

• Live backyard studio struggles: Rain, tech glitches, hour-and-a-half setup, and constant interruptions
• Surprise guests: Haylee, Lauren, and Audrey bring dot cakes and cake-smashing energy
• First Waffle House experience: Finally conquering the legendary spot (daytime version — still solid)
• Local pizza wars: Brothers Pizza vs. Pat & Carla’s or is it Pat and Carlos?
• Trending foods: Dot cakes, mukbangs, and other questionable internet fads
• Weird news roundup: Driver stuck in fresh concrete, Ohio kindergarten graduation brawl (with pajama lady), and the $27 bagel “Karen” who's giving more Megan Fox and less Karen
• Sleep science deep dive: Sleep paralysis, falling dreams, night owls being smarter, snoring vs. dreaming, and why sleep deprivation kills faster than starvation
• Japanese robo-wolves: Nightmare fuel that apparently scares off bears and boars
• Viral animal clips: BBC talking animals with hilarious voice dubs (“You know I work nights!”)
• Thunderstorm wisdom: Why you probably shouldn’t cannonball into the pool during lightning
• Endless banter, feet-related discomfort, and Producer Mike’s silent suffering

• 00:00 — Welcome chaos: live set, rain, and surprise guests
• 02:08 — Backyard studio tour and setup struggles
• 05:16 — Eric and Chris healing (Includes Waffle House and The Emperors New Groove)
• 07:54 — Guests arrive + dot cake antics
• 13:42 — First Waffle House experience
• 22:08 — Local pizza talk, family stories, and Pat & Carla’s confusion
• 27:39 — Weird news, kindergarten brawls, and lightning
• 36:36 — Thunderstorm talk and pool-jump debate
• 40:44 — Viral clips and robotic wolves in Japan
• 50:22 — “Karen” or Megan Fox? ($27 bagel meltdown)
• 54:37 — Sleep science, paralysis, dreams, and night owl intelligence
• 66:39 — Curious studies and ridiculous ads
• 71:14 — Animal videos and robo-wolves
• 76:39 — Final thunderstorm chaos
• 77:01 — Deciding not to jump in the pool (lame but responsible choice)

This episode was peak Mid Thought Crisis — equal parts unplanned chaos, uncontrollable laughter, and random deep dives. Technical difficulties? Handled. Rain? Ignored. Guests? Embraced. We somehow covered food, Florida life, science, and viral nonsense while staying true to our roots: talking about nothing and enjoying every second of it.

Thanks for riding the storm with us. Life’s messy — might as well laugh about it.

This episode dives into a hilarious and brutally honest conversation about weekend disasters, injuries, and the strange moments life throws at us. From breaking a tailbone to ridiculous Facebook Marketplace encounters, the stories are packed with humor, sarcasm, and real-life chaos. Along the way, the crew tackles bizarre news, gaming culture, baseball legends, and even the importance of vaccines. Hosted by Chris, Eric, and Producer Mike, this episode delivers laughs, unexpected insights, and nonstop entertaining conversation.

Join Chris and Eric for a fast-moving, humor-filled dive into language quirks, sports analytics, current events, and the strange corners of the internet. From movie references and airline mergers to baseball statistics, historical oddities, and bizarre online listings, no topic is off limits. Packed with sharp observations, unexpected tangents, and plenty of laughs, this episode blends insight and comedy into an entertaining conversation that never slows down.

Jump into the chaos with MidThought’s Chris and Eric as they fire on all cylinders in an episode that refuses to stay on track—in the best way possible. From rapid-fire jokes to surprisingly deep (and wildly opinionated) movie debates featuring Edge of Tomorrow, the conversation zigzags through everything from underrated films to “wait…that actually makes sense?” theories.

Just when you think you’ve got the vibe figured out, they veer into the strange world of Facebook Marketplace—where the listings are questionable, the prices are bold, and the stories practically write themselves. Add in some absurd viral clips, bizarre headlines, and a healthy dose of “only in Florida” energy, and you’ve got a ride.

Oh—and yes, they somehow end up talking about the real-life madness of invasive hippos running wild in Colombia, because why wouldn’t they?

It’s unpredictable, it’s hilarious, and it’s exactly the kind of episode you throw on when you want to laugh, question reality a little, and hear two guys spiral into the best kind of nonsense.

This episode is pure chaos—in the best way possible.

You’ve got a crew diving headfirst into ridiculous news, hot takes, and the kind of debates that somehow feel life-or-death in the moment. One minute they’re passionately defending why The Emperor's New Groove is a cinematic masterpiece (honestly… they’re not wrong), the next they’re unpacking the absolute madness of ant smuggling like it’s a high-stakes crime thriller.

Then it gets weirder.

We’re talking Florida-level strange—but not just Florida. Think self-declared squirrel royalty, weaponized acorn attacks, and a baseball coach who somehow cheats fate and lives to tell the story. It’s the kind of news that makes you question reality… and then laugh at it anyway.

What ties it all together is the banter—fast, unfiltered, and just self-aware enough to keep things from completely derailing (though it definitely tries). Underneath the jokes, there’s actually a thread of “how is this real life?” mixed with some surprisingly solid takeaways.

Bottom line: it’s part comedy show, part group chat gone off the rails, and part “you won’t believe this actually happened.”