On today's episode, I start out with the most recent stupid thing the internet told me I need to buy (it's skincare, and I am embarrassed) and consider the role influencers play on the economy. Then I give an update (!!) to a previous traumatic experience I had in a coffee shop, which is a new but equally traumatic coffee shop experience. Our final story comes from a rabbit hole I ended up in after I lost my voice, which led me to discover what the "most hip-hop words" are.

To read more: https://pudding.cool/2017/09/hip-hop-words/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's Desk Chair Expert, Awad, is a transportation engineer, and I start out the episode trying to figure out what the heck that even means. We dive into the important role public transit plays in a community as well as debating what makes a good subway system and I give my Full Official Review of the Washington, D.C. metro. Awad explains his previous work with autonomous vehicles and we compete to see who had a worse driver's ed experience (it was me). We talk about what public transit looks like across the world and Awad walks us through a project he's currently working on to collect and share transit data in Khartoum, Sudan. In between all of this, we chat about casual mansplaining, my transformation into a Darts Girl, and how to deal with disagreements in subtle ways.

As a reminder, this series is called Desk Chair Expert because the guests are regular people talking about subjects they find interesting. Please understand that they are discussing the extent of their personal knowledge and expressing their individual opinions.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The theme of this episode is all things New! Meghan, the featured Desk Chair Expert, gives her thoughts on New Years' resolutions, realizing you don't like your major and choosing a new one, how to establish yourself in a new city, and what new technologies are emerging that make her most excited. Listen for stories about how our friendship was love at first nerdy sight (we met in math class) and ways we were able to make friends after moving to a new place (including a fair bit of wallowing in loneliness). In addition, Meghan and I do a demo of what ChatGPT, a new generative chatbot, is like and debate our thoughts on the ethics of Artificial Intelligence, data privacy, and how technology affects cheating in schools.

As a reminder, this series is called Desk Chair Expert because the guests are regular people talking about subjects they find interesting. Please understand that they are discussing the extent of their personal knowledge and expressing their individual opinions.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's Desk Chair Expert is Brendan, another friend from my college comedy days. We catch up on what he's been up to in the years since, particularly what it's like to try and pursue acting on top of a full-time job. Brendan shares his honest and helpful advice on how to meet other entertainers, what to look for in an agent, and what to expect if you're not super wealthy and/or a nepotism baby. He also does his best assessment of how I would be typecast in the film industry. On top of that, we share our hot and mildy warm takes on the Real Housewives, "theater kids," and overdone comedy bits. Bonus: enjoy watching Brendan die a little inside every time I don't get a movie or TV reference.

As a reminder, this series is called Desk Chair Expert because the guests are regular people talking about subjects they find interesting. Please understand that they are discussing the extent of their personal knowledge and expressing their individual opinions.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when you combine two Recovering Former Tryhards? You get this week's podcast with our Desk Chair Expert, Paolo. He gives us all the info that Queen's Gambit didn't, including which kinds of chess boards are the most annoying to play on, who caused the latest chess scandal (because apparently those exist), and what the heck a "gambit" even is. Then we turn to his time as a Resident Advisor (RA) at university. Paolo and I swap stories of getting in trouble with RA's and then he shares his approach to being a good role model for people your own age. We also compare which of us had the nerdier childhood and talk through some ways we're trying to get past our tryhard habits.

As a reminder, this series is called Desk Chair Expert because the guests are regular people talking about subjects they find interesting. Please understand that they are discussing the extent of their personal knowledge and expressing their individual opinions.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Coming in hot, I tell everyone about my childhood envy over not having a celebrity lookalike but why I actually think that's kind of a good thing now. Then I admit why I think I'm too privileged to go camping (I swear it's not as controversial as it sounds) (someone please tell me if you can wear contacts on a camping trip). Closing it out is a recent conclusion I've come to about the official worst job a person can have. Beware.

PS if you hear sirens in the background, no you don't.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You ever have that one friend that is always turning anything small into a Whole Big Thing? For me, that person is this week's Desk Chair Expert, Agustin. We get to hear about this summer's Big Thing, biking across the USA (featuring billboards, bar crawls, and a North Dakota monastery). Then I ask Agustin to reflect on his own mindset and we share our thoughts on how to make your own fun and how to deal with the pressure to race through life. We also spill some stories about the curse on our friendship AKA how we've managed to cause some trouble in every city we visit. Finally, Agustin talks about some of his other favorite adventures, including farming in Norway and making wine in a dorm room.

As a reminder, this series is called Desk Chair Expert because the guests are regular people talking about subjects they find interesting. Please understand that they are discussing the extent of their personal knowledge and expressing their individual opinions.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.