Send us a text

Regulars Robb and Ami join Ross to discuss how to make revealing the sex of a new child less lethal and destructive.  Tangents include:  Reveal parties; Snappy McSnapperson; sex role stereotypes; rage rooms; placenta paté; flippety flopping; tomboys; explosions; mayhem equations; the problem with Dads; "MOM-YATA".

Notes:

1.  https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/65058/when-did-pink-become-girl-color
2. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/gender-identity/sex-gender-identity
3. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/18/us/gender-identity-childhood-tomboy-lisa-selin-davis.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article
4. https://nypost.com/article/gender-reveal-fails-parties-gone-wrong/
5. https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-17628279

Support the show

Contact us: [email protected]

Send us a text

Special guest and mindfulness practitioner Caitlin joins Ross to discuss the practice and benefits of becoming more mindful in everyday life.  Tangents include:  Rowdy Mermaid; Boxed Monkeys; Madonna accents; Baby Toes Johnson; Fish and Chips; Chaucer; garage meditation; Ashiatsu; Little Blue Man; Cracked eggs; and Mess Halls.

Notes:

1. Peace in Schools: A non-profit organization that primarily teaches mindfulness to teens in schools. https://www.peaceinschools.org/
2. Madonna accent:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUvlsN9G-jM
3. Please consider supporting BIPOC practitioners & teachers of mindfulness:

• Tejal Yoga: Great online classes taught by BIPOC practitioners, including asana (pose) focused classes, guided meditations, and discussions around yoga and social justice.
• Thich Nhat Hanh: Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk whose writings and teachings are wonderfully accessible, even if you're brand-new to mindfulness. https://plumvillage.org/about/thich-nhat-hanh/

Support the show

Contact us: [email protected]

Send us a text

Regulars Ami and Robb join Ross for a discussion of the fact that some adults use stuffed animals for "self-soothing" . Tangents include:  Mysterious kangaroo bulges; ; The Surrogate Mother Study NOT The Executive Monkey Study; ASMR; bed pillows on airplanes; and why Ross can't count on people with bedazzled jeans.

Notes:

1.   https://www.vox.com/2015/7/15/8965393/asmr-video-youtube-autonomous-sensory-meridian-response
2. https://www.theguardian.com/global/2020/jan/05/bears-lifeline-adults-who-sleep-with-soft-toys
3. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/shame/201806/no-shame-in-adult-comfort-dolls
4. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-guest-room/201407/more-just-teddy-bears
5. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/stonewall-strong/202012/why-we-need-our-teddies-and-winnie-the-pooh-too
6. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/20/reader-center/adults-with-stuffed-animals.html

Support the show

Contact us: [email protected]

Send us a text

Special guest and super-therapist Tracey joins Ross to discuss those moments when we don't always know what to say or how to say it.  Tangents include:  Badgers vs marsupials; death beds; broken tables; gas station give-aways; word punching and poop bags.

Notes:

1. Ross says he was in a play called "Scrooge" when he meant "A Christmas Carol".
2. https://drdansiegel.com/
3. https://www.verywellmind.com/john-bowlby-biography-1907-1990-2795514
4. https://www.thepactinstitute.com/
5. https://www.amazon.com/Codependent-No-More-Controlling-Yourself/dp/0894864025
6. https://www.amazon.com/Responsible-Assertive-Behavior-Behavioral-Procedures/dp/B00ZT11PQS
7. How to contact Tracey:  http://www.TraceyBiebel.com

Support the show

Contact us: [email protected]

Send us a text

Special guest Brynn joins Ross to share stories from her interesting life journey.  Tangents include:  How to be discovered in Hollywood on your first day; coastlines; mystical portals; attack crabs; unexpected horse parts; psychology majors; and mushroom trips.  Also, Ross encourages people to do a life sketch.

Notes:

1. Brynn, story telling: https://youtu.be/kyJY1dQnUAI
2. Horse parts: https://www.google.com/search?q=parts+of+a+horse&sxsrf=ALeKk0087RP34kbGuOkpLrPFmv-XoqVB6w:1629125386883&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=so4ZeOZDgyrPnM%252CK5aQgl5PA9vngM%252C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kTdw6US5yL4FL5nzOkT9MT7FOupXA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjt2Or_5LXyAhV9HDQIHZaxDmMQ9QF6BAgIEAE&biw=1152&bih=586#imgrc=so4ZeOZDgyrPnM

Support the show

Contact us: [email protected]

Send us a text

Special guests Rose and Lisa join Ross to share stories about growing up in Italian families.  Tangents include: Grudges; Pre-eating; Mediterranean Fruit Flies; Curses; Food, food, food; who was and who wasn't on the invite list to Janet's birthday; strip clubs; unusual weaning practices; Christmas lasagna.  We also find out what really happened to Uncle Artie.

Notes:

1. https://learnitaliango.com/italian-stereotypes/
2. https://mountzeroolives.com/uploads/mountzero/olive-oil_nonnaknowsbest-2.pdf
3. https://www.saveur.com/new-look-at-seven-fishes/

Support the show

Contact us: [email protected]

Send us a text

Ami joins Ross for the third installment of the "ground breaking" series on relationships.  This episode focuses on marriage and signs that suggest a marriage might be headed to a bad place.  Tangents include:  Open marriages; truth bombs; platonic marriages; and why it might not be a great idea to invite a parent to live in your home (without first asking your partner).  Ross proposes his fool proof plan for increasing marital bliss.

Notes:

1.  https://www.survivedivorce.com/bad-marriage-signs

2.  https://courses.lumenlearning.com/culturalanthropology/chapter/forms-of-marriage/

3.  https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/23/style/modern-love-podcast-cameron-esposito-right-to-fail-at-marriage.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article

4.  https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/24/style/are-you-in-an-inter-intimate-relationship.html?searchResultPosition=1

Support the show

Contact us: [email protected]

Send us a text

Special guest and professional kid wrangler Jenny joins Ross to discuss what happened to the lost art of babysitting.  Tangents include:  Bucket head kids;  rich people and knockoffs; 24 hour news; Shiny Shoes; Tap dancing; Snoos; Kyle Krupnick; kids in business suits; boarding school; sloppy clothes; latchkey kids;  and forehead kissing.

Notes:

1. https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/legal-babysitting-age-by-state

2. https://humansoftumblr.com/babysitters-reveal-the-most-inappropriate-thing-parents-asked-them-to-do/

3.https://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/page/local/latchkey-children-age-restrictions-by-state/1555/

4.  https://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/parenting/have-teenagebabysitters-gone/

5.  https://fee.org/articles/why-teens-rarely-babysit-anymore/

Support the show

Contact us: [email protected]

Send us a text

Special guest Sara joins Ross to discuss her conversion to the Trekkie community and her upcoming trip to her very first Star Trek Convention.  This show focuses on how much fan communities of all kinds have in common. You don't have to be a Star Trek fan to enjoy! Tangents include: Stone skipping; tree shaping; Elvish; Crypt keepers;  Star Wars comparisons; Las Vegas; Cosplay; Golf nerds. 

Notes:

1.  Ross only says Star Wars by mistake one time (ok, maybe twice)!

2.  https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/why-are-all-star-wars-movies-the-same

3.  https://haenfler.sites.grinnell.edu/subcultures-and-scenes/trekkies/

4. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/may/17/star-trek-vs-star-wars-debate

5.  https://the-take.com/read/why-do-many-people-identify-as-a-star-wars-or-a-star-trek-fan-does-it-have-to-be-either-or

Support the show

Contact us: [email protected]

Send us a text

Regulars Robb and Ami join Ross to discuss how each developed and used humor as a coping mechanism and as a means for surviving stressful circumstances.  Tangents include:  Ami's suicide joke success ratio; whether or not Grandma Millie was funny; Scantron scoring sheets and visions; Parade of Lovers; Dog Guns; Comedy Butt Funnel; Robb's end of life plan; Ross' desire for posthumous intermingling; body suits; dancing in stores.

Support the show

Contact us: [email protected]