The Nerdologues Present: MBSing

Financial coach Dan Wood and his creative, funny friends Elizabeth Seidt and Damon Taylor love exploring the actual finances of fictional worlds on their podcast Make-Believe Money (e.g. - Ron Swanson's net worth, the value of the company Willy Wonka passes on to Charlie Bucket, how much all that sensory deprivation chamber salt would've cost in the first season of Stranger Things, etc). Some of that fictional world stuff made it into this conversation, but it's mostly focused on Dan's profession, how his influence has made Damon and Liz more financially aware, and how all of them view finances as a necessary if difficult conversation to have with your loved ones. Weddings are being planned, houses are being purchased, needs, wants, & savings are being allocated... A lot is happening here, and ultimately it's a fun, encouraging conversation about an often sticky subject.

Notes:

Dan's professional info, Liz's Harold team, and Damon's place of work

Thanks to the Chicago Podcast Cooperative for their continued support and Overcast, MBS's podcast player of choice, for sponsoring this episode.

Jando's parents immigrated to the US from Iraq and Syria in their early 20s, making the first two decades of their lives vastly different from his even though he's only ever known them as quiet suburb-dwellers. He ruminates on how this has shaped his family and their Assyrian community via food, ceremony, language, religion, and a plethora of other small ways that he often forgets are considered different because it's all just his own American experience.

Notes:

The Assyrian collection at The Oriental Institute, featuring a winged bull from Sargon II.

Thanks to the Chicago Podcast Cooperative for their continued support and Simplecast for sponsoring this episode. Use the promo code "chicago" to get 50% your first 3 months of Simplecast.

Tiffany discovered the possibilities of LARPing via putting on immersion theatre as the Artistic Director of Otherworld Theatre Company. After their own production of Gone Dark and attending Sleep No More in New York, she was inspired to take the interest even further by producing a series of 2-day LARPs in the Midwest called Chronicles of the Realm. Find out about the levels of experiential gaming and theatre that can be achieved as well as the work and talent it takes to plan characters and re-plan scenarios on the fly as players discover the path they want the LARP to take.

Notes:

Otherworld Theatre is buying their own space. Check out their IndieGoGo to contribute to the cause.

Past episodes featuring themes surrounding Otherworld Theatre productions include: Vampires, Shakespeare, Pen and Paper RPGs, and Sci-Fi/Fantasy Theatre.

Thanks to Overcast for sponsoring and the Chicago Podcast Cooperative for coordinating sponsors and community.

Carley Moseley loved to read so much as a kid she thought one of the coolest things about Matilda was that she had a wagon for her library books. One of her greatest loves is A Wrinkle in Time, and she's revisiting the novel now and unpacking all of these feelings about whimsy, family, and the upcoming film adaptation along the way. Expect emotions about everyone from Oprah to CS Lewis, and maybe pick up a book from your past that you haven't read in a while to figure out why it's still with you.

Thanks to the Chicago Podcast Cooperative for coordinating sponsorship by Backblaze. Try Backblaze online backup for free at backblaze.com/cpc.

Henry figured out how to use the internet to chat with friends and strangers alike at a young, desktop dial-up age. He's remained at the forefront of users for new platforms, networks, and apps due to some combo of an innate desire to connect online, a genuine curiosity at what the internet can do, and a relatively-innocent streak of trolling and shit-posting. From Geocities to Facebook frames, Smash Boards to Echo Skills, Henry's made some viral gags and met some lifelong friends as "jackasskid" and "tehawesome." And as "someone who goes by Henry Stinson Birdseye III."

Notes:

Henry has a pretty good compendium of his goofs on Tumblr

Thanks to the Chicago Podcast Cooperative for coordinating sponsorships, and thanks to Overcast for sponsoring. MBS has listened to all podcasts on Overcast since before they paid money for her support.

In her youth, Eunji was very into reading stories about girls with spunk, and Anne of Green Gables was always the prime example. She screamed through all eight of L. M. Montgomery's books and now returns to them often to access their surprisingly forward-thinking ideas about women, satisfying female friendships and other emotional relationships, and inspirational themes regarding coming from nothing. Anne showed a young Eunji it was possible for a woman to get great schooling, be a writer, and build a family and home over 100 years ago, so it's sure as hell possible now.

Notes:

http://www.thebesteunji.com/

Thanks to Overcast for sponsoring and the Chicago Podcast Cooperative for coordinating sponsorships and creating a collective.

Charles Clark Pettitt was born and raised “where cowboy meets Cajun” and still has a deep love for the region in spite of knowing he had to escape its rampant pick up truck and Coors Light lifestyle. His Pettitt ancestors settled in Askansas seeking oil, his grandfather Arkansas (...for real...there’s a Jr and a Sr...) ate a raw onion from their Louisiana farm at every meal after they had to ghost the oil boom towns, and thanks to a high school break up that inspired an ill-fated visit to Texas A&M, Charles eventually landed in Chicago to develop his performance skills. From the perfect queso to riverboat casinos to sporting to the Bossier Strip, Charles packs Schreveport’s personality into every tale he shares.

Notes:

See Charles in Shark Tank: The Musical at the Annoyance Theatre before he skips town.

Thanks to the Chicago Podcast Cooperative for coordinating sponsorship by Backblaze. Try Backblaze online backup for free at backblaze.com/cpc.

Andrew Knox has been a Giants fan since his mom's side of the family adopted the team while they had a training camp in their home state, Vermont. He's lived for the building of the team and the fight to the finish every season, even when the Super Bowl victories have felt admittedly anticlimactic. He loves getting a sense of who the players are and having fellow fans to share the games with. It's more about the community of fandom for Knox, as evidenced by his being more than willing to unpack the nature of the NFL and sports fandom as opposed to laser-focused Giants talk. Stick around for his thoughts on how they may bounce back after a rough season.

Notes:

Knox on Twitter, at Second City, and winning MoveOn's contest

Thanks to the Chicago Podcast Cooperative for their continued support and Simplecast for sponsoring this episode. Use the promo code "chicago" to get 50% your first 3 months of Simplecast.

Joe took his aspirations of comedy filmmaking all the way to a passion for photography. He discusses how a more serious interest in photography came into his life (along with a new DSLR camera and a broken ankle), what he's learned from working with models, friends who are performers, and other photographers, and how his passion has changed what kind of photography gear he travels with and how he perceives the entire package of designing a shoot. If Joe makes his subjects laugh a fraction as much as he did MBS, he's a natural at putting them at ease.

Notes:

Joe's website and Instagram.

Thanks to the Chicago Podcast Cooperative for their continued support and Simplecast for sponsoring this episode. Use the promo code "chicago" to get 50% your first 3 months of Simplecast.

The tables turn once again in a holiday hangover edition of eMBSing. This time Eric “EMB” Braband unpacks MBS’s love of Irish indie movie musical Once. After 10 years of expounding her love of her favorite film, there are now a plethora of cultural and personal reasons the story and her love of it endures. Hear their thoughts on the Broadway musical adaptation and lead actor Glen Hansard’s continued solo career, and close out with a live verse from one of MBS’s favorite songs from the films musical duo. Give Once a watch, and have fun finding your band.

Notes:

Thanks the Cards Against Humanity for sponsoring the show and the Chicago Podcast Cooperative for their continued support.