Top Five

Chris is existential about giving up his California residency, and Liz is as surprised as anyone that she’s become a member of the BTS ARMY.  Then, inspired by our last top five, we have a candid conversation about whether or not we still identify as Christian - how our relationship with Christianity has evolved over time, why we grapple with this question, and what spirituality looks like for us now.  Plus, our top five favorite things about where we live.  We may not know much about spirituality these days, but we do know that Ann Arbor and New York are amazing places to live!

A few things we mentioned in this episode:

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Art by Colin Turnbull (colinpturnbull.com)

Music by Origami Pigeon

Liz is obsessed with the podcast Normal Gossip, while Chris is considering a new angle on voting in his last California election.  Then we get into a topic we haven't heard nearly enough about: couple friends.  Why is it so much more complicated to make couple friends than individual ones?  What are the signs of a good couple friend for us and our partners?  And crucially for Chris: Who pays the bill when you go out to dinner with another pair? Plus, our top five dinner guests.  We did not expect that making this list would change our lives, but for one of us... it kind of did.

Note:  This episode was recorded before the election and also before Twitter became even more of a raging dumpster fire than it already was!

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Art by Colin Turnbull (colinpturnbull.com)

Music by Origami Pigeon

After an unexpected two-month hiatus, we're back and we can't wait to chat!  Chris declares his undying love for the Container Store, while Liz is blasting through the podcast 60 Songs That Explain the '90s.  Then, we finally get to talk about Netflix's excellent new(ish) documentary on the Manti Te'o story, which happens to be Liz's favorite story of all time -- how it hit us almost ten years ago, how the documentary hit us now, and who the real villain is.  (Spoiler alert: If you somehow haven't heard this story in the last ten years and you don't want us to spoil the documentary for you, we love that you want to watch it and please skip from 14:15 to 39:45.)  Finally, we wrap with our top five acquired tastes.  Foods, activities, people -- maybe we're just getting older, but we're pretty sure our tastes are getting better.

The trailer for Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist (which you should definitely watch if you haven't yet)

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Art by Colin Turnbull (colinpturnbull.com)

Music by Origami Pigeon

Chris is distressed about the Great Salt Lake drying up, while Liz is basking in the afterglow of a trip to New York City. Then, inspired by Liz’s recent entry into the world of travel credit cards, we get into the weeds of it all - the stresses of maximizing points and if the benefits are worth it; the inherently unethical credit card system and if it’s possible to live ethically within it. Finally, in celebration of all the Asian Americana we’ve been consuming and discussing over the last few months, our top five pieces of Asian American pop culture.  Baby Chris and Baby Liz wouldn’t believe how good we have it now!

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Art by Colin Turnbull (colinpturnbull.com)

Music by Origami Pigeon

Chris survived COVID, and Liz cannot believe the shitshow that is the Michigan Republican gubernatorial primary. Then we celebrate the rarest of occurrences: We both saw Everything Everywhere All At Once and Fire Island! We couldn't wait to talk about the beauty of a rom-com where the suitors are secondary to the story, rave about star performances, and try to work out the takeaway of EEAAO.  (If you want to avoid EEAAO spoilers, please skip from 13:45 to 29:40; to avoid Fire Island spoilers, 30:00 to 43:30.) Plus, a surprisingly delightful top five: condiments!  For the first time ever, both lists get rewritten in real time because the world of condiments is wide and deep and delicious.  Happy dipping, everyone!

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Art by Colin Turnbull (colinpturnbull.com)

Music by Origami Pigeon

We're reeling from the SCOTUS leak, so we needed a minute to unpack our reactions and both the political maneuvering and the toxic theology that got us to this point.  Then, on a more hopeful note, we get into the shocking abundance of Asian American movies and TV shows we're experiencing right now - how quickly the tide changed, if we're still obligated to see every single one, and what we're especially excited about. Plus, our top five hidden gems!  Whether you need a domestic travel spot or a fabulous bakery item, we've got you covered. 💎 

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Art by Colin Turnbull (colinpturnbull.com)

Music by Origami Pigeon

The Slap was top of mind for us and everyone else in the world, so by popular request, we talk how we experienced it as avid consumers of celebrity culture (Liz) and survivors of toxic masculinity (Chris).  Then, continuing our conversation about managing our thirtysomething lives, we dig into the division of labor in our households -- the messages we got growing up, what this looks like now with our partners, and if it can ever be truly even in heterosexual partnerships.  Plus, one of our favorite top fives ever: Asian snacks!  It was hard to narrow down this universe of deliciousness to five favorites, but somehow we managed.  And now we're starving.

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Art by Colin Turnbull (colinpturnbull.com)

Music by Origami Pigeon

Note: This episode was recorded a few weeks ago, before Russia invaded Ukraine, and it feels like we live an entirely different world now. Sending love and care to all, especially those who are directly impacted by the atrocities happening in Ukraine. 🇺🇦

[CW: violence against Asian Americans]

Liz and Chris reflect on the murder of Christina Yuna Lee and the rash of violence against Asian American women in New York City and elsewhere, which hits close to home for both of us.  Then we dig into a very different topic: how we manage our unwieldy thirtysomething lives as they get more complicated and more deeply intertwined with other people's. How do you keep track of all the schedules in your household? What spreadsheets do you rely on to keep your life in order? What do your systems say about where you are in life right now? Staying on the thirtysomething household theme, we end with the top five things that make our homes better.  We need all the tools we can get to survive these wild times, so we hope this episode brings you some respite and some inspiration for how to make life a little less stressful. ❤️

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Art by Colin Turnbull (colinpturnbull.com)

Music by Origami Pigeon

Chris is appalled that anti-CRT rhetoric is turning into actual book bans, and Liz wept through Speed Cubers, a sweet documentary on Netflix. Then, inspired by current events, we dig into the complicated process of making a wedding guest list, that once-in-a-lifetime referendum on all your friendships.  How do you decide who gets an invite, especially when you're getting married in your late 30s?  What does an invite convey to a new friend or a childhood friend you haven't seen in ten years?  We also talk about the younger cousin of the wedding invitation -- the holiday card -- and the strange opportunity it provides for an annual assessment of your friendships.  Plus, our top five TV characters of all time.  How many of Chris's are from The Wire?  There's only one way to find out.

Note: This episode was recorded before the murder of Christina Yuna Lee in New York City; we will have more to say about this in our next episode.  We hope you're taking care and being extra-kind to yourselves. ❤️

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Art by Colin Turnbull (colinpturnbull.com)

Music by Origami Pigeon

Liz is loving the cast album of Six: The Musical, and Chris is unsettled by his New Year's Eve viewing of Don't Look Up.  (Spoiler alert: Please skip 6:00 to 17:10 if you don't want to know how the movie ends.)  Then we revisit a topic that we first discussed two and a half years ago, in our second episode: adulthood.  We talk about Chris's major life updates, whether adulthood is anything more than a series of logistical tasks, and Liz's newfound understanding of why people have midlife crises.  And since we're right in between Solar New Year and Lunar New Year, we wrap with our New Year's resolutions.  The differences in the aspirations of someone who has kids and someone who does not have never been starker.  Happy Year of the Tiger, y'all!  We still have one more chance to try out those resolutions again.

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Instagram: @topfivepod

Twitter: @thetopfivepod

Art by Colin Turnbull (colinpturnbull.com)

Music by Origami Pigeon