On today’s podcast we sit down with esteemed guest, Doctor Pamela Geller of the University of Miami ‘s anthropology department and Women and Gender Studies Program to discuss her new book The Bioarchaeology of Social-Sexual Lives: Queering Common Sense about Sex, Gender, and Sexuality,  and more. We dive into topics like marrying goyim (Good? Bad? Meh?), the bioarchaeology of sexuality and gender (are all of those skeletons dug up holding each other in graves really lovers caught in one last embrace before death, or is that characteristic assigned by our cultural defaults without archaeological justification?), and, of course, the weekly Torah portion as it relates to current events (as always!).

So, does the Archaeology of Common Sense mean that we ascribe our contemporary values to findings like human archaeological remains? Do we ignore the bioarchaeology of findings in pop-culture? And, on a related note, are search engine algorithms conspiring to change printed book titles according to the needs of the interwebs?

I don’t know. But Dr. Geller does! And she shares her insights on everything from bioarchaeology to heteronormative archetypes as applied to society on this week’s show. This week I learned all about how gender as we understand it has not been a universal construct across all societies over human history and evolution. I also learned that after 68 years of marriage that there are alternatives to the typical 1950’s gender roles western society traditionally ascribes to men and women. Like, for instance, did you know that women can wear pants and vote now? I know, shocking stuff. But I am very old, so almost everything about 2017 is shocking to me.

Today’s episode is a great one, with a gracious and hilarious guest. Dr. Geller was funny, warm, and informative. Thanks so much for coming on as a guest Dr. Geller. We had a great time and you’re welcome back any time!

On today’s program Marvin discusses the terrible new theme music with his producer Cheryl. Marvin also tackles the weekly Torah portion, and introduces a new feature: a book review. Additionally, Marvin’s wife has left him. So, we get to hear the dramatic fall out of that on the program, including how she did it. (Hint: it involves a toilet and a PostIt Note).

Marvin discusses Moses arriving at the Holy Land and being barred by God from entering it. Much like parents, Moses “raises” his people, only to see them flourish without him as they grow. This sacrifice is beautiful and symbolic of the cycle of nurture that we all take part in. As a result of Moses’ sacrifice, the Jewish people succeed. We all succeed because of our parents. And the circle of life continues.

We have Rome facing water shortages, and the rights of transgender people in the military being rolled back in the news. Both portend the end of the world on a Torah-level of significance. And both result from the hubris of man.

We discuss the book The Great Man by Kate Christensen on the book review. And, I won’t spoil the ending, but the book ends on the last page. It’s a phenomenally in depth character study of an artist after he passed away, through the eyes of those who’s lives he touched. His two families (one legitimate) and two biographers have interesting and divergent points of view on the great man who’s irresponsible nature impacted those around him in different, sometimes destructive ways. This harkens back to many of the lessons of the Torah, which can be interpreted in different ways and through a variety of lenses. This book is a quick, interesting read. Marvin highly recommends it, and gives it 8 Torahs out of 10.

On this episode we sit down with the founder of Right Swipe Pics, Maria Izaurralde. Maria runs a website that does photo makeovers for people’s online dating and Tinder Profiles. As a result of her photography, people can look better and get more matches! Maria’s work has been featured in National Geographic, and all kinds of national news outlets. She’s so good, she could even make Marvin look handsome (no easy task!). So, if you want to improve your dating profile pictures on Tinder, Maria is the woman to go to.

Maria discusses her inspiration for starting her website, and how the photography on the website really turned her off. So, she decided to do something about it. Now, you can order pictures with Maria to avoid the fate of all of these awful men with their left swipes and bad pictures.

We discuss the benefits and pitfalls of dating younger, which is Marvin’s the only option because he is so old. However, as a woman in-between the ages of 25 and 45, cultural shifts have made it much more socially acceptable for women to choose to date younger men.

How does the dating marketplace change based on different gender rations in different cities? Maria weighs in. She also discusses her current beau, who is nearly as lumpy (muscular) as the body builder we had on Episode 5 of Two Jews and a Mic.

We sit down with special guest Tara Trautmann to discuss addiction, treatment, and therapy. Tara is a marvelous therapist who gives us the low down on treatment and therapies for addiction. However, Tara isn’t good enough at Therapy to help break Marvin’s terrible wife of the addiction of feeding him gefilte fish for every meal. (To be fair, there’s no one THAT good).

Today we get into the rules for the Kohen (priests) of Judaism. Marvin focuses on the fact that a man with crushed testicles can not be a Kohen. As a result of having crushed testicles, he’s barred. Seems unfair. Also, Marvin relates crushed testicles to his marriage of 40 years.

Marvin marvels at Tiger Wood’s ability to sleep with so many women outside of marriage as sexual addiction is discussed. Tara gives insight on the disease, as we talk about how some people do use it to get out of “sticky” situations.

We look at the appeal of conservative politicians to working class whites through the lens of What’s The Matter With Kansas author Thomas Frank‘s book and findings. We also discuss Trump the republican candidate’s failings.

Episode 6, in which we discuss how taking what you want from the Torah and leaving out parts you don’t like is hypocritical if you’re using religion as an excuse to discriminate, and networking with guest Janu Mendel of the Miami Jews networking organization for young professionals here in Miami.

Episode 5, in which we discuss bodybuilding, the Torah, and as always we’re making the best dick jokes in the game.

Two Jews and a Mic Episode 4, in which we interview Amy Kritzer of What Jew Wanna Eat (featured in Cosmo, The Wall Street Journal, and now the big time: Two Jews and a Mic).

Two Jews and a Mic Episode 3, in which we discuss Passover and bondage. Enjoy!

Two Jews and a Mic Episode 2, in which we discuss circumcision, the ups and downs of dating goyim, the Pope, and more!