Is this comedy special title the perfect description of Nate? He looks average, speaks like an average American, a conversation you would hear at TGIF, but they are some of the greatest sets. How does average look great? That's the wonderment here...

We go over Chekhov's short-real short-story, Rothschild's Fiddle, which is unlike his other stories, reads more like a fable, but does it work? And of course we chat over other important things you should know in life like living in Glasgow and in Louisville.

Discovered this wonderful essay, which doesn't read like an essay. Hit the link below and read it yourself. It's somewhere between prose poem and an essay, just like how perplexity is between terror and awe, so says Richard Siken. We read the entire essay (not too long), and appreciate its randomness that comes into an order (that we create?). Find out for yoruself. On Perplexity: Chrysanthemum by Richard Siken| Poetry Magazine (poetryfoundation.org).

Joy is Engaged (Congrats!). And this week we read "Lady with a Dog" a short story by Chekhov about infidelity..hmm...or is it about "true love" and the society just getting in the way. It's post-modern in that it ends abruptly, with no resolution to their dilemma. The story exhibits Chekhov as his best, observant, compassionate to his characters without judgment, small details that makes you see the whole scene, and few deft words to show you the inner working of the human psyche. Read along and tell us what you thought about the story.

We eventually talk about Sarah Silverman (who is one of the most skilled at what she does!), but it takes a while to get there because we start talking about what we believe in -- holdover from our Chrisitan upbringing. But when you listen to it all, even our meandering introduction is about how we are a "speck of dust" and how that makes one a pragmatist, and that maybe what I believe is not as important as what I practice.

Joy thought Norm's special was a middling show; I liked it and found it creative...which goes to show we have different tastes. One thing we agreed on, uncle Norm sure makes you think about things differently! So what about Hitler's dog? Is the title of the special a theme that runs through the whole special or something he thought of in the last second?

Have you seen Judah Friedlander's special "America is the Greatest Country in US" The line already tells you that this comic is one who smart comedy is delivered by seemingly stupid sentences, which is hard to pull! The special is so different from other specials: no intro, all black and white, you don't get to see the audience, and all close up shots. Judah is the homeless guy who says crazy stuff, but that crazy thing exposes the craziness that is America's exceptionalism. We also talk a little bit about the process of making jokes, and the sensitivity of the art. Tell us what you think!

This is about grief, about how grief can be both a self-centering and self-erasing process. We talk about the story telling itself, makes you marvel at the storytellers, whose exceptional skills is in its subtlety. And then the fascinating life of the author, whose story when I first heard it I thought I was hearing the plot of a short story written by Mishima, when it was actually his bio.

If there's anything you want to talk about, just drop a comment.

Can stories save us? It's a 3 hour movie without anything blowing up, but Hiroshima is in the background, great loss that radiates in the main characters? Can a story rescue us? Sometimes we tell stories to run always from "reality." Sometimes it can reorient us in our reality. And isn't our reality also a series of stories? What story keeps you going?

We read two poems recently featured at Poetry Unbound. They both talk about food. They are sensuous and makes your mouth water, but they also make you think about what it means to be a human being in relationship. After all food is a communal act, its about making up, deepening relationships. Because food is about survival, it is also about pleasure, family, and friendship.