Her mother’s persistent chronic illness, her advertising career, and the behavior of our planet all play into this circa 1990 tale from the life of Rita Mattia.

This episode is unique ... it has no musical intro or outro ... or call to action. It is simply a story that my friend John Fechino asked me to record and share.  Merry Christmas, dear friend! My "regularly scheduled" podcast episode will still happen on Thursday, December 24th. 

Somewhere around the year 1950, a tiny girl in New Jersey learns to roller skate, battles mosquitoes and finds a way to create her own friends while listening to an Irish lullaby.

Rita Mattia’s great grandfather Petrino Mattia and other family members perform onstage in somewhat unexpected ways, during the late 19thand early 20thcentury in northern New Jersey. 

In this, the longest episode recorded thus far, Rita Mattia reprises a chapter from her book “Trying Stuff,” taking listeners on a wild tour of the Allegheny mountains of western Virginia, skeet shooting, US Navy fighter jets, and the behavior of venomous snakes. 

Piano lessons, the perils of home ownership, and Rita Mattia’s lack of musical talent keep this episode lively. 

Rita Mattia explores fishing in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey; her career in advertising; a late 1960s race riot in southern Maryland; and the meaning of being a good Christian. WARNING: an extremely offensive word is used within quotes from individuals.

Tragedy visits Rita Mattia’s ancestors on New Year’s Eve 1890, in Harrison, New Jersey.  This story first appeared in “Trying Stuff.”

A cold winter’s night in Richmond, Virginia results in both more and less than Rita Mattia bargained for, at a thrift store, a homeless shelter and beyond. 

A rogue hurricane, a SWAT team, and a collapsing house in Northern Virginia converge to produce an exceptionally exciting night for Rita Mattia and her son.