Today we're talking about the Netflix top 10 film, "A Family Affair." A rom-com-dram starring Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron, and Joey King, this movie gives viewers some zany and some heartstring-tugging moments. With meditations on late-in-life love, the evolving mother-daughter relationship as we age, and the legacy of a deceased parent, this film is …

Today we are concluding our Midday Musings series on the HBO Max docuseries, "Taylor Swift vs Scooter Braun: Bad Blood." We will review Scooter's version of events (episode 2 of the series) -- from his role as the "big brother" music manager to Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, and Kanye West to the Swiftie fan-army fallout he experienced as the buyer …

Today we are back discussing the HBO Max documentary, “Taylor Swift vs. Scooter Braun: Bad Blood” (2024). In this part two, we will dissecting the events post-“Kimye”’s “Famous” drama and post-sale of Taylor Swift’s masters to Scooter Braun’s holding company. This will chart the public battle for ownership rights, Swift’s masterclass response to wi…

Today we are discussing the HBO Max documentary, “Taylor Swift vs. Scooter Braun: Bad Blood” (2024). This docuseries charts the very personal battle between artist and management team over the ownership of Taylor Swift’s music masters — representing six of the highest selling albums of all time. In this part one, we will be detailing the timeline o…

Today we’re discussing the explosively popular Netflix docuseries, “American Nightmare.” Following the bizarre story — and devastating media aftermath — of a home invasion/kidnapping in Vallejo, CA, we are shown that the real American nightmare is not the crime itself, but the institutional response to victims of that crime. Denise Huskins and her …

Today we’re discussing our friendly northern neighbor, Canada. Having just returned from a 4-day trip to Vancouver, we’ve got loads of cultural commentary and travel advice to share. Did you know there are laws against freeways in Vancouver city limits? Have you any idea the sheer number of weddings Stanley Park can hold? And why is it that in Cana…

Today we are hosting an excellent episode from the excellent podcast, Rainy Day Rabbit Holes. Enjoy! Join us for a toe-tally intriguing episode of Rainy Day Rabbit Holes where we dive deep into the baffling phenomenon of the Salish Sea Feet Discoveries! Since 2007, detached human feet have been washing ashore on the coasts of the Salish Sea, leavin…

Today we’re unboxing a BRAND NEW expansion of Red Flags Friday (courtesy of our good friend and podcast listener) — with content exclusively for nerds! The Grim Rabbit Game’s romance and date-centered card game is catering to Star Trek and Star Wars fans, as well as the chronically online. With that in mind, our hosts sit down and ask questions abo…

Today we’re discussing top sci-fi tropes in media we love as well as science fiction concepts that spark our imagination. With examples from top sci-fi short stories and Taiwanese novels, we discuss common and uncommon tropes that depict a potential, thought-provoking future. Undersea, skin-obsessed civilizations that have escaped climate catastrop…

Today we’re discussing the content of Peacock’s new true crime documentary, “TikTok Star Murders.” Produced by 50 Cent, this social media documentary follows the tragic, ultimately-fatal relationship roller coaster of TikTok content creator JinnKid (Ali Abulaban) and his wife Ana. Culminating in a shocking double homicide in San Diego’s luxury Spir…

Once again, we’re sharing some of the “150 Best Questions To Ask On A First Date, According to Relationship Experts” (Women’s Health Magazine, 2024). With insights from Lisa Marie Bobby, PhD., Tara Suwinyattichaiporn, PhD., and Courtney Tracy, LCSW, PsyD, we share even more of the relationship insights and effective first date questions to keep you…

Today we’re discussing our favorite horror motifs from films, television, and games (shoutout to The Recap Rewatch for inspiring a “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” rewatch). Whether it’s Ariana Grande wanting to have dinner with Jeffrey Dahmer or Stephen getting spooky with the forest-cabin settings of “Evil Dead” and “Until Dawn,” every horror fan wants…

Today we’re digging into some of the top-rated games on user-generated indie game platform Itch.io. Games include “Night of the Consumer,” “Crawler,” “Baby Blues Nightmare,” and more. We discuss the unique game mechanics and themes that indie developers can offer a player that AAA games cannot (due to profit incentive). Whether it’s horror elements…

Today we’re sharing some of the “150 Best Questions To Ask On A First Date, According to Relationship Experts” (Women’s Health Magazine, 2024). With insights from Lisa Marie Bobby, PhD., Tara Suwinyattichaiporn, PhD., and Courtney Tracy, LCSW, PsyD, this list provides listeners with some conversational prompts that serve to invite deeper connection…

Today we’re discussing Cal Newport’s book, “Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World” and how a reduction in device use might just better our lives. Stephen shares his insights as a recent reader of the self-development / digital discipline book and Laura shares findings from behavioral science studies that reveal clues as to wh…

Today we’re reviewing the premiere episode of the much-awaited GoT prequel, “House of the Dragon.” Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Matt Smith, and Rhys Ifans reprise their roles as the adult members of the Targaryen and Hightower clans, who last season were poised to clash in civil war. Despite the two year delay between seasons, viewers occupy the imme…

Today we’re discussing the 2024 sequel to Pixar’s 2015 classic, “Inside Out.” Amy Poehler reprises her role as “Joy,” main character Riley’s primary emotion. Joining the cast is Maya Hawke as “Anxiety,” one of Riley’s new pubescent emotions. In this film, our main character is now 13, going through puberty, leaving middle school, and navigating inc…

Today we’re discussing the internationally popular young adult contemporary romance series, “Maxton Hall: the World Between Us” (streaming on Prime Video). Inspired by the Mona Kasten novel, “Save Me” and starring Harriet Herbig-Matten and Damien Hardung as socioeconomically- and ideologically-opposed students at the elite preparatory school Maxton…

Today we’re discussing indie zombie survival horror game, “Project Zomboid” (produced and published by The Indie Stone). Originally built as a Sims mod, this hardcore-difficulty game presents its players with 4 available Kentucky environments in which to attempt survival, using more than a dozen player-character types, and personalizing your playth…

Today we’re discussing the iconic video game series, “The Sims,” where players can simulate buckets of lives and lifestyles in a charming, funny, simulated world peopled with NPC characters, fantasy monsters, and magical environments. This game contains resource and emotional management mechanics as well as commercial actions that players use to ad…

Today we’re talking about the new HBO Max docuseries, “Ren Faire,” which depicts the King Lear / Succession-esque drama at America’s largest renaissance faire, the Texas Renaissance Festival. Directed by Lance Oppenheimer, we follow the founder/mayor/ “king” of this Renaissance Festival town, named George Coulam, who is preparing to retire to focus…

Today we’re talking about the art of joy — where it comes from, how to find it, and whether or not it’s connected to outcome. We’re given scripts to follow and conventions to uphold, but is that recipe one that leads to joy? Will buying everything society tells you to buy make you happy? Did comic book heroes lie to you about what is achievable in …

Today we’re discussing the new top 10 Netflix miniseries, “Eric,” starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Gaby Hoffmann, McKinley Blecher III, and Dan Fogler (of “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”). Created by Abi Morgan, this is a detective noir that takes place in gritty 1980s-era New York City. Featuring a plot-critical puppet and creeping madness…

Today we’re discussing summer in the Pacific Northwest — we’ve got boats, boards, and buckets of festivals. It’s three long months of joy, togetherness, and not thinking about general elections. What’s your favorite PNW summer activity? How will you and the gang of your choice be taking advantage of the sun madness? Is death or an indeterminate per…

Today we’re talking about the new top 10 Netflix animated series, “Jurassic World: Chaos Theory.” Following the events of “Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous,” this dinosaur action series is a mystery-slash-roadtrip adventure that brings together the campers of Camp Cretaceous who are being potential pursued by the nefarious forces of InGen. Additiona…

Today we’re discussing soup, social systems, and StrengthsFinder 2.0 (by Don Clifton). Do you have favorite recipes that you return to again and again? Is it easy or difficult for you to connect to new people on the first meeting? What is your top strength according to the corporate-approved personality test StrengthsFinder from Gallup? We discuss …

Today we’re discussing the Netflix top 10 docuseries, “Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult” (2024, dir. Derek Doneen). In this too-strange-to-be-fiction documentary, TikTok dancers join a management firm (7M) tied to a church (Shekinah church), uncovering disturbing truths about the founder’s (Robert Shinn) sinister agenda. Impacting the fami…

Today we are discussing a video game that has been the obsession of the Midday Musings household for over a month, “Voices of the Void.” A free pre-Alpha game available for download on the itch.io PC gaming platform, this SETI simulator/slow horror survival game is created and maintained by one developer, EternityDev (aka Mr.Dr.Nose) and inspired b…

Today we’re discussing the current top 10 Netflix show, “Bodkin,” a many-layered mystery/offbeat comedy starring Will Forte and Siobhan Cullen. Taking place in the small hamlet of Bodkin in modern day Ireland, this series follows an embattled Guardian journalist, young researcher, and American podcaster in pursuit of a cold case mystery surrounding…

Today we are doing part 2 of 2 on the Netflix’s docuseries, “Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies, and Scandal.” We will be concluding our Ashley Madison series with a discussion of an unconventional couple featured in the docuseries, the supposed discretion of user data on the site, the fallout of the 2015 hack, and what influences people to cheat. We discus…

Today we’re discussing episode 1 of Netflix’s docuseries, “Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies, and Scandal.” This is part 1 of 2, where we will be covering the founding of the site (during the 2000s-era dot-com boom), the marketing and monetization model of the product, and two of the most famous people impacted by the 2015 Ashley Madison leak (Nia and Sam …

Today we’re talking about cats, rats, and the Met Gala. We answer the questions, how well traveled is the average cat? Why is New York the global center of ambition and pizza rats? And what even is the Met Gala for? Learn fun facts about bacteria-based pandemics vs. viral-based pandemics, and how cats are relevant to both. Reflect with us on the Le…

Today we’re talking about taking Grim Rabbits’ card game “Red Flags: the Game of Terrible Dates” into the wild and playing it with friends. What is revealed about people in a 6-person game where not everyone knows each other? What secret superpowers do singles have that relationshipped players lack? How do different people confront different dating…

Today we’re talking about “Zillow Gone Wild” — the new HBO MAX show hosted by Jack McBrayer and featuring the most exciting, wackadoo house listings available across the US. Two house-hungry millennials (our co-hosts) talk Nietzsche, Camus, and Matthew McConaughey in the context of the American housing market, and walk you through the details of a …

Today we’re talking about change and how to manage it. Are you always operating at max capacity — and does that make change throw you for a loop? How much obligation is too much obligation? And how can you use fun to supplement your energy around getting things done? Special shout-out to Marc from the BoomBox Music podcast for his insight that runn…

Today we’re talking about the best, brightest, and most beastly of the animal kingdom! Starting with Stephen’s blind-as-a-bat insights on echolocation, we dovetail into a discussion of which internet animals are most like us (and the people we know). What is the evolutionary story of our favorite aquatic animals? What patriotic animal is not-so-sec…

Today we’re talking about building up motivation when you feel a bit mentally drained. Social exhaustion is very real, and sometimes you need something extra to feel zesty. We share personal strategies for regaining momentum when you’re in a rut. Laura champions the benefit of short-term projects, and we discuss the mental health benefits of being …

Today we’re celebrating another Red Flags Friday 🚩🚩🚩! Unboxing, once again, Grim Rabbit’s game of terrible dates, we’re investigating two potential dates with one huge white flag and several disruptive red flags. What would you endure if your date allowed you to use their penthouse suite in your favorite city? How much juggling can be tolerated if …

Today we’re talking about nature, technology, and human civilization. Referencing Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden Pond” and History channel’s 2000s-era classic, “Life After People,” we study the Millenial/Gen Z phenomenon of “cottagecore” as a reaction to our vast technological proliferation. What is the nature of nature? How are we like the 19th-cen…

Today we’re discussing the paranormal — haunted experiences, ghost-Gnosticism, and whether or not to download an EMF monitor onto your smart phone. Between paranormal circuses and an eternal Halloween, we ask important questions such as “are ghosts real?” “Should we become paranormal investigators as a midlife crisis activity?” and “Why does my mom…

Today we’re sharing our strategies for staying upbeat in the face of inconvenience and crisis. We’ll discuss keeping perspective on hard days and every day, with a special emphasis on detaching your happiness from external outcomes. Mental health hygiene, finding the benefit in negative situations, and allowing your resilience to carry you through …

Today we’re discussing entertainment media — from movies, to television, to theater, to social media. Delving into nostalgic pieces of media (90s-era cartoon/live-action world crossovers a la “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” and “Cool World”) and into the contemporary media space that bleeds analog and digital media, Laura and Stephen chart the difference…

Today we’re discussing productivity and mindset, with special reference to Cal Newport’s book, “Deep Work.” Our cohosts are talking about routine disruption and how to recover from the light chaos that comes with existing as an adult human in adult society. Focusing on strategies that cultivate deep work and relying on a growth-oriented mindset to …

Today we’re talking about boundaries — how to set them, what to protect by setting them, and how much space it is reasonable to expect from the establishment of boundaries. The co-hosts’ household is currently the epicenter of a territorial dispute between two domestic predators, informing this conversation around healthy boundaries. How does one c…

Today we’re talking about our favorite Disney movies — “The Lion King” (1994) specifically! On this rainy/sunny midday, our co-hosts begin with a conversation on skin care that dovetails into “The Little Mermaid” (1989) — Laura’s favorite childhood Disney movie, based thematically on “Doctor Faustus” (by Christopher Marlowe). Stephen’s favorite chi…

Today we are honoring a fan request from Dan Watt and reviewing his film festival-selected, Emmy-nominated documentary, “Everybody Dance.” Steaming currently on Freevee and Tubi, “Everybody Dance” follows the 4-month journey of recital preparation for a very unique ballet studio in Agora Hills, CA. Ballet for All Kids is a nonprofit organization ru…

Today marks our 100th episode!!! Thank you for being here for 6 months of Midday Musings — and thank you for being here now. Stephen and Laura perform a retrospective of their favorite top 5 episodes from 51-100. From a politically charged episode that champions the 4-day workweek to broad analysis of some of the most intellectually chewy media pie…

Today we’re talking about heaven, hell, and other afterlife options. Stephen shares stories of watching, “Hazbin Hotel,” an adult animated musical that takes place south of the earthly realm. Asking questions about morality and offering answers set to melodic beats, this animated series dovetails our cohosts into a deeper discussion of which afterl…

Today we’re talking fun-in-the-sun as summer approaches! Whether it is the beach-y days or bonfire nights, the summer season is a reason to celebrate. We chat about 9pm sunsets, state fairs, camping, and national parks — getting fired up and ready to take on the long, long days. In the PNW, residents take aggressive advantage of these short months …