Pick up the Phone

On today's episode, I start out with the most recent stupid thing the internet told me I need to buy (it's skincare, and I am embarrassed) and consider the role influencers play on the economy. Then I give an update (!!) to a previous traumatic experience I had in a coffee shop, which is a new but equally traumatic coffee shop experience. Our final story comes from a rabbit hole I ended up in after I lost my voice, which led me to discover what the "most hip-hop words" are.To read more: https://pudding.cool/2017/09/hip-hop-words/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's Desk Chair Expert, Awad, is a transportation engineer, and I start out the episode trying to figure out what the heck that even means. We dive into the important role public transit plays in a community as well as debating what makes a good subway system and I give my Full Official Review of the Washington, D.C. metro. Awad explains his previous work with autonomous vehicles and we compete to see who had a worse driver's ed experience (it was me). We talk about what public transit looks like across the world and Awad walks us through a project he's currently working on to collect and share transit data in Khartoum, Sudan. In between all of this, we chat about casual mansplaining, my transformation into a Darts Girl, and how to deal with disagreements in subtle ways.As a reminder, this series is called Desk Chair Expert because the guests are regular people talking about subjects they find interesting. Please understand that they are discussing the extent of their personal knowledge and expressing their individual opinions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I start this episode talking about something my family did that I thought everyone else did, and how it took me years to figure out that we weren't the normal ones. Then I recount two of the (very few) times I've been skiing, both of which ended in disaster. One time ended in an actual fall, and the other severely damaged my pride, which we all know is much worse. Finally, I share my pitch for how I would like to see political parties rename themselves to give voters a clear idea of candidates' actual policy issues. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The theme of this episode is all things New! Meghan, the featured Desk Chair Expert, gives her thoughts on New Years' resolutions, realizing you don't like your major and choosing a new one, how to establish yourself in a new city, and what new technologies are emerging that make her most excited. Listen for stories about how our friendship was love at first nerdy sight (we met in math class) and ways we were able to make friends after moving to a new place (including a fair bit of wallowing in loneliness). In addition, Meghan and I do a demo of what ChatGPT, a new generative chatbot, is like and debate our thoughts on the ethics of Artificial Intelligence, data privacy, and how technology affects cheating in schools.As a reminder, this series is called Desk Chair Expert because the guests are regular people talking about subjects they find interesting. Please understand that they are discussing the extent of their personal knowledge and expressing their individual opinions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today's episode, I start by sharing a magical ability I think I might have and why "normal" superpowers are better than flashy ones. Then I discuss why I find the vampire obsession on TV shows overdone and all the ways I think supernatural shows could be more interesting. All those love triangles but still only vampires and werewolves? Really?? Finally, my take on the one thing Karen's get right (I promise it's not as terrible as it sounds). In the new year, I'm hoping to be 5% more annoying, but only when it's warranted. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's Desk Chair Expert is Brendan, another friend from my college comedy days. We catch up on what he's been up to in the years since, particularly what it's like to try and pursue acting on top of a full-time job. Brendan shares his honest and helpful advice on how to meet other entertainers, what to look for in an agent, and what to expect if you're not super wealthy and/or a nepotism baby. He also does his best assessment of how I would be typecast in the film industry. On top of that, we share our hot and mildy warm takes on the Real Housewives, "theater kids," and overdone comedy bits. Bonus: enjoy watching Brendan die a little inside every time I don't get a movie or TV reference.As a reminder, this series is called Desk Chair Expert because the guests are regular people talking about subjects they find interesting. Please understand that they are discussing the extent of their personal knowledge and expressing their individual opinions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're starting out strong this week with a tale of what happens when dads let their wildest opinions out while shopping. Then I detail my extremely academic research into How to Tell if Your Friend is Secretly Super Rich (data doesn't lie, folks, and neither does their faucet). I share why I think the Wolf of Wall Street actually has a lot in common with sugar daddy DM's on social media and then recount some weird moments I've had being the only girl in a group of dudes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when you combine two Recovering Former Tryhards? You get this week's podcast with our Desk Chair Expert, Paolo. He gives us all the info that Queen's Gambit didn't, including which kinds of chess boards are the most annoying to play on, who caused the latest chess scandal (because apparently those exist), and what the heck a "gambit" even is. Then we turn to his time as a Resident Advisor (RA) at university. Paolo and I swap stories of getting in trouble with RA's and then he shares his approach to being a good role model for people your own age. We also compare which of us had the nerdier childhood and talk through some ways we're trying to get past our tryhard habits.As a reminder, this series is called Desk Chair Expert because the guests are regular people talking about subjects they find interesting. Please understand that they are discussing the extent of their personal knowledge and expressing their individual opinions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Coming in hot, I tell everyone about my childhood envy over not having a celebrity lookalike but why I actually think that's kind of a good thing now. Then I admit why I think I'm too privileged to go camping (I swear it's not as controversial as it sounds) (someone please tell me if you can wear contacts on a camping trip). Closing it out is a recent conclusion I've come to about the official worst job a person can have. Beware.PS if you hear sirens in the background, no you don't. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You ever have that one friend that is always turning anything small into a Whole Big Thing? For me, that person is this week's Desk Chair Expert, Agustin. We get to hear about this summer's Big Thing, biking across the USA (featuring billboards, bar crawls, and a North Dakota monastery). Then I ask Agustin to reflect on his own mindset and we share our thoughts on how to make your own fun and how to deal with the pressure to race through life. We also spill some stories about the curse on our friendship AKA how we've managed to cause some trouble in every city we visit. Finally, Agustin talks about some of his other favorite adventures, including farming in Norway and making wine in a dorm room.As a reminder, this series is called Desk Chair Expert because the guests are regular people talking about subjects they find interesting. Please understand that they are discussing the extent of their personal knowledge and expressing their individual opinions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First things first, I do my best impression of the absolutely crazy way American TV anchors read news headlines. Then I discuss all the reasons I think I might have died if I lived in an earlier time period (is it weird that I think about this topic a lot?) and I share what I believe to be society's true equalizer. Finally, I unpack some seriously bizarre stories from my childhood that gave me a healthy fear of commitment before I hit double digits. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's Desk Chair Expert, Audrey, comes on the show to offer us some of the cringiest and creepiest dates she's been on, all for the sake of a good laugh. Audrey and I try to guess what other people find annoying about us, and Audrey exposes her "toxic" astrology chart. We share our thoughts on dating in diffferent cities and how dating apps mess with our minds. Then we get into what the worst things to see on a dating app are (besides a photo with a fish) and debate if men have more problematic behaviors than the rest of us (no, we all suck). We take turns rating your submissions and airing out our worst dates, which include an audio message enthusiast and a secretly sappy drug dealer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you're wondering why I missed two weeks of podcasts, I... uhhhhh... was busy having COVID. Here are some audio files from the dark days of my quarantine, including how I found out I had it and why I never miss my parents more than when I'm sick. Plus, why does everything seem to go wrong at the same time? As if COVID wasn't enough, huh? Be warned, this is 20 minutes of me brain dumping about being sick.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

FANTASY/ADVENTURE/MYSTERY - 1:10NONFICTION/MEMOIRS - 10:13 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First up in today's episode is me trying to puzzle through some weird advertisements I've been seeing around the city. Do we really need marketing for public goods? Then I share what I think men missed during the "Me Too" movement and critically analyze serial killers through a feminist lens. Later, I'm taking everyone back to my childhood, where I tried and failed to be trendy in any way. I come up with some unorthodox parenting strategies -- I'll be giving my kids a prehistoric childhood and no one can stop me. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wholesome episode alert!! Today's Desk Chair Expert is one of my closest friends, Jillian, and we're talking about our thoughts on what makes a strong friendship. Starting with the story of how we met at a culty/nerdy summer camp, we recount how we ended up friends (we're not actually sure) and how we've stayed friends despite never living in the same place. We discuss some of the highlights and most difficult times in our friendship and how we worked through them. Jillian shares her tips on how to vocalize the support you need, what the value of female friendship is, and when it might be time to take a step back from a friendship that isn't fulfilling you.As a reminder, this series is called Desk Chair Expert because the guests are regular people talking about subjects they find interesting. Please understand that they are discussing the extent of their personal knowledge and expressing their individual opinions.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're getting meta this week and I'm giving all of my best tips, tricks, and mistakes to avoid about starting a podcast. After three months of doing this, I've learned a lot, so I'm taking you all through that journey -- complete with a lot of late nights designing and editing. In part one, I'm focusing on how to even come up with a "good idea" and then how to turn that idea into a fully formed brand that is compelling to new listeners.TIMESTAMPS:1:59 - generating ideas + finding your niche8:13 - hosts, guests, length + other details12:34 - coming up with a good name19:12 - designing cover art24:00 - writing a description27:52 - intro, outro, theme music Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is honestly just me uncovering my guilt. First I try to recount some Biblical stories (aka my church guilt). Then I discuss what our treatment of bugs says about us as humans (aka my ant guilt). Am I one step away from being a dictator? Maybe. Finally, I tell everyone about my recent coffee-related purchase and how it's made me accidentally BFF's with a CEO (no guilt, just regret).  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's Desk Chair Expert grew up in San Antonio and moved to Houston and I'm absolutely taking advantage of him being my only Texas friend for this episode. I ask Jacob to walk us through the evolution of the Texas music scene, from the Geto Boys to Chopped & Screwed remixes. We also talk about what counts as "the South" and how rap changes across Southern cities. Jacob and I try to answer some of Texas' biggest mysteries, including: what does the phrase "Dirty South" mean? What's better, the San Antonio Spurs or actual spurs? And is Scarface a fan of this podcast?As a reminder, this series is called Desk Chair Expert because the guests are regular people talking about subjects they find interesting. Please understand that they are discussing the extent of their personal knowledge and expressing their individual opinions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Personality tests are just us projecting our idealized selves into a BuzzFeed quiz, you heard it here first, folks. After hashing that out, I tell everyone why I think "cancel culture" is something we've been doing since our playground days. Then I reveal my favorite current "cancelling," which teaches us that drug-fueled sex parties have a lot in common with Fight Club. Later, I imagine what it would be like if I went to court and consider switching careers to become a famous scammer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.