Catching up on the pod but I cannot recommend color guru enough! I never know what looks good on me and this helped me clear my closet of clothes that aren’t in my color wheel (and didn’t wear to begin with). It gave me permission to donate clothes that don’t work for me without the guilt. Love love!
While listening, I started pondering more about menopause and what we aren’t told. Many older women tell me don’t grow old because the body breaks down. Older men don’t tell me that. I know many women who have had knee or hip replacements. I don’t know any men who have. When I had frozen shoulder, neither doctors nor PTs told me it was menopause related. I know so many older women with high blood pressure. Etc. Anyway, the podcast helped me connect all those dots this morning, and led me to the final decision of getting on estrogen. Now to find a doctor who knows!
Caissie, hello! This comment has 0 to do with the latest episode (because I’m a couple weeks behind) but I’m looking for a new dermatologist in the LA area and I remember you saying you really liked yours. Would you mind sharing their name? Thank you in advance!
I can relate to so much on this podcast that I cannot begin to list it all. All I can say is thank you! Thank you to Caissie and Busy, thank you to their guests, and thank you to this pod community. 🫶🏻
Caissie, thanks for naming how hard it is to find physical space for things in your house etc. This is a longtime problem of mine (also on my dining room table) and I’ve never heard anyone describe it like you. 🫶🏼
Just finishing this week’s podcast and boy can I relate to Busy not wanting to decorate for the holidays, although for a different reason. I’m a single, childless (unless you count my cat 😸) and 49 years old. I ALWAYS go to my family for the holidays. People don’t come to my house and I think it’s so much work to get them out and put them away for just me to look and and it doesn’t put me in the holiday spirit. Granted, as my siblings had children and Christmas became all about the kids (and tbh really all about gift giving which is NOT my love language), I’ve resented it more and more each year. With aging parents, I’ve taken over most of the cooking and cleaning up of all meals over the holidays. I have to drive 12 hours round trip to go to a house that doesn’t feel like home (my parents moved out of my childhood home 3 years ago), to feel like a housemaid, and to watch too much stuff being purchased and given in the name of what? Christmas. It’s not joyful, it’s not full of cheer, it feels like a chore every single year. Yes I’ve made my feelings known to my family but after nearly a decade of raising my issues, I’m to the point of it being too exhausting to mention yet again. Anyway, I’m very much on board with not decorating if you don’t want to. Sorry for the ramble but thanks for being a safe space to vent about a time of year that brings me little but very negative feelings that so often go unheard.
Loved your guest, Roxane Gay this week. Lots of great insight and I loved her discussion on her pivot and how it affected her life. Just an all around excellent episode.
I would like to make a comment or two based on Cassie's gift guide. First, I have a Dyson cordless vacuum and I truly love it. I have a medium sized house, and I can generally vacuum the whole thing upstairs (two bedrooms, office, living room bathrooms an kitchen/dining) the staircase and the downstairs (family room and utility room) in one charging. Full transparency, I'm a single man who lives alone and so the mess I deal with is likely less than what you might have and also my definition of spotless might have some variance from yours. The only complaint I've ever had with this vacuum is that sometimes I wish the attachments had less freedom of motion. Now I do admit that many of you may not have this problem, but when I still had my cat, he'd shed everywhere and there were times when I needed to not just vacuum the carpet on the steps of the stairs but also the risers and this could be difficult as some of the attachments can move in so many directions they're was often a lot of flopping around before I could get things positioned to take a quick pass on the risers. The other option was to just break down and change attachments and in reality it was "half a dozen one way and six the other" as to which way took longer. But all in all while these vacuums tend to be expensive, they work well and I honestly, their mostly ease of operation make it more likely that I vacuum more often.
I also have the Technivorn Moccamaster coffee maker, though I got the one with the metal thermal carafe instead of the glass carafe. I heartily agree that it makes a great cup of coffee and as long as i start with the right amount of coffee grounds and water, it's consistently good. And it's sturdy. i bought mine back in 2017 and I've used it to make coffee essentially every day (ok, I didn't use it when I'm not home because I'm on vacation or something) but if I'm home I'm using it). Never had a problem with it and all I've done maintenance wise is run a descaler through it periodically. Always a great cup of coffee. There are two items that I'll note though. Back when I bought mine, the metal carafes weren't made with a spout for some reason, and there were times when it's led to some spillage due to operator error. But when i looked at them this week, I saw that this has been taken care of and the new metal carafes do have a spout. They're a bit speedy, but hey, it's Christmas, and so I bought a new carafe and I'm happy to report that it works great and boy is it shiny inside. The other thing is probably just a result of how my brain does or doesn't work. The basket for the coffee grounds is marked so you can stop the drip if you want during the brewing process. The way it's marked, the top position is with open, the middle is half open and the bottom position is closed. To my brain this is backwards. To my brain fully closed should be on top as that would mean you're holding the liquid in the basket and fully open would be at the bottom to indicate that the coffee can flow through. Not a big thing and it rarely has been an issue, but there have been the odd mornings when my coffee is brewed and when i go to pick up the pot it's mostly empty and the basket where there should only be grounds is full. Like I said, this is probably only due to how my brain works and so the rest of you won't have an issue. But I will once again heartily agree with Caissie that this is the coffee maker to buy. Sure it's expensive, but so far, i've used mine for just over 6 years and it's still going strong.
I was interested to hear that Busy was feeling like maybe there wouldn't be as much decorating for Christmas this year. To me this is totally understandable, and you gotta do what you gotta do. Back when my folks were still with us, one year I told them that I would no longer be visiting for Christmas. This, as you can imagine was not well received, but before you all call me a bad son here's my reasoning. i was just tired. I'd show up for the holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas, which meant I had to travel during some of the most difficult travel times of the year and it was just exhausting. When I'd get to their house, they'd just be exhausted also, because they'd spent the week cleaning and painting and cooking and all the other stuff they felt they had to do for my visit and for the holidays in general. Then, during my visit instead of spending time with them, we'd end up visiting relatives and other people who I barely knew and so when I left, at the end of the visit, we'd all be tired and disappointed because we hardly got to spend time with each other. So I just quit doing it. Instead I visited in August, a month devoid of major holidays, and instead of me having to deal with busy airports and storms, I'd have an easy travel experience. And since it wasn't the holidays, mom and dad would spend a less time prepping the house and cooking. And instead of rushing around visiting a bunch of people, we'd spend time together sitting on the rockers on the porch having a cool beverage and talking. And it as great. We tend to put a lot of stress on ourselves around the holidays. But at least for me, the holidays weren't important, quality visits with my folks were and so I made a choice. It's not the right choice for everyone, and everyone should do what's right for them, but this is what worked for my family.
Anyways, off my soapbox now. Be kind when you can. Do your best as much as you can. Love to everyone and have a happy holiday season.
A quick update on the new coffee maker metal carafe. I mentioned that it was real shiny inside. It reminded me of the inside of a thermos bottle. Anyway it sure works like one. The old carafe did an adequate job, but after a couple of hours, I could notice that the coffee was cooler. Not bad, but cooler. The new carafe is different. Yesterday I got my last (ok second, but they’re big cups) of coffee three hours after the first. It was still steamy hot. Sure the new carafe was kind of expensive but it appears to be well worth it.
First, Herman, hi! You should be a professional product reviewer, you are so thoughtful and considerate in explaining all the important details. I love your rationale in visiting your parents during a non-pressure filled time so that you could enjoy each other's company more. Also, I noticed that you said, "when I still had my cat," and I got a little pang in my heart. Did something happen to Gus? I am sending you lots of love, friend.
Sadly, Gus Cat passed away just before Halloween. His health had been declining slowly for a couple of years but blood tests didn’t show anything. But mid-October things took a bad turn and one day he passed peacefully in his bed. He was cremated and his ashes are in a cat shaped urn in my office. A couple of years ago I sponsored a chair in Gus Cat’s name at the Buhl Planetarium at the Carnegie Science Center. After he passed my friends at the Science Center did the paperwork to register a star in Gus Cat’s name. Gus was 7 when I adopted him and I had him for 8 years. We had a good run. Thanks for sending the love.
I am so glad you had Roxane Gay on! And I loved that she talked about her pivot with her PhD and teaching. I have a PhD in Rhetoric and Technical Communication (some of my mentors actually got their PhD with Roxane) and how she talks about teaching writing has influenced my own teaching. It is crazy how many students tell me that they have been told they are bad writers! It breaks my heart! But this was awesome!! Roxane is awesome!
Catching up on the pod but I cannot recommend color guru enough! I never know what looks good on me and this helped me clear my closet of clothes that aren’t in my color wheel (and didn’t wear to begin with). It gave me permission to donate clothes that don’t work for me without the guilt. Love love!
While listening, I started pondering more about menopause and what we aren’t told. Many older women tell me don’t grow old because the body breaks down. Older men don’t tell me that. I know many women who have had knee or hip replacements. I don’t know any men who have. When I had frozen shoulder, neither doctors nor PTs told me it was menopause related. I know so many older women with high blood pressure. Etc. Anyway, the podcast helped me connect all those dots this morning, and led me to the final decision of getting on estrogen. Now to find a doctor who knows!
Caissie, hello! This comment has 0 to do with the latest episode (because I’m a couple weeks behind) but I’m looking for a new dermatologist in the LA area and I remember you saying you really liked yours. Would you mind sharing their name? Thank you in advance!
I can relate to so much on this podcast that I cannot begin to list it all. All I can say is thank you! Thank you to Caissie and Busy, thank you to their guests, and thank you to this pod community. 🫶🏻
Caissie, thanks for naming how hard it is to find physical space for things in your house etc. This is a longtime problem of mine (also on my dining room table) and I’ve never heard anyone describe it like you. 🫶🏼
Just finishing this week’s podcast and boy can I relate to Busy not wanting to decorate for the holidays, although for a different reason. I’m a single, childless (unless you count my cat 😸) and 49 years old. I ALWAYS go to my family for the holidays. People don’t come to my house and I think it’s so much work to get them out and put them away for just me to look and and it doesn’t put me in the holiday spirit. Granted, as my siblings had children and Christmas became all about the kids (and tbh really all about gift giving which is NOT my love language), I’ve resented it more and more each year. With aging parents, I’ve taken over most of the cooking and cleaning up of all meals over the holidays. I have to drive 12 hours round trip to go to a house that doesn’t feel like home (my parents moved out of my childhood home 3 years ago), to feel like a housemaid, and to watch too much stuff being purchased and given in the name of what? Christmas. It’s not joyful, it’s not full of cheer, it feels like a chore every single year. Yes I’ve made my feelings known to my family but after nearly a decade of raising my issues, I’m to the point of it being too exhausting to mention yet again. Anyway, I’m very much on board with not decorating if you don’t want to. Sorry for the ramble but thanks for being a safe space to vent about a time of year that brings me little but very negative feelings that so often go unheard.
It's so hard when people in our lives don't hear us or "hear" but pressure us to do thing the way they want to anyway. I'm glad you're speaking up!
Fantastic guest, and I love that ugly flowers came full circle at the end with the J Lo/Ben discussion 😂
Loved your guest, Roxane Gay this week. Lots of great insight and I loved her discussion on her pivot and how it affected her life. Just an all around excellent episode.
I would like to make a comment or two based on Cassie's gift guide. First, I have a Dyson cordless vacuum and I truly love it. I have a medium sized house, and I can generally vacuum the whole thing upstairs (two bedrooms, office, living room bathrooms an kitchen/dining) the staircase and the downstairs (family room and utility room) in one charging. Full transparency, I'm a single man who lives alone and so the mess I deal with is likely less than what you might have and also my definition of spotless might have some variance from yours. The only complaint I've ever had with this vacuum is that sometimes I wish the attachments had less freedom of motion. Now I do admit that many of you may not have this problem, but when I still had my cat, he'd shed everywhere and there were times when I needed to not just vacuum the carpet on the steps of the stairs but also the risers and this could be difficult as some of the attachments can move in so many directions they're was often a lot of flopping around before I could get things positioned to take a quick pass on the risers. The other option was to just break down and change attachments and in reality it was "half a dozen one way and six the other" as to which way took longer. But all in all while these vacuums tend to be expensive, they work well and I honestly, their mostly ease of operation make it more likely that I vacuum more often.
I also have the Technivorn Moccamaster coffee maker, though I got the one with the metal thermal carafe instead of the glass carafe. I heartily agree that it makes a great cup of coffee and as long as i start with the right amount of coffee grounds and water, it's consistently good. And it's sturdy. i bought mine back in 2017 and I've used it to make coffee essentially every day (ok, I didn't use it when I'm not home because I'm on vacation or something) but if I'm home I'm using it). Never had a problem with it and all I've done maintenance wise is run a descaler through it periodically. Always a great cup of coffee. There are two items that I'll note though. Back when I bought mine, the metal carafes weren't made with a spout for some reason, and there were times when it's led to some spillage due to operator error. But when i looked at them this week, I saw that this has been taken care of and the new metal carafes do have a spout. They're a bit speedy, but hey, it's Christmas, and so I bought a new carafe and I'm happy to report that it works great and boy is it shiny inside. The other thing is probably just a result of how my brain does or doesn't work. The basket for the coffee grounds is marked so you can stop the drip if you want during the brewing process. The way it's marked, the top position is with open, the middle is half open and the bottom position is closed. To my brain this is backwards. To my brain fully closed should be on top as that would mean you're holding the liquid in the basket and fully open would be at the bottom to indicate that the coffee can flow through. Not a big thing and it rarely has been an issue, but there have been the odd mornings when my coffee is brewed and when i go to pick up the pot it's mostly empty and the basket where there should only be grounds is full. Like I said, this is probably only due to how my brain works and so the rest of you won't have an issue. But I will once again heartily agree with Caissie that this is the coffee maker to buy. Sure it's expensive, but so far, i've used mine for just over 6 years and it's still going strong.
I was interested to hear that Busy was feeling like maybe there wouldn't be as much decorating for Christmas this year. To me this is totally understandable, and you gotta do what you gotta do. Back when my folks were still with us, one year I told them that I would no longer be visiting for Christmas. This, as you can imagine was not well received, but before you all call me a bad son here's my reasoning. i was just tired. I'd show up for the holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas, which meant I had to travel during some of the most difficult travel times of the year and it was just exhausting. When I'd get to their house, they'd just be exhausted also, because they'd spent the week cleaning and painting and cooking and all the other stuff they felt they had to do for my visit and for the holidays in general. Then, during my visit instead of spending time with them, we'd end up visiting relatives and other people who I barely knew and so when I left, at the end of the visit, we'd all be tired and disappointed because we hardly got to spend time with each other. So I just quit doing it. Instead I visited in August, a month devoid of major holidays, and instead of me having to deal with busy airports and storms, I'd have an easy travel experience. And since it wasn't the holidays, mom and dad would spend a less time prepping the house and cooking. And instead of rushing around visiting a bunch of people, we'd spend time together sitting on the rockers on the porch having a cool beverage and talking. And it as great. We tend to put a lot of stress on ourselves around the holidays. But at least for me, the holidays weren't important, quality visits with my folks were and so I made a choice. It's not the right choice for everyone, and everyone should do what's right for them, but this is what worked for my family.
Anyways, off my soapbox now. Be kind when you can. Do your best as much as you can. Love to everyone and have a happy holiday season.
A quick update on the new coffee maker metal carafe. I mentioned that it was real shiny inside. It reminded me of the inside of a thermos bottle. Anyway it sure works like one. The old carafe did an adequate job, but after a couple of hours, I could notice that the coffee was cooler. Not bad, but cooler. The new carafe is different. Yesterday I got my last (ok second, but they’re big cups) of coffee three hours after the first. It was still steamy hot. Sure the new carafe was kind of expensive but it appears to be well worth it.
First, Herman, hi! You should be a professional product reviewer, you are so thoughtful and considerate in explaining all the important details. I love your rationale in visiting your parents during a non-pressure filled time so that you could enjoy each other's company more. Also, I noticed that you said, "when I still had my cat," and I got a little pang in my heart. Did something happen to Gus? I am sending you lots of love, friend.
Sadly, Gus Cat passed away just before Halloween. His health had been declining slowly for a couple of years but blood tests didn’t show anything. But mid-October things took a bad turn and one day he passed peacefully in his bed. He was cremated and his ashes are in a cat shaped urn in my office. A couple of years ago I sponsored a chair in Gus Cat’s name at the Buhl Planetarium at the Carnegie Science Center. After he passed my friends at the Science Center did the paperwork to register a star in Gus Cat’s name. Gus was 7 when I adopted him and I had him for 8 years. We had a good run. Thanks for sending the love.
I am very sorry to hear this, but oh boy, was Gus ever lucky to have found you to share the last and best part of his life here on earth.
Thanks, Caissie, but I think I was the lucky one. Gus rescued me as much As I rescued him. ❤️
I absolutely LOVE Roxane Gay! What a phenomenal conversation.
I am so glad you had Roxane Gay on! And I loved that she talked about her pivot with her PhD and teaching. I have a PhD in Rhetoric and Technical Communication (some of my mentors actually got their PhD with Roxane) and how she talks about teaching writing has influenced my own teaching. It is crazy how many students tell me that they have been told they are bad writers! It breaks my heart! But this was awesome!! Roxane is awesome!