Finding Favorites with Leah Jones

Canadian author Vanessa Ricci-Thode has turned her front yard into an official Monarch butterfly waystation and joined Leah Jones to talk about her love of the migrating butterfly. We talk about the very long commute from Mexico to Canada, simple steps to conservation and their second love of gigantic trees. Vanessa's new book True Flame (Book 2 of the Fireborn series) is available now and books 3 and 4 will be published in the next year. Vanessa Ricci-Thode's website Instagram @vriccithode Blue Sky @vriccithode.bsky.social True Flame Dragon Whisperer Get Vaness's books in Canada Show Notes Journey North Monarch Watch time lapse of a Monarch butterfly transformation Bee balm Climbing Giant Sequoia National Geographic General Sherman Good Company Chicago Upper Middle Brow Chicago Jewish Book Fest 2023

Chad Hancock, host of Wackadoo! A Bluey Podcast for Grown-ups, joined Leah to introduce her to the new blue dog popular with kids and parents alike. Chad shares how he and his family started watching family, why it's an important piece of children's media and some of his favorite episodes. We also compare notes on hosting food podcasts, Chicago vs. San Francisco, and puppets on stage. Follow Chad online Wackadoo: A Bluey Podcast for Grown-Ups You Tried Dat Instagram @napoleon_puli Show Notes Coldest Winter Mark Twain? Bluey.tv Maple Poffertjes at Trader Joe's Caillou Bluey Tour How to play jinx Sleepytime Keepy Uppy Grandad

Author and MFA student Allison Stalberg joins host Leah Jones to talk about niche, independent RPG games, obscure TV and movies from the 80s, the impact of Tumblr and her current writing projects. Follow Allison online Twitter @stalbergwrites Tik Tok @stalbergwrites Sor Anime on Tumblr Show Notes The Candle Wench (page 43) Wander Faerie Tale Theatre YouTube Playlist of Faerie Tale Theater The Polar Bear King Alphonse Mucha The Last Unicorn Ib Chicory Game Get Played podcast Disco Elysium Story of Seasons Selkies

Dana Kaye, a Chicago-based book publicist, loves the creative outlet of stand-up comedy. She also loves a good memoir, so first we compare notes on audio memoirs we've been listening to before diving into how she uses open mics and stand-up comedy as a creative writing outlet. Follow Dana Kaye online https://kayepublicity.com/ Instagram @danakaye23 Show Notes You could make this place beautiful by Maggie Smith Educated: A Memoir The Wreckage of My Presence by Casey Wilson I'm Glad My Mom Died https://www.chirpbooks.com/ Ringmaster: Vince McMahon and the unmaking of America Mike Nichols: A Life Not my father's son by Alan Cumming Ali Wong: Dear Girls The Greatest Love Story Ever Told The Last Black Unicorn Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan I'm judging you: the do better manual by Luvvie Ajayi Not Funny by Jena Friedman Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert Take a Shot Open Mic Second City Brunch Instagram @chicago.openmics Please rate and review five stars on Apple Podcasts or Goodpods today to help more people join in the Finding Favorites fun.

Stacey Agdern, author of B'nai Mitzvah Mistake, joined Leah to talk about the intersection of writing romance, being joyfully Jewish, and her love of hockey. In her fourth romance novel with Jewish characters, Stacey brings together professional hockey and Jewish traditions. Follow Stacey online StaceyAgdern.com Facebook Twitter @nystacey Instagram @sagdern Tule Publishing: B'nai Mitzvah Mistake Bookshop B'nai Mitzvah Mistake Going All In on Bookshop (Vegas night) Chippy Chicks on Youtube Show Notes Twice a Quinceñera Paul Scheer & Hockey Romance Love's Sweet Arrow Linda Cohn - Chance of a lifetime EBUG Zamboni driver as ebug Shane Mcanally Joe Buchanan Bo Burnham Spider The Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon Zach Hymen jersey in Hebrew Zach Hyman speaks up about antisemitism Zach Hyman is going viral over pride night interview Leah performed at Miss Spoken this week. The month's theme was Fangirls Forever, so it was time to share Five Rules for being a fan of HDTGM

Christina Meyer, a musician and practicing physican, joined Leah to talk about her love of NKOTB. We talk NKOTB Cruises, Joey's solo shows, fandom friends and getting ready for BlockCon happening this weekend in Chicago. (In fact, both Christina and Jen - who was on the podcast to talk NKOTB in 2021 - were both at BlockCon this weekend!) Follow Christina online DrMetalMusic.com Instagram @nikkinanametal Twitter @nikkinana Show Notes NKOTB Cruise BlockCon 2023 The Block album Remember Betty NKOTB Funko Pops

Laura and Annie are childhood best friends who both became mental health professionals. During peak COVID lockdown, they created the BFF Sticker Club. It's an online community for adults who love stickers, so we are talking all about stickers and stickies! BFF Sticker Club Instagram @thebffstickerclub Etsy for thebffstickerclub Show Notes Camp GUCI Camp BFF (Sold out for 2023) St. Elmo's steakhouse in Indianapolis Everything Smells Social Distancing All Stars Paper Treat Shop

Phil Gomes joins Leah this week to reminisce about the early days of blogging and his dedication to the Brazilian spirit cachaca. Phil is the CCMO of Bloq and is currently based in Rio de Janeiro with his family. Follow Phil online PhilGomes.com Twitter @philgomes Substack Show Notes Instagram Cachacagora Cachacagora.com Werneck Cachaca apprenticeship Wikipedia Bagaceira September 13 Rabo de Gala LeBlon Novo Fogo Jequitiba wood Please rate and review Finding Favorites on Apple Podcast or your podcast app of choice. Email Leah at findingfavoritespodcast [@] gmail.com

Phillip Mottaz, author of The Psychic Barber mystery series, is on Finding Favorites to talk about CCIW colleges (Go Knox! Go Millikin!), early aughts Chicago improv and The Ramones. Follow Phillip on Twitter and check his website for updates The Murderous Haircut of the Mayor of Bel Air: A Psychic Barber Mystery The Homicidal Hairstyle of the Viral Video Vixen (Book #2): A Psychic Barber Mystery Definition of a cozy mystery Rita Mae Brown Lillian Jackson Braun GP Gottlieb: Whipped & Sipped Ramones of the Day podcast Alphabeatical podcast The Ramones and CBGB Rock and Roll High School Why the Ramones Matter Punk Rock Blitzkrieg: My Life as a Ramone Phil's 70s into Ramones playlist Rocket to Russia Ramones Live Thank you to Jesse and Chris at Upper Middlebrow for the kind shout out this week. Please remember to rate and review Finding Favorites.

Author Nicole Zelniker (she/they) joined Leah to talk about Broadway shows, writing and their love of cats. (Cats the animal, not Cats the musical, but maybe also Cats the musical). Nicole is the EIC of Knee Brace Press and her latest book, Until We Fall, available wherever books are sold. Follow Nicole online Tik Tok @nicolewritesbooks Twitter @nicolezelniker Instagram @nicolezelniker NicoleZelniker.com/ Kneebrace Press TheNasiona.com Mixed Last Dance Letters I'll Never Send Show Notes Wicked Six Hamilton Moulin Rouge Rent: 25th anniversary tour Sweeney Todd Natasha & Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 Hadestown Aladdin Sim Kern & the Trans Rights Read-a-thon Fibromyalgia Peachy by Camri Kohler Survivor's Notebook: Poems by Dan O'Brien The Spoon Theory Finding Favorites on Bookshop

Chris Bagg, co-host of Upper Middlebrow, joins Finding Favorites to talk about Dungeons & Dragons and the greater universe of table top role playing games. He shares how he started playing D&D, what he plays now and a brief explanation of why 50,000 D&D players and creators cancelled their memberships. Keep up with Chris online Twitter @chrisbagg Instagram @christopherbagg ChrisBagg.com/ Listen to Upper Middlebrow podcast Show Notes One Shot Podcast Daemon by Daniel Suarez Freedom TM by Daniel Suarez Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook The Arrest Nicole Byer and Lauren Lapkus try DND with Brennan Lee Mulligan Critical Role HASBRO and Wizards of the Coast Wizards of the Coast reporting by Linda Codega Forged in the Dark Eclipse Phase Lancer Paranoia Ringmaster: Vince McMahon and the Unmaking of America

Laurel Snyder, an Atlanta-based author, joined Leah to talk about the music and marriage of Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires. From Jason's early career in the Drive By Truckers to current collaborations with his wife Amanda Shires, their music was the soundtrack to Laurel's pandemic life. Laurel's new book The Witch of Woodland is available for pre-order now and is a perfect gift for tweens preparing to prepare for their b'nai mitzvah. Keep up with Laurel on LaurelSnyder.com Show Notes Little Shop of Stories (order signed books) https://18doors.org/ JasonIsbell.com AmandaShiresMusic.com Tiny Desk Concert The Nashville Sound Amanda Shires Youtube Jason Isbell Instagram Amanda Shires Instagram Hope the High Road Elephant Something More than Free Jeff Tweedy and Ezra Klein The Triggering Town

Abby Stewart, a Bay Area author, loves artists journals and queso. She joined Leah fresh from AWP in Seattle to talk about her new novel Foundations, writing and publishing during lockdown, and her love of diaries and journals written by artists. We also talk about the best ways to improve Velveeta queso dip. Keep up with Abby online HelloAbigailStewart.com Twitter @abby_writes Instagram @abby_cake Whiskey Tit The Drowned Woman Foundations Show Notes AWP Sunset Magazine Piper Cub Forum: Leah Jones Leah Jones (piper cub) The Folded Clock Daybook: The Journal of an Artist Anne Truitt Self Portrait by Celia Paul No 91/92 Jenny Lawson Diary of a Provincial lady The Forbidden Notebook My Faraway One (selected letters from Georgia O'Keefe) What are hatch green chiles? Queso Blanco with roasted corn 15 Veggies to mix into your queso

Leah was sick with COVID this week, which meant no energy for new interviews. However, mountains of Candy Chat Chicago epsiodes were in the hopper waiting to be edited and it happens to be Jocelyn's birthday. So happy birthday Jocelyn, here is a crossover episode of Candy Chat Chicago!

Jesse Dukes, co-host of the podcast Upper Middlebrow, loves the Richard Lester movies from 1973 and 1974: The Three Musketeers and The Four Musketeers. We also talk about the Neal Stephenson deep dive on Upper Middlebrow. Follow Jesse online @CuriousDukes UpperMiddlebrow.com Show Notes Blank Check Podcast Strange Days The Hunt for Red October M3gan Klara and the Sun Her Curious City Three Musketeers The Four Musketeers Sword Stuff with Sean Ellis Pirates of the Caribbean After 3 years of successful pandemic mitigation, COVID has come home to roost. This episode is brought to you by Paxlovid, Advil and five pounds of cough drops

Cameron MacKenzie returns to talk about places that feel like home that aren't home and we try to find the thread that connects Kamakura in Japan, The Nation in Washington DC, The Presidio and Washington Square Park in San Francisco, and Fergies Bar in Philadelphia. CameronMacKenzie.org Facebook River Weather stories Show Notes The Nation in DC Reddit thread - do you remember Nation Night Club? That 90s Show - Rave Trainspotting Soundtracks Trainspotting on Blank Check with Griffin and David Kamakura, Japan Guide to Kamakura Storytelling Traditions in Japan How to deal with Culture Shock Fergie's in Philly Fergie's events Live in the Presidio Washington Square Tony Niks Durango Diner Why Smells Trigger Such Vivid Memories

Marty Beckerman, an LA-based author, comedian and new dad, is on the podcast this week to celebrate the launch of his new book The Time Meowchine: A Talking Cat’s Y2K Quest to Save the World and talk about the 90s. The 1990s, that is. We talk about how he started going to the gym as a joke and accidentally got swole, legally being able to tell dad jokes, and the 1990s. Keep up with Marty online and buy his books! MartyBeckerman.com MartyBeckerman.com/#books The Time Meowchine: A Talking Cat’s Y2K Quest to Save the World Show Links What is a borg? High and Mighty: Being Fat with Mike Mitchell 90s Con 9/11 Alternative Histories Iraq War Weapons of mass destruction Man in the High Castle Gore vs Bush debate, 2000 ----more---- Marty 00:00 Hi, my name is Marty Beckerman. And my favorite thing is the 1990s. Announcer 00:04 Welcome to the Finding Favorites Podcast where we explore your favorite things without using an algorithm. Here's your host, Leah Jones. Leah Jones 00:16 Hello, and welcome to Finding Favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones. And this is the podcast where we learn about people's favorite things and get recommendations without using an algorithm. I'm here today with Marty Beckerman. Marty and I, I believe met on a trip to Israel when you booked the hostel first, and I followed your lead, I think, correct me if I'm wrong. But Marty is here to celebrate the launch of his newest novel. Marty, how are you doing today? Marty 00:47 I am doing fantastic. How are you? Leah Jones 00:49 I'm good. We were maybe in a Facebook group and I feel you booked the Gordon beach hostel. And I was Marty says it's fine, I'll go there, too. Marty 01:02 I was smoking so much hash, I don't know who booked what. I stayed at that hostel and some guy, I wouldn't even know where to buy hash. But he had a bunch of hash and he's going to go to the beach and smoke some hash. And the entire next week, I was just smoking hash on the beach with this guy all day long, just super high all the time. And this week, I'm like dude, what's your name?! Marty 01:34 [Not audible [00:01:34]] That's the way to start an interview. I haven't smoked any hash today, I'm a new dad. Leah Jones 01:44 You're emotionally there! Marty 01:47 I live in California, but I haven't enjoyed any cannabis since the baby was born. Because, you got to be present. You got to wake up in the middle of the night I would have in Dakota fall asleep. I'm not even that much of a stoner. I sound like Seth Rogen and I'm not even that much of a stoner. But you can't wake up in the middle of night with a crying baby and you're still kind of high and the goal is to not drop a baby. Leah Jones 02:17 That's a solid goal. Don't drop the baby. Don't shake the baby. Those are the top two. Feed the baby. Marty 02:25 I could be wrong, but I feel like hash would increase the odds of dropping the baby. Leah Jones 02:31 I feel like it would be bad. Marty 02:35 I'm clean and sober now. My only drug is protein powder these days and Celsius. I load up on Celsius before the gym, that stuff's the best energy drink. Leah Jones 02:49 Oh, it's an energy drink? It’s not a spiked seltzer? Marty 02:55 No. Celsius is it's just caffeine and a bunch of B vitamins and Waratah and a bunch of I don't know what they put in it, but it's I work out harder... One of my coworkers was telling me about him it can't be that good and then I had it and I'm like it's pretty great. Leah Jones 03:12 So I saw a TikTok this morning about how Gen Z on college campuses now make something called Borg. They go to parties and they carry gallon jugs of their own punch that they've mixed themselves. And which is like great. It means you're not dipping into a trash can of jungle juice that's the roof ease. Marty 03:36 I thought Gen Z didn't drink though. Leah Jones 03:39 I don't know. This is a new thing. I think Gen Z in the south still drink. Marty 03:44 Okay, because I have some Gen Z friends who actually do kind of drink, but I went from what everything I've heard they're the more into like psychedelics, vaping and Adderall. Leah Jones 04:01 I saw this TikTok it was a snow day at UT Austin and this girl was showing how to make a good Borg. And it was half a gallon of water, a third of a bottle of Tito's, a bottle of Meo drops for flavoring and then a packet of liquid IV and then she poured a celsius in and I thought it was a white claw. But this is more like so she doesn't get hung over and it's like a Red Bull and vodka, half gallon drink or a gallon drink? Marty 04:33 Yeah, I don't really drink too much anymore. I drank way too much in my 20s but as you probably observed a few times. My personal theories you can't be an alcoholic in your 20s, because I think the entire test of are you an alcoholic is when you hit 30 you still drink like you're in your 20s. And I hit 30 and I'm like this doesn't feel good in the morning anymore. I'm going to tone it down. But with Gen Z, I actually really like Gen Z, everywhere I meet from

Lyndsey Little, creator of OniGirl comic, joined Leah to talk about her love of monsters, the monster boarding school where her comic is set, and the best foods for nostalgia day! Support Lyndsey's kickstarter to bring glorious color to OniGirl Follow Lyndsey on Instagram and Tik Tok Show Notes Stories to Dismember podcast Most Oreo Oreo Godzilla Movie Monster Evolution Biblically Accurate Angels Rivkah Reyes on Friday Night Movie Podcast Beauty and the Beast Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Frankenstein The Blackcoat's Daughter ----more---- Lyndsey Little 00:00 Hello, my name is Lyndsey Little and my favorite thing is Monsters. Announcer 00:05 Welcome to the Finding Favorites Podcast, where we explore your favorite things without using an algorithm. Here's your host, Leah Jones. Leah Jones 00:18 Hello, and welcome to Finding Favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones. And this is the podcast where we learn about people's favorite things and get recommendations without using an algorithm. This week, I am joined by Lyndsey Little. She is a cohost of the podcast "Stories to Dismember”, a horror movie review, and the author and artist and inker of OniGirl, which is a webcomic that is coming to life on Kickstarter. Lyndsey, how are you doing this morning? Lyndsey Little 00:50 I'm so good. Thank you so much for having me, Leah. This is great. Leah Jones 00:55 I'm so happy to actually get to talk to you with voices. Lyndsey Little 00:59 Hmm, I know this is the first time we've actually communicated this way. But it doesn't really feel like it to me, if that makes sense. Leah Jones 01:09 It makes 100% sense. So Lyndsey, you may recognize her voice from the Best of 2022 episode. She left a voicemail for it. But we are members of the DOS chord so we know each other through the Doughboys fan community. So we talk all the time on discord chat. And it does feel like those are real friendships. So I'm not even going to say, Oh, it feels like or it doesn't feel like because it feels like it because it is. Lyndsey Little 01:40 And we have heard each other's voices we just haven't heard directly in the moment. Leah Jones 01:45 Yes. We haven’t had synchronous communication. Leah Jones 01:54 So how is this weekend kicking off for you? Lyndsey Little 01:58 Oh, my gosh. Well, yesterday, my partner and I got our marriage certificate. So that's one step closer to the real thing. And for the most part, we just plan on having what we call a nostalgia day. Which is when we choose some of our favorite films or video games from childhood, grab some of our favorite snacks from childhood. And we'll literally just spend a majority of the weekend doing those things, having a whole complete marathon of nostalgia. Leah Jones 02:34 That's a brilliant idea. I love it. Lyndsey Little 02:35 It's so much fun. Leah Jones 02:37 What are some of your go to snacks for nostalgia day? Lyndsey Little 02:44 Grilled cheese is probably one of the more nostalgic snacks for me or foods I guess; or peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Just really keeping it simple. And as far as like prepackaged foods. Pop Tarts always come to mind. I feel like Oreos are kind of cheating because those are classic. I think those will always be popular. But I'm very tempted by those very recent; that recent drop of Oreos that has the cookies and cream filling. Stratton was tempted to buy those when he was at the grocery store earlier, and I wanted to say, Oh, get off… get them… get them… but we already had bought so many snacks. Leah Jones 03:31 Given to the temptations?! Lyndsey Little 03:33 Yes, I know. Leah Jones 03:37 I haven't seen the cookies and creams. Well, I've seen, is it the super stuff? The ones that are like quadruple stuff that they have out right now, that are like hot. So sick. Lyndsey Little 03:47 They already have really thick. Leah Jones 03:51 Yeah, there's already double stuff regularly on the market. So I guess one of the main Oreo factories is in Illinois or used to be in Illinois. So we get all the flavors. All the special Oreo flavors come out and in Illinois first. And my sister, when she was at a smaller law firm would organize tastings anytime she found a new flavor. Lyndsey Little 04:21 Ah, the dream. I'm so jealous! Leah Jones 04:28 Yeah, so I might have to wander down to CVS and see if we've got the cookies and cream. Lyndsey Little 04:34 Hmm. It must be good. Leah Jones 04:37 I'm sure it is. Lyndsey Little 04:39 Yeah, it's Oreo but with more Oreo! Leah Jones 04:42 Right. It's like an Oreo with an Oreo filling. It's a very meta cream just to worry. Lyndsey Little 04:47 Yes, exactly. Right. Sounds great. Leah Jones 04:55 Yeah, and I hear you on the on a grilled cheese. That's good nostalgia food. Now when you're doing an nostalgia grilled cheese; is it margarine, white bread, craft slices or do you upgrade it for your adult sensibilities? Lyndsey Little 05:16 It depends if this is specifically nostalgia day, it probably is more curated. It probably has smoked

Shai Korman, co-host of the Friday Night Movie Podcast, is back and we are talking about music movie moments. Opening and closing credits, soundtracks, movies about bands and more. https://www.frinightmovie.com/ Follow Shai on Twitter and Instagram Show Notes Signal Awards for Excellence What Does It Eat Bandcamp Fridays for 2023 The Wrong Cat Died Monkees The REM song inspired by the Monkees The Commitments That Thing You Do That Thing You Do When Harry Met Sally Trainspotting Her Eurovision Song Contest Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls Peacemaker Opening Credits My Best Friend's Wedding (opening credits) Sholay (RRR closing credits) Drew Carey Show - 5 o'clock Buckaroo Bonzai (closing credits) My Best Friend's Wedding (karaoke scene) My Best Friend's Wedding (Restaurant singalong) Reservoir Dogs (opening walk) Lost & Found lQUrljyCoimXdK9Z8cKu lQUrljyCoimXdK9Z8cKu ----more---- Shai 00:00 Hi, my name is Shai Korman. And my favorite thing is, music movies or movies with musical moments, especially really cool movie music and credits or beginning credit scenes. Announcer 00:14 Welcome to the Finding Favorites Podcast where we explore your favorite things without using an algorithm. Here's your host, Leah Jones. Leah Jones 00:26 Hello, and welcome to Finding Favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones. And this is the podcast where we learn about people's favorite things and get recommendations without using an algorithm. We're back with a third time guest, but also someone who has been a guest host three times. And that is Shai Korman from the Signal Award Winning Podcast, Friday Night Movie podcast. Shai Korman and his sisters recently won an award and be Conan O'Brien and the Chill Chums. That is so amazing. And I'm so proud of you. And you work so hard, just secure the votes. Shai, how are you doing? Shai 01:14 Thank you, first of all, thank you. I feel like you are a kindred spirit to me in our commitment to indie podcast hood, in the punk rock nature of being a podcaster that is totally DIY. So while it was exciting, and amazing and fun to have that victory, I feel, like I was pushing for all of us who do the editing ourselves, and no one knows who we are by name, unless they already listened to the show. It's really special. It was really special to do with my sisters and after five years of doing the show really nice to be validated by her peers. But the validation I really need is, being invited back on Finding Favorites. Leah Jones 02:02 It's a new year. And we got new favorites to talk about. Shai 02:06 Oh, yeah. If there's one thing an ally, my wife will always, it's what do they call it? It's a compliment. It's not really backhanded compliment. But you will see you have so many interests. But it's not 100% a compliment. But there's a lot of favorite things, I have. On this show, I've done Cereal/Serial and just the movie Cats, as a guest. Leah Jones 02:29 You recently went to see Cats again with the host or the same night as the host of the Wrong Cat died? Shai 02:42 The Wrong Cat Died, hosted by Mike Abrams, another great podcast on the Broadway Podcast Network. Mike Abrams was going to do a bit with the Cat and he has this amazing thing coming out. It's very funny thing that he did with all the Cat members. And we our family bought tickets for the same night of one of the nights he was going, so we got to hang out. That was another great like Potter and family moment. Leah Jones 03:08 That's fantastic. What else has been keeping you busy? You seem to be busy from the internet. Shai 03:18 I like in my approach to what some people how they approach their iPhone battery. I'm going to run it down until it crashes. And then I'm going to have to plug it in and it's not even going to charge right away because it's got to do that thing where it just shows you the side and that's what I just going to continue operating that way. When we were doing the podcast released an album with Howie, my lifelong musical partner. The band is, “What Does It Eat” and the album is called Scraps and our first music video that we released from it is all of footage of people's dogs that they said because Scraps is about a dog. So that's it. There's been a lot cooking, how are you? Leah Jones 04:07 I'm doing good. This is, I think, Episode 135 of the podcast. It's January of 2023, which feels completely insane. Shai 04:19 I know, there's a bit of a time travel element to all this 133 episodes. It's a huge accomplishment. That's an awesome way to go. Leah Jones 04:26 Thank you. And it was and I've written about this on Facebook that this is the week that's the anniversary of finishing Chemotherapy for breast cancer. So I've been, “Oh cowboy! I was so mean”. Shai 04:41 That was the Cat. That's not the actual thing. You've been expressing Chemotherapy. That was great the way that, I've been feeling, “Oh, cowboy!” Someone who didn't know, it'd be like, “Oh, is that like a thing people say on their anniversary?” Leah Jone

Author Chelsea Stickle picked up embroidery as a hobby to channel her rage and has been poking fabric with sharp needles ever since. You can order her newest chapbook Everything's Changing from Thirty West Publishing House - it is a collection of surreal micro-fiction and flash fiction rooted in the chaos of the last few years. Follow Chelsea online ChelseaStickle.com Twitter @Chelsea_Stickle Everything's Changing AITA for falling apart at a dinner party Show notes Sashiko Etsy @GrandmaBeWildin Crochet a tiny fox Cross stitch fabric Morton Salt Spill in Chicago (2014) Blackwork Embroidery ADHD symptoms in women Bias about ADHD leaves many women with a late diagnosis

Michael Shelly, a music maker and WFMU DJ, joined Leah to talk about a few of his favorite things including the music of NRBQ (New Rhythm and Blues Quartet), the classic comic strip Nancy, and eating good food on the road. We also chat about WFMU and how Michael met They Might Be Giants, which lead him to one show at Millikin in the 90s. Keep up with Michael Twitter @wfmumichael WFMU Archives WFMU Juniper - She Steals Candy Show Notes Chirp Radio Chicago NRBQ NRBQ Wikipedia Nick Lowe Nancy Ernie Bushmiller Twitter accout of classic Nancy RoadFood.com Roadfood the book Lou Mitchell’s in Chicago Galatoires in NOLA Zahav in Philly Gallaghers New York Steak House The Flat Five (Chicago musicians)

Author, podcaster and journalist Dan Kois joined Leah to kick-off the new year to explore the classic children's book Hippos Go Berserk by Sandra Boynton. Dan's first novel Vintage Contemporaries is available on January 17, 2023 and can be pre-ordered now from Bookshop.org. Follow Dan on Twitter and check his website for updates about the launch events for Vintage Contemporaries. Parents, you need Narcan Show Notes SandraBoynton.com Sandra Boynton's official YouTube Mars Cheese Castle BikeAid Tina Brown Chucks from Northshore Care Aden and Anais muslin swaddles Llama Llama Red Pajama by ANNA DEWDNEY Bonus Best of 2022 Patty Morrissey Day Breaker The Lost Connections

Friends and guests of Finding Favorites are back to tell us about their favorite things from 2022. This is a clip show with SO many great recomendations, most of which are in the show notes below. This includes clips from How Did This Get Made (Leah asking a question at the Stone Cold live show in LA) and Doughboys (Burger King 6 with Jon Gabrus and Adam Pally) Leah Intro 1 - best movies of 2022 Steroid Saturdays Everything, Everywhere, All at once RRR 4DX theaters Liz Nord Pennyworth on HBO Max Steve Higgins Everything, Everywhere, All at Once Strange Loop (Broadway) Eight Billion Genies (Comic book) Mark Smithivas Only Murders in the Building, Hulu Wakanda Forever Leah intro 2: The return of Live Shows with Friends Boston for a cancelled Doughboys show How Did This Get Made in LA with Esther and Susan Return to Boston for Doughboys and introducing Ronnie to the Doughboys in Milwaukee How Did This Get Made in Chicago with Jocelyn over halloween LetterKenny live with Amy Guth and Kevin Alves Hadestown with Rob Going to Weird Al with Shai Korman’s family in DC Esther Kustanowitz, The Bagel Report The Ringer-Verse Podcast Shai Korman, The Friday Night Movie Podcast Weird Al at the Kennedy Center Pam Rose Stranger Things, Hulu Severance, Apple TV Tehran, Apple TV Pachinko, Apple TV Kelsea Ballerini Tate McRae Mimi Webb Taylor Swift Love after Lockup, TV Rob Schulte Dark Web Comic Books His dog Elvis Bug Con (Bugmane event) Doin’ it with Mike Sacks (Podcast) How Did This Get Made clip: Leah is the person in the audience. Episode is Stone Cold, recorded live at Largo Leah Intro 3: Cancer Stuff Finishing chemo, radiation and immunotherapy Celebrated with my trip to Boston after chemo and a trip to LA after Radiation Got a sparkly caftan for my radiation gong Three trips to the Mayo clinic Returning to Israel COVID Bivalent Booster, Flu Shot and the Pneumonia vaccine Cameron MacKenzie Premier League Football Jason Mathes Inside Job on Netflix Gravity Falls on Disney Caroline Berkowitz Uno Go Fish Taco Cat Go Cheese Pizza Scrabble Slam SET Sleeping Queens SkipBo Monopoly Deal Yahtzee Yam Slam Trouble Phase 10 Monica Reida Pentament (Xbox, PC video game) Crimes of the Future (movie) Leah Intro 4 101 Places to Party Before You Die Jackass Forever Mike Nichols, A Life by Mark Harris Art by Phineas Jones aka Octophant Lyndsey Little Doughscord Stories to Dismember Podcast Love on Netflix Doughboys Podcast Doughboys clip from Burger King 6 with guests Adam Pally and Jon Gabrus. Leah created the drop that Mitch plays towards the end of the clip. Robert Persinger Boston Milwaukee Great people Keidra Chaney Southside on HBO Max Bunny instagram Red Door Shelter Jocelyn Geboy Candy Chat Chicago 101 Places to Party Before You Die Avett Brothers The Diffs Firepits How Did This Get Made Jo Wash your hands, wear your mask, get your booster and keep enjoying your favorite things. Transcript 1:12:55 Zoom Bomb 00:00 Hello, hello. Hello. Hi. What's good? [Switches to German] Announcer 00:08 Welcome to the Finding Favorites Podcast where we explore your favorite things without using an algorithm. Here's your host, Leah Jones. Leah Jones 00:20 Hello, and welcome to Finding Favorites. It's that time of year, which is the last day of the year. And that means the Call-In Show, the best of 2022 is back. This is the second time I'm doing it. So that might mean it's a tradition. Check back in 12 months and see if that's true. Right now I've got clips about 10 clips. As I'm recording this intro, I might have more by the time I finish recording. But I'm going to break my favorite things of the year into three chunks. It'll be me a few clips me a few clips. Without further ado, I wanted to kick off my best of ‘22 with my top movie theater experiences of the year. The year started, and I was finishing chemo, which meant that Ronnie and I were still celebrating what we lovingly called Steroid Saturdays, which is when I would get chemo, I would get steroids along with my chemo infusion. And then I would be wired on steroids. And the amount of time that I had energy from the steroids got smaller and smaller over the course of the three months of chemo. But what we did was every almost every Saturday morning, after I would get chemo on Fridays, we would go and see a matinee. And so I saw a lot of movies in the theater over the winter of 21 and 22. But my top three movie going experiences were not on Steroid Saturdays. it was seeing Everything Everywhere, All At Once, in a packed movie theater. This was the first time I had been in a packed movie theater part of going of the Steroid Saturdays, The MO was we went to matinees of things that have been open for more than one or two weeks. So generally, we went to private, we created private screenings for ourselves. Everything, Everywhere, All At Once was at the theater on Diversey and Surf. So it was an it was a sold out theater. It was jam packed. There were not assigned seats. But seeing that movie,

New York-based filmmaker Liz Nord joined Leah to run down a list of documentaries for watching during winter break. Liz also talked to Leah about how she became a documentary filmmaker and obsessed with the art form. Follow Liz online to find out when her documentary is streaming. https://www.liznord.com/ Instagram @LizFilm Show Notes Music Box Theatre Chicago Trembling Before G-d Supersize Me Street Level TV Closed Captions at Sundance Now Short of the Week Omeleto Op Docs Albert and David Maysles The Truffle Hunters The Eagle Huntress No Film School interview about The Eagle Huntress The Mole Agent Bad Axe (shortlisted for Oscars) https://www.almaharel.com/film/bombaybeach I Am Not Your Negro Betsy West and Julie Cohen Summer of Soul Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah. Wash your hands, wear your mask, get your booster and keep enjoying your favorite thing. Liz Nord Documentaries_mixdown 1:17:42 SPEAKERS Announcer, Leah Jones, Liz Nord Liz Nord 00:00 Hi, my name is Liz Nord, and my Favorite Things are documentary films. Announcer 00:05 Welcome to the Finding Favorites Podcast where we explore your favorite things without using an algorithm. Here's your host, Leah Jones. Leah Jones 00:18 Hello, and welcome to Finding Favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones. And this is the podcast where we learn about people's favorite things without using an algorithm. I'm so excited this afternoon I am with one of my OG go into Israel friends. I'm here today with Liz Nord. She is an Executive Producer, who started in the news and documentaries. She makes documentaries, podcasts, multimedia online content. Most recently, Liz worked at Sundance, and she's here today with us on finding favorites. Liz, how are you? Liz Nord 00:58 Hi, Leah Jones. I'm so excited to be here. Leah Jones 01:01 It's so good to be catching up with you. I was so thrilled when you send me your email. I'm like, How have I not had Liz on yet? You had a podcast before almost anyone I knew. And yeah, you I hadn't I didn't ask you to be on. That's on me. Liz Nord 01:17 Well, yeah. So that your listeners know I literally I asked, I requested to be on the podcast. I'm a fan of both Leah and of the podcast. And I was like, I have favorite things. So here we are. Leah Jones 01:32 I'm so happy. So we were doing a little catching up before I hit record. And just reflecting a little bit we met in I think the summer of 2007 at a conference in Israel. Is that right? Is it like did you go in 2007? Liz Nord 01:48 Did you know I think I was like the year after you. It might have been 2008. So it's been a while. Leah Jones 01:57 And at the time, your documentary age, were you still working on Jericho’s Echo in 2008? Or was it just Liz Nord 02:05 No it has been out in world, which I think is why I was invited to this conference with Jewish artists and Jewish innovators people creating Jewish things in the world. And my film Jericho’s Echo was not specifically Jewish, but it was about Israeli punk rockers. And so it fit the bill. Leah Jones 02:27 Yeah. So we met then we see each other at conferences. We see each other at conferences, weddings, funeral when Liz Nord 02:38 Your dad has art shows in New York. Leah Jones 02:40 When my dad has art shows in New York. Yes. We've got to get you guys out to Chicago. Liz Nord 02:47 Absolutely. I really want to go to the Chicago Museum is the contemporary art museum. The one that's right downtown. I've been once before and I loved it so much. Leah Jones 02:57 The Art Institute of Chicago, which is the mass of everything one. Liz Nord 03:01 Like near the bean. Leah Jones 03:05 And then there's also a Museum of Contemporary Art, which is stunning. But the Art Institute of Chicago is the one it's got, I always just got everything. Liz Nord 03:18 Yeah, I was amazed by that museum. And I live in New York, it's not like I don't have access to culture. But yeah, love to come back. Also good food. Leah Jones 03:26 We've got very good food in Chicago. Liz Nord 03:29 Just like this season. Like coming in spring. Leah Jones 03:33 Yeah. No, don't come in the winter. Don't come in the winter. It's a great spring summer visit, absolutely. No spoilers but we're going to be talking documentaries. But I'm curious as we head into winter, and this will most likely be a Christmas episode. Do you have any winter repeat movies? Like any winter traditions that that are movie related? Liz Nord 04:01 Oh, I love that question. I mean, winter is like primetime for movies. And obviously often like holiday stuff comes out on the big screen, which I will say that everything, all the recommendations I'm going to make today I know we're gonna get to talk about some films, I tried to find things that are very contemporary and all available on streaming. But I still believe in person in theater, film going experience, especially for the blockbusters. So I usually do try to get to some of the like ones that come out between Thanksgiving and Christmas every year to have th

Terry Gant, Chicago-based comic bookstore owner, joined Leah to talk about hospital husbands, Twitter and Prog Rock. He prescribes the musical journey for someone new to Prog Rock and ready to get a feel for symphonic Swedish death metal. See Terry speaking at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on Monday, December 19th, 2022, at the event Spiritual Awakenings. Shop at Third Coast Comics online or in person. Show Notes Dream Theater King's X Galactic Cowboys The Pineapple Thief Nightwish Riverside Dark Tranquillity Kamelot Send in your best of 2022 voice memos to leahj77[@]gmail.com by December 30 to be included in the New Year's episode about the best of 2022!

Jen Michalski returns with a new short fiction collection (available for pre-order now) and how she found Outsiders by S.E. Hinton for the first time. We talk about S.E. Hinton's YA ouvre, the movies she inspired and the Outsider House Museum in Oklahoma. Keep up with Jen Michalski online http://jenmichalski.com/ https://twitter.com/MichalskiJen https://jmwwblog.wordpress.com/ https://twitter.com/jmwwjournal Pre-order The Company of Strangers Show Notes Whoopi Goldberg Original Broadway Show Recording Jackie and Laurie Show The We Came to the End Why middle grades still love The Outsiders Rob Lowe on Armchair Expert (lots of Outsider talk) Bright Lights, Big City SEHinton.com/books S.E. Hinton and the YA Debate (The New Yorker) The Enduring Spell of ‘The Outsiders’ - The New York Times (nytimes.com) Why The Outsiders still matters 50 years later (Rolling Stone) Alternate titles proposed for S.E. Hinton's novel The Outsiders. (slate.com) Exclusive interview with S.E. Hinton - The Outsiders Fan Club (weebly.com) The Outsider House Wall of Voodoo Betta Fish Honoring teens sexual reality - Judy Blume Debs Foundation Poe House in Baltimore https://www.hemingwayhome.com/our-cats https://www.achristmasstoryhouse.com/ Our Cancers Dan O'brien Mike Nichols: A Life by Mark Harris S.E. Hinton with Jen Michalski_mixdown 1:09:19 SPEAKERS Announcer, Leah Jones, Jen Michalski Jen Michalski 00:00 Hello, my name is Jen Michalski. And my favorite thing is S.E. Hinton. Announcer 00:05 Welcome to the Finding Favorites Podcast. Where we explore your favorite things without using an algorithm. Here's your host, Leah Jones. Leah Jones 00:18 Hello and Welcome, to Finding Favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones. And this is the podcast where we learn about people's favorite things without using an algorithm. I am very excited tonight; Jen Michalski is back and she is the reason I have authors on this podcast. She changed the whole trajectory of finding favorites. And I'm thrilled that you're back. Jen, how are you doing? Jen Michalski 00:46 Great. I'm so thrilled to be back as well. I've been waiting for weeks to do this. I'm so excited. Leah Jones 00:51 And you're back because you have another book coming out. Jen Michalski 00:55 I do. Yes. Leah Jones 00:56 The Company Of Strangers. Jen Michalski 00:59 It'll be out January 10th with Braddock Avenue Books, and it's a collection of short fiction. Leah Jones 01:05 So they're short fiction, is it? Is it all COVID era writing, or is it like expand your career? Jen Michalski 01:15 It's a mix. I mean, I actually I moved to Southern California three years ago, which spans the time I was last on your podcast, but some of that a few of the short stories in this collection were written here. Most of them were written in Baltimore, though. But the cover is really great. It's a cover of some surfers standing in front of a California sunset, and it was so weird, like we live, I guess about it's a 10-minute drive from the beach. We were coming home from the grocery store we were at a traffic light I just looked over, and these surfers were sitting there, kind of chatting. There was this beautiful sunset behind them. I just took the picture from the car and it turned out so good that I just wanted to be the book cover, even though, not all the stories were set in this area. I just felt like, because they were all just kind of standing in their own little thoughts. They weren't exactly talking to each other; they were all holding the boards, it kind of reminded me of a lot of the stories how people that we know are strangers, but then we also have these intimate connections with people we don't know! Our whole life is just sort of not really quite knowing what another person is thinking. Leah Jones 02:30 When did this book become a sparkle in your eye? Jen Michalski 02:37 Well, it makes short story collections, they take a long time to build because you just have to collect so many stories. And I think they started to play around with a collection even before I left Baltimore. They were different titles, and it just never felt quite cohesive. So you just put it aside, actually wrote a novel while we were here in Carlsbad during COVID. I'm still finalizing the draft of that to start sending out. But, I did finally write the last story in this collection is a Novella, and I wrote it here. It just felt like the right piece for this collection. The title came from one of the stories in the collection. I don't know, there's something that you finally know when you have the right combination of stories. But it does take several years to come about. So, a lot of this is pre COVID. But I was very active during COVID. Because we just didn't go anywhere for two years and we just moved here, so we had no friend bubble either. So we were it was just me and my partner and our dog. The perfect time to have your own writing residency. It's definitely changed a lot of how marketing has been, still everything's kind o

Kevin Alves, a Chicago-based podcaster, performer and producer, joined Leah to talk about the Canadian shows Letterkenny with Shoresy before a deep dive into pirates. Kevin also turns the table and gets Leah to tell the whole story of how Jason Mantzoukas recommended Finding Favorites to everyone at the Chicago Theater on erev Halloween. Follow Kevin and Big Talk Podcasts online. BigTalkChicago.com Instagram Big Talk Podcasts Show Notes Squirmles Letterkenny Shoresy Scooby-Doo! really did have a thing for pirates Goonies PirateSurgeon.com/ Pirate movie locations Doughboys: Pirates Dinner Adventure Treasure Island Pirate Battles in Vegas Sterling Festival The Pirates book series! History of punch Pirate health insurance The Treachery of Leeks tote bag is now available, if you like niche fandom tote bags. The West Wing Weekly Podcast Fronds with Benefits: Jason Mantzoukas on Home Cooking HDTGM All of Hrishi Hirway's links

Two guests for one topic - Monica Reida returns and John Morrison joins for the first time to talk with Leah about their shared love of Twitter. We talk about weird Twitter, Colonel Tribune Tweet-ups, Black Lives Matter, romance and so much more. As of today, Twitter still exists. Part 1: Monica Reida Elf Yourself David Carr Magic the Gathering Gapersblock Jewish Jerk of the Wrestling World Television Without Pity Abbott Elementary Severance Arcane Twitter @monica_reida Pillowfort Mastodon @[email protected] Part 2: John Morrison (aka Local Celebrity) Twitter is Ruling SXSW Flickr Chicago Tweetups ChicagoNow is Chicago history Matt Ryd Jess Godwin Lindsay Ellis Best Day on the Internet Spiderman Turn Off the Dark Twitter @spideyonbway Subism.com/links

Jasmine Davila is back and she's ready to talk about things to do inside during winter in Chicago. We talk about special movie events at the Music Box, jousting in the suburbs and vaginal steams at Korean spas. Follow Jasmine online https://twitter.com/jasmined https://www.instagram.com/jasmined/ Show Notes Music Box Theatre the Logan Theatre Medieval Times Medieval Times union efforts Namit Cafe King Spa Aire Interview with director of RRR RRR

Long Island-based author and humorist Matthew David Brozik is on Finding Favorites to talk about his favorite things - potato chips, sleeping and super heroes. More specifically, the last ten minutes of the 1992 movie Glengarry, Glen Ross. We also talk about REM, XTC and TMBG... and TLC. Matthew's new book Odder Space is available on Amazon in print and digital (though he'd really rather you choose the print copy). Odder Space is a humorous upper middle grade sci-fi novel with awe-inspiring spaceships, belligerent aliens, phlazer battles, pseudoscientific gobbledygook, and an artificial intelligence with a serious morale problem... but also spunk, heart, and some important life lessons. Mostly it’s just a lot of fun. Keep up with Matthew at IMDB.name Show Links Introduction to Finding Favorites for fans of Jason Mantzoukas @HrishiHirway HDTGM Podcast Helix Mattress Thuma bed frame Comphy Sheets Big Fig Mattress Middle Grade vs Young Adult 18 Wheels on a Big Rig 18 Wheels in Roman Numerals Glengarry, Glen Ross David Mamet The Usual Suspects XTC TLC R U Talking REM to Me (podcast) Matthew David Brozik_mixdown 1:25:24 SPEAKERS Announcer, Leah Jones, Matthew David Brozik Matthew David 00:00 Hello, my name is Matthew David Brozik and my favorite thing is, Glengarry Glen Ross. Announcer 00:06 Welcome to the Finding Favorites Podcast, where we explore your favorite things without using an algorithm. Here's your host, Leah Jones. Leah Jones 00:19 Hello, and welcome to Finding Favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones. It is Sunday, November 6, 2022. In a couple hours, I'll be sitting down with Matthew David Brozik to interview him about his new book, Odder Space and his favorite things. But in order to get this episode out before midnight, I thought I would record my introduction first. So I don't know what Matthew and I will have talked about. What a week it's been! Last Sunday, after I published my episode with Eden, I went to see; How Did This Get Made, Live. I talked about that a lot in the upfront last week that it was, how did this get live was back at the Chicago theater that I had seen Hrishikesh Hirway, and Jenny Owen Youngs earlier in the week at sleeping village, the tote bag, that joke, my reverse merging two celebrity podcasters and straight up celebrities. And when Jocelyn and I went to How Did This Get Made? We were in the third row, even with Jason Mantzoukas. And throughout the show he talked to me a few times, and ended the show by asking me the name on my podcast and recommending it to everyone, who was left in the Chicago theater as the night wound down. And I've spent the whole week recovering from that it was really exciting. And I don't know, if he'd actually got the tote bag or not? I guess it means enough to me that he knows it exists and probably saw a picture from Hrishi. I did get it on stage, thanks to my friend Jocelyn. When you listen to the Morbius episode, maybe you'll hear a little bit of that interaction. But I doubt it. You might hear my question. I think my question will probably make the episode but that's about it. But it was just really cool. I've been a big fan of, How Did This Get Made, for many years now, five or six years. I just have a really clear memory of being at a happy hour, after a leadership retreat at a previous employer, before I was laid off, which would have made me, I think 39 or 40 at the time. It's such a weird, clear memory, explaining How Did This Get Made and who Jason Mantzoukas wasn't what they knew him from, which at the time was mostly the league. Anyway, that happened, that was huge. I finally got the results of my ADHD evaluation, which I will take to the rest of my medical team and see what we can do with it. Essentially, I would have ADHD exclamation point, if I hadn't had the last two years of cancer, and the sarcoidosis diagnosis, because they can never separate out the impact of sarcoidosis on my brain from my current cognitive functioning. But essentially all signs point to ADHD, except for that 4 MRIs of my brain that point to sarcoidosis. So hopefully, I will get to try. I'll start working specifically on some ADHD interventions and maybe try some medication. But it was frustrating. It's such a good professional that I worked with to get this evaluation. But I am very frustrated that I continue to be someone who is considered a complex patient with complex medical history. When I'm like no, no, no, I was really good until I was like 39 and then you know like it's just been a hard few years but that doesn't mean it's complex forever, but it kind of does. So that's just frustrating hard to come to terms with. He also recommended that I find a health psychologist somewhere to start working through the trauma of the cancer diagnosis, even though it was stage one and it was an “easy” (you know, quote unquote easy) treatment that I still like clearly have a lot of anxiety left over from as I come out of this year and a year half of cancer treatment.

Chicago-based author Eden Robins is celebrating the launch of her debut novel this week and came on Finding Favorites to discuss her favorite book - The Neverending Story. When Franny Stands Up will be available on Tuesday, November 1, 2022 and is available for pre-order. Follow Eden Robins online @edenrobins on Twitter and MonkeyThumbs.com Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts 53:00 We enter Spoiler Country 59:15 Exit Spoiler Country Early 2 Bed Tuesday Funk Anne K Yoder Robbie Q Telfer Hardback Folio edition of The Neverending Story? All editions of The Neverending Story on Amazon Neverending Story IMDB Save Bell Bowl Prarie Good Night, Oscar Why birds do what they do ----more---- Eden Robins 00:00 Hi, my name is Eden Robbins, and my favorite thing is the book; ”The Neverending Story”. Announcer 00:06 Welcome to the Finding Favorites Podcast where we explore your favorite things without using an algorithm. Here's your host, Leah Jones. Leah Jones 00:19 Hello and welcome to Finding Favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones. I'm recording this on Saturday night, October 29, 2022. You're listening to it hopefully on Sunday, October 30, 2022. It is the big Halloween going out night in Chicago. And I had all the plans and preparations to hit the legendary Huffine Cooper Halloween party, which if you go back into my archives, I interviewed Cinnamon about how they host that party and everything that goes into it. And it's one of the best events of the year. And I have been getting stronger and stronger, and then today I pushed it too far. I went to Stretchlab in the morning, I went to a Meijer in the suburbs, I walked around the Meijer twice. I came back to the city. At some point, I went to third Coast comics to see my friend Terry, pick up a couple of books. And then I went to Target to get the last thing I needed for my costume. And as I was walking into the Target, I realized I didn't have my can with me, but that tonight was going to be a night where I wasn't going to be able to go up a flight up-stairs. And maybe not even after I found parking, walk to my friend's apartment. So sadly, I am at home editing a podcast. But I mean not sadly, I enjoy editing. I also interviewed Eden today. I'm talking to Eden Robbins about her debut novel, which is available called “When Franny Stands Up”. Cowboys give me scratches. I had some pizza for dinner, I'm drinking a huge water. So I'm just you know, I'm sad. Because I had wanted to go to this party for months and months really, since September 2020. When I was walking in my neighborhood and cross the street that my friends live on and I was like, “Oh no, there's not going to be a Halloween party this year”. So I'm sorry, I'm sorry, to the Huffine Cooper and to Veronica, for not being there tonight. And I know, I haven't done intros for a couple of episodes. Again, just trying to get back into the groove of editing®recording®editing®publishing. I love this podcast and the conversations that lets me have, but the work to get it out is not insignificant. And I started this podcast when I had 10 extra hours a week because I wasn't commuting and I'm commuting at least six hours a week. I'm going out and I'm seeing friends which is wonderful and I'm doing things other than sleep and go for chemotherapy. So I'm so grateful for how busy my life is. But also it eats into my time. What else is happening this week? I'm starting a whole new regimen of medicine. I'm starting Methotrexate which you've seen in the news because it's one of the drugs that women with arthritis couldn't get once Roe was overturned because you can't sustain a pregnancy when you're on Methotrexate, so I started that this week. I started Tamoxifen, which is as I understand it as estrogen pacman. Because my cancer was ER positive, I started daily folic acid, a weekly vitamin D. It just started a lot this week. I'm dreading most of it with the exception of like the vitamin D because I know, how that helps me. But I'm terrified of the side effects of Methotrexate and Tamoxifen because you can't have positive attitude your way out of adverse reactions to new prescriptions. What else is happening? This has been a fun week for me and my love of podcasts. Tomorrow night is a long awaited live show. How Did This Get Made live show. It'll be my first since March, when I went to LA to celebrate the end of radiation and saw How Did This Get Made a live show the back of the Chicago Theater. I've gone far beyond my typical T-shirt and I have made the most ridiculous essentially meme movie poster. I designed something on Canva and had it printed by a guy in the suburbs on three-foot (3') by six-foot (6’) vinyl. I cut a hole in the top and I'm going as a walking movie poster, but slash meme, I think I'm just taking internet humor too far, way too far. And personal inside jokes because I'm a – look at me girl, I guess pick me girl. But this week was fun. I had made initially; I wasn

Chicago-based poet Benjamin Niespodziany, aka Neon Pajamas, joined Leah to talk about Surreal art including TV, movies, books and paintings. On the fly he designed a four-week community class on surreal appreciation that I think we would all enjoy taking. (Please run it on Zoom, Benjamin!) His debut collection NO FARTHER THAN THE END OF THE STREET is available through Okay Donkey and already showing up in mailboxes around the country. Follow Benjamin online everywhere as Neon Pajamas. NeonPajamas.com Twitter @neonpajamas Show Notes Surreal films: Borgman, Holy Motors, The Truman Show Surreal TV: Atlanta, Maniac, Perpetual Grace LTD Surreal books: Zachary Schomburg, GennaRose Nethercott, CAConrad Surreal artists: Leonora Carrington, Wenyi Geng, Rhea, Raysa Fontana Smino Farther vs Further Affect vs Effect Fewer vs Less The Truman Show James and the Giant Peach Edward Scissorhands Jasper Fforde EDtv The_Real_World_(TV_series) Big_Brother_(franchise) Survivor (franchise) The_Truman_Show WandaVision House_of_Leaves Lobster The Patriot ​​The Act of Killing Surreal Art Benjamin_mixdown 1:22:49 SPEAKERS Announcer, Leah Jones, Benjamin Niespodziany 00:00 Hello, my name is Benjamin Niespodziany, and my favorite thing is to surrealism. Announcer 00:05 Welcome to the Finding Favorites Podcast where we explore your favorite things without using an algorithm. Here's your host, Leah Jones. Leah Jones 00:18 Hello, and welcome to Finding Favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones, and this is the podcast where we learn about people's favorite things without using an algorithm. It is fall, which means it's my favorite season, the season of new books and authors. So I am very happy this week to be talking with Benjamin Niespodziany. I'm so happy tonight to be talking with Benjamin Niespodziany ahead of his debut of his full-length collection No Farther Than The End Of The Street, which is releasing with Okay Donkey Press in November. Benjamin, how are you doing tonight? Benjamin Niespodziany 00:58 Doing all right. Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited, very nervous and terrified for my book to be out in the world. But I'm also equally as euphoric and giddy to see it out there. So yeah, thank you for having me and chatting with me tonight. Leah Jones 01:10 Yeah. How long has this book been in the works? Benjamin Niespodziany 01:15 Well, I think at this point, close to four years. I think the oldest piece in the book is probably 2018. And then a lot of them were written in 2019, and 2020. And then during lockdown, I was really able to sit with all of them, and fine tune them and tinker with them and make them all into one cohesive narrative. So, quarantined didn't allow for too much free writing, because I felt like my brain was mush. But I was really able to look at what I'd already written and work on some edits, and really fine tune and stuff. So it allowed for a lot of great editing practice. So, yeah! Leah Jones 01:49 And this is a book of poetry and micro flash. Micro flash. That is, overall is a story together or are they of a theme? Benjamin Niespodziany 02:01 Yeah, it's all one. I guess cinematic universe as the Marvel fans tend to say, but the idea of the book is taking a little bit off of inspiration from the movies The Truman Show and from Pleasantville, where it's this artificial container where you're boxed into this little area. So the whole entirety of the book takes place on one long street. Every poem is either in the front of the person's yard, or in the backyard, or in their basement or down the street, seeing a neighbor. But it never strays further than the one neighborhood city block. But each piece doesn't nest, it's not necessarily like chapter one and then chapter two, the next day, it's just a scatterbrain fragments and vignettes and little postcards and snapshots of this neighborhood happening. And by the end, you get a 360 idea of what's really going on. So there's a little bit of a of a narrative arc and a little bit of a thread through line. But it's also sparse and little short told and story short snippets. So, I don't know if it's a poem, or micro fiction, or flash fiction or prose poetry. It's all just everything rolled into one. Leah Jones 03:09 That's really exciting. So did you realize during lockdown when you started to edit that these were all happening near each other? Or was there a point earlier in the writing process? When it came clear to you that these all these pieces were related geographically? Benjamin Niespodziany 03:31 I think it did happen during lockdown. I think I had so many different drafts and so many different ideas and sketches. So I started clumping everything together, either by theme or by surroundings, or by tone of voice. So I started realizing, oh, there's a lot of pieces that take place in the house, there's a lot of pieces that take place in a front yard. I have a lot of faith-based pieces and faith-based poems and weird nuns and priests. So that's on a separa

While host Leah Jones was visiting Israel, she met with long-time Facebook friend Plia Kettner to talk about Plia's lobbying to open the skies of Israel during Corona, her love of Kfar Saba, and her love of cats. Plia collaborated with other citizens with partners or family abroad who were stuck abroad during Corona and is now part of an international team who shares information on how to organize around the theme "Love is not Tourism." Plia Chetner on Facebook Burial Alternatives in Kfar Saba Qalqilya Kfar Saba Supreme Court case We Want to Meet Each Other Love Is Not Tourism Feral cats in Israel Lion in the Living Room Kfar Saba and Ranana love animals transcript follows ----more---- SPEAKERS Announcer, Plia Kettner, Leah Jones Plia Kettner 00:00 My name is Plia Kettner, and I love cats. Announcer 00:04 Welcome to the Finding Favorites Podcast where we explore your favorite things without using an algorithm. Here's your host, Leah Jones. Leah Jones 00:16 Hello, and welcome to Finding Favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones. And this is the podcast where we learn about people's favorite things without using an algorithm. Once again, not sitting in my apartment in Chicago, not sitting on Zoom. But instead, I'm high above the city of Tel Aviv and Israel with Plia Kettner. Plia How are you today? Plia Kettner 00:38 I'm fine. It's great to meet you. Leah Jones 00:41 Good to meet you. I think technically we know each other from ROI. What year did you go? Plia Kettner 00:51 Oh 2011. Leah Jones 00:53 Okay, that makes sense. So, ROI, which people who listen to the podcast have heard of because Yvonne Marzouk was ROI, Esther Kustanowtiz, with Shai Korman, a lot of my Jewish friends around the world. Plia Kettner 01:08 Great people. Leah Jones 01:09 Great people are in the ROI community. So, you were asking, why do I come to Israel? It's to see friends from ROI and friends who have become like family. I'm just here on vacation back for the first time since COVID, since Corona and seeing friends recording podcasts and drinking coffee when I can find it. Plia Kettner 01:40 When there is room service. Leah Jones 01:42 They also at the front desk here have bottles and bottles of liquor. Last night I went and I said could I have a whiskey? And they're like, oh, no, that's only for looks. For the beauty and I'm like, but there's actual fluids inside, put them in my body. They're like, you can have, there was Kava, which is nice, but it's not whiskey. Plia Kettner 02:11 I think you should complain about it to the management of. Leah Jones 02:16 Of Brown Hotels. Most of the Brown Hotels have like a bar or have room service. Plia Kettner 02:26 Rooms service. They say they will have room service. Start on 12. Leah Jones 02:32 Oh, okay. So, the day I leave. Plia Kettner 02:36 12 - the noon. Leah Jones 02:39 Oh, at noon? Plia Kettner 02:40 Yeah. Leah Jones 02:41 All right. Great. What is it? That we talked a little bit about how you are in your municipal government? Of K’far Saba. Plia Kettner 02:55 K'far Sab. For the listeners? The meaning is Grandpa's village. Leah Jones 03:04 So, K'far is village and Saba? Plia Kettner 03:06 Saba, it's grandpa. But actually, it has come from Arabic name of a village. Well, there before so it's not really the main name. But today when you say the name of the city, this is the meaning. Leah Jones 03:22 That's so funny. It's a suburb of Tel Aviv that I feel like all of my friends are moving to with children. Plia Kettner 03:34 To K'far Saba? Leah Jones 03:35 I think so. Plia Kettner 03:37 It is considered to be like, more quiet cities of Tel Aviv and also Saba is considered to be one of the best cities with education system. So, a lot of young parents, they think about the education system for the children. So, they come to K’far Saba. When we don't have traffic, it's like 20 minutes from K'far Saba to Tel Aviv. So, you are still very close to the center. You can visit Tel Aviv anytime you want. A lot of people when they start to have families, I think this is the area they go to. Leah Jones 04:21 That's what I've been seeing because I stay in Tel Aviv. I usually stay a little bit in Jerusalem, a little bit in Tel Aviv and nobody's left in Jerusalem that I know. Three people are left. And in Tel Aviv everybody's moving North. Plia Kettner 04:42 Tel Aviv became very expensive. So, when you consider what you can get for the same amount between K’far Saba and Tel Aviv, of course in K’far Saba you will get more and it will be more comfortable. Leah Jones 05:04 I guess on my next trip I’ll have to stay. Plia Kettner 05:07 In K'far Saba! Plia Kettner 05:09 Just to see people more. Plia Kettner 05:12 We have a lot of nice culinary places and when I have friends who come from abroad, I take them to see the settlements. Because K’far Saba is a border city. Actually, we have a border with Qalqilya, which is the closest city in Palestine authority. And there are areas, I think that, in K’far Saba, you can se

Jerusalem-based tour guide Joel Haber joined Leah to talk about Shabbat Stews ahead of the release of his ebook Chulent & Hamin: The Ultimate Jewish Comfort Food. There is so much more to Chulent than beans and meat! Follow Joel on Instagram and his blog Taste of Jew. Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Show links The Red Lady Free Shabbat Stew Cookbook by Joel Haber Machne Yehuda market Gil Marks obituary Ishtabach in Jerusalem Shamburak Birateinu Beermiscuous in Chicago Cardoon Come for Cholent Come for Cholent Again Transcript follows ----more---- SPEAKERS Announcer, Leah Jones, Joel Haber Joel Haber 00:00 Hi, this is Joel Haber. And my favorite thing is the Shabbat Stews. Announcer 00:05 Welcome to the Finding Favorites Podcast, where we explore your favorite things without using an algorithm. Here's your host, Leah Jones. Leah Jones 00:17 Hello, and welcome back to Finding Favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones. And this is the podcast, where we learn about people's favorite things without using an algorithm. I am back from my sabbatical. Thank you for understanding and thank you for keeping my RSS feed in your pod catcher. It's Sunday afternoon, October 9th. It is a few hours before Sukkot begins which is the continuation of fall holidays, on the Jewish calendar. I will be headed out to the Chicago Sukkah Design Festival in Lawndale, organized by a number of organizations but specifically my friend, Joel Joseph Altschuler of Could Be Architecture. So since we last talked, I went to Israel for a week and a half, two weeks, where I ate hotel food, ate hotel breakfast buffet every morning and saw two or three friends a day. The trip was wonderful, very restorative. The beginning was difficult because I started in Jerusalem and I just physically was very limited. And Jerusalem is so [Not audible [00:01:48]] that I couldn't do all the walking, I usually do in Jerusalem. So that was hard. I didn't stop me from seeing friends. Of course, it just meant that I took cabs instead of walking. But when I got to Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv is a flatter city. It's not completely flat, but certainly compared to Jerusalem, it's a flat city. There are benches every block. So there was a day where I walked a mile brought to you by the benches on every block and Tel Aviv, so when I was tired, I sat down. It was wonderful. I saw friends. I did a few podcast interviews. It seems that at least two of my three interviews survived. One, there was a write error like truly in the last 10 minutes, it seems like I overstuffed my SD card. And despite having taken four with me, I didn't use a fresh one for my interview with Harry. So I don't know if that one will see the light of day, I will try. I had a really lovely Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur at my synagogue with my friends and family. I don't know things are just pretty good. I am just a few days away from my final cancer infusion. I have been getting immunotherapy every three weeks this year. So the final infusion is on Friday. So I'll be celebrating that. A week later, I will get my port removed. And then at the end of the month, I will start a new type of infusion for sarcoidosis, which ultimately was the diagnosis, I got from my three trips to the Mayo Clinic this summer as well. I am healthier. I am stronger. I'm back at Pilates. I'm doing more stretching. I'm getting back into physical therapy. It's just been a lot. A lot has happened in the last six weeks. And maybe, I'll do an episode where I just kind of a catch-up episode of what has happened. But it's 01:00 in the afternoon. This podcast is late already. So I just want to get into it. This is my conversation with Joel Haber. He is a tour guide and food tour guide in Jerusalem. We've known each other many years and we are talking about Shabbat Stews with a little bit of at the very end we talk about Top Gun Maverick. So, spoiler alert for Top Gun Maverick and Star Wars. With that wear mask, wash your hands, get your booster, get that Bivalent Booster and your flu shot maybe not the same day. But get that booster before we head into winter. And with that keep enjoying your favorite things and welcome back to Finding Favorites. Leah Jones 05:07 Hello, and welcome to Finding Favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones. And this is the podcast where we learn about people's favorite things and get recommendations without using an algorithm. I am not in my living room. I am not on a Zoom call. I'm in fact, in a hotel room, high above Jerusalem with my friend Joel Haber. Joel is a tour guide and specifically a food tour guide in Jerusalem. His website is tasteofjew.com. And I'm so pleased to be with you today. How are you, Joel? Joel Haber 05:40 I'm doing great. So really happy to be with you as well. And good to see you back here in our land. Leah Jones 05:45 It’s good to be back. Last night, we met up as we often do when I'm on a trip for most Shabbat outing. It was good. And we went to burger ba

Leah is going on hiatus until October, until then please enjoy the archives of Finding Favorites and pitch yourself as an interview when she returns this fall.

Veronica Arreola is back to talk about the 50th anniversary of Title IX and how 37 words changed modern life for girls in the USA. We also talk about pay equity, Brittney Griner and the Chicago Sky. Follow Veronica on Twitter and Instagram and all around the internet. No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. Show Notes Chairman’s Championship WNBA Brittney Griner Pay equity in US professional soccer Quarterback Princess starring Holly Hunter Three Prong Test of Title IX Yellowjackets @shereebekker twitter thread that Leah misquotes https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/28/sports/title-ix-anniversary-womens-sports.html Candace Parker panel about Title IX

Bill Tilley, co-host of Bill and Robs: An Excellent Adventure and social media lead for Greatest Generation, joined Leah to talk about the interesting buildings he's lived and worked in, before diving into his search for his next favorite thing. Find Bill online Bill and Robs Podcast Greatest Generation @BillTilley1973 on Twitter Bill Tilley Cards Show Links Stadium Residence Hall at The Ohio State Stephen J Cannell Robert B Parker Hollywood Babbleon Star Trek Las Vegas Friends of DeSoto Trancers Adam West: Lookwell Pilot

Matt Zoller Seitz, an author, filmmaker and TV critic, loves the acclaimed David Milch HBO drama - Deadwood. Together with 130 contributers, Matt recently published The Deadwood Bible: A Lie Agreed Upon, which includes critical essays on every episode, original illustrations, a complete account of David Milch's life and so much more. He also shares some of the backstory of how Shopify stole the thunder and celebration of pub week by trapping his team in a Kafkaesque puzzle. Follow Matt on Twitter and buy The Deadwood Bible on MZS.press Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Leah's Caringbridge has full updates. Show Notes Reviews about Shopify (look at the 1 star reviews) ACLU: asset forfeiture abuse Ecwid Without a Net Dayton Callie Hooplehead McCabe & Mrs. Miller My Darling Clementine The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance Lynching of George Ward Hill Street Blues Regina Corrado Nichole Beattie Shotgun Stories Neal Stephenson Kubrick on Disney Draft Transcript Follows ----more---- Deadwood 0:00 I am a sinner who does not expect forgiveness. But I am not a government official. Announcer 0:05 Welcome to the Findings Favorites Podcast where we explore your favorite things without using an algorithm. Here's your host, Leah Jones. Leah Jones 0:08 Hello, and welcome to Finding Favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones. It is the earliest hours of Sunday, July 17. I finished today's interview around 7pm and heated up my fried rice from last night and got right back to watching Deadwood. This week, I am talking with author, journalist, filmmaker Matt Zoller Seitz about his book, The Deadwood Bible. I got in touch with Matt, because my friend James Zeigenfus, who you know from the episode about tracking personal data. He is a huge fan of Deadwood and had a copy of The Deadwood Bible and sent me Matt's Twitter handle and nudged me in his direction. Leah Jones 1:10 And so, and Matt was kind enough to send me a copy of The Deadwood Bible ahead of time, so I would know what I was talking to him about, which is rare for as many authors as I talk to, I don't often get a copy of their book, pre publication, or before the interview. And so I decided I would watch the pilot of Deadwood and read the chapter from the book on the opening pi lot before we talk today. And then we had this amazing conversation that probably... Matt is very easy to talk to, and I would sit around and talk to him about Deadwood a lot more than just the hour and a half or so we talked tonight. After we finished after we hung up, I watched three more episodes of Deadwood. And I got to the fourth episode, which he references and no spoilers. There are spoilers, obviously, in this podcast. The show is almost 20 years old. But he was very kind not to spoil episode four of season one for me. Leah Jones 2:22 I sat down I watched three episodes back to back, got to Episode Four and have to agree with him that it is the closing scenes the closing minutes of episode for season one of Deadwood are some of the most incredible dramatic filmmaking on TV that I've ever seen. Thank you for not spoiling it for me, Matt, and thanks for giving me something new to watch over the rest of the summer. Leah Jones 2:50 In my world, if you're new to this podcast, a year ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. June 24 was my anniversary, my Cancer -ersary. And I've been on edge waiting for the first mammogram, the first mammogram, post chemo and everything was yesterday. Well, Friday, and I got the all clear. I go back in six months for my next mammogram and ultrasound. But at this point, I feel like for the first time in a year, I have been told that there's I am free of breast cancer. So I'm very relieved for that. And you know, Matt and I did not talk about it. But I know from reading his bio that his second wife passed away from breast cancer within the last couple years and so it's a it's a hell of a disease. Please get keep getting your mammograms. It was so many got canceled during COVID. If you're frustrated by the backup or the delays, early detection can help save lives. I am grateful to have found the cancer early. It doesn't mean my journey is over. I am still being evaluated for multiple sclerosis. have a bone biopsy this week and I talked to my neurologist and then next week or in a couple of weeks. I'm heading up to the Mayo Clinic for a second opinion just because I have so much spicy arthritis going on in my body. I went out and bought a fuck cancer cake at Mariano's and dug a fork into it tonight to celebrate finally hearing the words that at the moment I am cancer free and I'm grateful for that. So for me I think the I don't know if the five year clock started when I had surgery in September or if it starts today but I I think July 15 will be a date that I mark for awhile, in addition to June 24, which is the day I was diagnosed. Leah Jones 5:10 So, all of that said, this conversation with Matt, I think is a delight he ne

Carolyn, a seminary graduate and chaplain, joined Leah to talk about one of her desert island movies - the 1998 animated, movie-musical from Dreamworks: Prince of Egypt. Starring Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sandra Bullock, and Ofra Haza, the film covers the Exodus story by focusing on the brotherly relationship between Moses and Ramses. We talk about how she first found the movie, the pop songs on the soundtrack, and the ideal food for a double-header movie marathon with Jesus Christ Super Star. Carolyn also answers all of Leah's questions about seminary. Follow Carolyn on Twitter. Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Show Links StumbleUpon Blogography Shampoo Anastasia Prince of Egypt The Ten Commandments Jesus Christ Superstar Val Kilmer Documentary Deliver Us When You Believe, multi-language

Jessica, our intrepid traveling friend, is back with more stories from the road. Since we last talked to Jessica about her 18-month global trip, she has gone on a road trip to Charleston, Savannah and Ashville, then went on a trip abroad to Jordan, Scotland and ended in Londong for the Queen's Jubilee. We talk about lessons from group tours, exactly what canyoning is and navigating "work from anywhere" without an oven. Follow Jess on Instagram to keep up with her summer trip to the Rocky Mountains. Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Show Links Hiking tours in Jordan Canyoning in Jordan Heat Stroke treatment Platinum Jubilee Highlands Great British Bake-Off God Save the Queen Outlander

Anna Tarkov, podcaster and activist, joined Leah to talk answer the question - why did everyone get into F1 Racing all of the sudden? We go deep on Anna's personal history with sports as an immigrant, Drive to Survive documentaries, and finally spending weekends watching the 20 drivers of F1 racing. Follow and Listen to Anna on Racing Incident Podcast and on Twitter Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Show Links Rise and Fall of Windy Citizen Drive to Survive on Netflix Formula One Driving Experience Formula1.com Indy Car Bernie Ecclestone 2022 Rules Reddit - what is a spec series $100M Fine Lewis Hamilton The Hamilton Commission Race: Bubba Wallace

Writer and comedian Tim Barnes loves behind the scenes documentaries and featurettes that flourished during Peak DVD. We talk about Lord of the Rings, Star Wars Episode 1, and wonder where the good footage has gone. We also talked about Tim's newest project: Maurice on Mars - an animated short that is being released weekly by Comedy Central on YouTube. Maurice on Mars follows the struggles of Maurice Robinson, a 20-something artist who snuck onto a utopian Martian colony only to realize it’s repeating the same old Earth problems. Follow Tim on Twitter, Instagram and on his website. Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Show links Regis Philban and Mike Schur Maurice on Mars The Martian Chronicles The Other Foot Uche Oma Dwayne Kennedy The Beginning Newcomers Podcast Ahmed Best From Puppets to Pixels Blank Check: Spiderman 2 with Chris Gethard Wonder Showzen Dick Gregory

No guest this week, just the story of how Spidey was the best cat for host Leah Jones for the last 20.5 years. Let's round up to 21 years, shall we? We'll be back next week with a full episode. Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts

Rob Schulte, a senior podcast producer, loves the art and comedy of making recap podcasts. We talk about his journey from Star Trek and war movie recaps on Max Fun to his current work on Parks & Recollection with Rob Lowe and Alan Yang. Rob shares his dream podcast co-host (calling David Hasselhoff, calling David Hasselhoff), what it's like to ask Ron Howard to fix his microphone, and we share our journeys to the Doughboys fandom. Keep up with Rob on Twitch, Twitter and Instagram Find more at RobKSchulte.com Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Rob's current podcasts and projects Parks & Recollection and Literally with Rob Lowe Vanderpump Robs Passing on the Right audiobook Other podcasts we talked about The Greatest Discovery Friendly Fire West Wing Weekly Gilmore Guys The TV Show Show Vanderpump Robs Dead Eyes Bill and Robs: an excellent adventure (coming soon) XOXO, Gossip Kings Doughboys Your Kickstarter Sucks How Did This Get Made Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts

Humorist Mike Sacks loves the movie Over the Edge and had the unique privilege of writing an oral history that led to a DVD re-release with commentary tracks. We discussed the 1979 movie that featured first-time actor Matt Dillon, the DC culture that created Kavanaugh and teen culture in the 70s and 80s. Follow Mike Sacks on Twitter, his website or just send him an email. (No, really) Welcome to Woodmont College Passing on the Right audiobook Passing on the Right print I am Super Pumped!!! Let's Do This Shit e-book Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Show Links Over the Edge IMDB Over the Edge Oral History, Vice Over the Edge DVD DVD All Summer in a Day movie Heavy Metal Parking Lot Heavy Metal Parking Lot A description of Cruising the 'Bash and being goth in Terre Haute Cruising Rockville Pike Breaking Away Steve Martin and Terre Haute Mike Sacks 0:00 Hi, my name is Mike Sacks. I'm a writer, and my favorite thing is being a cool guy. Wait, no, that's my second favorite. My first favorite thing is the movie, 1979, "Over the Edge," starring Matt Dillon. transcript follows ----more---- Announcer 0:12 Welcome to the Finding Favorites podcast where we explore your favorite things without using an algorithm. Here's your host, Leah Jones. Leah Jones 0:24 Hello, and welcome to Finding Favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones. And it is Sunday, May 22nd, and I am back in Illinois. I'm no longer sitting in a hotel in Cleveland or a discount tire in Mishawaka, Indiana. Though, I had a wonderful weekend in Cleveland last weekend, and got home safe and sound. This weekend, my twin sister and my nephew Henry, came up to help my other nephew, Andy, make his move into a new apartment in Pilsen. So we had Thai food, we had Chinese food, and moving within a neighborhood, we remembered is so much easier than moving across town in Chicago. So, it was a really lovely day. Leah Jones 1:13 Although, given my healing track, I just was a cheerleader, and did sit on a stool for a while and wash dishes. Because sometimes you got to do adaptive things, meet your body where it is. So, it was a really nice chill weekend, and I felt like I had more things to say about this week, and now I can't remember any of them at all. I did not have a chance to watch the movie we're talking about today with author Mike B. Sacks, humorist, and so I didn't watch "Over the Edge." I didn't watch the Barcelona Formula One race that was today, which I told Anna Tarkov, who I interviewed this week, that I would watch. But did I watch "The Circle?" Yes. Have I watched five of the eight new "Kids in the Hall?" "Kids in the Hall" is back; it's on Amazon Prime. This is the weekend apparently that Amazon is making the decision whether or not we get to season two. So I've binged a bunch of Kids in the Hall last night and got to wrap that season up this evening. Leah Jones 2:37 I don't know -- things are pretty good until I go back into the MRI tube tomorrow to look at my spine. I had an infusion on Friday for my immunotherapy. Oh, actually, the big exciting news here is that I got a new mattress. I had had a Vera Wang for well over 10 years, and I just got a Big Fig mattress and some new fancy sheets --waiting for the sheets to come in. But after staying at the Hilton last weekend in Cleveland, I remembered I had already ordered the mattress. But I upgraded my sheets after staying in a luxury hotel and room remembering how nice luxury sheets and good pillows are. So, I'm currently in the process of making my bedroom the coziest place on Earth. Leah Jones 3:32 So, I've got the Big Fig mattress, which is a mattress for people with big figures. And turns out that when I'm not rolling off the edge of the mattress, I don't cling to the side. So the cats and I are all sleeping a little bit more stably on the new mattress, so that's exciting. I hope you enjoy today's interview. Again, it's with Mike Sacks. He is a author, and humorous, he's on staff at "Vanity Fair." He's a freelance writer, he has audiobooks; he's got like four or five books coming out this year. I'll link to all of them in the show notes, we talked about many of them. Get your boosters, wear a mask, wash your hands and keep enjoying your favorite things. Leah Jones 4:36 Hello, and welcome to Finding Favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones. And this is the podcast where we get recommendations -- that's not it -- where we learn about people's favorite things and we get recommendations without using an algorithm. Today I am joined by cool guy, Mike Sacks. Mike Sacks 4:56 I made her say that -- it's a joke among friends, where we refer to each other as "cool guy," because we are the least cool people on Earth. Leah Jones 5:05 Well, Mike is a humorist and author, host of the podcast "Doing it with Mike Sacks, and Rob." I'm talking to Rob later this afternoon. Mike Sacks 5:14 Oh, Rob. I love Rob. Leah Jones 5:17 You've got a new -- so we were introduced because you'

Author Christine Marie Eberle joined Leah to discuss her new book Finding God Abiding and how she has built her personal practice of prayer. We dive into the Ignatian traditions, volunteer fire departments, and the Leah shares some ideas from Jewish prayer. Follow Christine online and pre-order a signed book from her neighborhood bookstore. https://christine-marie-eberle.com/ Goodreads Instagram Facebook Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Show Notes The Jewish prayer that never lets me down Three ways to pray Ignatian Ignatian Year Cause of SIDS discovered

Playwright and journalist Victor Wishna loves a lot of things, but agreed to sit down and talk about "Weird Al" Yankovic this week. We also talk about how Leah's Facebook post about getting a Torah from Iowa to Paraguay inspired him to write a two act play - Tree of Life - which is now competing in the Jewish Plays Project. Follow Victor Wishna on twitter and vote for Tree of Life. Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Show Links Missouri and Kansas history Torah scroll makes its way from Iowa to Paraguay Tree of Life play Weird Al.com Weird Al setlist from 1996 at the Filmore Theater Weird Al in Glen Ellyn Picasso at the Lapin Agile Has Weird Al been to Israel? Weird Al and Lin Manuel Behind the Music - Weird Al The Compleat Al

James Ziegenfus loves riding his bike, baseball, music, travel and ice cream and he's kept a meticulous spreadsheet of data on many of his favorites things. On this episode, Leah and James dive into the decades of data that James has kept about baseball games, live concerts, plane travel and his physical music collection. He shares tips on how to keep quantitative data, using apps to supplement his notes and his new notebook on international ice cream recommendations. You can follow James on Twitter and Instagram Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Bands we talked about Wren I Fight Dragon Wilco The Fold Beach House My Morning Jacket Orville Peck The National Links Primavera Sound festival Menards Candy Aisle Everything Steven Soderbergh watched and read in 2021 Setlist.fm FlightRadar24 SeatGuru Six Flags over Texas Tableau

Author, attorney and costume designer - Angelique Pesce love of reading is at the center of everything we talk about on this episode. Her first novel, American Pastime, is available for pre-order and ships on June 7, 2022. Follow Angelique on Twitter, Facebook, and IMDB Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Show Notes Cost of standing vs sitting in Rome The Time Machine by H.G. Wells Perfume Story by Patrick Suskind Filmmaker Baz Luhrmann Edward Scissorhands Finnegans Wake (the book with creative language) About American Pastime Adam is a writer having a conversation with God at a baseball stadium in the Bronx. God chooses Adam because his stream of consciousness since childhood has been heavy on commentary about American life connected to love. God narrates on Adam’s baseball field of life. Rounding first, second, third, and then heading for home, we watch Adam’s life: past, present, and future unfold. God is always in on things as he sees and hears everything, but now they sit side-by-side at a baseball game ear-to-ear, no longer separated by space. Their conversation is heavy on capitalism, culture, violence, religion, art, science, and hope. The art of conversation is in danger of being lost, but now more than ever we need to use our American pastimes to bring it back, ear-to-ear, device-to-device, and ask “What is love?” And, even further reaching, “If you knew how your life affected humankind, what would you do differently?” Slow down and think about the world and love yourself enough to change it. Will Adam find love as life stands in the way? transcript follows ----more---- Angelique 0:00 Hi, my name is Angelique Pesci, and my favorite thing is reading. Announcer 0:05 Welcome to the Finding Favorites podcast where we explore your favorite things without using an algorithm. Here's your host, Leah Jones. Leah Jones 0:18 Hello, and welcome to Finding Favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones. And this is the podcast where we get recommendations without using an algorithm. This morning, I am joined by author Angelique Pesci. Her book, "American Pastime," is coming out on June 7th, 2022. You can pre-order it now; it will be available this summer. And her next book is already in the works, as well. Angelique, how are you doing this morning? Angelique 0:47 I'm great. Thanks for having me. I'm excited to be talking to you today about these novels and "American Pastime," in particular. Leah Jones 0:57 I'm so happy to have you here and to get to know you. Where are you based these days? Angelique 1:05 Right now, I'm up in Connecticut, by Stamford, which is nice. I'm a born and raised New Yorker, though. So, I've lived in New York my whole life. I've been up in Connecticut now, for a couple of years, which has been really good for my writing, believe it or not. Leah Jones 1:24 Oh, I'm sure. Without the competition of all that New York has to offer. Angelique 1:28 Yep, exactly. New York is a great place. But there's so much to do, even if you're just going out to get a snack. And Connecticut is incredibly pastoral. So I'm by a little river called the Five Mile River that has a little brook that goes all the way from Northern Connecticut all the way down into the Rye area. It goes into the Atlantic Ocean eventually and empties out somewhere in Rye. And then, a little waterfall and this little walking bridge. There's really no better place to write. Leah Jones 2:00 That sounds beautiful. Angelique 2:02 It is. It's really, really, really nice. Although writing in New York was great; I'd wear my headphones, and I'd have my laptop and I would just tune it out. But I would definitely always write in a coffee shop. And there's no better coffee shops in the world than New York -- maybe in Rome. Leah Jones 2:22 That's fair. But in Rome, you have to pay the extra cost of -- I went once, I went truly for 24 hours -- if I remember correctly, there's a difference between the sit-down price and the standing price in Rome. Angelique 2:38 Yes, that's very true. I forgot about that, that's really funny. There are differences like that, that I completely forget. Leah Jones 2:47 If you're getting -- if you're going to a wine bar before dinner, or if you're having a coffee, it's like, "Well, are you going to sit? Are you going to stand?" It's not to-go; it's like sitting and standing. Angelique 3:02 I wonder what Americans would say if we tried to do something like that here? Leah Jones 3:08 I don't think it would go well. Angelique 3:12 Probably not. Leah Jones 3:15 But if it came with paying a living wage to the waiters, oh, that's kind of it -- you're paying an extra fee to sit, because you're going to need the waiters. You're going to need waitstaff.That is my assumption. You're not just paying rent on the table. Angelique 3:34 Correct? Correct. Makes sense. Leah Jones 3:40 We were chatting a little bit before I hit record. "American Pastime" is a novel. Why don't you tell me a little bi

This week author and retired teacher Anita K. Newman sat down with Leah to talk about her new children's book Clark the Colorblind Chameleon, illustrated by Asha Hossein. We also talk about her love of teaching kids through music, taking voice lessons as a lifelong learner, and finding time to get two additional degrees while teaching! Clark the Colorblind Chameleon will be published on May 24, 2022. Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Transcript Follows ----more---- Anita 0:01 My name is Anita K. Newman, and my favorite thing is singing with children-- teaching children through music. Announcer 0:10 Welcome to the Finding Favorites podcast where we explore your favorite things without using an algorithm. Here's your host, Leah Jones. Leah Jones 0:23 Hello, and welcome to Finding Favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones. It is Easter Sunday. Also, the second full day of Passover. Also, it is somewhere in the month of Ramadan. So there are a lot of holidays converging this weekend, which is really special. I hope no matter which holiday you celebrate, you found meaning in it -- you had a nice meal or you had a meaningful fast. This week on the podcast, we are talking to Anita K. Newman. She is an author, a retired teacher -- I want to find some of her former students. I want to find the kids in Boston, who grew up singing her dinosaur musicals, and didn't know until they were an adult that everyone didn't sing dinosaur musicals. Leah Jones 1:14 You'll hear more about it in the podcast, but if any of you knew Ms. Newman teaching in Worcester, Massachusetts, put 'em in touch -- I want these stories. It was a fun conversation with Anita; her children's book comes out at the end of May, and you'll hear more about that. I've started physical therapy a couple months, couple of weeks ago. I'm trying to get stronger as I recover, continue to recover, from chemotherapy and radiation. My doctor said I'm not bouncing back like she expected, so I also have more tests lined up to make sure there's nothing else hidden and wrong with me. Leah Jones 2:02 That's just a winter of -- the winter of my recliner might be what happened to my core muscles combined with the chemotherapy, but I'm doing physical therapy, I'm trying to get stronger. I'm trying to regain my strength, regain my strength mostly. Other than that, I got my second booster. As someone who was is a cancer patient, I was eligible for a second booster, so I have now had four Pfizer shots. Really didn't have any side effects from this fourth one, I had kind of a lump in my arm, but that was about it. So, if you are eligible for a booster, go for it, get it. I'm not a medical doctor, I can't really give you advice on it. But if you can, if you're eligible, I definitely suggest it. And with that, wear your mask, wash your hands, and keep enjoying your favorite things. Leah Jones 3:24 Hello, and welcome to Finding Favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones. And this is the podcast where we get recommendations without using an algorithm. I am so pleased this evening to be joined by author Anita K. Newman. She has taught in Massachusetts, in Rome, kindergarten, first grade, bilingual. She is an opera singer, she has a master's degree in School Psychology, she's also a labor law attorney. She has done it all and this spring is celebrating the publication of the book "Clark the Colorblind Chameleon," which I'm very excited to learn more about -- Anita, how are you doing this evening? Anita 4:10 I am doing really well for my first podcast. Leah Jones 4:13 Yay. How exciting. Anita 4:17 Yes. Leah Jones 4:21 Is this also your first book launch? Anita 4:25 It is. This is the first one I decided to do. Leah Jones 4:33 We're going to talk more later about about teaching kids to sing, but I'm curious right off the bat -- how did how did this book come into the world? Anita 4:45 I got the idea quite a few years ago, and I never acted on it. When I teach kindergarten or first grade, I read to the children a lot. For a break,` and also getting for them to be able to focus and get their imaginations working -- because they're used to videos, they're used to playing games. I decided this was probably the first book I really would like to do. And they had none -- I've read little chameleon books to them -- but none of them hit on this particular issue. So I said, "There's an open place there. I am going to write a book about it." Leah Jones 5:29 It's so interesting. From the title of the book and the description I read, it seems like this is an opportunity to talk to kids about how people see the world differently, how bodies can be different, but put in the world of chameleons who change colors. For a chameleon to be colorblind, does that mean does he struggle to match his surroundings like the other chameleons do? Anita 6:10 Yes, he can only see shades of gray. They don't really make fun of him, they just don't understand it, because I didn't wa