Charm Bomb

In this episode, Joanna and Summer chat about the start of Charm Bomb and how much has changed since then as well as Geek Girl Pen Pals's 13th birthday.    Topics this week include Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mysteries (book series), Pokopia (game), and Summer quizzes Joanna on famous eponymous cakes.   This week's Ask Charm Bomb question: How has it been 100 episodes already?? To submit a question to As...

In this episode, Joanna and Summer chat about the importance of fandom, from building community to mental health to the benefits of laughter and joy.    Topics this week include Wonderman, Happiness (NZ), Winter Olympics, friendship comedies, and their top 5 favorite kinds of puzzles.   This week's Ask Charm Bomb question: Does fandom still matter right now? To submit a question to Ask Charm Bomb,...

In this episode, Joanna and Summer chat about goals for the new year including getting more organized and reconnecting with a more analog life.   Topics this week include wood burning and paper snowflakes, homemade decorations, Marlow Murder Club, cozy mysteries, and they play "Hallmark Movie or Fred Astaire Film?".   This week's Ask Charm Bomb question: What are your goals for the new year? To su...

In this episode, Joanna and Summer chat about getting through a tough holiday season and the challenges and pressures of this time of year.   Topics this week include Kesha, holiday food, The Residence (TV show), Skycards (mobile game), and their top 5 non-earthlings they'd invite to a holiday potluck.   This week's Ask Charm Bomb question: How do I get through a tough holiday season? To submit a...

In this episode, Joanna and Summer chat about changing how we celebrate big milestones and also celebrating the small but still important wins in life.   Topics this week include A Night in the Lonesome October (book), Little Witch in the Woods (game), Halloween, and play a game called "Vampire or Sleep Aid?".   This week's Ask Charm Bomb question: How do I deal with feeling like I didn't get to c...

In this episode, Joanna and Summer chat about their fall and Halloween traditions and how they have changed in adulthood, along with information about the upcoming Hallowiggles event.    Topics this week include Let Them Stare: A Novel by Jonathan Van Ness and Julie Murphy, Um, Actually on Dropout, rainbow season and autumn lighting, and our top 5 favorite board games including Betrayal at House o...

In this episode, Joanna and Summer chat about the upcoming IGGPPCamp, asking for help from your community even when it's hard, ways to support friends when resources are limited and coffee.  Topics this week include IGGPPCamp (really a lot of camp) and our top 5 favorite beaches we have visited. This week's Ask Charm Bomb question: How do I ask for support without feeling guilty? To submit a quest...

In this episode, Joanna and Summer chat about ways to make the most of a big event when you've only got a single day pass.   Topics this week include KPop Demon Hunters, San Diego Comic-Con, The Lion King Cinematic Universe and Summer quizzes Joanna on whether something is a succulent or a Pokemon.   Mentioned this week:  KPop Demon Hunters trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzCAwdp1uIQ    ...

In this episode, Joanna and Summer chat about creative ways to stay focused during long-form online activities like Dungeons & Dragons plus D&D spells we'd bring to the real world.   Topics this week include Doctor Who, Poker Face, Microsoft Teams and our top 5 favorite succulents.   Mentioned this week:   Who Culture: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7X1Iu7uV8sagHz7w_GfoSg This week's Ask Charm...

In this episode, Joanna and Summer chat about hitting life milestones and getting older and how the levels of adulting are all up to you.   Topics this week include going outside to touch grass, modular brick printing, baked goods and our top 5 favorite (and least favorite) party favors.   Mentioned this week:   Prixel Press: https://prixel.com/     This week's Ask Charm Bomb question: What if my...

In this episode, Joanna and Summer chat about building community and healthy coping skills, including making art and investing in connections with the people and places we value.   Topics this week include nature cams, the Great Pottery Throw Down, the cold dang weather and our top 5 famous hippos (real and fictional).   Mentioned this week:   Okaukuejo Waterhole Cam at https://www.youtube.com/@Na...

In this episode, Joanna and Summer chat about how the future is different than their childhood selves imagined it but still just so cool. Plus they discuss how to try a "no buy" challenge.   Topics this week include library programs, Animorphs (the books), responsible shopping and our top 5 pieces of contemporary tech that would have amazed us as kids.   This week's Ask Charm Bomb question: How do...

In this episode, Joanna and Summer chat about making a good pen pal connection and how it's worth it to just say the weird thing because you may not be everyone's cup of tea but you're someone's cup of tea.   Topics this week include Star Wars Skeleton Crew, Wicked (the movie adaptation), and our top 5 buildings we've visited in honor of architecture-theme month. This week's Ask Charm Bomb questio...

In this episode, Joanna and Summer chat about what to do when the world feels like too much.   Topics this week include The Flight Attendant (tv show), Doctor Odyssey (tv show), Mary Oliver, friendship and community, and Joanna shares some of the top 5 obscure geek loves from recent pen pal rounds. This week's Ask Charm Bomb question: What do you do when everything feels like too much? To submit a...

In this episode, Joanna and Summer chat about traveling on a budget or getting the travel experience when you can't and childhood journaling.   Topics this week include Agatha All Along, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, Death in Paradise, Poirot, and their top 5 favorite fictional murder mystery shows. This week's Ask Charm Bomb question: How do I scratch the travel itch when I can't travel? To sub...

In this episode, Joanna and Summer chat about musical theater and musical theatre and how to, you guessed it, get into musical theater (no matter how you spell it).     Topics this week include miniatures, We Are Lady Parts (tv show), Wicked, Disney musicals, Les Mis, and their top 5 personally meaningful musicals.   This week's Ask Charm Bomb question: How do I get into musical theater? To submit...

In this episode, Joanna and Kara chat about old YouTuber drama and their early internet days, as well as discussing the things that make us human like sharing the things we're excited about with other people.   Topics this week include Smosh, nail polish, and their top 5 favorite smores variations. Mentioned this episode:  Smosh: https://www.youtube.com/@smosh   EcoGlaze Nail Polish: https://www.c...

In this episode, Joanna and Kara chat all things SPACE CAMP from what to pack (don't forget your anti-gravity pen!) to what activities they're most excited to do (get ready for interplanetary capture the flag!) but also about how to make friends and the magic of our annual camp event.   Topics this week include The Hardy Boys tv show, Chicken Shop Date on YouTube, and their top 5 favorite space th...

In this episode, Joanna and Kara chat about how to pick outfits for a vacation including tips for traveling light, building outfits around a theme, and how you always need room to find something great along the way.   Topics this week include Fizz (the band), Goosebumps (the books), capsule wardrobes and their top 5 favorite single pizza toppings. Mentioned this episode:  Fizz, As Good As it Gets:...

In this episode, Summer and Joanna chat about some of their favorite museums they have visited and the logistics of living inside a work of art.     Topics this week include CounterClock (podcast), Taskmaster New Zealand, Mary Poppins (the musical), impressionist paintings, and their top 5 favorite art museums.   This week's Ask Charm Bomb question: If you could live inside an artwork, which one?...

In this episode, Summer and Joanna chat about nerdy art gift ideas and spend a very long time discussing the first half of Bridgerton Season 3.     Topics this week include Bridgerton, TikTok, sticker collections, and a game where Joanna guesses the top 5 most popular pieces of art, according to Google. This week's Ask Charm Bomb question: Nerdy art gift ideas? To submit a question to Ask Charm Bo...

In this episode, Summer and Joanna chat about other nerdy things fans of D&D might be into, discuss some of their other favorite tabletop RPGs, and take a quiz to find out what kind of D&D character they "really" are.    Topics this week include Dungeons & Dragons, Good Society, Kids on Bikes, Doctor Who, leather carving and tooling, and Live Action Role Play (LARP).   itch.io : https://itch.io/  ...

In this episode, Summer and Joanna chat about tabletop roleplay games, the joy of imagination play in adulthood, and how play is what makes us human.    Topics this week include Dungeons & Dragons, Good Society, Tales of the Crystals, Cats & Soup, Fallout (TV show), and their top 5 weird D&D things.   Tales of the Crystals: https://www.hasbro.com/common/instruct/TalesofTheCrystals. PDF   Cats & So...

In this episode, Summer and Joanna chat about conversation dynamics and what to do when you fear you're inadvertently making it "all about you" as well as earth day actions they take in their personal lives year round.     Topics this week include Top Chef, Wisconsin cuisine, women's soccer (shout out to the San Diego Wave!) collective organizing and advocacy, and their top 5 earth day actions.  ...

In this episode, Summer and Joanna chat about sci-fi TV shows they're into recently, vermiculture, slow fashion, and other ways to lessen their environmental impact.     Topics this week include Resident Alien, Severance, The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin, and their top 5 favorite pollinators.   This week's Ask Charm Bomb question: How can I reduce my environmental impact? To submit...