Coming Down

By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes. -Vi Satanism, witchcraft, occult. These mysterious, often misunderstood terms inspire powerful feelings in humans. Most of us are taught from a young age to fear and mistrust these concepts and anyone promoting them. When we encounter locations in the wild connected to these practices, one never knows what one will find. Or who... Welc...

Whether you're building an in-home ossuary or just trying to find a preserved insect display to tie together your decor, an oddities shop is likely your destination. This bizarre backroom industry has been quietly burgeoning in the last decade - from expos to Etsy and everything in between. In this guest episode, Nathan's good friends Will and Cheyenne give us a rundown of their experiences on the...

We get surly in another round of hypothetical questions!

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." -Juliet Capulet   We all know people with common names. Matthew went to high school with two Jeremy Johnsons who lived across the street from each other. Matthew himself hangs out with three other Matts on the regular. But even so, it's rare that one is confused for a perfect stranger on the basis of name alone....

Not everyone is proud of the things they've done for money. Many of us have had to walk a long, strange road to get where we are now. Here's a few stories from the trenches out there on the fringe.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

We're back for another round of hypotheticals! Enjoy!

Little league sports in most communities scarcely amount to more than the Parks and Rec department running a daycare service. A few kids with natural athleticism may find their time to shine, but for many of us, youth sports was the first time we truly knew shame and the sting of failure. Surprising even themselves with this idea, Nathan and Matthew have decided to share their shame with you. Enjo...

We're back once again with another bite size installment. Still keeping it light and hoping things aren't too heavy for all of you out there listening. Kick back with us for a few and take a load off.

Everyone could use a little break right now, so we won't belabor the obvious here. If you are reading this in 2020 you already know the score. Feel free to stop here and rest before continuing on. We'll do our best to help you take a load off. We are giving away merch with any donation to: blacklivesmatter.com aclu.org actblue.com We send you a package with a shirt, coasters, stickers and buttons...

Sailing the ocean on a tiny vessel made of wood takes courage. Braving the briny depths on a sailboat captained by a teenager requires real brass balls or the whim of a madman. This week our guest Jesse takes a ride on one such nightmare craft. Somehow he and his fellow crew mates manage to weather what seems to be the perfect storm. But their innocence was lost at sea that day.

It has been suggested that any given person has only six degrees of social separation between them and anyone else in the world. If you've ever played "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon," you are clear on the concept. One fine drunken evening, when he was far, far away from home, Nathan found a way to grandfather himself in on one of his favorite Hollywood names.

Some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.   A few of those men were teenagers who found ridiculous ways to surprise, confound, and inspire their instructors and fellow students. From stink bombs to improvised robotics, Matthew and his high school compatriots pulled a series of si...

It's time for another round of hypothetical questions! 

When life offers one something exotic and illegal, the suggested tendency is to take it as far as it will go. On the day that Matthew was allegedly gifted with a dangerous and exciting means of warping his mind, he swiftly made a plan and got cracking. There were definitely a few bumps along the road, but at the end of the day, he was offered a glimpse of what he had been searching for.

By sheer coincidence we have a tale this week that is relevant to current events. This week Nathan tells the story of the time when he was a plague carrier. Though the pathogen that causes his illness was once widespread and sometimes deadly, it has been mostly contained in the US in the last decade through immunization. That's encouraging right? So let's all kick back with a bottle of hand saniti...

As the northern hemisphere slowly rotates past the equinox into the first fledgling vestiges of springtime, the islands subtly tip toward a climatic shift that is only hinted in the gradual cessation of the daily rain. Our heroes chose to make another move into the wettest segment of the island. Fruit in abundance on the trees, blooms of every size, shape, and color, and people of exceeding friend...

After celebrating Christmas in Haiku, our two intrepid adventurers make their way eastward to the coastal bohemian town of Paia. While camping in the beach side forest there, they discover the joys of Hawaiian gas station grub and the finest jojos in the known universe. Mushrooms, whales, drum circles, and psychedelic-fueled body surfing await in part two of our tropical island getaway.

Hawaii has been called paradise by many. That rings true for our heroes as they embark on a life changing excursion to one of the smaller islands. With no plan and only their wits about them, they sling hippie wares to make a buck, learn the rules of the road when it comes to hitchhiking, and discover just how much ants love honey.

Psychological trauma occurs when one experiences a deeply distressing or disturbing event that overwhelms the individual's ability to cope. This causes feelings of helplessness, diminishes their sense of self and hampers their ability to integrate the emotions associated with the experience. In this week's episode, Nathan walks us through the worst night of his life and the messy aftermath.

Another round of hypotheticals with a special guest!

The Ganges River is an incredibly important waterway for India. It provides food and drinking water, a place to bathe and do laundry, a means of transportation and - perhaps most importantly - its banks are an ancient sacred site for several religions. There you can find humans and animals alike descending to the waters amid holy men and hash smokers. Our guest takes the plunge this week in our fi...

Navigating the roads of India sounds like a psychedelic nightmare. You must contend with livestock, wild animals, improvised paving, crowds of people and an armada of questionable vehicles operating without rules, all sporting a vivid rainbow of eye catching colors. And our friend is barreling what amounts to a two-stroke tricycle with a canopy directly through all of that mess. It's a miracle tha...

India. Ancient, vast, populous. Home to a kaleidoscopic multitude of creeds, philosophies and ways of life. Just getting there seems like an adventure unto itself, let alone figuring out how to navigate the utterly foreign geography. Throw in a crazy cross country travel plan in questionable vehicles. Now we're in an overseas stoner comedy. In part one, our guest explains how and why he got there...

As a teenager, going to shows is like walking a tightrope with a drunk monkey on your back. The tension between having a good time with your friends and not getting busted for the inevitable debauchery that ensues is very real. Especially when you have to ride in the car with Mom for an hour each way.