From the Middle

#329. Remember when playing childhood sports in the backyard in an unorganized fashion was fun? Maybe for some of us, if we really try to remember those moments, we remember more kickball games ending in anger because someone tried to make up a rule on the spot than games ending in laughter and joy that we just had a great time. Turns out having an ump in that scenario doesn’t change much. There’s...

#328. I dare you to stay “rural” 15 times without feeling like a doofus. Also, Chat GPT is asking questions and that makes us nervous. With that out of the way, we get to hear from Dillon and his delightful reward of a vacation! Costa Rica treated him well and the all-inclusiveness of a typically not all-inclusive resort is maybe a step above other experiences. Coffee tastings from single origins,...

#327. Happy Birthday, Dillon! We hope you got to celebrate with something like carrot cake. Carrot cake: vegetable. And I don’t care who knows it anymore. Maybe we should get a shirt made which says, “Vegetables are more easily understood the less we understand about them” and wear it all over the world to let everyone know what we’re all about. Scottie Pippin would know it by know if we did. We w...

#326. We’re back after a few weeks off! We begin with that explanation and honorable nod to Dillon and Kory’s grandfather. We share some of what we’ve been up to the past few weeks, then we get into discussing doing home projects with your spouse and what it looks like when plans aren’t aligned. For example, maybe we shouldn’t plant new trees until Kory is done digging himself a hole. Also, Kory h...

#325. Oh hi! We were just talking about matching a hat to the beard. Speaking of which, by some beard oil; the Artius Man link is below. Anyway, Kory is back and has some meal strategy to add to our previous discussion before he shares the ups and downs and ups again about his trip to Spain. He and his wife had a great time, learned what Tapas are all about, and got angry at the Spanish Home Depot...

#324. Ever feel old enough to get scammed but young enough to know better? Kendall does. Ever find tortillas so good you need to stow them away for a flight home only to wish a week later you would have bought more luggage to smuggle more? Dillon does. We talk for half an episode about those two things. We could have gone longer even, but we needed to discuss more important things such as regional...

#323. I’m not sick, but I’m not well. It turns out those words were probably meant to help us understand our middle-aged existence as we ponder our aches and pains, overthinking, and refreshed interests. But all of it seems to be heading somewhere cool as priorities and relationships with friends and family straighten out. Balancing work and family travel, watching tv for ourselves or with our spo...

#322. Happy Birthday to two of our favorite young people with such bright futures! One can look forward to the freedom of driving, another can look forward to figuring out pizza. Nowhere to go but up! There’ll be some bumps along the way. Popsicles might get weird, pizza chains will lie about improvements, and lemon-lime soda will always make you think of vomit, but the mac-and-cheese and sushi at...

#321. The thaw is underway  and we came out of our dens to record another episode! Ever find yourself showing off for nobody? If you throw a snowball into the air and perfectly roundhouse it into bits but there was no-one around to see it, did it really happen? Maybe that’s why Uber drivers wait until they have a passenger before they show off their stunt driving. Speaking of stunts, the Winter Ol...

#320. It’s snack time, folks! You thought sandwiches and egg rolls were perfectly fine the way they were. And they are. But why not make them more fork friendly? It worked for burritos! Maybe the crab rangoon burrito will become so popular that it evolves again into a bowl and then we’ll have a spoonable burrito! Just ask for extra crab. It may be a little spendy, but then again, so is Dillon some...

#319. Cracking ribs, roasted mashed potatoes, and hold the bacon. If that doesn’t turn out how you hoped, maybe just order up another episode! Also on the menu is the mobster special. It comes with a trip to the back where you’ll encounter Tony. If he’s not there, just wait a few minutes. He ran back to the store to pick up tortillas for the crab rangoon (they are on sale). Should you survive Tony...

#318. Happy New Year! We’re back after a fun OR relaxing holiday break with our families, and we catch up on what made this holiday season special for us. Are you glad to see 2025 end? Does a new year feel like a new start to you? Do you make resolutions? Let us know via the LinkTree below as we share some of our thoughts heading into 2026. After the break we discuss streaming including Stranger T...

#317. Christmas is about a week out and we’re so ready and living in the moment. Our kids are winding down school and Kory and his wife are looking to invest in the cookie business. White elephants are alive and well and the laundromat is looking better than ever! There’s a lot to love.  And then there’s the delivery companies and the customer service of online retailers who perhaps shouldn’t be i...

#316. If Martha Stewarting your own yogurt isn’t for you, just give us like three minutes and we’ll dive into a magical conversation led by Dillon and his recent family trip to Disney. From tear-inducing moments with his daughter to Dillon finding his own youth at Galaxy’s Edge, we experience the joy with him. I dare you to try listening without smiling to yourself as the heat gets turned up in yo...

#315. Now that the youngster is on vacation, Kory and Kendall can talk about backs, shoulders, and knees acting up. AI can’t yet give us newer versions of ourselves, but it sure can give new life to old music! Or perhaps you prefer good old fashioned creativity, such as Kory’s kid’s well-crafted Christmas lists. Sometimes all your child wants is a hug, and if you only knew the joy that would follo...

#314. Wanna hear what three middle class guys sound like when they’re bird watching? How about if Kory is still alive after running a 5k? Or what happens when a guy known to avoid confrontation finds himself challenged by drive-thru workers and inconsiderate spectators? Then listen to this episode! We share some more thoughts on fast food etiquette as well as get into some streaming with special g...

#313. How warm to you keep your house this time of year? November in Ohio brings two things: some freezing cold temps making you worry about whether or not you disconnected your garden hoses, and a lack of guarantee that you’re finished mowing for the year. With that comes the somewhat contentious question of who gets to control the thermostat in the house and car. We talk about that. Perhaps bein...

#312. Happy HalloWEEN!! Between the way we emphasize particular words and acknowledge a punnily named fudge factory, the first half of this episode would be likely to get us kicked out of 3rd grade. Thankfully we’re adults and can do whatever we want; even if that means blowing off plans because we just don’t like having plans. But how do you do that tactfully? And when is it too late to ask someo...

311. Kory is getting into candy corn and peanuts season with some Halloween festivities, as is Kendall, the World Series is going into the history books, and the Steelers look like a bunch of pale dorks. We hit a solid six/seven topics in this catch up around our lives episode. After the break we’ll hear about Kory’s invigorating experience in one of the most beautiful areas of our continent along...

#310. Is Dillon a shotgun on his truck rack kind of guy or a designer chromed pistol in his roadster kind of guy? Maybe he’s more of a nail clippers in the console of his reliability machine kind of guy. We find out! Someone at Kory’s local McDonalds found out that answer as it pertains to one of their customers, and yes, the ice cream machine is involved. Speaking of foods you can’t get, we discu...

#309. Someone call Will Smith just in case we need someone to slap around the invading robots. We might not see them much where we live, but we know they’re out there and we have thoughts. But maybe they could make an emergency Halloween candy run for those of us with self-emptying bowls. Or dress one up in a gentleman suit to teach some of us how to treat a lady. Also, Kory joins in on the sports...

#308. Perhaps some of us had dreams of becoming radio broadcasters when we were kids. Having a middle-class podcast is the closest we’ve come to “making it” as far as that’s concerned, but here we are! Kendall shares a wonderful weekend away with his boy which includes a special note for the executives at Uber. Ya’ll have some things to fix. Then we dive into the Cracker Barrel logo situation and...

#307. Happy candy corn season! It’s officially October in the midwest and we are gearing up for the weather to do its bi-polar thing. Speaking of which, Dillon created an AI game with potential midwest phrases and it’s astounding how many of them have to do with changing weather. We’re not sure if this is uniquely Midwest, but we’re pretty sure a lot of things on this list are spot-on regional gol...

#306. Just three middle class guys sharing their mid-life crisis together! Kory starts by eating his way through it as he had some catching up to do. Dillon and Kendall got started on their favorite dishes last week. Then we talk about maybe who we’re becoming as we engage with customer service in our middle age. Then it’s on to low-key bars and other new hobbies to take our money while we try to...