From the Middle

#208. We’re all here! We might not sound as smart as last week’s gentlemen, and we aren’t, but we do have midwestern small town charm. It also means we might live among monsters, but if we did, we’d be oblivious. Almost as oblivious as beech goers blocking your view or motorists parking with their rear bumpers impeding traffic. Anyway, we fight over what donuts are called and we complain about awn...

#207. So Kendall and Kory have British accents now. Either that or Dillon found himself to be the cozy meat inside of a GRIEF BURRITO! That’s right, with Kory and Kendall out, Dillon called up Jordan and Harrison from the podcast pride of the United Kingdom, Grief Burrito. The three manage a fun episode of our usual style of potpourri topics. Some natural, some forced, but all as smooth as a side...

#206. Happy belated Memorial Day! For many of us, this is a time to kick off the summer season with barbecues and cookouts, and from Tajin to Mustard and Ketchup Doritos, to a Flamin’ Hot origin story, we have the condiments covered. There’s even a nugget of accidental condimenting via contaminated tongs. But that one’s a delightful surprise. While Dillon continued his perfecting of the griddle bu...

#205. We transition from talking about the skill of reading music to funny screen names, then right into how Dillon’s head is having a Sebastian Maniscalco moment. And that’s just the first few minutes! We then move on to being excited for seasonal activities and Kory paying a visit to the warehouse of pool chemicals to say hi to the scrappy personnel at the front desk. Speaking of Kory, he’s back...

#204. We’re back! Kory, out of character, tried a plant-based restaurant while he was in (or on) the island of Manhattan and we discuss our reactions; both to the idea of such a place and his experience. On the flip side of that patty, Dillon broke in his new outdoor griddle (much more in-character)! And since Kory is still hungry after horticulture cuisine, we end up talking about what we hope is...

#203. Florida had nice weather!? Kendall is skeptical, but Dillon approved. Speaking of Dillon, he’s back and had a much better experience with the flights. There was a tram issue, which brings up the question: how do you feel about correcting a simple task for someone even if it might make them look dumb? Dillon is a very smart guy. And though he might not be able to efficiently figure out scanni...

#202. We bet a handful of you are listening to this episode via Apple CarPlay right now. Better this than Ed Sheeran for the millionth time. There’s nothing like the trauma of smashing buttons on your car stereo to stop the madness to turn you on to cycling. You may, however, have to talk to a stranger at a bike shop who knows more than you. You’ll overthink it and feel intimidated no matter how n...

#201. Onward into the 200’s for us! Now that we’re established, we had to come up with our venue riders. What pesky little details would we have on our list of requirements should we take our talents on the road? Our answers are probably a little more “middle” than green M&Ms. Also, if we’re on the Deadpool and Rob McElhenny’s radar, perhaps send us a deal! We’re up and comers who would like t...

#200. We said it one hundred episodes ago and we’re here to say it again. Thank YOU for letting us get this far. Just like we learned and grew through the first couple years, we’ve arrived two years later with new (and old) friends, memories, and lessens. In this episode we take a selfish look through episodes 101-199 and we share our favorite moments, or at least we summarize them with witty comm...

#199. We are almost at another milestone and we’d love your help! Follow the LinkTree below and choose your desired method of sharing your favorite moments from the past 200 episodes of the podcast. We hope to share some of your messages in our 200th episode! But for this week, we talk about our Easter moments from our personal celebrations of festive Hoppers hiding eggs, Gaither our thoughts on s...

#198. For those taking the under on Dillon mowing his lawn since the last episode, this is a good day for you! For those who had a computer-generated NCAA basketball bracket, it may be a better day for you than those who poured over each pick. And for those looking to bet on Conor McGregor vs. Roman Reigns, your day may be coming soon. We talk about all of the above before trying on a new segment...

#197. Chomp, crunch, hmmm, glug, ick. That sums up the first portion of this episode as we try some exotic chip flavors and a seasonal soft drink. After snack time we get into our normal potpourri of topical discussions. Spring is so close that we can smell it. Perhaps it’s too early to be mowing lawns, but to Dillon’s dismay its already happening. It’s also too early for any kind of decent fishin...

#196. As we Spring into another episode, we do so with high-flying kicks, bad March Madness picks, and Oscar-winning flicks as we catch up on our lives. From karate tournaments to high-school musicals, we share our pride in our kiddos, even if the AV team fell a bit short. Kendall shares the frustration of being in a library the one time it’s busy, Dillon fills us in on the always mad NCAA basketb...

#195. A last minute decision on a road trip for Dillon’s family gets a bit slippery but is saved by the sage advise of a man in a parking garage. They learned the true cost of a fairy wand, but a journey through the many layers of a Jungle proved to give Dillon the refreshing return to is Dad’s root. All the while, Kory returns to his roots and, like a kid in a candy store, finds the nostalgia del...

#194. They say with age comes wisdom. But they say a lot of things, and that’s just one of things we don’t find to be particularly helpful. Instead of feeling bad for ourselves, we try to overcome by doing things like moving heavy furniture, getting bikes fixed, and raising kids. Those often leave us in pain, embarrassment, and anxious. So what do we do now? We take it out on other drivers, anyone...

#193. Dillon and Kendall sing a duet of potpourri topics in this one while Kory is stuck in a hotel with poor internet access. The first whiff is that of freshly brewed coffee beverages from a lovely housewarming gift Dillon received. And though the crisp smell of winter is fading, Kendall had one last hurrah with the bouquet of Christmas as February ends. And while we can all assume what a footba...

#192. We hit the “record” button as Dillon shares why he almost gave up eating yogurt forever after his college experience. But then we introduce friend and fourth chair for the week, Brad Higginbotham! Brad joins us as we talk seriously for a moment about the environmental and economical tragedy of a train accident in East Palestine, Ohio until Kendall makes a dumb joke which no one understands....

#191. We are back! Kendall lost his voice for a while there and Dillon took a family vacation. Kendall’s voice has returned so he can drop some Australian knowledge on his friends. Dillon is home and brought a riveting, fast-paced traveling story to share. A server at restaurant made the wrong move when they didn’t write down the order, but that would prove to be a mild inconvenience in comparison...

#190. Dillon doesn’t have a mouth-farting tic, Kory maybe isn’t as neurotic as we thought, but now Kendall thinks he’s Kevin Costner. We’re not all crazy, even if we boil Pepsi’s new Starry lemon-lime soda down into conspiracy theories. Hey, have you ever waited in line over an hour to try a sandwich? Here in the Midwest, we make sacrifices to find fresh seafood like that of Cousin’s Maine Lobster...

#189. As a bit of a disclaimer, this episode experienced several recording problems resulting in some chopped off phrases and audio imbalances. Please assume that we are smarter than we sometimes sound. It’s that type of imagination which holds this thing together. Dillon kicks us off on a food tour through Alabama. The chicken tastes like peaches and the burgers are just out of reach, but overall...

#188. The fellas share popular and unpopular thoughts from the depths of their visual media archives to bring you their streamiest episode ever. Deep Space Nine? PARTIALLY BAD. Disenchanted? FELL ASLEEP. Enola Holmes? Well, LISTEN TO FIND OUT! The leading story: the person on the other end of your FaceTime call is tired of looking at the ceiling, and the family behind you at the supermarket doesn’...

#187. Without Kendall’s supervision, the brothers begin pondering English Pokemon names and how or if they’re related to their Japanese counterparts. No answers, just questions. Much like Kory’s experience at a popular steakhouse. Let’s just say it might take a long time to track down dinner while in the outback. We learn that lying doesn’t pay, unless you lie in the other direction like Dillon ad...

#186. The Dew got dangerous. We commence this episode with the new Hard Mountain Dew in hand as we begin running down some lists of what made 2022 special. The highs and lows of the year as it pertains to film, tv, music, and pop culture are all on the table. Was it truly the year of sequels? And hey, remember the “Corn kid?” We then set aside some time to mention a few of the celebrities we lost...

#185. It’s officially the holiday tweener week! We probably (definitely) made that up, but just roll with it. In the midst of our still ongoing Christmas celebrations, we took a moment to catch up with each other and share our stories. Dillon’s family is finally in the stages of having a child of the fun Christmas age, and boy did they deliver. Barbie Dream Houses have gotten fancier from when we...

#184. Merry Christmas everyone! It’s Christmas week, and while Kory is off traveling with his wife, Dillon and Kendall celebrate the holiday week with some lists, statistics, and nostalgia surrounding this time of year. We discuss our favorite sweet treats while we look into a state-by-state chart of America’s favorite cookies. We mention a fun little surprising tradition we’ve heard about from Ja...