Just Passing Through Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Episode 170 You’re born into a world you don’t quite fit into. Aberdeen, Washington—blue-collar, gray skies, a town where dreams don’t stretch much further than the sawmill. You’re just a kid, quiet and sensitive, drawing pictures and listening to music. Then your parents split, and it shatters something inside you. You start to feel like you don’t belong anywhere—not at home, not...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 169 Anthony Bourdain never just sat at the table; he burned it, flipped it over, and wrote a damn good story about it. A chef, a traveler, a provocateur, and a poet of the unsanitized world, Bourdain ripped through life with a cigarette in one hand and a pen in the other. He wasn’t born into greatness; he clawed his way through the grime of dish pits and the drudgery of Ne...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 168 Ah, sweet freedom. One glorious month to sit back and savor the exquisite schadenfreude of being off while others toil away in the fluorescent-lit trenches of workplace misery. For eight long months, you’ve endured the delicate ballet of navigating normal coworkers—a refreshing upgrade from the Kafkaesque nightmare that was four years with the Worst People Ever™. Who w...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 167 Zhang Qian was an explorer, diplomat, and a pivotal figure in ancient Chinese history, known especially for his role in establishing the Silk Road, the legendary trade route that connected China to the West. His life and career unfolded during the Han Dynasty, specifically under the rule of Emperor Wu, one of China’s most influential rulers. Born around 195 BCE in Chen...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 166 Hugh Thompson Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1943. He grew up with a strong sense of right and wrong, nurtured by his upbringing in a small Southern town. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy and then the Army, eventually becoming a helicopter pilot with the rank of Warrant Officer. By 1968, Thompson was stationed in Vietnam, flying reconnaissance missions and transporti...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 165 Louis Zamperini’s life was a remarkable journey from Olympic fame to wartime survival and beyond. Born in 1917 to Italian immigrants in California, he was a rebellious kid who discovered his talent for running, becoming a track star and earning a spot on the 1936 U.S. Olympic team. In Berlin, his stunning final lap in the 5,000 meters even caught the attention of Adolf...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 164 we dive into the remarkable story of Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese diplomat who risked his career to save thousands of Jewish refugees during World War II. We explore Sugihara's early life, his work in Manchukuo, and the circumstances that led him to defy orders while stationed at the Japanese consulate in Lithuania. Through his tireless efforts, Sugihara issued t...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 163 Welcome to the latest episode of The Unplugged Teenager , where we dive into the drama, dilemmas, and occasional delights of raising a teenager without the smartphone crutch. This week, it’s a tale of tough love, Yorkshire-style. Picture this: my 13-year-old daughter, who’s been spending more time on her screen than on her schoolwork, found herself phoneless as of last...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 162 In a tale that could easily be titled "How to Fund Your Dermatologist and Run from Drama: The Mai Watanabe Story," 26-year-old Mai Watanabe managed to finesse three men in their 50s out of a cool ¥155 million (about $1 million). Armed with nothing but her charm, some well-placed sob stories, and a few existential crises of her own, she made it rain yen in wha...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 161 So there I was, a disciplined warrior of fitness and health, a paragon of self-control, fasting until 2 PM like a monk on a spiritual quest. I was the kind of person who could walk past a donut shop without even a twitch in my resolve. But then, I got a peek behind the curtain of retirement life. Four days off—four glorious, structure-free days. What could go wrong? Tu...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 160 In a shocking and bizarre turn of events, reports have emerged that immigrants crossing the U.S. border are opting to eat cats and dogs rather than risk a meal at Burger King. The reason? According to some, the food at Burger King is just that bad. One anonymous source close to the situation explained, "Look, these people have been through hell to get here. They’v...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 159 So, I’ve just come back from the UK, right? Honestly, I’ve eaten so much cheese, I’m practically sweating cheddar. I’m talking the full Monty – Brie, Stilton, Red Leicester – the whole cheese board. It’s like I went on a one-man mission to prop up the British dairy industry. You know it’s bad when you have a full English breakfast, and you’re sprinkling cheese on your...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 158 So, Oasis is reuniting in 2025? I should be excited, right? Back in '94, they were the kings of my world. I was 23, full of piss and vinegar, and those Gallagher brothers were the soundtrack to my wild, reckless youth. Nights spent dropping pills, sniffing powder, and guzzling pints like there was no tomorrow, all while shouting along to "Wonderwall" lik...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 157 Ah, Britain—a land of rolling hills, quaint tea shops, and, apparently, rioting racists who couldn’t run a mile even if you promised them a free sausage roll at the finish line. Yes, the recent uproar in some corners of the nation has done more than just disrupt the peace. It’s exposed the far right for what they truly are: a motley crew of pie-pinching, high-blood-pre...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 156 Swapping Zushi's Sun for Bradford's Clouds: A Tale of Two Cities As the summer sun beams down on the golden sands of Zushi, Japan, I find myself in a bittersweet state. Zushi, with its shimmering sea and vibrant beach life, is my haven. Every summer, the beach transforms into a lively playground where locals and tourists alike bask in the sun, indulge in wate...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 155 Once upon a time, in the not-so-distant past of 2020, a quaint little Facebook group dedicated to cycling enthusiasts was enjoying its glory days. It was a haven for discussions about the best bike trails, gear reviews, and sharing the sheer joy of cycling. But then, like a derailleur going haywire, things took an unexpected turn. It all started innocuously enough with...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 154 England. The country that gave the world the beautiful game, only to continually break our hearts with it. Supporting the England football team is like riding an emotional rollercoaster that’s perpetually stuck in a loop of thrilling climbs and devastating drops. It's an exercise in both loyalty and masochism, and the recent Euro final against Spain was no excepti...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 153 Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed listeners of our humble podcast, it’s time for me to eat a slice of humble pie. Or, in this case, a whole bakery's worth. I've been banging on for weeks about how England didn’t stand a chance in the Euros. I mean, I’ve been more negative than a grumpy cat in a rainstorm. And now, here I am, being made to eat my words by none ot...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 152 Why, oh why, do I do this to myself? Here I am, a 53-year-old man, dragging myself out of bed at the ungodly hour of 4 AM in Japan, all to watch England play football. Yes, England. The team that insists on playing with my heartstrings like a cat with a ball of yarn. So there I am, half-asleep, barely conscious, clutching my mug of coffee like it's a lifeline. The...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 151 Watching Joe Biden in the presidential debate was like watching your grandad try to operate an iPad for the first time—painful, confusing, and slightly concerning. There he was, the most powerful man in the world, fumbling around with his words like they were a set of keys he’d lost down the back of the sofa. You could almost hear the collective groan of a nation think...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 150 I rip open the festering wound that is England's footballing history. If you're an England fan, you're well-acquainted with the gut-wrenching cycle of hope, hype, and inevitable heartbreak. This show is for you, the masochists who get up at 4 AM to watch yet another uninspiring performance, only to ask yourself, "Why do I do this to myself?" Th...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 149 It was 2006, a year filled with dubious fashion choices, bad pop music, and me, at the ripe old age of 35, freshly single and drowning in self-pity at a bar that could only be described as a dive for people too drunk to notice. Picture it: the kind of establishment where the air is thicker than a Glaswegian accent and the floor sticks to your shoes with a mystery subst...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 148 100-year-old World War II veteran, Harold Terens, and his sprightly 96-year-old bride, Jeanne, tying the knot in Normandy. Yes, you read that correctly. With a combined age of 196, these two lovebirds have decided to spend their twilight years not in a serene retirement home, but in the throes of wedded bliss. Harold, who once stormed the beaches of Normandy and witnes...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 147 In the ever-entertaining saga of American politics, President Biden seems to be playing a high-stakes game of legal whack-a-mole with Trump, aiming to keep him occupied with courtroom dramas as the 2024 election looms. It's almost as if Biden is hoping to score a political knockout before the big rematch. But hold on to your hats! If Trump pulls off a comeback and...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 146 I recently had the pleasure of hosting my friend Dale on my podcast to discuss his favorite travel destination: Bali. Dale’s been visiting Bali since 1979 and has seen the island evolve through every decade. From the bustling streets of Kuta to the serene landscapes of Ubud, Dale’s experiences paint a vivid picture of this enchanting island, flavored with a pinch of hu...