The Big Boo Cast

Well naturally we kick off this week's episode with a Thanksgiving weekend recap in general and a college football recap in particular (you should expect no less from us in late November / early December). We also talk through a fairly extensive list of shows we've been watching, and Melanie fills us in on her family's recent trip to the Christmas tree lot - among other Christmas-related dramas. O...

On this episode we did a little spin on our weekly Five Favorites to spend some time focusing on gratitude. Yes, 2020 has been a train wreck, but it's also given us all sorts of opportunities to be thankful for essential workers and college football and Phil Rosenthal, among other things. And just in case we haven't said it enough: we are extraordinarily thankful for all of you who make up our lit...

Well, we're back with the second installment of our annual Holiday Gift Guide, and man oh man has it ever been an eventful week between part 1 and part 2. We catch you up on all of that at the beginning of the episode, and then we dig into our favorite gift ideas for men and women in lo, the year of our Lord 2020. If you missed last week's episode, you can catch up on our gift ideas for teenagers...

This week Melanie and I dig into some areas of personal dysfunction - practical things in our lives where we have largely operated as if we had no choice but to participate in poorly functioning systems (that sounds really serious, but I can assure that our discussion is not). We also spend some time celebrating the #5 Texas A&M Fightin' Aggies before we jump into the main focus of this episod...

Well, we recognize that there's a lot going on this week (#election2020), so we do our best to PROVIDE SOME DISTRACTIONS. We talk about the storm that hit Birmingham last week, some exciting news in Melanie's family, and our unexpectedly reflective thoughts about 2020 in general and quarantine in particular.  We also discuss five of my current favorite things as well as the new devotional book I'm...

We recorded this episode when one of us (okay, it was me) was experiencing some significant sleep deprivation, but why let a little loopy-ness stop the podcast fun? We talk about an incredible meal we had in Pawhuska, a recent shampoo / conditioner revelation, and our new favorite TV show that's on Apple+. In addition to all that goodness, Melanie shares an update on Imogene from Imogene's basemen...

We recorded this episode earlier this week when we were in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, so it's probably no surprise that we talk a little bit about our trip. Unfortunately, though, we recorded before we had the feast of our adult lives at Ree's P-Town restaurant Monday night, so we'll for sure have to talk about that next week. Perhaps we will have recovered from all the deliciousness by then. We do cover...

This week was a real home run as far as our technical prowess, because something extra bizarre happened with my sound file the first time we recorded - so we had to re-record two days later.  We're just trying to stay on brand with 2020, apparently.  So what we have here is a barely-edited episode (which is why it's a little longer than normal) - just edited enough to put the ads in their appropri...

There's only one way to sum up how the college football weekend turned out for Melanie and me: it was not ideal. So on this episode we discuss our respective disappointments (in fairness, Melanie seemed to handle things much better than I did) and do our best to believe there are great football days ahead. You can almost smell the optimism.  We also talk about what Melanie's watching, why she want...

Normally Melanie and I try to show some restraint during college football season, but this week, between the start of SEC football, Mike Leach's coaching debut with Mississippi State, and my Bulldogs winning in Baton Rouge, WE HAVE SO MUCH TO SAY. Thank you in advance for your patience with us during this very exciting time. In addition to talking about football, football, and LO, MORE FOOTBALL, w...

If listening to Melanie and me troubleshoot our technical issues is your idea of quality podcast material, then this, my friends, is going to be the episode of your dreams. Our ish-ahs are thanks to a clicking noise that I believe to be the result of a short in one of Melanie's USB ports, but what matters most, I think, is that Melanie's reactions to the whole situation are SOLID GOLD. In addition...

If you listened to last week's episode, then you won't be surprised to learn that the first thing we address on this episode is WHAT IN THE WORLD HAPPENED WITH THE BOOTIES? It might well be the biggest cliffhanger in the history of our little podcast. Our own version of Who Shot JR?, only with shoes. And no oil fortune. And no guns. But other than that, IDENTICAL. In addition to a booties update,...

You'll be shocked to know that we talk about football on this episode (including our favorite stay-up-to-read-the-post-game-news wins), and we also break down a little Real Housewives because, well, WE ARE STILL IN A PANDEMIC. On top of all that excitement, we discuss what we're reading, five things I'm enjoying right now, and the harrowing situation with Mel's most recent booties order from Nords...

Well, it only took us thirteen years, but here we are at episode 200. Won't He do it? On average we have cranked out 15.38 episodes a year since 2007, and if you're thinking that doesn't seem like a lot, you're exactly right. This might be a good time to point you in the direction of 2010 and 2012, when we managed to record one whole episode each year. Bless it. Anyway, our 200th episode is pretty...

Well, if you've wondered over the last week if the Kale Boss was in fact the boss of our friend Melanie, you'll be happy to hear this week's juice cleanse update. You might also be interested to hear my update on our first high school football game of the season, which was a happy return to a little something we like to call a LIVE SPORTING EVENT. What a marvelous concept that is. On top of all th...

Sometimes we don't get a chance to talk about a regular-ole-life something that's going on until we sit down to record on Mondays, and that was certainly the case this week. Melanie shares some newly formed health / fitness goals, and I think the best way to describe my response is SURLIGHTED (surprised + delighted). Oh my goodness. Next week's update should be solid gold. We also discuss a parent...

Not long before we recorded this week's episode, I posted on Instagram and asked if y'all had any broad topics you wanted us to cover. To absolutely no one's surprise, college football the #1 answer - followed by parenting, friendship, and home. SO. We structured this episode (well, "structured" might be a strong word - maybe just "loosely organized") around those four topics, and we used some of...

After spending the last two weeks with delightful, wise, funny guests (thanks, Mike Leach and Phil Rosenthal ), we’re back to our usual shenanigans on this episode. It’s just Melanie and me, and we talk about the comfort of a good caftan, the practical side of going back to work (for example, I can no longer spend my days in walking tights and t-shirts), and the joy of finally finding a dry shampo...

If you've been listening to the podcast pretty regularly the last couple of months, then you have heard Melanie and me mention the Netflix series Somebody Feed Phil over and over again. Melanie started watching (after Karen Howell recommended it, if memory serves), and then I started watching, and here we are, roughly six weeks later, both certifiably obsessed with it. Because it is FANTASTIC. So...

I feel like I can speak for most Mississippi State fans and say that when it comes to Mike Leach being named our head football coach earlier this year, we're all still pinching ourselves. And listen - Melanie has been just as excited as I have been. That is because Mike Leach is a genius, and he is a college football legend, and the SEC will be better with him in it. So needless to say, we are abs...

The credit for this whole episode goes to Melanie, who suggested that we have a conversation about the books that have shaped us over the course of our lives. So what we have here in Ye Olde Episode 193 is a discussion of Books We Have Loved - from childhood to adulthood. And it's not just that we love these books; it's also that, in big ways and small ways, these books have shaped us in some sign...

To absolutely no one's surprise, we talk a whole lot about  Hamilton in this episode. And also  Somebody Feed Phil . And then maybe a little more about  Hamilton . But really, all of that pales in comparison to Melanie's ranch adventures on the 4th of July, a day that just might have changed her forever. Because SWEET MERCY, THE NATURE. We also discuss Melanie's new thoughts about Cica moisturizin...

So Melanie and I are taking a little break this week, but we're sharing an episode that will be new to most of you. Last month on Patreon we did a Closer Look episode on health and body image, and we got more feedback - comments, DMs, emails - than we have on any other episode. People's reactions were encouraging and candid and inspiring. Given that, we thought we would share the epsiode here, too...

This episode is a real hodge-podge, which might well be our very favorite kind. We talk about corn and laundry detergent and hair ties and Melanie's pre- Hamilton television concerns. We also discuss a guasha stone tutorial Melanie recently watched as well as how tired we are of cooking. Because PANDEMIC. And we spend some time breaking it on down in terms of some big ole takeaways from Somebody F...

When we start this episode, I'm maybe not in my best frame of mind on book release eve ( Stand All the Way Up came out this past Tuesday). But then Melanie compares my writing to mashed potatoes, and then we talk about Jessica Simpson's memoir, Open Book , and let me tell you: my frown turned upside down. DO NOT SLEEP ON JESSICA'S WRITING ABILITY, friends. For the rest of the episode we do a Q&amp...