The Brain Candy Podcast

Susie got to hang out with some other Rices, and it was glorious. Sarah started horse school, and she is loving it, but she doesn't think she can ever ride a horse again (!). Susie watched a documentary about a hotel that gives their guests dolls to do, um, very not safe for work things to, and we are debating whether this is harm reduction for men who would otherwise treat women poorly or just en...

Scientists have discovered a new part of the female anatomy and they have no idea what it even does. So that's just great. A disabled woman was paid her full salary, but told not to come to work, and she sued for being excluded from working (WHILE STILL GETTING PAID), and Susie has never been more furious. We don't know how we feel about Taylor Swift's Madison Square Garden wedding, and now the Sw...

Sarah just started a therapy business, but she thinks she missed her calling as a redecorator for therapy offices. Someone who could use Sarah's therapy skills is the guy Susie saw at Oktoberfest who had a full-on 15-minute slur-filled rant, and the sheriff had to cart him away. Susie watched a documentary about ultramarathoners, and describes the teams of people who support these extreme athletes...

We're brainstorming Halloween costume ideas because, once again, we will be enjoying Spooky Season together. We've got so many good options. We discuss problems at a big festival causing people to evacuate, and we are starting to think there are too many festivals, and they're getting crazy with litter, consumerism, crowd control, etc... One thing is certain, pyrotechnics are almost always a mista...

Sarah has a new enemy, and its electronic behemoth, Best Buy. Apparently they want to charge you to recycle your goods, and she ain't having it. Susie's having better luck with her appliances, and shares a hack for getting a free toaster (or something?). We hear about a brawl that broke out over a beach chair that left a man dead. Susie explains why Pittsburghers encourage "saving" your parking sp...

Sarah talks about restaurant owners who are sick of patrons letting their children run amok. Sarah learns about a study that determined a love for chocolate isn't just for humans. Turns out, rats can't get enough either and they scream (literally!) for it! Sarah is prepping for her next career as a shopping consultant to help us become smart shoppers. We learn why Ozempic has changed the food indu...

Sarah got her first mammogram, and it as both easier and harder than she expected. Susie has a shocking new poo story about an athlete who soiled herself in a competition, kept going, won, and then made everyone mad. We learn about a man who was pulled over for drunk driving, but in addition to being wasted, this guy was...BLIND. Hear how he managed to drive without sight. Scientists have analyzed...

Sarah's a horse whisperer, so when she goes riding she gets the naughty boys. We learn why a Utah lake is drying up. Sarah believes school notebook colors correspond with certain subjects, and even though it makes no sense, she's right. A new show, Not a Sound, about a hearing-impaired woman, cast an actress who is hearing, and some people aren't happy about it. Hear our thoughts. Sarah explains w...

Sarah passed her therapy licensing test, and now she feels like a new woman. We discuss what personal life information influencers "owe" their followers, why some people believe the influencers lose their privacy in exchange for online success, and how the two of us navigate our personal lives in the public eye. We hear which achievements in science won Ig Nobel Prizes this year. We talk about a s...

We're not blowing our whistles anymore, but if we were we would do it about thong underwear. Susie used to swear up and down that they were her preferred cut, but now she says that wasn't true. And she has a way to find out whether you think they're the most comfortable underwear as well. We discuss the problem with American bananas, and why a monocrop could lead to losing them altogether. Susie e...

Today we're talking about the Death of a Pastor's Wife documentary, which, with it's religion, cyberstalking, and marital control themes, got us going down a dark path. We hear about the scammer, Daejon Love, who convinced 26 women he was the star player for the 49ers, and got them to give him $1.3M. We learn about "Baby Jessica's" recent run-in with the law, and while we don't condone her actions...

Sarah wants people to stop with the obscure and niche wedding dress codes that make no sense. We learn about a study that showed how the brain scans of people can predict who they'll be friends with regardless of common interests and personality types. We hear about "local sleep," which allows you to "sleep" in tiny increments throughout the day when you are otherwise fully awake. Sarah explains h...

Susie watched the Boeing documentary, Freefall, which exposes the company's negligence that likely led to many of the recent airplane crashes, malfunctions, and fatalities. We learn about a Titanic-themed slide a family installed on their farm, which infuriated residents who thought it was insensitive. We debate whether making light of the tragedy is inappropriate or people are being overly sensit...

We learn what people think are the most romantic cities in the U.S. to go on a date, and we're just glad Vegas wasn't on the list. Sarah reveals the most disturbing fact Susie says we've ever learned on the show--it's a statistic about men's underwear and we are NOT OK (and clearly, neither are men). We find out about Matt Damon's (female!) stunt double, and why she is our badass bitch of the week...

There is a new documentary coming out about Olympic breakdancer and academic, Raygun, and we don't know how we're going to be able to wait for its release. In the meantime, we talk about Amanda Knox's decision to try her hand at comedy, and why we think maybe she should do literally anything else. We debate whether it's inappropriate for her to make light of a murder or whether being wrongfully ac...

Susie spun the birthday wheel at her favorite dive bar, and she'll be riding that high for a while. Sarah watched a documentary called Big Chicken where a comedian looks into the health effects of fast food fried chicken for 28 days, and we learn what he experienced by eating a ton of fried chicken. We discuss the ways your personality can change if you want it to, and we consider how our personal...

Sarah got Susie amazing birthday gifts, and you all are going to be very jealous! We learn the science of left-handedness, why it's still so mysterious, and what makes it so exceptional among animals. We discuss the new Monsters of God docuseries, which covers the reptile and snake trade, smuggling, and the ways the criminals are in cahoots with zoos. We find out the history of the ice industry, a...

Sarah is still in her Camp Era, and that includes giving us tips on nobody's-favorite-game, Simon Says. She is ruthless. We discuss why kids still get homesick sometimes when they're at camp, but now counselors are noticing that parents are "kid-sick," and have separation anxiety while their kids are away. Sarah offers an ADHD life hack that she created after becoming obsessed with the camp salad...

It's Susie's birthday and she joined AARP and is pretty stoked about her trunk organizer. Sarah is rolling the dice on eating lettuce when the stakes are pretty high these days. We learn why dogs do that weird circular positioning thing when they have to poop, and the reason researchers can't figure out why they do it. We discuss a Super K employee who was fired and sued by the company after he bo...

Sarah's brainstorming her camp plans for this summer, and she just might solve climate change single-handedly. We learn about "dopamine sites" in Asia, where people can pretend to shop or order food to get a hit of dopamine, but they're not actually buying anything. And we have a theory that it's not what it seems (sPoOoOkY!). We discuss the trend in Singapore where seniors are learning parkour in...

Sarah is headed off to camp, and she plans for her mission to fight littering and reminisces about the worst "plague" year at camp. We hear about terminal lucidity, where caregivers report dementia patients "returning" to their normal selves just before death, and how it relates to near-death experiences. We learn the science behind why Moana Mania is sweeping the nation, and the reasons why child...

We discuss Sarah's algorithm and why it's feeding her lavender marriages, and we debate their merits. We discuss the Presbyterian church debating whether to let their clergy be in polyamorous relationships. Sarah names some of the rules and courtesies the Washington Post says apply to people going on group vacations. Susie seems to be mad about power banks for some reason, so we have to hear about...

Sarah is back from the Windy City, and boy are her arms tired. Susie's whole body is tired because she had to lead a cat rescue operation. We discuss the Bang My Box documentary about Robin Byrd's New York cable access show in the 80s, and how she was a gay icon and advocate, but got spooked by the internet. We learn why Burning Man was in distress over Covid, why white people love the festival, a...

Susie is throwing a party and would like you people to start RSVP-ing. Do people think that is optional?? We try to figure out why Sarah dated so many narcissists and we decide whether that's why she likes Susie (lol). We learn about a new job at a dating company that we think we would crush--Chief Break-up Officer, who breaks up with people on behalf of someone. What. Sarah asks a really thought-...

Sarah renamed her dog, and we are so excited about our new mascot. Susie found out baseball stadiums and the playing field all have different dimensions and we hear which stadium is the hardest to be a batter. We learn about a woman who convinced rock musicians to let her make casts of their, uh, special instrument, if you know what I mean. We discuss the amazing two decade run of Kidz Bop, their...