Brain Junk

We’re not gonna tell you what’s in this episode. It’s SO much better if it’s a surprise. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brainjunkpodcast.substack.com

Celebrate Trace’s birthday with a little slang and a lot of snark. We’ll be talking about Cockney rhyming slang and elbowing our way into the science of sarcasm. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brainjunkpodcast.substack.com

From ancient China to Turkey, Anatolia and Victorian England, the language of flowers has added meaning and created controversy practically the world round. We dive into some history, make a few flower sentences of our own and explore the strange and wonderful world of blooms. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brainjunkpodcast.substack.com

Nurture your inner Olympian, stand upon the podium and feel that gold medal slide around your neck for sculpture or cannon shooting. How about try your hand at skiing behind a running horse. Perhaps YOU are an undiscovered solo synchronized swimmer. Whatever your game, join team Brain Junk and line up! It’s time for our event, Tug-of-War! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brainjunkpodcast.substack.com

Ever wondered how they make Jelly Belly jelly beans? How ’bout where baby Volkswagens are made? Today we’re all about fun and interesting factory tours. Most we’ve been on and a few we haven’t. Hurry up and get your free sample! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brainjunkpodcast.substack.com

Your extreme and irrational fear of spiders or public speaking or of heights is called a phobia. It doesn’t make sense, often can’t be rationalized and woe betide the fool who tells you to just take a deep breath and relax. Your amygdala believes there’s a danger and you’re fight-or-flighting before you even know it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brainjunkpodcast.substack.com

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE the county fair, but sometimes, you need a more adventurous kind of festival where you defy death to chase a wheel of cheese or have a man jump over your baby to protect her from harm. Summer’s almost over. Let’s take our festival game up a notch. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brainjunkpodcast.substack.com

Yeah, Yeah, so your kid got a trophy. Mine won an Ig Nobel, got recognized for writing the world’s worst book title, and was awarded the Lanterne Rouge for coming in last place in the Tour de France. There are all kinds of awards out there waiting to be won and we are going to tell you about a few of them! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brainjunkpodcast.substack.com

To celebrate making it to the 13th episode, we bring you some bloopers and a few short stories too funny to leave on the cutting room floor. Word to the moms out there, no swears — we promise (although Trace does say mother trucker and who hasn’t done that?) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brainjunkpodcast.substack.com

Don’t be shy, ladies and gentlemen! I stand before you with the 8th wonder of the world, Brain Junk Elixir. Sure to cure your boredom and quiet your children…who wouldn’t want to sample this fine product? Welcome to the shady history of snake oil medicines. Check out BrainJunkPodcast.com for show notes. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brainjunkpodcast.substack.com

We welcome you to Camp Brain Junk! We're mighty glad you're here! We'll set the air reverberating with a mighty cheer! That's right campers, it's summer and it's time to pack your backpack with bug spray and sun screen and go to CAMP. Amy and Trace explore the history of camp in America and share some memories around the campfire. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brainjunkpodcast.substack.com

Breaking all the rules on this one. Talking about spiders AGAIN. Doing a part two instead of coming up with a new theme. We even make a slightly tasteless joke about headless cockroaches. It’s sad really. And you should totally listen. You know you want to. Where else are you going to learn about the bathroom habits of blue whales and three toed sloths? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brainjunkpodcast.substack.com

No need to hide in your kitchen eating over the sink. Bring that crazy food into the light and be proud of your strange cravings. We’ve cooked up a buffet of the weird and wonderful for you to try. Koolickles, a Jell-O mold, even a Spam creation that would have done Julia Child proud. Grab a napkin and roll up your sleeves…it’s time to eat! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brainjunkpodcast.substack.com

Enter a world where spiders purr love songs and rats giggle. Where stomachs grumble and planets sing. And if that’s not enough for your tired and jaded ears, we’ve also written an “old timey” radio show complete with sound effects to astound and amaze! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brainjunkpodcast.substack.com

Forget Friday night football and the company softball league! We’ve found the fast and furious of recreational activities. Find yourself wishing field hockey could be more dangerous…never fear, there’s Mayan fire hockey. Or perhaps you long to toss your significant other over a shoulder and run through an obstacle course. Look no further than Wife Carrying (and don’t worry, if you’ve got the muscle you can carry your man too). Make some seven layer dip and grab the nachos; we are talking about everything you never knew you wanted to know about unusual sports. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brainjunkpodcast.substack.com

Books. Remember them? Paper and that great smell, wrapping up all those wonderful words. Amy and I dumpster dived and picked through dusty shelves for a few way-back gems. Old fairy tales, a children’s encyclopedia from 1963 (when Pluto was still a planet and we hadn’t gone to the moon), even an old cosmetology textbook. Curl up with a cuppa and we’ll read for a bit.  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brainjunkpodcast.substack.com

CONTEST! Rate and Review us on iTunes (and leave a social media contact) for a chance to win an Amy’s mom, mom-made scrunchy! 5 random winners will be announced on next Tuesday’s podcast!Also, when you listen to this episode, you might hear us calling it something completely different. Our original title was, Everything About Female Beauty Aids. But here’s the thing, the more we explored beauty, the more we realized that we’re all part of the struggle to look/be our best selves, no matter what our gender or sex. Whether it’s wearing absurd wigs or inlaying our teeth with precious stones or putting beauty marks all over our faces (thank you small pox and the 18th century), trying to look one’s best isn’t just for women — and it never has been.  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brainjunkpodcast.substack.com

Looking for a more creative way to insult that guy who cut in front of you in the coffee line? Try some 15th century flyting to use your poetry skills and mince him into tiny pieces. Or, maybe you’d rather try a few choice Yo Mama jokes? If you’re feeling particularly daring, you could moon him. Just remember, it’s not our fault if the barista kicks you out of the coffee house.Learn about all that and more in this episode of Brain Junk. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brainjunkpodcast.substack.com

A very merry un-birthday to all of us! Brain Junk is lighting the candles so make a wish and give this episode a listen. Slurp a longevity noodle, take an extra large slice of cake and come with us around the world to explore how we all celebrate getting older. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brainjunkpodcast.substack.com

We’ve all fallen down an internet rabbit hole, landed on a fact and thought…this can’t possibly be true! But, every once in a while, those strange facts actually are. If you’ve ever wondered about hippo’s having pink sweat or if you’re more evolved than your friends, we have the answers. Amyalso explores the amount of insects we’re allowed to have in our food…coffee tastes so much better when it’s cricket flavored. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brainjunkpodcast.substack.com