Social Distance Happy Hour
By Reanna
Social Distance Happy HourMar 12, 2021
One Year Reunion Episode
It's been a whole year since Social Distance Happy Hour launched as a "panic reflex" to process everything.
Reanna, Stephanie and Melissa reconvene to reminisce.
https://bookshop.org/shop/socialdistance
Spooky Intermission (Season 2, Episode 6)
If there's one thing you've learned from listening to Social Distance Happy Hour, it's that we don't keep our promises.
Davis and I take an intermission to talk about all things spooky. All things spooky that aren't the election or climate change or pandemics.
You know, ghosts and stuff.
Enjoy.
Find us on Instagram at @SocialDistanceHappyHour to see the photos we referenced in today's episode.
We'll be back in a few weeks with a new pilot!
That's a Hard No (Season 2, Episode 5)
Heather Drago of Clever Girl Marketing and Sarah Saunders of Purposeful Growth and Wellness kick off the first episode of their brand-new podcast, That's a Hard No, exploring the important and sometimes impossible-feeling practice of setting boundaries.
Hear how Heather's tough conversation with a client catalyzed a "Year of No" for this recovering people-pleaser, and why Sarah said YES to adding a podcast to her life even with three children under three and a new business.
This podcast is launching into a full series under Heather and Sarah's leadership. Head over to hardnopodcast.com to follow along.
And don't forget--you can find Social Distance Happy Hour on Twitter at @distancehour and on Instagram at @socialdistancehappyhour. Episode ideas? Questions? Feedback? Email distancehour@gmail.com
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Welcome to “That’s a Hard No” – the podcast about saying no (in all its forms) so you can become the authentic and empowered person that this world needs.
Quick disclosure: While Sarah is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, this podcast is in no way a replacement for one-on-one therapy with a mental health professional. If you are struggling with mental health issues, we welcome you on this journey, but also invite you to seek out professional help.
Looking for a therapist? Here’s a good place to start: psychologytoday.com
Key Takeaways- When you mindfully look for opportunities to say no, you learn that “no” isn’t always a negative thing. Often, it’s a positive.
- Watch for all the little things in your daily life that are keeping you from achieving your goals or simply being happy. Start saying no to those things that aren’t serving you, as a way of practicing self-care.
- There are countless types of nos. A no can be as simple as not answering the phone, not opening your email first thing in the morning, or not making unhealthy food choices.
- Reframe your brain. Think of saying no as a win. Think about what you’ve made room for instead. What positive things can happen now that you’ve said no?
- Check your gut. Ask yourself if you’re setting yourself up for a bigger problem down the road by saying yes now. If it feels wrong, it should probably be a no.
- “No.” is a complete sentence – full stop. Resist the urge to precede it with “Sorry, but…”
- Not saying no or avoiding a concrete no is the same as saying yes.
- Book – Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life, by Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend (link to Amazon)
- Caring Bridge – the platform Heather used to keep friends and family members up to date while going through cancer treatment (caringbridge.org)
- Score Sheet – If you want to challenge yourself to say “no” at least once a day (like Heather did during her initial #yearofno), we highly recommend you keep track. Whether you use our downloadable PDF, jot a note in your planner, or download a habit tracker app on your phone, make sure you take note of when and how you say it, what’s happening, and how you feel.
Plot or Not! (Season 2, Episode 4)
Guess the plot of popular movies purely from pop culture osmosis. Tyler and Marissa are the co-creators and co-hosts of Plot or Not, the podcast wherein Marissa tries to guess the plot of E.T.
Reanna and Davis play the guests in this episode. We couldn't edit out all the ragweed sniffles, but we did our best.
Come for the Reese's Pieces lore, stay for the ridiculous ideas we have about the real meaning behind this 1982 classic.
Like what you're hearing? Don't forget to rate, subscribe and find us on social. Twitter: @distancehour; Instagram: @socialdistancehappyhour
Feedback? Ideas? distancehour@gmail.com
How I Met Your Father (Season 2, Episode 3)
Welcome to the longest podcast pilot ever recorded! We couldn't help ourselves...the balm of young love soothes today's pandemic souls. Hear four couples talk about the broken hearts, broken noses, and unexpected twists and turns that led them to love.
Be sure to check out our Instagram feed (@socialdistancehappyhour) for photos of these couples when they were young.
And no, this podcast has nothing to do with the TV show. We don't even know what you're talking about.
Time Capsule (Season 2, Episode 2)
Jump in our time machine and head back to May 27, 1984, when the shorts were short, the hair was permed, science started to notice that smoking was bad for more than just smokers, and this podcast's co-host was born.
Tweet to the podcast @distancehour
Find us on Instagram @socialdistancehappyhour
Email your questions, comments, guest suggestions or topic ideas to distancehour@gmail.com
Go to the podcast page and leave me a voice message.
Episode Two Teaser
The Launch to Launch All Launches
Welcome to Season 2 of Social Distance Happy Hour!
We're doing things differently this season: NOTHING BUT PILOT EPISODES.
Davis and Reanna pitch their own ideas, then sort through submissions from friends and listeners. Thanks to everyone who shared your ideas.
Which ideas do you want to hear play out? Tweet to us at @distancehour and let us know.
What will the next episode be? Tune in on August 10th to find out!
Special Announcement: Join me for Season 2!
I’ve spent a few weeks brainstorming what to make of the next season of Social Distance Happy Hour. Unlike most podcasts, SDHH lacks a premise beyond “there’s a pandemic now.”
I never got around to setting a firm format, structure or point of view—because I didn’t really have the time or headspace, and maybe more relevant—the very foundations of society are continually shifting beneath our feet. It feels like trying to plant a flag in a lava flow.
Instead of making up my mind this time around, I’ve decided to lean into the flux.
Which is why I’m excited to announce to you that Season 2 of Social Distance Happy Hour will be an ongoing experiment in pitching and piloting new podcast concepts. And I’d love to hear your ideas.
How this will work:
My cohost and I will kick off season two with a pitch episode. We’ll exchange ideas for podcasts back and forth, and we’ll also welcome live guests and share recorded messages from guest pitchers (that’s you, if you want!) pitching your own ideas.
We’ll record some hot takes on what we like the most, and then spend the rest of the season producing one-off pilot episodes of the best ideas, often taking turns co-hosting alongside you (if your idea is picked up) and/or other special guests.
How to pitch your podcast idea:
The easiest way to pitch your podcast idea is leaving me a short message on Anchor at https://anchor.fm/socialdistance/message (which has a one-minute recording limit) or by emailing a recorded file to distancehour@gmail.com. You can do this any time before July 17th.
If you’d like to pitch your idea live on the podcast, email distancehour@gmail.com. We’ll be recording the pilot episode over the weekend of July 18th, so you’ll need to be available sometime that weekend for a brief chat.
What your pitch should include:
- Your name
- A brief synonpsis of what the podcast would be about/how you’d format it
- An idea for the title of your podcast, if you have one (can be a working title).
What kind of podcasts are up for grabs?
Anything—comedy/humor, news and interviews, industry-specific, pop culture fancasts for music, movies, TV, games, book series, etc.; hobby shows around cooking, running, etc.
What will make my pitch shine?
I’m not expecting a lot of polish or panache—this is Social Distance Happy Hour, after all. But because I am the way that I am, your pitch will have a better chance of being featured if you include a really dumb, punny or overly clever title.
Also, because this isn't Radiolab, pitches that are easily executable without too much production (and basically no budget) are necessary. Unless you want to shell out the big bucks for our travel budget (Just kidding-- I'm not going anywhere. There's a pandemic!)
Who owns this amazing idea? Why should I share it with you?
Your pitch is your pitch. If we record it, you’ll co-host (unless you don’t want to), and if you decide it goes swimmingly and you want to actually launch the show, it’s all yours. If we don’t record your pitch, it’s all yours. I’m excited to share your pitches with my audience, but I’m not stealing them. Promise.
25 - The Call-in Show
After more than three months and 25 episodes, Social Distance Happy Hour invited all our guests to call in and let us know what they've been up to, what they've learned and what they recommend for listeners to do, read and watch.
This is a celebration of all these voices and connections over the past 25 episodes as we take a brief, intentional break to regroup and kick off a new and improved season 2 at the end of July.
Give it a listen, and if you want to leave us a message for a future episode, email your sound file to distancehour@gmail.com or https://anchor.fm/socialdistance/message (note that the Anchor option limits you to a one-minute message.)
THANK YOU to our audience for sticking around and listening. We hope you'll stay tuned as we continue to make room for conversations in this strange rift between the before and after times.
24 - Two plus four
Sorry for the unplanned hiatus. We're back!
While the pandemic rages, another kind of rage has dominated headlines: the righteous anger around police brutality and systemic racism that puts black people of color at great risk in our society. Reanna is joined by Davis in this episode for a frank (and sometimes, admittedly, fumbling) discussion from our point of white privilege about what's going on, how we're working to be better, and the eye-opening experiences we've had in this light. The point is: We haven't done nearly enough, but we're committed to being better.
Donate:
Birthing Beautiful Communities
Raise your voice:
Educate yourself:
75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice
We also talk about how we're--correctly or not--balancing safety and social distancing with the need for human interaction as this pandemic drags on. Since this discussion (recorded June 3), we've enrolled our kids in part-time daycare and will talk more about that decision soon. The recommendations keep shifting, the data keeps evolving, and what feels right one day may feel reckless the next. But we're doing our best.
If you're enjoying the show, please consider leaving a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen.
You can support indie bookstores and the podcast by making your online book purchases through our Bookshop affiliate site: https://bookshop.org/shop/socialdistance.
Tweet to the podcast @distancehour
Find us on Instagram @socialdistancehappyhour
Email your questions, comments, guest suggestions or topic ideas to distancehour@gmail.com
Go to the podcast page and leave me a voice message.
23 - Trauma, Self-Compassion and Ambition in the Time of COVID
I'm joined this week by Marya Simmons, a former colleague and the owner of Shift in Notion Consulting, LLC, to talk about Trauma, Self-Compassion and Ambition in the Time of COVID. As an advocate for survivors of sexual assault, she's had an entire career to build emotional resilience and to understand how trauma manifests. We could all use her perspective as we individually grapple with the collective global trauma this era has ushered in.
MENTAL HEALTH AND SURVIVOR SUPPORT RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:
- R.A.I.N.N. – National Sexual Assault Hotline (800) 656-4673 / www.rainn.org
- Cleveland Rape Crisis Center – (216) 619-6192 (24-hour hotline) / www.clevelandrapecrisis.org
- National Domestic Violence Hotline (800) 799-7233 / www.thehotline.org
- These resources offer chat options instead of calling in to speak with someone over the phone as well.
- DVCAC - (216) 229-2420 / www.dvcac.org
- SAMHSA – Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services – (800) 662-4357 / www.samhsa.gov
- NAMI – National Alliance on Mental Health – (800) 950-6264 / www.nami.org
- Ohio Guidestone - counseling, substance use disorder treatment, early childhood services, psychiatric care, workforce development training. https://ohioguidestone.org/ General information: 440.234.2006 Crisis line: 440.260.8595
Learn more about Marya and her work at shiftinnotion.com and connect with her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/marya-simmons-76070a166/
Show Your Support for Social Distance Happy Hour
If you're enjoying the show, please consider leaving a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen.
You can support indie bookstores and the podcast by making your online book purchases through our Bookshop affiliate site: https://bookshop.org/shop/socialdistance.
Tweet to the podcast @distancehour
Find us on Instagram @socialdistancehappyhour
Email your questions, comments, guest suggestions or topic ideas to distancehour@gmail.com
Go to the podcast page and leave me a voice message.
22 - We Can Stop Pretending Now
Open letter to my sourdough starter: I don't need this kind of negativity in my life right now.
Join me (your host, Reanna) for a very special solo episode this week. I'm talking to myself, but really: I'm talking to you.
Grab a beer if that's your thing, and exchange rants with me about the very deep well of despair we may find ourselves in.
Also, I got bit by a chipmunk.
Things I mention today:
- Gottwals Books Survival Pack - **time sensitive** order before 5/31: https://www.facebook.com/gottwalsbooks/photos/a.455618294458789/3084696974884228/?type=3
- Download your library's e-book/audiobook borrowing app (probably Libby or Hoopla or both!) and read your next favorite book instead of doom-scrolling.
- Get your tiki cocktail inspo from friend and previous SDHH guest Andres at https://www.instagram.com/garikapc/
Gripe along with me. Email distancehour@gmail.com and let me know how things are going or share an anecdote about your quarantine life. Call in and leave a message for me to play in a future episode. Or find me on Twitter @distancehour and Instagram @socialdistancehappyhour.
21 - Preparing for Birth during COVID and Working Toward an Economic Rebirth
It's another Friday in social distancing. Grab yourself a cold beverage and pretend you're hanging out with some friends. We'll keep you company while you empty the dishwasher. Again.
Sara McCarthy, soon-to-be mom of two and director of communications for the Fund for Our Economic Future in Northeast Ohio, joins the podcast to discuss how she's getting ready to have a baby during COVID-19 and how the Fund is adapting its economic strategies through a new post-pandemic lens.
How are they managing the practical, day-to-day decisions while also looking ahead to the big picture? What's worth getting hopeful about as we work toward rebuilding? Sara shares how the Fund's members and her colleagues are pivoting.
Find the Fund at thefundneo.org, and check out the transportation resource Sara referenced at paradoxprize.com.
Apocalypse Book Club
Reanna's Pick: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, a read-in-one-sitting dimensional traveling thriller.
Sara is exclusively reading childbirth preparation books right now, understandably. She recommends Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Childbirth and Reanna recommends Expecting Better by Emily Oster.
Don't forget! You can support indie bookstores and the podcast by making your online book purchases through our Bookshop affiliate site: https://bookshop.org/shop/socialdistance
Show Your Support for the Podcast!
Tweet to the podcast @distancehour
Find us on Instagram @socialdistancehappyhour
Email your questions, comments, guest suggestions or topic ideas to distancehour@gmail.com
Go to the podcast page and leave me a voice message
Special Mini-Episode: Fever on a Plane Out of Cleveland
Leigh joins me to tell the story of her likely coronavirus exposure on an American Airlines flight out of Cleveland.
"Why, why, why are they not taking temperatures at the entrance of the airport?"
20 - Bubble Foam and Uterus Buttons - A Mother's Day Ode to Opting Out
Welcome to the 20th episode celebration of Social Distance Happy Hour.
We’re celebrating, not because we’re still in shelter-in-place/quarantine and COVID is killing people and idiots are protesting and everything has become horrifically politicized enough that we’re still talking about it 20 episodes later. We’re celebrating because we’ve survived this far. And if you’re listening, so have you.
If you’ve been listening from the beginning, thanks for rolling with the scrappy nature of this all.
If you’re new to the podcast, we actually introduce ourselves in this one.
Show host and founder Reanna (@reannakwrites )is joined today by frequent guest co-hosts Stephanie (@schishish) and Melissa (@koskim), friends and fellow moms who have been chronicling this experience since mid-March.
Today in Quarantine:
We talk about all the kid activities we're opting out of.
Resources to help you feel guilty about all the easy things you’re not doing with your kids at home: (seriously, I love this account, but...I just can’t.) Days with Grey.
Mother’s Day
Are you a mom? Do you have a mom? How are you celebrating Mother’s Day this year? Tweet with your low-key ideas to @distancehour.
Recommendations:
Apocalypse Book Club
Reanna's Pick: The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker
Melissa's Pick: The Long Mars by Stephen Baxter and Terry Pratchett
Don't forget! You can support indie bookstores and the podcast by making your online book purchases through our Bookshop affiliate site: https://bookshop.org/shop/socialdistance
The Like Button
Stephanie's pick: @FacesofCOVID - a man retweeting articles about people we have lost. If you find yourself getting numb to the huge numbers
Reanna's picks: Kate J Baer’s poetry on Instagram (@katejbaer) and I Mom So Hard (@imomsohard)
Melissa's pick: @_HappyAsAMother on Instagram
Listeners: Join in the Happy Hour!
Answer this question: What’s the last nice thing you did just for yourself?
You can answer it any way that’s easiest for you, and we may share your answer on a future episode.
- Tweet it to @distancehour
- Leave a comment on the associated Instagram post @socialdistancehappyhour
- Email it to distancehour@gmail.com
- Go to the podcast page and leave me a voice message
You can do this whenever you want. We’re recording in the first week of May, but these inboxes are open whenever you are hearing this!
19 - Pandemic Pivoting and a Cross-Continental Holding Pattern
Reanna is joined by new friend and special guest Isabel Galvez, owner of IG Global Solutions, a Spanish translations service that combines her language skills with the marketing and PR skills she has honed over the course of her career. A native of Peru, Isabel recently took early retirement to return to her home country and reunite with her husband, who moved back to practice medicine a few years ago.
But that was before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled pretty much everything.
Join us to hear how Isabel has had to hit pause, and what she is doing both to pivot her business plans and maintain some semblance of well-being while in a cross-continental holding pattern.
You can find Isabel on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/igglobalsolutions/) and LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabelgalvez1/).
Today's recommendations:
Brown: The Last Discovery of America by Richard Rodriguez
The Power of Vulnerability by Brene Brown
Purchase books through our Bookshop store to help support indie bookstores and this podcast!
Don't forget...
Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite feed, follow us on Twitter (@distancehour) and Instagram (@socialdistancehappyhour), and share with a friend!
18 - Now What?
After a monthlong hiatus, podcast husband (and real-life husband) Davis joins Reanna for an extra-long happy hour, sitting in the dark next to our recuperating old dog splitting a glass of wine and trying to answer the question: Now what? This isn't just a brief interruption in life as we know it, it's a complete disruption with no real end in sight. So how do we navigate work, recharge, stay sane and find solace in a stay-at-home life? Tune in to find out.
Reanna would also like to sincerely apologize for singing in this episode. It's not good.
Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on your favorite feed, follow us on Twitter (@distancehour) and Instagram (@socialdistancehappyhour), and share with a friend!
Today's recommendations:
- #Apocalypsebookclub recommendation: The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker. Maybe my least coherent review yet, but it's a great read nevertheless. Davis recommends Dune, which he hasn't read in a decade but won't stop talking about on a weekly basis. Order on Bookshop.org to support indie book stores and the podcast through our affiliate site. You can find all our past book recommendations, too!
- The English Game is the perfect Venn diagram overlap of Downton Abbey and soccer. It's soooo extra, but in a good way.
- Moshi, the $40 app that helps your kid fall asleep. As an added bonus (side effect), it is a straight-up horse tranquilizer for adults, too. Use our affiliate link to get a free month to try it out: https://links.moshisleep.com/referral/REAN29885
17 - Mystery Science Home Theater
My friend Andres joins me from a vacant school building where he serves as a professional problem-solver, enjoying the respite from another chaotic morning of homeschooling. We cover the bases of Today in Quarantine (from which of the parents in each household is the Yelling Parent, to trying not to despair at the cacophony of protestors demanding business as usual), then jump into a much more entertaining topic: entertainment.
How will pop culture address this time period in plotlines? We both pitch spec scripts for some of our favorite shows and discuss the practicalities of getting Hollywood back online...and how things might be different when shows and movies start filming again.
A bigger, better Apocalypse Book Club
We're excited to announce that Apocalypse Book Club has a new home on Bookshop.org, an online book retailer that supports independent bookstores across the country. As an affiliate, Social Distance Happy Hour will receive a small commission if you purchase any books through the site. We've curated every recommendation our host and guests have made since the podcast launched, so if you're looking for your next read, start here: https://bookshop.org/shop/socialdistance
Andres's recommendation is Y: The Last Man, a series of graphic novels about the strange disappearance of all male mammals on earth (except two). By Brian K Vaughan (Author) Pia Guerra (Illustrator) Jose Marzan (Illustrator).
Reanna's recommendation is Severance, by Ling Ma, a pandemic story with many real-world parallels right now.
The Like Button
Andres is on Twitter (too much) @garikapc, and he recommends following these accounts:
@thesounddefense, @tomhorsman, @sgtjanedoe
His wife recommends that you follow Charo on Instagram @officialcharo.
Diversions
Looking for binge fodder? Andres wholeheartedly recommends Mystery Science Theater 3000.
16 - Feel Your Feelings and Eat Your Dinner
Recorded April 16th, Melissa and Stephanie are back in the virtual studio to discuss two things that are ever-present in our minds: the myriad things we feel guilty about, and what the hell we're going to feed our families. We also discuss how our routines are and are not working, where our happy places are, and the casual bartering system we've developed among our friend group.
We're catching up on our reading, so no Apocalypse Book Club recommendations for today, but we do run down some other entertainment recommendations.
If you're looking for other podcasts covering COVID-19 topics, here are a few of Reanna's favorites:
- Sawbones
- Heavyweight
- Radiolab
- Reply All
- Death, Sex & Money
- The Mom Hour
- Office Ladies (for lighter fare)
Melissa doesn't love squirrels, but does love squirrel picnic tables.
Stephanie (and Lisa Loeb) agree you should Feel What You Feel.
15 - Hobbies and Habits with Chance
My friend Chance joins me for a full-length episode to discuss how hobbies and habits have shifted now that the novelty of sheltering in place has worn off, but the promise of things returning to "normal" still feels distance and vague. Reanna confesses to infrequent showering, Chance misses walking at work, and we walk through how well "fend for yourself" is working as a parenting strategy.
We have essentially no recommendations for you, because Chance is a renaissance man who seems to be basically consuming all manner and genre of media these days, and Reanna is having a social media nervous breakdown and finds nothing amusing whatsoever on the Internet these days.
14 - 28 Days Later
My friend Sarah joins me on the podcast to talk about sheltering at home when you live alone, how she's channeling anxiety into activity, and how to make a good impression on your next work Zoom conference call. She's been marking the days since she worked outside the house, and people: It's already been 28 days. How did we get here? Where do we go from here? And how the hell do we delineate Tuesday from Saturday?
Plus, I want to hear from you: If you are listening to this podcast, visit https://anchor.fm/socialdistance/message to leave me a quick message in response to today's prompt:
How are YOU differentiating one day from the next? What new routines or patterns have you created or fallen into?
Leave a brief message on Anchor and I'll include it in a future episode.
Be sure to follow @DistanceHour on Twitter and find me on Instagram (and my Chicken Stories) @arkayokay
Today's Recommendations:
Apocalypse Book Club
Reanna's Pick: The Power by Naomi Alderman
Sarahs' Pick: The Giver by Lois Lowry
Sarah's pick for the Like Button: The Fleming Family in County Kerry Ireland. She also suggests giving Tik Tok a try, even if you aren't 19.
If you want to help out employees in the service industry around Cleveland who are losing income during this time, send them a tip via Cleveland Tip Jar: https://www.clevelandtips.com/
Don't forget your local food bank still needs your support. Find the nearest one and make a gift, if you're able: https://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank
Cuyahoga County's regional health system, Metro Health, has established the Helping Hand Fund to help deliver coordinating the delivery of emergency food and supplies to people in need. Make a gift here: https://www.metrohealth.org/foundation/donate
13 - A Mostly Empty Red Lobster
I interviewed an essential worker and an essential member of my family, my little brother, Rob.
He's been pulling 60-hour weeks at a grocery store helping to keep your refrigerator full of milk and your pantry full of dry milk, apparently. Hear how COVID-19 has affected his store and employees, and how you can make things a little easier and safer for everyone [HINT: STAY BACK 6 FEET].
We also reminisce about the last time we saw each other, across the table at a mostly empty Red Lobster to celebrate our dad's birthday just before the end of life as we know it.
Today's book recommendations:
- Reanna's pick: All Our Wrong Todays - by Elan Mastai
- Rob’s pick: The Gunslinger by Stephen King
12 - Cause and Effect
After a few days off to really focus on earthworms, I'm back to the recording studio with a great old friend, new guest, Max. Max and I catch up on how social distancing is playing out in my favorite western suburb of Cleveland before deep-diving into speculating about what could... if we play our cards right... come out right from all the grief, pain and isolation of COVID-19. We're not saying it's a sure bet or a fair trade-off, but something good must come of all this, right?
We're also making lots and lots of recommendations for great reading and other entertainment consumption. Here's a quick rundown:
Max's picks:
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
Oryx & Crake by Margaret Atwood (and, of course, The Blind Assassin)
Joseph's Machines (Rube Goldberg machines, that is)
Reanna's picks:
The Library Book by Susan Orlean
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Caen Hill Countryside Centre's Twitter feed
Do some good:
Donate blood, if you can. Learn more at redcross.org.
Consider a donation to support endangered animals at risk of poaching as conservation efforts suffer from lack of tourism revenue. Some recommendations:
11 - Breaking News in Vermiculture
Reanna and Melissa talk about the new routines we're falling into and fighting for as shelter-in-place resets our life's rhythms. Reanna shares some important updates on her son's worm experiment, and Melissa offers up some ideas for getting kids involved and invested in family responsibilities.
We also introduce a new segment, For After, where we talk about the places we fantasize about going after this is all over.
TODAY'S RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Like Button
Reanna recommends @wolfgang2242 on Instagram for some great escapist rescue animal videos.
Melissa recommends Reanna's Instagram (@arkayokay) for some kid-friendly, informative chicken facts.
Apocalypse Book Club
Reanna recommends Joseph Heller's The Dog Stars, another post-epidemic dystopia book (but only if you can handle that sort of read right now).
Melissa recommends The Long Earth, the first in a series by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter, with parallels to our situation, but through the lens of parallel universe travels.
For After...
Melissa is looking forward to revisiting L'Albatros (for date night) and Luna (for family breakfast).
Reanna is hoping 17 Public Square and The Farmer's Table, both in Medina, make it through this.
Don't forget to buy gift cards to support your favorite struggling restaurants right now if you can swing it!
We want to hear from you!
Leave us a message to feature on a future episode here: anchor.fm/socialdistance/message or get in touch if you want to chat for a future episode!
Find us on Twitter at @distancehour. Find Melissa on Twitter and Instagram at @koskim and find Reanna on Twitter @reannakwrites
10 - Wine and a Candle
It isn't easy finding time to ourselves with two little kids in the house that we can't leave, so Davis and I took advantage of naptime and unsupervised playdough and TV time to record another date night (and by night I mean 2:13 p.m.) This time, from a tidied-up bedroom, besieged by noisy pets. Because we're NEVER alone.
Today's topics:
- An unsettling deep-dive into Reanna's and Davis' respective psyches, notably Reanna's spiraling neurosis and Davis' uncanny ability to compartmentalize (and equally uncanny ability to repress almost all emotions related to the crisis at hand). Skip ahead about 15 minutes in this episode if you don't want to hear someone wallowing in despair.
- How we're managing with kids in the house, practically and generally speaking. Routines, as they were, are out the door, and new routines are slowly forming.
- #Farmlife: What we're planting this year, an argument about crabapples and the backstory on our chickens, plus unsolicited advice for the chicken-curious. Looking to start your own garden? We *love* rareseeds.com. Reanna is now featuring the flock on her Instagram stories and making them kid-friendly, to compete with the dozens of zoos sharing behind-the-scenes tours every day. Check them out @arkayokay.
Other recommendations:
- Movies (And Other Things) by Shea Serrano, who has been giving out cash to people in need via Twitter these days
- The Power of Positive Dog Training if you find yourself similarly trapped in a home with a wild puppy and no training classes
- Ordering books from independent bookstores instead of Amazon when you can. We really like Carmichaels out of Lexington, Kentucky. You can find a local one (that will ship to you, of course) at IndieBound.
9 - All Communications Are Crisis Communications
In this sweeping global crisis, all communications are crisis communications -- from how your organization or brand communicates with stakeholders, to how you coordinate impossible work schedules with your coparent and now coworker (spoiler: not well!)
We talk about actual, useful information for anyone having to communicate on behalf of an organization, thanks to Melissa's PR expertise. Reanna discusses the tough choices nonprofits are having to make right now, and we reflect on how donors and funders can best help organizations who are serving those most affected by this crisis.
If you work at a nonprofit and are working on trying to pivot your fundraising efforts, here's a great list of resources from AFP: https://afpglobal.org/covid19resourceguide
The Like Button
- Stephanie's pick: Cleveland's The City Club has a deeper-than-deep archive of past discussions to help fuel conversation, keep you informed and serve as a resource for parents of older kids looking for at-home civics lessons.
- Melissa's pick: The National Cowboy Museum in Oklahoma has deputized its head of security as a social media manager during the COVID-19 social distancing.
- Reanna's pick: Jimmy Fallon's kids are all our kids--talking over us while we try to be professionals, climbing us like the playground equipment they're not allowed on anymore, and fighting for equal access to snacks. Tune into The Tonight Show: At Home to bask in the relatability.
Connect with us
Have questions about crisis communications? Want to send us a video of what's in your medicine cabinet? Did hearing little baby noises in the background of this episode make your ovaries explode a little? Want to be a guest on a future episode? Get in touch on Twitter at @distancehour, @ReannaKwrites, @koskim or @scchicks33.
8 - House Hunters: Apocalypse and Make-at-Home Hooch
Reanna and Davis welcome Tyler and Marissa, who couldn't take a hint that they shouldn't buy a house and now are responsible for the terrible misfortune that has befallen the entire human race. Our dear friends are stranded in Pittsburgh, where beer is scarce and expensive and there are too many people enjoying the great outdoors in their neighborhood.
To atone for their karmic mistake, Marissa has devoted her Instagram account to prescribe dinner ideas to her cooking-challenged friends. She performs admirably in a live pop quiz. Tyler sneaks in a movie recommendation that violates the terms of this podcast.
We say goodbye twice because we forgot to talk about beer.
Like what you hear? Subscribe on Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever else you listen to podcasts via RSS. Find us on twitter at @distancehour and leave me a message to be featured on a future episode. Want to join me for a future happy hour? Reach out on Twitter!
Recommendations:
- Spice up your beef stew with this recipe from Eat Train and Love or Epicurious. Marissa's top tip: sub the lemon with orange.
- Need your own dinner diagnosis? Hit Marissa up on Instagram @marissanorrisa
- Tyler's book recommendations: the short story Harrison Bergeron from Kurt Vonnegut (which you can read for free online), and if you're feeling REALLY ambitious, the 1,000-page mammoth Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. Just think, even if you don't get into it, that's 1,000 pages of toilet paper or kindling when society collapses. It's a great investment either way.
- Watch Shin Godzilla. What's more relatable than a bumbling bureaucracy mismanaging an unprecedented crisis? It's bonkers (in a good way).
- Want a great apocalypse-Lovecraft-detective noir mashup? Check out Carter & Lovecraft, then read the second book in the series, After the End of the World. Then grieve the fact there are only two books in the series and you'll be left feeling empty and unfulfilled.
- Watch High Fidelity on Hulu. Relate to Tyler's apparent persona as a Music Douche.
7 - Old Worms and New Business
Reanna erects the podcast tent for better audio quality. Melissa has career options in the new economy. Stephanie reflects on her first day "back" from maternity leave. Most importantly, it's late enough in the day that we finally all get to share a drink while recording.
Really: What are you supposed to do with your kids while everyone is working? And will Reanna help upgrade George's pet digs before it's too late?
The Like Button: A little levity for these dark days
We Rate Dogs celebrates #NationalPuppyDay
Chelsea Peretti offers some STUPID makeup tutorials
And, because we can't ignore the bad stuff altogether: If you're sheltering in place with your abuser, here are some domestic violence resources.
Everyone, be careful out there. Stay home if you can. And either way, wash your hands.
6 - Shelter in Place: Would You Rather
Today (March 29, 2020), Governor DeWine issued the order for Ohioans to shelter in place at home for the next few weeks. Reanna and Davis debrief in the minutes after the press conference. Reanna equates luck and guilt.
It's a lot.
And so...Enjoy a mid-episode stress break with a minute of backyard birdsong, recorded today from our back porch.
Then, an imperfect but still delightful interview with Reanna's childhood friend Leigh, featuring Shelter in Place Would You Rather, a discussion of one's Internal Age, a hidden gem (secret beer drive-thru) and a deeply uncivilized alternative to toilet paper.
Leigh's Reading and Listening Recommendations:
5 - $600 Worth of Totally Reasonable Target Purchases
Happy Friday, listeners! Reanna, Melissa and Stephanie reconnect after a few days of special guests. Stephanie faces down the uncertainty of returning from maternity leave next week (from home), Melissa tests out some new podcasting gear and Reanna tries to justify the most insane Target trip she's ever taken.
We also tackle all the ways we've panicked, come up with some great ideas for future episodes and have lots of time on our hands to really weigh in on just how corrupt and awful most of our leaders are. This involves a decent amount of swearing. Relevant reading: The coronavirus is exposing the arbitrary, cruel realities of America's rules.
>>> More Relevant Links:
The Like Button - The best things we've seen on social media lately
Melissa's Pick: Homeschooling While Working From Home During a Global Pandemic Bingo
Stephanie's Pick: Pandemic Poem
Reanna's Pick: High school choir performs canceled concert remotely
Apocalypse Book Club
Reanna’s Pick: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel - the on-the-nose post-plague dystopian future book
Melissa’s Pick: **Do Not Google, Do Not Read Reviews, Do Not Watch the Prime show if you don’t want spoilers** The Girl With All the Gifts - Mike Carey
Stephanie’s Pick: The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History - John M. Barry
OK, Boomer
Convincing Boomer Parents to Take the Coronavirus Seriously
Gratitude Journal
The Cleveland Foundation has announced a rapid response fund. Learn more here: http://bit.ly/CLEgives
4 - Come on, Kyle
This episode kicks off with a hot take from the Target parking lot. Anxiety is a hell of a drug, and it made me overspend like you wouldn't believe.
The real takeaway from this episode, though, is the wealth of resources my guest, Brandan, shared for staying connected through remote work. If you're new to this environment, he recommends finding ways to stay connected beyond calling and texting, particularly:
We also talk about the ideal work-from-home setup vs. the reality of working from home when your house is full of other people--which, somehow, he's managed to evade, even while responsibly social distancing.
If you're a freelancer/solo entrepreneur in Northeast Ohio, come on over to the SPARK Cleveland private Facebook group. We're lots of fun. Just make sure you answer the questions or you'll languish in limbo, and who wants to do that? Hahahahahahaha :( :( :( (That was an indefinite social distancing joke.)
A big thanks to Brandan for talking with me today. If you'd like to chat, please Tweet at me at @distancehour or find me on Instagram. Not interested in a live chat, but still have something to say? Leave a message here and I'll feature it on a future episode. And if you're enjoying the Social Distance Happy Hour, please consider sharing it. Here's a link: https://anchor.fm/socialdistance.
Now, go wash your hands.
3 - Batman Forever
Introducing zero-time listener, first-time guest, and Reanna's husband, Davis. We pour a few glasses of red wine from Aldi, shove the dogs to opposite ends of the couch and get cozy. We may be stuck in the same house, but our days have been wildly divergent. Reanna reveals shocking information about what the puppy pooped out, and Davis DOES NOT CONDONE PIRATING.
Reanna's Recommendations - Want to really lean into the COVID-19 talk? Here are several podcast episodes to throw into the bottomless pit of your anxiety:
- Death, Sex & Money - Alone Together: A COVID-19 Call-In
- The Mom Hour - Stuck At Home? Us Too. Here Are Some Ideas
- Life Kit - Disrupted and Distanced: The Latest Advice On Navigating Coronavirus
- Mom and Dad Are Fighting - The Quarantine's a-Comin' Edition
- My Favorite Murder - "Maxisode" 166
- One Bad Mother - The First Ever Pandemic Genius Spectacular
- What Works - COVID-19 And The Impact on Small Business Owners
Also, you should totally, totally check out the Batman Forever Soundtrack. Even though it definitely does not have a Portishead song on it. I'm a complete dilettante.
Davis' Recommendations
- Drive to Survive on Netflix
- Football Weekly podcast
- Moonchild
Leave us a message to feature on a future episode! Share a story, offer us parenting tips or ask for advice. And find us on Twitter: @distancehour @reannakwrites @mrkarousis
WASH YOUR HANDS! [wash your hands] Wash your hands.
2 - Benign Neglect and Birthday Cake
Our resident fitness role model, Melissa, shares these links for online workouts:
SHED Fitness Columbus is offering free online workout classes (more info here)
The Down Dog app has a bunch of free offers for yoga enthusiasts to keep up their practices while studios are closed
Core Power Yoga is offering a collection of on-demand, online classes
Plus, a guest segment with Reanna and Chance (@blancogigante). Chance has had the unique privilege of having worked, at separate times, with both Reanna and her husband, Davis. He has two daughters, and his wife is essential staff at a hospital. Plus, he's starting his own sports podcast. Check it out here! Oh, and he's tall. Like, *really* tall. We don't talk about that in this episode, but it's something you should know about him.
How are you managing the work/kids dichotomy right now? What's the wildest thing you've seen at the grocery store? What's something we can offer our delivery people, grocery store employees, reporters, health care workers and other essential employees keeping our society afloat while we're stuck inside? Leave us a quick message here, or Tweet at us at @distancehour or @reannakwrites.
Social Distance Solo Mini Episode
1 - The New Normal?
Hello and welcome to the inaugural episode of the Social Distance Happy Hour!
Meet Reanna, Stephanie and Melissa, three friends in Northeast Ohio who are facing down the prospect of a strange, new normal ushered in by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our Governor announced on March 12 that schools would be shutting down for at least three weeks, and today (right after we recorded) announced the closing of restaurants and bars across the state.
Every episode, we'll check in with our guests on how they're holding up and what strategies they've put in place to cope through COVID.
Today's recommended readings for the Apocalypse Book Club
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
California by Edan Lepucki
Gold Fame Citrus by Claire Vaye Watkins
and the real-life apocalypse tales spun by @Aslavitt, former Medicare, Medicaid & ACA head for Obama.
We also worshiped at the altar of Dr. Amy Acton, director of health for Ohio's department of health, who's leading us through this crisis with poise, aplomb and wisdom wholly foreign to any national response to this crisis.
Join us for our pilot episode! We appreciate your patience as we figure out the audio. We don't know what we're doing, but it's feeling like a real smoke 'em if you got 'em situation with any passion projects we've been putting off.
Find us on Twitter at @DistanceHour