We are back! Well, really, mentally we never left - but Danielle DID have a baby so we get a pass, right? We talk about social anxiety and Danielle's motherhood experience so far - but more importantly, Steph issues an apology to Paula Cole for giving Sarah McLachlan credit for the Dawson's Creek theme song.

Danielle shares a few entries with supportive comments from Steph, including her experience with a bizarre Twilight Zone locker. Steph updates her LJ from computer lab and we reminisce about crashing each other's classes. We also talk about syndicated radio, why Steph has someone's mother's class ring, and historical events that happened on Steph's birthday (April 27).

Things we mention:

VAMP

Cometeer Coffee (ask Steph for her referral code for a discount!)

Saltburn

Zone of Interest

Leave the World Behind

Everything is Fine by Vince Granada

Archie Moore's

The Storyteller by Dave Grohl

Love Songs from Delilah

We are recording LIVE from Steph’s living room (which means you can feel free to skip past the first 90 seconds of complete cat shenanigans). Danielle shares her thoughts after finally meeting the Archaeologist and we reminisce about old music that’s held up over the years. We share about a few of our favorite CT spots (besides Dunkin, of course) and ponder the actual flavor of Fruity Pebbles. For entries, Danielle mini-deep dives into the Motorola Rokr, the Athenian Diner and Myspace Top 8. Steph shares some tantalizing Halloween costume drama, humble-brags about not being on a school bus for all of senior year, and a field trip spent trolling original Monets. 

Also - “what are ya’ll doing if you’re not rating and reviewing us?!”

Things we mention:

Amazing Tales from Off and On CT’s Beaten Path (Podcast)

Radio Rental

Fall of the House of Usher

Goosebumps

The Charles

Perkatory

Hill-Stead Museum

In the words of Steph after editing this is episode: “it’s a longy!” We start off strong by setting limits around Danielle’s on-air gas passing. We share our co-review of Scamanda and Danielle fills us in on the latest Last Podcast on the Left tea. We naturally segue into the never-ending millennial burden of TOO MANY DAMN OPTIONS/FOMO especially when it comes to parenting styles.

For our entries, Danielle’s entry covers the idealism of young love (AKA setting the absolute lowest bars ever) and dating local rock stars. She also shares about a day in her life without her cellphone in 2005. Steph’s 2003 entry takes us down a 12-browser-tab mini Time Capsule/deep-dive into Livejournal: the days when you needed an invite code to join, the LJ commercial, and LJ’s evil twin, deadjournal.

Things we mention:

Scamanda

Johnny Cash – Hurt

Last Podcast on the Left – Andrew Cunanan series

Perfectly Imperfect Parenting by Mary O'Kane

American Horror Story – Delicate

Dissect - “In Rainbows”

Stop Making Sense

Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance

These Green Eyes – Watch the Lights Go Out

Madonna – Hey Mr. DJ

Mini Time Capsule sources:

Timeline of Livejournal

12/12/03 entry from Livejournal creator Brad Fitzpatrick: "Invite Codes Are Gone" 

Livejournal commercial: "Friends"

deadjournal

We are celebrating some life milestones in this one! Steph is preparing to meet the Archa-parents for lunch and Danielle is having a baby (they really just let anyone have those these days). We also recap our Mom ep followed by an extended share of our latest fave shows, podcasts, and books ... all rounded out by a lighthearted discussion of the entire opioid crisis. Danielle also loves on TV commercials and we both lament the recent hike in Netflix (correction: Hulu) pricing.

Our entries cover an entire week in the life of 2003 Steph (which includes a school dance, going to see School of Rock, and calling people on their parent’s landlines) and she shares the cringiest thing she’s ever done. Danielle curses the dramatic return of her dad’s inner climate-control freak in 2006 and a Spill Canvas concert (still the opener, even 17 years later). 

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Stumptown Coffee Roasters

Alvarium Beer Co.

The Opportunist Podcast

Scamanda Podcast

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell

Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language by Amanda Montell

Painkiller (Netflix)

Dopesick (Hulu)

“Pain no longer the fifth vital sign” (“The Joint Comission’s Pain Standards: Origins and Evolution,” see p. 4)

No One Will Save You (Hulu)

“Disney+, Hulu raise Rates” (Forbes)

Scouts Honor: The Secret Files of the Boy Scouts of America (Netflix)

311 - A Capella What I Got (Sublime cover) & All Mixed Up (311)

We have no idea how we actually made this work, but this week we are SO excited to share out first episode with Barb and Brenda! We find out what they really think of the podcast, discuss their innate detective Mom-skills, and all take turns sharing our favorite "getting caught" teenage stories. We also reminisce about our Girl Scout days (Troup 4569 represent) and try to work out some friendship math (we have been friends for 2/3 of our lives!). Despite our best efforts to keep them on rails, we sometimes devolve into mom-talk about obscure retirement hobbies (snowshoeing anyone?), updates on our childhood friend's moms, and organic vs. non-organic produce. We end with a really nice segment of Mom-pliments and Danielle experiences a moment of healing with Barb.

The Dirty Dozen and The Clean 15

The Station/Great White fire (2003 Washington Post Article)

Welcome to our cold-open where we wonder about time zones, unrealistically matching up our layovers for way too long, and also is Chicago the middle of the country? Steph is drinking a DIY black-coffee frappe which sends Danielle into a tailspin about the Dunkin Donuts Coffee Coolatta, the OG frozen coffee bev. Inspired by our recent RL Stine Time Capsule ep, we watched the Netflix Fear Street Trilogy and finally share our surprising reactions (no spoilers!). We also touch upon the (apparently controversial) new FOB cover of “We Didn’t Start the Fire” and some of our select fave insults we endured in high school.

For our entries, Danielle shares about her 20th birthday and a weird, long-forgotten work-around for keeping your MySpace private in the early 00s. Steph shares about choking down hand-rolled cigarettes in an apartment over a motorcycle shop.

Things we mention:

Fear Street Trilogy (2021, Netflix)

Goosebumps Live on Stage - Screams in the Night

Hack or Slash - A Horror Movie Review Podcast

Hanson & Busted - MMBop 2.0

Fall Out Boy - We Didn’t Start the Fire

Hanson - MMBop (YouTube)

Undercover Underage

“MySpace to Add Restrictions to Protect Younger Teenagers” (New York Times)

“MySpace Faces Age-Old Web Problem” (Wired)

“Denny’s Expands Fusion Favorites Line and Adds New ‘Juicy’ Version” (Nation’s Restaurant News)

Special episode recorded on 4th of July!! Fueled by our current summer bevs, we celebrate beach-read season by honoring RL Stine: “the literary training bra” of Stephen King. We start off with how we got our Goosebumps books (Scholastic book fairs anyone?) and Danielle’s review of Fear Street: Party Summer (1991) before diving into a short bio of Mr. Robert Laurence Stine. We talk about G-bumps franchise spin-offs (including which were ghost-written!) like Give Yourself Goosebumps, Tales to Give you Goosebumps and other fun treats like the mid-90s Goosebumps TV series and the Escape from Horrorland game for PC. We jump to the present day and talk about the 2021 Fear Street Trilogy on Netflix and “RL Stine’s Story Club” podcast. We close by talking about the RLSTNE Wheel of Fortune “free letters,” an obvious nod to the world’s hardest working training bra. 

Special thank you to Goosebumps.fandom.com - the world’s most comprehensive collection of all things Goosebumps. Visit for instant nostalgia, guaranteed! 

P.S. If you loved this deep dive, check out out Episode 26 - CATF Time Capsule: Cellphones.

Things we mention:

Goosebumps Wiki (fandom.com)

RL Stine’s Story Club Podcast

@rl_stine1 (Instagram)

Goosebumps TV Series Intro/Theme Song

Superstitious by RL Stine (1995, adult fiction)

Fear Street Trilogy (2021, Netflix)

Jared from Subway: Catching a Monster

Episode sources:

Ohio Reading Roadtrip: RL Stine (2004)

“Success Gives Bookstores Goosebumps” by Joyce M. Rosenberg (1996, via news.google.com)

“About RL” from RL Stine website (2013, via Wayback Machine)

“The Quick 10: The Not-Very-Scary former Jobs of 10 Very Scary People” by Stacy Conradt (2009, via Wayback machine)

Escape from Horrorland (PC game)

We recorded this on Father’s Day, but we love dads everyday! We open by adoring our own theme song, naturally. This week is full of nostalgia as we talk about TWO-hit wonder band Fastball, R.L. Stein (AKA the Stephen King of middle schoolers), and fast food commemorative character cups. We also throw in a Radio Rental spoiler and talk about the Black Mirror revival (no spoilers!). Steph’s entry covers her entire weekend in June of 2004, complete with trips to The Space, a parking lot carnival, the “new” Waterbury Wal-Mart, and the Athenian Diner. Danielle talks about Father’s Day ‘06, where she got her dad a very random, very ‘00s beverage. So listen in - and do it for the dads!

Things we mention:

Air

Blackberry

Park Predators podcast

Counterclock

Stash: My Life in Hiding by Laura Cathcart Robbins

Gastropark West Hartford