Valerie and Reggie disclose their Thanksgiving family dramas. Are mashed potatoes and canned cranberries worth the blathering messy fights? Apparently. Regina used the expensive tools she's garnered through therapy to express her feelings maturely to her mother. Meanwhile Valerie forgot altogether that she's ever tried to be an evolved human being. Valerie watched a Lifetime-eaque Christmas-y movie called Angel Sings where Connie Britton is cast in the most awful, non-complex role, but Willie Nelson and bunch of other Austin musicians perform, which was alright. We're joined by Help Wanted pal and comedian Wyatt Tall who talks with us about Lori Gottlieb's controversially titled book "Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough," and all the things we wish we'd known when we were younger about dating. Or not. We talk about deal breakers; Gottlieb advises narrowing it down to 3. Tough stuff. This is our milestone 52nd episode! Thanks for listening vageenas! This episode sponsored by: These Undies, random underwear left on the bedroom floor.
Is happiness overrated? We spend a lot of money and time working toward being happy. But all this happiness seeking doesn't actually mean we will be. Instead of trying to live a happy life, some say we should try to build meaningful lives. This is much more attainable. Also, just because you're happy doesn't mean you'll live and longer and super duper happy people are kind of a drag. Are you unhappy? Reggie has a list of traits that characterize chronically unhappy people. Plus, Diane Von Furstenberg, laughter yoga, Victor Frankel, Carnation instant milk and raw eggs, Noxema, and Thanksgiving relative angst. Sponsored by Fuck It I'm Changing Plans and Boycotting Thanksgiving Travel Insurance, the insurance that recognizes holiday travel is contingent only if you're candidate, the right candidate, the candidate who doesn't advocate white supremacy wins.
Okay what the fuck. What the fuck happened? What the fuck do we do now? Why the fuck do we have a stress rash? The five stages of fucking grief: denial (no fucking way), anger (this is a fucking joke and I will never fucking accept it), bargaining (bring back fucking Bush/Cheney; I will take 3 fucking terms of Mitt Romney), depression (fucking pizza, fucking starvation, fucking sex, fucking drugs, fucking booze), and fucking acceptance? (not fucking yet, but why the fuck is the media acting like this is normal? This isn't fucking normal? Why are we not taking to the streets?????).
We also share what has helped us not fucking slit our wrists thus far.
There are big ways to self-sabotage, and a lot of subtle ways we do it every day: not making decisions because we feel like we have too many options, procrastinating, quitting goals when they get tough, are a few. We have tips to recognize when you're self-sabotaging so you have a better chance at stopping. Plus, the best peanut butter cup is the Reese's Easter version, duct tape fixes everything, and sinuses are scary.
We're sponsored by Friend End, the technology you can use every four years to automatically delete your old friends from high school with shitty political views from your NewsFeed. Friend-end keeps you from seeing their racist, xenophobic, sexist, fearfully uneducated and unprogressive posts, so you can preserve the sweet memories you had of your high school bestie, examining the calorie count of fat-free Yoplait in the cafeteria and developing bulimia during your sophomore year. With Friend-End, you never have to know your high school BFF posted an article from the reputable news source: IJRQ.journal.conservative.com called Hillary Clinton will maybe, quite likely, sorta, could possibly be indicted. Instead you can feel nostalgic about that time you went camping when you were 16 and drank a whole bottle of Hot Damn and then puked all over her shoes and stained them red.
You know who's present? The Dalai Lama, and it's probably because of his comfy wardrobe choice. Reggie and Valerie get down to business and talk practical tips for how to be present, even when you're overwhelmed with activities or if you have goals and ambitions you're working toward. Plus Valerie has noisy neighbors and Regina learns that one way to a man's , or at least a hot plumber's heart, is through her sewer pipes. Fun fact: flushable wipes aren't actually flushable! Sponsored by Haul-A-Boy, if you're a woman in your twenties in an existential crisis, relax! All you have to do is date an aimless, charming underachiever who doesn’t have a car. Chauffeuring a boy to band practice in your Toyota Camry while he writes song lyrics in the passenger seat is the perfect way to avoid your own goals! You gain a temporary sense of purpose and relief from the anxiety about your life’s choices and he gets a personal car service to meet his buddy Johan at the skate park, without paying for car insurance! Haul-A-Boy!