Episode 51: Animals Die, People Ponder

Oh, the holiday season...been busy with Christmas prep and finishing up work before break and being sick, so do excuse my lack of regularity in posting..you know how that goes, I'm sure.
  
I will admit that I listened to this episode a week or two ago and it's one of those that was interesting, so I'm just going to hit the high points that I really remember (and there's a few of them, so that definitely lets you know it was a pretty good show).

For the opening, Ira talks to a scholar about parchment and how it was used in books way back when in history. Having taken so many English classes, I thought I knew about parchment, yet it had never really registered parchment could come from animals. Found that quite interesting and pretty cool that I could relate it back to something I learned about in college (sometimes it feels like those things are few and far between...like how proud I am when I can watch a street art video from somewhere that is Spanish speaking and pick up some of what they're saying...).

Next there's a fictional story about a guy who kills his boss. It's animal related, I promise. It seemed to get a little long but is an interesting tale. George Saunders is an interesting writer for sure.

Act three is the story that stuck out the most to me- the story of a guy who cleans up road kill in Chicago. Ira went out with him one day for another show and it was also used in this one. Let's just say this is the take away story for me this time around...I even retold it the next day to a coworker!

Act four is about a guy who rescues animals. And moving on...

Check this one out if you like animals...or really old literature (atleast the first 10 minutes).

Episode 42: Get Over It!

Episode 42 is an episode I remember having heard before. How I recalled having already heard this take is quite an entertaining one, at that. Ira says the word "nipples" in this one and I remeber being so entertained by that first time around, when I heard it again this time, it clicked (for the record, he is talking about an ex trying on clothes and where they covered when he drops "nipples". I know, I'm 8 because I was so entertained by this).

Anyways, the first story is Ira talking about interactions with an ex girlfriend, eventually referencing Jesus coming back, from the point of view of Jewish folks. Just listen to it. I do have to say, though, Ira, don't go into fitting rooms with ex girlfriends, particularly those who are trying on tight and short clothes to show off to someone else.

  Act two is a George Saunders story about a man who has a hard time getting over a death and act three is Scott Carrier on a quest to find out more about amnesia. He visits a hypnotists to try and get voluntarily put into the state but fails, eventually having the hypnotist have someone come in who claims to have had his mind temporarily emptied.

This time around, Ira's personal anecdote is the most entertaining story in the episode. Saunders' story is one that you have to pay close attention to or else you get completely lost and Carrier's is an interesting concept, particularly in how he seems so open to push boundaries in suggesting that he be put into having amnesia for entire day.  Overall, it's an episode that is good, nothing more, nothing less.