Friends With Us

Bhavna’s back, this time with more Chris! We’re ripping off bandaids, playing some games, hearing the story of how these two met, and finally getting some highly anticipated salmon gossip from Bhavna. Watch this space for Part 2!

Hallo freunde (hello friends)! Our dear distanced friend Ceren joins the pod and tells us about living in Germany and answers some questions submitted by you, our friends! We get into egg frying methods, what are Germans dipping their French fries into these days, and what celestial body would we be?Ceren’s plug - Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin

Tune in as Shruti and Mel reach peak alignment by playing How Many Castmates Does It Take To Guess The Movie?

In this ep, we chat with Yan Xin, who is in fact a book-shaped iceberg that is from this earth. We start with a game of Name 5, then dive deep into our thoughts on aliens. Then ribbing your friends, yes or no? And finally, Yan Xin's secret to maintaining friendships: flirting. Yan Xin's plug: moisturizer by Wet Leg

Tune in to this minisode to hear Shruti and Mel discuss how many houses they’ve been in and finally answer the age-old question: is garage house?

We talk about violence in this ep, and consider if humans are inherently violent, and discuss our relationships with violence. Btw, what’s your fear response? Do you lean more fight or flight or freeze or flip or flambe or fawn? Check out Shruti’s plugs:Hanumankind"Chikkama" by VENGAYO

How old is being gay? This week we chatted with our friend and yours, Jordan! They talk to us about one of their greatest passions: queer history. We discuss how queerness in history is often suppressed or erased and Jordan gives us a brief timeline of queer history in the U.S., plus they recite lil’ gay excerpts from letters written by Eleanor Roosevelt and Alexander Hamilton.Content warning for use of the “f” slur at 30:29-31:55 when the origin of the word is described.Jordan’s plugs - Support these organizations! The Transgender Law CenterThe Trevor ProjectThe Point FoundationLambda Legal

Ever wonder what getting a colonoscopy is like? Well, you can find out right now in this minisode as Mel shares her experience and some surprising details about the prep and procedure.

In this ep, Mel shares her experience with jury duty. We talk about what it means to be “impartial” and ask the hard questions like why aren’t juries doing more seances? Then it’s time for Name 5: Courtroom Edition!

It's our 10th episode and we're just here to have fun for once! Gamemaster Shruti leads Mel through a series of goofy games like Rank 'Em, Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, Take Some Direction, and Toothless Vegetables, leaving us wondering, is this any fun to listen to?

A guest so good we immediately had him back for another ep! After some ice-breaking word association and talk of nemeses, Michael shares a special story of his childhood celebrity crush.

Very good boy Michael joins the pod to share with us how growing up with limited access to secular media shaped his relationship with pop culture. Listen to the Offbook show that we saw live and participated in!

In this ep, Mel and Shruti check in and reflect on their recent trip to India! We're talking the sights, the sounds, the smells, the feelings, and most importantly, the tastes.

Just a quick and gross little minisode for your ears this week! Please enjoy as Shruti shares the story of a fleeting relationship with a Band-Aid.

In episode 6, we chat with wife of the pod Phoebe about the transformative power of reading and writing fanfiction, parasocial relationships, and Twilight’s cuck tent.

In this episode, Mel and Shruti discuss fictional horrors (as seen on film) as well as real-life horrors (the American healthcare system). We're greasin' palms and considering careers in medicine.

Peter joins the pod to discuss traveling the world, dreams, making connections abroad, and the official beverage of sky people.

Shruti took a bite out of the Big Apple and it tasted like concentrated capitalism. She tells us all about her trip to the city of fashion, comedy clubs, and public transport.

Nobody REALLY knows how to be safe on the internet. In this episode, we talk to sister of the pod, Bhavna, about scammers, passwords, and how to stay secure in the virtual Wild West.

Our very first episode! An episode about podcasts? Yup, that's where we're starting. Made for you, our friends.