We're waiting for that third shoe to drop.
That doesn't make any sense.
For people who have three legs.
Three legs! The third shoe.
The third shoe! Now it's always hard to keep track of.
Always losing that damn third shoe.
(theme song)
Welcome to episode 50.
We like to kick.
And stretch.
And kick! Because it's episode 50.
And we're besties of a certain age, searching for answers.
We're your hosts, Cara Burch.
And Brea Brown.
We made to 50 episodes.
50? What? Who says we're quitters? No.
Do you wanna talk about the weather again? 
It's hotter than balls.
So, hot.
What you need to know, everybody, is that we just did...
all of Cara's bookmarks and our opening chat.
And I looked down and saw that we were not recording.
Not recording.
That's the first time that's ever happened.
After 50 episodes.
In 50 episodes.
But you caught it and that's what's important.
That's right.
Lord have mercy.
I'm gonna go through these bookmarks again.
Yeah.
Try to stay awake, okay? Cause you heard this before.
I have such an Etch A Sketch brain.
Oh.
That it'll be like the first time anyway.
Okay, so, here we go.
Yep.
My first bookmark is find a work life balance.
Yes.
I do not have that right now and it sucks.
You have a work balance.
I'm working at work and I'm working at home.
Yeah.
But we're getting close.
But I'm not doing a good job of taking care of myself right now.
It does not feel good.
It sneaks up on me.
Yeah.
Cause you just go and go and go and go and go for like weeks and or months or whatever.
And then all of a sudden it's just like, I'm done.
I can't work here anymore.
Forget it.
Yeah.
I'm just gonna quit or find another job that I love.
Which that's a unicorn.
I just don't, I just wanna be independently wealthy.
Yeah.
So, I gotta figure out how to do that maybe.
So, it's very important, strike a work life balance.
Yes.
Do it.
Even if it's just taking a one hour lunch break.
Yes, take your one hour lunch break.
take a break in the morning, take a break in the afternoon, just step away from the computer, let your brain stop thinking, and just go.
Yeah.
Just, it's just good for you.
And in my brain, I think if I step away, I'm gonna lose my momentum.
Right.
And that's why I don't take lunch breaks away from my desk.
Yeah.
That's stupid.
That is just dumb.
But it's just human nature though.
Because you do, you get into like a flow.
You do get into a flow, but.
Now I'm, it's just harmful at this point.
The flow is gone.
It is.
So, this, well, I won't, it's a long story.
The flow has stopped.
That's right.
My second bookmark is Jason Kelce Chunky Soup Commercial.
Oh.
It's hilarious.
Priceless.
Look it up everybody, just search it.
You won't be sorry.
Even if you don't like the word chunky.
And.
Even if you once upon a time called Jason Kelse the ugly Kelse brother.
Yes.
Brea's text to me after I sent it to her was I thought Jason was the ugly brother.
And now what'd you say? I've changed my mind or something like that.
I said, can you believe I used to think Jason Kelsy was the ugly Kelse brother? Well, I mean, if you compare fireside Jason to my buddy, Travis, no contest, no contest right now.
My last bookmark, I'm just gonna skip because I don't even wanna talk about it anymore.
Why? I just don't wanna talk about it.
It's so aggravating.
So, I only have two bookmarks.
Okay.
I have two as well.
Okay.
The first one, even though it's hot as balls outside, is Angry Orchard Hard Cider.
It's that time of year, folks.
Yes, it is.
Oh wait, Angry Orchard, no.
I know, you like- 
Woodchuck.
You like Woodchuck.
But I do like some Angry Orchard.
And they've got a bunch of different flavors.
They do have a bunch of flavors.
I should try some.
Maybe I would find one that I like.
I like it.
And yeah, so it has a lot of sugar in it.
Oh, noes.
But I don't care.
Some days that's like the only sugar I have.
So, you know.
There you go.
But it's football season.
You gotta like.
You gotta, it's a nice pairing.
Yeah, it's very nice.
Mm-hmm.
And it's crisp and it's very refreshing.
And then my second bookmark is the Netflix series, Perfect Couple with Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, yep.
Yeah.
And Dakota Fanning.
Okay.
And a crap ton of other really good actors whose names just aren't recognizable yet, but I'm sure they will be, cause they're excellent.
It is based on a book by Elin Hilderbrand, who's a big name in mass market fiction.
Okay.
Drama, usually like family drama, with a little bit of mystery mixed in.
And this is a murder mystery.
Oh.
You have to figure out who in this exclusive group of people, murdered one of the bridesmaids.
Murder.
Anyway, it's good.
Netflix has suggested that I watch that, but I have not yet.
It's super good.
Okay.
It kept me guessing all the way to the end.
Oh, I like that.
Uh-huh.
Okay.
I kept thinking, oh, it's this person.
Oh no, it's this person.
So, you were surprised.
I don't think I was actually surprised at the end, because by the end I was like, oh, you know what? It's probably gonna be the best part.
Oh, okay.
You know what I mean? I see.
You go through so many emotions and so many guesses.
Yes.
Finally, you just, by process of elimination, you get there, or I did, but you know.
I've watched a few things like that.
I was gonna say, I'm surprised you didn't figure it out sooner than that with all of your background on true crime and- They were super, they were just real trick, tricksters.
Okay.
Anyway, that's it.
All right.
That's all I got.
Well.
We're not here to talk about how quickly you can figure out who killed someone.
Why not? That should be the new podcast.
That's our different podcast.
Oh, spin off podcast.
Gotcha.
What are we here for? We are here to talk about the reading of the list.
This is a segment where we tell you our top three most interesting, funniest, most successful internet searches of the week in list form.
My list for this week is number one types of popcorn balls.
Number two, the Stone of Scone.
Number three, Three Mile Island slash Microsoft purchase.
Huh? Uh-huh.
Those don't go together in my brain.
My list for this week.
I had to recycle two searches from last week that were interesting and were in my, But What About This One list? Oh, yes.
Because I had such a big, extensive.
But What About This One List? Then there were some good things in there.
And this week I didn't have a lot of good things.
So, here we go.
Okay.
White shoe law firm, Hygge, Octavia Butler.
Mm.
Okay.
Would you like to play a game? I do wanna play a game.
Like a really fun game? Yes, yes, yes.
And maybe win a prize? Yes.
Okay.
Well, let's play a game that we all like to call Search Me.
I went down this time.
Oh, wow.
This is where we each pose one question to each other to see if she can answer based only on The Reading of the Lists today, Brea.
What am I playing for? You are playing for.
What am I playing for? This candle, the scent is book loft.
Oh yes.
Smell it.
That's interesting.
I know, I think so too.
It's not quite booky.
I wonder if it's a brand new book loft that you're getting ready to put books into.
Maybe.
I don't know.
It's not a bad smell, but it doesn't smell very booky.
I'm just kinda disappointed.
Yeah, it doesn't smell like paper.
You know, I got this sent in a wallflower.
Yeah.
And it smells terrible.
Oh no.
But the candle smells much better.
Oh good.
I hope so.
You just re-gift that if you don't like it.
You know.
Because we all need a little re-gifting section in our house.
We are getting to that time of the year where you have all these random like gift exchanges where you're like I have no idea what to do here.
Secret Santa? Yeah.
I don't know Bob.
Maybe Bob would like a book loft candle.
I think he would.
Okay, so I'm realizing I've gotten to my rundown and I didn't come up with a question.
Oh no.
So, I'm gonna stay here and think about a question for, oh, I've got one.
Okay.
Which of my searches would Pennsylvania Erin know all about.
For those of you playing at home, here's my list again.
Number one, types of popcorn balls.
Number two, The Stone of Scone.
Number three, Three Mile Island slash Microsoft Purchase.
Well, I'm sure she knows about all three of these.
But geographically, I think she would know about Three Mile Island.
I don't know about Microsoft Purchase.
I don't know either.
It's this fairly new development.
But Three Mile Island for sure.
I bet she's in the know.
Of course.
Everybody has to be.
OK.
Oh, you're going to laugh at me later.
OK.
No, I mean there.
Where she lives.
Yes.
Yeah.
So, Three Mile Island is where the nuclear accident happened.
And this is in Pennsylvania.
March 28, 1979.
It was the Unit 2 reactor.
There were two units.
There was a mechanical failure in the secondary cooling system, which led to a loss of coolant and a partial core meltdown.
This resulted in the release of radioactive gasses and iodine into the environment, and the Unit 2 reactor was permanently shut down.
This accident was considered a level five on a, excuse me, a level five of nine on the International Nuclear Event Scale.
meaning that it was an accident with off-site consequences require an international response.
This is what blows my mind.
No significant immediate health effects were observed in the public or the plant workers because of exposure to the levels were relatively low.
However, long-term health effects remain a subject of ongoing research and studies continue to monitor the health of individuals who were exposed to radiation from the accident.
The most recent study was a 13 year study on 32,000 people and they haven't found any adverse health effects up to this point.
Interesting.
That's incredible to me.
Yeah.
There are a lot of studies apparently based on what I found that are independently, like it wasn't that company's not paying for it, the government's not paying for it, they're independent studies.
So, that's good, that's a good thing.
Keep watching these people.
Um, the cleanup of the damaged nuclear reactor system, uh, took nearly 12 years and costs approximately $973 million.
Yikes.
So, I've never really researched this before.
I knew about it, but I don't know enough about it that I, if someone says Three Mile Island that I automatically remember that it's Pennsylvania, like it just never sticks with me.
It's somewhere over there.
It's Sometimes I think it's not even in the US.
Like, I'm so, like this just isn't even on my radar, but I think now that I've researched it and talked about it, it's gonna stick.
Yeah, yeah.
But anyway, I searched this because I saw an article about a 20 year power purchase agreement between Microsoft and Constellation Energy who owns that power plant on Three Mile Island.
The agreement will restart unit one.
which was shut down in 2019, just because it wasn't making any money.
Other energy sources were out pacing, blah, blah.
So, in 2019, they just completely shut down Unit 1, but they are going to reactivate Unit 1, and it's supposed to be online by 2028.
And so Microsoft is going to buy power from this plant for 20 years to help supply their data centers, which will require significant amounts of energy to power AI and other computational operations.
Interesting.
Their decision to purchase power from Three Mile Island aligns with their goal of achieving carbon negativity by 2030.
Oh, carbon negativity.
The restart of Three Mile Island is expected to create jobs and boost the local economy.
My sources were Gemini, Google Gemini, worldnuclear.org, and energy.gov.
So, I thought that it had been abandoned.
Like the whole, I might be conflating this with other disasters.
Like there's one where there was like a mine and there's a fire underground, you know about this one? Yes.
And, oh, what's the name of that place? Oh gosh, where is that? I thought it was also in Pennsylvania.
But anyway, I know that town had to be abandoned.
It's still on fire underground, which is amazing to me.
And they said it will be for like 500 years or something crazy.
I thought Three Mile Island was like that too, where they had to evacuate and people had to abandon their homes and leave.
I would assume that they did, just because of the accident.
That was like, get everybody out of Dodge.
and then they did clean up, but they were saying that it was still, unit one was still operational until 2019.
Yeah.
So, that means that people are there operating it.
Yeah.
What I was reading is that it was more contained.
So, when the coolant, like when there wasn't enough coolant, like all the things that were supposed to happen when that occurs yeah happened properly like all the safety measures went into effect which is why there was apparently very little radiation Released so it wasn't like a Chernobyl thing exactly.
It wasn't a complete meltdown, right? Okay.
Are you ready for your question? Yes very much so.
You are playing for this stuff you should know book. That's fun! 
This is from the creators of the hit podcast, Stuff You Should Know.
Oh.
I don't know if you've ever listened to that.
I have, I love that podcast.
It's great.
So, this is Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant.
They wrote this book based on their podcast.
We should write a book based on our podcast.
It would just be all plagiarized.
Prove it.
From Wikipedia.
Prove it.
Anyway, they have researchers for their show because they're kind of a big deal.
They've been podcasting for forever.
They were podcasting before it was cool.
So, anyway, here's this book.
Yes, and I thought probably you and Sean would really like that.
Oh, I opened it up to Murphy beds I love Murphy beds.
Murphy beds are the awesomest thing.
This is gonna be so helpful with the podcast.
Yes.
All right, hit me with your question.
Okay.
Here's your question which of my searches took me to the intersection of Ivy League and fashion? That's a good question.
For those of you playing along at home, here are your choices again.
One, White shoe Law Firm.
Two, hygge.
Or three, Octavia Butler.
Is it hygge? Well, I meant Whiteshoe Law Firm? Yes ma'am.
Shoot.
You know what? White shoe Law Firm was my first guess.
Why did it? Should have gone with my gut.
You over thought it.
White shoe Law Firm is the answer.
Okay.
I was listening to a podcast that I cannot remember.
I don't remember what it was, but they mentioned that a legal firm was a white shoe law firm.
And I was like, what is that? Here's what it is and how it came to be called that.
White shoe law firms are prestigious.
Do you say prestigious or prestigious? I say prestigious.
I like to say prestigious, just to be different.
No judging.
Long-established legal institutions in the U.S. often associated with elite clientele and high-profile cases.
So, these are big money-making firms.
They're known for their conservative and traditional approach to practicing law, whatever that means, and they often emphasize personal relationships and a focus on corporate and financial law.
How is that different from a...
So, they're not like ambulance chasers.
Okay.
So, they don't go after clientele, the clientele comes to them.
Oh yes.
No need to advertise.
Correct.
And it's usually corporations that come to them.
Okay.
Big entities, banks, corporations, things like that.
This is not, I got in a car accident.
I know what to do.
Tad Morlin.
Call Tad Morlin.
We both thought of the same.
That reminds me.
I was listening to another podcast, and one of the people on this podcast, she was kind of a crackpot, but she was like, oh, I got some advice from a friend who's a lawyer, and he's also a doctor.
And I went, Brad Bradshaw? in my car, but she lives in California.
Oh, shoot.
Out in Hollywood, so I don't think it was Brad Bradshaw.
I don't know.
I know, but yeah, he's kind of a big deal.
Yeah, I know.
So, anyway, it's not Aaron Sacks, it's not Brad Bradshaw or Tad Morlin.
I wanna give them all equal time on the podcast if they wanna sponsor us.
These are places like Sidley Austin.
They take on these big multi-million dollar lawsuits, maybe defending clients against class action lawsuits, things like that.
Okay.
Got it.
Historically, they were associated with white Anglo-Saxon Protestant elites, often called WASPs.
And so they were known for their exclusivity and anti-Semitism.
But over time the term has evolved to denote firms with a reputation for excellence and a long-standing tradition of high standards.
The term white shoe originates from the white buckskins shoes, also called white bucks, that were popular among wealthy Ivy League students in the early 20th century.
Think Harvard.
Think Yale.
they had their white shoes on.
I don't know if they wore spats.
Oh my gosh.
But maybe.
I'm gonna have to look that up because I can't.
You can't picture the shoes.
They're probably like Oxford looking shoes.
Okay.
But they were white and they were made out of like suede or that kind of thing.
Okay.
In 1953, Esquire described this social set like this.
White shoe applies primarily to the socially ambitious and the socially smug types who affect a good deal of worldly sophistication, run, ride, and drink in rather small cliques and look in on the second halves of football games when the weather's good.
Oh.
How specific is that? That's so specific.
Esquire, what the hell? Throw in the shade.
I'm so tucking that phrase away for use in the future.
Look in on the second half of football games when the weather is good.
They don't want to get their buckskin shoes wet.
Well, and arriving early.
Oh, right.
Who does that? Just show up for the last half when all the action is, when it matters.
Well, and once everyone has arrived.
Yes, then you can make your entrance.
And...
See who's there.
Oh, right.
Like maybe you don't want to stay, even though the weather is nice.
Oh, Bob, he likes book loft candles.
You're just picking on Bob today.
Sorry, Bob.
I just thought this was so interesting how a term like that, you know, just for an expensive law firm basically, an expensive corporate law firm.
Yeah, I've never heard that before.
White shoe law firm.
Got it.
Very cool.
That was a good search.
Now, where did you come from? Where did I come from? Where did you come from, Brea? Mars.
No, Venus.
When two people love each other.
Ha ha ha.
Yeah.
Um, why did you search that? Did you already tell me and I've forgotten already? I did at the beginning.
Shoot.
And I don't really remember which podcast I was listening to.
Oh, right.
Okay, sorry.
They used that phrase and I was like, what the heck? I apologize.
It was, you know.
I really was listening.
I just can't remember anything.
I'm sure it had something to do with murder or, uh, you know.
That's likely.
Yeah.
Crime of some sort.
I mean, it's a law firm.
Of course.
Makes sense.
My sources were wikipedia and lawoftheday.com.
Oh, okay.
Well.
Oh.
This is almost as awkward as arriving at a football game in the second half and seeing that nobody interesting is there.
I know.
And like it kind of looks like rain.
Like should I stay? I should have not worn my white buckskin shoes.
Oh, my white shoes.
You're going to get dirty.
Let's talk about shared history.
Okay, sure.
Let's do it.
Okay.
This segment, shared history, is where we tell you our DTH besties what we searched this week, why we searched it, and what we learned, if anything.
I've already learned so much.
Right? This is a very good episode.
I've learned about Three Mile Island.
You've learned about some white buckskin shoes and about- when the proper time to show up at a football game is.
This episode deserves five stars.
If people were inclined to write and review us, for sure.
Jump on line.
All right, here is my first search.
The Stone of Scone.
It's S-C-O-N-E.
It's a literal stone.
Oh, and it really is pronounced skåne.
Scone.
Well, I'll get to that here in just a little bit.
There's layers to this story.
Let me not jump ahead.
This stone was historically located in the Abbey of Scone near Perth in Scotland.
It was believed to have been, and probably still, it probably is, I found a lot of conflicting information about this, so if y'all don't agree with what I'm about to tell you, just let me know.
Send me an email.
The stone of Scone is kind of controversial.
Its history is foggy.
Oh.
So, it is believed to be a coronation stone used by Scottish kings since the 9th century.
It was placed beneath the king-to-be during the ceremony, symbolizing the transfer of power and connection to Scotland's history.
However, it was stolen by Edward I of England in 1296, when England invaded Scotland.
The stone was taken to Westminster Abbey in London, where it was incorporated into the famous coronation chair to symbolize his conquest.
Yes.
It was used for British coronation ceremonies until 1996 and when it was returned temporarily to Scotland as a goodwill gesture.
Temporarily? Yeah, it was on loan.
We took your stone, but we're gonna give it to you just to show you that we can play along.
Wait, wait, wait.
Stick with me.
So, the Scottish parliament established in 1999 made the return of the stone to Scotland a priority.
Then after years of campaigning the stone was permanently moved to Scotland in 2023.
It is now housed in the crown room of Edinburgh Castle on display for the public to see.
Here's a hot take.
According to sources I found on the internet, scones, the delicious baked treat, have nothing to do with the Stone of Scone, even though scones are believed to have originated in Scotland in the early 1500s.
And the first printed reference was in 1513.
Now, I found that the word scone in the phrase Stone of Scone is a corruption of the British word scian.
And I'm gonna spell that for you because I probably butchered it.
It's S-C-I-A-N.
The internet told me you're supposed to pronounce it like keen or sheen with an I sound in it.
So, like sheen, sheen.
And it means pillow.
Like the stone of pillow? Well, like you put your feet on, like you know, you've seen royalty.
They put their feet on a pillow or maybe a step stool.
Like a poof.
Anyway...
Huh.
I looked this up because of course I was on Instagram's, you know, tooling around and I saw a clip from the King's speech.
Yes, that's exactly what came into my mind.
And when you first said it was Scottish, I was like, oh, so did the English like steal that idea or no, they actually stole the actual stone.
Straight up stole it.
What a bunch of dicks.
So, yeah, I saw.
they were referencing the stone under the coronation chair when, what's his face, the speech therapist was being very...
Irreverent.
Yes, irreverent.
And he was sitting in the chair and Colin Firth was like, you can't sit in that chair.
You can't sit in that chair.
He's like, people have carved their names in it, it's fine.
There's a stone underneath it.
It's The Stone of Scone.
I said, The Stone of Scone? Internet.
Thank God for Google.
I know, right? And Wikipedia.
Yeah, of course.
That's it? All roads on Google lead to Wikipedia, it feels like.
Did you know that scones, the baked treat, did not originate in England? I just made an assumption.
Um, I never thought about it.
OK.
I just thought, I know, don't come at me, Scottish people.
I just thought the UK, like that whole general area.
Same thing.
Oh, oh.
I know, and I know it's not, but I just, I know that a lot of things come from different places and they borrow a bunch of different things and it's very like, loosey goosey.
So, who knows where things come from.
Do you like scones? I find them to be quite dry.
Yeah.
But I don't know that I've ever had like, a legit straight up scone that's made.
Correctly.
Yeah, I would like to have one actually in the UK.
Yes and see what that's like.
I agree.
Because all the ones I've ever had here are very dense.
Yes, and I wasn't expecting that it's almost like an overcooked drop biscuit.
Yeah.
Or like butter cookies…
Butter cookies?
 like super duper like smush together like a ton of them together because they're so thick.
Scones I've had are so heavy.
They're just, yeah, it's like at the stone at the base of the throne.
And now I'm rhyming.
Now, I did find one source that said, yes, scones came from the stone.
Like people named them after the stone.
Okay.
But I had more sources saying that that's not correct.
So, if anybody knows...
Make up your damn minds.
Let us know.
If there's a ghost from the 1500s out there listening to our podcast, let us know.
Or if there's just anybody from that area in the world.
Oh, that would be even better.
You know, who like knows this crap? That'd be awesome.
What were your sources? They were Google, Gemini, and Wikipedia.
Oh, excellent.
All right, my first search is Octavia Butler.
Yes.
This was also inspired by some podcasts listening, because that's all I ever do.
So, this was an episode of This is Love with Phoebe Judge, one of my favorite podcasts.
It comes out every other week, and I hate the weeks that it's not, that it doesn't come out, I hate it.
Anyway, she was interviewing a man who originally published one of Octavia Butler's most important.
Seminal Essays About Race in Science Fiction.
The essay was called Lost Races of Science Fiction, and it was originally published and in one issue newsletter by a college student before being reprinted in several other publications throughout the years because it was so amazing.
That's cool.
Yeah.
And this guy was so irreverent, kind of like Geoffrey Rush on the throne.
He elicited this essay from her.
And she agreed to write it, which was like a miracle in itself.
But you know when you're young and you just think, this is how life is.
You ask and you shall receive.
You just think that things are like, like you're entitled to things, maybe.
Anyway, so he asks her to write this essay and she does it.
And then he sent her notes back on the essay.
You know, I think it would be better if you did it like this.
Okay.
And she actually wrote in her journal about him something along the lines of what an ass.
But she did what he asked and revised the essay and sent it back to him.
And it became like this big deal.
So, in this essay, Lost Races of Science Fiction, Octavia Butler discusses the lack of diversity in science fiction, particularly at the time when she was writing, which was back in the 60s, 70s, and the importance of including more voices and perspectives in the genre.
There was a quote that she was specifically replying to, somebody in science fiction, I don't know who, I think it was at a convention or something, said something like, race is irrelevant in science fiction because you can tackle racial issues by making a character different race like an alien race.
Okay.
And that can stand in for race racial issues.
It's like no, I have to disagree with that.
And not just that.
But are you comparing people of color or people not non white people? Are you comparing them to aliens? They're the same species.
Oh gosh, I'm sure it was some clueless white dude, but anyway, Octavia Butler was a pioneering American science fiction writer.
Uh, she was born in 1947 and she died in 2006.
She was renowned for her unique blend of science fiction, mysticism, mythology, and African-American spiritualism.
She was born in Pasadena, California.
and raised by her widowed mother, where she faced numerous challenges, including dyslexia and shyness.
So, a lot of her origin story reminds me of like Maya Angelou.
Just some of the same kind of, you know, single mother learning problems, you know, like Maya Angelou didn't talk until she was...
I can't remember how old, but old.
Oh my goodness.
I didn't know that.
Yeah, that's why her book was called, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
Or book, poem? Talking out my ass.
I know just enough.
I think that's a book.
I know just enough to really sound like an idiot.
OK, well.
And get it half wrong.
You're leaps and bounds ahead of me, because I know nothing about Maya Angelou.
I know who she is.
She was amazing.
That's all I know.
So, despite these obstacles, Butler's passion for reading and writing flourished, leading her to become one of the most influential voices in science fiction.
Here are some of her notable works.
The Patternist series, Kindred, and the Parable series.
Her writing often explored themes of power, identity, and social justice.
And she was known for creating strong complex characters, particularly African-American women.
Yeah.
In 1995, she became the first science fiction writer to receive a MacArthur Fellowship, often referred to as the Genius Grant.
Oh yes.
And her influence extends beyond literature into broader cultural and social realms.
Her work has inspired a generation of writers, particularly within the Afrofuturism movement.
which sounds badass, which combines elements of science fiction, historical fiction, and fantasy.
Oh, my goodness.
To explore the African diaspora.
Oh.
We learned about that.
Experiences.
Her stories continue to challenge and reshape the genre, addressing issues of race, gender, and societal structures.
So, after I listened to this podcast episode, I was like, I must read some of this.
And I'm not a science fiction buff or a fantasy buff, but one of her books really kind of spoke to me because it's about time travel.
You're interested in time travel? I really like the concept of time travel.
Okay.
And I really like, oh, what's it called? Is it astrophysicist? Nope, that's an astrophysicist, that's a person.
Astrophysics.
Whoa, you know like Schrödinger's cat.
Like is the cat in the box or out of the box? Well until you look in the box, it's both in the box and out of the box.
Alive and dead.
Alive and dead, correct.
Until you look in the box.
Okay, yeah, see, I told you.
I get everything half right.
Like that.
Yes.
And like that there are parallel dimensions and that we're kind of living in.
I think that is interesting.
The thought of parallel dimensions and that we're all in one.
Yeah.
I read a book recently where this woman was dissatisfied with her life and trigger warning, she.
What? She tries to die by suicide.
Oh, oh, oh.
And while she's kind of in the in-between, she goes to this place called the library.
And it's just like bookshelves and bookshelves, miles and miles of bookshelves and bookshelves.
And books, you know, just jammed on these shelves.
And every book is a different iteration of her life.
Oh, my gosh.
And so she can go pick a different life off of the shelf and try it out.
But the minute she feels dissatisfaction or disappointment, she'll be sucked back into the library.
Oh.
So, she can get to try different things, but.
There are no consequences.
Uh, sort of.
Okay.
Yeah.
I mean, there's more to it than that, but it's interesting.
It was a good book.
It was by Matt Haig.
I think it was called The Midnight Library.
That's cool.
Yeah.
Now this Octavia Butler book that I wanted to read, it's called Kindred and it is about visionary time travel classic whose black female hero is pulled through time to face the horrors of American slavery and explores the impacts of racism, sexism and white supremacy then and now.
Wow.
So, it's pretty heavy.
Yeah.
But that is fascinating.
It's not a cozy mystery.
Right.
It's not a rom-com.
So, it'll be a little bit different than what I usually read.
But I think it will broaden my horizons.
I think that will be a very rewarding read.
Yeah, yeah.
I was really excited to learn more about her.
And my sources were LOA.org, publicbooks.org, harpers.org, lots of orgs, literaryladiesguide.com, library.princeton.edu, inverse.com, Wikipedia, Britannica.com, and goodreads.com.
Man, do you know what I saw the other day that all this talk about books is, it's reminding me.
I was driving home and I went past the school that's near our house and they had this giant red banner hanging up on their playground fence and it says scholastic book fair.
Oh my gosh.
I was like, oh, did you and I talk about this on the podcast or were we talking about? I don't know, but it's the best thing in the whole world.
I was just like, oh, I wanna turn in and go to the scholastic book fair, but I think I'll get in trouble.
I don't have a child with me.
They'd be like, excuse me, miss, what are you doing here? Just reliving my childhood, don't worry about it.
I wanted to go so bad, but I didn't.
Anyway.
Yeah.
That was a good search.
Thanks.
It was very...
opposite, not opposite, but it's a little more high brow than what we're about to talk about with me.
Oh, I'm excited.
We're gonna talk about popcorn balls.
Yeah, popcorn balls.
Okay, for Halloween is nigh.
Oh, yes, it is.
For whatever reason, I got to think about Halloween and fall decorations because I don't have time to do any of that crap right now, but that's what I would like to do.
So, that's where my brain is venturing, but it's probably not going to happen this year.
But.
That got me thinking about Halloween when I was a kid, and one of my things that I really, really remember that really stuck with me was my grandma, my dad's mom, would always make us popcorn balls.
Really? So, we would show up to trick or treat at grandma's house, and we would get some candy, but then in a little bag, a little cellophane bag tied with a string, we would each get a popcorn ball.
How big were they? Like...
Like softball size? Like, yeah, they were big.
Yeah.
Oh, I loved those.
I thought that was the greatest thing.
So, then I thought, I am gonna make popcorn balls this year.
Dang it.
Yeah.
Never done that before.
I haven't had a popcorn ball since I was trick or treating.
Yeah.
Many moons ago.
You mean last Halloween? Last Halloween.
What did you go as last Halloween? I went as Barbie with that plastic mask over my face and the elastic string in the back.
Yeah, yeah.
Beautiful.
So, I went to Google Gemini and I said, hey, Google Gemini, tell me every, find every recipe you can for popcorn balls.
That was a bad way to search because it sent me back a bunch of recipes.
I didn't want recipes.
So, then I reworked it and I said, What are all the flavors of popcorn balls? There you go.
So, here's the list, are you ready? Yes.
That's all this is, it's a list of popcorn ball flavors.
Imagine in your head popcorn balls.
So, grandma always just made the standard buttered popcorn ball.
Really? And that was number one.
Google Gemini called it the classic popcorn ball.
So, it had no sweetness to it.
It was just butter.
And she, I am assuming it was like Karo syrup.
So, she had a little bit of sweetener.
There had to be some sweetener in there because it can't, you know.
To stick it together.
It had to be, or maybe marshmallow.
I don't know.
I don't know how she made them.
Oh, maybe it was marshmallow.
But they were really good.
But they were mostly buttery.
That's what I remember.
So, then we've got, of course, your caramel popcorn ball.
Oh yeah.
Nut butter of your choice.
Oh.
Or like cinnamon toast crunch spread.
Girl, let me tell you, Sean was all over that.
Like.
A duck on a June bug.
He was like, oh, and he was, he was dubious, but then he tried it and he was like, I'm in.
I put it on Oreos.
Did you? It was amazing.
Oh my gosh.
And then you were awake all night.
And then I was like, let's go do this.
What do you think? What do you think we should do next? The great cornhole.
Okay, cheddar cheese popcorn balls.
Oh, yeah chocolate drizzle, s'mores now we're talking, trail mix popcorn balls.
What a great idea is that? Yeah, they take all the crap you put in a trail mix and just roll it in a popcorn ball.
Yeah.
I thought that was a brilliant idea. Cookie butter caramel balls, Strawberry shortcake popcorn balls. So, you use strawberry flavored caramel and graham cracker crumbs.
Oh yeah.
What? That sounds amazing.
Dry to tropical fruits.
Oh yeah.
I bet that would be good.
Blueberry lemon, chili cheese, jalapeno popper, hot cinnamon.
Now I have had one of those before and I did not like it.
Really? My sister loves hot cinnamon stuff, so she was all over it.
Like fireballs and...
Yes, like cinnamon disks.
I can't stand that stuff.
Maple bacon.
Oh my gosh.
And last but not least, salted caramel.
Oh yeah.
I love salted caramel.
I know it's not your fave.
It's all right.
I will eat it.
I'm not going to turn it down.
But...
It's not my fave.
Do you have a nostalgic Halloween memory, whether it be costume or candy? I do remember one year, I'm gonna tell on myself, this is terrible.
Okay, this was before I was like 11 years old and I thought I was pretty smart and pretty funny.
But you know how when you're that age and you say things and you don't really know what you're saying or what you're talking about or what things mean? Yes.
Okay, so just kind of like me talking about Maya Angelou and Schrodinger's cat, I kind of knew enough to know how to use this word in a sentence in the correct context, but I wasn't aware of how, of what the...
what it really meant.
So, I went trick or treating with some friends and we finally came back to our street.
And one of my friends had dressed like a pregnant lady.
And when we got finished with all the other streets and we came back to our street and they were dropping me off at my house cause I went with their parents and everything.
She had gotten tired of having the pillow up her shirt.
So, she had taken it out.
Oh no.
Yeah.
So, we get to our house.
And then we say trick or treat and my mom answers the door.
And she's like, oh, it's you, you're back.
And she's like, oh, what are you? What are you? And she was like guessing what we all were and asking what we all were.
And she looked at my friend and she said, well, what are you dressed up as? And before she could answer, I pipe up little miss clever clogs.
I say, well, she was a pregnant lady, but she had an abortion.
Oh no.
And my mom was like, get in the house right now.
I got in so much trouble.
Oh my gosh.
Yeah, that's my like most vivid Halloween memory.
I could probably see why.
Yeah, I got in really big trouble and I was embarrassed in front of my friends, you know.
Of course.
Maybe that's why I don't like Halloween.
Oh, oh, you have bad connotations.
Yeah, maybe that ruined Halloween for me.
I remember the last Halloween.
I did trick or treating.
I did not want to go.
You felt like you were too old for that? I was like, yeah, like all of a sudden I was super awkward about it and didn't want to go up to the door and I didn't want to ring the doorbell.
Like I didn't want to do any of it.
And they forced me to.
They forced me to dress up and go trick or treating.
What were you? I don't even remember.
You don't remember.
Oh.
And we went up to this door.
It was on our street.
And I made Eric knock on the door.
He's three years younger than me.
And the guy opened the door and he was like, he was an old man.
And he was like, hey, I got some trick or treaters here.
You guys gonna trick me? And I said, no.
And he said, you don't seem like a very happy trick or treater.
And I said, I don't wanna be here.
And he goes, you know, you don't have to go trick or treating.
And I said, they made me.
And he said, that's dumb.
That's what I remember.
That's dumb.
He gave me extra candy though, because I was not happy.
Oh.
Eric got his candy and started to walk down the steps of the porch.
Yeah.
And the guy said, hey.
I turned back around and he gave me another handful of candy.
Wasn't that nice? That was nice.
That was my last Halloween.
Oh.
You know, ever since I've had kids, which like since I was 12 years old, basically, the year after that.
The year after I said that, I've just had kids for so long and it's just always a chore.
It's always, you know, and especially when we were really young and the kids were really young and we had no money, it was just an extra expense because I didn't know how to make anything and I didn't want to spend any brain power thinking about Halloween and what to dress the kids as and so it was always, you know, spending money on a costume, money that we didn't really have.
So, when you were a kid, did you enjoy thinking up costumes? Did you enjoy like that aspect of it? Maybe you just have never really cared for Halloween and you just went along because that's- I don't remember.
I don't remember any of my costumes growing up.
Oh, really? None of them.
You just aren't a Halloween person.
I'm really not.
But now that I don't have kids who trick or treat, I like it a lot more.
So, you like answering the door? Yeah, we never get any trick or treaters.
Oh.
Really? Yeah, our cul-de-sac is always so dark that nobody comes down it.
So, people don't turn their porch light on.
Yeah.
Oh.
 So, lame, huh. 
Anyway, anyway, you've still got another search.
I do one more hygge Yes Now even after I corrected myself saying it's hygge.
I still was getting it wrong.
Okay, I just cannot get this word right.
Okay, but I really like it Okay.
And I'm determined to get it.
You can do it.
And I'm obsessed with the whole concept anyway, of hygge.
And I've mentioned it multiple times on this podcast.
I've mispronounced it multiple times on this podcast.
Here's what it's all about.
For those who don't know and are like, please stop talking about this unless you're gonna explain what it is.
It's a Danish concept that embodies a sense of coziness, comfort and wellbeing.
It's about creating a warm atmosphere of enjoying the good things in life with good people.
And here are some of the key aspects of hygge.
Okay.
Which we already said, cozy atmosphere.
Creating a warm and inviting environment typically with soft lighting and candles and natural elements.
Oh yes, nice.
Togetherness, spending quality time with loved ones is central to hygge.
This could be family, friends, close colleagues.
Whatever.
No, not close colleagues.
No offense.
I'm not gonna hygge my coworkers.
And fostering meaningful connections.
The next one simple pleasures so a big part of hygge celebrates life's simple joys like enjoying a home-cooked meal or savoring a piece of chocolate or taking a leisurely walk in nature all things that last one is not me.
But the home-cooked meal and chocolate I'm down mindfulness It encourages being present in the moment and appreciating your surroundings and experiences, promoting mindfulness and gratitude, which I love.
I love thinking about stuff like that and just being very like present.
When I meditate, I'm always thinking about that kind of stuff.
Just very present and trying to be more content things like that.
Nice.
Seasonal embrace.
Oh.
Hookah is closely tied to the changing seasons with different activities and rituals for each time of year, which I love.
She's all over that.
I love it.
Every time that seasons change, I'm all over it because I'm ready for a little bit of a change, mix it up, you know, redecorate my house a little bit, do some different things, fun.
And wellness.
The concepts.
The concept aligns with the well with well-being and self-care, supporting relaxation and mental health.
Oh, I need some of that.
Yeah.
So, it's all just about, you know, it's more than just a word.
It's a way of life that emphasizes comfort and contentment and the enjoyment of simple everyday moments.
My sources.
Yes.
For that, we're copilot.
Scandinaviaviscastandard.com Denmark.DK, MasterClass.com, Huga Decor Guide, that's part of the MasterClass.com.
You could try it if you'd like.
And Everydayhygge.com, Huga, oh shoot, I keep saying it wrong.
EverydayHygge.com, Wikipedia.
It's almost like a Hygge.
I know, I just, because of the way it's spelled, It's because it's spelled weird, yes.
I can't get it through my head.
You can do it, keep.
I'm a hooked on phonics junkie.
That’s not your fault! They drilled it into us.
Oh, Cara.
Yeah? What about this one? 
What about it? 
This is a quick listing of our other searches from this week that we didn't have time to discuss or simply too boring to share.
Yes, or didn't yield any decent results.
Agreed.
I had a lot of frustrating ones this week.
Did you? Yeah.
Oh, all right.
Here's my list.
It ain't too long because I've been busy.
Okay.
Blue people of Appalachia.
That was fascinating.
It is fascinating.
Jason Kelce chunky soup commercial.
Great.
Women's Hanes underwear.
I can't find my favorite underwear that I have used for years and years and years I believe it has been discontinued and I'm flipping out.
Everything that you ever love will always be discontinued.
And this is the second inner iteration of Hanes underwear that has been discontinued I had a set that I used like all through high school and college.
Yeah now I'm not the same underwear that brand that type.
Yes, that style.
It's style.
Thank you that's the word.
They discontinued.
And so then I found this new one and they're great, whatever, but now I can't find them again.
Oh my gosh.
So, I gotta do some shopping.
Oh gosh.
Find me some new underwear.
And you know what? They don't make underwear like they used to.
It keeps getting thinner and thinner and cheaper and crappier come on people.
Do you want me to go back and talk about bras again from episode one because I will.
Get it right.
All right.
Did Marie Antoinette have kids? She did.
Spooky symphony tickets.
Pacheco injury status.
Womp womp.
Is the 2025 Super Bowl on Fox? It is, and we can't get Fox.
Guess she'll be coming to our house.
I may have to.
A Queen song, I Want to Break Free.
That is a great song.
I love that song.
I've been singing it ever since it popped into my head.
How long does it take a small animal to decay? Something died under Roy's house.
Oh no.
We can't get to it.
YouTube TV cost salmon cake recipe and Heather Hill Farms closing.
Interesting.
It is closing.
Oh, that's a bummer.
It is a bummer.
Here we go.
Black NFL game ball.
Have you noticed the balls are black this season? No, I have not.
NFL has black balls.
I...
Or they're darker, a lot darker.
Okay, I'll watch.
I thought there was some significance, but I cannot.
I can't find anything.
Masienda, Kansas City Chiefs little people.
They've got a new set.
Different players? No, well, a couple of different players.
Yes.
Pacheco is one of them.
And different jerseys, like they're in different...
And Makayla wants it for her birthday.
Or she wanted some little people for her birthday.
And I was like, this is great, because it'll be different than the ones I have.
So, she'll have her own little set.
Nice.
But then I got one for myself because Pacheco's my favorite player.
Yes, Pacheco's good.
And I needed a Pacheco.
Except he's not so good right now.
Well, what I'll do is I'll give him a little crutch.
Oh yes.
I'll make him a little tiny crutch.
That would be nice.
For his broken leg.
Um, took the train to pool, UK slang.
I have no idea.
Okay.
Grotesquerie.
I am out.
Not just no.
Starring Courtney B. Vance, Leslie Manville, and Travis Kelsey.
That's blowing my mind.
Pinyon Shell, Dark Wind season three, Dark Wind's season three.
Did you find, is there gonna be one? I think so.
Oh, yes.
Not for a while though. And George Henry Lamson.
Okay, let's listen or shout out.
Yes, this is important.
This is very important.
Big deal, we got an email.
So, it says, hi, this is Garrin G., Dori's son. I really enjoy the podcast and wanted to share a couple of things from my search history over the past week or so.
Yes.
Okay, I'll do the first one.
Okay.
Garrin is all over this, okay? His first one was a teeth hair cyst. This came up in one of my classes talking about cysts, which wow, and apparently there are certain cysts that can grow their own teeth, hair, et cetera. It is really pretty nasty. One out of 10 wouldn't recommend searching as the pics could be best described as grotesque.
Oh my God.
Oh, Garrin.
Ah! The rating system.
The ratings.
Okay.
Oh, next.
All right.
The next one is Cissy Houston. I searched this after seeing a video of Aretha Franklin singing Adele's Rollin' in the Deep, and Cissy Houston was one of her backup singers. I wasn't sure if she was related to Whitney Houston, and it turns out that Whitney is her daughter. She will turn 91 on the 30th of September. She has a great voice and has two Grammy Awards. She has been backup for a lot of famous singers, Dionne Warwick, Elvis, and Aretha Franklin. She apparently also dated Elvis for about five weeks. Eight out of 10, interesting search, worth researching more, exclamation point.
Yeah, that's right.
Okay, and then the last search is Alice Walton. Searched her after finding out she recently became the wealthiest female in the world. She is Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart's daughter. Apparently she has never had a role within Walmart, but has instead been an avid art collector and an art advocate slash preservationist. She opened the Crystal Bridge Art Museum in Bentonville, Arkansas in 2011. She was also a horse breeder in Texas for a while before selling her ranch to devote more time to her art slash the museum.
Now this one did not get a rating.
He didn't rate this one.
But given all the information that we got, I would think he probably would give it an eight out of 10 at least.
At least, above a five for sure.
Also hope y'all are feeling better. Really enjoy the podcast. Garrin.
Garrin, that made our week.
So, we were so excited.
I read this with glee.
And we're considering rating our searches now.
I think we should.
Because it's a great idea.
It's a great idea.
I think we should, especially the ones that we search with such anticipation.
And then it's kind of like, durh.
And it doesn't really make the, But What About This One list? Right.
But sometimes it's one of our top three searches.
But we're still kind of like, it wasn't very satisfying.
Yeah, exactly.
Kind of like The Stone of Scone.
Yeah, what would you give The Stone of Scone? I would probably give that.
I'd probably give that a five out of 10, because I really wanted more solid information about the history.
Yes.
And then I want to know more about who was involved in turning the stone back over to Scotland permanently.
Whose idea was that? Was it King Charles? I'd like to know how that came about.
What about your other ones? Popcorn ball.
Yeah.
I'd give that a solid seven.
Okay.
Cause that was fun one.
Yeah.
And gave me great ideas.
Yes, okay.
And then Three Mile Island.
Yeah.
So, I would give that, I'd give that a six out of 10.
Cause I learned something.
Yes.
That is gonna stick with me.
Yeah.
And Microsoft buying power from them for 20 years, that's kind of a big deal.
It is a really big deal.
So, yeah.
Especially for what they're doing it for.
Hmm.
Um, I would say white shoe law firm would be like, um, a seven out of 10.
Okay.
Cause it was pretty interesting, but a little bit weird.
Um, hygge I would give an eight out of 10.
I thought it would, it summed it up pretty well and gives you a really good idea of what to, what to do if you're if you want to elicit that feeling within yourself.
And Octavia Butler, I would give nine out of 10.
There was a lot of information on her, and she's a super cool person.
Very good.
So, thanks, Garrin, for the idea.
And thank you for the email.
Yes.
Seriously, we were so excited.
Where can other people email us? They can email us at deletethishistorypodcast@gmail.com.
Yes.
And you can find us on Instagram and threads at DTH gals or at Delete This History on Facebook.
That's right.
I think I may go work on deleting my history.
Oh, yes for sure I'm really glad that we recorded this.
And then that way I can go delete my history and not have to worry about hey we're gonna have to do this whole thing all over again tomorrow I'm glad we caught it early.
Oh my gosh.
I think if we had done this whole thing and not recorded it, I would probably A, start crying because I'm just at that level of overwhelm and oh my gosh, and burnout.
Yes.
And then B, I probably would just lay down on the floor and you would have had to figure it out.
Cara's on the floor, what do I do now? I would have called Garrin.
I would have said, hey Garrin, I need you to come record a podcast with me.
Oh, yes.
Because Cara, Cara's in a ball on the floor.
It's perfect.
A cyst with hair and teeth, I mean, come on.
Oh my gosh.
That's right up my alley.
Garrin, it really is right up her alley.
And I love that they were learning about it at school.
I kind of need a little more information about that.
Like, was this a...
It was probably health class.
It had to be health.
Yeah.
Is it like, today we're gonna talk about cysts? We're going to explore cysts with hair and toenails and teeth.
Bye, dinner.
All right.
Well, you go delete your history.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I'll go delete my history.
Yeah.
And then you cheese bags stay fresh.
Bye.
Delete This History is created, written, hosted, produced, and edited by Brea Brown and Cara Burch.
Theme music is So Good by Orkas.
Email us at Delete This History podcast at gmail.com.
Find us on Instagram and threads at DTHgals and Facebook at Delete This History.
Copyright 2024, all rights reserved.
hygge and warm fuzzies.
Provided by Garrin G.
Aw.
I hope we're not infantilizing him too much.
Nah.