Episode 29 – Wine

Posted on January 7, 2019December 18, 2020 by Katherine Flores

Here at Such a Crock we know you love your wine… but it doesn’t love you back, baby. Turns out bottles are pricey, inconsistently rated, and lots of whack facts about them will surprise you!

Wine Rankings Kinda Reek

Michael excitedly shares his wine tasting research, relevant videos and personal stories. Turns out sommelier training means little. That’s because a single alleged “expert” will often give the exact same bottle of wine a completely different ranking between glasses.

Although sommeliers are pretty inconsistent when it comes to handing out medals, they do get some things right. For instance, a good sommelier can often pick out which bottle is priciest by the taste.

But humans also have a tendency to like a wine simply because it costs more. We’re a buncha suckers when it comes to pretentious labels – surprise! Learn more about Michael’s declaration that “Pricey wine is a crock!” with a listen to this week’s wine-soaked CrockCast.

Is Wine Actually Healthy?

Many facts can be found in this wonderful book

Then Katherine explores the health benefit claims pouring like a cabernet waterfall out of media mouths. She’s not surprised to find lots are a crock. Thanks to the terrific book Wine Folly, Katherine unpacks this complex conundrum.

How can it be that all this research quoted on morning shows is wrong? Well, these benefits are conditional for one. In other words, sure you can get all these health perks drinking vino. In fact, Katherine lays out three of the best ones. They’re yours for the taking. BUT you have to drink a specific amount of wine within a precise amount of time in order to get these benefits. Check out this week’s Wine Episode to find out the details.

Statistics Can Save Your Life

A few years ago Michael heard scary alcohol statistics on the Freakonomics podcast. They made such an impact that he’s still talking about them today. Not only that, these facts and numbers continue to affect how Michael lives his life.

One great thing about life is that we get to pick which facts to live by. It’s admirable that Michael chooses to live by some scary booze facts, especially given his Soju shot record from a Korean bar about twenty years ago.

Katherine also shares some whack facts. Many of which go against common knowledge and may even make you question some assumptions you make about vino. What makes one wine better for you than another? Does a bottle really improve with age? The answers to these basic queries may surprise you. Luckily you can hear all about these whack facts and more on the CrockCast.

Love the Crock? We Love you Back!

Thanks for listening to Such a Crock podcasts! Click this link to Subscribe at Such a Crock – Apple Podcasts. It helps us out a lot. Then if you’re really into it, follow us on Instagram. But no matter what, we appreciate that you listen. Thank you for the encouragement, feedback, and kind words. We’re grateful for you!

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Episode 27 – Trolls

Posted on December 24, 2018December 18, 2020 by Katherine Flores

Ring in the holiday season with this thoughtful rumination on Trolls by Such a Crock‘s Katherine & Michael Flores. Trolls are a crock!

These are the Trolls of Our Lives

The Christmas Eve Crockcast kicks off with an informative bang as Michael explains Troll definitions. He also touches on the topic of patent trolls. Turns out trolls come in all sizes, shapes, and costs! Katherine then shares a bit about Instagram trolling and they ruminate on the many types of trolls we all encounter in daily life.

Reasons Trolls be Trollin’

Michael draws from the Tony Robbins playbook to examine why people choose to spend their precious time trolling. There are so many other fun and thrilling ways to roll through life! Why waste a moment on spewing negative nastiness? Well, people are complex and have lots of needs. Troll activities satisfy some of these emotional necessities for those of us without enough resources.

He breaks this down for us using Mr. Robbins’ Ted Talk monologue as a model of explaining. It’s not really so hard to understand. Nor is it as simple as Katherine’s dismissive suggestion, “They just want attention” or the popular notion that trolls are just plain ol’ crankpots. Thus, Michael helps us understand the emptiness trolls experience.

Real Life Troll Kills Hollywood Dreams

Katherine accesses her deep reservoir of documentary-watching to unearth this tale of real life trolling in the film industry. Shirkers is a blast to watch. It’s the story of Sandi Tan, teen, dreamer, and brilliant film creator.

Ms. Tan’s documentary tells the story of how a mentor trolled her more than twenty years ago. First he pumped her up, calling her a genius and encouraging her daily – only to then steal her dreams. It’s a riveting tale of Shirkers: a brilliant movie that never was. Katherine recommends you check it out on Netflix if you’re interested in cool ass stories of real life trollin’.

Tips for Dealing with Trolls

Michael then shares ten tips for handling trolls. Some are better than others. Either way will Katherine take these bits of advice about how to manage trolls online? It turned out only a few of the ten tips were actually useful. She’ll use what works for her and leave the rest on the podcast for posterity.

Truth is, some of these tips were downright wretched advice. That’s because sometimes ideas seem just dandy in theory but when put into practice play out in a less-than-helpful manner. An example of a terrible tip from the list is “fight back with facts”. Both Michael and Katherine agree that this is the most horrendous type of advice – the kind that makes things worse rather than better.

Alice Walker: Activist, Writer, and Certified Troll

Lizard people conspiracies are as popular as they are ridiculous

They say never to meet your heroes and, in fact, they’re 100% correct. That’s because you’ll most certainly end up disappointed… Just like how Katherine felt when she read the NY Times column By the Book on December 13th.

The column blasts her admiration for Alice Walker into smithereens. This writer, activist, and former hero uses the platform to shine a spotlight on an anti-semite conspiracy theorist. The British pariah Walker promotes spouts propaganda including lizard people and other Alex Jones craziness. It’s a mad mad world after all.

New Addition – Good News!

Then Katherine lifts us back up from these conspiracy doldrums with a bit of good news about bees. Checkout this NY Times article on the latest innovation scientists have concocted for saving the bees. It’s a vaccine! They just inject the Queen and she breeds in her special way to vaccinate the entire bee brood. Isn’t good news a refreshing breeze? Indeed, a welcome mist of positivity, even when it’s full of bees

Merci Beaucoup to you and you and you

Thanks for letting us bring you Such a Crock every Monday of the month! Please help us out by showing your support and sharing the love. Just Subscribe at Such a Crock – Apple Podcasts then follow us on Instagram. Also, our fledgling Twitter can really use a your attention and love. Send us tweets and we’ll tweet back atcha loud and proud! Thank you for all your Crocktastic support. We appreciate and love you mucho!

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Episode 26 – Potatoes

Posted on December 17, 2018December 18, 2020 by Katherine Flores

Katherine and Michael disagree mightily on the topic of Potatoes but do agree on poignant potato crocks; from the famine in 1845 to wacky diets of today.

Potatoes Make Tasty Diet Hacks

Michael kicks of the Crockcast this week with one of his wacky diet ideas. Like most Americans, Michael loves to try trendy diets. Knowing how much Katherine loves potatoes, he thought maybe if he pitched a spud-based diet she’d be like “cool”. But once Michael laid out the actual rules of The Potato Hack, it was evident this is just another nutty restrictive and unsustainable diet… no matter how yummy potatoes may be. Luckily, Michael decided to keep up the good work of his current eating habits and working out rather than flushing it all down the toilet with a diet composed entirely of potatoes.

The Great Hunger… for Potatoes

One of many exceptional books on this topic

When Katherine did her DNA spit test for ancestry.com she found out she’s mostly Irish. This, of course, led to many hours reading books on Ireland and binge-watching Irish documentaries for days. She even listens to an Irish History podcast.

Thanks to all that info-gathering, Katherine takes the Crockcast on an immersive journey into the Irish potato famine. She shares fascinating facts, laughs inappropriately, and holds back tears – as usual. Her story starts with how many potatoes people ate back then and ventures to the real CROCK of the matter – the English government’s horrendous handling of the famine.

Interested? There’s an incredible podcast called The Irish History Podcast by Fin Dwyer, that delves the famine with hundreds of hours of audio on the topic in gorgeous Irish brogue. Or you can check out these books for more amazing facts on the matter:

The Graves Are Walking: The Great Famine and the Saga of the Irish People

The Famine Plot: England’s Role in Ireland’s Greatest Tragedy

Potatoes Make 100 lbs Disappear! Presto!

Michael returns to his potato diet plea with another side of the story. This one’s an origin story – how he got the idea in the first place. Unsurprisingly, he heard about it from a silly man – Penn Jilette. Turns out, the comedic magician just penned a book about how he used the potato diet to jumpstart his shift into a plant-based diet. Thanks to these lifestyle changes, Penn lost one hundred pounds. Anyone can understand why this would be inspiring!

Kids These Days… Callin’ Y’all Potatoes

Last on the Crockcast Katherine tacks on a silly bit about how their 14 year old daughter who uses “potato” as an insult. It bugs Katherine because she loves potatoes. …Also it appears to make no sense. But a quick check on urbandictionary holds all the answers for old farts like KFlo. Turns out this kid’s on the cutting edge of lingo. Listen and learn why on your apple podcast app.

Documentary style portrait of Flores family life

We love bringing you Such a Crock every Monday of the month! If you love listening, please show your support and share the love, Subscribe at Such a Crock – Apple Podcasts then follow us on Instagram and our fledgling Twitter can really use a boost! Thank you for all the Crocktastic support. We are so grateful for you!

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Episode 25 – Survival

Posted on December 10, 2018December 18, 2020 by Katherine Flores

Survival? We’ve all got better things to do! That’s the crock of it, according to Michael and Katherine. In this CrockCast they crack the code on survival from homeless tips, Nigerian cloning, and Phineas Gage to evolution.

Katherine kicks off the podcast with hot tips on getting more out of life than survival even in the direst of times. She does it with….

5 Tips to Live the Best Life Homeless

Katherine gives five thoughtful tips for how to make your life better during a phase of homelessness. This may seem like absurd advice on its face… but it’s a requisite fear that lives in the back of all our brains. So, these hints might be helpful to file away and remind us that we can always be OK. Life is an up and down experience – not a straight shot. Katherine wants everybody to have some tools to help stay better off than just “survival” no matter the situation. Listen to the CrockCast for her advice.

Clone Wars, Nigerian Style

It’s tough when you take a tiny vacation from leading your country and the people start wishing death upon you. Michael shares this crocktacular story of a leader’s survival after his Nigerian holiday break. Apparently, the President went away for a brief stint only to return to accusations that he was his own clone. It doesn’t get much more a crock!

Survival of a Brain Science Bad Boy

Katherine shares the notorious story of Phineas Gage, a railroad foreman who suffered a dreadful blow. He was in a perilous work accident and ended up with an enormous metal rod through his left frontal lobe. It’s a shocker that he even survived. Of course, this incident had a tremendous impact on his life, especially his temperament. In fact, it continues to spur debate about brain science even today. Listen and learn more on this week’s CrockCast.

Blame Your Sweet Tooth on Evolution

Michael ties the whole Survival CrockCast together in the end with a rousing discussion of sugary treats, deep-seated fears, and blaming our love of candy on primate ancestors. Sound unlikely? Check out the podcast to see just how true it all is. You can also read all about it either in the book What Every Body is Saying or the Business Insider article on why we love sugar. However you get the info, keep in mind that no matter our ancestors did… what we eat is entirely up to us!

We love bringing you Such a Crock each week. If you’re having fun too please subscribe at Such a Crock – Apple Podcasts and follow us on Instagram. Thank you for supporting the CrockCast!

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Episode 24 – Royals

Posted on December 3, 2018December 18, 2020 by Katherine Flores

Royals are Such a Crock! Michael and Katherine prove it with Canada, Camilla Parker Bowles, The Divine Right of Kings, and Versailles. As different as these topics may seem, it all comes together this week in a delightful CrockCast royal casserole.

Canada’s Leader – Not Who You Think

Michael blows the lid off Canada’s royally big secret… namely that the country’s leader isn’t who you might think. You’re thinking of that hotpants McGee, Justin Trudeau. Right? Well, think again. In fact, think royals. We’ll even give you another big hint right here and now. Take a look at the uniform their national police wear. Remind you of anything?

For more surprising Canadian info and all the dirty royal details, listen to Episode 24-Royals. The link’s right at the bottom of this post for your convenience, baby.

Love and Lies – Royal Style

Katherine brings love into the Crockcast discussion of royals. But the story of Camilla Parker Bowles is even more the story of a woman redeemed in public reputation than it is of love. Still, there’s a lot of love between her and Prince Charles… and it’s been there since the day they met in the early 1970s. Too bad they both married the wrong people instead of each other just to earn royal favor. It ends happily, thank goodness. Except for the tragic Princess Diana part, of course.

Camilla and Charles at a polo match in 1975 – Photo care of Harper’s Bazaar

The Divine Right of BS

Michael delves into the Divine Right of Kings which is the old idea that royals are literally divined by God. So, in other words, back in the day Kings believed their power came directly from God and ruled their kingdoms as if this were the case. These royals saw themselves at the ultimate authority and, in many cases, as a sort of God themselves.

Hear all about this and much more including Kanye talk and other major breakdowns in logic and reason. Power dynamics are certainly crazy enough without bringing divinity into it. This Crockcast section also tells us about the only country that’s still ruled by an Emperor. Got a guess? Listen in to find out if you’re right.

Versailles – Not Just a Fancy Castle

Versailles – Check it out on Netflix or Amazon

Katherine cracks out the royal crock of The Man in the Iron Mask as well as the story of Louis XIV. She’s a major fan of the TV show Versailles and the new season (airing now on Amazon if you want to pay a bit) explores this age old mystery. Season one and two are also available free on Netflix if you love historical fiction.

Versailles brings up the royal crock of the Divine Right of Kings once again because Louis XIV believed he was bestowed upon royalty by God. Talk about thinking you’re God’s gift to the world! Some people really know how to rock an entitled persona.

Hear more about all this as well as the Tweet of the week in our latest Crockcast. As always, we’d love you to subscribe at Such a Crock – Apple Podcasts or followed us on Instagram. Thanks for listening!

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Episode 23 – Feuds

Posted on November 26, 2018December 18, 2020 by Katherine Flores

Feuds are indeed the Crockiest of Crocks! Michael and Katherine delve the crock depths of feuds but (thank goodness) finish up in the shallow end. They cover such classics as the Hatfields & McCoys and the 42 year long Family Feud TV Show. In the end, though, the Crockcast greets the modern world with celebrity feuds on social media for a fun finale.

Family Feud – Controversial Hosts

Survey Says …this host isn’t funny enough

Michael kicks off the Crockcast with Family Feud, the beloved and long running TV show where guests win cash and prizes. But his beef isn’t so much with the feud as it is with the host of the game show, especially the latest one. Katherine pushes back a bit in defense of a comedian’s right to free speech. Michael, however insists this host jokester has a right to a brick upside the head instead. Listen in for all the controversial details.

Hatfields & McCoys – 28 Year Marathon

We’ve all heard of the classic American feud between two Appalachian families back in the time of the Civil War. Katherine gets deep into the crock of this 28 year feud between families. She uncovers lots of crocks in the process including political payoffs, wandering hogs, and philandering baby daddies. It’s a crock full of murder, theft, and burning buildings. So to get in on this historically accurate action, check out the Crockcast.

Katherine mentions the murder of Tom Wallace

Side Note: at one point Michael asks if the singer Juliana Hatfield is related to the Hatfield clan of yore and the post-podcast answer is YES!

Ariana Grande – Princess of Power

Michael lightens the mood after these two feudfest tragedies. How does he do it? Piers Morgan and Ariana Grande, of course. That was easy! Basically, Morgan was being his usual curmudgeonly self and Ariana called him out. Fun stuff in the twitterverse! Listen to the Crockcast for all the silly particulars.

when u do it it’s ok tho right? https://t.co/FJyF24ZlYx

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) November 21, 2018

Rappers Delight and Shoes Aflight

Katherine also enjoys the entertainment value of a celebrity feud, even the biggest crocks among them. She breaks down the feud between CardiB and Nicki Minaj for those of you without a clue. No surprise that she concludes it’s all just a crock. Fun to watch! … but a crock all the same. Hear the breakdown for yourself on this week’s podcast.

We love bringing you Such a Crock each week. So, if you’re having fun too please subscribe at Such a Crock – Apple Podcasts and follow us on Instagram. Thank you for supporting the CrockCast! We love you so!

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Episode 22 – Labels

Posted on November 19, 2018December 18, 2020 by Katherine Flores

Labels are Such a Crock! This week’s Crockcast rolled out of M and K like an avalanche of label-related crocks on several levels. The podcast blasts off with a delightfully gossipy intro. It’s dedicated to fabulous movie star/tiny woman Marilyn Monroe who takes crap for the modern day lie of her old school clothing labels.

Is Brotherhood Just a Label?

Michael digs into his college days when he met many bros who preferred the frat label “brother”. Are they really your “brother” if they beat you and make you drink piss? Well, Michael asks an even harder question… what about if they kill you? Thing is, in the story it’s not quite so black and white as the murderous headline claims. Listen to the Crockcast and see what you think. No matter what you conclude, the label “brotherhood” in this case certainly qualifies as a CROCK.

What Matters on Food Labels

If you’re trying to eat healthy, you’re also likely reading lots of labels these days. Fact is, it’s not just the tiny print that makes this a challenge. Labels can be complicated and it’s hard to know what matters and why. Who can keep track? Well, Katherine delves into which labels are a crock thanks to a helpful NY Times article on the subject. The conclusion isn’t surprising, you gotta be thoughtful when it comes to labels. They’re often huge crocks!

Creating Stan Lee Controversy is a CROCK

Nobody dismisses Stan Lee @ the Crockcast!

Michael gets testy about Bill Maher’s recent Stan Lee comments. He simply doesn’t get it! ….What’s “it”? You may ask. Michael thinks it’s about what’s important. Comics matter! They have terrific importance to people all over the world. Comics created a multi-billion dollar industry! Michael also references their import in his Tweet of the Week as the Crockcast concludes. Check it out to hear for yourself!

Sour Grapes = Crime Wine Documentary

Photograph by Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times / Getty

It’s fun and profitable to pull one over on “The Man”. So, why not sell him cheap wine at million dollar price points? Katherine shares the story of Sour Grapes, a Crime Wine Documentary. In it a fraudster wine expert sells millions of dollars worth of fake wine to pretentious douchebags.

How did he do it? Labels! – talk about a Crock. This is the ultimate. The fraudster soaked off the original (cheap) labels and concocted extravagant fakes then glued the copies on to fool the wine snobs.

It’s undeniably a freaking blast to sit back and watch these guys burn their billions on garbage wine while they pontificate to the camera. Not to mention how much the fraudster looks like our very own MichaelJ. Check out his pic above for proof!

We love bringing you Such a Crock each week. So, if you dig it too please subscribe at Such a Crock – Apple Podcasts and follow us on Instagram. Thank you for supporting the CrockCast!

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Episode 21 – Villains

Posted on November 12, 2018December 18, 2020 by Katherine Flores

Interested in a Crockcast packed with villains? Then this is the perfect episode for you!

Games of Thrones Villain, Incompetent Cersei

Katherine defines villains at the top of the Crockcast and then Michael jumps into villainy with Cersei Lannister from Game of Thrones. Despite her beauty and power, he hates the bitch; mainly due to her bad decisions and incompetence. However, Michael also says there’s a point in Cersei’s story where she stopped being a “Villain” and shifted into just another character.

At the end of A Storm of Swords George R.R. Martin inserts a section written with Cersei’s point of view. This insight into how she sees things also changes how Michael sees her character. Another way we have seen this POV shift work well is with Gregory Maguire’s Wicked. In that novel we see the villainous Wicked Witch of the West as a beloved hero, thanks to this camera turn.

Villainous Facts About Rats

Katherine doesn’t believe in villains. In her opinion, there is only bad behavior and no such thing as an intrinsically bad person. She does, however, acknowledge that there is evil in the world. It’s just evil actions or events – not due to an allegedly “bad person”.

But she points out an example of a villainous entity we can all agree about – vermin. She digs deep into rat facts and references a Netflix documentary called Rats. Thus, we learn many dirty details about these heinous incorrigibles. Find out more about what makes rats the true villains of planet Earth, listen to our Crockcast!

Murderer or Munchausen – Either Way – Bitch be Cray

Michael keeps trying to prove to Katherine that real life villains exist, so he pulls out two horrific murder stories from Fox news. One reports on a “soulless 15 year old” and the other a murderous mom. However, tragic these stories may be, they don’t convince Katherine of anything. In fact, they just bring some familiar movies to mind. Both flicks serve as examples of non-villainous humans in history that committed murder.

One Golden Globe winning example, The Burning Bed starred Farrah Fawcett. Inspired by a real-life battered woman, this story changed the way the courts system perceive abused wives. Katherine also mentions a fascinating HBO documentary about a mother murdered by her daughter after years of tormenting the child with a raging case of Munchausen by Proxy. Intrigued? Check out the podcast to hear more about these cases.

Opioids = the Real Villains

The last bit of the Crockcast wraps up with an inspiring story. In a recent New York Times article Katherine learned about marathon running as a method of drug addiction recovery. The only villains in this story are opioids and the heroes are former drug addicts. Who doesn’t love a great redemption tale? Here at Such a Crock we can’t get enough!

Thanks for joining us this week and we hope you’ll continue to do so. As always, we’d love you to subscribe at Such a Crock – Apple Podcasts or followed us on Instagram. Thanks for listening! We love you for it.

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Episode 20 – Ghosts

Posted on November 5, 2018December 18, 2020 by Katherine Flores

This week’s Crockcast explores ghosts of many kinds. Turns out that even though they may not exist in the corporeal sense, ghosts can inhabit behaviors, body parts, careers, and just plain old assholes. Who knew? Well, Michael and Katherine – that’s who.

Ghosting = Breaking Up Passive Aggressive Style

Michael jumpstarts the podcast with Ghosting – which he calls a self defense mechanism. He also points out that the practice of ghosting has become popular. In fact, it’s gained popularity as a breakup method ever since the impeccable Charlize Theron pulled it out of her sexy toolbelt to kick Sean Penn to the curb in 2015.

But no matter how common it becomes, one thing’s for sure – turning into a ghost just to get out of a date is a CROCK!

The Ghost of Careers Past

Next up on the Crockcast, Katherine talks about the ghosts of previous jobs. It was a surprise to her when Geoffrey Owens, of Cosby Show fame, was publicly maligned for bagging groceries at Trader Joes. As if an honest day’s work is anything but honorable and all good.

Speaking of good, Owen’s story has a happy ending. In fact, the ghost of his former career shows up thanks to Tyler Perry and a brilliant idea. Listen to this week’s ghostly podcast for all the deets.

Scammers, Houdini’s Wife, and Seances

Houdini and his wife had a deal beyond the grave – find out more on Crockcast – Ghosts

The podcast shifts into more traditional ghost stories at this point with Michael’s disdain for psychics. He just doesn’t get it! What kind of people fall for this? M wonders. Well, lots of kinds, of course! That’s because people are always looking for “answers” and are afraid of death. Michael illustrates this himself with some fascinating examples of clairvoyant hiJinx and scammers from beyond the grave.

Ghosts = Honor in Our Hearts

Katherine rounds out the ghost Crockcast with a story about heart transplants. She got the idea from a British documentary show called Mindshock: Transplanting Memories. It explores stories of heart transplant recipients who experience a ghost of their heart’s former owner. This happens in many ways from memories to tastes.

But most meaningfully to Katherine, is the story of a man whose heart transplant literally changed the course of his career. He went from blue collar worker to published poet. You can hear more about it on Such a Crock podcast Ghosts, blaring from a headphone near you.

We hope you’re having as much fun with Such a Crock as we are! Don’t be a ghost! Show your support and share the love, Subscribe at Such a Crock – Apple Podcasts then follow us on Instagram and our fledgling Twitter could use a boost too! Thank you for supporting the CrockCast. We love you guys!

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Episode 19 – Thrills

Posted on October 29, 2018December 18, 2020 by Katherine Flores

This week’s Crockcast on Thrills starts a little differently because Michael tries something new, stabby, icy, and allegedly beautifying. It’s a peel-off face mask. So, the duo put it on at the very beginning and peel it off at the end. Talk about thrilling! Am-I-right?

Thrilling Memories

Michael and Katherine share memories about specific thrills from their past including a terrifying roller coaster at the magnificent Cedar Point – Our Roller Coaster World Capital.

That’s because sometimes thrill-seeking gets so intense you want to throw yourself off a platform where you’ve been waiting in line to ride-the-ride. Other times it leads to waking up beside a bedtime buddy who likes to light up a cig first thing in the morning. Either way, it’s a CROCK!

Photo care of Cedar Point for Cleveland.com

Cheap Thrills – Bring the Sexy Back

The Crockcast truly kicks off when Michael lists some alleged Cheap Thrills from an article he found on the Redbook Magazine website. But it’s not as sexy as you might like because he “curated” all the hot parts out. This forces Katherine to pull out the NC-17 guns and bring the sexy back to this lame list. Otherwise it just may have been a major yawn – listen and decide for yourself.

Bring the sprinkler in via the doggy door for thrill-seeking canine style

Fetishes & Mice in Mazes

Katherine takes the Crockcast in a different direction next with an exploration into what’s known as the Arousal Theory of Motivation. She grew interested in this when forced to dump an ex (ages ago) because of his odd baby fetish …with help from a psychiatrist friend.

This theory evolved out of the psychological work of Robert Yerkes and John Dillingham Dodson. They studied mice in mazes to explore stress and arousal levels impact on performance. What they found can help us understand the impact of thrills on behavior and performance in particular. These days the theory continues to intrigue Katherine because of its applications to understanding (seemingly) bizarre human behavior.

Chasing the High, ie. Dopamine

Michael brings the Crockcast back down to earth a bit with a discussion of risk-taking and dopamine-seeking. According to neurological research, those who take more risks get a dopamine hit when they go for thrills and it can lead to even more risk-taking behavior. Some experts thus believe addictive behavior is related to either fewer dopamine receptors in the subject’s brain or maybe a lack of ability to process the dopamine properly. So, if you’re into thrill-seeking behavior it may just be your brain’s fault, bro.

Find Thrills in the Everyday

Katherine polishes off the thrills with a story about tiny everyday excitements that melt your icy spots inside. The Goods Mart was created by Rachel Krupa, who saw social opportunity in mundane shopping. “More than anything else right now, we want to know who our neighbors are, we want to talk to people, we want to have this connection,” Ms. Krupa says.

Rachel does this when she brings a feeling of small community to LA and NYC with crunchy granola versions of 7-Eleven. That way big city kombucha-seekers can drop into her neighborhood deli-type establishments and pick up the goods along with a hearty hello and some everyday thrills. Checkout the podcast to hear more about it.

Thrill US – Give Back to the Crock

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Thank you for supporting the CrockCast. We love you guys!

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