Cassi's working. Braeden's home, podcasting, while Jack the dog sits in the back of his chair like the world's worst and squirmiest lumbar support. And now you get to hear the fruits of his labor. He'll play you some tunes he doesn't remember to tell you the title of. It's a bit like public access or student radio, honestly. Talking points include:…

It's a whole new world at doma nova afero this week, as we talk about our broken appliance and our new air-drying life. Talking points include: making music with impromptu instruments, Wandersong spoiler warnings, laundry memories. tryanewpodcast@gmail.com. YALL-TRY-NEW (925-587-9639). Cyberspace and in your face.…

Damn, listener! Back at it again at the dinner table. After a hiatus, what better way to celebrate getting back to that podcast lifestyle than by playing with toys? Or should I say . . . building some toys? Talking points include: fighting robots like Pokémon, a tiny house museum of tiny houses, mothra is the queen of Braeden's heart, ¡soy yo! trya…

Cassi's mom Heidi is on the podcast, y'all! She's out visiting and was game to sit down and chat with us about the advantages of building intergenerational friendships and mentorships in our lives. It's nice to have a new voice and new perspective on the pod. Talking points include: kayfabe, Cassi doesn't believe kayfabe is a real word, socioeconom…

It's a short one this week, as Cassi is feeling under the weather again. But there's a new surprise in store for you, and basically this podcast is two-in-one. You'll see. We talk about our weeks living that vegetarian lifestyle. Talking points include: how do you make a rosé out of apples, seriously tho most restaurants are lousy for vegetarians, …

Cassi and Braeden have been spending a lot of time together lately. Find out why?!? Talking points include: it's the worst when bands break up when humans break up, loose leaf teas, romantic comedy as a board game, black-screened telephones. tryanewpodcast@gmail.com. YALL-TRY-NEW (925-587-9639). Probably playing board games or something in your bas…

Real talk: figuring out what traditions to keep and what traditions to change when you're growing up, when you're building your own family, can be hard. So hear Cassi and Braeden talk about what they grew up with and what, if anything, they do now to celebrate. Talking points include: melancholy but not morose, sugar cereal problems, BB-8 vs. R2-D2…

It's the end of an era. After years of careful planning, hard work, and absolute secrecy, Cassi and Braeden have completed their lives' work to . . . nah none of that is true. We saw Avengers: Endgame and so we're gonna talk about it. The first 20 or so minutes are spoiler-free, and the last 40 minutes or so are complete and utter spoiler territory…

Here in the Casa de intentos nuevos, we've been thinking a lot about money, income inequality, and wealth. You know how it is - tax season will do that to you. Come for the stories of our growing up and our money histories, stick around for Braeden's anti-capitalist jeremiads. Talking points include: Elizabeth Warren's college debt plan, Antoni Gra…

Cassi is sick. In bed. So that's where we recorded. Talking points include: beet blood, shooting Nazis, water bottles, dog barks. tryanewpodcast@gmail.com. YALL-TRY-NEW (925-587-9639). In bed!

It's been a long week at Chez Ensayez une Novelle Chose, so we kick back with a snack and chat about all sorts of strange things we've tried in the last few days. Is this a good episode at all? I suppose only time will tell. Talking points include: banana segmentation, overpriced emergency vets, do all german beers taste alike, grapefruit spoons ar…

Beloved, we've had a wild experience this week. We played Her Story, which is a game that . . . needs to be seen to be believed. For the first half, we explain the setup and give general impressions of the game. Then, for the back half, we dive straight into spoilercasting, and tell you exactly what we think happened in this sordid tale of murder, …

Braeden grew up listening to Rush. Yeah, I know, it's cliché for a nerdy white boy to be into progressive rock, but hey - it's what he grew up listening to. So this week, he got to subject Cassi to it - specifically, the two songs in the Cygnus X-1 duology. Does Cassi get super into prog? Can she even understand the words Geddy is singing? Talking …

Your mom's favorite podcast is back, breaking down one of Cassi's favorite audio books from her youth. Braeden remains unconvinced because of its lack of terror. Both are back on their bullshit in the best ways possible. Talking points include: micheladas, NIMH, harpsichords, sad indie music that gets you right in the feels. tryanewpodcast@gmail.co…

Braeden got his time last week. This week, it's Cassi's youth that we're excavating, as we deep dive into the Sword in the Stone, that 1963 "classic" that I bet you don't really remember all that much about. At least Cassi stayed awake through this one . . . ? Talking points include: Black tea in the evening, Cassi doesn't like pho, wizard battles,…

For you, we'll do anything. Including watching a movie from Braeden's youth. That he remembers fondly. That he hasn't seen in two decades. That he got a bootleg copy that's a VHS rip from his cousin Jenny years and years ago. But guess what? Cassi fell asleep. Like three times. But! This movie has just enough weird stuff going on in it that you sho…

Whew, friends, it's been a while. This pale blue dot has gone around the sun nearly one entire rotation since we've recorded an episode of this, the world's greatest podcast. And yet - and yet - we return, unencumbered by having to read an entire book just to chat with each other, reinvigorated by fantastic experiences and ready to try something ne…

This month, we're talking about Margot Mifflin's art-and-history book Bodies of Subversion: A Secret History of Women and Tattoo, which we both found fascinating. We talk all about the history of women's tattoo in the modern Western world, and the ways in which it has been marginalized and mainstreamed in different manners throughout this history. …

Relish caused our two cohosts to think a lot about food. And we mean, a lot. Hear as we remember some of the most strange, wonderful, and outstanding stories about our own experiences with cooking, eating, and the memories tied to them. Who knows? Maybe you'll hear about a dish you want to try - or something that makes you never want to eat again..…

We're finishing up January with a bang while talking about Lucy Knisley's comic memoir Relish: My Life in the Kitchen, a book that left us both reflecting on our memories of food and family growing up. Marvel as Braeden gets all up-ons about the term "graphic novel"! Celebrate how Cassi came to love asparagus! And ponder how food can be therapeutic…

Ah, 2017. A year that was great for us, personally, but that was a tire fire in most other respects. But! With the year ending, we decided to wrap up Year One™ with a chat about self help as a genre, the books we (didn't) read for December, and our plans for Year Two™. We wish you all a better 2018! Talking points include: samesies typography, pers…

Whew, it's been a month. But! We've been satisficing as much as we can, we've been gratitude journaling, and we've been doing home repairs, and now we're ready to tell you all about it! Join us for a post-holiday expression of things we love and things we're grateful for. Talking points include: just listen to Barry's TED talk, mechas are actually …

After a too-long break, Cassi and Braeden are back at it again with the new books. Well, just one book: The Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwartz. We dig into the ways in which being middle-class in Late Capitalism can create a tyranny of decisions that weigh heavy on us. Quite literally, this is an episode filled with First World Problems™. Talking …

After two weeks of a complete love-in, how much more do Cassi and Braeden love each other? Or do they hate each other? Or . . . are things basically the same? (What a thrilling possibility.) They talk about their own love languages and how they've tried to engage with each other in those langauges. Spoiler: they share the same basic love language. …

Snuggle on down next to the fire, cozy up in a blanket with a cup of your favorite relaxing hot beverage, it's time to talk . . . love. Cassi and Braeden break down all the barriers and chat about Gary Chapman's The Five Love Languages. Is this a useful framework? How can couples communicate more effectively? What is love? (Baby, don't hurt me.) Ta…

We KonMari'ed our stuff. Joy was sparked. Thanks were given. Class issues were discussed. The ways in which ethical consumption is impossible under capitalism were expounded upon. Cassi has lots of tools. Braeden offered up the pie-in-the-sky solution of anarcho-syndicalism. Basically, this one has it all, people. Talking points include: can suppli…

It's time. It's here. Braeden and Cassi are gonna talk all about the KonMari method, its underlying spirituality, the ways in which minimalism can become a secular religion for its adherents, and why Braeden still thinks the whole thing is middle-class bougie nonsense. Talking points include: imaginary math, things are things not friends, surreptit…

So . . . Braeden hasn't finished reading Marie Kondo's book yet. For lots of reasons! But he's working on it. In the meantime and to tide you over between episodes, please enjoy this conversation Cassi had with her mom, aunts, and cousins this summer about hoarding, clutter, minimalism, and what to do with the things you don't want. We promise we'l…

Thanks to some technical errors with the first recording of the podcast, this one's coming to you new and improved (to use that most contradictory of marketing speak)! We chat about questions we should ask ourselves when we're de-cluttering and ways in which we tried to decrease and avoid clutter in our lives. Talking points include: camarones a la…

Piles of stuff everywhere. The smell of decomposing leftovers. A danger to yourself and others. That's probably not you, and it's not us, but it is the case of people with compulsive hoarding issues. But maybe, just maybe, there's a little bit of hoarder hidden inside each of us. That's the premise of this week's book, Dr. Robin Zazio's great read …

This week's episode is full of the type of hard-hitting commentary you've come to expect from your two intrepid hosts, as they revisit some of the ideas from Adam Alter's Irresistible, talk about their own experiences with trying to measure and meter their media consumption, and as they chat about an older book, Neil Postman's Seminal Amusing Ourse…

We're back with our next book, Adam Alter's brand-new book Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked. We delve into behavioral addictions, their growing prevalence, and the ways in which we all seem to suffer from some of these maladies. We'll chat about where they come from, how they're perpetuated, and w…

Just a quick explanation as to why our next episode will be late. It'll be worth it, we promise!

After two weeks spent trying new things about how, where, and why we eat, Cassi and Braeden sit down to assess the new things they've tried. What were their three food goals? Did they do them? And perhaps most importantly, will they keep doing them? Special appearance by Brian Wansink himself via a mid-2000s interview from the Today Show, thanks to…

We're back to reading and gabbing this week, with Brian Wansink's really quite interesting 2006 book, Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think. We chat all about the "mindless margin" and ways in which small, not-really-noticeable changes can make for lasting, meaningful dietary improvements. Seriously, though; this book made us both ponder a…

In their first minisode (to help tide over the extra-long space between episodes due to extra Sundays in April), Cassi and Braeden sum up the new things they've tried so far this year, inspired by the books they've read. Long story short: some of us are better at sticking with new behaviors than others. (It's Braeden. Braeden is bad at making and k…

So fiscal fasts: what are they good for? Lots of things, apparently. Join Cassi and Braeden as they talk about jobs, money, spending it, not spending it, etc. Did they really not buy anything for a whole week? Cassi loves spreadsheets. Braeden loves Cassi. Also: Braeden was sick during recording, and it shows. He's such a bummer. Talking points inc…

April: spring showers, blossoming daffodils, and everyone's favorite holiday: tax day. Join Cassi and Braeden as they dive into their latest book, The Ultimate Cheapskate's Road Map to True Riches by Jeff Yeager, and hear them chat about the concept of Return on Non-Investment, whether you really have to spend money to make money or if that's just …

So our last book was pretty heavy. So heavy, in fact, that we found it difficult to find substantive, meaningful ways to put its precepts into practice - but we find some anyway, because this is Try A New Thing™ and that's what you're here for. We talk about some of our problems with the book on reflection, ways we've talked politics and religion w…

This week, we read Johnathan Haidt's 2012 book, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion. We grapple with tough concepts like how to talk with people you vehemently disagree with, the importance of intuition, and how we're basically all just big, ambulatory bags of post hoc rationalizations. Hopefully we'll be better…

We laugh, we cry, we actually don't cry but we do talk about how we attempted to put the lessons we got out of Gretchen Rubin's Happier at Home into practice. The problem? We're no Gretchen Rubin, and we don't have the self-discipline it takes to do the things she does. We have enough trouble doing it for two weeks, guys. Talking points include: in…

Cassi and Braeden move on to their second book, Gretchen Rubin's Happier at Home, and talk about all of Rubin's myriad resolutions. Seriously - there's a lot. We'd be loathe to call her an overachiever, but this is actually her second time doing a project like this - it's a follow up to an earlier book, The Happiness Project, so it kinda applies in…

It's time for a reckoning: Cassi and Braeden sit down to talk about what habits they decided to tackle based on last episode's discussion of Charles Duhigg's The Power of Habit. Things were learned, souls were bared, tears were (not actually) cried. Talking points include: free will versus determinism, lunchy munchies, Teen Vogue. (Seriously, go ge…

In this inaugural episode, Cassi and Braeden read the book The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg and discuss its salient points. Then, they explain the habits they're looking to tackle for the next two weeks to see whether they can grab ahold of the habit cycle of cue, routine, and reward and make it work in their favor. Talking points include: stin…