Ignorance Was Bliss

Some thoughts, after the apparent suicide of Kate Spade. I can't do much, in a practial sense. But I can do this. Please listen.

Before I started this podcast, I would not have been able to guess that a relatively early episode would not just touch upon, but be based entirely upon the world of professional wrestling. But, well, here we are!    I had a conversation with Ello Soul from The Parental Advisory Podcast, and it was so fun and informative and dark and twisted and all of the things. We intended to talk about Chris Benoit, but somehow Aaron Hernandez and all kinds of other stuff found their way in.   So, enjoy! Promos from The Mariticide Podast and The Babe and the Bro. Sponsored by Sudio Sweden, 15% off with the code BLISS15.

Where is the line between hobby and craft... and obsession? I think most podcasts start out as little hobbies, and then they can grow, sometimes without us even realizing it's happening. Shane Waters, of the Out of the Shadows podcast, has been doing this a lot longer than I have, so I'll let him decide exactly where he falls on that spectrum. I kind of suspect that, just lately, what it all means to him might have changed, seeing as how he has found a way to pull national attention to a previously ignored SERIAL KILLER. Kind of a big deal, you know?He might argue that he's just one piece of the puzzle, and it's true that a high school sociology class and an inspirational teacher helped aim that light that Shane first started shining. But he's one of the nicest people I have ever met, so I'm not sure he would willingly admit just how important his efforts have been.Come for the splashy, serial killer intensity. Stay for the genuine empathy and concern. The full press conference is on YouTube, and a much fulle

Anxiety is what happens when your nerves give the finger to your sense of logic.   Somehow that felt profound to me, during the editing process. I don't know. I spent more time with this episode -- living it, then overthinking it, then editing, blah blah -- than any previous one. I'm losing perspective.   But I know just how common, just how pervasive, just how absolutely miserable anxiety is, and in this episode, many of my friends, fellow podcasters and listeners chimed in to prove it. I opted not to share anyone's name, because somehow that sense of anonymity felt more profound, too. Feel free to identify yourself, if so inclined. I'm not opposed to it, I just wanted to be able to share everyone's story in the same way. (Except for the last guest. That's my husband. Isn't he a sweetheart?)   I was heading up to face my biggest, nastiest, snarliest, scariest fear -- the dentist, because while I do take it the extra mile, I couldn't be bothered to find a unique or uncommon phobia -- and I asked people to sha

Courtney (Cult of Domesticity) and I talk about the documentary "Titicut Follies" by Frederick Wisemen, which I won't link here just in case the YouTube link I found goes defunct or whatever. Toss me a note if you have trouble finding it, though if you value your rage-control, you may want to skip it and feed off our outrage instead.   But then, we come up with a few thoughts that help us climb out of that pit of despair. So, there is that.   Promos this week are from Killin' It and Go Postal, and sponsorship by Sudio Sweden (use this link and promo code BLISS15).

This is what happens when a bunch of podcasters say, "Yeah, we really SHOULD just get together and chat about nothing for a while." And then we do so before giving ourselves time to over-plan it (OK, or, to plan it at all). And then I slap an intro on it and call it good.   Featured podcasters: Courtney -- Cult of Domesticity Jenna -- Meet Me in the Woods Justin -- Obscura Maxwell -- Relic

She's baaaack...    Emily joined me again, this time to stay a bit less bizarre and discuss a mysterious double disappearance in the Panamanian rainforest. Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon were Dutch women in their early 20s, starting an extended stay in Panama to study Spanish and do volunteer work. They left for what should have been a short walk in the woods, but never returned.    It's a case that has captured Emily's attention, imagination, conspiracy-theory neurons, etc. So we chat about it, as well as the inevitable tangents such as how adding the word "cheese" to the end of any noun suddenly creates a really gross concept (don't bother practicing it, we demonstrate it during the episode... a lot) and the concept of really huge, scary squirrels. Emily also creates a lovely motivational quote, which will be up on my merch site soon.   We get goofy at times, but we know that this is a real-world case and involves real-world pain. Our hearts ache for the Froon and Kremers families, the host family, and the

In my first episode, I was fortunate enough to share the story of a close friend, as well as that of another domestic violence survivor, in an effort to demonstrate why people might stay in a hurtful relationship and how lives can change based on one or two small decisions.  This time, I'm looking a bit more at the accumulation of experiences and culture and social expectations, and how those all build to create long-term, durable relationships that take belittlement and violence for granted. My guest in this episode has a long-term view and can describe the atmosphere better than I can, both at large and within the family... because she's my grandmother. My mother appears in Episode 8, and now you'll hear: my grandmother is pretty badass, too.   Promos from The Cult of Domesticity and All Crime No Cattle, plus my first-ever sponsor and happy to have them! Sudio Sweden: https://goo.gl/sdeybs ...ad by Jacob, code BLISS15.

How does a psychologist cope with a Really Bad Day? Well, apparently, today, I coped by tossing together another episode, with the inadvertant help of my friend Jessa, from the Getting Off podcast. We talk about personality disorders and their legal implications, by way of the story of my fourth child's adoption, including a pit stop at the background and social skills of Pamela Smart... in short, stuff gets weird, but in a very empathic, girly, kickass sort of way. Promos from The Lady Killers and from Forgotten News. Music by IMUNURI, and art (as always) by UnapologeticArtist.com.  

And now we get down to it. This is what makes me happy: talking, occasionally inappropriately, about Mean People Doing Bad Things. Playing with the specificities of diagnosis. Including slang and pop culture references into a conversation that otherwise could almost pass as official. Thank you, again and several more times, to Lee from Murder was the Case, for giving me a chance to play. Hoping there is a next time, and the sooner the better. Shout-outs to Gen Why and Reveal for their different approaches to the case; this episode is already more than long enough, so knowing that there are other podcasters that have more than adequately addressed some angles lets me slide over big chunks of the narrative without worrying that important things are being left unsaid. Promos from People Are Wild and True Crime Island. Of course you're already listening to them both, obsessively, right?? Of course you are. Scans of Holmes' journal can be viewed here: http://extras.denverpost.com/trial/docs/notebook.pdf (turns out

Nothing is sacred -- not the simplicity of a Hallmark card or the complexity of someone's Lucky Shirt for his Favorite Team -- when two scholars are allowed to ponder without careful supervision. This was intended to be an interview about a specific case, but we quickly realized there were several extra words we needed to get out of the way first. We'll be back with that actual, originally intended, case soon.Enjoy a promo from my friends Quinn and Ember at Fiercely Altered Perspective, and, possibly even more exciting, I have new music from IMUNURI.com!! My favorite track is called "Nostalgia," off their brand-new album, Elephant Shaped Trees. They'll be performing in Boston on May 27... will I see you there??  

I've been meaning to ask my mom for a long time, why does she keep finding jobs that would depress the sheer hell out of me, or send me over the ever-shaky edge into homicidality: political activism, at-risk youth, geriatrics, now hospice??What better time to ask than when she's out visiting and my microphone has this fabulous little "ON" button?Enjoy!Promos this week from Of Myth and Mercy and The True Crime Enthusiast, plus shout-outs to Murder was the Case, Mysterious Circumstances and Wining About Crime, several wildly talented podcasters that I am almost cool enough to consider friends. ;)Art, as always, from Emily. You ask her why.  

I really, really didn't think I would ever get this episode out to you all. Like, really. First of all, it's the result of a crossover with Billy & Erica, from Martinis and the Macabre, and I was so freaking fangirl-y the whole time that I wasn't sure I'd say a thing that made sense.Then, there's the fact that I'm still crap at the whole sound editing thing, so this is the best I could do. THEN, while I was in the process of trying to edit it in time to coincide with their release, my brain decided to explode. No, like, literally, I started feeling really, really unwell, so I made it up two flights of stairs just in time to let my husband know that I was feeling Really Gross, and I dropped with a grand mal seizure.  Yeah. So I can't re-narrate any of my stuff, because I bit my tongue bad enough that, five days later, I still don't have SSSS-sounds. Or a bunch of others.  So. Please, please enjoy this. Please think it's interesting. Because I like it, well enough to hit publish.And, for more of the convers

How do we know when it's time to go to the ER? Sometimes, we're bleeding heavily, or losing consciousness, or spiking a fever. Other times, it's harder to know, because the same organ that is primarily responsible for making that call is the one that is hurting the worst: your brain.  Learn a little about what happens, after you get through the lead-up (see episode 5), and the crisis evaluation begins. Promos from Lustmordia and Nature vs Narcissism. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://iwbpodcast.podbean.comhttp://patreon.com/iwbpodcast 

Lots of people know that you're supposed to go to the ER when you're experiencing a mental health crisis, but how many really know what the process is like?   In this episode, Kim, the ER nurse of the People Are Wild podcast, joins me to talk about the first several hours of a typical (assuming there is any such thing) mental health crisis assessment in an emergency room. Promos by the Getting Off and Eye for an Eye podcasts.   http://patreon.com/iwbpodcast http://iwbpodcast.com  

You know that thing where you try to make sense of a topic, and it simply refuses to click?I have that about certain corners of the internet, specifically the weird ones where creepypasta, ARGs and Cursed Images are formed.  I also have that about teenagers. So what better way to try to make sense of it all than to combine those things, by asking my 17-year-old daughter to join me and explain her mysterious online life?? I'm not sure I succeed in applying rational thought to much here, but I manage to sneak in a word about the Slenderman assault in Wisconsin, and groupthink, and even the Salem Witch Hysteria.  I feel a little... mush-brained... after editing this one, but I hope it makes sense to one or two of you out there. There are bigger, more organized things are in the works, but I didn't want you to have to wait for those things.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Promos this week from Martinis and the Macabre and Best Forevers. Links as referenced in

What does it mean to actually have schizophrenia? Not just, what might it mean or what does it look like, but what does it feel like?Enormous sloppy THANK YOU to my supporters on Patreon!! I had absolutely no expectations that anything would come of setting up a page, so I'm already blown away. Options for stickers, a master key, and other perks at the IWB Asylum available at http://www.patreon.com/IWBpodcast . Promos from the Blood on the Rocks and Spoop Hour podcasts. Gratitude just for listening. So much gratitude.

Sometimes, you're in your home. The doors are locked. You're careful about who you let in... and yet tragedy finds you anyway. A huge and grateful shout-out to Dick from the True Crime Brewery podcast for his patience and feedback about this case. Promos from the Mens Rea and Asian Madness podcasts... thanks for trusting me with your voices! This episode derived significant information from the 2003 book "Judgment Ridge," by Mitchell Zuckoff and Dick Lehr. I might have reached different conclusions about the boys, but I fully admire the depth of their research and thought. Other sources include the Boston Globe, the New Hampshire Union Leader and WMUR.  Thank you for listening. Please send feedback my way, through your podcatcher of choice, on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram at IWBpodcast, or by email at IWBpodcast@gmail.com.

Jim and Kit, from the Forgotten News Podcast, were gracious enough to invite me to play along, despite my utter cluelessness in the matter of contributing to compilation type shows. My segment is here, or you can go to http://podbay.fm/show/1260175711/e/1518655469 for the whole episode. Enjoy!

Who escapes, and how, when the prison walls are invisible, and no physical keys exist to unlock the doors?   Domestic violence is an uncomfortable, scary topic. For my first episode, I focused on the survivor's story, because my friend was brave and generous enough to share her story.For now, though, listen to the stories of two smart, capable women, but be warned: it's not as unfathomable to end up in this type of hell as you might imagine. Are you sure you want to know?   Remember... sometimes, Ignorance Was Bliss.