Looking for a sleep podcast to fall asleep fast, reduce anxiety, and quiet an overactive mind? This calming episode of The Insomnia Project is designed for insomnia relief, stress reduction, and gentle nighttime unwinding through slow, soothing conversation.
Marco Timpano and Nidhi Khanna explore plaid, kilts, and sports team traditions in a relaxed, low-stimulation discussion perfect for bedtime listening. From classic patterns and cultural traditions to the colours and identities of sports teams, this episode offers cozy, familiar topics that create a calm and comforting atmosphere.
The conversation also includes a warm shout-out to listeners in Hays, adding a personal and friendly touch to this gentle, meandering episode. With soft-spoken storytelling and unhurried pacing, this relaxing podcast episode helps ease racing thoughts, reduce anxiety, and promote restful sleep.
Whether you’re searching for a sleep podcast for insomnia, calming background noise while you work, or a gentle way to unwind at the end of the day, The Insomnia Project offers a comforting, reliable escape.

Episode 22: Plaid, Sports, and Calm Conversations | A Relaxing Chat with Marco Timpano and Nidhi Khanna
Marco Timpano: Welcome to the Insomnia Project. Sit back, relax, listen, and we're going to have a conversation that's going to be, let's say less than exciting. And we hope that this conversation will allow you to sort of just chill, lie back, and drift off. I want to thank you for joining us. We hope that you will listen and sleep. And I am your host, Marco Timpano.
Nidhi Khanna: And I am your co host, Nidhi Khanna. Marco. Today you are wearing a lovely green plaid shirt. and plaid seems to be all over the place these days.
Marco Timpano: Yeah, in the last few years, plaid has sort of really come into fashion, let's say, or come back into fashion. I have a great plaid story. Have I ever told it to you?
Nidhi Khanna: No.
Marco Timpano: So I had a gig that I had to get a. Some wardrobe for, and it required me to be a lumber mill manager. Oh. So this particular gig that I had required me to wear plaid because that was. That was the sort of look that they were going for with regards to this lumber. Lumber mill manager.
Nidhi Khanna: I don't think there's any other look you could go for when you're dealing
Marco Timpano: with a lumber industry at whole. Right. Because plaid is often associated with lumberjacks.
Nidhi Khanna: Yes.
Marco Timpano: It's also associated with, kilts.
Nidhi Khanna: Yes.
Marco Timpano: Or tartans.
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: I think in North America, you can say plaid or tartan, and it means the same thing, if I'm not mistaken. So anyways, this was. Oh, Nidhi, this was maybe 15 years ago, let's say.
Nidhi Khanna: Okay, maybe.
Marco Timpano: Maybe between 10 and 15 years ago. And plaid was not in fashion at that time. So I had to get myself three plaid shirts because I was playing three different people who worked in lumber industry, not just a mill manager. There was other. I can't even remember the characters, but they were all involved in the lumber industry, and what they wanted for look was plaid and khaki.
Nidhi Khanna: Did. Did you have to get three different types of. Types of plaids and different colors or.
Marco Timpano: Or styles or whatnot? They just had to look distinct. Distinct. because they wanted to be. Really differentiate the characters. Nidhi. I went to every single store. No one had plaid, really, at the time. No one had plaid. And of course, I had some colleagues, too, who were also looking for plaid because they were doing different roles that required plaid, and they were having no luck. So then I went to thrift shops thinking, okay, well, certainly we'll find plaid at thrift shops. It was so hard to find plaids. And I was able to find. I went to three different thrift shops, and I found one plaid shirt that fit me in each thrift shop. The last thrift shop, I bought, quite simply the ugliest plaid plaid shirt you could ever, ever find.
Nidhi Khanna: Now, how can it be so. So when I think of plaid, I, simply think of sort of the square pattern and the black and the red. So what made this one so ugly in comparison to other plaid shirts?
Marco Timpano: Forest green, crimson, red and white. Oh, and they were. There was big swatches of white or big. I don't know how you would call it, like, lines of, white. And when I Wore it. It made me feel very silly. If I looked in the window, in the window, in the mirror, I would be thinking myself, what am I wearing? This looks ridiculous, right? Cut to a few years back when plaid came into style or was back in fashion.
Nidhi Khanna: Sure.
Marco Timpano: Even today, you can go to almost every store and you'll find plaid.
Nidhi Khanna: Oh, plaid's back in a big way this year.
Marco Timpano: Nitty. So I dig out these costumes or wardrobe that I had for a particular gig, and I start wearing them, and my ugly plaid shirt becomes this cool, unique plaid that no one has because it was an older plaid shirt that I found, 10 years ago in a thrift store. So it would just indicate to you how old this plaid shirt could possibly be. And I wore it, and I loved it. And I think I still have it. And if I have it, I'll show you next time. I hope I have it. But I. It m. It was a little bit short in the sleeve was the problem.
Nidhi Khanna: So you became, like a hipster fashion
Marco Timpano: icon, I'm telling you. And then most recently, I had to do a photo shoot for. For headshots, as an actor needs headshots. And I picked this as a casual shirt, and it's plaid. And now you can. And I remember talking to my colleague and saying, do you remember how hard it was to find plaid when we were doing that particular gig? And she was like, it was nearly impossible. And she goes. And I'm like, now you can't shake a stick without seeing a plaid shirt of some sort.
Nidhi Khanna: You know what they say, when you're looking for something, you can never find it.
I was looking for bedspreads that have a beach feel to them
Marco Timpano: Because I was also looking for bed sheets or not bed sheets. What do you call, bed. The top cover. The bed.
Nidhi Khanna: Like the duvet cover?
Marco Timpano: Yeah, like duvet covers or bedspreads. That's what I'm trying to say. Bedspreads that have a beach feel to them. So I was looking for, you know, ones that might have sand dollars and starfish on them or that might just be colors of the sand in the ocean for my cottage. Did he still. Or, like, anchors and nautical theme. Nautical theme things. I'm doing the hand signal for a steering wheel for a ship or a ship wheel. and nothing. I can't find them. And so I. We bought other bedspreads, but I'm sure in a year, they're going to be all the rage.
Nidhi Khanna: Oh, I'm sure.
Do you have any plaid that you wear or have worn in the past
Marco Timpano: Do you have any plaid that you wear or have worn in the past?
Nidhi Khanna: I'm not a big plaid fan. I'm not a Big patterns, on my shirts.
Marco Timpano: What about kilts? Because I know that plaid is often associated with the Scottish kilt.
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah. I think part of my sort of disengagement from plaid is the fact that I went to a school where I had to wear a kilt.
Marco Timpano: Oh, so you had a uniform?
Nidhi Khanna: I had a uniform.
Marco Timpano: I went to a uniform school.
Nidhi Khanna: Did you?
Marco Timpano: In our school, the women had to wear a dark blue, like a navy blue and green and a lighter green plaid. What was your plaid?
Nidhi Khanna: Pretty much the same. It was like a navy blue and green, plaid.
Marco Timpano: And did you, did you not enjoy wearing the kilt? Was it problematic?
Nidhi Khanna: No, I mean, it was fine. It's just that once you've worn a particular item of clothing for so long when you're younger, you kind of associate it with that time. Not, not that it was a bad time, but it, it just. I don't need any more plaid in my life.
Marco Timpano: What about, you know how Burberry. Is kind of like a plaid?
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah, See I find that a little bit like I'm not, I don't want someone to recognize a label when I'm walking down the street or something.
Marco Timpano: So you wouldn't want a Burberry scarf or like, you know, I think they're famous for like a, I want to say a rain jacket. The inside has the Burberry kind of like. Yeah. So that's not your, not into Burberry at all?
Nidhi Khanna: No, I'm not into like. Yeah, I'm not into like big kind of name brand, like luxury brand items. or, or if I am like I have a couple of things but you wouldn't recognize them with the branding.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Nidhi Khanna: so yeah, I don't like.
Marco Timpano: Yeah, I won't wear things that have, you know how there's some shirts and, and, or even T shirts let's say that have brand names on it. Whether it be like a running shoe brand or like an Emporio Armani will often brand stuff. I don't, I won't wear. I don't like it. I don't like to wear someone else's name or label. I'm not a billboard is how I feel. But I would buy something of high quality that would be a brand name, but I just prefer not to have it on display. Makes sense.
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah, no, totally. Like, I find it odd when I see you know, even like the Burberry rain jackets for like dogs or, or for what? For dogs or, or when I see little babies or kids dressed up in like luxury brand. Named, clothing. Because it just to me doesn't make sense.
Marco Timpano: I had Burberry cologne.
Nidhi Khanna: Oh, I like Burberry cologne.
Marco Timpano: And I like the, I like the scent of that.
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah, that stuff's good. Or even like a Burberry wallet would be nice. You know, something like that. A little bit more low key. but did you know that now in this day and age. Yes, Marco, apparently you know when you get like a, A baseball cap.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Nidhi Khanna: Like with a team, A sports team's name.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Nidhi Khanna: Let's say we're in Toronto, so Toronto Raptors cap. There's like a sticker that goes on it. Like a, ah. Like a silver gold sticker that basically says, you know, this is an authentic.
Marco Timpano: Right. That it says. That says it's, it's not, it's, it's associated with the NBA.
Nidhi Khanna: It's usually at the, like, if you have the top. If you have the. Yeah, the lid but like at the bottom.
Marco Timpano: Sure. So the underside.
Nidhi Khanna: The underside. But it's still visible if you don't take it off. Right. And so the other day I was talking to this young person that I work with and he had a cap on with that and I was like, oh, you forgot to remove your sticker. And he's like, him and another young person kind of looked at me and they started laughing and they were like, nidhi, that's the whole thing now. And I was like, I didn't know.
Marco Timpano: There you go. I didn't know even I knew that.
Nidhi Khanna: what did you really.
Marco Timpano: I've seen it, I've seen it. No, you know what's funny, Nidhi, is that, our next show is going to be about doing NBA fantasy, pools. I was talking to Trevor and he was like. I was like, can we do an episode on that? He goes, of course. So stay tuned. We're talking about NBA now, but you're going to hear more about it in an upcoming episode.
Do you like basketball or hockey more than other sports
Nidhi Khanna: Do you like basketball?
Marco Timpano: Not really, no. I, I'm, I mean I can appreciate the difficulty and I can certainly appreciate the teams in the NBA.
Nidhi Khanna: Sure.
Marco Timpano: And the talent that goes into it. I think because I was never great at basketball in grade school and high school that I never really got a love for it. I have friends who are just huge.
Nidhi Khanna: Have you seen a game like that?
Marco Timpano: I have. I have seen a Raptors game live and I had really good tickets. I won them for winning a contest at work on naming something. And and I went to it and I'll be honest with you, I Was a little bit bored really. But I think it's also because I don't fully understand the sport well enough to really enjoy it. And I mean I certainly root for our home team which is the Raptors as you said. But above and beyond that I do love their gear, their we the north logo or their. Yeah, I think that's pretty brilliant. So I, I love everything about the team except watching the game.
Nidhi Khanna: Is there like a particular game that you do enjoy watching or are you not like big watch sports?
Marco Timpano: Here's my thing. I get bored very quickly watching. I prefer to play but I do enjoy, and I think we may have mentioned this, I do enjoy watching Olympic sports.
Nidhi Khanna: Oh yeah, that's right.
Marco Timpano: So. And I particularly enjoy watching the Winter Olympic sports. So that's my thing. I'll tend to watch more national sporting events. Versus team sporting events where the players make millions of dollars. I don't know, I just, I lose interest.
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: But I can appreciate people who like, I can certainly appreciate people who enjoy that and watch it and are huge fans like my brother in law Steve and Trevor for example. And I certainly appreciate it but it's not my thing. How about you?
Nidhi Khanna: I enjoy watching basketball definitely. I, I would rather watch something live than a recorded show. However not a recorded show, A
Marco Timpano: recorded game on television. A broadcast.
Nidhi Khanna: Exactly.
Marco Timpano: Except once saw a NHL hockey game. Toronto Maple Leafs against random team. It was amazing to be at Maple Leaf Gardens at the time and just watch a hockey game. I, it was so fast paced, so wonderful. Anyways, sorry to cut you off there. You were saying with the exception of I totally threw you off.
Nidhi Khanna: oh, the exception. Like I, I, if I'm going to a sports bar and watching a game that's fun, you know what I mean? Like if it's a couple of people and you know you're Sunday afternoon and getting some food and some drink, then it's fun. But I do enjoy the experience of live sports when I go like basketball. I'm not as big into hockey quite honestly. I find basketball more energetic sport and a lot more fast paced.
Marco Timpano: And I mean fast in a different way.
Nidhi Khanna: In a different way. But also I find the cool crowd a little bit more like when in basketball because basketball is a way more accessible sport I find than hockey. People are more familiar with it and the types of people who go to the games seem to just go to have fun and to like actually root on for, for fun reasons. You're not really gonna have a basketball Brawl. Whereas hockey, I find, like, the fans are a little too rowdy. And like,
Marco Timpano: And also like, you know, speaking of hockey in Canada and two teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens, it's a whole other thing.
Nidhi Khanna: Oh, it is.
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Are there any rugby teams that have plaid or tartan designs
Marco Timpano: Here's something interesting. Are there any teams, to your recollection that have plaid or tartan their design?
Nidhi Khanna: Good question. I don't think so.
Marco Timpano: Not that. Not that come to mind.
Nidhi Khanna: Well, I guess that would be distracting, right? Would it not?
Marco Timpano: I don't know. I just think it's not something that.
Nidhi Khanna: Maybe in soccer perhaps. I don't know. I don't know. What? Rugby, maybe?
Marco Timpano: It's funny you should mention rugby. When I was in Vancouver, I was in the hotel that the All Blacks were staying and.
Nidhi Khanna: Oh, amazing.
Marco Timpano: Yeah. So I saw all these rugby players that were huge and just. They were just like big guys who like, were rugby players. I would see them in the elevator. 1 and I was on the floor with the All Blacks and it was pretty cool.
Nidhi Khanna: Was it rowdy?
Marco Timpano: A little bit. A little bit was. But then thankfully I was in a hotel that once you close the door, it was pretty soundproof. It was a really. But it was really interesting to see two be on the floor with the All Blacks because I was constantly going up and down the elevator with All Blacks and I was like, yeah, I guess this is my rugby team. And what a rugby team to have.
Nidhi Khanna: I know. I love the dance that they do at the beginning. Or like the ceremonial kind of, Yeah, I guess. Dance. I mean, what else would you call it? I guess.
Marco Timpano: No, I think it's a ceremonial sort of, I don't know if you'd call it a dance.
Nidhi Khanna: Like, what would it be? Yeah, that's what I'm trying to think.
Marco Timpano: It's a Maori.
Nidhi Khanna: But is it a ceremonial, ritual? yeah, I know it's pretty. It's pretty intense, but it's really like. It's enjoy. It's pretty cool. Like, they, they have a certain energy as well. and the all backs are pretty awesome.
Marco Timpano: Is it called a haka? Is that what it's called?
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah, something like that. Right?
Marco Timpano: I think it's called a haka. It's ah, a. Like a war cry dance. I don't know. What would you call it?
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah, I know, I don't like the word dance. Feels off. But, it's.
Marco Timpano: I think it's called a haka. I want to say haka. H, A K. I can't remember, but it's something like that. Anyways, I totally know what you're. What you're saying.
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah, it's.
Marco Timpano: It's really cool.
What did the boys wear? They wore. Gray slacks, white shirt
so interesting, like, you know, from plaid to sports. I know we go, so. Yeah. So you wore kilt, I think. Funny.
Karim: My.
Marco Timpano: My school had a kill, but the,
Nidhi Khanna: What did the boys wear?
Marco Timpano: They wore. We wore, I like to use the term slacks.
Nidhi Khanna: Okay. Yeah, I know exactly what you mean.
Marco Timpano: Gray slacks, white shirt.
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: Either a burgundy tie if you were senior M, or a blue striped tie that sort of mimicked the kilt of that. The. That the women wore.
Nidhi Khanna: We wore ties and a cardigan.
Marco Timpano: And you had to wear a cardigan?
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah, we wore a kilt with a white shirt and a navy blue sweater. Or blazer. There was a blazer as well. so the blazer was like the formal wear, with a tie and your tie as. So, so, interestingly enough, my school, when I was. I had gone there from grade two to, grade 11, where in Quebec you go to high school until grade 11.
Marco Timpano: Okay. Until grade 11.
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: Or the 11th grade.
Nidhi Khanna: And then you do two years of Seija. Right.
Marco Timpano: So what does that even mean, Seijia?
Nidhi Khanna: It means big waste of time for two years.
Marco Timpano: Okay, fair enough.
Nidhi Khanna: but halfway through my time in high school, they actually switched over. They did a refresh on the M uniform.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Nidhi Khanna: And so it went from like, an older uniform that had been there probably for like 30, 40 years to. To a more modern version.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Nidhi Khanna: and the ties actually were house ties. So you belonged to a house.
Marco Timpano: Oh, like, like, like Hogwarts. Oh, cool. I think you mentioned that once before. Yeah.
Nidhi Khanna: So your tie had, like, the colors of your house on it.
Marco Timpano: And what house did you belong to?
Nidhi Khanna: Delta Beta.
Marco Timpano: Oh, the Gryffindor of the Gryffindor. The Gryffindor of the Gryffindor.
Nidhi Khanna: Totally. He was all like, sports and very
Marco Timpano: like, how's your Quidditch game?
Nidhi Khanna: My Quidditch game is top notch.
Marco Timpano: Oh, that's great. That's great.
Hayes: Have you ever been to Kansas? I have not
we were looking at some of the places that listen to our podcast, and we wanted to mention one of the cool cities that happen to have some listeners from.
Nidhi Khanna: Well, cool city indeed. It's actually Hayes. Ah, Kansas.
Marco Timpano: Hayes. H A Y S or H A Z E?
Nidhi Khanna: Like no H A Y s. Okay. so shout out to Hays and to our listeners there. Hays has a really interesting history.
Marco Timpano: Have you ever been to Kansas?
Nidhi Khanna: I have not. Have you?
Marco Timpano: No, but it's one of the places I really want to go to.
Nidhi Khanna: Really?
Marco Timpano: Yeah, because it's like there's Kansas City, Kansas in Kansas City, Missouri.
Nidhi Khanna: What's the difference? I mean, other than being in different states.
Marco Timpano: I know, but that's what I want to find out. But I've had a friend who stayed, who stayed in Kansas City, Missouri, and then he drove to Kansas City, Kansas.
Nidhi Khanna: Do you think a lot of people mistake where they're supposed to be?
Marco Timpano: I think most people, when they think of Kansas City, they think of Kansas City, Kansas.
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah, they don't think of Kansas, Missouri, Missouri.
Marco Timpano: Unless you're from that part of the Midwest. Is it the Midwest? I'm, I'm,
Nidhi Khanna: That's a good question.
Marco Timpano: I'm always a little bit. I always find the Midwest to be a little bit of an obscure sort of, in my mind, obscure sort of term. What, what is the Midwest? But tell us about Hayes and figure
Nidhi Khanna: out what the Midwest is like a huge history is part of like the wild, Wild West. Okay, so it used to be. So, so I think it like it's, it's close to Louisiana if I'm not mistaken.
Marco Timpano: Really?
Nidhi Khanna: Well, hold on. Maybe I'm mistaken all, ah, mistaking all of this. But, yeah, it was part of like, kind of like all those myths you, you, you think about with the Wild west or the old west happened in haze, you know, like, so there was like, you know, vigilante murders and, and sheriffs coming through town.
Marco Timpano: Oh, really? Yeah, this was haze. So this was. Oh, wow.
Nidhi Khanna: and so it's a pretty, It's a pretty. It's got some of kind cool, some cool, historical Roots. And it's also like, got a huge population of German descent. Like, 56% of the population is of German descent.
Marco Timpano: To the.
Nidhi Khanna: To the point where they have their own, like, Oktoberfest, which is pretty cool. but, yeah, it was a frontier town. That's what I meant to say. Yeah, that was the word I was looking for.
Marco Timpano: and we did an episode on Tumbleweed, so I bet there would be tumbleweeds in case.
Nidhi Khanna: I'm sure.
Marco Timpano: Just.
There are 12 states that are considered the Midwest. Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska
Well, well, sorry to cut you off there for nitty, but I'm just going to say there's 12 states, in the north central United States that encompass the Midwest. Illinois.
Nidhi Khanna: Okay.
Marco Timpano: Indiana.
Nidhi Khanna: Okay.
Marco Timpano: Iowa, Good old Kansas that we're talking about. Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio and South Dakota. And. Sorry, Wisconsin. Did I say Wisconsin? Wisconsin as well, makes. Makes up the 12. 12 states that are the. Are considered the Midwest.
Nidhi Khanna: So when you think of, the word Midwest, like, what is the imagery that comes to mind?
Marco Timpano: It always. It always strikes me because Illinois is in the Midwest. Right. I know that. Illinois. I think of Chicago. Right. Midwest. But then you get. Then there's like these frontier kind of, states that I think of, like Kansas. I'm like, they're Midwestern. And then Minnesota's in there. And I think of Minnesota more as a northern state. So it kind of throws me off a little bit. But, yeah, it's just one of those things that I don't like. New England. When you talk about New England, I get that right concept more than I do when it comes to the Midwest. how many people live in hays?
Nidhi Khanna: There's about 21,000, which is interesting. It's like the largest kind of city, I guess in northwestern Kansas.
Marco Timpano: Okay. Which, I love finding out about famous people from home, like places like. Like that. Like my hometown. Who's a famous person from there and whatnot. certainly, you know, I would guess there's gonna be like, maybe a football player or maybe, you know, some famous frontiersman or.
Nidhi Khanna: Okay. Well, there's a bunch of Old west figures that are famous, including Calamity Jane.
Marco Timpano: Oh, she's from Hays.
Nidhi Khanna: Buffalo Bill. Or lived in Hayes during a period.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Nidhi Khanna: General George Custer. and then other ones, who have been born or lived in Hayes include the business magnate Philip Anschutz.
Marco Timpano: No idea who that is.
Nidhi Khanna: U.S. senator Jerry Morin and feminist legal pioneer Francis Tilton Weaver.
Marco Timpano: Wow.
Nidhi Khanna: I want to know who Philip Anschutz.
Marco Timpano: He's some sort of wealthy individual.
Nidhi Khanna: Oh, he bought out his father's drilling company, Circle A Drilling. And then, he started to invest in, like, entertainment companies, co founding Major League Soccer as well as multiple teams including the Los Angeles Galaxy, Chicago Fire, Houston Dynamo, San Jose Earthquakes, and the New York New Jersey Metro Stars. He also owned State Snakes in the. In the Los Angeles Kings.
Marco Timpano: Oh, wow. So this guy had money and he enjoyed his sports.
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: So there you go. Well, that sort of sums up Hays, Kansas. Thank you for looking into that nitty. maybe one day we'll record from Hays, Kansas. Good old Hayes. We always say that we're going to record in these places. Have you been. I've asked you if you've been to Kansas. Amanda's been to Kansas. I haven't yet.
Nidhi Khanna: Amanda's m been to almost every state.
Marco Timpano: She's got seven more to do.
Nidhi Khanna: Interestingly enough, the sister cities of Hays, Kansas are Santa Maria, Paraguay.
Marco Timpano: Never been.
Nidhi Khanna: And Xinjian, China.
Marco Timpano: Oh, wow.
Nidhi Khanna: I wonder how like sister cities happen.
Marco Timpano: Oh, that's a great question.
Nidhi Khanna: Maybe one for the next podcast.
Marco Timpano: That's great. Sister cities. Yeah, because I know that there's a couple sister cities. Toronto has. I want to say Toronto is like Amsterdam, but we'll get into sister cities in a future podcast.
Does Hayes have any sports teams? Uh, it does, I think
I want to thank everybody for listening to us talk about plaid and then delve into sports and then shout out to Hayes. Does Hayes have any sports teams?
Nidhi Khanna: it does, I think. Well, it's like a college town too.
Marco Timpano: Oh, is it?
Nidhi Khanna: So, it does. It has, Fort Hayes State University. That's legit. Athletic teams which are known as the Fort Hays Tigers.
Marco Timpano: Go Tigers.
Nidhi Khanna: they also compete in the NCAA division for a bunch of different supports. and then they have the Hayes Larks, which are the collegiate summer baseball team.
Marco Timpano: The Larks, Like a lark bird?
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: Oh, cool. a lot of sports teams have birds as their, as their. I don't know if it's mascot or what you would call like the team. The team symbol.
Nidhi Khanna: Mm, and then from June to August in, in, Hays you can find the Mid America Rodeo Company which puts on rough stock rodeo performances on weeknights including saddle bronc and bareback riding, bull riding and barrel racing, as well as professional horse racing events. So lots to do in Hayes actually.
Marco Timpano: Well, thank you to our listeners from Haze and thank you for listening to our podcast today.
Nidhi Khanna: As always, you can feel free to rate us on itunes or write a review if you like. Thank you for listening. As Marco said, and we have been recording from HM.

Looking for a sleep podcast to fall asleep fast, reduce anxiety, and quiet an overactive mind? This calming episode of The Insomnia Project is designed for insomnia relief, stress reduction, and gentle nighttime unwinding through slow, soothing conversation.
Marco Timpano welcomes guest Peter Alexandropoulos for a relaxed discussion about language, coffee, and everyday curiosities, offering low-stimulation, easygoing content perfect for bedtime listening. From exploring the idea of coffee oil to reflecting on words, unusual letter combinations, and the flavour of ginger, this episode creates a calm and curious atmosphere.
The conversation gently meanders through sensory details and simple observations, blending topics like coffee and language into a soft, engaging rhythm that helps ease racing thoughts and promote relaxation. With unhurried pacing and gentle storytelling, this relaxing podcast episode creates a peaceful environment ideal for sleep, stress relief, or quiet background listening.
Whether you’re searching for a sleep podcast for insomnia, calming background noise while you work, or a gentle way to unwind at the end of the day, The Insomnia Project offers a comforting, reliable escape.

Finding Balance in Everyday Words | A Gentle Conversation with Peter Alexandropoulos (Episode 11)
Marco Timpano: Welcome to the Insomnia project. Sit back, relax and listen as we have a conversation about the mundane. One thing that we promise is that our conversation will be less than fascinating so that you can feel free to just drift off. Thank you for joining us. We hope you will listen and sleep. Follow us at listenandsleep and feel free to rate us on itunes or on soundcloud or send us a little message.
Peter Alexandropoulos's last name is 15 letters long
I'm your host, Marco Timpano, and joining me on this episode is a good friend, Peter Alexandropoulos. Did I say your last name right?
Speaker B: More than. More than right.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Speaker B: that's it.
Marco Timpano: It's kind of odd when you have a last name that, you know, is a bit different or ethnic and people, you know, don't know how to say it or they, they, they're tentative with it or they mess it up. Do you find that you have, you know, experienced that?
Speaker B: It's, it's interesting to get a sense of who somebody is as to how they pronounce my last name. Okay. When they read it or I tell them, you kind of get an idea of, you know, whether or not they've met somebody with A last name like that, whether or not they know somebody who's Greek.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Speaker B: Because usually it's, a matter of them having a good friend who is Greek because they're used to having a mouthful of words.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Speaker B: Right. And, the Greek language specifically has sort of this weird sound to the end of words where you kind of just feel like you're out of breath, especially after saying last name such as mine.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Speaker B: Which is 15 letters out of a lot of last names of that length, it's, I'd say, pretty easy to pronounce. It's Fair enough. It's not necessarily, like, a bunch of different vowels and consonants. Right. But sure.
Marco Timpano: Was it difficult when you were a child to learn how to spell your last name because it had so many letters in it?
Speaker B: You know, it's funny you say that, actually. It was. I had a really good understanding for, like, the Alphabet and, my last name at a very young age.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Speaker B: I was pretty fascinated, actually, with, like, the Alphabet.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Speaker B: funny story. When I was in public school, this weird old man would come to the schoolyard and just kind of, like, find me, and he would just basically yell the Alphabet backwards at me.
Marco Timpano: Oh, wow.
Speaker B: He would just come up to me in the schoolyard, and it was, like, the weirdest thing, because now that I look back at it, it was like, why was this weird old man the schoolyard? Right. But sure, he would say. He would just yell the Alphabet backwards at me. And now I. I can just, like, yell the Alphabet backwards.
Marco Timpano: Oh, really?
Speaker B: Yeah. And I feel like that. That in itself kind of gave me, a nice understanding for, you know, each individual, letter.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Speaker B: Right. And I never really had an issue with letters or spelling because of the sheer fact that my last name is so long.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Speaker B: But, no, it's good.
Marco Timpano: So the question that then I pose is, will you become the old man who yells letters back or the Alphabet backwards to kids in playgrounds and schoolyards?
Speaker B: I feel like if I. If I find myself in that position, I definitely won't shy away from it. Right.
Marco Timpano: Fair enough.
Speaker B: I. I'd love to see my. I'd love to see myself be part of a story in the future. Right. As being that old man that would just. I feel like his intent was to pass on the tradition, in a sense,
Marco Timpano: and maybe teach kids the Alphabet in a way that they wouldn't necessarily gain.
The Greek language is extremely interesting because, um, it seems foreign
Let me ask you this. Can you write, in the Greek Alphabet, how many letters is your last name in the Greek Alphabet? Is it still 15?
Speaker B: yeah. It's the exact same amount. The only place where you would trip up is the X sound. It's. It's the exact same in Greek. In Greek, the. The X sound is still one letter. But, in Greek, a lot of, letters that have that sort of noise like SC or ts are usually two different, two different letters or one. Like, they would take the place of both.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Speaker B: For example, PS in English is, you know, ps.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Speaker B: But in Greek, that would represent one actual letter size sound.
Marco Timpano: So, like psychology or whatnot, which. The etymology of that word is actually Greek. And that's why, in English, when you see a P.S. it's not a natural letter combination in English. This is my linguistic background coming to light. It's more than likely going to be of a Greek origin. So please continue.
Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, no, so that's exactly it. That would be the only place. Place where us Greeks who have very long words should try to make up for any extra, you know, consonant or syllable, for that matter. But, the Greek language is extremely interesting because, although I can read it, to glance over, it seems extremely foreign still sort of. Although it possesses a lot of the same, symbols of the English language still have such different, meanings. For example, in the Greek language, what would be a V in the English language represents an N sounding noise. So the English V is actually in Greek. And N, as well. The H. Right. Greek is an N is actually an I sound. So if you saw a letter H in Greek, it would be literally, it would sound like a Y or an I.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Speaker B: So it's very interesting to kind of read it and just kind of plays with your brain. Right. Of course, knowing Greek and English, they kind of play off of each other.
Marco Timpano: Sure, sure. It's it. That's one of the great things about knowing a foreign language. Right. It sort of puts into perspective different things and like how certain words are modified or certain sounds or letters are modified by the vowel or consonant before it. And things change that are different than the language you speak. In our case, English, which this podcast is being conducted in. but, you know, that's one. One of the interesting things about how different languages work. One of the reasons I love languages and why I studied linguistics was because of that sort of playfulness in the language.
Speaker B: And it's. It's really interesting because, I mean, you. You know, Italian, and both Italian and Greek are very playful languages.
Marco Timpano: Yes.
Speaker B: They play a lot off.
Marco Timpano: Ah.
Speaker B: Of tone and, you know, sayings for that matter. We can often replace, you know, Just a natural response to something with saying, if we so choose which, really helps in communication reason, instead of needing to, find an answer to something, you can just use a saying instead.
Marco Timpano: Sure, sure.
My favorite Italian word has every single vowel in it
Let me ask you this. what is your favorite Greek word? I'll tell you what my favorite Italian word is. Just, to give you a second to think about it. my favorite Italian word is aiuole, and it means flower beds. So it's a plural for flower beds. And the reason I like the word aiole, which is a weird word to like flower beds, is because that particular word has every vowel in it. It's spelled. It has every single vowel. So it's a I, a I, U, O, L, E. So the only consonant is an L. And that's why I love that word because it happens to have every single vowel in it. I hope I got it right. I'm sure there's going to be some sort of, There's going to be a listener who is Italian say, well, there's actually other words that have it. Or actually, you're incorrect here. But as I know it, flower beds in Italian has every vowel in it, and that's what I love.
What is your favorite Greek word? Um. Sure. So what is it? It's probably the word or vre
What is your favorite Greek word?
Speaker B: It's funny you say that, because I would say that my favorite Greek word is in fact most likely the exact opposite of your favorite Greek word, Italian word.
Marco Timpano: Sure. I'm curious to find out, because I love to know that about different languages, like when people speak different languages, what their favorite, word is. So what is it?
Speaker B: It's probably the word or vre. So what that word basically symbolizes is sort of adding emphasis to a sentence. You would say, for example, go fetch that for me. M. Vre. you would add that to the end of the word to say, go get that for me. You guy or you. You know, it just basically means. It kind of just gives emphasis to the sentence of its importance, or it's just basically saying you need to do it. It's sort of slang in a sense. Okay. You can say the word by itself. Vre. You know, come here, Vra. how are you? Vra? Right. You just kind of say it like you, guy. You do. And I love it because you can use it in any sort of context you choose.
Marco Timpano: So would it be equivalent to what the Canadian A is at the end of the word? It's not actually a word that means anything, but it has a sort of symbolic or a nationalistic meaning to it that a Canadian would know when you're Saying a at the end of, a phrase, it's sort of, you're asking for agreeance or you're concurring with that person, or you're acknowledging what that person is speaking about, or you want acknowledgement.
Speaker B: It is extreme. It's exactly. It has the same idea behind it. Right. A in Canada would be kind of like, it would. You would use it in a quizzical sense.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Speaker B: Right. Whereas in Greek you would use the word vre and it's sort of like a very, You're trying to put something on somebody or you're trying to, It's sort of like a demanding word.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Speaker B: Like you're being sort of rude in a sense.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Speaker B: But it's a word that you would use in a very jokingly manner.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Speaker B: To kind of make fun of somebody, but really kind of try to emphasize whatever you were putting in front of the word.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Speaker B: Right.
Marco Timpano: And it's. I would imagine it's something that you, you would use in an informal way with friends and with family and people that you know well, would that be safe to say?
Speaker B: Very, very true.
Marco Timpano: Yeah.
Speaker B: Like you could. And the cool part about this word is, although you could. You. You do generally use it in a very informal manner, you could still use this word in a more form formal manner.
Marco Timpano: Okay, I didn't know that.
Speaker B: Yeah, it's, it's interesting because although there's this kind of concept of, you know, being respectful and talking with certain mannerism that meets whatever kind of situation you're in.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Speaker B: This word kind of passes those boundaries where there's sort of this understanding amongst Greek people that this word doesn't necessarily have to do with your respect for somebody.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Speaker B: You're just kind of implying something by using this word.
Marco Timpano: Interesting.
Speaker B: You're trying to state something with it. You're trying to say that whatever you're saying isn't just for the matter of saying it, but it actually has some meaning to it. Like you're trying to make sure that whatever you're saying is going to be listened to or heard.
Marco Timpano: That's really cool.
I'm curious to hear what your favorite English word is
So I asked you what your favorite Greek word is. I think it's only fair for me to ask you what your favorite English word is to use. Being mindful that we can't use any expletives on this particular podcast. I'll tell you what my favorite English word is, and then I'm curious to hear what your favorite English word is. My favorite word to say is ginger. And the reason I Discovered why I like this particular word is because it gives your mouth a sort of neat feeling, a happy feeling. Like, to say ginger, your mouth has to be gets put in a position of, I don't know, it bounces on your. On your, teeth and your lips go in an interesting way. So I've always liked the word ginger because I think it is a fun word to say. Do you have a favorite English word
Speaker B: before I tell you mine? It's funny that so far you've told me this. This Italian word and, this English word with both are basically your favorite word solely based on the phonetic of the word. Sure. And it's funny you like the word ginger because when you think about the actual meaning of the word, ginger in itself has a very similar feeling to the word, which is also really cool. Which might have to do with why you like the word so much, because you can connect the actual thing to the word itself and it just gives this whole, a very well rounded idea of why this word means so much to you.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Speaker B: And I mean. No, go ahead.
Do you know the best way to peel ginger
Marco Timpano: I was gonna say, speaking of ginger, before we get to your favorite English word, do you know how to. The best way to peel ginger? I learned this just recently. No, tell me, what would you guess it to be?
Speaker B: Oh, wow. I have no idea. Anytime I've ever had to use ginger, I just. I cut it right up. I don't have to peel it using
Marco Timpano: a spoon to peel ginger. Yeah, I'm gonna grab some ginger and I'm gonna peel it.
Tell us what your favorite English word is
While I'm grabbing that ginger, I want you to tell us what your favorite English word is.
Speaker B: M. Okay. My favorite English word definitely has to be absolutely. I've been using the word a lot lately in, you know, answering to people. Just the sheer concept of the word absolutely, the feeling of absolute, of being absolute sure in itself just gives me this real sensation of wholeheartedness.
Marco Timpano: Oh, I like that.
Speaker B: When I. When I say the word, I'm not only, you know, answering yes to whatever the question demand request. Exactly. It could even be, whether I agree on something or not.
Marco Timpano: Yeah, of course.
Speaker B: Question. By saying absolutely, I'm kind of giving. I'm, instilling my trust in the person that this, this is my true opinion.
Marco Timpano: Oh, so.
Speaker B: So I mean, by using that word, I'm trying to be as honest as possible. I won't use the word when I'm not. And if I do, it'll be with sheer sarcasm.
Marco Timpano: I see.
Speaker B: I see. So I just. I love the word. And being in the restaurant industry. You tend to say the word a lot. Right, Right. Just trying to appeal to, to customers or trying to do your best job. You'll say this word to give whoever you're, you're speaking with like a sense of reassurance in yourself. So it not only reflects on them, but on yourself of, you know, what you're trying, trying to say.
Marco Timpano: Right. Fair. That's a, that's a really neat thing. I think there's something lovely about absolute or absolutely. because you're sort of like you said, you're giving all your attention to whatever the request demand, question is. In other words, yes. But more so than just yes, it sort of heightens the word yes with absolutely.
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Marco shows you how to peel ginger using a spoon
Marco Timpano: So I grabbed some ginger, and I grabbed a spoon. And I know this is a little bit, you know, not orthodox, but I'm going to show you exactly how. I don't know if you can hear me peeling the ginger with a spoon, but it peels the skin off so nicely. And then, oh, I got some ginger in my eye, but, there you go.
Speaker B: No kidding. Yeah.
Marco Timpano: And so if you ever want to peel ginger, you peel it with a spoon and you're good to go.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: You don't need to press that hard. I would. I would bring the spoon towards you, maybe. I think. I think so. Interesting. Yeah. So you just use the spoon to. To peel. Peel it. Almost. Almost the opposite of peeling a carrot with a. With a carrot peel or whatever you call it.
Speaker B: It really is. And you know what, Marco? this adds to the whole idea of the word ginger, in my opinion, because you're doing this very gingerly. You're kind of just gliding along, along the edge of the ginger.
Marco Timpano: There you go.
Speaker B: You're being very gentle with it. Yet it feels extremely refreshing to do this. Right. And it feels like, in a sense, you're kind of uncovering this very rough exterior of the ginger to reveal something that's almost, you know, exuding this weird freshness. So it kind of reminds me of the word, because although it's just a word on your palate, it kind of just, you know, pops out of your mouth now.
Marco Timpano: Now our whole area, our whole microphone smells like ginger. Are you a fan of ginger as I got you to peel it here? You might not even be a fan of it.
Speaker B: Oh, big time. I mean, especially now during the cold season. Yes. Working behind a bar, a lot of people ask for ginger in their teas, in their coffees. It's becoming very big, especially working in.
Marco Timpano: Oh, ginger in your coffee. Yeah.
Speaker B: Especially in an Italian bar. Right. We can do, something like a ginger syrup, which is very nice because it not only adds the element of the sweetness in the ginger.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Speaker B: But also the soothing qualities of it.
Marco Timpano: Oh, what a great coffee to have. in the wintertime, a ginger coffee. Could you. Could one take a, say, a thin sliver of ginger, put it in the coffee and let that sort of immerse itself into a coffee and have it like that? Or what do you think would be too strong? Because you said you make a syrup. Correct?
Speaker B: We do, yeah. So what we would do is we would basically emulsify the ginger, mix it with a little bit of sugar.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Speaker B: A little bit of water and then turn that into a syrup. I feel like it would just kind of mix with the coffee a little bit. Right, right. Because.
Marco Timpano: Sliver of ginger. Yeah, that makes sense.
Speaker B: Yeah. I feel like the whole, especially when you're making like an espresso based drink. Right. To kind of put a piece of ginger in there would just create this weird bitterness. Right. This would work in like something like a tea. Right. It's just hot water. Sure. But once you add the element of the espresso, it's just kind of bringing in these different components and creating like this very. Something that needs to be extremely palatable. Because once it's just, hot water, a lot of things can go into it. Such as? Like, like a melting pot. Basically. You can add whatever you'd like in any form. But the second you're working with milk or coffee, you kind of need to make sure that whatever you're adding to that is like very palatable. I don't know.
When you order an espresso, what are you looking at before the drink
Marco Timpano: Speaking of coffee, clearly you have a great understanding of espressos and whatnot. What makes a good espresso? So when you go to a bar and you order an espresso or an espresso based drink, what are you looking at before that espresso actually touches your, your lips?
Speaker B: It's funny you say that when I, when I do order an espresso, it's usually in a situation where I just really need the coffee.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Speaker B: So I don't try to pay attention to the service I'm receiving.
Marco Timpano: I see.
Speaker B: When I actually am providing service or when I'm trying to make an espresso for somebody who needs one. Right. What I'm making sure is that they, they're already feeling like they've received the refreshment. Like they are being refreshed by the coffee before they've even had the coffee.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Speaker B: I would do that by, you know, offering them some water.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Speaker B: Making sure that everything is set up for them. You know, having a little plate, providing the full Italian service.
Like, what are you looking for when you grab a coffee
Marco Timpano: But I meant the actual coffee itself. Like, what are you looking for when you grab a coffee? Like what, what, what should one be looking for? Like, I've never had an espresso before. I'm going to have my first espresso and I'm ordering it. How do I tell if I'm getting a good espresso or a not so good espresso?
Speaker B: M I see. I think that the first thing that you would look for is the color.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Speaker B: Immediately just have a look at it. The smell is always going to be there. The color is going to diminish the longer you let it sit.
Marco Timpano: I see.
Speaker B: So the first thing you look is a variation in color on the top of the coffee. Okay. If you see something that is very monochromatic, I m mean, sure, it could be a very good coffee.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Speaker B: But you want. It would be nice to see that there are some extremely dark oils in there.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Speaker B: So you'd be looking for sort of like this coffee color that we would consider like a, like a. Nor like a normal coffee color on top of an espresso.
Marco Timpano: That's the crema we're talking about.
Speaker B: Exactly. So you'd be looking for a nice crema. and then you would be looking for some really dark splotches on top of that. Basically, what those signify is parts of the espresso that is in a sense, been parts of the coffee bean rather that have been really ridden of their oils and have made their way into the actual liquid. Right. So from those, you're getting a lot of sweetness and you're getting a lot of aromatic flavors. and that's where you find the, really the tastiest part of the espresso.
Marco Timpano: I see.
Speaker B: You're not necessarily just getting, the caffeine.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Speaker B: And the base flavors of a coffee, but you're also getting these notes. Right. And you would find them in these individual little pieces of darker, crema. And it's very interesting to see that because when you have a look at your coffee before you even drink it, you can kind of base how much of, sweetness or bitterness you're gonna get from that coffee once you've had enough, when you look at the coffee and just have a look at the, crema itself. In Italian, we would refer to the, the dark oils as, olio scuro. Right. Which basically means dark oils. Right? That's right. So, it's really interesting to see, you know, having a look at so many coffees, to just, you know, really take them for what they are.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Speaker B: Not being able to taste all of them, but just to make them and have a look at them. Just to kind of judge them for yourself based on, what they are from what you see.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Speaker B: What's your, what's your favorite coffee? What, what do you drink when you, when you go out and you have a coffee?
Marco Timpano: Oh, so that's a. That's A fantastic question, right? And lately I've been putting on my Instagram when I, Because I love a good cappuccino. And for me, a cappuccino should not be an intense amount of liquid, meaning milk. It should be proportioned really well with the milk, the coffee and the foam. And so oftentimes I'll go to these espresso bars and whatnot or cafes and they'll give me like a vat of coffee to represent, cappuccino. And I'll take a photo of it and I'll, I'll put on my Instagram and write, this is not a cappuccino. And then when I have a good one, I'll write, this is a cappuccino. So I've sort of been doing this as, ah, you know, I've had cappuccino throughout the cities, different, different countries, different places. And so for me, what I look for in a cappuccino is a great balance between espresso, milk and foam. I don't expect the milk to be scorched. That's one of the things that I hate. When they've heated the milk to past its point and they've scorched the milk, it gives it not the sweet milk taste, but rather it gives it a soury kind of spoiled taste. And I can, I notice that right away. I don't need cinnamon, I don't need chocolate on top of my cappuccino. I certainly would welcome it, but that's not important to me. For me, it's the balance and the size. So I think a cappuccino should be a certain amount of, coffee ratio to, milk and froth. And it shouldn't be a huge, it should be in an appropriate sort of cappuccino or demi tass sort of size.
Speaker B: You know, it's really funny you say that because anytime I've ever asked somebody what their favorite kind of coffee is, whatever kind of coffee they say volume and proportion of actual espresso to milk, they did, they choose. It's always about the balance for them.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Speaker B: And I feel like no matter what the most important part is about having that certain level of balance in your coffee. You can have a coffee that's extremely strong, you can have a coffee that's extremely milky, but when it's unbalanced, you can really, you can really tell. And whether or not you drink coffee, it's almost extremely visible to somebody whether or not a coffee is unbalanced.
Marco Timpano: Agreed.
Speaker B: Because it's not so Much, you know, the aesthetic of the coffee or the flavor of the coffee, but it's rather kind of like the feel that you get from it. And that's one of the really cool parts about coffee or drink in general. You have this idea for, is it balanced?
Marco Timpano: Right.
Peter: Balance is important in coffee making cocktails as well as cocktails
Speaker B: And these are topics that come up in coffee making cocktails.
Marco Timpano: Oh, in particular. And I think Nidhi and I talked about it, when we did the Negroni episode. We did a whole episode on Negronis. And the Negroni, for me, is one of my favorite cocktails. And it's a very simple cocktail in that it's equal portions of three alcohols, but it is the cocktail that so, so many people mess up. And you can, I think you can tell the quality of a bartender based on how they make the Negroni, because I love Negronis when they're done well, but when they're not done well, it's like a slap in the face is how I describe it.
Speaker B: I couldn't agree more. And it's because a lot of people, and this, this goes back to coffee as well as cocktails, kind of look past the idea of the ingredients involved
Marco Timpano: and balance, like you were saying before.
Speaker B: Of course.
Marco Timpano: Yeah.
Speaker B: And when I say balance, I'm not only referring to the actual liquids. Right. I'm not referring to the coffee and milk. I'm not referring to the, the three ingredients of Negroni. Right. I'm referring to the actual process in which it's made. This could be, you know, for example, the ice in the Negroni.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Speaker B: This has, especially with the Negroni, so much do with the cocktail itself.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Speaker B: You know, how cold is it?
Marco Timpano: Right.
Speaker B: How m m long has the ice been sitting in the glass? Right. What kind of ice are you using? This all relates back to the balance. Right. Because you need to really make sure that you're balancing every single part. You can't skip, you can't skip out on one part of making the coffee. Right. Steaming the milk, how you're. How are you putting the milk into the glass. Right. This has a lot to do with the cappuccino. It's not just the espresso and the milk.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Speaker B: It's how these, how the milk is going into the espresso to make sure that it's maintaining its robustness even after it's completed. It's almost as if with a cappuccino, I find the espresso still has all of its flavor and character even after you've put milk into it, which with a lot of other coffee is not the case.
Marco Timpano: Well, there you go. Well, Peter, I think I've discovered a new favorite word, and that's balance. But I'm going to pronounce it balance.
Peter: What's your favorite cocktail before we go? Manhattan
Anyways, I want to thank you for being a part of this episode where we talked about ginger and languages and words. Our favorite words. What's your favorite cocktail before we go?
Speaker B: Manhattan.
Marco Timpano: All the way.
Speaker B: Perfect.
Marco Timpano: Classic.
Speaker B: Perfect.
Marco Timpano: Peter, thank you so much for being part of this episode.
Speaker B: Thank you, Marco, as always.
Marco Timpano: The Insomnia Project is produced by drumcast Productions, and this episode was recorded in Toronto, Canada. Thank you for listening.

Looking for a sleep podcast to fall asleep fast, reduce anxiety, and quiet an overactive mind? This calming episode of The Insomnia Project is designed for insomnia relief, stress reduction, and gentle nighttime unwinding through slow, soothing conversation.
Marco Timpano and Nidhi Khanna explore the element of air, reflecting on breathing, breezes, and the invisible presence that surrounds us every day. As part of their ongoing series on the elements, this episode offers low-stimulation, easygoing content perfect for bedtime listening.
The conversation gently drifts through everyday experiences connected to air, from simple observations to calming reflections, all delivered in a soft, meandering style that helps ease racing thoughts and promote relaxation. With unhurried pacing and familiar themes, this relaxing podcast episode creates a peaceful environment ideal for sleep, stress relief, or quiet background listening.
Whether you’re searching for a sleep podcast for insomnia, calming background noise while you work, or a gentle way to unwind at the end of the day, The Insomnia Project offers a comforting, reliable escape.

Episode 15: The Air Episode | Gentle Conversations on Breathing Easy
Marco Timpano: Welcome to the Insomnia Project. Sit back, relax and listen as we have a conversation about the mundane. One thing that we can promise is that our conversation will be less than fascinating so that you can just drift off. Thank you for joining us. We hope you will listen and sleep. I'm your host, Marco Timpano.
Nidhi Khanna: And I'm your co host Nidhi
Marco Timpano: Khanna and we invite you to rate us and leave a comment on itunes as we love that and it only helps our podcast.
Nidhi Khanna: It does. and you can also tweet at us at listeninsleep.
This is the air episode. If you haven't already guessed it, listeners
Marco, when you think of the word air, what is the first image that pops into your mind?
Marco Timpano: I guess wind.
Speaker A: Really?
Marco Timpano: Air.
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah. I think of oxygen. Yeah.
Marco Timpano: Okay, Fair.
Nidhi Khanna: Breathing.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Nidhi Khanna: This is the air episode. If you haven't already guessed it, listeners,
Marco Timpano: we had a water episode, a fire episode, and we thought it only appropriate to have an air episode since those are the three elements. Well, I guess earth. We should have an earth episode too because that's that. That that'll be coming because future episode on earth.
What are the elements in air? Do you know
Nidhi Khanna: But for now, we're gonna talk about air.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Nidhi Khanna: What Are the elements in air? Do you know?
Marco Timpano: Oh, I don't. I have no idea.
Nidhi Khanna: Like atmospheric. I don't know.
Marco Timpano: Oxygen, Nitrogen. I think it's made primarily of nitrogen, isn't it? There's more nitrogen molecules in the air that we breathe, our atmosphere, than, Than on other planets. I don't know. Help me out.
Nidhi Khanna: That's.
Marco Timpano: You're looking at me in a strange way, so I.
Nidhi Khanna: Well, I don't know. I was trying to figure out where you were going with that sentence. Really.
Marco Timpano: I know there's a plentitude of nitrogen in our. In the oxygen. In the oxygen that we breathe. Does that make sense?
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah, it. Well, I mean, not the oxygen in the air that we breathe.
Marco Timpano: The air that we breathe in the air.
Nidhi Khanna: yeah. And it makes me think of a song that has that lyric in the air that we breathe, which makes me think of the band Air. Was there not a band in Air?
Marco Timpano: I don't know. A band named Air.
Nidhi Khanna: Okay.
Marco Timpano: I know there was a band named Earth, Wind and Fire.
Nidhi Khanna: Well, maybe it's not.
Marco Timpano: And I know that, Phil Collins sang a song called Air the Air tonight.
Nidhi Khanna: Of course.
Marco Timpano: But, this other band. Air. Air Supply?
Nidhi Khanna: No, it's a French band, apparently.
Marco Timpano: I know Air Supply.
Nidhi Khanna: Air Supply. Maybe I was thinking about Air Supply.
Marco Timpano: Perhaps.
Nidhi Khanna: I was probably thinking about it.
Marco Timpano: You weren't thinking of the French band Air?
Nidhi Khanna: No, because I just found that when I Googled air.
Marco Timpano: But. So what is our atmospheric, air made up of? Okay, Nadia's gonna be looking at that. Other things that I think of when I think of air is I think of, you know, blowing a balloon and, you know, versus, say, using helium to make the balloon float up. I also remember as a kid watching a magician or some sort of, I don't think. I don't know if he was. He was a magician, but he was someone who would use. Who would make giant bubbles, you know, with what you could make those giant bubbles. And what he would do is inside a bubble. Inside a giant bubble, he'd blow another bubble. But when he blew that bubble into the giant bubble, you know, with. With soapy water, whatever they use, he. He was smoking a cigarette, so he would blow smoke into the bubble that was inside the bubble. So what happens is the smoke gets trapped in the bubble and you see this gray. This light gray, swirling smoke and trapped inside a bubble. Now, I remember it as a kid, and I remember it to this day.
Nidhi Khanna: Did you ever play air guitar?
Marco Timpano: Oh, I'm sure I have. I remember going to see friends in an air guitar competition. Competition or something?
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah, that's. That's always. I mean, what did you think about that? When they were like, come to my air guitar competition.
Marco Timpano: It was fine for the first two minutes, and then it was people just lip syncing and air guitar into music. And I was like, oh, this isn't for me.
Nidhi Khanna: What's, like a good air guitar song, really? I mean, needs to have that solo piece to it, right? Like, Thunder, for example. ACDC is a good air guitar song.
Marco Timpano: I feel like crazy. Train by Ozzy Osborne. The beginning. The car is really intense.
Nidhi Khanna: Okay.
Marco Timpano: Yeah.
Have you ever gone to an oxygen bar where they give you pure oxygen
Nidhi Khanna: to get back to your atmosphere
Marco Timpano: of the earth, the composition of the
Nidhi Khanna: earth, the composition of the earth, the earth's atmosphere. You are indeed correct. Nitrogen is about 78% of the Earth's atmosphere.
Marco Timpano: There you go. I remember that from when I. 78.
Nidhi Khanna: You said 78. And oxygen is like. Is 20%. and then. Hold on, because.
Marco Timpano: Have you ever gone to an oxygen bar where they give you pure oxygen to breathe? They were popular at one point.
Nidhi Khanna: I haven't. I feel like this is like the floating tanks, you know, the same type of thing, right? It's like, I gotta pay for, oxygen now.
Marco Timpano: Yeah, they give you pure oxygen. And supposedly a lot of people feel lighter or they feel more. What's the word? Like rejuvenated. I did it nitty. And they can put flavors in it too, which sounds weird. So you could get like, you pick your, like, green apple scent or. I think I picked lavender.
Nidhi Khanna: And how was it?
Marco Timpano: Did nothing for me. The plastic tubes that go in your nose kind of irritated me, and that's about it. Oh, like irritated. Like, not irritated me, but you know how it's.
Nidhi Khanna: So was it like an oxygen. Did they wheel out an oxygen tank full of, like, lavender flavored oxygen?
Marco Timpano: No, as I remember it. And this was years ago, you sat at a little bar and it had all these tubes. I guess the tanks were underneath the bar and they had all these little tubes and they were like, okay, here, like, use this to put in your mo. In your nose. It was like a hygienic one. So they would replace that part of the tube, depending on who was the new client. And, they then asked me what scent or flavor I wanted. I think flavor is the wrong word. I guess scent. And. And I think I said lavender, if that was one of the flavors or scents. And, away we went. And I think it was. I paid for 15 minutes and it did nothing for me.
Nidhi Khanna: Do you remember how much it cost for those 15 minutes.
Marco Timpano: Oh, this was years ago. I don't remember. I feel like I did it at an airport.
Nidhi Khanna: Oh, interesting.
Marco Timpano: I feel like it was at an airport. And, you know, you have got that time to kill, and you're like, what are you gonna do? And sure enough, you know what else I've done? Have you ever seen those tanks where people put their feet in and the little fish sort of nibble away at your calluses and stuff?
Nidhi Khanna: Oh, yeah, it's like this weird pedicure thing that is.
Marco Timpano: Yeah, I've done that.
Nidhi Khanna: Really?
Marco Timpano: In Thailand.
Nidhi Khanna: How was that experience?
Marco Timpano: That was, interesting because as soon as I put my feet in and they all sort of like. And the tank that I did had hundreds of fish in it. It wasn't like some of the, you know, tanks that you see at beauty parlors in Beverly Hills that have, like, a handful of fish. No, this had hundreds. And as soon as they attacked my feet, I felt a little nauseous. It was a really odd sensation. It made me feel a little bit. I wouldn't say queasy, but a little bit like, oh, this is not so much fun. But then you get used to it and it's like, fine. But it's a. It's a very interesting, different sort of. Sort of feeling. Hard to describe because people are like, what does it feel like? Little pinches? It's like, no, it just feels like pressure from a million different places on your feet. And not hard pressure, but like a sort of constant sort of rubbing in different areas.
Nidhi Khanna: Are you ticklish on your feet?
Marco Timpano: No, I don't think I am. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe that's why it was bothersome. But anyways, that's another one of those unusual things, like the oxygen bar that I went to. This was like a plunge your feet in a fish tank.
Nidhi Khanna: So I need to ask how your feet felt after the fish tank experience.
Marco Timpano: They looked kind of marginally better. I don't think it was enough. Like, I think if you go to an actual pedicurist.
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: You get a better job than what the actual fish do. Yeah.
Nidhi Khanna: Interesting.
Marco Timpano: It's more like, oh, look at all these fish nibbling at me. It was kind of one of those. I think it was a waste of doing it. Once is great, but then it becomes a little bit of a waste of time or a m. Waste of money,
Nidhi Khanna: I should say so if you like.
If you could have a superpower based on the elements, what would it be
So sometimes I think about the elements, and I think about the superpowers that are associated with each element. So, for example, I mean, when we did the fire episode, obviously. You know, you think of maybe Superman's laser vision.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Nidhi Khanna: Or other water.
Marco Timpano: You would think of Aquaman's ability.
Nidhi Khanna: Sure. Earth. I'm not really sure who would have what particularly, but air, of course. You think of flying maybe.
Marco Timpano: You know, I think of storm.
Nidhi Khanna: Oh, of storm. Okay, that makes sense, because she manipulates,
Marco Timpano: weather and, atmosphere change and whatnot.
Nidhi Khanna: Right, Good point.
Marco Timpano: But flying would be right, too.
Nidhi Khanna: Yep. so if you could have a particular superpower that's based on the elements, what would it be?
Marco Timpano: Oh, that's great. Well, I don't think it would be flying because I'm scared of heights. I'd like to have Aquaman's water abilities and stuff.
Nidhi Khanna: Because you can't swim?
Marco Timpano: M and I can't swim, but that's the one I'd want.
Nidhi Khanna: You'd really? Oh, really? Why, why would you want that one?
Marco Timpano: Well, of all the superheroes as a kid, Aquaman was my favorite. And I think it stems from the fact that I wanted to be a marine biologist. Prior to that, I wanted to be a fisherman. So I always had a fascination for the sea and sea creatures. And, so that's probably why it stems from that. And I don't know where that all came from because there's no fisherman in my family.
Nidhi Khanna: And really, like, you know, and fisherman is. Is one of those career choices that, that kind of. You base it on someone else's career path. It's. It's very rare that someone is just randomly, you know, like, I'm gonna be a fisherman.
Marco Timpano: I doubt that there's, you know, high school student counselors or guidance counselors who recommend becoming a fisherman as your career.
Nidhi Khanna: Fair enough. Fair enough. you know, my superpower. I'm not. I feel like I would want. I'd want. I don't know, actually, I kind of
Marco Timpano: make a great storm. If you were.
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah, I probably would, but I. I don't know. What if I were to, like, get into a temper situation.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Nidhi Khanna: I might cause, like a tsunami or something.
Marco Timpano: Fair. So when I was working on a cruise ship, they had a. What they would do is for the staff that worked on the cruise ship, they'd have, like, these fun nights where we would all meet at a bar that was closed off to the general, public, and the staff would go and have a fun night. So it might be like a Hawaiian themed night or whatever. Or like Halloween. They'd have, like. Anyways, one night they had superhero night. So we had to dress up like a superhero. And it was on the top deck bar.
Nidhi Khanna: Oh, okay.
Marco Timpano: So it was outside on the highest level. It wasn't actually even a bar. It was just an area. Area that was on the top part of the ship.
Nidhi Khanna: So it was very airy.
Marco Timpano: Was extremely airy. So I. What was my superhero? Oh, I. I dressed as Snape from the Harry Potter series.
Nidhi Khanna: Of course you did.
Marco Timpano: Amanda dressed as Wonder Woman.
Nidhi Khanna: Amazing.
Marco Timpano: And so, you know, we're. We were with all the performers. Every performer really got into it.
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Nidhi Khanna: Before you continue, you're on a cruise ship, right? Where did you find your costumes?
Marco Timpano: Oh, that's a great question. That's a really great question. So we would dock every week in New York City. And so we'd have about a day in New York while people, while passengers were getting on or getting off and then getting onto our ship. So we had a day in New York, and we went and scoured different areas of New York to get our costumes.
Nidhi Khanna: Oh, so you knew there was going to be a costume?
Marco Timpano: We knew it was so, you know, way beforehand, like, you know that. Okay, on the 15th, we're gonna have superhero night, so get ready kind of thing. So I obviously got a black wig that looked like Snape. And I think I got a wand or I made a wand. And there you go.
Nidhi Khanna: And was this was at the height of the Harry Potter craze?
Marco Timpano: Yes, the last book had just come out.
Nidhi Khanna: Okay.
Marco Timpano: The point is one of the singers dressed as Storm. So she had, like, white. White cotton hair. I think she just got a lot of cotton batting. So she got cotton hair. It was like this white, white, white hair. And then she had all this, cotton batting all over her. Her bodysuit or whatever to mimic I don't know what. But. But it was like all this cotton. Well, when. When she stepped onto the area where we were, the wind up there was so great because we were on the top. Her hair blew off her head.
Nidhi Khanna: Oh, no.
Marco Timpano: And then all her costume. And I feel like it was cotton or whatever, but there was, like, all her costume started to blow off her.
Nidhi Khanna: Oh, no.
Marco Timpano: So at the end of. Within five minutes, her costume was gone, and all she had left was just a bodysuit that was under the costume. And, I was lucky enough to. And what was funny was she came out and it was kind of windy, so she was pretending to be Storm. Like, she was, like, getting into all this position pretending to be Storm until it got so windy that her entire costume blew off. It was fantastic.
Nidhi Khanna: Oh, poor girl.
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Do you like popcorn? I do, I do. Do you get popcorn when you go to the movies
Marco Timpano: You know what else you can make with air is popcorn. Oh yeah, you have warm air that
Nidhi Khanna: causes a popcorn cause popcorn to pop. Now we just had some really wild popcorn. Yeah, it was pretty cool before recording this episode which was like caramel cashew popcorn or something like that.
Marco Timpano: I prefer sweet popcorn. You know how you can get it with sweet or with savory. And there's the Chicago mix which mixes both the sweet and the savory. I think it's like a cheddar and a caramel popcorn.
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah, that Chicago mix is amazing and deadly at the same time.
Marco Timpano: I just eat the sweet part.
Nidhi Khanna: Oh, really?
Marco Timpano: Yeah, I don't like it. Oh, I don't like the combination.
Nidhi Khanna: See, I like kettle corn because I like the combination of like sweet and salty. But I will. I just like popcorn.
Marco Timpano: Do you like popcorn?
Nidhi Khanna: I do, I do. It's not something that I like. It's not a go to that. I'm like, oh, popcorn. But when it's around, I thoroughly enjoy it, I think.
Marco Timpano: When I was 15, I worked at a movie theater. It was at the. I don't know if you've ever been to this mall, Nidhi, but it was the Woodbine Center. Are you familiar with that mall?
Nidhi Khanna: I am not. I am not. But please do describe it.
Marco Timpano: Well, at the time, it was quite the mall. And it had a little, what do you call it, like a theme park within the mall. I guess it had a Ferris wheel. It had a train that took you around. It had. I feel like it had swings that would, you know, those swings that you kind of rise and then it swings you around. There's a bunch of you on. Had all these crazy things. And I was an usher at a theater at the Woodbine Mall. And, I'd come home smelling like popcorn. And there was so much popcorn around that I. I just got sick of popcorn. So I really don't. It's not my go to. And I'll always be like, when we go to the movies, I'll never really buy popcorn, really. Sometimes I'll have some of, whoever's with me. Some. I'll share some of theirs. But really I could do without. I prefer candies and things like that. How about you? Do you.
Nidhi Khanna: It pretty. It scarred you that much?
Marco Timpano: Hey, I guess do you and I know that's many, many years later. Do you get popcorn when you go to the movies?
Nidhi Khanna: I do. I get popcorn. I don't usually get like, the butter on the popcorn. I find it messes with everything.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Nidhi Khanna: And then you have greasy hands, etc. So I do like it if I get popcorn and whoever I'm with gets some candy because that's a nice little savory and sweet option.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Nidhi Khanna: But I don't really like movie theater popcorn either. No, I find it too. Too salty. But I like, you know, those, what is it called? Colonels. Any of those specialty popcorn, stores where you can get expensive. yeah, but I have expensive taste.
Marco Timpano: Oh, there you go. And you can tell by the popcorn she chooses.
Nidhi Khanna: Exactly. You can tell a lot about a girl. Buy the popcorn.
Marco Timpano: Really? See, I never thought. But that makes a lot of sense. It's like, so, I mean, our podcast is to help people relax. But gentlemen, if you. Or ladies, if you want to know something about the woman you happen to be with, take a look at the popcorn.
Marco Timpano: That she chooses M. And then make your.
Nidhi Khanna: Make your assessment.
Marco Timpano: Let us know.
Nidhi Khanna: Life advice.
Marco Timpano: Let us know what those Pop the Insomnia Project flavors tell you.
Nidhi Khanna: We're the new Tinder, apparently.
Marco Timpano: I guess.
So what's the bucket list there? Hot air balloon, gentle gliding
so have you ever done some of these fun air things? Like, have you ever, parachuted or. Or glided or whatever?
Nidhi Khanna: Right. This is great. So, bucket list. I, would like to say that I want to skydive.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Nidhi Khanna: In my heart, I want to.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Nidhi Khanna: In my head, I know I would never actually jump.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Nidhi Khanna: It just wouldn't happen. even though I really, really want to. But I've never been one to be like, let me go bungee jumping.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Nidhi Khanna: However, I would be intrigued in a hot air balloon.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Nidhi Khanna: Possibly.
Marco Timpano: Sure, sure.
Nidhi Khanna: Possibly. I don't know. I mean, it's a bucket list. Like, if I had the opportunity.
Marco Timpano: So what's the bucket list there? Hot air balloon, gentle gliding in the air, or the jumping out of a plane with a parachute?
Nidhi Khanna: So they're all.
Marco Timpano: Because you're like, bucket list, but you haven't said which one, so.
Nidhi Khanna: No, because they're all kind of on the bucket list.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Nidhi Khanna: But whether or not I would actually fulfill the bucket list if I was given an opportunity.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Nidhi Khanna: I'm not sure.
Marco Timpano: No desire to jump out of a plane. I'm scared of heights. No desire to. Now, have you ever seen this? Well, I mean, I shouldn't say no desired in a hot air balloon, because I think I would do that. But have you ever seen these new things where it's like skydiving in an enclosed, like. Like area? Like, it's kind of like, see?
Nidhi Khanna: That I would do.
Marco Timpano: Because Amanda wants to do that. She's like, I want to do that. We drive by it. I think it's in Mississauga, and it's like this. So here's what I think you do. I'm m just gonna repeat this as many times until. Until it's clear in my head. You put on a puffy suit. They turn on these mega fans underneath you. You jump into the air and you just let it. Let you float. And then you move your hands and feet around till you, till you. I don't know what, but I think
Nidhi Khanna: this would be the perfect activity for your birthday.
Marco Timpano: No.
Nidhi Khanna: Why?
Marco Timpano: Amanda wants to do it. So we'll do it for hers. I don't know. I don't know if I want to do that.
Nidhi Khanna: Why? What are you like? Because you're not actually in the air. Right.
Marco Timpano: But it blows you up high.
Nidhi Khanna: Oh, does it?
Marco Timpano: I think it does. I don't know how many feet it goes up, but.
Nidhi Khanna: But then what happens when the air stops? Do you just fall down?
Marco Timpano: No, they slowly lower the air. I don't, I've never done it. I'm just assuming I'm making this or something. It sounds like I know what I'm talking about, but I don't. But it is a air sport.
Marco Timpano: Have you ever seen those people who like, they're kind of on a, like surfboard with a parachute attached to them? Like a. What's it called? Windsurfing.
Nidhi Khanna: Oh, right.
Marco Timpano: Is that what it's called?
Nidhi Khanna: I don't know.
Marco Timpano: They've got newfangled ones. So there's windsurfing and there's this one where you kind of have like a glider type, like a kite parachute type looking thing.
Nidhi Khanna: Oh, I know what you're talking.
Marco Timpano: And then you're on a board in the world water and the, the air will kind of lift you and the board up.
Nidhi Khanna: yeah.
Marco Timpano: And you can do all these like fun tricks and stuff.
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah, I don't have any desire to do that.
Marco Timpano: No, no.
Nidhi Khanna: We're not adventurous when it comes to air.
Marco Timpano: Is the element that we like, you know? No, air is not an element.
Nidhi Khanna: It's really not.
I like air shows because I'm on the ground and not in the air
Marco Timpano: I'm trying to think of more air
Nidhi Khanna: stuff like, I enjoy, an air show every now and then, you know, I mean, I recently moved into a new place as you know, and there is an air show by the water that happens every summer. And so it was really cool this year to actually see some of them practicing. Sure, it was incredibly noisy. But I like the flyovers. I've been to, I can't remember if it was F1 or Indy or something like that. And they did a flyover as well, which was kind of neat. so I like air shows.
Marco Timpano: Sure. Air shows are fun because I'm on
Nidhi Khanna: the ground and not in the air.
Marco Timpano: Particularly I've been on. I've been in a helicopter. I've ever been in a helicopter.
Nidhi Khanna: Oh, what was that like?
Marco Timpano: It was cool.
Nidhi Khanna: Is it, is it okay? Because we both kind of have a little bit a thing with flying and height. So being in a helicopter is a different from being in a plane in terms of the feelings you get yes. Oh, interesting. Why?
Marco Timpano: Well, because first, it's much smaller than most planes that. Commercial planes that people go on. And, you can see everywhere around you because this was a plane, this was a helicopter that flew over like, a park so that you could see the changing colors of the leaves during fall. And, so you see all perspectives and it's noisy and, just cool.
Niddy: A lot of people listen to our podcast when they fly
I wanted to ask you about kites. Do you enjoy flying kites or what do you remember about flying kites?
Nidhi Khanna: I was never a good kite flyer. I don't even recall really ever flying one or getting it off the ground. Like, I think I may have done it part of a school project. You know how you used to have those arts and crafts projects? One of them was like, let's make a kite.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Nidhi Khanna: I don't think my kite ever went anywhere. how about you? You used to be really good at this.
Marco Timpano: No, no, no, I just remember. You know what? I think on the episode that I. That we did with Nug, I talked about kites and the black. There's like a black bat kite.
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah. Maybe that was it.
Marco Timpano: I don't know. But, certainly, certainly there's an episode where we talk about that. But there. I always wanted to fly a triangle or a diamond shaped kite, like, you know, when kids draw them. And I think I tried to make one once and the thing would not fly. It was like, what is this horrible diamond thing? And then when I was a kid, the kites that you would get in the little kit were kind of triangular, and one was called the black. The black bat. And it was black with two yellow eyes and it looked kind of like a bat. They're fun for the. For me for the first five minutes and then that's it. But what I wanted to say, which was during the helicopter part, was a lot of people listen to our podcast when they fly. Do you know that, Niddy?
Nidhi Khanna: I, we've gotten a couple of. A little bit of feedback about that too.
Marco Timpano: Yeah, it really.
Nidhi Khanna: It really helps them.
Marco Timpano: Yeah. So.
Nidhi Khanna: Which is good. I listen to our podcast when I was flying and, I. I enjoyed it because, as you know, I can actually sleep, weirdly enough. No. To our podcast.
Marco Timpano: Oh. Oh.
Nidhi Khanna: I don't know why I can say, like, in terms of hearing my own voice.
Marco Timpano: Right? You're able to listen.
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah, because I know when you listen to our podcast, you can't.
Marco Timpano: No, because I'm judging what I say, but.
Nidhi Khanna: Right. I have no judgment here.
Marco Timpano: There you go. And you just. And so you listened to it on your flight.
Nidhi Khanna: I did, and it was really good. It was. It. You know what? I don't think I fell asleep, but it definitely relaxed me because I'm a nervous flyer.
I think a kite at the beach with a kid is the best place
I was also thinking when you thought it, when you were talking about flying a kite. I know there was an episode that we did like idioms.
Marco Timpano: Okay. Yeah.
Nidhi Khanna: and one of. One of the. It made me think of the idiom, go fly a kite. Yeah. So. Yeah. I don't know. Do you? What? Between a balloon and a kite, though, aren't they essentially the same, like, nonsensical children's toy.
Marco Timpano: I guess I see what you're saying, but you, know, I remember when I was in Florida, my nephew Danny and us, not just myself, it was my brother in law, my sister in law, my wife, we were all helping him to fly a kite. And I feel like it was a ironman kite. I'm gonna say it was an iron man kite. Yeah, it was really cool, I have to say. So much cooler than the kites I remember. And being on the beach flying a kite with a little kid is pretty awesome.
Nidhi Khanna: Is it?
Marco Timpano: It's awesome. It's awesome because they're enjoying it. You're on the beach, there's oftentimes a nice wind there and, and especially with your whole family. It was a lot of fun. Just picture like, you know, some. Some of the families lying on, blankets. Some of us are running around with a, with a kite. We're trying. Everyone's giving our nephew directions on what to do and pull hard and whatnot. And then you see the kite kind of nosedive and everybody's oohing and ah, in. And it was a lot of fun. So I think a kite at the beach with a kid is the best place to be kite flying.
Nidhi Khanna: Fair enough.
Marco Timpano: Have you ever seen those box kites?
Nidhi Khanna: No.
Marco Timpano: They kind of look boxy on both ends.
Nidhi Khanna: Oh, wait, no. I think you have described this.
Marco Timpano: Yeah, I think it was on the episode.
Nidhi Khanna: We must have done an episode because this is sounding very familiar.
We want to thank you for listening to our series on the elements
Marco Timpano: Well, then on that case, we should probably end the air episode since we're getting. We're kind of weaving our way back to a, past episode. We want to thank you for listening to our series on the elements, which
Nidhi Khanna: kind of just came out of nowhere, but we will be doing an episode on Earth soon enough. So until then, we want, to thank you for listening.
Marco Timpano: If you have any suggestions for, shows that you want us to do, please tweet us at listenandsleep with your show idea and we'll be happy to discuss what we know about any random topic you might have.
Nidhi Khanna: As always, we're produced by drumcast Productions and we're recording from Toronto, Canada tonight. thank you. And until the next time, we hope you listen and sleep. Sa

Looking for a sleep podcast to fall asleep fast, reduce anxiety, and quiet an overactive mind? This calming episode of The Insomnia Project is designed for insomnia relief, stress reduction, and gentle nighttime unwinding through slow, soothing conversation.
Marco Timpano welcomes back guest Trevor Martin for a relaxed discussion about fantasy NBA pools, exploring how fantasy basketball leagues work and what makes them engaging for fans. This low-stimulation, easygoing episode offers calming, sports-themed content perfect for bedtime listening.
From drafting players to organizing leagues and understanding strategy, the conversation gently walks through the fundamentals of fantasy basketball in a soft, meandering style. With unhurried pacing and thoughtful insights, this relaxing podcast episode helps ease racing thoughts, reduce anxiety, and create a peaceful environment for sleep.
Whether you’re searching for a sleep podcast for insomnia, calming background noise while you work, or a gentle way to unwind at the end of the day, The Insomnia Project offers a comforting, reliable escape.

Fantasy Basketball Unraveled | A Gentle Dive into the World of Leagues and Drafts (Episode 16)
Marco Timpano: Welcome to the Insomnia Project. Sit back, relax and listen as we have a conversation, a chat if you will, about the mundane. One thing we can promise is that our conversation will be less than fascinating so that you can feel free to just drift off. We invite you to go to itunes and rate Leave a little comment. We love that. I want to thank you for joining us. We hope you will listen and sleep. I'm your host, Marco Tampano and joining me on today's episode is Trevor Martin. Welcome, Trevor.
Trevor Martin: Thank you, Marco.
Trevor Dantonio is passionate about fantasy basketball
Marco Timpano: Trevor, I wanted to talk to you about something that I know you're very passionate about and that is a fantasy NBA pool.
Trevor Martin: That's right.
Marco Timpano: You gotta walk me through this because I've never been in a fantasy pool before and I don't know how they work. So let me ask you this. What's the first thing you do?
Trevor Martin: the first thing you have to do is you join a league. Now in my case, I am in two leagues. One is a normal league. It's a standard season long league where we play essentially with a team that we draft at the beginning of the year until the end. And the end is usually before the playoffs of the actual NBA season. The other league I'm in is a dynasty league.
Marco Timpano: Oh, my goodness.
Trevor Martin: And a dynasty league is where you keep the same team from year to year.
Marco Timpano: Oh, so if I was to join, it would be, this is my team from today to 20 years from today.
Trevor Martin: That's right. And the only way you can really change your team is we would. You would draft rookies who join the league, or you would make trades with other managers.
Marco Timpano: So essentially you become a manager for this dynasty. That's right. But what happens when one of your players. So let me see if I got this straight. You sort of sit down with your computer and paper and you sort of figure out who you want on your team, and you pick how many players?
Trevor Martin: depending on the league, probably up to 13 players. 13? My. My Dynasty League, we. We have 18 players.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Trevor Martin: Which is a lot.
Marco Timpano: So under 20, right?
Trevor Martin: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: And you're figuring out who you want on your team so that when they're actually playing in the NBA, the amount of baskets they get.
Trevor Martin: Yes.
Marco Timpano: Accrue to your point system.
Trevor Martin: That's right.
Marco Timpano: Versus my point system right now, week to week. Right?
Trevor Martin: Week to week, yeah. There are several different types of fantasy league scoring. there is,
Marco Timpano: Okay, before we get into. Walk me through your process. So it's.
Nidhi Khanna: It's.
Marco Timpano: Would you call it draft day or like the start of the season?
Trevor Martin: So you have a draft day, you do your research, you decide who is going to be, who's in the best situation now, because it changes from year to year where somebody, will retire and they'll be like, oh, this backup is now going to be the. The, starting point guard or something else is. Someone has changed teams or a new coach has come in and maybe they have a faster, style of playing. That happened right, with the Houston Rockets recently, where Mike d', Antoni, who is a very. Who's known for, he was Steve Nash's coach. And,
Marco Timpano: And Steve Nash, for our listeners, was a great Canadian basketball player.
Trevor Martin: He won the MVP twice when Mike d' Antonio was coaching him. And it's because he had a, he had a style called seven seconds or less. And it's basically the idea was as soon as they got the ball within seven seconds, they would shoot, they would have a shot.
Marco Timpano: This is Dantonio's.
Trevor Martin: This is Danton strategy. And so now he's applied this to the Houston Rockets. And now players on the Houston Rockets are very coveted in fantasy because they, their pace is so fast. They're always shooting, and so they get
Marco Timpano: more shots on net, right?
Trevor Martin: Which means that more people are going to score. There are going to be more statistics that happen. It's all about. My wife says it's numbers. You're just watching numbers. Really. We could be doing this with the weather. We literally just be. What. Look, what's the barometric pressure in Houston today?
Marco Timpano: Right?
Trevor Martin: It would be the same as James Harden's field goal percentage. but so, so on draft day, usually what happens is there's a snake draft, which means, so a snake
Marco Timpano: draft, like a snake.
Trevor Martin: The reason it's called a snake draft is because if there are 12 managers, there are randomly. There's a random order that goes out, okay, from 1 to 12. And the reason they call it a snake is because it winds like a snake. So. So if you have the 12th pick, the order goes in reverse order. So as if, like a snake, you have the 12th pick and you have the 13th pick, and then it snakes around to the first. I'm making a hand emotion to show you. But, it's called a snake draft because it's. It just goes into reverse order every time. there's another type of drafting, which is called auction drafting, where you get fake money, basically, and you bid for the players that you want. So you can spend a lot of money on one player and then end up having to budget for the rest. For the rest. that's not a style that I usually play with. I usually play with just a traditional draft.
Marco Timpano: So during the snake draft. Back to the snake draft, who is number one or the first manager or the first player to select.
Trevor Martin: It's always, randomized by the computer. You don't know until the draft is about to happen, and then you find out like five minutes before the draft starts. And it's. There's a strategy to it because, everyone essentially has the same order where they did. There's. There's some obviously excellent players in the NBA. LeBron James, for example.
Trevor, how do you pick your players for fantasy football leagues
You sure he's. Although statistically he's not great lately. but there are people who. James Harden was the guy I just mentioned. He's the number one guy because he's
Marco Timpano: the number one draft pick. Not only for fantasy football, for fantasy basketball.
Trevor Martin: Sorry. Because he's a basketball. Yeah. he's always number one because he plays in that system I was talking to you about. He basically always has the ball and so he's always passing. So he gets assists, he scores, he hits three pointers. So you're trying to maximize the most valuable players are the ones who do. Who contribute the most number of statistics. I see.
Marco Timpano: So it's not necessarily how many baskets you make. So for example, it's not like, okay, my players this week made. I don't know if you call it baskets or points or what you would call it. It's points. my players made 29 points and yours made 38. It's also assists and things like that.
Trevor Martin: Rebounds, depending on the league that you're in. In the league that I'm in, the Dynasty league, there are 13 different categories and they go everywhere from points to free throws that they've made to their percentage of free throws that they've made. so how, how well good they are shooting to, personal fouls.
Marco Timpano: Wow.
Trevor Martin: So if somebody is. Has a penchant for getting a lot of personal vowels, that is a negative.
Marco Timpano: It subtracts from your tracks.
Trevor Martin: Also turnover. Some people like, if they fumble the ball or they get it stolen from them a lot. And again, that's somebody like James Harden, who's very good at everything else because he always has the ball. It's more likely that someone is going to steal it from him or he's going to make a mistake and pass
Marco Timpano: it off somewhere and then you're gonna have a subtraction.
Trevor Martin: Yeah. And then. So in that category, he is a negative.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Trevor Martin: But in. But he's such a positive in all the other ones that it sort of out outweighs that.
Marco Timpano: So. Okay, I, I would assume that in the Snake draft you want to be in position one, or is it more strategic to be a little bit later on in picking?
Trevor Martin: It's interesting because position one, you get the best player. Right. But then you don't pick again until number 24. Right. So you get the, you get the best guy. But then 24 later, you're getting like someone who is essentially not even in the second round, third round. The way that people usually grade players is by position, by tier. So because there's usually 12 managers in a league, the first tier would be the top 12 players.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Trevor Martin: And then second tier would be, you know, the, the next, the 12, 13 to 24. And you usually call them. So you would say that has a first round talent. I see. now. Yeah. So I mean, personally I usually like to get somewhere in the middle. So it's like number four, number five, and then that way it's not that far away from me getting the next
Marco Timpano: pick because it goes down the snake and then back up. Is that why?
Trevor Martin: Right, so number 12 is also going
Marco Timpano: to get number 13 and number, 11 is now going to get the 14th pick.
Trevor Martin: Yes.
Marco Timpano: Okay, so that's what you mean by snake.
Trevor Martin: That's what I mean.
Marco Timpano: Okay, so snakes up and down the
Trevor Martin: snake's body, let's say. Exactly.
Marco Timpano: Wow. Okay, so so far all I understand is the snake position. All right, so. Or the snake picking. Can't even get that straight. So, Trevor, tell me what you do. You sit down and how do you pick your players?
Trevor Martin: So what, what happens is we. You. I always, My leagues are always on the Yahoo site there.
Marco Timpano: Oh. So that's what keeps track of all the statistics.
Trevor Martin: Yahoo. The Yahoo League is usually, is, I think, the most popular. There's espn also has one. Okay. but Yahoo, essentially you join a league, usually there's a commissioner who starts the league.
Marco Timpano: And this would be someone you know or can you like the ones that you've joined. They're people run by people for the
Trevor Martin: most part now it's people that I know. Okay.
Marco Timpano: Yeah.
Trevor Martin: and, they're usually the, they're people. And they. My professional community. So I'm an actor and a writer. Sure. These are people who are, are managers now. so they invite you to the league. You make up your name, your silly name, and it's usually anything. It's usually a pun on somebody else's. You know, I have a clip.
You start tiering your players before the draft. Um, so, uh, you, you pick your name
I have my. My favorite player is a guy named Kristaps Porzingis. And so my team name is Mary Kristaps because it was Christmas.
Marco Timpano: Sure. So I would be like the Insomnia Project team, let's say. Sure.
Trevor Martin: Right. Yeah, you could totally do that.
Marco Timpano: Sleep and play. For sure.
Trevor Martin: so, you, you, you pick your name and then you wait for the draft day and then you, then you start tiering your players. So then you go, who, if I got the first pick, who would I pick? And then you work your way down from there. And then the important thing is, especially in the first two rounds, get the best person available. Okay. Doesn't matter what position they play, all that kind of stuff. You just want whoever you think is best overall. and then because the NBA especially is about talent, it's about top end talent.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Trevor Martin: There's usually one or two really good players on your team and then the rest are sort of like supporting players. Okay. so what we'll do, what I'll do is I'll rank the players that I think are gonna do well. And I usually get that from the help of other websites. Yahoo does it as well as, there are websites, espn, Roto World. There are the things where they do a ranking for you, and from
Marco Timpano: your own personal knowledge, from my own
Trevor Martin: personal research that I've done and from
Marco Timpano: watching games, you'll be like, I'm impressed with this place. Players.
Trevor Martin: Yeah, exactly. And there are also players that I have a personal bias towards.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Trevor Martin: There are other teams that I don't like. Usually, it's younger players. there's also the worry about injury prone players.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Trevor Martin: Players who, who like. There are some really good players who just get hurt all the time.
Marco Timpano: Yeah. Because I want to know what happens if you. So you pick your, say 12 to 18 people.
Trevor Martin: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: What if four people get injured in
Trevor Martin: your season, you are in trouble, you're just not going like there's nothing really what you can do at that point is, you can try to trade them and say, listen, maybe these guys will be better in a few weeks and try to get some value. Or you can drop them. And then there's something called the waiver wire, which is essentially all the players who have not been selected in the draft are available. And you can essentially get rid of your players and then pick somebody off from the waiver wire. And quite often it'll be really young players who haven't established themselves or people who are in a supporting. but what ends up happening is somebody gets injured and then somebody takes their place and usually that person is not on anybody's team. So if James Harden gets injured then whoever is on the bench, maybe Sam Decker or whoever. Right. You can, you can usually find them on the waiver wire and then get them to replace, them.
Marco Timpano: But then you've given up someone that.
Trevor Martin: But then you've given up a really valuable talent. And if you're not willing to wait out the injury, then someone else can scoop them up and be patient. And then all of a sudden they're healthy again and now they've got the best player. usually the scoring. What happens is I play in what's called a head to head league, which is every week you are head to head with another manager.
Marco Timpano: Oh, I see.
Trevor Martin: So I'll be playing, like my friend Chris Bond is in league. So if I play Chris that week, it's just his team versus my team for that week, statistically for those number of games.
Marco Timpano: I see.
Trevor Martin: And then at the end of the week we are assigned a point for every category that we win. So he might win points, he might win assists, he might win offensive rebounds, I might win the field goal percentage or blocks or whatever. And then you get a score to that. And usually it's, I think it's, we have 14, 14 categories. So it's like, it might end up being like something like eight to six or something. So if I get eight points, that goes into my point allotment and then I go up and down. So, the idea is you want to do as best as well as you can during the regular season. And then at the end of the year, there's a playoffs.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Trevor Martin: And that, the thing about fantasy basketball is you don't, the fantasy basketball has to end before the real playoffs start because only a certain number of teams make the actual playoffs, right? So you have all these players. Like if only 16, teams make the playoffs, there's 30 teams, 14 teams will, in real NBA, will no longer be playing.
Marco Timpano: Right. And you might have players and you
Trevor Martin: might have team players. So in order to make it fair, you have to. The end of the, of the fantasy playoffs is the end of the regular season. Okay. If that makes sense.
Marco Timpano: So, so at the end of the regular season is everyone dropping players like crazy and picking up teams they think, players from teams that they think are going to go forward.
Trevor Martin: It can happen. So what ends up happening is at the end of the fantasy regular, season, you either make the playoffs, usually the top six teams make what is known as the playoffs, and they go into a separate pool. and what ends up happening is they fight it out to a win the championship.
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In dynasty leagues, if you drop someone, you lose them forever
Trevor Martin: Then the bottom six go into the consolation playoffs.
Marco Timpano: Okay?
Trevor Martin: Now, usually in fantasy leagues, what happens is if you're in the playoffs and you lose your week and you're no longer in, you stop all activity.
Marco Timpano: Oh, okay.
Trevor Martin: Because they don't want to make it. So it's like, oh, I'm just, it doesn't matter for me anymore. So I'm just going to drop all my good players, right. And, and then let other people pick them up. That's not, that's not cool. Right? So, what ends up happening is, if you lose, you're done. And you just watch. Okay. in my dynasty league, if you drop. If you're in the playoffs and you drop somebody, you lose them forever, basically.
Marco Timpano: Oh, you can't re. Pick them up.
Trevor Martin: You can't re pick them up. Yeah, they go basically into, this pool that at the beginning of the next season, oh, these people are available.
Marco Timpano: Can you pick them up at the beginning of the next season?
Trevor Martin: You can't. Well, if you can, because what happens is we end up having another draft.
Marco Timpano: Right. so do your players carry over to the next. The ones you've capped, they carry over
Trevor Martin: in the dynasty league, they do carry up. So we have 18 players on a roster. We can keep up to 12 players. So. Okay, so you, you. Yeah, if you say you have 12 players that you're really, you really like, you keep them. But say you have 14 that you
Marco Timpano: really like, you got to give up
Trevor Martin: 12 and you've got to give up two. And then they go into this draft so that on draft day, it's not just the number one team isn't just hoarding all these great players. Right. It makes them make decisions to have to let go of usually younger players who haven't established themselves. And it's like, oh, I can take that guy, keep him on my team, watch him grow. And then. So it's a long term commitment and it's, it's, it. I mean, it takes a lot of time at the beginning of the season and then as the season goes on, it's just. You're just watching it.
Marco Timpano: So I would imagine that being part of a fantasy basketball league or, pool, let's say, whether it's basketball, football, whatever, really leads to more enjoyment of the sport when you're watching.
Trevor Martin: Yeah, you end up watching because you end up watching teams that you don't care about. Like, I'm a Toronto Raptors fan, right. But I don't have really any Toronto Raptors on my team.
Marco Timpano: Oh, really?
Trevor Martin: But, I have guys. I have, like, I have a lot of players from the Denver Nuggets on my team who I could care less about that team.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Trevor Martin: But. Sorry, Miracle, Sorry, Michelle. Miracle. They're a good team. They're a good young team. And that's why I have a lot of their players, is because they're young and they're up and coming. and, But it also makes it interesting to watch their games because it's like, oh, I know that guy. I care what happens to that guy. But you're watching it from a different perspective. You're not saying, oh, I want them to win. I just want that guy to do really well.
Marco Timpano: Oh, isn't it?
Trevor Martin: If they lose, who cares? Right?
Marco Timpano: Right.
Trevor Martin: It's. Yeah, it's. It just changes your perspective on the game. Yeah.
Marco Timpano: Okay, so let me ask you this. Has there ever been an incident where you've picked someone up, you didn't think they were going to do well, or you didn't expect them to do as well as they did, and then you're like, this person has been a gold star player for me.
Trevor Martin: Oh, yeah, There is a player named Paul Millsap who has.
Marco Timpano: Who does he play for?
Trevor Martin: He plays now for the Atlanta Hawks. He used to play for the Utah Jets.
Marco Timpano: He.
Trevor Martin: So he was what you would call in the real world, he was drafted, in the second round, which means every team is. There's 30 first round picks. He was picked after that, so like, like 37th or something.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Trevor Martin: Nobody thought he was anything.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Trevor Martin: and then I picked him because I was like, this guy. I like this guy.
Marco Timpano: Like, what was it about him that you like? What did you see?
Trevor Martin: See, I like players who are, gritty, who just. Who just, like, they just do the dirty work. Right. I don't like the flashy players. I like the ones that just have a hard hat and then you just go out there and he was the type of player who was behind somebody else. He was, like a, on the bench and. But every time that his the guy in the starters got injured. He would always like, have like five games where it was. He was amazing. But then the guy would get healthy again because they're paying him 50 million, they gotta play him.
Marco Timpano: Right? Sure.
Jasper Christing turned out not to be as good as Chris
Trevor Martin: And so Paul said, we'll go back to the bench. And I was like, this guy's a gold miner. One day they're gonna realize, no, he's the one. And they're gonna. And sure enough, they did. And I just get, I just remembered I'm holding onto this guy for sure. The other guy, I would say is Kristaps Porzingis, the guy who named my team after.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Trevor Martin: Because I made a trade with, casting director Steve Mann.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Trevor Martin: And he said, I want this player that you have and I'll give you my, my rookie draft pick. I was like, okay, fine, I gave him that player.
Marco Timpano: And was that player a good player that you sacrificed?
Trevor Martin: You know, he turned out to be a good player, but not as good as Chris. Jasper Christing is going to be like a worldwide superstar, okay. Because he's like, he's from, he's from Latvia, okay. And he's like just. He's what they call a unicorn because he's seven feet tall, but he can shoot a three pointer. Okay? So. And it's like that's what in basketball, that's the way the NBA basketball is going now. It's like centers aren't like Shaquille o', Neal, you know, those big guys who just stood around the basket and that. The game has totally changed because now three points used to be a novelty. Three point shooting used to be a novelty, and now it's the norm. Ah.
Trevor Martin: And it's like people, most people can shoot three pointers and three is more than two. So if you can shoot, all you have to do is shoot like 30% from three point. If you shoot. If you shoot 10 three pointers and you only hit three, that's nine points, right? To get nine points, you'd have to hit four or five regular shots, right? So it's just the, the averages are better of you scoring more points if you shoot three pointers anyway. That's just the way the league is going. So it's more valuable to have a guy who's super tall who can shoot three pointers, get you points, also get you rebounds, also get you blocked shots. Like, he's like. And that's why they call him a unicorn, because they're so rare. It's so rare to find. So somebody who's that tall and that skilled.
Marco Timpano: And you don't know if a European player or a player who's not North American playing in the North American League is going to be able to, you know, really get it and go with it.
Trevor Martin: No offense to your countryman, Andrea Barnani, but that is a case of not, a unicorn.
Nidhi Khanna: Right.
Trevor Martin: Because people had a horse with a horn stapled.
Marco Timpano: A lot of high hopes for him, but he didn't really deliver.
Trevor Martin: And he had that. He had that, that physicality. He was seven feet tall, and he was supposed to be able to shoot three pointers, and he was supposed to be able to get block shots, and he just couldn't do any of it. He was just not. He just didn't have that certain quality.
Marco Timpano: And where is he now?
Trevor Martin: He's back in Italy.
Marco Timpano: Yeah, I met him once. He was really lovely.
Trevor Martin: I'm sure he's great. I'm sure he's a nice guy.
Marco Timpano: Not on the court, it seems.
Trevor Martin: No, on the court, he was a little too lovely. Okay, sure.
Trevor brings some clarity to this whole fantasy pool
Marco Timpano: Before we end this episode, which I have to thank you because you've brought some clarity to this whole fantasy pool.
Trevor Martin: I swear to you, I could talk for another two hours.
Marco Timpano: Maybe we'll have a part two.
Trevor Martin: Maybe.
Marco Timpano: what I should do is record you on draft day and see what's going on.
Trevor Martin: They won't fall asleep. No one will fall asleep. Why are you just like, I'm too excited. I'm too.
Marco Timpano: I just get, what's it like on draft day? Like, are you like, leave me alone. I'm in my zone. I need an animal a little bit.
Trevor Martin: Leave me alone. And then you end up chatting with the other managers as they go, because
Marco Timpano: everyone's doing it same time, right?
Trevor Martin: Exact same.
Marco Timpano: So you have to block off that time out of your day. Like, you can't work, you can't.
Trevor Martin: What you. But what ends up happening is if you can't make it, the computer makes the choices for you based on what
Marco Timpano: you plug in, what you plugged in.
Trevor Martin: Yeah. but that's not fun, right? so, Yeah, so what will end up happening is, yeah, I'll tell Dale. I gotta have this time. And you end up talking trash with all the other managers. What's interesting is, like, we were talking about draft day. so you try to get the best players in the beginning, and then afterwards, you have. Every day, you have to fill out your roster, and your roster is made at a different position. So you have point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward, center. You have to have all of those types of players in order to fill in those slops. So if you have five point guards, you don't have a position, you don't have a slot in your roster to put all of them in.
Marco Timpano: Right?
Trevor Martin: So you have to also get centers, you also have to get power forward. So towards the end of the draft, you're looking for positional need, as well. And that's when it becomes a little more complicated because you're like, this guy's way better. But I've already got too many of that type of player. I need to get this guy who's not as good. And so that's where the sort of the art or the skill comes in.
Marco Timpano: So, Trevor, if I was to ask you to give a tip or two to the novice person who's entering a fantasy pool, what were your, what would your tips be?
Trevor Martin: I think my main tip would be, if you, if you're. When in doubt in the opening rounds, pick talent over positional need. But if always pick a point guard. You need point guards and you need,
Trevor Martin: you need, you know what? actually strike that. You need wing players. So shooting guards and small forwards. In the league right now, there are a lot of point guards and there are a lot of centers, but there are not a lot of in betweens. So if you have a choice, pick those guys first. Pick guys who will give you assists. And don't worry so much about points and three pointers. Everybody in the league now is shooting points and everybody's shooting three pointers. You can figure that out later. Right? Get the rarities, which are things like blocks and assists and steals. There are only a few guys in the league who are elite at that kind of thing. And if you can find those guys, then, all of a sudden, like, you've got that stuff covered and you can, you can deal with less pressing things later. Yeah. Which is great.
Marco Timpano: There you go. Well, thank you, Trevor, for helping to bring some insight to the fantasy pool.
Trevor Martin: Anytime.
Marco Timpano: you're listening to the Insomnia Project, and as always, we're, we're produced by drumcast Productions, and we were recording this episode in Toronto, Canada.

Looking for a sleep podcast to fall asleep fast, reduce anxiety, and quiet an overactive mind? This calming episode of The Insomnia Project is designed for insomnia relief, stress reduction, and gentle nighttime unwinding through slow, soothing conversation.
Marco Timpano and Nidhi Khanna explore everyday life hacks, simple routines, and small conveniences that make daily life easier in a relaxed, low-stimulation discussion perfect for bedtime listening. From helpful parking apps to the satisfaction of a well-designed Muji pen, this episode offers cozy, practical topics that feel familiar and grounding.
The conversation gently meanders through useful tools, thoughtful habits, and small discoveries that simplify daily routines, all delivered in a soft, unhurried style that helps ease racing thoughts and promote relaxation. With its calm pacing and relatable content, this relaxing podcast episode creates a peaceful environment ideal for sleep, stress relief, or quiet background listening.
Whether you’re searching for a sleep podcast for insomnia, calming background noise while you work, or a gentle way to unwind at the end of the day, The Insomnia Project offers a comforting, reliable escape.

Episode 11: Life Hacks & Everyday Solutions | A Gentle Conversation with Marco Timpano and Nidhi
Marco Timpano: Welcome to the Insomnia Project. Sit back, relax and listen as we have a conversation about the mundane. One thing that we can promise or we try to deliver is a conversation that will be less than fascinating so that you can feel free to just drift off. Thank you for joining us. We hope you will listen and sleep. I am your host Marco Timpano and joining me back in the studio is Nitty, our co host.
Nidhi Khanna: Hello Marco.
Marco Timpano: It's been a while since we.
Nidhi Khanna: Has been a while. We're back. We are back. We are back. We took a nice little rest.
Marco Timpano: We've been developing other podcasts so you'll be hearing more about that in the future.
Nidhi Khanna: Yes. And yeah, it's been a good holiday season. So now we're back.
Marco Timpano: We've had some great response from our listeners who've been asking when are you coming back? When's the next show?
Nidhi Khanna: We're glad that that people are out there eager for some new episodes.
Marco Timpano: So thank you for emailing us and letting us know that you wanted to hear more from the Insomnia Project. We dedicate this to all the listeners who contacted us asking when our shows are coming back.
Nidhi Khanna: There you go.
Nidhi: I recently found an app that has changed my life
Marco Timpano: Nidhi, I wanted to talk to you about things that make your life easier or one's life easier. I've just recently found an app on my phone that has changed my life.
Nidhi Khanna: Oh, do tell.
Marco Timpano: So I I don't know if you have this app on your phone. It's a green pea parking app that allows you so in, in our city Toronto there is Greenpeace which are city run parking lots and they tend to be the, the cheaper, cheaper parking, spots available and I don't know if you've encountered this Nidhi where you go, you put in you know say $2 and change. It gives you an hour and then you get to your car 10 minutes after expires and you have a parking ticket.
Nidhi Khanna: Always frustrating, always an issue. Especially if you're out in like having a meal or something and you know, or you're out doing something and you thought. Because the biggest difficulty is estimating how much time it actually takes. Right. And so Sometimes I find, you know, I'll put in either too little or too much. And so I'm always having, trouble estimating that. So can I assume that this app allows you to pay over the phone and extend your parking?
Marco Timpano: So it's an app that you find your spot and as long as it's on a green pea. So when I'm talking about a green pea, it's, it's. The parking lots are indicated by a big circle that happens to be green with the letter P. And we call them green peas. I don't know if that's the official name for it, but there's an app and what happens is the parking lots or the street parking that is city run. So it would be once again the green, P on the actual. I don't know what you would call them. You know, the boxes where you pay. Meter boxes. What would you call them? I don't know.
Nidhi Khanna: Parking fee machines, contraption.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Marco Timpano: We'll have a number. So a designated number. So you go into this app. Let's say the number is 9, 9003 01. You go into this wonderful app. It asks you for your license plate. So you could have a couple of cars on that app. Or it doesn't ask, your license is in there. So it asks, is this the license plate you want to use? Tap? Yes. It asks you what meter or what's the number? 9301, whatever it might be. And then it says an hour, $2, 3:50, whatever it might be in that area. Or do you want another time? So you might. I've done 15 minutes, which is the lowest amount of time you can use on this app. The beautiful thing is. So you put in that 15 minutes. It charges your credit card. It'll warn you when your time is expiring. So you can just up it by however much time you want.
Nidhi Khanna: So here's my question.
Marco Timpano: Yes.
Nidhi Khanna: Because in Toronto, unlike other cities. So for example, in Montreal they
Marco Timpano: have this app forever, right?
Nidhi Khanna: For the longest time. But over there, when you pay the parking machine, the ticket that you get that spits out, you don't put it in your car.
Marco Timpano: No, you don't. There's no ticket.
Nidhi Khanna: So how do they know that? Because in Toronto you have to put the ticket in your car.
Marco Timpano: Well, that's what I thought. Right. But I would assume because the meter, I don't want to say meter mates, because the meter people. The meter police.
Nidhi Khanna: Are they really police?
Marco Timpano: I think they're, they're really police parking officers, I guess is the proper term for them.
Nidhi Khanna: I have a question about that, but continue your story.
Marco Timpano: So they have a, computer screen that they would type in your license and the ticket would come come up when they're giving you a ticket. Right. So I bet it's connected to the machine so that the parking meter machine so that when they type in your license, it'll display on their screen whether or not a parking, ticket has been. Has been paid for.
Nidhi Khanna: Oh, that makes sense.
Nidhi: This app has changed my life tremendously
Marco Timpano: So, Nidhi, so yesterday I drove around this, the entire city, and I would spend 15 minutes. I spent an hour at the Italian consulate and at the art gallery, and then I raced on over to Greek, town. So I went from Chinatown to Greek town, and I, got my haircut. And then from there I raced over to Koreatown. I just went to all the ethnic towns in the city, and, I had a meal there. And then I raced over to Bloor and Ossington, which would be. I don't know what you'd call that area of the city.
Nidhi Khanna: That's a good question, because right now we're in Little Portugal.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Nidhi Khanna: But I don't know if there's any ethnic component to the bloor in Ossington area.
Marco Timpano: Bloordale, is it called?
Nidhi Khanna: Is it Bloordale? I don't know.
Marco Timpano: Anyways, I ended up there. Bloor Court, something like that. And, 15 minutes. And then I realized I needed to stay a little bit longer. I put another 15 minutes. No tickets, no stress. I was so grateful for this app. It's basically changed my life. And the fact that it'll give you a little buzz or it'll give you a little indicator your time is about to expire. Do you want to add more time? Is just tremendous. And I'm so grateful to the Green Pea people and to technology. This has made my life easier.
So has there been something that you found that has changed your life
So has there been something that you found that has changed your life? Whether it be small or large like this, for me, it's a game changer.
Nidhi Khanna: Well, I think, first of all, just to talk a bit more about that, I think it's also interesting that that app, using that app in the winter here, is wonderful because you don't have to worry about standing outside when you're putting the quarters or the money into the machine or what I find very not disturbing. That's not right. The word frustrating. Thank you. Is, when it's very, very cold outside and you put the credit card in and sometimes the machines aren't working fast enough. They need to, like, warm up.
Marco Timpano: It seems like it takes forever when you use your credit card card in one of those machines.
Nidhi Khanna: Yes. So this is really wonderful because you don't have to stand outside. You just go into where you need to go.
Marco Timpano: And, and the beautiful thing about that, it's not, it's not a tap. You like kind of put in your, your number or whatever number. Right. It will then before you sort of acknowledge and say this is where it is, it'll tell you the street you're on and the two, cross streets that it's in between so that you can ensure that you're in the right spot. Spot.
Nidhi Khanna: Oh, that's good.
Marco Timpano: So great. so great.
Nidhi Khanna: Nitty. Well, I guess I need to download that app.
Marco Timpano: Need to. Before this episode is done, you need to download this app. It's, it's, it's really quite sincerely changed my life for the better.
Nidhi Khanna: It's funny that it took Toronto this long to get one, though.
Marco Timpano: I. It's, it's. It angers me because of all the parking tickets I've got because of that, because of not being able to do that or getting to the meter late or anticipating a shorter time. M. but this has just been fantastic.
Nidhi Khanna: Well, there you go. as for me, wow, I don't, I don't have something like that that has changed my life, so significantly in terms of an app.
Toronto is testing out a Presto card for its public transit
Marco Timpano: do you have the Presto card?
Nidhi Khanna: I don't, because unfortunately, I don't take public transport as much as I thought, as I used to. Really.
Marco Timpano: I, should expect. Explain. The Presto card is a card, like a credit card that you use when you're taking subways, streetcars, or buses. Now in Toronto, you can just tap it, when you get in, when the bus accepts it. Because I've been on a couple of buses that are like, oh, sorry, our machine is down.
Nidhi Khanna: And I'm like, that's frustrating.
Marco Timpano: I'm like, well, that's not my fault. I should get, I should get a free ride is what I tell. Told the officer, right? Or the officer, the bus driver. And he said, well, no, you should carry money with you while we're trying this out. I'm like, hang on a second.
Nidhi Khanna: No, that's not the point.
Marco Timpano: A, that's not the point. B. If you have a system up and running and it's not running on one particular bus, that's your problem, not mine. I've invested the m amount of money to purchase this Presto card. I've put money on My presto card. And I have the card because I don't want to walk around with $3.25 in change and scramble for it. Rather, the convenience of this card that you offer should be honored. And if there's something wrong with your machine, that bus should be out of service, or I believe the passenger should ride for free.
Nidhi Khanna: I think you need to send an angry letter to the.
Marco Timpano: I actually tweeted them.
Nidhi Khanna: And did they respond?
Marco Timpano: They did.
Marco Timpano: They were like, oh, sorry, while we're testing this out, blah, blah, blah, you know, we're gonna have some kinks. And I said, well, how long will this be going on?
Nidhi Khanna: Also? Let's just back up a second. This is not some revolutionary technology. It's so not every other major city has.
Marco Timpano: That was my. That was your iPhone apologizing, I guess, on behalf of the tcc.
Nidhi Khanna: Of the tcc. every other major organization has. Or major city has, ah, an automated pay system. So I'm not quite sure where they get off kind of saying that we're testing out this technology. I feel like that's a little bit of a stretch, but, somehow not surprising.
Marco Timpano: I'm trying to call up the tweet so I can, I can tell you what they've said. Yeah, they said, let's see.
Nidhi Khanna: I, See, I think like the, the. Just the advent of the iPhone and the apps around it, just think about it, like, how much easier is life in general than compared to 10 years ago in terms of how quickly you can get things? Even something like Uber for me has been amazing.
Marco Timpano: It's a game changer.
Nidhi Khanna: It's a total game changer. I keep saying we need to. Need to figure out a game changer.
Marco has a great way of taking on issues when it comes to customer service
I mean, this podcast is a games for some people.
Marco Timpano: Some of the responses that we've received from people saying they've never, you know, had sleep come to them as easy as listening to this podcast. Here are some of the things they wrote.
Nidhi Khanna: Wait, full on. You have a full on conversation with them?
Marco Timpano: Oh, yeah. Oh, look, well, because I was, I was really upset because I was like, look, why aren't you giving up my tweet? Original tweet was to the tc. why. Why aren't we get. Why don't we get a free ride when this happens, when the machines are down? They said because it's a transition period and we have asked our customers to carry another method of payment during this phase. Another method of payment, meaning carry coins on you. And I wrote, right, the onus is on us. How long will this Transition period be. And what happens when this period is up? And they wrote, we don't have an exact date yet for when our other fair media will be discontinued. It'll be some point in 2017. So this was in 2016. I wrote that. And I was like, right. How do you expect us not to be upset when you don't have an actual date and you have no plans for. For cases like this for your customers? It's really disappointing, that they don't, you know, they haven't made provisions where if their machines are down. So I guess while this show started as things that make your life easier, this was one where something should make one's life easier and has it M. So tgc, if you're listening, Marco's very upset. Figure it out. Figure it out is all I'm saying. Let us write for free if your machine is down is all I have to say.
Nidhi Khanna: The best part about it, Marco, is that, like, you have a really great way of taking on almost these causes when it comes to customer service. Like the things that you have, the lengths that you will go. Like most people, if they receive really bad service or something like this happens, they're kind of like, oh, just get a little disgruntled and go, what's to be expected?
Marco Timpano: Right?
Nidhi Khanna: But what I love about you is that you have a tendency to actually use social media to your advantage to. To make sure that these instances are documented. And.
Marco Timpano: And, you know, it's interesting you should bring this up because actually, Twitter has made my life easier with regards to these incidences because companies will respond to Twitter, posts. So if you have an issue at, let's say a Sears or Sears, even around, like, any department store or wherever, if you tweet and let them know your dissatisfaction, generally speaking, they'll get back to you. Whereas formally, you'd have to make a phone call or you'd have to write a letter. And so the, the time, the response time was so large or long, and now you pretty much get immediate responses. For example, was in the airport in Vegas, and our flight kept getting delayed with Air Canada, right? So it'd be like, oh, it's an hour delay. And then that hour came, oh, it's another hour delay. And we kept asking the people at the service desk, what's going on? They would not give us an answer. So I started to tweet and saying things like, air Canada, what's going on? I should have flown WestJet. And I started getting other people who were waiting in the Lounge to tweet. And sure enough, they said, we will have an answer with you within a few minutes. Go to the front desk, they'll have an answer for you.
Nidhi Khanna: You organized a mass Twitter?
Marco Timpano: well, I wouldn't say mass, but I was like, yeah, we have a right to know. Wine. We're not flying. But you were saying Uber. I love. I know not every city has Uber, so for our listeners who are in cities that don't have it, it's pretty much an app where you can get someone who's part of Uber to drive you. Like almost as if they were a cab. No, they're not a licensed cab, but they are affiliated with Uber or they sign up with Uber and, you, you know how much your fare is going to be because you put your destination of pickup and your destination of drop off. drop off. And it'll tell you. Then they have things like Uber pool, where the price will drop because you share that ride with other people along the way.
Nidhi Khanna: They also have the opposite, which is surge pricing.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Nidhi Khanna: Which is a little bit frustrating. But I guess every, every thing that makes your life easier has like, something as well too. that it kind of makes it a little bit harder. At the same time,
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Nidhi Khanna: Oh, right.
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Every time I read a list of life hacks, I'm always thinking
Nidhi Khanna: But have you heard the concept of life hacks?
Marco Timpano: Oh yeah, of course, that's very popular. Like doing something or using something that you wouldn't traditionally use to repair or clean or do something that works in an odd sort of way.
Nidhi Khanna: And every time I read like a list of life hacks, I'm always thinking, oh, that's so amazing. I should really, really do that because they look great and they're perfect solution oriented and usually quite affordable too because you're using something that usually already own or something that's going to be thrown out or empty or something like that.
Marco Timpano: I read one recently which was use, use tea bags that are dry in your stinky shoes to take away the odor. So you know when you've used a tea bag.
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: You sort of let it hang out so that it dries.
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: Like so it's no longer soggy, let's say.
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: So once it's dried and used, you throw it in your, say your boots or your shoes and it's supposed to help fight the odor that's in there.
Nidhi Khanna: Wow. One that I realize, my mother taught me and I didn't know it was a life hack, but I'm reading a list of life hacks and I see it's on here is how to properly fold a fitted sheet.
Marco Timpano: Okay. How do you properly fold a fitted sheet?
Nidhi Khanna: Sheet? Well, you need to basically take both the corners and there's ah. Essentially you need to make it into a square.
Marco Timpano: Right. Okay.
Nidhi Khanna: In order to get it, so you need to get both the corners together, the rounded part.
Marco Timpano: So you would put your like hands in.
Nidhi Khanna: And then once you have, and then you need to, you need a flat Surface. So you should be putting it on the bed.
Speaker F: Okay.
Nidhi Khanna: So that when you have all the corners together, you can flip that part that is round and kind of make that a fourth corner. And then you have, like, a square. And it's easy to fold a square square. That was a very. Not a very great explanation of it, but I feel like an image is
Marco Timpano: required because a fitted sheet is a difficult sheet.
Nidhi Khanna: It is a difficult sheet in almost
Marco Timpano: every sense of the word. Like, it's difficult to fold, it's difficult to iron, it's difficult to put on the bed. The fitted sheet is. Is a very trying sheet. But when it's on the bed, like when you go to a hotel and you have a nice, tight, fitted. Fitted cheat, it's pretty awesome.
Nidhi Khanna: So there's one on here that I think is really interesting.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Nidhi Khanna: It says to take pictures of friends holding the items you've lent them with your iPhone. So you will remember down the road, which. That's interesting because, that often you
Marco Timpano: lend books to people, don't you?
Nidhi Khanna: Sometimes. But also. Sometimes people lend me things. And, you know, a couple months go by and you're like, who lent me
Marco Timpano: this Again, I have. So for listeners, if you've listened to the episode where I speak with Dale Boyer or Dale Boyer, I have a sander that she lent us easily, maybe two, maybe even three years ago in my basement.
Marco Timpano: I see it all the time.
Marco Timpano: Like, I've got to give this back to Dale. I think she had to borrow her mother's because she didn't have one. Because I have Dale's sander. So I've got to get it back to her.
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah, that's. That's definitely one that you should. I've also. They have an app now, Marco. This is one that makes people's life easier. particularly if you network a lot for work. you can take. They have an app where you take a picture of. When you receive, like, a. Ah, someone's card. Someone's business card. You take a picture of it and it will automatically upload. Upload the information to your phone and create a contact out of it.
Marco Timpano: Oh, that's great.
Nidhi Khanna: So you don't have to sit there and type it in.
Marco Timpano: Well, another, thing that's made my life easier is having my cards on an app. so, you know, like, all the. All the court cards that give you points and things, I have on a key ring app. So when I go into the store and they. Do you have our points card? I just call it up, scan it Whether it be air miles or.
Nidhi Khanna: That's. Yeah, that's fun. That's good because, I find that that's an issue that I always have. There's also the thing about, for example, when you're eating a cupcake or a muffin.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Nidhi Khanna: well, particularly a cupcake because of the frosting. If you kind of cut the bottom part out and put it on top, then you kind of have like a frosting sandwich.
Marco Timpano: Oh, I see.
Nidhi Khanna: So it becomes in the middle and
Marco Timpano: you can adequately enjoy the frosting.
Nidhi Khanna: Exactly.
Marco Timpano: On all parts of the cupcake.
Nidhi Khanna: Exactly.
You know what's made my life easier is heated seats in the car
Marco Timpano: You know what's made my life so much better is heated seats in the car.
Nidhi Khanna: Now that's that you can thank me for probably.
Marco Timpano: Most likely. Right.
Nidhi Khanna: Because Amanda, had. Was in my car when you guys were shopping around for one and discovered heated seats.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Nidhi Khanna: And then made it like.
Marco Timpano: And it was one of the things she really wanted. And now I'm so grateful because of course in Canada it gets very cold, so heated seats are really so great. And you know what else has made my life easier too is, you know, changing the radio station on your steering wheel.
Nidhi Khanna: Yes.
Marco Timpano: Isn't that great?
Nidhi Khanna: It's very true.
Marco Timpano: I know it's something so, small and insignificant, but it's quite a light, quite a like, you know, game changer because you no longer have to reach forward to fiddle around with the dial or press the buttons or whatever it is.
Nidhi Khanna: Yep. Yeah. Yoga bags are also something that have made my life easier.
Marco Timpano: What's a yoga bag?
Nidhi Khanna: Well, you know how you have your yoga mat and they now have fabric bags that you can put the yoga mat in so that you can
Marco Timpano: carry it in a more convenient way.
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah. Rather than on.
Marco Timpano: The yoga bags are so, well, the
Nidhi Khanna: mats are so bulky and awkward to like walk with, especially if you're walking to a yoga class. But the yoga bag has like a strap so that the mat can sort of be carried on your back with like a strap in front, sort of like a backpack esque.
Marco Timpano: Oh, that's cool. You know what's made my life better, Nidhi?
Nidhi Khanna: What's that?
Marco Timpano: See this pen?
Nidhi Khanna: Yes.
Marco Timpano: So it's a Japanese pen. And I think you might recall how much I love Japanese pens. And the pentel Japanese pen that I've been looking for, it's. It's rarer than black diamonds.
Marco Timpano: Or canary diamonds. Whatever the rarest diamond is. But my friend was.
Nidhi Khanna: Explain the pentel again though, for those listeners who may not have heard of that.
Marco Timpano: I have one at home. Niddy. I'm gonna bring it so you can see exactly what it looks like. But it's a pen that Pentel used to make in North America and then they discontinued making it. But in Japan they continue to make it. But they only make it for the Japanese market. They don't make it for North America now. Years ago I could find them when I was in France.
Nidhi Khanna: But what does it do that makes it so special?
Marco Timpano: Oh, I see it. The ink flow and the pressure when you press down on it is tremendous. It's just awesome. Like, here, try this one. So this isn't a Pentel pen, but it's a Japanese pen that a friend of mine had at work and he let me borrow it and I was like, this is amazing. What is this? And he goes, oh, it's a pen I got at a Japanese store. And I was like, of course it is.
Nidhi Khanna: So is that because like I can see that I don't have to press down very much now.
Marco Timpano: Press down. I have a very.
Nidhi Khanna: Oh, I see.
Marco Timpano: I have a lot of pressure when I, when I write. I press down quite a bit. Right. So I just like the way the ink gets dispersed. I like the, I think it look like.
Nidhi Khanna: Oh yeah, it doesn't, it doesn't scroll. It doesn't smudge either.
Marco Timpano: Nidhi just wrote and I rubbed my finger on it, it didn't smudge and that's why she was impressed by that. It's just everything about it I like. So, I just discovered these pens. They're from a store called Muji.
Marco Timpano: Are you familiar with that store? It's a store that has all Japanese products. Yes, I guess it's a Japanese store
Nidhi Khanna: and a lot of stationary type and
Marco Timpano: yeah, like home, products. So like interesting things. But I went in there and I bought maybe 15 pens.
Nidhi Khanna: Oh wow.
Marco Timpano: Nidhi, I'm serious when I tell you about my, obsession with Japanese pens. Like, I won't, I won't use any other pen.
Nidhi Khanna: Wow. I can see you just slammed down that other non Japanese pen like it was worthless.
Marco Timpano: so these are a few of the things that have made my life richer or easier or better.
Nidhi Khanna: And you know what? Those are things we hope our listeners will also go out and enjoy, particularly the Greenpea app for our Toronto based listenership. But we, look forward to continuing, into 2017 with all brand new episodes.
Marco Timpano: Let us know if you have any things that have made your life easier by tweeting us at listenandsleep. You can go to our webpage insomniapro project.com or find us on Facebook. Facebook. Listen and sleep. We look forward to hearing from you.
Nidhi Khanna: As always. We're produced by Drum Cast Productions and we look forward to talking about things on our next episode.
Marco Timpano: Yeah, thank you so much for listening, Sa.
Nidhi Khanna: Sam.

Looking for a sleep podcast to fall asleep fast, reduce anxiety, and quiet an overactive mind? This calming episode of The Insomnia Project is designed for insomnia relief, stress reduction, and gentle nighttime unwinding through slow, soothing conversation.
Marco Timpano welcomes guest Matt Campagna for a relaxed discussion about Hawaii, exploring its landscapes, culture, and the unique experiences that make the islands so memorable. This low-stimulation, easygoing episode offers calming travel-themed content perfect for bedtime listening.
The conversation gently drifts through reflections on favourite destinations, the peaceful atmosphere of island life, and the anticipation of travel, all delivered in a soft, meandering style that helps ease racing thoughts and promote relaxation. As part one of a longer conversation, this episode sets the stage for a soothing journey still to come.
Whether you’re searching for a sleep podcast for insomnia, calming background noise while you work, or a gentle way to unwind at the end of the day, The Insomnia Project offers a comforting, reliable escape.

Exploring Hawaii’s Hidden Wonders PART 1 | A Soothing Conversation with Matt Campagna - Episode 16
Welcome to the Insomnia Project. Sit back, relax and listen as we discuss the mundane
Marco Timpano: Welcome to the Insomnia Project. Sit back, relax and listen as we have a conversation about the mundane. I said conversation. Kind of weird. One thing we promise, or we try to promise is that our conversation will be less than fascinating. So you can feel free to just drift off. Thank you for joining us. We hope you will listen and sleep. I'm, your host, Marco Timpec. Feel free to rate us on iTunes or SoundCloud or tweet ustenandsleep. Joining me on this episode is a very good friend of mine. Ah, director, writer, philanthropist. Matt Campagna. Welcome to the Insomnia Project.
Speaker B: Thank you, Marco. It's a pleasure to be here.
Marco Timpano: Ah, you can follow Matt attcampagna. Look at our notes and you'll know how his last name is spelled. And you can check out one of the recent projects you did at TacticalGirlsTV.
Speaker B: Absolutely. That's a hashtag you can follow on just about any part of social media. We've found our way in there.
Marco Timpano: That's amazing. and I was involved in that project too, but beyond that, couldn't have
Speaker B: done it without you.
Marco Timpano: Oh, man. you and I have been involved in a few projects together.
Speaker B: I can't think of a project I've done where you. You weren't involved in it or an essential part behind the scenes to me getting something done.
Marco Timpano: And for our listeners who may have heard the episode where we talked about the inception of the Insomnia project, Matt was involved with the Nuit Blanche, art installation.
Speaker B: Right.
Marco Timpano: And that was the projectionist. So that's another title I didn't mention on, your little bio there. and Matt would project images onto a giant screen that could be seen from both inside the art installation and outside.
Speaker B: For passerbys, it was essentially a visual stream of consciousness. It was very fun.
Marco Timpano: And there was two images that you would project that I'll never forget, and one was rotisserie chickens. So that was projected.
Speaker B: Yeah, rotisserie chickens and bunnies jumping over small fences. Yeah. Seeing those things just overlaid on top of each other. Nothing says, I'm gonna fall right asleep
Marco Timpano: quite like bunnies and rotisserie, and the repetitive motion of that.
Speaker B: Yeah, very soothing.
Geologically speaking, Hawaii is an archipelago of islands
Marco Timpano: But I wanted to talk to you not about film, not about rotisserie chickens, not about bunnies that jump over fences, although that can be a future podcast, but rather Hawaii.
Speaker B: And I would be delighted to talk about Hawaii. It's one of my favorite places on, planet Earth.
Marco Timpano: And you just recently came back from a trip to Hawaii, correct?
Speaker B: Yeah, I've had quite a few, for various reasons, some professional, some, in fact, most personal. But, yeah, my most recent trip was just, this past January. And it's a nice way to weather the winter to take, you know, 10 days off and be in Hawaii, be in literal paradise for, you know, the time that your friends are dealing with snow.
Marco Timpano: There you go. Explain to me Hawaii. It's a series of islands. You know, everyone knows Hawaii, but we don't really know it. Unless clearly you're from Hawaii or you visited. You get a better understanding of it.
Speaker B: Well, geologically speaking, Hawaii is an archipelago of islands that is on a tectonic plate moving northward, which is to say one volcano has created every one of those islands. And so as the plate moves northward slowly over millions of years, you wind up with different mountains and ultimately different islands that come from that one magma spout. Now, that magma spout is at, currently the southern tip of what's called the Big island of Hawaii.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Speaker B: and it's still. Still active. You can see some absolutely beautiful sights of, really, the fires of creation as magma is pouring into the ocean and steam clouds erupt and bright, bright Red Fire is just being tamed by water. As more acreage of Hawaii is being built. As you watch created.
Marco Timpano: Wow. So does that mean there's only a volcanic. Only the Big island has a volcano. Or do the other islands have volcanoes as well?
Speaker B: The only active volcano is currently, the southern tip of the Big Island.
Marco Timpano: See, I didn't. I thought each island had a volcano. I don't know why, but this is one of the misconceptions I have.
Speaker B: You're kind of correct, actually, because each island is. Was built by that same magma spout by that same volcano. So take, Maui, for example, which is an island that's to the north of the Big island of Hawaii. Maui has two peaks on it just like the Big Island. Two peaks, but they're from a magma spout that it has long since moved away from. I see. So Maui runs no risk of exploding. Okay. in fact, the two Big island peaks, run no risk of exploding either because the active magma spout is now at the southern tip. So Moana Kea and Moana Loa, which are the two large peaks on the Big Island. neither one has active magma beneath it anymore because the plates have been slowly moving ever northward. And that's essentially moved all of the archipelago, all the entire cluster of the Sea Sandwich Islands, as they were once called. They've all moved north and away from the active volcano.
Marco Timpano: That's cool.
Speaker B: It's pretty neat. I mean, rocks are only so interesting, but, this is one of the moments where they get particularly interesting when they're, you know, on fire. They're pretty neat.
What was your first impression of Hawaii when you saw Maui
Marco Timpano: So you mentioned Maui. What was your first impression when you saw Maui?
Speaker B: because I saw Maui after I had seen the Big Island. And really, the Big island was my first impression of Hawaii. And it's,
Marco Timpano: So then let me ask you, what was your first impression of the Big Island?
Speaker B: Okay.
Marco Timpano: And is it the biggest of the islands?
Speaker B: It is. Okay. It is. Each island has its own name. And the funny thing about calling the Big island the Big island is that that's not its name. Its name is Hawaii.
Marco Timpano: Oh, I see.
Speaker B: And so, because it's the biggest one one way or another, when they moved from the British nomenclature of the Sandwich Isles to the American nomenclature of the state of Hawaii, they decided to name the whole state after the largest landmass, even though the capital is on the much smaller island of Oahu. So Honolulu, which is where, like, Waikiki beach and all the familiar sort of 60s and 70s impression of Hawaii.
Marco Timpano: I'm picturing Frank Sinatra in a Hawaiian shirt.
Speaker B: You got it. Like the Mad Men Hawaii sort of image that comes from a time when Oahu was like the island.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Speaker B: Everything happened there. That's where Pearl harbor is on Oahu. Right. So, like, really all the action was for a good long time on Oahu. But slowly, Maui wound up taking over as the sort of luxurious, expensive island. Right. So in the decades since then, Oahu feels a bit like Miami, a bit like it's sort of like Toronto or Chicago. Like it's a. Not a humongous, but not a small city.
Nidhi Khanna: Right.
Speaker B: but it's floating and has palm trees, so it feels a bit like Miami.
Marco Timpano: That makes sense.
Speaker B: And you know, Maui, there's a lot more room to move around.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Speaker B: But the Big island is. That's a proper drive. Like you can drive around most of these islands in a day. I see the Big Island. You're looking at, you're looking at exhausting yourself. Drive around that in a day.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Speaker B: It's a lot. And, most of the islands can be circumnavigated. Some of them are so rustic that the highways do not go all the way around.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: So what would you have to do, hike or take another mode of transportation?
Speaker B: Well, on an island like Kauai, that is the northernmost, island, the farthest one from Hawaii. it's where they shot Jurassic Park.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Speaker B: So there is a corner of Kauai that is so rustic and so untamed that they didn't even try to run a road through it. So if you imagine the roundish island as a clock, between 9 o' clock and 12 o', clock, there's nothing.
Marco Timpano: Oh, I see.
Speaker B: It's just, it's just rugged. Isla Nublar. It looks like Jurassic Park.
Marco Timpano: And that was the first one they, they filmed there.
Speaker B: yes, that's where they filmed the first one. And they also filmed, George Clooney's the Descendants there. A lot of films have shot, Tropic Thunder was shot there as well. there's just a lot of beautiful, untouched land they can film there. Sure. And, because of that sort of almost third of the quarter of the island, where there's just no, there's no one living. There's no traffic, there's hippies living in funny little communes that you can hike for eight hours to get to, but if it takes you eight hours, it's not a particularly high traffic area. Right. So on an island like that, what, what my wife and I wound up doing was we stayed essentially at the, Continuing the clock metaphor, we stayed at about the 4 o'. Clock.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Speaker B: So that would allow us to drive, you know, north to get to the end of the island.
Marco Timpano: So the 12 o'. Clock.
Speaker B: Exactly. Or there we could drive south to get around to the 9 o'.
Marco Timpano: Clock. Right.
Speaker B: And each one would take us between an hour and an hour and a half. And so it was a nice central location to explore Kauai from. So we stayed in, In and around the town of Kapaa.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
The Hawaiian language has some really interesting aspects to it
Speaker B: Now, you've probably noticed by now that I'm saying some really strange noises.
Marco Timpano: Yeah.
Speaker B: Pronounce words like Hawaii. Right. When I say it. Hawaii.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Speaker B: That's because the Hawaiian language has some really interesting aspects to it. It's only got, like, 14 letters that we would recognize as Roman noises. Roman, letters and phonemes. But they have what looks like an apostrophe. They call it an okina. Love it. And so the cool thing about that is that there's two I's in the word Hawaii. And that's because that okina exists between those two eyes.
Marco Timpano: Oh, I never see it written like that. well, I'm just. As Matt's talking, I'm gonna do it for myself.
Speaker B: Right there, between the two eyes, there's an apostrophe.
Marco Timpano: When.
Speaker B: When native speakers or when Pacific Islanders, when. When people who are sensitive to the culture of Hawaii, write the word that okina, that apostrophe lives in there. And what that means to the. To the speaker when they read it is that there's a hard stop with those two, usually vowels. Right. So Hawaii would let you know that there's a. That those two eyes don't live together in a word like skiing.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Speaker B: Those two eyes live together.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Speaker B: You wouldn't know that there's a second
Marco Timpano: eye if you weren't a native writer of English.
Speaker B: Exactly. But Hawaii has an okina there between the two eyes. Maui is a small, smooth word. There are no okinas right in there. But Kauai is spelled between that last A and I. There's no kina. So it's kawaii. I see. Yeah. It's a really beautiful language and a beautiful culture. They didn't have much of a written language when, When Captain Cook arrived Right. In Hawaii for the first time. But, since then, they've adapted English into a way to write the Hawaiian language as a written word. And they've taken about 14, if I recall. It's 14 letters from the English language. K is In a lot of things. M is there an H? Hawaii is the way Hawaii is used usually pronounced, so that W even exists more as a V for a lot of native speakers. And so you really find out, either how native someone wants to be or how Anglo they want to be based on how they pronounce those words. So, you know, at an airport, you might tell the Air Canada or Delta steward that you're going to Hawaii, right? But when you're ordering, when you're ordering the spam omelette on the Big island, right, you'll call it Hawaii.
Marco Timpano: I see. Yeah. Oh, that's fascinating.
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You were born in Hawaii and haven't stopped since
Marco Timpano: So we spoke about Rock Land language. I'd like to know about the water.
Speaker B: Oh, the water. Okay. I learned to swim well before I learned to walk.
Marco Timpano: Oh.
Speaker B: So I'm.
Marco Timpano: You're like my wife, then. You're a water baby.
Speaker B: Oh, I am. I was. I was born in a sign of
Marco Timpano: water and haven't stopped since.
Speaker B: Yeah, basically. And I really do feel the best in. In water. And there's never in my life been a time where I was in better water than in Hawaii.
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: Oh, man.
Speaker B: And when I was. When I was little, like, what made
Marco Timpano: it better before you go into what. What's like, what was it?
Speaker B: It. It's wild and it behaves in such beautiful and unpredictable, ways, and it's. It feels so pure. I mean, honestly, the. The biggest worry I had when, the. When the reactors in Tokyo in. In Fukushima.
Nidhi Khanna: Right.
Speaker B: Went. Was. Oh, no. Hawaii. Right.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Speaker B: Because it's. It's just such a beautiful, untouched, just striking, wild place. And, you know, the. The spirit of Aloha is something that the people of Hawaii speak about and live really, that, that idea of. Of welcoming people, of gratitude, of being a part of. Of the land and of appreciating what they have. And, you know, in certain cultures, that can come off as a kind of. I don't want to say laziness. Sure. But it can come off as a kind of contentedness.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Speaker B: And so, you know, Hawaii is not the state that will. That will put a man on Mars.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Speaker B: But it is the state that will bring calm and peace. It is the state that created Barack Obama. Right. You know, a very.
Marco Timpano: Bette, Midler.
Speaker B: Bette Midler. It has created some wonderful people. Keanu Reeves.
Marco Timpano: That's. Oh, was he born in Hawaii?
Speaker B: He's. He's Hawaiian descent.
Marco Timpano: I see.
Speaker B: Okay.
Marco Timpano: Yeah.
Speaker B: And so there are, there are some really wonderful people and. And auras and philosophies.
Marco Timpano: Wow.
Speaker B: That come out of Hawaii.
Marco Timpano: Very mystical. You. You were mentioning when you were a kid and then I interrupted you. Yeah.
Speaker B: When I was. When I was small, I would spend time in, in the ocean off of north and South Carolina in Florida. and then when I got older, I would go to the Caribbean, but nothing in the Dominican Republic. Nothing in Jamaica, Nothing on the east coast of America, Nothing in. Even in Canada, where we have some of the most rugged and beautiful land in. In the world. nothing compares to the bays and the, the piers and the jetties and the just rugged beauty of Hawaii. It's incredible.
If you have allergies, you should bring some meds to Hawaii
Marco Timpano: What about the floor flora?
Speaker B: The flora is pretty incredible in its own way. There are deserts.
Marco Timpano: everyone knows the lei when you go to Hawaii, right? Yeah. It's a bunch of flowers. Is it a particular flower?
Speaker B: It really comes down to who's building the lei. Oh, I see you can find leis made out of stones even.
Marco Timpano: Really?
Speaker B: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: Stone.
Speaker B: Stone lei. Yeah.
Marco Timpano: It.
Speaker B: It really is a sign of welcoming and a sign of. Of being a part of something new and being brought into it. and what I found with the flora is that Hawaiians are very connected to that which grows around them. And so it's not uncommon in Hawaii if you're on a hike through the wilderness to find places where a person has left an offering to maybe their personal spirituality, but maybe to the. To the God of the island of the volcano, Pele, where you'll find some flowers that have been picked and some leaves that have been laid out in a really artistic, beautiful way. And it's someone who came in that space before you, and you can tell by the freshness of those. Of that offering. Okay. How far behind that person you might be. It's like the. The spiritual leavings of the person before you. It's quite beautiful to see the way people appreciate and, and offer the island unto itself.
Marco Timpano: Now, do you see a lot of these flowers as you're doing these hikes or these flowers that people would bring with them? And did anything strike you as, wow, that's very different than the flora of my native land.
Speaker B: There were parts of. Specifically on this recent trip to Kauai, there were parts of it that felt a little bit like being in Rattlesnake Point. Okay. Near, the. Near the Niagara peninsula in, in, in Toronto. Near. Outside of Toronto, in the Greater Toronto area.
Marco Timpano: Isn't it Mississauga Rattlesnake?
Speaker B: It begins, the. The area sort of starts near Milton and works its way, south and then a little bit east, down towards, Buffalo. It's a pretty impressive space that I went to a lot when I was younger, and there were moments where I was surrounded by palm trees in Kauai. And then I would round a bend. And because of the way trade winds affect, especially the oldest island of Kauai, the, the amount of foliage that would change as you turn a corner was amazing. Like, you would feel like you were in a whole New Forest every 10 minutes. The elevation would affect what you were surrounded by. The trade winds would affect how the seeds were populating one way to another. The, the pollination in Hawaii is remarkable. That it goes from island to island is shocking. often it's carried by birds. That's how a lot of, that's how a lot of the islands were populated and cross pollinated with flora and fauna. A lot of things were just brought by birds. Sure, sure.
Marco Timpano: Actually, that's what the next thing I was going to go to. But I will say this, that if you have allergies and you go to Hawaii, you should probably bring some meds.
Speaker B: There is something in Hawaii called vog, which is a combination of volcanic smoke, V, which is where the V comes from, and essentially water vapor fog.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Speaker B: And so og. And so that volcanic fog can really mess with your sinuses, especially if your, prone to any kind of sinus problems or, have any sort of allergies. My wife in particular, she found having some, some antihistamines were helpful. I don't, I don't really have many allergic, sensitivities that I'm aware of. But even I wasn't sure if I was getting sick. I was like, there's like something in the back of my throat. Like my. I couldn't tell. Yeah, I got a vog in my throat. And it got to the point where if it wasn't for the, for the wonderful lady at the reception desk of our hotel, I would have just assumed I was getting sick and never got sick. So it was, it was a strange thing. Although I must say, the flight home, if you have sort of that voggy sinus congestion happening, can be uncomfortable. So you want to make sure that you're prepared for the pressure and depressurization and repressure pressurization that you're going to be affected by in a flight like that.
Marco Timpano: So we talked about flora, we got to talk about fauna.
The strangest thing about Kauai is that they have chickens everywhere
Did you see any cool animals while you were there?
Speaker B: I've got to say the, the strangest thing about Kauai is that they have chickens everywhere.
Marco Timpano: Really.
Speaker B: It's weird. I've been to a lot of Hawaiian islands and spent a decent amount of time on them, and never had anyone ever mentioned to me that there are wild chickens running through the streets of Kauai.
Marco Timpano: Amazing.
Speaker B: Like pigeons in New York. It was at first I was sleeping, and at about three in the morning, four in the morning, there was a full moon. And I thought nothing of the fact that a rooster crowed. I was like, oh, and there must be a farmer nearby who, you know, his chickens are confused because this. Because the full moon is out. Sure. All right, no big deal. Oh, no, nobody owns that chicken. I found out the next day there are just hundreds and hundreds of not ugly chickens. These are Portuguese fighting cock.
Marco Timpano: Oh, really? So they're serious. Like, you don't mess with these. Well, chickens.
Speaker B: They're pretty. I wouldn't call them like rabid or feral necessarily, but they know that they own the island.
Marco Timpano: Well, chickens are not like they. They're serious, foul. Like they don't. You don't mess with a chicken.
Speaker B: Absolutely.
Marco Timpano: Everybody thinks it's like, you know, on a farm, oh, look how nice a chicken.
Speaker B: When you put chickens close to each other, man, they're made of sharp.
Marco Timpano: Yeah, they're sharp claws.
Speaker B: They got sharp beaks.
Marco Timpano: They're the rooster, cone or whatever it's called, you know.
Speaker B: But I must say, they, they are beautiful. Oh, yeah, these, these Portuguese fighting that got loose in the last 20 years because hurricanes hit the islands and destroyed coops that normally would keeping. Were keeping the chickens perfectly, you know, controlled. They. There is no mongoose population, on the island of Kohler, Hawaii. And a mongoose is the only thing that can keep a chicken population in check.
Marco Timpano: I didn't know that. Yeah, I thought snakes would be able to.
Speaker B: Apparently the mongoose is the, like, natural predator of the chicken. And because there is not a single mongoose on the island of Kauai, Chickens rule man. Yeah.
Marco Timpano: And mongooses take care of. I know it's mongoose, but, a mongoose will kill a snake too.
Speaker B: Oh, I believe that.
Marco Timpano: Just on a side note, in case anybody has a pet mongoose, this is
Speaker B: like an alpha predator.
Marco Timpano: You don't want to mess with a mongoose.
Speaker B: One day there'll be a Godzilla movie where he has to take out, like, mongoose. is there a huge.
Marco Timpano: Is there any superhero that has mongoose, nest to them? That'd be a cool superhero.
Speaker B: The funny thing is a wolverine is not a particularly, like, wolf like creature. So, I'd say a wolverine is probably the closest thing to know.
Marco Timpano: But a wolverine is not. Wolverine is. Okay, we're not gonna get into this, Matt, we'll do another episode where we talk about superheroes because we could go down for a while. We could go down and we won't.
The amazing thing about Hawaii is that all the food comes in from other places
Let's talk about the food.
Speaker B: Okay. The amazing thing about Hawaii is that
Marco Timpano: all the food comes in from other places.
Speaker B: It's funny because in a way, from a, from an intellectual sense, it, it does.
Marco Timpano: Oh, really?
Speaker B: I mean, the Hawaiian culture is a beautiful amalgam of Pacific Islanders, plus the Japanese, plus the British, plus the Chinese, plus the Portuguese. And it's funny how many places in Hawaii you can find, chorizo sausage. Oh, it is everywhere. Chorizo sausage and Spam are about the two most common forms of non aquatic meat you're going to find.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Speaker B: Yeah. Oddly enough, chicken, not that common really. They think they're running all over the place. Nobody's eating them. They're the most relaxed chickens you'll find.
Marco Timpano: I see. I never understood that. Like, I know there's wild boes that, that like run rampant in places like Texas and whatnot.
Speaker B: Oh, there's some wild boes in Hawaii.
Marco Timpano: And the Italian in me is like, let's have a pig roast because there's pochetta right there, right there. And then you've got wild chicken. I mean, come on.
Speaker B: Dinner's knocking on your door.
Marco Timpano: Matt, I want to thank you so much for talking to us about Hawaii.
Speaker B: It's been my pleasure. Reliving every moment or Hawaii.
Marco Timpano: I'll start, saying it. I'm going to do a part two on Hawaii with your wife. So I want to thank you for this. Stay tuned for an episode where Matt and I discuss superheroes because if there's ever, a sort of master, class in that, you could certainly teach it. Once again, you can follow Matt Attcompania and TacticalGirlsTV to check out that series. Thank you, Matt. Thank you, Marco M. As always, the Insomnia Project is produced by drumcast Productions and this episode was recorded in Toronto, Canada.

Looking for a sleep podcast to fall asleep fast, reduce anxiety, and quiet an overactive mind? This calming episode of The Insomnia Project is designed for insomnia relief, stress reduction, and gentle nighttime unwinding through slow, soothing conversation.
Marco Timpano welcomes back Daniel Krolik for a relaxed discussion about musical theatre, exploring the storytelling, performances, and creative elements that make musicals so memorable. This low-stimulation, easygoing episode offers cozy, engaging content perfect for bedtime listening.
The conversation gently drifts through favourite productions, the craft behind musicals, and the joy of combining music and theatre, all delivered in a soft, meandering style that helps ease racing thoughts and promote relaxation. With unhurried pacing and familiar cultural topics, this calming podcast episode creates a peaceful environment ideal for sleep, stress relief, or quiet background listening.
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Episode 84: The Art of Mundanity | A Gentle Exploration of Theatre with Daniel Krolik
Welcome to the Insomnia Project. Sit back, relax and listen. Rate us on itunes or follow us on Twitter
Marco Timpano: Welcome to the Insomnia Project. Sit back, relax and listen. As we have a conversation about the mundane. One thing that we can promise is that our conversation will be less than fascinating. So that you can just relax, drift off, catch some Z's. Thank you for joining us. We hope you will listen and sleep. Rate us on itunes or follow us on Twitter ListenAndSleep. I'm, your host, Marco Timpano. And joining me in the studio is a dear friend, Daniel Krolik. Daniel, welcome.
Daniel Krolik: Hey, Marco.
Marco Timpano: Daniel, I'm excited to have you because when we first started podcasting, you were one of the people I asked for advice. Cause you also do a podcast.
Daniel Krolik: I do, I do.
Marco Timpano: Tell me about your podcast.
Daniel Krolik: it's called bgm, which stands for both bad gay movies and bitchy gay men.
Marco Timpano: Oh, yeah. So tell me about it. What, what goes on on this podcast?
Daniel Krolik: Well, there's three, of us. There's myself, Bill Antonio and Michael Soulard. And every episode, we've been doing this for about nearly four years.
Marco Timpano: Wow, Congratulations.
Daniel Krolik: Thanks.
Marco Timpano: you're one of the co hosts with these other two gentlemen.
Daniel Krolik: Exactly. And every episode we pick a movie from the very extensive gay cinema m oeuvre.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Daniel Krolik: If you ever type in just gay movies on Netflix, you'll sort of get a really good idea of, what we have to pick from. And we just start at the beginning, and we pick it apart scene by scene, bit by bit. What doesn't work, what is ridiculous, what in no way resembles real life. Okay. And then at the very end of each episode, we give a recommendation.
Marco Timpano: Oh, great.
Daniel Krolik: So we recommend to our listeners whatever has left a recent impression on us. So books, movies, a song, a television show, a restaurant, whatever sort of has left a good impression on us since we recorded last.
Marco Timpano: Fantastic. And you can find those episodes of the podcast on badgamemovies.com Or go to iTunes, type in BGM or Badgay movies or bitchy gay men, and you will find it will come up. There you go.
Daniel: You were one of the first people to suggest I start podcast
Daniel, thank you for being here today.
Daniel Krolik: I'm so happy to be here.
Marco Timpano: I wanted to talk to you because, as I said, you were one of the first people. I said, listen, I'm thinking of doing a podcast, and you gave me some advice, and you recommended I speak to Bill. And hence, this podcast has been on for almost a year now. We're almost at 100 episodes. And I want. This is actually episode 83, Daniel. So thank you for being.
Daniel Krolik: This is exciting.
Of those performers, who would you most like to do a scene opposite
I think 100 used to be, like, the magic number for syndication for TV shows. I think if they hit 100 episodes, the TV show would then go into syndication.
Marco Timpano: So what's your favorite television show?
Daniel Krolik: Oh, goodness.
Marco Timpano: One that's in syndication that's no longer on the air.
Daniel Krolik: Well, I mean, you know, this about me is that my favorite television show growing up was the Facts of Life. Okay.
Marco Timpano: That's right.
Daniel Krolik: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: That's right. And you have yet to work with someone who is a performer on Facts of Life.
Daniel Krolik: I mean, sadly, this is true. but I like to think that I must be only one or two degrees removed from a Charlotte Rae or a Lisa Welchel, for example.
Marco Timpano: Of those performers, who would be the person you would most like to do a scene opposite? M. It's a tough one.
Daniel Krolik: It's a tough one. And as much as I love Mindy Cohn and you know how much I love Natalie Green, it's gonna have to be Charlotte Ray Who's she's approaching 90. If she's not there already. She's still going. She'll still pop up in the odd cameo in something here or there. she recently played Meryl Streep's mother in law. Oh, in. Ah. Do you remember that movie, Ricky and the Flash? I think it was last year.
Marco Timpano: Oh, no, I don't.
Daniel Krolik: Where Meryl Streep was like a. She fronted a rock band that played dive bars.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Daniel Krolik: And Kevin Kline was her ex.
Marco Timpano: Kevin Klein. That's right.
Daniel Krolik: Yeah. And there was a wedding scene at the end of the movie, and Charlotte Rae popped in as, Kevin Klein's mother.
Marco Timpano: How amazing is that? Ah.
Daniel Krolik: So, yeah, I think it would have to be her.
Marco Timpano: I think you'd be excellent opposite her.
Daniel Krolik: a girl can dream.
Daniel: Let's start with American plays and American playwrights
Marco Timpano: Daniel, I wanted to talk to you about plays because of all my friends, when we talk about plays and playwrights, in particular, American playwrights or things that are going on on Broadway, your. The encyclopedia. You're the one who knows. You're the one I always go to. So that's also to say I don't know much, but I'm always wildly impressed by your knowledge. So I'm gonna share this with our listeners. Let's start with American plays and American playwrights. What makes them different than other playwrights and, what's distinct about them?
Daniel Krolik: I think that plays are. They can be a representation of whatever is going on in that playwright's nation's history. hence, that's why British plays are all about class.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Daniel Krolik: British plays, especially from the mid 20th century, they're always about class struggles, class distinctions, getting out of the working class. and America in the 20th century has had such a tumultuous history, with economic struggles, racial struggles, class struggles, gender struggles. so I think American plays in particular really appeal to me, because really good American plays are representative of all the terrible and difficult things that the country itself has gone through. Sure.
Marco Timpano: Who is someone that has come out in the last, say, five years that you're like, this is someone to watch, or this is. His or her plays are just impressed you?
Daniel Krolik: There's certainly a few. I'm probably gonna say Stephen Caram, who just won the Tony Award this past year for his play the Humans, which I was fortunate enough to see when it was off Broadway, before it moved to Broadway.
Marco Timpano: Oh, wow.
Daniel Krolik: and it's one of the few plays that I've seen that gave me nightmares because it was so powerful and it was so impactful.
Marco Timpano: So when you saw It Off Broadway? Did you immediately think this is gonna go on Broadway?
Daniel Krolik: Not necessarily, because there weren't any major stars in it.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Daniel Krolik: There weren't any people that were immediately recognizable from a TV show or from a movie, which is sometimes an indicator. and there's plenty of regional shows, plenty of off Broadway shows that are really well received that can garner an award or two, but that won't make a commercial transfer. So it's not, it's never really an indication. and I had previously seen a play of Karim's off Broadway, maybe 2011, 2012 M that I had absolutely loved, that got amazing reviews, it was nominated, it was shortlisted for the Pulitzer and it didn't move. It was rumored to move and it didn't move.
Marco Timpano: What was that play called?
Daniel Krolik: Sons of the Prophet. Sons of the Prophet, which, is number one on my fantasy list of things that I would love to do here in Toronto.
Marco Timpano: I see.
What is it about Steven's work that speaks to you in today's age
And what is it about Steven's work that really speaks to you or that you think is important in today's age?
Daniel Krolik: His shows are issue based without hammering home an issue.
Marco Timpano: Oh, I see.
Daniel Krolik: So the Humans, for example, it takes place on, Thanksgiving dinner at the apartment of the daughter. The younger daughter of this family has just moved into this duplex in Chinatown in New York that's potentially haunted, that's falling apart, that potentially has some weird history. It's sort of. When I described it, when I describe it to friends, I sort of say it might be a ghost story.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Daniel Krolik: You don't, you don't even know for sure.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Daniel Krolik: but it's also a show that deals with the new economy and that deals with the family trying to get by in post recession America without. And it's sort of those issues, the economic issues that this family's facing, they're woven into the fabric. So it's not a show about this issue, which is that Americans can't get by, they can't put food on the plate, they can't pay their rent. But it's sort of woven into the fabric of the story without it having to be this red button issue. And he does that also. And Stephen Caram is also a gay playwright and he writes his gay characters. The sister in the Humans, the older sister is gay. and it's.
Marco Timpano: So Wait a second, the play is called the Sister and the Humans?
Daniel Krolik: No, no, no, I'm sorry. The character in the Humans, the older sister, is gay. and it's just sort of so naturally, so subtly woven into the story that. It feels so natural.
Marco Timpano: I see.
Daniel Krolik: So he puts in all of these things that are on the table that people are having these major debates about.
Daniel Krolik: and it makes it feel so natural. And it never feels like a public service announcement. It feels so intrinsic.
Marco Timpano: So interesting. You talk about, Stephen Caram.
Daniel Krolik: Is it Caram? Yep.
Marco Timpano: and now I want to see his plays. And you do that often. You'll talk about a playwright, and after you talk about them in their work, it often makes me want to run out and either buy the play or go see the play. So, Steven, if you're listening, you've got, at the very least, a great publicist sitting in front of me. What about other playwrights? of note that you're like, I like this person's work, or like, you should, like, who? Could you tell our public to go and see you? Like, you won't be disappointed if you see this. Playwrights.
Daniel Krolik: Oh, I mean, there's so many. When I first.
Marco Timpano: I know I asked the impossible question for someone who's a lover.
Daniel Krolik: I can narrow it down, but, I mean, I can talk about the things that I was first attracted to, because when I. When I first started getting interested, my gateway was musicals. So what initially attracted me to the theater were musicals. But when I started branching out from that and when I started seeking, out plays as opposed to musicals, I would read, them. And the first authors that I was. And this is maybe circa early 90s, so 93, 94. Around there, I read a lot of John Guare.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Daniel Krolik: The. The gentleman who wrote Six Degrees of Separation. Very well known. that actually might have been the first play that I read. The first play that I went to. I remember this very vividly. buying at a bookstore and reading cover to cover. That might have been the first play that I had done that with. And I was just spellbound.
Marco Timpano: What did you think of the film adaptation of it?
Daniel Krolik: I haven't seen it in many years
Marco Timpano: because that was with Will Smith, Stalker
Daniel Krolik: Channing the Great, who was the only one to recreate, her work from the stage.
Marco Timpano: Oh, so she did. She did it on stage.
Daniel Krolik: Yeah, yeah.
Marco Timpano: And Donald, Sutherland, I believe.
Daniel Krolik: Donald Sutherland. Mary, Beth Hurd in a small role.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Daniel Krolik: Will Smith was phenomenal. Right. Movie. He was so good.
Marco Timpano: I had only seen the film. That's why I asked. And I thought the film was fantastic. So I'm just wondering if the big difference.
Daniel Krolik: And again, I haven't seen the film since it came out. Right.
Marco Timpano: Which was many years ago.
Daniel Krolik: But the big difference, if I recall correctly, was that in the stage version, the main couple, Flann and Weeza, addressed the audience directly. And it was very nicely transitioned in the movie to them talking to all of their friends at the country club, at the brunches, at a dinner party with whatever. And them telling all of their friends in New York society the story of how they encountered, the hustler, who is played by Will Smith.
Daniel: Who are the actors that you love to see on stage
Marco Timpano: You mentioned Stalker Channing.
Daniel Krolik: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: who are the actors, male or female, that you love to see on stage? I would imagine she would be one of them.
Daniel Krolik: I've seen her twice.
Marco Timpano: Okay. And she's.
Daniel Krolik: She's terrific. And she does great. Actors do so, so much by doing so little. You know this. Right. and Stalker Channing is very capable of destroying somebody in a scene, killing an audience, with very little effort.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Daniel Krolik: With. With. With great technique and great thought, but very little effort, which I love to watch.
Marco Timpano: And what did you see her in?
Daniel Krolik: I saw her once in Pal Joey, which was a musical.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Daniel Krolik: where she played the older woman seduced by a gigolo.
Marco Timpano: I'm just gonna say this now, Daniel. We're already halfway through this podcast, and I'm gonna have to do a second podcast that just deals with musicals with you. Okay. Because I feel like we're gonna just stick to plays and then we're gonna do a musical, because your knowledge is so vast when it comes to the theater. That's. I'm really excited by doing a part two with you. So, Pal Joey. And what was the other thing you saw?
Daniel Krolik: It was, John Robin Bates play called Other Desert Cities. Other Desert Cities, which had a phenomenal cast. It was, Stalker Channing, Judith Light.
Marco Timpano: Oh, you saw Judith Light? I was actually gonna bring her up.
Daniel Krolik: She's my favorite.
Marco Timpano: You know, it's interesting, Daniel, like, and I'm sorry to pause you there, Judith Light, but we'll get back to. It's interesting.
Daniel Krolik: There's not enough time in the world to talk about Judith Light.
Marco Timpano: We should just do a podcast on Judith Light.
Actress played Angela Bauer on a sitcom back in the 90s
But here's someone who most people recognize from a schmaltzy television show back in the 90s, for sure. who's the boss?
Daniel Krolik: She played Angela Bauer.
Marco Timpano: Thank you.
Daniel Krolik: And, businesswoman.
Marco Timpano: she is this force, not only on stage, but I think because of her stage work now in the films and television we see her in, which is much more gritty and much more, I don't know, has teeth to it. I don't know how else to Describe it. But tell me about her and why you. Why you. Why you think she's great.
Daniel Krolik: And again, I find her career fascinating because she had such fame as the lead of this very schmaltzy, very shticky sitcom in the mid-80s. and then a few years later, she just totally reinvented herself as this terrific theater actress. I remember, do you know the play Wit? Ah, about the professor who has terminal cancer and she shaved her head for this role.
Marco Timpano: Yeah.
Daniel Krolik: So she,
Marco Timpano: I only know it because we've discussed this before and you told me about it.
Daniel Krolik: Yeah, well, it was also a movie with Emma Thompson.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Daniel Krolik: Emma Thompson did the movie version of it. and it's this very serious play. And I think not too long, maybe after who's, the Boss ended, she did a production of Wit. And there was, I wouldn't say a backlash, but there was a lot of snickering going on at the time, being like, oh, why is this sitcom star doing this, Doing this play? and from what I understand, she just killed it. She just destroyed it. And then from there she started. She had this shift in her career, and she was, you know, she was a middle aged woman at the time for sure, but it was this amazing second act of her career where she became this very, very respected performer.
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Linda Lavin had a big success as the mother in Broadway Bound
Marco Timpano: Isn't that also. Can that not also be said about Linda Lavin, who used to do.
Daniel Krolik: I love Linda Lavin.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Daniel Krolik: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: Cause she used to be, once again, in the, I wanna say late 70s, early 80s, a schmaltzy television sitcom called Alice where she played a waitress in Arizona. And then she went on to do. And she was sort of typecast as that or played that. And then we didn't see much of her other than, let's say, the Love Boat or something like that. And then she did some things on Broadway and now we're seeing her in some decent roles in film.
Daniel Krolik: Yeah, well, I think she did the Sister.
Marco Timpano: The Sisters Rosenzweig.
Daniel Krolik: The Sisters Rosenzweig in the, in the 90s where she. God, I know so much. Where she, she replaced Madeline Kahn.
Marco Timpano: Oh, she did. I didn't realize that.
Daniel Krolik: Yeah.
Daniel Krolik: But she, I think she was always the type of actress, who. And I think Alice, which I. Which is just a little bit before my time. I think it ran for something like 10 years or it ran for a long time.
Marco Timpano: It did run for a long time. They had. So, I don't know if you know this actor, her name is Polly Holiday and she played Marco. Sorry. She played Flo. And her catchphrase was Kiss my Grits. And I remember as a small child, you know, when these catchphrases are in the public consciousness and what you're talking about.
Daniel Krolik: Willis.
Marco Timpano: Yeah. Or, sit on it or a. By Fonzie. And as a kid, you just hear them, but you don't know exactly what they mean, but they're just in. So I always remember Kiss My Grits was one of the things that she said. And she was replaced by a couple of actors. because I think Diane Ladd for a season. Was it Diane Lang.
Daniel Krolik: Okay.
Marco Timpano: Another phenomenal actor. But, I don't know why I went on. But anyways, she. Yeah, she had done it for years and they replaced one. One character that continually replaced. And what's, her name from,
Daniel Krolik: Cagney And Lacy is also a fan daily.
Marco Timpano: Yeah, I hear that she's.
Daniel Krolik: I've never seen her on stage. I've never been fortunate. Linda Lavin I saw when I was very young. I'm sure I was maybe 8 or 9 years old. I, remember seeing her in Broadway Bound, the Neil Simon play.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Daniel Krolik: which was Neil. Ah. Simon wrote a trilogy of plays, Brighton Beach Memoirs, which I'm sure you know, was a very well respected movie. that movie has. It's a good movie, but it has glaring, instance of Blythe Danner, who's a terrific actress playing a Jewish mother.
Marco Timpano: I see.
Daniel Krolik: And there's nothing Jewish about Blythe Danner.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Daniel Krolik: but, there's. Anyway, it's a trilogy of plays. Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, which
Marco Timpano: was also a movie that,
Daniel Krolik: Matthew Broderick.
Marco Timpano: Thank you.
Daniel Krolik: And then Broadway Bound.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Daniel Krolik: Which is, Which sort of, Because it's about these two brothers growing up. And it's. It ends with the brothers sort of becoming adults and leaving the house and moving to New York and becoming writers. but she. She had a big. Linda Lavin had a big personal success as the mother in Broadway Bound.
Marco Timpano: I see. And I mean.
When Philip Seymour Hoffman passed away, I felt robbed
Okay, so we've talked about a bunch of female actors. What are some male actors on stage that you've seen or that you just would love to see who you think just tear it up.
Daniel Krolik: I mean, if I could go back in time and see Philip Seymour Hoffman and Death of a Salesman.
Marco Timpano: Okay, that.
Daniel Krolik: That was one of. When. When he died. That was, one of the few times that I cried over a celebrity's death that I really felt robbed of somebody leaving us very soon.
Marco Timpano: I see.
Daniel Krolik: And I know that 2016 was the year of all of these important figures, pop culture figures dying. but when Philip Hoffman. When Philip Seymour Hoffman, ah, passed away, I think it was 2014.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Daniel Krolik: I felt robbed. I felt really, really robbed.
Marco Timpano: Oh, there you go.
Daniel Krolik: Yeah. Because he was one of God. Yeah. So it'd be him I saw.
Marco Timpano: Oh my goodness. Daniel, you're to help me. He, he, is this Irish actor and he's been on Broadway and he did a one person Macbeth and he's on.
Daniel Krolik: Oh, Alan Cummings. He's Scottish.
Marco Timpano: Oh, sorry. He's Scottish.
Daniel Krolik: Sorry.
Marco Timpano: thank you. And he was phenomenal. I'm sure was phenomenal in that. And, you know, it's interesting because you go there and you're gonna see a public figure that people know and you're like, m, let's see what they can do. Right. And then when they actually deliver and you're like, yeah, these people sort of like the theaters in their blood. And you can see them sort of deliver performances that you don't expect.
Daniel Krolik: I remember seeing him as the MC in Cabaret.
Marco Timpano: Oh, you saw that. That was sort of what catapulted him right into the public consciousness, at least in North America. Right.
Daniel Krolik: And his performance in the Good Wife is so remarkable. because he's convincing as an American.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Daniel Krolik: He's convincing as a straight man and he's convincing as a Jew.
Marco Timpano: Oh, wow.
Daniel Krolik: So it's just this trifecta and he's. He just disappears into this role that is nothing like him. That is nothing like his public Persona. It's, it's. I think it's quite remarkable.
Marco Timpano: Oh, I've got to watch. I haven't watched the Good Wife and everyone tells me I would really enjoy it.
Daniel Krolik: It's, it's. It's smart tv.
Marco Timpano: And they're doing a spin off with one of my favorite actors, Christine Baranski. Yeah. who I think she's done a lot in the theater as well.
Daniel Krolik: She did, yeah.
Marco Timpano: yeah.
Daniel Krolik: somebody who I've never seen, but who I would also love to see now.
Marco Timpano: I did a play by David Lindsay.
Daniel Krolik: Abear.
Marco Timpano: And this was a few years back.
Daniel Krolik: I saw that. The Rabbit Hole.
Marco Timpano: The Rabbit Hole. And I can only say this, that. And then I saw Good, People, another play that he wrote.
Daniel Krolik: Oh, where did you see it?
Marco Timpano: I saw it in, Oh, where did I see it? I saw it in Vancouver, I believe. But I had read the play because after I did Rabbit Hole, his words, when you read them on the page and when you actually say them aloud as an actor are just perfect. There's no wasted word. There's no word that's too much. All the words flow off the page, out of your mouth and really help you delve into the character.
Daniel Krolik: And if you're working with a script like that as an actor, you really don't have to do that much. You really just have to, work on understanding and work on delivering. It makes your job as an actor very easy.
Marco Timpano: You know what's interesting, Daniel? You should say that. And the way I noticed it was it, it was easy to memorize. I didn't find it difficult to memorize. It came to me much in the manner that it was written. So I'm a huge fan of his. And it was because of Rabbit Hole that I then sought out good people.
Daniel Krolik: And I have not. I'm not familiar with good people, unfortunately.
Marco Timpano: You would really like it.
Daniel Krolik: I know you would really like it
Marco Timpano: because it takes place in Boston. Boston, Right.
Daniel: I'm not as familiar with Noel Coward as I would like
And, what about, Noel Coward?
Daniel Krolik: I don't. I'm not as familiar with Noel Coward as I would like to be.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Daniel Krolik: I've seen Private Lives a couple of times.
Marco Timpano: I know nothing other than his name comes up often. What is it about his work that people.
Daniel Krolik: I'm certainly not an expert.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Daniel Krolik: but from my. Which, which I'm. I'm a little bit embarrassed about, frankly, that I should. I feel like he's somebody that I should, know much better than I do. he was one of the great wits of the 20th century, I think.
Marco Timpano: And people often talk about David Mamet. What are your impressions of his work?
Daniel Krolik: He certainly left an impression on me when I was around the same time when I discovered non musicals, when I discovered plays. I read Glengarry Glen Ross and I read American Buffalo. so he certainly left an impression on me. I quite love one of his lesser known plays that I really do like is called the Old Neighborhood.
Marco Timpano: Okay, just writing that down.
Daniel Krolik: Yeah, for sure.
Marco Timpano: More. Because I want to see. I want to see it. Daniel, oftentimes when you say go see a play, I will go see it.
What are some plays that have Jewish themes that you would recommend people see
Now you mentioned a couple of times about actors playing Jewish roles, and I know that that's a really important aspect of your being Jewish. What are some plays that have Jewish. Jewish themes that you would recommend people who aren't Jewish should go see?
Daniel Krolik: Oh,
Marco Timpano: Because I feel like. I feel like oftentimes there's. There's plays out there that are very important.
Marco Timpano: But they'll bring out a certain demographic where it'd be great if everyone knew this is not only a great play that has a particular theme, whether it be a Jewish theme, whether it be a gay or lesbian theme, whether. Whether it be even a Canadian theme, but it's something that any audience can appreciate.
Daniel Krolik: Well, Jews have a long history of working in the theater, supporting the theater. So the category of Jewish centric theater, it's a big one. I mean, I think I will always think Angels in America is, which I saw one of the greatest works of. Not just of all time, of all time. I think it's, you know, in my mind it's. It's on par with a Shakespeare or anything. Like, it's just. And, Angels in America is about 3 billion important things. It's not just about the AIDS crisis. It's not just about, glassnost and the Russians. It's about 3 billion important things. but it confronts what it means to be Jewish and the challenges of Judaism in such a, combustible way.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Daniel Krolik: That makes it really exciting because.
Marco Timpano: Sorry. So. No, please.
Daniel Krolik: and Lewis, which is. Oh my God, if I could. If I could think about the people that I want to be on stage. Lewis is number one. the, the character is of a lapsed Jew who's constantly struggling with what it means to be Jewish and what it means to be a good Jew.
Marco Timpano: When I saw Angels in America, I found it so relevant because it feels like it transcends times. And what I'm trying to say is that it takes place in a certain time period, but when you watch it, it's so relevant to the time period that you're in. Right. Which, ah, makes it timeless in a way. and I know there's a part one and a part two, and, Yeah. How was the film adaptation of that?
Daniel Krolik: It's wonderful.
Marco Timpano: Oh, is it?
Daniel Krolik: It's great.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Daniel Krolik: Very faithful. and they even, they even adhere to most of the doubling because, for those of you who might not know, Angels in America, it's written for eight actors, I think, but they play a multitude of roles. So everybody, Men are playing women, young people. I'm sorry, I'm gesturing too much. Men are playing women, young people are playing old people. So sort of the tracks in the show, cross, gender lines, age lines, type lines. and the movie is quite. I have to commend the late Mike Nichols who did the movie because he adheres to a Lot of that. Like, the movie opens with Meryl Streep playing the rabbi in drag. In full. In full. Rabbi, drag. and, ah, Emma Thompson plays a crazy homeless woman. So it has all of these, cool, super theatrical quirks from the stage version.
Marco Timpano: It's great, Daniel. Thank you. And between yourself being Jewish and me being Italian, for our listeners, it's all gesticulation all the time.
Daniel Krolik: It's all gesticulation all the time. And I'm so impressed with both of us for remaining so quiet for so long.
Marco Timpano: Trying to, like, I often tell Daniel, I'm like, you'll see me. Or often. I told you before we started the podcast, I'll drop a pencil, I'll bang a glass. I'll be moving around. Try not to do what I do. But, Daniel, I want to thank you so much, Steve. Tuned for Part two with Daniel Krolek, where we talk about musicals. We've just sort of scratched the surface of, plays and playwrights. I feel like I. I didn't have a good sort of.
Daniel Krolik: I feel like I haven't even talked about anything yet.
Marco Timpano: I feel like we kind of like, you know, I wish I.
Daniel Krolik: You know what? Talking about Jewish playwrights, and you actually brought it up.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Daniel Krolik: Is, Wendy Wasserstein's the Sisters Rosenzweig.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Daniel Krolik: which Linda Lavin did. And the. The much missed Madeline Kahn did, which. Which is another really good play about Jewish, identity and people struggling to find, secular Jews struggling to find a Jewish identity.
Marco Timpano: Okay, Daniel, so when that comes to town, promise me that you and I will go see it.
Daniel Krolik: We'll be in the front row.
Marco Timpano: Marco.
Daniel Krolik: Fantastic.
Marco Timpano: Well, thank you, Daniel Krolik, for being a part of this particular show. Thank you, as always. The Insomnia Project is produced by Drumcast Productions, and this episode was recorded in Toronto. Toronto, Canada.

Looking for a sleep podcast to fall asleep fast, reduce anxiety, and quiet an overactive mind? This calming episode of The Insomnia Project is designed for insomnia relief, stress reduction, and gentle nighttime unwinding through slow, soothing conversation.
Marco Timpano welcomes guest Ben Ehrensperger for a relaxed discussion about photography, creative tools, and everyday craftsmanship, offering low-stimulation, easygoing content perfect for bedtime listening. From capturing images through a camera lens to reflecting on techniques and visual storytelling, this episode creates a calm and curious atmosphere.
The conversation gently drifts into the world of knives, exploring their practical uses, design, and craftsmanship in a soft, meandering style that helps ease racing thoughts and promote relaxation. With unhurried pacing and simple, engaging topics, this relaxing podcast episode creates a peaceful environment ideal for sleep, stress relief, or quiet background listening.
Whether you’re searching for a sleep podcast for insomnia, calming background noise while you work, or a gentle way to unwind at the end of the day, The Insomnia Project offers a comforting, reliable escape.

Episode 11: Capturing Moments | A Gentle Conversation on Photography and Culinary Craft
Welcome to the Insomnia Project. We hope you will listen and sleep
Marco Timpano: Welcome to the Insomnia Project. Sit back, relax and listen as we have a conversation about the ordinary, the mundane. One thing that we endeavor to do is to make our conversation less than fascinating so that the listener can just feel free to sit back, lie back, and drift off. I want to thank you for joining us. We hope you will listen and sleep. I'm your host, Marco Timpano. And joining me in the studio is Ben. Ben. I never know how to say your last name.
Marco Timpano: It's, Arensberger.
Marco Timpano: Aaronsberger.
Marco Timpano: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: Because I look at It. And I'm like, I know I'm gonna mess this up.
Marco Timpano: Yeah, most people. Most people do. But, Yeah. Ehrensberger, Swiss, German.
Marco Timpano: Oh, is that. Is that the background?
Marco Timpano: Yeah. So, another long name. But, Yeah, I mean, it's always been something that everyone. Everyone asks me how to spell it. No one. Or say it. No one really knows right off the bat.
Marco Timpano: But see, I meant I was having trouble with your first name.
Marco Timpano: Oh, Ben.
Marco Timpano: Ben. No, I'm just kidding. Let me ask you this, Ben. We share a sort of love for photography.
Marco Timpano: Yes. Yeah.
Marco Timpano: I studied photography in high school and I actually won the photography award.
Marco Timpano: Oh. Yeah.
Marco Timpano: but after that, cameras got so complicated and whatnot. What? Not that I, you know, found myself to be lost with a camera, with a dslr, with the digital realm. Yeah.
Tell me about the first time you encountered photography and what it was
So let me ask you. Tell me about the first time you sort of encountered photography and what it was that really attracted you to it.
Marco Timpano: I'd say the first time I really was drawn to it or sort of attracted by it was when I was younger. And, my parents actually had a Canon. They had an old Canon film camera. Like, just like a nice big black, like 35 millimeter, film camera. And you could look through the lens and it would be the exact image of what you saw. And it was just so real. And the sound of the shutter and then developing those, those photos into actual, film copies, like, and having those. My mom actually still has like, a, trunk in her bedroom.
Marco Timpano: She had all the, you know, the, the pans and the,
Marco Timpano: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: What was that thing called that the, that you would, shine the light through so it would hit the photographic paper?
Marco Timpano: Oh, I don't know.
Marco Timpano: That thing. I'm sure we'll, we'll remember. But yeah, she had all that stuff. So you would develop your own film?
Marco Timpano: We would develop our own necessarily. In high school I did that. Okay. I learned how to do that.
Marco Timpano: But she had a trunk of just,
Marco Timpano: just like the actual film and then the actual negatives.
Marco Timpano: Oh, wow.
Marco Timpano: From, from the company that developed.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Marco Timpano: We still have like all those four by sixes that. That are stickle way back.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Marco Timpano: So. But, And then I really sort of gained an appreciation for it more in high school when I got into photography class where we actually sort of learned the basics and the, the different, techniques and, and one of the cool things we did in the first, first year I did it was build a, Pinhole camera.
Marco Timpano: Yes.
Marco Timpano: Right out of a cardboard box. And you sort of it's just a cardboard box, essentially, with a little hole.
Marco Timpano: I feel like everybody who takes a photography class because I remember doing the pinhole photography, and it's always described as this monumental sort of thing that we're gonna do and blah, blah, blah. And then when I did it, I was like, yeah, I was like, okay, I get it. That's the way they used to do it back in the day.
Marco Timpano: But no, it is. It's very, very, sort of basic and sort of simple method. But it does give you appreciation for how light works.
Karim: Right.
Marco Timpano: And how basically everything you see is light and how light decides to reflect off different objects and create your perception of color. And, obviously when we did that, it was black. Just. We'd use black and white film. But it was really, really interesting. Sort of playing around with different. You really learn, appreciation for exposure times.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Marco Timpano: And, the amount of light that you're actually letting in to the camera.
Marco Timpano: Right. So F stop. Is that the other. I never. Yeah, I always F stop that. Aperture, aperture, all those things. I'm like, m. This bores me.
Marco Timpano: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: So the problem is. My problem is it bores me. And so I don't have a great understanding of it. And so I took a course to learn about the dsr, our camera, the DSLR camera that we purchased. And once again, when I got to aperture, F stops and the other one, I was kind of like, oh, this is really. I'm not into this. But it's so important. And light is so important. Like, you're see saying, like, it's so key. Right?
Marco Timpano: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, that's exactly what photography is. And it's all about. I mean, light is so important. When I, When I was really into it, I really liked using natural light and light that was found, not because of projection, in the room. Like, it wasn't something that. It's just like, I really enjoyed shooting photography. I mean, the golden hour, for instance, which is, an hour before the sun sets.
Marco Timpano: Oh. And it's called the golden hour. Cool.
Marco Timpano: So, I mean, if you have a clear night, maybe, preferably in the summertime, it's a golden hour. Just an hour right before the sun sets.
Marco Timpano: So do you, like, grab your camera and just go in the golden hour?
Marco Timpano: I have in the past, spontaneously, if it's really good, one night. But that's like the use of sunlight, natural light. Playing around with that rather than doing it in post or playing around with actual light fixtures. I enjoyed the raw more. More sort of natural aspect of that. But.
A lot that attracts me is the street photography
Marco Timpano: And what's your favorite subject? What do you like to photograph? Is it like, are you like anything and everything or you like. I like to photograph landscapes or people or portraits or bees flying.
Marco Timpano: I really enjoyed just walking around street. Street photography.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Marco Timpano: Sort of run, and gun style, not having anything specifically in mind, sort of exploring with my camera. But I also do really enjoy like portraiture and being able to take a photo of an individual and like to see if it's especially up close like you see their face, you see their sort of character, the beauty,
Marco Timpano: the character, the blemishes.
Marco Timpano: And light. Light, right. It's a huge sort of. People are always self conscious but if you take a photo properly and you know how to play with light, you can really change the perception.
Marco Timpano: Oh 100%. The thing I love about street photography is that when you look at old photos of your city back in the 70s, back in the 80s, back in the 1920s, a lot of it is street photography. A lot that attracts me is the street photography. So you'll see a street that has changed. Like for example in Toronto, Yonge street is one of the quintessentials or prolific or best known streets in the city. And I don't know if you've seen these photos of Yonge street in the 80s when there was like before Sam the Record man was there or you know, now Sam the Record Man's no longer there. But the street photography captures a moment in time and a moment in your city's life.
Marco Timpano: That is so fascinating. And you know, if you go out today and you take photos of the city and things that are happening, it's kind of like, oh yeah, this is what's happening today. But 20 years from now when people look back at those photos and they remember, oh, there wasn't a condo there, look there's a condo there now. Or do you remember when that store was really big and now they've gone out of business? Yeah, I find that sort of, there's a journalistic or historic sort of element to street photography that I love.
Marco Timpano: Oh absolutely, yeah. And I mean that's the coolest thing too is like that's exactly what it is. You're capturing that moment in time and it's going to change, change and it's going to sort of evolve into something maybe totally different.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Marco Timpano: But that's what's so cool about photography is that you're taking a snap of that moment. Right. And you get to sort of savor that. And that's something I love about film too, is like. Actually recently, picked up a Polaroid camera.
Marco Timpano: Oh, cool.
Marco Timpano: Like, Or like an Instax, like Fujifilm, like a mini. And you kind of can just crank these photos out that. That are. You get one copy.
Marco Timpano: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: And that's one chance.
Marco Timpano: That's it.
Marco Timpano: And that's such a cool. Like you don't have. You don't have to edit on your phone. You don't have like, you can't send it here, send it there. It's just. That's it. You have that one.
Marco Timpano: Got that. Yeah. And if you want to share that, you've got to make copies of it.
Marco Timpano: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Marco Timpano: You can do that if you want to.
Marco Timpano: But Andy Warhol and his, Polaroid photographs, it's just so fascinating to see. And the interesting thing I've always found with these sort of instant photograph is that the colors don't seem like true colors.
Marco Timpano: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: And so they give it an ethereal sort of quality. Or this like really, like dreamy or just there's a coolness to it. And like, you know, actually seeing yourself through the eyes of a person who's photographed you in a Polaroid situation or like in an Instamatic situation is pretty neat. Kind of like, you know, when you go in those booths and you pay whatever, two to five bucks and then it takes four. Four.
Marco Timpano: Yeah. And you get. Spits it out on the side. Well, that's like a perfect example of a moment and like capture of that moment.
Ben: I had to get my passport renewed because I'm dual citizen
Marco Timpano: My recent moment with photography was this, Ben. So I had to get my passport renewed.
Marco Timpano: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: And of course I've got all the paperwork together. Everything's ready to go. But I don't have the passport photo. And so I remembered when, So I was getting my Italian passport because I have. I'm a dual citizen, so I have both a Canadian and Italian passport. So I go to the consulate. And I remember the last time I had my passport renewed there. There was all these passport picture places, right?
Marco Timpano: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: But I went really early in the morning to take my passport photo because I wanted to go to the consulate when it opened so I could get in and out as quickly as possible. And I was going around looking, looking for someone to take my passport photo. And I couldn't find anyone. And there was a place that said passport photos. And it was one of the sketchiest places I've ever been to in my life. I went up this stair and it was like, go up another flight. And there's Massage parties, fake ID when
Marco Timpano: you're in high school.
Marco Timpano: Yeah, it was one of those places. And there was this kind of shady looking dude standing in front of the place that was supposed to take photos for passports. But it was close. And I asked, shady dude, I said, excuse me, do you know what time this opens? And he goes, an hour ago. I'm like, oh, it's not open. He goes, I don't know. And so I was like, okay, I'm gonna leave this place. So then I asked someone, where can I get a passport photo taken? And they're like, oh, the convenience store does it. So I got my passport photo taken in some little convenience store and there you go. And that's, that's what it is.
Marco Timpano: I think initially you seriously were trying to get a fake ID there. That's what that sounds like it would seem. Right.
Marco Timpano: Don't get me wrong. In the past I've gotten there must
Marco Timpano: have been a password that you just didn't know. And most likely the bouncer, but he
Marco Timpano: probably saw me and he's like, this guy's not sketch enough to get into our premises. So he's not getting there.
Your career as a chef blends with a hobby, which is photography
Let me ask you this. Who or who or what do you like, who's your favorite photographer or what is it that you love in photographs that you try to emulate in your photographic works?
Marco Timpano: there's nothing specifically that comes to mind, in terms of photographers or people that I might try and emulate. Like, I think it's really cool to develop your own style and like figure out sort of what that is. And I don't. There was obviously different inspirations, growing up and different people that. There was one commercial photographer that I really enjoyed sort of following what he was doing.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Marco Timpano: His name is Chase Jarvis and he did a lot of commercial photography where it was like big production, sort of traveled a lot and did these really cool, different, like film production and they did all sorts of coverage with photography, lots of commercial work for different sort of sports brands. And that was, that was really interesting at first. But that's more, that's sort of like the bigger production side of, of the industry I feel like. And more like there's a lot more money involved, there's a lot more production involved in general.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Marco Timpano: And it's not as like, I mean to me it was always more of a hobby and something I enjoyed just sort of to do on my own and not necessarily try and create a career on it.
Marco Timpano: But although I've seen some of your
Karim: Food.
Marco Timpano: photography.
Marco Timpano: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: And it's pretty awesome. And that blends sort of your career as a chef with a hobby, which is photography.
Marco Timpano: Yeah. And that's something I've tried to do sort of, through my career in food is like, I don't ever want to lose that photography. And I always wanted. It's always something I want to continue to do and continue to sort of, like, develop my m. Own style. Right. Like, and that will never change. And now with food sort of being something that's a primary aspect of my life, and, like, you can tie those two together. So it's really. It's really cool and fun.
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Marco Timpano: So let me ask you this. What would you recommend for a novice who's using their. Like, because you see this all the time in restaurants where people get their dishes brought to them and they want to capture this moment and they take a photo of their dishes and they post on Instagram.
Marco Timpano: Yeah. Ah.
Marco Timpano: And I have friends, and I'm not gonna single them out. Who will do this. And the food looks terrible. And you know who's notorious for this is Martha Stewart. She'll take photos. Food and it looks horrible. Yeah. Or like, the food just doesn't look complemented by the way the angle or whatnot. Are there any tips you would give people who are gonna take food photos of the food they're about to eat?
Marco Timpano: Well, I. Honestly, I don't. I avoid doing that at restaurants. I don't like pulling out my camera all the time. Like, in given situations, maybe it will be something cool to really capture if it's something really interesting.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Marco Timpano: But something that I've learned in food photography specifically is using natural light.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Marco Timpano: Using. I mean, obviously you're not gonna find that in a dark restaurant at night.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Marco Timpano: But, you might be able to find that, during the daytime or somewhere where you can have access to natural daylight. It's like the best I feel. Not using a flash, not using any, sort of condescent bulbs. Like, you're using natural light is the best I feel is gonna complement
Marco Timpano: the food the best.
Marco Timpano: Absolutely.
Marco Timpano: Or you have to set up giant lights, which is hard to do in a restaurant when you're here.
Marco Timpano: You can't do that all the time. Right.
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Speaking of knives, what do you look for in a chef's knife
Marco Timpano: Speaking of your work as a chef, I want to talk to you about knives.
Marco Timpano: Okay. Yeah.
Marco Timpano: Okay. Because I know a chef's knife is a chef's greatest weapon in the kitchen or their greatest ally in the kitchen. Is that safe to say?
Marco Timpano: Sure. I mean, like, a lot of people say that and it is something you use every day and it's something that you get really used to.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Marco Timpano: But by, by, by no means do I feel like you have to have the best knife to create the best food.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Marco Timpano: Or you have to have the most expensive, sharpest. Right. Knife to do some weird. It's not going to help you really at the end of the day.
Marco Timpano: Right. You need to know it's more of a tool.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Marco Timpano: But I love, like, tools and sort of like different things that help you in your craft. A knife is something that I think is really, really interesting and really sort of like universal. And you can use it in so many different ways. But to cook with it is like you have to use it. Right.
Marco Timpano: Right. Now can you tell the difference when you're using your knife in the kitchen versus a chef colleague's knife, like when you pick up their knife?
Marco Timpano: well, they say that's actually. You get really used to your knife.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Marco Timpano: And how it feels. And sometimes I've grabbed colleagues knives and they feel completely different. And you almost. It's kind of like, interesting. It's almost like you're learning again how to, to use it. It's kind of, it's just a different feel. Every knife has a different feel.
Marco Timpano: So what do you look for in a knife?
Marco Timpano: I don't, I like, I like a good weight. Okay. My knife, like, and something that's not crazy big.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Marco Timpano: Like, I actually prefer a smaller chef's knife style because it's just more, it's more sort of, you have more versatility with it and it's just a little bit more manageable, especially in a small kitchen, so.
Marco Timpano: Cool.
Marco Timpano: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: and you got to take care of your knives. That's one of the things. Because we bought some. Some good knives. You know, we went to the store and we had this whole, like, you bought these knives, and then you got a free cooking class, and you got to learn how to take care of these. I don't even know Ben. I just kind of went with my wife, and we're like, all right, we're gonna do this knife thing.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Marco Timpano: But what I found interesting was the gentleman who was sort of talking about the knives said two, things that really are not good for knives are putting them in the dishwasher or leaving them in water.
Marco Timpano: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: And cutting on glass.
Marco Timpano: Yeah. I mean, I. Who wants to cut on glass?
Marco Timpano: I don't know.
Marco Timpano: That's just like nails on a chalkboard.
Marco Timpano: Well, some people have, like, these, cutting boards that are made of glass.
Marco Timpano: I mean, I'm sure I've had one in my growing up at some point. Sure. My parents definitely had one of those. But I don't know. It's just that's. And, yeah, that's something. I think the most common mistake is the dishwasher.
Marco Timpano: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: And, yeah, you do have to maintain, like, if you take care of a knife, it will last you forever.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Marco Timpano: So just, like, a lot of different tools and different crafts.
Marco Timpano: And how important is it to sharpen your blade?
Marco Timpano: it's very important. And it's just a matter of sort of maintaining it, too, like, because I've
Marco Timpano: seen you sharpen your blade, and it's a thing to watch because it's serious business when you're doing it. And you're very. There's a. There's a sort of elegance to it, too. There's a sort of way that you're moving your hands and the. Oh, what's it called? The, stone. The honing steel.
Marco Timpano: So. Yeah, that's a honing steel.
Marco Timpano: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: And there's, I mean, that's actually technically not. You're not sharpening this. The blade. You're. You're. You're realigning the steel. So once you use. When you use a knife, the edge sort of curls and folds over.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Marco Timpano: And, basically what a honing seal will do is it kind of brings that edge back to center.
A lot of people mistake honing for sharpening, but technically it's not
Center.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Marco Timpano: And. But what happened. You're not actually shaving metal off.
Marco Timpano: I see.
Marco Timpano: So when you take your knife onto a stone, like a wet stone.
Marco Timpano: Oh, I've seen you do that too.
Marco Timpano: Or a belt grinder.
Marco Timpano: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: Which you would like. Ideally you're using a stone that's when you're actually gonna take metal off of the blade and you're sharpening it. I see a lot of people mistaken honing, for sharpening, but technically it's really not. It's actually you're just sort of, you're sort of maintaining its edge.
Marco Timpano: I see.
Marco Timpano: Yeah. Throughout the day. You can do that a couple times a day or as much as you need it. Sure. Use your knife. But yeah, so that's sort of a common.
How often do you use the stone on your knives? I, uh,
Marco Timpano: So how often do you use the stone on your knives?
Marco Timpano: I, mean, I don't find that it depends on the style of knife you have. Well. And the steel that it's made from. And sort of whether it's a soft steel or hard steel.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Marco Timpano: Or a steel that maintain. Like if it's a harder steel, it might maintain an edge longer. And if it's a softer steel, it might get dull faster. But you can bring the edge back easier. Easier.
Marco Timpano: Oh.
Marco Timpano: So it sort of is all varying on what kind of steel the knife is using. And also sort of the style like Japanese knives are thinner. Okay. Styled knives. Opposed to a, French, or sort of European style knife, which is like a thicker Henckel.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Marco Timpano: You know like the Henckels. Yeah. 3.black handle, hefty, knife.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Marco Timpano: And the Japanese are a lot more delicate and thinner and more like fragile. The blades are very fragile.
Marco Timpano: So which do you prefer?
Marco Timpano: I really like. I love like a European or German style handle.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Marco Timpano: But a Japanese blade.
Marco Timpano: Oh, you like the best of both worlds. And do they, do they do that?
Marco Timpano: Yeah, there's companies, there's different brands that make different, styles of knives. But yeah, that would be my sort of ideal.
Is there a particular knife that you currently don't have a particular want
Marco Timpano: And so here's another question. Is there a knife that you currently don't have a particular knife that you would like to have? For example? I don't have a fish knife to debone fish.
Marco Timpano: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: I had no reason because I don't ever do it. But I want that knife because I watched a program where they were like, this is the perfect knife to bone any. And they were just like filleting fish, like just cutting out the bones. And it was interesting looking knife and all that. Now I want that knife. I don't need it, but I want that knife. Do you have a knife that you. Or do you have all the knives you need?
Marco Timpano: I don't have like, I try not to have A lot of, like, I don't have a lot of knives. I don't have this massive collection. I have the bear. Like sort of what I need and what I use. But if there was one that I could sort of, that I would add and, or, or something that I would need or want. Sure.
Marco Timpano: So if like someone's listening, they're like, I don't know what to get Ben. First birthday. This is, this is what you're, what you're saying. so careful what you say, Ben, cuz you might get it.
Marco Timpano: Honestly, you know what I, I really am m intrigued by? specifically in Asia they use like cleavers.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Marco Timpano: A lot for everything. Like they just. A cleaver.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Marco Timpano: For. They can use that for everything that they're cutting in, in food preparation. And I don't have one.
Marco Timpano: Is the one that Chris uses. Is that a cleaver?
Marco Timpano: Like that's called a nakiri.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Marco Timpano: And it's sort of a smaller style, squared off vegetable knife.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Marco Timpano: Similar style but a cleaver, like a meat cleaver.
Marco Timpano: The one with the hole at the tongue.
Marco Timpano: Yeah, like a good, like I don't need that. I'm probably not going to use that very often, but that's something I want.
Marco Timpano: One of my favorite knives that I have in my collection is a cheese knife. I love cheese and I like to use. And there's something about my mother's family. So my mom's family always grew up. You know how you have one item in your house that no matter what, when you have nothing, you have this one item could be bread, it could be, yeah, whatever. Like sweets or whatnot. It was always cheese for my mom. Right. Because she grew up on a farm and they made their own cheese and whatnot. So we always, growing up, we always had cheese. And my mom was very particular on how you sliced or carved cheese and what knives to use and so that translated to meat. So my wife, when she approaches cheese, she's a maniac. She's just like a serial killer. She hacks away the cheese, ends up looking like sorrowful and it always aggravates me. And we have a cheese knife and I love using that cheese knife on soft cheese, hard cheeses and whatnot. And I believe that there's a certain proper way to cut different types of cheeses. Right?
Marco Timpano: Yeah, for sure.
Marco Timpano: And so I really, I, I love my cheese knife. I love the, the different spatulas and whatnot that you get for harder cheeses and whatnot. And to me that's one of My favorite knives.
Do you have a favorite knife in your kitchen
Do you have a favorite knife? I know you talked about your. Your chef's knife, but is there a knife in your kitchen where you're like, I'm. I'm glad I had this.
Marco Timpano: I actually. It's funny you say that, because my chef's knife, I recently got a new one a few months ago and, damaged the tip a few weeks after I got it. And so I've been using this. It's called a pen, a petty knife, or a utility sort of style knife. And it's a very small, sort of very thin blade, but it's fair, like, decently long, maybe seven inches long. And. But it's very thin and small in comparison to a chef's knife. So it's a very, very small sort of tactile knife, and I've been using that in. In. At the restaurant every day for the past few months.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Marco Timpano: And just that knife, and I. And it's. I love it.
Marco Timpano: It's tremendous.
Marco Timpano: Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's awesome.
Marco Timpano: But what. What. It begs the question, what happened to that chef's night that you.
Marco Timpano: I took it home, and then now it's just. I, I. It's a sore sort of like, look at it. I'm gonna take care of you one day. I just have to find the time.
Marco Timpano: Oh, man, I'm sorry to hear that, because I. I know that these knives are expensive, too, right? Yeah. That's why whenever I see someone use a knife incorrectly, like, you know, have you ever seen somebody take a chef's knife and, like, I don't know, like, do, like, just stupid, like, silly things, and you're like. You're gonna. You're gonna break the tip. You're gonna.
Marco Timpano: Yourself. You know, you break yourself.
Marco Timpano: Yeah, fair enough. Like, you don't want to be doing that. I will say this, though, Ben. You know, there's a saying that I think in your case would probably be the opposite, and that's never bring a knife to a gunfight. I have a feeling if you went to a gun knife, a gunfight with a knife, you would do some serious damage.
Marco Timpano: I think so. I think I'd stand a chance at
Marco Timpano: least even just by throwing those.
Marco Timpano: Yeah, that's what I do. I just throw it right away.
Marco Timpano: Yeah. Fair enough.
Marco Timpano: that's it?
Marco Timpano: Fair enough?
Marco Timpano: That's all you got?
Marco Timpano: Listen, be careful with those knives. They say that the, the most dangerous thing in a kitchen is a dull knife.
Marco Timpano: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: Yeah. Would you say so?
Marco Timpano: Yeah, because it's just. They say the likelihood of it slipping off of a different food product is more likely because if you have a sharp knife, it's going to go straight into that material. Opposed to putting more pressure to try and get it to go in and then having it slip off and potentially cutting yourself.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Marco Timpano: Knife safety knife rules. You want to one on one, you got. That's the basics right there.
Marco Timpano: There you go. Ben, I want to thank you so much for being a part of this episode.
Marco Timpano: Thanks for having me, Mark.
Marco Timpano: I hope you had fun. I certainly learned not only about, knives, but about photography as well. Yeah, those are two topics that don't get talked about together often enough.
Marco Timpano: Thank you so much for having me.
Marco Timpano: No worries. As always, I want to say, thank you to my guest, Ben. And this episode was recorded by Drumcast Productions and we were recording in Toronto, Canada. Once again, we invite you to rate us on itunes and send us a message. Listen and sleep. We hope you enjoyed this episode.
Marco Timpano: Sa.

Looking for a sleep podcast to fall asleep fast, reduce anxiety, and quiet an overactive mind? This calming episode of The Insomnia Project is designed for insomnia relief, stress reduction, and gentle nighttime unwinding through slow, soothing conversation.
Marco Timpano and Nidhi Khanna explore doors, doorbells, doormats, and everyday home routines in a relaxed, low-stimulation discussion perfect for bedtime listening. From the subtle etiquette of knocking versus ringing a doorbell to the personality of a welcoming doormat, this episode transforms familiar household details into a cozy and calming experience.
The conversation also drifts into smoke detectors and the small sounds and rhythms of home life, creating a grounded, everyday atmosphere that helps ease racing thoughts and promote relaxation. With soft-spoken storytelling and unhurried pacing, this meandering podcast episode is ideal for sleep, stress relief, or quiet background listening.
Whether you’re searching for a sleep podcast for insomnia, calming background noise while you work, or a gentle way to unwind at the end of the day, The Insomnia Project offers a comforting, reliable escape.

Doors, Knocks & Wreaths | A Gentle Chat with Marco Timpano and Nidhi Khanna - Episode 14
Marco Timpano: Welcome to the Insomnia project. Sit back, relax and listen. As we are about to have a conversation about the mundane, one thing we can promise is that our conversation will be less than fascinating. So you can feel free to just drift off. Thank you for joining us. We hope you will listen and sleep.
Marco Timpano: I'm feeling a little breathy today
I'm your host, Marco Timpano.
Nidhi Khanna: And I'm your co host, Nidhi Khanna.
Marco Timpano: I'm a little bit breathy today.
Nidhi Khanna: Nidhi. Are you?
Marco Timpano: Yeah. I think I'm fighting something so I can feel it. You know when you can feel things in your, in your, in your voice? That's how I'm feeling today.
Nidhi Khanna: Well, you made that wonderful ginger tea, so hopefully that will do.
Marco Timpano: You like it?
Nidhi Khanna: I enjoy ginger tea so that's.
Marco Timpano: Yeah, it can be a little bit strong. Like I think I over steeped mine. I think I need to lightly steep the ginger D because it was a bit peppery.
Nidhi Khanna: See, I love that.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Nidhi Khanna: I love it when it's over steeped.
Marco Timpano: One of the interesting things about Nidhi is whenever we go to a restaurant, one thing she'll always do when the food comes, she'll always be like, do you have some hot sauce? Can I get some hot sauce? Before she even tastes it, there's got to be hot sauce on the table.
Nidhi Khanna: I really, I evaluate my restaurants based on their hot sauce selection.
Marco Timpano: Oh, really? What is a faux pas if I
Nidhi Khanna: ask for hot sauce and they give me Tabasco?
Marco Timpano: No, Not a good scene.
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah, it's not a good scene. Or Frank's even worse.
Marco Timpano: Really?
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: What if they bring you a little tray of different sauces? That works.
Nidhi Khanna: I'm very impressed by that.
Marco Timpano: All right, so there, you know, there you go. If Needy comes in, have your tray of sauces ready.
Nidhi Khanna: There you go.
Marco: Do you prefer to knock or ring a doorbell
Marco Timpano: I wanted to talk to you about doors.
Nidhi Khanna: Let's do it, Marco.
Marco Timpano: So first of all, what kind of door do you have at your house? Is it a metal door or wooden door?
Nidhi Khanna: You know, that's a good question, actually. So I want to say it's like. It's like a fire door because I live in an apartment.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Nidhi Khanna: So it's, I'm assuming a wooden door, but I could be very wrong. No, because it's a fire door.
Marco Timpano: But the door that leads to your apartment is a fire door.
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Nidhi Khanna: But not like your typical fire door like you would find in office. Right, but it's. Don't apartments have to have like a special type of door?
Marco Timpano: Oh, that's a great question. I don't know. My door is a metal door.
Nidhi Khanna: Is it?
Marco Timpano: Yeah, it's a metal door because we have a magnet on it. And, my preference is a wood door because. Do you prefer to knock or ring a doorbell? Nidhi, what's your preference? Like when you approach a friend's house or a stranger's house that you need
Nidhi Khanna: to contact, I usually first look for a doorbell.
Marco Timpano: So you prefer a doorbell?
Nidhi Khanna: I don't know if it's that I prefer it. It's more of. It's what I'm accustomed to. So it's habitually what I would look for, but I would love to have like a door knocker or something.
Marco Timpano: I think your door is a wooden door.
Nidhi Khanna: Is it?
Marco Timpano: I think it's. Now that I think of it because I'm like. I was just about to say I've haven't been to your apartment, but I. So have we recorded the last episode there?
Nidhi Khanna: Yes. And, well, I think the front door is definitely a wooden door. Front door, like the front door leading into the corridor.
Marco Timpano: See, I think that's the black one. I think that's a metal door. I think your door is a wooden door. You know how you can find the. Easily find this out is knock on the door when you go home and see how it feels, right?
Nidhi Khanna: Oh, yeah. I wouldn't be able to tell you that way.
Marco Timpano: Do you have one of those things that you look out.
Nidhi Khanna: No.
Marco Timpano: What are they called?
Nidhi Khanna: A peephole.
Marco Timpano: Peephole? Yeah. You don't have one?
Nidhi Khanna: No.
Marco Timpano: M. You should get one.
Nidhi Khanna: Like, I live in a house, right.
Marco Timpano: So I have one now. Do you. Do you. Would you use a peephole? Because Amanda uses it. I don't really use it.
Nidhi Khanna: I don't use it. Also, the doorbell for. For the house that I live in doesn't work. So in order for you to, For me to open the door, you would be contacting me.
Marco Timpano: I see.
Nidhi Khanna: So I would know who's at the door.
Marco Timpano: Okay. And what if you're expecting a package?
Nidhi Khanna: I don't really expect packages.
Marco Timpano: Okay, fair enough. You need to get more packages delivered? I think so.
Nidhi Khanna: I guess so.
Marco Timpano: What about. Have you ever seen those door. I guess they're called knockers and stuff that have different kind of like. And like a woodpecker that knocks or like a little bear's paw. I don't know, lion, or something. M. What do you think of those?
Nidhi Khanna: I think. I mean. Okay, so door knockers, for me, can be really cool. Like if they're, like a family treasure of some sort or like. Wow.
Marco Timpano: What kind of families do you know that have family crafts like that?
Nidhi Khanna: Just, you know, if you're, like, own a castle in England or something.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Nidhi Khanna: A door knocker. Oh, like that. It would knock like that. Correct.
Marco Timpano: My goodness. I, just knocked my glasses.
You can't have a doorbell without a door knocker
Nidhi Khanna: We hope we didn't just wake everyone up from their slumber.
Marco Timpano: I'm sorry about that.
Nidhi Khanna: If you have just woken up, we're talking about. We're talking about door knockers. so, yeah, if you have, like, a castle, you kind of. You can't have a doorbell. You have to have a knocker. That would be very.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Nidhi Khanna: I think there's some, like. Like the house that we used to have in Montreal.
Marco Timpano: Was it a castle?
Nidhi Khanna: It was not a castle, but it was like an old kind of Victorian home. So, like, a door knocker was very much a part of the, look and feel of, the house.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Nidhi Khanna: I think if you were to have.
Marco Timpano: What did your door knocker look like?
Nidhi Khanna: Oh, I can't even remember.
Marco Timpano: Was it just.
Nidhi Khanna: It was like a metal.
Marco Timpano: Was it just a ring or was it.
Nidhi Khanna: I, think it was a ring.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Nidhi Khanna: I didn't use the door knocker that much because I never went to the first. I never went to the front door. I always went to the back door. but, like, if you have, like, a modern house, I feel like a Door knocker would be really, I don't know, out of sorts.
Marco Timpano: But then I've seen some like, cool door knockers.
Nidhi Khanna: Novelty ones.
Marco Timpano: No. Even just like, interesting shapes or like.
Nidhi Khanna: Okay.
Marco Timpano: Depending on the, the way your house looks, you could have something that reflects the neighborhood or your home. For example, I'd like to get one at the cottage that's kind of like beachy. Whether it's a starfish or.
Nidhi Khanna: Oh, nice.
Marco Timpano: I don't know.
Nidhi Khanna: But that would go with the cottage. Right?
Marco Timpano: Like I'm not nobody really. The interesting thing is nobody knocks on the door at the cottage.
Nidhi Khanna: No, exactly.
Marco Timpano: Right. You just kind of come in. If you have guests, I guess they could knock, but generally speaking, you would have the door open and people would come from the front door.
Nidhi Khanna: And when you knock, like when you're knocking on a door using a door knocker, how many knocks do you do?
Marco Timpano: Okay, so if I use my fist.
Nidhi Khanna: A fist?
Marco Timpano: No.
Nidhi Khanna: What do you call punching your.
Marco Timpano: No, but like if I'm not using. If I'm not using a knock or a proper knocker, if I'm just knocking with my hand.
Nidhi Khanna: Oh, I see. Okay. Okay.
Marco Timpano: What would you call that? Like a clenched hand?
Nidhi Khanna: Sure.
Marco Timpano: So if I'm knocking with my hand on the door, I think I knock three times.
Nidhi Khanna: Knock.
Marco Timpano: Knock, knock. If I'm using a door, like a brass door knocker, I think twice. Bang, bang.
Nidhi Khanna: That sounds about right.
Marco Timpano: I don't know what the, what the etiquette is with regards to that. Niddy's going to look it up.
Nidhi Khanna: I don't know.
We painted our door yellow because it was feng shui themed
I'm going to ask now, is there
Marco Timpano: a particular color that you like for your door?
Nidhi Khanna: Oh, that's a good question.
Marco Timpano: Because we painted ours yellow.
Nidhi Khanna: Oh, why did you choose?
Marco Timpano: Because I was like looking into like feng shui colors and I don't know, we just wanted to paint it. I think it was a, it was kind of like an off white and we were just like, let's paint it an interesting color or something like that. And I don't know how we determined yellow. I think maybe Amanda picked it. I don't think I was like fighting too hard.
Nidhi Khanna: well, it is supposed to be a very calming, color.
Marco Timpano: I don't know. I don't know what to be. I really don't know why we picked yellow, but we picked yellow. I think red is a good luck color for doors in feng shui. That's why you'll often see homes with red doors.
Nidhi Khanna: It's also easy to like make it distinct because not many people have a red door. So I'm the house with the red door.
Marco Timpano: Right. You know, I think there's more homes than you think that have red doors.
Nidhi Khanna: Really?
Marco Timpano: Yeah. Now that I said that, you take a look when you're like, jogging or driving and see, see how many red doors you see.
Nidhi Khanna: I will do that now, you know
Marco Timpano: what we did at my mom's place is we put in a keyless lock. Yeah.
Nidhi Khanna: How does that work?
Marco Timpano: So basically you still have a key for it, but you can access it with a series of numbers. So you just kind of like type in like a keypad. Right. And you type in the number, whatever it is, let's say it's 1, 2, 3. And it'll unlock the door, which is great. When you have a lot of things in your hand, you can just type in the number and it opens it up. Nidhi to install this, it was a nightmare. You know, when you get instructions in something you've purchased and they don't, they aren't clear. And you would think that a company that offers, you know, a product that requires installation nowadays would have a website that would explain it. Right. Luckily, there's a whole bunch of YouTube videos out there that people like us put on the net. So thank you to those people who decide to put how, to set your keyless store lock. Because we were able to figure it out. Only because of that. Because the instructions were far too convoluted, for us to figure that out.
I recently put together a box using IKEA instructions
What about a doormat? Do you have doormats in front of your place?
Nidhi Khanna: I do, but I just want to go back to the instructions for a moment.
Marco Timpano: Oh, sure.
Nidhi Khanna: Because I recently put together, using IKEA instructions, a box essentially.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Nidhi Khanna: For my living room.
Marco Timpano: And is it the one I saw the other day? The one that I said, this is really nice. You said, I got it from ikea, that you have like your candles and.
Nidhi Khanna: No, this was in the study room where the desk that you gave me is. There's three box type things there now. And, to put together these very simple boxes took me like an hour. Because the instructions. Because you know how IKEA instructions don't
Marco Timpano: have words, they just have that little stick guy or.
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah. And the pictures. Right. And so. So I had to Google it online to figure out. Apparently there's a common problem with this box because you have to make sure that the side that you put in last is the correct one, otherwise the thing won't fit.
Marco Timpano: Oh, so it's one of those, like, if you get it in the wrong way. It's not gonna work.
Nidhi Khanna: yeah, if you put the wrong side up, last. It'll just be a mess and then you'll ruin the entire thing.
Marco Timpano: No.
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Marco Timpano: Did you solve. Were you able to.
Nidhi Khanna: I was able to solve it and then it was a breeze. Sure. You know, it was one of those. Oh, IKEA moments.
Marco Timpano: It's one of those things, you know, we were. We were discussing life hacks, you and I, and there's a life hack that says when you're doing a IKEA assembly or some sort of assembly project, to have a, muffin tiny to put the different screws and bolts in. So that. Because, you know, oftentimes you'll get something that has different types of screws that you're gonna have to use one type in one area of the thing you're putting together and another type, and it'll have nuts and bolts and things that you might need. Well, you put them in the different sections of the muffin pan and you'll know where they are so you're not scrambling to look for them. I thought that was a great.
Nidhi Khanna: That is a great life hap.
It really depends on what your intention is when you're knocking
Mark, I'm just looking at knocking etiquette.
Marco Timpano: Oh, so there is such a thing?
Nidhi Khanna: There is, and it really depends on what your intention is when you're knocking. Okay, so if it's sort of like a general access knock, you're really looking to, knock your knuckles four times.
Marco Timpano: Oh, four.
Nidhi Khanna: So if you're just trying to get, ah, access to room, it's a General knock. It's 1, 2, 3, 4. And you're supposed to, For those of our listeners who are musically inclined, it's supposed to be in a straight eighth note pattern.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Nidhi Khanna: Do you know what that means?
Marco Timpano: No, not quite, but I don't either.
Nidhi Khanna: so it would be like a clock, clock, clock, clock. There's an extra knock there. But if it's an inquisitive knock, like,
Marco Timpano: you know, are you home or something.
Nidhi Khanna: Are you home? And you're expecting a response from the person on the other side or something like that, then you're supposed to do it in odd numbers. Okay, so three knocks or five knocks.
Marco Timpano: Oh, interesting.
Nidhi Khanna: but, yeah, so it's almost always, And it's done. Both those knocks are done with your knuckles. Okay, so that's an interesting one versus an expected knock. you don't need to be as polite with your knocking because the person's expecting you.
Marco Timpano: Okay, so I'm coming to your house to record a podcast. You're expecting me. So how many times do I knock?
Nidhi Khanna: So you still knock about like three times, similar to the inquisitive knock, but with more emphasis.
Marco Timpano: Like I'm here. Boom, boom, boom.
Nidhi Khanna: Yes. Or, most commonly people will just do a simple two knock pattern because it's expected.
Marco Timpano: So you're. The person knows.
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah, it's like knock, knock. so that, that's, that's pretty much basic knocking etiquette.
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Marco says his smoke detector started beeping constantly before the holidays
Marco Timpano: What about doorbells? Do you ring it just once and stand back and wait how long before you ring it the second time?
Nidhi Khanna: That's a good question. I usually anywhere from like 5 to 15 seconds. Okay, right. Because.
Marco Timpano: Well, it depends on the doorbell because now they, you know, there was a time. I know my mother in law just installed doorbell that would. You could have different chimes. so she had like Christmas and then she changed it to New Year's and it has like the bells of Westminster and like it has.
Nidhi Khanna: How long does the bell take to ring?
Marco Timpano: Well, let's just say, you know, you're listening to a tune by the time all is said and done.
Nidhi Khanna: But I think it also depends on whether or not, you know, the person's at home.
Marco Timpano: I like the ding dong.
Nidhi Khanna: You know that simple, simple, simple ding dong. I like that. And if you know the person's there and you keep ringing, I feel like that's a little excessive. But if you're not sure, as a person home, I would ring maybe twice. Three times max.
Marco Timpano: See, we have a problem with our doorknob. Our door, our doorbell. Because you can only hear it on the main floor. So if we're all the way upstairs and you ring the bell, I won't hear it. So make sure you call or you keep ringing because good to know. Sometimes I'll be upstairs and I'll be like, was that the doorbell? And then by the time I come down, there's a note on the door that I now have to pick up the package at post, office. And I'm like, oh, I missed it. You know what I mean?
Nidhi Khanna: I feel like there's got to be a life hack for, or a way to make that easier. Like the delivery of.
Marco Timpano: There should be. There should be something where you can like you get a text.
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah. Or you can track it in real time. Is it at your door or something? Gps type of locator on the packet now.
Marco Timpano: So your doorbell doesn't work at your place.
Nidhi Khanna: No.
Marco Timpano: Are you planning to get it fixed?
Nidhi Khanna: I think I need to change the batteries or something.
Marco Timpano: Oh, so it's a simple thing that you.
Nidhi Khanna: I think so.
Marco Timpano: Okay. I can help you with that in case. We'll take a look.
Nidhi Khanna: Thank you. Also put my smoke detector back.
Marco Timpano: Oh, you should have that working.
Nidhi Khanna: It. It required. So here's the issue with the smoke detector, slash carbon monoxide detector. M. Right before the holidays a few weeks before the holidays, it started to beep, but it was beeping so infrequently that I thought I was just hearing things.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Nidhi Khanna: And then it started to beep and beep and beep. And then a woman's voice started to come on every 20 minutes, saying, battery low change batteries. Wow.
Marco Timpano: You have a very sophisticated, except, Marco.
Nidhi Khanna: It did this all night long between the beeping and the woman's voice. Now, the problem with all of this is that I am five foot three.
Marco Timpano: Oh, no.
Nidhi Khanna: And my ceiling is very high.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Nidhi Khanna: And the step stool that I had cannot reach it. So I spent the whole night in this, like, state of, I think, torture, because they must use this type of torture on people, trying to fall asleep and being woken up by this beeping every time. Which means that it's really great if there is a problem, because you're gonna wake up to the slee. Sound of this alarm. Not so great if you're just trying to get through the night.
Marco Timpano: So what did you do?
Nidhi Khanna: Well, I had to. So what we need. What I needed was a, proper ladder. Now I don't have a proper life. So I called my landlord, and they were like, well, we can send someone, but it's going to cost you $150.
Marco Timpano: I have a ladder.
Nidhi Khanna: Because you're really responsible, once you get into the unit, of changing the batteries in the carbon monoxide or the. The. The smoke detector.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Nidhi Khanna: So, one of my friends came over, and, I live right across from a, almost like a warehouse type of, building.
Marco Timpano: I think they re.
Nidhi Khanna: They salvage wood and create furniture and stuff. So he went across the way, was like, hey, can I borrow your ladder? And actually, they said, sure. And so, he brought the carbon dioxide. I mean, he brought the smoke to. He turned. But he's six foot. He's just over six feet.
Marco Timpano: Right?
Nidhi Khanna: And even with the ladder, really almost couldn't get it because of the angle of the ladder had to be in such a way that the rung that he had to stand on to reach the, smoke detector wasn't. Was almost just out of reach.
Marco Timpano: Oh, no.
Nidhi Khanna: Because of the angle.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Nidhi Khanna: So he finally got that, and then we brought it down, and it was like, okay, great. Now we all just need a drink, and so let's go.
I had to replace my smoke detector because my ceilings are so high
And as we're going out the. Out of the house, the smoke detector beeps, again. And it was like this mad, like, moment where everyone was like, oh, my God, no, no, we can't. So, we took the batteries out And I had to replace it. So now I have the batteries to replace it, but I don't have a ladder and I don't have the height to actually replace.
Marco Timpano: But does it have to be in that spot or can it be positioned elsewhere?
Nidhi Khanna: I don't know.
Marco Timpano: Like, is it stuck on the wall
Nidhi Khanna: or is it removable? No, no, it's like it is removable, but it's stuck on the wall. You, where else are you going to put it?
Marco Timpano: Some of them are like detachable. Right. That are kind of screwed into a plate that holds it into the ceiling or whatnot.
Nidhi Khanna: So probably that's it.
Nidhi Khanna: So you mean I can just put it anywhere?
Marco Timpano: Where is the actual smoke detector now? Is it in its place or is it off its place and. Oh, it's sitting on, sitting on it on a table or something, let's say. Right?
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah, underneath the sink.
Marco Timpano: Okay. Now do you insert the batteries into the unit that's underneath the sink? Then you could probably place that anywhere you want.
Nidhi Khanna: Oh really?
Marco Timpano: Yeah, most likely, like, because the higher it is. Now I'm no fire expert on fire chief, but you want to keep it high because the smoke will billow up and you don't want it, let's say above your stove.
Nidhi Khanna: Right.
Marco Timpano: Because otherwise if you're cooking something, it'll. It'll go off.
Nidhi Khanna: Right.
Marco Timpano: So that's why you tend to put it somewhere, somewhere high in the middle of your apartment or whatnot.
Nidhi Khanna: Right, yeah, that makes sense.
Marco Timpano: And so you could put it somewhere that's a little bit more accessible to you.
Nidhi Khanna: The problem is that all my ceilings are so high that there would be no other than in the kitchen on top of the refrigerator. There would be no place for me to put it that would be that high.
Marco Timpano: I'll figure it out. Okay, we'll figure something out.
Nidhi Khanna: Perfect.
Marco Timpano: But right now, are you smoke detector less?
Nidhi Khanna: Yes.
Marco Timpano: Oh, that's not good.
Nidhi Khanna: No.
Marco Timpano: Okay, we'll figure this out, listeners. Stay tuned to that.
What do you think of doormats? I love them personally
But I wanted to ask you about doormats.
Nidhi Khanna: Yes.
Marco Timpano: What do you think of doormats? I love them personally and I wish we had more. In this house we have like three or four. We change with the seasons. Yeah.
Nidhi Khanna: Oh, oh, okay. For your outdoor.
Marco Timpano: Yeah, for the outdoor.
Nidhi Khanna: I use it only really in the winter for my boots.
Marco Timpano: Right. I'm talking about, I like the ones outside that say welcome or beware of dog. And part of it's kind of like looks like it's been bitten or something.
Nidhi Khanna: What are the three that you have I have a.
Marco Timpano: There's a summer one that I think is some sort of beach scene, but I think it's made its way to my cottage. I have a plaid. Blue plaid one that I guess would be our winter one.
Nidhi Khanna: Oh, a blue plaid one.
Marco Timpano: Like, it's a light blue. I think it's out there right now.
Nidhi Khanna: Okay.
Marco Timpano: And then I have, I think one that we got rid of that was a green. A green one that said something on it. I don't remember. But I like. I like doormats.
Nidhi Khanna: Do you. What do you like about them?
Marco Timpano: I don't know. They're just like. They can be funny or they can be like classic or.
Nidhi Khanna: What do you think that. Do you think it says something about the people living in the place? Oh, like personality wise?
Marco Timpano: Yeah, I think so. I think it can. It can express your personality at the door.
Nidhi Khanna: I think so too. I mean, mine's a very utilitarian one.
Marco Timpano: Okay. But, no, let me ask you this. What about wreaths and things like that hung on the door?
Nidhi Khanna: I didn't grow up with it, so I never did it. But I would totally hang a wreath on my door.
Marco Timpano: We have. We grew up just around the holidays, like around Christmas, hanging them.
Nidhi Khanna: Right, right.
Marco Timpano: And then I was at one of these, like, houseware type stores, you know, that have. They have a section for clothes and a section for beauty and a section for home. Well, when I tend to go to those and Amanda's trying on clothes, I'll go to the home section. M. And I found this really beautiful wreath that had colored eggs around it. So it was an Easter themed wreath.
Nidhi Khanna: Okay.
Marco Timpano: But it was really pretty and it was on sale, so I bought it and I've used it now for three or four years. And then. So do you know the town of Schomburg now?
Nidhi Khanna: Dale Boyer is from.
Marco Timpano: Exactly. From Schomburg. So Schomburg has a Christmas. I can't believe I'm talking about Schomburg Christmas because really I should be talking about this with Dale, but she comes up quite a bit on our show. Do you know?
Nidhi Khanna: She does. She does.
Marco Timpano: We have to have her back.
Nidhi Khanna: We do.
Marco Timpano: So, I was at Schomburg Christmas, and it's like this little town that has a little Christmas market and they do a little parade and it's kind of a rural community. So the parade is like a lot of tractors that have Christmas lights on them and whatnot. So we're walking down the little town square, going into various shops. And you know me, I like to pick up various knickknacks and things. And they had these, they look like, you know, those red, red cranberry type berries that you see around Christmas time. They're. It's not holly berries, but they're bigger berries. Well, they had this, this big cluster of them. And they kind of looked like, candied apples. You know, candied apples have this really sort of shine and redness and whatnot. So it was a bunch of little cranberry size circles that were coated in this, you know, look like candy apple red. So it looked very, very festive. And I remember spending, I think it was $36 for it. And this was a while back, knitting. I was like, this is a lot of money for something that you hang on the door. And I was kind of like, am I really gonna spend 36 bucks on this? And it was with Dale. And she's like, hm, you'll probably really like it. And I'm like, I do really like it. Yeah. And I go, and it'll remind me of Schomburg. I've used it every year since then. It must, must be 10 years that I have it. And I love, taking it out every time. It looks so great on the door because it's so vibrant. Vibrant.
I'm looking for a summer and spring door wreath
And you know, you can buy these type things at your local hardware store and whatnot around, around the holidays, but they don't have. This one's really well made and it's really red.
Nidhi Khanna: Handcrafted?
Marco Timpano: No. I don't know if it's handcrafted, but it's just one of those ones that you, you know, you can tell the quality of it and it's lasted. And so that began my sort of, door wreath,
Nidhi Khanna: you know, fascination.
Marco Timpano: Fascination. And now I'm looking for a summer and spring door wreath. Amanda puts one up that I really don't like.
Nidhi Khanna: Does she know you don't like it?
Marco Timpano: She likes it, but I think it looks, I don't like the way it looks. It's like a summery one. It's kind of like, It's like this, you know, that kind of. How do you describe this? Like wickery. It's like a wickery, wood. Like thin pieces of straw. Wickery wood. I don't know what you call this. I'm sure there's a term for it. And it's kind of like folded in kind of a
Nidhi Khanna: heart shape.
Marco Timpano: No, not a heart shape, but like a. This shape.
Nidhi Khanna: Like a. Oh, like a knot, like
Marco Timpano: a. Ah, like a ribbon, Like a cross. And it's got A few little flowers. Flowers mixed into it. I don't like it.
Nidhi Khanna: What would you like in a summer wreath?
Marco Timpano: I don't know. Something summery. I don't know. I need to find. I need a good suggestion of a summer wreath. And I know that you can go to, like, Michaels and places, and there they even have, like, a workshop where they show you how to make wreaths.
Nidhi Khanna: I was going to say, like, you're so crafty and artistic that, like, you could just make your own.
Marco Timpano: I guess. I guess I just have to sort of sit and do a door wreath for the summer that I like.
Nidhi Khanna: So I'm looking at some wreaths right now. And what's interesting, like, I like. So there's this wreath here that isn't a circular wreath, because most wreaths are circular. I think that's kind of cool for the summer. Something different. Yeah, a little bit.
Marco Timpano: My spring wreath is the eggs. So I just need a good summer. I need a summer wreath.
Nidhi Khanna: Yeah. Yeah. Well, it does make. It does make a home. Like a good first impression.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Nidhi Khanna: There you go. First impression.
Marco Timpano: Well, there you go.
Nidhi Khanna: Well, again, you can be like, I'm the one with the wreath on the door in summer.
Marco Timpano: I like that you use it as, like, a distinctive marker for your home.
Nidhi Khanna: I do, I do, I do.
Marco Timpano: Well, on that note, we'll have to let you know what summer wreath I find when I get one that I like or I design one. Until then, thank you for listening. We hope you enjoyed this episode on Doors and any Smoke alarm.
Nidhi Khanna: As always, we are produced by Drum Cast Productions that I've been recording in Toronto, Canada. So until the next time, we hope you listen and sleep.

Looking for a sleep podcast to fall asleep fast, reduce anxiety, and quiet an overactive mind? This calming episode of The Insomnia Project is designed for insomnia relief, stress reduction, and gentle nighttime unwinding through slow, soothing conversation.
Marco Timpano welcomes guest Phil Luzi for a relaxed discussion about doodling, creativity, and everyday artistic expression, offering low-stimulation, easygoing content perfect for bedtime listening. From simple lines turning into spontaneous sketches to the calming act of letting a pen wander, this episode creates a cozy and meditative atmosphere.
The conversation also drifts into memories of concerts and live music, along with reflections on sharing creativity online, blending familiar experiences with soft, meandering storytelling. With unhurried pacing and gentle topics, this relaxing podcast episode helps ease racing thoughts, reduce anxiety, and create a peaceful environment for sleep.
Whether you’re searching for a sleep podcast for insomnia, calming background noise while you work, or a gentle way to unwind at the end of the day, The Insomnia Project offers a comforting, reliable escape.

Doodling Dreams & Calm Conversations | Episode 6 with Phil Luzi
Marco Timpano: Welcome to the Insomnia Project. Sit back, relax and listen as we have a conversation about the mundane. One thing that we can promise is that our conversation will be less than fascinating, so you can feel free to just drift m off. Thank you for joining us. We hope you will listen and sleep. I'm your host, Marco Timpano, and joining me is a dear friend, Phil Luzzi. Welcome, Phil.
Phil Luzi: Thank you, Phil.
Marco Timpano: Before we go on, let me say that our listeners can follow you on twitter @Philluzzi. Luzi spelled L U Z I. So it's P H I L L U Z I. Or go to your website, which is philluzzi.com.
Phil Luzzi: yeah.
Marco Timpano: You're an actor, a writer, a performer, a creator, and something that I've always enjoyed is a cabaretist.
Phil Luzzi: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: You've hosted and performed in cabarets and you're quite delightful to see live.
Phil Luzzi: Good word, by the way.
Marco Timpano: Thank you. So if you get a chance to see Phil Lucy, please do so.
Phil Luzzi: Thanks.
Marco Timpano: And we're in Sudbury because you're performing in Sudbury.
Phil Luzzi: That's right. With your wife.
Marco Timpano: Yeah. So it's like I'm gonna. I'm gonna go to Sudbury and record some podcasts and Sudbury for our listeners who aren't Aware is a city in, on Northern Ontario that is well known for its mines, in particular mining nickel.
Phil Luzzi: Yes, I thought you meant mines. Like a bunch of smart people live here.
Marco Timpano: You know what, I think there are some, Sandra Battolini, who is a mutual friend, was talking about a whole bunch of scientific and things that are going on in Sudbury that are quite. Maybe I'll get her on a podcast to talk more. We share a common passion.
Phil Luzzi: What's that?
Marco Timpano: Doodling.
Phil Luzzi: Oh, I love doodling very, very much.
Marco Timpano: I oftentimes when I'm doing a podcast, I'm making circles or whatnot. What's your go to doodle?
Phil Luzzi: it started off being simple, doing geometric things 2D, then went to 3D.
Marco Timpano: Oh, you started 2D, you went to 3D.
Phil Luzzi: Now I'm, I like, I'm obsessed. My go to doodle is an eyebrow.
Marco Timpano: A single eyebrow.
Phil Luzzi: I always do the left side of a face. I can't do a matching right side for some reason. I try challeng myself.
Marco Timpano: Okay. What is it about the left side that you find?
Phil Luzzi: I'm left handed.
Marco Timpano: Oh, I see.
Phil Luzzi: So I find balance when I draw with that hand. I can't draw with my right hand, but I draw eyebrows if I, if I feel so inclined. An eye follows.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Phil Luzzi: And then a nose. Half a nose and half lips.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Phil Luzzi: Yeah. I don't know what it is. I love doodling. I can't, I can't do it enough. Do you get in trouble doodling in meetings because people think I'm not listening?
Marco Timpano: See, I find that when I doodle, it actually allows me to focus and listen and not be distracted because it's like by doing a simple repetitive pattern on paper with a pen, I'm actually able to clear my mind and really listen to what the person is speaking.
Phil Luzzi: That's what happens to me. I can absorb information. I'm listening and focused. But I think it gives off the wrong impression to people who don't know your obsessions.
Marco Timpano: Really. You know, a technique you one could use is do you mind if I take notes during this meeting? Nice, right?
Phil Luzzi: And you didn't specify whether those notes are going to be written in letters
Marco Timpano: or in eyebrow pictures. Perhaps you're doing.
Phil Luzzi: See how surprised this eyebrow looks? Well, what you're saying is shocking.
Marco Timpano: There you go.
Do you prefer a pen or a pencil when you doodle
Do you prefer a pen or a pencil when you doodle?
Phil Luzzi: Well, I prefer either a pencil or. You know those markers that teachers use in grade two to mark papers?
Marco Timpano: Like a thin point marker?
Phil Luzzi: Yeah, I love those. Any particular color well, baby blue. I found one. I don't know how, but I got lucky. It's in my bag right now. I carry it with me everywhere.
Marco Timpano: See, I prefer to use blue ink. I don't like writing in black ink. It's never, I don't know, I prefer blue ink. Pen?
Phil Luzzi: Yes.
Marco Timpano: And in fact, at home I've got a drawer full of pens that I don't use that are black ink. So you know how you acquire pens from, I don't know, a bank or restaurant and have a logo on it. And then you get home, if I see it's black, black ink, I just throw it in the thing.
Phil Luzzi: You're partial to blue, I call it. Maybe you're old fashioned.
Marco Timpano: Is it?
Phil Luzzi: Maybe. Okay, like ink is traditionally blue.
Marco Timpano: No, no, I think it's black. I think really ink, when people were using it was like dipped. It was a black ink that people would use. I think blue came in fashion. I really don't know. I don't even know.
Phil Luzzi: That's really odd. And then red made its way in there. Who knows what happened there.
Marco Timpano: But your preference is the baby blue.
Phil Luzzi: Well, in that marker I also share your love. If I had to write in pen, I prefer. I like blue ink.
Marco Timpano: Oh, there you go.
Phil Luzzi: Yeah, when I used to, when we stuffed to write in school, I wrote so hard, my grade six teacher, Mr. Maranka, used to make fun of me and say, I could read your essay by just feeling the other side of it because it would be like braille.
Marco Timpano: Yeah. I press hard too, when I write. I always have. And so oftentimes I'll have a sheet of paper under what I'm writing so it won't come through to the next sheet when I turn the page.
Phil Luzzi: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: Ah, because I press so hard. In fact, if you go to my mom's house and you look at one of her, what do you call them little tables that you have by a. By a chesterfield or a sofa. What's that?
Phil Luzzi: Coffee table. Yeah, coffee table.
Marco Timpano: Coffee table. You'll see impressions of. When I was a kid and I was writing things, I had an obsession with fish. So I was always drawing fish. Oh, is that your go to.it was when I was a kid. Actually. I do that. I do a lot of under underwater
Phil Luzzi: realism or more like, the shape of a fish. If I had to like explain what
Marco Timpano: a fish was, more like kind of, a cartoon version that kids would understand. So if I drew an octopus, it wouldn't necessarily be a realistic octopus.
Phil Luzzi: Right.
Marco Timpano: But it would be something With a big head and eight arms. And kids would know, Right? Because I do it for my nephew.
Phil Luzzi: You said five arms. What do you think an octopus with five arms would be?
Marco Timpano: Well, you know, if it got into a fight and lost three of them.
Phil Luzzi: A pentapus, I guess.
Marco Timpano: I guess.
Phil Luzzi: Must be.
Marco Timpano: There are creatures under the sea that have five. Like a starfish.
Phil Luzzi: Oh, right.
Phil Luzzi: He got a glamorous name, though.
Marco Timpano: Yeah, it's true. It's true.
I use Instagram as my, um, vision board
What about your love of Instagram? Because I've been an Instagrammer.
Phil Luzzi: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: And right now I'm on a trend.
Phil Luzzi: Okay, what is it?
Marco Timpano: So I love cappuccinos and our listeners.
Phil Luzzi: I saw your cappuccino post today.
Marco Timpano: So I always, if I get a great cappuccino, I will take a photo and then I use an app called, font Candy, where I can write words on it or whatnot. I'll show it to you after and then I'll post it. So if it's a great cappuccino, I'll say, this is a cappuccino. But more often than not, I'll go to places and I won't get a good cappuccino and I'll write, this is not a cappuccino. And so I've got a series of
Phil Luzzi: Instagram photos that are not cappuccinos, just
Marco Timpano: cappuccinos or cappuccino fails.
Phil Luzzi: Right.
Marco Timpano: What's it. Yeah, what is it about Instagram that you love?
Phil Luzzi: Okay, so I like it because it's pictures and I love picture books.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Phil Luzzi: I'm not much of a reader.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Phil Luzzi: I like looking at photo albums and stuff.
Marco Timpano: Nothing wrong with that.
Phil Luzzi: Also, I use Instagram as my, vision board. So I follow people that I admire. I like to see images of things that inspire me.
Marco Timpano: Oh, that's wonderful.
Phil Luzzi: And so when I'm scrolling through it, I'm not getting inundated with all this information that I don't want to hear. I filter it from myself. I don't like Facebook. I took it off my phone.
Marco Timpano: Oh, you did?
Phil Luzzi: Yeah, I had to. I just thought it was really pointless.
Marco Timpano: Fair.
Phil Luzzi: And I felt sort of obsessive about scrolling through people's information.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Phil Luzzi: Not just once, though. Like multiple times a day.
Marco Timpano: And it can get quite depressing because a lot of people will put news items or items up there that political stuff might be against your, you know, belief system or whatnot. Right? Yeah, but Instagram doesn't have that necessarily.
Phil Luzzi: If you look for it, it does. But that's the thing about Instagram, you can you only see who. Who you follow?
Marco Timpano: I see.
Phil Luzzi: Yeah. It's my vision board.
Marco Timpano: Oh, that's wonderful. I never thought of that. So for listeners who don't know what a vision board is, help me define it. I feel like I'm always defining something forward because I want to ensure that our listeners, oftentimes, it's something Canadian, are aware of what we're talking about. So in this case, a vision board.
Phil Luzzi: A vision board, I think, is just a board with images that allow you to envision things that you wish to occur for you in the future.
Marco Timpano: Goals.
Phil Luzzi: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: Or inspirational. things.
Phil Luzzi: Yeah, they could be pictures, words. I wouldn't say stories. It's more of a visual thing. Something you can glance at and become inspired by and screaming, yeah, great.
You follow a lot of fashion designers on Instagram
Marco Timpano: So is there a particular Instagrammer that you enjoy following? because I have a tattoo artist who I think is fantastic. Now, I don't have any tattoos because I've never been able to think of something that I would want permanently for
Phil Luzzi: the honest part of your life.
Marco Timpano: And I'm a hand model, so I'd have to be careful not to get any.
Phil Luzzi: Not to get anywhere close. Right. I love your hair.
Marco Timpano: So thank you. So I follow this tattoo artist who I think does amazing, amazing work, and I just love looking at the art that she does on people's skin.
Phil Luzzi: It's not Kat Von D, is it?
Marco Timpano: No, no, it's. It's, Tammy Kim.
Phil Luzzi: Okay, cool.
Marco Timpano: I'll check her out. She has a very particular style, but that's someone I find. Follow an Instagrammer.
Phil Luzzi: Right.
Marco Timpano: How about yourself?
Phil Luzzi: I follow a lot of fashion designers.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Phil Luzzi: I love gowns. I'm obsessed with wedding gowns.
Marco Timpano: Do you doodle gowns?
Phil Luzzi: All the time. You should see my script, actually, for the show we're doing Has a lot of gowns in it.
Marco Timpano: So, you know when, designers design gowns and they do, like, I don't know what it's called, but it's like a. It's almost like a piece of art where they, like, color it in and all that stuff?
Phil Luzzi: I don't get to that point.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Phil Luzzi: No.
Marco Timpano: Would you want. You know how you can purchase, like, a Jean Paul Gaultier design of a gown that he did for, say, Lady Gaga?
Phil Luzzi: Oh, that would be amazing. I don't. I've never even checked all the prices of those.
Marco Timpano: If anyone's looking to get Phil Luzzi a gift. Yeah, there you go.
Phil Luzzi: A Lady Gaga costume. That'd be pretty sweet. I actually Googled Nope. Because what I have problems with is body dimensions.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Phil Luzzi: Like, I like drawing the outfit, but then I'm like, oh, the breasts are too big for those legs.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Phil Luzzi: Like, that part I can't get. So I looked at. They have notebooks, like sketchbooks, where the bodies are already there. You just have to dress them with whatever creation.
Marco Timpano: Oh, that's fantastic. So that, that it's. It's interesting because we've kind of threaded, if you would, your love for doodling, your love for Instagram and things you follow and your love for fashion all sort of weaves into one.
Phil Luzzi: Oh, wow, that's so interesting. My dream is to play a character that's very like a fashion designer.
Marco Timpano: Oh, I could see that. I could cast you in that in a heartbeat.
Phil Luzzi: Oh, that'd be great.
Marco Timpano: In a heartbeat.
What are your thoughts on wedding gowns? I also think they're so important
So let me ask you this. have you ever designed clothes for yourself?
Phil Luzzi: No, I'm not into men's fashion. Like, I love it because that's what I wear.
Marco Timpano: Because you're, you're our listeners. Can't tell. But you are a very fashionable individual. Thank you.
Phil Luzzi: But, yeah, I don't draw men's stuff.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Phil Luzzi: I always draw gowns. Dress. I don't even draw women's pantsuits. I draw only gowns.
Marco Timpano: Oh, wow.
Phil Luzzi: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: And do you have a love for nostalgic gowns? So gowns from, you know, the 30s or 20s, or is it just a gown as a gown for you?
Phil Luzzi: Yeah. I think because my fashion recycles itself all the time, it's kind of hard to see, say. Yeah. If it's from the 30s.
Marco Timpano: Oh, wow, that's awesome. I think that's great. I think that's a lovely sort of way to spend your time on something you love.
Phil Luzzi: I know, but wedding gowns in particular, do you think that says something about me?
Marco Timpano: No, I just think wedding gowns are sort of the ultimate gown. Right. So it's kind of like if you're going to draw something like that, you want to draw towards the ultimate gown. Because what I find about. Interesting about wedding gowns is it's a gown that has a lot of importance, but it's a gown that's, generally speaking, spoken, only worn once.
Phil Luzzi: Right.
Marco Timpano: What are your thoughts on wedding gowns?
Phil Luzzi: I also think they're so important. It's like the, dress that girls will make the most fuss over for their entire lives.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Phil Luzzi: So when you design it, you kind of have this, responsibility to make something awesome. And so.
Marco Timpano: And you know, generally speaking, they say, oh, a bride on her wedding day. Doesn't matter.
Phil Luzzi: What.
Marco Timpano: She has always looked beautiful. Yeah. With the exception of my cousin's first wife who wore a gown that was God awful. Just. Just insane.
Phil Luzzi: Tell me about it.
Marco Timpano: Like, it had. It was like, you know when people just can't stop.
Phil Luzzi: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: And so she had a gown and then they put a huge crown on her.
Phil Luzzi: Okay.
Marco Timpano: It kind of looked like a Statue of Liberty crown.
Phil Luzzi: Okay.
Marco Timpano: And then they threw a. What do you call it? It was kind of like.
Phil Luzzi: Like a shrug.
Marco Timpano: Like a shrug that was kind of like lacy.
Phil Luzzi: Do you know what that is? A loophole one. Okay. Shrugs on wedding gowns are loopholes because some churches don't allow exposed shoulders when you get married. So brides are like, oh, yeah, you don't want me to be showing stuff. Okay, I'm gonna throw this on my shoulder and as soon as we walk
Marco Timpano: out of this church, I can take it off. Aussie. I didn't know that. Yeah, well, she had one of those. And it kind of came to a point at the thing, you know, like,
Phil Luzzi: how did it loop around?
Marco Timpano: Yeah. Okay. One of those. And then it had like a bit of a Dracula.
Phil Luzzi: Oh, she was into the drama. Like bat wings underneath.
Marco Timpano: Yeah. Kind of look like bat wings underneath. And, Yeah. And it was just too much. It was thing, on top of thing. On top of thing.
Phil Luzzi: I often go to weddings and I'm like, oh, I wish the bride would have just brought me along to the fitting. I would have been a little more honest about what's affair.
Marco Timpano: Now I think that's important.
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Weddings give me anxiety, love, so many details
Marco Timpano: What rituals do you have when you go to weddings? Do you have any sort of rituals or any things that you like to do or like, like to see at weddings?
Phil Luzzi: Weddings give me anxiety.
Marco Timpano: Oh, do they really?
Phil Luzzi: Yes, because I think, oh, so many details. I wonder what, what trouble this couple went to to like, make sure this wedding is perfect. And quite honestly, the more sense I get that they are relaxed and not worried about the details, I'll have more fun.
Marco Timpano: Oh, interesting.
Phil Luzzi: When I see couples are like, trying too hard to make it perfect, it gives. It puts me on edge and I have a hard time relaxing.
Marco Timpano: Well, there you go. What about cufflinks, love? the reason I ask this is because your show the opening night, I had a shirt, but I forgot my cufflinks. Amanda texted me and my wife texted you and said, do you have a spare pair of cufflinks? Do what you said. Tell them to use paper clips.
Phil Luzzi: I said, it's Sudbury. Tell him to use paper clips.
Marco Timpano: I didn't, I didn't use paperclips. I just, I worked it out myself. How?
Phil Luzzi: You're being vague.
Marco Timpano: Well, I was, I was going to wear a different shirt, but I was like, no, I'll wear this. And I wore a sweater on top,
Phil Luzzi: so you didn't need to.
Marco Timpano: I didn't need the cufflinks because. Because the.
Phil Luzzi: Kept it in.
Marco Timpano: Yeah, I kept it intact. But I usually travel with a pair of cufflinks in my toiletry bag.
Phil Luzzi: Just like general.
Marco Timpano: Yeah. Because I. I would do a lot of corporate, work, so I would be flying everywhere and oftentimes for some reason I would. And fill. I have a lot of cufflinks. I don't know why I never take them with me. So I'm like, I'm gonna just have a spare pair like in your glove box. Yeah. And I. Exactly. And I had it. And sure enough, couldn't find them.
Phil Luzzi: Isn't that the thing?
Marco Timpano: Do you have a favorite pair of cufflinks?
Phil Luzzi: I like to keep them classic. But my favorite pair is actually from my. It's a pair that my dad had.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Phil Luzzi: and I stole them.
Marco Timpano: Okay. Friend.
Phil Luzzi: I told him recently that I did. I don't think he was looking for them. M. These big purple jewels.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Phil Luzzi: These big purple stones.
Marco Timpano: They're amethyst.
Phil Luzzi: Maybe. Maybe.
Phil Luzzi: And yeah, they're the kind that when you undo them are attached. They haven't like, they're attached like, you know that part that flips sideways enough. so the hook that goes into it is attached Like, I don't know.
Marco Timpano: Oh, I see what you're saying. It has, like, a bit of a chain.
Phil Luzzi: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: So that they. That they. Yeah, yeah, I know.
Phil Luzzi: It's not just the flipper thing. There's another thing on top.
Marco Timpano: I know.
Phil Luzzi: Exactly. For those of you at home can
Marco Timpano: visualize it, I have a pair that I love that my buddy Mark gave me, which is a. They're a round pair, and they have little sheep. Right. Little white sheep. And there's one black sheep, and its eyes are red. Ah. And it looks like a, you know,
Phil Luzzi: a demonized black sheep.
Marco Timpano: Yeah.
Phil Luzzi: In the.
Marco Timpano: In the group of the white sheep. So that's my favorite pair. of cufflinks I have. But I have to tons of them. And then I've acquired a bunch. Like, I don't know, like, you know, when you have something that you like, and then people just go crazy and
Phil Luzzi: they buy that, they're like, that's his thing.
Marco Timpano: Yeah. So that became a thing.
Phil Luzzi: Okay.
I've got more cufflinks than I could ever wear
Marco Timpano: I was like, enough.
Phil Luzzi: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: I've got more cufflinks than I could ever wear.
Phil Luzzi: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: And I was cleaning my basement, and I just found a bag of them, another bag of them, and I was like, I just can't. I just. And yet I don't bring them with me.
Phil Luzzi: I know. You just, like, like to keep them in their safe space.
Marco Timpano: I'm gonna find a pair and I'm gonna get. Give them to you.
Phil Luzzi: Okay. Because if you have so many share,
Marco Timpano: why I have a few. And then someone sends me an email saying, I'm going through my. My. My house, I'm getting rid of stuff. I have a pair of Vespa, cufflinks.
Phil Luzzi: Do you want them?
Marco Timpano: And I'm like, no, I have enough cufflinks.
Phil Luzzi: Vespa.
Marco Timpano: Yeah, I know. But I was like, I just. I. What's funny is I have Vespa cufflinks. They were different, but I already got a pair of Espa cufflinks. I know.
Phil Luzzi: I don't think I have a go to. People say I'm a hard person to buy for.
Marco Timpano: People say that about me too. And yet I feel like I'm an easy person to buy for you.
Phil Luzzi: I think, like, if you buy me something that when you saw it, just made you smile or think of me, then get it. It doesn't matter. I think gifts are things that you get people that they wouldn't buy for themselves.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Phil Luzzi: Because they just wouldn't think of it.
If you bought me a concert ticket, I would go in
Marco Timpano: Is there. Is there anything that you're like, you know, what I love is blank as A gift?
Phil Luzzi: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: What's that?
Phil Luzzi: Concert tickets. Oh, yes.
Marco Timpano: See, so you're easy to buy for. I am. now is it specific concerts or is it just. If you bought me a concert ticket, I would go in.
Phil Luzzi: Chances are I'd enjoy all of them if you got me.
Marco Timpano: Like, they don't have to be like hundred dollar tickets is what you're saying, right?
Phil Luzzi: Well, I don't like going to see concerts where, say if they're playing at the Air Canada center and you're sitting in the third balcony at the back.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Phil Luzzi: I'd rather not.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Phil Luzzi: I find it depressing because I'm like, I'm in the same room as this person, but I can't have to look at a TV screen to see them. I'd rather just listen to their cd.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Phil Luzzi: So I like seeing people where you could sit a, little closer and not spend $5,000.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Phil Luzzi: I love going to Dolly Parton's concerts every time she's in town.
Marco Timpano: You were there this time. She's fantastic.
Phil Luzzi: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: You know, I'm a big fan.
Phil Luzzi: I'm a huge fan. I'm so happy to hear that her
Marco Timpano: music won a love about her in particular is not only. There's her music, like classic and timeless and can be sung by any artist in different genres, which to me that proves a great song.
Phil Luzzi: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: But she's a great songwriter, a fantastic songwriter and she's quite a powerful woman.
Phil Luzzi: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: And I respect that.
Phil Luzzi: Me too.
Marco Timpano: So there you go.
Phil Luzzi: and she plays a million instruments.
Marco Timpano: I know. I was so impressed. She paid 10, I think 10 or 12 that day. And I was like, wow.
Phil Luzzi: And she just entertains the audience. She's not even trying.
Marco Timpano: Did you have great seats for great tickets for that?
Phil Luzzi: Yeah, pretty great. Like, we weren't in the. On the grass. We were in the the. Under the band shell.
Marco Timpano: Okay. Which.
Phil Luzzi: The Molson Amphitheater is one of my favorite concert venues.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Phil Luzzi: but in the middle section. Like in the middle. Yeah.
Marco Timpano: We were where the grass starts, but we weren't on the grass. We were on the concrete bar.
Phil Luzzi: The concrete bar. I love that place.
Marco Timpano: Yeah.
Phil Luzzi: Summer concerts are the best.
Marco Timpano: What about like an intimate small concert? Like a little tiny bar that has live music.
Phil Luzzi: Is that like the Opera House or something?
Marco Timpano: Yeah, sure. These are all concert venues in Toronto, so you can view. The Molson Amphitheater is a medium to large theater. It's a big outdoor amphitheater. And then the Air Canada center is
Phil Luzzi: a huge, huge, huge.
Marco Timpano: It's a stadium. And then this One here. The opera house that you're mentioning is a little bit smaller, more intimate.
Phil Luzzi: Yeah, I like it there. I saw Keen there. Do you know Keen?
Marco Timpano: No, I don't.
Phil Luzzi: They're like, They used to be indie. They're not around. I don't know.
Marco Timpano: Okay. And was it great? Was it?
Phil Luzzi: Yeah, because you could hear. You could see them sweat, you know, I want to see you perform this song for me. Yeah. Otherwise, I can't go. I remember my mom. I was obsessed with Michael M. Jackson when I was a kid. Oh, super obsessed.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Phil Luzzi: And, so. So my mom got me tickets when
Marco Timpano: he came into Costco, because I'm. One of my first concerts. Victory Tour, was the Victory Tour with his brothers. Yeah.
You went to Michael Jackson's concert in Toronto, right? Yeah. You were. Where did you see. I honestly don't remember. You
Yeah.
Phil Luzzi: I still have the.
Marco Timpano: Where did you see.
Phil Luzzi: So we were on the. On the. The flat part, not the balcony.
Marco Timpano: In Toronto.
Phil Luzzi: You were.
Marco Timpano: You saw it in Toronto?
Phil Luzzi: I'm pretty sure. I don't remember. I honestly don't remember.
Marco Timpano: Because you grew up in Stony Creek.
Phil Luzzi: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: So you could have seen them in,
Phil Luzzi: Cops Coliseum, but they can guarantee they didn't go there.
Marco Timpano: Or in the States because you could have gone.
Phil Luzzi: No, it wasn't in the States. Oh, right. Is that what you're gonna say? Yeah. Yeah. And it was so far away, but we. It was, like, not far away enough that I had to, like, watch the Jumbotron. I could still see them, but it gave me this bit of anxiety, depression feeling because I'm like, oh, like, it's Michael Jackson, but I'm so far away.
Marco Timpano: Yeah.
Phil Luzzi: it's just like a strange thing.
Marco Timpano: Like, great concert. That was.
Phil Luzzi: Ah. Yeah, it was really well done.
Marco Timpano: That was one of my first concerts.
Phil Luzzi: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: One of my first English concerts. Because my first concerts I went to were Italian bands that my mother took me to see.
Phil Luzzi: I love it.
Marco Timpano: But that was. And I went with my neighbor, and tickets were expensive back then for that particular concert, and I went with my neighbors, and I was just blown away. It was the first time I had ever seen something of that magnitude. It was the first time I saw firecrackers go off or fireworks, I should say. It was the first time that, you know, I had an experience as grandiose as that.
Phil Luzzi: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: Wow.
Phil Luzzi: I loved it. I can't believe you went to that concert, too. Michael Jackson.
You worked at a casino for seven years. What did you do at the casino
Marco Timpano: Any other concerts that really left, an impression on you?
Phil Luzzi: No.
Marco Timpano: No.
Phil Luzzi: I don't know. I just. I'm picky with my concerts.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Phil Luzzi: But the reason I like getting concert tickets for a gift is because it's Something somebody can share with you. Not necessarily knowing if you're gonna like the music.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Phil Luzzi: It's like, hey, you know what? I'm gonna take you to a concert, and I don't know if you're gonna like this music, but I'm gonna expose you to what I like.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Phil Luzzi: And I love experiences.
Marco Timpano: And it's the experience.
Phil Luzzi: Right.
Marco Timpano: Because sometimes it's not necessarily what you see, but it's who you see with and watching them get excited or emotional over something.
Phil Luzzi: Exactly.
Marco Timpano: I once bought friend my friends tickets to see lover boy for Christmas. And when I did was I put the tickets in a box with two headbands for him and his wife. And I had wrapped the tickets so he didn't see. He just saw headbands. And he's like, why would he give me headbands? And then he searched through the box
Phil Luzzi: and saw there were two tickets. You're so creative, honestly.
Marco Timpano: That's hilarious.
Phil Luzzi: Where did they play? Casino Rama.
Marco Timpano: It was a casino they played at. I don't know if it was Casino
Phil Luzzi: Rama M or which casino, but it was a casino.
Marco Timpano: But I've seen some great concerts at casinos.
Phil Luzzi: Oh, yeah.
Marco Timpano: I saw Heart.
Phil Luzzi: Oh, good.
Marco Timpano: Fantastic. I saw Dolly Parton at a casino.
Phil Luzzi: No way.
Marco Timpano: Yeah, she came. She was at a casino. Casino Rama. And she was. It was great. It was such a. Like, it was much more intimate.
Phil Luzzi: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: And it was just phenomenal. And I believe I saw. Is there a casino in Niagara Falls?
Phil Luzzi: Yeah, I worked at it for seven years.
Marco Timpano: Oh, you worked at a casino. What did you do at the casino?
Phil Luzzi: I started off at the players Advanced Manage Club.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Phil Luzzi: Where you get your cards right with points. And, then I moved up to. In that department. Then I went to player services. I became a supervisor, and then I went. I left when I got a job at 22.
Marco Timpano: And that's where. That's where.
Phil Luzzi: That's where we met. Yeah.
Marco Timpano: What.
Are there any tips you would give people who go to casinos
Are there any tips you would give people who go to casinos?
Phil Luzzi: my tip is, bring only the amount of money you want to lose and leave all possibility of accessing more money away from you because you lose kind of your sensibility.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Phil Luzzi: So if you're like, you know what? I think I Max. Want to lose 200 bucks.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Phil Luzzi: Bring 200 with you, and when it's gone, it's gone.
Marco Timpano: That's your day.
Phil Luzzi: That's your night. yeah. Because it could get so dangerous. I've seen people really hit a low.
Marco Timpano: Wow.
Phil Luzzi: Like, lose money to the point where they would come back and say, can you do something for me. Can you get my money back or can you, like, help me out? Because I spent way too much money.
Marco Timpano: Money. Wow.
Phil Luzzi: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: That's heartbreaking.
Phil Luzzi: It is heartbreaking.
Marco Timpano: But did you get to see concerts while you were there?
Phil Luzzi: No, at the time. Because that casino was relatively new.
Marco Timpano: Right.
Phil Luzzi: They didn't have a concert venue.
Marco Timpano: Oh, wow.
Phil Luzzi: Yeah. But they do now.
Marco Timpano: I saw Loretta Lynn there.
Phil Luzzi: Oh, that'd be a good one too.
Marco Timpano: It was fantastic.
Phil Luzzi: No, I never, like, if I don't know what it is with country music, I don't see why I would have, like, felt this attraction to it. But when I hear it, I love. I just want to be at a campfire.
Marco Timpano: You know what I love, Phil, is that there's a simplicity in a lot of the lyrics. So, ah, it's scaled back because when you listen to a lot of overproduced music, ah, it's great. And there's merit to it and people love it and as do I. But sometimes when you strip something back to just a basic, you know, guitar, drummer, keys or whatnot. And a voice.
Phil Luzzi: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: And simple lyrics, there's just something so sublime about. That's true.
Phil Luzzi: And I find country lyrics are, narrative.
Marco Timpano: Yes.
Phil Luzzi: They have a story.
Marco Timpano: They tell a story. Yeah. And that's beautiful too. You know, that's funny. I was just listening to a, A Johnny Cash something or other. I was like, what a great storyteller he was. Eh. Oh, my goodness.
Phil Luzzi: Because if someone was strumming on the guitar last week and they were playing, I think, Folsom Blues, they were
Marco Timpano: playing the chorus chords.
Phil Luzzi: M. They were like. The chords are so simple. I'm like. But it wasn't about the chords. It was his voice. Sure. When he told the story.
Marco Timpano: Sure.
Speaking of voices, you have a fantastic voice. Do you do voiceovers
Speaking of voices, you have a fantastic voice.
Phil Luzzi: Thank you.
Marco Timpano: Do you. Do you do voiceovers? Do you do anything?
Phil Luzzi: I go on a lot of auditions, but I never ever landed.
Marco Timpano: Really?
Phil Luzzi: Yeah.
Marco Timpano: With that voice. Come on. Oh.
Phil Luzzi: I don't know what I'm doing wrong in those rooms.
Marco Timpano: Oh, my goodness. I think they just need to discover you.
Phil Luzzi: And I had a deep voice kind of early in my life.
Marco Timpano: Oh, really?
Phil Luzzi: I remember having a deep voice at a party in grade six. And, I called my friend Enzo. I called all my friends to invite them.
Marco Timpano: Okay.
Phil Luzzi: And I called Enzo, Lardi's house, and her dad, who was rather strict because he had two daughters. And they were really nice, pretty girls, very respectful also. But I called and said, hi, is Enza home? And he said, who's this? Because he thought I was an older guy. I'm like, I swear I'm in her class. Like, I'm just inviting her to my party.
Marco Timpano: Oh, my goodness. Well, I'm glad we discovered your voice, in particular on this episode, Phil. Thank you so much.
Phil Luzzi: Thank you so much, Marco.
Marco Timpano: You're listening to the Insomnia Project. As always, it's produced by drumcast Productions, and this episode was recorded in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, Sa.