Friends Gathering & Fromage Set | Calm Bedtime Conversation

In this gently wandering episode of The Insomnia Project, a relaxing sleep podcast designed to help quiet your mind and ease you toward sleep, Marco and Amanda begin with something that always warms the heart—listener comments. A few thoughtful messages from the audience set the tone for a cozy conversation that slowly drifts into an unexpected debate: has Marco actually been to Wisconsin? Amanda shares her affection for the state while the two reflect on places worth visiting and how travel memories sometimes blur together over time. As the conversation meanders, they explore what it really means to have an “eye for design,” how to approach hosting a relaxed gathering of friends, and the curious little thoughts that can pass through your mind in the quietest moments—like when you’re lying on a massage table. Along the way they ponder whether putting ice in milk is strange, how to make the most of an awkward nook in a room, and even unpack the meaning of ADR (automated dialogue replacement). There’s also a surprising detour into fromage sets, fossilized woolly mammoth ivory, and Marco revealing what he hopes to receive for his birthday. It’s the kind of calm, gently curious conversation that invites you to relax, unwind, and maybe even fall asleep somewhere along the way.

​Friends Gathering & Fromage Set
(Original airdate: October over 20, 2021)


Welcome to the Insomnia Project. Sit back, relax and listen as we have a mundane conversation on the mundane. Is that right? I usually say a quiet, a calm conversation about the mundane.

Amanda: I don't know what you say. I'm never paying attention.

Marco:  That's good to know.

Amanda: Sorry.

Marco:  That's Amanda Barker and I'm also relaxing

Amanda: conversation about the mundane.

Marco:  You know, I usually have it in

Amanda: front of me, but mundane conversation about the relaxing.

Marco:  Maybe I have it outside. I have it right on top of our washing machine.

Amanda: There's a lot of words you could sub in there.

Marco:  There is. And of course, in this moment, I can't think of what we actually use.

Amanda: A calm conversation, I think. Calm? Yeah, about the calm.

Marco:  I know our listeners are like, I've listened to you say it a million times.

Amanda: I cannot believe you have how many episodes? 3,000?

Marco:  No, we only have over like 300, I think only. Yeah. And, um, I want to bring something to your attention. This is Amanda Barker. I'm Marco Tympano. If you didn't catch that, we've had some lovely people reach out to thank our listeners. I want to thank everyone who's been recommending it to Friends. It seems like people are doing that, and I'm getting a lot of emails. People are using it for their anxiety, too, Amanda, if you can believe it. It's so incredible. And we had a listener recently reach out on the page.

Amanda: Why wouldn't I believe that? Of course I believe it.

Marco:  Well, fair enough.

Amanda: Yeah.

Marco:  Well, I'm glad you believe it.

Amanda: Yes, I do believe it.

Marco:  One of our listeners on our Patreon page, Devin, reached out and said how much she enjoys you and I on the podcast.

Amanda: You know, it's amazing because I really come into this booth and in my brain, um, I'm talking to you, and that maybe there's one other person kind of in the booth with us, listening, just being part of our conversation, or maybe, you know, taking a nap nearby while you and I just talk. And that's how I always approach it. So I'm always a bit taken aback that there are other people in the room.

Marco:  Amanda actually said. She said, the only person I ever think that is listening is our social media manager, M. Amy, in England. So it was funny that you said that.

Amanda: I think that's kind of who I envision. I mean, you and I watch a lot. A lot of beautiful, soothing television that comes out of the uk.

Marco:  Yes.

Amanda: And so for me, I just feel like, I guess for us, this is, in a way, kind of stepping into that world where we escape to the

Marco:  country, watch paint dry on Portrait Artists of the Year.

Amanda: Relocate. And relocate, as in relocation, relocation, relocation. There's three in the title.

Marco:  Watch people repair old things on the repair shop. One of my personal favorite, watch people

Amanda: throw a slab of clay onto a kiln and compete and praise each other and perhaps even make a judge, um, move a judge to tears. Not the judge you'd think. It's true. But, uh, yeah, it's such an interesting moment. Okay. We're talking about the great pottery throw down.

Marco:  Yes.

Amanda: Is that what it's called?

Marco:  Exactly.

Amanda: Because you throw pottery onto a wheel or that type of pottery is a throne pottery, so they say. And, uh, so the judge on that, he, um, gets choked up most episodes. And the first time it happens, the first few times, there's like a silence and you don't know what's happening. And you think, okay, he's got something in his throat or is he all right? And then he's like, he can't take it. Cause it's so beautiful. It's such a gorgeous, sweet, honest moment when that happens.

Marco:  It's true, it's true. Uh, back to Devin.

Amanda: I'm sorry, The British agenda. Oh, Devin's not. See, I thought I hear Devin and I think of Devon England, because again, that's one of the places you can escape to when you're escaping to the country.

Marco:  It's true. Well, maybe M. Devon is British, but she happens to live in Wisconsin.

Amanda: Uh, there's probably a Devon Wisconsin too. I love Wisconsin because Devon is known for its dairy in England. And I bet there's like a Devon Wisconsin.

Marco:  Without a doubt. I'll look it up at some point.

Amanda: I love Wisconsin too. Wait, have you been to Wisconsin?

Marco:  I have.

Amanda: Really? Um, I don't know that. Do you? Have you. Actually, I have.

Marco:  Okay, now you're calling me out.

Amanda: No. Well, I don't know.

Marco:  No, I don't think I have.

Amanda: Because, you know, I love Milwaukee and I've been there twice.

Marco:  I think I want to go. You know what? I love shows that take place in Wisconsin. Like, um, Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley. And so I feel like I've been there. I've been to the airport in Wisconsin,

Amanda: in Milwaukee or Madison or I don't know if there is one in Madison.

Marco:  Uh, now you make me question everything that I'm thinking of.

Amanda: I only say this because the last time I was in Milwaukee, which is around this time of year, I went to the market there, which was so fun, and went to, I mean, it was in a different time, and went into, I think a beer tent. And I really enjoyed it. Had brunch, had this amazing brunch. And uh, I remember saying to you, you would really, really love Milwaukee. I think you'd really love it. And uh, I'd love to go there with you sometime. And I don't remember you, ah, saying, oh, yeah, I love Wisconsin.

Marco:  Oh, well, maybe that means I need to go to Wisconsin.

Amanda: I'm sorry, I don't mean to call you out.

Marco:  No, it's all good.

Amanda: Listen, I just have a feeling in your brain Wisconsin has sort of morphed into like Michigan.

Marco:  And no, don't get me wrong, I love Michigan. I've, uh, always loved Michigan. I love Detroit, I love that area, Ann Arbor. Some of our first listeners were from Ann Arbor.

Amanda: Mhm.

Marco:  Then I guess I need to go to Wisconsin.

Amanda: I mean, maybe you have been There.

Marco:  I know I don't think I have, but I have fallen in love with Wisconsin. One of the things Devin likes about us is that we get into these little conversations.

Amanda: Oh, okay, good. Because I always think this is not what people are tuning into to hear our marital discussion.

Marco:  She loves the bridge episode.

Amanda: I don't remember.

Marco:  It's the one we talked about. Bridges.

Amanda: No idea. It's all deleted from my brain the moment I walk out.

Marco:  I think we talked about COVID bridges in your old hometown.

Amanda: Vague memories.

Marco:  She's also looking forward to when she can host a small cocktail party with a few co workers.

Amanda: Oh, okay.

Marco:  And I usually don't mention our listeners on the podcast because if they're listening, I don't want them to, you know, get out of their relaxing mode by hearing their name. But if people are going to put it on our Instagram or Twitter, I may mention it like Kleshek. Uh, who says? I also have been listening since early this year and have also loved Amanda on the podcast.

Amanda: Thank you, Clashek.

Marco:  This is my go to podcast to fall asleep. Thanks so much for making it. So that's pretty awesome.

Amanda: Where's Clashek?

Marco:  It's not. It's. That's. That's her handle. Uh, oh, so that's why I'm just gonna call it Clash Shack. I'm sure she'll know who it is. And Katie on Keys, who you might know, I love. Katie on Keys says, that's awesome.

Amanda: I love Katie.

Marco:  Uh, Devin also says thank you for all you and Amanda do for insomniacs like me.

Amanda: Oh, how sweet.

Marco:  So thank you for listening because I'm an insomniac and I know I've kind of turned you into one.

Amanda: Amanda, we have an energetic thing in this house. Um, I don't know if we want to get into that, but I've always believed in the transfer of energy. And one thing that is very apparent in our now over a decade long marriage is we never, ever have insomnia at the same time. It's true if one has it to the point where I actually do feel a surge of energy when you fall asleep sometimes if we're trying to take a nap together. So which, yes, is something we do. We take naps together.

Marco:  Um, so thank you for listening and for those of you who do have insomnia, we are all here for you and we've been there and I want to shift the conversation. Amanda.

Amanda: Uh, I have one more. Wisconsin.

Marco:  Okay. Yeah, listen, you go. I want to go to Madison.

Amanda: What's Madison like You know, I've never been to Madison and I've heard it's amazing. I do know it's a university town and a very artsy town, but I actually want to talk about Appleton, Wisconsin, because one of my all time favorite videos that I've ever found online, and this dates back about six years now, um, was this girl from Appleton, Wisconsin who decided to rant on YouTube about the candle incident from Bath and Body Works. She wanted her pink Bellini candles. She had called so many stores, uh, and finally a store said, we do have the pink Bellinis. So she wanted to bring back her own candles in exchange for pink Bellinis. And then when she got there, they told her, we don't have the pink Bellinis.

Marco:  Oh, no.

Amanda: Um, and, um, she didn't like how that was handled, so she went to YouTube to discuss it.

Marco:  Okay.

Amanda: Um, but, um, it turned into a sketch. So I think a group out of la, but I'm not sure, decided to animate the whole thing as the sketch. And so, um, they do it verbatim, almost like a drunk history thing where she's narrating and they do the voice like they do the motions.

Marco:  And because of that heroic video. You want to go to Appleton, Wisconsin? All right, hey, listen, whatever makes you happy.

Amanda: Now I'll buy some pink Bellini candles.

Marco:  So one of the things Devin says, and this I'm going to get off this, is that she sympathized with you during the, um, apostrophe episode where I talk about the pins that I put in the wall and how, um, you know, that wasn't something you were really happy about. And she talks about wood veneer paneling that you can purchase and put on your walls that are sound absorbing and they're really quite beautiful. And I think you who have an eye for design.

Amanda: I do.

Marco:  Would love, would love to see this.

Amanda: I don't know if I have an eye for design. I just have a love of design. It's more that. And I say that because one of my best friends on the planet, um, my sweet friend Wade, he, um, is and was an interior designer and he is extraordinarily talented and he has an eye for design in a real creative. And um, it's an artist's eye, there's no question about it. He was very successful, uh, interior designer here in Toronto. He lives in New Brunswick now. And um, I say that because when you're friends with somebody that has that kind of talent for interior design, then you recognize that. I would say I'm a fan.

Marco:  Okay.

Amanda: I'm a fan of interior designing versus, um, you know, which some interior designers are fans. And that's how they get into it. But I say that respectfully. Um, and we have friends who were performers and then realized what they really loved was that they loved everything about it, but they were fans of performers more than they loved the performing itself. So they became, you know, various things, um, producers, agents. Um, one of our, uh, friends is a wonderful life coach where she coaches. Specifically coaches. She's more than a life coach. But anyway, she coaches actors. Right, right. Um, because she realized, actually, it's not so much that I think I'm an artist. It's more I'm a fan of the medium.

Marco:  That's the paneling. You can take a look at it.

Amanda: Oh, it's gorgeous. Very mid century look. Because it has. And now that you show it to me, I have seen slat panel. Yeah, slat panels. Yeah, it has that, um, when you look at it, you go, oh, yeah. I have seen studios that look like that. You know, sort of, um, almost think like, um. What's her name? Taylor Swift.

Marco:  Taylor Swift.

Amanda: You know, like. Well, I don't know. But anyway, Taylor Swift. I think that's the last music documentary thing I watched was Taylor Swift.

Marco:  Look how nice it looks in the bedroom, these slats.

Amanda: But I don't know that we need it in the bedroom.

Marco:  No, but it absorbs sound, so then it allows your bedroom to be quieter.

Amanda: Dear listeners, AKA Amy, we don't need sound paneling in our bedroom because the snores are the loudest part.

Marco:  Fair enough. Fair enough.

Amanda: Actually, the Golden Girls playing in the background is the loudest part. And, uh, of course, escape to the country.

Marco:  So Devin mentioned that she can't wait to have gatherings, friend gatherings, uh, cocktail parties with her co workers, her and me both. So I want to talk about gathering of friends and throwing parties and how good you are at it. And m, we recently had a celebration with some friends and your sister, and we celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving, which happens in October. And I will say this, Amanda put on quite the lovely, fantastic spread of food, of appetizers, of, um, side dishes, and you made it seem effortless.

Amanda: Thank you. I need to jump in and be a Virgo and say she and me both, not her and me both. It's gonna drive me nuts.

Marco:  Who's she and me both?

Amanda: Never mind. I just did a grammar faux pas. You didn't even notice it. That's not where your value system lies. But we've established in the APOSTROPHE episode. Um, that, of course, I don't remember, because that's how my brain works. Um, that I'm very into. Uh, well, I'm not very into grammar, but.

Marco:  You're very into grammar.

Amanda: Am I?

Marco:  Yes. You're always.

Amanda: I don't know that I'm very into it. I have an English degree. Well, I know you know things, and

Marco:  you're always like, this is how you say it. And that's how you say it.

Amanda: I blame Mr. Belmore, my grade six grammar teacher. He was my English teacher, but he really, like, leaned into the grammar big time.

Marco:  Amanda hates it when I use double negatives, and I love using double negatives.

Amanda: I don't hate it.

Marco:  Well, you don't love it.

Amanda: Well, that's a Massachusetts thing.

Marco:  But, um, the festive Apostrophe was the name of that episode.

Amanda: The festive Apostrophe. So I have a question, though, and this is a legitimate question.

Marco:  Okay.

Amanda: So do you want me to talk about my spread that I did for

Marco:  Canadian Thanksgiving or just gatherings and food? I want to mention the cocktail that I made.

Amanda: Okay. Because we don't often spend a ton of time on food in this.

Marco:  No, we don't. But we can talk about.

Amanda: So that's why I'm just approaching with care. Yeah.

Marco:  Because we don't want people to feel hungry while they're listening. But I do want to mention that you organize the festivities very well.

Amanda: I will say the organization of food is actually something I've come to realize, I find quite relaxing. Oh. So, um, I was a yoga teacher in one of my many lives for a few years anyway, and I suppose I still am, although I don't teach. And, um, I spent most of my savasanas, the majority, uh, when my brain would wander, as brains do, it would generally go through the contents of my refrigerator.

Marco:  I see. Savasana, for our listeners who aren't familiar with yoga, is the pose that one makes when they're lying flat on the mat with their toes pointing up and their.

Amanda: So I was lucky enough to have a massage today, and I spent probably about 90% of the time of that massage doing that. Exactly. Going through the contents of my freezer refrigerator.

Marco:  I see.

Amanda: And I say this because it doesn't really come out of a hunger place. It comes out of an organizational place of what can go with what and what is good to make, when. And new creative ideas of ways to use frozen squash or that leftover end of cream cheese, and so on and so forth.

Marco:  Um, what makes a good gathering, how do you address when friends or co workers come over or you're going to them? What's important to you when you have a gathering of friends?

Amanda: People that will be copacetic, people that don't need a lot of babysitting or attention, that can talk amongst themselves and don't need me to be the connective tissue.

Marco:  Sure.

Amanda: We used to have a friend who, um. I mean, he's still our friend, but he was very convinced for a long time, and I think you know who I mean, he was very convinced for a long time that, um, he needed to have all of his friends all in one place at once. His friends from university, his friends from our work that we knew him from, his friends from childhood, you name it. And that was sort of his thing. And I do understand that it's true.

Marco:  He has a lot of friends that come to his. Or used to come to his festivities.

Amanda: Well, and he was the type of guy that. He's sort of the center of the party and the type of guy that everybody loves. And he is a very good friend to many people. He's a great guy. However, um, I think there is this rule that although it's great to have people that don't know each other, I think there should be sort of a max or a limit on that. And so for me, you know, I think you can have three, four people that maybe don't know each other, but once you get bigger than that, it becomes something else.

Marco:  A to do, if you will.

Amanda: Well, and then you have to be the person connecting with everyone. I mean, then it becomes a wedding, really. Um, and so for Canadian Thanksgiving, also known as Thanksgiving in Canada, um, my sister was here, so I wanted somebody that, you know. Well, it was just me, you, and my sister, so that's not much of a gathering. So I just wanted to have, um, somebody else that, um, my sister could talk to if I was in the kitchen. So I invited my good friend Lois over and her daughter as well, both

Marco:  of who have been on the podcast. And your sister and I were discussing the fact that we didn't finish our series on Nudibrin Bronx, which are sea slugs.

Amanda: Oh. And you didn't get a chance to see.

Marco:  She was very busy, but next time.

Amanda: But Lois and Briar have been on the podcast.

Marco:  Lois has been.

Amanda: Oh, I didn't even realize that.

Marco:  No, we talked about quilting.

Amanda: Oh, yeah, she's a great quilter.

Marco:  She's an amazing quilter.

Amanda: She's so resourceful. She's so great. Anyway, so, um, yeah, but the thing that I did do that I was really happy about is that I planned everything out the night before in terms of timing.

Marco:  Yes.

Amanda: So I had a schedule that started at 9:00am Pancetta mushroom tortellini. You could eat smart, still fit in your bikini. I ordered blue apron. I've been happy ever since they sent pre portioned meals. I don't make no measurements. Saute the pancetta, then I add the mushrooms. Large skillet cause you can't have too much room. Garlic pesto, tomato paste, Calabrian chili season to taste.

Marco:  Order blue Apr. To tip off this NBA season on FanDuel. You can choose your own rewards, which means you can play your game any way you want. I get to choose my rewards? Yep. Great. Now excuse me while I lock in all customers. Choose your own reward right now in the FanDuel app. 21 and present in select states. 18 in Kentucky. Opt in required rewards are non withdrawable. Restrictions apply including bonus and token expiration, leg requirement and max wager amount. See full [email protected] sportsbook gambling problem. Call 1-800-gambler

Amanda: um, and took me to 1:30pm, which was when Lois was going to arrive. And when she did arrive at 1:30, everything was done or close to done or simmering, depending on where you wanted it to be. So the turkey was ready to be taken out, but also ready to rest a bit. The potatoes were simmering, the apps were out, the salads were made, but not dressed, you know, that kind of thing. So I was able to go outside, enjoy nice, uh, charcuterie with her, um, my drink, my cocktail, your cocktail, and actually enjoy it. It was beautiful weather.

Marco:  Speaking of cocktails, I just want to mention that I made an amazing cocktail which is a festive cocktail, which has Lambrusco, which is an Italian effervescent red cool wine. In other words, you keep it in the fridge. It should be cool when you serve it with a bit of sparkling water. Prosecco cherry soda instead of sparkling, uh, water, I should say. So it was a cherry soda and maraschino cherries or, um, cocktail cherries inside. It was delicious.

Amanda: But Lambrusco doesn't really need a sparkling water because it is sparkling itself too.

Marco:  Right. But this cocktail had. And not sparkling water. It had sparkling cherry water or whatever you call it.

Amanda: Cherry soda.

Marco:  Cherry soda.

Amanda: Thank you. Which we had. We happen to have cherry soda, which we don't always have, but we had it and it was a beautiful cocktail, a beautiful day and a beautiful meal. I feel very grateful for all of it. Which is how one is meant to feel during Thanksgiving. Grateful for the harvest, grateful for family, grateful for friends, grateful, you know, to have space to go to mentally clock everything that's in my freezer and how I want to best use it. Because maybe I'm just a food nerd. Maybe that's what it is.

Marco:  Maybe.

Amanda: Well, um, happily. So I don't mind it. Like I said, I find it relaxing to kind of go through. Okay, and this is this. And I spent an inordinate amount of time debating what I want for lunch tomorrow. And it's the evening before right now.

Marco:  Right. Which runs in your family a bit.

Amanda: It does. There's something about it in my DNA. I don't know if it's some weird depression era thing that was imprinted on my ancestors or what. Um, and I don't think I'm alone. I think a lot of people are like that. Um, but, uh, yeah, I'm either gonna make a soup or salad tomorrow because you're not here anyway. Nobody needs to get into the nerdiness of what I'm gonna make.

Marco:  I set the table and I'm a good table setter. Having worked in the restaurant industry for so long, especially in some formal restaurants. I know how to set a table because I've had to do that.

Amanda: Were you made, um, to do that when you were a kid? Did your mom, like, instruct you? Because my parents were very, um, definite about how to set a table when we were kids, that we had to learn where everything went and how it, you know, which fork was which and all of that.

Marco:  It was very important for my mother that we learn how to use a fork and a knife properly at a young age. So I remember that. I remember being a kid being able to hold the cutlery.

Amanda: Mhm.

Marco:  Or the silverware, however you like to describe it.

Amanda: I say silverware, but that's an American thing. And dear sweet listeners who are not American or who are American, you can absolutely prove me wrong. But we would call plastic forks and knives silverware.

Marco:  Really?

Amanda: Yeah. No, yeah, we call everything silverware. I mean, it's a bit of a stretch to call it silverware. I guess you just say plastic fork, but we wouldn't call it cutlery. That was not a word I ever used. Uh, maybe it's a northeast thing in the States. I don't know. We never used.

Marco:  I think that's strange. I'm sorry.

Amanda: I think that's a. I mean, cutlery makes more sense, but I think it's a British word ultimately.

Marco:  Then again, I Think putting ice in your milk is a little bit strange. And that's something Amanda does. She loves to come into the podcast studio with any glass she can with so much ice in it that all it does is clink and clank. And I'm always like, that's going to be picked up on the microphone.

Amanda: Well, uh, that's a relaxing thing for your listeners to hear.

Marco:  Well, it's the truth. I will say this. I wouldn't have.

Amanda: I don't usually drink milk at night just on its own, but I just thought a frosty glass of milk sounded really great, so I did it.

Marco:  See, for me, I would never put ice in my milk.

Amanda: Aren't you better than the world?

Marco:  I'm not saying I'm better. I'm just saying that's where I draw the line. The ice line.

Amanda: The ice. Oh, so you'll have ice in other drinks, but not in milk? Yes, it is weird to have ice in milk. I'm kind of on my own with that, but I stand by my choices.

Marco:  I will say this. We would not have a podcast studio if it wasn't for your keen eye and suggestion. It's one of the things that Amanda did. Said that I will always be grateful for. When we were redoing our basement, we had this one area that was just, uh, an awkward nook. How would you describe this yarn?

Amanda: Well, I wonder what it was originally, what the intention was when this house was built.

Marco:  But I would say small cellar, I bet. Like a cold storage where you're sitting right now, because that's the only thing. But it's so small that you would only be able to put a very limited amount of stuff in here.

Amanda: Very limited. But maybe a shelf, I suppose. But yeah, probably. I mean, it's hard to imagine. That's the thing about a renovation. Once it's done, it's impossible to imagine the place or the room any other way. And see, that's what I mean about talent in design.

Marco:  Right?

Amanda: Because I do believe a talented designer, generally speaking, can look at a space and know exactly where this wall might go, where this new configuration would be. Or, let's see this over here. And we switch this around. I'm. Myself, I'm not so talented at that. I have to kind of map it out or it's more trial and error with me. I wish I was a person who could know exactly if that couch would fit or not. I'm not sure. But, um, anyway, yeah, this area was. It's cinder block. And so what we realized is it's great for quietness. Um, but it's not the bathroom that I thought it would be.

Marco:  Yeah, we were hoping to make it into a bathroom, but we couldn't because there's a cinder block wall and it's not quite big enough.

Amanda: So. What do you mean? Yeah, because I don't think we could run pipes into it.

Marco:  No, we couldn't.

Amanda: That's what it was.

Marco:  Just there was multi. There was. It was complicated cinderblock.

Amanda: You kind of stuck with it unless you really want to fight it. Which we didn't want to.

Marco:  But there was other reasons too, and I can't remember.

Amanda: Uh, I think that's what it was.

Marco:  Our friend who, uh, was an architect, explained why this wouldn't work. Anyways, it was an awkward, um, nook M. And you know, so what do you do? You make it into a bar. You make it into. And Amanda's like, we don't need a bar.

Amanda: Well, we don't need a bar.

Marco:  We don't need a. A sauna. We don't need a.

Amanda: Well, I would have liked a sauna. Imagine this was doubled as a sauna. The world's hottest studio.

Marco:  No, but what you did say was we need a studio. And I said. And you said, let's make a studio. And we did.

Amanda: I did. Because you had already started this podcast at that point.

Marco:  Right.

Amanda: And for whatever reason, we were very convinced we didn't need one. That we could take the mic and sort of do it anywhere. And I think there's a lot to be said for that. Um, at the time though, we were also kind of getting into audiobooks, um, and knowing that it couldn't be a bathroom. And at that point in our architectural plans, we had a three piece bathroom which didn't end up happening because of other, um, building issues. Cinder block issues was actually where the meter was. You couldn't have water near the meter and so on. Um, so that's fine. We have a bathroom without a shower. We didn't need it. It's fine. And this sounds like a very bougie thing to say or a problem to

Marco:  have and it's so not.

Amanda: It's so not. But anyway, but it sounds it. And I want to just acknowledge, uh, that, um, but it seemed to me that the best use of this space was actually to have a studio. Why not have that? If you actually do have this cinder block space that you can't really do anything else with and you already have an existing podcast. And, um, so we kind of, we kind of convinced ourselves that that was the Right choice. And I didn't know if it would work out, actually. But you've really tricked it out to be the studio that we had hoped and dreamed.

Marco:  Yeah, we've recorded audiobooks here. We've recorded podcasts.

Amanda: That's true.

Marco:  Um, a lot of. We've recorded ADR here.

Amanda: Yeah. For. Can I say. You can say for Star Trek.

Marco:  We've recorded ADR for Star Trek, which neither myself or Amanda have been in.

Amanda: No, that's our nephew, who was three when he shot it, and then four, because, of course, he got more than one season.

Marco:  So if you're watching Star Trek, the new Discovery.

Amanda: Discovery.

Marco:  Discovery. Sorry.

Amanda: He's in it. Yeah, he's the little guy. He's got to be the youngest thing in it.

Marco:  Uh, what's the character's name?

Amanda: Uh, Lido. Lido.

Marco:  Yeah, that's our nephew. And he had to do some ADR work. And we should say what ADR is because people are going to be sure.

Amanda: Additional. Additional. Recording.

Marco:  Digital recording.

Amanda: No, not digital. I don't know.

Marco:  Audio.

Amanda: Well, whatever it stands for, what it is, is when you shoot a film, a TV show, and every now and then, a commercial. I had to do it once for a commercial. You, um. And you can hear it. Sometimes you can start picking it out. It's things that on the day of shooting, or on the day, as they say, um, get muffled.

Marco:  So, um, automated dialogue replacement.

Amanda: There you go. So you have to match sort of how your mouth moved, or they're like, you know, you were kind of. I improvise a lot, so of course my takes are all a little bit different. And, um. And so whatever one they go with, it's like, well, it looks like you're saying something there, but you weren't m Mic'd that day, or the boom wasn't near you, or it got muffled, or sometimes there was wind.

Marco:  Sure. Um, one time you had to do ADR for another actor who said the word skittles, and the movie didn't have the rights to use that brand. And so Amanda had to fit the word fiddlesticks into an, uh, actor's mouth movement for the word skittles, which is really short. So I meant I had to say fiddlesticks really fast.

Amanda: That was actually for a movie that our friend wrote, our same friend who used to like to have parties where he wanted to invite every human he had ever met. Uh, not really, but all of his friends. And we actually had a bit of a cocktail party intervention with him and said, you know, you can invite us or you can invite them or, you know, we can mingle with them. But you don't need 10 of them and 10 of us and. Because it just turns into people in their corners, you know.

Marco:  Yeah, it was necessary, but I wanted

Amanda: to just to come back to that. Tips for a good party, a good gathering. And I think the conversation and the people is the main ingredient. Um, I also think having a few places to land versus just one table, if you can manage it.

Marco:  What do you mean by a few places to land?

Amanda: Well, a place for everyone to sit and enjoy a drink and maybe some vegetables and dip or whatever.

Marco:  A crudite accrue.

Amanda: Yeah. Or charcuterie or whatever. I don't know. All French things. Hors d'. Oeuvres. It's all French. Um, or orange plate. Okay. And. Or, you know, then, okay, let's move to the table. Or like, let's go for. You know, let's sit and enjoy a cocktail. Um, if you have access to outside space and it's that time of year, depending on where you live, great. Um, if you don't, that's fine too.

Marco:  I need a formage set. What I need, you know, I really want a set for cheese, which is a little spade. A little, uh. It looks like a shovel or a.

Amanda: Okay. I thought we had them.

Marco:  No, we don't. We had one, but it was.

Amanda: Listen, you never want anything, so let me get you the best one I can find. Because I need gift.

Marco:  But there's three things.

Amanda: It is your birthday soon.

Marco:  I want the little spade, the little one that looks like a shovel, and the little one that looks like a pick.

Amanda: I'm sure they all have real names.

Marco:  The fourmage set. I don't know.

Amanda: No, but I'm sure when you buy it, it's not. This is the little one that looks like a shovel. Like, there's gotta be like, uh, a French name. I'm gonna look it up.

Marco:  I'm sure there's a name for it, but we had a little fromage set, and the handles were made of wood. And, you know, when.

Amanda: What happened to it?

Marco:  I think someone. I'm not gonna say who. Maybe your sister put them in the dishwasher and then ruined my little formage set.

Amanda: It wasn't the best.

Marco:  Interesting. It wasn't the best. I'm not gonna blame your sister. It might not have been her.

Amanda: You're definitely blaming my sister.

Marco:  M. I'm not blaming your. Although she did try to put my good knife in the dishwasher once, but

Amanda: she didn't know she did this time?

Marco:  No, not a long time ago. I hope she's not listening because she's going to think I'm talking bad about her. Because I love my sister.

Amanda: She's not listening.

Marco:  I love my sister.

Amanda: M in law. Only Amy is listening.

Marco:  I love my sister in law and she's absolutely wonderful.

Amanda: Unless Amy's the sister I didn't know I had.

Marco:  Amy is like a sister to me. And I love making cappuccinos for your sister and sitting down and having coffees with your sister because your sister's so delightful when we just sit, sit and drink.

Amanda: Well, I have the name of the knives at the ready. Are you ready?

Marco:  I am.

Amanda: Prolonged knife.

Marco:  Which one's? What does that one look like?

Amanda: I don't know. Marco.

Marco:  Is it the triangular one?

Amanda: I'm gonna give you the names and I'll let you decide what they are because I only have the names. I don't have them.

Marco:  Okay.

Amanda: I don't have arrows. So. Prolonged knife.

Marco:  Yes.

Amanda: Thin knife.

Marco:  Okay.

Amanda: Heart knife. Serving fork knife.

Marco:  Uh, that's the prolonged one.

Amanda: Yeah. Uh, chisel knife.

Marco:  The chisel knife. It looks like a chisel. That's right, yes.

Amanda: And the spreading knife.

Marco:  I don't need the spreading knife. We have that. I don't. I don't ever use a spreading knife.

Amanda: You get one when you get this six piece knife set for cheese, which is what you're getting for your birthday. I'll order it now.

Marco:  I don't want garish handles. I want it to look nice. I don't want it made of wood. That's all I'm saying.

Amanda: Oh, you don't want it made of wood?

Marco:  No, I don't want it made of wood.

Amanda: See, I love wood.

Marco:  I just don't want it made of wood.

Amanda: Why do you want to. I don't want.

Marco:  Because of the bad experience I had with my.

Amanda: So what do you want it made of? Ivory. What do you want it made of?

Marco:  No, of course I don't want ivory. My goodness, no.

Amanda: But you can get sustainably sourced ivory.

Marco:  I don't want ivory because I don't believe in using ivory.

Amanda: Can I just say. Yes, I just need to say, okay, you can get sustainably sourced ivory that is from. I actually think it's from fossils. I think it's actually from mammoths. Is that possible?

Marco:  Yes. But woolly mammoth ivory, Amanda, we've seen that, and it's like little tiny.

Amanda: How big a knife do you need?

Marco:  No, I'm saying they use the woolly mammoth tusks.

Amanda: To me it seems weird to use woolly, like an extinct animal's fossil tusks. But I do think that's what happens.

Marco:  They use it for earrings and small things because it's so expensive.

Amanda: I'm gonna get you some earrings.

Marco:  No, I don't want earrings, and I don't want fossilized mammal mammoth tusks. I just want a nice formage set. I don't want.

Amanda: I've offered you two kinds. You've negated both wood and woolly mammoth. I don't want a woolly mammoth knife set. I don't even know if there is one. I don't know what I can do for you.

Marco:  I really don't know what Devin sees in these episodes that you and I record together, because that's where we end up. Um, listen, m. Send Amanda, uh, uh, an Instagram or a tweet with what kind of fromage set she wants.

Amanda: If you send me a tweet, I will never get it because unfortunately, I am kicked off Twitter since March of 2020.

Marco:  Well, they can tweet us. Uh, listenandsleep.

Amanda: Oh, okay.

Marco:  And then I'll show it to you. And, uh, thank you for listening. Thank you for sharing this podcast with your friends. Thank you for taking this journey with us.

Amanda: Let us know what kind of knife set Marco should get for his birthday, because I need to order it soon.

Marco:  I do want to say the end of this season will happen in November, because starting December 1st, we're gonna have holiday episodes. So I'm gonna start mentioning it to our listeners now, just like the Brits do, because our holiday episodes aren't our traditional episodes, Amanda, because they get to be peppier. They kind of have a holiday feel to them, and so they're not necessarily meant for relaxing. And one time we got a review saying that our episodes were too exciting.

Amanda: I see.

Marco:  But those were our holiday episodes, and they only stay up until February 1st. Then I take them down and I re air them the following year. So as of December 1st, uh, our season will be over at the end of November, and then our holiday episodes will begin, and you'll have one for every day in December.

Amanda: Seasonal content. Gingerbread latte for your ears.

Marco:  Exactly. Mittens for your schnoz. All right, thank you for listening.

Amanda: What?

Marco:  I was trying to think of another body part.

Amanda: I just like seasonal vegetables. I like things that are seasonal. I do. I like a fruit or vegetable that's seasonal, where it's like, oh, it's this season because I'm eating this or drinking this. And although gingerbread lattes are manufactured. I still think of them as a seasonal enjoyment.

Marco:  That's fair.

Amanda: Yeah, that's fair.

Marco:  Uh, Amanda claims she doesn't like cranberries, but I bought some cranberries for our little feast.

Amanda: Where is this coming from?

Marco:  There was no segue insider tip. Well, because you were talking about seasonal fruits and vegetables.

Amanda: So here's. You want to talk about me claiming I don't like cranberries? I spent half my massage trying to figure out what to do with the leftover cranberry sauce in that fridge.

Marco:  I love cranberry sauce. I didn't realize we had.

Amanda: I'll have some for lunch tomorrow.

Marco:  Okay, I will.

Amanda: Uh, I was gonna make a dip with it. I had all these.

Marco:  A dip sounds good. What else were you gonna make with the cranberry?

Amanda: I was debating if it could make its way into a soup or smoothie.

Marco:  See, if I had. If I had my fromage set, I could have a little bit of fromage. A little bit of cranberry sauce on top of the fromage.

Amanda: What's the difference between a fromage set and a cheese set?

Marco:  Uh, the fancy way I say it.

Amanda: Fromage. I love the way you say it. So. So Anglophile. Fromage.

Marco:  How do you say it? Okay, well, we'll leave you with. Thank goodness we don't have French description.

Amanda: I know. I just offended everybody. English and French.

Marco:  I'm offended, and I'm not even French. Um, thank you for listening.

Amanda: Was this episode 90 minutes? It feels like it's gone on.

Marco:  It was 10 minutes longer than what I claim it to be.

Amanda: Well, you could have cut me off anytime. You were talking about the cheese set you're hoping your listeners will buy for you. Clear. Buy him a woolly mammoth cheese set, please and thank you.

Marco:  Please don't.

Amanda: He'll love it.

Marco:  Listeners, please do not send or buy cheese sets. Please don't. That's not what I'm saying. Thank you very much for listening. I just appreciate you listening, uh, to our podcast. So thank you very much. Until next time. That's Amanda's yawn.

Amanda: I'm sorry.

Marco:  I hope you. You are thoroughly relaxed like Amanda is, and I hope you listen and sleep.