• Holiday Work Chaos: Hayden, who works as a director of operations for an orchestra, shared stories about the chaotic holiday season. He detailed a "run-out" concert where stagehands went to the wrong high school (30 minutes away), forcing him to load and unload equipment in a snowstorm.
• Phone Upgrades: Kelsey discussed getting a new flip-style smartphone that reminds her of the Gameboy SP, while her husband Zach got a new fold phone
• Internet Issues: They briefly discussed a failed attempt to switch to AT&T internet, which lasted less than an hour before they switched back to Xfinity.

The hosts discussed a wide variety of news topics, ranging from sports scandals to oddities:

• Michigan State Football Scandal: They discussed the firing of coach Sherrone Moore (referred to as Sharon Moore in the text). He was charged with stalking and breaking into his mistress's home with a butter knife and kitchen scissors after she tried to end their affair.
• Brown University Shooting: They covered the recent shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where two people were killed and nine injured. They noted police had released a photo of a suspect.
• Cannabis Reclassification: Donald Trump is reportedly considering reclassifying marijuana to Schedule III to allow for more medical research
• Tesla Robotaxis: Tesla is planning to test robotaxis in Austin, Texas, with no safety drivers, which the hosts noted as concerning given previous issues with autonomous vehicles .
• Entertainment News:
• Dick Van Dyke turned 100 years old.
• Lindsay Lohan has been revealed as the voice of Maggie Simpson in a new Simpsons segment .
• Rob Reiner's son was arrested for stabbing his parents (Rob Reiner and his wife).
• Odd News:
• Care Bear Bandits: Seven teenagers dressed in Care Bear costumes were arrested for trespassing in a vacant hotel in Wisconsin .
• Nativity Fugitive: A fugitive in Italy was caught hiding in a nativity scene by posing as a "fourth wise man".
• Littering Fine: An 86-year-old man in the UK was fined £250 for "littering" after spitting out a leaf that blew into his mouth.
• Word of the Year: Merriam-Webster’s word of the year is "Slop," defined as low-quality digital content produced by AI.

• "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" by Caitlin Doughty: Hayden finished this book and highly recommended it. He noted it changed his perspective on death and family involvement in the grieving process.
• "The Royal Governess" by Wendy Holden: Hayden has just started reading this historical fiction novel about Queen Elizabeth II’s childhood governess.
• "Out of Air" by Rachel Reece: Kelsey read this YA book about kids breathing underwater in an air pocket. She found the narrator of the audiobook very whiny.
• "In the Lives of Puppets" by T.J. Klune: Kelsey loved this book, specifically highlighting a character named Rambo, an anxious Roomba vacuum robot, as hilarious. She recommended listening to the audio version.

• Kelsey: Wants to grow the podcast and her cottage bakery business, and stay off her phone to read more.
• Hayden: Wants to detach from his phone and be more creative (art, miniatures) and allow himself to be bored to stimulate creativity

We are also happy to announce that we will be beginning our book club! We will be starting The DiscWorld Series by Terry Pratchett! We are moving to book 5, Sourcery (we are reading in publication order). Please be patient with Kelsey, she never reads a series start to finish without reading things inbetween!

Please rate, review and subscribe! Don’t forget to tell a friend!

You can join us on Facebook and Instagram!

If you have a topic/book recommendation or if you need someone to talk too, you can email us at thewaywarddragons@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Kelsey is joined by a special guest, her brother Hayden, who is filling in for regular co-host Johnny.

1. Intro & Personal Updates

• Midwest Weather: The siblings discuss the "frigid" weather and a recent snowstorm that dumped a foot of snow on the Midwest. They swap stories about dangerous winter driving, including witnessing a semi-truck dangling off a bridge and a gruesome accident involving a gooseneck trailer.

2. Weird News Roundup

The hosts cover a variety of oddball and current event headlines:

• Food Safety: A recall on shredded cheese in 31 states due to metal fragments.
• Animal Antics:
• A bald eagle dropped a cat through a woman's windshield in North Carolina.
• A juvenile raccoon fell through the ceiling of a liquor store and was found passed out drunk.
• Crime & Punishment:
• A Missouri judge resigned after facing discipline for wearing an Elvis wig and singing during court proceedings.
• Two Texas men were arrested for plotting to take over a Haitian island to create a hub for illegal activities.
• A New Zealand man swallowed a Fabergé pendant (inspired by the James Bond film Octopussy) to steal it.

• Pop Culture & Misc:
• A GameStop customer traded a Pokémon card worth $33,000.
• Millie Bobby Brown changed her name after marriage.
• An auction was announced for a rare bottle of Dom Pérignon from Charles and Diana's 1981 wedding.
• Dave Coulier (Full House) was diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

• 3. The Literary Corner (Books)
• Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty.
• The Secret Market of the Dead by Giovanni Di Feo (Described as Young Adult with Italian folklore elements).
• Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister and Out of Air by Rachel Reese.
• Cozy Mysteries: A series by Jennifer Hawkins featuring a talking Corgi, including Murder Always Barks Twice and Cold Nose for Murder.
• Non-Fiction: Lady in Waiting by Anne Glenconner (Memoir of Princess Margaret’s lady-in-waiting).
• Queer Romance: The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by K.J. Charles and A Rulebook for Restless Rogues by Jess Everlee.
• Poetry: Reading Shakespeare sonnets aloud to help with his stutter.

NYT Top 10 List: They also reacted to the New York Times' top books of the year, including Angel Down, The Director, and Mother Emanuel.

4. TV & Media Watch List

• Scandal
• Supernatural
• RuPaul's Drag Race: They reviewed the cast announcement for Season 18, laughing at drag names like "Sierra Mist," "Jane Don't," and "Kenya Please".

We are also happy to announce that we will be beginning our book club! We will be starting The DiscWorld Series by Terry Pratchett! We are moving to book 5, Sourcery (we are reading in publication order). Please be patient with Kelsey, she never reads a series start to finish without reading things inbetween!

Please rate, review and subscribe! Don’t forget to tell a friend!

You can join us on Facebook and Instagram!

If you have a topic/book recommendation or if you need someone to talk too, you can email us at thewaywarddragons@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello and Welcome everyone to this episode of The Wayward Dragons. This is what we will be discussing in this episode:

1. The Release of the Epstein Files

• Congress passed a bill to release the Epstein files.
• The host expresses concern that information incriminating a certain president, his supporters, or major donors will be redacted under the guise of an "ongoing investigation".
• They discuss the possibility of the president attempting a "Richard Nixon" strategy, where he would release the files and have a vice president (specifically mentioning JD Vance) pardon him.
• The hosts touch on the mention of the nickname "Bubba" in an email, noting it could refer to Bill Clinton, Ghislaine Maxwell's horse, or the son of a foreign leader, not definitively Clinton.
• They also note that Prince Andrew is having his name removed from various public items due to his involvement in the scandal.

2. Immigration and Government Actions

• The hosts discuss the Trump administration's lawsuit against a new California law that bans federal agents (including ICE) from wearing masks and requires them to display visible identification while conducting official business. The host supports the right of the public to know who government officials are.
• Pope Leo the 14th is mentioned as strongly backing US bishops who criticized the Trump administration's immigration crackdown and urged humane treatment of immigrants.
• A veteran FBI employee is suing the bureau after being fired for displaying a pride flag in his workspace, which the host calls a "lavender scare".
• Plea negotiations are underway for a Wisconsin judge accused of helping immigrants evade ICE agents.

3. Marijuana and Hemp Legislation

• The hosts clarify a common misconception that the recent government spending bill cracked down on recreational or medical marijuana.
• They state that the crackdown was specifically on hemp products such as Delta 8 and Delta 9.
• The hosts advocate for the full legalization of marijuana, citing its historical use (the Declaration of Independence was written on hemp) and its medical benefits for issues like migraines, cancer-related nausea, OCD, and sleep disorders.
• They note that Florida is taking steps to advance a proposal to legalize recreational marijuana for the 2026 ballot.

4. Miscellaneous and Conclusion

• A Michigan woman won a $1 million lottery after a late-night food run (jokingly referred to as a "munchies" run).
• They discuss a UK bar called Alibi that does not allow single people to enter after 9:00 PM to prevent harassment and drama. Johnny speculates this is because of the rise of online dating.

Books:

Murder by the Book by Amy Schaumberg

Movies/Tv Shows

Hello Boston

Supernatural ending

Hell of a Boss

Tarot cards:

Princess of Swords

Four of Pentacles

We are also happy to announce that we will be beginning our book club! We will be starting The DiscWorld Series by Terry Pratchett! We are moving to book 5, Sourcery (we are reading in publication order). Please be patient with Kelsey, she never reads a series start to finish without reading things inbetween!

Please rate, review and subscribe! Don’t forget to tell a friend!

You can join us on Facebook and Instagram!

If you have a topic/book recommendation or if you need someone to talk too, you can email us at thewaywarddragons@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.