Paranoia Happy Hour

Join me and Ashley (from happy hour 19) for a bonus happy hour story! Ashley is awoken during her camping experience at Elk Meadows to some creepy lights dancing in the treetops. A scary midnight mystery while camping in the wilderness? Um, no, thank you. At least she had a knife in one hand and her dog by her side.Shares not Scares by Justin from Happy Hour Eighteen: Start a movie club!To make the pandemic slightly more bearable, Justin and friends started a movie club focused on watching terrible movies. They specialize in Blacksploitation and Australian exploitation films, watching them both for the ridiculousness of it all but also to recognize how/why these films are of a certain time and culture. Here are some gems he suggested (all descriptions are from the linked IMDB pages): FrankenhookerA medical student sets out to recreate his decapitated fiancée by building her a new body made of Manhattan street prostitutes.Killer SofaA killer reclining chair becomes enchanted by a girl and starts committing crimes of passion.BlaculaAn ancient African prince, turned into a vampire by Dracula himself, finds himself in modern Los Angeles.CoffyA sexy black nurse takes vigilante justice against inner-city drug dealers after her sister becomes their latest victim.

Join me for happy hour with Brenna! After Brenna graduated from college, she took the leap and moved to Japan. The only problem is she accidentally broke the law. A new kind of alien tale for Paranoia Happy Hour! Brenna's Boo Club: The Kiss Quotient by Helen HoangBrenna said it best in her written description to me: “It is, like all her books, a romance novel in which Boy meets Girl, Boy and Girl have lots of consensual, respectful, emotionally satisfying sex-- very graphically described, then Boy and Girl have Critical Misunderstanding, Boy and Girl resolve critical misunderstanding by achieving a deeper understanding of themselves resulting in clarity about how they can better relate to others, and then Boy and Girl live happily ever after.”A romance trope you say? I'll be picking up a copy from the library just after I finish rewatching Bridgerton.Brenna's Shares not Scares: Mental healthcare for childrenIt's often overlooked and a vitally important part of children growing up to become well adjusted adults. Also, check out the Autism Society of Oregon! And, if you're not in Oregon, there is likely a local organization doing work in this area. 

Join me for happy hour with Alexis! Pack a flashlight and leave your existential dread at home, because we're heading to the Winchester Mystery House. Is it as spooky as the tour claims? Are the staircases and doors to nowhere as eerie as they sound? ARE THERE GHOSTS LIVING THERE? Tune in to find out!Alexis's Boo ClubDusty Corners PodcastPod description: “What's better than getting spooked out by a paranormal story late at night? Come along with Eric and Noah as they take a look at their favorite tales of UFOs, ghosts, cryptids, and more, while discussing the common threads that create the paranormal lore we all know and love. Get the details of your next go-to camp fire story while listening to the Dusty Corners Podcast!”Sounds Like a CultPod description: “Do you think SoulCycle is a cult? What about Elon Musk stans? Or the Royal Family? What about spiritual influencers? Is Instagram itself a cult? We're Sounds Like A Cult, a podcast that analyzes a different zeitgeisty group every week to try and answer the big question: This group sounds like a cult, but is it really?”Alexis's Shares not Scares: Berna Anat, Your Financial Hype WomanAlexis describes Berna as her “gateway drug into the financial world.” From Berna Anat's website: “I'm a producer, speaker and Fin-fluencer (is that a thing?) dedicated to making financial literacy more funny, more accessible, and more Brown for young people everywhere.” Follow her on instagram @heyberna! 

Join me for happy hour with Maya! Don't forget your layers and nausea meds, because we're traveling through The Drake Passage, the roughest waters in the world, to get to our destination. From the wildlife to the warm springs, Antarctica is fucking weird. Maya's Happy Hour Beverage: Orange Blossom Honey Moonshine by Kick Back CoveWith over 50 years of experience, our distiller, Red Bordner, is able to produce award-winning moonshine. The Kick Back Cove brand of moonshine has been nationally recognized for its quality, having won 30 medals during 2017 at international tasting competitions. That's because Red personally ensures that every batch of moonshine is brewed with 100% raw products for exceptional flavor.*Maya's Boo Club: DC Deck Deck-Building Game by Cryptozoic In the DC Deck-building Game, you take on the role of Batman™, Superman™, or one of their brave and heroic allies in the struggle against the forces of Super-Villainy! While you begin armed only with basic combat maneuvers, you will add new, more powerful cards to your deck as you go, with the goal of defeating as many of the DC Comics Super-Villains as you can. In the end, the player who has accumulated the most Victory Points from the cards in his or her deck wins the game!*Maya's Shares not Scares: Interconnected: The TangleThe Tangle, a live theatrical dance experience, aims to de-stigmatize and bring awareness to the vast challenges of the human journey by bridging the arts and mental health education through a multi-media journey.**Info from linked pages. 

Join me for happy hour with Michelle! A fourth-generation Oregonian, Michelle tells the story of her ties to the Shaniko Hotel in the ghost town of Shaniko, OR. Her family participated in the 1977 auction of the Shaniko Hotel. Fast-forward several years when she and her husband visited and stayed in the historic hotel in 2006. You'll never guess what she finds there!Boo Club: The Devil in The White CityFrom Erik Larson's website: “The No. 1 New York Times bestseller about the architect who led the construction of the great Chicago World's Fair of 1893, and the prolific serial killer who used the fair as a lure. Just blocks from the fairgrounds, the killer built a hotel of horrors equipped with an acid vat, dissection table and crematorium. The book won an Edgar Award for best fact-crime writing, and was a finalist for a National Book Award. In November 2010, Leonardo DiCaprio acquired the rights to make a feature film based on Devil, and has stated he plans to play the role of the killer, Dr. H. H. Holmes.”Shares not Scares: Restore OregonRestore Oregon's mission is to preserve, reuse and pass forward the places and spaces that reflect Oregon's diverse cultural heritage and make our communities inclusive, vibrant, liveable and sustainable.

Join me for happy hour with Jane! Jane adventures to Bhutan on her honeymoon with her new husband and in-law family. While staying in the town of Punakha, they visit Chimi Lhakhang, the temple of the Divine Madman. This 14th century dude LOVED to dick down and is known as the “fertility saint” and “The Saint of 5,000 women.” We hear Jane's tale of low key dissing this guy in his own temple (I mean, same, Jane, SAME), and the retribution that the Divine Madman dolled out in return. Be careful what you say! The fertility god may be listening.Jane's Boo Club: MidsommarDescription from IMDB: “A couple travels to Northern Europe to visit a rural hometown's fabled Swedish mid-summer festival. What begins as an idyllic retreat quickly devolves into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult.”Jane's Shares not Scares: Ema DatshiRecipe by 196 FlavorsRecipe by Bong EatsRecipe by World Travel Chef

What happens when Alma Rosa's husband opens a hefty bag he found abandoned on a cemetery gravestone? Well, when your do-gooder hubby picks up litter to help the community, things can get a little hairy. This story involves a town on edge due to a recent murder, Alma Rosa's folkloric Mexican upbringing, and the absolute possibility of witchcraft. And for anyone curious about the murder of David Grubbs in Ashland, Oregon, here's a link to September 2021 article by Medium on the still unsolved case.Alma Rosa's Boo Club: Obit by Victoria ChangDescription from Copper Canyon Press: “After her mother died, poet Victoria Chang refused to write elegies. Rather, she distilled her grief during a feverish two weeks by writing scores of poetic obituaries for all she lost in the world. In Obit, longlisted for the 2020 National Book Award in Poetry, Chang writes of “the way memory gets up after someone has died and starts walking.” These poems reinvent the form of newspaper obituary to both name what has died (“civility,” “language,” “the future,” “Mother's blue dress”) and the cultural impact of death on the living. Whereas elegy attempts to immortalize the dead, an obituary expresses loss, and the love for the dead becomes a conduit for self-expression. In this unflinching and lyrical book, Chang meets her grief and creates a powerful testament for the living.”Alma Rosa's Shares Not Scares: Volunteer with St. Vincent De Paul! From the SSVPISA.org site: The mission of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is “a network of friends, inspired by Gospel values, growing in holiness and building a more just world through personal relationships with and service to people in need.”Members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (known as “Vincentians”) are men and women who strive to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to neighbors in need. Our members represent all ages, every race, and all incomes, and all are gifted with awareness that the blessings of time, talent, and treasure are to be shared with neighbors in need.And some links to withcraft-y things mentioned during the story:Nov 27, 2019 - Santería or voodoo, they're used to headless chickens at Tampa cemeteryMay 10, 2014 - Are voodoo rituals behind the growing number of decapitated roosters being dumped in Las Vegas streets?Feb 28, 2008 - Blog on TreasureNet: Found My First Cache, 2 Coconuts & 1 Dead Rooster !!

Join me for happy hour with Morgan Grether! As a child, Morgan lived in an isolated Civil War-era house in the woods of eastern Kansas. Picture the kind of setting that would need very little altering to become a horror movie film set. For weeks, his sister was the only one in the home who could hear terrifying voices in her room. She had everyone convinced it was haunted (including herself) until the real culprit was revealed.Morgan's Boo Club: Fitzcarraldo by Werner HerzogMorgan calls this film a “beautiful testament to the human spirit and human drive; ambition that is all for art and not for money.” Sounds very much like this podcast (that last part, anyway). Color me intrigued!Description from Wikipedia: Fitzcarraldo (/fɪtskə'raldo/) is a 1982 West German epic adventure-drama film written, produced and directed by Werner Herzog, and starring Klaus Kinski as would-be rubber baron Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald, an Irishman known in Peru as Fitzcarraldo, who is determined to transport a steamship over a steep hill to access a rich rubber territory in the Amazon Basin. The film is derived from the historic events of Peruvian rubber baron Carlos Fitzcarrald and his real-life feat of transporting a disassembled steamboat over the Isthmus of Fitzcarrald.Morgan's Shares not ScaresArt is more important than ever. Check out Morgan's beautiful photography at grethershot.com or follow him on instagram @grether for a regular dose of beautiful nature shots.Pro Choice ResourcesIf you're not sure where to start, here are three great organizations where you can donate, volunteer, attend events, sign petitions, etc.: American Civil Liberties UnionCenter for Reproductive RightsPlanned Parenthood

Join me for happy hour with Mig! When your name is Mig Windows, weird things happen to you. One night, Mig was minding her own business in her bedroom when a bovine apparition trundled through her room. And it was a FULL SENSORY EXPERIENCE: we're talking cowbells in the distance, the smell of manure, and the sound of our ghosty cow friend walking through grass. It only gets weirder from there. My beverage: I was drinking wine and forgot to tell you. It was red. Maybe a blend? That's all I got for you.ALSO, my seasons will be ten episodes each from here on out. I'll be back in your ears Sunday, July 10!Mig's Boo Club: Basement Escape RoomIf you like an “immersive” escape room experience, check out The Basement! Get the pants scared off of you at any of these three locations: Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Kansas City. Mig's advice to escape the room successfully: come with a balanced scooby gang! And shouldn't we all have a balanced scooby gang in our lives? Mig's Shares not Scares: Artistic BurnoutIt's real! And it's ok to give yourself permission to take a break and be proud that you only did one thing that day. And saying “yes” to something, is saying “no” to something already on your plate. Take care of you and keep those artistic juices flowing!

Welcome to happy hour with Hope! A skeptic at heart (same, girl, same), Hope has had two paranormal-lite instances in her 1940s home. The first happened to both Hope and her wife while they were in separate rooms and the second involves a pissed off cat. This just in: cats don't like being replaced.And we cleared up a hilarious misunderstanding. Cheers!Hope's Boo Club PicksLewis Black's RantcastFrom the Rantcast page: “Lewis Black is providing you the opportunity to get whatever the hell is bothering you off your chest! Night after night on the road, Black delivers his wildly popular The Rant Is Due livestream where citizens of the world write in to tell him whatever is pissing them off.”Marvelous Mrs. MaiselsWhat can we say? Hope and I both love a sharp wit from an intelligent woman with leadership skills. Oh, and costume porn. SIGN US UP.  If you haven't yet, check out Marvelous Mrs. Maisels. Hope's Shares not ScaresThe Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon helped over 8,500 stray cats last year! Info from their site: “We provide safe, high-quality care, complete with pain medication. All surgeries are performed by licensed veterinarians who practice high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter procedures. We are able to offer these donation-based services for feral, stray, and barn cats, and low-cost options for pet cats, because of donor support we receive from the community.”  Volunteer, donate, and/or check out their events!

Join me for happy hour with Gabe and Jason for the tale of a bachelor party interrupted! We hear about their midnight sojourn to seek medical treatment in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, after Gabe injured himself break dancing. When they say leave it all on the dance floor, this is NOT what they were talking about. The overall lesson of this journey is “have fun, don't try too hard, and it's ok to grow up!” WARNING: This episode may be cringey for folks who don't do well with gross medical stuff (we also use the brand new terms “lip meat” and “dangle lip” a lot, which might be off putting for different reasons).Gabe's Boo Club Pick: Los EspookysDescription from HBO: “Created by Julio Torres, Ana Fabrega, and Fred Armisen, Los Espookys is a Spanish-language (with English subtitles) comedy following a group of friends who turn their love for horror into a peculiar business, providing horror to those who need it, in a dreamy Latin American country where the strange and eerie are just part of daily life.”Gabe's Shares not Scares: TherapyGo to therapy! Talk about your feels! Stop reliving past traumas! If you won't take it from us, here's an article on the benefits of therapy and how to go about finding the right therapist for you: The Benefits of Therapy for Yourself, Family, and Relationships.

Join me and Edwin Battistella for our first animal themed happy hour! Ed is my former English professor and college advisor and also an extremely talented writer and published author. Ed shares how two small animals wreaked havoc in his life: a cockroach nearly got him shot by a pistol packing landlord and a goldfish brought up philosophical issues and nearly resulted in his firing. Stay away from small creatures, Ed!Ed's Boo ClubSlough House series by Mick HerronPenguin Randomhouse's description of Slow Horses, the first book in the series: “London, England: Slough House is where washed-up MI5 spies go to while away what's left of their failed careers. The ‘slow horses,' as they're called, have all disgraced themselves in some way to get relegated there. Maybe they botched an Op so badly they can't be trusted anymore. Maybe they got in the way of an ambitious colleague and had the rug yanked out from under them. Maybe they just got too dependent on the bottle—not unusual in this line of work. One thing they have in common, though, is they want to be back in the action. And most of them would do anything to get there─even if it means having to collaborate with one another.”Pignon Scorbion & The Barbershop Detectives by Rick BleiweissDescription from Blackstone Publishing's site: “For fans of Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot, author Rick Bleiweiss's quirky new detective and ensemble cast of characters set against the backdrop of small-town England in the 1910s will feel both comfortingly familiar and thrillingly new.”Ed's Shares not ScaresOregon Humanities is committed to starting interesting conversations in unusual places. Check out their upcoming events or sign up for their free magazine!Oregon Cultural Trust is “as uniquely Oregonian as public beaches and the bottle bill, the Oregon Cultural Trust was established 21 years ago by the Oregon Legislature as an ongoing funding engine for arts and culture across the state.” 

Join me for happy hour with Roanne! Roanne was a photographer on a horror movie film set. Oh, also that film set was haunted. The movie, The Smudging, was filmed at the American Indian Arts Center in Chicago (formerly a Masonic Lodge). The Center was home to “at least one murder” and old times child ghosts. No, thank you.Roanne's Boo Club: Sci Fi Carnival podcastTwo up and coming science fiction authors, Maryck (pronounced Mark) Allyson and Harley J. Robinson, talk about all things science fiction, old and current. You can find the podcast on Audible, Spotify, Apple podcast, and Amazon.Share's Not Scares: Roaming ClosetCheck out Roanne's vintage reselling clothing business! You can find Roaming Closet on Poshmark, Mercari, and Depop. Clothes, shoes, bags, vintage postcards, and more! Follow Roaming Closet on Instagram @roamingcloset. 

Join me for happy hour with Amanda! Amanda used to be a bartender at East Chinatown Lounge in Portland, Oregon. She tells the tale of seeing a dark, amorphous shape (like out of a Miyazaki film) that gave her extremely malevolent vibes. Don't mind me while I join Amanda in backing verrryyyy slowly out of the room. Amanda's Boo Club: The Trojan Horse Affair PodcastOverview from their site: “A strange letter appears on a city councilor's desk in Birmingham, England, laying out an elaborate plot by Islamic extremists to infiltrate the city's schools. The plot has a code name: Operation Trojan Horse. The story soon explodes in the news and kicks off a national panic. By the time it all dies down, the government has launched multiple investigations, beefed up the country's counterterrorism policy, revamped schools and banned people from education for the rest of their lives.”Amanda's Shares not Scares: Water conservation! Many of us take water for granted; it's a precious resource and we can all do our part to conserve water and help out our planet. Some resources:Laundry-to-Landscape Greywater System - The laundry-to-landscape system is a simple system with easy distribution of greywater to multiple plants. It is relatively low cost, and easy to install.10 Easy Ways to Save Water in Your Yard and Garden by loveyourlandscape.org Backyard Habitat Certification Program - Learn how to create a habitat for local plants and species to thrive! Tank Girl - Not so much a resource as a 1995 sci fi/post-apocalyptic film about the importance of water and the impact of draughts. 

Join me for happy hour with Dr. Carol Queen! Carol is a staff sexologist at Good Vibrations and was also my mom's college roommate. We talk about her fame in my family, how she stumbled onto this unique career path, and how her weirdest thing is landing her dream job from attending a masturbation workshop. Dr. Queen's Boo Club: Betty Dodson My Sexual Memoir: From Monogamous Wife to Sexual Explorer to Feminist RevolutionaryDescription from Thriftbooks: “America's Most Honest Memoir Betty Dodson's memoir is the story of one woman's struggle to liberate female sexuality while enjoying her own. In the 70s, as the feminist movement evolved, focusing on various platform issues including equal pay and voter registration, Betty latched on to sexual liberation as a symbol for self-empowerment. Realizing that so many women weren't enjoying sex, she asked, "How could women ever be truly equal if they were reliant on men for their sexual satisfaction?" She quickly became the leader of the sex-positive feminist movement. And the rest is history.”Dr. Queen's Shares not Scares: Sex Ed for all! Dodsonandross.com Description from their website: “Betty Dodson and [Carlin Ross] launched this site in 2007 to promote the "Betty Dodson" method of self love and independent orgasm. All of our content is based on user-submitted questions collected over the last several decades. What is clear is that all women lack basic information about their bodies and the female model of sexual response.”Scarleteen.com Description from their website: “Sex ed for the real world! Inclusive, comprehensive, supportive sexuality and relationships info for teen and emerging adults.”Dr. Queen's Happy Hour BeverageThe Cherry Tart: a splash of tart cherry juice, a shot of sake, ginger ale to sweeten it just enough, and spiced cherry bitters. Delish. 

Join me and Emma for a rousing good time! We drink one of the strangest “beers” I've ever had and Emma shares her tale of spotting a trio of UFOs with her dad while driving in backwoods Vermont. Beer: Claim 52 Pineapple Strawberry Guava Purée Gose. Check out Emma's beer instagram @emmalikesbeer!PSA: Don't drink your booze with a straw. No good can come from it.Emma's Boo Club Pick: Franz Ferdinand Franz Ferdinand is a Scottish indie band from the 2000s. Don't worry - they still hold up. They just released a greatest hits compilation that you can check out here.Emma's Shares not Scares: Street Dog HeroStreet Dog Hero's mission is to “serve dogs in need around the world and their communities through rescue, adoption, wellness, spay/neuter, and education.” Check them out to learn how you can help support their important mission! 

Join me for the first story of coincidence on Paranoia Happy Hour! A plot plucked straight from a RomCom, Ashley recounts a tale from her days in Edinburgh when she meets a stranger in the pub. It turns out they have a lot  in common. Like... a lot.Ashley's Boo Club Pick: Scary Stories from Camp RoanokeIf you listen to Paranoia Happy Hour, you're bound to enjoy this delightful podcast! Two best friends, Katie and Morgan, are the hilarious hosts of a podcast where they tell each other scary stories from books they've read, shows they've watched, etc. Ashley's Shares not Scares: Save the Bees!Do you like eating food? Me, too! Well, bees are an integral part of us eating food. Bees are under duress from climate change, chemical fertilizers and pesticides, air pollution, drought, habitat destruction, and much more. Learn how to help! Project Honey BeesBeesponsible Oregon Bee Project

Pile into the Mystery Machine for the first episode of Paranoia Happy Hour's second season! An Elysian IPA in hand, Justin recounts a night in October 1998 when, in true Scooby Doo style, a bunch of teenagers drove a minivan to a potentially haunted house in Laurelwood, Oregon, in the middle of the night. Armed with only a candle and a University of Michigan windbreaker, what could possibly go wrong? Join us for happy hour to find out!Justin's Boo Club: 60 Songs That Explain the ‘90sLooking for more variety in your podcasts than solely mainlining murder stories (cough, me, cough)? Check out 60 Songs That Explain the ‘90s! Description from their site: “‘The 1990s were a turning point in music: with the increasingly connected world enabling an unprecedented coalescence of various styles and genres, the decade featured the rapid evolution of sonic artistry — and subsequently shaped the soundscape of eras that followed. Listen along as The Ringer's preeminent music critic Rob Harvilla curates and explores 60 iconic songs from the ‘90s that define the decade.”Justin's Shares not Scares: PushBlackInfo from pushblack.org: “PushBlack is the nation's largest non-profit media organization for Black Americans, currently serving 9 million people across all platforms.We use the power of narrative, especially Black history and news, to educate and activate our subscribers to build their personal power and create lasting economic and political change.”Sign up for PushBlack's daily dose of Black News & History here!

It's the last happy hour of season one! Join me for my very first Paranoia Happy Hour recording with my dad. He retells a late Sunday afternoon of driving in St. Helens, Oregon, in 1973 where he and some friends spotted a UFO. And then the UFO started circling them. That's some scary shit. And, for those who don't know (because I sure didn't), here are the classification of “encounters:”Close encounter of the first kind: Someone simply observes a UFO but it leaves no evidence.Close encounter of the second kind: A UFO leaves physical traces it was present, such as burns on the ground or broken branches.Close encounter of the third kind: A person makes contact with a UFO or other life form.See you all for Season 2 on April 3. Cheers!

Join me for this rapid fire story time happy hour with Ken! Y'all, Ken is a TREASURE TROVE of weird stories. This happy hour has three UFO sightings and Ken's experience inside the Bermuda Triangle (think creepy, abandoned boats). To top it all off, Ken once had a ghostie roommate in the form of an old, crotchety lady ghost named Mrs. Wallenstein. Fun fact: bad garage grunge rock did not work to exorcize her from the property.Some questions we posited: Do aliens know about us?Were these UFOs or military experimentation or helicopters? Did the shrooms cause shared hallucinations?Why don't ghost roommates pay rent?Ken's Boo Club: Archive 81IMDB description: “An archivist hired to restore a collection of tapes finds himself reconstructing the work of a filmmaker and her investigation into a dangerous cult.” Check it out for time travel, cults, and an enthralling good time!Ken's Shares not Scares: Vancouver Symphony OrchestraAs a nonprofit organization, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra is driven by a powerful mission and five core values which guide us to serve our community and foster artistic development in Southwest Washington and beyond. Check out their 2021-22 Season Tickets (also streaming online!). 

Join me for Paranoia Happy Hour with Rachel! Rachel tells the tale of being taunted by a leprechaun as a child. Are leprechauns real? Was it a parent or teacher? Join us for this lighthearted tale and some wild speculation. We also have our first uncanny valley dating tale! This dating tale takes place at Breitenbush Hot Springs, where the water is warm and clothing is optional. Fun fact, at age eleven I saw a naked man doing yoga in the sauna at Breitenbush and it was... let's say... educational. Thanks to my god mom, Tillie, featured in happy hour seven, for that piece of education. Oh, and I get REAL about dating in this episode.Rachel's Boo Club: Ghost Adventures Description from IMDB: “Are you ready for the lockdown? Ghost Adventures crew -- Zak Bagans, Aaron Goodwin, Billy Tolley, and Jay Wasley -- is back to investigate the scariest, most notorious, haunted places in the world. The trio will interview eyewitnesses and historians at each location, arming themselves with the stories of the ghosts they will later provoke and confront during their dusk-to-dawn lockdowns. (Note: They don't always come out unscathed!) Then they'll review and analyze their findings with some of the most respected experts and specialists in the paranormal field.”Rachel's Shares not ScaresLean into the compliment that someone is sharing with you! 

Join me for happy hour fourteen with Marty Schneider, a man more internet than human! Marty is one of 25 people under the age of 70 who cares about the funny pages. Oh, and he was also turned into a comic strip villain and was the target of an online flame war by James Allen, the third author of comic strip Mark Trail. As Marty says, “it's really weird to open up the paper and see a cartoon of yourself being attacked by a fucking bear.” Yes, Marty, that is really fucking weird. This story comes full circle when Marty rightly reported James Allen for disparaging and sexually harassing Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Speaker Nancy Pelosi using his comic strip's twitter account. Here's the timeline of events, as chronicled by reddit.com/hobbydrama: The time the official Twitter account of a 74-year-old comic strip sexually harassed members of Congress. Marty's Boo ClubWallace the Brave: Wallace the Brave is the best comic in newspapers right now, hands down. The art is amazing, the gags are always good, the characters feel warm and familiar, and the parents actually seem to like being parents! Buy the books!Breaking Cat News: A comic strip about cats that report the news. Very sweet, very cute, fun watercolor art style. Buy the books!Phoebe and her Unicorn: Another fun newspaper comic strip. A little girl is friends with a unicorn. Hilarity ensues.Marty's Shares not ScaresListen to Marty's podcast, Breaking Mayberry, wherever you get podcasts! It's about Baby Boomer TV, more specifically the Andy Griffith show, and how it really fundamentally broke the brains of a generation of Americans.Watch Marty and his fiancee Sarah build LEGO kits and share neat facts every Wednesday on Twitch at BrickSmarties! It's cute, they're cute.Things Marty cares about: BIRDS! He loves birds, loves bird-ING, and wants more young birders in the world. Go find an audubon society, but more importantly, see if there's a queer birding, in color birding, feminist birding club in your area! BIRDS!Article mentioned on the pod: For the LGBTQ Community, Birding Can Be a Relief—and a Source of Anxiety: LGBTQ birders are working together to make the hobby more inclusive and welcoming, while dealing with lingering challenges of acceptance.

Join me for happy hour with Angela! A lighthearted story, the weirdest thing that has ever happened to Angela is getting stuck in a hotel bathroom, which answers the age-old question “What kind of lodgings can you get with $12 and a dog?” The things running through Angela's mind included “Will I have to eat my arm? Am I going to die here?” Some other happy hour musings:Should children tip their parents for premium service? We think yes!And a life lesson from Meg: DON'T TAKE OUT THE LAST SCREW HOLDING EVERYTHING TOGETHER. This is both literal and figurative.Angela's Boo Club PickLois Duncan's A Stranger with my FaceCheck this out for a creepy, good read. There's twins separated at birth, astral projection, and only the angst and drama that teenagers can bring.Angela's Shares not ScaresThe HER Foundation is the global voice for Hyperemesis support and research. Information from their site: “Each year, millions of women with HG across the globe experience trauma, financial strain, debility and/or incredible misery due to severe nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (Hyperemesis or HG). HER Foundation empowers those managing HG with information and support to minimize suffering, long-term health complications, and pregnancy loss.”

Welcome to our first New York happy hour! Join me for a story with Brenna, who napped through a gruesome murder the first week she moved to the Big Apple. The LAST thing you want is a police officer knocking on your door asking “have you heard anything unusual?” Brenna's Boo Club PickEmpire of Pain: The Secret History of The Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden KeefeBrenna's Shares not Scares OG Yoga's mission is “to deliver trauma informed mindfulness based yoga through partnerships with non-profit organizations serving marginalized individuals to support healing, resilience, self-development and positive social change.” Check them out at ogyoga.org to learn more! Girl Scouts of America! Brenna was a scout through high school graduation and can't speak highly enough about the sense of community and life skills she learned through the Girl Scouts. Volunteer, donate, or buy cookies to support this great nonprofit! An aside: Y'all, I'm sorry. This is my first time recording in my closet (WHICH I DID FOR YOU) and the sound quality is lacking. Next time, it will be better!

Am I lost? Did I just time travel? Am I about to be a human sacrifice in a Midsommar-esque story? Is there tree magic here? These are just a few of the questions our happy hour pal Alvin asked himself when he got lost on a road trip and wound up in Vernonia, Oregon, on the fourth of July.  Also, this gem of a quote: “You can't convince me otherwise and you can't make me put down my dictionary.” - Alvin Ma, Citizen of the WorldAlvin's Boo Club PickThe Scaredy Cats Horror Show podcast by Alex Goldman and PJ VogtAre you a scaredy cat like me? Check out this podcast where two friends explore the horror movie genre and discuss their feels. I highly suggest having a handy human shield next to you for cowering. Alvin's Shares not ScaresAlvin cares about intersectional issues and especially those issues that impact folks of colors and LGBTQIA+ folks. The Oregon Food Bank is just one great nonprofit that fits the bill. “Hunger isn't just an individual experience; it's a symptom of barriers to employment, housing, health care and more — and a result of unfair systems that continue to keep these barriers in place. Make a difference: Get involved and help eliminate hunger and its root causes.” Learn more at https://www.oregonfoodbank.org/get-involved. 

Join me for happy hour ten with Liz! In college, Liz lived in cheap student housing with an unexpected roommate (read: sleep paralysis demon maybe?). The things students put up with for cheap housing! Oh, and dating apps are a post-apocalyptic wasteland of dudes offering to pay for your parking in exchange for booty. No, thank you.Liz's Boo Club Picks1. Of course, the OG of horror Edgar Allan Poe. Specifically, Liz recommends The Cask of Amontillado. 2. American Horror Story - Liz loves this show because of its representation of LGBTQ+ folks. It's also fucking terrifying.3. The Sandman, a comic book series by Neil Gaiman. Going through an existential crisis? Look no further for the perfect reading material! Liz's Shares Not ScaresStone Soup PDX is a non-profit food service training enterprise based in Portland, OR, providing workforce development & hands-on culinary expertise to people at risk of homelessness. Liz volunteers with them and says that “any interaction you have with Stone Soup has a positive ripple effect.” Check ‘em out for volunteer opportunities or to order delicious soup!

Join me for happy hour nine with Rey! We descend with Rey into the bowels of The Bent Pyramid in Cairo, Egypt, for one of the scariest moments of his life. We also engage in some slight panic spirals about being trapped in a pyramid and enjoy some spirited beverages. Rey's Boo Club PicksBinti by Nnedi Okorafor - From Maria Haskins' Amazon review: “Nnedi Okorafor's science fiction novella Binti is a suspenseful and exhilarating read that plunges you headlong into a future world where space ships are living creatures, and humanity is just one of many space-faring civilizations.”The Broken Earth by N.K. Jemisin - From The Broken Earth website: “In this Hugo-Award-winning series, there will be war all across the Stillness: a battle royale of nations for the resources necessary to get through the long dark night. Essun does not care if the world falls apart around her. She'll break it herself, if she must, to save her daughter.”Rey's Shares not ScaresCheck out the Darajah Music Initiative! Rey volunteers with them teaching clarinet to children in Tanzania. In addition to education, their mission includes conservation of the Mpingo, commonly referred to as African Blackwood or Grenadilla, which is the wood used to create clarinets and grows in Tanzania. 

Buckle up and join me for happy hour eight with my guest Mouna! We hear the tale of her stay at one of Taipei's most haunted hotels, the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Taipei, Taiwan. Suffice it to say, she did not get much sleep during her business trip. Y'know, because of the haunting. We also enjoy some ghostly speculation. Are ghosts echoes of time travelers? Or just messing with us? We have no answers, but we sure had a good time. Mouna's Boo Club PickWe Are Lady Parts! A show about an all girl, Muslim punk band that is one of Mouna's favs. Here's the description from Peacock: “We Are Lady Parts is an anarchic, joyful and irreverent music comedy following a Muslim female punk band – called Lady Parts – who are on a mission to find a lead guitarist and maybe, just maybe, get a proper gig.”Mouna's Shares not ScaresCheck out Canine Companions for Independence (CCI)! Here's some information from their website: “Canine Companions is leading the service dog industry so our clients and their dogs can live with greater independence. We provide service dogs to adults, children and veterans with disabilities and facility dogs to professionals working in healthcare, criminal justice and educational settings. Since our founding in 1975, our dogs and all follow-up services are provided at no cost to our clients.  Independence shouldn't be limited to those who look or live a certain way. Disability reaches all races, classes and backgrounds, and Canine Companions will too.  Clients come to Canine Companions because of our reputation, the quality of our dogs, the experience of our training staff and the desire to lead life with greater independence. We are committed to providing services to all qualified clients.”

Join me for happy hour seven with my godmother Tillie! Tillie tells us about a frightening encounter scuba diving to recover a ship. Oh, and that time her Grandma's ghost came to visit and make good on a promise. Tillie's Boo ClubThe Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu. From the book description: “Nobel Peace Prize Laureates His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu have survived more than fifty years of exile and the soul-crushing violence of oppression. Despite their hardships—or, as they would say, because of them—they are two of the most joyful people on the planet.”Tillie's Shares not ScaresCheck out the Musk Ox Farm in Palmer, Alaska! Each year, Tillie donates $100 to cover the expenses of a musk ox named Mandy. Here's more info from muskoxfarm.org: “The non-profit Musk Ox Farm is dedicated to the domestication of the musk ox, an Ice Age mammal that once roamed the earth alongside saber-tooth tigers and woolly mammoths. Known to Alaska Natives as “Oomingmak”, which means “The Bearded One”, this once-endangered animal produces an annual harvest of qiviut (kiv'-ee-ute), the finest wool in the world. We welcome visitors to the farm for a close up experience of these magnificent Paleolithic ruminants with guided tours, engaging exhibits, a gift shop featuring some of the world's only gently hand-combed qiviut fiber, qiviut yarn, and qiviut garments.  We also host community fundraising events and educational programming throughout the year.  Visit our picturesque farm surrounded by the majestic Chugach and Talkeetna mountains. Our historic 1930s-era Colony farm is located just 45 miles north of Anchorage in the Matanuska Valley, the heart of Alaskan agriculture.”

Join me for happy hour six with Jamie Grimes! Jamie shares the story of her dog Mochi's final, spooky goodbye and that time she saw the Phoenix Lights when she was a kiddo. Happy Hanukkah, all! Jamie's Boo Club Picks:Phoenix Forgotten - a shaky cam movie (ala The Blair Witch Project) of the Phoenix lights sighting!The Ring - With children climbing out of wells and tvs, this is one of the more frightening movies we've both seen. And, yet, here we are recommending it. ¯_(ツ)_/¯Shares Not Scares:Go visit Jamie at Slabtown Barbers! As her Slabtown Barber's bio says, she keeps you “looking fresh or tastefully scummy!” 

Uncork some wine and join me and my bestie for the story of Oculus Anubis! Is it a cult? A rich housing development? Both? Who knows! We speculate wildly and also please do not trespass. Rachael's Boo ClubsTusk staring Justin Long! Warning that this contains some weird body horror and walruses may frighten you like never before.Brand New Cherry Flavor - a psychedelic, sci-fi Netflix show about a woman trying to make it in cutthroat Hollywood. Rachael's Shares not Scares1) Fuck the Patriarchy 2) Support sex worker's rights3) Support local art

Join me for happy hour with Delilah and James! James is a forensic pathologist who shares a story from work about tempting fate, a glimpse of his mom's spirit when he was a teenager, and some tales of Southern folklore/voodoo magic. James and Delilah's Boo Club picks:American Psycho by Bret Easton EllisThe Key: A True Encounter by Whitley Strieber

It's hot toddy time! Join me for Paranoia Happy Hour with my guest Sumer. We hear about the time she found a glass door to nowhere in a cold basement and some creeeeeeeeeepy kid stories. Sumer's Boo Club pick is The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Check it out from your local library! Sumer's awareness picks are The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and The Nature Conservancy.JDRF is a nonprofit that funds innovative research and advocates for government action around juvenile diabetes. Learn more at jdrf.org! The Nature Conservancy is one of the most effective and widereaching environmental nonprofit organizations in the world, working to conserve our natural resources. Check them out at nature.org to learn more about their mission.

WARNING: Mentions the spirits w*ndigos! Mix up that cocktail and join me for happy hour with Rina! We speculate on a mystical animal sighting in a rural Oregon town and bond over our mutual love of cheap red wine (also known as “grad school juice”). Rina's awareness pick is the nonprofit No More Deaths. Check them out at nomoredeaths.org (and donate, if you're so inclined!). Here's some great info from their website: The mission of No More Deaths is to end death and suffering in the Mexico–US borderlands through civil initiative: people of conscience working openly and in community to uphold fundamental human rights. 

My first guest on Paranoia Happy Hour is James Sharinghousen! He's a haunted house expert, one of my brother's oldest friends, and the spookiest person I know. I hear the weirdest thing that's ever happened to James, enjoy a brief foray into The Exorcist, and reminisce about that time we were pulled over in a hearse. Hit him up for haunted house tips and follow his instagram account (@jamessharinghousen) to soak up spooky and creative merriment year round.