Thirty Thousand Things

Thirty Thousand Things is now Could Be Better, a new podcast with J. Dewey and cohost Rob Conlon. Could Be Better is the show where two gay men in their forties have a few drinks and spill the tea about what they really think about the latest issue of Better Homes & Gardens magazine. (It’s unofficial and not sponsored by that magazine or its publishing company!) If you listened to the special two-part super long Episode 9, that served as the pilot for the new podcast. It seems to have struck a chord with some of you so we’re trying it as a stand-alone project. So, if you haven’t done it already, hop on over to iTunes or Stitcher and switch your subscription from Th3 to Could Be Better Podcast. We’ve also switched the Th3 Instagram and Facebook pages over to Could Be Better so you can follow and interact with us there, too. And if you have any questions, stories to share or comments, you can email us at couldbebetterpodcast@gmail.com. As for this podcast, who know what the future holds but that’s certainly the end of season one. Thanks for listening. I hope you’ll continue along with Could Be Better.

In Part 2 of "Could Be Better," Rob and I go through the January 2018 issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine and spill the tea on our (unsolicited) opinions about what's on the page...and what's not.

Back for one last episode...here's my conversation with Rob Conlon about our shared love for Better Homes & Gardens magazine. In Part 1 we discuss how we both started reading it on the regular. In Part 2, we take you page by page and, with cocktails in hand, tell you what we really think about each article.

This episode is one that has stuck with me ever since the interview. Not only because it was an interview with two good friends, Amy and Steve Dittmar, but because I think of it every time I wash something out before putting it in the recycling bin...or unpack the Chinese takeout order and pull out the plastic tub of won ton soup...or open up a new purchase and confront the insane amount of packaging American manufacturers use. You're about to meet Amy, who (half-compusively, half-lovingly) collects plastic and glass food containers, and her husband Steve, who copes (totally lovingly) with this collection.

In Episode 1, I talk to Brian and Chris, a couple who share a large modern home, a love of shopping and retro items, and a penchant for elaborate holiday displays. "Every room in our house is a storage room," Chris says, but Brian disagrees. What's the line between collector and hoarder? Can you love someone without loving all of their stuff? And what happens when one partner's love for collecting inspires the other to start collecting too? The story behind one couple, a sunroom, and 37 animatronics.