1205 – Retrospective of Episodes 800 – 900
Instead of gazing at a navel we will turn our fuzzy meanders into a sleepy look at one hundred episodes of the show.
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Retrospective
Rave History
https://www.imperiumpublication.com/post/the-history-of-rave-parties
https://djtechtools.com/2013/12/19/history-of-the-rave-scene-how-djs-built-modern-dance-music/
AMA
https://medium.com/liquiditeam/ask-me-anythings-amas-a-dangerous-yet-powerful-tool-7545bced4d1c
https://www.gamesradar.com/keanu-reeves-reddit-ask-me-anything-constantine-2/
I Love Lucy Chocolate Assembly Line
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/i-love-lucy-tale-chocolates-cybersecurity-raymond-lin
https://www.sbsun.com/2008/09/08/mr-know-it-all-i-love-lucy-episode/
Rudolph Claymation Movie
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/magical-animation-rudolph-red-nosed-reindeer-180973841/
https://www.geekwire.com/2014/the-geeky-tech-behind-rudolph/
https://www.everything80spodcast.com/rudolph-movie/
DOWN TO BUSINESS
101 sleep podcast episodes on the wall
A making-of, forgetful, recap
I can’t even remember which episodes I’m going to recap!
Deep Dark Night United
Madeleine (Zocdoc)
PLUGS
SAG-AFTRA Strike Support; Meditative Story podcast; The Midnight Mission; Trevor Project; Patreon; SleepPhones; Emily Tat artwork; NAPAWF; Anti-Racism Resources; Ukraine Relief; Crisis Textline
SPONSORS
Hello Fresh; Odoo; Helix Sleep; Air Doctor Pro; Zocdoc; Progressive
INTRO
Faces in the Moon / Phases of the Moon
I’m just having a lot of pseudo-dreams
I’m probably just in a phase of tough sleep
It might be a temperature situation, too
Too warm for the weighted comforter
2 blankets can’t contain me
You deserve a bedtime you feel neutral about
We need you at your best
Let’s just not be at our worst
A rave at a far distance
A rave at a distance can actually be quite soothing
The Distant Raver
Can you rave about a niche thing?
I’m just here to keep you company
I take your mind over here into my nonsense
My meteorological thesis about raves
Always Going, Never Started
The Importance of a Wind Down Routine
Reviewing 100 SWM episode titles
STORY
Retrospective in lieu of TV recap episodes
I’m always surprised when these episodes happened
800 was an AMA – I should probably rerun that
Snore Trek
Oh, What a Mountain! (board game)
This is my Moby White Whale
I’m still trying to order this, but shipping is very expensive on eBay
A 3d board game where you’re climbing a mountain
I bought my daughter a couple 3-D Scooby Doo board games a few years back
803 was Labor Day – 4 years ago today, we released 803
Remember Bop It?
Dr. Triangle and Isosceles
I had a keychain version of BopIt for a while
Or the Simon game
I loved how interactive Bop it was
How come no one has created Bop It After Dark
Snore Trek S3 E10 – was this a Picard love story? No
Scrabble Scramble – a knock adventure that I don’t remember
Census Party – Dr. Triangle ep
A TNG episode that I wouldn’t title it like this anymore
Post-500 I got smarter about how I titled episodes
Traditionally TNG episodes underperform
I guess how many people listen to each episode
809 – Another Sandy Day at the Beach
The girl from Arizona
I must’ve been recording a bunch of this in the summer
My Little Pony – Dr. Triangle
6 Flags Magic Mountain with Ray
I was just talking about this ep with my daughter
You need to go to 6 Flags with a very different mindframe
They don’t open the good rides right away
It helps if you have a discounted ticket
The most popular ride wasn’t running
The bumper cars were our first big hiccup
I incorrectly eyeballed how long the line there would take
Hiccup #2 – Food and Beverage
Some short staffing and revenue maximization
Ideally, you’re not planning meals around eating only there
I almost wrote a letter
Dr. Triangle
Star Trek
Claude and Count Chocula’s cereal box history
820 was fun
Ings and Within the Wires Double Crossover
Bearimy, Employee of Chip Driver
I love the name Scalene
Planners and Planters – Datemoi episode
Dr. Triangle was only 10 episodes?
This wss a phase when I tried to do all Serially Modular shows in 10 episodes
I like to plan out scheduling for the next year
Making podcasting is like the chocolate assembly line from I Love Lucy
You constantly need to be putting out new stuff
I have an idea for a new limited-run holiday series
I’ll have a better sense of my schedule soon
I’m veering into some BTS stuff
All Intro ep for Thanksgiving
Good Place to Sleep
Great Holiday Cookie Adventure
2019 Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, actually in 2019
It’s really hard to do it in the same year
If I do a watchalong, it has to be for a show that I really love
I just got so tired of the Macy’s Parade workflow in only 2 weeks
Oh, Mandaborian starts!
Have I done the Rudolph holiday movie? That one is wild
Interviewing the Christmas tree that took a walk
Our first encounter with Baby Oso
Otter Things begins
Red Curry and Jasmine Rice Real Time Recipe
Mini Golf Memories
A trip to Knott’s Berry Farm
Knott’s is a little more themed, and therefore rigorously planned out
Becoming a working artist
Get Besos – Season 3
Another episode title lookback
Did I read it? Ludlam Edition
Was 856 our last Bernie episode?
Oh yeah, the phase when we split up Good Place episodes
Sleepy Ticket to Ride Unboxing
An experimental episode for Get Besos
In Modular Shows, I have to give a lot of context
Self-Referential in the Funnest Way Possible
But my explainer could go on for so so long
#1 Rule: Have Fun
#2 Rule: Put People at Ease
I still sometimes get frowny-faced emails
There’s only so much I can do to make changes to the podcast
How long is too long of a tangent?
I’m constantly thinking about how much I have to record
Half Producer Brain / Half Recording Brain
I always hoped that the setup would go so long that it could be a standalone episode
And then one time it did in fact happen
And then it’s like a natural buffer episode!
Oh, Princess Bride Tale of the Tape
866 Silver Sleeper Studios
Crossover with Alba Salix
More Snore Trek
My Life with HBO
That feeling when you lose your swimsuit
Happily Enrobed Swimsuit
Oblong and Oddlong
Song a Day Crossover
Pocketful of Stuffing
Oh, Otter Things didn’t come out until June 2020
Bittersweet Life crossover
Album Drop Goofs
Doctor Who
Mewing Kittens Unboxing
My fave companion for sure – Martha in Doctor Who
A Real Time Review of Real Time Episodes
PATREON THANKS
Emily H, Sparra, Emily A, Budino, Chelsea, Louise, Todd, Brian, Melissa, Holly, Fee, Tarmac, Christina, Frank, James, Arlo, Alex, Dave, Colin, Paul, Sophie, Emma, Rocket, Jimmy
SUMMARY:
Episode: 1,205
Title: Retrospective of Episodes 800 – 900
Deep Dark Night United: Madeleine (Zocdoc)
Plugs: SAG-AFTRA Strike Support; Meditative Story podcast; The Midnight Mission; Trevor Project; Patreon; SleepPhones; Emily Tat artwork; NAPAWF; Anti-Racism Resources; Ukraine Relief; Crisis Textline
Sponsors: Hello Fresh; Odoo; Helix Sleep; Air Doctor Pro; Zocdoc; Progressive
Patreon Thanks: Emily H, Sparra, Emily A, Budino, Chelsea, Louise, Todd, Brian, Melissa, Holly, Fee, Tarmac, Christina, Frank, James, Arlo, Alex, Dave, Colin, Paul, Sophie, Emma, Rocket, Jimmy
Notable Language:
- The Distant Raver
- Oh, What a Mountain!
- Scrabble Scramble
- Organic Tangent Length
- Album Drop Goofs
Notable Culture:
-
- “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall”
- Raves
- Bette Midler
- Sleep With Me Podcast
-
- SAG-AFTRA / WGA Strike
- Snore Trek
- Star Trek: TNG
- Moby-Dick
-
- Scooby-Doo
- Bop It (Toy)
- Dr. Triangle and Isosceles
- Simon (toy)
- Scrabble
- Christmas Vacation
- My Little Pony
-
- 6 Flags Magic Mountain
- Ings
- Within the Wires
- Venmo
- I Love Lucy
- The Good Place
- Mandaborian / Mandalorian
- Otter Things
-
- Robert Ludlam
- Ticket to Ride Game
- The Princess Bride
-
- Alba Salix
- Song a Day
- Bittersweet Life
Notable Talking Points:
- 101 sleep podcast episodes on the wall
- A making-of, forgetful, recap
- I can’t even remember which episodes I’m going to recap!
- Faces in the Moon / Phases of the Moon
- I’m just having a lot of pseudo-dreams
- I’m probably just in a phase of tough sleep
- It might be a temperature situation, too
- Too warm for the weighted comforter
- 2 blankets can’t contain me
- You deserve a bedtime you feel neutral about
- We need you at your best
- Let’s just not be at our worst
- A rave at a far distance
- A rave at a distance can actually be quite soothing
- The Distant Raver
- Can you rave about a niche thing?
- I’m just here to keep you company
- I take your mind over here into my nonsense
- My meteorological thesis about raves
- Always Going, Never Started
- The Importance of a Wind Down Routine
- Reviewing 100 SWM episode titles
- Retrospective in lieu of TV recap episodes
- I’m always surprised when these episodes happened
- 800 was an AMA – I should probably rerun that
- Snore Trek
- Oh, What a Mountain! (board game)
- This is my Moby White Whale
- I’m still trying to order this, but shipping is very expensive on eBay
- A 3d board game where you’re climbing a mountain
- I bought my daughter a couple 3-D Scooby Doo board games a few years back
- 803 was Labor Day – 4 years ago today, we released 803
- Remember Bop It?
- Dr. Triangle and Isosceles
- I had a keychain version of BopIt for a while
- Or the Simon game
- I loved how interactive Bop it was
- How come no one has created Bop It After Dark
- Snore Trek S3 E10 – was this a Picard love story? No
- Scrabble Scramble – a knock adventure that I don’t remember
- Census Party – Dr. Triangle ep
- A TNG episode that I wouldn’t title it like this anymore
- Post-500 I got smarter about how I titled episodes
- Traditionally TNG episodes underperform
- I guess how many people listen to each episode
- 809 – Another Sandy Day at the Beach
- The girl from Arizona
- I must’ve been recording a bunch of this in the summer
- My Little Pony – Dr. Triangle
- 6 Flags Magic Mountain with Ray
- I was just talking about this ep with my daughter
- You need to go to 6 Flags with a very different mindframe
- They don’t open the good rides right away
- It helps if you have a discounted ticket
- The most popular ride wasn’t running
- The bumper cars were our first big hiccup
- I incorrectly eyeballed how long the line there would take
- Hiccup #2 – Food and Beverage
- Some short staffing and revenue maximization
- Ideally, you’re not planning meals around eating only there
- I almost wrote a letter
- Dr. Triangle
- Star Trek
- Claude and Count Chocula’s cereal box history
- 820 was fun
- Ings and Within the Wires Double Crossover
- Bearimy, Employee of Chip Driver
- I love the name Scalene
- Planners and Planters – Datemoi episode
- Dr. Triangle was only 10 episodes?
- This wss a phase when I tried to do all Serially Modular shows in 10 episodes
- I like to plan out scheduling for the next year
- Making podcasting is like the chocolate assembly line from I Love Lucy
- You constantly need to be putting out new stuff
- I have an idea for a new limited-run holiday series
- I’ll have a better sense of my schedule soon
- I’m veering into some BTS stuff
- All Intro ep for Thanksgiving
- Good Place to Sleep
- Great Holiday Cookie Adventure
- 2019 Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, actually in 2019
- It’s really hard to do it in the same year
- If I do a watchalong, it has to be for a show that I really love
- I just got so tired of the Macy’s Parade workflow in only 2 weeks
- Oh, Mandaborian starts!
- Have I done the Rudolph holiday movie? That one is wild
- Interviewing the Christmas tree that took a walk
- Our first encounter with Baby Oso
- Otter Things begins
- Red Curry and Jasmine Rice Real Time Recipe
- Mini Golf Memories
- A trip to Knott’s Berry Farm
- Knott’s is a little more themed, and therefore rigorously planned out
- Becoming a working artist
- Get Besos – Season 3
- Another episode title lookback
- Did I read it? Ludlam Edition
- Was 856 our last Bernie episode?
- Oh yeah, the phase when we split up Good Place episodes
- Sleepy Ticket to Ride Unboxing
- An experimental episode for Get Besos
- In Modular Shows, I have to give a lot of context
- Self-Referential in the Funnest Way Possible
- But my explainer could go on for so so long
- #1 Rule: Have Fun
- #2 Rule: Put People at Ease
- I still sometimes get frowny-faced emails
- There’s only so much I can do to make changes to the podcast
- How long is too long of a tangent?
- I’m constantly thinking about how much I have to record
- Half Producer Brain / Half Recording Brain
- I always hoped that the setup would go so long that it could be a standalone episode
- And then one time it did in fact happen
- And then it’s like a natural buffer episode!
- Oh, Princess Bride Tale of the Tape
- 866 Silver Sleeper Studios
- Crossover with Alba Salix
- More Snore Trek
- My Life with HBO
- That feeling when you lose your swimsuit
- Happily Enrobed Swimsuit
- Oblong and Oddlong
- Song a Day Crossover
- Pocketful of Stuffing
- Oh, Otter Things didn’t come out until June 2020
- Bittersweet Life crossover
- Album Drop Goofs
- Doctor Who
- Mewing Kittens Unboxing
- My fave companion for sure – Martha in Doctor Who
- A Real Time Review of Real Time Episodes
-
Episode 1205 – Retrospective of Episodes 800 – 900
[START OF RECORDING]
SCOOTER: Friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it’s time for the podcaster that’s gonna be talking about 101 sleep podcast episodes on the wall. Or 99 sleep podcast things on the wall. Take one down, lull it around, and then you’ll have 90…100, then 99, then 98, and eventually I’ll get through 100 of them, all in a lulling, soothing manner. If you’re confused, oh boy, we’re celebrating ten years of making Sleep With Me, over 1,200 episodes. What is Sleep With Me? You might have tuned in and thought it was something different. It is something different, very different. It’s a podcast to keep you company and help you fall asleep. It’s a friend in the deep, dark night, just like if you would call a friend and say, talk to me about something nonsensical but make it barely entertaining, barely humorous.
Take my mind off of stuff 'cause it’s not easy fall…not being able to fall asleep. It’s not easy falling asleep. It might not be easy staying asleep, and it might not be easy dealing with those feelings in the deep, dark night, and that’s why I make the show. You deserve a good night’s sleep. You deserve a place you could rest, ideally a bedtime you could look forward to. Now, this podcast does take a few tries to get used to, so give it a few tries. See how it goes. You really got nothing to lose. I’m just here to be your friend in the deep, dark night and keep you company. This podcast really works for the people it works for. When people discover it, they say, holy cow, I had no idea I’ve been looking for this my whole life. Now, there are people it doesn’t work for; you could always check out sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou. That has other sleep podcasts and sleepy stuff on there you could give a listen to. But I’m so glad you’re here.
What we got coming up; support, that’s how the podcast is free twice a week. There’s over 600 episodes, so as you become a regular listener, you could pick from those and see what works best for you or make a playlist or just listen all night long, as some people do. Then what do we got after that? Oh, then a long, meandering intro. The intro is meant to ease you into bedtime. It puts a few people to sleep, but for most people it’s part of their wind-down routine. Then later on we’ll have a little sleepy story recap, a making of…wondering, me forgetting, not remembering everything I’ve made between Episodes 900 and 1000, I think, or 800…I think 900. See? See, I’m already doing…I don't even know where I am, and that’s what this show is about. So, I’m so glad you’re here and I really hope I could help you fall asleep. Thanks for making that possible, my patron peeps.
INTRO: [INTRO MUSIC] Hey, are you up all night tossing, turning, mind racing? Trouble getting to sleep? Trouble staying asleep? Well, welcome. This is Sleep With Me, the podcast that puts you to sleep. We do it with a bedtime story. Alls you need to do is get in bed, turn out the lights, and press Play. I’m gonna do the rest. What I’m going to attempt to do is create a safe place where you could set aside whatever keeps…whatever’s keeping you awake. It could be thoughts, things on your mind about the past, the present, the future, stuff you’re thinking about.
It could be physical sensations, it could be emotions, feelings related to the thoughts or the physical sensations or feelings that are just there, it could be time, temperature, routine, dreams, I don't know, a…not…I mean, phases of the moon could keep you up. Phaser…if you’re on a…you could have something about phasers. But for me, I’m going through this phase. I don't know what it is. I haven’t been able to pin it down, and it is related to something getting processed not just in my dreams but you know those…whatever you call them, pseudo-dreams, where rote tasks are being done, and I’m just not getting a solid night’s sleep, and I don't…I can’t pin it down. But I’ve done this long enough and talked to enough listeners where I say, okay, this is just probably a phase. I gotta keep at it with my bedtime routine.
It may be a temperature situation too, because, I don't know, I’ve been sleeping with just a sheet and a blanket. Usually I have a weighted comforter, but it’s just been a little bit too warm for the weighted comforter, but it’s not…I’m not…I can’t…two blankets can’t contain me. So, I tried two blankets which is less than a comforter, and then the one blanket…so then…but with only one blanket, I like to be cool…very cool. But then…so, I don't know. So, whatever’s keeping you awake. The only reason I go through that…it could be work, it could be something coming up, you could be going through something, it could be a mystery.
The reason I go through all that list is to let you know you’re not alone, and I realize this is a podcast, so saying you’re not alone is…it can feel lonely in the deep, dark night for me, and this podcast…the whole idea of it is to keep you company, to be your friend in the deep, dark night, to take your mind off of stuff. So, the reason I list all that stuff is to let you know, yeah, it’s probably tough whatever’s keeping you awake, and I can probably relate to how it feels. But even if I can’t relate to how it feels, there’s someone listening who can, probably someone who’s been through something similar, and they’re leaning in right now. We have enough listeners that…they’re leaning in right now and saying, yeah, I know. They want you to get a good night’s sleep.
They want you to feel comfortable and they want you to know…and I get enough e-mails, so this is the honest truth; they want you to know you’re not alone in this new realm of me sending my voice across the deep, dark night. So, that’s one of the most important parts of the show. The most important part of the show is the fact that you deserve a good night’s sleep. You deserve a place you could get some rest. You deserve a bedtime that doesn’t feel like a rigmarole, that feels like you’re dreading it…starting on Saturday, dreading Sunday night. You deserve a bedtime you could feel neutral about or look forward to. Those are the two tenants of the show; the deep, dark night can be painful and lonely…let me keep you company 'cause I know how it feels. You know what?
You deserve something to distract you so you could fall asleep, and a bedtime routine and stuff like that so you could get the rest you need so your life is more manageable and eventually you could be out there flourishing, and that means our world is a better place to be in. We need you out there, and we don’t need you at your best, 'cause I…they say, we need you at your best. You say, okay, well, would you take not my worst? I say, okay, we’ll take you…some days that’s all I can manage. When I say ‘some days’, I mean over 300. Let’s just not be at our worst. That’s another tenant of Sleep With Me, really, is be at our best…oh boy, come on. So, that’s what I strive for because it’s important. So, the way I do it, though, is I send my voice across the deep, dark night.
I use lulling, soothing, creaky, dulcet tones, pointless meanders, and superfluous tangents. So, I’m gonna go off-topic; that means I’m gonna get mixed up, I’m gonna use filler words, I’ll forget what…I’ll double back. My voice is not traditionally soothing, so that’s part of it. The other things you kinda need to know is that this is a podcast you kinda just barely listen to. It’s like elevated background noise, like a TV on in the other room or a conversation…you’re in your bed and you could hear some adults talking pleasantly. Or my favorite analogy — because I live by a stadium but far enough away — is a rave, a rave at a far distance or an EDM festival at a far distance. You would not believe that it’s really not that bad, especially if there’s a long break. That’s the only time you say, could you just keep the music go…?
Keep that bass going consistently, please. But you say, at a distance, a rave at 3:00 in the morning at the right distance may be suitable for some people. That’s all I’m saying. So, this podcast is a bit like that. You say, okay, it fits into a similar niche. You’re a fan of raves? No, I’m a fan of…I’m a distant raver. Really? Tell me more. Well, I say…well, I’m a…I go to raves at a distance. Do you ever go with Bette Midler? I’ve thought…I was…just started thinking that at the same time. We may be in the same mind. ‘Cause I said, a rave from a distance; I like the harmonies and the music. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t go…be at a rave. I’m just saying a rave at a distance, totally different experience. Are you raving about raves at a distance? I would say, I guess for me…I don't know, can you rave about a niche thing?
I say, if it fits your enjoyment, you might enjoy it. I don't know how…that could be a super VIP package, but you could also do it for free. You say…it’s kinda hard to do it that way 'cause you kinda gotta live somewhere where there’s a industrial-type space at a…so, not for everybody. Or, I mean, a house party at a distance but not…that’s a very…you know what I’m saying. But this…so, this podcast may be not…maybe is…maybe those aren’t the best examples. It’s a podcast you just barely listen to. Also, this show does not put you to sleep. I’ve been making this show since…what year? 20…I can’t even remember anymore. 2013. I was like, how come there’s nothing to put you to sleep?
You can make a podcast about anything, but there’s no friendly bedtime story podcasts for adults and something to just keep you company just like a friend. How come that’s not out there? I said, well, let me try. That took…it took me many, many years to do that, but…and then I started making the show and realized, yeah, there’s something to this because I don't want pressure to fall asleep. So, with this show, there’s no pressure to fall asleep. That’s why the episodes are over an hour, and that’s something I learned from feedback and putting myself in the listeners’ shoes, to say, hey, I don't want to worry about when the episode ends. So, having it over an hour doesn’t mean…it means there’s no pressure to fall asleep. I’m gonna be here for over an hour.
Also, there’s people listening who can’t sleep both at night and people who are listening during the day when they need a break. What’s my point about that? My point is that there’s no pressure to fall asleep. I’m really here to just barely be listened to whether you’re awake or asleep or if you wake back up. I’m here to be your bore-friend, your bore-bae, your bore-sib, your bore-bud, your bore-bestie, your neigh-bore, your bore-bud, your Borbie, your bore-bor, your bore-bruh, your bores, your friend who is here to just keep you company and take your mind off of stuff.
Again, that’s the kinda…one of the things that works about the show, is I take your mind over here into my nonsense and I say, yeah, just…I’d say, if I was a meteorologist and I was studying meteorology in school and I had any ambition and stuff, I’d say, well, how does relative humidity affect enjoying raves at a distance at night in different areas and climates? That’s what I would do…that’s what I would love to see…I don't know if…that’d be a tough thesis. They say, I’ve been…how long have you been working on your thesis for? Is that what it’s called? I don't know. My dissertation, right? I don't know. I got too many distractions and I go off…whatever the other word is where I divert…I diverge from my dissertation.
But yeah, that’s…and actually, I don't even know what relative humidity is, so maybe it’s just humidity. Then somebody said, well, what about phases of the moon? Then I said, well, maybe I’ll just imagine myself with Bette Midler at a rave at a distance with perfect humidity for carrying a rave in a lulling way. Then I realized, probably better at a outdoor EDM festival just because rave…if a rave’s indoors, then it’s not gonna carry as well. So, that’s why I didn’t…that’s why I haven’t completed it. Also, it’s only imaginary. We’ll be published at Gingerbread Press one day in my imagination if I…if my imagination becomes sentient itself. So…oh, what was I saying?
I’m just here to be your friend in the deep, dark night and keep you company and take your mind off of stuff, to give you something else to think about other than what’s keeping you awake, because that’s just what happened to me and that’s what I’ve learned from all the people who have listened over the years. Other things to know is this show…most people don’t like it when they first listen. So, if you’re feeling that way, you’re in good company because a lot of regular listeners who pay for the podcast now couldn’t stand the show when they first listened, or it didn’t work for them because it is so different, because they had expectations or they were trying to get some sleep and they were like, this is a little annoying. Then they realized, oh, it’s a harmless thing. I get it now.
It does…it never start…it’s always going and never started. But if you’re waiting for the sleepy stuff to start or you just had normal expectations, this show is a little bit different. So, it does take some tries to get used to. So, give it a few tries. See how it goes. Structure of the show is also important to talk about because the show is designed in a very deliberate way to benefit the most people it can, but then as you become a regular listener, you can kinda decide what works best for you. But most people just listen in a linear way for free and enjoy that, listening that way. But that doesn’t mean you can’t mix it up. So, the show starts off with a greeting; friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. That way you feel seen and welcomed in and you say, okay, I got a general sense that this show is different and a little bit silly but also takes my sleep seriously.
Then there’s sponsor support so the show could be free, then there’s a long, meandering intro which is separate from the support and really is a show within a show. It’s about ten to twenty minutes long of me explaining what the podcast is for ten to twenty minutes, because it’s everybody’s…every episode is a few…more than a few people’s first time listening and their second time listening and their third time listening, but also because…the reason the intro…and we kinda settled on this fifteen to twenty-minute kinda thing is where we land most of the time is because…for what I’ve seen with sleep, what I’ve seen for sleep written and what I’ve seen work for me and other listeners, is having some sort of way to ease yourself into bedtime, a bedtime routine or some sort of wind down.
So, the intro is part of that. Now, you could be in bed getting comfortable, you could be falling asleep, or you could adjust how you listen. But for most people, they’re either getting ready for bed, they’re doing some sort of chill wind-down activity, or they’re getting comfortable and getting settled in. So, that’s what the intro does, and I highly suggest…hey, try some other chill activity out even if it’s just doodling or something, if you want. So, that’s the intro, then again, support between the intro and the story, then tonight’s story will be kinda looking at a hundred episode titles of Sleep With Me and just wondering what…me kinda saying, okay, I remember making that one, or this is what I was thinking.
These are kinda in place of TV recaps while we take a break during the writers’ and actors’ strikes, and then we’ll be back to the TV recap-type stuff probably next year, because we’ll do some holiday stuff and then 2024, we’ll get going with Great British Bake Off. So, what do you call it? So, that’s the structure of the show. The show ends with thank-yous. You can adjust, like I said. There are…2% of people skip ahead, but then people pay for the free podcast and they get access to story-only episodes or intro episodes or ad-free episodes or compilation episodes. So, then you can definitely start to dial in, hey, this is what works best for me, or certain styles of episodes some people prefer over others.
So, just see how it goes at first and then kind of adjust from there or check out sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou and find something else, 'cause you still deserve a good night’s sleep even if I can’t provide it. So, I think that’s everything. That’s the structure of the show. That’s what to expect. I’m so glad you’re here. I work really hard. I yearn and I strive. I really hope I can help you fall asleep. Thanks again for coming by, and here’s a couple ways I get to do it for you for free twice a week.
Alright everybody, Scooter here, and this is a retrospective episode that we’re temporarily running in place of TV recap episodes during the strikes. I’m just holding off. We did some silent movies. Maybe over the holiday season…I don't know if we’ll do silent movies or something else. But yeah, just looking back. We’re gonna look back at 800 through 899, I think, and then, I don't know, if we have extra time…I’m like, oh, maybe we could dig way back. But yeah, this is kinda looking back. Honestly, when I look back, I can’t even…sometimes if you’ve listened…if you listened to the last episode I did this, it was just interesting. The podcast is so…I don't know. I’m always surprised.
Oh wow, I thought that episode was older or more recent, or…thus far, I don't think I’ve been totally stumped on any episodes even though these…so, these are only a few years old. These are from 2019, starting in the 800s. So, yeah, let’s see. We started with 800, which we talked about last episode. That was a AMA where I answered some common questions about the show. Huh, maybe I should rerun that one. Probably should. Then 801 was Snore Track or Sleep with TNG, Season 2, Episode 8, A Matter of Honor. Don’t feel blue; I’ll splain your sleepness nights awake as Riker and the Klingons play. I think that was when Riker worked on a…that must have been a Riker/Worf episode. Oh boy, then 802; Oh, What A Mountain. That’s a board game, and I will be Googling this just in case.
This is one of my…whatever the thing’s called, Moby…my things I’m searching for. It’s a board game from when I was a kid that we had bought used. I actually bought some of the parts of it on eBay, and it…but my eBay address was so rarely used that it got shipped to my old work address, so I never recovered it. So, I was still trying to…it looks like I’ve…I’m seeing one version of it, so…oh, a couple versions. Wow, plus $24 shipping. That’s not gonna work for me. How much is the shipping on this one? $14.50. Well, I’m gonna look into it. But it was a board game. It was just…so…oh, what was I explaining? You could listen to the episode, but it was a three-dimensional board game that we bought used at a garage sale. So, even when we bought it, it didn’t have all the parts. This was in the eighties.
But it was so cool to play a three-dimensional board game where you’re climbing a mountain. I’m so surprised…I guess I don't like…well, actually, I bought a couple 3D board games. I don't know if I talked about this in the episode, but to…I don't know if this was intentional or unintentional, though. This was…so, I bought my daughter three…or, not three; two Scooby-Doo three-dimensional board games for Christmas one time, or birthdays when she was younger. Those were three-dimensional games. One was similar to…one was…I think you were going up and then the other was you were going down. Or, I don't know. I can remember the one that we had at my house which had a car on tracks. It was inside a mountain. It was pretty fun, but it was a lot of work to set up and stuff. So, it was similar to Oh, What A Mountain.
So, anyway, that was Oh, What A Mountain, 802, in 2019. Then 803 was Labor Day, which is…wow, that’s weird; so, today is September 1st and that was Labor Day, I guess, 2019, 'cause today is September 1st, 2023. So, four years ago we recorded…or released 803. That was all-intros. Okay, then we have 804; Bop-It in Bellowsville, Dr. Triangle and Isosceles Adventures, Episode 4. That game Bop-It; remember…anybody remember that one? Twist it. Let’s see, bop it…you’d bop it, twist it, flick it, pull it, right? Was that everything? I remember more playing it…I had a keychain version for a while. Bop it, pull it, twist it, flick it. Twist it, bop it. Oh, if you never played Bop-It…it’s a bit like…there’s a game called Simon. That was the brand name. Or it’s like one of those ones where you gotta do it in order.
Like, it flashes red, flashes green. But this one you’re trying to do it in real time and it gets faster and faster and faster. I’m surprised it doesn’t…they haven’t re-released it for like…because there’s…everything’s big on…and it’s tactile which is the difference between pressing tiles on a phone or even on a machine. Bop-It, you were actually bopping it. You were actually flicking it, twisting it, or pulling it, and it was a fun game. We also…I was gonna say…well, I’ll just be honest. If you’re…just put your mind to use; Bop-It After Dark. That’s all I’m saying. You know, as you’re getting in your pajamas. You know what I mean? I recommend it, playing the game, to kind of say, okay, now you put on one of your pajamas.
So, you could use it like that; brush your…you could use it actually like Bop-It…I don't think…'cause now…oh, now you gotta brush your teeth for two minutes. So, I guess that does have…it doesn’t seem like a good use of it, though. Okay, so, where were we? A little too much information there, Scoots. The Defector; that was Snore Tech…Snore Trek, Season 3, Episode 10. Was this the one…? No. That was Tapestry, right, where…one of the Picard love stories? Yeah, I remember The Defector. That was…wasn’t that a trick? Neutral Zone…Scrabble Scramble. Oh, this was a Knock adventure? I don't remember this one, but I guess I had to do a Scrabble and Knocks. So, there you go; first stump of the night. I don't remember the plot of Scrabble Scramble.
Usually with the Knock adventure ones, it takes me about twenty-five minutes to explain that my dog Koa and I have a hobby of listening to knocks. Census Party; no need to count sheep as our heroic figures will help count people without math. That was Dr. Triangle and Isosceles, Episode 8. I’m sure I said in there, there ain’t no party like a census party if you…depending on how you conduct your census. Probably it would be better…oh, maybe that was the plot. Like, if you had a party. Isn’t that was happened in…isn’t that how we celebrate one of the seasonal holidays? Christmas. Isn’t that related to census? So, there’s…oh, this is one I wouldn’t title this way anymore. I wonder if that episode under-performed. I had this conversation the other day. This was a TNG episode, Season 3, Episode 17. Oh, it’s a two-parter, right?
So, that’s probably why. Oh no; it wasn’t a two-parter. That was a good episode. I love that episode. I love Worf-based episodes. But I don't know, this is funny that it was in the…what I would consider the modern era of Sleep With Me, though we’re probably in a post-modern era now, 'cause that was 300 episodes ago. But you know, the post-500 episodes…at some point I became aware if I titled it with anything that could be archetypal, that the episode would under-perform. People would be like, no, it has a word…that word in there. I’m not gonna listen to it. So, I don't know, I’ve never looked at the stats of the episode. Traditionally, TNG episodes under-perform.
What does that mean? It means less people listen to them and it kinda means that part of our estimated way of making the show work is like estimating how many people are gonna listen to the episode. So, if it under-performs, then we’re under…we’re…so, it just…I don't know. Then 809; Another Sandy Day at the Beach. So, a holiday episode coming…I mean, a summer episode coming out in September. I assume I recorded it in the summer. A trip to the beach without sand in your bed. Summer breeze. Then the Joy of Math, probably…I don't know if I put ‘math’ in the…I probably would. Joy of Math…I put ‘joy’ in; it kinda counteracts the word ‘math’. A little tongue-in-cheek there. Time for some fun that is same to sleep since it is interdependent on math.
Okay, that was…that sounds like my dyslexia messed that up. Okay, Girl from Arizona; that was…Girl From Arizona, Part 1. Good Place to Sleep, Season 4, Episode 1. Oh, then National Lampoon, so I must have been recording these in the summer, which would make sense in October that…yeah, I was probably recording these episodes in August. National Lampoon’s Vacation Tale of the Tape; that’s always one that’s hard for me to remember all the different tangents. Then 813; My Little Undercover Pony, Adventures of Dr. Triangle and Isosceles. Huh, I don't know what that one’s about. I know it’s about math, but I don't know how My Pony and undercover works into it, but it’d be interesting to find out, I guess. Six Flags Magic Mountain with Ray; that was…wow, October 2019.
I don't know when that trip was, but maybe not…2019 or 2018, the actual trip I made to Six Flags Magic Mountain. But what a…if it was a summer trip or early summer trip when I was…on my way to work for the podcast for that Australian episode, which had come out a while ago. So, it probably was a year. But I was just talking about this episode with my daughter because we went to another…not theme park; amusement park recently, and this…the making of this episode and that trip to Magic Mountain kinda changed…Ray talked about it in that episode how important it is to…if you’re not going to Disney or Universal Park that you do have to have a totally different mind frame.
We went to that park with kinda that mind frame of get there at rope drop, which we did not do, and then proceed in some…have expectations to have a touring plan. I’m not saying don’t have a touring plan, 'cause we went to Six Flags Magic Mountain maybe in 2022 on a fairly busy day, and we did have a plan. We did get there close to rope drop and we did have a plan. But the thing is, you can’t really…your plan’s gotta be super-malleable because not everything…these parks are very…gonna be very short-staffed and probably even into the future, it seems like. So, you can’t expect there…to get there early and then the…you say, okay, the wait times are gonna be low. But now what they do…and unfortunately the other companies have learned this, where…companies where you gotta make a reservation to get into a park you paid for.
That’s one of the reasons we cut back for a while. But so, these ones you don’t have a reservation, but they say, well, we’re not gonna open up the good rides ‘til 11:00 or whatever. But if you go into it kind of with a open mind of like, okay, let’s just see how it goes…now, it does help if you have a discounted ticket. The ticket we went that time was a Go LA ticket, so it wasn’t like we were paying full price. Then since then we’ve had a seasonal pass where it’s like, you can usually break even — like Ray talked about on another episode — after two or three visits. But the thing is that gives you a relief of saying, okay, we’re definitely gonna come back to this park this season. So, the fact that we’re only going on three rides…especially if parking’s included.
You want to make sure parking’s included on the pass you get if you’re gonna get a seasonal pass, because the parking is another way they maximize their revenue. So, you just go into it. So, we went to one recently and maybe Ray will talk about it at some point, but…so, I won't say the name of the park or anything. But we got there…we did get there at pretty much the time it opened. The most popular ride was not running. Then we got into the second-most popular ride. That was…ran once, but they just started up their operations at the opening of the park, so then it seemed like they had to run, I don't know, about ten trains through to, whatever, get the computer result to say, okay, now we’re good to run. So, they ran one group through and then we waited for a while, which is okay 'cause we kinda expected that.
Then we said…we were even…people were getting out of line. We said, well, they didn’t say to get out of line yet, and where are you gonna go if you get out of line, anyway? So, it’s like, you might as well wait…we’re gonna wait for this. It was the second-most popular ride, so, might as well wait now. Eventually we got on; it was great. Then we went on other things, but then other things weren’t open or things have what seems like a short line, but it’s short-staffed, so it’s a little bit slower operations. But when you go into that with that attitude, it just…it makes it more fun. ‘Cause we did have…we didn’t hit our…those weren’t even hiccups. We didn’t hit our major hiccups until the bumper cars, of all things. That was a huge error, and that was my part.
I had heard their bumper cars were fun and I eyeballed the line and I eyeballed it wrong, because only one person was working. So, it was that kind of…but because it was okay, we were like, okay, well, we’ll come…we had caught the end of the season deal for next season, so it was like, okay, no big loss. Then our next hiccup — which this will be in the case for a long time, I think, as well — is in food and beverage. That one was…I almost had to submit a thing. But I said, you know what? It wasn’t anybody’s fault other than the staffing again, and a little bit of revenue maximization that I said, whoa boy, hold on. But it was also my first visit and I said, you know what?
This is…moving forward, it should be instructive that it’s probably…in a perfect world you’re planning your meals not around eating there, or at least you’re having something in case it looks like the operations are falling behind. The only issue with this one was we didn’t know it until it was past the point of no return. So, anyway, that’s just a little bit about…but I don't know, then it was just like…whatever, we’ll be back. Okay, Steam Gal; that’s Dr. Triangle and Isosceles 8. Chillaxing Tinker Tailor; that was A Good Place, Season 4, Episodes 3 and 4. Claude and the Count Chocula’s Cereal Box History; this one was fun. I think we looked through a bunch of old cereal boxes, like a visual list-type thing. Fall of Math; that’s Episode 9. Sounds like we’re headed towards a thing. This was cool; this 820 was really fun.
So, this was Ings and Within the Wires. We did a double crossover. So, Ings came to a live show and performed music, and then we also did a crossover with the podcast Within the Wires, so…and it was seasonal for…'cause that was October 30th. I think we had tested it out as a live show and then recorded it, 'cause I think this one is probably not the live recording. This is probably for release. Then Bearimy Employee of Chip Driver; that’s a confusing title. I like it. Scalene and Fruit Pies; love that name, Scalene. One of my favorite…these are a few of my favorite triangles; scalene and fruit pies. Planners and Planters; that’s a Datemoi on dates. That came out in November of 2019, Valentine’s-Day-style. That’s my imaginary plat…a secret level on Venmo called Datemoi. Believe it or not, they’ve never contacted me.
But most people…a lot of times people just take my idea and they say, okay, well, we’ll just do that anyway without telling you, Scoots. We’ll just call it Datemo, you know? We know you put an I on it. So, I said, great, thank you. Thanks. Tuck Finn Looks Back…so, wow, Dr. Triangle was only ten episodes? What was it? Or nine episodes? No; ten episodes. Scalene and Fruit Pies was the…so, this was a test I was doing and funnily enough, we may have dramatically moved from that. So, I think for a little while I was trying to see, okay, if we did the episodically modular series, could we do them in ten episodes versus twelve episodes versus more than twelve episodes? Which over the history of the show…originally I just run a series until I thought it reached its conclusion. I mean, very early on we’re talking.
There was episodes, I think, with…shows with thirty. Those may have been more…not episodic, though, or episodic. You say episodic; I say episodic, and then I drink it. Then as we kind of refined how we do things and learned what works for most people or what people like so we can alternate between styles of shows, I discovered that, well, maybe we should shoot for something more contained. At some point it got to this twelve episodes with a recap, so thirteen episodes. ‘Cause also, I’m always trying to make sure I have enough content to fill a whole year, and I’m…I don't plan the whole year out ahead of time, but I kind of get a general sense of what the next twelve months are gonna look like as far as recording and releasing.
Because, again, it’s hard to imagine as a listener, but the idea that the episode is coming out two…it’s just like that I Love Lucy chocolate. If you Google that, chocolate assembly line or whatever, that’s what making the podcast really is like. Even though it seems chill, it is a thing of like…even repeats or whatever…and the reality is unfortunately that this type…style of content creation where it’s not a part of a large corporation has tons of benefits, but one of the things is that everything relies on new content in order to support paying your bills and continuing making the show. There are benefits to the old content, but it doesn’t…if you don’t have new content, you just drop. It doesn’t work. So, what was my point about that? Oh, so then I said, okay, twelve episodes seems to work, but let’s try ten.
Maybe that’ll be creatively more challenging, maybe add some more variety. Then we kinda ended back up at twelve. Now I’m back right now recording…I’m scheduled to record Episode 10 of Journey Into the World of Friends next week. So, actually, a week from today is when I need to record Episode 10. But I’m kinda feeling as I’m writing Episode 10, I’m like, does this…do we have to force this creatively to end at twelve episodes or is this me…? This is where trying to deal with nuance…or am I…can I be creatively…can this use a creative push to wrap it up in twelve episodes or is wrapping it up in twelve episodes…which is the right creative way to do it? I guess I’ll let the recording and the story tell me, but I do like it like most streaming shows that are on a regular basis.
You hit something at eleven and then twelve is the post-peak, kind of like…whatever they…I don't even know how to say that word; denouement or whatever where you say, oh, okay, so we hit that peak at eleven or nine, and then the last episode is kind of putting a bow on it. If you liked it, I’ll put a ring on it, you know? So, I’m just wondering if that’s what’s gonna happen. Also looking at the holiday schedule for 2023 and saying, well, I had this really interesting idea for a limited-run holiday…a new limited-run holiday series. Do we do this now in 2023 or will…? I don't know the future, so it’s like, do it in 2024? But I don't know. So, do we put Journey Into the World of Friends on hold over the…between Thanksgiving and New Years and run one or two of these holiday episodes, or do we…what do we…?
I don’t have a answer right now. I’ll definitely know more when I record Episode 10, which by the time you’re hearing this, I’ll be in Episode 11 or 12. ‘Cause it’s like, I guess this 10…are we entering the last thing? Which Journey Into the World of Friends I know. But I feel like I wanted the characters to visit every single room. This is more for Episode 13 of that series, anyway, but…so, that’s interesting to me right now. Okay, so, let’s see. We looked back on the Adventures of Dr. Triangle and Isosceles. That was Episode 11. Clocking in an hour and seven minutes. Help is to Other People to End All Frowns; that was A Good Place, Episode 7 and 8 from Season 4. It All Started With an Ice Cream Bar; that was a fun one. I think that maybe came out of an intro, but that was one of those random episodes.
Then a all-intro episode for Thanksgiving, then…what do we got here? Good Place, Season 4, Episode 9. Let’s see, was that it? No, Chidi’s Journey…slow-mo recap of a slow-mo look back at Chidi’s journey to jog your dreamy memory. Okay, then a new holiday limited run series that was really enjoyed, and we were able to visit different ways of celebrating holidays through cookies and cooking; The Great Holiday Cookie Adventure. So, that was fun. That was more than one; that must have been an intro episode. Worn by cookies as cool as butter. Okay, then we did the 2019 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2019. Since then we’ve moved on, so this year in 2023 I would do the 2022 Thanksgiving Day Parade, because at some point I missed the parade. Then I said, well, isn’t it better off…? ‘Cause it’s really hard, I’ll be honest.
I got to the point where I really couldn’t…that’s the thing when people are like, why don’t you do this show? It’s like, okay…and the Thanksgiving Day parades really offer me…where my instincts are right. I say, well, no, I can’t just do a show, recaps of a show, 'cause I have to watch the show multiple times and anticipate watching it multiple times in multiple seasons. So, it has to be something that can stay palatable and I can stay curious about through multiple watches of a single episode and across multiple seasons, and it has to be a show that’s palatable to listeners, because some people…I mean, 20% or 30% of listeners will base it on whether they have an impression of the show, be it negative or positive, and they’ll just skip it. That’s been more extreme with the Star Trek ones.
But that’s why I choose those…choose the shows I watch very carefully. The Thanksgiving Day parade, it didn’t start like that, but a few years ago I got to the point where I was just like, man, I can’t…I don't know if it was the length and the amount of commercials and a fact that the way it’s laid out that I didn’t realize, and the segments…but it just started to be like where I just was…but it wasn’t that, to be honest. What it was was that it was also those things combined with the time pressure of watching it on Thanksgiving, then watching it over and over again, and then recording a episode about it and trying to condense things and get it out in a reasonable time. Two or three weeks just wasn’t enough, 'cause it’s got…something’s kinda gotta air out.
Today…this was just interesting; this morning when I got up and I was running through all the e-mails…it takes me a couple different work segments to get through all the e-mails I get. So, I was watching the parade from 2022 in the background. So, then I’m just warming up to it, right? I’m saying, okay…oh, that was…I liked that opening number. So, then when I go down to do writing about it…I don't know, I have a positive association because I have time versus watching it and being like, okay, I gotta record this in ideally a week, but two weeks max. I don't know, it changes up the relationship with it. Oh wow, then Mandoborian, Episode 1. Then Ingredients for the Festival of Lights; that was the Great Holiday Cookie Adventure. Santa Claus is Coming to Town Tale of the Tape. Have I done Rudolph? I think I did.
I don't even remember what I don't remember about this one, but that’s funny. Oh, 'cause that movie is pretty out there. That’s with Burgermeister. Then another Mandalorian, The Child. That was the first…our first touches of Baby Oso there; 2019. Yule Log Tourist; Great Holiday Cookie Adventure, then a Return from Tribute Tree. Oh, this was a interview, huh? I sit down with the Christmas tree that took a walk. Talk about apologies. Oh wow, and then we didn’t really take…we took a short break, so we only…we did two sets of all-intros between the holidays and New Years. Then The Son; Mandalorian 3, then Odder Things. That was our first…Dino in Downstairs board game unboxing…oh, Odder with…D-D-E-R. Odder Things…oh, okay, that was from the show. That was a Dino in Downstairs D&D. Bought that for the holidays.
I was just looking at that this summer. I had given it away. Red Curry and Jasmine Rice; Real Time Recipe. So, there’s another curry recipe there. Sanctuary; Mandoborian on Mandalorian. Mini-Golf Memories; 843. Looking back at mini-golf. There’s a trip to Knott’s Berry Farm with Ray; 844. That was…wow. I wonder if…those ones I probably batch-recorded over a week after the trip, 'cause the Knott’s Berry Farm trip was the same time as that Magic Mountain trip. Knott’s Berry Farm is a little bit more of a theme park, so the operations there are normally a little bit more rigorous than your amusement parks. So, you can do a little bit more planning. But I haven’t been there in the daytime since then, since 2018.
Gum-Chewer; Mandoborian, then Becoming A Working Artist…that I kinda talked about at seminars, news of how I got to where I am today. Sleeping Buddy; that was Get Besos, Season 3, Episode 1. James and RW are back. Elbow Grease Heist; that was Mandalorian. Random Sleep Time Capsule; 849. I don't know, that was some sort of look back at the titles of episodes like this one. That’s funny. Condo Whisperer; that was Get Besos, Season…Episode 2, Season 3. Then President’s Day, all-intro. Then another Mandalorian episode, The Reckoning. Then Did I Read It: Ludlum Edition. That was looking back at all the Robert Ludlum books I read as a kid. Syrup Sweet Park; Get Besos, Season 3, Episode 3. Redemption; Mandalorian, Season 1. This is our last Bernie episode, maybe; 856, Frog Pad Polish, with Bernie.
That was where Bernie came in and talked about polishing frog pads and NCT. Okay, what do we got? Queen Cranberry on Parking; Get Besos, Season 3, Episode 4. You’ve Changed; A Good Place to Sleep…okay, so, we paused Good Place and split it up. Then Sleepy Ticket to Ride, a board game unboxing. That was a different Ticket to Ride; not the main one. Ticket to Ride Taxi Edition or something. Poetry of Straws, Get Besos, Season 3, Episode 5. Mondays, Am I Right? Season 4, Episode 11. That just reminded me of Andor, because they say Mondays or whatever, am I right? Sleepy Speedy Cushion Cast; that was a one-off fancast, a new podcast about sleepy bumps in the road and the people who love them. Then Bedtime Break for Besos; so, 863. This was a experimental episode that I had always wondered if I would do.
Then the opportunity presented itself. So, this was another tangent about the creation of the show and listener feedback, but also listener feedback, holding it in balance, and then percolating on it and then making my own creative choice. So, at some point…and some series, they don’t actually need this, and the more episodically modular it is the less of a setup it needs, but also the more seasons that go on, the more setup a show needs. So, the setup is where…it’s after the intro and the sponsor spots and then I say, hey everybody, this is Scoots. Welcome to another episode of Get Besos.
Then I explain what it is and I explain the show in a very…way…a way that’s…I would consider it loose and fun, that normally can be extremely long, where it is self-referential in a couple different ways, in the funnest way possible, where it’s like, okay, this is very strange that this man…if you were…from a outside perspective, this man’s gonna explain what this episode’s…what we need to know to move forward in this episodically modular series for the next five or ten minutes. Now, sometimes it’s two or one minute, or sometimes I’ve designed the stories where the characters can explain it, but this is a particularly…part of the sensibility and the DNA of Sleep With Me, is the idea that…but it could go on and on and on, just having to explain what the series is about in order to start the next episode of the series, even if it’s Episode 8.
But that became a part of the DNA of the show…is one, I love that this is a rule we don’t necessarily need to follow, because normally it’s…your rule is to be efficient and convey information in an efficient manner. But Sleep With Me, our rule is have…be sleepy and have fun. Two, put people at ease. So, the fact that I go on and on and on to explain what the show is is also an acknowledgement and seeing listeners who are listening to Episode 8 and it’s the first episode. So, my job is to put them at ease and give them all the information they need to listen to Episode 8 if they happen to be awake, listening.
Or for regular listeners that for their whole existence have said, no, I have to listen in order, but one night they happen to listen to Episode 8 for the first time of a series and then suddenly they get the relief…oh, I really…now that I’ve tried, now I believe Scoots, that I can listen to these in any order. So, I’m gonna listen as they come out and then I’ll go back…and the idea that it’s fun, because I do get the frowny-face e-mails of people that are listening for the first time or people that just kind of like/dislike the podcast or like/dislike me, and have strong feelings about that and they gotta let me know how ridiculous that is. I also understand that.
I don't necessarily…can’t necessarily see that as well, other than say, okay, well, yeah, I…there’s not much I can do to change the DNA of the…maybe I could keep that in mind or maybe I could try to have characters or introduce some of the series. But if the actual what makes the podcast works is something that makes you feel strongly, a lot of times I just gotta be like, okay, there’s not…I gotta take all of the feedback I get and say, okay, what aligns most with the podcast? How should I handle it? But so, I was always curious if I would…how…without forcing a tangent, what kind of organic tangent length would feel too long to me? ‘Cause here’s the other thing that…especially the people that have strong opinions; everything with this show is really…there’s a lot of intention that goes into it.
Even as I’m recording right now, I’m aware of how long the recording’s been running and how much longer it needs to run for me to have a full episode, and the fact that I have a lot of other work to do in this day that I’m recording the show, including appointments. So, it’s like, this is…it isn’t like I accidentally go on a twenty-minute tangent. It’s more like I organically go on a tangent that I’m aware…oh, this is gonna be…well, it’s at twelve minutes. Where are we at to wrap this up? Okay. Okay, let’s see where we are in the next four minutes, or, well, this is kinda…maybe we should wrap it up now. I’m constantly…as I’m recording the show, I’m also producing the show in a separate role.
It is strange, but it is kinda this split thing where one part of me is listening…and maybe even an assistant role of saying, by the way…and this isn’t a joke. It’s 12:07 now; you have an appointment at 12:30. So, where are we at with the recording? Should we take a break and return to it, and whatever. So, all that being said, I was always curious if there would be a point where the show…where a setup would go so long without forcing it or planning it that I could just make it into an episode. I know at some point during that…so, that was supposed to be a written episode that was probably prepared, and then it was like, holy cow, I’m already…that tan…I’m already at twenty-two minutes.
Let’s just see how…can we go to thirty or forty-five minutes and see where we’re at, and can we make it past that into the fifties and sixty minutes so that when it’s edited down, it’s fifty…forty-five to fifty minutes long? ‘Cause everything…again, it has to be…that was a rule where people are like, this podcast takes a lot of work…I don't believe it or whatever or it doesn’t matter to me. It’s like, okay, well, it does matter to me and it’s fun because it’s like, okay, do we…how much material is in here? So, that was interesting. Also, it served another purpose for the production of the show which was that with the written series, it’s constantly a little bit of juggling the schedule and making sure we have stuff…I don't know.
So, the written series, sometimes we’re falling what I would consider behind, because again, I would love a eight-episode lead time with all the styles of the shows we do. That’s just not really realistic with the written episodes. But having…then that becomes a buffer episode, right? ‘Cause I already had the episode written. So it’s like, I probably recorded that episode, and then the episode I was supposed to record, I probably recorded that the next day. So, suddenly I had more material. So, that was just one where I was like, the whole idea is ridiculous. So, I would recommend listening to it if you’re a superfan…to check it out. Then Patty; Good Place to Sleep, Season 4, Episode 12. Oh, Princess Bride; wow. That’s 865. 866; Silver Sleeper Studios.
That’s funny 'cause that’s what Sleep With Me is…but Season 3…Get Besos, Season 3, Episode 7. Whenever You’re Ready; Good Place to Sleep. Is that it? That’s the series finale. Yeah, 13 and 14. Then a crossover with Alba Salix. Stay tuned for that. That was a real fun one. World Walking Reverse Condo; that was Get Besos, Season 3, Episode 8. Then…this was Reunion, Snore Trek, Season 4, Episode 7. Then we ran a fan favorite flashback, My Life with HBO, then Losing Your Swimsuit; I really like that episode. That was 2020. Haven from Sports; Get Besos, Episode 9. The Drum Head; that was an intense episode. It was Snore Trek but it was such a good episode. That was Season 4, Episode 21. Then another swimsuit issue…Happily Enrobed Swimsuit with the Cusacks. Then Streaming Things Right, Episode 10 of Get Besos.
Then Redemption Part 1; that was Season 4, Episode 26 of TNG. Oblong and Oddlong; that was a one-off of two siblings. Then a all-intro for Memorial Day, and then…okay, so that one…Besos we also wrapped up in ten episodes. So, I don't know…I don't know about that…ten episode wrap-ups anymore. Kinda liked the twelve episodes. Gives me a little bit more time with the characters and is less…more meandering, I guess. Okay, then Redemption Part 2; that was TNG 5, Episode 1. Oh, Song of Day crossover, As It Happens with Mystery Bard, another fun crossover. Then a recap of Get Besos, then Data Lore, TNG, then A Pocket Full of Stuffing; that was a random one. Then a repeat of My Life with a Perm; 567. Then Otter Things…oh, so Otter Things didn’t come out ‘til June of 2020. I would have thought it was older.
That’s so funny. Episode 1; We’ll Always Have Paris. Then another crossover with Bittersweet Life, A Virtual Tour of Rome. That’s a really good episode. Really good podcast, really good people. Goop Chase and Duck-Billed Beaver; that was Otter Things. Sleepy All-Intro for the Fourth of July, then When the Boughs Break at Art Camp; that was a Sleep With TNG episode. Jet Stream Adventure…don’t remember that one at all. Some sort of cloud thing. Album Drop Goofs; that was Otter Things, Episode 3. Then we got into Doctor Who, Season 3, Episode 0, Running Bride. Mewing Kittens, a board game unboxing. Odd Quest of the Lounge Singer; Otter Things 4. Smith and Jones; that was Episode 1.
Okay, so that’s where Smith and Jones get together. Season 3, Episode 1. My favorite companion, for sure. Projector Protector Dance, Size-Down, Otter Things 5, and The Shakespeare Code. Whoa, then another review of episodes. So, we probably did…I just didn’t put the numbers in here. That was…oh no; a real-time review of Real Time episodes. I don't know. These look-back ones are fun, though. So, that’s it, and thanks, everybody, and goodnight.
[END OF RECORDING]
(Transcription performed by LeahTranscribes)
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