Episodit

  • HBO's "The Last of Us" episode 9 is upon us! It's titled "Look For the Light" and is the Season One finale! I bring my friend and longtime fellow TLOU stan Chad Hopkins on for our weekly reaction podcast to the exciting event series starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.

    Now that we've reached the end of Season One, all talk about the plot for The Last of Us - Part II is reserved for the spoiler section which begins at 1:10:00.

    On this episode, we reach the destination with our heroes and hard choices are made.

    Find Eric on Twitter at @spielerman, and find the show at @TYFSpiels.

    Find Chad on Twitter at @chadadada, and find his Avatar: The Last Airbender podcast "Crossroads of Destiny" wherever podcasts are found. Also check out The Cinescope Podcast where Chad talks about favorite movies with his friends.

    Thank you to everyone who has been listening along on the journey. "Thank You for Spore-ing" will return!

    E-mail us at [email protected].

  • HBO's "The Last of Us" episode 8 is upon us! It's titled "When We Are in Need." I bring my friend and longtime fellow TLOU stan Chad Hopkins on for our weekly reaction podcast to the exciting event series starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.

    Spoilers for the video game's future plot are saved for the end of the episode behind a warning! This week's spoilers begin at 1:05:00. Up until that point we will just be discussing events that you'll have seen if you have watched the corresponding television episode, and what was different about them in the game.

    On this episode, we meet a man called David, and Ellie and Joel both have terrifying things happen to them.

    Find Eric on Twitter at @spielerman, and find the show at @TYFSpiels.

    Find Chad on Twitter at @chadadada, and find his Avatar: The Last Airbender podcast "Crossroads of Destiny" wherever podcasts are found. Also check out The Cinescope Podcast where Chad talks about favorite movies with his friends.

    We'll be back next week for the finale! And this episode will be streamed on YouTube soon. Tell a friend if you enjoy it!

    E-mail us at [email protected]. Thanks for Spore-ing!

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  • HBO's "The Last of Us" episode 7 is upon us! It's titled "Left Behind." I bring my friend and longtime fellow TLOU stan Chad Hopkins on for our weekly reaction podcast to the exciting event series starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.

    Spoilers for the video game's future plot are saved for the end of the episode behind a warning! This week's spoilers begin at 1:02:00. Up until that point we will just be discussing events that you'll have seen if you have watched the corresponding television episode, and what was different about them in the game.

    Chad and Eric also share what they learned since Episode 6 aired (briefly at the beginning.) This was a GREAT and very intimate episode between Bella Ramsey as Ellie and Storm Reid as Riley

    Find Eric on Twitter at @spielerman, and find the show at @TYFSpiels.

    Find Chad on Twitter at @chadadada, and find his Avatar: The Last Airbender podcast "Crossroads of Destiny" wherever podcasts are found. Also check out The Cinescope Podcast where Chad talks about favorite movies with his friends. ESPECIALLY, this week, the episode from 2017 where Eric and Chad discussed "Innerspace," Eric's favorite Joe Dante film.

    We'll be back next week! And this episode will be streamed on YouTube soon. Tell a friend if you enjoy it!

    E-mail us at [email protected]. Thanks for Spore-ing!

  • HBO's "The Last of Us" episode 6 is upon us! It's titled "Kin." I bring my friend and longtime fellow TLOU stan Chad Hopkins on for our weekly reaction podcast to the exciting event series starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.

    Spoilers for the video game and future plot are now placed at the end of the episode behind a warning! This week's spoilers begin at 1:10:00. Up until that point we will just be discussing events that you'll have seen if you have watched the corresponding television episode, and what was different about them in the game.

    Chad and Eric also share what they learned since Episode 5 aired (briefly at the beginning.) This was a GREAT episode which had TONS of character moments! And some lifted directly from the amazing video game.

    Find Eric on Twitter at @spielerman, and find the show at @TYFSpiels.

    Find Chad on Twitter at @chadadada, and find his Avatar: The Last Airbender podcast "Crossroads of Destiny" wherever podcasts are found. Also check out The Cinescope Podcast where Chad talks about favorite movies with his friends.

    We'll be back next week! And this episode will be streamed on YouTube soon. Tell a friend if you enjoy it!

    E-mail us at [email protected]. Thanks for Spore-ing!

  • HBO's "The Last of Us" episode 5 is upon us! It's titled "Endure and Survive." I bring my friend and longtime fellow TLOU stan Chad Hopkins on for our weekly reaction podcast to the exciting event series starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.

    Spoilers for the video game and future plot are now placed at the end of the episode behind a warning! This week's spoilers begin at 59:30. Up until that point we will just be discussing events that you'll have seen if you have watched the corresponding television episode, and what was different about them in the game.

    Chad and Eric also share what they learned since Episode 4 aired (briefly at the beginning.) This was a GREAT episode which had TONS of action! And devastating consequences.

    Find Eric on Twitter at @spielerman, and find the show at @TYFSpiels.

    Find Chad on Twitter at @chadadada, and find his Avatar: The Last Airbender podcast "Crossroads of Destiny" wherever podcasts are found. Also check out The Cinescope Podcast where Chad talks about favorite movies with his friends.

    We'll be back next week! And this episode will be streamed on YouTube soon. Tell a friend if you enjoy it!

    E-mail us at [email protected]. Thanks for Spore-ing!

  • HBO's "The Last of Us" episode 4 is upon us! It's titled "Please Hold To My Hand" I bring my friend and longtime fellow TLOU stan Chad Hopkins on for our weekly reaction podcast to the exciting event series starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.

    Spoilers for the video game and future plot are now placed at the end of the episode behind a warning! This week's spoilers begin at 51:30. Up until that point we will just be discussing events that you'll have seen if you have watched the corresponding television episode, and what was different about them in the game.

    Chad and Eric also share what they learned since Episode 3 aired (briefly at the beginning.) This was a GREAT episode which sets up a thrilling conclusion to a mini-arc next episode.

    Find Eric on Twitter at @spielerman, and find the show at @TYFSpiels.

    Find Chad on Twitter at @chadadada, and find his Avatar: The Last Airbender podcast "Crossroads of Destiny" wherever podcasts are found. Also check out The Cinescope Podcast where Chad talks about favorite movies with his friends.

    We'll be back next week! And this episode will be streamed on YouTube soon. Tell a friend if you enjoy it!

    E-mail us at [email protected]. Thanks for Spore-ing!

  • HBO's "The Last of Us" episode 3 is upon us! It's titled "Long, Long Time." I bring my friend and longtime fellow TLOU stan Chad Hopkins on for our weekly reaction podcast to the exciting event series starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.

    Spoilers for the video game and future plot are now placed at the end of the episode behind a warning! This week's spoilers begin at 48:00. Up until that point we will just be discussing events that you'll have seen if you have watched the corresponding television episode, and what was different about them in the game.

    Chad and Eric also share what they learned since Episode 2 aired (briefly at the beginning.) This was a GREAT episode which deviated from the video game but left both of us stunned and appreciative of the adaptation.

    Find Eric on Twitter at @spielerman, and find the show at @TYFSpiels.

    Find Chad on Twitter at @chadadada, and find his Avatar: The Last Airbender podcast "Crossroads of Destiny" wherever podcasts are found. Also check out The Cinescope Podcast where Chad talks about favorite movies with his friends.

    We'll be back next week! And this episode will be streamed on YouTube soon. Tell a friend if you enjoy it!

    E-mail us at [email protected]. Thanks for Spore-ing!

  • HBO's "The Last of Us" episode 2 is upon us! It's titled "Infected." I bring my friend and longtime fellow TLOU stan Chad Hopkins on for our weekly reaction podcast to the exciting event series starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.

    Spoilers for the video game and future plot are now placed at the end of the episode behind a warning! This week's spoilers begin at 1:09:00. Up until that point we will just be discussing events that you'll have seen if you have watched the corresponding television episode, and what was different about them in the game.

    Chad and Eric also share what they learned since Episode 1 aired (briefly at the beginning.) This was a GREAT episode both of the HBO show and of our podcast.

    Find Eric on Twitter at @spielerman, and find the show at @TYFSpiels.

    Find Chad on Twitter at @chadadada, and find his Avatar: The Last Airbender podcast "Crossroads of Destiny" wherever podcasts are found. Also check out The Cinescope Podcast where Chad talks about favorite movies with his friends.

    We'll be back next week! And this episode will be streamed on YouTube soon. Tell a friend if you enjoy it!

    E-mail us at [email protected]. Thanks for Spore-ing!

  • HBO's "The Last of Us" has finally debuted! I bring my friend and longtime fellow TLOU stan Chad Hopkins on for what will be a weekly reaction podcast to the exciting event series starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.

    Spoilers for the video game will be kept to a minimum for those who haven't played, but have watched the show. Spoilers for the show abound as we go along!

    Chad and Eric briefly recap their expectations going in to the season and then break down HBO's premiere episode by discussing their favorite things.

    Find Eric on Twitter at @spielerman, and find the show at @TYFSpiels.

    Find Chad on Twitter at @chadadada, and find his Avatar: The Last Airbender podcast "Crossroads of Destiny" wherever podcasts are found. Also check out The Cinescope Podcast where Chad talks about favorite movies with his friends.

    We'll be back next week! And this episode will be streamed on YouTube soon. Tell a friend if you enjoy it!

    E-mail us at [email protected]. Thanks for Sporeing!

  • For the start of Season 2, I am joined by my long time MuggleCast podcast co-host and dear friend Micah Tannenbaum for a two-part interview about our life outside of Harry Potter! On this Part 2 episode, we discuss high school field trips and learning the value of education, weathering the costs for college and we also dive deep into life with an anxiety disorder as both Eric and Micah offer tips to overcome high anxiety, and Micah shares his experiences from childhood. This is a can't-miss conlusion to this 2-part interview.

    Thanks to Robert Southgate for his excellent work editing, visit Rob's web site where he offers consultations on a number of podcast marketing services, at RobSouthgate.com.

    Episode Anxiety resources:

    The Anxiety Guy on YouTube, Micah's favorite channel

    The phone app "Two Dots," Eric's favorite calming pass-time, on Apple App Store and Google Play store

    Find Micah on Twitter at @mjtbaum!

    Find the show on Twitter at @TYFSpiels!

  • Thank You for Spieling is back!!!!!!

    For the start of Season 2, I am joined by my long-time MuggleCast podcast co-host and dear friend Micah Tannenbaum for a two-part interview about our life outside of Harry Potter! We talk about formative experiences, favorite TV shows, early celebrity crushes, and much more on this Part 1 episode. Part 2 will be released next week or sooner. Thank you all for waiting during the inter-season break, and thanks especially to Rob Southgate for his amazing work editing our entire convo.

    Find Rob's podcast marketing/editing/consulting business on his web site, RobSouthgate.com

    Discussion topics bullet points:

    - Are we famous?
    - When Eric and Micah first met
    - Micah discusses the small age difference between him and the other MuggleCasters
    - Let's talk about our childhoods!
    - Was Micah a Barney kid or Sesame Street kid?
    - Nickelodeon, TGIF, and Pokemon... what TV were we watching?
    - What video games were we playing at friends' houses?
    - What were our first celebrity crushes?
    - A tribute to comedians from late night TV icons to Robin Williams and Billy Crystal
    - Micah's great story about a mishap in French class, and telling your teachers they were wonderful is so important.

    Part 2 will include more talk on arts, college experiences, anxiety disorders and therapy, and so much more. Thanks for listening!

  • It's been a few months since our last Covid-19 check in episode, so I welcome back Dr. Preeyam Patel to chat about the Delta variant, breakthrough cases, vaccine boosters and more! The science is presented in such a way that a layperson such as myself can understand, as with our previous episodes!

    Topics in-depth:
    - Will Covid become endemic, like the flu?
    - Why the so-called "free" vaccine may not actually be free in the US
    - All things Delta variant. What makes it more contagious? How effective are vaccines?
    - Here are two graphs that show the differences in variants (One) and (Two)
    - WHAT ARE BREAKTHROUGH cases, and what happens in the body when they occur?
    - The Korean study on viral load, which serves as a Provincetown event rebuttal
    - Is the mutation of variants intelligent? Will a Covid variant one day bypass all vaccines?
    - How can we get the entire globe vaccinated easier and stop continued variants?
    - Regarding children, how is vaccine approval going, and what are schools doing against masks?
    - How are we currently staying safe?

    Here's the overall Sources Cited document from all our episodes including this one, that Pree keeps up to date: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10KhFPu739N16C6X3Lltz3LBWMYON7Lld2yPB5y0zbUs/edit?usp=sharing

    Follow Dr. Patel on Twitter (@ThePreesKnees)
    Follow us on Twitter! (@TYFSpiels)

  • "Thank You for Spieling" is one year old! I am joined by fellow podcaster and friend Julianna (last heard on Episode 2 of this show!) to get crazy and discuss her thoughts as well as my major takeaways from the first year of Spieling.

    Secrets are told, as I reveal the official lyrics to the TYFS theme song, and admit that much like a certain fictional farm boy, what I'm really saying when I podcast with people is, "I love you."

    It's a very candid and zany episode, where we are even joined by The Pizza Wizard from PuffCast! Julianna has also started a new Shadow and Bone universe podcast, called Into the Fold! Definitely check it out.

    If you have particular thoughts on the show, as always you may email them to [email protected].

    Thank you to all listeners old and new, and especially thanks to all of my guests so far: Chad H., Julianna C., Caleb W., David P., Angela K., Dave J., Ben S., Brittney B., Hannah E., Josh S., Dr. Preeyam P., Derek M., Drew K., Andrea W., Karen Y., Melissa A., Joe F., Jen U., Sarah D., Menachem C., Fuchsia R., and Janet S.! And thank you to Yike Lu for the amazing theme song and Meg Scott for the wonderful show art.

  • The month of May is Better Hearing and Speech Month! On this very special episode of Thank You for Spieling, I interview my mother, Janet Scull, about her long career as a speech and language pathologist working in a school district for 34 years. It was a great treat to finally talk to my mom about her career, now that I am older and understand such things! Despite retiring last year, my mom's clear dedication and depth of knowledge in the subject and her passion are clearer than ever.

    We cover such topics as:

    How did she become aware of speech pathology? What courses did she take in college for speech pathology? What are the most common impairments her patients would have? What is her unique approach to teaching / her style? How do you teach a person who has suffered a stroke to swallow or to talk again? Why do we speak? How do we speak? How do you prioritize goals to work on in a patient with multiple issues? What have been the highlights of her teaching career?

    If you have any comments on the episode, please e-mail us at [email protected]

    Refer to ASHA.org for any resources pertaining to the field of speech and language pathology.

  • On this episode I'm joined by my friend Fuchsia Rascal who is a real-life practicing witch! All my years spent podcasting on Harry Potter could not have prepared me to hear about what real witches do (and don't do), compared to the movies and books! And Fuchsia, who I met through Harry Potter over a decade ago, is the perfect guest to get me (and listeners) caught up. Follow us into the broom closet as we discuss the following things:

    —How did Fuchsia get started as a witch?
    —Are there organized religions for witches and what are they?
    —Who is the Green Man?
    —How a trip to New Zealand awakened dormant spiritual feelings
    —Not everyone who does magic would even call themselves a witch, so how is magic defined?
    —Common expressions such as "knock on wood," blowing out candles on the birthday cake, ARE magic!
    —Does all magic has a cost? What is karmic balance and karmic debt?
    —Men and nonbinary people can be witches, too!
    —"Occultist, magician, warlock, magic practitioner" are all valid titles
    —Was playing MASH as a kid being witchy?
    —Fuchsia and Eric discuss the art of tarot reading, and how it works.
    —Oracle decks as separate / assistant to tarot
    —Black cats and books of shadows - what in witchcraft has pop culture gotten right?
    —Is using Ouija board magic? Does making contact with the spiritual realm get covered in paganism/Wicca?
    —What are some good resources for curious witches?
    —What has changed since embracing witchcraft?

    Find Fuchsia on the following platforms!

    | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram | Twitch |

    And check out the Offbeats Discord and on Twitter!

  • Returning to the podcast is Dr. Preeyam Patel (@ThePreesKnees) to mark one year since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic! Tune in for the latest scientific facts that have been heavily checked, being explained in ways that make sense. We also praise the amazing speed by which the US President was able to secure vaccines and have the US administer over 100M at the date of airing, pledging even more. And, a first for this show, we discuss CHILDREN getting COVID and what the statistics and reasons behind them are for the spread and condition of public health.

    - We reflect on one year since the start of the pandemic, and one year since Dr. Patel had COVID herself.
    - Eric has received dose 1 of Pfizer!
    - US distributes 100 M vaccines, 25% of all vaccines that have gone out worldwide. Joseph R. Biden and this presidential administration's reliance on Science is to thank.
    - What's up with the recent CDC recommendation for DOUBLE MASKING? (Fit and filter)
    - Vaccine hesitancy, are we seeing as much as we expected?
    - (33:15) non-political discussion begins
    - What is COVAX?
    - How effective are other countries' vaccines, Sputnik, Sinovac, etc?
    - (38:15) How Eric got the vaccine
    - (47:40) A Re-rundown of Covid Vaccines available in US and how they work.
    - JNJ vaccine efficacy. Is it right to want a more efficacious vaccine???
    - Check out this new graph about JNJ's efficacy over time
    - What's cool about the new Novovax vaccine?
    - See this NY Times interactive vaccine diagram!
    - The Novovax vaccine uses something called an adjuvant, and a nanoparticle? Dr. Patel explains
    - AstraZeneca controversy, what happened with testing, what's going on with blood clots?
    - Dr. Patel discusses the heavy reality of burnout among healthcare workers and makes a grim prediction
    - People who've had COVID may only need one dose of vaccine
    - If your arm doesn't hurt after your shot, did the vaccine work and do you still have immunity?
    - Is the second dosage more painful? Why might that be?
    - Should you get it vaccinated in the same arm both times?
    - Why do some people develop rashes after their vaccinations, and is it cause for concern?
    - Don't freak out if you get an antibody test post vaccine and it says you don't have COVID antibodies
    - (1:47:09) COVID-19 in Children discussion begins
    - How does a child's immune system work?
    - How does a child's immune system compare to adults?
    - Debunked: False info stated that children simply can't get COVID-19. We discuss why children can spread the virus as much if not more than adults, but why their susceptibility to the virus seems lower, and what severe COVID looks like in kids.
    - Returning to former show topics with current updates, we talk about COVID Long-haulers and how vaccines have been helping them with their symptoms.
    - View this impressive graph of the Spike Protein arrow
    - Reinfection statistics, what we know now above those with natural and vaccine immunities.

    Our previous episodes with Dr. Patel were:
    15. COVID-19, New Year, New Science Facts!

    12. Election Takeaways and FUN with COVID Vaccine News!

    8. Fun with COVID-19 Antibodies!

    As always, we have a Sources Cited Google Doc kept up to date.

  • What can roleplaying games such as Dungeons and Dragons teach us about the Divine? How can an increasingly secular world find answers to life's deepest questions through means other than organized religion? The latest episode of Thank You for Spieling discusses this and much more as my friend Sarah Davis joins me in interviewing Menachem Cohen, a spiritual leader and rabbi from Chicago whose work using games to guide youths and adults spiritually is quickly garnering attention.

    Each of the hosts recount their experience with roleplaying games, as well as their connection with spirituality and how it may have been affected and disaffected by their religious upbringings. A great topic which was a lot of fun to delve into. And then, Menachem shares a Howard Thurman quote which touches each of the hosts incredibly.

    Find Menachem on Facebook, and at WhatMakesYouComeAlive.Net

    Find Sarah on her web site, on Instagram, and on the TableHops Twitch stream every Wednesday!

    Find Thank you for Spieling on Twitter ,on Facebook, and e-mail us at [email protected]. Please also consider writing an iTunes review!

  • Joining Eric this week is returning guest David J. Peterson, language creator extraordinaire, who first spoke with Eric on Episode 3 of the show about the songs we are most glad exist.

    And ALSO joining the show, for the first time, is Jen Usellis, a.k.a. the Klingon Pop Warrior! Jen's been translating pop and Rock'n'roll music into the Klingon language (from Star Trek) and most recently her 3rd EP "Great Deeds, Great Songs" has been successfully funded on Kickstarter!

    Having two guests who both work with constructed language SURE WAS A TREAT! And, we start the show off talking about language and sharing stories of how the guests got involved with fake languages to begin with.

    For a main discussion, it's all things LOVE SONGS (starting at 28:00). Just in time for Valentine's Day 2021! The hosts discuss the following questions:

    What ingredients make a good love song? Have we ever dated someone whose name was the title of a love song? How EXPLICIT can/should a love song be? Can a love song be about oneself, or an inanimate object? David has a good idea.

    Then, the hosts pick 3 of their favorite love songs to defend in discussion, and round out the episode with some honorable mentions.

    Find David creating a language weekly at LangTimeStudio on YouTube!

    Find Jenbom at KlingonPopWarrior.com, or on YouTube!

    And lastly, if you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review on iTunes or e-mailing us and sharing with a friend!

  • We're back with another apolitical science episode! Dr. Preeyam Patel (PhD in immunology) and Eric follow up their initial episode (8 of this podcast) and the supplemental vaccine talk (of episode 12) to update listeners on how much of the information previously discussed is still accurate (spoiler: it's 100%!) and talk about the latest questions emerging from COVID-19 across the globe. Such as:

    - We've updated the original sources cited document to include all-new research for today's episode!

    - What's the difference between a COVID variant, a mutation, and a strain?
    - has COVID been acknowledged as having aerosol status?
    - What is the Swiss Cheese Diagram?
    - How long do antibodies last?
    - Will COVID variants increasinly get more deadly and worse as time goes on?
    - What if COVID mutated as fast as influenza / the common flu?
    - from beach balls to proton packs, Dr. Patel has no trouble explaining heavy concepts to a captive Eric.
    - We discuss variants B117 and 501.v2, what gives them an edge, and whether they're actually more deadly or infectuous than other COVID.
    - ONCE you are vaccinated, can you still transmit the virus to others?
    - What's the deal with COVID reinfection?
    - We deep dive into the 5 major vaccines getting approval and trials across the globe
    - a summary of what went wrong with AstraZeneca's trials in the UK
    - Have scientists found a correlation among severe covid patients.
    - Why do more MEN die from severe COVID than women?
    - What are INTERFERONS and who has antibodies to them?
    - Do we know any more about the long-term effects of COVID?
    - Final advice

    It was thrilling having Dr. Patel back on the show. Please let us know if you still have questions about COVID after listening! e-mail the show at [email protected] or @TYFSpiels on Twitter.