Top Five

Chris is thinking about the people our government is abducting, like Kilmar Abrego Garcia, while Liz is medicating with the new Lady Gaga album and the Court of Gold docuseries on Netflix. Then, inspired by our last top five, we dig into health in our 40s: the perimenopause and probiotics of it all, the radical shifts in how we think about taking care of ourselves and the amount of time it takes, and the tricks we've picked up to h...

The world is on fire, and either because of that or in spite of that, we found ourselves consumed with the details of the Murdoch family d-r-a-m-a that were unsealed in court documents last month. We dig into all the things that shocked us (Rupert Murdoch has Asian daughters?), the bizarreness of Succession impacting the family that inspired it, and the potential ramifications of this family feud on our rapidly disintegrating democ...

At the end of last year, Chris's mind was blown by life in Scandinavia, and Liz was mourning the loss of a dear friend. Then we shared our Big Life Updates and favorite pop culture nuggets of 2024, culminating in the inaugural Manti Te'o Award for Craziest Story of the Year. Plus, our top five karaoke songs, which Chris took to the next level.

This was recorded before the wildfires, before the new administration -- what alr...

Welp... here we are. After absorbing the news on Wednesday, we got on the mics to process how we're feeling, what went wrong, and where we go from here. We don't have any answers, but if you're trying to make sense of what happened, you're not alone. We hope you're taking care of yourselves and each other, friends. ❤️

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Art by Colin Turnbull (colinpturnbull.com)

Oh hi we’re back! After a 15-month hiatus, we fired up the ol' microphones, and we were so excited that we basically recorded two episodes. We were *especially* stoked to talk about the Olympics and we wanted to share our top five moments from Paris (and many other Olympic takes) before they got stale, so please enjoy this apéritif to our fourth season. It's good to be back, friends!

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Chris and Liz are still buzzing from their recent trips -- Chris's to Mexico City and Oaxaca, Liz's to DC for her first sightseeing trip with kids. Then we get into a much more serious topic that's been on our minds lately: aging parents. We talk about why end-of-life plans are especially hard to discuss with our immigrant parents, the conversations we have and haven't had with them (and our siblings, and our in-law...

Chris is ambivalent about celebrity conductor Gustavo Dudamel's surprise move from LA to New York, and Liz is still awed by the amazing food she ate during a trip to LA.  Then, we talk about work: Once upon a time, it felt like our generation was all about finding a job we love so we'd never have to work a day in our lives, but judging from the conversations we've been having lately, it sounds like that's changed.  Why wa...

Chris is existential about giving up his California residency, and Liz is as surprised as anyone that she’s become a member of the BTS ARMY.  Then, inspired by our last top five, we have a candid conversation about whether or not we still identify as Christian - how our relationship with Christianity has evolved over time, why we grapple with this question, and what spirituality looks like for us now.  Plus, our top five ...

Liz is obsessed with the podcast Normal Gossip, while Chris is considering a new angle on voting in his last California election.  Then we get into a topic we haven't heard nearly enough about: couple friends.  Why is it so much more complicated to make couple friends than individual ones?  What are the signs of a good couple friend for us and our partners?  And crucially for Chris: Who pays the bill when you go...

After an unexpected two-month hiatus, we're back and we can't wait to chat!  Chris declares his undying love for the Container Store, while Liz is blasting through the podcast 60 Songs That Explain the '90s.  Then, we finally get to talk about Netflix's excellent new(ish) documentary on the Manti Te'o story, which happens to be Liz's favorite story of all time -- how it hit us almost ten years ago, how the documentary hit...

Chris is distressed about the Great Salt Lake drying up, while Liz is basking in the afterglow of a trip to New York City. Then, inspired by Liz’s recent entry into the world of travel credit cards, we get into the weeds of it all - the stresses of maximizing points and if the benefits are worth it; the inherently unethical credit card system and if it’s possible to live ethically within it. Finally, in celebration of all the Asian...

Chris survived COVID, and Liz cannot believe the shitshow that is the Michigan Republican gubernatorial primary. Then we celebrate the rarest of occurrences: We both saw Everything Everywhere All At Once and Fire Island! We couldn't wait to talk about the beauty of a rom-com where the suitors are secondary to the story, rave about star performances, and try to work out the takeaway of EEAAO.  (If you want to avoid EEAAO spoile...

We're reeling from the SCOTUS leak, so we needed a minute to unpack our reactions and both the political maneuvering and the toxic theology that got us to this point.  Then, on a more hopeful note, we get into the shocking abundance of Asian American movies and TV shows we're experiencing right now - how quickly the tide changed, if we're still obligated to see every single one, and what we're especially excited about. Pl...

The Slap was top of mind for us and everyone else in the world, so by popular request, we talk how we experienced it as avid consumers of celebrity culture (Liz) and survivors of toxic masculinity (Chris).  Then, continuing our conversation about managing our thirtysomething lives, we dig into the division of labor in our households -- the messages we got growing up, what this looks like now with our partners, and if it can ev...

Note: This episode was recorded a few weeks ago, before Russia invaded Ukraine, and it feels like we live an entirely different world now. Sending love and care to all, especially those who are directly impacted by the atrocities happening in Ukraine. 🇺🇦

[CW: violence against Asian Americans]

Liz and Chris reflect on the murder of Christina Yuna Lee and the rash of violence against Asian American women in New York City and e...

Chris is appalled that anti-CRT rhetoric is turning into actual book bans, and Liz wept through Speed Cubers, a sweet documentary on Netflix. Then, inspired by current events, we dig into the complicated process of making a wedding guest list, that once-in-a-lifetime referendum on all your friendships.  How do you decide who gets an invite, especially when you're getting married in your late 30s?  What does an invite conv...

Liz is loving the cast album of Six: The Musical, and Chris is unsettled by his New Year's Eve viewing of Don't Look Up.  (Spoiler alert: Please skip 6:00 to 17:10 if you don't want to know how the movie ends.)  Then we revisit a topic that we first discussed two and a half years ago, in our second episode: adulthood.  We talk about Chris's major life updates, whether adulthood is anything more than a series of logis...

Happy New Year, friends! Holiday stress was top of mind when we recorded this episode, which led us to some critical questions:  Who do you buy holiday presents for?  Now that we have all these new holiday gift obligations, we get into the weeds:  What do you give the ten different teachers who care for your preschooler?  If you're a New York City resident like Chris, how much do you tip your doorman and the sev...

Chris finally gets a taste of pandemic parenting, while Liz has unexpectedly gotten sucked into Succession.  Then we dig into the last two items in our pop culture grab bag: The viral New York Times piece "Who Is The Bad Art Friend?" (where we arrive at different conclusions) and our experiences of taking our dads to see the new Bond movie (where our experiences are strikingly similar -- is Bond an immigrant dad thing?).  ...