PILTDOWN MAN AND THE CARDIFF GIANT

Joe Flush

Two longtime friends, one a former comedian and the other a world traveler, riff on life, the arts, music, sports, travel and Horehound candy, and follow rabbit holes on just about anything.  Much of it tongue in cheek while entertaining themselves and hopefully you. Future plans are interviews and at least one listener.

  1. 1d ago

    (46) "Chasing Goosebumps - Travel Moments That Stop You Cold"

    We love your feedback and suggestions. Please tell us your name too. AI tries to trick us and scam us sometimes. A backyard bird feeder camera should be harmless, right? Then it shows you a version of yourself you weren’t prepared to meet, and suddenly you’re thinking about age, perspective, and the strange distance between how we feel and how we look. That little jolt kicks off a bigger theme: the “good kind” of hair-standing-up moments, when surprise turns into awe instead of fear. We swap bucket list travel stories that still feel electric years later. Rome isn’t just the Colosseum, it’s the instant you turn a corner and the Trevi Fountain hits you with brightness and scale that your brain couldn’t properly pre-load. We talk Spanish Steps street life, a once-in-a-lifetime peek beneath Vatican City, and why expectations can dull a place until the real thing resets your senses. Then we jump to Europe at sunrise, stepping out of the subway to see Notre Dame for the first time and later reflecting on the cathedral before and after the fire. From there it’s a hard pivot to Pamplona’s Running of the Bulls atmosphere, nonstop music, white-and-red crowds, and the kind of festival energy that makes you feel pulled into the story even if you didn’t plan to run. We also hit moments that aren’t tourist postcards: arriving at Lackland Air Force Base at nineteen, the Galapagos Islands where animals don’t fear humans, and Machu Picchu at dawn with altitude and oxygen in the mix. The thread through it all is practical: travel while you’re young enough to enjoy it, because “someday” can show up with less time and less stamina. If these stories sparked a memory, subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review, then tell us what place gave you goosebumps? Please leave us your comments, text me, DM me, give me your thoughts.  what works and what doesn't land?  We want to improve. thanks for listening Joe

    35 min

  2. 5d ago

    (45) "Sunny And Shade, Relationship Phases, A Brutal Strikeout, An Alligator Named Oscar, And More"

    We love your feedback and suggestions. Please tell us your name too. AI tries to trick us and scam us sometimes. A single sentence can reframe a whole marriage: “She does the sunny parts, I do the shade.” We start with small talk about rain, yard work, and the kind of weekend chores that leave you sore, then we stumble into that line and realize it explains more about relationships than most advice ever does. Who gets the spotlight, who carries the quiet load, and how do those roles shift when life changes? Along the way, we revive our ongoing comfort food argument about the perfect easy baked potato. Listener feedback puts bacon bits on trial, and we defend the idea that dinner can be satisfying without becoming a project. It’s funny, but it also gets at something real: the way we judge effort, taste, and “doing it right,” even when we’re just talking about toppings. From there, we trade stories we’ve somehow never fully unpacked, even after decades of friendship: a childhood pet alligator, a brutal little-league strikeout that still stings, the humbling math of aging when you can’t jump like you used to, and the strange pride of running races alongside big names. We wrap with memories of sleeping outside, camping misery, fear of water, and that kid impulse to jump off anything tall just to see what happens. If you like conversations about friendship, marriage, nostalgia, personal growth, and the everyday moments that shape us, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who would argue about bacon bits, and leave us a review with your answer: are you the sunny part or the shade? Please leave us your comments, text me, DM me, give me your thoughts.  what works and what doesn't land?  We want to improve. thanks for listening Joe

    41 min

  3. Jun 7

    (44) "A Coal Stoker Mishap Turns Into A Love Letter To Atlanta Braves Baseball With Special Guest Tim Hockensmith"

    We love your feedback and suggestions. Please tell us your name too. AI tries to trick us and scam us sometimes. He threw overalls into a coal stoker to save himself some work, and a few hours later the house went cold. From that kind of childhood logic, we jump into something just as emotional and unpredictable: baseball, the Atlanta Braves, and the way a single moment can glue you to a team for life. We’re joined by returning guest Tim Hockensmith, a lifelong Braves fan with stories that stretch from listening to late-night radio broadcasts to seeing big moments in person. We talk about what it’s like to sit close enough to feel the game, how a caught ball turns into a split-second character test, and why players like Hank Aaron still stand as a model of quiet greatness and relentless consistency. Along the way, we swap Reds and Braves memories, from surprise seasons to World Series runs that nobody saw coming. Then we get honest about the modern sport: MLB payrolls, luxury tax math, and why competitive balance feels harder every year for small-market teams. We debate the salary cap question, react to rule changes like the pitch clock and extra-inning tweaks, and dig into the umpire problem, from infamous strike zones to the future of automated balls and strikes. We wrap with a vivid trip to Cooperstown, where the Hall of Fame turns baseball into a living museum of stories, personalities, and imperfect heroes. If you love baseball history, Braves talk, MLB controversy, and the nostalgia that keeps fans coming back, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a baseball friend, and leave us a review with your best ballpark memory. Please leave us your comments, text me, DM me, give me your thoughts.  what works and what doesn't land?  We want to improve. thanks for listening Joe

    58 min

  4. Jun 3

    (43) "What If The Best Life Lessons Start With Butter And A Side Of Baked Potato"

    We love your feedback and suggestions. Please tell us your name too. AI tries to trick us and scam us sometimes. A car can be brand-new, carefully driven, and still end up feeling cursed. We open with a moment of silence for Mary Kay’s legendary Volvo “Vovo ” after a rear-end crash, then get real about the only part that truly matters: nobody got hurt. From there we share a hard-earned warning about how “I’m at fault” can turn into a very different story once insurance companies get involved, and why it pays to stay calm and keep your facts straight. Then we veer into a topic that somehow becomes the heart of the whole conversation: cooking confidence. I explain how growing up around traditional household roles left me basically untrained in the kitchen, while Eddie grew up with more shared chores and a lot more practical know-how. The takeaway is simple and encouraging: if you can read, you can follow steps, and you can build one reliable meal at a time. That reliable meal becomes the star, as we unpack my fast microwave baked potato method, from buying big Idaho potatoes to timing, cutting, and building a fully loaded potato with squeeze-bottle butter, bacon bits, onions, peppers, sprouts, and just enough cheese. We also debate sour cream, the value of eating the potato skin, and the oven-baked approach with olive oil for anyone who wants the classic baked potato texture. If you like comfort food, simple cooking tips, and story-first humor, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves potatoes, and leave a review with your go-to baked potato topping. Please leave us your comments, text me, DM me, give me your thoughts.  what works and what doesn't land?  We want to improve. thanks for listening Joe

    31 min

  5. May 30

    (42) "Hell Was Great Yesterday Because It Was Campaign Season-The Colbert Questionnaire For Regular Guys"

    We love your feedback and suggestions. Please tell us your name too. AI tries to trick us and scam us sometimes. A free return trip to Mexico sounds like pure good news, until you remember the last time involved stone stairs and a head injury. We start there, with weather, mood, and the weird way life hands you a do-over, then pivot into a Colbert Questionnaire-inspired run of personal questions that somehow gets funnier and more revealing the longer it goes.  We talk comfort food and nostalgia with a deep dive on pot roast Sundays and a no-shame love letter to barbecue, then jump to the “one song forever” debate with the Beatles, “Let It Be,” and John Lennon’s “Imagine.” Along the way we hit the power of smell memory (vanilla, coconut sunscreen, eucalyptus), the earliest scenes we can still picture from childhood, and why certain songs like “Ohio” can still stop you cold. If you’re into storytelling podcasts, conversational interviews, and the psychology of memory, you’ll feel right at home.  Then we go full sports history: Bill Russell vs Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain’s ridiculous stats, and why winning, defense, and team context matter when you argue “greatest of all time.” We wrap with the best advice we’ve ever gotten, the careers we wish we’d tried, our hardest English words to pronounce, favorite politicians, and an unexpectedly honest question about cremation vs burial and where you’d want your ashes spread.  If you enjoy thoughtful banter with real stakes hiding inside simple questions, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find us. What would your answers be? Please leave us your comments, text me, DM me, give me your thoughts.  what works and what doesn't land?  We want to improve. thanks for listening Joe

    43 min

  6. May 28

    (41) "College Athletes Are Pros Now And Nobody Will Admit It, Plus Chicago Travel Stories"

    We love your feedback and suggestions. Please tell us your name too. AI tries to trick us and scam us sometimes. The moment college athletes can get paid like pros, the entire “student-athlete” story starts to wobble, and the NCAA looks more confused by the week. We go from a goofy opener about those oddly robotic rewards card greetings to a real check-in on burnout, motivation, and how easy it is to feel worn down when everything keeps shifting under your feet. From there, we take a hard turn into the chaos of college sports: a player getting approved for a seventh year of eligibility, NIL money that looks a lot like salary, and the NCAA floating the idea of re-examining international players after schools have already brought them in. We talk through the hypocrisy, the legal mess that retroactive rules could trigger, and why fans feel like rosters are basically one-year contracts now. If you miss the days of watching players grow with a program, we’re right there with you and we try to say plainly what changed and why it feels so off. We also kick around what a real solution could be, including the idea of a salary cap and the uncomfortable reality of billionaire donor money. Along the way we hit some classic sports nostalgia, an old “hundred-dollar handshake” story, and a side debate that turns into an accidental education segment. If you care about college basketball, college football, NIL, the transfer portal, or the future of the NCAA, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review telling us where you land: pay-for-play with guardrails or the wild west with no rules? Please leave us your comments, text me, DM me, give me your thoughts.  what works and what doesn't land?  We want to improve. thanks for listening Joe

    28 min

  7. May 24

    (40) "Because I Am Santa Claus!!! Two Friends Trade Stories That Change Perspective."

    We love your feedback and suggestions. Please tell us your name too. AI tries to trick us and scam us sometimes. A daily annoyance can turn into a personal meltdown, or it can turn into a weird little moment of grace. We start with something small but relatable: kids next door keep kicking balls into the yard, and it is getting under our skin. Then we walk through a simple reframing mindset shift that changes the whole vibe. Instead of stewing in frustration, Joe tries an unexpected kindness experiment by buying new soccer balls, complete with an awkward joke that does not land the way he imagined.  From there we zoom out to the bigger skill behind it all: reframing criticism, managing anger before it hardens into depression, and remembering that even a negative comment can be reinterpreted as proof of connection. We keep it honest about mental health, coping strategies, and the unglamorous work of emotional regulation, especially when your body is limited and your patience is thin.  Then the storytelling really opens up. Joe shares what it was like to spend early childhood living inside a cemetery, and Ed brings a rural childhood memory that literally leaves skin on the ground. We swap a darkly funny family line about “ricocheting,” and the conversation takes a sharp, sobering turn into a firsthand armed robbery story, including the split-second problem solving that helped everyone survive and the long-term aftershocks that can linger for decades.  If you laughed, winced, or recognized yourself in any of this, subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review. What is one moment in your life you wish you could reframe differently? Please leave us your comments, text me, DM me, give me your thoughts.  what works and what doesn't land?  We want to improve. thanks for listening Joe

    33 min

  8. May 20

    (39) "From Chicken Wings With Tweety, To Backyard Birdwatching"

    We love your feedback and suggestions. Please tell us your name too. AI tries to trick us and scam us sometimes. Chicken wings turn out to be a gateway topic. We start with the kind of everyday life that feels small until you say it out loud: a family birthday, pizza, a 14-month-old cracking herself up with a couple of simple words, and the quiet sweetness of spending an afternoon together. Then we slide into comfort food mode, comparing notes on wings, sides, leftovers, and why having tomorrow’s meal waiting in the fridge can feel like real peace. From there, the conversation takes a sharp and joyful turn into backyard birdwatching. We talk through what it’s like to intentionally attract birds with feeders, flowers, and suet, why some pests still outsmart you, and how a hummingbird feeder camera with bird identification can change the whole hobby. The numbers surprise us, too: dozens of bird species showing up in a single yard, plus the “wait, that’s not just one kind of sparrow” moment that every new birdwatcher eventually hits. If you’re into backyard bird feeding, hummingbirds, woodpeckers, or Kentucky bird species, you’ll find plenty to latch onto. We also zoom out into art and history, from Audubon to modern giclee prints, and what it really means to support artists when originals cost thousands but prints make the work reachable. And because our curiosity never stays put, we end by looking toward Chicago and the Field Museum to see Sue, the famous T. rex skeleton, and the mind-bending link between dinosaurs and birds. If you enjoyed the ride, subscribe, share this with a friend who loves birds or art, and leave a review. What’s the most unexpected hobby or topic you’ve fallen into lately? Please leave us your comments, text me, DM me, give me your thoughts.  what works and what doesn't land?  We want to improve. thanks for listening Joe

    28 min
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5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

Two longtime friends, one a former comedian and the other a world traveler, riff on life, the arts, music, sports, travel and Horehound candy, and follow rabbit holes on just about anything.  Much of it tongue in cheek while entertaining themselves and hopefully you. Future plans are interviews and at least one listener.

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