Set & Centered

Mark & RJ

Join Mark and RJ on a 50-acre rescue dog sanctuary in East Texas...where nothing ever goes as planned. From scorpion panic and snake facts to losing dogs they love and building things that refuse to cooperate, Set & Centered is an unscripted, unfiltered look at ranch life, rescue animals, and the friendship that keeps it all from falling apart. Explicit. Real. Frequently ridiculous.

  1. 8H AGO

    17 Out of 35 Duckies

    RJ watched Finding Nemo. It took two months, a lapel mic, a homemade review template scored in duckies, and royalty-free background music that sounds — his words — a little like porn music. He also accidentally skipped the turtle scene. Mark is not letting that go. The official Set & Centered rating system makes its debut, Dirty Dancing is formally up next, and somewhere in East Texas, Chimp Crazy remains unwatched. In this episode: • Why RJ put Icy Hot on an insect bite right before recording and how that went • Layne's Chicken Fingers in Palestine Texas: a verdict delivered with feeling and a long for Chicken Express • The Finding Nemo review: scored across five categories, rated in duckies, recorded in real time over two months of watching • The royalty-free background music situation and why it sounds the way it sounds • Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, and what it's like to watch an animated movie with zero context • The turtle scene incident: what Crush is, why it matters, and how exactly RJ missed it • Mark's counter-rating: 29 out of 35 duckies, for reasons that involve grandkids • Finding Dory: one review, immediate consensus, case closed • Dirty Dancing is next — and RJ is going in clean Email us at setcenterlive@gmail.com or check out our website at https://www.setcenter.live Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/setcenterlive YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@setcenterlive Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/setcenterlive

    45 min
  2. We're Anti-Sponsoring Layne's Chicken Fingers

    5D AGO

    We're Anti-Sponsoring Layne's Chicken Fingers

    RJ went down a YouTube rabbit hole at midnight watching West Coast swing dance competitions in Singapore. This led to a completely serious investigation into why nobody has brought the Macarena back. Then there was a road trip to Palestine, Texas to mail a Mother's Day gift, a spontaneous decision to try a new chicken finger place instead of Chicken Express, and 27 minutes of waiting for food that absolutely did not earn it. This episode contains an unsolicited fake ad, a genuine consumer warning, and a promise to bring back the Macarena. Set & Centered is a public service. In this episode: • Chimp Crazy: still unwatched, still being recommended with increasing urgency • A midnight YouTube wormhole: West Coast swing dance competitions, random pairings, random songs, and one very talented dancer • Why hasn't anyone brought the Macarena back — and the footage from Mom's wedding that may hold the answer • Cowgirls and Angels: a movie Mark watched, really liked, and cannot name • The Mother's Day mission: Palestine TX post office, closing time, and a gift that shall not be named • Layne's Chicken Fingers, Palestine Texas: 27 minutes, 8-10 staff members, chicken thumbs, sauce that tasted like ketchup and pepper, and toast that tasted like nothing • Chicken Express: an unsolicited fake ad, a genuine endorsement, and a redemption run already in planning • Rob calls at exactly the wrong moment and gets an earful about dry chicken for 20 minutes • The Set & Centered public service announcement: wear sunscreen, and don't go to Layne's Email us at setcenterlive@gmail.com or check out our website at https://www.setcenter.live Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/setcenterlive YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@setcenterlive Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/setcenterlive

    43 min
  3. Hemipenes Horror Show

    APR 18

    Hemipenes Horror Show

    We came in planning to talk about ranch projects. We left knowing more about boa constrictor reproductive anatomy than we ever asked for. In between: a twenty-minute spiral about whether the air purifier should be on Auto or Pet mode (we never resolved it), a scorpion in the yard that sparked a heated debate about footwear policy, an ants-in-pants story from a vehicle recovery that cannot be unheard, and Mark — who claims to be terrified of snakes — turns out to know an alarming amount about how to keep one. This is a normal episode. In this episode: • The air purifier Auto vs. Pet mode debate: twenty minutes, zero resolution, still ongoing • Building the raptor pen and completely melting down over gate placement • Setting up a climate-controlled dog shed — and watching the dogs refuse to use it • Spring frogs, nonstop ranch noise, and the sounds that now just live in the background of your life • A scorpion in the yard and a very serious disagreement about closed-toe shoes vs. boots • The ants-in-pants vehicle recovery story (you will think about this one later) • Snake panic, unexpected expertise, and what it actually takes to keep an 8-foot boa named Rosie • Hemipenes: what they are, why Mark had to explain them, and why we are not sorry Email us at setcenterlive@gmail.com or check out our website at https://www.setcenter.live Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/setcenterlive YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@setcenterlive Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/setcenterlive

    48 min
  4. Back On The Ranch

    APR 15

    Back On The Ranch

    We’re back in the studio swapping road stories, ranch updates, and the kind of pet logistics that never show up on a map. A cross-country detour to pick up a family dog turns into a homecoming full of food math, messy cleanup, and one very nervous pit mix. In this episode: • Returning to in-studio recording and missed release catch-up • Pacific Northwest plans derailed by a North Carolina dog pickup • 4000 drive details and why three dogs kill hotel plans • Kansas City stop and visiting the only World War I museum in the US • Ranch storms, a downed car cover, and a drone flyover check • Artemis  II, the moon flyby, and why "going around" still counts • Pack updates, growth spurts, pond swims, and summer heat routines • The real cost of feeding multiple big dogs and the 8-pounds-a-day reality • Hartley’s crate diarrhea disaster and the cleanup triage • Lucky’s tag mishap and becoming scared of his food bowl Email us at setcenterlive@gmail.com or check out our website at https://www.setcenter.live Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/setcenterlive YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@setcenterlive Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/setcenterlive

    45 min
  5. In The Wild: Tickle Me Baby Shark

    APR 2

    In The Wild: Tickle Me Baby Shark

    We head outside to record and immediately prove we should not be trusted with telescopes, technology, or having a podcast. We start under the night sky and somehow end up in a wandering tour of pop culture, nostalgia, pets, small business economics, and the chaos of trying to capture shooting stars.  In this episode: • Forgetting the plan and leaning into the tangent • A Star Trek gripe about "full fire" visuals  • Star Wars theatrical re-release • Ryan Reynolds comfort rewatches and persona fatigue • Celine Dion’s voice, health, and why the documentary hits • Captain Kangaroo across generations • Power Rangers and Tickle Me Elmo • The terror of silence with kids and dogs • Trash pickup reality checks and small home logistics • Tripod anchoring, Starlink headaches, and tech friction • Flappy Bird and laundromat economics • Shooting stars and testing phone astrophotography • Old projector frustration and the "meatloaf" bit Email us at setcenterlive@gmail.com or check out our website at https://www.setcenter.live Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/setcenterlive YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@setcenterlive Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/setcenterlive

    39 min
  6. Barbie Boat Backhaul

    APR 1

    Barbie Boat Backhaul

    Mark checks in from Oregon while RJ holds it down back in Texas, and we bounce from family dinners and pizza in Turner to the logistics of hauling a "Barbie Boat" across the country to Texas (via North Carolina?). The conversation drifts from AI false alarms and chat bot annoyances to smart telescope tracking, stargazing plans, and life with a cautious new puppy. It’s part travel diary, part real-life planning session, and part proof that long-distance podcasts run on timing, patience, and a little trash talk. In this episode: • Oregon trip updates, family dinners, and heading home after Easter • Hauling the red-and-white "Barbie Boat" to Texas and where it might end up in the pond • Robbie’s puppet videos, the fish tank backstory, and the mystery water sound • Remote recording headaches, background hum, and just how much mics pick up • Automated platform warnings and AI detection weirdness • Astronomy plans, night-sky targets, and why tracking modes change image quality • Buckley the puppy progress, socializing with other dogs, and slow trust-building • Learning 3D printing for practical fixes and hobby projects, maybe even astrophotography Email us at setcenterlive@gmail.com or check out our website at https://www.setcenter.live Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/setcenterlive YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@setcenterlive Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/setcenterlive

    42 min
  7. Lake Lucy

    MAR 28

    Lake Lucy

    We start where we always do — somewhere ridiculous. Brontosaurus names, Pluto's planetary status, a fearful stray puppy who won't come inside but absolutely will paw at the door the moment you turn your back. Then Rob joins us from Arizona, and we get to the reason Lake Lucy exists. He tells us Lucy's full story: how she came to him from an Air Force family in crisis, how she protected his family on a dark street without being asked, how cancer showed up fast and took her at eight years old, and what he carries with him about knowing when it's time to let go. It's the kind of conversation that sneaks up on you.   In this episode: • A fearful stray puppy who runs from humans but follows the pack everywhere — including through a barbed wire fence at a dead sprint • Robbie's gay fish, a flooded bathroom, and why texting a teenager is a fundamentally hopeless enterprise • Why parts of this ranch are named after dogs — and what that actually means • Lucy's adoption from an Air Force family in crisis, and the meet-and-greet that turned into "we'll take her right now" • The night she planted herself between her family and a strange dog on a dark street and didn't move until it left • A cancer diagnosis at eight years old, a tumor that wouldn't stop rupturing, and the question nobody wants to answer: when is it time? • What Rob carries with him — and why he shares it with anyone facing that same impossible decision • "If not for the Patsys and the Lucys in our lives, this place wouldn't exist." Email us at setcenterlive@gmail.com or check out our website at https://www.setcenter.live Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/setcenterlive YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@setcenterlive Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/setcenterlive

    52 min
  8. European In The Fish Tank

    MAR 25

    European In The Fish Tank

    We bring Rob on from Arizona and immediately get hit with peak brother energy, tech chaos, and a fish tank that sounds way too much like a bathroom. Along the way we check on Maggie, relive listener nicknames, argue about a movie quote poll, and somehow end up on AI actors and online privacy. In this episode: • Maggie update and small routine changes that help  • Rob’s long teased full guest appearance and instant technical drama  • Cindy’s comments plus the origin of “The Tinkler”  • The “Nobody Puts Baby In A Corner” poll and why Mark gets salty  • Arizona heat vs everyone else’s weather bragging rights  • Val Kilmer and the idea of an AI generated performance  • Debating action stars and what even counts as acting  • Star Trek cast music rabbit hole and surprising deep cuts  • A Smithsonian connected portrait story and tracking down the artist  • Europe travel talk and the toilets debate  • Browser pop ups plus device cleanup when you borrow a computer  • Incognito mode myths and what real privacy tools do  Email us at setcenterlive@gmail.com or check out our website at https://www.setcenter.live Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/setcenterlive YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@setcenterlive Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/setcenterlive

    50 min
See All (23)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

Join Mark and RJ on a 50-acre rescue dog sanctuary in East Texas...where nothing ever goes as planned. From scorpion panic and snake facts to losing dogs they love and building things that refuse to cooperate, Set & Centered is an unscripted, unfiltered look at ranch life, rescue animals, and the friendship that keeps it all from falling apart. Explicit. Real. Frequently ridiculous.

Information

  • Creator
    Mark & RJ
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    23
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Set & Centered
  • Show Website
    Set & Centered

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