Two Drinks In Again

Dave & Jeff

Dave and Jeff have (at least) two drinks and talk about the goings-on in the Knoxville metro area. Sports, music, restaurants, movies, and really anything is up for discussion. Join us for some information and a lot of laughs.

  1. Jul 10

    Episode 57 - Divorce, part 2 (The Process)

    Divorce isn’t just a breakup with paperwork. Sometimes it’s 90 days and a signature. Sometimes it’s years of stop-and-start court dates, mediation rooms, and legal fees that feel like they never stop climbing. We sit down for part two of our divorce series and get blunt about what the divorce process actually looks like when kids, custody, and money are on the line.  We compare two very different outcomes: a collaborative divorce that stays focused on co-parenting, and a contested divorce that drags into trial-level conflict. We talk about why hiring a divorce attorney early matters, how billable hours sneak up on you, and why “being reasonable” can collapse the minute someone starts fighting over a parenting plan. We also dig into the day-to-day reality of custody schedules, the weird double standards around dating while you’re still legally married, and how easy it is for small clauses to create big resentment later.  From the shock of child support, alimony, and tuition obligations, to the emotional work of rebuilding a home from scratch, this conversation stays grounded in real life. We share what helped us stay connected to our kids, what we wish the system did differently, and how honest boundaries can keep you sane when you start dating after divorce. If you’re navigating co-parenting, a contested divorce, or just trying to figure out what “starting over” really requires, you’ll leave with clearer expectations and a few hard-earned warnings.  If this resonates, subscribe, share it with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find the series. What part of the divorce process do you wish people talked about more?

  2. Jun 26

    Episode 56 - Divorce, part 1 (The Build-Up)

    The scariest part of divorce isn’t the paperwork. It’s the quiet moment when you realize something inside you has snapped and you can’t un-know it. We open a three-part series by telling the real origin stories of our first marriages, then following the slow drift into resentment, silence, and the kind of conflict that makes you feel like a stranger in your own home. We talk about what pushes couples off course in the real world: long workweeks, long-distance stretches, money stress, parenting pressure, and the way big life decisions often get made with too many outside voices. We get specific about family dynamics and boundaries with in-laws, how communication breaks down into defensiveness or shutdown, and why contempt is the point where “fixing it” starts to feel impossible. We also get honest about therapy and couples counseling, what it can do when both people engage, and what it becomes when you’re just checking boxes before you leave. Then we name the turning points. The “snap.” The months of treading water. The legal scramble. The fight over the narrative. And the day you tell your kids and watch their world change in real time. If you’ve ever asked yourself whether staying together is helping or harming everyone in the house, this conversation will feel uncomfortably familiar. If this hits home, subscribe so you don’t miss part two, share the episode with someone who needs it, and leave a review. What do you think causes the most damage over time: resentment, silence, or outside interference?

  3. Jun 15

    Episode 55 - The Outtake Episode

    A single headline can flip your mood, your portfolio, and your faith in other people, and we start right there. We’re more than two drinks in and feeling the “outtake episode” energy, but the chaos is honest: war chatter, tariff whiplash, and that uncomfortable habit of checking how world events might hit the stock market. We also wrestle with the bigger question behind the noise, whether our leaders are incompetent, calculating, or just addicted to conflict. From politics we slide into what we actually use to cope: TV, movies, and the pop culture debates that never end. We talk about what we’re watching (The Pitt, Daredevil Born Again), what still gets us into a movie theater, and why Marvel’s next swing feels like it has to land, with Doomsday-level expectations and fandom pressure that rivals the GTA6 hype cycle. Then we detour into Batman history, why certain DC stories stand outside the shared universe, and how a great creative run can permanently change what audiences demand. The drinks are part of the story too: Kirkland Brunello di Montalcino on one side, Oban 14 Scotch on the other, plus the kind of loosened-up storytelling that brings out favorite movie lines, concert plans, and the albums that become personal timestamps. We go from Jethro Tull anniversary reworks to Bruno Mars, from Neil Diamond love to the strange gravity of Michael Jackson’s moonwalk and the question of what artists would look like with social media. We round it out with real-life details that somehow say a lot: golf days, Knoxville growth and infrastructure frustration, Atlanta travel dread, airport lounge drama, YouTube rabbit holes, and why certain games (Diablo 3 included) are better left alone on a work night. If you like conversational podcasts that mix current events, pop culture commentary, nostalgia, and slightly unhinged friendship energy, hit play, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave us a review. (Producer's note: our hosts were more than two drinks in again.  There may have been other substances involved, be we won't confirm that.)

  4. May 21

    Episode 54 - Managing People (Part 2)

    Graduation weekend has a way of messing with your sense of time, and we lean into that right from the start. We talk family flying in, the emotional hit of watching a stepdaughter walk across the stage, and the perfectly timed chaos of a School of Rock recital landing on the same weekend. Along the way we nerd out on prog rock, laugh at how “everything’s spensive,” and reflect on how parenting milestones force you to see your own life differently.  Then we make a hard turn into the real topic: managing people. Both of us sit in leadership roles, and we get candid about what happens when team culture becomes a strength and when it starts to feel like a union. Snow days, PTO decisions, power dynamics, and the moment someone says “we all talked about it” become a crash course in authority, accountability, and communication. We also wrestle with Gen Z workplace expectations, why some of those expectations are fair, and why leaders still have to set standards and course-correct early before small issues turn into big ones.  We dig into onboarding and training systems, the 30-60-90 day ramp, and the truth that you rarely “hire them dead” because culture drift is usually a leadership problem first. From there we talk the stress you carry after you clock out, including financial pressure, payroll responsibility, and the struggle to shut your brain off on the drive home. We close with the hardest leadership move: letting someone go, doing it cleanly, telling the truth, and protecting the culture you are trying to build. If you got something out of this, subscribe, share it with a fellow manager, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts.

  5. Apr 13

    Episode 53 - Managing People (Part 1)

    One bad hire can wreck months of progress. One unclear boundary can turn a solid team into a constant negotiation. We start with a little March Madness therapy, then get into the real reason we hit record: people management, leadership, and how to run a workplace where standards stay high and drama stays low. Between us, we’ve spent decades managing in two very different worlds: an orthodontic practice and a high-demand operation that never closes. That contrast makes the lessons sharper. We talk about managing across generations, why you have to “shift gears” depending on who you’re talking to, and how emotion is always in the room even when the work feels purely operational. We dig into workplace culture, culture fit hiring, probation periods, onboarding and training, and why “trust but verify” is not cynicism but a necessary management tool. We also get honest about the hard parts: wage pressure that tempts you to hire warm bodies, the difference between empathy and leniency, and the need for consistency when you’re tired and just want people to do their jobs. You’ll hear real stories about turnover, policy manuals written in response to very specific headaches, salary vs hourly incentives, and the unseen burden of business ownership, from insurance calls to dealing with fraud. If you manage people, want to lead better, or just want to understand what your boss is juggling, this one will land. Subscribe, share it with a manager or teammate, and leave a review with the toughest people-management problem you’re facing right now.

  6. Mar 31

    Episode 52 - From March Madness To War Talk And Tariffs

    Two drinks in, the guardrails come off fast: we start with March Madness energy, cookout banter, and the familiar ache of rooting for teams that keep finding new ways to break your heart. Sports is the gateway topic, but it turns into something bigger, because the same emotions show up everywhere else right now: rivalry, uncertainty, and the need to believe somebody has a plan. Then we pivot hard into current events and US politics, including the Iran conflict and what escalation looks like when leaders sell confidence but can’t show the roadmap. We talk about “shock and awe,” why “boots on the ground” still feels like a national trauma trigger, and how the public is left guessing when intelligence claims can’t be verified. From there, tariffs stop being a headline and become a real-life invoice, with personal stories about surprise costs and what trade policy does to consumers and small producers. We also get practical with voting: voter ID, Real ID, and the SAVE Act, plus the tension between election security and the risk of disenfranchising legitimate voters through paperwork hurdles. To cool things down, we trade TV picks like The Penguin and Ozark, debate what makes a series overstay its welcome, and tease a full upcoming conversation on managing people, leadership, and workplace dynamics. If you like unfiltered conversation that jumps from sports to geopolitics to culture without pretending any of it is simple, hit play. Subscribe, share with a friend who argues like we do, and leave a review with the one topic you want us to go deeper on next.

  7. Mar 7

    Episode 51 - Finales We Loved, Finales We Loathed

    What makes a series finale satisfying—and why do some crash on the runway? We dive headfirst into the endings that stuck the landing and the ones that wobbled, from the raw brilliance of The Sopranos to the uneven sprawl of Stranger Things. We talk about the thin line between mystery and muddle, why audiences forgive unanswered mechanics but revolt at hollow emotion, and how late scripts, studio sprawl, and exhaustion bleed through the screen. If you’ve ever yelled at your TV during a finale or wiped a quiet tear when a show said goodbye the right way, you’ll feel right at home here. We trace the DNA of great endings by revisiting Newhart, MASH, Schitt’s Creek, and even the polarizing Lost, then contrast them with bloat-era choices that pad runtime without deepening theme. Along the way, we celebrate the Dungeons & Dragons roots that gave Stranger Things its heart, debate whether spin-offs land closer to Better Call Saul or Joey, and detour into film craft: Peter Jackson’s Hobbit overreach versus his Lord of the Rings focus, and Nolan’s character-first Batman that made the myth feel human. Music biopics get their turn too, from a surprisingly thoughtful Dylan portrait to a bold plan to tell four intersecting Beatles stories, each from a different vantage point. Between critiques, we ground the talk in real life: favorite local restaurants, small-town growth pains, and the sanity-saving power of sleep. Creative energy needs rest, and leadership demands clarity—two truths we’re carrying into our next episodes on managing people and, soon after, tackling divorce with honesty and heart. If you care about storytelling, character arcs, and the art of saying goodbye, press play and join us. Then tell us your take: which ending nailed it and which missed the mark? Subscribe, share with a friend who loves TV as much as you do, and leave a five-star review to keep the conversation going.

  8. Feb 9

    Episode 50 - Fifty And Fired Up

    A golden-number milestone calls for more than nostalgia. We open with quick laughs and clinking glasses, then dive straight into the real: winter storms that upend small businesses, retirement timelines that sharpen priorities, and a daily system built on 4:45 a.m. Gaelic, hot-tub steam, and an hour at the piano before work. Those quiet rituals set the stage for louder arenas—where Duke–UNC and Tennessee–Kentucky squeeze entire weeks of emotion into final possessions. From there we pull back the camera. Conference realignment has ACC teams playing midnight basketball on East Coast clocks, while the NIL era rewrites the rules in bolder ink. Eight-figure offers, eleventh-hour portal jumps, and NIL lawsuits force a rethink: fair pay should come with clear contracts, escrowed payouts, and real financial coaching. We wrestle with the ethics and the optics, asking what it would take to keep competition vibrant without turning college sports into chaos. And as legal betting seeps into every broadcast, we examine how novelty wagers and constant promos change fan behavior and stress-test integrity. When the news cycle tilts unhinged, culture becomes a pressure valve. We trade streaming picks—Wonder Man’s meta-play, Ozark’s relentless gears—and dig into why great villains anchor great stories. It’s not just escapism; it’s a lens on consequence, power, and the price of shortcuts. Threaded through is a simple credo: attention with boundaries, curiosity without credulity, and a return to decency. Milestones aren’t about patting ourselves on the back—they’re about choosing better habits for the next stretch of road. If this resonates, tap follow, share it with a friend who yells at refs, and leave a review so more curious listeners can find us. Your notes shape future episodes—what should we tackle next?

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

Dave and Jeff have (at least) two drinks and talk about the goings-on in the Knoxville metro area. Sports, music, restaurants, movies, and really anything is up for discussion. Join us for some information and a lot of laughs.

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