The Rants And Raves Podcast

Episode 105: Fact or Fiction Dill-icatessen

When Dana and Jessica realize they are both masters of assuming the worst about a situation before it even happens, they start to think of turning that energy into writing sexual fiction novels instead. An essential worker and their experience with a customer and fork lifts has us wondering how people can indeed be so ignorant.  Dana accuses Jessica of raving about her dill-icious rant and she can't deny it.  What the What Corner - Psychedelic Cicadas have Dana wishing she were a zombie insect this summer.  Excuuuuuse Me Corner - Jessica is horrified at the notion that multiple companies now sell "reusable cloth toilet paper rolls."  Rave #1 is a couple who went to Target stores and hid cash under the lids of baby formula and in boxes of diapers as a pay it forward to new parents.  Rave #2 is Bread and Justice, a man in Wisconsin who started baking sourdough for fun but soon joined a national group of bakers across the country in a national bake sale called #BakersAgainstRacism. He gives 100% of the proceeds to organizations fighting racism and working to build a more just society.  

Bread and Justice - www.breadandjustice.org  

Episode 104: Smelly, Crispy, Tasty

Perfume and Cologne vs Eau de Toilette, which one is more of an olfactory offense?  Either way, Jessica does not want to taste your "decorative smell" as coined by Dana.  Fibrous and crispy, thanks to a listener's boy friend, we now know Dana might hate celery more than she hates tomatoes. Golden Oldies Corner is an 88 year old man who marked every single day of the pandemic by creating one doddle per day.  What the What Corner is a man who didn't notice a swarm of bees had formed in his car and drove off with them along for the ride.  Rave #1 is Delicacies Jewelry, a company founded on the joy and communal nature of food who puts the golden or silver touch on any of their food centric jewelry pieces, each of which provides multiple meals to feed the hungry.  Rave #2 is the Crisis Text Line, When people need to talk to a crisis counselor ASAP, Crisis Text Line offers free 24/7 support. Anyone can text 741741 from anywhere in the US to be connected to a trained crisis counselor.

Delicacies Jewelry - https://delicaciesjewelry.com/shop/pasta/elbow-macaroni/yellow-gold-plated-mini-elbow-macaroni-necklace/

Crisis Text Line - https://www.crisistextline.org/ 

Episode 103: Suck It Up, Clean It Up, Wear It Up

From pet pigs to pajamas to perms, Dana and Jessica wax on these items from the week.  Dana is frustrated by suction cups and hate corsets.  Jessica is equally mad about too many people offering to help instead of no one at all.  Oh Snap Corner is a savvy wife who takes her husband's sneaky behavior into her own hands.  Oh Wow Corner is about Bruce's Beach, a part of Manhattan Beach once owned and developed by a black family only to be run out of town.  Rave #1 is Friends of the LA River, a non profit whose mission is to ensure an equitable, publicly accessible, and ecologically sustainable Los Angeles River by inspiring River stewardship through community engagement, education and advocay.  Rave #2 is the Giving Closet, started by an LA Celebrity Stylist who  coordinates and presents entire wardrobes to deserving women around the country.  

Friends of the LA River - https://folar.org/

Giving Closet - https://www.givingcloset.net/about/  

Episode 102: Socks And Undies, Double The Funsies

It becomes clear that Dana should ask Jessica for advice the next time she finds herself in a laundry dilemma.  A perfect segue to Jessica ranting about socks and how her washing machine and husband continue to torment her.  Dana doesn't seem to mind people asking her for advice and then doing what they want because she admits she does that when she asks Dan Tipton for his opinion on a situation. Corrections Corner is very educational regarding the Canadian Parliamentary system of government as explained by a listener from Montreal. Weirdos of the Week are two identical twins who share everything, including their boyfriend.  Double the Pleasure, double the creepy. Rave #1 shows the power of asking for help within your community, when our friend Tracee requested people donate some housewares for someone who lost everything in a fire and within hours had an apartment full of new stuff.  Rave #2 is The Downtown Women's Center, named the 2020 California non profit of the year, providing a full scope of services for homeless women.

Downtown Women's Center - https://downtownwomenscenter.org/ 

Episode 101: Timmy Hos And Tomatoes, Eh?

With no coordination, Dana and Jessica wonder what it would be like to instead have a motorcycle and sidecar or ride on a tandem bicycle together.  A listener rant from Canada has Dana eating her hat when she realizes she is doing the very thing the rant is about.  Jessica is one trip away from having a meltdown if another hotel lacks in cleanliness, especially during the current status of the world.  What the What Corner is a government employee who appears on a zoom with Canadian Parliament while he is totally naked.  Animal Instincts Corner is a turtle that flew through the air and into a windshield and lived to tell about it.  Rave #1 is Blackpackers, a 501(c)(3) Organization meeting those at the intersection of underrepresentation and economic vulnerability whose mission is to provide gear, outdoor excursions and outdoor education for free or at subsidized cost.  Rave #2 is Faces of Mankind, a non-profit who sets out to befriend and paint portraits of the vulnerable community throughout the world. They then sell the artwork and use proceeds to help in rehabilitating our newfound friends.

Blackpackers - https://www.coblackpackers.com/

Faces of Mankind - https://www.facesofmankind.org/ 

Episode 100: Keeping It 100

As Dana and Jessica mark their centennial episode, they daydream about taking their podcast on tour Down Under.  Remember Jessica's neighbor that leaves her cleansing wipes everywhere, her husband's door slamming is no better.  Dana waxes on humble bragging and stating how busy you are all the time and how we can all be a bit guilty of that in our own lives.  Weirdo of the Week is an edible baked good stuck in a tree that a neighborhood in Poland mistook for a live animal.  Kids Are Amazing Corner is a teenager who beat all of the socio economic odds in her life and earned a full ride to Harvard. Rave #1 is Ava Grace Candles, a company started to honor a daughter who lost her long battle with pediatric brain cancer with all of the proceeds going to Children's Hospital Los Angeles.  Rave #2 is the Joseph Learning Lab, a mentoring and tutoring program working to close the learning gap and reduce the dropout rate.  

Ava Grace Candles - https://www.avagracecandles.com/

Children's Hospital Los Angeles Fundraiser in Ava's honor - http://connect.chla.org/site/TR?px=1277143&fr_id=1090&pg=personal

Joseph Learning Lab - https://www.josephlearninglab.org/ 

Episode 99 : Liars and Tigers and Boards, Oh My!

From songs that make you bristle up each time you hear them to traveling across state lines with a raw turkey, buckle up for this ride.  Dana rants out the frustration of line etiquette and "I'm More Important" Syndrome.  Jessica blows a gasket over a barber who didn't have a gift certificate available after multiple attempts to buy a birthday present for Allen. Weirdo of the Week is a woman who collected enough of her own hair to make extensions.  Golden Oldies Corner is the oldest office manager in the world who shows no interest in stopping any time soon.  Rave #1 is Boards 4 Bros, a 501c3 non profit that collects and refurbishes skateboards and mentors youth who cannot afford their own. Rave #2 is the Endangered Species Stamp Series available through the USPS in collaboration with Fish and Wildlife Services for conservation projects around the world to help protect highly threatened species.  

Board 4 Bros - http://boards4bros.org/

Endangered Species Stamps - https://www.fws.gov/international/save-vanishing-species-stamp.html  

Episode 98: You Slide Goodbye, And I'll Say Hello

Like sands through the hour glass, so are the Days of Dana and Jessica's Lives.  A listener rant was double the pleasure and double the fun.  From showing common courtesy to a co-worker or colleague to ripping a smoke detector off the wall, Jessica and Dana are here for it!  Weirdo of the Week is a man who took stole a piece from an industrial playground to put in his son's room.  Animal Instincts Corner is a rescue dog who kept going into a store to grab a friend and it helped bring attention to him.  Rave #1 is the Colfax Elementary Farm, a neighbor gem loved by all and an amazing benefit for the students.  Rave #2 is The Little White Chapel Pantry, a public free food and toiletry resource in Burbank, California. 

Colfax Elementary Farm - 

https://colfax.membershiptoolkit.com/packet/17034880

 

The Little White Chapel Pantry - 

https://www.facebook.com/TheLittleWhiteChapelPantry/ 

Episode 97: Pop Ups, Propagations and Pennies

While Jessica continues her quest to find all of the pop up restaurants in LA, Dana is propagating her green thumb.  The ever changing trends with denim has Dana ready to scream as she finally succame to skinny jeans only for millenials to deem them uncool.  Jessica is steaming over people who don't follow the signs put up by humans to warn of the signs made by animals when they don't pay attention to restrictions in areas of wildlife and their habitats.  Golden Oldies Corner is an Arkansas man who is doing more at 91 then we were doing at 21.  What the What Corner is a Georgia man who received every last penny of his last paycheck. Rave #1 is Goatlandia, a 501c 3 non profit that serves as a sanctuary for rescued animals.  Rave #2 is In Blue Handmade, a company making hand crafted leather wallets and totes that provides meals for 50 people through Feeding America with each sale of their products.  

Goatlandia - https://www.goatlandia.org/

In Blue Handmade - https://inbluehandmade.com/ 

Episode 96: From Zoom To Vroom

From Jessica's trip to an animal rescue farm to Dana's experience at the Odd Market, this week's episode is like a choose your own adventure.  Jessica is truly dumbfounded by how people are behaving on Zoom during online classes as if we all can't see them.  Dana takes a listener rant about  taking up a space and a half while parking in a huge city with a shortage of parking to begin with.  What the What Corner has people legally changing their name in order to receive free sushi.  Excuse Me Corner is the nicest exchange between neighbors regarding sex, that is purely platonic. Rave #1 is Love They Dog, a company making custom totes and sweatshirts customized with your dog's name or genetic make up and giving 100% of its proceeds to multiple dog rescue organizations.  Rave #2 is Move For Hunger, a national non-profit organization that has created a sustainable way to reduce food waste and fight hunger by providing people the opportunity to donate their food when they move. 

Love Thy Dog - https://lovethydog.com/

Move For Hunger - https://moveforhunger.org/