In this episode Nik and I reflect on two months of podcasting and wonder if we’ll have any inclination to continue once the baby is born. We also follow up on the great Blue Toilet Seat Mystery with some new information courtesy of Dr. Mac and then we discuss our 36 week OB appointment in which we discover that both doctors in the group are pretty much the same sort of no-nonsense practitioner. We then dive into a conversation about how rude people can be, likely without even realizing it, when they interact with a sensitive woman in late-term pregnancy. Wrapping it up in That’s Entertainment we see the Next Food Network Star begin to draw to a close and talk about how unsurprised we were to see Jameka get the axe while simultaneously scratching our heads as to how Debbie managed to avoid her fate for another week. Music this week from Spoon.

Show Notes

Total running time: 38:08

• [00:00] Intro: “The Underdog” – Spoon
• [00:20] Welcome; Month Two
• [02:21] Interlude: “Two Sides/Monsieur Valentine” – Spoon
• [02:37] The Great Blue Toilet Seat Mystery Revisited
  • Medical Journal Excerpt
  • Chromhidrosis
• [06:54] Interlude: “The Delicate Place” – Spoon
• [07:18] Baby Talk: 36 Week Appointment
• [13:05] Interlude: “I Turn My Camera On” – Spoon
• [13:31] Baby Talk: Rudeness vs. Pregnancy
• [24:55] Interlude: “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb” – Spoon
• [25:20] That’s Entertainment: The Next Food Network Star
• [37:14] Outro: “I Summon You” – Spoon

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Apparently we still don’t quite have our timing down, but if you use the nebulous “weekend podcast” description, we’re totally on point this time around. While we’re at it, we’ve got a fully packed episode in which we recount our surprising but thoroughly enjoyable late-pregnancy concert experience. Then, in Baby Talk, we go over our birthing class, the 35 week OB appointment and the subsequent ultrasound to check the baby’s size. Finally, to make up for last week’s shorter ‘cast, we catch back up on The Next Food Network Star in That’s Entertainment plus we touch on a couple of movies we’ve watched: Baby Mama and Valkyrie. Appropriately, this episode is packed with music from Coldplay.

We want to be sure to thank everybody for listening and ask that you do us one of the following favors (pick only one):

1. Subscribe to our podcast via iTunes, if that’s your digital music player of choice so you never miss an episode.
2. Rate us and write a review for our show on iTunes if you’re already a subscriber.
3. Send feedback: constructive, critical, embarrassingly earnest, any kind of feedback is fine, to ironcast@ironsoap.org.
4. Tell one friend about the show.

I realize that’s asking you to help us out but think about it this way: We don’t interrupt our podcast for advertisements and we don’t have any way of building a base of listeners except through your efforts to improve the show and get the word out a little bit. So if you want ironCast to be better and keep getting made, pick one favor and you will have our eternal gratitude and we’ll send you a check for $10.

Just don’t try to cash it until after the 1st.

Of October.

2028.

Show Notes

Total Running Time: 01:04:55

• [00:00:00] Intro: Coldplay – “Viva La Vida”
• [00:00:55] Welcome: Coldplay Concert
• [00:18:28] Interlude: Coldplay – “Talk”
• [00:18:47] Baby Talk: Birthing Class, Okay?
• [00:29:30] Interlude: Coldplay – “Green Eyes”
• [00:29:43] Baby Talk: 35 Week OB Appointment
• [00:37:30] Interlude: Coldplay – “Shiver”
• [00:37:56] Baby Talk: Size Check Ultrasound
• [00:47:51] Interlude: Coldplay – “42”
• [00:48:10] That’s Entertainment: Baby Mama and Valkyrie
• [00:56:03] Interlude: Coldplay – “Clocks”
• [00:56:18] That’s Entertainment: The Next Food Network Star
• [01:04:24] Outro: Coldplay – “Life in Technicolor”

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Did I say Monday morning? I meant to say Tuesday evening. It’s practically the same anyway. Well, it’s an abbreviated podcast this week: During recording my allergies were acting up so we struggled to get decent sources to begin with what with all my sniffling and wheezing. However I did discover a method for reducing the number of annoying artifacts like that and in the process found that I can also remove a lot of the awkward “ums”, stutters and pregnant pauses that accompany the furious spinning of the hamster wheel in my brain. I think it makes the whole thing far more listenable.

The downside is that it’s much more labor intensive for the editing portion so I’m not sure if it isn’t more effective to just learn how to, you know, speak clearly and confidently. Either way, we’d appreciate if you let us know if this is more to your liking. All told we ended up with about half an episode, which doesn’t really make up for the four-day delay but at least we can say we’ve produced one podcast per week even if the release schedule is a bit dicey. We do manage to chat a bit about our 4th of July including awkward family reunion barbecues, ill-timed power outages, and then we discuss Nikki’s funny walk and talk about our Infant CPR class where we learn what sort of work Tolkien’s halflings can get in the health care field, how to speed up the transition from Heimlich Maneuver to CPR (hint: Give the baby to the pregnant lady) and find out exactly how resilient infants can be. Plus we have music by the Smashing Pumpkins chosen by my adorable co-host.

Oh, and if you missed the previous memo, we’re now on the iTunes Store where we would love if you rated us or wrote a review of our podcast.

Show Notes

Total Running Time: 29:18

• [00:00] Intro: Smashing Pumpkins — “Hummer”
• [00:25] Welcome: 4th of July, Barbecues, Power’s Out
• [11:36] Interlude: Smashing Pumpkins — “Mayonaise”
• [11:57] Baby Talk: Walking Funny (SPD), Infant CPR
• [28:43] Outro: Smashing Pumpkins — “1979”

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With a month of podcast experience under our belts we present to you a new, more professional ironCast. No, I’m kidding of course. We learn nothing. However, we do talk about frozen yogurt, Nikki’s baby shower, homemade gifts for Calliope, and how diaper cakes are something that diapers are in rather than something that is in a diaper. We also discuss in utero hiccups, flippant OBs and my convoluted scheme to solve the Great Blue Toilet Seat Mystery.

Then in That’s Entertainment we chat about Pride & Glory and catch up on The Next Food Network Star before exchanging some banter about reading including our thoughts on books we’re currently working on like Bill Bryson’s Neither Here Nor There and the Baby Bargains book. All that plus music by The Shins? We may not be professional, but we are givers.

Sorry for iTunes users who were disappointed last week. I’ll try again and see if I can get it going this time. Don’t forget we’d love to have feedback, just drop us a note at ironcast@ironsoap.org and we’ll get your comments on the air.

Show Notes

Total Running Time: 54:50

• [00:00] Intro: The Shins – “We Will Become Silhouettes”
• [00:41] Welcome: Frozen yogurt, frozen tongues
• [02:53] Interlude: The Shins – “Phantom Limb”
• [03:04] Baby Talk: Baby shower, 33 week OB appointment, baby hiccups, blue toilet seat chemistry plan
• [24:18] Interlude: The Shins – “Pink Bullets”
• [24:42] That’s Entertainment: Pride & Glory, The Next Food Network Star, GoodReads, Neither Here Nor There by Bill Bryson, Baby Bargains by Denise and Alan Fields.
• [54:09] Outro: The Shins – “New Slang”

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This week Nik and I get self-conscious about our verbal tics and take advantage of my weird work schedule to get some chores done. Along the way we have our second pediatrician interview, talk about eating—for three?—while pregnant and get completely baffled by a blue stain on our toilet seat.

Then in the second segment we chat about entertainment again, discussing the latest to get the boot on The Next Food Network Star and following up on The Real Housewives’ reunion shows. We wrap it up with some talk about Dollhouse, Alias, features we wish were available on TiVo and why we can’t (or won’t if you talk to Nik about it) get rid of cable. This week’s music by Neko Case.

Also, we have an official podcast email address now, send your topic suggestions, feedback or questions to ironcast@ironsoap.org and we’ll incorporate your mail into a future segment on the show. Finally, if all goes well this will be the first week you can get and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes. How official!

Show Notes

Total Running Time: 52:19.

• [00:00] Intro: Neko Case – “Hold On, Hold On”
• [00:31] Welcome: Verbal tics and weird schedules
• [02:31] Pediatrician Interview #2
• [13:26] Pregnancy Eating
• [24:09] The Blue Toilet Seat Mystery
• [32:01] Interlude: Neko Case – “John Saw That Number”
• [32:16] That’s Entertainment: The Next Food Network Star, The Real Housewives of New Jersey Reunion, Dollhouse
• [51:50] Outro: Neko Case – “Thrice All American”

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In this week’s episode, Nik and I are late to the party but that doesn’t stop us from discussing Slumdog Millionaire. Plus we dive into The Next Food Network Star, chat about Chopped and Nik schools me on the ins and outs of The “Real Housewives” of New Jersey. Then we get into a conversation about how our relationship may change once Calliope arrives, how pregnant women are like a dangerous sorority, and what Nik plans to do to help those yet-to-be pregnant women once her stint is over.

Thanks to those who helped us pick a name!

Show Notes

• Episode #3: Ominous Warnings
• Total Running Time: 53:11
• Music: Switchfoot
• Segment 1: That’s Entertainment (Marker: 02:13)
• Segment 2: Baby Talk (Marker: 36:25)

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This week we discuss our new barbecue grill, expanded belly sizes, games of patty cake in utero and the quest for Calliope’s pediatrician. Music by The Decemberists.

Also, please help us name our podcast. Our current contenders:

• The ironSoap Podcast
• ironSoap Radio
• ironCast
• You Can’t Marry a Pirate Podcast
• You Can’t Marry a Pirate Radio
• H-Town Review

Or, we’re totally open to suggestions. Comment below, or send feedback to paul@ironsoap.org.

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It was many months in the making and, well, it doesn’t really show. But at long last Nik and I have recorded a podcast and we present it to you for mockery and scorn. However, it is the only place you can learn the not-so-secret name of our daughter-in-utero, so if you’re not big on the heckling you can listen for that reason.

We had fun making it and we’ll probably do some more now that we kind of have the process figured out. This is a trial run, so bear with us.

Also, we haven’t decided on a name yet. Obviously we could go with something like ironCast or ironSoap Radio, but I also still have the youcantmarryapirate.com domain floating around so I thought we might do the You Can’t Marry a Pirate Podcast. Let us know what you think works and if you have suggestions, we’d love to hear ’em.

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