A.M. in the Afternoon: Recent Episodes
A.M. in the Afternoon
A.M. in the afternoon is a podcast on big ideas and little thoughts that matter. Hosted by Ange and Margie, each episode we chat about a topic, big or small, that's on our mind and delve into the creative ways that people communicate. Tune in to find out more.
Rubbing Buddha bellies, standing on the bus, and kind of sexist old wives' tales. Ange and Margie are knocked up and discovering firsthand what their changing bodies communicate to the world. Discover more about the crazy world of pregnancy and say goodbye before this podcast goes on hiatus.
Read, Watch, Listen
- Expecting Better by Emily Oster - this is a pregnancy book that looks at studies across the world and tries to estimate your actual risk for harm if you say, eat soft cheese or drink coffee during pregnancy
- Working Moms (CBC TV show now on Netflix) - A realistic Canadian comedy about a group of mothers going back into the workforce after maternity leave
- This New York Times article has a different take on natural pregnancy/childbirth https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/10/opinion/sunday/get-the-epidural.html?emc=eta1&_r=0
- Here is the heartbreaking Washington Post article by Gillian Brockell on how social media platforms and digital marketers know so much about us, yet so little about how to approach loss https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2018/12/12/dear-tech-companies-i-dont-want-see-pregnancy-ads-after-my-child-was-stillborn/?utm_term=.82216394f1e0
Believe it or not, a whole lotta new words are added to the dictionary every year. Some of them make sense—others, not so much. Who decides what makes the cut? What's on it's way out? And what's the 2018 word of the year that Britney Spears would approve of? Find out in this last episode of the year. Also, it's not our fault, but there's a few naughty words in the list, so maybe use earphones if you don't like swearing or have kids around.
Some further resources if you want to learn more:
Read, Watch, Listen
- Eats, Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss
- Spellbound film documentary
- This American Life "Freedom Fries" episode
- 1984 by George Orwell (always a goodie if you feel like a bit of a depressing dystopian fix about language and politics)
- Go wild: check out the word of the day on dictionary.com and thesaurus.com
From stories about lonely llamas to tantrums and terrible movies, what makes cry? Do women really cry more than men? And is it weird that Ange gets the giggles at funerals, while Margie has been known to sob during a particularly moving commercial (no judgment)? This episode, we try to figure out why doves cry. Wait—why humans cry.
Read, Watch, Listen
Need a good cry? Try these suggestions if you want to bawl.
- P.S. I love You film
- The Notebook film (also a book but we haven't read it)
- A Walk to Remember (a truly terrible Mandy Moore film)
- The Fault in Our Stars film
- My Sister's Keeper film and book (spoiler alert! The ending is different in the film but still devastating)
Other items discussed in the episode:
- The Skimm podcast interview with Joanna Coles, Head of Content at Hearst
- If You Have to Cry, Go Outside: And Other Things Your Mother Never Told You book by Kelly Cutrone
- This may be the article Ange mentioned about llamas. Read at your own risk. https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/rodney-times/102619718/bambi-the-blind-alpaca-faces-a-lifethreatening-plight-after-his-sibling-carer-is-stolen
- Headspace app for meditation https://www.headspace.com/headspace-meditation-app
Do facts matter any more? Or are we all stuck in echo chambers of our own creation? Whether you're talking about politics or SEO (or both!), how you find and share information affects your view of the world. From confirmation bias to Google algorithms, Ange and Margie dive head first into the strange world of political communication.
Read Watch Listen * The news! From a WIDE variety of sources, preferably * Want to think about a dystopian future that you might face if you don't vote? Check out 1984, The Handmaid's Tale and Fahrenheit 451 for inspiration * Ange mentioned a Google extension called Flip Feed. It's available here: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/flipfeed/glfjakcglibkihmaaekjcaefcbebgcfg?hl=en * Snopes (www.snopes.com) is a fact-checking website
Do we need botox? When should you stand for someone on the bus? Does age help or hinder in the workplace? In the year the original Material Girl turns 60, Ange and Margie take a long, hard look in the mirror and chat about how society views ageing.
Explore our suggestions for things to read/watch/listen this episode:
- Instagram accounts @BaddieWinkle and @BonPon511 for some fabulous inspiration from seniors with serious style
- Book: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
- Book: The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
- Book/film: Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
- Book/film:The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson
- Film: A Man called Ove
- Film: Death Becomes Her
- Film: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- Films we didn't have time to mention in the podcast: Armour (a devastating French film about the repercussions on a marriage when an elderly woman has a stroke ) + The Notebook (yes, we've mentioned it before, and have a love/hate relationship with this movie. It makes us cry.)
Your bags are packed, you're ready to go... but have you considered what your travel style says about you? Travel addicts Ange and Margie share their tips for how to avoid being the "ugly tourist" and discuss their love of Japanese trains, why Iceland is so trendy now, and whether there is really any difference between a tourist and a traveller.
Don't forget to read/watch/listen
- Passenger Shaming Instagram account
- Lois on the Loose by Lois Pryce (Alaska to South America); and Red Tape and White Knuckles by Lois Price (London to Cape Town)
- Any Anthony Bourdain tv show
- Long Way Down (Scotland to Cape Town) or Long Way Round (London to NY via Eurasia) with Ewan McGregor and Charley
Boorman * A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway * Mrs Hemingway by Naomi Wood * The Darjeeling Limited * Burmese Days by George Orwell * Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts * The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho * Wild by Cheryl Strayed (book or movie)
Get in touch! Email amintheafternoon[at]gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @amafternoon
This episode, Ange and Margie get a little...sensitive. Should we use euphemisms to describe taboo topics that make us squirm? Or does that just give words too much power? Ange and Margie get potty mouthed and uncomfortable (in a good way). Warning: a bit of language you wouldn't use in front of Grandma this episode.
Don't forget to read/watch/listen:
Monty Python - Dead Parrot Skit https://youtu.be/4vuW6tQ0218
Liar Liar (movie)
Politics and the English Language by George Orwell essay http://www.orwell.ru/library/essays/politics/english/e_polit/
1984 by George Orwell
Planet Money podcast episode "The Town Where Everyone Talks About Death" https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2014/03/05/286126451/living-wills-are-the-talk-of-the-town-in-la-crosse-wis
The Global Affairs Canadian Government Website gives an exhaustive breakdown of conversation starters, communication style, dress code etc. by country https://www.international.gc.ca/cil-cai/country_insights-apercus_pays/ci-ic_bd.aspx?lang=eng#cn-1
Everybody Poops - a real book for children
Like it or not, how you dress sends a clear message to the world. But how do you develop your own sense of style? Do you prefer to stand out or blend in? Is cultural appropriation ever ok? Ange and Margie dive into the world of fashion.
Feeling like a fashionista? Some more things to read/watch/listen:
Invisibilia podcast episode "The Secret Emotional Life of Clothes",
Wonderful Tonight by Pattie Boyd,
Sex and The City (tv show),
Make over shows (tv)
Libraries: are they a quiet refuge in our busy world, a community hub, or completely irrelevant? We look at this ancient institution and how it's shaped communication, pop culture and even our own humble podcast. Warning: this episode may illustrate that Ange and Margie are library fangirls/complete nerds, depending on your point of view.
Read / Watch / Listen:
- Farenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
- People of the book - Geraldine Brooks
- The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafón
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer
- Game of Thrones
Have you ever tried to describe something, but just can't find the right word? It might exist in another language. Ange and Margie try out (and butcher) phrases from other languages, mispronounce Russian authors and discuss why "fortnight" should be a word in Canada.
On our Read/Watch/Listen list for this episode:
- Do you speak Russian or Spanish? Try reading authors in their native tongue for a real sense of the story. Some translations of Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky have been criticized, while the Master and the Margarita loses some of its satire in English.
- The characters in the film Lost in Translation could have benefited from some of the Japanese words we feature this episode
- The Secret promised that positivity attracts positivity. Is it a load of mumbo jumbo or a good way to find a parking space?
- Hidden Brain podcast from NPR has a great episode on language, featuring an Aboriginal Australian language, called "Lost in Translation"
Should an elected female politician take time off to have a baby? Can a woman ever be the office "alpha male"? And how much does your appearance really affect how you're perceived at work? This episode, Ange and Margie look the big, hairy, audacious topic of feminism—specifically, in the workplace.
Some extra resources to read/watch/listen:
If You Have to Cry, Go Outside: And Other Things Your Mother Never Told You (by Kelly Cutrone),
The Revisionist History podcast episode "The Lady Vanishes",
Hardball for Women by Pat Heim and Susan K. Golant,
Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg,
In the Company of Women by Grace Bonney
It rains 9 months a year, is full of hippies, and birthed a yoga pants empire—why do Ange and Margie like Vancouver so much? This episode, discover what makes a Vancouverite, and why we love them anyway.
Learn more about YVR and #westcoastlife through these excellent resources, or at least see Vancouver stand in for other cities:
The Golden Spruce (book by John Valliant), The World (book by Bill Gaston), Riverdale (tv show), Deadpool (movie), The X-Files (tv show), Dark Angel (tv show), Hockey Wives (tv show), Real Housewives of Vancouver (tv show).
Is there any difference between Aussies and Kiwis? The answer starts with "Y" and ends with "es". On this first episode of A.M. in the Afternoon, Ange and Margie chat about our similarities and differences, and why it matters anyway. Plus, learn some new slang!
Get a feel for Aus & NZ with these choice picks for your reading and watching pleasure:
Top of the Lake,
Flight of the Conchords,
Hunt for the Wilderpeople,
Boy,
The Bachelorette with Sophie Monk,
The Castle,
The Slap (book),
The Rosie Project (book),
Please Like Me,
Summer Heights High