The Nightly

Josh Gondelman talks with Caller Lauren about her upcoming podcast on bathroom culture and her lifelong ritual that she calls "Shower Belly."What You'll Hear:A Judgmental Shower Critic Confesses: Josh opens up about his surprisingly strong opinions on hotel water pressure, soap scents, and the strange comfort of coming home to your own shower.Bathrooms as Secret Social Hubs: Lauren shares why she's obsessed with bathrooms as liminal spaces for bonding, hiding, gossiping, and everything in between, plus Josh's story about a very unexpected first kiss.The Sacred Ritual of Shower Belly: Lauren pitches Josh on her decades-long habit of drawing pictures in soap suds on her stomach, and the two swap notes on shampoo loyalty and hotel toiletries.CHAPTERS:00:00 Josh confesses his hotel shower snobbery02:44 Welcome, Caller Lauren!05:08 A college bathroom kiss gone sideways10:13 The ritual of drawing on soapy bellies14:05 Iced coffee, hotel pumps, and shampoo loyalty19:31 Goodnight to bathroom attendants everywhere!

Josh Gondelman talks with his friend Erin about learning to surf as an adult, the surprising kindness of Rockaway Beach versus the fistfights of "Topangry" LA, and why one good wave can keep you paddling out for hours.What You'll Hear:A Late-Blooming Love of the Ocean: Josh revisits a caller's confession about discovering the beach as an adult, then rings up his friend Erin, an enthusiastic amateur surfer, to dig deeper into that feeling.The Surprisingly Angry World of Surfing: Erin explains the unspoken etiquette of the lineup, the parking-lot fights it can inspire, and why Rockaway Beach felt like a welcome exception to all that tension.Chasing One Perfect Wave: From dawn patrol wake-ups to the science of why surfing feels so addictive, Erin makes an unexpectedly moving case for paddling back out again and again.CHAPTERS:00:00 Welcome to The Nightly02:20 Calling Erin, surfing in Ireland04:28 How she fell for surfing09:03 The wild world of surf rage15:00 Rockaway's Narnia-like magic26:21 Good night to the flower board

Matt Bragg talks with Caller Aaron about his conflicting feelings about using Wikipedia as a legitimately useful, if messy, way to learn.What You'll Hear:A Yard Buried in Hay: Matt recounts his multi-day battle against a runaway hay trailer that's been dumping loads onto his street, and why fifteen rubble sacks in, he's decided manual labor was never his calling.In Wikipedia's Defense: Caller Aaron, a fifth grade teacher, makes the case for why the internet's most doubted encyclopedia deserves a little more trust than it gets.Boredom, Attention Spans, and Hope for What's Next: Matt and Aaron talk about vanishing childhood boredom, the pull of ChatGPT, and why the next generation might be the ones who fix our relationship with screens.CHAPTERS:00:00 Welcome to The Nightly01:05 A hay disaster takes over the yard02:48 Caller Aaron joins to talk Wikipedia09:00 Teaching kids critical thinking online12:27 Screens, attention spans, and lost boredom20:39 Goodnight to Rosie!

Greta Johnsen talks with Caller Mark about his plan to break up with email entirely, the horror of unsubscribe exit interviews, and why Christopher Nolan's inbox is definitely not his own.What You'll Hear:The Big Announcement: Mark calls in from Minneapolis with a mysterious confession -- he's seriously considering ditching email for good, and Greta is delighted to dig into why.The Unsubscribe Olympics: They swap stories about hidden unsubscribe buttons, sneaky exit interviews, and the strange comfort of Julio Torres's river-of-email philosophy.Drafting the Perfect Escape: Greta pitches an idea for a gently aggressive out-of-office reply, and Mark starts planning his soft launch into a life with fewer notifications.CHAPTERS:00:00 A mysterious caller and a big break01:48 Welcome, Caller Mark!04:42 The plan to break up with email12:34 Unsubscribe buttons and exit interviews15:52 Email as a flowing river20:45 Drafting the perfect auto-reply23:00 Goodnight to the new neighbors

Greta Johnsen talks with Caller Paul about his reading comeback, the emotional wallop of Hamnet, and why he still craves the smell of a real book.What You'll Hear:The 1,200-Page Surprise: Greta kicks things off with a friend's funny realization that his new e-book was secretly enormous, sparking a little debate about whether not knowing a book's length is a blessing or a curse.A Reader Finds His Way Back: Caller Paul explains how he traded baking for books, and how a stack of Colleen Hoover novels and an unread Hunger Games series turned into a full-blown reading renaissance.Hamnet, Hamlet, and the Books That Make You Cry: Paul and Greta swap notes on the novels that wrecked them emotionally, the tricky business of movie adaptations, and why a good bookstore can feel like home.CHAPTERS:00:00 The 1,200-page e-book surprise02:11 Welcome, Caller Paul!03:33 Verity, Colleen Hoover, and Anne Hathaway06:55 Hamnet was a tearjerker09:00 Kindles vs. the smell of real books16:29 Falling back in love with reading

Josh Gondelman talks with caller Thomas from Vancouver about déjà rêvé, that eerie feeling that real life is echoing a dream you can't quite place, plus recurring teeth-falling-out nightmares and a dream journal gone whimsically off the rails.What You'll Hear:Déjà Vu's Dreamy Cousin: Thomas explains déjà rêvé, the strange sense that something mundane happening right now was already dreamed, and Josh tries to wrap his head around the difference.A Teeth-Falling-Out Classic: They swap notes on recurring anxiety dreams, including the one where your teeth fall out and you briefly, horribly believe it's real.Dream Journaling Confessions: Thomas remembers his lockdown-era dream journal, a fantastical amusement park with coffee-bean ground and frog-filled water slides, and why he eventually gave it up.CHAPTERS:00:00 Josh's rules for dream calls01:33 Welcome, caller Thomas02:00 What is déjà rêvé, exactly08:32 The teeth-falling-out dream11:44 Keeping a dream journal20:03 Horror movies and dreamy films23:00 Good night

Josh Gondelman talks with Caller Annabel about her surprising new love of the beach as an adult, from her Rockaway-bound bagel runs to the best sleep of her life afterward.What You'll Hear:A Late Bloomer Falls for the Ocean: Josh wonders aloud what it's like to discover the beach at 24, and then gets his answer straight from someone living it.The Bagel-to-Blanket Pipeline: Annabel walks through her ideal beach day, down to the exact hour the Atlantic finally feels bearable.Defending the Cold, Gray Atlantic: Annabel and Josh team up to defend East Coast beaches against every West Coast and Caribbean comparison, gray water and all.CHAPTERS:00:00 Josh confesses he's not a beach commuter02:10 Annabel calls in from New York City05:46 A summer measured in beach trips, not days09:00 The freedom of an unstructured adult beach day13:16 A first, humbling attempt at surfing21:46 Good nights to Toronto

Greta Johnsen talks with sports reporter Maggie Hendricks about parallel-universe fan loyalties and why switching teams is never actually on the table.What You'll HearThe Alternate Universe Rewind: Greta replays caller Alex's confession that he could have avoided years of heartbreak by picking the Green Bay Packers over the Minnesota Vikings, then brings in Chicago sports reporter Maggie Hendricks to weigh in on what he got right anyway.Ancestors, Ancestors, Ancestors: Maggie explains why switching teams was never an option growing up Cubs-and-Bears-loyal in Chicago, including the grandmother who died at 96 without ever seeing a World Series win.The Fan Who Also Has a Press Pass: Maggie unpacks the strange balancing act of covering teams she loves, then tells the almost-too-good-to-be-true story of a Chicago Sky rookie who went from a tryout in Poland to a buzzer-beater against the reigning WNBA champs.CHAPTERS00:27 Replaying Alex's Vikings alternate-universe question02:03 Welcoming sports reporter Maggie Hendricks04:31 The Cubs grandmother who'd never forgive a switch09:44 A reporter's balancing act: fan vs. professional14:38 An undrafted rookie's buzzer-beater from Poland18:33 Goodnight to Sully (and "sports feelings")