Conversation Starters

So there's this episode of  Lovett or Leave It , a podcast hosted by comedian/political pundit/former Obama speech writer, Jon Lovett, where  Lovett's first guest is a string theorist physicist.  As they settle into their banter in front of a live Portland, Maine audience, Lovett asks a question about dark matter and ghosts.  The physicist immediately scoffs, declaring that ghosts aren't real.  Ohhhhkay.  Moments later, Lovett made some kind of comment related to astrology and the physicist bristles once more.  "Please tell me we're not going to talk about astrology," she condescends.  "I thought this was a crowd that believed in  science ." I can't express how much that made me want to discount everything else she was going to say. And here's why:  I believe in science.  And I also know ghosts are real and that astrology is worthy of consideration.  Anyone who so blatantly discounts supernatural or metaphysical possibilities ...

In the past couple of months (let's call them Quarantine), I've averaged daily walks of about seven and a half miles.  Often that's broken up into two sessions: a mid-morning and an evening stroll.  They're not high impact -- there's a lot of literal stopping to smell the flowers and stare at a cool cloud formation or wonder at the expanding wildlife I'm discovering in this inner-ring Cleveland pseudo-suburb.  While I walk and contemplate the beauty of the world around me, I listen to podcasts.  God knows how many I've blazed through during this bountiful alone-time.  It probably helps me feel more connected, honestly, because many of the podcasts I enjoy are conversational:  You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes  and  Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend   and  WTF with Marc Maron  -- even the more political automatic downloads, like  Love It or Leave It  (hands down the best podcast in the current rotation) or  Pod Save A...