Lessons in Compassion from The Trauma Cleaner

December 21, 2018 Susan

Sandra Pankhurst, subject of The Trauma Cleaner Photo by David Caird — Sandra Pankhurst, subject of *The Trauma Cleaner*
Photo by David Caird

Sarah Krasnostein’s The Trauma Cleaner: One Woman’s Extraordinary Life in the Business of Death, Decay and Destruction is a biographical portrait of a complicated woman. Sandra Pankhurst runs a trauma cleaning service in suburban Melbourne. She and her crew clean up bloody crime scenes, death scenes and cases of extreme squalor (think A&E’s Hoarders). While Sandra’s life in this business is interesting material in and of itself, the book is really about who Sandra is and has been throughout her often pain-filled life. The thread that runs through the book is compassion, both for others and for ourselves, even when compassion is difficult to give.

Riverdale Recap! S3E08: Outbreak

December 17, 2018 Mary, Kelli, & Gabriella

Apparently, Christmas is cancelled in Riverdale this year.

Unlike Season 2’s “Silent Night, Deadly Night” (which featured the Black Hood as Santa, in case you forgot), this past week’s midseason finale saw no mention of the holidays, leaving us to wonder: is it still pre-winter in Riverdale, or is everyone so high on fizzle rocks and obsessed with Gryphons & Gargoyles that they forgot about the festivities altogether?

Othersode #22: Drink Every Time We’re Self-Congratulatory / Favorites of 2018

December 17, 2018 The Squad

Click through for table of contents and show notes!

What I Learned From Watching Survivor While Thinking About The Bachelor

December 12, 2018 Mary

Yes, this was their real logo. They used Papyrus font.

A couple of years ago when Emily tried to get me to watch The Bachelor, ABC’s trashy reality dating show, I scoffed, but today I gleefully await the announcement of the new contestants, the limo reveals, and the house drama. Recently, I watched an old episode of Survivor on a whim. And then another. And then a few more. And then an entire season.

The Bachelor First Impressions: Time To Judge A Bunch of Blonde Instagram Models

December 10, 2018 The Squad

He’s the Bachelor no one asked for! These women all look the same!

And yet… here we are. Still excited to watch Colton’s journey to love, so excited that we are SORT OF tolerating all of these bad puns about Colton’s virginity. But not really though. Quick soapbox: VIRGINITY ISN’T A REAL THING. It’s almost 2019, ABC. I know y’all just recently had your first black bachelorette and you feel really proud of yourselves and all. But, like… don’t. You have a lot of work left to do. Like, a lot.

But anyway. That’s enough feminism for today. Let’s judge these women based on their looks and a few superficial details about their lives. And we’re joined by special guest and friend of the pod Bonnie Asato. Let’s do this!

Featured Bookstore: The Strand, NYC

December 7, 2018 Kelli

If you’re a book person and you’ve been to New York, this month’s featured bookstore is probably not going to be a new discovery for you.

The Strand Book Store, home to 18 MILES of books, is arguably the most popular bookstore in New York City, and shows no signs of slowing down in its 90th year of existence.

For my first two featured bookstore picks, I went with shops in Brooklyn that are a little more off the beaten path, but if I’m being realistic, the place I frequent the most (and drag visitors to the most) is definitely the Strand. Part of the reason for this is that it’s located very close to where I work, part of it’s that they have a large selection of gently-used — and therefore cheap — books, and part of it is because the store is legitimately intoxicating. When I leave, I feel drunk. This is the only explanation for the amount of money I end up spending there when I already have a full bookshelf of unread material at home.

Read on for more info about this magical place, and if you’re so inclined, click through the book links on our homepage to purchase your next #BSG read from the Strand!