“You were challenged beyond the bounds of what could be done, and found a path to make it true.”In our conversation we talk about the boundaries women have to negotiate to take care of themselves and their families. Survival can look like selfishness and even fair bargains can be traps. In Novik’s story there is a battle between the fire demon Chernobog and the Staryk King of winter. The people of Lithvas are trapped in between. Miryem, Irina, and Wanda find ways to help themselves, their family,

October is back again, like every year, and Down to Watch has small screen tricks and treats for your plastic pumpkin bucket! Dan and Raul filled their candy bags with what's coming up in the next few weeks and Dan has a bunch of returning favorites like The Lowdown, The Diplomat, The Tulsa King and the more! Raul brought nerdy stuff like Anthony Bourdain's Get Jiro animated food and violence fest and VisionQuest from the MCU fill the fandom slot this month. Of course, a little spooky goes a

Big Band Serenade 24 Musical History

Big Band Serenade 23 Musical History

Every published TTRPG adventure needs at least these 4 essential features to eliminate bloated prep and meet modern adventure design standards.Get Riddle of the Veiled Isles: https://bit.ly/4d2rwZ4 Join the Adventurer's Guild to support this channel: https://Patreon.com/ShortRestStudios

RIP Dolly

Big Band Serenade 21 Musical History

Big Band Serenade 22 Musical History

Caitlyn Broadman joins us for the first episode of Crafty Grieving for a raw, unfiltered conversation about life after losing her mother, the trauma of death, the myth of "moving on," and the anger grief carries with it. We talk about how creativity, crafts, dance, and community became her path to healing, and why imperfect, in-public healing matters. Along the way: helping children grieve, the online grief community she built, relapse and the power of starting again, perfectionism and mental

Down to Watch is green and glowing this week while we check out Lanterns! Dan and Raul watch a newcomer and old hand playing similar roles with Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre in the new Green Lantern based TV series that cohabits the universe also containing the recent Superman and Supergirl films. From showrunner Chris Mundy (True Detective producer) with help from television heavyweight producer David Lindelof, this show holds a lot of similar style to the dusty detective thriller (though less

Canon has announced it’s latest consumer-grade, full-frame camera in its EOS R8 II. This doesn’t come as a surprise as it’s been a couple of years since the release of the original R8. Unlike most tech companies announcing new devices, this product from Canon actually has meaningful updates and upgrades over the previous iteration. Tech SpecsThe R8 II comes with a full-frame 24-megapixel sensor that shoots up to 6fps via first curtain electronic shutter setting, or a whopping 40fps via full

Does Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere RPG actually beat D&D 5e? Here are 4 big tabletop mechanics it fixes - and why I'm still passing on the system. * Join the Adventurers Guild to support this channel: https://Patreon.com/ShortRestStudios

Down to Watch is back after a minute but just in time to get you ready for September... a few days late! Dan and Raul have your back to school, pre-Halloween TV selections to choose from, including RayGun and Mr. T on Untold, Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson as secret Brothers and John Hamm negotiating for an American Hostage. There's a couple of crusaders in a true crime doc trying to get to the bottom of A Killer Story, a family of animated Asian-American New Yorkers who go by DANG! and

Big Band Serenade 16 Tunes from the past

“‘I love you,' he whispered, and kissed my brow. 'Thorns and all.'.”This season starts with one of the biggest titles in the Romantasy genre: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. Christy warms to it but Carly remains cold.What do women want? What do women need? C&C discuss what characters are looking for and what a reader wants from her books. Two important moments in A Court of Thorns and Roses revolve around what Feyre, the main character, is and isn’t willing to say. She hesitates

Is the Starmork X-tend the ultimate affordable game table? Is it too good to be true. Or somewhere in between? https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/starmork/starmork-x-tend-table?ref=95sy2ahttps://www.starmork.com/pages/starmork-x-tend-table * Support me on Patreon: https://Patreon.com/ShortRestStudios

Big Band Serenade 14 flash from the past

In this lively post-show episode, Jeff, Greg, and Shannon riff on prime numbers and their mathematical significance, transition to how improv works, and share stories from classes and performances. The discussion covers comedic theory (Harold vs. mono scenes, trust-building, voice of reason, peas in a pod), topical references like Nathan Fielder and Comedy Bang Bang, and a detailed exploration into the periodic table and material science—including the hunt for room-temperature superconductors and

In this pre-show episode for Beer Episode 537, Jeff, Greg, and Shannon share a glass of Lindemans Witbier and dig into lively discussion about cryptids, UFOs, and rational skepticism. They recount recent Bigfoot sighting news in Pennsylvania, explore personal beliefs about evidence and perception, and debate the reality of unexplained phenomena. The episode is rounded out with a rational ghost story featuring the legendary Green Man Tunnel and some scientific anecdotes about misunderstood data. A

Is YouTube making it harder for small TTRPG channels? We dive into the new Partner Program changes and what they mean for tabletop creators’ survival. * Support on Patreon: https://Patreon.com/ShortRestStudios * Join the Email List https://lxpjgr.subscribepage.io