We are Virginia Sole-Smith and Corinne Fay and it’s time for a BONUS January Indulgence Gospel!

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Episode 230 Transcript

Virginia

So today we are just catching you up on some general January news. These are things that are happening in our lives and the world. And then we're going to answer a few listener questions. 

Corinne

This is kind of my favorite type of episode, 

Virginia

Same. Do you want to go first? Do you have an update for us? Some news? 

Corinne

One thing that I've been dying to ask you, and I've kind of been holding back on is... have you watched Heated Rivalry. 

Virginia

I haven't watched it. 

Corinne

Okay, but do you know what I'm talking about?

Virginia

Well, I'm just going to Google it real quick.

Corinne

Oh, my God. No! Don't even Google it. This is what you need to do this weekend.

Wait, do you have a kid-free weekend because it's not kid-friendly.

Virginia

Oh come on, it’s a sports thing! 

Corinne

There is so little sports. Let me just tell you.

Virginia

Okay...

Corinne

If you're watching it for the sports, you will be disappointed. There' is no sports, okay? No sports. Basically, if the camera was one inch lower, it would be porn. 

Virginia

Oh! Okay.

Corinne

It's based on, like, gay romance novels.

Virginia

Ohhhhh it's the gay hockey players! Yes, alright. Watching. I am kid-free and I will be doing that this weekend.

Corinne

And I think Jack will like it as well. So I recommend you watch it together. 

Virginia

Obviously.

Corinne

It's very horny. Whoa. And I will say: I watched like, half of the first episode, and I was like, I don't think this is for me. And then it was, like, popping off on the Internet. So I was like, all right, I gotta give it another try. And now I'm, like, obsessed with Connor Storrie.

Virginia

So okay, is it like you're watching it because it's so absurd? Or are you invested in the characters? 

Corinne

I'm invested. 

Virginia

You're invested.

Corinne

It's just like a romance novel. They're both different kinds of sports tropes. One of them's kind of like a tough guy from Russia, and the other one's a little softie Canadian. It's very sweet. And I think that the actors have a lot of chemistry. 

And you see their butts a lot.

Virginia

Well, I'm in. We'll watch this this weekend. I mean, I have read many a hockey player romance novel. Some of them were gay.  

Corinne

Then you've probably read the novels.

Virginia

I may have read the novels. Although I don't like hockey, I have to say, I'm never going to be a pick me girl for hockey. It's a confusing sport to me. 

Corinne

There's like, basically no hockey. Having watched the whole thing I can tell you nothing about hockey.

Virginia

 You have learned nothing.

Corinne

 There's like, cup that you can win? That's all I know.

Virginia

Oh yes. Wait. I want to call it a Stanley Cup? But isn't that the water bottles? Or is there also a hockey Stanley Cup?

Corinne

I don't know, Virginia and I don't care. Gay hockey forever.

Virginia

Delightful. This is an amazing update. We are actually watching the second season of Bad Sisters right now, on your recommendation. So we do have to finish that up. I didn't think that it could pull off a good second season, but they really are delivering. And then in my parenting life, I'm continuing to work through Buffy the Vampire Slayer with my 12 year old. It's a delight. I really do feel like you maybe need to consider a Buffy watch at some point.

Corinne

Next time I have 47 hours unscheduled weeks.

Virginia

I mean, you can chip away at it too. It's on Disney Plus! Oh wait, you probably don't have Disney Plus.

Corinne

My bad. 

Virginia

No that's fair. Well, it's been very fun we're in season four now for the Buffy fans in the audience. And it's going to start getting a little more violent. I'll have to feel it out. But I think we're, at the point of no return.

That's a good TV update. Have you been reading anything good? I read a book that I think you liked, and I don't think I liked it. But I think I'm in the minority. 

Corinne

Which book?

Virginia

Heart The Lover by Lily King.

Corinne

Oh, my God, you didn't like it?!

Virginia

No. What am I missing? 

Corinne

What didn't you like? 

Virginia

I felt like they were all so annoying and pretentious. Is it because I was an English major, so I don't like English majors? We're just pretty annoying, with all the literary references. Okay, we get it. You are boys who read books. I was just like, why would you sleep with either one of them? I don't get it.

Corinne

Oh, fascinating. I mean, I was just sobbing for the entire second half.

Virginia

It does get sad in the second half, but I didn't like him, so I didn't care?

Corinne

You weren't invested.

Virginia

And it's not hard to get me invested in a health journey of any sort! I'm not going to spoil it for anyone, but—okay, spoiler alert! We're going to talk about it with spoilers, so that we can really get into it. If you didn't read that book, you'll want to skip ahead about a minute and a half. 

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Okay, I thought it was real weird that she gave a kid up for adoption, and then was just like, "But I know she's fine. It's fine. It's all fine." And yet she was so worried about the kid she did have who had health issues. I mean, of course she was worried about him— but she had just mentally been like, that one's fine. I picked good people. They had a nice photo. So I know she's having a great childhood. That was really weird to me. 

Corinne

I mean, I felt like that seemed like the decision of a young, stressed out person,

Virginia

Yeah, maybe. And how she keeps talking about it is meant to be a trauma response?

Corinne

It was a questionable young person decision.

Virginia

Yes, definitely. But it felt weird that she would never reflect further upon it as she got into her own motherhood. I'm not saying she was wrong to give the baby up for her adoption. I also think abortion exists, and that would have made sense. But I'm not saying she should have kept the child. I just thought, don't you think you would have gotten any more nuanced in your feelings about it as the years went on?

Corinne

The book is her getting more nuanced about it. Right?

Virginia

Not really! Not about the baby. She's like, Yeah, she's fine. I mean, she finally tells him about it, but.

Corinne

I don't know. I think she was kind of in denial about it, or just