From the Middle

#334. Hello friends! Kory is out of town but Dillon and Kendall have one that’s out of the oven, cooled, and ready for slicing. So pop open the Butter Bell, get the Kerrygold ready to spread, and bring us with you on the road; you have a basketball practice to get your kid to! Make sure they carb up so they can earn that NIL middle school contract. You’ll also need to make sure they keep their grades up, so maybe find some tutoring for adults to keep you up with the fancy math techniques. And hey! Look at all...

#333. Break out the fuzzy ears for the family photo and put on your swim trunks; Kory goes to Colorado! We hear the hunting and fishing at the Wolf Lodge is Great, so we have some tips for you…or at least some direction on how to start a new hobby. If we screwed up on any of our advice (likely), we might fix it later in a fact check. This week, after we correct our previous mistakes, we share some wacky product purchases that were NOT mistakes, but surprising little joys which have made our lives easier. Some of our fa...

#332. Did you like last week’s episode? Good! Because we weren’t done yet. And by “we” we mean “Kendall.” The rabbit trails include the urge to parent other people’s kids and how technology is making the McDonald’s breakfast hard-stop even more annoying. After the break, Kory shares his experience at The Sphere in Las Vegas and we share a bunch of what we’re listening to as well as what we’re watching. Lot’s of current country music and some new stuff that kind of sounds like older stuff with a very confusing genre. This week we’re watching The Bea...

#331. Two weeks in a row! Well, for most of us, and we’re back to starting arguments that don’t exist yet but should, such as de-pantsing vs pantsing. Apparently kids these days are pranking each other by making sure they’re fully clothed. We also double-click our way into some of the events we mentioned last week. Is buying a VIP early access pass with a Q&A session when you barely know a band the same as buying velcro Jordans? Have you experienced the buyer’s anxiety surrounding a ticket from a third party seller? Kory has, and everythi...

#330. We blew the dust off the microphones and got back to work! There’s a lot to catch up on from the past few months and we get the ball rolling with some of Dillon’s travel highlighted by him getting locked in a room with his family. Kendall was busy with some trips then became an uber driver for his kids. Kory, after a crazy spring, sat around wondering where we went. After the break we share a few more specific stories. Dillon saw Superman in real life! Kory invented a new way to play an old game. Kendall did...

#329. Remember when playing childhood sports in the backyard in an unorganized fashion was fun? Maybe for some of us, if we really try to remember those moments, we remember more kickball games ending in anger because someone tried to make up a rule on the spot than games ending in laughter and joy that we just had a great time. Turns out having an ump in that scenario doesn’t change much. There’s something about organized sports that creates different kinds of memories, character development, and enjoyment. We enjoy looking back and forward into our kids’ experiences as we get to...

#328. I dare you to stay “rural” 15 times without feeling like a doofus. Also, Chat GPT is asking questions and that makes us nervous. With that out of the way, we get to hear from Dillon and his delightful reward of a vacation! Costa Rica treated him well and the all-inclusiveness of a typically not all-inclusive resort is maybe a step above other experiences. Coffee tastings from single origins, professional massages, power juice, robes, views, and seafood are all among the highlights. He did encounter a couple of oddities which bring up questions. When does bringing food onto an airplane become too...

#327. Happy Birthday, Dillon! We hope you got to celebrate with something like carrot cake. Carrot cake: vegetable. And I don’t care who knows it anymore. Maybe we should get a shirt made which says, “Vegetables are more easily understood the less we understand about them” and wear it all over the world to let everyone know what we’re all about. Scottie Pippin would know it by know if we did. We would also need to make a sweater to put on during sweater weather to be cozy while we sip on something pumpkin spice. In the meantime, novel Mt. Dew...

#326. We’re back after a few weeks off! We begin with that explanation and honorable nod to Dillon and Kory’s grandfather. We share some of what we’ve been up to the past few weeks, then we get into discussing doing home projects with your spouse and what it looks like when plans aren’t aligned. For example, maybe we shouldn’t plant new trees until Kory is done digging himself a hole. Also, Kory has had a lot of traveling going on and he shares some stories of two of new favorite places, Amsterdam and Austin. He kept it weird a...

#325. Oh hi! We were just talking about matching a hat to the beard. Speaking of which, by some beard oil; the Artius Man link is below. Anyway, Kory is back and has some meal strategy to add to our previous discussion before he shares the ups and downs and ups again about his trip to Spain. He and his wife had a great time, learned what Tapas are all about, and got angry at the Spanish Home Depot. All of this raises some good questions about when to move on to plan B, when to press on, and when to...

#324. Ever feel old enough to get scammed but young enough to know better? Kendall does. Ever find tortillas so good you need to stow them away for a flight home only to wish a week later you would have bought more luggage to smuggle more? Dillon does. We talk for half an episode about those two things. We could have gone longer even, but we needed to discuss more important things such as regional diet sodas and the order in which you should eat your burger and fries. Join us as we discuss the strategy behind the order in which...

#323. I’m not sick, but I’m not well. It turns out those words were probably meant to help us understand our middle-aged existence as we ponder our aches and pains, overthinking, and refreshed interests. But all of it seems to be heading somewhere cool as priorities and relationships with friends and family straighten out. Balancing work and family travel, watching tv for ourselves or with our spouses, and sharing hobbies with our children or spending some time alone are all good things and all should be enjoyed. Listen in as middle-aged dudes discuss their lives and please join the conv...

#322. Happy Birthday to two of our favorite young people with such bright futures! One can look forward to the freedom of driving, another can look forward to figuring out pizza. Nowhere to go but up! There’ll be some bumps along the way. Popsicles might get weird, pizza chains will lie about improvements, and lemon-lime soda will always make you think of vomit, but the mac-and-cheese and sushi at a good buffet will never disappoint. And though that mac-and-cheese may be quite temporary, your dads will always be there for you: remember that when they’re in their autumn years. Be s...

#321. The thaw is underway  and we came out of our dens to record another episode! Ever find yourself showing off for nobody? If you throw a snowball into the air and perfectly roundhouse it into bits but there was no-one around to see it, did it really happen? Maybe that’s why Uber drivers wait until they have a passenger before they show off their stunt driving. Speaking of stunts, the Winter Olympics is rolling and some of are here for it! All of that and more in this one as we slowly heat things back up to above freezing. Enj...

#320. It’s snack time, folks! You thought sandwiches and egg rolls were perfectly fine the way they were. And they are. But why not make them more fork friendly? It worked for burritos! Maybe the crab rangoon burrito will become so popular that it evolves again into a bowl and then we’ll have a spoonable burrito! Just ask for extra crab. It may be a little spendy, but then again, so is Dillon sometimes. After the break we switch gears and talk about food. Sandwiches are loved across the nation, but the menu differs a bit from region to regi...

#319. Cracking ribs, roasted mashed potatoes, and hold the bacon. If that doesn’t turn out how you hoped, maybe just order up another episode! Also on the menu is the mobster special. It comes with a trip to the back where you’ll encounter Tony. If he’s not there, just wait a few minutes. He ran back to the store to pick up tortillas for the crab rangoon (they are on sale). Should you survive Tony, you’ll then encounter a growing flock of cockatiels and some highland coo for dessert. Enjoy! And please leave a comment in the LinkTree...

#318. Happy New Year! We’re back after a fun OR relaxing holiday break with our families, and we catch up on what made this holiday season special for us. Are you glad to see 2025 end? Does a new year feel like a new start to you? Do you make resolutions? Let us know via the LinkTree below as we share some of our thoughts heading into 2026. After the break we discuss streaming including Stranger Things and the potential (or not) of longevity for the brand. Also on tap is a little on sports and some ok and fine movies such as...

#317. Christmas is about a week out and we’re so ready and living in the moment. Our kids are winding down school and Kory and his wife are looking to invest in the cookie business. White elephants are alive and well and the laundromat is looking better than ever! There’s a lot to love.  And then there’s the delivery companies and the customer service of online retailers who perhaps shouldn’t be in the business. Oh What Fun. But at least our streaming discussion is right on time. We’ve said it once, we’ll say it again, Hawkeye is a...

#316. If Martha Stewarting your own yogurt isn’t for you, just give us like three minutes and we’ll dive into a magical conversation led by Dillon and his recent family trip to Disney. From tear-inducing moments with his daughter to Dillon finding his own youth at Galaxy’s Edge, we experience the joy with him. I dare you to try listening without smiling to yourself as the heat gets turned up in your heart cockles. Also, a Florida man is driving an interesting billboard for his two different businesses and more than Dillon’s heart cockles were warmed at a rest a...

#315. Now that the youngster is on vacation, Kory and Kendall can talk about backs, shoulders, and knees acting up. AI can’t yet give us newer versions of ourselves, but it sure can give new life to old music! Or perhaps you prefer good old fashioned creativity, such as Kory’s kid’s well-crafted Christmas lists. Sometimes all your child wants is a hug, and if you only knew the joy that would follow, you’d act on it sooner, like the actors in TV and film should. Speaking of wanting things sooner, we hate that getting “parked” at the drive-thru m...

#314. Wanna hear what three middle class guys sound like when they’re bird watching? How about if Kory is still alive after running a 5k? Or what happens when a guy known to avoid confrontation finds himself challenged by drive-thru workers and inconsiderate spectators? Then listen to this episode! We share some more thoughts on fast food etiquette as well as get into some streaming with special guest Greg Oden. Part of that sentence was click-bait. But what’s not click-bait is Something’s Burning with Bert Kreischer, Squid Game: The Challenge, and Redemption. How do you handle people who get in...

#313. How warm to you keep your house this time of year? November in Ohio brings two things: some freezing cold temps making you worry about whether or not you disconnected your garden hoses, and a lack of guarantee that you’re finished mowing for the year. With that comes the somewhat contentious question of who gets to control the thermostat in the house and car. We talk about that. Perhaps being more comfortable in your car helps you deal with inconsiderate drivers. But you know us better than that. Also, Kory, who would always rather drive than run, is going to...

#312. Happy HalloWEEN!! Between the way we emphasize particular words and acknowledge a punnily named fudge factory, the first half of this episode would be likely to get us kicked out of 3rd grade. Thankfully we’re adults and can do whatever we want; even if that means blowing off plans because we just don’t like having plans. But how do you do that tactfully? And when is it too late to ask someone their name? After discussing our spooky festivities, we dust off the “Answers From the Middle” segment! Follow it up with some exciting baseball talk and a giant fu...

311. Kory is getting into candy corn and peanuts season with some Halloween festivities, as is Kendall, the World Series is going into the history books, and the Steelers look like a bunch of pale dorks. We hit a solid six/seven topics in this catch up around our lives episode. After the break we’ll hear about Kory’s invigorating experience in one of the most beautiful areas of our continent along with a less than ideal, but hilarious, travel situation. And while firearms and bar hopping should never mix, we do throw them into the same conversation at the end...

#310. Is Dillon a shotgun on his truck rack kind of guy or a designer chromed pistol in his roadster kind of guy? Maybe he’s more of a nail clippers in the console of his reliability machine kind of guy. We find out! Someone at Kory’s local McDonalds found out that answer as it pertains to one of their customers, and yes, the ice cream machine is involved. Speaking of foods you can’t get, we discuss grocery products and fast food items that we loved as kids but can’t find anymore before learning how to modify fast food to...

#309. Someone call Will Smith just in case we need someone to slap around the invading robots. We might not see them much where we live, but we know they’re out there and we have thoughts. But maybe they could make an emergency Halloween candy run for those of us with self-emptying bowls. Or dress one up in a gentleman suit to teach some of us how to treat a lady. Also, Kory joins in on the sports conversation with an historic baseball game and to ask what’s up with James Franklin at Penn State losing his job? Finally we p...

#308. Perhaps some of us had dreams of becoming radio broadcasters when we were kids. Having a middle-class podcast is the closest we’ve come to “making it” as far as that’s concerned, but here we are! Kendall shares a wonderful weekend away with his boy which includes a special note for the executives at Uber. Ya’ll have some things to fix. Then we dive into the Cracker Barrel logo situation and come to the conclusion that we don’t care about what robots care about. On the second half we ponder what restaurants we’d rather live around and Dillon sha...

#307. Happy candy corn season! It’s officially October in the midwest and we are gearing up for the weather to do its bi-polar thing. Speaking of which, Dillon created an AI game with potential midwest phrases and it’s astounding how many of them have to do with changing weather. We’re not sure if this is uniquely Midwest, but we’re pretty sure a lot of things on this list are spot-on regional gold. After the break we discuss how our kids are getting smarter than we are. They’re solving complex math and logic problems while we’re dreaming abo...

#306. Just three middle class guys sharing their mid-life crisis together! Kory starts by eating his way through it as he had some catching up to do. Dillon and Kendall got started on their favorite dishes last week. Then we talk about maybe who we’re becoming as we engage with customer service in our middle age. Then it’s on to low-key bars and other new hobbies to take our money while we try to resolve our lives and who we are. There’s sometimes something deep under the laughs, but don’t always count on it! Thank you, Tim, for call...

#305. We did it. Dillon and Kendall threw caution to the wind and literally just listed foods we like and want to talk about. It’s basically that simple. We had a ton of fun doing it and it led to a new drive-thru story from Dillon. Also, Kendall tries to wave a magic wand at college football to satisfy most fans of the major competitive football programs. It’s a simple topic list, but we hope you dig the deep dive! Please use the LinkTree below to chime in with your favorite foods, drive-thru advise, and how fall sports can be b...

#304. From barber advice to pest control, we have the conversations that could help millions of people figure out their problems. If only they’d listen.But YOU! You are here, and you get to toe the line of cultural appropriation with us, and we’re not just talking about Taco Bell. But yes, we are going to talk about Taco Bell. We cover the Phillies Karen, a beef in Christian music, stealth fishing, catfishing on Netflix, and we end with a touching memory log of a daughter and her first car. We hope you enjoy it. Until next time, be kind...

#303. Maybe the chicken crossed the road because it was being chased by an old Red Ryder. And if you must begin to pick to choose which kid’s sports endeavors to follow more loyally, is it automatically the middle child who gets less attention? After all, AI can do a fantastic job of giving them parental coaching. Jokes aside, this episode also encases the heartfelt story and beautiful gift from a father seeing his eldest off to college. So until next time, don’t let AI replace your relationships, take time to stop for the chickens, and until next time, be k...

#302. Going once, going twice, SOLD (for free) to whoever will come get it. Unless they can’t. And no, I can’t hold on to it for 2 days. You all know the drill. We get into a bit of online sales etiquette with more questions than answers. Also, a minivan with a missing door looks weird. And a good speakeasy might no longer be necessary, but it’s still a cool experience. After the break, Kendall tries to offend most guys who aren’t in their nineties and we share a bit about what we are streaming while Dillon gets into som...

#301. Just as our staggered start is beginning to level out, the kids are all back in school after staggering themselves! Some of us miss them. Others are glad they don’t need to pay for childcare and camps anymore. Shout out to the working parents who just got through another summer of schedule mayhem. After a short discussion about the above, we use the rest of this episode to catch up on all of our streaming for the past few months, and there is A LOT! Highlights include Nonnas, Perfect Days, Downton Abbey, Fantastic Four, The Andy Griffith Show, and KP...

#300. We’re back again with more good tales but with less entrails! We’ve been waiting so long to record our 300th episode that Dillon came up with a bunch of 300-related would you rather questions. From our favorite foods to starring in low budget films, we answer some hard-hitting hypotheticals. After the break, we get caught up on logging away our Summer happenings highlighted by family time, injuries, and hospital stays. Thank you for sticking with us and, until next time, be kind to each other.

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#299.5. Hello friends! Our first upload in a little while is here and we are glad to be back with a short episode discussing life and logging some of it on our little podcast before we dive back in to business as usual. We appreciate your patience and support. We love you, and if you haven't been kind to each other in the meantime, we're telling Santa.

#299. We’ve got your zero calorie drinks to wash down your choriqueso. And trust us, you want ice with that. From our favorite type of ice, to hot finds at the grocery store, to lasagna portioning, it’s a very Midwestern overweight dad kind of episode that digs into the areas of our brains that we feel don’t get talked about enough. After snack time, we even lament the allergy season and are looking for your spring air remedies. Speaking of exciting and riveting topics, how about getting title transfers completed at the DMV. Or BMV. I never which it is...

#298. Happy Birthday to Dillon! And Happy Easter to all of you! Both things are late, but we mean it anyway. Speaking of Easter, Kory got to try out his acting chops…guess who he got to be in THAT story. During our weekend recap, Kory shares how two of his kids made use of his health insurance, then we share some of YOUR answers of how you treat yourself on vacation. After the break, we settle a spicy debate then talk about how you should (or shouldn’t ) step in to help the restaurant staff deal with your large and youn...

#297. “Turn your head and cough.” “Open wide and don’t bite down." "Don’t blink and don’t move your head.” What makes you nervous about seeing medical professionals? Let us know that and also what YOU would have done in Kory’s later-mentioned social situation. Also, there’s an opportunity to unearth your darkest secrets via the LinkTree below. We want to hear what you would expect your future self to know about you for verification purposes. Kory shares a funny story of a rare opportunity with Bobby Lee, one of his favorite comedians. Did he say the right thing? Was he too...