Set & Centered

RJ watched Finding Nemo. It took two months, a lapel mic, a homemade review template scored in duckies, and royalty-free background music that sounds — his words — a little like porn music. He also accidentally skipped the turtle scene. Mark is not letting that go. The official Set & Centered rating system makes its debut, Dirty Dancing is formally up next, and somewhere in East Texas, Chimp Crazy remains unwatched.

In this episode:
• Why RJ put Icy Hot on an insect bite right before recording and how that went
• Layne's Chicken Fingers in Palestine Texas: a verdict delivere...

RJ went down a YouTube rabbit hole at midnight watching West Coast swing dance competitions in Singapore. This led to a completely serious investigation into why nobody has brought the Macarena back. Then there was a road trip to Palestine, Texas to mail a Mother's Day gift, a spontaneous decision to try a new chicken finger place instead of Chicken Express, and 27 minutes of waiting for food that absolutely did not earn it. This episode contains an unsolicited fake ad, a genuine consumer warning, and a promise to bring back the Macarena. Set & Centered is a public service.

We came in planning to talk about ranch projects. We left knowing more about boa constrictor reproductive anatomy than we ever asked for. In between: a twenty-minute spiral about whether the air purifier should be on Auto or Pet mode (we never resolved it), a scorpion in the yard that sparked a heated debate about footwear policy, an ants-in-pants story from a vehicle recovery that cannot be unheard, and Mark — who claims to be terrified of snakes — turns out to know an alarming amount about how to keep one. This is a normal episode.

In this episode:
...

We’re back in the studio swapping road stories, ranch updates, and the kind of pet logistics that never show up on a map. A cross-country detour to pick up a family dog turns into a homecoming full of food math, messy cleanup, and one very nervous pit mix.

In this episode:
• Returning to in-studio recording and missed release catch-up
• Pacific Northwest plans derailed by a North Carolina dog pickup
• 4000 drive details and why three dogs kill hotel plans
• Kansas City stop and visiting the only World War I museum in the US
• Ranc...

We head outside to record and immediately prove we should not be trusted with telescopes, technology, or having a podcast. We start under the night sky and somehow end up in a wandering tour of pop culture, nostalgia, pets, small business economics, and the chaos of trying to capture shooting stars. 

In this episode:
• Forgetting the plan and leaning into the tangent
• A Star Trek gripe about "full fire" visuals 
• Star Wars theatrical re-release
• Ryan Reynolds comfort rewatches and persona fatigue
• Celine Dion’s voice, health, and why the documentary hits
• Captain Kangaroo...

Mark checks in from Oregon while RJ holds it down back in Texas, and we bounce from family dinners and pizza in Turner to the logistics of hauling a "Barbie Boat" across the country to Texas (via North Carolina?). The conversation drifts from AI false alarms and chat bot annoyances to smart telescope tracking, stargazing plans, and life with a cautious new puppy. It’s part travel diary, part real-life planning session, and part proof that long-distance podcasts run on timing, patience, and a little trash talk.

In this episode:
• Oregon trip updates, family dinners, and head...

We start where we always do — somewhere ridiculous. Brontosaurus names, Pluto's planetary status, a fearful stray puppy who won't come inside but absolutely will paw at the door the moment you turn your back. Then Rob joins us from Arizona, and we get to the reason Lake Lucy exists. He tells us Lucy's full story: how she came to him from an Air Force family in crisis, how she protected his family on a dark street without being asked, how cancer showed up fast and took her at eight years old, and what he carries with him about knowing wh...

We bring Rob on from Arizona and immediately get hit with peak brother energy, tech chaos, and a fish tank that sounds way too much like a bathroom. Along the way we check on Maggie, relive listener nicknames, argue about a movie quote poll, and somehow end up on AI actors and online privacy.

In this episode:
• Maggie update and small routine changes that help 
• Rob’s long teased full guest appearance and instant technical drama 
• Cindy’s comments plus the origin of “The Tinkler” 
• The “Nobody Puts Baby In A Corner” poll and why Mark gets salty...

The tone flips fast when you live with dogs: one minute you’re laughing about pop culture, dumb polls, and a joke so bad it’s good, and the next you’re dealing with the kind of responsibility that keeps you up at night. We laugh, we vent, and we land on the same point: caring for animals means showing up even when it is messy and heartbreaking.

In this episode:

• Seattle trip recap and helping wrench on a Chevy C10 build

• Nemo project updates and a Too Wong Foo side quest

• Dirty...

We catch up after a brutal snowstorm drive, a missed release, and another round of remote recording chaos that turns into a surprisingly good setup. Then we pivot back to the ranch where we try to find Nemo but end up with a new puppy instead. We talk the reality of running a dog sanctuary and feeling grateful and overwhelmed at the same time. 

Email us at setcenterlive@gmail.com
or check out our website at https://www.setcenter.live

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I...

Ever tried to keep a podcast alive from the cab of a truck at 4 a.m.? We did—one of us in the ranch studio, the other barreling north toward the Pacific Northwest with two sleepy dogs and a stubborn laptop finally tamed by a password named after a beloved pup. Tech mishaps, family milestones, weather worries, and dog snacks collide as we name a new format and keep our promise to ship.

Email us at setcenterlive@gmail.com
or check out our website at https://www.setcenter.live

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We head outside to record under a cloudy sky, trade telescope tips we can’t use, and dig into the strange comfort of a slow, honest show. Between Starlink mishaps and ranch projects, we find a lane that feels calm, funny, and unforced.

Email us at setcenterlive@gmail.com
or check out our website at https://www.setcenter.live

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We welcome Robbie to the ranch mic, trade barbs about broken rods and a Jeep stuck in first, and let Glamma set the rules on respect while we test the truth of a few wobbly stories. Between laughter and shotgun echoes, a teen finds his voice and we find the heart of our show.

Email us at setcenterlive@gmail.com
or check out our website at https://www.setcenter.live

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/setcenterlive
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@setcenterlive
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/setcenterlive

Ever had a small fix turn into a life upgrade?  That’s the pulse running through this one where we juggle dog chaos, missing pens, and a surprise studio cameo while chasing down tech issues and a trench full of roots. We laugh hard at ourselves, but there’s real progress hiding in the mess: a lost keepsake found in seconds, a fresh set of tires, a utility trailer that suddenly does the work of a weekend crew.  And maybe a dinosaur fossil?

Email us at setcenterlive@gmail.com
or check out our website at https://www.se...

She was nine pounds of absolute chaos who destroyed a house in Tucson, reduced grown adults to tears, and then quietly became the reason a 50-acre dog sanctuary exists in East Texas. We hand the mic to Mom — who was there from the beginning — to tell the real story of Patsy: the terrier who demanded applause on command, outlasted every expectation, and taught a family that structure and patience aren't punishments. They're how you love something properly.
 
In this episode:
• The Tucson babysitting incident: one small dog, one very long night, and two adults who did not com...

We welcome Mom to the studio, argue about social media apps and missing passwords, and finally call Brian to hear which gym he chose and why it’s already paying off.  Between ranch upgrades and a stubborn gate, we land on a simple theme: reduce friction, find momentum, lean on friends.

Email us at setcenterlive@gmail.com
or check out our website at https://www.setcenter.live

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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@setcenterlive
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We juggle ranch fixes, family chaos, and comic relief, turning a dead gate and cold heaters into lessons in creative problem solving. A free S10, a mini Jeep, and one unlucky cactus prove that stubbornness and humor keep this place running. 

Email us at setcenterlive@gmail.com
or check out our website at https://www.setcenter.live

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/setcenterlive
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@setcenterlive
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/setcenterlive

We start with an argument over whether it’s a toque, a beanie, or a toboggan hat.  Then solve a heater issue, debate ship classes and tires, and phone a friend wrestling with a classic motivation trap.  And we slow down for the most human moment of the hour—how to care for a dog during a long seizure with calm and cuddles.

Email us at setcenterlive@gmail.com
or check out our website at https://www.setcenter.live

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/setcenterlive
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@setcenterlive
Instagram: https...

A kitten derails our studio while we chase a new beekeeping obsession.  Tractor Supply runs become strategy sessions on pet food:  label changes, ingredient lists, and why it all matters if you live with a bulldog who treats gas like a weapon of mass destruction.  And Lucky steals the show with no tail, unexpected agility, and the kind of resilience that makes you laugh and root for him in the same breath.

Email us at setcenterlive@gmail.com
or check out our website at https://www.setcenter.live

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/setcenterlive

A hard freeze hit East Texas and found every weak link on the property at once: frozen lines, a CPAP machine with no power, a well system that punished one wrong decision, and a ranch full of animals that still expected breakfast on time. We call Christina for her first-Texas-freeze report, and she delivers — including a gentle but firm nudge to stop hiding who we actually are and what this place is actually for. So we tell it: how 50 acres in East Texas became a sanctuary where rescue dogs live out their whole lives, and why that mission demands a...

Winter storm or not, there’s always room for laughs.  Ladybugs on mics, a puppy who may never stop growing, and the memory of Charlie, the cat who stomped across the roof just to make sure we noticed him.  Underneath it all is a simple through-line: resilience is built in quiet moments long before the storm.  Test your generators.  Drain your lines.  Keep water on hand.  And keep showing up for the animals that count on you. 

Email us at setcenterlive@gmail.com
or check out our website at https://www.setcenter.live

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The mics were hot, the plan was rigid, and within minutes we knew it wasn’t working. What followed was the real beginning: two friends on a dusty ranch admitting the flop, then rebuilding a show in real time—tools out, humor intact, and a to‑do list that doubles as plot.

Email us at setcenterlive@gmail.com
or check out our website at https://www.setcenter.live

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/setcenterlive
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@setcenterlive
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/setcenterlive

Two friends. Fifty acres. No real plan. Mark describes himself as a simple man — RJ uses the word "cathartic" and immediately has to defend it. This is the episode where they figure out what the show is while recording the show. There are rescue dogs in the background, ranch projects waiting on the to-do list, and enough stories already backed up that starting a podcast seemed like the only reasonable thing to do. This is where it all started.
 
In this episode:
• "What the hell are we doing?" — the question that opens the show and basically never g...