From Doomscrolling to Downton Abbey: A Guide to Sanity

Sandwiches, Subways & Sleeper Cars

Toronto had a buffet on the subway, the zoo’s longest-serving volunteer just hit 50 years, and an 80-year-old is teaching people how to turn their memories into films. Plus, we solve the TTC’s deficit problem with one genius idea: sleeper cars. It’s news-adjacent, sandwich-heavy, and exactly the kind of false hope your Friday needs.

From Doomscrolling to Downton Abbey: A Guide to Sanity

Brittlestar & Shannon tackle media overload, share tips to stay sane online, and bring you some much-needed good news—including a 104-year-old peanut butter fan and a rescued beaver. Plus: Are pergolas even real?

The Hello Canada/Toronto Life TIFF Party, Schmooze Rules, and the Celebrity Who Wasn't

Stewart recounts a very polite Canadian brush with showbiz at a TIFF opening party—briefly “not on the list,” loudly networking in a room built for whispers, caviar on a tiny donut, and a confident approach to a man who absolutely was… not Andy Kim. Cameos include Melissa Grello, Lauren Ash, and Peroni Zero. Shannon provides footwear realism and social-battery fact-checking. Highlights * The check-in desk plot twist… and the red-carpet dilemma * Why one-bite appetizers are civilization… and sliders are not * The “Andy Kim” meet-cute that wasn’t * How to survive schmoozing when the DJ thinks it’s a club * The black-SUV exit strategy (it’s all theatre) * Paid subs get the full video version at brittlestar.com [https://brittlestar.com] Listen wherever you get your podcasts… and if you enjoy it, rate/review so we can keep flexing our extremely reasonable #40 in News Commentary.

Zellers, Lost Rings, and Drones That Don’t Hate Us

Zellers is back, wedding rings are rescued from a landfill, and drones prove they’re more than just BBQ cover shredders. Brittlestar & Shannon dive into the weird, the heartwarming, and the nostalgic—plus a look at all-terrain wheelchairs that make the outdoors more accessible. News, nonsense, and nice things, all in one episode.