Misery Menagerie

Mom Ericka is off doing lots of things in the very hot real estate season of spring in the very hot real estate market of the Pacific Northwest, so son Jay is flying solo this episode.

He's found a w…

A classic Ericka and Jay exchange:

Ericka: I want to tell you this story that happened early tonight. [gives introductory details]

Jay: Whoa. I've never heard this story!

Ericka: Yes, I know. That's …

If this episode doesn't make you laugh until you cry, well, you're more mature than the rest of us. We'll just leave that little tease there for now.

In this episode, Jay and Ericka Hardwick look int…

This week we're somehow talking about having an argument with a co-worker, big shrimp, "beta-sitting," where North Carolina is, and which is scarier: jumping out of an airplane or scuba diving.

It mu…

What are you most afraid of? Things that go bump (or boom) in the night? Rinky dink carnival rides that don't feel quite...clicked?

And is hearing that your mom did something untoward with a controll…

"I really like my kidney."

It's time for Ericka and Jay to, once again, dive into the headlines and talk about things like DB Cooper and the Tylenol scare. 

It might be time to get them some more rec…

We're sure the actor Jack Nicholson is a very nice person, but if you saw The Shining at a tender age (say 10 - 12), you may be less star struck than fear struck at meeting him in ... say, a creepy h…

You just lost 10 IQ points. On a scale of 1 - 100, how bad does that make you feel? Remember the one about peeing on an electric fence? How much better or worse is this? (And if you're peeing on elec…

What do you do when life gives you lemons? Like, say, naked pictures of you get distributed? Or you're stuck in traffic for DAYS? Or maybe your mom gives you a really bad haircut?

If you're Ericka an…

The mom-and-son duo are back with yet more situations you REALLY don't want to find yourself in.

This week, they're disrupting our sleep with tales of insomnia, sleep demons, middle school math, PE c…

What's worse: losing your wallet and being sad about what you lost, or losing a wallet but not being sad because there wasn't much in it?

Is it just 5 points more miserable to accidentally set your h…

Catapulted over the border — how does that rate on the Misery Index?

Mother and son Ericka and Jay are back with another assortment of odd topics: deportation, driving, and really dumb ways to get ar…

Today mother and son combo Ericka and Jay are discussing the relative misery of your favorite TV show being cancelled, the difference between the Mafia and a cartel, the importance of Christmas light…

Welcome to the Menagerie!

Using the cards from the game and TV show The Misery Index as conversation starters, mom Ericka and teen-age son Jay are talking about things in life that most of us cringe …