Show Notes:

Life Updates & Pencil Parties

- Eden recounts a surreal Minneapolis trip to witness the "sharpening" of a 20-foot neighborhood pencil statue.

- Attendees included 1,500+ people, costumes, DJs, and a fake giant pencil sharpener hoisted into place.

- Cassi already has cosplay plans for next year.

Dollhouses, Gundams & DIY Projects

- Eden builds a full miniature room box to pose model kits like Gundams in.

- Explores the satisfying craft process of assembling furniture, windows, and baseboards in a modular design.

Music Corner

- New Katatonia album: promising with fresh energy, but Peter reserves judgment.

- Rivers of Nihil: cool influence from Black Crown Initiate, but repeated saxophone use is a dealbreaker for Peter.

- Vildhjarta: heavy, adventurous, and rewards deep listening.

Gaming Talk

- Peter's impressions of the Switch 2: improved Mario Kart experience with 24-player chaos, but still not a travel must-have.

- Thoughts on the cult of Nintendo vs. more versatile handheld platforms like the Steam Deck.

- Eden's attempt to play Synduality: Echo of Ada ends in a refund due to game-breaking texture issues.

Cult & Camp Cinema

- Eden attends a VHS screening of the awful-but-fun 1970s exploitation film White Fire with a themed drinking game.

- Peter is tempted by the trailer but is firmly advised: "Don't watch White Fire."

Reading Recommendations

- Eden finishes all 11 published volumes of Adachi and Shimomura, including volume 99.9 (sci-fi time-jump bonus stories).

- Enthusiastic recommendation of The Apothecary Diaries, a mystery series set in a fictionalized ancient China full of intrigue and clever deduction.

What We're Watching

- Peter enjoys Taskmaster Season 19 with Jason Mantzoukas, calling it chaotic, hilarious, and worth the YouTube binge.

Main Topic: The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)

- Eden loved it: tense, stylish, electric; Peter found it frustratingly flat in tension and offensively dated.

- Discussion touches on 70s NYC despair, racism and misogyny in period pieces, Walter Matthau's charisma, and how modern remakes miss the gritty charm of the original.

- Fun fact: Robert Shaw (Mr. Blue) also played Quint in Jaws.

- Finale: Walter Matthau's "Gesundheit" stare is iconic.