#lovethisthingcast

[throuthewindow]

This week on "I Love This Thing So Fricking Much," we spoke with Lauren, who loves birdwatching! Find out why in our latest episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the link above, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

[sophieakatz]

Thursday Thoughts: Sophie Loves Passion

I took a once-a-week seminar my freshman year of undergrad. There were nineteen of us in the room, all sitting in a circle at seven in the morning, and the only thing we had in common was that we’d gotten the same scholarship when we were accepted to the University of Iowa. My classmates included doctors, scientists, engineers, an International Studies and Chinese major who switched to Physics and Astronomy a few weeks in, and even a dancer. I was the only English major, and I quickly gained a reputation in that class as a fangirl. In our discussions, I always found myself linking the texts we read – mostly Greek mythology and scholarly articles – to some book or movie or show I loved. And my classmates quickly learned that I could happily go on and on about these stories I loved forever.

On the last day of the class, someone said something to me about that. I don’t remember exactly what they said, but the implication was that it was unusual for me to love things that much. Certainly no one else in the room (with the exception of the Physics/Astronomy major, who is a wonderful nerd and still a dear friend of mine) was so enthusiastic about that nerdy stuff.

“But you do love something that much,” I said, addressing the whole room. “I bet if I talked to any of you, you each have something that you love so much you could go on and on about it forever! It might not be stories, but everyone’s a fan of something!”

They all smiled and chuckled and shook their heads at me. But I still believe that I was right. Passion is an innately human quality, and being a fan is as common and natural as breathing. My classmates might not have recognized it in themselves, because they weren’t enthusiastic about the things you’d find celebrated at Comic-Con. But it’s impossible to go through life and have nothing matter to you, and for me, knowing that something matters to someone else is the most beautiful thing in the world.

My friendship with that Physics/Astronomy major in large part consisted of me listening while they talked and talked about dark matter and telescopes and all kinds of complex physics concepts that I didn’t understand at all. But it was, and still is, such a joy to listen to them, because it matters to them. They light up like a star, and I get to bask in that light.

I was thinking about this friend when I pitched the idea for “I Love This Thing So Fricking Much” to Melissa, my creative partner at Throu The Window Media. It would be a simple interview podcast between me and a guest who would tell me about something they loved, uninterrupted, for three minutes. (Initially I wanted it to be ten or fifteen minutes. Melissa suggested we shorten it to five minutes to keep the episodes bite-size while still including a Q&A session. After recording a test episode where I interviewed myself – a recording which will never see the light of day – I decided to shorten it to three.)

Of course, neither of us knew if there would be an audience for a show like this. But I could only assume – I could only hope – that there were other people out there who just plain loved listening to another person be enthusiastic about something, even if the topic meant nothing to them personally. I could also only hope that I’d be able to drum up enough guests to release this show on a weekly basis.

We’ve been creating the #LoveThisThingCast for over a year now; we’ll be releasing Episode 59 today. I’ve chatted with guests about actors and animals, clowning and crafting, literary movements and linguistics, movies and magic and traveling and tabletop games and so, so, so much more. And holy cow has it been a light in our lives this past year! We really couldn’t have known back in early March 2020 just how much we’d need this project, this reliable source of joy and enthusiasm. I love hosting the show, and every week, my phone lights up with texts from Melissa, talking about how much she loves listening to the episodes as she edits them.

And though we haven’t gotten much feedback from our listeners yet – our social media posts get a handful of likes each week, and my mom is our most regular commenter – I like to think that this little show has been a source of joy for people besides the two of us. According to Anchor, our episodes have been downloaded almost three thousand times, and I’m pretty sure my mom isn’t responsible for all of them (though she is and always will be our biggest fan, and I love her very much). (Hm, I wonder if someone will choose “I love my mom” as their topic on the show someday!)

I’m not sure how to end this blog post, so I’ll take the opportunity to self-promote. “I Love This Thing So Fricking Much” streams on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and a bunch of other streaming platforms thanks to Anchor. We release new episodes on Thursdays. You can find me and Melissa at @throuthewindow on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and right here on Tumblr.

And if you have something you love so fricking much – and I know you do – tell me about it! Send me a message, reply to this post, or come on the show and take the whole three minutes for yourself. I can’t wait to bask in your light!

[throuthewindow]

This week on "I Love This Thing So Fricking Much," we spoke with Kayla, who loves libraries! Find out why on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the link below, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Guess what - we're actively looking for more guests to tell us about the things you love! Send us a message, tag a passionate friend, or use the guest submission form linked in the bio.

[throuthewindow]

This week on "I Love This Thing So Fricking Much," we spoke with Laura, who loves Gilbert & Sullivan operettas - as both an audience member and a performer! Find out more by listening to our latest episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the link above, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

[throuthewindow]

This week on “I Love This Thing So Fricking Much,” we spoke with Kevin, who loves barbershop singing - both as a performer and an audience member! Find out why on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the link above, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

We're always looking for more guests to tell us about the things you love, so please reach out! Send us an ask or use our podcast guest submission form, linked in our bio.

[throuthewindow]

This week on “I Love This Thing So Fricking Much,” we spoke with Karen, who loves impressionist art. Find out why on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the link above, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

We're always looking for more guests to tell us about the things you love, so please reach out! Send us an ask or use our podcast guest submission form⁠⁠⁠, linked in the bio.

[throuthewindow]

This week on "I Love This Thing So Fricking Much," we spoke with Madeline Dyer, an author and anthologist who loves discovering asexual characters in Young Adult novels and creating opportunities for ace readers to see themselves portrayed positively and diversely in literature! Listen to our latest episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the link above, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can find out more about Madeline at her website, MadelineDyer.co.uk. Her newest anthology, Being Ace, is now available in the U.S. and will be available in the U.K. on November 21!

[throuthewindow]

This week on "I Love This Thing So Fricking Much," we spoke with Mystic Twilight, who loves storytelling through cosplay on TikTok! Find out why on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the link above, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

By the way, we’re actively looking for more guests to tell us about the things you love! Comment below, tag a passionate friend, or use the guest submission form linked in our bio.

[throuthewindow]

This week on "I Love This Thing So Fricking Much," we spoke with Dr. Ardisia Knowles, an educator who loves the musical Hamilton! Find out why on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the link above, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

By the way, we're actively looking for more guests to tell us about the things you love! Comment below, tag a passionate friend, or use the guest submission form linked in our bio.

[throuthewindow]

This week on "I Love This Thing So Fricking Much," we spoke with Rabbi Josh Gischner, who loves Torah and Jewish learning! Find out why in our latest episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the link above, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

[throuthewindow]

This week on "I Love This Thing So Fricking Much," we spoke with Ginger, a cookier who loves creating edible art through sugar cookie decorating! Find out why on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the link above, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also find Ginger at her website, ⁠gingerdeesweets.com⁠.

Guess what - we’re actively looking for more guests to tell us about the things you love! Send us a message, tag a passionate friend, or use the guest submission form linked in the bio.

[throuthewindow]

This week on "I Love This Thing So Fricking Much," we spoke with Paige, who loves the video game franchise Kingdom Hearts! Find out why on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the link above, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

[throuthewindow]

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... a new episode of "I Love This Thing So Fricking Much!" This week, we spoke with Gail, who loves comic books - especially because of the Jewish themes in superhero comic books! Tune in to our latest episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the link above, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

You can find Gail on all their socials through their Linktree, https://linktr.ee/gailwald, where you can also find their poetry book, "Regret, Revisited." To hear more about Gail's thoughts on comic books, you can follow his Tumblr @evilwickedme or his TikTok @gailpirl.

[throuthewindow]

This week on "I Love This Thing So Fricking Much," Jennifer told us all about her love of Disneybounding - creating and wearing outfits inspired by fictional characters! Find out why on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the link above, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

We're actively searching for more guests to tell us about the things you love! Send us a message, tag a passionate friend, or reach out through our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast guest submission form⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, linked in the bio.

[throuthewindow]

This week on "I Love This Thing So Fricking Much," we spoke with Allison, who loves fearsome critters - a subset of cryptids! Find out why on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the link above, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

We’re always looking for more guests to tell us about the things you love, so please reach out through our ⁠⁠podcast guest submission form. Got questions? Reply to this post or send us an ask!

[throuthewindow]

This week on "I Love This Thing So Fricking Much," we spoke with Abbigail the Nerd, who loves the Tales of Pixie Hollow book series, also known as the Disney Fairies books! Find out why on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the link above, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

We’re always looking for more guests to tell us about the things you love, so please reach out through our ⁠⁠podcast guest submission form. Got questions? Reply to this post or send us an ask!