Clare and Hannah share their experiences practicing martial arts. By share their experiences, we mean they soared with exquisite grace through a grove of bamboo trees, exchanging blows that shook the surrounding wilderness and awakened a long-dormant volcano. Support the show

Clare and Hannah return with another book club, this time covering Joseph Heller's Catch 22, a satirical commentary on corporate malfeasance, nonsense, incompetence and bureaucracy. A classic war novel that coined a phrase still prominent in the modern zeitgeist, Catch 22 left Clare feeling like a dummy and convinced Hannah that she does indeed have a twisted brain. In other words, a bit of light reading for your summer.Support the Show.

In this breakfast chat, Clare shares a truly embarrassing story from a fellow veterinarian. Names and locations have been changed to protect those involved from further shame.  This episode may be troubling for more squeamish listeners, as it contains terms like: uterine horn, testicles, castration, cervix, and litter-bearing animals. Also, Hannah ate spaghetti throughout this recording. Support the show

In part 2 of our series on the kings and queens of England, Clare and Hannah talk about two kings who embodied the term, "man-child." Henry II spent his entire wedding reception goofing off with his best friend and ignoring everybody else, including his new queen. Richard II surrounded himself with his favorite sycophants, spent a ridiculous amount of his country's money on clothes, and commissioned a religious icon featuring... himself.  Support the show

Hannah takes the "reigns" for part 1 in a series about the kings and queens of England. Because royalty in England just cycled through the same three names over and over, today we learn about two kings named Henry: Henry II: the highlights of his reign were murdering his best friend in a cathedral, getting whipped within an inch of his life in the same cathedral, and giving a gorgeous castle to a six year-old out of spite. We talk about several movies: Becket (1964, starring Peter O'Toole...

Clare shares a song that terrifies both her and the man who wrote it. Hannah's song of choice did not so much rock her world as haunt her every waking moment for two weeks straight. Clare's song: "Cat's in the Cradle." Music, lyrics, and performance by Harry Chapin. In December of 1974 it was the Number 1 song on the Billboard Top 100. The link includes a brief interview with Chapin's widow and with his son, followed by a live performance of the song. The comments below the video are both...

Clare and Hannah read Charles Portis' 1968 novel, True Grit, and have not been able to talk normally since. We also analyze two movie adaptations of the book: the 1969 adaptation directed by Henry Hathaway and the 2010 adaptation directed by the Coen Brothers. To get your own copy of this amazing book and/or your own DVD copy of the movies, visit Clare's Bookshop.org store. (It's in the Splanchnics Book Club section). You'll get a discount AND you'll be supporting your favorite podcast!...

This is a weird one. Not at all what you'd be expecting. The names of locations, individuals, and 4-legged lifeforms have been changed to protect the innocent. If you enjoy funny vet stories, you might enjoy the books of James Herriot, a veterinarian plying his trade in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales of northern England. The stories take place before World War 2, in the days when farmers still used horse-drawn implements on their farms, and every veterinarian had to be knowledgeable about...

Clare has been doing some light reading... of Dante's Inferno.  Music: "Prologue 2," by The Twilight. Listen to The Twilight on Soundcloud. Support the show

Today we discuss whether The Chronicles of Narnia should be read in chronological order or in order of publication. Clare has strong opinions about this one. Hannah doesn't care either way, but that may change... Support the show

Clare and Hannah share some more of the songs that rocked their worlds. Turns out they both really love heavy metal. Who knew? Clare's songs: "I See Fire" -- metal version! Performed by Malinda and Violet Orlandi "Clean Up Your Room" by Akira the Don featuring Jordan Peterson "What Faith Can Do" by Kutless Hannah's songs: "A Question" by Bombadil "Hamburg Song" by Keane "Between the Stars" by Canyon City "Rain" by The Seatbelts. Vocals by Tom Conte "Wax and Wane" by Alana...

The four temperaments have been around since Hippocrates, who theorized that our human behavior is influenced by the quantities of various fluids present in our bodies. The four temperaments are: Sanguine (blood), Choleric (Yellow bile), Melancholic (black bile), and phlegmatic (phlegm). Clare (a sanguine) and Hannah (a melancholic) plumb the depths of the human psyche in their discussion of the temperaments and their influence on our behavior. "The Temperament God Gave You" by Art and...

Clare shares some of her veterinary exploits.  WARNING: This episode is gross. If any of the following words or phrases gross you out, you may wish to forgo listening: Poop Vomit Bile Rectum Rectal exam Ringworms Anal gland Wheel of vomit "Head falling off" Moist Support the show

Whether you're writing a book, a movie, or a play, there are three elements you need to think about when creating a character. Clare and Hannah discuss these three things, debate whether James Bond is funny, and discover that they both struggle to say the word "nemesis." Support the show

In this episode, Hannah and Clare continue to talk about Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World," through the lens of one of our favorite "Star Trek" episodes. We also manage to mention "Abolition of Man" again. See if you can spot it! Brave New World by Aldous Huxley includes adult themes. Listener discretion is advised. Support the show

In this episode, Clare and Hannah come off the reservation and step into a Brave New World where people are made in bottles, Henry Ford is God, and the police are armed with water-pistols. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley includes adult themes. Listener discretion is advised. Please enjoy this hilarious video from The Onion about how Disney grows childhood stars in their advanced genetic engineering laboratory! Support the show

Don't be fooled by the title. We're still talking about Shakespeare. This time Hannah and Clare talk about the elements of tragedy and comedy, why the Lancasters had to look good in the histories, and what kind of play The Tempest is anyway. Support the show

Hannah finally uses her drama degree! In this episode, our mother-daughter duo discuss Shakespeare, its challenges, its beauty, and its relevance to us today. This week's installment of "Splanchnics Math:" According to Clare (3:50), Shakespeare was born in 1864 and died in 1616 at the age of 52. This is, of course, incorrect. He lived to be 248 and lived his life going backwards in time.  Support the show

Spanning 18 centuries, Walter M. Miller's "A Canticle for Leibowitz" follows a Catholic monastery's attempts to preserve knowledge through several apocalypses. In this episode, Clare and Hannah talk about very serious topics like the cyclical nature of history, mankind's self-destructive nature, buzzards, and a random shark. We also mention C.S. Lewis, but that's a given at this point. If you'd like to pick up a copy of this science fiction classic, head over to Clare's Bookshop.org...

Clare and Hannah share some of their favorite songs and explain why music is an essential part of character development. We manage to quote both Plato and Michael Jackson. Hannah's picks: I'm a Funny Dame (Eartha Kitt): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3l1K13naLM Blue Healer (Birdtalker): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL4AP-n091M Simple Man (Jason Manns With Friends cover): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKMbXOwXSdM Clare's picks: Thriller (Michael Jackson, album 1982, single 1983):...

In this episode, Clare and Hannah continue to geek out about robots, but to be honest we spend more time discussing humans. Typical humans, always talking about ourselves. We talk about the nature of beauty, being stewards of the earth, and something called an a priori  cognitive structure. I feel smarter already. Check out the episode show notes for links, corrections, and more! Intro and outro music (“Splanchnics Riff)” composed and performed by Clare T. Walker. Support the show...

"The humans, who can think, are so afraid of those who cannot think..." In this episode, the first half of a two-part discussion, Clare and Hannah chat about the progress of robotics over the years, laying the groundwork for the second part, where we get super-duper philosophical and stuff.  Intro and outro music (“Splanchnics Riff)” composed and performed by Clare T. Walker. Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/splanchnics)

In our second episode about Lord of the Flies, things go hog wild. Special thanks to The Twilight and Donald Kozinski from AnimeRevProductions. Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/splanchnics)

Clare and Hannah discuss William Golding's classic 1954 novel, Lord of the Flies. Like all civilized people, they pass the pig mug, and things get philosophical. Click the link above to pick up your own copy of this exciting page-turner! It's an “affiliate” link to our Bookshop.org page. When you click through and purchase, the price of the item is the same for you. In fact, you’ll get a discount! But the company gives us a little somethin’ somethin’ to say “thanks” for sending you their...