01:26 – Jeff gives the podcast word of the day, Robo Brogan visits the podcast, and Justin welcomes Jeff and Scott to the New Year. He chats about their New Years' Eve casserole party, the shots they shared at the party, and the games they played that night. Jeff talks about the making of the casserole, they express how awesome the deep-dish pizza they enjoyed was, Justin poses the question on offering leftover casseroles to neighbors, and mentions that The Tacoma Light Trail is still going on through mid-Jan. He talks about enjoying casserole leftovers, Justin shares the latest work from past GCP guest Mark Monlux, and Justin talks about doing the early morning New Year's Day Polar Plunge with 130 other people that day.

20:06 – Justin talks about the water experience, how the first two minutes of the experience was the hardest, and what getting out of the water felt like. He talks about how it helped energize him for the week, the importance of having a word of intention, and Jeff shares his movie reviews. He talks about what he liked about the movie Halloween Kills, how well the writers balanced the story, and they reflect on the long, awkward scene from a movie they all enjoyed together at the theater. They question if Mike Meyers can actually be killed in a movie, Jeff recommends they watch Harley Quinn Birds of Prey, and Scott talks about the new show on Netflix, Kaleidoscope.

35:11 – Justin talks about finishing the second season of White Lotus, GCP showing up on Reddit, and businesses closing in the area, including Hello Cupcake. They talk about the egg shortage, other restaurants closing in the area, and the importance of networking and supporting local businesses. Justin talks about the most recent library book he's been reading, Scott talks about his frequent past visits to the library, and reflects on participating in Read-A-Thons as a kid.

52:03 – Justin talks about always being a computer nerd, his first orientation of wrestling class, and Scott talks about sports he did back in the day. Jeff reflects on being a big reader as a kid as well, they share their stories of playing baseball as a kid and question if there is ever a stand in spinner for Wheel of Fortune. Scott ponders on if the game is gambling, if they discriminate against people with no arms, and Justin talks about having the home version of Wheel of Fortune, and Scott suggests new show concepts. Friend Erik shares that people can have a designated fill-in on Wheel of Fortune, and Justin closes out the show talking about their other friends setting in on the live recording.

Sponsored By:

• Cosmic Bottles: Tap into the universe of craft beer! CRAFT BEER FOR YOU! Tired of the same old grocery store beer selection? Looking for a beer selection that caters to your taste? At Cosmic Bottles the choice is always yours. Every day: 11am - 10pm 27116 167th Place SE Suite 108 Covington, WA 98042
• The Union Club: The Union Club is a coworking space contributing to Tacoma's growing artistic and entrepreneurial communities. It combines a maker studio, event hall, and office coworking space, in a 15,000 square foot historic building in downtown Tacoma, Washington.
• Die Cut Stickers: Use the code GRITCITY15 at checkout and get 15% off your entire order! · Insanely custom stickers crafted to survive the PNW and beyond! Promo Code: GRITCITY15

Support The Grit City Podcast

Links:

• Chi-Town Pizza | Spanaway WA | Facebook
• Atomic Age Alien Series Enamel Pins by Mark Monlux — Kickstarter — A series of enamel pins featuring aliens from Atomic Age science fiction cinema.
• The Grit City Podcast: GCP: Puget Sound Plungers - Renate Rain — Renate Rain, the founder of Puget Sound Plungers, sits down with the guys to discuss creating the group Puget Sound Plungers and her local business.
• Kaleidoscope (TV Mini Series 2023) - IMDb
• What Tacoma/Tacoma adjacent Podcasts are a must listen? : Tacoma — I am big on Podcasts, Most Channel 253 are quality, my favorite being Grit and Grain Pod.
• C.L.A.W. - Artist Guild, Formerly the Cartoonist's League of Absurd Washingtonians (Tacoma, WA)
• Mark “Grand PooBah” Monlux (@markmonlux) / Twitter — Self-aggrandizing whimsical cartoonist, and author. I do my best to screen who I follow.
• MAMEdev.org | Home of The MAME Project — MAME is a multi-purpose emulation framework.
• Pierce County Library > Home
• Halloween Kills - Official Trailer - YouTube
• Birds of Prey (2020) - IMDb
• Tacoma, Washington — Welcome to r/Tacoma, The Subreddit of Destiny. Much like the city, this forum is a dusty old jewel of Puget Sound

During the second part of the podcast, the guys chat about New Year's Eve plans, Scott Topics, Is It Tacoma, and their plans for 2023.

00:00 – The group starts the podcast by discussing their New Year resolutions, Justin talks to Cheryl Rux, and Cheryl talks about how Light Art Tacoma came to be. She talks about the benefits of light art, the live events happening this week, and what they’re planning for next year. She talks about the candle-lit maze, Justin talks about being a part of one of the performances, and the astonishing Lelavision performance.

22:45 – Justin gives a shout-out to local libraries, Cheryl talks about the regrowth of venues in the community post-Covid, and Justin talks about the casserole feast happening on New Year's Eve. He talks about people being able to listen to them live, Jeff’s recent technology issues, and chats about the upcoming Puget Sound Plunge on Jan 1st. Derek joins the conversation, Justin talks about recent events in his area, and Scott shares his appreciation for the podcast.

47:33 – Justin talks about the pizza he’s going to be ordering for the New Years' celebration, poses the question on if they need a drink of the night, and the group discusses their favorite drinking games. Justin reflects on a time he and Brogan played drunk Monolopy at a past Norwescon, Derek talks about when he stopped playing drinking games, and Justin shares his one 2023 resolution.

72:30 – The group discusses the article Scott shared for the Scott Topics, Justin poses questions on the guy that dresses as a dog, and dives into their favorite game, Is It Tacoma. He reads off each of the headlines, each of the guys guesses which article they think is actually from Tacoma, and Justin reveals which one is the luck winner. They talk about the recent snow that hit Buffalo, New York, discuss plans for 2023, and Justin gives a shout-out to people who were listening live.

Special Guests: Cheryl R and Derek G.

Sponsored By:

• Cosmic Bottles: Tap into the universe of craft beer! CRAFT BEER FOR YOU! Tired of the same old grocery store beer selection? Looking for a beer selection that caters to your taste? At Cosmic Bottles the choice is always yours. Every day: 11am - 10pm 27116 167th Place SE Suite 108 Covington, WA 98042
• Die Cut Stickers: Use the code GRITCITY15 at checkout and get 15% off your entire order! · Insanely custom stickers crafted to survive the PNW and beyond! Promo Code: GRITCITY15
• The Union Club: The Union Club is a coworking space contributing to Tacoma's growing artistic and entrepreneurial communities. It combines a maker studio, event hall, and office coworking space, in a 15,000 square foot historic building in downtown Tacoma, Washington.

Support The Grit City Podcast

Links:

• About – TACOMA LIGHT TRAIL — The Tacoma Light Trail uses light art to bring light to dark times, to lift up diverse voices and bring the community together through things we all share – truth, hope, justice, peace – symbolized by light.
• Performance – TACOMA LIGHT TRAIL
• Tacoma Light Trail | Facebook — A free winter light art festival in downtown Tacoma.
• Husband and Strife - YouTube
• About HusbandAndStrife - Twitch — HubbDex and Str(w)ife tend to spend most weekends playing games together. Now they look to entertain you with co-op games, trash talking competitive games, and more in a way that only a couple married gamers could.
• Wolf Suit [Custom-made for personal order] | Zeppet — We created a wolf suit for a personal order.
• Animal Masks for “Parallel World Comedy: The Planet of the Except Apes / The Planet of the Except Apes Ⅱ” | Zeppet — BLAST created animal masks for “Parallel World Comedy: The Planet of the Except Apes” broadcasted on NHK BS Premium.
• Man spends $15K on collie costume to live as dog — A Japanese man is going viral after spending more than $15,000 on a hyperrealistic costume, so he could fulfill his lifelong dream — of becoming a dog.
• Footprints in snow lead police to man who drove through fence in stolen van – KIRO 7 News Seattle — Footprints in the snow led police officers to a man accused of driving through a fence at a SODO business in a stolen van.
• Police searching for suspects who backed car into Tacoma smoke and beer shop | KIMA — Police are searching for suspects who backed a car into a business in Tacoma on Tuesday morning.
• Homeless woman in Pittsburgh scooped up by heavy equipment machine during clean-up – KIRO 7 News Seattle — A homeless person in Pittsburgh living in a tent was inadvertently scooped up by a heavy equipment machine that was cleaning the area.

00:23 – Justin reflects on Brogan bricking his machine from torrent downloads in the early 2000s, Brandon from Tacompton files joins the conversation, and Scott talks about enjoying Pickle Backs before recording. Justin shares the drink he’s enjoying, encourages everyone to get a bidet, and Brandon talks about experiencing glitches with his group on Facebook. He discusses alternatives outlet for his group, and Justin talks about a recent event he shared on Tacompton Files Discord.

19:14 – Justin talks about plans for the New Years' party at his house, invites Brandon to join the party, and how it has turned into a casserole party. He talks about how the casserole idea came about, the recent juvenile event at the home bar, and the types of casseroles that will be at the party to enjoy. Justin shares what Funeral Casseroles are, Scott talks about the perks of a Mormon funeral, and Justin shares plans to order pizza from Chi-Town Pizza for the party.

39:41 – Justin discusses recently canceled SeaTac flights due to the predicted weather, Scott shares his love of having a wood fireplace, and Brandon talks about other countries making junk mail into paper briquettes. Scott and Brandon talk about people making their own insta-logs, Brandon talks about the different outdoor people he follows, and Jeff reflects on the ninja magazines back in the 80’s.

58:43 – One of the listeners inquires about gingerbread houses the guys may have made in the past, Justin talks about the most recent gingerbread house he and Michelle made, and winning first prize. He talks about being gracious in their winnings, why he likes hosting parties at his house, and brings back log chat to close out the episode.

Special Guest: Tacompton Files.

Sponsored By:

• Cosmic Bottles: Tap into the universe of craft beer! CRAFT BEER FOR YOU! Tired of the same old grocery store beer selection? Looking for a beer selection that caters to your taste? At Cosmic Bottles the choice is always yours. Every day: 11am - 10pm 27116 167th Place SE Suite 108 Covington, WA 98042
• Die Cut Stickers: Use the code GRITCITY15 at checkout and get 15% off your entire order! · Insanely custom stickers crafted to survive the PNW and beyond! Promo Code: GRITCITY15

Support The Grit City Podcast

Links:

• Tacompton Files | Facebook — This page was created to share crime info for the Tacoma area.
• Funeral Potatoes Recipe - Tastes Better From Scratch — Funeral potatoes get their unique name from being a crowd-pleasing casserole served as a side dish at after-funeral luncheons.
• Chicago deep dish pizza coming to Tacoma area — Chicago deep dish pizza lovers, prepare yourselves for Chi Town Pizza.
• What Is a ‘Bomb Cyclone’? - The New York Times — These storms aren’t tremendously rare, but this particular one is much more powerful than most.
• Backwoodsman — https://backwoodsmanmag.com/
• Tree to Tree Adventure Park — Aerial Adventure Park in Gaston, OR
• Blue Helix Music
• BLAZERS FUEL LOGS 6 PACKS - Bi-Mart — Blazers Fuel Logs have been produced in our state of the art factory situated on the edge of the Snowdonia National Park for over 20 years.
• Forest Energy 258010099 Blazer Fire Logs - Pack of 3 - Walmart.com — Our products are assured for reliability and durability which has high quality and standard. Our products are designed with the up to date designs and creativity. We always work towards to fulfill the requirements of our end users.
• Home | SPUD'S PIZZA PARLOR — A South Tacoma icon known for handcrafted pizzas & sandwiches, scratch made spaghetti, "Spudder Chips" & world famous salads piled high with cheese. ​ Our Trophy Room lounge is a full service bar. Watch your favorite game & take a trip down memory lane with our memorabilia from many of Spud's sponsored sports teams. Old team photos & trophies are displayed throughout.   Book your special event with us!

00:11 – Scott shows off the new cup he got as a gift, Jeff shares the word of the day, and Justin talks about the history of The Union Club. Renate talks about founding the group, where they hold the daily plunges, and how she got started doing cold plunges regularly. She talks about what got her started with cold plunges, the number of people who are part of the group, and the incredible community involved.

17:17 – Renate talks about starting her business, the importance of getting cold exposure daily, and shares the significant benefits of cold exposure. She explains how it has helped with bringing her out of depression, talks about helping her friend through the emotions of losing her partner through this method, and Justin talks about the different types of guests they’ve had on GCP. He talks about the roller coaster of the last five years since they’ve re-started recording, and Renate explains the additional benefits of cold exposure.

34:20 – Renate shares the process of doing the plunge, how she helps keep plungers calm during the event, and the incredible experience of seeing people go through the dopamine hit after the first minute in the water. She talks about how amazing it is to see returning plungers help out new ones, the amount of time people typically spend in the water, and the local artists that have done the plunge.

51:44 – Renate talks about starting her business, the business snowballing after she opened, and the people that have walked into her life since it opened. She talks about the workshops she offers, plans to add a fire and ice sauna service, and the fantastic help she is getting for both the plunge and the business. They talk about the benefits plunging has for athletes, Scott talks about how Streetbeefs Scrapyard got started, and the vast community behind it.

Many thanks to Renate for hanging out with the guys, we look forward to doing the New Year’s plunge with you!!

Special Guest: Renate Rain.

Sponsored By:

• Cosmic Bottles: Tap into the universe of craft beer! CRAFT BEER FOR YOU! Tired of the same old grocery store beer selection? Looking for a beer selection that caters to your taste? At Cosmic Bottles the choice is always yours. Every day: 11am - 10pm 27116 167th Place SE Suite 108 Covington, WA 98042
• The Union Club: The Union Club is a coworking space contributing to Tacoma's growing artistic and entrepreneurial communities. It combines a maker studio, event hall, and office coworking space, in a 15,000 square foot historic building in downtown Tacoma, Washington.

Support The Grit City Podcast

Links:

• Union Club Tacoma
• Puget Sound Plungers | Facebook — We are a group of people who have discovered the magic of cold water and are practicing cold water immersion/deliberate cold exposure in the beautiful Puget Sound!
• Puget Sound Plungers (@pugetsoundplungers) • Instagram — Cold plunging in the Puget Sound
• Puget Sound Plungers celebrate the healing power of cold water | king5.com — Co-founder Renate Rain's own healing journey has ripple effects.
• Why You Should Consider A Cold Plunge And Meet The Ladies Who Swear By It | TravelAwaits — After some sleuthing, I learned that the group, the Puget Sound Plungers, is almost like a water church.
• Tacomatopia | Facebook
• Deliberate Cold Exposure | Cold Confidence LLC | Lakewood | Ice Bath — Ice baths & Wild Water Experiences
• Float, Sauna, and BEMER Spa in Tacoma | University Place — Restore yourself at Urban Float University Place– our Tacoma-area Wellness Center, where we provide a number of restorative services including float therapy, BEMER, infrared sauna and red light therapy.
• Lovesome Dove (@lovesomedove) • Instagram photos and videos