Audio Podcast here: https://pod.link/1836532152

It’s Friday, September 19th, and The Morning Show Thing is here to give you… not the news, exactly… but something that feels like news if you squint hard enough.

Today we covered:

• The TTC Buffet Nobody Asked For: A Toronto woman and her friends cooked up a full spread—ham, hot honey broccoli, even a McCain Deep’n Delicious—and served it on the subway. Because when you think “mass transit,” you think “buffet table.” The TTC gently reminded everyone this is not technically allowed. But hey, free food and no outbreaks… call it a win.

• 50 Years at the Zoo: One volunteer has been showing up at the Toronto Zoo since before the Blue Jays existed. Half a century later, she’s still hanging out with gorillas, probably judging us for paying to watch primates eat snacks when we could just go to a family reunion.

• Documenting Toronto’s Memories: An 80-year-old former editor launched a project helping older Torontonians turn their life stories into short films. Turns out the past wasn’t just “walking uphill both ways”… sometimes it was riding milk carts pulled by horses.

• Our Big Idea for the TTC: Forget tunnels under the 401. Toronto needs sleeper cars on the subway. Dinner, a nap, and a 45-minute commute? Doug Ford, if you’re reading this, you’re welcome.

So no, we don’t have “hard-hitting journalism.” What we do have is a false sense of hope, occasional talk of sandwiches, and the ongoing dream of a Toronto where every train ride ends with cake.

Thank you , , , and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

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*Audio podcast is here: https://pod.link/1836532152 *

Yes, we eventually turned the audio on. You're welcome.

This episode of The Morning Show Thing starts, as all good tech stories do, with a gentle descent into chaos. OBS—the free demon-hunting K-pop software we use to livestream—forgot what a microphone was. Again.

But once the gremlins were wrangled, we tackled something a little more insidious: news poisoning. Or as I’ve started calling it (and I’d like credit please), phone poisoning. It’s that feeling when you’ve read one too many headlines, watched one too many pundits yell into the void, and your brain feels like it’s been marinated in Twitter threads and cable news chyron anxiety.

We talked about:

• Why constant bad news rewires your brain (thanks, Mayo Clinic).

• How negative headlines spread 3x faster than positive ones (thanks, internet).

• Why you feel terrible after just 14 minutes of news (thanks, science).

• And how to fix it… or at least slightly reduce your descent into full-blown media madness.

We also offered tips, which is very off-brand for us:

1. Set boundaries — News is not a buffet, and you don't have to eat until you're sick.

2. Turn off notifications — Your phone should not be your boss.

3. Curate your sources — If the news is important, it’ll find you. Probably while you're trying to sleep.

4. Balance with positives — Like stories about adorable baby beavers and 104-year-old peanut butter enthusiasts.

5. Take action — Donate, volunteer, or at least go outside.

6. Mind your triggers — Avoid doomscrolling before bed, unless you're planning to dream about collapse.

We shared some good news too—because we’re not monsters:

• A baby beaver rescued from rapids in Saanich, BC by a kid named Connor (no, it wasn’t a metaphor, it was just very cute).

• A woman named Rachel in Saskatchewan turned 104 and carries her birth certificate around because people don’t believe her (as one doesn’t).

• A “Girls Fly Day” in Ottawa encouraging more women to become pilots, because only 4% of pilots globally are women and we’re overdue for more competent people in cockpits.

Also: Shannon tries to explain what a pergola is. I remain unconvinced.

We laughed. We learned. We mourned the youth we no longer possess when trying to open the right app to photograph the Snowbirds fly over. (Pro tip: photos is not the same as camera, Stewart.)

Watch the full episode:
🔴 Replay on Brittlestar.com →
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See you next time, and remember:
If your neck hurts, your brain’s fried, and you’re angry at your weather app... maybe it’s not you. Maybe it’s the algorithm.
Find the horizon.

—Brittlestar & Shannon

One of us went to a TIFF opening party… the other stayed home and enjoyed not being drowned out by the DJ. There was caviar with gold leaf, Peroni Zero, and a celebrity encounter that turned out to be… not that celebrity.

We’re live on The Morning Show Thing and I’ve got a report from the field: TIFF opening night at the Sutton Place Hotel—Hello! Canada x Toronto Life—aka the annual migration of cool jackets and tiny appetizers.

First, yes… I was “not on the list.” Briefly. Nothing like spelling R-E-Y-N-O-L-D-S at a check-in desk for an event that was promoting Ryan Reynolds while sidestepping a red carpet to make you feel like you’ve just been voted off a show you weren’t on.

The Mission

Show your face… say hi… pretend the DJ isn’t deafening you while you try to shout “so what are you working on?” across a sea of sequins. Networking is just professional wandering with eye contact.

Famous-Adjacent Moments

• Spotted: a guy in an immaculate yellow suit who made my safe-bet 55-year-old-man suit look like “someone brought their accountant.”

• Actual celeb who absolutely did know me: Melissa Grelo from The Social. She pushed through the crowd, double cheek-kissed, and asked how I was. I hope everyone saw that part.

• Lovely quick chat with Lauren Ash (Dina on Superstore), who’s now killing it with music.

Hors d’Oeuvres Report

Everything should be one bite at a standing party. Sliders are a trap… three bites minimum and a guaranteed sauce moustache. Best things I had: tuna sashimi (I know), a tahini-on-pastry pinwheel situation, and caviar with actual gold leaf on a tiny donut. I am now, medically, 0.0003% Fort Knox.

Pro Tips for Schmooze Survival

• Learn the server flight path. Food comes from somewhere… find the somewhere.

• If there’s a step-and-repeat, take the photo. You’ll hate it… and need it.

• Leave before the “cool late shift” arrives. I was out at 9:02 p.m. like a responsible old curmudgeon.

The Exit

Nothing beats the disappointment on the fan line when it’s… me. The fix? Arrive and leave in a black SUV. Thank you, Property Brother Drew, for the illusion upgrade.

Thanks for hanging out with us on The Morning Show Thing. If you’re a paid subscriber at brittlestar.com, you get to comment on the live streams and the video version of this episode… plus video access to Politics Is Broken with me and Lisa. More subscribers = more live chat chaos (in a good way).

PS: We hit #40 in News Commentary on Apple Podcasts this week… which is wild. Let’s see how silly we can make the charts.

Subscribe • Comment • Tell me whether gold leaf counts as a vitamin.

The audio version is here: https://pod.link/1836532152

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