Room Escape Artist

“ It spawned the term ‘bathroom reading’”

There was something magical about cracking open a gigantic Sears Catalog and imagining a life filled with hundreds of pages of things you never knew you needed. It was Amazon before Amazon. In today’s episode, David takes us shopping, vintage style. We talk about the origins of the Sears Catalog, and how it played an important role during the Jim Crow era. We also learned about its eventual home in the outhouse, and where the term “bathroom reading” originated.

Writer, actress, and comedian Aparna Nancherla joins us today to talk about puzzle streak addictions, imposter syndrome, and comedy. She’s the author of Unreliable Narrator: Me, Myself, and Impostor Syndrome. Check out her comedy special on Dropout called Hopeful Potato, or catch her voicing Dr. Nisha in Pixar’s latest movie, Hoppers.

Our game today is called Initial Here Please, where every answer is a two-word phrase starting with S and C.

Time Stamps

• 02:16 Game: Initial Here Please
• 11:43 About: Aparna Nancherla
• 19:28 Topic: The Sears Catalog
• 29:51 Credits

Guest: Aparna Nancherla

Website: aparnacomedy.com

Instagram: @aparnapkin

Aparna Nancherla is a writer, actress, and comedian based in Los Angeles. You can catch her latest hour standup special, Hopeful Potato, on the streaming platform Dropout, hear her on the new animated series Kevin on Amazon or in Pixar’s recent release Hoppers, and you can read her book Unreliable Narrator: Me, Myself, and Imposter Syndrome. Or you can just continue staring at a wall, which Aparna also cosigns.

More Podcasts from Peih-Gee & David

If you enjoy PG’s Playhouse, check out Reality Escape Pod (REPOD), where your hosts David Spira & Peih-Gee Law explore immersive gaming from all angles, alongside guests with incredible experience in this realm.

And by supporting Room Escape Artist on Patreon, you’ll get access to the REPOD Bonus After Show ($5 per month and up) and the Spoilers Club ($15 per month and up) where we chat in depth with creators about iconic escape rooms… spoilers and all!

Production Credits

• Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
• Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
• Produced by Theresa Piazza
• Supported by Lisa Spira
• Edited by Peih-Gee Law
• Music by Matt Farthing
• Logo by Theresa Wagner

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