11: “Making Yourself Uncomfortable” with Tia D’Alessandro

Communications teacher Tia D’Alessandro joins the show to discuss Spring Break recovery, public speaking as conversation, and lessons learned at Costco.

Show notes for this episode:

• Heirloom Market
• Shrinking
• Severance
• CT State AI Presidential Fellows Program 2025 Cohort
• Rhode Island College
• Anthropology
• Public speaking
• University of Hartford
• Supercommunicators by Charles Duhigg
• Glossophobia
• "To the Student Who Used AI to Do a Paper" by Joseph Fasano | Poets.org
• Center for Teaching | CT State
• Dr. Miguel Cardona | Ed.gov
• Costco
• Victor Wooten: Words of Wisdom #9 | YouTube

10: “Thinking My Last Thought” with Almira Gulotta

Three Rivers student Almira Gulotta joins the show to talk about—among other things—charismatic megafauna, animal-borne disease, fashion's reflection of politics and culture, getting into your head, and bringing our selves to poetry.

Show notes for this episode:

• Zenyatta Mondatta
• The Police (band)
• Noun
• Giant panda
• Charismatic megafauna
• Poke
• Pokémoto | Groton, CT
• Salute | Hartford, CT
• Grass and Bone | Mystic, CT (permanently closed)
• Steak tartare
• Boredom
• Cookie Run: Witch's Castle
• Sewing
• Nintendo 3DS
• Pokémon
• Venusaur | Bulbapedia
• Lucario | Bulbapedia
• Pokémon X and Y
• Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow
• Cetaphil Skin Moisturizers for Sensitive Skin
• Vitamin D
• The Secret to Enjoying a Long Winter | Kottke.org
• Tick
• Lyme disease
• Alpha-gal syndrome
• Rabies
• Rat snake
• Ouroboros
• Garden of Eden
• Judas Iscariot
• Theology
• Fashion
• Bikini
• Bikini Atoll
• Hartford Denim Company
• Madewell
• Fast fashion
• Steelcase Leap
• Muji
• Blackwing
• Pilot G2
• Pilot Juice
• Uniball Signo DX UM-151
• Gregg shorthand
• Duolingo
• Turkish language
• Insomnia
• Yoga
• Richard Siken
• Sylvia Plath | The Poetry Foundation
• Harold Bloom
• Mary Oliver | The Poetry Foundation
• The Bell Jar
• Blood Meridian
• Cormac McCarthy
• Suttree
• Eve Babitz
• Slow Days, Fast Company
• Dune
• Game of Thrones
• Bruvvy
• “Dredd Hot” | YouTube
• “Fake It” | YouTube
• “Portrait of Fryderyk in Shifting Light” by Richard Siken

9: “Not Chronically Online” with Kerrylee Pelkey

Educational Assistant and writing tutor Kerrylee Pelkey joins the show to discuss media consumption, hearing protection, and water filtration.

Show notes for this episode:

• Mastodon
• Electoral-Vote.com
• Political Wire
• Bluesky
• Threads
• Bird by Bird
• Buddhism Plain and Simple
• Tutoring and Academic Support | CTState.edu
• The Autumn of the Patriarch
• Streaks
• Crime and Punishment
• The Brothers Karamazov
• Sofa
• What an Owl Knows
• Loop Earplugs
• AirPods
• Sensaphonics custom ear protection
• Kiki's Delivery Service
• Studio Ghibli Fest 2024
• Regal Cinemas
• Letterboxd
• The Boy and the Heron
• Hayao Miyazaki
• Poetry
• Sharon Olds
• Louse Erdrich
• Billy Collins reads "Divorce" | YouTube
• Oasis app
• Biobot Analytics
• LifeStraw
• Klean Kanteen
• Nalgene
• Yeti
• Migraine
• Love Is Blind
• The Golden Bachelorette
• The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
• Moby-Dick
• Harold Bloom
• Tár
• The Zone of Interest
• Amadeus
• Glengarry Glen Ross
• No Country for Old Men
• Goodfellas
• Suika Game
• The Last of Us
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
• Dark Souls
• Demon's Souls
• FromSoftware
• Final Fantasy
• It Takes Two
• Dark | Netflix

Note: The Flowdown will be on winter break until February 2025. See you in the Spring semester!

8: “I Listen to Nothing” with Victoria Holdridge DiFilippo

Professor of ESOL Vicky Holdridge DiFilippo joins the show to discuss English-language learning, traveling at home and abroad, and the joys of a very blended family.

Show notes for this episode:

• Imposter syndrome
• English-language learner
• Otis Public Library, Norwich, CT
• Anthropology
• School for International Training
• U.S. Embassy in Peru
• English as a second or foreign language
• Norwich, CT Adult Education
• New London, CT Adult Education
• Indonesia
• Adventure travel
• Lonely Planet
• Jakarta
• Bali
• Tokyo
• Islam
• Hinduism
• TYCA Northeast
• Connecticut Foster Care
• Connecticut Department of Children and Families
• Running
• Goat
• Donkey
• Chicken
• Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW)
• Rush

7: “Throwing More Joes” with Thomas Walsh

U.S. Army veteran and Three Rivers student Tom Walsh kicks off season two to discuss his time in the military, developing resilience, and living in the challenge zone.

Show notes for this episode:

• U.S. Air Force
• U.S. Army
• ASVAB
• About GI Bill Benefits
• Cryptologic Language Analyst | U.S. Air Force
• Cavalry Scout | U.S. Army
• IED Attack | U.S. Department of Homeland Security
• War in Afghanistan, 2001–2021
• Iraq War
• Triune brain
• Esprit de corps
• Resilience | APA
• Three Rivers Oasis Center
• VITAL Program | U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
• Naval Submarine Base New London, CT
• Ceramic art
• Art therapy
• Mindfulness
• Survivor guilt
• John Roderick
• WhatifAltHist | YouTube
• Useful Charts | YouTube
• The Bible

6: “Cultivating Care” with Rebecca Kitchell

For our season one finale, Dr. Becca Kitchell joins the show to talk about being an associate dean of student development, coffee on the Cape with sharks, and finding the glimmer in your day.

Show notes for this episode:

• Academic dress
• Regis College
• Student affairs
• Providence College
• EdD in Higher Education Leadership | Regis College
• Clark University
• Title IX
• CARE Teams | CT State
• Connecticut Department of Children and Families
• Equine-assisted therapy
• High Hopes Therapeutic Riding
• Healing Hearts
• Yoga
• All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
• Ted Lasso
• Schitt's Creek
• Panic attack
• Anxiety
• Depression
• A Quick Guide to the Different Types of Coffee Roasts | TIME
• Cape Cod
• Beanstock Coffee
• "Coffee Roasting Explained" by James Hoffmann | YouTube
• Snowy Owl Coffee Roasters
• Chemex Coffeemaker
• Shark
• We Can Do Hard Things podcast

Note: The Flowdown will be on summer break until September 2024. See you in the fall!

5: “Knowing What You Don’t Want” with Sarah Selke

Dr. Sarah Selke joins the show to discuss not eating mangos in the Kingdom of Tonga, what's wrong with your lawn, and a certain workshop you may want to apply for.

Show notes for this episode:

• Austere | Merriam-Webster
• Dracaena trifasciata
• Old North Church, Boston
• Microbiology
• Microorganism
• "The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury
• Mycology
• Fungus
• Botany
• Plant pathology
• Stachybotrys chartarum
• Peace Corps
• Tonga
• Mango
• University of Florida
• Native species
• Lawn
• No Mow May
• Monoculture
• Caterpillar
• Charter Oak
• Festuca
• Fanny Hesse
• Sabbatical
• Master Gardener Program | UConn
• CT State Faculty! Apply for Sarah and Andrew's Instructional Skills Workshop happening in June 2024!

In Memoriam Alycia Ziegler (1984–2024)

In memory of Three Rivers Director of Student Activities Alycia Ziegler

Alycia R. Ziegler: obituary, tribute wall, and memorial information

Donate meals or gifts to Alycia's family | Give In Kind

4: “Second Brain” with Hyrum Merkley

We kick off the second half of season one with SGA President Hyrum Merkley, who joins the show to discuss the masks we wear, languages of page and screen, and living with ADHD and autism.

Show notes for this episode:

• Blue Yeti - Premium Multi-Pattern USB Microphone with Blue VO!CE
• Seasonal affective disorder
• The Secret to Enjoying a Long Winter | Kottke.org
• Utah
• Microsoft lays off 1,900 Activision Blizzard and Xbox employees | The Verge
• Beowulf
• 2002 Winter Olympics
• Balkans
• Big Mac Index
• Dublin
• Mechanical filter (respirator)
• Computer programming
• Java (programming language)
• C++
• Visual Basic (.NET)
• Python (programming language)
• Ruby (programming language)
• Semicolon
• Getting Things Done by David Allen
• Meditation
• Role-playing video game
• Baldur's Gate 3
• Dungeons & Dragons
• Tom Bombadil
• Dungeon Master
• Matthew Mercer
• TierZoo | YouTube
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
• Autism spectrum
• Sarcasm
• Masking (personality)
• Student Government | Three Rivers
• Extraversion and introversion

3: “Rebirthday” with Alycia Ziegler

Director of Student Activities Alycia Ziegler joins the show to discuss advocacy, past lives, and choosing to be who you are. Also, music and pizza.

Show notes for this episode:

• Student Clubs | Three Rivers
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | CT State
• Three Rivers Full Plate Food Pantry
• OutCT | New London Pride
• Backus Hospital
• Nursing Program | CT State
• James Blunt
• Ed Sheeran
• Tegan and Sara
• Ani DiFranco
• Indigo Girls
• Disturbed
• Tom Morello
• Rage Against the Machine
• Florence and the Machine
• Stevie Nicks
• Fleetwood Mac
• Chaka Kahn
• Jill Scott
• Gin Blossoms
• Toad the Wet Sprocket
• "Hey Jealousy" by Gin Blossoms | YouTube
• Coolio
• Dr. Dre
• Wu Tang Clan
• Eminem
• "Supermarket Flowers" by Ed Sheeran | YouTube
• "Barcelona" by Ed Sheeran | YouTube
• Andrew's First Listens: 2021
• Andrew's First Listens: 2021 playlist | Apple Music
• Andrew's First Listens: 2023 playlist | Apple Music
• Amy Winehouse
• Adele
• "Valerie" by Amy Winehouse | YouTube
• Foo Fighters
• "Wheels" by Foo Fighters | YouTube
• Frank Sinatra
• Phoebe Bridgers
• Taylor Swift
• "Closing Time" by Semisonic | YouTube
• "Curtains" by Ed Sheeran | YouTube
• New York-style pizza | Wikipedia
• La Stella Pizzeria, Norwich, CT
• Jack's Brick Oven Pizza, Norwich, CT

Note: The Flowdown will be on winter break until February 2024. See you in the Spring semester!

2: “Stubborn 18th Centuryism” with Sarabeth Grant

Dr. Sarabeth Grant joins the show to talk about teaching as a full-time identity, exploring our relationship with the past, and how we can all find comfort in the 18th century.

Show notes for this episode:

• Sarabeth's book: Exemplary England: Historical Inquiry and Literary Recompense in Pope, Gray, and Richardson
• Three Rivers Campus Library Databases
• Instructional Methods | Three Rivers Campus, CT State
• Adjunct professor | Wikipedia
• University of Hartford
• Doctor of Philosophy | Wikipedia
• Sacred Heart University
• Stonehill College
• Brandeis University
• University of Rhode Island
• Peer review | Wikipedia
• Middle English lyric | Wikipedia
• 18th century in literature | Wikipedia
• Alexander Pope | Wikipedia
• Age of Enlightenment | Wikipedia
• Novel | Wikipedia
• Paul Fairie: "A Short History of We Are Raising a Generation of Wimps" | Mastodon
• Pastoral | Wikipedia
• Pride and Prejudice | Wikipedia
• Harold Bloom | Wikipedia
• Jane Austen | Wikipedia
• Old English | Wikipedia
• Middle English | Wikipedia
• Early Modern English | Wikipedia
• The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman | Wikipedia
• Blood Meridian | Wikipedia
• Moby-Dick | Wikipedia
• Fyodor Dostoevsky | Wikipedia
• “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving
• Dracula Daily

1: “I Min-Maxed Myself” with Séamus Welsh

Three Rivers student Shea Welsh inaugurates the show to discuss writing papers that teachers want to read, the wondrous powers of public libraries, and how there's always something else to worry about.

Show notes for this episode:

• Min-maxing | Giant Bomb
• Mastodon
• Rule of Thirds | Wikipedia
• Shea's artwork for Digital Photography
• Time-Block Planner
• Mukbang | Wikipedia
• Trifles by Susan Glaspell
• "They Say / I Say" by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein
• "The Rise and Fall of Club Penguin" by Izzzyzzz | YouTube
• Trisha Paytas | YouTube
• Goodreads
• The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien, read by Andy Serkis | Amazon
• Cormac McCarthy, Novelist of a Darker America, Is Dead at 89 | The New York Times
• The Burn Journals by Brent Runyon | Amazon
• Library Technology Certificate | CT State Community College
• Three Rivers Campus Library
• Groton Public Library
• Lucy Robbins Welles Library
• "When in doubt, go to the library."
• Anxiety | Wikipedia
• Passes to Local Attractions | Otis Library, Norwich
• Museum Passes | Groton Public Library
• The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum