Today on "I Love This Thing So Fricking Much," we spoke with Hanna, a black belt who loves Choy Lay Fut style kung fu! Tune in at the link above or wherever you listen to podcasts to hear the full story.

I took a once-a-week seminar my freshman year of undergrad. There were nineteen of us in the room, all sitting in a circle at seven in the morning, and the only thing we had in common was that we’d gotten the same scholarship when we were accepted to the University of Iowa. My classmates included doctors, scientists, engineers, an International Studies and Chinese major who switched to Physics and Astronomy a few weeks in, and even a dancer. I was the only English major, and I quickly gained a reputation in that class as a fangirl. In our discussions, I always found myself linking the texts we read – mostly Greek mythology and scholarly articles – to some book or movie or show I loved. And my classmates quickly learned that I could happily go on and on about these stories I loved forever.

On the last day of the class, someone said something to me about that. I don’t remember exactly what they said, but the implication was that it was unusual for me to love things that much. Certainly no one else in the room (with the exception of the Physics/Astronomy major, who is a wonderful nerd and still a dear friend of mine) was so enthusiastic about that nerdy stuff.

“But you do love something that much,” I said, addressing the whole room. “I bet if I talked to any of you, you each have something that you love so much you could go on and on about it forever! It might not be stories, but everyone’s a fan of something!”

They all smiled and chuckled and shook their heads at me. But I still believe that I was right. Passion is an innately human quality, and being a fan is as common and natural as breathing. My classmates might not have recognized it in themselves, because they weren’t enthusiastic about the things you’d find celebrated at Comic-Con. But it’s impossible to go through life and have nothing matter to you, and for me, knowing that something matters to someone else is the most beautiful thing in the world.

My friendship with that Physics/Astronomy major in large part consisted of me listening while they talked and talked about dark matter and telescopes and all kinds of complex physics concepts that I didn’t understand at all. But it was, and still is, such a joy to listen to them, because it matters to them. They light up like a star, and I get to bask in that light.

I was thinking about this friend when I pitched the idea for “I Love This Thing So Fricking Much” to Melissa, my creative partner at Throu The Window Media. It would be a simple interview podcast between me and a guest who would tell me about something they loved, uninterrupted, for three minutes. (Initially I wanted it to be ten or fifteen minutes. Melissa suggested we shorten it to five minutes to keep the episodes bite-size while still including a Q&A session. After recording a test episode where I interviewed myself – a recording which will never see the light of day – I decided to shorten it to three.)

Of course, neither of us knew if there would be an audience for a show like this. But I could only assume – I could only hope – that there were other people out there who just plain loved listening to another person be enthusiastic about something, even if the topic meant nothing to them personally. I could also only hope that I’d be able to drum up enough guests to release this show on a weekly basis.

We’ve been creating the #LoveThisThingCast for over a year now; we’ll be releasing Episode 59 today. I’ve chatted with guests about actors and animals, clowning and crafting, literary movements and linguistics, movies and magic and traveling and tabletop games and so, so, so much more. And holy cow has it been a light in our lives this past year! We really couldn’t have known back in early March 2020 just how much we’d need this project, this reliable source of joy and enthusiasm. I love hosting the show, and every week, my phone lights up with texts from Melissa, talking about how much she loves listening to the episodes as she edits them.

And though we haven’t gotten much feedback from our listeners yet – our social media posts get a handful of likes each week, and my mom is our most regular commenter – I like to think that this little show has been a source of joy for people besides the two of us. According to Anchor, our episodes have been downloaded almost three thousand times, and I’m pretty sure my mom isn’t responsible for all of them (though she is and always will be our biggest fan, and I love her very much). (Hm, I wonder if someone will choose “I love my mom” as their topic on the show someday!)

I’m not sure how to end this blog post, so I’ll take the opportunity to self-promote. “I Love This Thing So Fricking Much” streams on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and a bunch of other streaming platforms thanks to Anchor. We release new episodes on Thursdays. You can find me and Melissa at @throuthewindow on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and right here on Tumblr.

This week on "I Love This Thing So Fricking Much," we spoke with with Lena Barkin, also known as The Fanthropologist, who loves her blorbos - the fictional characters that she finds uniquely fascinating. Find out the whole story by tuning in at the link above or wherever you listen to podcasts!

This week on "I Love This Thing So Fricking Much," we spoke with Alex, who loves sports - especially the community she's found as a fan of Orlando soccer teams! Find out the whole story by tuning in at the link above or wherever you listen to podcasts! Please be forewarned that this episode includes a brief anecdote including a moderate curse word used in a soccer chant.

Today on "I Love This Thing So Fricking Much," we spoke with Gail Daniel Wald about the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer! Tune in at the link above or wherever you listen to podcasts to hear the full story. Fun fact - Gail's cat, pictured here, is named Buffy! Gail's debut poetry book, "Regret, Revisited," is available for purchase on Amazon.

This week on "I Love This Thing So Fricking Much," we spoke with Jules Cort, an actor and producer who loves Broadway star and AIDS activist Larry Kert. Find out the whole story by tuning in at the link above or wherever you listen to podcasts!

The Being Alive: Remembering Larry Kert cabaret discussed in this episode has been rescheduled! The new date and time will be Wednesday, July 1st at 7pm EST. You can find more information about this show, including a livestream link, in the episode description.

If YOU have something you love so fricking much you want to tell me all about it, use the guest submission form linked in the bio to join the show!

This week on "I Love This Thing So Fricking Much," we spoke with V. Arrow, who loves fandom history so much, she even has her own podcast about it! Find out why on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the link above, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can find V here on Tumblr at @thisweekinfandomhistory or @aimmyarrowshigh.

This week on "I Love This Thing So Fricking Much," we spoke with Caitlin Sprague, a social worker turned show writer who loves food - especially chips and salsa, cheese, and ice cream. Find out why on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the link above, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

We are actively looking for more guests to tell us about the things you love! Reply to this post, reblog and tag a passionate friend, or use the guest submission form linked in our bio.