Do you like using interesting words in your conversations? We do. And there's one that's a tip top favourite...

You're guaranteed* to learn loads of interesting words from this episode.

Special guest Grant Snider - author, illustrator, poet (and orthodontist) talks about the illustration of interesting words, particularly obscure, outdated or esoteric ones. We kick off with a word both Jono and Grant have illustrated: 'apricity,' which means the warmth of the sun in winter and is a big favourite of ours - now that we know it. Grant shares his fascination with words and his 'Words of Wonder' series, where he illustrates intriguing words from his readings. We touch on the emotional connection words can create through compelling illustrations and delve into the creative processes behind these illustrations as well as the influence of childhood comics like Calvin and Hobbes.

Links for further investigation

• Apricity sketches: Jono's Sketchplanation & Grant's Words of Wonder
• Some other of Jono's word-related Sketchplanations we reference are: Snerdle & Greeble
• Previous podcast episodes we bring up include: Schadenfreude and we also talk about Apophenia in the episode on Crossmodal Perception
• Susie Dent's Word of the Day thread on X.
• Jono mentions the fun he had reading Etymologicon by Mark Forsyth
• Grant's latest book Thinking About Thinking is available now.

Episode Summary

00:00 Introduction and Grant Snider's Background

02:18 Exploring the Word 'Apricity'

04:34 Grant's Words of Wonder Series

07:24 The Joy of Learning New Words

11:24 Favourite Words and Their Illustrations

20:28 Exploring Obscure Words and Their Origins

21:16 The Fascinating Concept of 'Greeble'

22:50 The Joy of Discovering New Words

23:52 Sketching Words and Their Meanings

28:22 The Beauty of Children's Language Development

30:35 Grant's New Book: Thinking About Thinking

33:46 The Influence of Calvin and Hobbes

37:04 Grant's Unique Use of Colour in Comics

39:26 Final Thoughts and Upcoming Projects

*We make no actual guarantees.

All music on this podcast series is provided by the highly talented Franc Cinelli

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we return from our summer break we discuss various ways to instantly feel better - timely perhaps for the Big Back to Work / School / Normality of September. We explore eight emotions—anger, burnout, overthinking, anxiety, stress, sadness, impatience, and laziness—and suggest instant proactive remedies to each. We highly encourage you to try these out whenever you're feeling any of the emotions discussed. Let us know if they work.

Here are links to a few items we refer to in the chat:

• We reference a couple of previous podcast episodes: The Awkwardness Vortex, 5 Ways to Wellbeing
• In reference to when you're feeling anxious you can try Box Breathing.
• If all else fails, with any of these emotions you can instantly make yourself feel better by Walking in Nature.
• Gorefest: The Dutch (not Belgian as wrongly I said in the podcast) Death Metal band from the 90s who to the casual listener, their singing might sound like screaming.
• The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. in reference to writing your "morning pages".

Episode Summary

00:00 Welcome Back to Sketchplanations

00:53 Instant Ways to Feel Better

03:16 The Power of Singing to Dispel Anger

08:19 Walking Off Burnout

11:46 Writing to Stop Overthinking

16:20 Breathing Techniques for Anxiety

20:49 The Power of Exercise for Stress Relief

25:22 Gratitude as a Remedy for Sadness

28:18 Reflecting on Progress to Combat Impatience

30:56 Cold Showers to Overcome Laziness

33:50 Final Thoughts and Takeaways

All music on this podcast series is provided by the highly talented Franc Cinelli

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here on the podcast, we love our exercise and we love our sleep so in this summer break, check-in mini-episode, we discuss the interconnectedness of exercise and sleep, citing Novak Djokovic's book 'Serve to Win' as an influential source. While Tom shares his typical experience of staying active during holidays, Robbie bemoans the challenges of getting good sleep with young children, and Jono explores how his smart watch monitors his sleep and activity levels. In keeping with the holiday theme we also share tips for keeping kids entertained on long road trips.

We'll be back with regular episodes in August.

Until then, Go well, stay well and vacay well.

In this mini-episode, we reference a previous podcast episode:

• Sharpen The Saw previous podcast episode

Episode Summary

00:00 Introduction and Summer Break Announcement

00:35 The Virtuous Cycle of Exercise and Sleep

01:39 Personal Experiences with Exercise and Sleep

03:53 The Importance of Sleep on general wellbeing

09:12 Keeping Kids Entertained on Long Trips

11:23 Conclusion and Farewell

All music on the podcast series is provided by the hugely talented Franc Cinelli.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.