Send us Fan Mail

Simon has been offered an MRI for his tinnitus and is a little too delighted about it, which leads to the confession that he finds medical tests oddly relaxing. Lee's sharp sense of smell, recently tested on a train beside four unwashed teenage boys, makes a brief appearance. From there the conversation moves through recreational shopping and a surprising number of pairs of jeans to the lines people draw around themselves, and where being principled ends and being stubborn begins.

Mentioned

• NHS (National Health Service) – UK health service; the source of an out-of-the-blue ENT appointment about tinnitus that ends in the offer of an MRI
• The Oscars – used as an analogy for a "not quite a hospital" clinic, like the lesser awards for the parts of the film industry nobody pays attention to, such as sound mixing
• Queen Elizabeth – evoked in the image of holding a handkerchief to the face on a train to block out the smell of four teenage boys
• Lisbon – a favourite city for its contrasting smells: rubbish bins in the summer heat, then jasmine round the corner, and jacaranda trees that smell lovely in spring and of piss for the rest of the summer
• Wagamama – restaurant chain; its menu suddenly becoming unreadable is the first sign of needing reading glasses in your mid-40s
• Dopamine Shop and Food Never Comes – recreational shopping sites that recreate the whole ritual of online shopping (searching, comparing reviews, checkout, tracking) without anything being bought or delivered; names as heard in the transcript
• YMC – clothing brand; a pair of their Deadbeat jeans in indigo denim, admired for the pin tuck
• ASOS – online retailer associated with fast fashion and micro-seasons; mentioned for the "ASOS haul", a YouTube genre in which people unpack large orders on camera

Get in touch with Lee and Simon at info@midlifing.net.

---
The Midlifing logo is adapted from an original image by H.L.I.T: https://www.flickr.com/photos/29311691@N05/8571921679 (CC BY 2.0)