The Distance Dilemma

Simple Pleasures In Life

In this episode, the derailment arrives right on schedule — welcome back to Out of Context Weekly Scenarios, where things unravel quickly and proudly.
This week’s curiosities come in two very different, but equally unnecessary flavours:
Imran opens with his Out of Context Weekly Scenario — The GP Waiting Room Lookalike. Spotting what appears to be a friend of Shaun’s sitting across the room, leading to that very specific internal debate: do you say hello, do you stare discreetly, or do you convince yourself you’re wrong and say nothing at all? A story about social uncertainty, mistaken identity, and how uncomfortable waiting rooms already are without adding recognition into the mix.
Meanwhile, Shaun shares his own quiz-night downfall with Getting the Obvious Music Question Wrong. A moment made significantly worse by the presence of his girlfriend, where confidence outweighs accuracy and hindsight arrives immediately. It’s a reminder that nothing humbles you faster than being loudly wrong in public.
Our Topic of the Week is Simple Pleasures in Life. We slow things down and talk about the small, underrated moments that bring genuine joy — the routines, comforts, and tiny wins that often matter more than the big milestones when you really think about it.
In Pop Culture & Current Affairs, we break down the recent Super Bowl halftime show — the performances, reactions, and why it always becomes such a cultural talking point. We also discuss the recent Eni Aluko controversy, unpacking the discourse around it and how quickly conversations evolve in the public eye.
And finally, we close with Your Distance Dilemmas — real listener stories navigating friendship, communication, and the strange emotional space between holding on and letting drift.
As always, it’s just the two of us — chatting nonsense, pulling at loose threads, and trying to make sense of the moments that feel small at the time but somehow end up meaning everything.

The Best Advice We’ve Ever Received

In this episode, the derailment arrives right on schedule — welcome back to Out of Context Weekly Scenarios, where things unravel quickly and proudly.
This week’s curiosities come in two very different, but equally unnecessary flavours:
Imran opens with his Out of Context Weekly Scenario — Needing Chelsea to Beat West Ham. A situation where far too much emotional stability hinges on a single football result. What starts as casual support quickly turns into quiet desperation, internal bargaining, and the familiar realisation that tying your mood to football is never a sensible decision.
Meanwhile, Shaun shares his own moment of domestic chaos with Throwing Socks Into the Fireplace. A completely unplanned act that somehow escalates into confusion, mild panic, and the question of how something so small can feel so irreversible once it’s already happening.
Our Topic of the Week is The Best Advice We’ve Ever Received. We reflect on the words that stuck with us — whether passed down, offered casually, or learned the hard way — and how certain pieces of advice quietly shape decisions, outlooks, and the way we move through life.
In Pop Culture & Current Affairs, we talk about Valentine’s Day — the expectations, the pressure, the clichés, and the different ways people experience it. From grand gestures to opting out entirely, we unpack why one day can bring up so much feeling.
And finally, we close with Your Distance Dilemmas — real listener stories navigating friendship, communication, and the strange emotional space between holding on and letting drift.
As always, it’s just the two of us — chatting nonsense, pulling at loose threads, and trying to make sense of the moments that feel small at the time but somehow end up meaning everything.
 
 
 

Homesickness

In this episode, the derailment arrives right on schedule — but before anything else, we just want to say thank you. Fifty episodes in, and we’re genuinely grateful to everyone who’s listened, shared, messaged, sent voice notes, or simply kept showing up. The love and support over the past 50 episodes has meant more to us than we probably ever say properly — so thank you for being part of this with us.
Now, back to the nonsense — welcome to Out of Context Weekly Scenarios, where things unravel quickly and proudly.
This week’s curiosities come in two very different, but equally unnecessary flavours:
Imran opens with his Out of Context Weekly Scenario — The Cup, the Door, and the Wall. A surreal moment involving having to provide a urine sample by placing a cup through a small door in a wall. It’s a story that raises more questions than it answers, and somehow manages to be both deeply awkward and strangely procedural.
Meanwhile, Shaun shares his own gym-based experience with The Cold Shower Choir. Three fully grown lads screaming in unison after being hit with freezing cold water. A moment that’s equal parts shocking, hilarious, and oddly human — reminding us that no one is ever truly prepared for gym showers.
Our Topic of the Week is Homesickness. We talk openly about what it feels like, how it shows up unexpectedly, and the different ways we’ve learned to deal with it over time. We also spend time listening to and reflecting on messages and voice notes from you — our listeners — sharing your own experiences, coping mechanisms, and the quiet moments where missing home hits hardest.
That’s all for this week — a reflective one, a slightly chaotic one, and one we couldn’t have done without you.
As always, it’s just the two of us — chatting nonsense, pulling at loose threads, and trying to make sense of the moments that feel small at the time but somehow end up meaning everything.
 
 
 

Weird Constitutional Laws

In this episode, the derailment arrives right on schedule — welcome back to Out of Context Weekly Scenarios, where things unravel quickly and proudly.
This week’s curiosities come in two very different, but equally unnecessary flavours:
Imran opens with his Out of Context Weekly Scenario — The Staff Party Hangover That Never Came. Waking up feeling suspiciously fresh after a staff party, simply because he didn’t drink. What should feel like a small win turns into quiet self-reflection, mild disbelief, and the strange realisation that doing the sensible thing can feel almost rebellious in the right context.
Meanwhile, Shaun shares his own moment of unexpected humiliation with The Missing Belt Incident. A perfectly normal trip to the kitchen becomes a slow-motion disaster when his jeans betray him in front of his girlfriend — hands full, options limited, dignity slipping away. A story about timing, trust in clothing, and learning lessons the hard way.
Our Topic of the Week is Weird Constitutional Laws in Ireland and Switzerland. We dig into the strange, surprising, and occasionally baffling rules baked into national constitutions — exploring how they came to exist, what they say about culture, and why some laws feel less like governance and more like historical inside jokes.
In Pop Culture & Current Affairs, we cover two very different stories: the recent release of Enoch Burke from prison, and the return of the iconic Cherry Tomato Bridge in Drumcondra, Dublin. From serious national conversations to oddly specific local landmarks, we reflect on why both end up taking up space in the public consciousness.
And finally, we close with Your Distance Dilemmas — real listener stories navigating friendship, communication, and the strange emotional space between holding on and letting drift.
As always, it’s just the two of us — chatting nonsense, pulling at loose threads, and trying to make sense of the moments that feel small at the time but somehow end up meaning everything.

Alcohol

In this episode, the derailment arrives right on schedule — welcome back to Out of Context Weekly Scenarios, where things unravel quickly and proudly.
This week’s curiosities come in two very different, but equally unnecessary flavours:
Imran opens with his Out of Context Weekly Scenario — Turning Down a Dog. An unexpectedly serious moral dilemma involving an offer he absolutely should have been excited about… but couldn’t say yes to. What follows is a spiral of guilt, overthinking, and the uncomfortable realisation that sometimes doing the sensible thing still feels oddly heartbreaking.
Meanwhile, Shaun brings his own frustration to the table with The Late Chelsea Kick-Off. A weekend plan quietly ruined by scheduling decisions completely out of his control. It’s a story about building your day around football, the slow burn of irritation as the hours drag on, and how something so small can irrationally sour your mood.
Our Topic of the Week is Alcohol. We talk honestly about our relationships with drinking — the social expectations, the good nights, the bad mornings, and how attitudes toward alcohol change as you get older. It’s less about excess and more about reflection, habits, and why saying yes (or no) can sometimes feel like a bigger statement than intended.
In Pop Culture & Current Affairs, we take a surprisingly passionate detour into the build-up of traffic on the M50 in Ireland, and traffic jams in general. Why they feel so personal, how they test patience like nothing else, and the shared misery that somehow bonds everyone stuck in the same unmoving line of cars.
And finally, we close with Your Distance Dilemmas — real listener stories navigating friendship, communication, and the strange emotional space between holding on and letting drift.
As always, it’s just the two of us — chatting nonsense, pulling at loose threads, and trying to make sense of the moments that feel small at the time but somehow end up meaning everything.

Moving Around

In this episode, the derailment arrives right on schedule — welcome back to Out of Context Weekly Scenarios, where things unravel quickly and proudly.
This week’s curiosities come in two very different, but equally unnecessary flavours:
Imran opens with his Out of Context Weekly Scenario — Cutting His Head. A painfully mundane accident that somehow feels far more dramatic in the moment. What should’ve been a minor mishap turns into a spiral of blood checks, self-assessment, and that quiet panic where you’re not sure if you’re overreacting… or very much not reacting enough.
Meanwhile, Shaun shares his own misfortune with An Accident at Football. A familiar tale of confidence meeting reality a little too hard — where one wrong moment shifts the focus from the game to injury management, bruised pride, and replaying the incident over and over to figure out exactly when it all went wrong.
Our Topic of the Week is Moving Around. We reflect on growing up with constant change — moving houses, adapting to new spaces, and how never staying still for too long shapes your sense of home, stability, and identity. It’s a look at how those early experiences quietly follow you into adulthood, whether you notice them or not.
In Pop Culture, we talk through the final episode of Stranger Things — breaking down the moments that landed, the ones that didn’t, and how it feels to say goodbye to something that’s been part of the background of life for years.
Then, in Current Affairs, we shift gears to discuss the idea of America invading Venezuela — unpacking the headlines, the reactions, and the uneasy distance between global events and how we process them from afar.
And finally, we close with Your Distance Dilemmas — real listener stories navigating friendship, communication, and the strange emotional space between holding on and letting drift.
As always, it’s just the two of us — chatting nonsense, pulling at loose threads, and trying to make sense of the moments that feel small at the time but somehow end up meaning everything.

Coping With Change

In this episode, the derailment arrives right on schedule — welcome back to Out of Context Weekly Scenarios, where things unravel quickly and proudly.
This week’s curiosities come in two very different, but equally unnecessary flavours:
Imran opens with his Out of Context Weekly Scenario — Concerning Phone Calls From Home. A series of calls that arrive with just enough urgency to spike anxiety, but never quite enough clarity to resolve it. What starts as a normal check-in slowly spirals into overthinking, imagined worst-case scenarios, and the strange emotional weight that “Can you call me when you’re free?” carries when it comes from home.
Meanwhile, Shaun shares his own scenario: The Unexpected Guest. A surprise appearance at his house that throws off the rhythm of the day and forces an instant mental recalibration.
Our Topic of the Week is Coping With Change. We talk through the big shifts and the quiet ones — how change shows up whether you invite it or not, why resisting it often feels easier than adapting, and the different (sometimes unhealthy) ways we all try to stay grounded when things move out from under us.
Then, in Pop Culture & Current Affairs, we zoom in on the idea of New Year’s Resolutions. Why we make them, why we abandon them, and whether they’re actually about self-improvement or just symbolic permission to try again. We unpack the pressure, the optimism, and the strange emotional reset that January seems to demand every year.
And finally, we close with Your Distance Dilemmas — real listener stories navigating friendship, communication, and the strange emotional space between holding on and letting drift.
As always, it’s just the two of us — chatting nonsense, pulling at loose threads, and trying to make sense of the moments that feel small at the time but somehow end up meaning everything.
 
 
 

Ridiculous Million Dollar Ideas

In this episode, the derailment arrives right on schedule — welcome back to Out of Context Weekly Scenarios, where things unravel quickly and proudly.
This week’s curiosities come in two very different, but equally unnecessary flavours:
Imran opens with Midnight Meltdown — a late-night battle between man and Lego, where a single piece refused to cooperate and slowly dismantled his sanity. What should have been a calming, nostalgic activity turns into an existential standoff, raising important questions about patience, pride, and why everything feels more personal after midnight.
Meanwhile, Shaun confesses to his own travelling misadventure: realising, far too late, that he absolutely should not have been somewhere while en route to Belfast. A classic case of momentum over logic, where one bad decision snowballs into a quietly stressful journey full of hindsight, internal bargaining, and the unshakable feeling that the universe is watching you make the wrong call.
Our Topic of the Week swings big and slightly delusional: Our Ridiculous Million Dollar Idea. We pitch, dissect, and overthink an idea that feels equal parts genius and completely impractical — exploring why these kinds of dreams are so fun to believe in, what they reveal about ambition, and whether the point is ever the money, or just the permission to imagine something absurdly successful.
Then, in Pop Culture & Current Affairs, we zoom out and zoom in at the same time — talking through our movie, series, album, song, and personal moment of the year. The things that stuck, the things that surprised us, and the moments that quietly defined the past twelve months more than any headline ever could.
And finally, we close with Your Distance Dilemmas — real listener stories navigating friendship, communication, and the strange emotional space between holding on and letting drift.
As always, it’s just the two of us — chatting nonsense, pulling at loose threads, and trying to make sense of the moments that feel small at the time but somehow end up meaning everything.
 
 
 

Goals And The Five Year Plan

In this episode, the derailment begins before we’ve even settled in — welcome back to Out of Context Weekly Scenarios. This week’s curiosities arrive in two familiar-but-unhinged flavours:Imran opens with what sounds like a sudden descent into “gangster mentality”, throwing Shaun completely off the scent before revealing he’s simply started The Sopranos — a bait-and-switch that sparks reflections on masculinity, power, and whether watching prestige TV automatically makes you feel like you understand organised crime.Meanwhile, Shaun confesses to a far more chaotic ritual: verbally abusing The Coronas five nights in a row at five different gigs, purely to manifest one specific song from deep within the group-of-groupies energy field. Was it dedication? Was it delusion? Did it work? Emotionally, at least — yes.
Our Topic of the Week turns to something both aspirational and quietly terrifying: Goals and the Five Year Plan. We unpack what it means to plan a future when life keeps changing the rules — the tension between dreaming big and staying realistic, how goals evolve as you do, and whether a five year plan is motivation, pressure, or just a polite way of lying to yourself with structure.
Then, in Pop Culture & Current Affairs, we take aim at Santa Claus — not the man himself, but the spectacle. From elaborate traditions to escalating expectations, we question when festive magic becomes logistical madness, and how a simple idea turned into a full-scale seasonal production with emotional stakes.
And finally, we close with Your Distance Dilemmas — real listener stories of friendship, communication, and the blurry terrain between drifting apart and circling back.
As always, it’s just the two of us — chatting nonsense, poking holes in big ideas, and tracing that winding line between laughter and the things that quietly shape our lives.

Adult Struggles

In this episode, the derailment begins before we’ve even settled in — welcome back to Out of Context Weekly Scenarios. This week’s curiosities arrive in two equally baffling flavours: Imran discovers that there’s an AI Jesus being trialled in Switzerland, sending him spiralling into questions about faith, technology, and whether salvation now comes with an algorithm. Meanwhile, Shaun finds himself deeply moved by a commemorative biscuit moment — specifically, a packet of Jaffa Cakes with his tea, unexpectedly heavy with nostalgia, comfort, and the quiet drama of realising a snack can carry emotional weight.
Off-topic (but very on-brand): Shaun quietly, then not-so-quietly, hits his weight loss goal for the year, prompting reflection, celebration, and the strange anticlimax that comes with achieving something you’ve been aiming at for months.
Our Topic of the Week turns to something we’re all navigating in real time: Adult Struggles. We dig into the unglamorous middle bits — managing energy instead of ambition, the admin of being alive, friendships that require calendars, and the slow realisation that everyone’s winging it, just with different levels of organisation.
Then, in Pop Culture & Current Affairs, we break down our Spotify Wrapped and Apple Music Replay — what our most-played tracks say about our moods, our years, and the patterns we didn’t realise were following us around. From comfort listens to accidental personality traits, it’s a musical audit we didn’t consent to but absolutely will overanalyse.
And finally, we close with Your Distance Dilemmas — real listener stories of friendship, communication, and the blurry terrain between drifting apart and circling back.
As always, it’s just the two of us — chatting nonsense, diving into the serious moments, and tracing that winding line between laughter and the things that hold us together.