Work From Bed Friday

Amy & Tommy celebrate their first "pod-iversary" AND the completion of 50 full length episodes with some bubbly, some memories of their first year podcasting, and later, messages from happy listeners.

But never fear, they have not forgotten about Chapter 11 of All About Love by bell hooks. The chapter is entitled "Loss: Loving into Life and Death" and Amy and Tommy dive right in with their own ideas of how lo...

Amy & Tommy's scrappy DIY podcast production catches up with them—this was the first episode in which they desperately needed an intern! At least to remind them of last episode's "cornerstones of romantic love." But do not fear! Here are all FOUR cornerstones of romantic love that have emerged over the last two episodes:

• Talk talk talking. Keep the channel OPEN.
• Treat the relationship as a third thing.
• Auth...

What are the secrets to enduring romantic love? Amy & Tommy look for guidance from bell hooks in Chapter 10 of All About Love, but find little there. They offer up their own ideas though, and yearn for a long-term study along the lines of Magnificent Sex that survey people who self-identify as having magnificent romance. Great idea, right? 

Thank goodness "Heated Rivalry" is showing us some juicy romantic lov...

Amy & Tommy had waaaaay too much to say about Episode 5 of Heated Rivalry. So much, in fact, that they had to make this monster episode into two parts: this episode focuses on Heated Rivalry (typically just the weekly Titillating Tidbit) and their discussion Chapter 10 of All About Love will drop as a separate episode next week. In the meantime, they giddily discuss the romance, the love, the coming out of the penultimate episo...

Amy & Tommy's obsession with Ilya & Shane may be overshadowing their deep dive into All About Love by bell hooks. But they push on, overlaying this seminal text over the cultural reality of 2026. After all, love is love. And apparently, sex is sex. And always hot. Except when it's not. Listen to the end for a look into the Olympics and "Crotchgate."

Heated Rivalry, Episode 4

All About Love by bell hooks 

Ma...

Who knew that watching hot hockey romances in Heated Rivalry would be a fitting companion for Chapter 8 of All About Love by bell hooks?? So many parallels! Also, some welcome spice for the deep dives into love and community. Amy & Tommy discuss the cultural primacy of the nuclear family and its erosion of our ability to love. It's not as contradictory as it seems: we place so much importance on finding and keeping romanti...

It's another love sandwich: spicy analysis of the viral hockey lovestory/softporn series, "Heated Rivalry" on one slice, a reader lovenote on the other slice, and the meat?  Deep talk about Chapter 7 of All About Love by bell hooks: greed and the ways in which love cannot thrive or even exist in a world driven by greed. Whoa. Amy & Tommy knock the dated examples while being legit blown away by the resonance with ...

As our country navigates this this very difficult moment, the words of bell hooks resonate in their prescience. She understood the road that we were, and are traveling. How do we practice a love ethic as a society? How can we stand strong in a love ethic while disinformation, disregard for basic human rights, and a general lack of love abound? 

It helps to talk about it. And also to watch a viral hockey love story. Join us...

Tommy and Amy kick off Episode 6 of Season 2 with a tease: a quick peek into what they are reading and which books may make an upcoming episode! 

After that Titillating Tidbit, they move on to the meat of the episode: Chapter 5 of All About Love by bell hooks. The discussion on spirituality and love take us from the woods of the Pacific Northwest to the Sombrero Galaxy. Come along for the ride! 

And then watch the...

Amy & Tommy start with Portland’s stand up comedy scene and end with pubic hair. Sandwiched in between is a discussion of self love and self esteem. Also, they would like to contradict themselves—things ARE really bad in the world. Just get out there and love yourself, your people, and your community!

Mentioned in this episode:

All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks

Portland's Chill & Fill

Andie Mai...

Chapter 3 of All About Love by bell hooks is THE chapter that precipitated Amy and Tommy's famous "breakthrough" as detailed in Season 1, Episode 1. What do they think of it now? Listen for lots of opinions, a peek at a new tradition for New Year's Day, and some Miranda July-style crowdsourcing on hormone replacement therapy. 

All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks

Radical Honesty by Brad Blanton

Jupiter Hotel

Be...

Amy and Tommy dig into Chapter 2 of All About Love by bell hooks, following her discourse on justice and advocacy for the rights of children. It seems far from a theory of love, but perhaps that's the point. Whatever the case, Amy and Tommy gamely engage in a lively conversation about the chapter, flanked by a discussion of the holiday classic movie, Love Actually, and on the other end, pubic hair. Because, important topics. A...

It turns out that Chapter 1 of All About Love by bell hooks brings up more questions than it answers: what actually IS cathexis? Do you have to have cathexis before you have/practice love? Are we throwing around the word love too cavalierly??  Lots to unpack here, but don't worry, we come back to our favorite topic (Does size matter?) in our "Let's Make it a Threesome" segment!

Mentioned in this Episode:

Work From Bed Friday is proud to present Season 2! Fresh off the perimenopausal rollercoaster and sexual awakening of Miranda July's All Fours, Tommy & Amy begin their conversation of All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks. They begin with the preface and introduction and their storied history with this book.

To spice up this season, they've added two new segments: The Titillating Tidbit (a little somethin...

Amy & Tommy close out the premiere season of Work From Bed Friday with a review of "More: A Memoir of Open Marriage" by Molly Roden Winter. They disagree about Winter's motives, wonder about how on earth people have time for polyamory, and discuss the the cringe moments that pepper the whole book. It's the story of a one woman's evolution through dating apps and fairly subpar sex that was still a good l...

A long lost Brady Bunch episode inspired a gifting tradition in the Borffmann household that has been going strong for 20 years! Instead of purchasing gifts for Christmas, Amy and Tommy and their two daughters exchange only three types of gifts: homemade items, found items,, and favors/acts of service. Not only does the tradition short-circuit the consumerism frenzy that typically dominates the season, but it centers creativity, jo...

Amy & Tommy discuss Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder, comparing it to American Psycho, singing the praises of speed control, and marveling at the prowess of a newly minted novelist. 

BUT FIRST! They introduce a new segment called "The Tantalizing Tangent" (that's actually called "The Titillating Tangent")—a short addendum to a current hot topic. This week, of course, more on "Does Size Matter?"

Mentio...

Amy and Tommy take on the age old question with their unique blend of honest conversation, questionable knowledge, reckless internet research, and a component new to them both: crowdsourcing!

The discussion is spicy and thought-provoking. They don't uncover the answer to the question, but find that there are many possible answers. Perhaps as many answers as there are sizes of penises. Could it be a dissertation? Prob...

After bingeing Season 1 of Your Friends and Neighbors on the plane home from Rome, Amy & Tommy dive into analysis. Does extreme wealth change the story of marriage, sex, and connection? Is repressed rage the common denominator for all of us? Why does Jon Hamm look so good in a suit? 

Also: watching raw and vigorous sex scenes on a personal airplane screen seems transgressive in itself. But when you're sucked in, i...