Following Directions: Stories about improvising
b"This week, we're presenting stories about the difficulties of following instructions -- whether it's medical advice or a recipe.\\xa0\\nPart 1: Science writer Cassandra WIllyard is frustrated by the restrictions put on her during her pregnancy.\\nPart 2: Comedian Joseph Scrimshaw is terrified of messing up when his new museum job requires him to bake.\\nCassandra Willyard is a freelance science journalist who likes long walks, international travel, and infectious diseases, the more neglected the better. She earned a BS in Biological Aspects of Conservation (and a certificate in drinking) from the University of Wisconsin and an MA in Science Writing from Johns Hopkins University. She also served as Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia. You can read her work in Discover, Popular Science, and Nature. She also blogs regularly for The Last Word on Nothing. After spending several years in New York City, Cassandra moved back to Midwest. She now lives in Madison with her husband and daughter. But she still enjoys sarcasm and wearing black.\\xa0 \\xa0\\nJoseph Scrimshaw is a comedian, writer, and host based in Los Angeles, as well as a Story Collider producer. As a comedian, he\\u2019s appeared at SF SketchFest, Chicago Improv Festival, Dragon Con, headlined on Jonathan Coulton\\u2019s JoCoCruise, appeared on Wil Wheaton\\u2019s TableTop, and more. Joseph has written for Adult Swim,\\xa0 the movie riffing group, RiffTrax, Screen Junkies, and was a writer/performer on Wits, where he wrote sketches for Paul F. Tompkins, Dave Foley, Neil Gaiman, and more. Joseph\\u2019s plays Adventures in Mating, An Inconvenient Squirrel, and My Monster (written with Bill Corbett) have been performed all over the US, the UK, and strangely Bulgaria. His popular comedy podcast Obsessed is part of the Feral Audio podcast network and has been listed as a Staff Favorite on iTunes multiple times. Joseph also co-hosts the Star Wars podcast feed, ForceCenter. Joseph has released multiple comedy albums including 2015\\u2019s Rebel Scum and 2013\\u2019s Flaw Fest. John Hodgman said of the album, \\u201cI am glad Joseph Scrimshaw has the power of thought and audible speech, or else this very funny album would not exist.\\u201d\\n\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices"