Distractible Podcast – Episode: "How Do You Pan?" (February 6, 2026)

Overview

In this playful and nostalgia-infused episode, Mark Fischbach, Wade Barnes, and Bob Muyskens dive into the theme of "How Do You Pan?"—a riff on staying young at heart, inspired by the eternally youthful Peter Pan. The trio explores the childhood joys and habits they've carried into adulthood, meandering through topics like favorite comfort foods, ongoing childish behaviors, book recommendations, hobbies, and personal quirks. Packed with their signature banter, storytelling, and self-deprecating humor, this episode blends earnest reflection with irrepressible goofiness.

Table of Contents

• Childlike Habits and Peter Pan Traditions
• Book Club: Dungeon Crawler Carl (and More)
• Movies, Iron Lung, and Mark's Big Weekend
• Food Nostalgia and Comfort Classics
• Childhood Play, Pretend, and Hobbies
• Tech Tinkering and Computer Talk
• Playground Rides, Puzzles, and Physical Regrets
• Dental Habits and Childhood Carryovers
• Competitive Points and Wrap-Up
• Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Childlike Habits and Peter Pan Traditions

[20:34–24:01]

• Bob's prompt: "Some things in life are too good to let go. So I titled this segment, 'How Do You Pan?'" [20:36]
• The group shares the childish habits and pleasures they’ll never give up, invoking Peter Pan as the symbol of eternal youth.
  • Bob still loves Lunchables, Kraft Mac & Cheese, and making "baskets" with trash into cans.
  • The childhood fear of dangling limbs off the bed persists (“so sleep demons can't get me”).
  • Remote control toys at the mall still attract Bob’s adult attention.
  • Mark and Wade jump in with their lingering "kid" habits.

Book Club: Dungeon Crawler Carl (and More)

[07:26–19:29]

• Mark and Bob rave over the Dungeon Crawler Carl book series by Matt Dinniman.
  • Bob’s already nearing the end of the seventh book; Mark has just finished the first and is hooked.
  • Wade owns the first but hasn’t started, leading to jokes about their budding book club.
  • Bob underscores the joy of reading for fun after law school, while Wade reminisces about his recent reading spree (Animorphs, Grisham, etc.).
  • Discussion of audiobooks and the impressive performance in Dungeon Crawler Carl's narration.
  • Side notes about possible Dungeon Crawler Carl TV adaptations and their skepticism about Hollywood doing it justice ([13:01]).
  • Diversions into Andy Weir books (The Martian, Artemis, Project Hail Mary)—more sci-fi recommendations.
  • The group reflects on how reading, once considered nerdy, is now accepted as a passion: “I feel like book reading was like the D&D of the last 20 years where it's like, ‘You read books, you nerd.’ And now it's like, I love books!” (Wade, [18:51])

Movies, Iron Lung, and Mark's Big Weekend

[01:57–07:26], [13:55]

• Bob and Mark riff on Hollywood “negotiations” in a mock phone call bit about Spielberg and Nolan.
• Mark discusses finally wrapping up work on his movie Iron Lung and celebrating its temporary reign as box office #1—later overtaken by a bigger-budget film.
  • "Iron Lung is out...It was number one for...99% of the weekend." (Mark, [06:06])
  • The thrill and stress of Indie creation vs. Hollywood marketing machine.
  • Family review ("I just wish Mark was happier" – [08:12]) brings laughs.
• Joke about Mark potentially adapting Dungeon Crawler Carl as his next 7-year project ([13:55]).

Food Nostalgia and Comfort Classics

[20:57], [31:19–33:25]

• Bob, Wade, and Mark all admit to an enduring love for childhood foods despite growing palates:
  • Lunchables, Kraft Mac, SpaghettiOs, PB&J, pizza rolls, Gushers, Velveeta shells, and even grocery store chicken tenders.
  • "There's times where I'm like, man, I really want some, like, curry and chicken or whatever... But there are definitely days where it's like, I want chicken tendies and Mac and cheese." (Wade, [32:54])
  • Mark shares his personal dietary quirks; discovers dextrose in candy caused his childhood hypoglycemia.
  • The universal “fridge stare” persists into adulthood—open fridge, close, check pantry, repeat ([34:08]).

Childhood Play, Pretend, and Hobbies

[22:21–24:01]

• Wade confesses his lifelong love of "playing pretend”—now channeled into D&D, voices, and goofy character bits.
  • "I still talk to myself and try to do different voices… I'll be sitting on the toilet just like, toilet paper, toilet paper." ([22:45])
• Bob notes that “everyone still wants to play pretend”—we just call it movies or acting as adults.

Tech Tinkering and Computer Talk

[24:48–30:32]

• Mark’s childhood obsession with computers and “tinkering” persists; now applied to building “render farms.”
  • Reminisces about drooling over computer magazines, now channels those desires into actual hardware upgrades and home lab projects.
  • Brief discussion of the “Home Lab” subreddit; Mark’s render farm gets roasted for being janky ([26:12]).
  • The crew discusses the wild price increases in RAM, storage, and GPUs.
    • "Now that 8 terabyte was up to $3200. The same one that I bought went from 800 to 3200." (Mark, [29:30])
• Bob describes his phone-induced panic attack as a kid upon receiving the first Android device, illustrating technology-induced awe ([31:19]).

Playground Rides, Puzzles, and Physical Regrets

[37:50–40:38]

• Bob admits continuing love for playground swings and merry-go-rounds, despite being “way too big” for them.
  • “When you find a swing that can accommodate an adult-sized person, God, is that so good, man?” (Bob, [38:08])
• Wade laments newfound motion sickness ruining swings and spinning rides (a sign of aging).
• The joy of jigsaw puzzles as a kid—and their continuation into adulthood, through Lego and puzzle games.
  • “Puzzles, man. I loved putting together jigsaw puzzles as a kid. ... That aspect of things, I don't know what it was, but there's a part of my brain that still has always enjoyed that.” (Wade, [39:13])

Dental Habits and Childhood Carryovers

[41:01–43:55]

• Mark admits to still biting his nails—childhood habits die hard. Wade and Bob agree, as many adults do.
• Brushing teeth is a key holdover; Mark confesses, “if I don’t brush my teeth [at night], it hasn’t happened.” ([41:51])
• Bob and Wade joke about children’s reluctance and temptation to cut corners with brushing.
• Wade expresses dislike for minty toothpaste, Bob suggests there are more “ass-flavored” options on the market ([42:54]).
• The trio’s final advice: take care of your teeth, even if flossing seems dubious.

Competitive Points and Wrap-Up

[44:47–49:23]

• As always, the group tallies “points” for jokes, stories, and bits throughout the episode.
  • Wade: 9 points (2 are "lie points")
  • Mark: 9 points (including a bonus for “finishing the movie”)
  • Bob: 1 “callback” point (for a running in-joke)
• They spin the “wheel of bullshittery and nonsense” for additional point shenanigans, awarding bonus points for “most childish” or “scariest contribution.”
  • Final tally: Mark wins the episode.
• Mark’s victory speech is both tongue-in-cheek and a little existential:

  “I have freedom, which means I will eventually go insane...but at the beginning of the end, it's still pretty good.” ([48:50])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On childish habits & food:

  • "Lunchables, Kraft Mac, SpaghettiOs—forever delicious...I will never not try and make a basket into a trash can, no matter how inappropriate the scenario." (Bob, [21:20])

• On childhood imagination:

  • "I really enjoy going around doing voices. I still talk to myself and try to do different voices...I'll be sitting on the toilet..." (Wade, [22:45])

• On reading & book clubs:

  • “Is it weird that I feel like at this stage of our lives, we're talking about books and stuff now, but I feel like book reading was like the DnD of the last 20 years...” (Wade, [18:51])

• On technology nostalgia:

  • “It’s just tinkering with Legos but with expensive computer equipment.” (Mark, [25:41])

• On aging & amusement park rides:

  • “Sometimes you get older, you lose the ability to do stuff. But man, swings and merry-go-rounds go hard.” (Bob, [38:12])

• On childhood rituals and dental hygiene:

  • “Dental problems are always terrible, even if it's only something that's minor. Sucks. Turns out you need your mouth to eat and drink things, and that's pretty crucial.” (Bob, [42:04])

Important Timestamps

| Segment | Start Time | |---------------------------------------|------------| | Banter & Hollywood Phone Call Bit | 01:57 | | Iron Lung Box Office Stories | 06:00 | | Dungeon Crawler Carl Book Club | 07:26 | | Peter Pan & “How Do You Pan?” Intro | 20:34 | | Childhood Food Loves | 31:19 | | Playground/Puzzle nostalgia | 37:50 | | Dental Hygiene Habits | 41:05 | | Points Tally Segment | 44:47 | | Mark’s Existential Victory Speech | 48:50 |

Tone & Language

The tone is casual, humorous, and self-deprecating throughout. The group mixes earnestness with parody and a playful attitude toward their own quirks and “immature” tendencies. Their friendship and comfort with each other is as much a part of the entertainment as the episode’s overt theme.

Summary by: Distractible Podcast Summarizer
For anyone who missed it, this episode is a warm, hilarious, and unexpectedly touching ode to remaining a little childish, no matter how grown-up you are.