Podcast Summary: Holmberg's Morning Sickness – Arizona

Episode: 12-02-25 - BR - TUE - Study Finds Laughing Gas Helps w/Depression - 67yo Chinese Man Had Lighter In Bowels For Years - Amazon Testing Ultra Fast Delivery
Date: December 2, 2025
Host: John Holmberg
Co-hosts: Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, Dick Toledo

Overview

This morning episode dives into odd news and banter in the signature irreverent style of Holmberg and crew. Key discussions include a study on using laughing gas to treat depression, the bizarre case of a Chinese man with a lighter in his gut for decades, and Amazon's pilot of ultra-fast 30-minute deliveries. The team also riffs on current trivia, viral videos, and listener stories, keeping things lively and offbeat throughout.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Acts of Kindness: The Lost Ladder & Charity

• Listener Story: Jim Lord, a contractor, recounts accidentally losing a $500 ladder and roller magnet from his truck. Miraculously, someone stacked them neatly by the roadside (01:20).

• Jim thanks the mystery helpers by donating $500 to Lost Our Home Pet Rescue. The crew jokes about possible “Christmas elves” being responsible (03:08).

• The gang injects humor, suggesting Jim Manley (another community member) went out of his way to help.

  Notable Quote – John Holmberg (03:10):
  “Maybe let’s say that Jim Manley was the guy driving the truck that fixed Jim Lord’s dumb problem. And Jim, you know better than that. Strapping 24-foot ladders in a personal truck with bungee cords…”

2. Fun Facts & National Days

• Brady delivers trivia and announces it’s National Skip School Day, National Fritter Day, National Bartender Day & Giving Tuesday (04:56).

• Historical note: Eliza Acton wrote the first modern cookbook in 1845, introducing ingredient lists and cooking times (05:33).

• Smoking stats: Utah has the lowest adult smoker rate (9%), West Virginia the highest (25%) (06:36).

• “Rage bait” is Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year, capturing the rise of outrage-inducing online content (08:02).

  Memorable Banter – John (08:21):
  “There is rage bait out there. And it started yesterday…”

3. Study on Laughing Gas for Depression

• News: A new study finds laughing gas (nitrous oxide) is effective in treating depression, providing relief that can last up to a week per treatment (09:00).

• Discussion on how surprising it is that this hasn’t been tried sooner, given its mood-elevating properties.

• Debate over traditional antidepressants (Prozac, Zoloft) vs. laughing gas, jokingly suggesting other drugs could work too (10:22).

  Key Quote – John Holmberg (10:22):
  “I had in my brain just assumed laughing gas, when they invented it, someone would have said, ‘Let’s give it to depressed people and see if it helps.’ But we haven’t done that till 2025. That seems like a wasted gap of time.”

• The hosts toy with the idea of “just giving everyone cocaine,” lampooning the endless trial of drugs for depression and the hypocrisy of drawing lines over which drugs are “acceptable” (11:13).

4. Bizarre Medical News: Man With Lighter in Bowels

• Story: In China, doctors discovered a 67-year-old man had a lighter in his stomach for over 30 years, swallowed on a dare while drinking (12:00).

• Doctors struggled to remove it because it was smooth and slippery; they eventually netted it out. Miraculously, it still contained fuel and worked (14:23).

  Funny Exchange – John & Brady (12:54, 14:33):
  John: “‘Oh, is that still in there?’”
  Brady: “Once it was removed, doctors saw it had been corroded by the stomach acid, but it still had gas inside and it still worked.”

• The hosts speculate humorously about the man’s reaction and the language barrier, riffing on stereotypes (14:33).

5. Amazon’s Ultra-Fast Delivery Pilot

• News: Amazon is trialing 30-minute front-door delivery in Seattle and Philadelphia (16:06).

• Service fees are discussed: $13.99 per order (non-Prime) or $3.99 (Prime) plus basket fees (17:19).

• The team jokes about “backdoor delivery” and fantasizes about what could be delivered in 30 minutes.

  Notable Banter – John Holmberg (16:21):
  “That’s not ultra fast. That’s supersonic. That’s hypersonic. How?”

6. Viral Videos & The "Brandy Videos" Segment

The latter segment consists of quick reactions to odd and grotesque viral videos:

• Silverback Gorilla (19:11): Woman films gorilla at a zoo; gorilla “poops on the window,” leading to loud reactions and claims of AI fakery.
• Eating Earthworms (20:01): Cambodian man eats nightcrawlers, prompting strong disgust from the crew.
• Balcony Escape Gone Wrong (22:26): Man caught cheating tries to escape by jumping balconies; falls several stories. Takeaway: “No affairs in high rises.”
• Tattooed Women Kicking Man (23:54): Woman with unusual tattoos kicks a man in the groin.
• Bizarre Sex Toy Extraction (24:52): Discussion about a video showing a woman removing a lengthy rubber sex toy—comical disbelief from hosts.

Memorable Quote – John Holmberg (25:35):
“You start with little things, and then you move up to the three and a half foot Limp Dildo. Limp Dildo is my favorite band name of the year so far.”

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On Random Acts of Kindness:
  “That’s a nice thing to do. See. Comes from the heart. Feel like you got to pay it back a little bit.” – John (03:27)

• On Laughing Gas for Depression:
  “Of course it’s going to help. If you’re happy and you have sad gas, it’s going to do that.” – John (10:22)

• On Drug Hypocrisy:
  “I’m tired of the hypocrisy of like—I can’t believe you would suggest cocaine for a depressed person. … They’re all bad. They’re drugs.” – John (11:39)

• On the Bizarre Medical Story:
  “Had a lighter in his stomach for over thirty years … it still had gas inside and it still worked.” – Brady (14:23)

• On Amazon’s New Delivery:
  “That’s not ultra fast. That’s supersonic. That’s hypersonic. How?” – John (16:46)

• On Viral Videos:
  “Come on. Yeah. I can’t watch Asian people eat their worms like that. … You and me would be like Ariana Grande and her friend from Wicked—just be the two skinniest people walking around.” – John (20:16)

Segment Timestamps

• Listener Kindness Story: 01:20–04:56
• Fun Facts, National Days, and Word of the Year: 04:56–09:00
• Laughing Gas for Depression Discussion: 09:00–12:00
• Chinese Man with Lighter Story: 12:00–15:45
• Amazon Ultra-Fast Delivery Pilot: 16:06–18:14
• Viral Videos Segment: 18:59–25:34

Tone and Takeaway

The episode maintains its hallmark blend of irreverence, playfulness, and local humor. While some discussion edges on edgy satire, the hosts handle even bizarre or offbeat news with wit and rapid-fire banter. The medical and tech news sparks genuine curiosity, but it is the absurdity — from lost ladders to long-lost lighters and viral videos — that anchors the show’s unique appeal. This is a quintessential HMS episode, mixing Arizona flavor with an anything-goes comic sensibility.