Kate Vlasek
Co-Host of Generation BSC: A Baby-Sitters Club Podcast
Kate grew up a Mary Anne who desperately wanted to be a Stacey. As an adult, she’s a Claudia/Shannon hybrid whose days are spent practicing law and whose evenings and weekends are spent making jewelry and purses in between walks with her dog, Indiana, and her husband. She would like to thank her mom for “loaning” all her BSC books to cousins when she was a child, as it resulted in the Friday afternoon eBay hunt and resulting purchase that inspired the creation of this podcast.
Kate Vlasek has hosted 95 Episodes.
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Episode 013: Good-bye Stacey, Good-bye
March 24th, 2020 | 1 hr 3 mins
main series, stacey
Fresh off their timeless summer vacation to the Bahamas and Disney World (timeline wonkiness, what?), the girls are promptly faced with the Stacey’s family’s departure from Stoneybrook to return to NYC. It’s a rough road, particularly for Claudia, but the girls face it with excellent modelling behavior for readers – as Lauryn puts it in the episode, scary things happen, but good things can come from scary things. We discuss the difficulty as a child (and sometimes an adult) to recognize that you can have two conflicting emotions or feelings at the same time, the interplay of “smartness” being a big part of your self-identity and instances of someone else being smarter than you, the difference between all the breadcrumbs we’ve had about Jeff’s impending departure and Stacey’s abrupt and swift move, and take a deep dive on the realities of Mrs. Porter. Tangents (both on- and off-topic) include: reality TV recent and not, garage sales, growing affection (?) for Mallory and Dawn, FOMO, colloquialisms, and the repeated use of “exotic” to describe Claudia.
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SS01: Baby-Sitters on Board!!
March 10th, 2020 | 1 hr 49 mins
guest, super special
It’s a super special, super long, super guest episode to discuss the first Super Special - Baby-Sitters on Board! Mr. Pike wins a week-long cruise/Disney trip at work and the Pikes invite Stacey and Mary Anne to be mother’s helpers, just like Sea City. (When this book takes place, who knows, as they reference Sea City, but say this is still that summer...) Watson decides to take the Thomas-Brewer family as well and includes Claudia and Dawn because, why not? Kate and Lauryn invite their first guest – their often mentioned friend, Katie Schneller – to join them to discuss (among many topics) the repeated plots in this book, Game of Thrones/BSC crossover fanfic, Mallory’s bunny face signature, author intention, Katie’s scarf-tying abilities, misremembered parts of the Haunted Mansion, the ranking of donut hole flavors, Rick Steves vs. Rick Dees, and (of course) Cokie Mason.
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Episode 012: Claudia and the New Girl!
February 25th, 2020 | 1 hr 9 mins
claudia, main series
Claudia’s got a new friend, despite our insistence on no new friends. Ashley Wyeth moves to town and is a Serious Artist. Claudia is immediately enamored of her and starts spending all of her time with Ashley, completely ignoring the BSC, her babysitting charges, and Stacey, in particular. Lauryn initially gets excited about the first non-straight "romantic" crush in the series, which leads to a conversation and re-evaluation regarding crushes and friendships at that age and their emotional complexities. Kate redeems her memory when her prediction of this book was spot-on (but she doubles down that Eddie from her Ghost at Dawn’s House prediction will for sure be in Beware, Dawn!, Mystery #2). As always, we touch on plenty of TV references – this time including, but not limited to, The Good Place, Project Runway, and Buffy. Newbury Award winners that we know and love are discussed in an actually on-topic tangent and we sort of make predictions for the next two books. Clearly, we’re figuring out how Super Specials actually fit in! We touch on Benedict Arnold (with Lauryn being a supporter? maybe?), Banksy, what art is anyway, early 2000s fashion, possibly and definitely problematic descriptive words, and reaffirm #nonewpeeps.
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Episode 011: Kristy and the Snobs!
February 11th, 2020 | 1 hr 8 mins
kristy, main series
Kristy’s been living in her new neighborhood for months now and refuses to get to know anyone because they’re all snobs with a pool, multiple tennis courts, and a cook named Agnes. She’s forced out of her self-imposed isolation when the BSC starts advertising in her neighborhood and jobs with new families start coming in, which takes jobs from Kate’s favorite future associate member, Shannon Kilbourne (one of the aforementioned snobs). Kristy and Shannon have a prank war before finally becoming friends after Kristy’s dog Louie has to be put down. Yes, it’s another SUPER emotional book, this time one that completely came out of left field and floored us during reading (as it likely will in this description). We spend some time discussing dogs we love and loved, while also discussing growing into your “self” and feeling comfortable in your skin, quoting Homer Simpson, pondering the power of positive thinking (however that works for you), and obsessing over Amelia Bedelia. Also – we learn how to properly pronounce Mary Anne’s last name thanks to our listener Deanna!!
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Episode 010: Logan Likes Mary Anne!!
January 28th, 2020 | 1 hr 9 mins
main series, mary anne
There’s a new boy in school – Logan Bruno, fresh from Louisville, Kentucky – and Mary Anne has a crush! He crushes right back, surprising Lauryn, whose main reaction to Mary Anne consistently seems to be “her?” Discussion of the gender dynamics and “romantic” relationships at play in this book includes tangents (both related and wildly varied) about shy girl tropes, the ins and outs of talking to boys at that age, the on-going absence of Cokie Mason, and feeling left behind when your friends take steps you haven’t yet. We touch on shipping from a more global perspective and realize we were both unexpectedly here for it for #reylo in The Rise of Skywalker. Lauryn reveals her Jenny Prezzioso past and unintentionally (?) shades Kate’s styling abilities, while Kate manages to squeeze in multiple references to Kristy’s Mystery Admirer and identifies strongly with Mary Anne.
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Episode 009: The Ghost at Dawn's House!
January 14th, 2020 | 1 hr 8 mins
dawn, main series
Dawn, her love of scary stories, and her search for a hidden passage in her house (built in 1715) are the focus in this book and episode. No really, the main plot is all about Dawn and her search for and discovery of a hidden passage and then her slow revelation of its existence to her friends and family. We both acknowledge just how wrong our predictions about this one were (with the caveats that Kate’s is 100% a future Mystery book plot and Lauryn’s Underground Railroad thoughts may still be revealed to be accurate). Lauryn relays her tale of “accidental” library book theft and Kate sets everyone up for the terrifying revelation that horror movie characters are living lives just as normal as ours before the horror events kick in. Plenty of random tangents abound as always: repeated day movie/TV tropes, bad Christmas movies on demand, first class plane travel, nerdy dog names, and font design.
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Episode 008: Boy-Crazy Stacey!
December 31st, 2019 | 1 hr 10 mins
main series, stacey
The BSC is separated for the last two weeks of the summer for conveniently-timed vacations, including a trip to Sea City for Stacey and Mary Anne, as they travel with the Pike family as mother’s helpers. Stacey falls in LUV while shirking her babysitting responsibilities, while Mary Anne gets her first (somehow?) sunburn to deal with while covering for Stacey. We discuss first crushes and LUV and maturity generally along with navigating the ins and outs of nurturing friendships and romantic relationships simultaneously. Kate gets her first major soapbox moment with a discussion of sunscreen and Lauryn gives us some insight into her quintessential 7th/8th grade crush. We each reveal our irrational fears derived from early childhood movie-viewing (sharks for Kate and birds for Lauryn) and yet again question some of Stacey’s sartorial (along with life) choices.
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Episode 007: Claudia and Mean Janine!
December 17th, 2019 | 1 hr 12 mins
claudia, main series
Claudia and Janine just don’t seem to get each other after some backsliding since their personal and relationship growth in Phantom Phone Calls. Things come to a head after Mimi has a stroke (completely blindsiding Kate and Lauryn in their reread). We discuss our experiences with siblings and grandparent health issues and spoiler alert, find ourselves unexpectedly, but solidly, on Team Janine (except when it comes to correcting grammar and speaking like a walking thesaurus in certain situations). There is some debate over how best to pronounce Reese’s Pieces and we again find ourselves questioning Stacey’s sartorial choices. Seriously - we clearly just accepted what the other girls said about her while disregarding the outfit descriptions!
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Episode 006: Kristy's Big Day!
December 3rd, 2019 | 1 hr 4 mins
kristy, main series
Kate and Lauryn take on the wedding industrial complex when Kristy's mom and Watson have to move their Fall wedding up because of "reasons"... In addition, there's the $3 per hour that the BSC members are making for babysitting fourteen children for like 40 hours in one week leading up to the wedding? There are lots of feelings, but of a much more positive variety than last episode! And spoiler alert - Kristy's super on board not only with being a bridesmaid but with the dress and flowers in her hair that go with it. We were way off in our predictions! Shocking, but true!
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Episode 005: Dawn and the Impossible Three!
November 19th, 2019 | 57 mins 20 secs
main series, mary anne
After becoming the Alternate Officer of the BSC, Dawn takes on primary responsibility for babysitting the so-called “Impossible Three” Barrett children. There are very problematic aspects of this story and WE. HAVE. FEELINGS. The continuing discussion on maturity takes an extreme turn in this episode due to the negligent and borderline absentee parenting by Mrs. Barrett. We recognize our prior mistaken overlooking of Claudia’s race and look forward to our future opportunities to bring other perspectives into our conversations. On a lighter note, Kate and Lauryn wrap up the episode with a discussion their favorite babysitting charges, Jackie Rodowsky and Jamie Newton in particular for both and Charlotte Johansson for Kate.
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Episode 004: Mary Anne Saves the Day!
November 5th, 2019 | 1 hr 7 mins
main series, mary anne
Mary Anne takes a stand and saves the day in multiple ways. After a huge fight where the girls aren't speaking, Mary Anne makes a new friend in Dawn Schafer and grows as a person before bringing the Core Four back together, taking care of a very sick child, getting her dad to see her as more mature and ready for more freedom. The conversation about maturity continues, with a focus on jealousy, growing pains, and conflict as a catalyst for action. Kate and Lauryn also discuss the BSC in Brooklyn Nine-Nine and the resurgence of the Baby-Sitters Club in pop culture generally.
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Episode 003: The Truth About Stacey!
October 22nd, 2019 | 1 hr 9 mins
main series, stacey
Stacey reveals the shocking truth! … she has diabetes? And also her parents refuse to face reality and keep pursuing miracle cures, to the detriment of Stacey’s mental and emotional health. Kate and Lauryn continue their discussions of maturity, how being older definitely does not make one wiser or more responsible, the entirely reasonable fear of crying at school, and medical personal autonomy. Lauryn recounts her time acting as her dad’s personal Siri after Kate clarifies Generation X, Millennials, and Generation BSC based on how each group deals with questions of fact while out at a bar. They also touch on what it really meant to be a nerd back in the day and updates to the book that include removing references to human garbage and adjusting for inflation. Also get excited for our future Very Special Episode to discuss Ulysses!
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Episode 002: Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls!
October 8th, 2019 | 1 hr 54 secs
claudia, main series
Before there were actual BSC Mysteries, there was the original - Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls. Are the girls being stalked by the actual Phantom Caller (who wants to steal… their hair ribbons…)? Or is there something else to this mystery? Kate and Lauryn’s Great Ideas touch on growing pains related to varying levels of maturity, sibling rivalry, what it means to be “smart,” imagination, and the ability of pre-teen girls to escalate to dramatics quickly. Lauryn can’t wait to discuss a certain Core Four member’s sexuality as she continues to explore her own, and Kate breaks down the ins and outs of IQs.
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Episode 001: Kristy's Great Idea!
September 25th, 2019 | 46 mins 42 secs
kristy, main series
Spoiler Alert: Kristy has a GREAT idea and that idea is to create the Baby-Sitters Club. Kate and Lauryn discuss their own Great Ideas related to family structure, gender, children’s understanding and insight into the adult world, nostalgia, and their excitement to keep reading. Lauryn expresses concern with being called babyish and Kate compares a trip to Blockbuster to ignorance in Ancient Rome. They also touch on fashion, Claudia’s hidden snacks, and Lauryn’s obsession with the timeline, of course.
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Episode 000: An Introduction to Generation Baby-Sitters Club!
September 23rd, 2019 | 33 mins 15 secs
introduction
Kate and Lauryn introduce themselves, the podcast, and what the hell Generation BSC even means. Get to know them and what this whole thing is going to be (at least what Kate and Lauryn think it’s going to be before they even really get started) while they extol the virtues of Cleveland, Ohio, Nalgene bottles, and American Hi-Fi and Lauryn makes her first reference to Elder Millennials.