It's 2026 and we don't have much to say — yet.

Ryan: Hello Stephen. Happy New Year.

Stephen: Ryan, rejoice. A brand new year is upon us and once again a million opportunities lay bare.

RS: Wow. That’s a great way to think about it.

In this new year, we have a lot to catch up on. We haven’t spoken in nearly a month due to the embargo you put on business and personal communication.

SK: That’s right we haven’t said a peep to one another since before Christmas. I believe that business is business and friendship is friendship and never shall the two meet. We needed to reestablish our relationship which is why I embargöed your ass.

RS: Distance makes the heart grow fond, ya know? I can say that in the days and weeks we went without speaking, my love for you only grew. Mostly because you weren’t around to piss me off. He’s always pissing me off (that’s me addressing the reader for a second, and not Steve)

SK: So you’re saying this was good for us?

RS: Probably. Do you think this bit is working?

SK: It’s dying on the line. Let’s get into the meat and potatoes of this thing. What did you want to ask?

RS: Since we haven’t spoken in months, I thought it would be nice to just kind of catch up, see how you’ve been. My first question is what did you have for dinner last night?

SK: I had leftovers last night. The night before, I made a lentil stew from Alison Roman’s new cookbook that I was gifted for Christmas by my brother. It was delicious. An acorn squash and lentil collab with some fried shallots. BUDDY. Toss some yogurt on there. Sprinkle with some fresh herbs you have lying around as I know you do. I’m telling you what, you gotta try it.

RS: That’s a fiber rich meal. I’ve heard that we all need to be eating more fiber. From what I’ve heard, maybe you don’t need more fiber. But the average millennial could probably use more lentils in their diet.

SK: My fiber intake is hearty. Trust me.

Okay so tell me a bit about what you’ve been up to the last few months. What is one new song you’ve listened to and enjoyed recently? It doesn’t have to be new in the sense of creation, but new to you.

RS: I hate to admit that I have not been immune to Geese-mania. As a man living in Brooklyn that feels too cliche to say. Ignore that.

How about this: the other day as I was looking for some ambient music to edit one of our little movies to, I found this album by Ben Hackett called Songs for Sleeping Dogs. I believe I sent it to you. Did you listen to it or did you delete the message immediately?

SK: I just used the search function in my iMessage to google (?) “Ben Hackett” and you did indeed send it to me and I did indeed not listen BUT I will. You must have caught me during our embargo. You know I love a nice ambient soundscape.

Can we talk about Counting Crows?

RS: ‘round here?

SK: Yeah, man. Round here.

RS: I am open to having a discussion about Counting Crows. What do you have to say about them?

SK: While eating my leftover soup last night, I found myself in a relatively novel position for the first time in a while as I was completely alone. My wife jettisoned to Miami and my tiny daughter asleep upstairs, I was in control of my evening so I did what any man in his 30s does: I searched for a documentary to stream.

I stumbled across a new one on Counting Crows. I listened to them early in high school and then really haven’t revisited them since unfortunately finding out about Drake junior year of high school. Watching the film and listening to the music in it immediately took me back to a place that felt very nice! Any CD I burned from 2005-2008 had “Mr. Jones” on it no matter what. Period.

Ultimately it’s A weird band led by an unfortunately dreadlocked lead singer but I love the music.

I imagine you not liking them.

RS: I can name the hits and buddy, I enjoy the hits! Mr Jones. Round Here. Long December. And then there’s that uh. The paved paradise one. The Joni Mitchell cover. All of them are great. That haircut though is truly horrific.

SK: You are forgetting their biggest hit.

RS: Oh wow. Okay. Mr Jones isn’t their biggest hit?

SK:

RS: Hahahahahahaha.

That’s a good movie. That’s a good song. Good for them. Do you respect Counting Crows more now that you know all about them?

SK: I do. A rag tag group of people from Berkeley that basically became world famous overnight and really, for the most part, handled it well. I certainly didn’t know they were as famous as they were in their heydey. Adam Duritz dated Jennifer Aniston and also worked at bar during the height of his fame just to try and feel a bit like an everyman which seems like a run experiement.

RS: Good for him. The only real enduring memory I associate with Counting Crows is our dear friend and former landlord Eric Senseman singing, very loudly, “A Long December” around the house, when we were out for a run, popping his head into your bedroom. It was everywhere.

Anyway. How’s the weather been in Seattle?

SK: The weather has been very bad. We’ve had two atmospheric river events and it’s currently 40 degrees and sleeting. How’s your first NYC winter treated you?

RS: There have been a few days that I have found to be pretty unpleasant. But overall, I come from hearty midwestern stock. My body remembers cold. And it really doesn’t stick around that long. Today I wore too much crap on my run and was way too hot. I’d like to remember what sub zero temperatures feel like though. So if that could happen soon I think I’d enjoy that for a few minutes.

SK: You’re a real sicky. Well, I think this has to be one of the worst newsletters we’ve ever put out there. Setting a very low bar for 2026.

RS: We’re sorry. Please unsubscribe. We don’t deserve your readership.