Friendship Material

Recorded on: 1 September 2025

Show notes:

Good morning! Join Halsted and Keenan for brunch and a great cup of coffee. And then they talk about their most transcendent and cathartic moments doing something they don’t entirely enjoy: going to concerts.

Not-footnotes:

• Cometeer Coffee
• Tangerine Dream

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Recorded on: 12 October 2025

Do you have a friendship litmus test, the book or band or film you mention to someone you meet to figure out if you’re going to get along? Halsted has one. Keenan talks about a shift in their perspective, thanks to getting older. And they both discuss being reformed know-it-alls.

Then Keenan’s deity status is revealed, and they make some decrees.

Not-footnotes:

• “Wicked Little Critta” by They Might Be Giants
• Everything Is Awful and I’m Not Okay: questions to ask before giving up
• Song Exploder Episode 28: The Long Winters - The Commander Thinks Aloud

Get in touch with us at [email protected]!

Recorded on: 24 August 2025

Show notes:

Keenan and Halsted don’t get excited about buying things anymore. What happened? Have their values changed? Was it some global event that massively disrupted everyone’s lives?

But first they talk about houses exploding, running down the street after the UPS delivery person, Bigfoot, and fancy soap.

Not-footnotes:

• “Man’s Search for Meaning” by Viktor E. Frankl
• Spontaneous human combustion on Wikipedia
• What Are Aromatics?

Get in touch with us at [email protected]!

Recorded on: 10 August 2025

Show notes:

Crispy like broiled tomatillo husks: that’s how Keenan and Halsted feel right now. They’re past burned out, and self-care doesn’t fix broken systems. How do they know when to ask for help, and how do they accept help?

And hey, have they leveled up? They talk about an evolution in their friendship.

Not-footnotes:

• “Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle” by Dr. Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski
• “How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing” by K.C. Davis, LPC
• That recipe with the tomatillos: Corn and Green Bean Salad with Tomatillo Dressing

Get in touch with us at [email protected]!

Recorded on: 3 August 2025

How do two recovering perfectionists learn to be bad at things like learning a new language or playing a new videogame? And not just learn to be bad at them, but enjoy being bad at them?

Speaking of being bad at things, Keenan and Halsted talk about talking to strangers at parties. Halsted shares the best conversation starter she knows. And don’t forget your complimentary cocktail lemon.

Not-footnotes:

• “Should I Bring a Gift for My Host?” — Emily Post Institute
• “The “10,000-hour rule” was debunked again. That’s a relief.” — Brian Resnick, for Vox

Get in touch with us at [email protected]!

Recorded on: 20 July 2025

Keenan and Halsted both search for meaning in perspectives, not answers. They share their experiences with organized religion, trying to find community, and how aging can make people less curious.

And then their tangent boat carries them away on the currents of Caves of Qud and Game of Thrones and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Not-footnotes:

• “Why Does My Mind Keep Thinking That?” - The Ezra Klein Show (Ezra Klein-lovin’ subscribers only, sorry lol)
• Search Engine - “The Psychic Question”
• Dr. Mark Epstein has been a guest on a lot of podcasts and has written some books.
• Caves of Qud and Game of Thrones and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Sunk cost fallacy
• “Past Lives”

Get in touch with us at [email protected]!

Recorded on: 24 August 2025

Show notes:

It’s time to talk about Station Eleven. Halsted just finished watching it for the first time, and Keenan just completed their fourth rewatch. Spoilers abound, so please don’t listen to this until you’ve seen it!

Not-footnotes:

• Station Eleven (miniseries)
• Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (book)

Get in touch with us at [email protected]!

Recorded on: 6 July 2025

The Friends talk about how they sometimes feel lonely even when surrounded by wonderful people. Halsted doesn’t cry over a post-it note in a library book. Keenan edits The Note.

And then they really piss off the scuba-diving community.

Not-footnotes:

• Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close by Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman
• Dunbar's number: Why we can only maintain 150 relationships

Scuba divers use diving weights. Not anchors.

Get in touch with us at [email protected]!

Recorded on: 1 June 2025

Show notes:

One of Halsted and Keenan’s first interactions was bonding over their shared personality types: INFJ and Enneagram 4. So they talk about them!

Do personality types make us feel seen? Do they help us understand how we act and interact? Are they helpful (and unhelpful) shorthand?

Not-footnotes:

• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
• The Enneagram: A Primer for Psychiatry Residents

Get in touch with us at [email protected]!

Recorded on: 26 May 2025

Show notes:

Halsted and Keenan warm up with some meta chat about podcast recording and editing, plus musings about their shared conversational style. Because their friendship is podcasted and their podcast is friendshipped.

And then Keenan asks Halsted, “What’s the deal with your name?”

Not-footnotes:

• Elite Dangerous

Get in touch with us at [email protected]!