As America collectively loses its mind over microwave metal objects, our podcast crew finally emerges from an extended technology hostage situation to deliver our annual year-in-review episode.

John explains why we have three unpublished episodes (spoiler: it's a story of betrayal and fruit), while Peggy achieves her lifelong dream of recording podcasts that never actually reach human ears.

Then our hosts take turns sharing their 2025 highlights and lowlights:

- Beth discovers that moving to Poughkeepsie means joining book clubs, learning mahjong, and becoming a condo board member (with sincerest condolences from her co-hosts)

- Peggy misses John's birthday card for the first time since living in Sudan - and was 34 minutes late to this recording

- Shelly got laid off on Halloween but found love, a Rhine cruise, and part-ownership of a house with the love of her life

- John celebrates the end of diapers and discovers his kids want to buy a house among West Michigan Nice

- Jim reveals he's seen 140 movies in theaters this year (almost three per week, for those counting)

Along the way, we explore: IU's miraculous football season, the state of college athletics compensation, why Beth got off the train on the wrong side, and the belt situation that required immediate intervention.

Then Jim subjects everyone to a deeply personal quiz ("How much is my rent?") before we make our official 2026 predictions on Trump's approval rating, unemployment, inflation, and the midterm elections. Spoiler: Peggy's economic forecast involves 9.6% unemployment AND Trump becoming more popular. We have questions.

Warning: This episode contains extensive discussion of Jim's weight loss journey (the weight of a small animal), multiple references to shoes and belts, John's desperate plea for babysitters, and a surprisingly moving reading about Rob Reiner and national decency.

P.S. The Lost Episode from November 2024 still exists. John found it under a little box he didn't know was there.

P.P.S. If you're in Indiana, congratulations on your Heisman Trophy winner. Kurtis Rourke seems like a genuinely impressive young man.

P.P.P.S. We don't know why Peggy's video failed. We kind of like the ghost-feel.