Luke attempted a complicated recipe last night that involved one ingredient and two steps. He also shares a roundup of interesting audio, some originating from outer space, some from Cincinnati, Ohio.

Luke and Andrew each celebrate an anniversary today, which sends them down a memory lane that is perfect for losing any new listeners who may be checking out the show after hearing Luke’s story on This American Life this weekend. They also talk about old salad bars, cold restaurants, French-speaking hummingbirds, and personal thermostat preferences.

Changes at HBO Max are getting in the way of Luke’s enjoyment of Somebody, Somewhere. Andrew also catches Luke up on the drama surrounding the resurrected mascot at the Pop-Tart Bowl. And they make their plans to profit off of Popeye The Sailor Man, now that he’s in the public domain. 

Andrew shares one of the cringiest memories of his broadcasting career. He and Luke also go over some of the Top Stories that they accidentally skipped last year, including a story of a stinky milk pond, new rules for Costco hot dogs, and Ralph Nader’s campaign to restore his favorite pens to their previous splendor.

Luke and Andrew have a serious conversation about Fresca that they should have had a long time ago. Luke also lets Andrew in on some of the soda scams his family ran in the 90s.

Luke and Andrew assume they have a bunch of new listeners since it’s a brand new year. So they try to catch everyone up on what’s been happening on TBTL for the past 17 years. They also revisit some of the fancy words they employed in 2024.

Luke and Andrew delve into listener Kristen’s list of TBTL vocabulary words that stood out to her in 2024. They also celebrate the life of Andre Braugher and explore the stand-up comedy roots of Richard Belzer. 

Luke  and Andrew use data and a spreadshee to analyze TBTL’s opening tape over the past four years. Plus, Luke discovers a new skill that’s perfect for the digital age. 

Luke finds himself in an awkward conversation with someone he wrongly assumed had very different political views than himself.  He and Andrew also tackle one of the Top Stories that they skipped in 2024: Oxford’s “Word Of The Year.” Andrew has issues with it! 

Luke and Andrew come up with the perfect way to close-out the TBTL year. But are they professional enough to pull it off? They also examine the proud tradition of hiding comic books inside text books.