Getting Through This with Tom and Scott

Tom faces the mild terror of Valentine’s Day in the Catskills by driving 40 minutes to buy flowers that are not chrysanthemums, or as his girlfriend called them last year, “flowers of death”. Scott and his girlfriend boldly buck the system by deciding to celebrate the holiday on February 15, to bolster his case for a “designated” Valentine’s Day, that people can celebrate when they choose.

No, Tom and Scott aren’t news junkies, despite the fact that they collectively read the replica editions online of several local and national newspapers, and diligently watch all of the cable news networks, including some international ones as well. So what needs to happen is an anti-intervention, where our friends and family gather in a large room, and tell us to keep doing exactly what we’re doi...

The alleged Chinese spy balloon takes us back to the decidedly less threatening film The Red Balloon, which we prefer to the current version, since it takes place in the magical streets of Paris, rather than Montana and Idaho. Also, we suggest a new segment on the Oscars that would boost viewership. An “In Memoriam” type tribute honoring those who are very much alive, but never completed their scr...

We love sidewalks, and appreciate the fact that they don’t wiggle like Jello, as fun as that may sound. So we raise our podcast glass to the cement industry, or as some pronounce it “Ceement”, for giving us solid and sturdy sidewalks, for better living.

Scott unzips his Eddie Bauer parka, reveling in the relative warmth of a 54 degree “Pre Spring” day in Manhattan, while Tom faces a harrowing challenge in the Catskills, when he discovers three of his four tires are virtually bald, or at least have receding hairlines.

We extol the virtues of the mighty, but unassuming, river just minutes from Grand Central Terminal, as we embark on the Hudson River Line. And we propose, but are fervently against instituting, a Solemn Car on trains, for quiet, mournful reflection only, that goes beyond the requirements of just the Quiet Car.

When Tom moves The Great Bookshelf and several works of art into his formerly bare walled minimalist apartment, it’s not just a move, it’s a movement, as he creates a library/museum/living space lodging. Now Scott must decide if he should eschew his own minimalist decor and follow Tom’s lead.

Scott’s no Mr. Fix It, but when he figures out, thanks to Google, how to reset a wall outlet, he becomes a bonafide member of DIY Nation. Plus, why taking candy from a baby is a good thing. And an exclusive first look at where disasters waiting to happen hang out.

We introduce another idea that will appear in the New York Times Style section three weeks from now. To celebrate your birthday with friends the day before and after, and spend the actual birthday alone doing whatever you choose. It worked for Tommy this past weekend, and it can work for you!

It’s our annual friendly reminder, not the other unfriendly kind, that even in the depths of winter, the days are actually getting longer! That’s at least two minutes more per day of daylight that will make getting through winter a little easier. And no, we’re not winter deniers. We just believe in pre-spring.

As Scott begins to read The Power Broker, Tom and Scott propose that the world prioritize essential workers, like delivery people, servers and baristas, over run of the mill hedge fund managers. And reverse their pay scale accordingly. Because at the outset of the pandemic as well as today, who would you really need to show up at your door?

Scott returns from his nephew’s wedding in Miami, where, among other fun adventures, he danced with a belly dancer. Which of course leads us to a discussion of TV dinners, three second movies, and how using the term, “Pardon me”, can empower someone else to be King or Queen for Three Seconds.

One reason Scott hasn’t run for office, is answering the inevitable question, “What books are on your nightstand?, since he hasn’t read any books in a few years. That’s all about to change as Scott is gifted The Power Broker, and his New Year’s resolution is to read that 900 page book in 45 days!

Tommy has a Christmas miracle as his arduous two day ordeal traveling upstate ends happily, just in time for Christmas Eve. Scott avoids travel woes by staying in the city, and watching Holiday Inn, which leads to a shocking discovery!

Listening to this episode about making lists should be on your to do list. And after you listen, it can go on our patented Have Done list, which brings you the satisfaction you deserve. And yes, “Get up” should be on your to do list, because if you don’t accomplish that task, the rest of the list will most likely not get done.

Tom reconsiders his proposal for an immense statue of The Great Pedestrian, and instead suggests one carved out of a single proton. Scott applauds Tom’s decision not to do an electron sculpture, since he has just learned a proton is 1836 times larger. The bottom line is we can now be considered for a Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Can Scott trim his IPhone addiction so he can be free to solve the world’s problems? In the interim, Tom proposes a world where everyone lives in a gilded age mansion or equivalent apartment tower.

Hearing Tom’s vivid COVID’s -eye view of booming tourism in New York, leads Scott to create the expression, “A word is worth a thousand pictures.” As Tom deals with some lingering symptoms, he is thankful to live in a place where people come from around the world to visit.

While Tommy was experiencing the high and lows of his road trip to Florida and Savannah, and his subsequent Covid diagnosis, Scott saw four films and two plays for a total cost of $14.50! How did he do it and is this the new way to flight inflation? Plus, Scott uses an uncharacteristic word for him in an impassioned defense of the director at a q and a after one of those screenings.

Neither rain nor snow nor COVID can stop Tom from completing his appointed podcast rounds. And in an episode destined to be preserved in historical archives around the world, we hear what COVID sounds like in real time, from a man who retains his humor and mental agility in the face of nagging symptoms. And who also comes up with a medical breakthrough that you can only discover on this podcast.

Tom fulfills a lifelong dream of visiting the architectural marvel that is Savannah. And we pioneer a new form of audio travelogue that lets you close your eyes and see the sights of the city without leaving your home. On the frontlines of the Senate runoff on Tuesday, Tom senses the mood of the electorate by having a fried chicken, bacon and waffles brunch.

This historic episode finds Tommy at the Magic Kingdom in Florida, telling tales of being in The Happiest Place on Earth. And actually being happy, unlike the tired parents with their kids, not rich enough to be on the pricey express line for the rides. Hearing this, Scott proclaims that there shall be one line for all, and a fast one at that. Will critics call that socialism?

In our ongoing mission to rid the world of bad cliches, we re-examine the annoying and failed “walk and chew gum at the same time”. And we question why the word “existential” has the opposite definition than it used to have.

The bevy of fine coffee places in Tom’s neighborhood makes Scott realize we don’t live in a totalitarian country where there’s only one coffee shop, State Coffee, and there’s only one kind of coffee on the menu, called Coffee. Plus, our exclusive investigation shockingly reveals that NYC barristas are friendlier than those in a small town in the Catskills!

Sure it’s getting colder and darker earlier, but let’s appreciate the fact that the earth is still rotating on its axis the way it always has. And let’s take a minute to thank the earth for doing that, since even planets like to feel appreciated. And scientists say that showing gratitude actually makes us healthier. And as our speculative 1950’s game show is titled, “You Never Know!”