Garage Logic: Weekly Scramble – End of the Year Message from Reuvers and Frattallone: "Enjoy Today"
January 2, 2026 | Hosts: Chris Reuvers & Mike Fratelloni

Episode Overview

This special "end of the year" edition of Weekly Scramble, a segment within Minnesota’s beloved Garage Logic podcast, finds Chris Reuvers and Mike Fratelloni reflecting on the close of 2025 and the dawn of 2026. With their signature blend of humor, storytelling, and unvarnished common sense, the hosts swap New Year's anecdotes, muse on resolutions, riff on current news, and—most memorably—dig into a powerful message about cherishing everyday moments and family. The episode is warm, funny, a bit biting, and ends with genuine emotion and perspective.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. New Year's Antics and Anecdotes

(00:34–07:34)

• Mike’s Wild New Year's Eve:
  Mike recounts a night out with his wife and kids, mixing wine, dinner, and several bars, culminating in a “midnight ball drop” quest and a humorous morning-after incident with contractors arriving at his house unexpectedly.
  • “The one day I could just lay in bed all day and no one would say one thing to me. Also, now I gotta get up. Cause the contractors are there.” (03:00 – Mike)
• Lost Jackets & Memory Lapses:
  Mike describes a confusing exchange with an acquaintance about supposed fireworks at his house—an event neither Mike nor his wife remember (or, in fact, ever happened), highlighting New Year’s confusion and the unreliability of “drunk texting.”
  • “I had a moment of where I really felt this, like, heat, like, roll over me, right? Because I thought, holy crap, the first night of the year, and I’ve blacked out fireworks. I blacked out people coming over.” (05:30 – Mike)

2. Resolutions, Self-Deprecation, and Pushups

(06:50–07:31)

• Mike pokes fun at his own physical state after seeing his naked reflection, then revives his push-up challenge (increasing reps daily throughout the year), aiming to become “unrecognizable” by next New Year.

3. Celebrity Culture: Tom Brady & Social Media

(07:32–13:55)

• Brady’s New Relationship:
  The hosts comment on Tom Brady’s rumored dating life with social media influencer Alex Earle (age 25, 8M Instagram followers).
  • “You both probably enjoy the scene. He’s good looking. I’m not.” (08:14 – Chris)
• Alex Earle's Influence:
  Mike observes Alex’s massive reach, highlighting the generational change in celebrity, and discusses the economics of content creation and the confusion it generates for older generations.
  • “She has 1.3 million views on that one video of her just wearing a pair of sweatpants and Doritos… For the rest of our entire lives, we could post forever, and not 1.3 million people would say, ‘Let’s watch Fratelloni eat a bag of Doritos.’” (11:08 – Mike)

4. Personal Looks, Athlete “Rosters,” and Pop Culture

(12:26–13:45)

• The “Derek Jeter roster” of girlfriends is mentioned, paralleled to Tom Brady’s relationships; references to famous pop culture moments and the fleeting notoriety of beauty.

5. Welfare Fraud and Government Program Critique

(14:56–26:13)

• Fraud in Minnesota Assistance Programs:
  Chris and Mike discuss recent headlines about massive fraud in pandemic-era loan programs (PPP and EIDL), referencing SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler's social media announcement about suspending 6,900 Minnesota borrowers ($400M in loans), and general systemic weaknesses.
  • “PPP loans were during COVID in 2020 and 2021. Why just now… They're not getting any of that money back.” (17:39 – Mike)
  • “How many of these welfare programs that were designed to help the misfortunate… But to sit there and turn a blind eye to all of this stuff and not realize there are people out there who are willingly going to take advantage of this because it exists, you’re kidding yourself.” (18:55 – Chris)
• State-Level Paid Leave Debate:
  The hosts discuss the new Minnesota Paid Leave Program, expressing skepticism about its applicability for small business owners and its potential for abuse.
  • “If you’re a single guy that owns a flower shop and you have one employee, do you turn to your employee and say, ‘Hey, the state’s going to give me 12 weeks of my pay’?” (22:08 – Mike)
• Fatigue with Public Policy Failures:
  Chris expresses a growing weariness with the state’s political and social climate, contemplating the idea of leaving Minnesota due to perceived institutional failures.

6. Cherishing Family and the Power of Everyday Moments

(28:07–36:50)

• Heartfelt Viral Message:
  Chris shares an emotional viral video (“I’m 80 years old and somehow I woke up in my 32 year old body just for one day…”) that prompts deep personal reflection on parenthood, fleeting family moments, and the inevitability of “last times.”
  • “That job that you think is the most important thing—one day that job’s not going to be there… What matters the most is what matters the most. And that’s what’s important.” (31:56–34:18 – Chris)
• Real-Life Emotional Memories:
  Chris recalls the last time driving his grandparents and his son together at Christmas—a moment whose importance he only realized in hindsight.
  • “If I had known it was going to be the last time… I would have just enjoyed that more in that moment.” (36:28 – Chris)

7. Optimism for the New Year

(34:18–37:01)

• Both hosts express hope for a better 2026, trading emotional thanks, affection, and reminders to “enjoy today.”
  • “Here’s the 2026. It’s going to be a better year.” (34:18 – Mike)
  • “It’s going to be the best year ever. Because you have the right attitude.” (36:59 – Mike)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You need to go ahead. I had… my New Year’s resolution was to drink more. I’m going to promise you, yours should be to drink less for the new year.” (05:26 – Mike)
• “You know yetis that run through the woods? They look kind of cool and big, but if you shaved them fully clean… they'd look like a hairless cat. That’s what I looked like.” (06:54 – Mike, self-deprecating)
• “Many companies already had programs like this in place… Companies want to do this because you want to support their team and you want to retain good employees.” (23:45 – Chris)
• “The reason why you’re tired, I believe, is it’s such blatant fraud. It wasn't some, like, double derivative mortgage rate thing where we didn't understand it. It was just people saying, ‘Oh no, we have 90 kids here.’” (26:14 – Mike)
• “That job that you’re rushing off to… one day that house is going to be empty… So live for today. What matters the most is what matters the most.” (31:56 – Chris)
• “Can I get up and give you a hug? Hold on.” (35:08 – Mike, leading to an on-air embrace)

Important Timestamps

• 00:34 – Treating Jan 2nd as “end of the year”; holiday time confusion
• 01:21–07:30 – Mike’s New Year’s Eve adventure, hangover, and mix-ups
• 07:32 – Pushup challenge for the new year
• 08:14–11:53 – Tom Brady and Alex Earle’s influencer-era romance
• 14:59–23:29 – Minnesota assistance program fraud, welfare critiques, state paid leave program
• 28:07 – Transition into the “enjoy today” theme with viral video
• 31:56–34:18 – Chris’s emotional reflection on parenting, loss, and cherishing moments
• 36:28–36:59 – Closing thoughts on family, gratitude, and optimism for 2026

Final Segment: The Core Message

Live for Today.
The episode crescendos emotionally as Chris and Mike, both fathers, confront the bittersweet truth that we rarely know when we’re experiencing “the last time” for life’s precious moments with loved ones. After nearly half an hour of laughter, snark, and policy griping, Chris’ sharing of a moving viral passage (see transcript) deeply affects both men. They urge listeners to prioritize family, savor small cluttered, noisy moments, and not get lost in work or frustration with “the system.”

“There’s going to be that final time… So live for today. Don’t worry about everything else. Because what matters the most is what matters the most.” (32:00 – Chris)

Episode Tone

Wry, self-deprecating, emotionally honest, and quintessentially “Garage Logic”: pragmatic to the core, blending skepticism about institutions with sincere affection for family and community.

Summary:
Whether you tune in for the laughs, the cultural commentary, or the heartfelt moments, this “End of the Year” Weekly Scramble is at its best channeling gratitude, perspective, and the classic Minnesota habit of facing tough realities with humor and humility. Reuvers and Fratelloni remind us: cherish today, cherish each other, and remember what actually matters as you step into a new year.