SCRAMBLE: Where exactly are we going as a society and is it a good place that we are really going?

Summary

Garage Logic – Weekly Scramble (Gamut Podcast Network)

Episode: "SCRAMBLE: Where exactly are we going as a society and is it a good place that we are really going?"

Date: February 4, 2026

Hosts: Chris Reivers & Mike Fratelloni

---

Episode Overview

In this wide-ranging episode, Chris Reivers and Mike Fratelloni grapple with the big question: where is society heading, and is that destination a good place? Using recent events in Minneapolis as a starting point—especially the impact of protests and economic change on the restaurant industry—they dig into the complexities of modern urban life, social activism, unintended consequences, and personal coping strategies. Real-life stories, witty banter, and moments of sincerity combine for a conversation that's deeply rooted in everyday Minnesotan perspective, suffused with the show's signature mix of humor and rumination.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Downtown Minneapolis, Protests & the Restaurant Crisis

(Starts ~01:00)

• Context: Chris recounts navigating the city amid recent protests and the impact these have on local businesses and downtown vitality.
• Economic Tension: The paradox of people criticizing stores for remaining open during protests—while shopping at those same stores—is highlighted:
  • “The people that were complaining about stores being open were there buying stuff from said stores.” (Chris, 02:24)
• Restaurant Industry at Risk: They reference Tim Mahoney (Loon Cafe) warning that continued unrest could shutter “everyone downtown.”
  • “If this continues for not six months, a couple more months, all restaurants will be shut in Minneapolis.” (Mike, 03:40)
• Service Industry Experience: Both hosts agree everyone should work service at least briefly—it teaches empathy, composure, and problem-solving.
  • “Every single person alive should work the service industry for just a brief period of time, because it teaches you so many great life lessons.” (Chris, 04:19)
• Law of Unintended Consequences: Repeated closures (through protest or fear) can irreparably destroy livelihoods, while protestors’ aims may be undercut by economic reality.
  • “You steal a couple of Fridays from restaurants and they just won't reopen, they’ll just be gone.” (Mike, 05:27)
• Comparison to COVID & George Floyd Aftermath: The current uncertainty is likened to previous crises that devastated downtown businesses.

2. Support vs. Protest – Finding a Middle Ground

(~08:00)

• Gift Cards as Support: Mike and Chris recount how their companies supported restaurants during COVID via gift cards—suggesting similar strategies to offset protest-driven loss.
  • “We went out and bought $100,000 worth of gift cards so we could give them away for restaurants that we didn't want to go out of business.” (Mike, 09:02)
• Broader Economic Effects: If large companies (e.g., Cargill) leave, tax burdens shift onto residents, further stressing cities.
  • “That bill still has to be paid, ladies and gentlemen...That then gets passed on down to the local resident.” (Chris, 09:45)

3. Personal Anecdotes & The Comfort of Routine

(~14:00)

• Basketball in Glencoe & Driving as Meditation: Chris shares a calming story of driving through rural Minnesota post-basketball game, savoring the sunset—contrasted with urban stress.
  • “There’s something peaceful about being out in the outskirts. Stop at a Casey’s and get some gas and...just seeing just a hint of sunlight at the end of the day.” (Chris, 18:23)
• Zen & Car Time: Both link driving or simple routines to unwinding and personal reflection.

4. DIY Triumphs, Relationships & Validation

(~20:00)

• Mike recounts the pride in a small household repair—replacing car lug nuts—and underlines the value of supportive friendships.
  • “I did it, I finished it, I wrapped it up, put all the tools away, did everything. Felt like I got something done on Sunday...I needed one guy that said validation. Good job, Mike.” (Mike, 21:15)
• Humorous side stories about “ADD” tendencies to multi-task or cut movie time short lighten the tone.

5. Transition Lawsuit & Medical Ethics

(~29:18)

• Landmark “Detransition” Lawsuit: Mike brings up a January 31st verdict in New York awarding $2 million to a woman who detransitioned after surgery at 16, winning on grounds of medical malpractice.
  • “So many hospitals, so many surgeons and so many doctors were racing to get the financial benefit of performing these surgeries...once someone transitions, they often have to be medically seen once a month for the rest of their entire life.” (Mike, 30:08)
• Ethical Complexity: The hosts discuss compassion for trans individuals while questioning medical and policy choices around youth transition.
  • “We don't let someone buy cigarettes...until they're 18...yet we'll allow some—you can't get a tattoo which is permanent.” (Mike, 32:48)
  • “When my 11-year-old was 5, he wanted to be a fire truck...kids that age and even a little bit older, they're so impressionable.” (Chris, 32:03)
• Broader Societal Trends: Growing legal and social scrutiny over medical decision-making for minors; commercial incentives in healthcare.

6. Societal Change, Polarization & Looking Ahead

(~33:01)

• Joe Soucheray’s question lingers: what will society look like in 3 or 10 years, given today’s polarization?
  • “What are we gonna look like in just a couple of years?...Because of the Trump presidency, what are we gonna look like in three years?” (Chris, 33:01)
  • Chris and Mike reflect on rapid societal changes since 2010, expressing concern, disbelief, and hope for future “good days.”
  • “Is this cyclical? Do you think we'll have days that we say, oh, these are the good days? Like the 80s?...For me, it was the 90s.” (Mike & Chris, 34:02–34:18)
  • “I really, really hope so.” (Chris, 34:22)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the confusion of modern social rules:
  • "The rule book for so much of this stuff, it's very confusing. I don't know which rules to follow because it's like, I want to be a good person...But when it comes to, okay, I'm supposed to be mad at that guy. But I'm okay with that. Okay, but I can't be okay with that thing. But I have to be mad at that. So there's so many of these things..." (Chris, 02:10)
• On economic ripple effects:
  • "You think Covid was hard? You think George Floyd was hard? It will be the killing fields here." (Mike, 06:35)
• On being open-minded and compassionate:
  • "I just want to be kind to people, and be compassionate and I want others to be kind and compassionate." (Mike, 32:28)
• Humor in the mundane:
  • "Would I accept me? That's a hell of a topic. Would I accept me?" (Chris, 19:47)

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Minneapolis/Restaurant Crisis: 01:00–13:00
• Personal Stories & Rural Reflections: 14:00–19:00
• DIY/Life Validation Anecdotes: 20:00–23:30
• Landmark Detransition Lawsuit & Medical Ethics: 29:18–32:59
• Where Are We Headed as a Society/Macro Trends: 33:01–34:34

---

Tone & Style

The conversation blends sharp (sometimes exasperated) observations about modern society with light-hearted personal anecdotes, maintaining the show’s blue-collar, common-sense ethos. Both hosts veer between earnest concern, self-effacing gags, and authentic Minnesota nice.

---

Summary for Listeners

This “Scramble” episode of Garage Logic is a candid meditation on the state of Minneapolis and America at large, filtered through Chris and Mike's lived experiences and the lens of local community. From the existential threat facing the restaurant industry, to the complexities of protest, economic change, and youth medical ethics, the conversation is threaded with real concern for the future. The hosts find balance in humor, nostalgia, and the rituals of daily life—reminding listeners of what remains good and grounding even as the world keeps changing.

Transcript

[A]

Join me, John Randall, at the North American Banking Company Minnesota Golf Show, February 13th through the 15th. It's your chance to try out the newest clubs and equipment from the biggest names in golf. Improve your game with free lessons and clinics from PGA pros. And when you're done, relax at the 19th Hole Lounge with your favorite post round beverage.

[B]

The $100,000 putt is presented by MSP Plumbing Heating Air, committed to your comfort since 1918. This is the Weekly Scramble, a place where we chat about life over a cold one or two. It's time to belly up to the pod with Mike Fratelloni and your host, Chris Reivers.

[A]

That's right, it's time for the weekly Scramble podcast. My name is Chris Reivers. With me as always, his name is Mike Fratelloni. Hello, Michael.

[B]

How you doing, Reivers?

[A]

I'm good. How are you?

[B]

I looked to see if you were still alive over there. I'm like, oh my God, he went down.

[A]

Anyway, there's so much to get to such little time. But one of the things that I don't want you to comment on this at all because of the nature of your business, but I do have to point out one thing. I did a lot of boy, because with a couple of boys that play travel basketball, a lot of driving around this last weekend. So you kind of have to get your errands done in between games and things like that. So I left the station on because I tried to get the hell out of Dodge on Friday to avoid a lot of the downtown stuff. Again, peaceful protest. They had a good turnout. Good for you guys. But I just wanted to get out of here so I didn't have to run into any of that. But I had to stop at a place, basically I would say south Minneapolis, Bloomington area, to pick up a couple of things. And then before I got home, and I do love and Joe talked about this yesterday on the GL podcast and I thought it was funny because the people that were complaining about stores being open were there buying stuff from said stores. I just thought, you know, oftentimes and I have begged Joe to do this because the rule book for so much of this stuff, it's very confusing. I don't know which rules to follow because it's like, I want to be a good person. I want others to succeed. I want those that are disadvantaged to have an opportunity. I'm all for all of that stuff because some of us grew up in better circumstances. So I get all of that. But when it comes to, okay, I'm supposed to Be mad at that guy. But I'm okay with that. Okay, but I can't be okay with that thing. But I have to be mad at that. So there's so many of these things that I have begged. Joe, and I'm not joking. For minimum six, seven years, Joe, you gotta write a book. And it's the guidebook on how to properly, peacefully, like all that thing. Basically, the guidebook for being a lefty. And I have begged him to do that because he's such a. He's such a wordsmith.

[B]

It is tough, though, because you're unsure what they're doing. You know, Again, I want to be very careful on this. I'm in the middle, man. I see.

[A]

I get it.

[B]

I turn left and right. I am right. I say I'm down the middle. I feel like I'm super Common sense. I was listening to a interview on the way over here with Tim Mahoney, Joe. Him from the Loon Cafe. Right. Not the artist in Mahoney, but the guy who owns the Loon Cafe or is part owner of the Loon Cafe. However it works.

[A]

Tim's a great dude.

[B]

Tim's a great dude. And he was on a different station, and he was saying, if this keeps up for a couple more months, everyone downtown is closed. Not some people down in Cleveland.

[A]

That's just it.

[B]

Everyone will be down. Everyone will be closed downtown. It's not. You cannot. And he was talking more about the fear that people like me that don't live downtown think about, do I really want to go downtown? Do I want to. Will I get embroiled into something dangerous? Will ICE be at the restaurant? And you know, all of those feelings, feelings of fright that us suburbanites have. And he says, if this continues for not six months, a couple of more months, all restaurants will be shut in Minneapolis. You won't have to worry about shutting on Fridays because they'll be shut permanently.

[A]

Yeah. And that's the thing, I guess I don't understand, because I've worked in the service industry off and on for the last almost 30 years, and I've loved my time in the service industry. I have said a million times on this show and other places, every single person alive should work the service industry for just a brief period of time, because it teaches you so many great life lessons, teaches you how to handle all types of different personalities. It teaches you how to handle stuff under pressure, how to perform under pressure.

[B]

How to be kind to people.

[A]

Absolutely. And so when I see. Because there was a Star Tribune piece, I don't remember the owner and what restaurant he owned. But basically he said, yeah, I'm working 18 hour days so that my staff can stay home because they don't feel safe. Which I thought, wow, that's normal.

[B]

Horrific.

[A]

But again. So now you're gonna yell at that guy for being open because he's just trying to keep his lights on.

[B]

Yeah. And some of those guys that are doing that 18 hours, they're still paying their staff even though they can't come in. Cuz they love these people, they respect these people.

[A]

They want to keep them.

[B]

They want to keep them. And so I don't know what it is. I get the fact that the people who were protesting on Friday want to have a bigger crowd show up. They want people to be closed. I get that. I get that. The problem is there's law of unintended consequences. You steal a couple of Fridays from restaurants and they just won't reopen, they'll just be gone.

[A]

Wouldn't a better idea. Because I guess it's supposed to be some type of a message and an attack on capitalism. Right. Is that the underlying message?

[B]

I hope that's not it.

[A]

I hope too, but go ahead.

[B]

I think, I hope it's so everyone can be free to come help and protest. Which I get that kind of makes sense. If you got to work and you want to go protest, you're like shooting, I don't want to work, I want to go protest. I get that. But you want a job on Saturday and you need your job on Sunday and Monday and Tuesday from here going forward. So it's a fine balance. One nice thing Reavers is, I'm sure you know this, but business in January for everybody in Minnesota, no one really makes money in January. It's kind of a loss. Matter of fact, restaurants surely don't make any money in January. They make money in May and then the holiday season and you know, a couple of months. And so it's okay to lose a Friday in January, but when you lose two Fridays in January, that's not okay. You lose another one or a couple more. Or you get the feeling that the population says, I don't want to go to a restaurant because I'm nervous about being in there. And 10% of the people decide not to go out to eat anymore. Restaurants will. You think Covid was hard? You think George Floyd was hard? It will be the killing fields here.

[A]

That's exactly what I was going to bring up because I recall, I mean, I was still bartending right up until Covid hit. In fact, I remember the very last weekend. And I'll name the place I had before. I was bartending at the Exchange nightclub, which is the. It was an upscale nightclub in the basement of the poor house right in the corner 5th and Hennepin. Great place. Loved my time there. Loved everybody I worked with. And I remember we kind of joked, me and another guy, my buddy Mike, who you've met, we kind of joked about, why are we open? And it was St. Patrick's Day weekend, which was the only reason why they were just trying to get one more good, one more big weekend, one more big, good, financially lucrative weekend out of the deal. And I remember thinking, why the hell are we open? I wasn't. I mean, was I scared of getting infected?

[B]

You have an asthma. You had something to think about a little bit.

[A]

But no one knew. No. But I thought, you know what? I might get sick. But at that time, I'd already known a couple of people that had had Covid, and it was kind of rough, but they got through it. And I just thought, well, it might be one last see you later. But I remember then the aftermath from that, and I'm thinking, all these places with what they have to put up with in terms of just the cost of doing business in a city like Minneapolis or St. Paul, and then on top of that, to be demonized for having the gall to keep your doors open. It's like, I don't think the vast majority of people understand what it takes, what it requires. The fact that, yeah, you know what? Every time I open my doors, it's going to cost me at least 7,500 bucks or whatever the number is. Right. Depending upon the size of your location. I just think there's so many people that don't understand that you think I'm sitting here getting rich. I'm doing this because I love what I do. I love my community. I've always wanted to be part of it. That's the biggest reason why these places are in business.

[B]

Yeah. I wonder what you could do to both protest. Right. And support.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And I don't know what that answer is because it's very difficult. But I think if there is a Mexican restaurant that you enjoy, go buy some gift cards from that Mexican restaurant.

[A]

100%. How many times did we do that? During COVID During COVID we said, hey, we know you probably don't want to go, but buy a gift card from there and then come back when you feel safe to go out to eat with you, your family, or whoever. How many times do we promote things like that?

[B]

Not to make it about my company, but during COVID if you remember this, we bought $10,000 worth of gift cards.

[A]

I bought one of the restaurants.

[B]

We didn't buy them for the hardware store. We were open. We were mandatory. We had to be open. Right. We wanted to be open to serve. Right. It was scary as hell, but we were open. But we went out and bought $100,000. Did I say 10,000? I meant to say 100,000. If I said 100,000, I don't know. Whatever. We bought $100,000 worth of gift cards so we could give them away for restaurants that we didn't want to go out of business. Well, this could hurt them. I' that the people asking them to close are gonna hurt them. That doesn't help. And I get why people want them to close. Cause I get the protesting. I get it. But if just society freaks out and says, I can't go to restaurants anymore, I can't go downtown, we are screwed.

[A]

Oh, 100%.

[B]

The restaurant industry is gone.

[A]

And what those people also don't realize is when those places go. And you saw the news of Cargill, by the way, over the weekend. That bill still has to be paid, ladies and gentlemen. So just because name any large company that's having a place here in Minneapolis, if they leave, that tax bill still has to get paid. So guess what happens that then gets passed on down to the local resident of the city.

[B]

If Cargill's paying 2 million bucks in property taxes, they're probably paying $10 million in property taxes. But let's say they're paying 2 million bucks in property taxes and they leave and they sell their. Or they were. The budget of the. Doesn't go down, right. Property taxes are still due. Somebody has to pay for that. The value of the building might go to half. So they can only collect a million dollars in property tax. Well, the city didn't spend a million dollars less. They didn't say, oh, we're collecting less property tax.

[A]

And they won't, by the way. And they won't.

[B]

And they won't. It's a very, very unique time. Scary for restaurateurs, scary for all of the people that work in restaurants. Incredibly scary. Reverse. We can't forget this. For the undocumented people that are working in restaurants, 100%. Right. And I do know that restaurateurs may or may not know that they're hiring someone who's not legal here because someone supplies them with a Social Security card or a passport or a driver's license. So many of them have I don't know what's real here. Right. They're not responsible at this point for defining whether that license is real and valid or if that Social Security card matches. Right. Which is just frightening. Just frightening for these restaurant tours.

[A]

Let's talk about we are nuts and we are nutsmn.comay wonderful family owned operation right here in the great state of Minnesota and northeast Minneapolis, by the way. And you know what, the big game's coming up this Sunday, so stock up on snacks, the silos. Oh my goodness gracious, did I power through the jumbo cashews and the snack mix, by the way. And I was brand new to this, the cherry mix that they have.

[B]

You love that.

[A]

It's unbelievable. It might be my new favorite thing with we are nuts. That and the oh my, it's so good.

[B]

What about the popcorns?

[A]

Oh, the popcorns are so good.

[B]

If you don't know this because many of the we are nuts people, the stores like the Cubs and Cub Foods.

[A]

Kowalski's Markets, Fratelloni's Hardware, Mac's Hardware, Quick Trips, County Market, co Burns, they're all fantastic.

[B]

Some of them don't carry the popcorn.

[A]

Oh, that's a good point.

[B]

We have Fratellonis do. FYI. That's called competitive advantage. So if you want the popcorn, because they have the hokey pokey popcorn, the cheese popcorn, they have a bunch of really, really great popcorns done really well.

[A]

So if you can't get to one of those locations, go online to wearenutsmn.com and place your order today. Thanks to wearenutsmn.com the weekly scramble we we'll be right back. Football's biggest game is coming up and you can get in on all the action with Underdog. And if you're not on Underdog yet, you're in luck because new customers score $75 in fantasy bonus entries. When you make your first $5 fantasy entry, playing Underdog is easy. You just go to the app, make picks on if a player will go higher or lower on stats like touchdowns, rushing yards, receptions, and more. You get them right, you could win yourself up to 5,000 times your cash. I think this week on Underdog, I'm going to for Sam Darnold to go higher on yards thrown for it, maybe even go higher on touchdown passes, too. What are you waiting for? Download the app today and use promo code garage to score $75 in fantasy bonus entries. When you play your first $5 on fantasy. That's promo code. Garage Underdog make picks win money must.

[B]

Be 18 plus, 19 plus in Alabama.

[A]

And Nebraska, 19 in Colorado for some games 21 plus in Arizona, Massachusetts and.

[B]

Virginia and present in a state where Underdog Fantasy operates. Assets terms apply. See assets.underdogfantasy.com web playandgetterms dfs HTML for details. Offer not valid in Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

[A]

Concerned with your play?

[B]

Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit ncpgambling.org In New.

[A]

York, call the 24.7Hope Line at 1-877-8-HOPENY or text Hopeny 467-369. This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever find yourself playing the budgeting game?

[B]

Well, with the name your price tool.

[A]

From Progressive, you can find options that fit your budget and potentially lower your bills. Try [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates Price and coverage match limited by state law. Not available in all states. I mentioned to you when I was doing the we are nuts ad, I just remembered something that I wanted to bring up with you. So Thursday, my oldest boy had a game out in Glencoe after we got done with our show. So always fun, rush hour, trying to get out of the city, get out to Glencoe. But see, for me, I love that. I love being the outskirts. I totally dig that.

[B]

I know you.

[A]

Glencoe's a great town, by the way, which I know you're familiar with and I'll tell you why. So will gets done. So the way it's set up is there's two 8th grade basketball teams and they have school ball, they have travel ball for school ball. They usually both play one after another, which is kind of cool because then they all get to stick around and watch their buddies play. And so after he was the first game, and so he said, dad, I want to stick around, watch my buddies. And I said, of course. I said, well then, tell you what, why don't you ride the bus back? Because that's the best part about playing sports. Riding the bus and making fart jokes and screwing around with your buddies. That's the best part about playing sports. And so I said, all right, I'll pick you up back in Jordan. You ride the bus back with you. Because I ain't sticking around for another eighth. I'm good. I go to enough eighth grade basketball games. So what did I do? I got in my car and I was listening to a couple of things and I thought, well, to get back home, I kind of have to go a little bit south, a little west, I thought. Oh. And it was. So it was a 4:15 game. And they got done just about 5 o'. Clock. So right at sunset. So I got in 2:12 and I headed west to kind of see the skyline. So I drove to Olivia and I saw Max.

[B]

Max Hardware. Hardware.

[A]

Yes. Cool spot, man. Yeah, that is a really cool spot in Olivia. Is that. Well, I just wanted to go for a little drive and chase the sun a little bit. It was an absolutely stunning.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

Sunset. Trust me, I was in no hurry to go.

[B]

You had nothing to do?

[A]

Well, because he wasn't going to be home for like an or. They were going to be there at the gym for another hour. And I thought, well, I'll just kind of head this way. And then I'll. And then I'll eventually head to.

[B]

So we made it all the way out to Olivia, Minnesota. We have a Mac store out there.

[A]

What a cool store.

[B]

Yeah, it is a really cool store.

[A]

Did you go into, by the way? I was going to, but they must have been closed by the time I drove by there.

[B]

They closed fairly early. Olivia is a pretty small town.

[A]

Right, Right. So. Because I was gonna stop in and get some. We are nuts.

[B]

Oh, that would be cool.

[A]

But. Because I needed a snack for the ride home. But I was like, I don't think they're open. And I didn't want to be the guy that. I hate being the guy that shows up five minutes before a place closes.

[B]

I don't mind that at all. Reavers. As long as you spend a bunch of money if you come in. So if you don't know this. Mac stores, there' Max locations. North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota. Right. And they sell a ton of nuts and bolts.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And when I say tons, I mean tons. Tons, tons. They sell them by the pound. They're in bulk.

[A]

Like that kind of thing.

[B]

Yeah, like, they're the number one nut and bolt seller in the Midwest. I mean, they sell crap.

[A]

I did not know.

[B]

So if you would have gone in there and you said, I just need one nut. And we'd be like, time to go. Do you. Yeah, let's go. Pick that nut up quick.

[A]

Well, I could tell, too, with just the size of the parking lot of it. Oh, they. They deal with the big hitters here.

[B]

A lot of pallet racking. A lot of farmers. Nuts and bolts. It's always farmers buying nuts and bolts.

[A]

So next. Because I know that you've been bit by the town ball bug. They have. So Bird island is just before you get to. They have a very good town baseball team. And that baseball park is very cool.

[B]

I'll have to put that on my list. I did say a handful of months ago that I do want to go to some more places in Minnesota. Right. Because I do get around, but I don't stop a lot of places. And I love it when you say, do you know when you're down to 12 and you. And like, no, no. Someone was telling me. So we have a store in Waconia. And they said, you know, out in Norwood, Young America, there's. And I was like, yeah, I've never been there. Like, well, you have a store in Waconia. And I'm like, yeah, stop at Waconia. I'm not going past. I get right back in the car.

[A]

And head right back.

[B]

The same, Paul. Yes. So it is. Well, I'm glad you had a. Had a nice little trip out there.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I love that you're doing this, that you find some kind of meditative state in a car.

[A]

It's zen.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I mean, I either have nothing on. Might have a podcast on, maybe find some, you know, scratchy old classic rock station that's out in the middle of nowhere. But for me, that's my outlet. That's my release.

[B]

Gordon Lightfoot.

[A]

I just. It's just there's something. I don't even know what it is, to be perfectly honest, because Kenny, when I bring this up on gl, Kenny says, I totally get it. Yeah. Because the rest of the guys all make fun of me, but that's why even the road trip stuff. Right. But there's something so peaceful about leaving the big city where I work every single day. Love my job, absolutely love it here. I said, but there's. There's something peaceful about being out in the outskirts. Stop at a Casey's and get some gas and maybe go to a whatever and just seeing just a hint of sunlight at the end of the day, there's just something very peaceful for me.

[B]

I get it. My office is in Arden Hills and I live in Mendota. Right. So it's like a 20 some minute drive home. You need that. You do need to unwind a little bit, listen to a podcast, listen to some music, whatever. Just go, exactly, exactly. And then I get home and my wife's like, what are you doing here? And I'm like, done with work, honey. She's like, well, I didn't expect you home. Like, you should maybe go to work a little harder. She has never said that to Me. She's actually very kind. I shouldn't say jokes about her because she's a very kind person to me. She accepts me almost for who I am. Oh. And that's pretty damn good.

[A]

Gotcha.

[B]

Because I don't know if I would accept me. Like, if she were like me, I'd be like, huh? I don't know if I like this boy.

[A]

Would I accept me? That's a hell of a topic. Would I accept me?

[B]

Would I accept me in a relationship?

[A]

Interesting. Interesting. And I have to think. I have to think about that right now.

[B]

I've been doing some. Just driving away from the house, right? Where I don't tell her where I go. I just leave. Not really on purpose. I just don't. I don't go to the one side of the house to tell her where I'm going. And she tracks me, right? She can track me. So I'm not going any place that she doesn't know where I'm going to, right? But then occasionally she'll just send me a text like, why are you at the house of Wong in Roseville on a Sunday? And I'm like, I wanted to get chicken salad sandwich. Best chicken salad in town.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And she's like, oh, you didn't tell me you left. I'm like, I'm a free man. I can do whatever I want, whenever I want. I can go to Wong's. I can go to the dry cleaner. I can go to work. No one can say no to me.

[A]

Right?

[B]

Right.

[A]

I'm a rebel.

[B]

I can go do. I can run errands. I did another big thing in my house the other day.

[A]

Talk to me.

[B]

I have a car that some bad lug nuts. Went to change out the lug nuts, bought some new lug nuts, went to change them out, right? And I had to go get an air tool, which I don't have any air tools. But I went and bought an air tool so I could take the old lug nuts off. You know, the kind of like. Like pneumatic air tool. Yeah, yeah. So I was in the garage, and she, like, said to me, what are you doing? I'm, like, changing out the lug nuts. And she didn't think that was as cool. I said, sent one of my very supportive buddies. I'm like, hey, I had a project to do. I did it, I finished it, I wrapped it up, put all the tools away, did everything. Felt like I got something done on Sunday. And he's like, hey, I'm really proud of you. And he said, that. That's all I needed. I needed one guy that said validation. Good job, Mike. You replaced 20 lug nuts. I'm very impressed with you. And now all my lug nuts are nice and clean looking and look great.

[A]

When you did the sound effect for the. What do we call pneumatic? The pneumatic tool. The pneumatic drill. When you made the sound, what's the first thing you think of when you hear that sound?

[B]

Were you think Dennis drilling?

[A]

No.

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

My mind immediately goes to Wayne's World. Remember the scene with Garth? What was he doing when he has the same tool? Then he scratches the hell out of the side of the vehicle.

[B]

I vaguely. I don't.

[A]

Were you not a Wayne's World guy? I don't watch it. He's gotta be right in your wheelhouse.

[B]

I have a little add, and I can't watch movies. Do you have that about me? I can't sit and watch a movie.

[A]

I don't think I ever knew this about it.

[B]

Yeah, Yeah. I have a touch of the add. Just the good one. Just the good part of it, where I'm always doing something. So when I sit down to watch a movie, I get up and say. And I just walk out. Like, I just stop thinking. In fact, I have to tell you the story. I went and saw the Hulk with some friends many, many years ago, right? So I got up because the movie was so stupid. I got up, walked out, played some video games. Then at some point in time, I left the movie theater and went to another store. And then my friends called me and said, hey, where are you? And I said, what? Totally forgot I was with people. I drove them there.

[A]

You're all right. I fully just left the movie. Okay. I guess I can't rip you for that because I have some of that same tendency as well, where even, let's say the Vikings game is on. I never sit down to watch the Vikings game. I always kind of pace, and maybe I'm doing some dishes or maybe some laundry, but I never sit down.

[B]

I have to record them all so I can play them as fast as I can. So I don't want to do this. So I read something the other day that I find kind of poignant. Maybe this is something for you. Some people, when they go to the beach, that's their concept of relaxing. And when I have nothing to do, my brain is thinking of 7,000 things to do. When I'm focused on one thing, that's relaxing for me because my brain shuts everything else off. And I can just focus on putting on new lug nuts in the car, right? But if I go to the beach, my wife always laughs at me because we'll sit down at the beach. The moment I open up my chair, I say, I gotta go for a walk. The moment I get back from walk, say, the best one is when I take the rental car to get washed. She said, what are you doing? I'm like, I'm just gonna go get the rental car washed. She's like, you don't have to wash a rental car. And I'm like, well, I'm not gonna sit on the beach. Cause that's kind of torture for me. So I'm gonna go wash the rental car again.

[A]

I can't make fun of you because on one of the dumb, dumb runs. It was one of the times that we went to San Diego. And we went there three times with the boys. And I drove out there twice. I know. Insert laugh track, whatever. And the first time we got out there, I was going through some pretty nasty crap in Colorado. So my vehicle in sunny Southern California looked like it does right now, right in Minnesota, middle of winter. And the hotel we were stay. There was this awesome car wash across the street, all across the highway, because we were staying near the SeaWorld area. And it was one of those conveyor belt types with the glass that you could look through. So you could either sit in it, or you could say, hey, or you could watch it. So I said, boys, what do you want to do? And they're like, let's sit in it. It'll be so fun. And then we got about five minutes in and like, oh, this is so boring. But it was the same thing. I'm like, oh, then I gotta go do something. They're shining in and they're like toweling it off and stuff. It was so cool. So I came home.

[B]

Did you open a window when they were go so your kids could get squirted by?

[A]

No, I did that one time. I remember. Cause we had one of the cats with us. And I said, I'm gonna torment this. Cause it's Benji. He's the Siamese cat.

[B]

Oh, you bring. When you drive, you bring a cat with you.

[A]

No, no, no, no, no. This was a completely different time.

[B]

I was like, holy crap, you lost your mind.

[A]

But we put him in the cat carrier, and I thought, all right. Cause he's the one that likes to torment me in the middle of the night.

[B]

Okay, so you were spraying him with a little.

[A]

No, no, no. He went through the car wash with us terrified.

[B]

He did not like that concept as his payback.

[A]

Bitch.

[B]

You know what I think is funny is we both know who the hell.

[A]

Are we talking about.

[B]

Pat Royce and Joseph Schrey. Of course.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And we'll be alive to remember the story that Pat Roisy went into a car wash. Oh, my God. And opened his door. Remind me the whole story.

[A]

He had his four. I think it was 440, hit with Joe and Rook. And so he thought, I'll quickly get. Get a car wash in before I have to call into Joe. Well, by the time he got in, Rookie was calling him, so, you know, there's people behind you. So he was already in the car wash. Rookie was trying to call him from the hotline, and he answered, and Brook said, pat, we can't hear you. All right, Let me get out of here. So he tried to back up out of the car wash, and obviously that just wasn't going to work.

[B]

Doesn't work.

[A]

And then he opened the door, and he's honking the horn. And it was. Well, it was a moment in probably one of the top five moments in the history of the legendary AM 1500.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, it really was a great story, and I'm just so happy that I was here to hear that story.

[A]

That you were connected to it.

[B]

So I've seen those guys, and they know. They say hello to me. Both of them say hello to me. That's a big deal for me.

[A]

Well, he. The thing is, with Royce, people think it's almost a bit at how lack of a knack he has. That's not a bit. It's not to the point where he had to call somebody to replace a toilet seat. He had to have help to replace a toilet seat. Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

Or when his sump pump was overflowing and he was using a cup to fill the bucket to fill the. And then wasn't it just unplugged or something that someone came with?

[A]

Yeah, the sub pump had malfunctioned, and he didn't know that there was a reset button. He had lost power. And so he was trying to use a pot. First it was a glass to carry it upstairs. And then he was like, I need something bigger than this. So he tried the pot like you would make macaroni and cheese in. And then he just realized, okay, the entire basement's gonna be flooded in about 45 seconds. I need something bigger.

[B]

And then called the neighbor over at 2am and the neighbor pushed him.

[A]

The neighbor helped him out and did Bail him out.

[B]

Very important.

[A]

Oh, my goodness gracious. Let's talk about Linda Keller. Kellertaxservice.com, the absolute best in the. Here's the deal, ladies and gentlemen. It's already February 2nd. Excuse me, February 3rd. So you know what? You need to get on that schedule and go with the best. And so many of you listeners have already done that. And she's a proud, proud listener of the weekly Scramble podcast. I've been having Linda do my taxes for a number of years, and I can tell you right now, she's the best. That's how this relationship started. I was just a customer of Linda Keller, and she said, are you the guy in garagelogic? And I said, yeah, that's me. Oh, I thought you'd make more money than this. Anyway, go to her website, kellertaxservice.com I'm just kidding. Linda, you're the best. You did not say that. I'm just joking.

[B]

But it would have been funny if she would have.

[A]

It would have been very funny if she would have. But that's the thing. You don't even have to live in the state of Minnesota. She does taxes for everybody. If you're a business owner, it doesn't matter. All types of returns for all types of people. And on her website, she has the best up to date tax information, all sorts of different tax laws. Everything is online at Keller Tax Services.

[B]

If you're a big enough dork to go to her website and read the tax law, just have her do it.

[A]

It's like, for me. Here, just take my stuff.

[B]

You were an accounting major in college.

[A]

I know. I really. Yeah.

[B]

I have to say this. I'm gonna jump in on this ad. She is the sweetest person.

[A]

Wonderful. Yes.

[B]

She's a huge fan of the show, a huge jailer, a huge weekly scrambler, and she's just super, super. A whole bunch of people. When we had that frat pack to get together, she came with her family and she met a bunch of people. She is just a doll of a person.

[A]

She really is.

[B]

Which makes it very easy to do business with people that are kind.

[A]

Absolutely. Kellertaxservice.com, let her know that you heard about her. Excuse me. On the weekly Scramble podcast. We will be right back. Boy, we're almost at the end of the show, and I didn't even go to you for the topic that you wanted to discuss.

[B]

I'm sure you heard this, that on January 31st, there was a verdict in the Fox Varian. The 22 year old woman who detransitioned. Did you guys talk about that on the.

[A]

We did not. And I was kind of surprised that we didn't, to be honest with you.

[B]

So this 16 year old girl goes to a couple of different. And it turns out that the doctors didn't do their due diligence before one of the surgeons removed her breast or had top surgery in 2019 when she was 16 years old. She got done with that and she said, I don't think that was the right thing for me to do. And she believes that the doctors kind of pushed her into it a little quickly because they knew that it was money for them. Right. So she ends up winning a court case for $2 million in a landmark medical malpractice lawsuit in New York. This wasn't in Alabama, this wasn't in Arkansas, this wasn't in Ohio. Ohio. This was in New York, which is really kind of interesting. And they're saying Reivers. I'm sure, as you heard about the story that this might be the next thing we see television commercials for that says, have you been damaged by this? So many hospitals, so many surgeons and so many doctors were racing to get the financial benefit of performing these surgeries because once someone transitions, they often have to be medically seen once a month for the rest of their entire life. Oh my goodness, Grace. Talk about a horrible, horrible. First of all, I do believe that people are sometimes born in the wrong body. I believe that can happen and I believe it's super, super sad. I would not want that.

[A]

Sorry to interrupt you. You just said something I was completely unaware of. When they have this surgery, they have to come back once a month.

[B]

Well, they have to have prescription, they have to be on opposite hormones, the blood blockers or whatever it's called for the rest of their entire lives. So they're a customer of that hospital or that physician for the rest of their life.

[A]

Well, there's your answer. No wonder all of these instant profitability. No wonder that they're all. I had no idea.

[B]

Millions of dollars over their life is what it will cost them with horrible side effects. So when you see somebody who's doing this, when you see somebody who's transitioning and you may not believe in transitioning, know that that person's going through a really, really tough thing. Right. I mean, we have to have to.

[A]

That I wonder some of them just flip out.

[B]

Well, I mean it would be very, very difficult. It would be very difficult. I don't wish that upon any. Anybody, right. Reivers, remember when you were a kid and you questioned whether you wanted to take French class or German?

[A]

Yeah, and I stressed about it and.

[B]

You were stressed about it. What if it was French class and German and you wanted to know if you were a boy or a girl?

[A]

Well, that's the part that has always just angered me to my core about that is when you're telling me that a 5 year old can pick their own gender. When my 11 year old was 5, he wanted to be a fire truck. You know, we had, we had a very deep, meaningful conversation with that because it's like, buddy, you're not. Cause I wanted to let him fulfill his fantasy about being a fire truck. And he dressed up as a fire truck.

[B]

He didn't have a 40 foot hose surgically sewn onto him.

[A]

Because kids, I mean, honest to God, kids that age and even a little bit older, they're so impressionable. How could you possibly think it's okay to do that to a kid?

[B]

It's very sad. I do believe that some kids, you know, some kids feel it and it's a horrible sadness. Right. I always go to the most compassionate side of myself, especially now. I just want to be compassionate. I just want to be kind to people and be compassionate and I want others to be kind and compassionate. But we don't let someone buy cigarettes for reverse until they're 18.

[A]

You can't vote.

[B]

You can't vote.

[A]

You can't, you can't drive a car till you're 16.

[B]

You can't do any of this stuff yet. We'll allow some. You can't get a tattoo which is permanent. And we say, oh, that's too, it's not right. You shouldn't be able to decide that before you're 18.

[A]

This might be a loaded thing to mention right before we close up shop, but Joe asked on the show yesterday and it's really been something I've been thinking about a lot. It's what are we gonna look like in just a couple of years? And he basically asked the question, because of the Trump presidency, what are we gonna look like in three years? And it was based mostly on ice being in Minneapolis and the protests and the counter protests and basically everybody hating each other. Well, what are we going to look like in three years? And I often think that I want to extend that. It's almost like, okay, what are we going to look like in 10 years? I don't even know. Because I always think if you would have gone back to, let's say, 2010, where I was in my third year working here, and if you had told me in 2026 this was all going to be happening, I said, you're out of your mind. You are out of your mind. And lo and behold, it's. It's just. I'm not even shocked by anything anymore.

[B]

Is this cyclical? Do you think we'll have days that we say, oh, these are the good days? Like the 80s, I believe the 80s were pretty damn good for people.

[A]

And for me, it was the 90s. I thought the 90s were great. I mean, for me, it was high school and then college, and then people.

[B]

Enjoyed the 50s, but that was the end of the war.

[A]

You know what? To answer your question, I really, really hope so.

[B]

I hope so, too.

[A]

I really do.

[B]

For our kids and the kids that are being born tomorrow that they have a ch to have happiness. I do know I saw a little bit of a tragedy on the way to work.

[A]

Oh, no.

[B]

I was driving on the road, and there was one of those, like, commercial restaurant trucks in front of me, and it was slid on the ice and slid off the road, and bottles of Worcestershire sauce spilled all over the place. I called 911 and the lady said, well, what happened? I said, well, it's really hard to say Worcestershire. Shosh Reivers, you are the best.

[A]

Thank you, Michael. Please do us a favor. Rate and review the show wherever you happen to be. Listen the weekly Scramble podcast Worcestershire show. It helps others find the show. It helps us out as well. And we appreciate each and every single one of you. His name is Mike Fratelloni. My name is Chris Reivers. Thank you so very much for listening to the weekly Scramble podcast. We'll talk to you again next time. And until then, cheers. This Valentine's Day, the UPS store certified packing experts are helping pack and ship all the ways we care. From the lovey dovey XOXO Gifts gifts for your Galentine's gal pal. Even pet gifts for doggy dearest. When you ship UPS Air at the UPS Store, your items arrive on time or your money back, guaranteed at no extra cost. Exclusively at the UPS Store. U.S. retail Locations. Send your Valentines on time at the UPS Store. Visit theupsstore.com airguaranty for full details. Terms and conditions apply.