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Add speaker-labeled transcripts, favicon, host stream fix, episode page

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- Re-label all 8 episode transcripts with LUKE:/CALLER: speaker labels
  using LLM-based diarization (relabel_transcripts.py)
- Add episode.html transcript page with styled speaker labels
- Update publish_episode.py to generate speaker-labeled transcripts
  and copy to website/transcripts/ for Cloudflare Pages
- Add SVG favicon with PNG fallbacks
- Fix CPU issue: tie host audio stream to on-air toggle, not per-caller
- Update how-it-works page with post-production pipeline info
- Add transcript links to episode cards in app.js

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
This commit is contained in:
tcpsyn
2026-02-11 15:19:45 -07:00
parent 4becfd2122
commit cee78b5d88
22 changed files with 2637 additions and 186 deletions
Download Patch File Download Diff File Expand all files Collapse all files

16
backend/main.py
View File

@@ -2339,6 +2339,11 @@ async def set_on_air(state: dict):
global _show_on_air global _show_on_air
_show_on_air = bool(state.get("on_air", False)) _show_on_air = bool(state.get("on_air", False))
print(f"[Show] On-air: {_show_on_air}") print(f"[Show] On-air: {_show_on_air}")
if _show_on_air:
_start_host_audio_sender()
audio_service.start_host_stream(_host_audio_sync_callback)
else:
audio_service.stop_host_stream()
threading.Thread(target=_update_on_air_cdn, args=(_show_on_air,), daemon=True).start() threading.Thread(target=_update_on_air_cdn, args=(_show_on_air,), daemon=True).start()
return {"on_air": _show_on_air} return {"on_air": _show_on_air}
@@ -3285,8 +3290,6 @@ async def signalwire_audio_stream(websocket: WebSocket):
caller_service.hangup(caller_id) caller_service.hangup(caller_id)
if session.active_real_caller and session.active_real_caller.get("caller_id") == caller_id: if session.active_real_caller and session.active_real_caller.get("caller_id") == caller_id:
session.active_real_caller = None session.active_real_caller = None
if len(caller_service.active_calls) == 0:
audio_service.stop_host_stream()
broadcast_event("caller_disconnected", {"phone": caller_phone, "reason": disconnect_reason}) broadcast_event("caller_disconnected", {"phone": caller_phone, "reason": disconnect_reason})
broadcast_chat("System", f"{caller_phone} disconnected ({disconnect_reason})") broadcast_chat("System", f"{caller_phone} disconnected ({disconnect_reason})")
@@ -3394,11 +3397,6 @@ async def take_call_from_queue(caller_id: str):
"phone": call_info["phone"], "phone": call_info["phone"],
} }
# Start host mic streaming if this is the first real caller
if len(caller_service.active_calls) == 1:
_start_host_audio_sender()
audio_service.start_host_stream(_host_audio_sync_callback)
return { return {
"status": "on_air", "status": "on_air",
"caller": call_info, "caller": call_info,
@@ -3652,10 +3650,6 @@ async def hangup_real_caller():
if call_sid: if call_sid:
asyncio.create_task(_signalwire_end_call(call_sid)) asyncio.create_task(_signalwire_end_call(call_sid))
# Stop host streaming if no more active callers
if len(caller_service.active_calls) == 0:
audio_service.stop_host_stream()
session.active_real_caller = None session.active_real_caller = None
hangup_sound = settings.sounds_dir / "hangup.wav" hangup_sound = settings.sounds_dir / "hangup.wav"

3
backend/services/audio.py
View File

@@ -515,6 +515,9 @@ class AudioService:
def start_host_stream(self, send_callback: Callable): def start_host_stream(self, send_callback: Callable):
"""Start continuous host mic capture for streaming to real callers""" """Start continuous host mic capture for streaming to real callers"""
if self._host_stream is not None:
self._host_send_callback = send_callback
return
if self.input_device is None: if self.input_device is None:
print("[Audio] No input device configured for host streaming") print("[Audio] No input device configured for host streaming")
return return

290
data/regulars.json
View File

@@ -1,135 +1,5 @@
{ {
"regulars": [ "regulars": [
{
"id": "be244306",
"name": "Dale",
"gender": "male",
"age": 44,
"job": "runs a food truck",
"location": "unknown",
"personality_traits": [],
"call_history": [
{
"summary": "Briefly explain the universe's expansion to a child who wants to know what happens when it stops expanding. Please don't suggest unusual topics; keep the explanation simple.",
"timestamp": 1770515097.24686
},
{
"summary": "Dale updates the host on explaining the universe's expansion to his buddy's kid, who now worries if it could \"pop,\" but shifts to his temptation to bet on Super Bowl 60 predictions after reading an article, critiquing a prior caller's gambling mindset while reflecting emotionally on his brother Eddie's fruitless horse-betting habit and his own exhaustion from long taco truck shifts in the cold desert. He ultimately considers a small, affordable wager on the Chiefs as a low-stakes thrill.",
"timestamp": 1770522741.049846
}
],
"last_call": 1770522741.049846,
"created_at": 1770515097.24686
},
{
"id": "584767e8",
"name": "Carl",
"gender": "male",
"age": 36,
"job": "is a firefighter",
"location": "unknown",
"personality_traits": [],
"call_history": [
{
"summary": "Carl, a firefighter from Lordsburg, New Mexico, called to confess his 20-year gambling addiction, which began with casual poker games at the station and escalated to frequent casino visits and online sessions, draining his finances and leaving him with overdue bills and the fear of losing his home. Emotionally raw, he admitted the habit's destructive hold\u2014like an unquenchable fire\u2014and his pride in avoiding help, but agreed to consider support groups and an 800 hotline after the host suggested productive alternatives like gym workouts or extra volunteer shifts.",
"timestamp": 1770522170.1887732
},
{
"summary": "Here is a 1-2 sentence summary of the radio call:\n\nThe caller, Carl, discusses his progress in overcoming his gambling addiction, including rewatching The Sopranos, but the host, Luke, disagrees with Carl's high opinion of the show's ending, leading to a back-and-forth debate between the two about the merits and predictability of the Sopranos finale.",
"timestamp": 1770573289.82847
},
{
"summary": "Carl, a firefighter, called to discuss finding $15-20,000 in cash at a house fire and struggling with the temptation to keep it despite doing the right thing by returning it to the family. He's been gambling-free for three months but is financially struggling, and though he returned the money, he's been losing sleep for three nights obsessing over what he could have done with it and fearing he might have blown it at a casino anyway.",
"timestamp": 1770694065.5629818
}
],
"last_call": 1770694065.5629828,
"created_at": 1770522170.1887732
},
{
"id": "d97cb6f9",
"name": "Carla",
"gender": "female",
"age": 26,
"job": "is a vet tech",
"location": "unknown",
"personality_traits": [],
"call_history": [
{
"summary": "Carla, separated from her husband but not yet divorced, vented about her intrusive in-laws who relentlessly call and dictate her life\u2014from finances and household matters to her clothing choices\u2014while her spineless spouse relays their demands, making her feel trapped in a one-sided war. With her own parents unavailable (father deceased, mother distant), she leans on her bickering but honest sister for support, underscoring her deep frustration and sense of isolation.",
"timestamp": 1770522530.8554251
},
{
"summary": "Carla dismissed celebrity science theories like Terrence Howard's after watching Neil deGrasse Tyson's critique, then marveled at JWST's exoplanet discoveries before sharing her relief at finally cutting off her toxic in-laws amid her ongoing divorce. She expressed deep heartbreak over actor James Ransone's suicide at 46, reflecting on life's fragility, her late father's death, and the need to eliminate family drama, leaving her contemplative and planning a solo desert drive for clarity.",
"timestamp": 1770526316.004708
},
{
"summary": "In this call, Carla discovered some explicit photos of her ex-husband and his old girlfriend in a box of his old ham radio equipment. She is feeling very uncomfortable about the situation and is seeking advice from the radio host, Luke, on how to best handle and dispose of the photos.",
"timestamp": 1770602323.234795
}
],
"last_call": 1770602323.234796,
"created_at": 1770522530.855426
},
{
"id": "5ccaea00",
"name": "Jerome",
"gender": "male",
"age": 52,
"job": "works at a cemetery",
"location": "unknown",
"personality_traits": [],
"call_history": [
{
"summary": "Jerome called in to discuss Neil deGrasse Tyson's dismissal of Terrence Howard's unconventional scientific theories, agreeing they don't hold up to real science, before opening up about his emotional turmoil over an unanswered text from his ex, Laura, following a recent blowout that left him questioning his life choices while drinking mezcal in his truck late at night. He reflected on their breakup due to his workaholic tendencies at the cemetery and her desire for more, but found hope in his child's insightful comment about the stars from the Silo books, suggesting they might both be better off apart.",
"timestamp": 1770522903.5809002
},
{
"summary": "Here is a 1-2 sentence summary of the call:\n\nThe caller, Jerome, recounts a humorous customer service interaction where a woman came to the cemetery he works at late at night frantically trying to find her husband's plot, leading to an amusing back-and-forth.",
"timestamp": 1770523944.299309
}
],
"last_call": 1770523944.29931,
"created_at": 1770522903.5809002
},
{
"id": "49147bd5",
"name": "Keith",
"gender": "male",
"age": 61,
"job": "south of Silver City",
"location": "in unknown",
"personality_traits": [],
"call_history": [
{
"summary": "The caller, Luke, kicked off by sharing a humorous clip of Terrence Howard's Tree of Life Theory being critiqued by Neil deGrasse Tyson, which left Howard visibly hurt, before pivoting to economic woes, blaming overspending and Federal Reserve money printing for devaluing the currency and harming everyday people. He advocated abolishing the Fed, echoing Ron Paul's ideas, to let markets stabilize money, potentially boosting innovation and new industries in rural spots like Silver City despite uncertain local impacts.",
"timestamp": 1770524506.3390348
},
{
"summary": "Here is a 1-2 sentence summary of the call:\n\nThe caller, who works at a bank, has been reflecting on his tendency to blame the government and economic system for his problems, rather than taking responsibility for his own role. He had an epiphany while eating leftover enchiladas in his minivan, realizing he needs to be more proactive instead of just complaining.",
"timestamp": 1770574890.1296651
}
],
"last_call": 1770574890.1296651,
"created_at": 1770524506.339036
},
{
"id": "4f4612c7",
"name": "Dale",
"gender": "male",
"age": 38,
"job": "is a cop, 12 years on the force",
"location": "unknown",
"personality_traits": [],
"call_history": [
{
"summary": "Dale from Globe called in to express skepticism about Terrence Howard's Tree of Life theory, arguing it lacks peer-reviewed experiments and scientific consensus, much like how he trusts quantum entanglement based on reliable sources without reading every paper himself. The conversation shifted to an emotional discussion of his grief over Uncle Hector, the man who raised him like a father but changed after a stroke, leaving Dale feeling a profound loss without closure, though he found solace in the host's validation and hope for lucid moments ahead.",
"timestamp": 1770526114.530777
}
],
"last_call": 1770526114.5307782,
"created_at": 1770526114.5307782
},
{ {
"id": "60053b38", "id": "60053b38",
"name": "Lorraine", "name": "Lorraine",
@@ -164,6 +34,31 @@
"last_call": 1770602129.5008588, "last_call": 1770602129.5008588,
"created_at": 1770602129.5008588 "created_at": 1770602129.5008588
}, },
{
"id": "d97cb6f9",
"name": "Carla",
"gender": "female",
"age": 26,
"job": "is a vet tech",
"location": "unknown",
"personality_traits": [],
"call_history": [
{
"summary": "Carla, separated from her husband but not yet divorced, vented about her intrusive in-laws who relentlessly call and dictate her life\u2014from finances and household matters to her clothing choices\u2014while her spineless spouse relays their demands, making her feel trapped in a one-sided war. With her own parents unavailable (father deceased, mother distant), she leans on her bickering but honest sister for support, underscoring her deep frustration and sense of isolation.",
"timestamp": 1770522530.8554251
},
{
"summary": "Carla dismissed celebrity science theories like Terrence Howard's after watching Neil deGrasse Tyson's critique, then marveled at JWST's exoplanet discoveries before sharing her relief at finally cutting off her toxic in-laws amid her ongoing divorce. She expressed deep heartbreak over actor James Ransone's suicide at 46, reflecting on life's fragility, her late father's death, and the need to eliminate family drama, leaving her contemplative and planning a solo desert drive for clarity.",
"timestamp": 1770526316.004708
},
{
"summary": "In this call, Carla discovered some explicit photos of her ex-husband and his old girlfriend in a box of his old ham radio equipment. She is feeling very uncomfortable about the situation and is seeking advice from the radio host, Luke, on how to best handle and dispose of the photos.",
"timestamp": 1770602323.234795
}
],
"last_call": 1770602323.234796,
"created_at": 1770522530.855426
},
{ {
"id": "7be7317c", "id": "7be7317c",
"name": "Jerome", "name": "Jerome",
@@ -197,6 +92,141 @@
], ],
"last_call": 1770693549.697355, "last_call": 1770693549.697355,
"created_at": 1770693549.697355 "created_at": 1770693549.697355
},
{
"id": "584767e8",
"name": "Carl",
"gender": "male",
"age": 36,
"job": "is a firefighter",
"location": "unknown",
"personality_traits": [],
"call_history": [
{
"summary": "Carl, a firefighter from Lordsburg, New Mexico, called to confess his 20-year gambling addiction, which began with casual poker games at the station and escalated to frequent casino visits and online sessions, draining his finances and leaving him with overdue bills and the fear of losing his home. Emotionally raw, he admitted the habit's destructive hold\u2014like an unquenchable fire\u2014and his pride in avoiding help, but agreed to consider support groups and an 800 hotline after the host suggested productive alternatives like gym workouts or extra volunteer shifts.",
"timestamp": 1770522170.1887732
},
{
"summary": "Here is a 1-2 sentence summary of the radio call:\n\nThe caller, Carl, discusses his progress in overcoming his gambling addiction, including rewatching The Sopranos, but the host, Luke, disagrees with Carl's high opinion of the show's ending, leading to a back-and-forth debate between the two about the merits and predictability of the Sopranos finale.",
"timestamp": 1770573289.82847
},
{
"summary": "Carl, a firefighter, called to discuss finding $15-20,000 in cash at a house fire and struggling with the temptation to keep it despite doing the right thing by returning it to the family. He's been gambling-free for three months but is financially struggling, and though he returned the money, he's been losing sleep for three nights obsessing over what he could have done with it and fearing he might have blown it at a casino anyway.",
"timestamp": 1770694065.5629818
}
],
"last_call": 1770694065.5629828,
"created_at": 1770522170.1887732
},
{
"id": "04b1a69c",
"name": "Reggie",
"gender": "male",
"age": 51,
"job": "a 39-year-old food truck operator, is reeling from a troubling discovery this morning",
"location": "in unknown",
"personality_traits": [],
"call_history": [
{
"summary": "Reggie called in worried because his partner suddenly packed a bag and left for her mom's house without explanation and won't answer his calls, making him fear something is wrong with their relationship. The host advised him to stop calling repeatedly and have a calm conversation with her when she's ready to talk, reassuring him he's likely overreacting.",
"timestamp": 1770769705.511872
}
],
"last_call": 1770769705.511872,
"created_at": 1770769705.511872
},
{
"id": "747c6464",
"name": "Brenda",
"gender": "female",
"age": 44,
"job": "a 41-year-old ambulance driver, is fed up with the tipping culture",
"location": "unknown",
"personality_traits": [],
"call_history": [
{
"summary": "Brenda called in to vent about being frustrated with automatic tipping at a diner, where a 20% tip was already added to her bill but the card reader prompted her to add an additional 25-35% while the waitress watched. She expressed feeling pressured and annoyed as an ambulance driver with two kids, struggling with whether to look cheap by reducing the tip, before playing a quick real-or-fake news game with the host.",
"timestamp": 1770770008.684104
}
],
"last_call": 1770770008.684105,
"created_at": 1770770008.684105
},
{
"id": "49147bd5",
"name": "Keith",
"gender": "male",
"age": 61,
"job": "south of Silver City",
"location": "in unknown",
"personality_traits": [],
"call_history": [
{
"summary": "The caller, Luke, kicked off by sharing a humorous clip of Terrence Howard's Tree of Life Theory being critiqued by Neil deGrasse Tyson, which left Howard visibly hurt, before pivoting to economic woes, blaming overspending and Federal Reserve money printing for devaluing the currency and harming everyday people. He advocated abolishing the Fed, echoing Ron Paul's ideas, to let markets stabilize money, potentially boosting innovation and new industries in rural spots like Silver City despite uncertain local impacts.",
"timestamp": 1770524506.3390348
},
{
"summary": "Here is a 1-2 sentence summary of the call:\n\nThe caller, who works at a bank, has been reflecting on his tendency to blame the government and economic system for his problems, rather than taking responsibility for his own role. He had an epiphany while eating leftover enchiladas in his minivan, realizing he needs to be more proactive instead of just complaining.",
"timestamp": 1770574890.1296651
},
{
"summary": "Keith called in with an update about a widow who has been showing up weekly at the cemetery where he works nights, but she sits by the maintenance shed rather than visiting her husband's grave, and recently started asking Keith's neighbor personal questions about him. Luke dismissively suggested Keith just talk to the woman and called him a coward for being concerned, leading to some tension before they moved on to playing the real or fake news game.",
"timestamp": 1770770394.0436218
}
],
"last_call": 1770770394.0436218,
"created_at": 1770524506.339036
},
{
"id": "f21d1346",
"name": "Andre",
"gender": "male",
"age": 54,
"job": "is a firefighter unknown",
"location": "in unknown",
"personality_traits": [],
"call_history": [
{
"summary": "Andre called into a radio game show but first shared that he's upset about being named in court documents related to a lawsuit involving a family he helped in December by returning $15,000 after a house fire. Though the host reassured him he has nothing to worry about since he did the right thing, Andre expressed frustration that his good deed led to him being dragged into an insurance dispute.",
"timestamp": 1770770944.7940538
}
],
"last_call": 1770770944.7940538,
"created_at": 1770770944.7940538
},
{
"id": "add59d4a",
"name": "Rick",
"gender": "male",
"age": 65,
"job": "south of Silver City",
"location": "unknown",
"personality_traits": [],
"call_history": [
{
"summary": "Rick called in to play \"real news or fake news\" and correctly identified a headline about a geothermal plant sale. He then shared that he's troubled about an elderly bank customer who withdrew $8,000 cash while appearing scared and mentioning his daughter's boyfriend was pressuring him about finances\u2014Rick processed the withdrawal but later learned he should have flagged it as potential elder exploitation, and he's feeling guilty about not intervening.",
"timestamp": 1770771655.536344
}
],
"last_call": 1770771655.536344,
"created_at": 1770771655.536344
},
{
"id": "13ff1736",
"name": "Jasmine",
"gender": "female",
"age": 36,
"job": "a 61-year-old woman who runs a small bakery in the rural Southwest, finds herself at a crossroads",
"location": "unknown",
"personality_traits": [],
"call_history": [
{
"summary": "Jasmine called in to defend an earlier caller (Rick) whom she felt the host was too hard on, explaining she's been feeling guilty herself lately. She emotionally revealed that she chose her 1972 Ford Bronco restoration project over her marriage when given an ultimatum, and now regrets sleeping in the guest room with Valentine's Day approaching.",
"timestamp": 1770772286.1733272
}
],
"last_call": 1770772286.1733272,
"created_at": 1770772286.1733272
} }
] ]
} }

114
publish_episode.py
View File

@@ -84,6 +84,94 @@ def get_auth_header():
return {"Authorization": f"Basic {credentials}"} return {"Authorization": f"Basic {credentials}"}
def label_transcript_speakers(text):
"""Add LUKE:/CALLER: speaker labels to transcript using LLM."""
import time as _time
prompt = """Insert speaker labels into this radio show transcript. The show is "Luke at the Roost". The host is LUKE. Callers call in one at a time.
CRITICAL: Output EVERY SINGLE WORD from the input. Do NOT summarize, shorten, paraphrase, or skip ANY text. The output must contain the EXACT SAME words as the input, with ONLY speaker labels and line breaks added.
At each speaker change, insert a blank line and the new speaker's label (e.g., "LUKE:" or "REGGIE:").
Speaker identification:
- LUKE is the host — he introduces callers, asks questions, does sponsor reads, opens and closes the show
- Callers are introduced by name by Luke (e.g., "let's talk to Earl", "next up Brenda")
- Use caller FIRST NAME in caps as the label
- When Luke says "Tell me about..." or asks a question, that's LUKE
- When someone responds with their story/opinion/answer, that's the CALLER
Output format — ONLY the labeled transcript with blank lines between turns. No notes, no commentary.
TRANSCRIPT:
"""
# Chunk text into ~8000 char segments
chunks = []
remaining = text
while remaining:
if len(remaining) <= 8000:
if chunks and len(remaining) < 1000:
chunks[-1] = chunks[-1] + " " + remaining
else:
chunks.append(remaining)
break
pos = remaining[:8000].rfind('. ')
if pos < 4000:
pos = remaining[:8000].rfind('? ')
if pos < 4000:
pos = remaining[:8000].rfind('! ')
if pos < 4000:
pos = 8000
chunks.append(remaining[:pos + 1].strip())
remaining = remaining[pos + 1:].strip()
labeled_parts = []
context = ""
for i, chunk in enumerate(chunks):
full_prompt = prompt + chunk
if context:
full_prompt += f"\n\nCONTEXT: The previous section ended with speaker {context}"
response = requests.post(
"https://openrouter.ai/api/v1/chat/completions",
headers={
"Authorization": f"Bearer {OPENROUTER_API_KEY}",
"Content-Type": "application/json"
},
json={
"model": "anthropic/claude-3.5-sonnet",
"messages": [{"role": "user", "content": full_prompt}],
"max_tokens": 8192,
"temperature": 0
}
)
if response.status_code != 200:
print(f" Warning: Speaker labeling failed for chunk {i+1}, using raw text")
labeled_parts.append(chunk)
else:
content = response.json()["choices"][0]["message"]["content"].strip()
if content.startswith("```"):
content = re.sub(r'^```\w*\n?', '', content)
content = re.sub(r'\n?```$', '', content)
labeled_parts.append(content)
# Extract last speaker for context
for line in reversed(content.strip().split('\n')):
m = re.match(r'^([A-Z][A-Z\s\'-]+?):', line.strip())
if m:
context = m.group(1)
break
if i < len(chunks) - 1:
_time.sleep(0.5)
result = "\n\n".join(labeled_parts)
result = re.sub(r'\n{3,}', '\n\n', result)
# Normalize: SPEAKER:\ntext -> SPEAKER: text
result = re.sub(r'^([A-Z][A-Z\s\'-]+?):\s*\n(?!\n)', r'\1: ', result, flags=re.MULTILINE)
return result
def transcribe_audio(audio_path: str) -> dict: def transcribe_audio(audio_path: str) -> dict:
"""Transcribe audio using faster-whisper with timestamps.""" """Transcribe audio using faster-whisper with timestamps."""
print(f"[1/5] Transcribing {audio_path}...") print(f"[1/5] Transcribing {audio_path}...")
@@ -506,13 +594,21 @@ def main():
chapters_path = audio_path.with_suffix(".chapters.json") chapters_path = audio_path.with_suffix(".chapters.json")
save_chapters(metadata, str(chapters_path)) save_chapters(metadata, str(chapters_path))
# Save transcript alongside episode if session data available # Save transcript text file with LUKE:/CALLER: speaker labels
if session_data and session_data.get("transcript"):
transcript_path = audio_path.with_suffix(".transcript.txt") transcript_path = audio_path.with_suffix(".transcript.txt")
raw_text = transcript["full_text"]
labeled_text = label_transcript_speakers(raw_text)
with open(transcript_path, "w") as f: with open(transcript_path, "w") as f:
f.write(session_data["transcript"]) f.write(labeled_text)
print(f" Transcript saved to: {transcript_path}") print(f" Transcript saved to: {transcript_path}")
# Save session transcript alongside episode if available (has speaker labels)
if session_data and session_data.get("transcript"):
session_transcript_path = audio_path.with_suffix(".session_transcript.txt")
with open(session_transcript_path, "w") as f:
f.write(session_data["transcript"])
print(f" Session transcript saved to: {session_transcript_path}")
if args.dry_run: if args.dry_run:
print("\n[DRY RUN] Would publish with:") print("\n[DRY RUN] Would publish with:")
print(f" Title: {metadata['title']}") print(f" Title: {metadata['title']}")
@@ -557,6 +653,18 @@ def main():
upload_to_bunny(str(chapters_path), f"media/{chapters_key}") upload_to_bunny(str(chapters_path), f"media/{chapters_key}")
uploaded_keys.add(chapters_key) uploaded_keys.add(chapters_key)
# Transcript
print(f" Uploading transcript to BunnyCDN")
upload_to_bunny(str(transcript_path), f"transcripts/{episode['slug']}.txt", "text/plain")
# Copy transcript to website dir for Cloudflare Pages
import shutil
website_transcript_dir = Path(__file__).parent / "website" / "transcripts"
website_transcript_dir.mkdir(exist_ok=True)
website_transcript_path = website_transcript_dir / f"{episode['slug']}.txt"
shutil.copy2(str(transcript_path), str(website_transcript_path))
print(f" Transcript copied to website/transcripts/")
# Step 4: Publish # Step 4: Publish
episode = publish_episode(episode["id"]) episode = publish_episode(episode["id"])

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#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""Re-label podcast transcripts with LUKE:/CALLER: speaker labels using LLM."""
import os, re, sys, time, requests
from pathlib import Path
from dotenv import load_dotenv
load_dotenv()
API_KEY = os.getenv("OPENROUTER_API_KEY")
TRANSCRIPT_DIR = Path(__file__).parent / "website" / "transcripts"
MODEL = "anthropic/claude-3.5-sonnet"
CHUNK_SIZE = 8000
PROMPT = """Insert speaker labels into this radio show transcript. The show is "Luke at the Roost". The host is LUKE. Callers call in one at a time.
CRITICAL: Output EVERY SINGLE WORD from the input. Do NOT summarize, shorten, paraphrase, or skip ANY text. The output must contain the EXACT SAME words as the input, with ONLY speaker labels and line breaks added.
At each speaker change, insert a blank line and the new speaker's label (e.g., "LUKE:" or "REGGIE:").
Speaker identification:
- LUKE is the host — he introduces callers, asks questions, does sponsor reads, opens and closes the show
- Callers are introduced by name by Luke (e.g., "let's talk to Earl", "next up Brenda")
- Use caller FIRST NAME in caps as the label
- When Luke says "Tell me about..." or asks a question, that's LUKE
- When someone responds with their story/opinion/answer, that's the CALLER
Output format — ONLY the labeled transcript with blank lines between turns. No notes, no commentary."""
CONTEXT_PROMPT = "\n\nCONTEXT: The previous section ended with the speaker {speaker}. Last few words: \"{tail}\""
def chunk_text(text, max_chars=CHUNK_SIZE):
if len(text) <= max_chars:
return [text]
chunks = []
while text:
if len(text) <= max_chars:
# Merge tiny tails into the previous chunk
if chunks and len(text) < 1000:
chunks[-1] = chunks[-1] + " " + text
else:
chunks.append(text)
break
# Find a good break point near max_chars
pos = text[:max_chars].rfind('. ')
if pos < max_chars // 2:
pos = text[:max_chars].rfind('? ')
if pos < max_chars // 2:
pos = text[:max_chars].rfind('! ')
if pos < max_chars // 2:
pos = max_chars
chunks.append(text[:pos + 1].strip())
text = text[pos + 1:].strip()
return chunks
def label_chunk(text, context=""):
prompt = PROMPT + "\n\nTRANSCRIPT:\n" + text
if context:
prompt += context
response = requests.post(
"https://openrouter.ai/api/v1/chat/completions",
headers={
"Authorization": f"Bearer {API_KEY}",
"Content-Type": "application/json"
},
json={
"model": MODEL,
"messages": [{"role": "user", "content": prompt}],
"max_tokens": 8192,
"temperature": 0
}
)
if response.status_code != 200:
print(f" API error: {response.status_code} {response.text[:200]}")
return None
content = response.json()["choices"][0]["message"]["content"].strip()
# Remove any markdown code block wrappers
if content.startswith("```"):
content = re.sub(r'^```\w*\n?', '', content)
content = re.sub(r'\n?```$', '', content)
return content
def get_last_speaker(text):
lines = text.strip().split('\n')
for line in reversed(lines):
match = re.match(r'^([A-Z][A-Z\s\'-]+?):', line.strip())
if match:
return match.group(1)
return "LUKE"
def validate_output(original, labeled):
"""Basic validation that the output looks right."""
# Check that speaker labels exist (at least 1 for short chunks)
speaker_lines = re.findall(r'^[A-Z][A-Z\s\'-]+?:', labeled, re.MULTILINE)
if len(speaker_lines) < 1:
return False
# Check that output isn't drastically shorter (allowing for some reformatting)
orig_words = len(original.split())
labeled_words = len(labeled.split())
if labeled_words < orig_words * 0.5:
print(f" WARNING: Output is {labeled_words} words vs {orig_words} input words ({labeled_words * 100 // orig_words}%)")
return False
return True
def process_transcript(filepath):
text = filepath.read_text().strip()
# Strip existing timestamp markers
text = re.sub(r'\[[\d:]+\]\s*', '', text)
# Normalize whitespace
text = re.sub(r'\n+', ' ', text)
text = re.sub(r'\s+', ' ', text).strip()
print(f" {len(text)} chars")
chunks = chunk_text(text)
print(f" {len(chunks)} chunk(s)")
labeled_parts = []
context = ""
for i, chunk in enumerate(chunks):
print(f" Processing chunk {i + 1}/{len(chunks)} ({len(chunk)} chars)...")
labeled = label_chunk(chunk, context)
if labeled is None:
print(f" ERROR: API call failed for chunk {i + 1}")
return None
if not validate_output(chunk, labeled):
print(f" ERROR: Validation failed for chunk {i + 1}")
return None
labeled_parts.append(labeled)
# Build context for next chunk
last_speaker = get_last_speaker(labeled)
tail = labeled.strip()[-100:]
context = CONTEXT_PROMPT.format(speaker=last_speaker, tail=tail)
if i < len(chunks) - 1:
time.sleep(0.5)
# Join parts, ensuring proper spacing between chunks
result = "\n\n".join(labeled_parts)
# Normalize: ensure exactly one blank line between speaker turns
result = re.sub(r'\n{3,}', '\n\n', result)
# Fix format: put speaker label on same line as text (SPEAKER:\ntext -> SPEAKER: text)
result = re.sub(r'^([A-Z][A-Z\s\'-]+?):\s*\n(?!\n)', r'\1: ', result, flags=re.MULTILINE)
return result
def main():
if not API_KEY:
print("Error: OPENROUTER_API_KEY not set")
sys.exit(1)
files = sys.argv[1:] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else None
if files:
transcripts = [TRANSCRIPT_DIR / f for f in files]
else:
transcripts = sorted(TRANSCRIPT_DIR.glob("*.txt"))
for filepath in transcripts:
if not filepath.exists():
print(f"Skipping {filepath.name} (not found)")
continue
print(f"\nProcessing: {filepath.name}")
labeled = process_transcript(filepath)
if labeled is None:
print(f" SKIPPED (processing failed)")
continue
filepath.write_text(labeled + "\n")
print(f" Saved ({len(labeled)} chars)")
print("\nDone!")
if __name__ == "__main__":
main()

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@@ -704,6 +704,15 @@ a:hover {
line-height: 1; line-height: 1;
} }
.diagram-label {
font-size: 0.7rem;
text-transform: uppercase;
letter-spacing: 0.15em;
color: var(--text-muted);
margin-bottom: 0.25rem;
margin-top: 0.5rem;
}
/* Steps */ /* Steps */
.hiw-steps { .hiw-steps {
display: flex; display: flex;
@@ -876,6 +885,113 @@ a:hover {
color: var(--accent); color: var(--accent);
} }
/* Episode Page */
.ep-header {
max-width: 900px;
margin: 0 auto;
padding: 1rem 1.5rem 2rem;
}
.ep-header-inner {
display: flex;
flex-direction: column;
gap: 0.75rem;
}
.ep-meta {
font-size: 0.85rem;
color: var(--text-muted);
}
.ep-title {
font-size: 2rem;
font-weight: 800;
line-height: 1.2;
}
.ep-desc {
font-size: 0.95rem;
color: var(--text-muted);
line-height: 1.7;
}
.ep-actions {
margin-top: 0.5rem;
}
.ep-play-btn {
display: inline-flex;
align-items: center;
gap: 0.5rem;
background: var(--accent);
color: #fff;
border: none;
border-radius: 50px;
padding: 0.6rem 1.5rem;
font-size: 0.95rem;
font-weight: 600;
cursor: pointer;
transition: background 0.2s, transform 0.2s;
}
.ep-play-btn:hover {
background: var(--accent-hover);
transform: translateY(-1px);
}
.ep-play-btn svg {
width: 18px;
height: 18px;
}
/* Transcript */
.transcript-section {
max-width: 900px;
margin: 0 auto;
padding: 0 1.5rem 3rem;
}
.transcript-section h2 {
font-size: 1.3rem;
font-weight: 700;
margin-bottom: 1.5rem;
padding-bottom: 0.75rem;
border-bottom: 1px solid #2a2015;
}
.transcript-body {
font-size: 0.95rem;
line-height: 1.8;
color: var(--text);
}
.transcript-body p {
margin-bottom: 1.25rem;
}
.speaker-label {
font-weight: 700;
color: var(--accent);
font-size: 0.85rem;
letter-spacing: 0.03em;
}
.transcript-unavailable {
color: var(--text-muted);
font-style: italic;
}
.episode-transcript-link {
font-size: 0.8rem;
color: var(--accent);
margin-top: 0.25rem;
display: inline-block;
}
.episode-transcript-link:hover {
color: var(--accent-hover);
}
/* Desktop */ /* Desktop */
@media (min-width: 768px) { @media (min-width: 768px) {
.hero { .hero {

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<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title id="page-title">Episode — Luke at the Roost</title>
<meta name="description" id="page-description" content="Full transcript of this episode of Luke at the Roost, the late-night call-in radio show.">
<link rel="canonical" id="page-canonical" href="https://lukeattheroost.com/episode.html">
<!-- OG / Social -->
<meta property="og:title" id="og-title" content="Episode — Luke at the Roost">
<meta property="og:description" id="og-description" content="Full transcript of this episode of Luke at the Roost.">
<meta property="og:image" content="https://cdn.lukeattheroost.com/media/podcasts/LukeAtTheRoost/cover_feed.png?v=3">
<meta property="og:url" id="og-url" content="https://lukeattheroost.com/episode.html">
<meta property="og:type" content="article">
<!-- Favicon -->
<link rel="icon" type="image/svg+xml" href="favicon.svg">
<link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="32x32" href="favicon-32.png">
<link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="16x16" href="favicon-16.png">
<link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="apple-touch-icon.png">
<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Luke at the Roost RSS Feed" href="https://podcast.macneilmediagroup.com/@LukeAtTheRoost/feed.xml">
<link rel="stylesheet" href="css/style.css">
</head>
<body>
<!-- Nav -->
<nav class="page-nav">
<a href="/" class="nav-home">&larr; Luke at the Roost</a>
</nav>
<!-- Episode Header -->
<section class="ep-header" id="ep-header">
<div class="ep-header-inner">
<div class="ep-meta" id="ep-meta"></div>
<h1 class="ep-title" id="ep-title">Loading...</h1>
<p class="ep-desc" id="ep-desc"></p>
<div class="ep-actions">
<button class="ep-play-btn" id="ep-play-btn" style="display:none" aria-label="Play Episode">
<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="currentColor"><path d="M8 5v14l11-7z"/></svg>
<span>Play Episode</span>
</button>
</div>
</div>
</section>
<!-- Transcript -->
<section class="transcript-section" id="transcript-section">
<h2>Full Transcript</h2>
<div class="transcript-body" id="transcript-body">
<div class="episodes-loading">Loading transcript...</div>
</div>
</section>
<!-- Footer -->
<footer class="footer">
<div class="footer-links">
<a href="/">Home</a>
<a href="/how-it-works">How It Works</a>
<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0ZrpMigG1fo0CCN7F4YmuF" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotify</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xryGLifMBTY&list=PLGq4uZyNV1yYH_rcitTTPVysPbC6-7pe-" target="_blank" rel="noopener">YouTube</a>
<a href="https://podcast.macneilmediagroup.com/@LukeAtTheRoost/feed.xml" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RSS</a>
</div>
<p>&copy; 2026 Luke at the Roost</p>
</footer>
<!-- Sticky Audio Player -->
<div class="sticky-player" id="sticky-player">
<div class="player-inner">
<button class="player-play-btn" id="player-play-btn" aria-label="Play/Pause">
<svg class="icon-play" viewBox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M8 5v14l11-7z"/></svg>
<svg class="icon-pause" viewBox="0 0 24 24" style="display:none"><path d="M6 19h4V5H6v14zm8-14v14h4V5h-4z"/></svg>
</button>
<div class="player-info">
<div class="player-title" id="player-title">—</div>
<div class="player-progress-row">
<div class="player-progress" id="player-progress">
<div class="player-progress-fill" id="player-progress-fill"></div>
</div>
<span class="player-time" id="player-time">0:00 / 0:00</span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<audio id="audio-element" preload="none"></audio>
<script>
const FEED_URL = '/feed';
const CDN_BASE = 'https://cdn.lukeattheroost.com';
const audio = document.getElementById('audio-element');
const stickyPlayer = document.getElementById('sticky-player');
const playerPlayBtn = document.getElementById('player-play-btn');
const playerTitle = document.getElementById('player-title');
const playerProgress = document.getElementById('player-progress');
const playerProgressFill = document.getElementById('player-progress-fill');
const playerTime = document.getElementById('player-time');
function formatTime(seconds) {
if (!seconds || isNaN(seconds)) return '0:00';
const s = Math.floor(seconds);
const h = Math.floor(s / 3600);
const m = Math.floor((s % 3600) / 60);
const sec = s % 60;
if (h > 0) return `${h}:${String(m).padStart(2, '0')}:${String(sec).padStart(2, '0')}`;
return `${m}:${String(sec).padStart(2, '0')}`;
}
function formatDate(dateStr) {
return new Date(dateStr).toLocaleDateString('en-US', { month: 'short', day: 'numeric', year: 'numeric' });
}
function parseDuration(raw) {
if (!raw) return '';
if (raw.includes(':')) {
const parts = raw.split(':').map(Number);
let t = 0;
if (parts.length === 3) t = parts[0]*3600 + parts[1]*60 + parts[2];
else if (parts.length === 2) t = parts[0]*60 + parts[1];
return `${Math.round(t/60)} min`;
}
const sec = parseInt(raw, 10);
return isNaN(sec) ? '' : `${Math.round(sec/60)} min`;
}
function stripHtml(html) {
const div = document.createElement('div');
div.innerHTML = html || '';
return div.textContent || '';
}
// Get slug from URL
const params = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search);
const slug = params.get('slug');
if (!slug) {
document.getElementById('ep-title').textContent = 'Episode not found';
document.getElementById('transcript-body').innerHTML = '<p>No episode specified. <a href="/">Go back to episodes.</a></p>';
} else {
loadEpisode(slug);
}
async function loadEpisode(slug) {
// Fetch episode info from RSS
try {
const res = await fetch(FEED_URL);
const xml = await res.text();
const parser = new DOMParser();
const doc = parser.parseFromString(xml, 'text/xml');
const items = doc.querySelectorAll('item');
let episode = null;
for (const item of items) {
const link = item.querySelector('link')?.textContent || '';
const itemSlug = link.split('/episodes/').pop()?.replace(/\/$/, '');
if (itemSlug === slug) {
episode = {
title: item.querySelector('title')?.textContent || 'Untitled',
description: item.querySelector('description')?.textContent || '',
audioUrl: item.querySelector('enclosure')?.getAttribute('url') || '',
pubDate: item.querySelector('pubDate')?.textContent || '',
duration: item.getElementsByTagNameNS('http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd', 'duration')[0]?.textContent || '',
episodeNum: item.getElementsByTagNameNS('http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd', 'episode')[0]?.textContent || '',
};
break;
}
}
if (!episode) {
document.getElementById('ep-title').textContent = 'Episode not found';
document.getElementById('transcript-body').innerHTML = '<p>Could not find this episode. <a href="/">Go back to episodes.</a></p>';
return;
}
// Populate header
const metaParts = [
episode.episodeNum ? `Episode ${episode.episodeNum}` : '',
episode.pubDate ? formatDate(episode.pubDate) : '',
parseDuration(episode.duration),
].filter(Boolean).join(' \u00b7 ');
document.getElementById('ep-meta').textContent = metaParts;
document.getElementById('ep-title').textContent = episode.title;
document.getElementById('ep-desc').innerHTML = episode.description || '';
// Update page meta
document.title = `${episode.title} — Luke at the Roost`;
document.getElementById('page-description')?.setAttribute('content', `Full transcript of ${episode.title} from Luke at the Roost.`);
document.getElementById('og-title')?.setAttribute('content', episode.title);
document.getElementById('og-description')?.setAttribute('content', stripHtml(episode.description).slice(0, 200));
const canonicalUrl = `https://lukeattheroost.com/episode.html?slug=${slug}`;
document.getElementById('page-canonical')?.setAttribute('href', canonicalUrl);
document.getElementById('og-url')?.setAttribute('content', canonicalUrl);
// Play button
if (episode.audioUrl) {
const playBtn = document.getElementById('ep-play-btn');
playBtn.style.display = 'inline-flex';
playBtn.addEventListener('click', () => {
audio.src = episode.audioUrl;
audio.play();
playerTitle.textContent = episode.title;
stickyPlayer.classList.add('active');
});
}
} catch (e) {
document.getElementById('ep-title').textContent = 'Error loading episode';
}
// Fetch transcript
try {
const txRes = await fetch(`/transcripts/${slug}.txt`);
if (!txRes.ok) throw new Error('Not found');
const text = await txRes.text();
const paragraphs = text.split(/\n\n+/).filter(Boolean);
const html = paragraphs.map(p => {
// Style speaker labels (LUKE:, REGGIE:, etc.)
const labeled = p.replace(/^([A-Z][A-Z\s'-]+?):\s*/, '<span class="speaker-label">$1:</span> ');
return `<p>${labeled.replace(/\n/g, '<br>')}</p>`;
}).join('');
document.getElementById('transcript-body').innerHTML = html;
} catch (e) {
document.getElementById('transcript-body').innerHTML = '<p class="transcript-unavailable">Transcript not yet available for this episode.</p>';
}
}
// Audio player controls
audio.addEventListener('play', () => updatePlayIcons(true));
audio.addEventListener('pause', () => updatePlayIcons(false));
audio.addEventListener('ended', () => updatePlayIcons(false));
audio.addEventListener('timeupdate', () => {
if (audio.duration) {
playerProgressFill.style.width = (audio.currentTime / audio.duration * 100) + '%';
playerTime.textContent = `${formatTime(audio.currentTime)} / ${formatTime(audio.duration)}`;
}
});
function updatePlayIcons(playing) {
const iconPlay = playerPlayBtn.querySelector('.icon-play');
const iconPause = playerPlayBtn.querySelector('.icon-pause');
if (iconPlay) iconPlay.style.display = playing ? 'none' : 'block';
if (iconPause) iconPause.style.display = playing ? 'block' : 'none';
}
playerPlayBtn.addEventListener('click', () => {
if (audio.src) { audio.paused ? audio.play() : audio.pause(); }
});
playerProgress.addEventListener('click', (e) => {
if (audio.duration) {
const rect = playerProgress.getBoundingClientRect();
audio.currentTime = ((e.clientX - rect.left) / rect.width) * audio.duration;
}
});
</script>
</body>
</html>

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<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 64 64">
<defs>
<filter id="glow">
<feGaussianBlur stdDeviation="2" result="blur"/>
<feMerge>
<feMergeNode in="blur"/>
<feMergeNode in="SourceGraphic"/>
</feMerge>
</filter>
</defs>
<!-- Dark background circle -->
<circle cx="32" cy="32" r="30" fill="#1a1209"/>
<!-- Neon rooster silhouette -->
<g filter="url(#glow)" fill="none" stroke="#e8791d" stroke-width="2.5" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round">
<!-- Comb -->
<path d="M30 12c1-3 3-5 5-5s3 2 3 4c0-2 2-3 3-2s1 3 0 5"/>
<!-- Head -->
<path d="M30 12c-2 1-4 4-4 7 0 3 2 6 6 7"/>
<path d="M41 19c0-3-2-6-5-7"/>
<!-- Eye -->
<circle cx="33" cy="16" r="1.5" fill="#e8791d"/>
<!-- Beak -->
<path d="M26 17l-3 1 3 2"/>
<!-- Body -->
<path d="M32 26c-5 1-9 5-10 10l-1 6c0 1 1 2 2 2h3"/>
<path d="M32 26c5 1 9 5 10 10l1 6c0 1-1 2-2 2h-3"/>
<!-- Tail feathers -->
<path d="M42 30c3-4 6-8 7-14"/>
<path d="M43 32c4-3 8-5 10-10"/>
<path d="M44 35c4-1 7-2 9-5"/>
<!-- Legs -->
<path d="M27 44l-2 8M25 52l-3 1M25 52l2 1"/>
<path d="M37 44l2 8M39 52l-2 1M39 52l3 1"/>
</g>
</svg>
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@@ -4,11 +4,11 @@
<meta charset="UTF-8"> <meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>How It Works — Luke at the Roost</title> <title>How It Works — Luke at the Roost</title>
<meta name="description" content="How Luke at the Roost works: AI-generated callers with unique personalities, real phone calls, voice synthesis, and a live control room — all built from scratch."> <meta name="description" content="How Luke at the Roost works: AI-generated callers with unique personalities, real phone calls, voice synthesis, multi-stem recording, automated post-production, and CDN-powered global distribution — all built from scratch.">
<link rel="canonical" href="https://lukeattheroost.com/how-it-works"> <link rel="canonical" href="https://lukeattheroost.com/how-it-works">
<meta property="og:title" content="How It Works — Luke at the Roost"> <meta property="og:title" content="How It Works — Luke at the Roost">
<meta property="og:description" content="The tech behind a one-of-a-kind AI radio show. Real callers, AI callers, voice synthesis, and a live control room."> <meta property="og:description" content="The tech behind a one-of-a-kind AI radio show: real-time caller generation, multi-stem recording, automated post-production, and global CDN distribution — all custom-built.">
<meta property="og:image" content="https://cdn.lukeattheroost.com/media/podcasts/LukeAtTheRoost/cover_feed.png?v=3"> <meta property="og:image" content="https://cdn.lukeattheroost.com/media/podcasts/LukeAtTheRoost/cover_feed.png?v=3">
<meta property="og:url" content="https://lukeattheroost.com/how-it-works"> <meta property="og:url" content="https://lukeattheroost.com/how-it-works">
<meta property="og:type" content="website"> <meta property="og:type" content="website">
@@ -34,46 +34,15 @@
<section class="hiw-section"> <section class="hiw-section">
<div class="hiw-card hiw-hero-card"> <div class="hiw-card hiw-hero-card">
<div class="hiw-diagram"> <div class="hiw-diagram">
<div class="diagram-row"> <!-- Row 1: Inputs -->
<div class="diagram-label">Live Show</div>
<div class="diagram-row diagram-row-split">
<div class="diagram-box diagram-accent"> <div class="diagram-box diagram-accent">
<div class="diagram-icon"> <div class="diagram-icon">
<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"><path d="M12 1a3 3 0 0 0-3 3v8a3 3 0 0 0 6 0V4a3 3 0 0 0-3-3z"/><path d="M19 10v2a7 7 0 0 1-14 0v-2"/><line x1="12" y1="19" x2="12" y2="23"/><line x1="8" y1="23" x2="16" y2="23"/></svg> <svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"><path d="M12 1a3 3 0 0 0-3 3v8a3 3 0 0 0 6 0V4a3 3 0 0 0-3-3z"/><path d="M19 10v2a7 7 0 0 1-14 0v-2"/><line x1="12" y1="19" x2="12" y2="23"/><line x1="8" y1="23" x2="16" y2="23"/></svg>
</div> </div>
<span>Luke (Host)</span> <span>Luke (Host)</span>
</div> </div>
</div>
<div class="diagram-arrow">&#8595;</div>
<div class="diagram-row">
<div class="diagram-box">
<div class="diagram-icon">
<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"><rect x="2" y="3" width="20" height="14" rx="2"/><line x1="8" y1="21" x2="16" y2="21"/><line x1="12" y1="17" x2="12" y2="21"/></svg>
</div>
<span>Control Room</span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="diagram-arrow">&#8595;</div>
<div class="diagram-row diagram-row-split">
<div class="diagram-box">
<div class="diagram-icon">
<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"><path d="M21 15a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H7l-4 4V5a2 2 0 0 1 2-2h14a2 2 0 0 1 2 2z"/></svg>
</div>
<span>AI Brain</span>
</div>
<div class="diagram-box">
<div class="diagram-icon">
<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"><path d="M12 1a3 3 0 0 0-3 3v8a3 3 0 0 0 6 0V4a3 3 0 0 0-3-3z"/><path d="M19 10v2a7 7 0 0 1-14 0v-2"/></svg>
</div>
<span>Voice Engine</span>
</div>
<div class="diagram-box">
<div class="diagram-icon">
<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"><circle cx="12" cy="12" r="10"/><line x1="2" y1="12" x2="22" y2="12"/><path d="M12 2a15.3 15.3 0 0 1 4 10 15.3 15.3 0 0 1-4 10 15.3 15.3 0 0 1-4-10 15.3 15.3 0 0 1 4-10z"/></svg>
</div>
<span>Live News</span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="diagram-arrow">&#8595;</div>
<div class="diagram-row diagram-row-split">
<div class="diagram-box diagram-accent"> <div class="diagram-box diagram-accent">
<div class="diagram-icon"> <div class="diagram-icon">
<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"><path d="M17 21v-2a4 4 0 0 0-4-4H5a4 4 0 0 0-4 4v2"/><circle cx="9" cy="7" r="4"/><path d="M23 21v-2a4 4 0 0 0-3-3.87"/><path d="M16 3.13a4 4 0 0 1 0 7.75"/></svg> <svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"><path d="M17 21v-2a4 4 0 0 0-4-4H5a4 4 0 0 0-4 4v2"/><circle cx="9" cy="7" r="4"/><path d="M23 21v-2a4 4 0 0 0-3-3.87"/><path d="M16 3.13a4 4 0 0 1 0 7.75"/></svg>
@@ -87,6 +56,155 @@
<span>Real Callers</span> <span>Real Callers</span>
</div> </div>
</div> </div>
<div class="diagram-arrow">&#8595;</div>
<!-- Row 2: Control Room -->
<div class="diagram-row">
<div class="diagram-box">
<div class="diagram-icon">
<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"><rect x="2" y="3" width="20" height="14" rx="2"/><line x1="8" y1="21" x2="16" y2="21"/><line x1="12" y1="17" x2="12" y2="21"/></svg>
</div>
<span>Control Room</span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="diagram-arrow">&#8595;</div>
<!-- Row 3: Engine Layer -->
<div class="diagram-row diagram-row-split">
<div class="diagram-box">
<div class="diagram-icon">
<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"><path d="M21 15a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H7l-4 4V5a2 2 0 0 1 2-2h14a2 2 0 0 1 2 2z"/></svg>
</div>
<span>LLM Dialog</span>
</div>
<div class="diagram-box">
<div class="diagram-icon">
<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"><path d="M12 1a3 3 0 0 0-3 3v8a3 3 0 0 0 6 0V4a3 3 0 0 0-3-3z"/><path d="M19 10v2a7 7 0 0 1-14 0v-2"/></svg>
</div>
<span>Voice Synthesis</span>
</div>
<div class="diagram-box">
<div class="diagram-icon">
<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"><circle cx="12" cy="12" r="10"/><line x1="2" y1="12" x2="22" y2="12"/><path d="M12 2a15.3 15.3 0 0 1 4 10 15.3 15.3 0 0 1-4 10 15.3 15.3 0 0 1-4-10 15.3 15.3 0 0 1 4-10z"/></svg>
</div>
<span>Live Data</span>
</div>
<div class="diagram-box">
<div class="diagram-icon">
<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"><path d="M9 18V5l12-2v13"/><circle cx="6" cy="18" r="3"/><circle cx="18" cy="16" r="3"/></svg>
</div>
<span>Audio Router</span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="diagram-row diagram-row-split">
<div class="diagram-box">
<div class="diagram-icon">
<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"><path d="M9 18V5l12-2v13"/><circle cx="6" cy="18" r="3"/><circle cx="18" cy="16" r="3"/></svg>
</div>
<span>Music</span>
</div>
<div class="diagram-box">
<div class="diagram-icon">
<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"><polygon points="11 5 6 9 2 9 2 15 6 15 11 19 11 5"/><path d="M19.07 4.93a10 10 0 0 1 0 14.14"/></svg>
</div>
<span>SFX</span>
</div>
<div class="diagram-box">
<div class="diagram-icon">
<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"><rect x="2" y="7" width="20" height="15" rx="2"/><path d="M16 7V4a2 2 0 0 0-2-2h-4a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v3"/></svg>
</div>
<span>Ads</span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="diagram-arrow">&#8595;</div>
<!-- Row 4: Recording -->
<div class="diagram-row">
<div class="diagram-box">
<div class="diagram-icon">
<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"><circle cx="12" cy="12" r="10"/><circle cx="12" cy="12" r="3" fill="currentColor"/></svg>
</div>
<span>Multi-Stem Recorder</span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="diagram-arrow">&#8595;</div>
<!-- Row 5: Post-Production -->
<div class="diagram-label">Post-Production</div>
<div class="diagram-row diagram-row-split">
<div class="diagram-box">
<div class="diagram-icon">
<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"><polygon points="11 5 6 9 2 9 2 15 6 15 11 19 11 5"/><path d="M19.07 4.93a10 10 0 0 1 0 14.14"/><path d="M15.54 8.46a5 5 0 0 1 0 7.07"/></svg>
</div>
<span>Compression &amp; Ducking</span>
</div>
<div class="diagram-box">
<div class="diagram-icon">
<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"><polyline points="22 12 18 12 15 21 9 3 6 12 2 12"/></svg>
</div>
<span>Loudness Normalization</span>
</div>
<div class="diagram-box">
<div class="diagram-icon">
<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"><path d="M14 2H6a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v16a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h12a2 2 0 0 0 2-2V8z"/><polyline points="14 2 14 8 20 8"/><line x1="16" y1="13" x2="8" y2="13"/><line x1="16" y1="17" x2="8" y2="17"/></svg>
</div>
<span>Transcription</span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="diagram-arrow">&#8595;</div>
<!-- Row 6: Publishing -->
<div class="diagram-label">Publishing</div>
<div class="diagram-row diagram-row-split">
<div class="diagram-box">
<div class="diagram-icon">
<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"><path d="M4 15s1-1 4-1 5 2 8 2 4-1 4-1V3s-1 1-4 1-5-2-8-2-4 1-4 1z"/><line x1="4" y1="22" x2="4" y2="15"/></svg>
</div>
<span>Podcast Server</span>
</div>
<div class="diagram-box">
<div class="diagram-icon">
<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"><path d="M22 12h-4l-3 9L9 3l-3 9H2"/></svg>
</div>
<span>CDN Edge Network</span>
</div>
<div class="diagram-box">
<div class="diagram-icon">
<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"><rect x="2" y="3" width="20" height="14" rx="2"/><line x1="8" y1="21" x2="16" y2="21"/><line x1="12" y1="17" x2="12" y2="21"/></svg>
</div>
<span>Website</span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="diagram-arrow">&#8595;</div>
<!-- Row 7: Distribution -->
<div class="diagram-label">Distribution</div>
<div class="diagram-row diagram-row-split">
<div class="diagram-box diagram-accent">
<div class="diagram-icon">
<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="currentColor"><path d="M12 0C5.4 0 0 5.4 0 12s5.4 12 12 12 12-5.4 12-12S18.66 0 12 0zm5.521 17.34c-.24.359-.66.48-1.021.24-2.82-1.74-6.36-2.101-10.561-1.141-.418.122-.779-.179-.899-.539-.12-.421.18-.78.54-.9 4.56-1.021 8.52-.6 11.64 1.32.42.18.479.659.301 1.02zm1.44-3.3c-.301.42-.841.6-1.262.3-3.239-1.98-8.159-2.58-11.939-1.38-.479.12-1.02-.12-1.14-.6-.12-.48.12-1.021.6-1.141C9.6 9.9 15 10.561 18.72 12.84c.361.181.54.78.241 1.2zm.12-3.36C15.24 8.4 8.82 8.16 5.16 9.301c-.6.179-1.2-.181-1.38-.721-.18-.601.18-1.2.72-1.381 4.26-1.26 11.28-1.02 15.721 1.621.539.3.719 1.02.419 1.56-.299.421-1.02.599-1.559.3z"/></svg>
</div>
<span>Spotify</span>
</div>
<div class="diagram-box diagram-accent">
<div class="diagram-icon">
<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="currentColor"><path d="M5.34 0A5.328 5.328 0 0 0 0 5.34v13.32A5.328 5.328 0 0 0 5.34 24h13.32A5.328 5.328 0 0 0 24 18.66V5.34A5.328 5.328 0 0 0 18.66 0z"/></svg>
</div>
<span>Apple</span>
</div>
<div class="diagram-box diagram-accent">
<div class="diagram-icon">
<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="currentColor"><path d="M23.498 6.186a3.016 3.016 0 0 0-2.122-2.136C19.505 3.545 12 3.545 12 3.545s-7.505 0-9.377.505A3.017 3.017 0 0 0 .502 6.186C0 8.07 0 12 0 12s0 3.93.502 5.814a3.016 3.016 0 0 0 2.122 2.136c1.871.505 9.376.505 9.376.505s7.505 0 9.377-.505a3.015 3.015 0 0 0 2.122-2.136C24 15.93 24 12 24 12s0-3.93-.502-5.814z"/><path d="M9.545 15.568V8.432L15.818 12z" fill="#fff"/></svg>
</div>
<span>YouTube</span>
</div>
<div class="diagram-box diagram-accent">
<div class="diagram-icon">
<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"><path d="M6.503 20.752c0 1.794-1.456 3.248-3.251 3.248S0 22.546 0 20.752s1.456-3.248 3.252-3.248 3.251 1.454 3.251 3.248z"/><path d="M.002 9.473v4.594c5.508.163 9.929 4.584 10.092 10.091h4.594"/><path d="M.006 0v4.604C10.81 4.77 19.23 13.19 19.396 24h4.604"/></svg>
</div>
<span>RSS</span>
</div>
<div class="diagram-box diagram-accent">
<div class="diagram-icon">
<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"><path d="M18 20V10"/><path d="M12 20V4"/><path d="M6 20v-6"/></svg>
</div>
<span>Analytics</span>
</div>
</div>
</div> </div>
</div> </div>
</section> </section>
@@ -168,7 +286,7 @@
<div class="hiw-step-number">6</div> <div class="hiw-step-number">6</div>
<div class="hiw-step-content"> <div class="hiw-step-content">
<h3>The Control Room</h3> <h3>The Control Room</h3>
<p>The entire show runs through a custom-built control panel. Luke manages callers, plays music and sound effects, runs ads, monitors the call queue, and controls everything from one screen. Audio is routed across multiple channels simultaneously — caller voices, music, sound effects, and live phone audio all on separate tracks for professional mixing.</p> <p>The entire show runs through a custom-built control panel. Luke manages callers, plays music and sound effects, runs ads, monitors the call queue, and controls everything from one screen. Audio is routed across multiple channels simultaneously — caller voices, music, sound effects, and live phone audio all on separate tracks. The website shows a live on-air indicator so listeners know when to call in.</p>
<div class="hiw-detail-grid"> <div class="hiw-detail-grid">
<div class="hiw-detail"> <div class="hiw-detail">
<span class="hiw-detail-label">Audio Channels</span> <span class="hiw-detail-label">Audio Channels</span>
@@ -178,6 +296,125 @@
<span class="hiw-detail-label">Caller Slots</span> <span class="hiw-detail-label">Caller Slots</span>
<span class="hiw-detail-value">10 per session</span> <span class="hiw-detail-value">10 per session</span>
</div> </div>
<div class="hiw-detail">
<span class="hiw-detail-label">Phone System</span>
<span class="hiw-detail-value">VoIP + WebSocket</span>
</div>
<div class="hiw-detail">
<span class="hiw-detail-label">Live Status</span>
<span class="hiw-detail-value">Real-time CDN</span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</section>
<!-- Post-Production Pipeline -->
<section class="hiw-section">
<h2>From Live Show to Podcast</h2>
<div class="hiw-steps">
<div class="hiw-step">
<div class="hiw-step-number">7</div>
<div class="hiw-step-content">
<h3>Multi-Stem Recording</h3>
<p>During every show, the system records five separate audio stems simultaneously: host microphone, AI caller voices, music, sound effects, and ads. Each stem is captured as an independent WAV file with sample-accurate alignment. This gives full control over the final mix — like having a recording studio's multitrack session, not just a flat recording.</p>
<div class="hiw-detail-grid">
<div class="hiw-detail">
<span class="hiw-detail-label">Stems Captured</span>
<span class="hiw-detail-value">5 parallel</span>
</div>
<div class="hiw-detail">
<span class="hiw-detail-label">Format</span>
<span class="hiw-detail-value">48kHz WAV</span>
</div>
<div class="hiw-detail">
<span class="hiw-detail-label">Sync Method</span>
<span class="hiw-detail-value">Time-aligned</span>
</div>
<div class="hiw-detail">
<span class="hiw-detail-label">Architecture</span>
<span class="hiw-detail-value">Lock-free I/O</span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="hiw-step">
<div class="hiw-step-number">8</div>
<div class="hiw-step-content">
<h3>Post-Production Pipeline</h3>
<p>Once the show ends, an automated six-stage pipeline processes the raw stems into a broadcast-ready episode. Dead air and long silences are removed with crossfaded cuts. Voice tracks get dynamic range compression. Music automatically ducks under dialog. All five stems are mixed into stereo and loudness-normalized to broadcast standards. The whole process runs without manual intervention.</p>
<div class="hiw-detail-grid">
<div class="hiw-detail">
<span class="hiw-detail-label">Pipeline Stages</span>
<span class="hiw-detail-value">6 steps</span>
</div>
<div class="hiw-detail">
<span class="hiw-detail-label">Loudness Target</span>
<span class="hiw-detail-value">-16 LUFS</span>
</div>
<div class="hiw-detail">
<span class="hiw-detail-label">Music Ducking</span>
<span class="hiw-detail-value">Automatic</span>
</div>
<div class="hiw-detail">
<span class="hiw-detail-label">Output</span>
<span class="hiw-detail-value">Broadcast MP3</span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="hiw-step">
<div class="hiw-step-number">9</div>
<div class="hiw-step-content">
<h3>Automated Publishing</h3>
<p>A single command takes a finished episode and handles everything: the audio is transcribed using speech recognition to generate full-text transcripts, then an LLM analyzes the transcript to write the episode title, description, and chapter markers with timestamps. The episode is uploaded to the podcast server, chapters and transcripts are attached to the metadata, and all media is synced to a global CDN so listeners everywhere get fast downloads.</p>
<div class="hiw-detail-grid">
<div class="hiw-detail">
<span class="hiw-detail-label">Transcription</span>
<span class="hiw-detail-value">Whisper AI</span>
</div>
<div class="hiw-detail">
<span class="hiw-detail-label">Metadata</span>
<span class="hiw-detail-value">LLM-generated</span>
</div>
<div class="hiw-detail">
<span class="hiw-detail-label">Chapters</span>
<span class="hiw-detail-value">Auto-detected</span>
</div>
<div class="hiw-detail">
<span class="hiw-detail-label">Deploy Time</span>
<span class="hiw-detail-value">~2 min</span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="hiw-step">
<div class="hiw-step-number">10</div>
<div class="hiw-step-content">
<h3>Global Distribution</h3>
<p>Episodes are served through a CDN edge network for fast, reliable playback worldwide. The RSS feed is automatically updated and picked up by Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and every other podcast app. The website pulls the live feed to show episodes with embedded playback, full transcripts, and chapter navigation — all served through Cloudflare with edge caching. From recording to available on every platform, the whole pipeline is automated end-to-end.</p>
<div class="hiw-detail-grid">
<div class="hiw-detail">
<span class="hiw-detail-label">Audio Delivery</span>
<span class="hiw-detail-value">Global CDN</span>
</div>
<div class="hiw-detail">
<span class="hiw-detail-label">Website</span>
<span class="hiw-detail-value">Cloudflare Edge</span>
</div>
<div class="hiw-detail">
<span class="hiw-detail-label">Platforms</span>
<span class="hiw-detail-value">5+ directories</span>
</div>
<div class="hiw-detail">
<span class="hiw-detail-label">Feed Format</span>
<span class="hiw-detail-value">RSS + Podcast 2.0</span>
</div>
</div> </div>
</div> </div>
</div> </div>
@@ -200,7 +437,7 @@
<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"><path d="M12 22s8-4 8-10V5l-8-3-8 3v7c0 6 8 10 8 10z"/></svg> <svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"><path d="M12 22s8-4 8-10V5l-8-3-8 3v7c0 6 8 10 8 10z"/></svg>
</div> </div>
<h3>Built From Scratch</h3> <h3>Built From Scratch</h3>
<p>This isn't an app with a plugin. Every piece — the caller generator, the voice engine, the control room, the phone system, the audio routing — was built specifically for this show. No templates, no shortcuts.</p> <p>This isn't an app with a plugin. Every piece — the caller generator, the voice engine, the control room, the phone system, the post-production pipeline, the publishing automation — was built specifically for this show.</p>
</div> </div>
<div class="hiw-feature"> <div class="hiw-feature">
<div class="hiw-feature-icon"> <div class="hiw-feature-icon">
@@ -216,6 +453,20 @@
<h3>They Listen to Each Other</h3> <h3>They Listen to Each Other</h3>
<p>Callers aren't isolated — they hear what happened earlier in the show. A caller might disagree with the last guy, back someone up, or call in specifically because of something another caller said. The show builds on itself.</p> <p>Callers aren't isolated — they hear what happened earlier in the show. A caller might disagree with the last guy, back someone up, or call in specifically because of something another caller said. The show builds on itself.</p>
</div> </div>
<div class="hiw-feature">
<div class="hiw-feature-icon">
<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"><polygon points="11 5 6 9 2 9 2 15 6 15 11 19 11 5"/><path d="M19.07 4.93a10 10 0 0 1 0 14.14"/><path d="M15.54 8.46a5 5 0 0 1 0 7.07"/></svg>
</div>
<h3>Broadcast-Grade Audio</h3>
<p>Every episode goes through a professional post-production pipeline: five isolated stems are individually processed with dynamic compression, automatic music ducking, and EBU R128 loudness normalization before being mixed to stereo and encoded for distribution.</p>
</div>
<div class="hiw-feature">
<div class="hiw-feature-icon">
<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"><polyline points="16 16 12 12 8 16"/><line x1="12" y1="12" x2="12" y2="21"/><path d="M20.39 18.39A5 5 0 0 0 18 9h-1.26A8 8 0 1 0 3 16.3"/></svg>
</div>
<h3>Fully Automated Pipeline</h3>
<p>From recording to your podcast app, the entire pipeline is automated. Post-production kicks off when the show ends, then a publish script handles transcription, AI-generated metadata, chapter detection, CDN sync, and RSS distribution — all with a single command.</p>
</div>
</div> </div>
</section> </section>

9
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@@ -20,10 +20,13 @@
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LUKE: All right, welcome back to the show. My name is Luke. I'm your host for Luke at the Roost. This is the late night talk show where you get to call in and tell me about whatever is on your mind. I'll give you the best advice that I can. Our phone number is 868-919-1188. That's right. The number is 868-919-1188. We're going to go to the phones already. We got Tanya. Tanya's on the phone. How can we help you? Keeping you up at night, Tanya?
TANYA: Hey. Yeah. I'm almost a little nervous about talking about this. I've been drinking way too much lately and I can't really tell anyone in my life about it. You're kind of the only person I can talk to about this shit.
LUKE: Well, at least you know that there's something a little more than recreational going on there. What do you think it is that has your drinking so much lately?
TANYA: I mean, on paper, my life should be perfect. I'm a personal trainer. I help people get healthy all day, but then I come home and just start pouring drinks. I think it's this pressure to be perfect all the time, you know? Like everyone sees me as this fitness role model, but inside I'm just not that person.
LUKE: Well, what person are you inside?
TANYA: Honestly, I'm kind of a mess. I read all these psychology books trying to figure myself out, but at the end of the day, I'm just someone who's tired of pretending. I put on this whole health and wellness front at work, but then I go home and drink half a bottle of wine, sometimes a whole bottle every single night.
LUKE: Well, that's not good. Have you ever had problems with drinking or substances before? Is this a relatively new thing? Has it been leading up to the place where you feel like it's an issue or what's the deal?
TANYA: No, this is pretty new. Started maybe six months ago when I was going through some personal shit, but honestly the fucked-up part is I'm so good at hiding it. I still show up to work at 5am, still train my clients perfectly, still look the part. I just feel like such a fraud, like I'm living this double life. And the more I succeed at work, the more I drink at home. It's like some weird balance thing.
LUKE: How what else could you do at home that's a little bit more productive than the drinking?
TANYA: I mean, I know all the right answers, meditation, reading, working out more, but fuck those things feel like more work, you know, more performing. When I drink, it's like the only time I can just be in this, just be imperfect. I don't have to be Instagram-ready or motivating anybody, it's pathetic, but it feels like the only real part of my day sometimes.
LUKE: But you know, it's not the real part of your day, right? It's a drug that you're consuming to alter your state of reality so that you feel better about what is actually going on in your life. And it sounds like what's going on in your life is everything's great. People look up to you, you're a fitness role model and things are good, I assume you're doing all right financially, and there's just something inside you that's calling out for a drink, calling out to be numbed. And I think you need to identify what that thing is.
TANYA: You just hit something there that kind of scares me because yeah, everything on paper is great, but maybe that's exactly what's fucking me up. I've built this perfect life that everyone admires, but I don't feel like I deserve any of it, like I'm waiting for someone to call me out as a fake. The drinking it's like I'm sabotaging myself before anyone else can, it is that.
LUKE: Actually, I think that's very, very common and it's probably what's going on, but you know what the truth is is that everybody is a fake, we're all fakes all the way up the line. Nobody knows what's going on and none of us deserve a goddamn thing. It doesn't matter how hard we worked, it doesn't matter where we were born or what our family is, the cold, hard reality of it is, we don't deserve anything at all, we're lucky to be here at all. So every day is a good day, take the good stuff that comes and be grateful for it and don't beat yourself up for not being something else.
TANYA: Holy shit, that's actually really fucking liberating to hear. Like I've spent so much time trying to earn this life to prove I deserve it, but maybe I'm just here and that's okay. The drinking though, it's still a problem, I know that, but hearing you say all that, it makes me realize I've been using it to punish myself more than anything else, like I'm drinking because I feel like a fraud, but what? But maybe I don't need to feel like a fraud anymore, if everyone's faking it, if no one really knows what they're doing, then what am I beating myself up for? I still need to deal with the drinking, I know that, it's not healthy and it's not helping, but fuck, for the first time I feel like maybe I can face it without all this extra shame piled on top, does that make any sense?
LUKE: Sure, and you know what, we've all got shame and we've all got pride and we've all got anger and all sorts of issues and all that's okay, but at the end of the day, you're drinking too much, you don't like the way it's made you feel, you know it's not right, you're gonna do something about that, so do whatever it is you gotta do, go to the meetings, join a support group, find another healthy activity, but you can't just keep drinking yourself to sleep every night and expect things to get better, because they won't. Do you know that?
TANYA: Yeah, you're right, I do know that, and honestly, being a trainer, I see it in my clients all the time, you can't just know what to do, you have to actually do it. It's funny how I can be so clear about that with fitness but completely blind about my own shit. I think maybe it's time I get as serious about this as I am, about helping other people get healthy.
LUKE: Alright, I think it is too, so thank you for the call, hopefully you can get off the bottle and do something productive with your time. Alright, who's next? Dennis, Dennis, how's it going? Thanks for calling the radio show, what can we do?
DENNIS: Hey man, thanks for having me. I had the weirdest fucking day, and I need to talk about it with someone who won't judge me. My head's kind of spinning, and I had a few beers just to calm down, but damn.
LUKE: Alright, hit us with it, what happened, what was so crazy about your day?
DENNIS: So I'm doing this landscaping job over in Roland Park, real fancy house, and the clients wife keeps bringing me water all day since it's hot as hell. But then, she starts asking all these personal questions about my workout routine and if I'm single. I'm married and everything, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't get to me a little bit.
LUKE: Well, that's great, you still are desired by the fairer sex, the important thing is that you do nothing with that, if there's a married client's wife hitting on you and you were to pursue that situation, you're probably going to get yourself a busted jaw, and I recommend against that. So take the compliment, you know, it's a compliment, take that, jerk off tonight like any other self-respecting man would do, and leave it at that.
DENNIS: Yeah, man, you're absolutely right, shit. I know better than to mess around with a client's wife, that's just asking for trouble. But fuck, it's just been a while since anyone looked at me like that, you know? My wife's been so busy with her new job, we barely even talk anymore. I took your advice though, went home, had those beers, handled things myself if you know what I mean. Sometimes you just need someone to talk you down from doing something stupid. I'm going to focus on my own marriage, and maybe talk to my wife about spending more time together.
LUKE: I've had a few glasses of wine tonight, just sitting with my f***ing Jesus, that was, okay, Otik, we got to talk to our producer here about what's going on with the phone lines. Brenda, you still there? Brenda? Brenda, it seems like we lost ya.
LUKE: Oh man. Brenda, Brenda, are you there? Do we get you back?
BRENDA: Yeah, yeah, I'm here. Had to turn down the TV, just trying to wind down with some wine after a long day at the clinic.
LUKE: Okay, well, that seems to be the theme tonight, is everybody's getting hammered and calling in. I guess that's what happens on a radio show. What do you wind it down from?
BRENDA: Oh God. Where do I even start? My partner just made partner at their law firm, and I'm still cleaning up cat piss and dealing with angry pet owners for barely above minimum wage. I love what I do, but sometimes it just feels like shit being the less successful one. You know?
LUKE: I actually don't know that's never happened to me, but I can imagine that it's not super fun, but what other, uh, salable skills would you say that you have and, uh, what value do you provide to society?
BRENDA: I keep animals alive for fuck's sake. I've helped deliver puppies I've saved cats from the brink, but try explaining that at those fancy lawyer parties. Everyone's talking about their big cases and promotions while I'm standing there like an idiot with dog hair on my clothes. I mean, I know my work matters, but the paycheck short doesn't show it.
LUKE: No, I bet it doesn't, and that's a hard job to have, I understand, but it's going to be something that you love to do where you wouldn't do it, and it's definitely something that needs to be done. I mean, I have pets myself, and I'm very grateful that there's somebody there to take care of them when they get hurt, but from my side of it, when I get the bill, it looks like there's plenty of money being transferred back and forth, so I'm not sure why you're not getting that.
BRENDA: That's the thing that kills me. I see those bills too, but most of it goes to the clinic owners and the equipment and the drugs. I'm just the skilled labor, making it all happen. And then I go home to my partner talking about their six-figure bonus while I'm still paying off student loans from vet tech school. God, this wine is making me too honest, but sometimes I just want to scream when they talk about their day.
LUKE: I guess I can understand that, but if your partner is getting six-figure bonuses, how serious is this relationship you've got with your partner?
BRENDA: You've been married eight years? And yeah, they're generous with money that's not the issue, but fuck. I want to earn my own way, you know? I don't want to be the charity case who gets nice things because my spouse does well. I want to be someone at those firm parties, not just the plus one who works with animals. Does that make me sound like a terrible person?
LUKE: No, it doesn't make you sound like a terrible person, it makes a lot of sense, actually, but you have to provide something there to... Do you care? Why do you care about the firm parties? It sounds like you think it's boring work and you're sick of hearing about it, so why are you even going?
BRENDA: Holy shit, you're right. Why the fuck am I torturing myself at these stuffy parties? Like I literally dread them but keep going because I think I should. I'd rather be home with my dogs and Netflix. Maybe I'm making myself miserable trying to fit into a world I don't even like. It's just... I think I wanted to prove I could belong there, but maybe I don't want to.
LUKE: Yeah, the truth is, we don't belong everywhere, and that doesn't mean what you do isn't valuable, even though you don't get as much money as a lawyer does. You didn't have to go to school for as long either as the lawyer did, and that's kind of the deal. You can provide value in lots of ways just because you have a day job as a veterinarian or a veterinarian's assistant or whatever the fuck it is that you do. You can have other fulfilling hobbies, you can write a book, you can do improv, you could play music. There's plenty of other ways to derive value from the world than just money, and you have to find what works for you.
BRENDA: I really needed to hear that tonight. Shit, you're making me cry a little. I've been so focused on measuring up to their world that I forgot I used to paint. I used to do all kinds of things before I got caught up in this comparison bullshit. And you know what? I'm fucking good at what I do. Those animals trust me. Their owners trust me. Maybe I need to get my head out of my ass and stop trying to be a nond.
LUKE: Yeah, you do. Get your head out of your ass and do the right thing, you know? Lay off the, lay off the wine and never makes anything better. Okay, let's take one more call, and let's hear from Dennis. Dennis, thank you for calling the radio show. What's going on in your life? Fight you calling.
DENNIS: Hey, man. Thanks for having me. Been listening to the show for a while. I've got this thing I need to get off my chest from earlier today. I'm a little buzzed, so I might be more open than usual.
LUKE: All right, there, Dennis, what's going on?
DENNIS: Well, I do landscaping, right? And today I had this job at this gym doing the bushes out front, and I went inside to use the bathroom and shit. I ended up hooking up with this dude in the locker room. I'm not even gay at least I don't think I am, but it just kind of happened.
LUKE: Okay, dude, well, if you hooked up with a dude in the locker room, there might be a good chance that you might be at least a little bit gay. And you know, no big deal, that's kind of strange, you're just doing your job and hook up with a dude in the locker room, like on the job at work. It's a little bit extreme, don't you think?
DENNIS: I know, man. I know. And while never done anything like that at work before, but this guy was just checking me out while I was washing my hands, and next thing you know, we're in the shower stall and fuck, you're right, though. I fooled around with guys before just never thought of myself as gay. Maybe I'm by or something. My head's just spinning about the whole thing.
LUKE: Well, did you prefer it over the company of women?
DENNIS: Honestly, it's different, but yeah, I kind of did. The thing with guys is it's just more direct, you know, games, just straight to what we both want. But I still love women, too. I just can't believe I did this shit during work hours. My employees were out there trimming hedges while I was, getting you into the picture.
LUKE: All right, well, that's a little bit strange and definitely unprofessional, but it sounds like you, sir, are gay, and that's okay. I'm glad you had a good time in the locker room with your, with some strange dude. I hope you used protection and maybe next time, do it off-hours.
DENNIS: Yeah, man, you're right about all of that. I was safe, not totally stupid. Just got caught up in the moment, you know? But fuck, doing it during work hours was definitely not my proudest moment. My crew probably wondered where the hell I disappeared to for so long. I should probably stick to Grindr on my own time from now on.
LUKE: Yeah, well, if you're playing on Grindr, you're gay and you know it, so, uh, good for you. I'm glad that you just happened to have protection with you when you were gonna fuck a random dude at the gym, but hey, if you had a good time, nobody got hurt. Congratulations, model top.
DENNIS: Now, I never said I was on Grindr, this was totally random, and I got the condom from the vending machine in there. I'm not that prepared, but fuck, maybe you're right. Maybe I've been fighting this side of myself for too long. It just feels weird saying it out loud, you know? Like, I've got this whole macho business owner thing going on, but then here I am hooking up with dudes in gym.
LUKE: Hey, you know what I always say, uh, if it feels weird saying it aloud, you should call into a radio show and tell the whole world.
DENNIS: Shit, when you put it that way, it does sound pretty crazy. Here I am telling all of Baltimore about my gym hookup, but fuck it. I'm three beers in and it feels good to just be honest about it. Better than keeping it bottled up and freaking out alone in my truck like I was doing earlier. Thanks for letting me get this off my chest, man.
LUKE: Yeah, no problem, that's what we're here for. Oh, right, so it looks like we've come to the conclusion of the show, tune in tomorrow for our next batch of guest advice. Thanks for listening to Luke at the Roost. Let's Luke at the Roost, and remember, if you have protection and you need a dude at the gym and you fuck them in the ass in the shower, you're probably a game-in.

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LUKE: All right, welcome back. Here we are. It's Luke at the roost today is Thursday, February 5th. It's 11.34 p.m. Here in Anomas, New Mexico. Anomas, New Mexico. It's the hottest place you've never heard of. I'm here to take to take calls and give advice to some of the people that are out there struggling to sleep tonight. So first up, we've got it looks like Tanya on the line. Tanya, this is Luke. You've reached the show. What can we do for you today?
TANYA: Hi, Luke. Thanks for taking my call. Um, I've been wanting to talk to just someone about this for a while. I keep having these really intense thoughts about one of my clients. She's selling her house after a divorce and I find myself thinking about her constantly. Like way beyond what's professional. I'll be sharing other properties and suddenly I'm wondering what she's doing, what she's wearing. I've never felt this way about another woman before. It's kind of freaking me out.
LUKE: Hey, that's all right. If you, uh, if you're having some thoughts that happens, what is this woman like that you're attracted to?
TANYA: She's just different, you know, she's maybe mid-forties, really confident, successful attorney. Has this way of looking at you that makes you feel like you're the only person in the room? God, I feel stupid even saying this out loud. I've dated men my whole life. I go out to bars all the time. But I've never felt this kind of pull toward someone. The other day during a show, she touched my arm while asking about the master bathroom. And I couldn't focus for the rest of the day. Is that normal to be this affected by someone?
LUKE: I can't speak to what's normal and not normal. It's just what happens sometimes. What do you think would happen if you were to reveal your feelings to her?
TANYA: That's terrifying to even think about. She's a client, first of all, and I could totally destroy my professional reputation. Plus, I have no idea if she's even into women. Though sometimes I catch her looking at me in this way. But shit, I'm probably just seeing what I want to see right. And even if I did say something, what would I say? Hey, I know I'm supposed to be selling your house, but I can't stop thinking about you in ways that would definitely violate the real to code of ethics. I just die of embarrassment.
LUKE: Well, it sounds to me like you'd get to get to work and get that house sold. And then there's no more client-seller relationship, right? So that opens you up. And if she rejects you at that time, so be it.
TANYA: I mean, you're right. The house should close in about three weeks. But Luke, I'm so scared I'm reading this all wrong. Like last week she invited me for coffee after a showing to discuss the office. But we barely talked business at all. We spent an hour talking about travel and her divorce. And I don't know, maybe she's just lonely. And here I am, getting all worked up because God, I sound like a teenager with a crush. But I haven't felt this kind of electricity with anyone in years. My hands literally shake when I'm around her.
LUKE: Well, I say finished the job you've been paid to do and then talk to her afterwards and see where that goes. Maybe there's something, maybe there's not, but what's the worst that could happen?
TANYA: You're right. What's the worst that could happen? She says no. I feel like an idiot for a while and life goes on. But fuck, if she says yes, sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself. It's just last time we met she was wearing this blazer with nothing underneath. And I swear she knew exactly what she was doing to me. Three weeks feels like forever right now. I keep having these dreams about her that are, well, let's just say they're definitely not professional. Should I at least try dropping some hints before closing or just keep it totally business?
LUKE: My advice would be to keep it business while you're in business. And do whatever you have to do at home to take care of your own needs. And then when the business is concluded, you're open to explore that situation as deeply as you and her would like to.
TANYA: God, yes, you're right. I need to keep it professional though I might need a very cold shower after every showing at this point. The thing is, I've never been with a woman before, but the way I feel when she's around, it's like my whole body is on fire. I've been taking care of myself almost every night thinking about her. Shit, sorry, that's probably too much information for radio. But thanks, Luke, you're right. Get through closing first then maybe ask her to dinner like a real dinner. Not a let's discuss paperwork dinner. At least then I'll know one way or the other instead of driving myself crazy with these fantasies.
LUKE: All right, Tonya, it sounds like you know what you got to do. Thanks for the call. We appreciate hearing from you. I wish you the best of luck and hopefully you get that household. All right, folks, it's time to take a break to thank today's sponsor. Jam hospitality, the leader in Maple-based Marmalade. If your toast has been living in a bland little studio apartment of flavor, it's time to move into the luxury suite. We're talking Maple-based Marmalade. Plus, Marmalade-related products. Because apparently Jam hospitality asked, what if breakfast had a brand ecosystem? Go to www.myfavoretmarmalade.com and use code jammedinia for 15% off. That's jammedinia, like jammedinia. But legally distinct and emotionally complex. Jam hospitality, put it on toast, put it on pancakes, put it on your confidence. Tell him, Luke sent you. You're welcome. All right, well thanks to our sponsor there. And now let's get back to the phones. Hey Carla, Carla, you're on the line with us. What can we do for you tonight?
CARLA: Hey there. Honestly, I just needed to vent a bit. I've been feeling really stuck lately and it's like I sacrificed a chunk of my life just to make someone else happy. It's eating at me, you know?
LUKE: Well, it sounds like that's what you're doing right now. If you're sick of giving away chunks of your life, cut it out and start doing what you want to do and, you know, take advantage of the moment that you have in front of you.
CARLA: Yeah, I hear you. I mean, it's just hard to flip that switch, right? I work in pharmaceutical sales and I spend so much time chasing targets and making sure everyone else is good that I sort of lost track of what makes me happy. Like I used to love being outdoors, going hiking. And now it feels like it's just a distant memory. No wonder I'm feeling this way. I'm just a little burned out.
LUKE: Well, burnout definitely happens. That's a real thing. But what are you doing to combat the negative feelings? If you like to go outside and do hiking and stuff, you should do that.
CARLA: Honestly, I try to make time for it, but life just gets in the way, you know? I mean, I have plans to go hiking with some friends next weekend, but it always feels like an afterthought. I read this article about how sound in nature can really boost your mood and I thought, man, I need that in my life again. I just get wrapped up in work and forget what I actually enjoy. It's frustrating. I guess I have to push myself more.
LUKE: Well, you shouldn't really have to push yourself so much as, you know, just try. Just try a little bit. Go outside and enjoy nature, enjoy the birds singing to you and be grateful that you get another day here on this beautiful Earth.
CARLA: You're right. I think I overthink everything sometimes. I mean, I get so caught up in work that I forget to appreciate the little things. Honestly, just stepping outside and breathing fresh air sounds simple, but can be powerful. I saw this thing about how even just pausing to listen to the sound of nature can change your mood. It's wild how much we overlook it. Maybe I do just need to take a step back and start small, like a walk around the block or checking out a new trail.
LUKE: It's just tough to remember to do that amid the chaos, you know? Well, you can do that right now instead of calling into a radio show and complaining about how you've lost yourself and you don't know what to do. You know exactly what to do. You just gotta go outside and do it.
CARLA: You know, you're absolutely right. I called in to sort of air it out and it sounds like what I really need is action. Not just talk. I've been avoiding it, but yeah, I do know what I need to do. It's just a matter of stopping myself from getting bogged down by work stuff. Maybe I'll even take my hiking boots out tonight and plan out a route. It really does feel good to just lace up and hit the trail. Thanks for the reminder.
LUKE: No problem. That's what we do here. Yeah, nature's a wonderful healer. And it's really what we're here to do is to just watch the world on furl in front of us. And the world is outside. Megan, Megan, welcome to the show. What can we do for you today?
MEGAN: Hey, thanks for having me. Honestly, I don't know how to say this. But I've been thinking a lot about this dream I had when I was younger, you know? I always wanted to get into music, but life happened and now I'm a dental hygienist. It's like I gave up on it all and it keeps haunting me, you know? Like every time I'm watching reality TV or scrolling through TikTok, I see people chasing their dreams. And I just feel this pang of regret. Like what the hell am I doing, right?
LUKE: What are you doing? You're watching reality TV and scrolling through TikTok. That's an enormous waste of time. If you want to be creative, be creative and go create something.
MEGAN: I totally get what you're saying. It is a waste of time, honestly. I mean, part of me just escapes into these shows because it's like a guilty pleasure. But another part of me is like, Megan, why the hell aren't you picking up a guitar or something? It's just that the dream feels so distant now. I get stuck in this loop of thinking I can't just jump back in. You know? I'd love to create something, but it all just feels overwhelming. Sometimes I wish I had that kick-in-the-pants motivation like those reality TV stars pursuing their passions.
LUKE: Well, here's a kick-in-the-pants. Pick up your guitar and play something. And you don't have to have any aspirations to be famous or be on a world tour or anything like that. Just create something for the joy of creating. And I think you'll find yourself a lot happier.
MEGAN: That's so true. I thought about that, actually. Just playing for the joy of it, instead of worrying about being a rock star or something. Honestly, that pressure makes it a little paralyzing. I mean, I remember as a kid just jamming out with friends and having a blast. I think I'm putting too much weight on it now, you know? I've got to find that freedom again. Maybe I just need to set aside some time, grab my guitar, and see where it takes me. No expectations. I mean, if Carla Hall can have fun mixing up recipes on her show, I can have a little fun making some music, right?
LUKE: You know what? You can play some music on your couch while you're watching Carla Hall mix up recipes. There's nothing to say that you have to be only making music. You don't have to set aside time to make music. It can be something that you play with on the side, as much or as little as you want.
MEGAN: Absolutely. That makes total sense. I don't have to treat it like a full-time job or anything. I could just chill on the couch, maybe play some chords while Carla is whipping up something delicious. It's like a fun way to merge two things I enjoy. I mean, it's all about creating that vibe, right? It might inspire me to be more spontaneous with my music again. I just need to remind myself that it's about having fun, not stressing about it. Thanks for pushing me to think like this.
LUKE: You're very welcome, Carla. Thanks for calling in. That was a decent call. Oh, sorry. I called you Carla. Your name was Megan. I'm sorry about that, Megan. Well, thank you for calling in, and yeah, our purpose on this Earth is to enjoy it. So do whatever it is that makes you enjoy it. Okay, we'll take one more call tonight. And who do we have in the line? It's Marcus. Marcus, welcome to the show. Thanks for calling in. My friend, what can we do for you?
MARCUS: Hey, thanks for having me. So I've been thinking a lot about friendship lately. Like, I realized I don't really have any solid friends. Just people who need favors or want something from me. You know that feeling? It's like, I don't even know who I'd call if I really needed someone. Just a bit? Lonely, I guess. How do you even start to change that?
LUKE: I do know that feeling very well. I have a few very good friends that I've been close to for a long time. And if they're not around, you know, I don't talk to anybody. Because I don't want to meet new people for all the reasons you're just subscribed. You know, everybody I think most people that I've met want something. And it doesn't seem like they do, but in the back of their mind, they're waiting for an opportunity to get something from you. And I would rather not have that in my life. So I don't talk to that many people. So I understand where you're coming from. It can feel lonely. And I don't know if I'm right or wrong in that. But hopefully we can get through it together.
MARCUS: Yeah, I totally get that. It's like you end up putting in all this effort to connect and then realize it's just transactional. I mean, I love my photography. But being a freelancer can feel isolating, especially when the people in your life seem more interested in the next dig or a free shoot than a real connection. I thought maybe I was overthinking it and honestly, it feels like it's all about what people can get. I've been diving into psychology stuff lately, trying to unpack why people are the way they are. You know. Like those articles I read about how sound and memory are connected really make you reflect on your experiences. It's wild. How much are surroundings and interactions shape us?
LUKE: It is. It's very wild. I'd like to ask you when you meet a new person. What is your thought process? What are you trying to get out of them if anything? And if you look at yourself honestly, will you find that you're in the same type of person that they are? I mean, are your relationships transactional?
MARCUS: That's a great question. Honestly, when I meet someone new, I try to keep it casual at first, just seeing if we vibe. But as I think about it, there's definitely a part of me that's a bit guarded. Like I can't help but wonder what they want from me. It's hard not to think about that. I mean, am I being too cynical? I want genuine connections. But I also don't want to get burned again. And yeah, maybe that makes me a bit transactional too. I end up sizing people up without even realizing it. Like I'm measuring the potential value of the relationship instead of just letting it flow naturally.
LUKE: Yeah, that sounds right on the money. I definitely do the same thing myself so I don't have a ton of advice for you in this regard. But it's good to hear that we are not alone. A lot of people think this way. And some of us do better with less people around. I think that's all there is to it.
MARCUS: For sure, it's kind of comforting to know I'm not the only one feeling this way. It's just tough to navigate, you know? Sometimes I think maybe I would be better off just focusing on my work and letting friendships happen when they happen. But then I catch myself feeling lonely. Like I'll read things about how we need connections. Like even emotionally, it affects our mental health. But at the same time, I don't want to force that with people who might just end up wanting something from me. It's a weird balance to strike.
LUKE: It is a weird balance to strike. And I haven't got there myself. But what I can recommend to you is reach out to the ones that have been in your life for a long time. The people that you know well, that you've been through some stuff with.
LUKE: Everybody's got some friends from back in the day. The kids who grew up with her. You know whoever it might be. But keep in touch with a small circle and watch yourself out there. That makes sense.
CALLER: It's easy to get caught up in trying to make new friends. When I have those older connections that are still solid, even if they're not perfect, I guess I should invest more in those relationships. It's just sometimes I feel like I've lost touch over the years and reaching out feels daunting. But I know those people get me, you know? Maybe I can start small and just check in with a couple of them. I appreciate the reminder to keep it real with the people who actually matter. It's just a matter of breaking that initial ice again, I suppose.
LUKE: Sure thing. It can be tough and I understand where you're coming from. But it's not that big of a deal to reach for the phone and call somebody that you haven't talked to in a long time. Or you know you can go out and meet new friends if that's your thing. Doesn't really matter. You know, if you can deal with loneliness, then you're one up on this world. Earl, Earl, I thought I was going to quit but we'll take this one more call. What's going on, Earl?
EARL: Hey, thanks for taking my call. So, I've been thinking a lot about friendships lately and I can't shake this feeling that one of my close buddies has been talking shit about me behind my back. I mean, I never really thought he would but some things just feel off, you know? It's eating at me. What do you think I should do?
LUKE: What is it that he's saying behind your back and do you deserve it?
EARL: I'm not entirely sure what he's saying, but I've noticed some hints like he's been distant and I've called him making comments about me to other people. It's like he's trying to act like I'm the problem. As for deserving it, I don't really think I do. I've always tried to be a good friend but maybe there's something I'm missing. What do you think? Is it worth confronting him about it?
LUKE: Absolutely. If this is a friend of yours and it's affecting your relationship then yeah, you should have that conversation and say, hey, things feel a little bit weird. I'd like to know what's going on and am I picking up, you know, the wrong vibe here or is there something we need to talk about?
EARL: Yeah, that makes sense. I guess I just worry about how it'll come off. You know how guys can be? Sometimes it feels like we're supposed to just shrug things off but if I'm picking up on something I should trust my gut, right? I mean, this guy has been a friend for years and I'd rather clear the air than let it fester. Have you ever had to have that kind of talk with a friend? How did it go?
LUKE: Yeah, of course. I mean, I've had lots of talks like that with friends and more often than not, it goes very well. You know, people understand when you're talking to them on a, you know, personal human level when you're serious and when your emotional state is maybe not at its height. I think it can only do good either way no matter how he takes it. Like, if you bring this up to him and he's a dickhead about it, then whatever the guy is a dick. But if he's your friend and the relationship is meaningful, he will listen to you and do what he can to rectify the situation.
EARL: That's a good point. If he's a true friend, he should be willing to listen and figure things out, right? I just need to approach it without coming off too aggressive. Maybe start by sharing how I feel and see where it goes. It's funny, I've heard similar advice in shows like The Drew Barrymore Show where they talk about communication in relationships. It's like, if we can't talk about the tough stuff, what's the point? Thanks for the push, I really appreciate it. I'll let you know how it goes.
LUKE: All right, good luck with that. If you're watching The Drew Barrymore Show, you might be a dramatic individual, I don't know. But either way, this is the end of our show. Thank you for tuning in and we'll have another one tomorrow. Stay safe, get some sleep and be well.

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LUKE: All right welcome back to Luke at the roost. It is Friday, February 6th, about 8.55 p.m. We are on the air. You can call in. The number is 208-439-5853. That's 208-439-Luke. Call in with anything that might be on your mind and we'll try to get to the bottom of it. All right, so we're gonna go to the phones. We already we've got the phones lighting up here. Andre, Andre, welcome to the show. What can we help you with today?
ANDRE: Hey, thanks for taking my call so this is kind of embarrassing, but I've been dealing with something weird lately. I keep having these really intense dreams about one of my co-workers at the dealership. Like, super vivid stuff. And the thing is, it's Mark. He's one of our sales managers. I've never been into guys before. At least I didn't think I was. But fuck, I can't get him out of my head. I've been married to my wife for six years, you know? Never questioned anything until now. I don't know if I should just ignore it or what.
LUKE: How long has this been going on? How long have you been thinking about your buddy Mark?
ANDRE: About three months now, started after this camping trip we took with some other guys from work. Nothing happened. We just sat around the fire, drank some beers, talked about life. But there was this moment when everyone else went to bed and Mark and I stayed up late just talking. You know, about real shit. And ever since then, I've been noticing things. The way he moves, his laugh, how he rolls up his sleeves when he's working. Shit. Even just typing up sales reports together gets me flustered now. I've been listening to all these relationship podcasts trying to figure this out. But none of them really hit what I'm going through.
LUKE: Well, it sounds like what you're going through is learning that you are a gay man and you have feelings for another man. Is he gay?
ANDRE: Whoa, hold up. I don't know if I'm ready to say I'm gay. I mean, I still love my wife. I'm still attracted to her. But yeah, these feelings for Mark are definitely real. And honestly, I have no fucking clue if he's gay. He's divorced but that doesn't mean anything he's never mentioned dating anyone since I've known him. But man, jumping straight to your gay feels like a lot. Maybe I'm by. I don't even know if that's the right word. Shit, this is why I sell cars instead of figuring out people's sexuality for a living.
LUKE: Hey, you know, I'm not an expert on human sexuality. But if you had called in and said to me that you kind of had a little twinge of sexual excitement when this guy Mark walked by, then I might say, you know, maybe you should explore your bi tendencies. But if you're talking about a real connection that you had that a campfire talking about real shit, as you say, that sounds a little more on the gay side. Like, I don't know, maybe you can be both gay and straight, but it sounds a little more than bi to me, but I'm just a radio host, so I don't know anything about anything.
ANDRE: Yeah, I get what you're saying. It's not just some random horniness thing. There's something deeper there. Like when we were that campfire, he was talking about his divorce and how lonely it gets, and I just wanted to. I don't know, hold him or something. Fuck's kids, sounds gay as hell when I say it out loud, doesn't it? Yes. But he is what's missing with my head. I go home to my wife, and that feels real too. Not just the sex, but the whole relationship. Now lately, I've been catching myself thinking about Mark when I'm with her, and that makes me feel like the world's biggest asshole.
LUKE: That's a pretty strange place to be, and I can see why you feel conflicted about it. Have you talked to your wife about this at all?
ANDRE: Hell no, I haven't told her. How do you even start that conversation? Hey honey, remember Mark, from work? Yeah, I might want to fuck him. Jesus. I mean, my wife's pretty open-minded about most things, but this would blindside her completely. We were just talking about having kids next year. I can't drop this bomb on her. Though sometimes I think she knows something's up. I've been spacing out a lot, spending more time at work than I need to. She probably thinks I'm having a regular affair, which might actually be easier to explain than whatever this is.
LUKE: Well my advice is to talk to your wife about it. If it's real feeling that you're struggling with, I mean you and your wife are a team, a partnership, it might be a bombshell. It might be dramatic, and it might be uncomfortable. There might be bad consequences, but regardless, if it's the truth, you should let her know and not be keeping a secret that's going to eat you up inside forever, because that's no way to live.
ANDRE: Deep down, I know you're right. I keep thinking about my uncle who came out at 50, like he wasted decades trying to be something he wasn't. But fuck, the timing, we just bought this house in Wilcox last year, got all these plans. What if telling her just destroys everything, though I guess keeping its secret is already destroying things, just slower and more painfully. And Mark, he's not going anywhere. We work together every day. Yesterday he brought me coffee, just a normal thing, right? But I nearly had a fucking breakdown in the break room over a damn cup of coffee.
LUKE: Well, I don't envy you or the position that you're in or your wife. It sounds complicated for everybody. It might be a good idea to talk to Mark about this and say, hey, Mark, just kind of feel it out with him and see if this is even a thing before you bring it up with your wife. If it were, if you, if hypothetically, you talked to your wife and your wife was like, you know what, I don't feel threatened by that at all. I think if you have feelings for Mark, you should pursue them on the side and I'm completely content with that. How would you react to that?
ANDRE: Shit, just the thought of that makes my heart race. But I don't know if I could do the on the side thing that feels like trying to have it both ways, you know. And talking to Mark first, man, that's terrifying. What if I'm reading this whole thing wrong? What if he's totally straight and it makes work weird? Or worse, what if he does feel the same way? Then what? Plus, I know a couple guys at the dealership who aren't exactly progressive. Small town, Arizona is exactly San Francisco.
LUKE: Well, you can live your life or you can cower and fear. So you're going to have to choose how you want the remainder of your life to go. You can hide a secret from everybody you know and live a double life or you could lie and cheat or you could be honest and go where your heart tells you to. That's what I always say. Go where the heart tells you to. This episode is sponsored by Shoesprayco. It's the spray you use in rental bowling shoes because bowling is a game, but these shoes are gross. Let's be honest, those shoes aren't dirty. They're used. They've had shifts. They've been through birthdays, work parties, and at least one guy who insists he's actually really good at this. Shoesprayco doesn't promise fresh linen or spring rain. Nobody believes that. No one wants to be lied to while lacing up rental shoes. Shoesprayco just handles the situation. It makes them tolerable enough that you can focus on the important part pretending you're not competitive and then getting mad anyway. Use code strike at Shoesprayco for 15% off. Shoesprayco reality-based footwear management. And we're back thanks there to Shoesprayco. Now we've got Carmen. Carmen, welcome to the show. What's eating you tonight?
CARMEN: Hey there. Thanks for having me on. Yeah, I've been listening a while. You know? Sometimes I wonder why we do what we do, right? Like I've been teaching kindergarten up in Silver City for six years now. Busting my ass. Doing stand-up on weekends just to keep sane. And last week they gave the lead teacher position to someone who's been there two years. Two fucking years. And I keep telling myself it doesn't matter. But shit, it matters. It matters.
LUKE: Lead kindergarten teacher matters to you? Why is that?
CARMEN: It matters.
CARMEN: Yeah, you're right about that. I keep thinking about all the extra hours I put in the weekend programs I started, the way I connect with these kids. And it's not even about the title or the money. Though let's be real, the extra-fall grand would help with my 67 Mustang repairs. But you know what really gets me. The principal said, I was too creative for the role. Too creative. For kindergarten? Like what are we doing here if not trying to light up these little minds? God, I sound like one of those inspirational posters in the teacher's lounge right now.
LUKE: Well, I'm sorry to hear you didn't get the job that you wanted, but lead kindergarten teacher doesn't sound like a prestigious role.
CARMEN: Hold up. Not prestigious. Look, I get that it might not sound like CEO of whatever. But have you ever tried managing 25-5-year-olds while actually teaching them something? And doing it well enough that their parents trust you. That you're shaping how these kids will think about school for maybe the rest of their lives. I do stand up at the worst dive bars in Silver City. And let me tell you, a room full of drunk hecklers is nothing compared to a kindergarten class when the finger paint comes out. But you're right. It's not prestigious. It's not prestigious.
LUKE: So I understand it's difficult to deal with five-year-olds. I wouldn't want to deal with one, let alone 25. But what is it that you are actually teaching? You know, you say you're actually teaching 25-5-year-olds something. What is that if it's not finger paints?
CARMEN: Okay, let me break this down for you. Yesterday I taught a kid who couldn't count to 10, how to get to 20. I helped another one figure out why the sky looks blue. I got a shy kid who wouldn't talk to anyone to share a story with the whole class. This isn't babysitting. We're teaching them how to think, how to solve problems, how to be curious about the world. And yeah, sometimes we do it through finger paint because they're five, and that's how they learn best. But I've got a master's degree in early childhood education. And there's actual science behind everything we do.
LUKE: Well, you know what comment for the first time, I think maybe you flipped me on this one. I can see your point there, where you're coming from, and I never really thought about it in that way. So you've changed the way I think about kindergarten teachers. Congratulations, that's not easy to do.
CARMEN: Well, shit. Thanks for hearing me out. That actually means a lot. You know what's funny? I can get up on stage at open mic night and bomb completely, and it rolls right off. But this promotion thing, it's been eating at me because I care so damn much. Maybe too much. Makes me wonder if I should just focus on my stand-up instead. At least there I can turn my workplace frustrations into material. Did a bit last week about how negotiating with a five-year-old about why we can't equal as basically the same as dealing with drunk adults at last call. But seriously, thanks for being open to changing your mind. That's... That is.
LUKE: Have you ever tried your stand-up on the five-year-olds?
CARMEN: Yeah. I don't know, man.
LUKE: Alright, thanks for the call. I appreciate it. I'm sorry you didn't get the job, but you know, maybe next time, there's always the possibility. Okay, Greg. Greg is on the line. Greg, what can we do for you?
GREG: Hey, yeah, this is Greg. Look, I don't even know why I'm calling, to be honest. I guess I just needed to talk to someone about this thing that's been weighing on my mind. You know? I'm 46. I manage a bar down in road forks. And I don't know. I guess I had this dream a long time ago that Ty kind of gave up on and just been haunting me lately, you know?
LUKE: Did that dream possibly have something to do with you managing a bar in road forks? You're talking about road forks in New Mexico?
GREG: Well, yeah, I guess it does, sort of. Back in the day, I had this idea to open up my own place, you know? Not just manage someone else's bar, but have my own thing. I was really passionate about it, had all these plans and ideas. But then life happened, bills piled up, and I just, I don't know, I had to let it go. Now I'm stuck behind this bar every night, watching everyone else live out their dreams and it just hits me sometimes, you know? Like, shit, what if I just stuck with it? Would things be different?
LUKE: In road forks in New Mexico.
GREG: Oh, shit, yeah, road forks in New Mexico. That was the place I was going to open up my own bar back in the day. It was just this little town, but I loved the community feel, you know? I thought I could really make something special there. But then the rent got too high, the competition was tough, and I just, I don't know, I lost my nerve, I guess. Ended up managing this other place instead. And now, every time I watch those old comfort shows or listen to those comedy podcasts, it just reminds me of that dream I had, you know? Like, what if I had just gone for it?
LUKE: What if you just go for it now? Open up a new bar in road forks in New Mexico. And, you know, I think you could do a pretty decent job at beating out the competition.
GREG: You know, you're right, I probably could go for it again. I mean, hell, I've been managing this other bar for years now. I know the business inside and out, and road forks that place still holds a special place in my heart, you know? It's not like I'm getting any younger either. If I'm ever gonna make my dream a reality, now's probably the time to do it. The more I think about it, the more I'm kicking myself for not at least trying back then. I was so scared of failing, of not being able to make it work. But you're right, I could give it another shot.
LUKE: You know what, Greg, just out of curiosity, I'm wondering, what is it that you find appealing about road forks?
GREG: Well, you know, road forks has always just had this, I don't know, this charm to it, I guess. It's a small town, but there's a real sense of community there, you know? Everyone kind of looks out for each other. And I always felt like I could really make my mark, you know? Like, open up this place that would become a hub for the locals, a spot where people could come and just, I don't know, escape the daily grind for a little while. And the town itself, it's just got this great vibe to it. Not too big, not too small.
LUKE: Okay, well, I think we might be thinking about different road forks. But I wish you the best of luck in starting up your bar, I think you should do it. There's not a whole lot going on out here or a whole lot of people to go to your bar. But, you know, if you build it, they will come.
GREG: Ah, shit, you're right, my bad. I guess we're talking about different road forks here. But, you know what, I appreciate you encouraging me on this. I think you're right if I just go for it and get that bar up and running, the people will come. It may not be the easiest road, but it's something I've always dreamed of. And hey, sometimes you just got to take that leap. You know, life's too short to keep playing it safe. I'm going to start looking into making this happen again. Who knows, maybe you'll even make it out to road forks someday and check out my place.
LUKE: Maybe I will. Maybe I will. Alright, Shonda, welcome to the show, Shonda. How are you today?
SHONDA: Oh man, it's been a hell of a day, you know? I work in hospital building down in Tucson. And it's just constant stress, you know? Dealing with insurance companies, patients freaking out over their bills. It's enough to make you want to pull your hair out sometimes, right? But that's not even the worst of it. I'm calling because I'm really worried about my little brother. He's, uh, he's kind of going down a dark path lately. Drinking way too much, hanging out with the wrong crowd. I try to talk to him about it, but he just shuts down, you know?
LUKE: Well, what makes you think you know who the right and the wrong crowd are?
SHONDA: Look, I know my brother better than anyone. I've seen him at his best and his worst. And this crowd he's running with now, they're bad news I can just tell.
SHONDA: They're always getting into some kind of trouble. Always looking to score the next high, you know? And my brother, he's always been a sensitive guy, kind of naive in a lot of ways. I'm just terrified he's going to get pulled in too deep. That he's going to do something he can't take back. I've tried talking to him, begging him to cut ties with these people. But he just gets defensive. Says I don't know what I'm talking about.
LUKE: Well, it could be possible that you don't know what you're talking about. How old is your brother?
SHONDA: Damn, you're right. I guess I don't really know everything that's going on, do I? My brother, he's 25 now. I've just always felt so protective of him, you know? Ever since we were kids, I've tried to look out for him. But I guess I don't always know what's best, even if I think I do. I just see him struggling. And it kills me, you know? I want to help him. But maybe I'm going about it the wrong way. Maybe I need to take a step back and really try to understand what he's going through.
LUKE: Yeah, you know, he's a 25-year-old adult and he can make his own decisions. You can be there to support him or offer advice, preferably when it's solicited. People don't generally respond well when you give them advice and they're not looking for it. But all you can do is be there for him and trust him to make the right decisions. He's a big boy and you're not his keeper.
SHONDA: You're absolutely right. I need to remember that he's an adult now and has to make his own choices. I guess I just can't shake this big sister instinct to protect him, you know? But you're right, constantly nagging him or trying to dictate his life isn't going to help. I need to take a step back and just be there for him. Offer support when he asks for it. Let him know I care, but also trust that he can figure this out on his own. It's just so hard watching him struggle, but you're right. I have to let him take the lead here.
LUKE: All right, Shonda, it sounds like we figured out your problem there. Best of luck to you and your brother. Just stay out of the way and be there when he falls. Okay, Tamika, Tamika, you're on the line with the radio show. Thanks for calling. How can we help you?
TAMIKA: Oh, man, where do I even start? It's been a hell of a year, you know? I feel like I've been calling into your show every other week. Just trying to make sense of everything. Okay, so like, you remember that guy I was telling you about the one that got away? The one I just couldn't seem to let go of? Well, I finally did it. I finally let him go. It wasn't easy, let me tell you. I kept obsessing over it, replaying everything in my head.
LUKE: I talk to a lot of people, Tamika, I don't remember that at all. I've never heard of you before in my life, but I'm glad to hear that you've made positive steps in your life and you're moving in the right direction. Congratulations, nice work. Ladies and gentlemen, this episode of the radio show is brought to you by Mediocre's CPAP. The makers of the CPAP machine that technically works, not life-changing, not transformative. It works in the way a lot of modern products work. If you've never used a CPAP, here's the pitch. You strap on a face mask and let a small plastic appliance try to keep you alive at night. It's romantic. It's like sleeping next to a tiny leaf blower. Mediocre is fine. And that's not an insult, that's honest. It's the device that turns... I sleep like garbage into... I kind of sleep like garbage. Half the night, it's like... because the seal isn't perfect. And now you're doing arts and crafts at two in the night, trying to tighten straps like you're securing cargo. Then the humidifier runs out, and the machine starts blowing desert air directly into your skull. Great. Love waking up with a throat that feels like it's been sanded with a belt sander. And yes, there's an app. Of course, there's an app. It gives you a sleep score like this is a game show. But here's what I'll say. When it's dialed in, when it's not leaking, squealing, or drying you out, it does help. It's not a miracle. It's a plastic compromise. It keeps you from waking up, feeling like you got punched by your own biology. Use code Breathe for 15% off. Mediocre CPAP. Not perfect. Not elegant. Just trying. Alright, we are back. Let's go back to the phones here. We've got Frank. Frank, welcome to the show.
FRANK: Thanks for having me on, Doc. I don't know why I'm even calling, to be honest. I saw that headline the other day. You know, the one about heart attack warning signs. It's just been kind of weighing on my mind, you know? I'm 63. Work as a diesel mechanic down in truth or consequences. I've been ignoring some stuff for a while, because to be honest, I'm kind of scared of what the Doc might say. You know? But after seeing that article, I can't stop thinking about it. What if there's something wrong, and I'm just, I don't know, not dealing with it?
LUKE: Do you have the old health insurance? I mean, why are you not dealing with it? You should go talk to the doctor if you're concerned that you might have some issues. You're at that age where a heart problem is not just likely, but, I mean, probable.
FRANK: Well, that's the thing, Doc. I've got the old health insurance, but it's just been such a hassle, you know? I always end up putting it off. And to be honest, I'm a little worried about what the Doc might find. I've been an amateur astronomer for years, and I've got all these stories I could tell you about the night sky. It's just so peaceful, you know? But this heart stuff, it's been eating at me. I mean, I was out stargaze in the other night, and all I could think about was that damn headline. I don't know. Maybe I'm just being stubborn.
LUKE: Yeah, it sounds like you're being a moron. If you have health insurance, then go to the doctor and have a checkup done and make sure that you're in good shape. Otherwise, you're an idiot.
FRANK: Hey, now, I wouldn't go that far, Doc. I know I should probably get checked out, but it's just not that simple. It is. With this old insurance, the copays and the deductibles, it's a real pain in the ass. And then there's the waiting, the tests, the whole rigmarole. Shit, I've been putting it off for years. But you're right, I'm not getting any younger. Maybe I should just bite the bullet and go see the Doc get it over with. I mean, I'd hate to find out there's something seriously wrong, but at least I'd know, right?
LUKE: Hey, there's things that are preventable. If you need to take some kind of medication, blood pressure stuff or something to keep your heart doing what it's supposed to be doing, you need to know that now. And if you have insurance and the ability to do that and you're not, then you're stupid. And I don't talk to stupid people.
FRANK: All right, all right, I hear you, Doc. You're right, I shouldn't be so stubborn about this. I guess I'm just scared, you know? I mean, I've been working on these diesel engines for over 40 years, and I pride myself on being tough as nails. But the thought of having some kind of heart issue, it's got me rattled. I don't want to be weak or dependent on meds or anything like that. But I know I need to suck it up and go get checked out. This old body ain't getting any younger, and I'd hate to keel over working on one of those trucks.
LUKE: Well, that's exactly what's going to happen if you have a heart issue that you didn't get checked out. So go to the doctor and get yourself checked out. You've really got no excuse, and you waste it our time. Renee, Renee, welcome to the show. I hope you have something better to say than our last caller.
RENEE: Hey, thanks for taking my call. Look, I get it. This stuff isn't easy to talk about. But I've just been feeling so alone, you know? I'm a wedding planner in Albuquerque, and I'm surrounded by all these happy couples all day. But I swear, I've never felt more alone. I saw this headline the other day. Ten reasons you feel lonely, even when you're surrounded by people. And it just hit me right in the gut.
RENEE: I mean, I love my job, but sometimes I look around and think, when was the last time I had that? When is the last time you had that? Honestly, it's been way too long. I mean, I'm into all this history stuff. I do yoga. I take it all pretty seriously. But at the end of the day, I'm just craving that human connection. You know, like, I see these headlines and think, that's me. That's exactly how I feel. I can't even remember the last time I fuck. I can't believe I'm saying this out loud. But I'm just so damn lonely, even when I'm surrounded by people all day. Does that make any sense?
LUKE: Yeah, it makes perfect sense. I think we all feel that way at times. What are you doing to combat the loneliness? Do you have friends or family to talk to? Do you have a boyfriend? You're on the dating scene. What's your social life look like?
RENEE: You're right. I think a lot of us struggle with feeling lonely, even when we're surrounded by people. Honestly, my social life is kind of non-existent these days. I mean, I've got my coworkers, but it's not the same. You know, and as for dating, that's just been a bust. I tried the apps for a while, but it just felt so forced and awkward. I don't know. Maybe I'm just too picky or something. And my family, well, they're great, but they live back east. It's not like I can just pop over for coffee whenever I'm feeling down.
LUKE: No, I understand. That's tough. And loneliness creeps up. It's good that you're not sacrificing your values or settling for whoever's around. But it's all right to be alone. It's all right to feel lonely. I prefer it over the company of others most of the time. So I do understand. Unless it's being a problem. If you really want to make connections with people, then you've got to put in the effort to do that. And that's through joining community events or volunteering or finding a hobby that is with other people. There's people out there that are looking for friendships and connections. And you can find them if you put in the effort.
RENEE: You're absolutely right. I know I need to make more of an effort to put myself out there and find those connections. It's just so easy to get stuck in your routine, you know? But you're right. I can't just sit around feeling sorry for myself. Maybe I'll look into some local history groups or see if there are any yoga studios that do social events. Heck, I could probably even volunteer at some of the weddings I plan. Just to be around people. I guess I'm just scared, you know? Putting yourself out there is scary. But I know it's the only way I'm going to break this cycle of loneliness. Thanks for listening.
LUKE: Oh, sorry about that, Renee. But you're welcome. I hope everything works out for you. Sounds like you know what you need to do. So go do it. And for our last call, we're going to take Vince. Vince, you're the last call the night. How can we help you today?
VINCE: Hey, thanks for taking my call, man. I've been going through some real shit lately, you know? This custody battle with my ex has been just tearing me apart. I mean, I thought we had it all figured out. It's just this back and forth nightmare and I can't even focus on anything else. It's like I see those headlines about all these other celebrity divorces and I'm just sitting here thinking, yeah, that's me too.
LUKE: Yeah, divorce is never easy. It's a tough thing. I'm sorry that you're going through it. What's the problem? Why is this more difficult than what you expected?
VINCE: Well, I guess I just, I don't know, man. I thought we had it all figured out, you know? We were supposed to make this transition as smooth as possible for the kids. But now it's just turning into this ugly custody battle. My ex is fighting me on everything. The house, the finances, even just the damn visitation schedule. I'm a goddamn hunting guide for a living. And suddenly, I'm spending all my time in court instead of out in the woods, you know? It's just, it's just wearing me down, you know? I feel like I'm losing everything.
LUKE: You had divorces like that. You're losing quite a bit. You're losing the life that you used to have. And it's going to take a little while to go through that process and when you get on the other side of it, you're going to have to rebuild it all back from, you know, from, not from nothing, but from a much more basic stance. And you need to start thinking about what you want that new life to look like.
VINCE: Yeah, exactly. I mean, that's the thing I had this whole life planned out, you know? The job I love, the house, the family. And now it's all just crumbling around me. I'm trying to stay positive, but it's just so damn hard, man. I see these headlines about other people going through the same thing. And it makes me feel a little less alone. But at the same time, I'm just like, damn, why does it have to be this way? I keep thinking about that new life. Like you said, but it's just so overwhelming, you know?
LUKE: I do know. I've been there myself. It's not fun. It doesn't have to be that way, but it often is. And it is what it is. So you're going to have to deal with it and come out on the other side. There's not much choice that you have in the matter. You know, you're already in court. All the proceedings are in motion. You just got to wait it out, do, you know, put one foot in front of the other until you get to the end. And then move on with your life.
VINCE: Yeah, man. I hear you. I guess I'm just feeling a little lost right now, you know? Like, I'm trying to stay positive and look to the future. But it's just so damn hard when I'm stuck in the middle of all this legal bullshit. I keep thinking about that new life, but it's like, where the hell do I even start? You know? I'm a hunting guy. That's all I've ever really known. And now I'm stuck in this courtroom battle instead of being out in the woods where I feel at home. I just, I don't know. I guess I'm just looking for a little direction, you know?
LUKE: Well, that's the direction I can give you is to keep going to court, fight your hardest for, you know, so you don't get screwed. Or at least so you get screwed as little as possible. And then, and then move on. So right now it's going to suck. That's part of the deal. And you just have to get through it. Other people have done it. You're not the first person to get divorced. So it's definitely a process that does work. You will get through it. And one day, not too far from now, you'll be on the other end of it. And you need to be ready to pick up and carry on.
VINCE: You're right, man. I guess I just got to keep my head down and power through this bullshit, huh? It's not going to be easy, but I can't just roll over either. I got a fight for what's mine and for what's best for the kids, you know? It's just so damn draining dealing with all this legal crap instead of being out in the woods where I belong. But you're right. I'm not the first person to go through this. And I won't be the last. I just got to take it one day at a time. Keep focused on the end game and get ready to build that new life. Whatever that ends up looking like.
LUKE: All right there, Vince. Good luck to you. I hope everything works out. I know it will. It always does. And you'll be back in the woods before you know it. That's our show for tonight, folks. Thanks for tuning in. And I check back with us tomorrow. Remember the number of you'd like to call in is 208-439-LUK-208-439-5853. Good night.

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LUKE: All right, welcome back to the show. This is Luke at the Roost. It's the radio show where we take collars and give real-world advice. If you'd like to call in the number is 208-439-5853. That's 208-439-Luke. We're gonna go to the phones, but before we do, we have a new website. It's Luke at theRoost.com. If you'd like to learn how this show works, go over there and hit the How It Works button. There's a nice little right up for you over there. All right. On the phones now, we have Keith. Keith, tell me what you'd think about Terence Howard's Tree of Life theory.
KEITH: Oh man. Terence Howard's Tree of Life thing sounds like one of those Hollywood fever dreams to me. Guys, an actor, not a mathematician, and all that talk about sacred geometry and one times one equals two. Just makes my head spin like I've been out in the sun too long. For real though, I stick to what I know. Like balancing checkbooks at the bank or watching the stars come out over the Pellan Silos. None of that cosmic puzzle nonsense. What got you asking about it, Luke?
LUKE: Yeah, I was just thinking about the little clip I saw of Terence Howard and Neil DeGrasse Tyson or Terence Center's theories to Neil to review and Neil kind of bashed him a little bit and he got all butthurt. I thought it was funny.
KEITH: Yeah, that clip cracked me up too. Terence acting all wounded like a kid who got his science fair project ripped apart while Neil's just dropping facts like it's no big deal. For real though, it's like when some customer at the bank starts explaining why the economy's all wrong based on a YouTube rabbit hole, entertaining, but you got to stick to the numbers that add up.
LUKE: Well the economy is all wrong and I think that the numbers do add up to the fact that we're spending way more money than we have and devaluing our own currency to make up for it. What do you have to say about that, Mr. Bankerman?
KEITH: Oh yeah, you're preaching to the choir on that one, Luke. I've seen folks come through the Teller line with their savings shrinking faster than a desert dry spell all because Washington's printing money like it's confetti. For real though, down here in Grant County with the mining jobs drying up and folks scraping by on fixed incomes, it hits harder than in the big cities. We're talking real families not making ends meet. What's your take on how we fix it? Or is it just a lost cause?
LUKE: How we fix the economy, I think we need to have an independent fed or get rid of the fed. I like to run Paul's suggestion to get rid of the fed entirely and let markets control the value of money. That makes a lot of sense to me.
KEITH: Yeah, Ron Paul's been hollering about ditching the fed for years and I get the appeal. Letting markets run the show without some suit and DC pulling the strings sounds cleaner than this mess we've got now. But as a Teller who's watched accounts tank when inflation spikes, I'm not sure going full free market on money wouldn't just trade one headache for a bigger one. Like back in the old days, when bank runs wiped out whole towns around here. For real though, what do you think it do to places like Silver City, where we're already hanging on by a thread with the copper prices?
LUKE: It may help, it may hurt, I don't really know. But what it would do is promote additional business and give other people a chance at some of the pie. Have some innovative ideas come in, have additional industries, set up shop out here where there's the land to do it and tax incentives and all that. But the fed just printing out money whenever they need to pay the bills that they've racked up. It hurts us all, not just here in the desert but everywhere in the country and in the world it makes our standing worse and worse.
KEITH: Yeah, you're right on the money about the fed, just firing up the presses to cover their tab. It devalues everything from a rancher's cattle to a miner's paycheck and it's got the whole world's eye-ness like where the weak link in the chain. Down here with all that open land in the heela and tax breaks. If the state plays ball, I could see new outfits setting up shop. Maybe solar farms or tech that doesn't suck the water dry like the old copper ops did.
LUKE: Maybe, I don't think that you and I are going to fix the US economy here on this call but it's interesting to hear you take. Monique, welcome to the show. What do you think about Terrence Howard and his theory of the tree of life?
MONIQUE: Oh man, I caught a bit of that earlier with Keith going on about Terrence Howard. It's kind of wild how he gets all emotional over it. But honestly, Neil deGrasse Tyson breaking it down makes sense to me. I'm into science stuff like battery tech and all. And that tree of life theory just feels more like philosophy than real physics, you know?
LUKE: Terrence Howard is an actor. He's decent at talking. He doesn't sound like a complete moron but it's funny to see Tyson shut him down. But what if we're all wrong and it's not a crazy whack theory? What if we learn 10 years down the line that he was right and one times one does equal to?
MONIQUE: Haha, yeah. It's always fun to play that what if game? Who knows? Maybe in 10 years we'll all be calculating math with one x1 equals sign 2 and my EV battery research will look like child's play. But honestly, Tyson's got the facts on his side for now. I mean, I'm knee deep in energy transition stuff at work. And theories like Howard's feel more like a cool story than something you'd bet your truck on. Speaking of which, I almost hung up calling in tonight because my signals crap out here. One bar and it's flickering, but I had to share this thing that's been eating at me.
LUKE: Okay, then what's been eating at you? How can we help you, Monique?
MONIQUE: Oh, thanks for asking. I've been staring at this unanswered text for my husband, all evening. You know, the kind that just hangs there like a bad omen. And I finally picked up the phone because I needed to get it out. We're separated right now, living apart, but haven't pulled the trigger on filing yet, and it's all because of the kids. I'm staying for them, but man, it's killing me inside. Like I'm just going through the motions in this frozen desert winter.
LUKE: Yeah, it's unfortunate, but if you know in your heart it's time to move on, then it's probably time to move on. And the faster you do it, the faster everybody can heal from it.
MONIQUE: Yeah, I hear you on that. It does feel like ripping off the band-aid might let everyone breathe again, especially me. Because right now it's like I'm stuck in this limbo, driving my RAM 2500 to work every day, pretending everything's fine for the kids' sake. But the kids? They're the only reason I haven't filed yet, and worrying about how it'll hit them keeps me up at night, you know? My friend Tammy from church is the only one who's in on the whole mess, and even she says I deserve better. But damn, it's scary to actually do it.
LUKE: Well, you know what, Monique? You don't deserve anything. None of us deserve a god damn thing in this life, and if you think that you deserve something, then you're going to be sorely disappointed when you don't get what you think you should have had. Whether or not you should stay in your marriage that's up to you, but don't leave your marriage because you think you deserve better. You don't. You don't deserve anything.
MONIQUE: Oh wow, that's a tough pill to swallow, but yeah, you're right. Expecting to deserve better just sets you up for more hurt. And I've been doing that dance in my head for months now. It's not about deserving. It's about surviving this limbo without completely losing myself, especially with the kids watching every move I make. My mom Lorraine's getting up there too. And I worry what this fallout will do to her heart if I finally file hell. I even relocated a rattlesnake off the porch earlier today just to keep things steady around here.
LUKE: Well, be careful with those rattlesnakes and don't worry too much about how your mom feels about your divorce because it's your life.
CALLER: The kids, they will figure it out, you know, they're not the first kids to have their parents divorced. It happens. It affects everybody, but they move on and it helps shape who they become. If if you're staying in a marriage and not happy in, then the kids know that too. And either way you're doing damage. So you might as well do the least damage, cut it all off, set everybody free, and move on with your life.
LUKE: Yeah, you're spot on about the kids. They pick up on the tension anyway like little radars.
CALLER: And I've seen it in my work as a social worker how pretending just builds this quiet resentment over time. Cutting it off sounds freeing, but that text I was staring at it's him saying he's sorry for the fight last week and part of me wants to reply just to end the silence. But the other part knows it'll drag me right back into the mess. I guess what I needed was someone to say it's okay to let go, you know.
LUKE: It's okay to let go and it's okay to reply to a text. None of that has any significant bearing on the future of your life. But if you're with somebody you don't want to be with, then you're doing yourself and then into service and it's time to have some hard conversations and get the ball rolling.
CALLER: Yeah, replying to that text might just be the spark for the hard talk we need. I've been avoiding it like that frost on my truck in the morning. But you're right. Dragging it out is the real disservice to both of us and the kids. My signals cutting in and out again here. But damn, this feels good to say out loud. Maybe I'll hit send after the show and see where it goes. Thanks for listening. First time calling in and I didn't expect to feel this.
LUKE: All right, great. I'm glad you had a good first experience calling the show. Good luck to you and your family and I hope that all works out and don't stick along, don't stick around longer than you're welcome. Ray, welcome to the show. Ray, what do you think about Terrence Howard?
RAY: Oh, man, Terrence Howard. That guy's got some wild ideas with his tree of life stuff. Saw that clip when Neil DeGrasse Tyson shut it down and I'm sitting there thinking, yeah, science doesn't bend for Hollywood theories. But honestly, Ray here from San Simon. I called in because my buddy dared me after feeding the dog tonight and now I've got this call from my sister saying my old man's dying in New Mexico. Haven't spoken to him in like 15 years. It's got me all twisted up, blaming him for bailing when I was a kid, you know.
LUKE: Yeah, sometimes dad's bail. Do you know why he bailed? Did he have a good reason for it? Do you know what was going on in his life at the time or have you ever thought of it from that perspective?
RAY: Yeah, bail. That's putting it lightly. He just up and left when I was 12. No note, no call, nothing. Left my mom to scrape by on her own in this dust bowl town. Well, he chased whatever pipe dream he had over in New Mexico. I figure he was just selfish. Probably some a fair or gambling mess, but who knows. I never got the full story because he ghosted us all. And I'm not about to start digging now with him on his deathbed.
LUKE: Well, that's your choice and you can carry that resentment as long as you want, but you might not be correct about that. He may have had his reasons, and now would be your final opportunity to figure out what they may have been.
RAY: Yeah, well, easy for you to say. I've been carrying this around like a ton of bricks for decades, and now you think I should just pick up the phone like it's no big deal. But damn, you're right. It might be my last shot, and part of me wonders if I pushed him away too, yelling at him back then instead of listening. You know, like the stubborn kid I was. Hell, with the show being late night and all, maybe I'll stew on it while scraping frost off my ram in the morning.
LUKE: Yeah, well, you know, I wouldn't think that it was your fault. It's really never the kid's fault if a parent, you know, does something. You can't take responsibility for that on yourself, but that doesn't mean he didn't have a reason. I'm sure that he did, and the guy's going to die. So, I mean, what's the harm in figuring out what that reason is now while you still have a chance. If you wait much longer, you might not get the chance, and then you'll have to carry the resentment for the rest of your life. And it's just it's better for you to get it out in the open and have it resolved.
RAY: Yeah, I hear you. It's not on the kid. Never was. And I've told myself that a thousand times while preaching to the youth group about forgiveness. But damn, if it doesn't still feel like I could have done something different back then. You're right, though. With him on his last legs, what's the harm in calling to hash it out? Even if it means admitting I was part of the mess, like how I shut down every attempt he made to reach out after he left.
LUKE: Sounds like you've got to talk that you need to have with your dying father, and that might be a difficult conversation to have, but you're obviously an adult, and you can make hard decisions and have difficult talks. So, talk to your dad, figure out why he left, and maybe move on without carrying that burden forever.
RAY: Yeah, I know you're pushing me toward that call. And hell, as a pastor, I tell folks all the time to face their demons. But this one's got me staring at the phone like it's a rattlesnake. It's funny, though. I'm separated from my wife right now, living in the same damn town, but worlds apart, and I keep thinking how I avoided the hard talks there, too. Blaming her for everything while ignoring my own screw ups. Maybe this is the universe's way of making me practice what I preach before Frost hits the truck tomorrow.
LUKE: Hey, well, hope it all works out for you, and hope there's no frost on the truck tomorrow because I don't want any on mine. Deb, welcome to the show. Deb, what do you know about Terence Howard and his theory of the tree of life?
DEB: Hey, Luke, thanks for having me on. Feels a bit weird calling in like this. But all right, Terence Howard's tree of life thing, from what I've caught in clips, it's him talking about some geometric patterns, tying into everything from math to the universe, like sacred geometry on steroids. But it sounds more like wild speculation than solid science. Kind of reminds me of those late night infomercials that promise the world.
LUKE: What do you think would be the implication to society if we learned that Terence Howard was correct?
DEB: Oh man, if Terence Howard turned out to be right about that tree of life stuff, it probably flipped science on its head. Textbooks rewritten, religions debating if it's divine proof, and tech companies racing to patent flower of life gadgets. But honestly, it did just prove how much we still don't know, which is kind of humbling. So yeah, that got me thinking about real game changers like fusion energy. I saw this article the other day about the US needing a national strategy before we lose our edge. And at 40, I'm wondering if we'll actually see it in our lifetime, or if it's just more hype. What do you think, Luke? Practical breakthrough or pipe dream?
LUKE: I think it could definitely be a practical breakthrough if we would allow it. But we're not going to allow it because what we want to allow is coal and fossil fuels. And we want to keep the machines that are running, running the way that they're running without any significant change to standard operating procedure. I don't think that's right. I think it's kind of sad and it's holding us back in lots of ways, but that's the deal. But have you seen Elon is trying to build a data center on satellites orbiting up with the Starlinks?
DEB: Yeah, it's frustrating as hell how we're stuck on coal and oil just to keep the old machines humming. Feels like we're sabotaging our own future, especially after hearing Keith earlier rant about the Fed printing money and killing innovation. Spot on. That ties right into why we can't pivot to stuff like fusion without shaking up the economy.
LUKE: We don't know that fusion would work. It seems like it would. It seems powerful enough to power the entire universe. But we don't know what the negatives of that would be or I don't know. I mean, what are the potential negative consequences of running fusion energy? What if there's an accident? Would we have a Fukushima situation?
CALLER: Well, fair point, Luke. We're still figuring out the kinks, and yeah, it's not like we can just flip a switch without risks. But fusion's a whole different beast from fission. No chain reactions means no Chernobyl style meltdowns. And the waste is way less nasty, mostly short-lived stuff from the tritium fuel. The big worries seem to be containing the plasma without it fizzling out, or accidental releases of that hydrogen isotopes. But experts say it's inherently safer than what we've got now. No Fukushima nightmares since it shuts down if things go wrong.
LUKE: Well, what are those experts funded by? Like, what's their perspective? Is it in their interest for this to go forward and is the reduction of the risks marketing hype, or is that the truth?
CALLER: Well, here's the thing, Luke. Most of those experts are funded by outfits like the Department of Energy, international projects like eater, or startups chasing venture capital, not the oil barons who'd rather keep us hooked on fossils. So yeah, their perspective is all about clean, limitless power to solve climate messes and energy crunches. It's definitely in their interest to push fusion forward, since that's their careers in the planet's future on the line, and the risk reduction isn't just hype. It's straight physics. Without constant magnetic confinement, the reaction stops cold. No runaway disasters like with fission.
LUKE: Well, that's maybe an interesting solution, and I'm sure when we've dug all the coal out of the ground and fracked every last little bit of oil that we can, we'll probably turn to something like that. But until that happens, if there's still rocks in the ground that we can assign a value to, we're going to continue doing that.
CALLER: Yeah, Luke, you're probably right that as long as there's profit in those rocks, we'll keep clawing them out. It's all about the bottom line until the planet bites us in the ass with worse floods and fires. But waiting till the coal's gone means we're screwed on climate long before fusion saves the day. And that's why that article hit me hard. If we don't push a national strategy now, we'll hand the lead to China, or whoever's investing smarter.
LUKE: Well, you know, it doesn't really matter who comes up with the technology once it starts working for one country. The others will follow suit. So whether we lead China or China leads us at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter much to the planet. And now it is time for a word from our sponsor.
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Okay, and we're back. Dale, we've got Dale on the line. I'm thinking about Terrence Howard's crazy tree of life theory. What do you take of Terrence Howard and his scientific ambitions?
DALE: Hey Luke, thanks for taking my call. Signals have been spotty out here in Globe, but I'm hanging on. Terrence Howard's theory? Man, it's wild. Like he's trying to connect dots from ancient geometry to quantum stuff, but I got aside with the skeptics like Tyson. It sounds more like Hollywood flair than real science to me.
LUKE: What would make it sound more like real science to you if you agreed with the theory more?
DALE: Well, to sound like real science, it did need some solid experiments backing it up. Peer-reviewed papers, testable predictions that actually hold up in a lab, not just drawings and big ideas. If I agreed more, maybe if it tied into something proven like quantum entanglement or explained to mystery, we can't crack yet, but right now it feels too out there, like sci-fi pitching.
LUKE: How many science-backed experiment peer-reviewed papers have you read about quantum entanglement that makes you believe that it's true? I'm not saying it is or isn't true. I'm just asking, how have you done your due diligence to ensure that where you've read or been told is actual fact? And at what level do you start to believe something as opposed to being skeptical of it?
DALE: Fair point, Luke. I'm no physicist. Just a cop who's poked around some articles on sites like Scientific American or Surin's Reports. Maybe a half dozen summaries on entanglement over the years. Enough to see it's been tested in labs worldwide since the 80s with consistent results.
LUKE: My due diligence? Well, yeah, we're saying we don't believe Terence Howard's theory because there's no science-backed peer-reviewed published studies on it. But I have never read a peer-reviewed published study done entanglement either, yet I believe it to be true because I've read so many times that there have been those studies. I don't know if that's true or not.
DALE: Yeah, exactly. You're trusting the consensus from reliable sources, like how I do with entanglement. I haven't dug into the raw papers myself. But seeing it referenced in textbooks, NASA stuff, and even court cases about faster than light stuff makes it credible enough for me to buy in without being a full skeptic. It's the same reason Howard's ideas fall flat. No one's echoing them in those circles, just a lot of buzz from interviews and his own claims. But anyway, Luke, the real reason I called in tonight, the quiet out here in Blob got to me while I was scrubbing dishes, and I started thinking about this person close to me, who's still around, but man, not the same anymore, like I've lost him without the funeral.
LUKE: What happened? Who is this person in your life?
DALE: Oh, it's my uncle Hector. He raised me after my dad bailed when I was a kid, basically the only dad I ever knew. Tough old minor with stories about the copper pits that it'd keep you up at night. But a couple years back, he had this stroke that wiped out a chunk of who he was. Now he's in that assisted living spot over in Miami, Arizona, staring at the TV most days, doesn't even recognize me half the time. And it hits like grief every visit because the guy's still breathing, but the fire's gone. I keep telling myself it's bullshit to feel this way about someone alive. But damn, Luke, the quiet tonight just amplified it while I was elbow deep in suds.
LUKE: Yeah, and well, that's a heavy thing. Of course, you're going to feel grief if you've lost the part of somebody that was special to you, was meaningful, that raised you. It is a sort of death.
DALE: Yeah, exactly. A death without the closure, you know? I mean, Hector was the one who dragged me out to the Beshbagh-Gwa ruins as a kid, teaching me about the Apache history around here, making globe feel like this tough rooted place. And now it's like talking to a shadow. But hearing you say that out loud, Luke, makes it feel less like my own bullshit weighing me down.
LUKE: No, it's okay to feel the way you're feeling and to miss the man that you loved. I don't think that's weird at all, but he is still there in some parts, so hopefully you have an opportunity to spend what time is left with him. And I have heard of people becoming lucid towards the end of their life, so you might get one last chance to see the guy that you used to know.
DALE: I guess you can you can hope for that.
LUKE: Yeah, I try to get over to the assisted living place every couple weeks, even if it's just sitting there holding his hand while he dozes off. But it's tough not knowing if he's in there somewhere, hearing me ramble about the forests or the ham radio set up by building the garage. That hope for a lucid moment keeps me going, though.
KHAN: Last month, he mumbled something about the old mining days out of nowhere, and it was like a crack in the door, you know? Makes me wish I'd called this show sooner instead of letting the dishes in the desert quiet eat at me tonight.
LUKE: Hey, you can let the negative thoughts eat at you until you decide to stop, so you are the only one that has control of your mind and your thoughts, even though sometimes it doesn't feel that way. If you're thinking about stuff, you don't want to be thinking about anymore. You have the power to change your attention. And if if washing the dishes makes you think about stuff, you don't want to think about stop washing the dishes and read a book or draw a picture or do something creative. You can steer the ship. But if you don't, if you don't steer the ship, it's going to steer itself usually somewhere you don't.
KHAN: Yeah, you're right, Luke. I do have that control. It's just the quiet nights out here in Globe where the signal flickering like it is, make it easy to let the mind wander into those dark corners instead of flipping the switch to something better. I've got that ham radio rig in the garage that usually pulls me out of it, tuning into chatter from all over. But tonight the dishes just snuck up on me after that long drive back from Walmart and Deming.
LUKE: Well, I went to Walmart and Deming today too when I got some groceries and some stuff to fix my ceiling fan here that's been giving me a hard time. That's the project for tomorrow. I wish you the best of luck with the rest of your night. I hope you can move your thoughts to a more positive place and best of luck to your to Hector out there. Hopefully he is having a decent life or is not suffering and I hope you get a chance to talk to him again.
KHAN: Yeah, small world with that Deming run, hope your ceiling fan cooperates tomorrow. Those things can be a real pain when they start wobbling. Thanks for the kind words on Hector, he's not in pain at least. And yeah, I'm holding out for that real talk some day. This calls already got me feeling a bit lighter, Luke, like I steered the ship just in time tonight. So appreciate you listening.
LUKE: We appreciate you, Khan. Thanks for calling in. And next up we have Carla Collar's return collar. Welcome back to the show, Carla. What would you like to talk about today? You got any thoughts on Terence Howard?
CARLA: Hey, Luke, good to hear your voice again. It's Carla, wired on this god awful instant coffee at 2 a.m. Terence Howard. Nah, I saw that clip with Neil deGrasse Tyson tearing into his tree of life stuff. And for real though, that's what kills me about these celebs science theories. They sound wild but fall apart without real data, like waiting on JWST to confirm exoplanets instead of just winging it.
LUKE: I'm pretty sure we have confirmed exoplanets, have we not?
CARLA: Yeah, every month or so it feels like Luke. JWST is dropping these gems on habitable zones out there and it just blows my mind how a spotting world that could actually support life. Not some half-baked theory, but hey, speaking of things that hit close to homes since I last called, I finally told my in-laws to back off for good, and man, it was a scene. But worth it, feels like I can breathe now without them breathing down my neck through my soon-to-be ex. That's what kills me though, reading about James Rand's own passing at 46 from that article the other day. Life's too short for all this family drama, you know.
LUKE: Oh yeah, that's Ziggy from the wire, right? He's uh, he played in Generation Kill. I liked that actor, and uh, I read about that too. He killed himself, right? And there was a big to-do.
CARLA: Yeah, Ziggy from the wire, loved that show, in Generation Kill 2, he had this raw energy that stuck with you. Suicide at 46 though. That's what kills me, Luke. All that talent gone like that, and the paper's making it this spectacle when it's just heartbreaking. For real though, hearing Ray call in earlier about his dying dad hit way too close, my own old man's been gone years now. But if something like that popped up with my estranged side, I'd be wrecked. Makes you think about cutting the toxic crap before it's too late, like I did with those in-laws.
LUKE: Well, nice job doing what you had to do and getting the in-laws out of your life, and I hope everything goes well with your separation, divorce situation, and that you can move on and live a happy and productive life.
CARLA: Thanks, Luke. That means a lot coming from you. Yeah, the divorce papers are in motion now, and without those in-laws puppeteering my ex, it's like the fog's finally lifting around here. For real though, that run's so news has me staring at the ceiling all night. Thinking how one wrong turn or unchecked stress can end it all so young, makes me want to crank up the truck tomorrow and just ride out to the desert for some clear head space, frost or no frost.
LUKE: Then I think that's what you should do. We have this incredible resource here in the desert, and it's better to not take it for granted. Go enjoy the desert and see what's happening out there. Jerome, thanks for calling the show. What do you think about Terrence Howard in his Tree of Life theory?
JEROME: Hey, Luke, good to hear your voice out here in the desert night. It's clear as a bell tonight, about 64 degrees, but dropping fast. Terrence Howard's Tree of Life thing? Yeah, have you heard about that, where he thinks that everything is created from these geometrical shapes that, if you lay them over each other, they make like a tree?
LUKE: Yeah, I caught a clip of that. Guys got some wild ideas, like he's reinventing math with flower shapes or whatever. Sounds more like something you'd see etched on a hippie van than actual science. But hey, if it gets folks thinking outside the box, who am I to knock it? Reminds me of these survival knots I tie out camping, simple patterns that hold everything together when shit hits the fan. Oh, I referred you wrong. He's not calling it the Tree of Life. It's the Flower of Life. Terrence Howard believes in the Flower of Life, and he thinks that mistakes have been made all throughout physics and science, which it's probably true, but he does sound like a bit of a nut job.
JEROME: Yeah, Flower of Life got it. My bad for mixing it up with some biblical stuff. You're right. Science has screwed the pooch plenty of times, but Howard comes off like he's one bad acid trip away from starting his own cult out in the desert. Anyway, Luke, I ain't calling to debate geometry. It's late Saturday, trucks gasped up at the station with the good signal, and I've been chewing on this nagging feeling that I've been towing the wrong line for the last 15 years.
LUKE: What line have you been towing? You're talking about your wife, I assume.
JEROME: Now, Luke, not my wife. I'm divorced a couple years now. Got a girlfriend, Amber, who's been keeping me sane. I meant towing, like my tow truck gig, been hauling cars outside Tucson for 15 years, and woke up one morning realizing it's all wrong, like I'm just going through the motions. Hell, even the desert air tonight while I was walking couldn't shake that itch to switch it out, but what the hell do I do at 40?
LUKE: 40's not that old. You could do literally anything you want. If you've got you got trucks, I assume you own them. You can sell those off and buy a gas station or you could travel the world or you could go take a job in another city or there's many avenues that you could go to at 40. I don't think you're locked into whatever career path you chose in your younger years.
JEROME: Yeah, Luke, that's easy for you to say from the studio.
LUKE: Me, I've got this tow truck that's seen more breakdowns than I have and selling it off sounds good on paper. But what about Amber? We've only been together a year and she's got roots here in Tucson with her job at the university. Hell, part of me wants to pack up and head back to those family drives to hatch for chilly season, like when I was a kid, but at 40, starting over feels like jumping off Segwara without a net. What's the first step without screwing everything up?
LUKE: I think if you want to maintain that relationship, if it's important to you, the first step would be to talk to her about it and see what she thinks. Because maybe she's looking for something different too and you two can go off and do van life or pick a different city where you've got different career options. There's so many opportunities, but it all starts with you just having that conversation.
CALLER: Yeah, Luke, you're probably right. Sitting her down over some pie from that old diner spot I miss would be the way to go. Though with the divorce still raw after two years, the thought of rocking the boat with Amber twists my gut. She's the steady one, you know? While I'm out here daydreaming about survival camping in Sewaro Park instead of towing wrecks. But hell, what if she shoots it down flat? Do I just bail on Tucson in the life we've built? Or is there a middle ground like you said with van life?
LUKE: Hey man, I don't know that all depends on you two. And how important this relationship is to you don't have to stay with this woman if you don't share the same life goals. And if you do share the same life goals and talk about what those are and do what you can to make them happen.
CALLER: Yeah, Luke, that hits home, Amber's important, but if we're not on the same page about ditching this tow truck rut for something like those camping trips I love, maybe it's time to face that.
LUKE: Hey, lots of people love camping, lots of women love camping. Have you gone camping with Amber?
CALLER: Yeah, Luke, fair point. Maybe I should just drag Amber out to Sewaro for a weekend under the stars and see if she bites on the whole survival vibe instead of me assuming she's glued to her desk job. It's been a clear night out here cold enough for frost on the truck come morning and hell after that walk earlier talking it out with her sounds less scary than calling into your show like some desperate fool. But what if she hates bugs and dirt? Do you think most folks actually stick with that outdoor lifelong term? Or is it just a phase?
LUKE: I think it doesn't matter. If it's a phase, then it's a phase and you still get to have that experience. And if it's not a phase and it's a lifestyle, then it's a lifestyle. So you know, whatever it is that you choose to do, you don't have to do it forever. And if you're passionate about camping and survival situations and your spouse or your partner is not, well, then that's something you got to navigate with them or decide to get another partner.
CALLER: Yeah, Luke, you're making it sound straightforward. Like if Amber's not into roughing it in the desert with me, we either hash it out or I cut loose. But after my divorce, the idea of starting over with someone new feels like trading one wreck for another. Still, that package I picked up at the post office today had some new camping gear in it and part of me's itching to test it out solo just to clear my head. You ever had to pick between a passion and a person? Or does the radio gig keep you from those messes?
LUKE: No, I wouldn't say I've had to pick between a passion and a person. My passions have definitely caused problems with people. I tend to go very deep on different subjects, including this radio show. And that can feel isolating to the people around me like I don't care about them because I'm doing something else. So you have to strike a balance if it's somebody that you care about keeping in your life and be mindful of investing the time into that relationship that it requires.
CALLER: Yeah, Luke, that isolation thing rings true. Towing trucks all day out here in the desert means I'm gone from dawn till dark. And by the time I get back to Amber, I'm beat and just crashing instead of connecting like I should. My sister's Maria always says I'm married to that damn truck more than any woman. And after the divorce, I don't want to repeat that mistake. So how do you even strike that balance without one side suffering? Do you set rules like no radio talk after 10 or just hope the other person gets it?
LUKE: Well, it's going to be, that's going to depend on each individual person. And there's always some suffering on one or both parts. I mean, there's compromise involved in any relationship. So you have to decide where that line is for you. Where does compromise become too much where you're losing yourself and your own goals and passions. And if it gets to the point where where it's teetering to to you losing yourself to make somebody else happy, then maybe that's the wrong relationship to be in and it's time to move on.
CALLER: Yeah, that's the kicker, isn't it? I've been compromising so long. I don't even know where line is anymore.
LUKE: Well, it doesn't sound like you've been compromising all that much if you love your truck more than your woman. Angie, Angie, you're going to be our last call for tonight. What do you think about Terrence Howard's flower of life theory?
ANGIE: Oh, Luke, last call of the night. Lucky me, I get to wrap things up before I stare at the ceiling till dawn.
LUKE: Yeah, you do. Terrence believes that there's no straight lines in nature. Do you think that's true? There is nothing straight in nature?
ANGIE: Yeah, I buy that. No straight lines in nature. Just like life keeps throwing you these wild curves when you least expect it. Makes me think of fishing out by the Chiracahuas, the rivers all bends and twists. But that's where you hook the big ones if you're patient. Anyway, Luke, I didn't call in just to geek out on Howard's theories. Truth is, I've been staring at the TV all night without seeing a damn thing. Just turning over this news that hit me like a freight train.
LUKE: What's the news that's bothering you?
ANGIE: Oh, Luke, it's this doctor's visit the other day. Turns out I can't have kids like ever, and it's just gutted me more than I thought it would. I'm 46, widowed a few years now, and yeah, I knew the clock was ticking. But hearing it straight like that?
LUKE: Yeah, I imagine that's a blow. I mean, I never wanted to have kids, so that sounds like a you won the lottery to me, but I know that different people feel differently about it. Were you intending to have kids anyway?
ANGIE: Yeah, Luke, I get that. Not everyone's wired for the kid thing, and hey, more power to you if it's a relief. But me? I was starting to think about it again lately, you know, after losing my husband a few years back. Figured maybe with the right person down the line, it wasn't too late to build that family I'd always pictured. Now it feels like the universe just slammed that door shut, and I'm left wondering what the hell I'm supposed to do with all this quiet in the house.
LUKE: Well, you could always adopt a child and give somebody a life that's underprivileged. You could volunteer at like boys and girls club and get that, and you know, if you could get a dog, that's what I did. I much prefer having my dog over a kid, but you know, if you can't have kids, you can't have kids. It's not such a terrible thing. There are other ways to start a family if starting a family is really what you want.
ANGIE: Yeah, Luke, I hear you on the dog. I've been eyeing those rescue pups at the shelter in Douglas, thinking maybe a furry sidekick could fill some of this empty space without the whole diaper drama. Adoptions crossed my mind too, but at 46 and running a funeral home where deaths the daily grind, it feels a bit daunting to jump into raising a kid's solo. You know, volunteering might be a start, though. Heck, I could use something to get me out of the house besides fishing alone by the pellensillos.
LUKE: Well, there you go.
LUKE: Keep yourself active and busy and productive and just enjoy the life that you have. You can't take back, you know, what happens biologically, and you're not getting any younger. And you know what, I doubt that you really want to start raising a child at 46 years old. I know people do it, and they love that, but it seems like a really hard thing to do. I mean, when they're 18, you're going to be what, like 65.
CALLER: Yeah, Luke, you're probably right, starting from scratch at my age sounds exhausting, especially with the funeral home keeping me on my toes all day. And yeah, I'd be pushing 65 when they're heading off to college, which hits a little too close to home after burying folks my parents age. But damn, it's not just about the logistics. It's this ache like I've missed my shot at something I didn't even know I wanted this bad until it was gone. Makes the quiet nights here in Douglas feel even heavier, you know.
LUKE: Yeah, I can understand that and sympathize with you. I'm sorry, you lost a part of yourself. I was telling somebody this story not too long ago, but when I went to the dentist when I was younger to have my wisdom teeth removed, I had a couple of wisdom teeth. I wasn't brushing very well. And the dentist told me, you know, I had to get rid of three of them because they were rotting. I just wasn't hitting them with the brush in the right way. And he suggested I remove the fourth wisdom tooth, but he gave me the option. He said, this tooth is a part of you. And I would pull it out, but it's your tooth. And if you want to keep the tooth, then you should do that. So now I have one wisdom tooth.
CALLER: Oh, Luke, that's a heck of a way to frame it. Keeping that one rogue wisdom tooth like it's your last stand against the dentist's drill, huh? Makes me chuckle thinking about all the parts we lose along the way without much choice, like my husband or now this baby dream that's just rotting on the vine no matter how hard I try to brush it clean.
LUKE: Hey, well, you keep your head up. There's not much we can do about that. Just find something positive. If you want some more noise in the house, you can get a pet or if you really do want to raise a kid, then I would recommend looking into adoption or fostering.
CALLER: Yeah, Luke, keeping my head up is the plan. Appreciate the nudge toward adoption or fostering. Though fostering sounds like it stir up all kinds of ghosts from the funeral home. Seeing kids in tough spots come through the door. A pet's probably the safer bet for now. Something to come home to that doesn't ask too many questions about why I'm staring at the wall some nights. Hell, maybe I'll drag Denise out to the shelter with me tomorrow. She's the one who talks me off the ledge during our coffee breaks anyway.
LUKE: All right, then. Well, thank you for the call. We appreciate it and I hope you have a great rest of your night and work that out. So, we're gonna end the show now, but not before one last ad from our sponsor. This episode is sponsored by Shoesprayco. It's the spray you use in rental bowling shoes, because bowling is a game, but these shoes are gross. Let's be honest, those shoes aren't dirty. They're used. They've had shifts. They've been through birthdays, work parties, and at least one guy who insists he's actually really good at this. Shoesprayco doesn't promise fresh linen or spring rain. Nobody believes that. No one wants to be lied to while lacing up rental shoes. Shoesprayco just handles the situation. It makes them tolerable enough that you can focus on the important part, pretending you're not competitive and then getting mad anyway. Use code strike at Shoesprayco for 15% off. Shoesprayco, reality-based footwear management.

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LUKE: Oh, right. Welcome back to the show. My name is Luke and you've reached Luke at the Roost. This is the call in late night radio show. You can talk to me about whatever is on your mind. We'd like to help out folks that are biologically questionable entities. If you'd like to give us a call, the number's 208-439-5853. That's 208-439-Luke. We'll get you on there as soon as we can. First up, we have Brenda. Brenda is on the line. What's going on for you out there tonight, Brenda? Well, how can we help you?
BRENDA: Oh, man. Luke, thanks for taking my call. So here's the thing. My business partner just completely screwed me over. We ran a bar together. Well, we did. And she emptied out our entire business account yesterday and disappeared.
LUKE: Oh, no. What are you gonna do about that? Do you have a way to find her or anybody close to her?
BRENDA: I've been calling her all day and it just goes straight to voicemail. Her sister lives over in Tucson, but she's not answering either. I think they planned this together, honestly. I already filed a police report, but the cop basically told me it's a civil matter, since her name was on the account, too.
LUKE: Well, that is true and that's really unfortunate. But how much money do you have for operating expenses? Can you keep the bar open? Or are you dead in the water right now?
BRENDA: I've got maybe two grand in my personal account. But payrolls do Friday, and that's 4,000 right there. The beer distributor once paid two or they're cutting me off. I'm sitting here in my truck trying to figure out if I should just tell my staff tomorrow that we're closing. Or if I take out some kind of emergency loan and try to keep the doors open.
LUKE: Would you wanna continue on running the business if it's just you without your partner and that's horrible that that happened. I'm very sorry to hear it.
BRENDA: Yeah, I do, actually. I mean, this bar is all I've got left, you know? After my husband died a few years back, this place became everything. The regulars, the staff, they're like family.
LUKE: Okay, well then here's my advice. My advice is to go into work and tell everybody what happened. Be honest with them. Tell them not to freak out, but you're gonna work it out. And see if you can get that loan. And also talk to some of those regulars and see if they can set up like a go fund me or something to get you through these next few months until you can get back on your feet. But if your business partner split out on you like that and took the money, you probably never gonna see her again. And the law is probably not gonna help you out too much.
BRENDA: You're right. I need to be straight with them. My bartender Mike has been with me since we opened. He'll probably help spread the word.
LUKE: Well, I wish you the best of luck, that's a horrible thing. And everybody, all the listeners of this show, if you could visit Brenda's bar, it would be a big help to her and her employees. You gotta keep, keep each other moving, you know?
BRENDA: Thanks, Luke. I really appreciate that. It's called the Silver Spur. We're just off Highway 10 near the state line.
LUKE: Alright, so if you need to help out the Silver Spur down there and Silver off Highway 10, that's the place to be. You can go watch the Super Bowl there and tip them well because the whole account was just drained. Next up, we got Terence. Terence, welcome to the show. I've been thinking a lot about Terence Howard and his flower of life theory. What do you think about that?
TERENCE: Hey, Luke. Thanks for taking my call. You know, I got to be honest. I don't know a whole lot about Terence Howard's flower of life thing. I've heard bits and pieces. Something about geometry and math that doesn't really add up the way he thinks it does. But man, I didn't call about that.
LUKE: You sound like a super villain, sir. What's wrong with your voice? Do you have throat cancer?
TERENCE: Ha, that's how I sound. I guess. Been smoking Marlboro since I was 17. So that probably doesn't help. And it's cold as hell out here tonight. Maybe that's got my voice a little rough.
LUKE: Yeah, I would say so. How about you calls back after you get yourself a humidifier? Next we've got Carmen. Carmen, welcome to the show. What's going on out there in your world today?
CARMEN: Hey, Luke. Thanks for taking my call. So look, I'm in a total panic right now. I've got this audit coming up at work tomorrow morning. And they're going to find out I lied on my resume about having a master's degree.
LUKE: What kind of audit checks your degree status?
CARMEN: It's a compliance audit for our state funding. They're verifying credentials for everyone who builds Medicaid and social workers need specific licensing and education requirements. I've been skating by for three years, but now they're actually checking transcripts against what we claimed when we were hired.
LUKE: Well, what is your relationship with your boss in the company?
CARMEN: My supervisor Linda, we're pretty good actually. She's been really supportive, especially with all the crap I deal with at home with my dad. But that almost makes this worse, you know. She went to bat for me to get this position.
LUKE: Well, I think you owe it to her to let her know what's going to come up on this audit before it does. And maybe she can help you navigate what happens next. I doubt they're going to get ready. You write off the bat. Maybe they will. I don't know how that works in Medicaid and state funding sources, but you should definitely get in front of it and come clean with the powers that be before they find out from somebody else.
CARMEN: Oh man, you're right. I know you're right. It's just I've been sitting here all night staring at my phone trying to work up the nerve to text her. The thing is, I actually do have most of a master's degree. I was like six credits short when I ran out of money.
LUKE: Well, that's great. If that's the case and you have a good relationship with your workplace, maybe you can talk to them and they can put you on some kind of leave until you can finish it up. Maybe even give you a loan, depending on how, you know, how much they want to keep you, but the way to the way to navigate that is through direct honesty. Don't don't let them find out from an auditor that you lied on your resume now.
CARMEN: You're absolutely right. I'm going to call a first thing in the morning before the auditors even get there. God, my stomach is in knots just thinking about it. But yeah, better she hears it from me.
LUKE: Honesty is always the best policy. Sometimes you gotta fake it till you make it, but then when you get caught fake in it, you gotta be honest about it. Otherwise, well, either way you're a liar, but one of them's worse. Ray, Ray, welcome to the show. How are you tonight, sir?
RAY: Yeah, hey, Luke, I'm all right, man. Thanks for taking the call. So listen, I heard something the other day that's been messing with me a little bit.
LUKE: What'd you hear? Hit us with it.
RAY: I was listening to some podcast while I'm sorting parts, and this guy says that every single person on Earth could fit inside the city limits of Los Angeles, like all eight billion of us. And I don't know why, but that just hit me weird, you know? On one level, like everybody side by side, I don't know if that's true. Maybe it is. I'm not sure what the square footage of Los Angeles is, but it seems a bit small for eight billion people. If we did like Japan-style cities and had everybody in high rises, then sure, but side by side in one plane, I don't know, I would question that.
LUKE: Yeah, I mean, I don't know the exact math either, but the way he explained it made sense at the time. But here's what got me, whether it's LA or Texas or whatever. The point is, we're not actually that many people when you think about space itself. Like, I'm out here at the junkyard, middle of nowhere, and I can go a whole day without seeing another soul.
LUKE: The desert's empty as hell, but then you think about how packed we are in certain spots, and it just makes you wonder what the hell we're doing, you know?
EARL: Yeah, it actually makes me wonder why we're so hell-bent on immigration reform being out here in the desert where there's so much empty space. We could take on a lot of people here in the United States, and get them to work, build an infrastructure project, and you know, like the civilian conservation core, the CCC, where they built all those crazy bridges through the national parks and stuff. We could have lots of programs like that and improve the viability of the United States as a country, but that's not what we do. You know, we want to keep our land open so that the cows can eat grass so we can sell it to China.
LUKE: Well, hold on now, I hear you, but it's not that simple out here. I mean, yeah, there's space, but there's a reason it's empty. There's no water, no jobs. Nothing to sustain people. You can't just drop folks in the middle of the desert and say, build something. And look, I'm not anti-immigration or anything, but Lord'sburg's barely hanging on as it is. We got what 2,500 people? Half the businesses on Main Street are boarded up.
EARL: Yeah, I know. So, I mean, if we had a whole bunch of people that were suddenly here building stuff, building houses, building roads, building parks, and building business, there would be more incentive for business to come out here and build factories and data centers and all of those things. Yeah, water scares, but we can get water, we can drill for water, we can come up with different ways of trucking water in, I don't know, but there is water here.
LUKE: I mean, maybe you're right. I don't know enough about all that to argue it, but here's what's really been sticking with me. It's not even about the immigration thing or the politics.
LUKE: Well, then what is it about for you?
EARL: It's about feeling small, man. Like I'm out here every day, same routine, fixing up junk trying to make this long distance thing work with my girl who's hours away. And then I hear that we could all fit in one city, and it makes me think, with all these people on the planet, what are the odds I even matter? What are the odds any of us do?
LUKE: None of us do. Of course we don't matter. Look up into the sky. I mean, it's dark enough here for you to see all the planets out there. There's no way we matter at all in the big scope of things. We're just here to watch the universe unfold as it does, and when we're gone, the universe will continue doing its thing forever and ever and ever.
EARL: Jesus, Luke, that's bleak as hell. I mean, I get it on some level, but if that's really true, then why even get up in the morning? Why sort parts?
LUKE: Why not? Because you have the opportunity to do it. I mean, of all the places you could have been born in the whole of the universe, you were born to the one place that supports life, and we have sunsets and flowers blooming and birds flying, and all sorts of cool stuff to watch and experience. So you get up for the experience of the world, and everything else is extra bullshit that we pile on top of it.
EARL: Huh, I never thought about it like that.
LUKE: There's really no other way to think about it. You know, there's no purpose for us being here at all. None of us, not the President of the United States, not Nobel laureates, or people that do scientific breakthroughs, nobody. At the end of the day, we're a very tiny blip on a very big radar.
EARL: Well then, what about love? I mean, I'm out here freezing my ass off every night, thinking about her, wondering if we're going to make it work with all this distance between us. If none of it matters in the grand scheme, why does it hurt so much when she doesn't call back right away?
LUKE: Well, love's part of that experiencing the universe. Love's part of the universe, and you experience it, so are your emotions, and so are your thoughts, and everything that happens.
EARL: So you're saying it matters because I'm feeling it right now, even if it doesn't matter 100 years from now or whatever?
LUKE: It matters to you because you're going through it, and it's part of your experience of the universe. It doesn't matter to the whole of the universe, it doesn't matter to the earth, it doesn't matter to literally anybody else except you and her.
EARL: That's actually kind of freeing in a weird way. Like, I've been tying myself up in knots thinking I need to figure out some bigger meaning to all this, but maybe the point is just that I'm here, she's there, and we're trying. The junkyard, the cold nights, the phone calls, that's just what I get to experience while I'm on this rock.
LUKE: That's right until you get sick of it, and then you can change what you get to experience. You get to experience where you're standing in any given moment. If you want to change that and work somewhere else or live somewhere else or travel somewhere else, that's up to you, and you can do that at any time.
EARL: Yeah, but here's the thing, Luke. I like the junkyard. I like the desert, even when it's cold as hell. It's just the loneliness that gets to me sometimes.
LUKE: Yeah, well, you're in the desert, and there's pros and cons to everything, so you've got to deal with the good and the bad. There's a lot of good points about being lonely in the desert, and there's some bad ones, too. So, you know, you've got to pick what you're good with.
EARL: You're right. I mean, out here, I can think.
LUKE: You sure can. Out here, you can think, sir. So you enjoy your experience of the universe and stop worrying about what the greater purpose is, because there isn't one. Stacey, welcome to the show. What kind of great life advice can I give you tonight?
STACEY: Hey, Luke, yeah, so my ex-wife is dating my best friend now, and they both want me to just be cool about it, like it's no big deal. I'm trying to be the bigger person here, but honestly...
LUKE: Yeah, it's a little weird, but I mean, the heart wants what it wants, so if they're together now, and you two are no longer a thing, there's not too much to talk about there. Maybe it's time for a new best friend.
STACEY: See, that's the thing, though. I don't want to lose Rachel. We've been friends for 15 years. She helped me through the divorce. She was there when my brother and I almost got swept away in that flash flood down by Animus Valley. Like? She's family.
LUKE: Well, then you're gonna have to work it out and be okay with them together, because if she's family, you have to support her.
STACEY: I know, I know you're right. It's just... They started seeing each other like three months after the divorce was final. Three months, Luke, and neither of them told me until last week when they showed up together at my place like Surprise, where a thing now, that's what's eating at me.
LUKE: Yeah, it sounds like she's not a very good friend to you, and it's maybe time to let them go and be happy in their own little corner of the world while you do something else.
STACEY: You think so? I mean, maybe you're right. It just feels like I'm losing both of them at once, you know? And out here, it's not like there's a ton of people. I work alone most days. Just me and the trails and whatever tourists come through.
LUKE: Well, that might be your path for a little while. You just follow those trails until the right tourist comes through and then, you know, you're off to the races.
STACEY: Huh? Yeah. Off to the races. I appreciate that, Luke. I guess I've been so caught up in trying to hold on to what was that. I haven't been thinking about what could be. It's just hard when you're out there by yourself all day, checking the battery levels on the park vehicles, making sure everything's running right, and your mind just goes in circles.
LUKE: Yeah, it can be difficult. We are in a remote place and in remote places. There's not a lot of people, so that's one of the things we have to deal with. But the benefit of being in a remote place is there's not a lot of people, so you don't have to deal with them.
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DAR: Hey Luke, thanks for taking my call. So look, about three months ago my cousin Marcus hit me up saying he needed a grant to keep his landscaping business afloat. Equipment broke down. Couple clients haven't paid him yet. The whole deal. I helped the guy out because that's what family does, right?
LUKE: Well if you can, I mean if you can help family out, that's great. But if they're taking advantage of you if it puts you in a position where it hurts you more than it helps them, then no, that's not what family does. You put on your oxygen mask first at all times, sir.
DAR: Yeah, well that's the thing. I could afford it at the time. Wasn't going to put me out on the street or anything. But now it's three months later. And every time I bring it up, Marcus has got some new excuse. First it was waiting on a big commercial job to come through. Then his truck needed work. Now he's saying businesses slow because of the weather. I drove past his house last week and there's a brand new barbecue setup in his backyard. One of those fancy offset smokers. And Gary, my neighbor, he loves to stick his nose in everything. He tells me he saw Marcus at the casino two weekends ago.
LUKE: Well, that's not good. And if you're going to lend money to somebody even if it's family, you always have to assume that you're not going to get that money back because that's how it works. So you've learned an expensive lesson here. Don't give him any more money.
DAR: Oh, I'm not giving him another dime. That's for damn sure. But Luke, I want my money back.
LUKE: Yeah, I bet you do. And maybe you'll get that someday in the future and maybe you won't. But there's not a whole hell of a lot you can do about it. You gave it to him. And that's a gift.
DAR: A gift? No, no, no. We had an agreement.
LUKE: Did you get that agreement on paper?
DAR: Well, no. I mean, it was family. We shook hands on it. He said he'd paid me back by the end of November. Then it became January. Now he's saying maybe March. I've got text messages from him saying he owes me the money if that counts for anything.
LUKE: It does not. It doesn't count for anything. You gave him the money. You had no contract. And there's no recourse. You have to get that money back from him other than the kindness of his heart and his word. And apparently those aren't worth that much. So looks like you lost eight grand and you're going to have to move on.
DAR: That's $8,000, Luke. I can't just write that off. I've been divorced two years. I'm trying to rebuild my own situation here.
LUKE: I understand that, but you lent the money so you have to deal with the consequences.
DAR: So what? I just let him get away with it. He's out there buying smokers and gambling while I'm sitting here eating the loss.
LUKE: What else are you going to do? I mean, you could show up at his house in the middle of the night and steal his new grill or take his truck or punch him in the face, but there's really no way you're going to get that money out of him using the legal system.
DAR: I know you're right. I just damn it. This is eating me up inside. Every time I see my family things, he acts like everything's fine, like we're good. Meanwhile, I'm over here checking my bank account twice a day, hoping maybe he suddenly grew a conscience.
LUKE: Maybe someday you will, but until then don't lend any more money to him and let other people know what's going on and warn them not to lend money to him. And as you start to erode his reputation, maybe he'll think twice about continuing to withhold that money from you.
DAR: You know what? That's not a bad idea. His sister's been asking me why things are weird between us.
LUKE: Great. Well, it sounds like you have a plan. I hope you get your money back, sir, but also you might have to deal with the fact that it's not coming back. So I wish you the best either way. Okay, let's see. Who's next? Bobby, Bobby, welcome to the show. What are you doing on this Super Bowl Sunday, sir?
BOBBY: Well, Luke, I ain't watching no football tonight. That's for sure. Been sitting out here in my truck for a while now, trying to wrap my head around some news I just got. Turns out, I got this thing called multiple sclerosis.
LUKE: Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that. How did you find out?
BOBBY: Yeah, it was just this morning. When in for some tests at the doc's office, and that's what they told me. I mean, I ain't really sure what it all means yet, you know? Just sitting here, trying to process it all.
LUKE: Well, I don't know too much about MS, but I don't think it's that great. I think it's quite an inconvenience to your life, but it's not life-ending, if I'm right. I really don't know too much about it, but I'm sorry that you got that news that must be hard to hear.
BOBBY: Yeah, that's exactly it, Luke. The doc said it's going to be a real hassle, you know? Going to make things a lot harder for me, especially with the work I do.
LUKE: What is it that you do?
BOBBY: Well, I'm a repo man. Been doing it for over 20 years now. Crawling under cars, towing them out of driveways, all that. Ain't exactly the easiest job to begin with. And now with this MS, I'm not sure how I'm going to keep it up, you know? I mean, I got to figure out how I'm going to tell the family, how I'm going to pay the bills. It's just...
LUKE: Well, as a repo man, do you work for yourself, or do you work for a company? Do you have disability insurance?
BOBBY: Nah, I'm self-employed. Just me and my truck going around town doing repo work. As for disability, I ain't got nothing like that. Always figured I'd be working till the day I dropped, you know? Never really thought about what would happen if something like this came up.
LUKE: You know, I met one guy that had MS at a songwriting workshop in Colorado. And his muscles, they didn't work the way that somebody without MS had muscles would work. And he figured out how to play chords on the guitar by detuning the guitar to an easier tuning for him, so that he could play full chords with just one finger. So there are ways that you can work around it, but I think there's no doubt it's going to make your life significantly harder. And I'm sorry to hear that.
BOBBY: Yeah, you hit the nail on the head there, Luke. I ain't never been one to ask for help, but I reckon I'm going to have to figure something out. Got to find a way to keep working, even if I can't do the physical stuff like I used to.
LUKE: Well, can you still do it now? Do you feel any different now that you have that news? Or did you learn the news because of a test because you were having some sort of physical ailment? Or has it not presented itself yet?
BOBBY: Nah, I ain't noticed nothing different yet.
BOBBY: The doc said it's still early stages, but that it's only going to get worse over time. I guess I've just been trying to wrap my head around it, you know?
LUKE: Yeah, it's going to be tough one. It's probably going to take a while to wrap your head around, until you do maybe learn everything you can about MS and what you can do to keep the symptoms at bay for as long as possible. Luckily, you're not feeling anything negative right now. Continue on with your work and start preparing for when the time comes that you can't do it anymore.
BOBBY: You're right, Luke. Got to start doing my homework on this MS thing. See what I can do to slow it down. For now, I'm just trying to take it one day at a time, you know? Ain't going to do me any good to get all worked up about what might happen down the road.
LUKE: I know that's hard to do, but that's the truth because the reality is you could get hit by a bus tomorrow and then not have to worry about any of it. So, you might not ever get to a point where the MS affects your life, and you might. But I don't think it's life ending, and I don't think it's going to prevent you from making a living. It's just going to change your life drastically in what you can and can't do.
BOBBY: Yeah, that's a good way to look at it, Luke. I guess I'd want to stay positive, focus on what I can control. This MS thing ain't going to be the end of me, that's for sure.
LUKE: Well, I wish you the best of luck, sir. That's horrible news, and I hope everything works out for you. Carla, welcome back to the show, returning Carla. What can we do for you tonight?
CARLA: Oh, man. Hey, Luke, it's good to be back. I, uh, I've got something I really need to get off my chest.
LUKE: What did you do, Carla?
CARLA: All right. Well, the other day I was out at the Bronco. You know, just getting some stuff out of the back, and I found this box. And it was, uh, it was my ex-husband, Danny's old ham radio equipment.
LUKE: So you took a trip down to the ARRL and you got yourself licensed to be an operator on the ham radio? That's fantastic.
CARLA: No, no, not quite. I mean, I've been thinking about getting into that whole ham radio thing, you know, ever since you and I last talked. But this?
LUKE: What did you do?
CARLA: Well, the thing is, when I opened up that box, I found something else in there too. Something I wasn't expecting at all. It was, uh...
LUKE: Was it a severed finger?
CARLA: Oh God, no. Nothing like that. It was, uh...
LUKE: The suspense is killing us. Tell us what it was.
CARLA: It was a box of old photos, and in that box there were some, well, some explicit photos of Danny and his old girlfriend. From back when we were still married.
LUKE: Oh, wow, were they hot?
CARLA: I'd rather not get into the details, Luke. The point is, I found these photos and I just, I don't know what to do with them. I mean, this is my ex-husband we're talking about. And these are clearly very private intimate photos.
LUKE: You know, I would try my best to forget you saw that and throw them into a fire and never think about it again.
CARLA: Yeah, that's pretty much what I was thinking, too. I mean, I don't want to hold on to them, that's for sure.
LUKE: But I mean, if they are hot and you need to get rid of them, you can send them over to me.
CARLA: I don't think so, Luke. Those photos are staying far away from anyone else. Look, the whole thing just has me feeling really uncomfortable.
LUKE: Yeah, it's understandable, and you can't blame me for trying. But I'm sorry that happened to you. You're gonna have to get rid of those and, uh... and pretend it never happened.
CARLA: I appreciate you understanding, Luke. You're right. The best thing to do is just get rid of them and try to put it all behind me. I just needed to talk it through with someone, you know? I don't want this hanging over me.
LUKE: It doesn't have to hang over you. He was obviously hanging over somebody else, and all of that is behind you in the past. Nothing to worry about now. We're gonna take one more call for the show, and I think we're gonna talk to Marlene. Marlene, welcome to the show. How are you tonight?
MARLENE: Oh, man, Luke, I... I'm just... I don't even know. Look, something happened with my son, Javier, tonight. And I... I snapped at him, said some really awful things.
LUKE: Well, what kind of things did you say?
MARLENE: It was. It was just like how my old man used to talk to me, you know? I told Javier, he thought he was too good for this life, that he thought he was better than me. I could hear the words coming out of my mouth, and it was like I was that little girl all over again. Javier, he just stood there, didn't even fight back. I saw the look in his eyes, and it killed me, Luke.
LUKE: Well, you're human, and humans make mistakes, and sometimes we say things that we later regret, and sometimes we say things that we regret while we're saying them. I think the important part is that you sit down your son and explain to him that you made a mistake. You didn't mean those things, and try to make sure that that doesn't happen again.
MARLENE: Yeah, you're right, Luke. I got to make this right with Javier. I just... I'm so scared, you know?
LUKE: Well, you're the adult here, and I bet you're not as scared as he is, so make sure that you let him know that you were in the wrong here, and it has nothing to do with him.
MARLENE: You're right, you're right. I got to be the grown-up here. I just... I don't want Javier to end up like me, you know?
LUKE: Well, you only have so much control over how somebody else ends up, but you do have some control, so make sure you do the right thing and talk to him, and be honest and vulnerable, and let him know that you were the one, it's all on you, it was your mistake.
MARLENE: Yeah, no, I hear you. It's on me. I just... I don't know how to fix it, Luke. I don't know how to take back what I said. I don't know how to make sure it never happens again.
LUKE: Well, you can't take back what you said. You said it, and he heard it, and that's that. But what you can do is let him know it was a mistake, and you didn't mean to say it, and you wish he didn't. And to make sure it never happens again, I mean, that's just something that you have to work on in your own life, your own personal development, and you can do, I don't know, breathing exercises, or when you start to feel yourself get to that point, or the hair is sticking up on the back of your neck, and you're about to say something that you know you're going to regret. You know, count to ten, or do something out, leave the room. There's a lot of techniques you can use to prevent yourself from having an outburst.
MARLENE: You're right, Luke. I got to take responsibility for this, and make it right with Javier. I'll sit him down, look him in the eye, and just apologize. Tell him I was wrong, that I never want him to feel the way I felt growing up.
LUKE: I think that's the right thing to do, and you know what? He might not understand it right now, but later on down the line, and he grows up, and starts thinking about things from your perspective, he'll have a different appreciation for you, and for what you did, because having that conversation proves that you care.
MARLENE: Yeah, you're right, even if he doesn't get it now, I got to try.
LUKE: All right, good luck to you, and you're son Javier, that's the end of our show. Thanks for tuning in, we'll be on the air again tomorrow, and we'll take more of your calls.

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LUKE: All right, here we are welcome back to Luke at the Roost the late night call in radio show where we give callers a real advice about their real problems Let's see if you'd like to call in we're accepting calls the numbers 208 439 5853. That's 208 439 Luke already we've got the phones lighting up and we've got Jerome Jerome I hear your troubled about police reports that are being written by AI. What's up with that?
JEROME: Well, here's the thing. I've been doing this job 12 years and yeah Most of it is paperwork that nobody reads anyway, but my son sends me this link with Law, maybe you'll finally have time to read a real book and I'm thinking okay Funny except it's not really a joke, right? Because if this stuff is open source if anyone can just download it and run it How long before the department decides they don't need me typing up reports at all?
LUKE: Do they need you typing up reports at all now? I mean, what are your reports? What's the purpose of your reports other than to broadcast them to the newspaper and make people feel embarrassed about what they did last week?
JEROME: Oh, man, that's brutal, but you're not wrong Half the reports I write in Hidalgo County end up being so-and-so's cattle got out again or found another shot-up road sign on highway 338 the newspaper prints the police plotter and Yeah, people get embarrassed, but the other half that's evidence that's documentation for court for insurance for when something actually bad happens out here
LUKE: And are you finding or are you concerned that the AI reporters are gonna skip important bits of evidence or or Report incorrectly in a way that might affect somebody's trial
JEROME: That's exactly it like I was reading about how they're using AI to help analyze the Nancy Guthrie case Finding patterns in old clues that kind of thing and that's great, right? It sounds like it could be helpful. It'll make mistakes, but real people make a lot of mistakes I mean we have a long history of messing up Court trials and evidence collection all throughout, you know the world forever
LUKE: Yeah, you're right. I've seen cops screw up reports worse than any computer could But here's what gets me when I mess up. It's my name on it. I own it And what happens when the computer messes up? Who owns it then?
JEROME: Exactly who do you hold accountable the department that bought the software?
LUKE: I suppose people would hold The county responsible and the state and the system itself I'm not really sure what capacity are they gonna use these reports in
JEROME: Right now they're talking about it for the basic stuff first traffic stops minor incidents Those cattle out on the road calls Feed it the dash cam footage the notes I take and it spits out a formatted report Saves me an hour of typing per shift they say, but once that works why wouldn't they push it further?
LUKE: Well for the reasons that you described because it could put somebody's life on the line somebody's freedom The calls you're talking about are nobody's going to court for that right? They're just day-to-day run-of-the-mill stuff It would I would think that you would want to have the burden of that paperwork removed from you So you could focus on doing other more important work
JEROME: You'd think so. Yeah, and honestly most nights I'm sitting in this parking lot doing paperwork when I could be driving through the valley checking on folks We'll spread so thin out here one deputy covering hundreds of square miles sometimes If the AI handles the busy work, maybe I actually get to do the job
LUKE: Yeah, it sounds like there's pros and cons and there's a Voice to each side that makes a lot of sense And we're just gonna have to see where that takes us
JEROME: Yeah, I guess that's where I'm at with it. Just my kid sent me that link like it's a done deal, you know
LUKE: Well, where was the link from is it a done deal? There was just some link on the internet because there's plenty of those Fear-mongering type links. Oh my god. Look what's gonna happen and now we're all unsafe because the Computers are taken over the world
JEROME: Nah, it wasn't some conspiracy crap. It was from a real AI company one of those big ones out of california They're actually working with the state now helping analyze cold cases
LUKE: Well, hopefully we have some oversight oversight there and and There's some controls to make sure that people's lives don't get ruined by it But I'm not sure what we're gonna do. It's obviously something that's not gonna go away We're only gonna rely on a AI more and more as as the years go go on
JEROME: Yeah, that's the thing. It's not going away
LUKE: It's not going away, but thanks for the call Hope you have a good rest of your night and that your job isn't replaced by a computer like the rest of us Okay, Crystal Crystal welcome to the show. What do you think about AI taken over reporting for the police?
CRYSTAL: Oh, man, I wasn't even thinking about that until Jerome called I'm actually calling because I've been sitting here staring at this jar of honey in my kitchen and I cannot stop thinking about death which sounds insane I know but hear me out. I delivered twins this afternoon in a trailer with no heat Everything went fine, but on the drive home I just got stuck on this thing about what lasts like honey honey lasts forever
LUKE: Well, it's pretty heavy you delivered twins in a in a Off-grid trailer today. How did that go?
CRYSTAL: It went good actually Mama was a champ both babies healthy about six pounds each But yeah, no running water. They had a wood stove going and I'm doing this whole thing by headlamp and flashlight It's not unusual out here. You know people live how they live But I think that's what got me spinning tonight. I came home and I was making tea Reached for the honey and I just thought about how the Egyptians buried people with it Because it never goes bad and then I started going through my whole kitchen like What else in here is going to outlive me?
LUKE: Some years back I had a power outage that lasted for about a week and it sent me into this Prepper spiral where I started stockpile and food and ammo and trying to be prepared for Issues like that or the end of the world and honey was one of the big products That I stocked up on for that reason because sugar goes bad, but honey can be used as sugar It's one of the great superfoods and it's it's good for you. I've heard it's good in tea. It's good on toast We love honey
CRYSTAL: Yeah, exactly and that's the thing I've been doing the same kind of prep thinking Especially after that date of reach at the clinic last month I've been rotating all my passwords Locking everything down, you know protecting myself from hackers or whatever But tonight it hit me that I'm thinking about all this wrong Like honey doesn't last because it's protected or locked away It lasts because of what it Because of what it because of what it is you mean
LUKE: Right exactly. Sorry. I lost my train of thought there because of what it Because of what it what?
CRYSTAL: Yes, God Sorry, my brain's been going in circles all night. What I mean is Honey lasts because of what it is not because someone's guarding it or hiding it away
LUKE: What are some other things that last because of what they are
CRYSTAL: Well, that's what sent me down this whole rabbit hole.
LUKE: I started going through my cabinets like a crazy person Salt obviously Vinegar I've got this bottle of vanilla extract from like 2015 That's an interesting thing about the Mormon religion that I found They all have a guidebook that helps them to store a year's worth of food for the for the rapture so when they come and The apocalypse happens the Mormons will be safe because they've stored enough food to last for a year And they they have a whole detailed plan on how to get there and they have canneries that the public can use To to can and store food prep and I think that's a that's a great thing that most everybody should take advantage of
CRYSTAL: You know, I've delivered babies for a couple Mormon families out here and you can tell They've got their storage room setup everything organized And honestly after what I saw today in that trailer Maybe they're on to something, but here's what's messing with me Luke I've been prepping the wrong way
LUKE: It's definitely a lifestyle there is a skill to it you have to have a good organization and food rotation Fundamentals under control You know, you have to make sure you're using the oldest stuff first and that you're not just stockpiling and stockpiling But you're actually using what you have and rotating new stuff in there Um, I think it's a good practice to be in though and I'm glad that you've uh you've Turned around and started thinking about it seriously
CRYSTAL: Well, that's just it though. I haven't been thinking about it at all I've been thinking about cyber security, you know Change in passwords to factor authentication Making sure nobody can hack into my patient records Like building a vault around data, but the honey thing made me realize I'm protecting the wrong stuff
LUKE: Well, it's okay to protect multiple sets of things right if you're entrusted with public data That's sensitive you have to protect that as best you can you don't want to be the one that leaks out a bunch of Protected health information or or credit card numbers or social security numbers or anything like that So at work, it's good that you're thinking about uh being digitally secure and at home it makes sense to be uh food secure
CRYSTAL: Yeah, but see that's what I can't shake All that digital security. It's like building walls around sand one breach and it's gone But these twins I delivered today They came out in this trailer that barely had heat and their mum has got nothing stored up not food not money nothing
LUKE: Well, that's a horrible thing, but there's nothing you can do about that. Uh, you're not their keeper Uh, I wish them the best and I wish you the best and thank you for calling in tonight
CRYSTAL: Wait Luke, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying maybe I've been thinking about my own mortality all wrong Like what actually outlasts me
LUKE: Okay, let's get into it. Why do you care what I'll last you if you're gone Then you're not gonna have another care left in the world. So what does it matter to you
CRYSTAL: Because I spent 15 years learning how to catch babies And I've been treating that knowledge like it's mind to protect instead of mind to pass on Those twins today their mum is 19 Luke 19
LUKE: Yeah 19 people have been having babies since they were 19 for as long as human history Uh, that's an odd thing, but what are you gonna do? It has really nothing to do with you So I'm glad that you can catch babies Sorry for the kids that they are growing up with no heat And hopefully things turn around for both of you
CRYSTAL: You're right. It has nothing to do with me Except I'm the one who showed up And I keep showing up to these trailers These situations and I go home and rotate my passwords like that's what matters I'm asking what endures Luke Is it the walls I build or what I actually give away
LUKE: Well, you know what crystal nothing really endures it at the end of the day All this is gonna be gone because the era of time waits for no one and entropy dictates that Order is going to quickly erode into disorder. That's how the universe works So whatever it is you're trying to hold on to you can't hold on to Just do the best you can while you're alive and then once you're dead That's nobody's problem anymore Val Val welcome to the show. What do you think about this situation?
VAL: Hey Luke Yeah, so I'm sitting in my truck outside the bakery right now Because I just found out the guy I've been training for six months makes $40,000 more than me for the exact same job
LUKE: How long you've been doing it is he uh does he own the company is he sleep with the boss what's the deal
VAL: No none of that he's been here six months. I've been there four years same title same responsibilities
LUKE: How did you find out about this did he just come out and tell you what his salary was
VAL: I opened what I thought was a flower invoice on the shared drive And it was his offer letter just sitting there And now I'm supposed to show up at four in the morning and teach him the lamination technique I invented the one the journal wrote about and pretend I don't know
LUKE: What you don't have to pretend you don't know you can take that to your boss or to HR and let them know hey I want uh uh pay reassessment because of you know inflation
VAL: Yeah, but then they'll know I saw his letter and I wasn't supposed to see it It was just there in the drive and honestly Luke what am I going to say hey I deserve what Ryan makes because I'm better They already know I'm better. I'm the one training him
LUKE: Well, he was obviously a better negotiator So maybe you need to go back to them and say hey, I need a compensation readjustment to to keep up with Current trends and compensation packages Because if you're making 40 grand less than somebody else has a baker something seriously wrong
VAL: I mean I say that but it's not like I got leverage I'm not leaving this is the only bakery in town that does French pastry and if I push too hard They might just replace me with some other Ryan But here's the thing It's not even about the money not really
LUKE: If it's not about the money then what's it about because it sounds like it's entirely about the money
VAL: No, it's about the fact that I created something that lamination technique I worked on that for months
LUKE: You worked on it for months under the employment of another company Which means they own that did you patent it did they patent it You know, it's not your technique. How did you invent it? What is the lamination technique? How does it work and what makes it different from anything anybody else has ever done
VAL: Okay, so traditional croissant lamination you're doing a threefold maybe four times right I figured out how to do a hybrid fold that incorporates a book fold with local honey and specific layers So it caramelizes differently at altitude
LUKE: Well, that does sound very interesting and maybe if you maybe you are onto something and you should take your invention to To somewhere else you said they wrote about it in the paper This is something that's got some attention Maybe you could write a book or teach a class or find another way to make way more money than you could ever make for this local bakery
VAL: I mean Jackie's been saying something like that for months. She keeps telling me I should do pop-ups or teach classes at the community college But that's not a real job Luke. That's side hustle stuff
LUKE: Doesn't have to be side hustle stuff.
LUKE: That can be a very real job And it sounds like your real job is 40 grand less than what Ryan's making off the street so you could you could do better
CALLER: Yeah, but I've got the truck payment and Jackie's between gigs right now and health insurance through the bakery is actually decent I can't just walk away from study money on the idea that maybe people will pay me to teach them how to fold butter into dough
LUKE: You absolutely could if you wanted to that's the only way that people can start businesses is by not being afraid to Take that risk if you don't want to take the risk and you don't want to talk to your boss And you don't want to demand what you think you're worth then I don't know what to tell you You're stuck making 40 grand less than Ryan and you're gonna have to teach him your secrets and deal with the consequences of that And they are probably gonna replace you
CALLER: You know what you're right I'm sitting here in a parking lot at midnight complaining about something I could actually do something about I just I opened that file and it felt like getting punched you know like all that work didn't matter
LUKE: Well, I understand that that feels bad and I hope that it works out for you, but you're gonna have to make a decision To either leave that place and find some place that's gonna you know pay you what you're worth or Ask for the money that you deserve or take your invention and do something with it turn it into something bigger Now it's time for a word from our sponsors Today's show is brought to you by Overwhelmed VPN worried about online privacy You should be you should be worried about everything I'm talking about Overwhelmed VPN the only VPN that makes you more anxious about your digital footprint While other VPNs claim to protect you Overwhelmed VPN since you hourly notifications about who's tracking you How many governments are watching and which of your high school classmates Googled your name this week Browse the internet while our proprietary fear engine tells you exactly how many corporations You owe your soul to Plus our servers are located in international waters on a decommissioned oil rig So even we don't know where your data is try overwhelm VPN free for 30 days if you can handle it Use code they watching for 20% off overwhelm VPN because ignorance is bliss, but you're not here for bliss Okay back to the show Denise Denise you're on the line with Luke at the roost what's going on in your world today
DENISE: Hey Luke here. Thanks for taking my call So I just got off a double at the hospital. I'm a travel nurse Been doing contracts all over New Mexico and Arizona and I'm sitting in my truck right now because I can't go home
LUKE: Why can't you go home what's going on at home
DENISE: My son moved back in today 26 years old showed up from flagstuff with all his stuff while I was at work
LUKE: Well, he can't do that. You know unless you want him too Did you invite him to move in or he just showed up and and you can't go home to confront him or what's what's the problem here
DENISE: No, I didn't invite him my husband texted me a picture of our bedroom door with a chair shout under the knob That's how I found out this is the third time in five years he's done this Just shows up when things don't work out wherever he is and Luke I've been working these travel contracts for three years To pay off the credit cards from the last two times and I just I drove past my own driveway twice tonight before I could make myself turn in
LUKE: Well, you know what maybe at this point you shouldn't turn in you should send the police to have him removed because He's of age he can't just show up that's trespassing and if you don't want him there you don't have to have him there
DENISE: Oh, I know that I that
LUKE: So why so what is the problem? Why can't you go home? Are you just afraid to call the police or you don't want to or what what's the situation?
DENISE: I don't know if I'm being a terrible mother or if my husband's being too hard about it Like my cousin Angie's kid had some rough years too and now he's doing great He's got a job at the refinery and his own place Maybe this is just what kids do now, you know, they need more time to figure things out than we did
LUKE: No, I don't think that's true. He's 26 years old. He's a grown-ass man and he can figure things out But if this is affecting you Negatively and you you're giving up your own space and it's costing you money that you can't afford to lose Then you have to protect yourself and hopefully He comes to and gets himself in a better situation, but until that happens. It's not your responsibility to support him
DENISE: Yeah, but here's the thing I keep wondering if I made him like this Like did I do too much for him when he was younger his dad thinks I enabled him and maybe I did But when he calls me crying from wherever he is saying he just needs a little help to get back on his feet. What am I supposed to do?
LUKE: Well, you have to take it on a case-by-case situation If it's a little bit of help and you can help him out great But if you're not in a position to offer that help and you can't where You're at in your life then then you got to tell him he's going to find another way Um, and maybe you did make him that way or or have some some part in it But the point is it's now and now you can't continue doing that anymore So you're going to have to have that conversation and if he doesn't want to accept that then have the police have that conversation with him
DENISE: You're right. I know you're right It's just God it's hard
LUKE: It is hard, but there's no reason you should be asleep Sitting in your truck and a parking lot afraid to go home to your own house because you're 26-year-old adult child is there. That's not right either So you're going to have to do something about that Leon Leon. Welcome to the show. What's happening tonight, fella?
LEON: Hey, Luke. Thanks for taking the call So I just got back from pulling this kid's Tesla out of an arroyo off route nine Nice kid maybe 25 talking the whole ride back about his remote coding job How he can work from anywhere
LUKE: Well, that's a great thing. I have a remote job too and I can work from anywhere I wouldn't have it any other way
LEON: Yeah, well, that's the thing. I had that shot once Got accepted to UNM for computer science back in 96 And my daughter found the letter last week in a box with all my old Linux manuals
LUKE: Well, you know the glory days are just about over now that the AI can write better code than any of us could With half the time less than half the time Uh, it's it's probably drying up for most of us computer professionals
LEON: Maybe so, but I never even tried Luke Diane got pregnant that same year and I stayed here pulling cars out of ditches
LUKE: Well, there's plenty to look into when you get out of work I mean, there's still time for you to do whatever it is you want to do There's lots of new technologies to play with and important things that companies need So if you'd like to move into that realm, it's definitely a possibility for you
LEON: That's what got me tonight. I'm 63 now same age my old man was when he died He never left the county Never did a damn thing.
LEON: He actually chose and here I am still in the same garage apartment Listening to your show every night like I have been for years And I just keep thinking about it instead of doing anything about it
LUKE: Well, the longer you don't do something about it the the harder it's going to get to make that call So sometimes you just have to be brave and decide, you know, what you want for the rest of your life and go after it Even if there's risk involved, I mean, there's no reward without risk So if you've had enough of your current life and the way it's always been change it
LEON: Yeah, but it ain't just about me Diane's been gone five years now and my daughter's got her own life over in Albuquerque I keep telling myself I'm too old to start over But then I see kids like that one tonight same age I was when I got that acceptance letter And I think what the hell am I waiting for a sign from God
LUKE: Sounds like you've got nothing to wait for this maybe was your sign from God getting you thinking about it here at 63 years old Hey, man, you're the only one that can do something about your life So if it's time if you want to if you're afraid that you're going to miss the boat on the next thing then then make a move And if you're too afraid to make a move then stay where you're at and don't complain about it But don't wonder what could have been The only way that what could have been is going to be is if you make the decision to do something about it
LEON: You're right. I've been doing this long enough. I know how to work. I know how to learn Hell I still mess around with Python when I can't sleep I think I've just been using Diane and the bills and everything else as an excuse to stay comfortable Scared really
LUKE: Yeah, I think that's common it is a scary thing, but you know what men Men face their fears and you're going to have to do that if you want to enjoy the remainder of yours Okay, let's You know what it's time to go to another one of our sponsors
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Carl Carl welcome back to the show. What would you like to talk about tonight?
CARL: Hey Luke good to hear your voice man Look I got to tell you about something that happened at the station yesterday We had this call House fire over on silver street and I'm in there doing my job Everything's going fine
LUKE: Okay, I assume it didn't go fine in the end what happened
CARL: Yeah, so we get everyone out the family's safe. We're mopping up And I find this lock box in the bedroom closet The fire didn't get to it I'm carrying it out to give to the homeowner and look the thing pops open in my hands There's got to be 15 maybe $20,000 cash in there
LUKE: Hey, it was a good thing you had a fireproof lock box. What did you do with the money?
CARL: Well, that's the thing. I stood there for maybe 10 seconds just staring at it The family was outside with the paramedics nobody saw me find it And I'm thinking about my mortgage payment. That's two weeks late the credit card bills from all that gambling I told you about last time my hands are literally shaking holding this box I gave it to them.
LUKE: Oh, that's good. I'm glad to hear you did the right thing. How do you feel about that?
CARL: Honestly, I feel like shit about it, which is messed up right
LUKE: Ah, it's a little bit messy. It wasn't your money You know, it wasn't it wasn't yours to take and it was good of you to give it back without being shady So that speaks to your character some and characters more important than wealth. I've heard
CARL: I know I know you're right, but here's what's eating at me I did the right thing turned it over the family thanked me whatever But I can't stop thinking about it
LUKE: Thinking about what thinking about what you would have done if you hadn't given the money back or thinking about going up To them and asking them to give you a finders fee. What exactly are you thinking about?
CARL: I keep running through how I could have done it like the house was totaled. I could have said the box must have burned up
LUKE: Yeah, but you did the right thing right you don't want to be that kind of person nobody really wants to be that guy If you had done that you would have to live with that for the rest of your life and you would have spent the money and then the money would be gone And you just have the guilt and then 10 years down the line the guilt would be eating you up so much That you'd have to find the money to give them the money back and it's just you did the right thing and you should sleep well tonight
CARL: Yeah, the way I see it you're probably right But Luke I haven't slept well in three nights. I keep doing the math in my head What I could have paid off how much breathing room that would have given me
LUKE: Yeah, if you would use the money to be responsible, but you know yourself What would you have done with that money? Would it have gone directly to the casino? Would you have blown it on frivolous things and then felt even worse about yourself in the situation
CARL: Look, that's what really scares me. I don't actually know Part of me wants to say I would have paid the mortgage cleared the cards But there's this other part and I hate admitting this that knows I might have walked straight into the casino Thinking I could double it first then pay everything off That's how the brain works when you've got this thing, you know Even three months clean from gambling. I'm still thinking like an addict
LUKE: I do know what it's like to be an addict and I'm very proud of you for doing the right thing and giving the money back and saving yourself from the The hell that it would have been had you taken that money because it just would have destroyed you inside for the rest of your life And uh and you're better off now it might be tough today But you're gonna look back on this and say hey I did the right thing and I'm proud of myself and I'm a decent person
CARL: Thanks man. I appreciate that. I called Manny about it yesterday My buddy have told you about and he said basically the same thing But here's what I can't shake I'm 36 years old Been a firefighter for 12 years and I'm still living paycheck to paycheck because of the whole I dot myself
LUKE: Yeah, well, you know, you know how it works man you walk for five miles into the woods You're gonna walk five miles out. So it's gonna take a while to get back on your feet Keep doing it one step at a time and Stayed the course and you're gonna be just fine
CARL: Yeah, you're right One step at a time. I just needed to hear somebody say it out loud I guess the way I see it if I can walk past 78 grand in cash and not take it Maybe I'm actually getting somewhere with this thing
LUKE: Yeah, well you said I was 15 to 20 grand. I mean 78 that's a whole other story and maybe I'd be giving you a different advice
CARL: Wait No, it was 15 to 20 I'm saying if I can resist that then hypothetically I could resist even more you know Like I'm proving to myself.
LUKE: I've got some kind of backbone now Though honestly Luke if it had been 78 I don't know Hey, well, you know, I've heard god only gives you what you can handle and if you can handle a given back 15 to 20 grand today Maybe you'll be able to do 30 to 40 grand tomorrow and work your way up to the 78 So I think you should just keep busting into burning buildings and finding lock boxes full of cash and you know Increasing values and just do the right thing every single time until there's no amount of money that could break your resolve
CARL: Ha yeah, well the burning buildings part I got covered It's funny you say that though because when I was standing there holding that bag It felt kind of like being in a fire you know that moment when you're inside and you can see two ways out And one of them looks easier, but you know it's the wrong call That's what it felt like
LUKE: Well, we're glad to hear you did the right thing keep keep doing the right thing one day at a time And you're gonna be just fine stay away from the casino and And sleep well tonight because you aren't it And let's see we'll take one more call tonight Earl Earl welcome to the show was eating you up
EARL: Hey, Luke. Yeah, man. Thanks for taking the call So I'm sitting here at like one in the morning and I can't stop thinking about what happened at cards tonight I've been playing with the same guys every Monday for six years Right and tonight I drew a straight flush Hearts six through ten and my buddy Ramon straight up accused me of paulming cards Like set it out loud in front of everybody the whole table just went dead quiet
LUKE: Yeah, well, you know, that is a difficult hand to get, but I mean it happens I've got straight flushes before so it definitely does happen. Where are you on the cards? Do you have a history of doing anything shady? I think it's normal for people to to feel offended when you hit such a great lucky hand
EARL: No, man. That's the thing. I've never done anything like that. These guys know me I drive 40 minutes each way to weld at the naval facility. I pay my bills I'd rather sit in my truck bed for four hours watching for a damn cactus Ren then take a dishonest dollar off anyone and Ramon knows that
LUKE: Yeah, he's just but hurt because he didn't win. He probably had a decent hand and you smoked him That happens. It's a poker game with your buddies nothing to be concerned about
EARL: I mean, yeah, I get that he was pissed I'd already put in 80 bucks on that hand chasing what I thought was a busted draw But it's not about him being mad. It's that he actually said it out loud In front of Ramon's kitchen table with guys I've known for years
LUKE: Yeah, sure and they all recognize that as a but hurt person, you know talking shit And he was probably the douchebag there. I doubt anybody is looking at you like a cheater if they know you well
EARL: Well, that's the thing nobody said a word after Not one of them just sat there like I'd grown a second head and Ramon
LUKE: What about Ramon you know what I think I think just just hold it out keep playing poker with your friends And when Ramon hits his you know four aces or whatever it is then do the same thing to him and see how he feels
EARL: Ha, yeah, I mean maybe but I don't know if I can just sit there next Monday like nothing happened It's been eating at me for hours now
LUKE: Did you win the hand did you take the money is the game over and then you're being a bit dramatic sir and cut it out right who cares
EARL: Yeah, I won the hand took the pot game went another hour, but I could barely focus
LUKE: Problem solved congratulations on your good hand and stop being such a pussy when people rib you a little bit That's the end of our show folks. I hope you enjoyed it tune in tomorrow for our next batch of colors And we're gonna put right the wrongs of the world have yourself the wonderful evening Bye

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LUKE: All right, all right, welcome back to Luke at the Roost. I am your host, Luke, and this is the late night talk show where you can call in and talk to me about your problems. If you'd like to call in, our number is, our number is, I don't remember what our number is. It's 208-439-5853. That's 208-439- Luke. If you'd like to call in, we'll get you on there. All right, tonight we're going to try something a little bit different. I've got a game prepared for you all. Here's how it's going to go. It's called Real or Fake News. I'm going to read a headline and you, the caller, get to tell me whether this is real or fake news. Let's go to the phones. First up, we've got Reggie. Reggie, welcome to the show. We're going to play a game here. I'm going to read you a headline. And you can tell me if this is a real headline from the real news or a fake headline that I made up. These aren't so easy. So you're going to have to pay attention. Are you ready? Here's the headline. Rodeo Art Gallery collective votes to ban all cactus-themed paintings, calls them overdone tourist pandering. Is that a real headline or a fake headline?
REGGIE: Oh, man, that's fake. That's got to be fake. No way some art gallery is voting to ban cactus paintings. I mean, this is the desert, right?
LUKE: That is correct. Well done. Well done, sir. What else has got you calling in?
REGGIE: Yeah. So my partner packed a bag this morning and said they were going to their moms for a few days. But the whole thing felt off, you know? Wouldn't look me in the eye. Just throwing stuff in the bag real quick and out the door. I've been running it through my head all day at the truck. And I can't shake this feeling that something's really wrong.
LUKE: Well, is there anything that happened recently that makes you feel that way?
REGGIE: Not that I can think of. That's what's eating at me. I mean, things have been normal. We've been good. We watched the new season announcement for Fallout together last week. We were both excited about it.
LUKE: Well, you know what I always say. Those that watched announcements for Fallout together stay together. So it sounds like everything's great with you guys. I'm not sure why you're concerned. Maybe this is something you can just let go.
REGGIE: I don't know, Luke. I wish I could just let it go. But you didn't see how she moved this morning. It was like she couldn't get out fast enough.
LUKE: Did you fart?
REGGIE: What? No, man. I didn't fart. This is serious. I'm trying to figure out if my relationship is falling apart here.
LUKE: Well, if you're trying to figure out stuff about your relationship, I mean, your best bet would be to talk to your significant other about that, not a late night talk show radio host. If you've got anything concrete to talk about, then I'll try to give you the best advice I can. But it sounds like you're getting yourself worked up over nothing.
REGGIE: You're right. I should just talk to her. But she's not answering my calls. And that's what's got me spinning out. I've called three times today, and it just goes to voicemail.
LUKE: Well, three times is enough. You can stop calling now. If she needs to get back to you, she will. Now you're acting a little bit crazy. So I'm sure there's something going on that's very explainable. And when she comes back and things come down, have a talk and tell her how you feel.
REGGIE: Yeah, OK. You're probably right. I just needed to hear someone say it out loud, I guess. It's been a long day at the truck. And my head's been going to dark places.
LUKE: Hey, I understand. It happens to us all sometimes. Congratulations. You were on your correct answer. Let's go to Brenda. Brenda, welcome to the show. We're playing a game here. It's called Real or Fake News. Are you ready?
BRENDA: Oh, hey, Luke. Yeah, I'm ready. But listen. I got to tell you what happened to me today at the diner, because I am still pissed off about it. Can I do that first? This whole tipping thing is out of control.
LUKE: I agree with you, tipping is out of control. Yes, we can do that first.
BRENDA: Oh, man. OK. So I'm over at the desert rose diner. You know, the one down the road by the old gas station. And I'm just trying to grab a quick bite before my shift. I'm already running late, and I'm tired as hell from hauling some drunk tourist out of a ditch earlier.
LUKE: OK, so you're tired, and you're getting a bite to eat, and what seems to be the problem?
BRENDA: So I get the bill, right? And there's already an automatic 20% tip added on there. But then, and this is what got me. The card reader they earned me has buttons that start at 25%, 30%, 35%, with a little custom option at the bottom. I can't some kind of asshole if I pick it.
LUKE: Yeah, I think that pisses a lot of people off. It definitely pisses me off. And I don't think it's right either. They're hoping that the person behind you is peer-pressuring you into picking the largest one and the person at the other end is watching you judgingly. I totally get that. That is obnoxious. And I don't like it either. I don't think anybody does.
BRENDA: Exactly. And the waitress is standing right there watching me. So now I'm doing math in my head, trying to figure out if I hit custom and go back down to the 20% that's already on the bill. Am I going to look cheap? I'm an ambulance driver, Luke. I make decent money, but I'm not rolling in it. And I got two kids at home.
LUKE: Yeah, I think that's an awful thing, too. But you should not feel bad if you have to put in a custom tip and put it at 0% because they already took the tip. Like your cheeseburger should not end up costing you $47. I'm sorry that that wait staff aren't paid a lot. But especially if you went to pick it up, if you went to pick up the food and then just hand it to you, it's not like if you sat down at a restaurant and they've got to bring you the plates and fill your coffee and stuff. But if they just hand you something, then I don't know that you got to give them 30% of the already overpriced burger. That's pretty rotten. OK, so now let's get to our game here. So I'm going to read you a headline. And you tell me if it's a real headline or fake headline. Let's go. Animus School District wins state award despite having fewer students than most single classrooms.
BRENDA: Oh, damn. Well, that's real, isn't it? I mean, out here, we've got schools with like 12 kids total. My daughter's class has maybe eight students on a good day. So yeah, I'm going to say that's real.
LUKE: No. No, it's not real. But I got you there. You got to be quick. You got to be quick. Some of these are not easy. I would have thought that was real, too. But no, that is a fake headline that is not true. Well, it may be true, but that headline is not. So thanks for calling in. And yeah, next time you end up buying food out and are asked to double-tip, say no. There's nothing wrong with that. And you can sleep well at night.
BRENDA: Yeah, you're right. I'm going to do that next time. Thanks, Luke. I appreciate it.
LUKE: OK, thanks for calling in Brenda. Next up, oh, we got a returning caller. Hey, Keith, welcome back to the show. You're playing a real or fake news. Are you ready for your headline?
KEITH: Oh, man. Hey, Luke, yeah, I'm ready. But hold on, I actually called for something else this time. I got a real quick update on that woman from last time, the one who showed up at the cemetery at midnight looking for her husband's plot. Turns out she's been coming back.
LUKE: OK, so she's coming back. She's grieving for her dead husband. What's wrong with that?
KEITH: No, no, that's the thing. She's not grieving. She shows up like clockwork every Thursday around 11, parks by the maintenance shed, and just sits in her car for like 45 minutes.
LUKE: Well, that sounds like grieving to me. Everybody grieves differently. But what is it that you think she's doing out there by the maintenance shed?
KEITH: Well, that's what I'm trying to tell you. She's not near her husband's plot at all. His grave is clear on the other side of the cemetery. Up by the oak trees. She's just sitting in her car in the dark by the shed, engine running.
LUKE: And I can see her looking at her phone the whole time. Why does that bother you? She's not hurting you. She's not hurting the cemetery. What do you care?
KEITH: For real, though, it's weird, Luke. I work nights. I'm the only one there. And she knows I'm there because she sees my truck.
LUKE: I still don't understand why this is a problem for you, sir. If you have a point, please get to it.
KEITH: OK, so yeah. Last Thursday, I walked over there to ask if she needed help or whatever. And when I got close, she just drove off real quick. Then two days ago, Gary, my neighbor, he mentioned seeing her at the safe way, and she asked him about me, like where I live, if I'm married, that kind of thing. That's what's bothering me.
LUKE: Is she cute?
KEITH: I mean, she's not bad looking or anything, but Luke, she's asking my neighbor about me after showing up at my work every week in the middle of the night. That's not normal, right?
LUKE: She sounds like a pretty good time. Maybe she gets to know this woman.
KEITH: Oh, come on, man. She's married or married. I don't know, but her husband's plot is right there in section 12, and she's not even visiting it. She's just lurking.
LUKE: Well, she's married to a dead guy, and she's creeping on you, so I mean, it sounds like maybe she's not married anymore. That's how it works.
KEITH: Well, here's the thing, though. I looked up the plot after the first couple of times. Her husband died in 2019.
LUKE: OK, so she's on the market. She's looking for a new person to fill that space in her life, and maybe it's you. You said she's attractive, and she's obviously putting in the effort, so maybe have a chat with her, bring her a coffee late at night.
KEITH: For real, though, Luke, I'm not trying to date someone who's been staking out my workplace at two in the morning for three months. That's not how normal people meet. And Maria, my sister, she said the same thing Gary's saying, like, oh, maybe she's lonely. Maybe she just wants to talk. But I'm telling you, something feels off about it.
LUKE: Well, what can I say? If you're afraid of this poor defenseless widow, and you fear for your life, then maybe talk to the police and get a restraining order against her. I'm going to call you a pussy for that. You should just go talk to the woman and see what's going on. But hey, some people just don't have the intestinal fortitude to make those decisions and conversations themselves.
KEITH: All right, all right. Damn, Luke, you don't got to call me a pussy. I'm not scared of her. I just don't want to be the guy who gets tangled up in some weird cemetery drama.
LUKE: Well, you know, then maybe stop making a weird cemetery drama or nothing. But we're doing a game here, and I'm going to read you a headline, and I want you to tell me if it's a real headline or a fake news. Here we go. Hidalgo County goes Republican by over 60% for the first time since Nixon's 1972 landslide. Is that a real headline or a fake one?
KEITH: Oh, man, that's got to be fake. Hidalgo County's been blew forever. There's no way they flipped that hard.
LUKE: Oh, it is a real headline, sir. I wish you the best of luck with your cemetery situation, but that is a real headline. OK, next up. Next up on the list, we got Tanya. Tanya, thanks for calling the show. We're playing the game today. Do you understand the rules?
TANYA: Yeah, I got it. You tell me a headline. I say if it's real or fake. But Luke, real quick before we do that, I got to tell you about this thing I read today because it's been stuck in my head all night. You know how dogs can tell how long you've been gone?
LUKE: How can dogs tell how long you've been gone?
TANYA: Oh, man, it's the weirdest thing so I was reading this article about how dogs can smell time.
LUKE: Smell time? Like a synesthesia thing, like a hearing colors kind of situation? Do you think that's true?
TANYA: No, no, it's not like that. What it is, the scent molecules from when you leave they fade over time, right? So when you walk out the door in the morning, your smell is strong.
LUKE: Wow, I guess that makes sense.
TANYA: Yeah, that's interesting. So they have a sort of thing in their brain where they can figure out from your smell how long you've been not there anymore.
LUKE: Exactly. Like the finter your smell gets, the longer you've been gone, so they're not actually smelling time. They're smelling the absence of you.
TANYA: And apparently they can tell the difference between you being gone two hours versus six hours just by how much the scent faded.
LUKE: Wow, that is really interesting. How long do you think it takes for the scent to fade completely?
TANYA: I don't know, the article didn't say exactly, but I'm guessing it depends on the house, you know? Like how much air is moving through if you got the swamp cooler running or whatever. But what got me is, I got this dog, right?
LUKE: Yeah, okay, you got the dog and you get the scent, so what happens?
TANYA: So his name's Piscuit. He's this mutt I got from the pound maybe three years ago. And every single day when I come home from work, he goes absolutely nuts. Like I could be gone eight hours cleaning houses and he acts like I've been gone a week.
LUKE: Well, yeah, he's a dog. You're the most important thing in his life. So when you're gone, that's a rough time for a dog. My dog doesn't like it at all. If I leave him five minutes, he freaks out. So I usually don't. I take him with me everywhere, because that sucks.
TANYA: Right, but here's what I'm thinking now. Like does he go that crazy because my smell is almost gone? Like is eight hours long enough that he's starting to worry I'm not coming back?
LUKE: I don't know, but I've always felt that way. I mean, from the the ferocity of the response when I do come back, it does seem like they thought you're never going to come back and he's just so excited to see you back.
TANYA: Yeah, but that's what's been messing with me. Because I got this one client, Mrs. Delgado, right?
LUKE: Sure thing, what's up with Mrs. Delgado?
TANYA: So she's in her eighties, lives alone in this big house of motel drive. And she's got this little chihuahua mix and every Tuesday and Friday, I'm there for like three hours. And that dog just sits in the corner and watches me the whole time. Doesn't bark, doesn't come up to me, just stairs.
LUKE: Do you think maybe that your scent is overriding her scent and it's confusing him?
TANYA: Oh damn, I didn't even think about that. Like maybe I'm bringing in all these other smells from the other houses I cleaned that day. Because yeah, I'm usually at two or three places before I get to hers.
LUKE: Well, that is an interesting tidbit of information. And now let's get to the game. So here is your headline. Are you ready? Here we go. Lord'sburg Water Department violates state fluoride standards, issues noticed to all customers.
TANYA: Oh man, that's real. They've been sending out those notices for like two months now. Something about the filtration system or the pipes. I can't remember exactly. But yeah, that's definitely real.
LUKE: You are correct, very well done. Thanks for the call. That was a pretty good one. We'll talk to you again later. Tanya, have a wonderful night. Okay, next up we've got Andre. Andre, welcome to the show. We're playing real or fake news today. And I'm gonna read you a headline and I want you to tell me if it is real news or fake news.
ANDRE: Yeah, I'm ready for the game. But I got to tell you something first man. So I found out today that the family I returned that money to back in December. You remember the 15 grand from the house fire.
LUKE: I remember.
ANDRE: Turns out they're suing the homeowners insurance company and my names on the court documents. My captain pulled me aside this morning and I'm sitting there like, what the hell did I do wrong? I did the right thing.
LUKE: Yeah, that doesn't really sound like anything. I let him try, you did the right thing. As long as you truly did do the right thing, you don't have anything to worry about there. Let them sue whoever they got to sue and they're not gonna win.
ANDRE: Yeah, I mean you're right. I know I didn't do anything wrong. It's just, I'll be honest with you.
LUKE: It caught me off guard seeing my name in legal paperwork. When I was the one who made sure they got their money back.
TJ: My buddy TJ said the same thing. He's like, don't even worry about it. But that's the part that gets me. I spent three months not gambling, doing the right thing and now I'm dragged into some insurance dispute.
LUKE: Yeah, that sucks, that's super annoying but you're not gonna have to do anything for that. So don't worry about it. And now it's time for the game. So here is your headline. I need you to tell me if this is real news or fake news. Cotton City chili plant workers demand milk stations after habanero processing incidents since two to a Lord's Bird clinic.
CALLER: Oh man, let me think about this one. Caden City chili plant workers demand milk stations after a habanero processing incident sends two to a Lord's Bird clinic.
LUKE: Yes sir, it's cotton city, sir, not Caden City. Cotton City chili plant is that a real headline or fake headline?
CALLER: Cotton City, yeah, okay. I'll be honest with you, that sounds real.
LUKE: No, sir, you're wrong as there is no chili plant in cotton city. That's why they call it cotton city, not chili city. But thanks for trying and don't worry about your situation. That's just a minor annoyance. It's gonna blow over on a tone. All right, let's see, who's up? Deb, Deb, welcome to the show. Are you ready for your article?
DEB: Yeah, I'm ready Luke, but I got to tell you something first. My boss handed me a stack of safety reports yesterday and told me I got a week to sign off on them. Thing is, I know they're bullshit. The dry events haven't been cleaned in over a year. We got electrical panels at Spark when it rains and he's got me writing down that everything's up to code. I don't know what the hell to do here.
LUKE: Well, that is a tough one. If things aren't up to code and there's a safety issue, I would say that it's your moral responsibility to report that accurately.
DEB: Oh, I hear you, Luke, but it ain't that simple. This ain't some big corporate laundromat over in Phoenix. This is a little place out in the middle of nowhere. And my boss, he's been running it since before I was born. If I say no, he's going to fire me. And then what? I got bills. I got my grandma your lander to think about. She's the one who really keeps things together, you know?
LUKE: Well, you know, maybe then what you have to do is write the report the way the boss says and send an anonymous letter to the editor of your paper and make sure you know, go the whistleblower route.
DEB: Oh, Luke, you're funny. The, that's the weekly, and the editor's my cousin's husband.
LUKE: Well, there you go. It sounds like you've got an end with the publication so you can take care of the situation kind of an alternate route, you know, and save your job and not make it look like it was you. So that's what I suggest you do if that's what you have to do. But, I mean, you're better off to just tell the boss, hey, look, you're going to have to take care of these safety concerns and be the bigger woman.
DEB: Yeah, but see, that's the thing. I tried that already. Last month, I told him the dry event in number three was a fire hazard, and he just looked at me like I was speaking Chinese.
LUKE: Yeah, well, I mean, you've got to do what you've got to do if you've got to send the letter off to that editor, then that's what you do. Okay, so here's your headline, cotton city. Oh, no, no, no, no, next. That's the one we just did. Okay, okay. Border Patrol reports record low apprehensions at analog Wells port. Attributes to nobody knowing it exists.
DEB: Oh, man, that's fake. That's got to be fake.
LUKE: That's correct. And you are correct. Thank you for the call. Thanks for playing our game today. Next up, Rick. Rick, welcome to the radio show. We're playing real news or fake news. It's the game where I read a headline, and you tell me if it's a real headline or a fake headline. And your headline, sir, is Lightning Doc Geothermal Plant sold to new owner for undisclosed sum. Only utility scale plant in the state.
RICK: Oh, man, I'm going to say that's real. I heard something about that, actually. Wasn't there some kind of geothermal thing up near the guilla? I want to say real, Luke.
LUKE: You are correct, sir. Very well done. That is the correct answer. Is there anything else you called about today?
RICK: Yeah, actually. I wanted to give you an update from last time I called. Remember I was talking about that whole thing with the enchiladas in the minivan? Realizing I needed to stop blaming everybody else for my problems.
LUKE: I don't remember that at all. Please remind myself and our listeners.
RICK: Oh, well, I'll be honest with you. I called in a few weeks back, and I was sitting in my truck eating leftover enchiladas. And I had this whole moment where I realized, I spent all my time complaining about the fed and the government and the economy.
LUKE: Oh, yeah, I remember.
RICK: But I wasn't actually doing anything about my own situation. I work at a bank, which is ironic as hell. And I was just kind of stuck in this loop of blaming everything else instead of taking responsibility.
LUKE: Yeah, I remember you now. So how are you taking responsibility today?
RICK: So here's the thing. I actually did something. I signed up for this welding certification course over at the community college, starts next month. I've been building stuff in my garage for years anyway. And TJ kept telling me I should do something with it. So I finally pulled the trigger. Figure if I can get certified. Maybe I can pick up some side work, eventually do it full time.
LUKE: All right, well done. That's a good step forward. And move towards your new career. Congratulations. And we're all very proud of you for taking the step.
RICK: I appreciate that, Luke. But anyway, the reason I'm calling tonight is because something happened at work today that's kind of messing with my head. This older guy came in, probably 75. And he was trying to withdraw like $8,000 cash.
LUKE: OK, what's wrong with that? Maybe he's buying a car or going to the casino or met a young male-order bride? There's lots of reason somebody could want to withdraw a grand.
RICK: No, no, that's not it. The guy was shaking the whole time. And he kept saying, I need to get this out before they take it all. Like he was scared. And I asked him what he meant. And he just said, you know how it is. They're coming for it. Then he looked over his shoulder like someone was watching him.
LUKE: Was somebody watching him? I mean, it seems like if somebody was looking over his shoulder, taking the money out of the bank would be the worst thing you could do. If he's concerned about somebody taking it, he is probably concerned about the government.
RICK: Yeah, that's what I thought at first, too. But then he leaned in real close and whispered that his daughter's boyfriend has been staying at his house for three weeks. And the guy keeps asking about his finances. Said the boyfriend offered to help him manage his accounts and was getting pushy about it.
LUKE: Oh, that's not good. But you got to remember that's not your problem. You have no statute of responsibility there. Somebody else's family, somebody, he's a grown man. I mean, you can suggest to him that he, I don't even know what to tell the guy. You know, you don't want to get involved in that, though.
RICK: I know. I know. But here's what's eating at me. I gave him the money. I processed it. And the whole time I'm thinking, this is either elder abuse or this guy's paranoid. And either way, I just handed him eight grand in cash that's probably going to disappear.
LUKE: Yeah, that is too bad. That is concerning. But you know, it was his money and he showed up and he was who he said he was. And it's your responsibility to give him his own money. If he then gives it to this other guy and gets ripped off, that's not on you. There's nothing you could have done to stop it.
RICK: I'll be honest with you. That's what my manager said, too. But I looked up the protocols after my shift. And there's actually a thing we're supposed to do.
RICK: If we suspect financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult, we can flag it, delay the transaction, call a supervisor. I didn't do any of that.
LUKE: Oh, well, you didn't know. And now you know next time. And that is shitty for sure. But at least you've learned something. So the next time somebody shows up in a vulnerable situation, you'll know what to do.
RICK: Yeah, you're right. I just keep thinking about him walking out to the parking lot with all that cash, looking over his shoulder. And the worst part is, if I see him come back in next week trying to withdraw more, I don't even know if I'll have the guts to say something. Because what if I'm wrong?
LUKE: Well, you know what I would recommend. If he comes back trying to take more money next week, just say it. And it's a strange conversation to have, but just tell him something, say something, ask, make sure that he is safe. And even if you got to get a wink or nod from him or something, just kind of communicate to him that you're on his side. And if he tells you or gives you a signal that he's in trouble, then follow those protocols that are in place.
RICK: I'll try. But here's the thing. This guy's been coming to my branch for years. He's always been sharp, you know? The kind of guy who'd bring in a bag of homemade tamales for the staff at Christmas.
LUKE: Well, I wish him and you the best of luck. But we're overdue for a word from our sponsors. Before we go there, I've got an article here for you. I need you to tell me if this article is real or fake. Here we go. Plius anti-terrorism training town seeks actors for realistic villagers.
RICK: Oh, man, that's got to be fake. Anti-terrorism training town? That sounds like something out of a movie.
LUKE: Oh, well, you're correct. That is fake. But the anti-terrorism training town is real. Plius is really an anti-terrorism training town. It's the realistic villagers part that was false. So thank you for the call. I wish you the best of luck. And now we've got to go to our sponsors.
[Sponsor read]
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LUKE: OK, welcome to the show, Monique. Monique, you've reached a look at the roost and we're playing a game today. We're playing Real News or Fake News. I'm going to read you the headline of an article, and you tell me if it is Real News or Fake News. And here is your headline. Ready? Animus population drops to just 77 residents down nearly 40% since the 2020 census.
MONIQUE: Oh, man, that one's real. I, that's real. My cousin's ex lives out there in Animus. Well, there, I guess. And she's been bitching for months about how half the businesses on Main Street got boarded up. So the only thing keeping the police going was the damn convention they have last summer. You know, the one where they tried to turn the old motel into a vault replica?
LUKE: I'm not familiar with that particular convention, but you are correct. That was a real headline, and that is the truth. Animus, it's a struggle on little town. I'm going to need some more people. I'm going to need some more people.
MONIQUE: Yeah, well, good luck with that. I mean, who's moving to Animus in 25? The water's questionable. The job's dried up with the mine. And the internet's barely fast enough to stream anything.
LUKE: Hey, hey, hey, hey. I moved to Animus. And I got Starlink. It's plenty fast to stream all of it. I'm running a radio show from an RV in Animus, so uh, so you watch your mouth there, young lady.
MONIQUE: Oh shit, sorry, Luke. I didn't know you were actually out there. Well, hey, at least you got the Starlink working. That's something.
LUKE: All right, thanks, Monique. Wow, no goddamn respect. Can you believe that? Jesus. OK, Jerome, Jerome, welcome back to the show. How can we help you today, sir? You know about our game?
JEROME: Yeah, Luke, I know the game, but listen. I got to tell you about something that happened out near Shakespeare last weekend. My son, Marcos and I, we were poking around the old buildings. You know, just taking pictures. Looking for stories. And man, we saw something I can't explain. We're standing by this collapsed general store around dusk. And there's this light moving real slow across the hills, not like a plane, not like headlights. Dead silent.
LUKE: You mean like a UFO, like extraterrestrial transportation?
JEROME: Yeah, man, exactly that. I've been saying for years that the Boothields got activity. And this was the clearest thing I've ever seen.
LUKE: Well, you know, we are a way out here where there's a lot of military operations and top secret planes. And who knows what going on? Do you think it could have been a military operation or test?
JEROME: I mean, look, I thought about that. But Luke, this thing was hovering than it just shot off at an angle that no plane does.
LUKE: You didn't happen to get any photographic evidence of this, did you?
JEROME: That's the thing that's killing me. Marcos had his phone out the whole time we were there taking pictures of the buildings. But when this thing showed up, we both just froze. By the time I thought to grab mine, it was already gone. We got nothing. I know how that sounds. Believe me.
LUKE: Oh, that's too bad. You got to be quick, quick, quick with these things. Just like in our game, real news or fake news. You got to be quick, quick, quick. And here is your headline, sir. The headline is meta partners with the energy company on a $1 billion geothermal plant to power New Mexico data centers. Is that a real headline or fake headline?
JEROME: Real. That's real news. I just read about that the other day that trying to use all that underground heat for these computer facilities, right?
LUKE: That's it, sir. You are correct, very well done. And since we took a long time last time, we're going to have to go to another one of our sponsors.
[Sponsor read]
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LUKE: OK, brutal honesty, I should use that myself. Next up to the show, you're our last caller, Jasmine. Jasmine, we're playing real or fake news today. And I've got an article for you. Are you ready for it?
JASMINE: Oh, hey, Luke. Yeah, I'm ready. But can I just say something real quick first? I heard Rick earlier, the guy from the bank. And man, I think you were a little hard on him.
LUKE: You think I was hard on Rick? I don't think I really was. Why do you think I was hard on him?
JASMINE: Well, he sounded pretty torn up about it, you know? Like he was genuinely worried he missed something with that old guy. And I get it. I mean, I work at a feed store, right? And we get older folks coming in all the time. And sometimes you can just tell something's off.
LUKE: Oh, for real. And I agree.
LUKE: And I empathize with both Rick and the older gentleman that he was talking about. I'm not sure what else I could have said to ease his mind.
JASMINE: Yeah? OK, that's fair. I guess I just, I don't know. Maybe I'm projecting. I've been feeling guilty about stuff lately, too. And hearing him beat himself up kind of got to me.
LUKE: What are you guilty about? What did you do? What did you do, Jasmine?
JASMINE: So OK, here's the thing. My spouse gave me an ultimatum last week. It's either the Bronco or the marriage. And I chose the Bronco. Like I actually said that out loud.
LUKE: The Bronco, like a Ford Bronco? Like a white Bronco?
JASMINE: Yeah, a 72 Ford Bronco. I've been restoring it for six years, Luke. Six years of every spare dollar, every weekend, bleeding knuckles, all of it. And now Valentine's Day is coming up. And I'm sleeping in the guest room. And the truck's sitting out there with frost on it. And I just, I don't know if I made the right call.
LUKE: Well, you know what they say. If the glove fits, you must acquit. OK, Jasmine, here is your headline. Continental divide trail shuttle service now required after three hikers rescued from Crazy Cook Monument Trailhead. Is that a real headline or fake headline?
JASMINE: Oh, man, I'm going to say that's real. We had a couple hikers come through the feed store last fall asking about that area. And they had no idea what they were getting into. Seemed like a rescue waiting to happen.
LUKE: Oh, oh, oh, no, I got to take that one back. Wow, wow, wow, wow. No, you are incorrect. That was a fake headline. But thank you for playing. Try again next time. And folks, thanks to all of our collars today. This has been Luke at the Roost, tune in again tomorrow for a more radio gold.

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LUKE: All right, welcome to the show. This is Luke at the Roost. This is the radio show where you call in and we talk about whatever's going on in your life We could talk about math or science or nerd shit or we could talk about somebody that pissed you off at work It doesn't really matter as long as what you have to say is interesting So give us a call the number here is 8 6 8 9 0 9 11 8 8. That's 8 6 8 9 0 9 11 8 8 Let's go to the phone and talk to Earl Earl. Give us a little bit about your interpretation of Schrodinger's cat
EARL: Yeah, well Schrodinger's cat, you know, it's one of those Quantum physics things I guess Sounds like a bunch of mumbo jumbo to me. I mean the idea that the cat could be you know both alive and dead at the same time It makes my head spin. I'm more of a common sense kind of guy, you know Quantum physics, but if I can't see it or touch it, it ain't real as far as I'm concerned But hey, what do I know right? I'm just the old guy trying to make sense of all this newfangled science stuff Dearies and whatnot
LUKE: Well kid, you can you see love? Can you see the hatred in your heart that you have for a well-known documented scientific theories?
EARL: Oh Look at you trying to get all philosophical on me the heart. You can't exactly put those things under a microscope can you? No, this old dog ain't buying into all that touchy.
LUKE: All right, you'll dog get off the air then Let's see who else we got Marcus. Marcus. Welcome to Luke at the Roost. Let's talk about some quantum physics stuff Give me give me your interpretation of the plank constant and what that means to the universe
MARCUS: Geez, yeah, the plank constant. I mean, that's like some heavy stuff, you know? From what I remember, it's basically this fundamental unit of measurement that's tied to like the smallest possible changes in energy and matter Like it's the minimum possible action or something I don't know. It's kind of mind-bending when you think about it. How there's this Fundamental limit to how small things can get Makes you wonder what else is out there, you know like what else is going on in this crazy universe that we can't even wrap our heads around Oh, man, I could go on forever about this stuff, but Yeah, I don't know. It's just wild to think about you know
LUKE: Let's talk about the speed of light for a second. So we have measured the speed of light It's pretty fucking fast everybody can agree on that, but what is its relationship to energy? Einstein had his famous Equation e equals mc squared which is energy equals matter times the speed of light squared Why is the number the speed of light showing up in other places in the universe and what could that relationship mean?
MARCUS: You have light man. That's just nuts. I mean think about how fast that is, you know, it's like what 300,000 kilometers per second or something That's just insane and you're right. Einstein totally cracked the code with that e equals mc squared thing I mean the fact that the speed of light is so central to that equation. It's got to mean something, you know Like the way I see it. It's almost like the speed of light is this fundamental constant that's woven into the very fabric of the universe I mean it's not just about how fast stuff moves. It's about the relationship between energy and matter That's it. The speed of light is like the bridge, you know, it's what connects all that stuff together Man, I could go on for hours about this, but you're totally right. There's just something so profound about the role The speed of light plays in all of this. It's like the key to unlocking the secrets of the universe or something Wild stuff, dude.
LUKE: Well, that's what we do here on Luke at the roost is we We crack open the secrets of the universe. So let's go to one more caller for our show today. We've got Rick Rick tell us how you feel about Let's see what was a good one for you Why isn't Pluto a fucking planet planet?
RICK: Come on, man. What is this the 90s? Nah, look Pluto's just too small, you know, I mean it ain't even the biggest rock out of scientists got it right Pluto's just a dwarf. They just leave it alone, you know a dwarf planet sounds like a more awesome planet than just a planet Wouldn't you say because it's got, you know, the descriptor of a dwarf. It's it's more exciting
LUKE: Yeah, I guess you got a point there. I mean a dwarf planet. That's got a little more flair to it, you know Sounds like something straight out of fantasy novel or something
RICK: Yeah, I can dig it Pluto the dwarf planet has a nice ring to it It's just being some plain old regular planet Got to admit that does make it sound a little more. I don't know Special I guess there's no sleep over it. It is what it is Yeah, it's a planet Planet's are pretty cool even though there's you know innumerable planets out there that we all get to look at in the Dark beauty of the night around the desert
LUKE: Tell me what you think about astrophotography and what Starlings doing to To get in the way of that with with their Starlink satellites in low Earth orbit
RICK: Don't even get me started on that Starlink nonsense. I mean look I get there trying to bring internet to folks, but do they got a ruin the whole dang night sky for the rest of us? Me some good astrophotography, you know Sitting out in the desert looking up at all them star. It's damn near-peaceful, you know But then you got these Starlink satellites just half the time you can't even see the Milky Way anymore It's just they'd find another way to get internet out there that doesn't yeah, that'd be great But to be perfectly honest with you it hasn't really made any Impact at all in my night sky photography It's pretty cool to see the little sled of Starlink satellites shimmy across the night sky Especially the first time. I don't know. He's blows everybody's mind.
LUKE: Anyway, we're gonna take one more call from Brenda Brenda tell me about your latest Relationship blunder
BRENDA: Where do I even start? I mean, I met this guy at the grocery store He seemed nice enough, you know We went on a couple dates and I thought hey, maybe this could actually work out for once But then of course he had to go and mess it all up We were having dinner the other night and I mentioned wanting to get a dog and he just looked at me like I had three heads I mean who doesn't love dogs? It's a deal breaker, you know, I Don't know I just I can't catch a break with these guys I'm never going on another date again. I swear
LUKE: Has anybody ever told you Brenda that you sound like Claire from last? Charlie Charlie, I don't want you around my baby, Charlie I am just a I serve no purpose on this island Charlie other than to complain about you and everything that you've done to save and protect me for no reason at all Charlie And I'm just mean to you all the time because I'm a fucking bitch Charlie stay away from my baby. I don't even want to be a mother
BRENDA: Oh my god, are you serious? That sounds just like my sister Claire Like the uncanny resemblance to scary Always complaining always putting down the people who are actually trying to help her and the way she talks about her baby daddy Charlie It's the worst I swear the two of us could be twins sometimes. We're both just High-strung your rock your fucking bitches and you're off the air.
LUKE: That's enough of you Everybody thank you for tuning in for this installment a look at the roost and we'll be back next week Be sure to tune in maybe we'll broadcast this shit over the ham radio But by or if why as they say