Some publications call them Rants and Raves. Others call them Cheers and Jeers. We call them Yays and Nays, and we have a few new ones to share with you today. 

Hello, by the way. Andrew, here, from the Too Beautiful To Live podcast. I hope this email finds you well.

Our inbox is always open, ready to receive a Yay or a Nay from you, the Tens of Listeners. Did you  see someone go out of their way to make a stranger’s day a little nicer? That’s a YAY! Did you witness some boorish behavior that made you want to shout, “We’re living in a society!” Well, then, that’s a NAY! Email me your Yays and Nays here, and I’ll include them in an upcoming newsletter. (We always keep them anonymous, by the way, so you don’t have to worry about anything coming back to haunt you; Nay away!)

Here are some that we’ve received from your fellow Tens recently: 

NAY to my neighbors who do not break down their boxes before putting them in our shared recycling bins, causing the cans behind our building to burst at the seams by the time our bi-weekly pick up comes around.

NAY to the FedEx employee who told me I couldn't ship back my return shoes in the box they were shipped to me in because it was a "shoebox". It was a corrugated box just as sturdy as the $12 box they made me buy.

YAY to the Subaru dealership check-in guy, who took my coupon for an oil change that was four days expired.

NAY to people chit chatting in the middle of the sidewalk, letting dogs sniff each other, just standing there talking. As a non-driver, I’m usually carrying groceries or heavy tools or packages. I don't feel I should have to go around and walk in the mud. (I like to stand there and say "it's a sidewalk, not a sidetalk.” It's such shitty behavior. I know it. And yet. They make me do it.)

YAY to all the TBTL listeners who realize Andrew is a deeply lonely, troubled man who finds joy in so few things that they feel obligated to send him their yays and nays to keep him feeling grounded and connected. NAY to everyone else. 

Huh, I wonder who submitted that last one?

Well, anyway, that’s what we got for you today! If you’ve been listening to the show even a tiny bit this week, you know that I’m on pins and needles right now, waiting for the most consequential baseball game of my lifetime to begin. If you want to know how I (and most other Mariners fans) are feeling today, I think this exchange that I saw on Bluesky this morning sums it up perfectly:

Interestingly, that’s a skill that Jay Buhner actually had. 

I hope you all have a great weekend. I hope the Mariners win. And I hope Luke and I will be in good shape when we talk to you on Monday! 

GOMS!

- Andrew

What’s your name and where do you live? 
Matt Becker. Saint Paul, Minn.

When did you start listening to TBTL? How did you find the show?
In like 2015 or so, I was working on the APM Membership team. One day, when I was alone in our cube area, Steve Nelson popped by my desk and asked if I knew where Amy Woo was keeping the Luke and Andy dolls. I must have looked at him like he had 10 heads. I had no idea what he was talking about. To paraphrase Lisa Simpson: "I know those words, but that (sentence) makes no sense."

Anyway, I listened to my first TBTL episode that day and have been listening ever since.

Good god that was 10 years ago ...

How would your friends describe you?
A little neurotic. Mostly fine.

What was your favorite cereal when you were a kid? Is it still your fav? 
The Pebbles family: fruity, cocoa, etc. These days I'm firmly a quarter cup of Grape Nuts with greek yogurt kind of guy.

What food do you love to eat the most of?
My preschooler's cheddar bunnies.

What’s the best or worst nickname you ever had?
My last name rhymes with a slang term for the male anatomy. I prefer not to think about it.

If you could play one song on TBTL, what would it be?
Cities by The Talking Heads because, come on, great song.

What’s a special skill that you have?
If you have lost something, and it still exists on this planet, I will find it for you.

What’s a skill you *wish* you had?
I cannot for the life of me parallel park a car, and it remains my greatest failure.

If you were driving down the street and you saw Luke and Andrew on the sidewalk, what would you yell at them as you drove past?
I would remark quietly to myself: "Hey, there's Luke and Andrew from TBTL. That's weird." And drive on.

Can other Tens find you on social media?
I have a book review Substack that I would love for you to subscribe to. You can do that here. [ EDITOR’S NOTE FROM ANDREW: I am truly a huge fan of Matt’s writing, and his Substack is literally one of my favorite newsletters. Check it out! ]

Also, just a reminder that you can find our Ten of the Week form here! If you’ve never been a TOTW before  (or if it’s been a really, really long time) fill out our little questionnaire. And check out our Ten of the Week archive here!