Reply All - #160 The Attic and Closet Show 2

Episode Date: March 31, 2020

This week, we call people across the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Gimlet, this is Reply All. I'm PJ Vote. This is the second episode that we Repai All are putting together while sheltered in place, mostly in New York City. It continues to be strange and scary here. The new development this week is just really the constant sound of ambulances. But we're hunkered down. We're trying to figure out how to make a show for you. So what we have for you today is a week of phone calls between us and you guys, our listeners. The way we did it this week is that producers on our show actually went through our voicemail box and our emails to find people who we really wanted to reach out to who we were curious about who had tried to get through to us before and hadn't been able to.

And Replyle producer Damiano Marquette, working from his apartment in Brooklyn, dialed a bunch of those people so we could talk to them. And we ended up with a snapshot of what the world felt like this past week. Ready? Yeah. It's happening. Cool. How was your weekend? My weekend was fine.

My weekend was fine. I don't know. What is a weekend anymore? It's like the same as a weekday except for you don't work. I'm very different because I don't work. I just go to Childtown. Child town?

Yeah, which is when I hang out with my children. Which is your favorite pastime, which is why you're in Hogg Heaven right now. Hog Heaven. I really do love my kids a lot, but it's tough. It's nonstop parenting. It's just tough, you know. Are they more hyperactive because,

there's nothing to do in the whole world? So it's really just like, there have been a couple nice days. Harvey is desperately just like the other kids in the neighborhood are hanging out and he just wants to go out and hang out with them. Their parents aren't doing social distancing?

This weekend, there was like a day where everyone in the neighborhood was like, we can keep six feet apart, but the kids like totally started ignoring it. And Sarah, who's just very paranoid reasonably about spreading this disease was like, Harvey, you need to come inside. Like, we can't, I don't want to be, like, we can't do it.

And he lost his mind. And then there's a neighbor two doors down who Harvey likes just talking about poop and pee and farts and stuff with. And then the PJ do is Alex. Yeah, basically. And he really wanted to see him. And I was like, he can only go as far as his driveway and you can only go as far as yours. And they kept sort of like trying to run toward each other. And I was like, we just can't do it, but I'm sorry.

I know this is really confusing. And I know it sucks really hard. but. Oh, God, that sucks. Damiano, I think we're ready whenever you are. Okay. Here's your first call. Hi, who's this?

Hi, you're just seeing. This is Alex and PJ. I don't know why Alex didn't say that on the call. Oh, yeah, this is Alex and PJ. Sorry. Just that classic way to call a stranger, just to call them and say. Fuck you, dude. Come on.

Why am I calling you? Where are you, Justine? I'm Shanghai right now. Oh, shit. What's Shanghai like? Right now it's actually okay. It's getting better. I'd say about like two months ago was the worst of it. And that was pretty shitty to stay here. Yeah. What was it like? So it all happened actually really, really.

Masses, like, overnight and everything was closed and we were under self-quarantine. And you think about China, a lot of people don't live where they come from. Like, most people go to the big cities. Like, they come to Shanghai, for example, to work. So when the thing struck and people were kind of forced to stay home and not be with their families, that was a big hit on a lot of people's emotions, actually. How did people cope? Not so well, actually.

There's a lot of resentment on the internet. Well, there were a lot of memes, actually. What were the memes about? What were the memes about of how people just become, all of a sudden, become chefs. Like, they had to do, make do. And like, a cool thing was

there was a lot of information being censored online, right? So it was like if you posted something that was, that was, quote, unquote, sensitive, it gets censored. So it gets taken down from the internet. You can't see it. So people started reposting in their own way. So there would be like a Morse code version of an article that was about a whistleblower doctor.

Or there would be like the Vietnamese version. And that would get taken down too. So people started making like an emoji version of the same article. And that gets like sent around. And people would just kind of hopping on that train and seeing what kind of different versions they can make of it. How do you actually communicate like an article about doctor shortages in emoji in a way that's legible? So it would be like, say there's a character that sounds kind of like it. Oh.

So like there's a character that sounds like heart. Yeah. So they would replace it with a heart emoji and you kind of figure it out. And then there's a, I think there's a, there is a, like a key somewhere on the internet. So they would direct you to the key and you match with the key so you, you can, you can match the original. version to like the decoded version of it. That's so smart. So it's not like, it's not like, oh, there's like three doctor emoji faces and then like a

sad face. It's like it's more like you're using emojis as a cipher. Like you're picking images that sort of sound like words and then you circulate the key. What is the sentiment like about the Chinese government right now with all of this going on? I think what they're trying to do, yeah. The government effort in containing the virus is very extreme. Yes, it's very China speech, like how they built, how they built, like, a hospital in like 10 days. Like, that's very commendable.

But it was very iron fist. So that to people was very, was, was, was not helping in their, in their emotions. It was only making them more lonely. But after this, we, we see that, okay, being a bit more. contained and that what's happening abroad like that's really that's really shitty and especially what's happening to Chinese people abroad that that's that's fucking terrible just like all this sort of like racism and blame that's like it's happening in the US with like Asian Americans you mean yeah and I have a lot of friends that went back to California or New York like where they were

from because they were so scared of the bias but now they want to come back and they can't they can't. And they can't, they can't, they also can't stay there because specifically if they go out on the streets with a mess, they're afraid of getting attacked and now they're afraid of coming back. That's awful. I feel like it's like a much worse version of something a lot of people are experiencing, which is just like a lot of people are stuck in these weird middle places. Like it doesn't feel like it's like there's this natural human tendency to want to go home or to go where safe. And like those places just kind of don't exist right now for the most part. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. And the thing is, while as China's emerging out of this, we're seeing the

exact something happening in the rest of the world. We're kind of just like, guys, what are you doing? We've been through this. We try to tell you what's going on. Is that just the nightmare of it? It's like you watch something happen very bad in slow motion, but then you have to watch it happen badly in slow motion everywhere else. Yeah, yeah, exactly. And while it was happening in China, The world was kind of just carrying on. And that was, that was, that was even more of a blow. Because that was, that was quite, that made us feel quite lonely.

They just didn't, didn't sense the severity of it. Like, there was just no awareness. What is, I mean, so what is the sort of like, because you're, I guess, where we're hoping to eventually get to, which is like, infection rate is pretty much under control. Life's not back to normal, but like some things are back to normal. Like, what is mostly back to normal or somewhat back to normal look like? like. People are becoming more excited to get out. I mean, there are a lot of people running. I think

that's the thing. Just being at home, people feel very inactive. And when you go out, like, what's the biggest group of people you're allowed to go out in or that you choose to go out in? Like, what's the most social thing you do at this point? For brunch, like last weekend, but still everyone that did it were kind of feeling a little sneaky about it. Like, there's, that you're supposed to be about a meter away from. on each other or like you're supposed to sit as like one table can only see one person. But like at this point, a lot of people are just kind of like, ah, fuck it. We're going to do it anyway.

So did you do it anyway? Yeah. That was a very shameful pause. I have my mask on. I mean. Did it feel nice to be like sort of in normal. world again? Yeah. Yeah, it does. Thanks so much for reaching out. Yeah. Thank you. Stay safe and stay positive and stay creative. You'll be making a lot of stuff.

All right. I wrote a lot. Yeah. Thank you. Thanks. Alice, you're going to work on your novel? What I even write a novel about? What kind of experience do I have in my life that people could possibly want to hear. I feel like you would write something that was like a thinly veiled Alex Goldman character. Yeah, seriously. And all sorts of horrible things would happen to. Every time I try to imagine writing a short story, I'm always like, and then in the end, they end up in a mud puddle. A mud puddle?

That's the horrible thing that happens is in mud puddle. Usually they're like beaten up or have been electrocuted or something like that. But the final straw is always the mud puddle. I mean, that's just like the last little indignities that sting the worst, you know? Do you like, do you write stuff in a journal? Me? Yeah, do you just like think about the ideas in your head? I think about ideas in my head.

I have like a mental ledger of short story ideas. Not all of them containing mud puddles. What would you say is the mud puddle presented? A friend of mine, speaking of journals, a good friend of mine from Michigan sent me a message the other day that said, let me find it exactly because it was very funny. It said, hey, Alex, rough quarantine days, but I did find an old journal where I wrote a brief, where I wrote a brief note about a story you told, a subway coworker who shit his pants while walking to work because he, quote, wanted to see how it felt, unquote. Wait, was that a thing that happened or a thing that you imagined happening? No, is a thing that happened.

The person just shot their pants to see what that would experience would be like? And I completely forgot about it until someone sent me a message to tell me that this happened. And did the person then just show up to work with, like, befowled trousers? I think that he must have been wrong about them walking to work because I can't imagine a scenario. I remember the story, but I can't imagine a scenario where someone showed up to work. It was like, hey, I got to change my pants because I just crap them because I wanted to see how it felt. Yeah, I feel like you would go home. You'd stand by the laundry machine.

I kind of get it. Like, I kind of get it where you're just like, oh, so much of my adult civilization programming is to stop myself from doing this one thing. I wonder what would happen if I did it, but not on the way to work. The only thing that would make it worse, like walking to work and then shitting your pants would be, walking to work, shitting your pants, and then you slip.

Then you fall in my puddle. Actually, I could have to cover it up. Fuck you. That's such a good short story idea. You can have it. Thanks. Okay, are you guys ready? Yes.

Ready as well. Okay, let's see this one. Alex, try to be normal. I'm trying to be normal. Hello. Hello? Who's this? Sabrina.

This is PJ and Alex. Hi. Where are you? Algeria. What's Algeria like right now? Strange. What kind of strange? Yeah, because it has been

a number of cases have been growing, and things kind of got very worrying. So what does that mean for you? Are you at home? Are you, like, sort of trapped there? Yeah, home, kind of in self-quaranty because the government hasn't really issued full quarantine measures. so people have taken the initiative and decided to stay home. Really, people are just voluntarily doing it absent a government order? Yeah, because the thing here is that the healthcare system is just not very good, and there is very little trust that we can handle this. So there were less than 100 cases a week ago.

now there are 300 just a day in total. So that may seem like not a lot compared to other countries. But if your healthcare system is already overwhelmed, it's very worrying. What does it look like the healthcare system before this? What do you mean that it's already overwhelmed and that doesn't work well? The thing here is that you know how in China they built a hospital in 10 days? Yeah, yes. Yeah, the joke here is that we will build in 10 days' cemeteries.

That's how much trust people have in the healthcare system. And it's because the hospitals were already in a very dire state understaffed. And even like in regular times, people don't go to hospitals. middle class they go to private practices so you try to avoid the hospital even when you get sick in regular times how are you feeling right now um sometimes i get very worried and other times i am calm because i was prepared um from a couple of weeks ago i was already starting to prepare What did that look like? I bought some masks back then, some masks and hand sanitizer.

Back then, I looked a little crazy to be fair to people because it seemed so far away because there is a lot of Chinese business here. So at first, we were scared that we would have a lot of cases in Africa because of the Chinese business. But then we avoided that. And then it hit France, and then when you hit friends, we knew that it was inevitable because we have a lot of links with France and Spain, also Italy. And so is that where it ended up sort of coming in?

It's like through Europe. Yes. Yeah, through France, a lot, a lot through friends. Are you alone? Are you with family? Like, what's your situation right now? Yeah, I'm with family. So I have, that's the reason why.

I self-quarantine very early on. It's because I have my father and my mother. My mother is 63 and my father is 72. So they're kind of at risk. Do they understand the risk level? It was very hard to convince, especially my father. Kind of had to, I don't know, not scare them, but kind of explained to them that because of,

our situation. In the country, we can't afford to end up in a hospital, basically. I've been trying to figure out why older people in my life seem to be the ones who are least likely to take this seriously, even though they're the most at risk. And I can't tell if it's like if it's about where they get their news or sometimes I think it's like they just don't want to think of themselves as old and so they are refusing to, even if it puts them at risk. I think, like for my father, I think he had his habits.

It's very hard to change your habits at some point, which I understand. What were his habits? Like in the morning, just to go out, have the coffee outside, we kind of have this, like a bit like Italy, you know, people here go outside, have coffee, play guards. They go to the market, especially retired people. Yeah. Is he trying to find replacement habits that he can do in the house? I'm trying to keep him busy. Like, we bought him a bunch of crossword puzzles, but he's already finishing them. What else have you tried?

Yeah, so I just printed a bunch of new crossword puzzles just right now to give it. and they are very hard to it should be hard to finish and yeah we're just playing some cards now at home

and what are you guys playing? Yeah the kind of games from like French culture I don't know I was named La Belot

I think that this one La Belot Yes, it's a French card game, kind of like poker, but a lot more boring. But every day he tries to find a reason to go out. Yeah. Well, good luck keeping your dad inside. Yeah. Thank you.

And good luck staying sane. It would be okay, I think. All right. Take care. Okay, thank you. Bye. Bye. My mom was telling me the other day.

So my mom, since my parents have split up, my mom has moved to Florida. And she lives with like, she lives in a house with like three other people. She owns the house. She just like lets her friends stay there. And they usually do like housework and stuff to pay the rent. And she was like telling me the other day, yeah, they had some guy come over and like roll a joint and blah, blah, blah. And they were all smoking pot in the backyard. And she was like telling it to me like it was a funny story.

And I was like, mom, tell them not to invite people over. That's the whole point, especially not invite people over and pass around a thing that they all put in their mouths. Jesus. That seems like a bad idea. Did she listen? I mean, she was like, well, I didn't do it. And I was like, yeah, but you live at those people. And you're almost 80.

And you've been smoking for 60 years. So you might want to just chill. Did you ever think that your life would be you yelling at your mom to stop smoking weed with her friends? my mom missed hippie-dom. Like, she's too old for it. She was born in 1941. So she was like almost, she was like in her late 20s when like summer love

and all that stuff came around. So she was like never a pot smoker, didn't do drugs. And then she retired and moved to Florida and met a bunch of weirdos at the dog park and now they all smoke weed together. When was the first time your mom ripped a dube? I don't know when the,

I'm sure she did it. it when in the 60s. But like, but like, she has started talking about smoking weed and people around her smoking weed and like staying up all night and listening to her friend Smokey play guitar

all the time at like, like, her friend's smoky play guitar? Yeah, like. Your mom's really a significantly cooler life than you are. Oh my God. Yeah, she is. Much cooler.

That's really hard though. It's hard to ask people to be isolated. Yeah, it's really hard. And like, I don't. blame her at all for wanting to have people over. And like, I mean, she does have like, I think there's two or three people living with her right now and they're all good pals and stuff. But like any roommate situation, like, you're going to start getting super annoyed with people after so long if not being able to avoid them. It's not a big house.

Yeah. I keep so oscillating whether I'm lucky to be alone or not lucky to be alone. I think lucky to be alone. I think. Yeah. I can't decide. I would really hate not having Sarah around. I'm downing the next one.

Okay. Thank you, Damiano. Yeah. Hey. Hi, who's this? Hi, it's Jill. This is Alex and PJ. Where are you?

I'm in Hong Kong. What's Hong Kong like right now? Hong Kong is, I mean, it's okay in some respects in that we're not like in a lockdown. You can still go out and restaurants are open and everything. but it's gotten kind of crazy over the past week because early on, like the government had heightened travel restrictions many times, and so you couldn't come in if you were from China and then South Korea and Italy and stuff. But now essentially only Hong Kong residents can enter.

And they've all been streaming back, like the people who left because they thought that Hong Kong wasn't safe until they went to their. you know, expats went to their home in Europe or like students whose schools have closed overseas. They're all coming back and they're bringing coronavirus with them. So like until a week or so ago, we only had, oh yeah, we only had like 155 cases. And within less than 10 days, it's more than doubled. It's like 360 or something. Oh, that's awful.

So the government is making people who come in wear these electronic risk bracelets, and they have to, it's like a mandatory 14-day quarantine. But people are stupid. So people are cutting them off. And, you know, it's like really dumb people. So they're doing spot checks or video calls. And if you aren't home or if you break the quarantine, there's a fine or six months. jail term, but mainly they're just throwing these people into these government quarantine camps. So you sound, you sound really mad.

So that's the problem now. Well, I'm mad. It's just like, come on, people. You know, I mean, you know, these expats, they were afraid to stay in Hong Kong when shit hit the fan. And so now they come back and it's like, suck it up. Sit in your teeny tiny apartment. Order delivery McDonald's and just suck.

it up for 14 days. What are you doing? And how do the wristbands work there, like, tracking wristbands? You know, I've only seen a picture of it. I haven't seen it in person, which is good, because that would mean that person shouldn't be out and about. It has a QR code on it. So I'm not sure exactly how it works. But yeah, I mean, it identifies you as you're supposed to be in your quarantine period. And I heard that they're going to, this may be a rumor, but I heard they're going to set up a hotline

so you can narc on people who are not respecting the quarantine. That's amazing. Would you call that number if you saw someone that was not following it? I think I would walk right up to them, you know? Yeah. I mean, yeah, I think I just walk right at them.

I mean, there's a lot of, like, Everybody here wears masks. I know that's different than the U.S. But, I mean, people here wear masks, even in, like, non-COVID times. Like, if you have a slight cough or a cold, like, you just wear a mask or you stay home because people just are freaked out after, you know, like SARS. So then when you see people walking around, it's like, who do you think you are? Come on.

Everybody's wearing masks. And it's almost always foreigner. and there's, I mean, there's like graffiti here saying, you know, hey, Guiloh, are you too poor to buy a mask? Again, it's just like, respect where you're living. It's not that hard. Is Guilio foreigner? Yeah.

Can I ask a somewhat unrelated question, which is like, I mean, I know that Hong Kong was in the fall at least and through the winter facing this really intense protest movement? I mean, what has become of it? Is it just totally dissipated? You know, it's not like before. You don't have a million people on the road. But you still see news articles about, like, police harassment, police harassing people

unnecessarily. I mean, people here are not in love with the government. You know, that's for sure. But it's not, there aren't a big protest that there were before. So it's not in the news as much. Plus, there's just other things in the news. But it'll come back. You think?

Oh, yeah. Yeah, it will come back. Well, thank you so much for calling. Yeah, thanks for calling. Sure. Bye. Take care. Bye.

After the break, we take some more of your calls. Hi, this is Alex and PJ. Who's us? Hi, this is Gina. Where are you, Gina? I am trapped in my apartment for the fifth week running in Milan. Fifth week. Oh, my goodness.

Yeah. How's week five? Full five weeks now. I mean, at this point, it's like the first week, you're just going absolutely stir crazy. And then now I'm just kind of like, well, this is my life now. What are the circumstances under which you go outside at this point? I mean, honestly, to go on now illegal walks in the evening, because we're not even allowed to jog anymore. like it's gotten like they're setting out the military like they're taking this extremely seriously

have you known people who have been infected um no one directly yet i know that some people kind of related to my office where sadly i did hear my my roommate friend of hers did die of the virus yesterday oh no yeah and it was just tragic she contracted it in the hospital the tragedy of it you can't even stand. But, I mean, there's this weird, just, you know, numbness to the whole thing. It's strange because normally if someone dies, like, there is the, I don't know, but the ceremony that goes into it that allows you to realize that this is real, as horrible as it is.

But it's so strange when it's just like you get a message on WhatsApp that, oh, your neighbor has died. Yeah, right. You can't have funerals. You can't meet. You can't observe it in any meaningful way. No, I mean, even family members aren't allowed to go to the hospital. Like, I think the state is going to be cremating all of the bodies. Oh, that's so sad.

It's this bizarrely, like, insulated world, you know. Is it just you by yourself? Are you with someone else? I mean, I have a roommate here, thank God. But, you know, pretty much she's the only person I see. Like, my partner lives on the other side of the city, and we, can't even see each other. And we, I mean, I think we'd had some practice because we had been kind of our relationship had been long distance before when I was still in the U.S. and he was here.

He's Italian. We, you know, watch movies together on Netflix party. Like, we try to make it as predictable and as regular as humanly possible. And we set dates and, you know, we have a specific time and we'll eat dinner together this time and whatever it may be. That sounds really hard. Yeah. It is. It is. Especially because my family are, you know, 6,000 miles away.

So he's kind of, he's what I have here at the end of the day. Well, I hope that you really, I hope you're done with this soon. God, I hope so too. I hope so too. I'm sure there'll be parties in the street when it's over. The parties will be really good. Yeah, that's what I keep thinking about. I think it's going to...

So in 2012, when Hurricane Sandy happened, the lights in Lower Manhattan went out, and we still had to go into work because we were working at WNYC at the time. We still had to make a show, and the radio still kept going. Right. And I remember I was walking home.

It was like the fifth or sixth day. I remember I was walking home. And the lights came back on. And it sounded like someone had hit a home run at a baseball game. Like the entire city just erupted in cheers. It was like really emotional. Like I was tearing up because everybody was so happy. Because again, it was just like this moment that felt so it just made you feel so incredibly vulnerable.

And it just gave you this idea that like, oh, all of this like incredible infrastructure we've built is all for not. Because one single weather event can flood the Holland Tunnel and just. destroy the subways, kill people, and make the entire city go dark. Yeah. And just like having the power back on was like, it was overwhelming. Yeah, I can imagine. I can imagine. Well, I hope you get that experience. Thanks so much for calling Gina.

Oh, God. Yeah, of course. Anytime. Bye. How you're doing? Well, now that I've told that story, I'm feeling very sad. I just want everything to be normal. again, which is a very stupid and stupid thing to say, because it's just like, duh, so there's

everybody. And normal. I don't think you have to, I don't know, you want to have like the contrarian take? I don't know. Normal wasn't that great. I complained about everything when everything was fine, too. Well, you'll complain. I mean, I feel like that's your constant.

Like, whether it's like a zombie apocalypse and you're the last person or whether you're in, like, a very specific version of heaven, but like they don't have the kind of lobster you wish they did. I think, I think complaining is just how you register facts. in the world. Mm-hmm. Yeah. I don't think you need to feel guilty

about past or future complaining. Hi, who's this? Hello? Hi, this is Tobias. Hey, Tobias. This is Alex and PJ. I'm calling from Sweden. Lee Sechiel, a small town on the West Coast.

What are things like over there? Right now, it's kind of normal. It's also closed, and we're having, like, education from home and all that, Most of my friends don't really care. They, yeah, well, they have a few parties during the week and all that. Did you go to the parties?

No, I've mostly been singing home, partly also due to the fact that I live in an apartment that's owned by an 88-year-old, and we shared a hallway in all. and like a few common areas in the house. So I kind of feel like it's extra important that I keep healthy. Why are people having parties during the week? Like setting aside whether, like social distancing, why are people having parties during the week? I mean, especially just we're in this high school program,

so we don't live at home. And our program is kind of known for, partying a lot since, you know, we don't have any parents. I didn't realize you were in high school. What's the program? It's a marine biology program. Wait, the marine biology program is notorious as the party program? Yeah.

Yeah, well, because we don't live with our parents, so we can kind of do what we feel like. And are the kids in the program kids who love marine biology or kids who saw a loophole through which they could not live with their parents and party? Some people are really into marine biology and some. Yeah. But now our principle for the marine biology program is recommending that we go home to our parents,

so I don't really know what to do. because I'd like to stay here, but I'm not sure if I should or not. Are you living by yourself? Yeah, I'm living by myself. Now I'm really used to living by myself as well, so I know I'll just go crazy on my parents. Yeah, I hear you. But also, you're going to be by yourself for who knows how long.

I mean, if this is just starting there, I mean, it could be weeks. Are you comfortable being confined to your house for weeks without anybody else? Well, I mean, that's where I'm trying to figure out. Somehow you've really activated Alex's dad mode. I'm not telling him one way or another. I'm just asking. You're just laying out, but it's his responsibility, and you wouldn't be mad, just disappointed.

Fuck you. Have you been doing voice chats and stuff with friends? I've been gaming a lot with my brother's girlfriend. What are you playing? Minecraft. Oh, cool. They actually, they're actually neighbors

with my parents. So if I would go, I could, I'd be able to visit them too. But yeah. The other argument for going back, honestly,

is if you stay where you are, your parents are going to be very worried. And they're not going to keep that worried of themselves. You're going to hear from them a lot. If I could just play

devil's advocate here for a moment. Yes, you're going to hear from them for a lot, but when you're at your house, you don't have the option of not taking their call or just saying, I'm fine, I'm going to go. Like, you're trapped. As somebody who, I think you'll hear from them less if you're in the same place as them. Like, I'm staying in New York. I'm an adult man who arguably can take care of himself.

My mom's been really worried. Very arguably. Very arguably. Been eating a lot of morning steak. But my mom wasn't worried. and she wants me back in Philadelphia, I don't think that's the right thing to do. But, like, I feel responsible for her worry,

and I talk to her on the phone a lot. I wouldn't feel right to blow her off. It might, if you end up on the fence and you're not sure what to do, I would think about going back just for their sake, but also so you don't have to deal with the amount of phone calls that you're going to have to deal with because it's a lot of phone calls.

Yeah. And I mean, another thing for going back is, well, the fact that I have my brother as a neighbor, I can always just walk away from my parents if I really need to. Well, PJ convinced me. I feel like you should probably probably go home. It'll make you feel better about your landlord. You'll be closer to people you know. You can always run away to your brother's house if your parents are being annoying. Yeah. And get away from the partying marine biolades. They sound like their phone. Yeah, get away from those crazy people. Thanks so much for calling. Good luck.

Yeah, stay safe. Yeah, thanks. That's our show for this week. Thank you for listening. If you want to keep abreast with stuff we're doing off the podcast, stuff we're broadcasting live. Last week, we took a lot of these calls actually live. Some people listened while we did it. We also did a Friday night game night where we played what we're calling Angels and Demons,

which bears a strong resemblance to a party game. You may have played called a Werewolf for Mafia. We don't know what we're going to do next, but if you want information for an upcoming calendar, it is at replyall.com. And one more thing you should check out. Our colleagues at Gimlet over at Science Versus have been doing great coronavirus coverage, just sorting out fact from fiction. If you're looking for more information, that's a great place to check out. That's our show. Reply All is hosted by me, BJ Vote, and Alex Goldman.

We're produced by Shruthy, Pimminani, Fia Bennon, Damiano Marquetti, Anna Fully, Jessica Young, and Emmanuel Jochi. Our executive producer is Tim Howard. We're mixed by Rick Kwan. Fact-checking by Michelle Harris. Our intern is Lisa Wang. Our theme song is by the mysterious breakmaster cylinder. Matt Lieber is rediscovering an extremely dormant appreciation for cooking. You can listen to our show on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Thanks for listening.