Since the election in November, the news has been full of terrible things—as, indeed, it has been for many years, but the terribleness continues to accelerate. One of the things that has been on my mind the most in the past month is how important community and connection are during difficult times. How it’s the people who we know and who know us who end up sustaining us.

In January, it will be nine years since Keep the Channel Open started, and in that time I have talked with a lot of people. So, taking a page from Rachel Zucker’s “Global Roll Call” episodes of Commonplace, which she produced during the depths of the pandemic lockdowns in 2020, I reached out to past KTCO guests and invited them to give some updates about where they are, how they’re doing, and who they’re thinking of right now. I’m pleased to be able to share the responses with you.

Wherever you are, I hope you’re safe and healthy, that you’re thriving. Wishing you the best possible 2025.

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Rachel and I recorded this episode just a few days after the election, and one of the first things we talked about was whether to try to release it right away or whether to wait until it would normally come up in the release schedule. And in retrospect I’m glad we waited. There’s something kind of nice about ending the year with this particular episode, which, yes, has a lot of anxiety in it but also has the two of us doing what we do best: just being friends.

I hope that, wherever you are, you are surrounded by people who love you, who you love. I hope you’re getting what you need. Take care.

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Despite being a huge Star Trek fan for most of my life, there are still a number of Trek series that I haven’t watched all the way through. I’ve been taking the opportunity lately to remedy that, and am currently watching my way through Voyager. Which is what prompted me to post a thread on Bluesky a couple of months ago in which I speculated about whether the various men of Star Trek would be any good in bed. That thread, in turn, is ostensibly what Rachel and I are talking about in today’s episode of Hey, It’s Me.

I say ostensibly, though, because—as you might guess—the conversation goes completely off the rails, despite both of us repeatedly trying to bring ourselves back on topic. Over the course of nearly 90 minutes, Rachel and I talk about hating men, the difference between arousal and attraction, several different flavors of my shame, tender porn, aligning kinks, and whether “being good in bed” even means anything. I’m not sure whether this episode is hilarious or cringy or both, but hopefully it’ll be a good listen.

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