What were you doing in March 2016?

I couldn’t really tell you offhand, but a quick scan of social suggests Instagramming my food, going to Mexico in some strange semblance of a 28 year old’s spring break, dressing for theme parties, and dating like it was a part-time job.

What Instagram won’t tell you is that I was also questioning my career choices, occasionally lonely and missing the friendships of my college days (despite graduating in 2009), and trying desperately to figure out how to be:

a) Authentically myself

b) Cool

c) Satisfied

If that’s not PostGrad Problems, I don’t know what is.

During this time, I stumbled across the content of one Will deFries, through his iconic series “Things Girls Do After Graduation“. And after devouring everything he’d written about these ladies (worth a read, but that’s not what this post is about), I stumbled onto this podcast, Touching Base. Turns out these guys, too, were gearing up for a “Spring Break Cruise” with people way younger than they were, and so I decided I’d give it a listen.

I didn’t work in a corporate environment (just a big hospital), I didn’t play golf, I could care less about most professional sports, and I wasn’t watching The Bachelor OR The Bachelorette. But listening to these three (eventually four) Austin-based hosts, David Ruff, Dillon Cheverere, Micah Wiener, and Will, speak about their day-to-day lives, their takes (hot or lukewarm as they may have been) on Instagram, socializing as an adult, and dating, and the politics of that elusive check mark on Twitter, made the commute to work, the long days occasionally devoid of real human interaction, and the occasional train ride peppered with laughter, insight, and, somehow, camaraderie.

It’s pretty wild that we can get so invested in someone’s voice. People we have never met, and likely never will (though if any of you boys join Dan on a Philly trip, I’d love to buy you each one beer). But for over two years, I’ve listened to these guys “talk about nothing” more than most of my family and friends. I’m a part of inside jokes that none of my friends know about, and whether it’s waxing nostalgic about Old Gene, stifling laughter any time someone asks what time the rest of the guests are coming (the rest of the guests are what?) or laying out my weekend in fun on Instagram, these guys became like a second family (or at least like, a second friend group).

That’s why, five days ago, after reading Will’s post explaining the layoffs that affected Dave and Dillon, I found myself sitting at 40th and Market, waiting for Philadelphia’s rapid transit system after a particularly painful eyebrow wax in preparation for a bachelorette party,  crying into my Lululemon thumbholed-sleeves, wondering how the hell my weeks were going to be half as pleasant without the calming voices of my four favorite strangers. Reading through the comments on the post, I was not alone, not by a long shot.

So I just wanted to say thank you. Though Will and Micah seem to be safe for now, I know things won’t really ever be the same. You all stumbled across something pretty magical. I would be thrilled to learn that something comes together and that lightning strikes twice. But, if it doesn’t, thanks for the memories. The FMK (but with other stuff), the music advice, the chumps, the champs, the bracket, the Homie, Rosie and Randy, Cabeza-watch, the brunches, the Lost Tapes, the SZNs, the kings, the mamis, the savage cuckery, the Bean, the worst weekends, the Best ofs, the Vice headlines, the Gas Station, the Bunsen Burner, two minutes in Paradise,  and the popcorn lung.

Still waiting on that mousepad, Micah.

Okay, we love you, bye.