Dubious Intent

Daniel and Adam kick off with late-start jokes and “10/10” chatter, then dive into cake economics: Zach’s plan for a pricey Cake Bake Shop “Meet Santa” dinner (three courses, cocktails, photo, gift) gets the thumbs-up. Daniel recounts Big Fatty’s 14-second “lost episode” and teases Adam about Big Brother spoilers, lobs love at Critical Role’s new campaign, and laments not being able to dish on Strange New Worlds yet. A long catch-up follows: Adam’s brutal illness (two weeks, 17 pounds lost) and the truly cursed lab quest—freezing and chilling stool samples at home—followed by Daniel’s syphilis treatment saga (penicillin shortages, $1,700 quote, doxycycline workaround), an unwanted no-show fee, and the Drury Hotel refund survey cherry on top.Contact arrives with a flood of voicemails for the Celebrity Death Phone (callers insist “Giorgio Armani, 91” among others), plus a chewing-gum-behind-the-ear query and HOA confusion from abroad. Daniel explains why HOAs are ubiquitous in U.S. suburbs, including the uglier