One-eyed Steve has returned to the show, and he’s got the full report from his (successful) eye surgery at the Wheaton Eye Clinic. Despite his wobbly post-surgical condition, he was sharp enough to curse out a delivery driver that was blocking everyone’s way. Tom Thayer joins us with his thoughts on the Bears game, specifically the fourth quarter. He also tells us about a Bears superman that went by the name of Rambo.

Dag and Brendan are at the helm as Steve undergoes cataract surgery. The weather cooperated for the Sodcast golf outing. A great time was had by all. Dag got razzed by a deep-voiced heckler on the first tee. Dag, Brendan, and Vince caught the Bears game at Cordial Inn in Brookfield, where the search for the driver of a Honda Pilot wafted through the joint much like the aroma of flame-grilled burgers.

We’re joined on this Friday show by Buzz Kilman, fresh from injecting his diabetic cat and in love with his life-changing, floor-cleaning robot. His love for Tyson Bagent is equally as strong. Buzz and Brendan work through a football showdown. Steve reveals that he spent considerable time in Detroit earning extra money and getting his name out as a stand up comedian. His old comedy partner pops in for a visit.

Dag is pondering a brave electrical move for a recently blown out kitchen outlet, but Steve and Brendan attempt to talk him out of it. A house-sitting Brendan offers nourishment to a weary solar panel salesperson, and his kindness is well received. Steve and Janet are watching a TV show that’s so weird and unsatisfying that they’re reaching for the toast. Two Texans display some Foridiot-like behavior in their self-styled indoor shooting range. And if you’re looking for pot deals, don’t miss out on New Puffalo, er, New Buffalo.

What happens when we click on a link tree? Is it a bridge too far? Steve “unplugged” is a show Joe would attend. Are there still many 4 AM and 5 AM bars in the city, and will there be a limo waiting for us? ABC 7 Chicago sort of made it seem like Pink was playing Schaumburg’s Septemberfest, but in reality it was a Pink tribute act. What would an onscreen alliance between Steve and The Old Nerd look like?

We’re back from our break, and feeling refreshed and ready to podcast. Tom Thayer, who was once called the dirtiest player in the league, shows respect to Tom Brady and offers advice for long snapper Steve. Dag shares a few stories from tour, including having his legs nipped by the dog of rock royalty. Brendan was overjoyed by the Cubs walk-off victory. Steve upped his corn buttering game with a new applicator.

Janet purchased too many Labubus ahead of Emery’s birthday. Steve gets his beef jerky at Aldi, and Rosie starts begging the moment he opens the package. Malmedy, Belgium cooked up an annual giant omelette after cracking thousands of eggs. Janet sent Mike and Kathryn a midnight text to wish them a happy anniversary (15 years). Brendan was awarded an extra green sauce for his loyal patronage at his local burrito place.

Matt Dahl joins the program to respond to parental allegations of sloppiness and resisting tracking apps. Roger has settled in at a new daycare (Wag Hotel in Schiller Park) and overnight facility. A German shepherd polices the playroom there. Jackson is an innovative thermos user, filling it with taquitos or egg rolls for his school lunch. Steve forgot the word he selected for a tumbler lock combination.

Steve prefers to be alone when he’s shaving. Ben Johnson purchased an impressive home in Lake Forest. Steve and Janet dined at Brewster’s in New Buffalo and filled up on artichoke dip. Joe Thomas had a dedicated shampooing station in his home bathroom. Steve gets a kick out of the names of various dispensaries in New “Puffalo”. Billy Joel is closing his motorcycle shop and auctioning off his bikes. Also, he has a temper!

Steve pulled an arm muscle at the gym, but not lifting weights. A stubborn wipe dispenser was to blame. Charlie Dahl attended the Savannah Bananas game at Sox Park. The grandkids use Tajin on EVERYTHING. They didn’t pick up the flowermouth gene. Steve is still perfecting his T-shirt design for the golf outing. Janet used to hide in an apple tree and read books. She basically still does the same thing every day, but not she’s more earthbound.

Steve and Janet are up in Michigan, where bed sheet protocol sets off an argument. Steve stepped up big time when DJ Brendan was missing an XLR cable at a “Moms Gone Wild” party. Tom Thayer celebrated his birthday at Al’s Steak House in Joliat with his great-nephew John Henry. Caleb Williams and the Bears looked sharp in a preseason matchup with the Bills. That was certainly a nice change of pace.

Steve’s garden blossomed in the most delicious and rewarding way! My Chemical Romance paid tribute to Bon Jovi at their hometown New Jersey arena show. JBJ won’t be touring with Springsteen and Dylan, no matter what Facebook says. A tennis player at the gym refused to yield a machine when Steve asked. Dag will soon board a steel bird and head over to Old Blighty to begin his REM tour.

Steve loves the TV program Gilded Age, while Janet recalls her efforts to get out to movie theaters more often. Dag reveals some of the details for his upcoming trip to the UK with Mike Shannon. Brendan ponders what showbiz luminaries may be spotted at some of the shows. If Steve has a frustratingly long walk ahead of him in “No Park” Oak Park, at least he can take comfort in sniffing his tomato-scented hands.

Joe turns Steve on to a Bloomberg article about the proliferation of car washes across the USA. Jerry Jones claims that a new treatment cured his cancer. Shania Twain designed a signature sides menu for McDonald’s locations in Canada. McShaker fries don’t tantalize Steve, but Shania does. Steve is bothered by a neighbor’s blinking security light, and he’s right about this one; something’s definitely wrong.

Steve isn’t eagerly anticipating Taylor Swift’s new album. Thunderstorms soaked Dag’s laundered jeans as they dried outdoors. Brendan gives up turkey, cold turkey. He also took time to meet a listener, who made a childhood dream of his come true. Callers fill the voicemail bank with calls about the western suburbs, Hard Knocks, Cheap Trick, and more. Was Dag, the showman, overlooked by some Park Ridge event hosts?

Steve rescued Matt’s Air Jordans from the wrath of Roger aka Santa’s Little Helper. Perhaps if he was a Golden Retriever he’d be considered for the new Air Bud movie. Tom Thayer joins us on his way home from the grand opening of the new Hollywood Casino in Joliet. He also has some definite thoughts on smelling salts. Brendan drops a bombshell that he may be in the process of quitting turkey — does it have anything to do with the pounds of turkey burgers in his freezer? He also has some definite thoughts on smelling salts.

Emery Dahl joins the show fresh off a trip to Tony’s Fresh Market, where she and Grandma Janet procured the makings of a charcuterie board. A frog in Steve’s throat leads to an appreciation of comedian Robert Klein. Love Island is a low point in the TV timeline . Brendan treated himself to turkey smash burgers, but suffered seriously cold hands as a result. We hear more about the recent drama of the micro-influencer. Grandpa Steve: nervous wreck?

Up With People and The President’s Council on Physical Fitness were part of both Steve’s and Dag’s early school days, but it’s Brendan that can run a 7-minute mile. Steve absorbs The Simpsons without commercial interruption. Wild hog meat consumers are singing the blues in California. What would it be like to go bowling in The White House?

It appears that the younger generation has already discarded “Rizz” just as Steve felt comfortable deploying the term. Flying sure was different back in the day, as was airlines’ stance on stand-up comedians in the aisle. Even if you’re not watching The Bear (Dag!) they are featuring lots of great music, including a bunch of REM (Dag!). A Floridiot takes a novel and slightly deadly approach to reptile smuggling.

A car breakdown called Grandpa Steve into action for a card show appearance. Dag Juhlin is full of Tex Mex and BBQ as he bids farewell to Houston after a life-affirming siblings weekend. Margarita-swilling sports fans are a chain’s PR concern. A Talk To Me Tuesday opens the door to discussions about eye health and Jack Black’s connection to the Apollo project.

Smoke from Canadian wildfires clouded Steve and Brendan’s weekend with weather warnings — but Dag was blissfully unaware down in Houston, busy having a blast at NASA, even getting behind the controls of the Ghost Shuttle. Meanwhile, Steve’s been hitting the links with strangers, and Tom Thayer reports some encouraging progress from the Bears as the season nears. Oh, and in a surprise pop, Tom Brady showed up in Wrigleyville over the weekend.

Steve doesn’t cross paths with Captain Morgan anymore, but he used to mix spiced rum with orange juice. Steve had difficulty locating his car in the gym parking lot. Joe used to work nights at a gym in River North, where he held unsanctioned pool parties after midnight. Steve invented the broccoli-cauliflower mashup, but didn’t obtain a patent on the broccoflower seed.

The search for Giddy Steve commences during today’s show. Janet announces the results of their puppy search. A kindhearted friend waited at Jack in the Box to obtain tacos for Steve. A Columbus man kept a physical list of all the books he read since 1962, which was published to a website upon his death. Martha Stewart’s vegetable garden is thriving. Steve can change a lightbulb.

Steve’s driving-range trip with the grandkids hooks into trouble but he manages to wedge in a heartfelt life lesson on the ride home. Dag’s new granola obsession reaches California gold standard status—verified by native son Steve himself. Meanwhile, Tom Thayer is fully locked into Bears camp under new head coach Ben Johnson, dishing no-nonsense insights and not shying away from calling out bogus media takes.