It’s the end of the month, and Bobby, Mike, Meredith, Christy and Ann (along with our Google Drive spirit animals) are here to catch up on an array of LRB topics including a two-month backlog in the mailbag, an unexpectedly laissez-faire approach to the LRB picnic potluck, and a new AMA question that opens an old wound for a couple of our co-hosts. (Don’t worry, that’s not blood—it’s just marinara. Though that doesn’t make it OK.) Plus, Bobby has a dream mascot battle (on ice!), Meredith has allergy-induced shiners, Christy’s got sneaky meat, Mike has a cold take on popsicles, and Ann has a hot beef with Mike.

This whole Australia thing and the general state of the world today have made us a little sad this week. Good thing listener Ann reminded us that Ludacris freestyling Llama Llama Red Pajama is a thing that exists, and that we should watch it. And now, so should you.