COVID-19 Recovery, a Northern Michigan Snowmobile Trip & Jackass Forever

Recorded in February 2022 after a nearly three-week break, Henrique Couto recounts a second bout of COVID-19 and the slow return of his voice. He compares it with his much harder illness the year before, explains why a sore throat and congestion disrupted his podcast schedule and says he is finally doing much better. This is a personal account from that moment, not current health information or medical guidance.Before getting sick, Henrique had driven to northern Michigan for a writing retreat. He describes buying groceries away from the storm, then white-knuckling the long trip back to Dayton through ice, snow and poor visibility. The trip’s highlight was riding a Ski-Doo on Houghton Lake, a huge frozen expanse where he reached high speeds, stopped near shore for lunch and saw the Christmas trees local riders used to mark old ice-fishing holes.Henrique also recalls walking on nearby Higgins Lake and how dramatically the scenery and temperature changed away from shore. The wide-open ice felt like a desert, while snowmobile access made restaurants and shops along Houghton Lake part of the day’s route. The story is presented as a 2022 travel memory—not frozen-lake or vehicle-safety advice—and Michelle’s fear of cold water offers an appropriately cautious counterpoint to his enthusiasm.The conversation turns to Jackass Forever as Henrique prepares to return to a movie theater. He explains why he sees Jackass as creative stunt comedy with roots in carnival geek shows, praising Johnny Knoxville’s cannon-shot angel pose and Steve-O’s modern versions of old sideshow acts. Michelle remains unconvinced because watching real injuries makes her squeamish. Moonfall, Licorice Pizza and the Tom Green Show round out a short comeback episode about recovery, risk and the things each host considers fun.LinksEmail the hosts: [email protected]