Yeah. Well I mean I don't see why like the U. S. Government couldn't just like you know instead of giving tax breaks to giant corporations just because they'll be fine like give money to small businesses to stay to stay afloat and like pay people you know $2000 a month to live on or something like that's what Canada did you know? That's what Canada is doing better. It's like


I mean, you be,


it's.


I would be nice, but I mean, well, no,


Yeah. I don't know. It's at least through the pandemic. I don't know. It's like


temporary at least to keep people you know happy and


so


being


the people


able to


who can't work.


you know live comfortably somewhat comfortably happy so you know. Right. Yeah. It's kind of interesting to see what kind of times that we've been doing. Yeah. It does suck. I mean this entire year has been just shit basically.

Yeah. Yeah. Uh huh. Yeah. It sucks. Mhm. Yeah.


Shit. For some reason I had this weird feeling that like 2020 was going to be a good year. I was just like I mean it was just like superstition. I was like, I was still living in Vancouver Washington. I went down to this little convenience stores like indian family run and it was like New Years and they were given out like, you know, and they made indian like sweets and I was just shooting the shit and I was like, oh, 2020 I think it's going to be a good year. It's a nice round number. It was like, nope, completely wrong, like so wrong. Yeah.


mm.


So yeah, I mean 2016 was bad, but this year is, this year is really really


Yeah it is. Well hopefully 2021 is better. I mean crossing their fingers but I don't know it might be like just a slight continuation of 2020 and then maybe like for the end of the year, like the second half of the year like they need to start to get better. Right.


Yeah. I'm hoping, you know, I mean, I think the way, well, you know, you think about cold and flu season, right? Because


Yeah. They anticipated


I


supposed


think


to get worse.


it's cold virus. So fall winter, you know, it's, that's cold and flu season. So unless the vaccine comes along before then it's pretty much just going to be um I cases are going to go way up or everything will just have to like shut down all the way again. So yeah. And figure out some way to deal with that. Um until you know, I think that basically what has to happen is like a vaccine, like that's the only way, you know, there's a lot in phase three trials right now. So like

Right. Mhm. Yeah. Yeah. Right. Right. Yeah.


But I think last I've heard they're not expecting a vaccine to be widely


back


available until


what?


this mid part of 2021. So I mean, it would be a while, well, unless you use the Russian vaccine, but I don't know how trustworthy that would be. I


Pretty


mean,


fucking sketchy man. Yeah,


I mean, you don't know what they might have inserted in there as well. Like it could be another virus or I don't know.


I don't know about that. But definitely like you just skip phase three trials like, you know. Yeah, okay. There


Yeah.


be effective but we're not going to really


Boy.


tested in human populations who just go right ahead.


Yeah. Just, you know, it just might kill off the entire population or at least half of the population never know. But it's just a waiting game. We'll see what happens, I guess. Yeah.


I mean I lived out here for a little while before anyway after I left grad school. Like I had some health problems and stuff so it's kind of familiar and like honestly it's not that different living here than like than it was before when it wasn't the pandemic because it's like the middle of nowhere anyway, you know? So it's like it's not like it's this kind of just like isolation and lifestyle. I mean not entirely because we I would like we would go to town and like at least like go out a little bit and have more over and see more people and stuff. So it does suck more or does suck, you know, like it is definitely more isolated, lonely. But

Uh huh. Yeah. Mhm. Yeah. Mhm. Mm. Right. Mhm.


Have you lived in Washington basically


your entire life?


And not entire life, I lived here for 17 years and then when I was 17 I moved to Olympia Washington, which is where I went to college when I lived in Portland Oregon for a year. And then I lived in ann arbor michigan um was my


No.


home base for six years while I was in grad school. So when I lived in Russia, some two in Poland.


so you have some experience than outside? Right,


a little bit. How about you, have you lived in Hawaii whole life?


yep. Born and raise. Um, I mean, I've traveled a few times like honesty to like new york, uh, that California and maybe about three or four times to japan, but other than that, um, not really anywhere else domestically or internationally. What's it like in Poland Russia?


Oh, it's, you know, they're different, they're kind of similar in a way culturally, but I mean what is it like in Russia? It's Russia, man, it's like um


Is it like the stereotypes of the portrayed in the media sort


like


of cold


what


hearted? Um I don't know, like just um,


I


you


mean,


know, like


people


the Russian


are in public.


personality


It's


is


very


just being strong and what not.


and not really. I mean yes and no, it's very different public versus when you know somebody like out in public, it's definitely like, like nobody smiles, it's like kind of stony


I see.


face. But part of that is cultural like smiling is like you don't smile for no reason in Russia right? Like America, everybody's like, you smile at the supermarket, you smile you know? Whereas in Russia like you smile because something is funny or you know you smile with your friends like used to you know that kind of thing. Um You smile when you're happy


Great,


like


right. There's a


you


purpose


know


to


like.


it. Mhm


right? Um And also like like it's almost like when you're at work like you're supposed to be serious, it's like you're working you know like


I see,


so and also like like so if you smile in public people are like they're going to be confused. They're like either there's something funny about them like they're zipper is down or like you're like you're coming on to them or something. So it's just


got it.


but there is so I think when people go there maybe if people go there and they don't know a lot about Russia it seems like that to them. Like people are just like really cold and like, you know, you know something but once you get to know people like you're friends with people and you're like visiting and you're hanging out and people are really you know I mean people are people like they definitely like they're funny, they laugh. They're like, you know, they're actually very like emotionally open. Like people will cry like guys will just like cry and they'll like hug each other and like definitely the drinking is true though. Like that stereotype


I can imagine.


is definitely true. Yeah. More so men than women, but women do drink some as well, although it's it has gotten a bit better or you know, a little bit less and vodka is not trendy anymore really with the young people. I mean some still


no,


but like, like beer and wine is like it's more cool now, you know,


I see.


than to drink vodka which is healthier like you


that's


true.


because it's yeah it's there's more more liquid in the alcohol so it's it doesn't get you as drunk as quick but it's also like easier on your body so it's a little it's a little better.


mm let's see.


But yeah and it's it's interesting culture, there's a lot of different things about it, you know Poland is um


mm hmm,


it's definitely more european like it is europe and people are


Is it heavily


more


Russian


like


influence?


immediately


Is it heavily Russian influence?


Is it heavily Russian influence? No but they're both Slavic people Islamic


I see.


cultures so there's definitely cultural similarities in linguistics similarities so it is similar in some ways but it's definitely it's europe, it's part of europe and people are more like immediately friendly like it feels friendlier when you're out and about, you know what I mean? Um doesn't have that Russian feel like people smile in Poland there like friendly chit chat when you're out and uh yeah so yeah


I guess it's more approachable for foreigners then mm


and crack crack house, early, nice city. What did you think of Japan? What's Japan like?


I like Japan, I mean I'm japanese so I guess you know it's like the motherland basically um


Uh


except I wasn't born in Japan, I was born in Hawaii so but yeah it's just really nice to be in Japan, you know I made me stayed within the Tokyo area so you know I'm just more of like a city person I guess so I'd like you know the attraction shopping just sort of like the bustle within the city um I guess it's I wouldn't say it's similar to new york but I mean in some ways it's like the cleaner, more modern version of new york I guess.


I've seen pictures of like downtown Tokyo and it's just like, like, like, like, like, like, I don't know, I would feel a little overwhelmed,


Yeah I guess


I was just,


well


you


go


know,


ahead, go ahead.


go ahead, go ahead.


Um initially I guess it was a bit overwhelming at first because I didn't really know what to anticipate, right, I mean as soon as I started being more comfortable around the people, you know, being for example, like um, pushed into a train and like being like squeeze into like a can of sardines basically within the dreams. Um,


you know, you can somewhat get accustomed to it I guess. Um, but it's, it's a pleasant experience I guess being in Japan, I mean it's a lot more fast case than Hawaii is and so I feel like,


I imagine


you know,


what's a much bigger city Honolulu Tokyo is, I'm


it is uh


Yeah.


well what were you going to see earlier? I'm sorry.


Oh, I was for a random reason, I was reading today about pachinko parlors. Did you ever go?


um, I passed by then and I wanted to play at a partner


I'm not


actually, but I guess it's like an agent everywhere. I don't know, you have to be like 18 or 21 I wasn't at the time so I couldn't really pray. But I don't know, something about pachinko parlors just sort of like fascinates me. It's almost like smart machines for americans. Like I don't know if it's like addicting or whatnot. But


But they're like, they're kind of like pinball though, right? It's like a


interesting because I don't understand how, you know, that's gambling. I mean it's like putting a little pain inside the commissioning and I wouldn't necessarily say it's like a people. Well, I mean, I guess it is in the sense that


like


the ball just


you, you


sort


kind of


of,


like moving around and like Yeah. Right.


it just drops randomly and you know, you have those like tax and you know, it just goes in different directions. Um I think some of them you can move around as well, but like I don't really understand the purpose of it to be honest. I mean it's like just sort of like on the random chance I guess like slot machines with us, so I


that's


don't


gambling


know.


I guess. Yeah


guess so.


I mean that's and that's it's like poker or something, you know poker, there's that skill to it so which is actually like makes it kind of different from gambling I think I think gambling usually is just like random bets or chance like you know betting on horses or which is also I mean if you know horses a little bit but most gambling is like craps or roulette or slot machines or whatever, which is why the house always wins and that's why casinos always make money. Yeah

Mhm. Right. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Mhm. Right. Yeah. Yeah,


we take advantage of the


they


stupid people.


that enough that yeah.


Right. Yeah I mean I don't know I mean I guess just with watching for farmers and like slot machines like there's not really like a how to guide on how to gain the machine or you know try to beat also I guess. Um But I don't know I I just find it somewhat you know interesting not to say that I would just spend my earnings on gambling all day but yeah


but no just like go in and try it out happens but I don't know I thought when I was reading it it kind of seemed like it was a little bit more like pinball and that there was some game aspect to it with like, you know you can like hit buttons or like pull levers to like make it kind of like thinking


maybe


like pinball.


I mean I don't know I don't really have much experience so they could have changed or there could be like different


it's


variations.


just like yeah I heard I heard somebody talking about it and like and I was talking about it and chat with somebody on IRC who said it was like pinball so I had to go read about it. It's like oh have you ever played pachinko is like, no because I was talking about playing pinball and arcades which is like my favorite arcade game. So yeah


Have you ever gambled before like at a casino


why would I have not at a casino, I've bought just like, you know, scratch off tickets. Like that is the extent of my gambling experience.


Have you


You


want anything


know just like


before?


$1.2 dollar tickets. Huh?


Have you won anything before?


Have you want? Yeah actually me and my uncle won like $70.1 time $5 tickets by


I guess


like


I was


three tickets.


worth it


And


then.


yeah that one. And I've won like you know 10 bucks here and there off like a $2 ticket. So you know


Because we


probably mostly I've lost money like all told but I rarely buy them. It's just like if I have two bucks cash in my pocket occasionally and I'm at a convenience store like what am I gonna do with two bucks cash and you're only buying with cash. It's like what the hell? By one. It's not really like I've lost money because I wasn't gonna do anything with it anyway, sort.


I just heard people


I don't know.


from hawaii because we don't have really any gambling or legalized gambling here because gambling is just illegal for some reason I guess um you know they decided all that I guess it probably what was the crime rate or what not? I guess a lot of hawaii people tend to go to Las Vegas so they call like las Vegas like the Nine islands and it's like the home

Right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Uh huh. Uh huh.


No.


away from home for most people from hawaii I guess for gambling and what that also I don't know it's just kind of foreign for hawaii people to exceed scratch off lottery tickets or like casino machines and uh I mean a lot of people do want them but I don't know for some reason or another government just won't allow them, I mean it will help us make additional revenues since our tourism is closed off right now, so. Yeah.

Mhm. Uh huh. Mhm. Right. Mhm. Yeah. Right. Yeah.


Yeah. I don't know. Yeah Washington has some state lotteries. And then also um there's like indian casinos here. Like they can have them on their land so people go to those but they have different tribal laws


Is


they're


it regulated


allowed to


or is it just like a free for all if you're on a indian soon?


I think it's they I mean they're so tribes are bound by federal law but not by state law for the most part I think. So it's basically up to them


Oh, that's interesting.


as far as I know. Yeah. Yeah so that's a common way that they make money. Yeah we take the money from the white man. You take out we take your money.


Yeah. Revenge for past atrocities,


All


I guess. Yeah.


right well I think um


Are we


I'm gonna


is it time


probably


for reading?


eat something and do some work. Yeah.


It was nice talking to you though.


Yeah same here. Yeah thanks


good


for


rest


thanks


of your day


for hanging


I guess and hopefully makes


to,


years better. Mm hmm.


hopefully hopefully 2021 works out a little better. Yeah.


Take


All


care. Bye bye.


Hi there.


Hi, how are you?


I'm good, how are you?


Good.


So what, what's your name?


My name's christa and


I'm


your


Alison. Yeah, it's nice to meet you


yeah. Nice to meet you. What part of the country are you from?


southern California, like Orange County area. Where are you from?


pennsylvania. So


That's awesome. Yeah, different time zones.


for sure. Your pacific


Yeah. Yeah, I just got done observing. I'm in a teaching credential program, so I've been observing like an online school.


that's cool.


Yeah, so I just got out of that and logged right on so


Yeah. My kids are doing um, cyber school this year. We decided to take the plunge. Um, because what happened in the spring was a train wreck to be nice and,


was


and They need consistency, you know, and not education can't be, well, we're going to maybe hold 20 minutes and then nothing at all. And then, you know, and even now my daughter has some friends that are, have done, some of them have done like a hybrid and they're now back in school full time and they just said it's been difficult. There's been all kinds of issues and it's different here in the, in pennsylvania. They have this, the cyber charter schools function as public schools as well. So they get taxpayer funding, they just take a portion of what you pay from the district and then that scent is almost like a check to which is kind of nice. So you kind of have that option to find the one that best meets your needs because you know, obviously some schools are driven for different reasons, some are highly academic, some are, you know, more flexible and you know, my, my kids are special needs, so it kind of works better with their um learning styles is that we're not on a demanding because my son is autistic and it's like, it's the difference is huge. It's just, I'm like, I kind of wish I'd done this before, like I wish I knew what


I know.


I knew now then, um because he, he has anxiety like school kind of would stress him out and it is, and the things I, you know, not being autistic school could be anxiety driving, no real question. Well, he is very different this year. Like he's, he, I mean he has his moments of course, but it's definitely different. His his demeanor is different. He's not um coming home like he's exhausted. He will go to, he was just exhausted. Like you could tell because he's trying to hold it together. He's a kid that's well behaved. I'm very lucky that he's not a behavior problem, but that's been a, what's the word? A thorn because districts don't like to help kids that don't have issues. Okay. Which


And


is interesting.


Yeah, fun, fun stuff. I was actually diagnosed autistic when I was 11, so I, I know what your son is going through. I was never a behavior problem or anything, but just the anxiety of going to school was, it was really intense and


it is.


I even homeschooled for um 7th and 8th grade because it was just, I couldn't be there, you know?


Oh, it's, and what kids have to go through now is so different And


it really


it's


is.


it and Mike's and my kids have twins. My kids are in 6th grade, so they just started middle school. So it's a big, you know, it is a big jump 56 there is a, is a, you know, change for many reasons and he really, um, has embraced it. I kind of said, you know, we'll just take a leap of faith and we'll see how this plays out. I said, if it doesn't, we can always go back to the district school, that's always an option because they


you


follow


won't,


the same curriculum. Um, so, and I know, I think that vary state to state, you know what they do and what they focus on, but you know, what kids, what age group do you work with?


high school. So I'm observing freshmen and seniors this year.


That's quite a, even that's a difference when you're talking maturity.


Yeah because it's um they're all part of this thing called a marketing and business academy so they're all um like they want to be part of this program that's going to help them see their subjects from like a business standpoint.


that's interesting.


Um Yeah and it's uh it's a title one school so there's like a lot going on. Um So the so the 12th graders are actually it's an ap class and most of those kids have never been in an ap or honors or accelerated anything before so they're really getting their their first you know taste of that kind of that kind of


What


class.


college? Yeah, but like what college is going to be like?


Yeah and I remember I took some ap classes in high school and um they were kind of different from what college ended up being um


Yeah,


like you're kind of babysat a little more in the A. P. Classes were in college, it's like here's the syllabus here's your assignments go.


show up when you're supposed to take your, you know? Yeah, it's, it's more like you're an adult versus, here's what we need you to do too, be complete and finished high school because part of it they have a catch because they want you to finish school too. They don't want


and


you to be hanging around next year.


Yeah and in California um you are I don't every state is different but California you're required to go to school until you're 18 so.


You're I believe it's six 15 or 16.


Yeah like here you can't even like drop out earlier, anything like


Do they


you


get


are.


in trouble? So if you decide just to not go so like true and say they go after you.


they go after you and they're actually allowed to also go after your parents. Um Your parents can get fined or put in jail for um not sending your kid to school which is not great.


No, it's not always a plausible scenario if you've got a single parent and the kid, you think they go and then they or they leave or they don't go, what are you supposed to do?


I know.


Like you can't make an adult basically an adult when you're someone 17 years old, you can't make them go to school. Like how do you do that? Like I've I still can't wrap my head around, you know? And thankfully my kids, you know, hopefully we won't have that situation cyber school. Um I work part time on the weekends in a retail store and the store manager, his son is also works there part time and his son is 16 and he kind of, he goofed off like the last year in cyber school and he's age wise, he's a junior, but he's taking sophomore and fresh because he failed. So he has to pay, his father has to pay extra money to try to get him to graduate on time. And I, you know, I said to him, I said it really wasn't worth it was and he's like, no, I said


No.


you're just better because I said if you want to be done with it, it's a lot easier just to do the work and get it done than to delay it, you're just kicking it down the road and honestly you get older and you want to work or you want to earn your own money. Well if you don't finish school that's really a handicap because most jobs now either you have to have a G. E. D. Or high school diploma. Like that's almost a requirement to even like my husband's company out of curiosity. I asked him I said because they hire people right out of school. I said do you ever hire anybody who doesn't have a high school diploma? And he said they won't or G. D. He said they won't. He said they um And I thought that's interesting. I don't know how you verify that without having to contact the school because that can get


I


kind


know.


of country but I always thought that was interesting. Um It is it's it's a different


I was just


world


gonna say like my my fiancee's mom just went through this because she you know


thank


she grew up in a time where


you.


you didn't have to go to school until you're 18 and so she she dropped out and didn't get her diploma or anything and she worked a very successful career for many years and then she decided to um to leave and just be like a stay at home mom for a while, then she needed to go back to work for like financial reasons. And um no one would hire her despite her decades of experience because she didn't have the high school diploma, so she she went back and got her GED

Right. Yeah. Mhm. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Mhm.


Good for her.


and.


It's and they say it's tough, they say that GED is a tough, they say it's easier for you to just finish high school Because in a lot of it, if you haven't done it, you haven't done the math, you haven't done a lot of that stuff. It's really, it's a lot of work because you're working full time, you know, most people, it's you know I haven't taken the class in 25 years. you're not going to remember it, you


No,


know?


like if you asked me to take like an algebra class today, I wouldn't pass it.


no, and that's and I'm even looking at my kids like um I was making flashcards like I have to help with study material and I'm like, it was points of view, first person, third person and the third person omniscient, and I'm just like uh


is this stuff?


and I have a Master's degree and I'm like in cybersecurity and I'm like, I'm sure I'd remember, but then I'm looking at the court and I'm like, I really don't know. I know I got the first person because I'm like, I would remember that was I, but then the other two and I was like, mm I'm not sure. I was like, mm and I guess wrong. Well it's not my great but


okay. Yeah, I'm I'm going into teaching english, so like that's that's my whole thing. Um I'd like to also teach theater at some point, but uh we don't actually have a specific credential for that in California. Um


okay.


Other states do, but California doesn't, you have to teach english?


That's weird. Yeah.


like my my Bachelor's is in theater so.


You know, it's, it's interesting. I mean my husband has a degree in history, head secondary yet and he never used it. He did his student teaching and just said it's um wasn't for him, which kind


it can


of sinks


be brutal.


well and that's, and you know what he talked about, He said, what dissuaded him was the relate the no, maybe it was the schools and all fairness. But he said it was, it seemed like the lack of support with the administration with the teachers because he said he sat in on a gym teacher, one is one of the observations and this kid and part of the requirements where you bring your uniform, it's not rocket science, right? Bring your shirt, whatever. The kid didn't the kid field and and didn't participate in the teacher. The parent was screaming at the teacher,


okay. Ah It's kind of the kid's fault.


Right. And the district was basically like, well, okay, maybe give him a C,


Well


but


why


if,


would you give him a c.


right. And if the kid didn't bring his uniform, which is a record, um, it's not like we're talking a five year old,


No


this was middle school. You know, at some point, kids have to be responsible for stuff and if you can't put that in your backpack and remember that's on you, You know, and


it really is.


I mean there's some stuff I tell my kids the same thing. I said, there's some things if you're not prepared and you decide to take a test, like they were like, we wanted to because they have a math quiz tomorrow and a history test, we want to finish it before the weekend. And I said as part of your I. E. P. S. Your allocated more time. Why are you rushing? What's the logic in that? Because what if you fail? That's it. What's the point in? I said wouldn't it be better to study an extra day and maybe take the test on sunday versus taking it tomorrow and you're just winging it? Uh that you know, that's something I think that they they're just like we would we just want to get the check box, like the check on the screen has like green. I'm like, well you're not understanding, like that's not how this works. Like they have an art project. My son has to do an abstract painting. Well, he's not he kind of gets messy like when he does stuff. So, and I said, you know, this is a weekend project because it's my job that I do day today is insane. So it's I just don't have the stamina. Cleanup, acrylic paint that ends up on everything now. My daughter's fine. She was okay because I know she'll clean up. But he just, I don't know if it's a sensory thing, like, he loses track of, he got something over here and then it ends up over there. And so I'm like, what happened? He doesn't even know. And I'm like, honey. And he's like, mom. And I'm like, I'm not trying to be mean, I'm just trying to help you. But I'm like, so maybe I was like, my mother in law, he does goes, my kids spend the weekends a lot of times on there. So she has newspapers. We don't get the newspaper like perfect because I'm not going out to buy a newspaper.

Yeah. Mhm. Yeah. Mhm. Yeah. Oh. Yeah. Yeah.


Oh no, no, no. Yeah. Just


What's


just let


going


them do


on?


it over there.


Exactly. That's what I was like that's perfect. Just put newspapers out and then if he makes a mess it's ok throw it away


Yeah. You just clean it right up.


and you can go and the recycling bin problem solved. So it's just it's funny. I've been I've been to I travel sometimes for work and I sometimes end up in like the Tracy area part I don't know Tracy California. Yeah I end up I end up up there. My grandfather actually lived in um Rosita and with my and in Palm Springs they live there for a while. So I visited. Yeah so it was really it was nice they left because they were like it's L. A. Was too expensive once you retire understandably they moved to Palm Springs and they said, well it's too hot. Well


It's


you


very


live in


hot


the desert,


there.


it's like you live in the desert. Okay. But yeah, it was beautiful though. It was beautiful. I enjoyed um And I love I said the stuff, it's funny the difference between the East Coast and West Coast food. Like the stuff that you can't get can't get, you can't get, you know, it's just it's very interesting. Like there's some places, what was the in and out burger? My


and out.


co worker, we were out there. It was like January of 19. I was lost out. And he took me like, you've got to try this place. And I'm like, because I hadn't been there. And he's like, oh, we're just going to go over a lunch. Of course it took forever because it was like 30 minutes from where we were, we had an hour. But it's like, but you know, people flex lunch sometimes, you know, an hour turns into an hour and a half. Anyway. I was like, I think different. It is, it's interesting that the differences in just the the the how do I say this? Just the tempo of um, the day to day stuff like here


I get


is very


that.


now now now now, you know, fast, fast, fast, fast, fast everybody's route. Every, that's the truth. I I at least every, no, it's true. My brother and sister in law moved to north Carolina and even my sister in law said, she said sometimes, I wonder like what's your ulterior motive? Why are you being nice to me? Because


gosh.


because you are so used to it and I don't know our California is typically outgoing, are they?


Pretty outgoing, but not not as much as like the midwest, like in in California you do kind of um


But


like make small talk a little more than in other places. Um And you know, people smile a lot here. I I don't know, it is what the weather is, Something that we just smile a lot.


Well you guys have good weather. I mean you get, I mean in comparison to other parts of the country, your weather's much better. I'm like I live in the wrong climate and I've resigned myself. I will move when my kids are 18 finished school, high school, not college, college doesn't really matter. Um Moving on. Yeah


I'd like to be somewhere slightly cooler cause like I'm looking


I


at


just


right now, it's it's 95 outside and


years. It's


even,


don't have working air conditioning so.


that's tough, that's hot.


but I kind of, you know, you acclimated to it a little bit but


You do, you do,


we had a heat wave the other months I think it was last month. Um it was like 117 outside.


Yeah that's brutal.


It really is and you


And you're


know,


exhausted


it doesn't,


and you're exhausted because you you just


you


feel


can't


like


do anything.


you know and you're just like you're tired from being in it all day. I worked in a building that over a summer a couple years ago and they wouldn't fix the h fat but we had to dress up in business professional stuff and I'm like I got to a point I I started and I was having some health issues at the time and I'm just like, if I come in super early and do half my day, I was able to negotiate that I could go home and work in the afternoon, because I was just and my kids were little probably like two or 3, and I was like, it was probably longer than you could say it was longer ago than that, but there were two. I was like, I have no energy to even I said, I'm sitting in this all day long and you feel like crap. I said I'm drinking, but I'm wearing like, I'm not somebody that wears like skirts and that's not my thing. So I wasn't I'm not gonna go spend a bunch of money on a wardrobe, because I don't think that's fair. Like


No, it's not.


because I said that's a lot of money, and I said, my kids, I said at the time my husband was on uh we're in between jobs and I'm like, I'm not spending money on. That's insane. But they, so my boss thankfully was he was like, if you stayed to like 10 coming at six and like sleep 10 or 11 and then go home and work the rest of the day, I was like, I can do that. That's that's her


sounds great


thing. Exactly. And then I don't, at least till I get home, I cool down. You can change and you feel. Yeah.


a little better. Yeah.


Yeah. It's, you know, how is, I guess, I don't know how how is covid for where you guys are, are things still kind of crazy?


little bit ah just because I I live in Orange County um which is a very different like culture pocket than the rest of so cal um ah so we have, you know, all these restrictions and everything because, you know, covid spreading. Um we have like a colored tier system going on and people are so angry that Disneyland isn't open and um, people are freaking out about it. They, but they don't go out with their masks on. They, there's been like rallies in multiple cities where people are like, you're not going to make any where a mask. And I'm just like, this is why this


We


is why


are


Disneyland


where we are.


isn't open. Yeah.


Who cares? You're, it's, you know, don't get me wrong. The people that are employed there. Of course, that's oh, that is devastating. But you always have to think the bigger picture. And I think that even here, um, it's kind of a funny state. So it's like both ends are typically philadelphia and Pittsburgh are very democratic and then the middle is kind of a mishmash, right?


Yeah.


Certain counties are, it's very interesting because even I live near the, I live in Harrisburg, which is the capital, so it's very democratic. But then you go in the counties just surrounding it within the same commuting area and it's very different. I mean, I don't want to say, and I will say there are redneck um, whack jobs because that's, I have nothing nicer to say and


I feel you. I feel


and


you.


I'm just like, I can't understand, you know, i


No.


it doesn't mean anybody likes it and most people I don't think are happy about it, but you do it because you care about other people and their well being. I said, you know, if I could get, of course nobody wants to do this. But yes, I do it because of my kids do it. Yes, because it's a requirement and it's, it's


And it's just like if you want to live in a society, sometimes you have to


Make


live


sacrifices.


by certain rules. Yeah.


and that's it is and it's just, it's interesting here. The governor has made some national, so he shut down. Our state was shut down from like february march into february, march through into May and we have the same color system, red, yellow, green. Um, and we've been in yellow for, since May. Well our numbers and you guys are probably having the same problem are going the absolute wrong direction. And there were seeing, I think we had 2400 cases in two days pitch,


no. That's so bad.


which in the, in the state, which is, but it's exponentially growing. And you know, part of the issue with, you know, pennsylvania's because of where we're located, you know, we're so close to Baltimore philadelphia being, you know, new york is four hours from where I live. That's when you think about it, that's really not that far. So somebody


No,


could


it's


easily


not


take a bus or take a train and you know, the spread is, and it's a, it's a heavily trafficked area in terms of truck traffic and people going through the area to other destinations. So that's where they think some of this is coming from, is from other areas because people traverse through and then, you know, the rest is, you know, history, like I work on a military base and


Well,


it's been closed since March. They are, they will and that's essential, like quote essential personnel and they have a phase system as well. But it's based on the percentage of infection based on the population for seven counties in the surrounding area. Want to go down to will go up. It's like popcorn And I can't, I said we're not open well into probably next summer because they can't and then there's a gating period. You have to be stable for 14 days after that. Well, that's never gonna


That's how are ours is to like. Mhm. Yeah. We have to have like declining numbers or steady numbers for 14 days in order to move into the


and


next year. It's just


happening.


never happened. No. And it's, you know, and you know, the apprehension of do I think stuff's going to shut down again? I don't know, like it it was tough. My kids took it really tough. I don't know how it's mentally, it's just exhausting.


It is and it's kind of sad like Um my so my fiance has a little sister who's um she just turned 13 And you know she's right in the prime of like I need to be around my friends 24/7 and she's having a really hard time with it. And you know, she'll she'll call us and ask like, hey can I come over and we have to go sorry like.


You can phone video chat face time, that kind of stuff. But Yeah, and that's, it's tough. My kids really spent love spending a lot of time with my um grandparents. Like my kids are 12, just turned 12 um last month. And my son, his biggest thing was wrapping his head around, why does, why when is this over? And I can't give you an answer. And


No, there


that


is no answer.


he usually does really well. When you say, oh it'll be over in three weeks on this date, he's fine, but when I'm like this goes on and now he's gotten better because I think he's kind of come to accept that this is the way it is because enough time has happened that he's but you know, he when he's not able to do his usual things, it's tough and


And


stuff,


you know, it's probably not gonna things are gonna get better until there's like a reliable vaccine that everyone is taking. And yeah. And then some people will go there. Well, I don't want to take a vaccine. I don't trust big pharma and then that it all spirals out of control.


It is and it's it's and I hear the same, you know, I have friends I see on facebook and post, I'm never gonna, it's got a chip from Bill Gates


Bill


and I'm like, what? Like if you really are that concern, you have bigger problems, like truly I can't help you. Like I just I can't and it is, but you know, it scares me because um I wouldn't so I had to see a doctor for something and we were just chatting about it and he told me, he said one bit of advice, he said don't take anything that's jammed through. He said wait to make sure that the vaccines are approved by Western medicine companies because that if something comes and pushed through early, that you know, for some reason they do something stupid like that. He said it's probably coming from china or Russia. And he said he said there's no telling, not saying it won't work, but he said there's no telling what else is in it, what, you know? And he said that's that's the and I said, oh I wasn't, I'm planning to wait, you know, wait until things have kinda not that I'm not going to get it eventually, but I'm like, let's just see how this plays out in the trials and you know, make


me too. Yeah.


an informed decision based on, you know, evidence as it comes out based on the trial is not a decision now. And that's, you know, as a parent. Because I said, you know, they, I read an article about kids, I said they haven't really done testing on kids.


That's


So what


scary.


if you think about it? So they said they're starting on a trial, I think it's Merck With with 12 ages 12 and like my kids just turned 12. But I'm like, you know, that makes me question and I'm like, that's do, do you inoculate my husband and I and not my kids? Like, you know, and I realized statistically there at less risk then, but not to say that their immune, but it just, I was like, that kind of is troubling because I'm like, well, you know, you, you have a limited pool of people but you're not gonna ever account for every condition that could possibly happen because you know that, you know, there are vaccines, not that, but there are people that things get kicked off immune reactions or they have, you know, William beret like from the flu shot. So it's like, so how does that work? Because I'm like, if you have, if it's just being tested now, like, you know, that's that's a struggle point because I'm like, do I? And I'm like, I'm kind of like, no, you know, and you know, maybe you wait because I'm like wolf, I'm inoculated my husband is maybe for a little bit, it's tolerable. I don't know if it's a very scary um thing you take to take that decision on, you know.

Yeah. Right. Mhm. Mhm. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.


It is yeah. And especially like for me um going into teaching it's like what if all the students aren't vaccinated?


True. Well and you don't know that because it's it's one of those things you can't as I have a friend from high school that teaches kindergarten or first grade her and she had her daughter is now just one and she was able to get a job with the district with their online only option because they do the district we left but they offered an online only option um for some kids that have you know have medical conditions, they have to stay home or have a family member that obviously you know someone's got cancer, that kind of stuff. Um And she was because she was really worried our district just went back to in person five days on Tuesday and she she's like I don't know what I'm gonna do if you're not gonna let me stay home. And you know it's like maybe you look at it cyber school like see if I have any openings that you could Teach because I'm sure they do. There's a cyber school I enrolled my kids and they normally had an average student population of about 8000. They have about 16,000.


Oh that's crazy.


Yeah so it's been an interesting. Um But you know to be honest I feel I've been better served in the last and I've only been there since we started September eight, I've only been there and better served and I think I've been in many years because I feel like district didn't do the justice that they should have with the I. D. Process and and it's sad


Oh my gosh. Yeah.


I wish I knew it was as if you could go back in time and tell yourself something that you wish you knew now, it probably wouldn't have worked at a super young age because you've got to be pretty hands on with young Children. But I was just like, you know, I wish I wish I would've known what I know now,


I know. Yeah.


you


Like


know,


I


and that


wished the same thing for myself because I had a really bad experience with because I had an I. E. P. Growing up um The district was so bad about it. Um They were not giving me things that were in my I. P.


legally


They


entitled


were


to you. Yeah,


and


it's a


they


legal document,


yeah and they were not wanting to give me any more accommodations desperately needed and


Of course,


they kind of treated me really badly. I had to get like a legal advocate to come to my IP meetings with


and that's a


me


whole


and my mom. Yeah,


and that awful.


because


That's


otherwise


all


they just step all over us because we don't know the laws.


well. And that's that's exactly what happened to me. I had to have my husband that my son's developmental pediatrician has a legal um you know what the word is, he's not a he's a legal staff but they provide guidance and then she has people you can pay to come and then they have a legal team for, you know, kind of levels of how severe how severe the situation is. I had to threaten legal action several times. They wouldn't um they just basically said uh so what I mean they didn't even it was just like


And like


every


that's kind of the reason why I want to go into education is because I want to make a difference


absolutely


and I I want to change the system and show that there are people who actually care especially about kids with disabilities, like


it is it's and I think you know as people are becoming more aware you know there are more kids being recognized with my daughter just got an I. E. P. In january. She's had


and


some issues that were kind of bubbling and kind of you know right at the surface but it wasn't enough where and the district also refused to test her for over a year and I have to get her. She has a PhD her psychiatrist to write a letter. She was failing math, her state tests. Her state tests were below what they call profession which is you know she was below that for two years.


it's so sad.


You can tell me there's not something wrong. Well she tests fine with this I said but can't you can't you have an issue with a certain type of of like her as she was word problems. I said when we do those she has a meltdown now she's asked to do okay a computation that's fine. But when you give her a word problem dear God it's like and I said this just doesn't make sense. And they finally tested her and then she got the I. P. And then Covid. So


Thank you. All right.


it was it was quite the challenge. But you know at the end of the day I mean I'm grateful that she at least has it when we left the district and went into the new one they retested her and she tested right where I figured she would and actually they back slid some because they didn't have any schooling. Like their their idea of schooling and I don't know how this was in California. But here so we live in a title one district. All the schools, all the kids qualify for free lunch if that gives you, you know, that's substantial. It's a very large district. And they said, well if the parents don't have internet because you know, internet is an expensive, say


it's


very expensive.


bucks a month, 50 bucks a month, it's probably an easy number. And they said well we can't afford to obviously supplement that. So you know, some kids that didn't walk that didn't come to didn't connect it all at the school eventually gave some loner, they got some loner tablets or whatever, but still we don't have internet. What you can't always tethered to a phone because again, you have data and they basically said, well your grades will be At the end of the 3rd marking period for the 4th. So they didn't, I mean there was no expectation. So my son was at a different school than his sister just because they didn't have an autistic support classroom was she will, But I still made them do the work because I'm like, they need something to do and


they do. Yeah.


keep them focused on, hey, you guys, we still got to keep doing stuff because if I don't want them to think like this is the way it's supposed to be because


Yeah. No, and I think we're gonna be seeing the effects of this on all of the kids in the public schooling system for


for years to come, probably


years. Yeah, it's going to be years that there's just gonna be


the


skills and knowledge and that they just didn't get because they couldn't


And well and what I thought because I had sat in on a session with this, the cyber school we go to and they said, well, we're going to review some, but we still have state mandated material that they have to cover and it just doesn't allow for them to spend four months on what was covered in the previous grade. And


or


I understand that, I mean because they're held to a certain standard and the state, they sent a note out and said, well, because the state standardized tests were cancelled last year and I'm like, well, they're like, well, we're going to mandate them this year, I said, but what if we're in the same situation? How does that work? Because I'm gonna tell you right now? I said, I'm not signing my kid up for a situation that's epic failure. If we're like, we were in the spring, uh, in happening, we're not doing it. So that's fine. Then penalize me, whatever. But it's, the tests have to be abysmal. I mean, if you like, and you can't even equate, I don't know how they're gonna hold district like this district, You know, they have like bar charts a year to year from this school year to this school year, but you're going to see a dramatic drop from like 2018 to 2019 to, You know, 2020, I guess it'll be 2021, because you have a gap, it's going to be night and day.


Absolutely. Yeah. And


thanks.


you know it really sounds like you're trying to do the best you can buy your kids and I just think that's really great.


I appreciate that. Yeah. And I wish you the best on this. You're teaching expedition. I said I have so much. I said it's such a tough job. I said, I um, I personally, I could never do it. I don't have the patient and I know I don't like that's, you know, that's why I would have never gone into teaching because I don't have the patience that, you know, is required. You know, I just beat. I'd be done.


Yes, I consider myself pretty patient.


It is and it's it's it's a certain set of skills that I, you know, parents one thing, but to put up with a day after day from kids that aren't mine, I yeah. You know. Oh


I I'm the opposite where I'm totally fine with the idea of teaching, but I I don't want kids of my own so


and and


you know.


that and that's a big decision. It isn't, it's really, you know, and that's that's you know, and people don't understand that. People always assume that everybody wants kids well no, they don't,


No.


you


And


know, and


that's


know, I'll


not


have


respect


like 100


Absolutely,


of them at school.


absolutely. As long as you take care of them, that's the key. And there's many people that have had kids or you're like you're like, you know, and there's a girl that I work with the retail store and she has four of her own. Um and then to she took in her sisters in prison for drugs and she was raising her two nieces, her


I.


sister got out was in a halfway house and then things happen. She ended up back on drugs and she's pregnant now and and you know, we're telling her, please tell me you're not planning to take. You can't I mean six kids alone, four of your own


too


so many.


well. And that's enough. And she's struggling. Like she's just because it's a it's a family placement versus in the system. They don't give you the same amount of aid.


That's


And she's struggling. She's by herself, her kids, her biological Children's father aren't in the picture. I think maybe one is, but she just but she's and she's such a smart, like she's trying to get on with the post office because she's like, if I could get on and get a government, the other kids could be determined to be um because they talked about terminating her sister's rights. And I said at this point, you need, you need to pursue it because I said, you can get like tax credits for adoption.


So I said


true.


maybe maybe that would that would at least give you a nice chunk of change I said I would pursue because legal aid. I said if their mother hasn't been in their life in five years, I'm pretty sure judge at some point is going to be like, yeah, we're done and she's in prison. How can you be the parent?


That's very true. Yeah.


So, but I think our time is coming to an end. But I wanted to wish you the best and I hope you're teaching. Um endeavors prove fruitful for you


Thank


and


you.


you land a land a position when you graduate.


Yeah. Thank you very much. That means a lot to me and I really hope that you and your kids continue to do as well as you can during this time.


I appreciate that. I appreciate that you have a wonderful eat well I guess this afternoon there but it's evening here but have a wonderful evening and nice talking to


You


too


yeah, Yeah. Yeah. Mhm. Okay. Mhm. Thank you. Thank you. Mhm. People are going to get me anything. Mhm. Looking for something, Yeah, mm hmm. People, mm. Yeah. Okay. You can talk to, yeah. Thank you. At least three people. Mhm. Mhm, mm hmm. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Oh yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Mhm. Yeah, mm. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Mhm. Yeah. Yeah, going down differently. Okay. Mhm. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, what? Yeah. Mhm. What? Yeah. Oh yes. Mm. Yeah. Mhm. Mhm. Mhm. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. The only thing, yeah. Mhm Oh, mhm. Yeah. Mhm. What? Mhm. Mhm. Yeah. Yeah. Um Uh huh. Yeah. Oh, off, Yeah. Mhm Yeah. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Oh


Hey, how you doing?


You made it,


Yeah, I did. Sorry, we lost power yesterday. So I had to start my computer up and I had to go through all this trouble shooting stuff. So sorry, it was a couple minutes


No,


late.


no, no, no, you're fine. I was just going to hang around a little bit anyhow. It's not like I have anything better to do at the moment.


Yeah, it looks like I made it just another wire 805 Sorry about that.


I'm good. I'm glad to see you. My name is Jordan


Hey, I'm James nice to meet you


James Pleasure. Where are you calling from?


live in Orlando. Yes, Yeah. How about you?


Um I am in Tempe Arizona.


I was just in phoenix just yesterday I flew out for our work thing. So my first time in Arizona, it's hot over there.


It yeah this time of year and I guess depending on on what days you were here, we've last week we had a couple of good monsoon storms which


Yeah, I was there Wednesday, thursday, friday, saturday, sunday. So yeah.


got stuck in one of them which was a blast um in a in a literal sense, I mean before before moving here I had no idea that Arizona was or at least this part of Arizona is technically a monsoon climate. It's um it's not like the violence or southeast asian, you know type of monsoon that you associate with like you know India Vietnam but it's still technically a rainy season.


Yeah. I had not really thought much about it. I mean in florida it rains like that almost every day, especially during the summer. Like, I mean that's why, you know, lost power couple days ago and since I was away from work, you know, I had worked on my computer. But yeah, so everyone's like always fun soon. I'm like, oh yeah, sure. Okay.


I'm


If you


good


say


at


so


that. Um What were you doing out here?


I am a franchise E for a company called Zoom Room and I'm getting ready to open up my location. But one just opened up in Arrowhead. So I flew out to see the pre opening work in the opening work for the one narrow. So it opened on saturday and so I came home sunday. Yeah.


I am, I don't think I've ever been to arrowhead, I'm trying to look at the map in


It's


my brain.


yeah peoria. So like if it's north northwest part of phoenix, so Arrowhead is part of its really about an area inside peoria and what some city and surprise like that part.


Yeah, that area is funky. It's especially


The


like


food.


Sun City, which is like a master master planned community. Um I'm a I'm a geographer um by training, so I'm actually here is you, I'm finishing up my PhD um and so I do nothing but look at maps of phoenix all day, but but I have a general idea of where, of where the boundaries are, but if you look at it on, I'm just sort of an aerial image. It's it's really funky because it's all built


But


around uh Sun City is all built around um artificial lakes and golf courses and um you can't live there unless you are over 55 I think.


Really? It's all living.


So one time I had to do something that involved getting a a file that had all the locations of schools and the metro and you know, it has them and map them all out. And this was when I first moved here and didn't know the area very well. And there was this huge hole in the northwestern part of the Metro. And you know, my immediate reaction was this, you know, whoever made this is a piece of garbage, they left out this entire portion of the city. There are no schools here and then, you know, I did a bit of sleuthing and like, oh, it's full of elderly people. That's why there are no schools,


Yeah. That's funny.


It's a strange place. I am. I'm from texas originally. Um I


Yeah.


grew up outside Dallas fort Worth and then lived in Houston, so intimately familiar with gulf coast weather. Um but, but yeah, phoenix is a species into itself. It's, it's it's something fashion.


I was there with my work with my work friends and they were like who thought like, hey, I gotta head west, found like look around in phoenix and it was like, this is a good place to build something, it's 110 degrees and there's no water, you know? Like


It should not exist in many ways. Um That's one of the things I study is, um uh urban climate, basically because, you know, regardless of if it should exist or not, four million people still live here. So you gotta fight. You can't just abandon the city. I mean, it's a similar issue in florida where you've got, you know, Miami or whatever, you know, right at sea level. Um It's sort of like, you know, we're going to have to find a way to adapt. Uh No, this area is, is insane. I think this weekend we broke the streak for days over 110 degrees, it had been something like 50 days of consecutive. God, I'll be happy to get out of here. I want to get back to the south.

why? Mm Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Yeah. Okay, yep. Yes. Yeah. Mhm. Yeah. Yeah.


How much more time you have left in your program? Mhm.


Well, um, Covid sort of threw a wrench in the works. Um I was supposed to finish in the spring. Um but just everything got pushed back all of my research. The writing was just interrupted and so honestly it's really just whenever I finish, I finish because I'm just in the writing phase right now and it's sort of anticlimactic when it's done because you just sort of smoosh it all together into one document. But um in a weird way it's actually sort of a good thing that I didn't finish

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Yeah.


Two.


because the job opportunity that I thought I had in the spring evaporated because Covid sucked all the oxygen out of the room and so had I graduated, I would not have health insurance during this fun time to be uninsured. So um it's one of those weird things where you got to glean something positive out of whatever you can. Yeah.

Right. Yeah. Right. All right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.


I know I'm I'm self employed. Um So I'm in the process of, you know, opening my franchise, but I got laid off from my fire company a year and a year and a half ago, so my cobra just ran out like runs out like in five days, you know, at the end of this month. So I went on the market place and got health insurance. But uh what I was doing for self employed, all contracts sales work and that all dried up when Covid hit too. So I didn't work for probably 12 weeks, luckily I was able to get some of the unemployment benefits for about eight weeks. Um, and then I just found another contract and went back to work and so I'm doing that contract now. So that has to be traveling as well. So traveling for the franchise opportunity now, I'm traveling because of this contract. So I'm getting ready to, um, I was in, I was in Tampa two weeks ago and then next week I'm going to tell Hastings week after I'm going to Pensacola. So, and then I have to go to franchise training. So I'm like traveling for the next five weeks and I'm like, this is not a great time to be traveling because of all the covid stuff too. So fingers crossed, nothing happens, you know? But


Tell me tell me a little bit more about zoom room


okay, yeah, so zoom room is dog training and retail. So kind of, our philosophy is that we don't train pets, We don't train dogs to train the people who love them. Right? So it is about 3000 square feet. About half of that is, um, an agility gym area. So we do obedience, we do agility, we do, um, you know, canine, good citizen comfort animals, like all these different things. So there's different levels of obedience. And we also do birthday parties and puppy playtime


fire.


and those sorts of things. And of course we sell dogs toys and treats. So, uh, it's a pretty new, I mean, it's not really a new concept, but now it's growing. So they kind of like gone through the Franchising pains in the last couple of years. So I think they were going to open three or four units this year and then next year, I think they're six or seven that are on the books to open. So, um, it's a, it's a pretty neat concept because it really, there's really no good way to train your dog. Currently, there is either you take it to petsmart or Petco and you have a little 10 by 10 area where they put you in like a six week class that meets every saturday at 11 a.m. And if you miss it, you're in luck. Um, or you have to maybe do something where someone comes to your house or maybe you send your dog away. Uh, and those, I'll have their pros and cons, but with zoom room, it's kind of like a community workshop things. So like that we do obedience one at several different times during the week, and obedience to several different times during the week. And you don't have to take six weeks of obedience one. If your dog is advancing quickly, you can graduate whenever to obedience to and graduate to whatever to obedience three or, you know, and so you buy packages of classes, like an eight pack and like to do a agility, you have to finish agility or you have to, uh, finish obedience one. But like, let's say, obedience one takes you four classes. You can then take those other four and apply them to agility one, or you can go to obedience to something like that. So, it really the prize is amazing flexibility for dog owners, not only uh, they can attend the classes that they want to attend when they want to attend them. And then it also meets the dog at where they're at. Because some dogs learn faster and some cut parents are more dedicated where they practice at home versus only practicing while they're in the class. So, so I'm pretty excited. Um, forget something very um, so, uh, yeah, so it's pretty exciting. I'm have location and police and everything gone through design. I've been permitting now, so construction should start next couple weeks. It takes about 68 weeks of construction in 2 to 3 weeks post construction. So I'm hoping to be done and open in the first couple weeks of november. I'm trying to be, you know, thanksgiving because if you open something, they have been thanksgiving and christmas, that's just kind of crappy. So you want to be open before thanksgiving.

Mhm. Mhm. Okay. Mhm. Right. Mhm. Yeah. Uh Okay. Mhm. Okay. Mhm. Okay. Mhm.


Well and you can get I guess after being established at that post christmas christmas day puppy


Yeah. Is it january and february's puppy season? So that's the other thing is I want to be open by then and what's really good, even though I only have training in retail in the plaza I'm in, there is a doggy daycare and there is a group, there are separate companies from me and across the street is a veterinarian, so they're already is sort of like a nexus of pet demand. That's in that plaza and also in the plaza, there's like a karate studio monkey joe's, which is like chuck e cheese, there's a swim school. So there's also like a lot of family activity draw there as well. So I think that plaza where I'm at just sort of has a lot of draw that is parallel demand, not conflicting demands. Right? So so that's pretty uh I'm excited, we'll see. So


I see


I view a


dog.


lot of painting. I got two dogs running around.


Yeah that's what I was about to say, I see some what kinds.


I have two black labs, so I have duck and goose. So come on, come on, either one of you, this is goose, so say hi Jordan.


we


And then


grew up having a german shorthaired pointers and and they always used to ask oh is it a chocolate lab and no not quite um but


Mhm.


that was yeah that was a long time ago, I'll get a dog one day. I I just


Look.


my schedule is so erratic right now I don't think the last thing I need is someone to take care of and


No kidding


and plus being in an apartment, I would feel guilty we grew up on acreage and so the idea of walking your dog was sort of alien because they would just run around and come back to the house when they were ready and so


Yeah. I had, I lived in a condo in downtown Chicago for a couple of years and it was like you would walk your dog a couple times a


at.


day and that was fine. But when I moved away but I didn't send them something. But I live here in Orlando, I've got a fenced in backyard, so I just hope the sliding glass door


What?


and dogs run outside and they played a little while and they come in, I think that's that's the way to do it. But


Yeah I definitely need to have a yard otherwise I just feel guilty like, you know, especially if you don't work at home. Yeah it is.


Yeah, but we're lucky now my partner who just left, he works overnight so he just left for work. So when he comes home is when I go to work and then when you know, so we're home we're home like together in the morning for a couple hours at night for a couple hours. But there's always someone home with the dogs which is nice for them. I think it's confusing for them in a bit because they don't have like a whole time that they sleep they sleep they sleep with him for a while and they're up with me and then they sleep with me for a while and they're up with him so they kind of run around all day. I think they have a pretty screwed up sleeping schedule at this


What


point.


is, what does he do at night?


Uh He works for lows so they do all their pricing and their floor replenishment and everything while they're closed. So he's the pricing coordinators. So um you know as stuff goes to clearance process or price changes or anything else like that. So he works sunday through thursday from 8 30 to 5:30:08:30 p.m. To 5:30 a.m.


I can I can empathize with the weird schedule things, so my partner is um is an adjunct at one of the local colleges here and um his classes begin at like seven a.m. So he has to get up at 4 30 if he gets up after 4 30 is already running behind and you know, meanwhile I work weird hours over here and I'm lucky if I get home you know before seven and so we're sort of like got that two ships in the night thing we have, you know, a couple couple hours to spend together and then it's like, you know, 9 30 all right, I gotta go to bed and I'm like, well, I guess I'm just going to hang out, but I'm not going to

Mhm. Yeah. Mhm. Yeah. Yeah. Mhm. Yeah. Yeah.


Well


adopt his schedule. That's obscene.


yeah exactly I can't adopt this schedule and like like it's 8 15 now you know my time and I'm probably gonna go to bed you know when when we're done because he comes home at 5 30 or six and dogs are all excited and wake me up. So I I get up at six because there's no commotion in the in the house and I can't read and can't really sleep through that. So um so in order for me to get a good eight hours of sleep I got to bed at nine to be asleep by 10. Uh So I can get some good sleep. But how long have you and your partner been together?


10.5 years a


Yeah we're


while.


nine. We just rated nine. So yeah.


Uh huh.


So yeah, it's our anniversary was end of july believe or


Ice


not. We met a


is


grinder when grinder first came out, I guess. I get someone


wait,


to hold on a second.


Yeah, of course.


Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.


I mean,


So grinder.


David and I met on a met on a chat room, so same, same sort of thing. Um when, when those things are really, yeah, still in there, it's strange, it hasn't been that long, but that stuff was still really in its infancy, right? And now it's just ubiquitous and you know, no one would think twice about it today, you know, Oh, you found someone on an app, whatever, but back then it was sort of maybe a little bit more eyebrow raising and so

Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Mhm. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.


Absolutely.


for for a while we sort of, well, I don't want to say we lied. We um came up with an alternative story in which we met through mutual friends um in a very broad sense of the word were, you know, we're all friends. Um and so now though, you know, people, people don't care, but then, you know, and then they're sort of like um


I met one of my boyfriends on gay dot com back in like 2000 and four and we told people that we met at a bit in a bank robbery. That was our story were like, because that was, you know, you didn't really tell people


and


that you met on the internet back in 2000 and four. Like we met in a bank robbery, we both tackled the robbery. You tell people? Yeah.


Uh oh gosh, Yeah, that's so crazy. You take it for granted. I don't know. But I mean, how is that any different from just meeting some Rando in a bar? Honestly, if anything, it's more targeted and you get to know the person better? Yeah.


I was listening to really interesting podcast. I don't you on NPR Business Wars. I don't know if you've ever heard of that podcast, but they do um sorry, just dropped something. They they do kind of like, you know, 4 to 6 part series of like dueling companies, like they do Uber vs. Lift and Mcdonald's burger king and essentially they're talking about like how the whole industry grew up and transformed and the most recent one was online dating. So started with um match any harmony and, and sort of like us a series went on actually and grinder with one of the first because grinder actually innovated to your location when it came to dating apps. And there's, you know, talking about bumble and coffee meets bagel and you know, kind of all the interesting behind the scenes action that happened with the different leadership groups. It's really interesting. They, you know, they take some dramatic license, right? Because they don't know what's said, but there, you know, but they have, you know, I guess little cut scenes where they sort of enact reenact like what happens in the border are these private conversations. So yeah, and I was just listening to ups versus Fedex. Um I think that's the most recent one, but they're all really interesting because not only do you hear about how these two companies maybe battle with each other, but you're also learning about kind of how the industry is forming because large use of these huge industries that we have now didn't even exist 30 years ago, right? Like rideshare companies didn't exist overnight, Shipping didn't exist online, didn't didn't exist. So it's very interesting. So it's called business Wars. Have you ever, you know our podcast listener? But now that I drive and travel so much, I listen a lot of podcasts, so it's interesting.

Yeah. Oh, yeah. Okay. Yeah. Mm hmm. Right. Yeah. Really? Yeah. Right.


You say, I wonder if they match the set because we're gay and listen to NPR


I think that's just a random


random. Yeah. Um, no, that's so funny. No, I'll look into it certainly. Um, I'm listening to one right now and I know I'm gonna butcher the name, but it's by the folks who did cereal. Um, sarah Koenig they did the, it was the guy who was accused of murdering um, some, some girl back in the nineties. It was a big sort of one of those true crimes thing and then the other one, the next season was on Bowe Bergdahl um, in his uh, desertion in Afghanistan. Um, but this one has sort of taken a, taken a bit of a turn. Um, and it's called God, it's called something to the effect of helpful white parents or, or well meaning white parents or something, something like that.


I think I've seen something like that pop up in like a recommended feed that I haven't I haven't looked at it.


It's really interesting. Um, it's about a school in the Bronx and basically the school in the Bronx. Um, uh, I guess we'll, it tackles a bunch of issues foremost, gentrification and how basically, you know, how hyper competitive school in new york is, I guess. Um, and these white parents sort of going and almost colonizing like in a, in a school. And then the reach is sort of a tipping point where after they said the statistic was after 26% of the school becomes white. That's sort of the declaring call for all the other white parents to come come and join the school. Um, and so I'm only, I'm only, um, I just finished the second episode, but the first one was all about how, how well meaning, but misguided. Um, some of the fundraising efforts were, um, because he had one dude who came from came from a professional development background and they were saying, you know, at his previous school where his kid went, you know, the Peta raised something like $800,000 that year and compared to this other school where his son goes now, which raised $2000 and so he goes in sort of guns blazing, you know, talking about all of the things that they could be doing better and you can imagine how that might be received.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Right. Yeah. Sure. Yeah. Mhm. Right. Yeah,


absolutely.


Um so that one, that one's really cool, but I'm always looking for stuff because I


I usually listen every morning like NPR news and up first and on sunday they up first is usually like here's the first episode of one of our other podcast. And remember them talking a little bit about what you're the podcast you're talking about.


Uh huh. Yeah, Ira Glass is one of the producers there. It's a really great um I mean, I don't know, I can I can praise NPR all day long. Um It sounds so


But


lame.


do you contribute, are you donate or you remember?


I so here's the lame thing. I donate to two stations because


No.


I couldn't, when I, when I moved to phoenix from Arizona, I couldn't bring my heart when I moved to phoenix, Arizona from Houston, I couldn't bring myself to cancel my, my NPR Houston um


that started,


one and so I support to NPR stations and a classical music station, otherwise that uh liberal guilt would just consume me.


I just have one state, so I guess I'm a bad liberal, but


No,


I've


and that's,


I don't remember the other stations.


but you know, I'll yeah, that's that's just a weird no, anyway, I'm very strange and the things that I, the guilt that I compartmentalize having grown up catholic, um yeah, because if you don't, if you don't pay in and I do the same thing for PBS too, um just because yeah, it's a public service and we all benefit from it, and


Well, I'm surprised you're not watching the Republican national Convention then if uh


I am, yeah, I'd rather be uh sticking pins in my eyes, it's going to be a blast. Oh God, yeah, that's the thing. Well, and you can empathize living in state, like florida, um Arizona sort of the same way right now um where


Very perfect.


it's a it's a toss up and even back home in texas, it's it's way more competitive than it than it should be uh by virtue of the fact that he's such a horrible candidate. Um and and republicans are avoiding them, like the plague. Um I


They could


looked at the rust.


they didn't even produce um uh an agenda or like a platform, right? They just said like our platforms whatever donald trump


to


says.


support the president, yep, I mean, that's sort of like, I don't know, talk about like cult of personality when the platform becomes the person, and I don't know, they've all sort of tied themselves to the sinking ship in a lot of ways. Um because I don't know, well, you look at the speaker lineup of all


Half


the folks


of


who


our truck.


yeah, like members of his family, like what the hell? And and him he's going to talk every night.


Every night.


uh And and all of the Yeah and all of the politicians who are just sort of avoiding, you know, they don't want any association with the convention, whereas in a regular year they'd be all up over that thing so I can't.


Yeah. I heard like already 70 republicans have endorsed joe biden at this point, which you know, I would endorse the rotten tomato over joe biden or I mean job you know are over donald


I


trump


know.


but uh you know, uh you know joe biden certainly is not a strong candidate himself but he sure has had a lot stronger than donald trump, you


he


know?


is and I'm confident that he'll surround himself with good people. I like, I like I like Kamala Harris. Um I think she was a good pick for VP. Um My heart belongs to Elizabeth Warren because I'm a hyper educated loser who lives in a bubble and


What?


thought she had way more support in the primaries than she actually did. I was like all of my friends like Liz Warren, I don't understand.


Now I'm big pete buddha judge, I've been a Pete fan since when he was still exploring even before he announced his candidacy when he was still in the exploratory phase. So I think I donated probably over three or $400 to his campaign over, especially during the primaries and like when you went Iowa and all that kind of stuff when we really thought that you had a chance


Well


but


there were a lot of really um I mean I guess I know everyone sort of like feels shitty about having to settle for biden, but I think that the primary really showcased a lot of talent in the party and you're already talking about folks like Mayor Pete and you know Elizabeth Warren and collaborator, all these people sort of starting to get eyeballed for cabinet positions and I mean that's that's the thing, I don't know if you watch the Democratic national convention last week, but um there was there was this whole thing on one of the days where they they focused on the up and up and coming young stars in the party and it was really, I don't know, the production quality was primo and and it sounds so cliche to say that it was inspiring, but, but I mean certainly more uplifting than the alternative. Yeah.

yeah. Mhm. Yeah. Mhm. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. For sure.


You don't want to hear from the Missouri gun toters against the black lives matters people. That's, that's going to be


I am. Well, I don't know. I don't, you're not. Are you from florida florida or


no problem. I originally grew up in michigan and then lived in Illinois and in Ohio, so


Oh yeah. I mean we, we moved to texas when I was four from the Washington Dc area. Uh, my dad's ex military and then got a job with Motorola in texas. His family's from Oklahoma. My mom's family is from the northeast. Um, so texas was a big change for her. And so more or less grew up in texas, rural north texas too. And so yeah, I know those people, like in some perverse way, those, those are my people and, and I didn't have an on an intellectual level. I can understand, I guess if I sort of go through the mental contortions, I can understand where they're coming from. Don't agree or condone it, but, but I can All right, well, yeah,


because I see, you know, folks who never left my hometown, you know, on facebook or whatever and I'm like, OK, yeah, I can see how you still believe that, You


I mean


know,


they


when


live


was


it,


the last time you left the county?


yeah, I live in a bubble and the world's changing around them and they're, you know, donald trump's given the opportunity to dig in his heels. It was really upsetting at the opening the summer opening. One of my peers who is the operations manager, she is a lesbian and very masculine presenting, like, like her haircut is like your haircut, like she by


sort of


the press, you know, um and she was trying to help somebody in the retail area and so can I help you? And he said, no one, like you can know what it looks like, you should help me or something like that, like this guy and I felt so bad for I mean she lives in in the Bay Area, so it's in Oakland. I think it was like the first time that she had actually been really like face to face with such bigotry. I mean she told me like, oh, like I've been kicked out of bathrooms and you know, we're not really picked up, like as like, are you in the right bathroom in the dressing room? Like I had that happen but never have I really had someone like so abruptly like, refuse my help because of what I look like and uh you know, I like you in my head, I understand, you know, uh trump has empowered them a little bit to feel like they can push back against the changes in the world and even


Yeah, scary changes,


it's


you know?


the third


it's,


half and even like, I, you know, you know on facebook or whatever and you're in these groups and these young kids are like, how can anyone believe this? And I'm like, when I was 18, you know, like, I'm 46 now, when I was 18, 19, I was coming out like, I never dreamed that like, marriage equality could happen or like transgendered rights or anything like that. Like, I was out and proud as anyone, like, I was a member of all these groups, you know, I went to University of michigan, like I went to very liberal college, I lived in Harbour was a very liberal city, you know, like, like and even back in the late nineties I couldn't I wouldn't have believed if you told me that 2016 marriage quality in 2020 transgender equality to a large degree, you know, and you know, it's hard for me to wrap my head around, let alone someone who doesn't even believe in and some of this stuff, you know, it's hard for them, I can see.


I I sort of got lucky in a lot of ways. Um my my parents were an odd match and they're divorced now, whereas my mom was very left leaning and my dad was was more conservative and now he's completely gone off the spectrum over the edge. Like his mind has just drank the kool aid. Um but, but I was lucky to have my mom because the area where I live, I mean you're, you're in the belt buckle of the bible belt and you know, it was bad enough because we're catholic. Um and so um Yeah, no, but I was I was lucky I got the hell out of dodge when I turned 18, you know, I went to school in Houston. Um And yeah, it was very very fortunate honestly. Um you know I yeah, God, but no, I some yes stuff now, even even back then, just, you know, 15 years ago, however long it's like unimaginable. Um to me, certainly as a little kid. Hell, I mean you've been seeing someone like Mayor Pete on tv, you know, where was he when I was Well, he's my age, so he

Mhm. Yeah. Yeah. Right. Mhm. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Mhm. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.


He's


raised


doing the same thing,


here


but


in the same thing, you were right.


but you know, having having them having a visible god role model again sounds like a Hackney term, but really someone that you can like point at and say that is a person that I want to be like God, that would have been fucking fantastic as a kid.


I mean I had on one hand the number of gay people I knew when I was, you know, in my late teens like Greg Louganis, you know? Yeah, the olympic, olympic diver, Greg Louganis to make them um really I couldn't even think of anyone else, you


What?


know, I'm sure there were back then, you know a handful but like now you know articles on facebook whatever, it's like like here like 70 70 people who are LGBT relationships and like yeah these are all like a lot more big stars, you know and they have not really seen any repercussions to their career, you know? I mean Alan has been on both watch now she's back, she's backing for


poor Ellen. Yeah.


she lost her career, she lost her career because she was gay, that now she's like a superstar because she's gay now she's getting you know, scrutinized over everything, you know? So but yeah, I would say you know, Alan is probably the second biggest star that I can think of when I was young, you know came out so uh yeah kids these kids got easy coming out in high school,


No. Yeah. Middle school.


middle


I


school,


mean


sometimes I'm like, what?


the only, I mean I didn't know anyone and and the only folks you would see on tv were usually sort of the butt of the joke. Um


Right.


and and I guess I had a very sort of visceral reaction. I don't want to be like them if that's if if, you know, if it's Jack from Will and Grace or whatever, I'm not that and


You


so


know.


not having, not having anyone that I could really identify with really set me back. Um and then and then it all just the floodgates opened up in college as as it should be, but uh huh. But no, well that's so cool. Um


Mhm.


Yeah, no, I I don't know what's going to happen in november. I mean I think I think we've got to act as if we stand a significant chance of losing otherwise


But


because I think it's hubris among other factors that got us into this position in the first place, looking at places like michigan, you know, taking it for granted. Um Two


Yeah, I voted by, in florida we have, you know, no reason vote by mail and I voted by mail


Well


since probably pretty much every elections, maybe 2012 I think once


as


I voted early, but I already told my program were voting in person early this year. We normally normally we vote absentee, but I mean it's been 10 years probably, so I filled up my registration card, I'm not sure if my signature matches anymore, you know, So I'm like, I'm not taking a chance that my vote isn't going to count, so


Yeah, I'm going to have to check that stuff too. Um When


we're planning to move her on that point, I'm trying to get back back to texas but I'm going to I'm going to orchestrate everything such that I can still vote here um and then and then move


Yeah. Your vote accounts for in Arizona, but it does in texas for sure. So


That's


if


that's my


you're


logic.


for job back in texas after you're done.


Yeah, I am it just I miss it. I I love Houston. Um you know after I went to school there I stayed there for another couple years um My professional network is still there um Like I said, had it not been for fucking covid, I would I would be there right now with with a with a job with the the county judge and and just living it up having a great time using my stupid degree. Um God I can't I can't be embittered because it's not productive. I just need to finish and and and move on with with with a new chapter, but now I'm over it. I'm ready to get out

Mhm. Okay. Yeah. Mhm. Yeah. Yeah. Mhm. Right. Yeah. Yeah.


Yeah. That's the worst when you when you can kind of see and light into the tunnel but you don't have any control over actually getting there. You just know that it's you know off in the distance and


well.


things outside your control or preventing you from getting a


Oh yeah, yeah and everything going on right now, it's just like slopped a whole gallon bucket of, you know, uncertainty on top of it and you're like, oh I'm just gonna do what I can do and the only thing I have power over right now is writing. So I guess that's what I'm going to be doing right now. Um And


Mhm.


I'm better off like I said, um than a lot of folks just by virtue of the fact that I have health insurance. So count your blessings. Say it say in the south. Um Well I think I guess it's time to wrap up. I am I didn't even know about indeed it was my partner turned me onto it. Um I mean as a researcher, I've done I've done survey work before on the opposite end, but I had no idea that this existed. Um It's really exciting. I don't know. I feel I feel good about about participating in academic academic studies.

Yeah. Yeah. Yes. Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. Mm. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah,


enjoy it. I've been doing it for prices january or february. So um you know all the different surveys on prolific and everything so, but I think it's probably like the fourth conversation like this this


What?


particular study. I think it's like the fourth one I've done maybe. Mhm. Mhm.


I am. I I was signed up for one. No, I signed up for two and both of them were no shows. So I was really I was really worried.


What's this?


It was like no, not another one. But I'm so glad I got to talk. This was a


same


great


here.


conversation,


Yeah, I appreciate it. I had a good conversation with you as well and hopefully you


but


get everything wrapped up and moved to texas in the next couple of months.


good luck with zoom room.


Thanks. I appreciate it. Take


All


care


right, have a good evening. How do


you,


we


too.


Yeah, wow. Uh huh. Yeah, wow. Mhm. ST wait up. Yeah. Oh yeah, we're throwing a quick, yeah. Yeah. To the city. Mhm. Mhm. Okay. Uh huh. Uh huh.


where else?


Hey how's it going?


That's right. Hey, what's up? Oh


Not much


my


just uh watching some football? Uh huh.


Oh my dad's downstairs watching it too. I, who's playing right now?


Uh titans versus Texans?


I, I honestly I don't pay much attention to football, but I at least know all the teams and I generally know how they're doing. Okay.


Atul


Last


now.


I heard that you are hit Super Bowl most likely. Yeah.


I think so probably, I mean like to be honest I'm more of a martial arts fan than football myself, but um I've just been watching football primarily because of fantasy football. Yes.


Okay. Oh, I'm into running so I used to do like fantasy across the country. Mm


Nice.


hmm.


I ran cross country and track to in high school.


Uh holiday right now.


Oh how old am I? I'm 30


How long? I was 30


How about you?


2027. So we're decently close. I'd like


I don't


to


know, I mean do you uh did you do collegiate or something or? Hold


not


on.


not like N. C double A. But I did the club and I, I graduated and I still do, I still train pretty seriously for local races and yeah, again it's local. I'm not going to, you know, not like national or anything, but it's more so that I like doing it.


Right, right, I got you.


No.


Yeah, I haven't done like super long distance or anything like that in a while or uh Excuse me, um But I I try to get in some running like every other day if I can.


yeah, that's good. Uh in my, in my very unprofessional opinion I would say like three general exercises or or sports that are really good for you or running boxing or any martial art and growing speaker at least those those last two not not included running but growing and martial arts is just it's like a beautiful combination of upper body lower body core cardio so you know you can't go wrong with. Yeah


I um well, so a friend of mine, well two friends of mine are both kind of like doing


like


more hardcore endurance things and they started on it later in life. Um So they don't run across country a track or anything like that. One of my friends is an ultra marathoner, yeah,


Oh


and uh the other one is doing an Iron Man. Uh


uh chief that's that's what people


yeah, I I realized that I couldn't uh running more daily um where I am because my there like certain strange pains and ligament kind of pains that I'm starting to get. Um but I think it's primarily because my my body, I don't think it was intended to run that much in the first place, because, you know, some people just aren't exactly made for, primarily just went by like the mental aspects of running, so I pushed my body to, like, certain limit um because I have short legs and long


What? Yeah.


And I used to, well, I used to, like, lift a lot of ways to upper body wise, and then I just did a lot of running, so it was like, I was getting that kind of prisoners build, so it was like, kind of just yeah, it was kind of weird, but then I kind of gave up more of the lifting, because uh one of the big reasons why do running is primarily for longevity reasons. Like there's this um guy who specializes on longevity, he said everybody when they're born has like, a certain


well


amount of heartbeats, but if you can get your vo two max up and you can slow down your heart rate, then essentially your heart beats will be at a slower pace than everybody else's.


funny thing is that across many mammalian species the average tends to be a billion heartbeats in a lifetime. No. Uh


Yeah


So I mean they do for longevity reasons but um actually i during this whole like pandemic thing or whatever um I mean I never really used to go to the gym anyways but I ended up um


go


I usually went to my company's um like little fitness room but they won't let us back on site. So I ended up buying a kettle bell. Um But only about the one kettle bell so I'm only limited to single kettlebell exercise.


Yeah like I don't know in terms of its like between the legs swings and uh I


My,


do weights every day but I'm talking about like my dumbbells go up to £20 so it's not it's not I'm not gonna I'm not gaining weight to woke up,


Yeah I mean it is


you know


it's just developing a functional strength that can be system into an extent best.


what type of


I


martial arts do you do?


don't do any martial arts I don't really watch it


Are you


what's


guess.


your what's your what do you like watching?


Uh I was watching the UFC fight last night I guess and I also watch boxing. Um And I was actually supposed to go see the olympics this summer but it was postponed.


women


Yeah so I'm definitely gonna go next year because it was something I've been playing for the last two years. Um But I have tickets to taekwondo and boxing


That's


and


so cool.


uh judo also so


Would you care about any other sports in the olympics or just martial art related?


um yeah I mean I was trying to get track and field certain track and field but the thing is it's kind of complicated the way the tickets are set up so um if you want to 10 olympic events uh like most tracking fields are under an umbrella, they call it athletics and um like they'll have certain


Well


athletic events on certain days so you're not guaranteed to like get that particular event depending because so like the the athletic tickets


What? Oh


there set up such that the ones where there's like you know


What?


the men's 102 100 those kind of races or four by 14 by four they're all um more expensive tickets so I opted for the


Different.


less expensive so I get like steeplechase in one and something else.


You know I've been to a uh in London, I went to a uh I forgot I'm blanking today but it was an international competition and the same thing. You don't really have a choice. It's had the 100 m final but then they had uh you know, no offense but you know these other events that people don't quite care about as much like steeplechase is nice but it's I like the five K. The mile, the 100 pretty much all the standards. But yeah you don't you don't really have a choice


No.


is a bundle package. That is awesome. Your that you at least are still planning on going to the Tokyo Olympics.


Well one of the big rackets that people will know about the olympics is like, so there's authorized ticket resellers have a partnership


with the olympic committee and the way they this structure


No


is such that each kind of like region or country has their own authorized ticket reseller and they have exclusive contract to sell those tickets and they can set their policy however they want. So I couldn't get a refund if I wanted to anyways


shit.


so I'm I'm stuck about over $2000 worth of tickets if I don't go because they won't give you a refund. And it's a big thing because like the problem is they are banking on people not doing a class action and most people can't do a class action anyways. So it's a big racket. The guy that's it's like some


Israeli guy that owns Coast Port which is the authorized ticket reseller for the U. S. Um for the U. S. Ticket reselling um for olympic tickets and uh he's notoriously corrupt but it's the only way you can get tickets. So


No jeez I mean what do you think the chances are that that the olympics are going to be cancelled or postponed or at


what?


least or at least? Uh huh. The public will not be allowed to be there.


I mean I'm pretty sure it's going to go on based off of like so I


What?


catch the news regularly from Japan as far as what they're playing on doing. Um I'm in the United States so but in any case like uh there so


Japan wants to


I


what's called


know.


save face so they want to make sure it goes on no matter what. Um And that can be with or without Spectators so um it's gonna go on no matter what most likely. Uh, whether they'll allow all spectrums and internet is up for debate. Um, they've been doing some trial testing because like Japan is big in baseball. So they've been trying to do some, I guess, alternative kind of covid checks in there, baseball stadiums and getting it at 75%


but.


capacity. So science might be good. But overall the big problem is primarily the United States.


I was gonna say like yeah they might allow Spectators just not the U. S. Which might throw you over.


Yeah. Well, um, I did, I've actually gotten a covid test and I don't have the antibodies so I've either never gotten it or um, I'm not 100% sure. But I got the test shortly after I took a trip to Arizona, like during the summer and I came back and um, I plan on pretty much getting a covid test either before or whatever


after I come back from someplace. But I pretty much am not going to let it like stop


me from doing what I want. Um With the exception of traveling internationally between now and uh the olympics, obviously, so.


Yeah I I mean I was planning on taking a family trip to London again uh Funny enough it was supposed to happen like this weekend. I hadn't planned for months and I bought quite


What,


a lot of stuff


So?


in preparation and then in March at you know when? Down


Oh yeah, I had to I went to a lot of trouble to uh cancel my um ho telling


what?


or my hotels, accommodations or whatever, and then my airline tickets and then I recently rebooked all of them, but I wasn't able to get the same hotel that I could, but it was a nightmare to do. Um It was a big nightmare primarily because actually uh I didn't I never pay for my plane tickets, I always use males. And uh but the thing that people don't understand about airline miles and redeeming awards is this a big hassle to do, but obviously you end up saving a lot of money because um went in there. So the big problem is because of covid. So one of the things that one of the ways that airlines um determine their um award tickets for flights is depending on um a revenue balance on each flight.

Oh okay. Smart mm Okay. Right. Yeah. Yeah.


But mhm.


Um So if that they may not release that many award tickets um for like a particular flight, so


What?


I've had to be kind of flexible for the most part to go


Work.


on just um the less popular days ago. So I'm I'm going basically


No.


like


Been like


on the 27th of july and I'm returning unlike the


11th or 12 or something like that. Um


no.


So it'll be like a couple of days


Well