Like Yeah, like I'm literally, it was spring break.


Yeah.


Um I had been on campus because I was doing like this log thing, spring break, I was like lounging around watching Love Island. My friend, like I was just living the life. And like I had heard like whispering like my friend who was in shanghai, she was like, I don't think I might be able to come back, this thing is serious.


Oh my gosh.


And I was like, what? What are you talking about? What? No, like I thought it was like, not that big, I thought it was like the flu because that's what everyone was saying.


Uh huh.


And as I was also sick because I had like an ear infection stuff and I was like, holy shit, I can't leave the house at all.


Like, I stayed in my room the whole time and then everyone came back and was like, maybe it's back to normal. And then the seniors, like I had a lot of senior friends, they came in one day, they were bawling their eyes out.


I was like, what's going on to go?


Uh Yeah.


We might not be able to graduate. I was like, what are you talking about? And then literally two weeks later, the school sends a text while I'm in lab to like first ascended to a 70 member. So the faculty member is on my phone.


Mhm wow.


He goes, oh my God, they're shutting the school down. I was like, what? No, they're not where to get this, and I'm checking my email, but they didn't send, it, just didn't see it. And then I sent and I was like, okay, whatever. I just packed myself and didn't finish a lot. I was like, I have to go like, whether it was insane.


Okay, wow.


And like one of my friends, she was in Virginia and her sister drove all night and picked up the next day and she was just gone.


It was like one by one, everyone just started leaving and all the seniors were like super sad because like four years down the drink because you don't get a graduation, you don't get that like moment of like and I was just like this is not fun.


Yes. Yeah. Yeah.


So did they do anything for the seniors, like did they get to do a virtual graduation or anything or they just holding off?


Um So like it was kind of virtual. It was kind of like they just said their names but like it was not like nobody at the podium was just like audio of like their names being called and stuff and everyone was on it and that they're not planning on doing anything in the fall really.


Yeah. Yeah. Yeah hold on.


Like they like, no, like what I did, me and my my older minute we like printed out like fake diplomas from our senior friends and I want the names on it because I was like, I feel so bad.


Yeah. Uh huh.


Like what have I seen your friend? She was like the first person in her family to graduate that's supposed to be like huge.


Oh.


Everyone like all her family from like across the country and from cubes to come and I was like I'll make it up raise, I don't have a chocolate and the fake diploma.


Mhm. Okay. Oh what?


I was like, hey go talk to your family. It is what it is. I'm sorry. But yeah.


You know, funny I was in a my Master's program, we were supposed to graduate in May and they never said a word about it and as I was thinking about the seniors at your school, I'm like they have not communicated anything like I think now and well I have my degree but I never had a graduation, but now I'm thinking like they never said we they had talked about either having graduation this winter like you would walk in winter or that they'd have one next spring.


Mhm. Oh mm. Yeah. Mhm. Well you will. Oh my God. Your master's program said nothing so you don't have your degree? Uh huh. Mhm.


But now that I think about it, I'm like they have not communicated anything, I don't know that we'll ever have, which I don't really care, it's you know for my masters I wasn't super invested like I I feel for the seniors and you know it would have been nice to just I got a cap and gown, I could take pictures at some point.


Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.


I'm not super invested but it's so funny to think like they literally have not communicated a thing about graduation since this all happened pretty much.


It's good. Right? Yeah. I think that's crazy there. Like you have your degree, it's fine. Oh no, that's crazy.


Yeah.


But like you were in a master's program like what did you do your graduate for?


Hi. Yeah school counselling. So now I am working a middle school counselor.


That's cool.


Yeah it's something woman.


Like you started or like um uh Oh yeah.


Yeah yep. So we started last week so kids are miserable. Teachers are miserable, were miserable. It's just it's completely virtual here.


Mhm.


Um So just low morale. No one wants to be doing it, no one wants to sit on their computer all day.


Mhm. Mhm.


That's why I had shaken app you know.


Um So it's just it's hard and as middle schoolers they want to be with their friends and they want to be social and they don't want to sit and listen to someone talk for eight hours and I mean they're on from eight AM until about three p.m. It's a long day, it's miserable.


Yeah. Okay. Oh no.


So it's it's not great and I am interested to see my friends who teach in pennsylvania, they started today and there in person and I'm interested to see how long the schools stay open up there, like they have their face shields and everything.


What? It's right. Mhm. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Mhm.


Uh But well see it's an interesting time to start a career, especially one in a school but yeah because.


Mhm. All right. Just yeah, it's a very interesting and I don't think about that like I like I knew people were like graduating and stuff like that but I didn't really think about like starting a new career especially in these times like the economy's down everything so different so like you adjust to this difference because that's not what you were taught in school but then afterwards you have to adjust to a new another new normal and like hopefully everything works out fine and like morale goes up so you can like I please enjoy your job but it's crazy.


Mhm. Mhm mm. Yeah. Right. Exactly. That takes the fun parts out right now but we were in our internships when this all happened so we were in like school placements and all of a sudden the school shut down and they were like you might not be able to graduate because you still need 100 or 200 hours.


Yeah mm. Well. Oh yeah yeah.


So you think about like labs and all the things that people physically need to be doing in person and then you think about counseling, like you need to be directly counseling these students and you get those hours. So we got lucky because you know we were able to move some hours around and things like that and council college students.


Yeah. Yes. Uh huh.


But um yeah, I just lost my train of thought.


Mhm. Yeah. Uh huh mm.


Sorry my friend, my friend is in an occupational therapy program and her graduation got pushed back like a year because she can't do her next placement yet.


Okay. Oh right thank God mm.


So a lot of people who are in grad school right now if they have a placement like they're getting screwed over because they can't do a physical therapy placement or occupational therapy.


Mhm. It's okay yeah.


So I got really lucky that I got out when I did.


Mhm.


Uh Yeah.


Oh horrible. So I should think about it's also weird because well I think we'll up here anyway in my area I live in the Albany area but like we start school like september like, well they're starting school in september 13th.


Mhm. Uh huh. Okay wow wow.


Yeah and like I went to a charter school for middle school and we started like august and we ended in like june kind of area.


Okay.


So like, I was kind of used to that, but like, now that I'm thinking about it, like all of them, the U. S. People started really different times. So like when I heard that you guys already started, I was like a lot of super early.


Yeah.


When did you guys end? You also ended like may what?


Okay. Well mid june they did they started a week earlier this year because of everything in the fall or in the spring. Um So they did start a week early just for orientation purposes but I know my friend he teaches in New Jersey and they don't start till mid september uh But yeah we we go until mid june sell I don't know we'll see over.


Yeah. Yeah. Oh, so long. And how long are your school day is?


Right okay 8 to 4 the kids have to be on until three and then it's like office hours and stuff from 3 to 4.


Like 8 to 3? Okay. Cause wow, okay.


Um Okay.


Because when I went to high school at a public school, like classes ended started at nine ish and then dismissals at 3 15 and I was like this is the life, because I might try to school.


Oh wow. Yeah mm.


We started at seven and end at five, which was you and like in, on Fridays it would be like a half day, but like it didn't count because it ended for like four ish, which was our half day.


Oh my gosh wow. Okay. Yeah. Yeah wow.


Yeah. And I was like, this doesn't make sense, but I want anyway.


Uh huh.


And then I went to public school, I was like, this is white work, so like 83 wow, it seems so long.


Sure. Yeah. So were you, I know it does especially in front of a computer where you, did you grow up in Albany area?


Um, well, okay, so kind of, I don't people ask like any time you think about this question, I just don't know what's how to answer really.


So I was born in Benin africa and then I moved to when I was six and then we lived and like still Albany county, but like Albanese, weird albanese, like there's a county, there's a city, there's a district.


Okay. So what um Okay.


So I live in Albany County which encompasses like a bunch of just areas. And then I lived in Troy new york which is another part of Albany. But then we moved, right when I started high school, we moved to the suburbs. So I would go to like over more suburbia in high school, that's what my parents said. So now I live in late them, so like I guess I kind of grew up anywhere but Uh huh.


No, it's funny because if you had said Troy a year ago, I would have no idea what that is. But my the roommate who did occupational therapy, she lives in Troy.


Mhm. Oh really?


Uh Yeah.


It's super cool.


So I actually, I was out in called Lime Lake. I'm trying to think what town that spot. Mac ius. Okay. Yes. Some city in new york. Um But I was at her lake house recently.


Mhm. Yeah.


But yeah, she and her fiance, they live in Troy. So that's funny because otherwise I, a few months ago I would have had no idea that.


Yeah. Even people, like, even people in boston boston college, they're like nobody like they don't even know all of it and I'm like opening is the big one that we have to know over the, so I just go new york.


Mhm. Okay. It's the state capital, so they should know it.


Yeah, I just go in new york and new york city, I'm like no, not new york city, sorry?


Not quite. That's funny. So do you have any siblings at your house with you right now?


No, I have a younger sister right now and we're hoping, oh no.


Have you guys been? And I was going to have you join this time together?


And I know it was kind of like still each other's tip talks and that's how we bond tip talks were tipped talks, but pick tops nonetheless.


Yeah. Shoulder. Yeah. Yeah. See all my middle schoolers last year, they love Tiktok and I was like, I'm never getting on Tiktok like it's for a little bit.


Yeah. I was saying I was the same.


So yeah.


I was like, I don't want to be on Tiktok. That's just the stuff all they do is dance and like do it just like musically but like more cringe. E and then now I'm gonna ticked off like I downloaded the app again because I deleted because it's like done.


Yeah.


Then I don't want it again this week and I'm like on it all the time. But this is funny. You have a problem with the thought, but like, Oh, good.


Even like cake decorating and stuff. Like there's so much cool stuff on there or like life.


Yeah, I like, yeah, I like life hacks, the amazon wishlist stuff and like the cooking ones.


Hat. Yeah.


Those are like the nice one.


Okay.


So I'm like, I'm never gonna even buy anything. I'm not going to cook anything. But I'm gonna look because this is inspiring.


And it's nice when there's so much other stuff going on in the world and when your brain is so overloaded, it's nice to just do something mindless and to watch it and not have to think or not have to actively.


Yeah. Mhm Yeah.


Yeah, make any effort. So I don't know.


I love technology.


That's not a lot to talk.


Right?


Like it's just everything is there and you can just like, you end up in the weirdest places like last week I ended up on british to talk and I was like, what is this?


Yeah. But yes. Yeah.


I never clicked on anything.


Yeah.


I don't know what they're saying, but it's funny.


So yeah, it's like a new world, but Mhm.


Yeah. Well it's funny when it like shows you things that are tailored towards you. Like I've seen so many different locations and stuff in north Carolina recently or like things from Shits Creek and I'm like, how do they know that?


Oh yeah.


I watch Shits Creek, which obviously they build it based upon the things you're liking and the videos you're watching and stuff, but it's just funny and it's like how does it know me so well?


Mhm.


So I know, but I don't know if I believe that or not.


Yeah. Yeah, I'm sorry, it's gonna be gone, but it is what it is. Yeah. Like uh I mean they are suing to like stay in like Microsoft's planning to buy them so like hopefully everything works out.


But like then again, like I don't make any money off the abs so it's not me, it's gonna be hurting that much.


Yeah. Uh huh.


It's going to be the other kids. So like for their sake, I hope it stays, but like, I'm sure there will be something else.


Just like it. I mean like there's vine was musically tic tac.


I don't know.


Many voters.


I'll be I'll be pretty upset if it goes somewhere just because again, it's mindless. It's but I agree.


Mm yeah, enjoy it.


We're not we're not profiting off of it were just, well we're profiting when we and it brings us happiness.


Yeah. Well like hopefully if it goes to like another company, they don't like change kind of like the formatting or like, because I really do like the way it's just, is like, it's a free kind of area kind of so like that.


Yeah. Mhm. Yeah, it's definitely a good way to spend your time and right, yeah, I love when the guy pops up and he's like, you've been scrolling for way too long and then you feel attacked by it, but yes, exactly.


So the stairs assume. Yeah. Well waste your time with mike. Yeah. They're like, are you sure you want to continue? Yeah, but you continue to netflix. Yeah.


So I set the timer, I wanted to make sure it didn't go off and burst your ear drums.


Uh huh.


Um so I thank right around 25 minutes, but it was nice to chat with you today and I hope that thank you.


Hello. Okay. And it's nice to chat with you and meet you as well. I hope everything goes well for the school year.


I hope that you're moving everything goes smoothly and that day can keep you there.


Thank you.


I'll be checking up on boston College to see what the updates are.


Thank you. I'll check up on north Carolina school districts to make sure everything's safe.


Don't do it there. It's bad here, so don't do that.


Yeah. Hello.


But goodness, well, good luck with everything and have a safe trip the uh


You too. Thank you. Stay safe.


Yeah. Right, mm.


Hello.


Hello?


How do you?


What? Good, how are you?


Pretty good, thanks.


Good. Well this is odd, isn't it? Talking to them too?


Yeah, have you done this study before?


I have done it once before. Yeah, a long time ago with a couple of months ago so.


The Okay. Yeah, I did one yesterday, so that would be personal.


Oh have fun.


Yeah.


Good. Was it fun?


Yeah, it was nice. The person I talked to was very nice.


Yeah, I had the same experience. It was very nice and I liked her enormously. So that's fun.


Yeah, for sure.


Raymond. Well what should we talk about?


I think. Mm. Mhm. I don't know. Mm.


Well tell me about you. What do you what do you do?


Mm hmm.


Are you are you a student? Are you working? What are you doing?


Yes, I am a student. I'm not doing much during the summer. I was planning on hopefully finding an internship but of course about defensive happening.


Yeah. Mm.


So I've been trying to keep myself busy doing online classes and things.


What about you?


Well I am, I'm a professor so I actually have the same problem because I helped.


Oh yeah. Uh huh.


Right, So I have I've been going online too, so I've been teaching my classes online.


Yeah.


I only had one this summer, but yeah, that's the kind of the same thing, right?


Right.


Getting ready to, I don't know what we're doing in the fall, Are we teaching online?


Mm.


Are we teaching in person? What are we doing?


And right.


I don't know nobody, No.


Yeah, my, my school has yet to really announce anything either.


No one knows.


So same boat.


Yeah. My school, my school could just continually announces like we might go online, but we don't have to go online, but we might, but thank you for your flexibility, you know?


Yeah. Really? Yeah, it's the same with me.


Oh, I dont ballroom.


So, and I'm in florida. So our numbers are high.


Mm yanks.


So we'll just see how this goes. Yeah, we'll see when we have this go.


Uh huh.


So, what are you studying?


I study psychology actually.


Oh, that's very fun.


Um yes, it's very fun. I really enjoy it. And I also minor in gender studies, so.


Very cool. Okay, Good.


Yes.


Well, part of my PhD was in gender studies, so, yeah, I know that world very, very well.


Oh, nice. Yeah.


Great.


What do you do with that?


I am still sort of trying to figure it out. Like I definitely want to do something in sort of at least a diversity and inclusion realm, whatever that. Maybe if I try to do that in psychology or in the business world, I don't really know yet.


That's right.


Something like that.


Yeah. No, that's okay. You can figure that out. You don't have to figure that out in college.


Mm hmm.


You're on the life. You're fine. That's what I tell my students all the time. You don't have to figure it out right now.


Mhm.


Just have to figure out.


Thanks for real.


Just figure out the next step. That's what we got to do. Like I'm going to get up and go to class. That's all you have to figure out.


Uh huh.


Please love of God, let's do that.


Yes, I still struggle with that.


Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.


But yeah, I went into my senior year so it's definitely on my mind.


Well, no, that's okay. You'll be all right. Just remember this. This is a universal truth. And I tell my students all the time, your first job will be terrible.


Yeah.


It's a point. It's okay. It's fine.


Learning experience.


Well, you get your first job, you learn something out of it, you go to the next job, you learn something out of it. It's fine. You're okay. You don't have to have it all figured out.


Right.


Don't you don't have to get your perfect job the first time out, it's great if you do, I don't know anybody who did that.


Yeah, that would be awesome.


So like all of my acquaintances, friends, I just can't imagine you've got to figure it out, you're fine, you're doing great.


Yeah. Uh huh. Yes. Thank you.


I actually have a student who is I teach theater and so I kind of a student who's a double major in psychology and theater who is going into uh fine arts therapy, that's your point.


Oh, cool, wow. That's really fascinating.


I'm sure that'll be a cool field.


Actually actually and I had another I had another, I've had multiple students who have done the double major in theatre in psychology and um my other one is actually currently getting into trying to get his M.


F. A. And acting. So you know psychology is going to go out the window and he started to walk on his craft, you know what I mean that far?


Oh. Uh huh. For sure. Although I felt that I think psychology is helpful for like anyone like just in general, understanding people like that will help you no matter what you do.


Mhm initiated then actually. Exactly, yeah. No it's great. Absolutely.


Yeah. And it does sort of go hand in hand with acting.


Mhm.


Probably. Yeah, I didn't really think about that before. You got to understand.


Yeah. Well it does it does work really well. Yeah, there's a there's some really interesting dramas, therapy um people out there and and thoughts that really haven't you know become popular shall we say.


Yeah. Mhm.


But they're really bad into things so much more.


Yeah.


There's some good work happening with veterans coming back from the war and dealing E.


Mm.


T. S. G.


Yes, I don't know.


And through with drama therapy so.


Yeah, I hadn't heard about that in my classes before.


I'm sure that's a fairly new thing.


Well you know Adam driver who's the Star Wars actor?


Yes.


He's got a huge organization that does that like that was that's like his yeah he's like all about that's really interesting.


Oh, really nice. Yeah. That is interesting.


Oh okay so that he's odd looking human but he's a really good after that.


Yeah. Yeah.


He's a really good actor. So apparently he found I'm of course quoting like you know from memory here so who knows what they're telling you the truth.


Yes, I agree. Yes. Mhm.


But I think what I read was that because you know he's a veteran and he was dealing with some ptsd himself and found theater and acting that way.


Right. Okay.


So that's how we got all red.


I didn't know his story. Cool.


Yeah.


I'm glad you found that.


Yeah, I mean it's great. Right. Yeah, it's really interesting and you know, he's helping other vets, so that's cool.


Yeah. Yes. Anything to do that is a good cause for fun.


Mhm. Yeah. Yeah. So what do you do for fun?


Well, I've been watching a lot of tv really? Um well, well, the class I'm taking right now through course Sarah, it's called The Science of Happiness. I've been doing that. I've been really enjoying that.


No, no, no, I'll have to take it.


Yeah, it's completely free. So I've just been doing it when I feel like it's been really nice. I highly recommend it.


I've seen it and thought about it and I haven't done it.


Yeah, the professor is awesome.


Yes.


So she explains everything really well.


Okay, Okay. I've taken a few coursera classes.


I'll have to get, I'll have to Put that one on my list.


Face Yeah, that was, it's very low stress.


Yeah, that's good.


So it's a good time. What about you you've been doing during these weird sure.


Uh Yeah, it's weird, right? Like I think a lot of tv it's amazing how much video consume in a day.


All right. Restudied long, prolific.


Um I um let's see, I've been going outside a lot more so going outside for a run and getting outside for, you know, just in fact, just to sit on the porch, like just to be outside and see other people.


Mm That's great. Mm hmm.


Like I think I've gotten to the point where I need to see other students because I don't go or go out, you know, um you know, I get a Starbucks once a day from the drive through, you know, fully masked nothing else.


Mhm. Yeah, I definitely, yeah, I've been trying to do that too.


So you know, it's like you just need to kind of get out of the house a little bit more. You know what I mean? Hard. It's really hard.


Four.


It sort of feels like everything shut down in a way that like you don't, you like all your connections shut down to, although I've also been in way more contact with all my friends like from college, but you know, we've been zooming and it's you know, great.


It is right. Mhm.


We get to see each other way more than we used to. So kind of fun.


Yeah. That's awesome.


Yeah, I do miss, I did miss, I usually go up for a couple weeks to see my best friend and do some research and some writing and things that Georgia I didn't get to because you know quarantine.


Yeah. Uh huh. Oh, that's a mm. Yeah, yep. I've had so many plans, but I've just been gone because of its so annoying. Yeah, I think, yeah, one person can't hurt if you know that they don't have it. Right? Yeah.


So yeah well we're starting to talk about we're we we just said yesterday maybe we should just go maybe we should just get an Airbnb and just like scrub the place down and just do it because we've both been quarantining and we don't have it so you know alright right then you know and you know we're going to go right back to our houses and just stay there so it's not like we're going to spread it anywhere if we did. Mhm And I really don't know how I would get that. But anyway so you so you're going back to school are you going back onto campus or do you, yep.


Uh huh. Um So they're still being very vague about that. I mean like one or two classes that have like over 300 people and it's so obviously that class is not happening, but I'm also in a, Like I'm doing my university writing requirement, not only has about 20 people, so I might be going to that class. I'm not really sure yet. They still haven't said anything.


Okay. Yeah We're doing a thing we're doing a thing for classes where it wouldn't work for 300 obviously, but like 20, what we do is we have two groups and so 10 people would be in the room and 10 people are on Zoom.


Yeah. What? Yeah.


So you're teaching like you're something you're online and sometimes you're not online, it just depends.


Mhm. Oh, I think that's a good balance. Yeah. That seems like not your solution.


Well, yeah, so we'll see how that works because you know, when you're wearing a mask in the classroom, I don't know if it's going to be the same.


Yeah, I doubt it.


You might, I think that problem. So I'm thinking um I might do something a little different, I might do it, I might do like a separate one where they can actually see my face and they can hear me more clearly because I'm afraid, I'm afraid, especially in the theater, they're just not going to hear it or it's gonna be unclear or damage.


Mm. Yeah, but drama classes, that's that's going to be a weird one.


Yeah, Well, fortunately so I so I this semester we don't have, we have an acting class in the Stagecraft class.


Yeah, I don't know.


Both of those are very hands on. I have an advanced prop making class, which is also very hands on, but a little more independent, so I don't, it's not quite the same.


And okay.


Um and the others are all writing and reading and thinking two, because I think I'll be okay interactions, stage design and dramatic writing.


All right. Yeah, it was, Yeah.


So I think I can, I think I can manage those. Those are going to be, I think mostly online, so oh, we're gonna be fine.


Yeah. I don't see having any issues though.


I just need to not get the corona, so you want to get to, that's what I'm sorry, what I mean, florida, yep, I think florida, I don't know.


Yes. That is important. What, what did you say you're in again? Which state florida? Okay. I missed it before. Yeah. Yeah, I'm in California, so I'm also sort of in a bad, but I'm in, so it's better up here than down in, so cal, you know, fine, this women Okay.


Mhm Oh, so you're innocent, right? Yeah. Well, yeah, I, yeah, no, I'm in the hotbed of the world, I believe it's very fun, very fun. So fun. Yeah. At any point, I just know we're going to get shut down, like there's we are getting to the moment now. We're like, yes, I think they're going to get there.


Well, at least they're going to get, hopefully there's a lot of strange people in your legislation, Huh?


I think they're going to get there. I mean we're just Yeah. Yeah. Well, my governor isn't it actually? I'm surprised I didn't vote for him um before this, he actually did some really nice things, some reaching across bipartisan work, you know, it was great, but now this is like way above his pay grade and he's but he's terrible.


Okay. Yeah, that's great. Nice. Oh, yeah.


Really, really bad.


Mm. So, yeah, wow.


So um yeah, so that hasn't worked out great for him and apparently he was supposed to be a presidential contender. Got it.


Okay.


What? Someone you can look right?


Anymore.


No, no, he's bungled this one really badly, so.


Yeah.


Well, he's not alone. Lots of governors are messing up.


Well, I mean you don't need when you when you elect a governor, you don't think to yourself, can they handle a worldwide pandemic?


It's absolutely God I well people think about it now at least.


You don't really about that? Like that's silliness. So no killing right? Like totally. Absolutely Can this person actually lead us through, you know, the terrible crisis? I don't know. I think the answer is mostly know for people who go into politics, but we'll see.


Yeah, I would have to agree with.


Yeah. Very little. They're a special animals are the ones who actually wanted to be actually wanted to be president when I was little.


Very little.


Uh huh.


And somewhere along the line I just lost that.


But yeah it seems like a soulless job. Honestly, I couldn't handle it right so hard.


Yeah, I don't well I wanted to do it because I wanted to make change. Right? I wanted to do something. I don't actually do anything.


No, not at all early.


So that got lost in college when I decided to be a theater person instead.


Yeah, that's a great option.


What I wanted to do what I was supposed to do anyway. So it's fine. It's fine.


Mhm. Exactly what I was supposed to do.


Exactly. Yes. Hopefully our five.


So, So the coronavirus numbers aren't bad where you are.


Yeah like my particular town I go to UC Davis um and it's very it's like 50% college students.


Okay.


So everyone here is like very educated mostly doing what they're supposed to do. So the numbers have been pretty down where we're at.


Right.


So a lot of stuff has been open.


I've been like masking it up and like going and getting takeout, not actually staying in the restaurants even though that's open because that's just too risky.


Yeah.


But it's been nice like at least there's been some sense of like normal see a little bit yes in the Bay Area at first, but I think our area was really good about shutting down like when it first started.


Right. Yeah. Yeah, that's good. Yeah, I think.


So it's been way better now we're mhm Yeah.


Right. Right. And here in florida, when we did shut down, we didn't really shut down like, but there were just a lot of people who were like, this is a hope is and just running around like mad, you know, chickens with their heads cut off and not missing love.


Yeah man.


And my um my my subdivision has, I don't know if they do this in California.


Mhm mhm.


This is a very specific florida thing that we have like community amenities. And so like you have uh you have a bunch of houses, but then they have like pools and playgrounds and things that are all community owned.


Oh, that's nice.


And so but the great controversy has been when with the pool open because home I do that I want my pool.


Uh huh uh Oh my God.


And you know everybody's like it doesn't spread to the water. No your name, your face. Which is the virus spreader is above the water.


Yeah, I know.


That would be the problem.


Mm hmm.


All right. Oh florida.


Yeah, it's a fun place.


Oh yeah. Well I've gone past the pool a couple of times and there's no social distancing. There's no math, nobody's doing anything.


Oh man, What a disaster.


Well I'm not using the pool.


Smart.


There is a I'm gonna be using a pool.


Very smart.


That will be madness.


Yeah, it is.


Madness. But we have in our community has been doing um well they started doing it and then they had to stop it because people were being terrible.


You know.


They were having food trucks come to our neighborhood and they were part and so there would be like, you know like a couple of times a week you could go and you know yeah I know my food truck, which is kind of but then then people started bringing lawn chairs and then it became a large outdoor picnic.


Oh, that's nice. Right, what are they doing?


And then you have to go, no, stop, stop, stop. Okay.


I would be so madly and there is, yeah, it's uh mm hmm.


Oh, there's just so much crazy in florida. There's so much it's actually going down now. So I think like when the numbers were really low, everybody was going like, well, I don't know anybody really. It's fine. And then and then, you know, people start dropping like flies and then they go, Mhm Maybe I still do something about this.


Maybe I should think about my actions.


Huh?


Uh huh.


Well anyway, passing night.


Yeah, it's just a bummer that we couldn't just do it earlier. Like every other country and then we couldn't be actually out of this. I know probably, I don't know, we're such a huge country.


Right?


It's a little different for us, but like uh some of the people, Oh, wow, that's so cool mm All right yeah I want to go there it's yeah because we're done it's what we deserve.


But well, I love I have several countries that I love because I live I've lived overseas a number of times and I'm like, I look at look at like the Netherlands and I look at the Czech Republic and you know, I look at them and just go, you're doing well, I want to go get coaching and go to there. I cannot because we can't novel now because the world has shut us down because we're idiots. That Yeah. Right now we actually deserve that. But it's like having a group project, you know, this very well and we're the ones who are doing the work, right?


Yes yeah but to follow directions uh huh and it's like I get it at the same time like these people have been disenfranchised like and want to go against the system that doesn't help them and I totally understand that sentiment, it's just a bummer that we can't sort of reach an understanding you know I just I mhm because yeah yeah I would think mhm.


And then there's one kid who can't do the work. Always one, there's always sure. Mhm. Right. Right. That we can't have a logical conversation about how about we lessen our chance of getting this by wearing a piece of cloth across our faith. Right? That seems like a very reasonable thing to say. Well, I probably wonder too. I wonder because I know that the regional initial studies where it helps you not to spread it and now we're getting studies that say wearing that also helps you not to get it right.


Oh that's good, I didn't hear that mm Honey yes anything helps.


But one well yeah like there was a recent study, I don't know, I don't remember where it came out of it. It was published I believe in the Lancet which is you know high quality medical Journal that it's 65% lowers your own risk by 65%. Which is very nice. Indeed. I will take that odd. I was I actually I actually made masks before they said it. I made homemade mass from the family.


Oh wow, smart head of the game yeah yes very smart, yep I wish we handled it like Korea they did so well they didn't even have to shut down because everyone just you know other people there it's crazy mm I watched all that.


The problem is I was looking at Asia and I was going huh their coronavirus numbers are very low and they have a mask culture. I will wear that and that. Mhm. I know. Oh I'm obsessed with Korea because I'm obsessed with korean television. So I got to do that.


Yeah yeah well the last one, I watch a lot of cheesy romance from them but I didn't know if you watch a more sophisticated television or something the last four, I was like, what's wrong with secretary kim?


So amazing. I'm going back for you. Yes. What do you want? Like what are you, what are your favorites? What else is there korean television? Everything is this. She well he is not included telling him oh I haven't seen her.


I don't know if you heard of that one, I really enjoyed it. The acting is fun.


It's everything about korean romances and dramas is fun. Like it's so it's so much fun.


Yeah, I agree.


Have you seen My Love from Another Star?


I haven't.


Oh that's like The Quintessential one.


Is that honor to me like netflix or room? Good to know.


It's Good, It's Good.


What's it called again?


Yeah. That my Love from Another Star, it sometimes has sometimes has different, it'll kind of be, sometimes they'll be english translations that are variations of that, but that's the one I just got the DVD for my birthday because and to own it forever according to my husband.


Let's see My love. Oh and naive.


So it's really good.


Yeah, goods and I will definitely check it out.


It is extraordinarily good. Yeah, I got started in korean television because at one point you lose suggested that I might want to watch Vampire prosecutor with.


Thanks for the rec. Yeah. Oh I've heard about it's so fun.


Really, it's so ridiculous. It is the most ridiculous piece of television I've ever seen in my life and I was obsessed. Like so so I mean like there's several things you have to get over, like vampires in Korea are different.


Yeah, I'm nice.


Like they have different rules, they can go up in the sun that's fine fine of they can drink uh like their blood requirements are different.


Uh Yeah, wow, that's kind of time, wow, that sounds like a lot of work.


Like they can have, it's all very confusing. Um Then they can just but so basically what this guy does is he goes and he will find a murder victim and if he tastes the blood he can tell you what happened and then he investigate it that way and it's compact, right? So um also a prosecutor in Korea is like the person who prosecutes the case but also investigates it. So like it's and it was like a lot of work but also it's really, I don't know anyway.


Uh huh.


I would that's that then it was just a slippery slope from there.


Yeah.


And then next thing you know you're watching I love korean intelligence so much and then of course I know I want to go to Korea which now I can't do because yeah.


Yeah, I love it. I love it so much, yep. Of course not. And their food to amazing uh korean barbecue, delicious.


My miracle. Oh right. I have we have a place close to the house called bon chon.


No, I don't, wow.


I don't know if you have they don't you know it's a franchise but I'm not sure. Um It's a korean fried chicken restaurant.


Okay.


Yeah, I've seen in the shows that they're fried chicken is kind of big thing.


Yeah literally it's crazy delicious. I know that sounds like I write I watch T.


V. A lot and I would I would see them eating chicken and go well that must why is it so delicious? We have I live in the south. I know a project uh it's like fried chicken.


Yeah, fried chicken, wow, I did not know that its board.


It is not there is actually more delicious, extraordinary. So, so like, you know how if you get like, if you get Kentucky fried chicken and you put it in your fridge the next day, it's kind of gross.


Yeah, wow.


Not delicious anymore. Korean fried chicken stays crispy, no matter how long you leave it in the fridge, I don't know, it's magic.


Yeah, perhaps I think it's about, yeah, that's awesome.


I think it's vampires. I mean the parts are different, so I don't know. So we'll get, we'll get korean fried chicken every once in a while, just for fun.


If there's a place in florida what good on?


Yeah, so good. So good. So then, you know, then there's the danger of, you know when you're watching a korean television show and then you go, oh, hey, they just got some korean fried chicken. Maybe I should pick up the float.


Oh man, that's dangerous.


Yeah. Right, dangerous. Came to play.


Oh I like it, jealous.


Oh, it's really good though. It is very good. Mhm.


I wish we had a place.


Yeah, no, and I've lived in places far from korean food and I'm glad not to have to do that anymore.


Yes.


Yeah.


At least you have that.


If you can't live in Korea, have that.


Yeah. Yeah. Live in Korea. At least you're going to have something, yep.


Okay. Dream.


Well it looks like we are at 25 minutes.


Yeah, we did it. It's been a little pleasure.


Well what a pleasure as well.


Yeah, thank you.


I hope you have a wonderful school year. I hope you don't get the coronavirus. You're doing everything right. So my love from Another Star, you watch it really good.


Yes they say yes, I will definitely check it out. Thank you for that.


It's really good. You'll love it.


Hopefully you too.


What to you? Why?


Uh huh. Okay. Yeah, actually, yeah. Mhm. Right, mm hmm. Yes.


Okay.


Hello?


What can you in?


Oh sorry, what?


It's not something uh is my microphone working?


Yeah, yeah, I can hear you won I don't want my stuff.


Uh huh.


All right, so you got here through the prolific thing or?


Your stuff is all good. Mhm christian, that is exactly what happened yet. Um yeah, I mean, I read through uh so I guess we're supposed to talk for 25 minutes.


Yeah, that's that's what it sounds like.


Yeah. Well, hi.


Uh I'm James.


Yeah, I'm sam nice to meet you James letter.


Yeah.


Uh where are you from? James number?


Uh Well I'm originally I'm from California, I live in Portland.


Mhm.


Nice.


The the Oregon one, not the main one.


Not the main one that would be a little closer to me.


I'm over on the east Coast, I'm in massachusetts uh finished Nice.


Oh, nice place I've been, I've been to the East Coast a few times. My parents, my grandparents were from new york, it would be a good thing.


Yeah, that's actually that's where I grew up was in new york and I moved out for high school. Um and then I went to college out here and uh yeah, um I'm actually, I just, this past year bought a house that I've been renovating, which is where I'm at right now.


Mhm. Oh, nice, congratulations.


Yeah, yeah, Thanks. Yeah, it was, I mean I did it with my parents, I would not have been able to do that just myself.


But yeah my mom and I bought a big very old farmhouse um sort of like a rural part of the state and yeah just like I've just been renovating it and hopefully we'll be rent actually it's a multi family so there's some rental units.


What?


Yeah. What about you what do you what do you do out in Portland? Yeah.


Uh I'm I'm unemployed at the moment, I'm looking for work, but I learned to code relatively recently, which it's been fun, it's been kind of fun.


Yeah thanks. Bottom of well. Mhm. That's true, interesting.


I've always been, you know, a big computer guy as a, since I was a kid and I always just sort of assumed that coding was never going to click for me, like it didn't, I took a couple of runs at, it didn't make a lot of sense as far as I can tell, but then I went to a to a code school out here uh like two years ago and now it makes more sense.


Yeah. Yeah.


Uh I'm kind of hoping to get into making games, but that's apparently that's a different, it's like a different industry from, you know, just coding websites, it's the same basic principles and everything, but but there there's also some some differences.


Oh yeah. Yeah.


And it turns out if you go, if you go to like a coding meet up and talk to industry people, they you get you get some pushback if you say, oh I want to make game, it's like, oh well, you know, that's that's great, but if you consider that, that's no way to make a living and like come on man, Yeah, but uh mhm, mm.


Of yeah. Yeah. Yeah interesting. Yeah I don't know too much about coding. I did trying to think. I've done some like data analytics stuff but never anything with like real could like a little bit of our kind of um but not no no real coding languages. Um Yeah I'm trying to figure out what the next we'll see what the next thing is going to be. Um I've worked for a couple of years for like a campaign finance reform organization sort of doing political research, mostly like data stuff.


Mhm.


Um But yeah, then I got an apprenticeship with a handyman uh which was a lot more fun than working in an office. Um And I did that for a couple of years and uh yeah, I'm thinking maybe that will be, we'll see renovating the house was like a lot of fun. It's really been much better than sort of my previous employment which has been uh yeah, I haven't totally loved being in an office environment necessarily.


I I I like the I like the idea of getting to sit down while I work and also not having to do something where I'm like where it's like customer facing, where, you know, you can get yelled at that, that's uh well, bye bye customers.


Oh okay. Yeah. Yeah. Right, mm.


I mean you can always get yelled at by someone I guess, but but yeah, I don't know, I I would I would take an office job, although yeah, it's not like what I would love to do uh but yeah, it's not, it's got its downsides.


Uh huh, wow. But on the, oh thank you dad. Um somebody like to do for fun, do you, are you a video player in addition to liking to build them?


Yeah. Oh God. Yeah, I don't think I would be, I don't think I'd be as interested in making them if I if I wasn't uh in the playing them.


Pick up? Yeah.


Mm When I when I was like six, my parents got me super nes and since then, you know, it's I've been pretty into him.


What kind of games you uh what what kind of games any like any kinds in particular gonna be?


I mean, I've always been a big fan of RPGS and I like action stuff, I like, I'll play most stuff.


No.


What I'm, what I basically, it's probably easier to say what I'm not into, which is mostly like really realistic sports games. Like I could never get into Madden or uh, or you know, the other light and stuff like that.


Okay sir, like.


I like NFL blitz, but I don't think they make games like that anymore sort of arcade style sports.


Yeah, I think how Oh you know.


I like the Mario ones where there's power ups like if I'm gonna be racing cars or something, I want the cars to be able to shoot missiles. Probably instead of just, you know, super realistic driving.


No. Yeah, interesting. Uh My brother is like a big, he's a big gamer, he does a lot of RPG stuff, he used to be really in the room escape, he was like a top tier rinse K player back in the day.


I played room escape when I was in middle school.


Mhm. One.


I am, my understanding is it's still around, but they have like totally now there's Room Escape classic, which I assume is what I played forever ago. And then there's like a newer one that looks like more, more like a modern experience. Uh I've actually fallen off, I've kind of fallen off multi player gaming mostly recently.


Mhm. Right.


Like I I don't think I could get back into an MMO because lots of them, lots of them charge you so now like you're paying to play it.


Oh get up. Right.


So it feels like I like I played wow for a little while and you know, other MMO s and it, it got into a thing where like I would feel like I wasn't planning to get like I had to be playing the game a certain amount because I'm paying for it monthly, but then that turns it into a job, which is not great for for me in terms of having fun doing it.


Right. Mhm. Yeah. Right. Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah. Yeah, I never got big into games, I haven't been trying to think. I mean, yeah, back in the day you spend like halo, you know like way back or like Call of Duty, but that's we're talking like 10, 15 years now.


Oh yeah, I mean they're still, they're still making call of duties and I think halo just came back recently.


Yeah.


Although it's not, you know people say oh it's not as good as old old hey.


Whoa. Yeah.


Um Any pets, any animals in your nice, Yeah.


Uh No not not right now when I was when I was a kid I had a cat um Name your snickers, she was a she was a maine coon she was you know sort of brown and gold like the colours and its Snickers bar I guess. Uh And yeah I mean I I loved her but she's she's dead now, she's been dead a while. I was I was actually away at a school in Vermont that my family kind of forced me to go to for reasons I won't get into.


Mhm. Yeah.


It's actually it's pretty I have a d d uh it was uh it was it was in Vermont actually so on the east coast it was the landmark college I think is what it's called and it was for you know the learning disabled or whatever you're supposed to call, stuff like that.


Uh huh.


Uh I hated it there, that's the that's the short version of that.


Mhm.


And uh while I was away, my cat died and my parents decided that they didn't want to tell me over the phone, so when I visited home for my birthday, that's when I got to uh to find out that my cat was no longer alive, so that was that wasn't great.


Uh huh, jeans as careful, Yeah.


Uh And then where I'm living, I live in uh I live in, it's it's an apartment building that anyone can live in, but so it's not technically student housing, but they've got like an arrangement with uh Portland State, which is nearby, so there's a there's a lot of students here and they have some people have parents, but I think maybe it's supposed to be a service dog or something, or management decides it on a person by person basis, but uh but not not a great pet situation here, you Yeah.


Yeah. I. Uh huh. Uh Yeah. Right. No. Yeah, I'm thinking about getting a cat. I uh I had a cat growing up and my parents um and yeah, I'm thinking it's time I was bouncing around for like a really for a while. Um I lived in spain for a couple of years, I was kind of just like itinerant traveling around um And yeah this is like the first time in a while where I've been settled a little bit, so I'm thinking maybe it's time to like well, see I used to I used to actually have had a dwarf rats for a while, so I would I had like a friend who was like a rat breeder um and she had these really like interesting, I know most people when you say like pet rat, they like sort of looking like you're crazy but uh they were really cute and super well trained and for for a while when I was in high school and college I had, I had like these roads instead of big cage.


Mhm. Yeah. Okay.


Um Yeah, I'm thinking probably cat uh, in the, in the foreseeable future.


Uh huh. Yeah.


Um and who knows?


Maybe we'll get, I'm like thinking about maybe getting chickens actually. Um Now I have some space.


Well, the other chickens are huge out here in Portland.


Yeah. Really? I'm shocked. Weight in Portland. Like the city of Portland.


Oh, yeah. You know, we're the we're the wacky hipster city, so raising chickens is totally a thing to do out here.


Yeah. That's hilarious, wow.


Yeah, I I've had friends, I have some friends who who have pet rats.


That's incredible. Yeah, I've heard. Yeah, but not.


I, you know, they say rats seem cute, although it's also my understanding that they only live like two years, so it can be kind of rough uh emotionally if you get attached.


Yeah, it's true. That's, that is, that is the thing. They don't live very long. Um But yeah, I would train them. I had them like litter box trained and I would teach them to do tricks and stuff. They would like would come on command and you snap your fingers. They were really smart world.


Nice.


Yeah. I think what I might do if you go to the animal shelter around here, you can actually foster in the spring, you can foster kittens. So you get like a mom cat with like some kittens. Uh And then at the end you get to keep one, which I think maybe maybe that's what I'll do apparently pretty like time intensive, which is why they try to offload that work on to, you know, volunteers.


Mhm. Nice makes sense.


Yeah.


I've really what I've really always wanted in a dog, but I also, I've only ever, you know, I talked about my cat, but there was a there was there was a family cat before that, and my mom actually got two cats after mine died.


Yeah. You know. Mhm. Uh huh. Yeah.


They are also maine coons. But they don't know me because I haven't been around as much, so they don't let me get near them. Uh But I I've always kind of wanted a dog, but I also know that's like a whole different level of responsibility and you know, you got you got to walk a dog and Mhm.


Hold on. Yeah, it's true. It's almost like having a toddler or something. I would worry just because I'm kind of I'm like a little I'll go away for an evening or a weekend or whatever just on the fly. Um And like that would be I think really hard to do that with the dog.


Mhm.


Whereas the cat, maybe I could.


Yeah. I mean I don't even know that is one thing I have to consider with, you know, whole pet is that I'll be.


Oh yeah, cat is, I don't want to say a cat is, you know, find a leave on their own because you shouldn't do that with most pets probably.


Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Right.


But yeah, cat will is probably good for longer than a dog.


I mean, I've got a couple of friends out here who they they've got a baby now. I think their kid is like too. But they got a dog first.


Uh huh.


And uh on my my friend, I was in the wedding party, I was a groomsman I think is what it's called.


Mhm. Yeah.


Uh So I went I went to the bachelor party and as we were leaving for that uh my friend Justin he got a call from his wife saying that the dog had just gotten into like the medicine cabinet and the dog ended up being fine but they did have to take it to the vet to like get her stomach pumped and uh and that wasn't free apparently.


Mm. Yeah. Holy Yeah, that's crazy.


So yeah that that seems like more of a dog situation than than when you end up with with with a cat.


Yeah. I can only imagine. Mm Right. Yeah. Although cats can definitely be assholes for sure. My my parents cat when I was a kid growing up as a kind of addict me, you know, stuff off your bedside table or whatever, tap water glasses on to you.


Oh yeah. Absolutely.


Oh yeah, I mean there was a there was a period it was between between longer term cats, I think it was when molly the original family cat died, but before snickers that we we went through a couple of other uh cats that we tried to adopt and one of them was from a shelter.


Oh right.


And I don't know, I think she had had a couple of bad owners and uh she liked me but not the rest of my family and she was if you if you tried to stop petting her uh you might get bitten.


Uh huh. Uh huh. Mhm. Uh huh That sounds like a cat.


And so so yeah, we we ended up returning, returning her and then there were the new cat that my mom got which again won't come near me, but for a while they would go into my room and chew through various chords and laces and things.


Let's go. So what else do you but uh huh And feel all destructive I guess.


So yeah. Cat scan. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.


Uh huh. So what else uh do you like to do in Portland? Are you like a bike rider?


Yeah.


Rock climbing? I don't mean that, I don't know.


I actually I before I lived in Portland, I lived in Bend, which is out more in central Oregon.


Uh huh. Yeah.


Uh and when I and when I lived there I did I biked pretty much everywhere because I don't I actually don't have my driver's license, I never, when I was a teenager I just never got around to getting it, I did get my permit and I took the test a couple times but I never passed and I just never seemed like that high a priority for me because I guess I assumed that I would always live at home with my parents and you know there there was food downtown, there was a fry's electronics up the road so why would I ever need to go farther than like half a mile away.


Uh huh. Yeah. Right. Oh okay.


And uh and now I just don't have a car to practice where there anything plus in uh Portland actually pretty good public transit and there is no free parking anywhere, so owning a car at all would.


Right.


Yeah you know that much more expensive but I bike everywhere in Bend and when I moved out here I didn't have room to bring my bike, but I thought like that I was gonna have to get another one immediately.


Uh huh. Okay. Yeah.


But actually in public transit out here is, it's pretty, it's pretty robust, I can generally get between there's a train, a streetcar and then there's buses, so between those and you know, Uber, uh which I actually use fairly rarely, it's pretty easy to get around out here.


Yeah, wow. Mhm, wow. Uh huh.


So I just wanted up getting replacement bike also biking in the city, kind of, the idea of buying out here kind of scares me because there are some horrible drivers.


Nice question. Yeah. The credit. Oh yeah, that's interesting. Yeah, man, public transit out here sucks. I I got a car when I was like 16 because that was like, I was, it's like 15, 20 minutes to your friend's house. I mean basically to get anywhere you have to drive, I live in the boonies. Um uh Yeah, that's so wild. Yeah, I've had the same, I've had a car since uh since my junior year of high school. Um I can't even imagine, I don't know what I would do uh just to go to the grocery store, I have to drive, you know, basically it's like 10, 15 minutes almost. Um Okay.


Oh yeah, when I was in bed and I had to bike to the, that was the worst, that was the worst thing in Ben was yeah, it was like a half hour bike ride to Safeway and then of course I I I would have to bike back with the groceries. Which not not super fun but that was that was pretty much the worst that it got.


Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No. Annual.


So it's it's not too bad.


Yeah. Yeah, that was one of the things I really liked about when I was traveling around was like, no, I didn't have a car and that was really, I'm so used to driving everywhere. I'll put I put like, you know basically 20,000 miles on a car in a year which is almost double what you do, what a normal person would. It's just just just to get around um Yeah, I don't know. Yeah. Uh Is it freezing? You know, I guess it's probably not that cold out in Portland, is it? Yeah.


Uh Let me see what the weather is right now.


Mhm.


But yeah, Bend was actually wait like in Bend it's probably snowing right now. I actually remember before I moved from Bend I was taking classes at school out there and I had this saturday morning class which sucked.


Yeah. Okay.


But you know it was the only time that it was available and uh and it was like three degrees out uh you know eight a.m. And I was in class and I was I had my laptop out and I went and I checked you know the weather online?


Yeah. That sounds terrible. Oh yes.


And uh you know like I said it was like three degrees and then on the sidebar because it was all in Oregon, there was the Portland weather.


What?


So I clicked out of curiosity and in Portland it was like Portland hits 30 degrees, there's snow, entire city shut down.


Okay. Yeah. Okay. Oh my God.


And yeah, it's it's it snows all the time in band, but out here in Portland it snows maybe a couple of days a year and when it does like all the public transit just kind of stops I guess because we don't have a lot of plows out here. So apparently it's apparently it's cheaper to gamble on having to maybe shut everything down a couple of days out of the year than to keep a whole fleet of stuff ready.


Mhm. Yeah. Okay. Send her life. Yeah.


That might not even get used.


Yeah.


Yeah, it's 51 degrees out right now, which is Oh yeah, I remember when I was still in Ben.


Oh man. I think it's like why I want to say it's like 20 degrees where I'm at. No fun. Yeah. Yeah, that was a lot.


So again, it was a lot colder there than here. I was still when the polar vortex happened a while back, like I was apparently outside of it, it was it was cool because it was winter.


Um Yeah.


But yeah, it wasn't like in danger, like I would have been in a lot of the rest of the country I guess.


Right. Yeah, interesting. Yeah. I don't know. I'm hoping I'm actually about to go somewhere warm. I'm going to the Dominican republic for like 10 days at the end of january, which I'm really excited about.


Oh nice.


Yeah, I just just getting away and getting out of freaking massachusetts for a little bit. We'll see. Hopefully we'll do something for my mood maybe.


Last, last time I got out of America was jesus, it was like 10 years ago actually, it was, it was a study abroad thing, went to uh went to London, which was, it was nice, but also London, London is kinda cold and gray and if it's freezing and raining in the morning so you dress heavy and then by the afternoon it's getting hot out so you regret dressing heavy Nice please.


Oh. Mhm. Our. Oh yeah. Yes. Oh yeah. Oh right. Yeah. I just I looked for really cheap flights, like I looked for like air flights. Um So I got a round trip ticket for, I think it was like $215.


Well jeez, that's that's not bad at all.


Yeah, like really nice and everybody is super cheap so it's going to be, Yeah, it was great. I I'm excited. Uh Yeah, I like to travel when I get chance.


Mhm.


Um It's been a little rare these days, but for a while I was I actually was working remote um just like on my computer. Uh And so I got to travel around for like a salad while um like I was living in Southern Spain for the most part and then traveling around um I actually uh I lived in Spain when I was in high school for take a little bit um sorry, I picked up spanish back in the day and Yeah.


Yeah, I I'm I'm from southern California but I never, I only ever learned a little bit of spanish my uh I actually took latin in high school partially at my parents insistence, I I think they said spanish would have been too easy, which I I mean yeah, that was the one that everyone saw as the easy one, but also probably would have been more useful.


Right. Okay. Uh huh.


Latin was actually a lot of fun, but uh I've forgotten most of it because it's a dead language and if you don't use a language then and you know, no one, no one is doing anything new in latin, so you're basically looking at translating the unneeded or a bullet, the same bunch of old political speeches over and over and over Mhm Uh huh Mhm I'm I know I've heard of the rotary club, but I'm not entirely clear on what it is or what it does Mhm Uh huh Uh huh Well, I like it like an immersion thing.


Mhm. Yeah. Right. Right. Okay. Yes. Right. Yeah, I remember having the option to take latin back and I think I just fixed spanish um which I'm glad I did because I ended up, yeah I lived in the did a it was like a really weird, it was not an exchange I guess it was an exchange, but it wasn't like through school, it was through do you know rotary International? Like the rotary club? It's like a Uh huh. Uh huh. Yeah. No, no I don't think anybody is entirely clear on what it is, but it's basically a kabbalah. Like basically it's like a bunch of like, like rich, like old people who get together and they sit and have one, they have like luncheons that's like ostensibly what it is. But one of the like weird things that they do is they send kids on exchanges. So like I had to like apply for it, you applied for it and I went to a bunch of meetings and I shook a bunch of hands and whatever and then they like pay for your trip and they give you money, like a stipend. Um It was the wildest thing. Uh yeah, it was like a really weird, so I just can't remember how I found out about someone that I knew knew someone who did it and they were like, have you ever heard of this thing? And I was like, no. And I just started looking at it, like, looking it up and yeah, so what ended up happening is a girl, a girl from Venezuela came to stay in my parents house and I went over to the Canary Islands, so it wasn't like a one for one, but it was like an exchange, like your house has to agree to take somebody. Um Yeah, and then I just went, they just plopped me in high school in like a, like, just like, they're like, you're now a high school student, like here in the Canary Islands, uh here's your like, student idea or whatever. Um And I was not like, I didn't really speak spanish, I had just, you know, I took high school spanish basically. Um So for the first couple of months I was just felt like I had no idea what's going on, I couldn't do anything. Yeah, but they weren't, there wasn't like very well organized is like, what I'm trying to illustrate is that basically they just said they were like, here's this like great trip. And they just kind of dropped me off in this foreign country were like, yes, like there you go. Um No, no real infrastructure. It was a very interesting experience, but it ended up being great. But yeah, the first couple of months I was like, oh, I mean it's ridiculous if anyway.


Yeah.


Um well, I think we're like coming up on the 25 minutes.


Yeah there's a there's a timer somewhere let me okay.


Yeah, Yeah. Stop.


It said there was it said there was going to be a timer that appeared on that page but I don't Oh yeah, yeah.


Call me. It was so I see one on my page, it says 28. Um but I don't know if it's, I'm not sure when it started, so I guess we can keep going for another couple minutes and yeah. Oh, uh boy, I don't know what's what's the best game that you played like in the last couple months?


Uh I I have you heard about death Stranding that?


Yeah, I have heard about that, yes. Even though I'm not a big number that somehow filtered into my like, you know, so I do I did play Metal Gear Solid a while back.


That's Yeah, I mean I don't I don't know, you know Metal Gear Solid, that's like like just the original already played the series.


I do remember that game. Yeah, no, I think it was like Metal Gear Solid four, I want to say something like that.


But was were you a really old guy in Metal Gear solid for you?


Uh Were you a really old guy? Um Yeah, but Yeah.


The the big series protagonist snake is like he's really old because he's like a clone and he's got accelerated aging, he's got he's his hair is gray and he has a moustache.


Yes. Uh huh. Little Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yes.


That's Yeah yeah you were you were old snake that ones that ones for But yeah, if you played forward then you got a pretty good idea of how like crazy that series uh gets and yeah, basically economy sort of mistreated hideo Kojima, the sort of guy who's who came up with all the, with most of the Metal gear stuff.


Yes. Yes. Yeah. Uh huh.


It was sort of his series like they when Metal Gear solid 51 some big award like economy wouldn't let him accept it in person and there was a whole bunch of stuff about, they weren't letting him leave his offices or something. Uh and then eventually they fired him and he started his own company and Death Stranding is his first big game. And like during the four year run up to its release, it was just all these crazy teasers and trailers.


Okay. Book. Okay. Yeah.


I'm like, oh look mads. Mickelson is in this your norman Reedus Guillermo Del Toro is there uh Conan O brien is in the game?


Uh huh. Weird.


Yeah, it's yeah, it's just a whole bunch of crazy like celebrity cameos and I mean the actual game is you're right, you're a delivery man, basically, you're you're delivering packages across post apocalyptic America.


Yeah. Okay.


There's there's guys, there's people who will try to kill you and steal your packages, there's like crazy ghosts that try to attack you. It's it's it's it's pretty it's pretty crazy and uh I've definitely been enjoying it. Like I was I was looking forward to it just because I really like metal gear solid and I wanted to find out like what, what are you going to do next?


Mhm.


And also what the hell are all these celebrities gonna be up to you and so far I've really been enjoying that.


Right. Nice. That sounds good. Is it what system do you play on the Xbox?


Uh It's it's right now, it's a Playstation four exclusive.


Er Yes, yeah, yeah.


It's coming to Pc at some point this year I think.


One day I'll get back into it. We'll see.


Yeah, I mean there's there's all sorts of games these days so.


Yeah. Yeah. All right. Um Well, I think that we have surpassed the 25 minute mark um bounds.


Yeah, that sounds yeah.


It was a pleasure speaking with you.


You too?


Yeah, I wonder I don't know how to end of this exactly, but I guess I can figure it out anyway. Uh Yeah. Best to walk with future stuff. I mean I hope the coding thing goes well, you know, good luck with that and gaming and maybe I'll be buying one of your games one day. We'll see.


Oh, cool. Yeah. Yeah. Good luck with the with the renovations and I hope you have a good time in the Dominican republic.


Right? Yeah, man. Thanks so much. I really appreciate it. Have a good rest your day.


Yeah. You too. Yeah.


Mhm. Let's see how to. Okay, good.


I think we just x out of the window for the ab, yep.


I hope. Yeah. Yeah. All right, well, see you later on.


quite okay. Yeah. Yes. Okay. Yeah. Mhm. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Mhm. Yeah. Mhm. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Mhm. Yes. Okay. Yeah. Uh huh. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Mhm. Yeah. All right. Mhm. Mhm. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Mhm.


Hey, not bad.


Hi how are you?


How about yourself?


I'm good.


Yeah, no, this is my fourth time, Yeah.


So is this your first time doing this? Mm saying? So I guess for me like I've been talking to like people in California or Iowa.


Mhm.


So it's been interesting to see what their experiences are.


Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, same California, new york, I'm not sure. Maybe just California union work, but maybe one other place, I can't remember, I think.


Uh huh. Mhm. Uh mm.


Yeah. Anyway, I think, yeah, I think two people in new york and one person in California, so I mean those are the two I liked.


How was your experiences with those conversations?


I've had good conversations so far. There was one lady who was really fun to talk to, we actually went quite a bit over time. We had a lot of common interests, so that was cool. Like talked about like eastern, europe and history and also a lot of tech stuff um existed men stuff and talked about coding and and stuff, you know, she's resources about learning stuff because I'm kind of just getting into learning like coding and I'm learning some unique stuff and some web development.


Mm mm mm hmm. Okay.


Yeah, mm hmm.


Well I took a E. P. Campsite horse during my high school year so I was just getting introduced like C. And the real basics of just quoting in general. So I mean I don't know I guess quoting for me is like learning another language, like a foreign language.


So I don't know it's a bit difficult to sort of get the hang of just um the layout and you know the interface of what um how things are just sort of um made out I guess.


Yeah. Yeah.


But I mean it's kind of interesting to see that c is basically like the stepping stone for most modern languages like javascript job and what not.


Yeah. Yeah. Right. Yeah, I'm doing python, which is also really common, like first coding language.


Um So and it's also really one that's used in a lot of stuff. So when you learn first off um and it tends to be kind, it's a little easier, you know, for like a to learn.


So I'm doing that one.


And actually my my second alma mater, the university of michigan, they have, they have free as an alumnus, I have like free access to a bunch of online courses.


Okay. Oh, cool.


So I recently found that out. So I'm using that resource, which is cool.


Yeah.


So that that actually has like lectures and like some quizzes and pure reviewed assignments and stuff.


Mhm Great.


So it's not just like sitting with your yourself with like a book and a computer, you know, like isolated, trying to because yeah, I'm doing some work from home, but mostly I'm just by myself because of the pandemic kind of thing.


So I figured I'd take, you know, might as well learn something new.


Right, right.


All right.


Make the best of your time I guess at home.


Mhm. Yeah, it's just been a couple of months really. Um I was in graduate school in the humanities and it didn't pan out for like just some mental health reasons.


But how is your quoting experience, I mean when did you first start off? Mm hmm.


And then also it's like I didn't end up going back to the PhD program. I took the masters because it's like the field is really sparse. Like it's not super likely, especially you're not going to get a tenure track job.


Oh.


I know one guy who did out of like all the people I know, and then, you know, it's like, other than that, it's like your, what's your options?


It's like add jumping or you get like a fellowship.


Uh huh.


Why don't you go like get a one year position? You have to move from place to place. And it's just kind of like, you know, I see my friends and what they've I kind of had to do after finishing and it's like, yeah, not a lot of not going to go back into it anyway, so I've just been doing freelance and it's like, you know, get into a second career and figure something out.


Mm hmm. Yeah. Yeah.


Say lovey.


Are the job opportunities including right now? I mean being that, Yeah.


Oh there. I mean that's that's one of the things about it, like a it's interesting, I like it and be there's always work, you know, like if you can build web pages or if you can code, you can, you know, work on programs or you can do various things, you know, it's like pretty much always get some work so or systems administration stuff if you actually learn enough to do that with like, eunuchs and Lennox and whatnot, which I've used Lennox for years on my computer, but I'm just I'm learning just recently more about really the guts of it and and sort of beyond just you think as my operating system, you know?


Mhm, mm hmm. Right, mm that's good. Mm I see. Great. Mhm. Yeah.


So how about you? How are you doing, what have you been up to quick?


Uh Oh, I've been there, I've been busy making money on the side. I mean with the whole covid situation, I'm a coffee burst so I think cut for my hours.


Uh huh. Yeah, wow.


So I've been trying to like, you know, make money, I'm prolific and amazon mturk and whatever other sources of revenue, revenue I can, you know, find right.


Yeah. Yeah, same. Yeah. Um because uh Yeah, well the transcription I do, have you heard of rev you could actually probably do that rev dot com.


No. What is that?


It's transcription, like honestly the pay is pretty shit.


Mm mhm Oh God.


Um But it's something to do. I mean I can it's work I can do from home if I get work, it's something um it's transcription so it's like basically just listen and you type out here. Yeah. Um So you go you go on their site and then they just have like basically like a test thing that you get through and then you can just, you know, there's like accuse that you pick out jobs that you think, you know that the best ones you can get and then you do them and you get paid a certain amount per minute of transcription.


Yeah. Uh huh. Yeah. Okay. Right. Mhm, mm hmm, mm mm.


So it's not like an hourly wage, it's a piece work, you know? But I find I don't make that much. I mean I get like 7 to $10 an hour maybe when I when I figure out in my head. But that's when I'm actually working. There is also the time of like finding the jobs, you know? And sometimes when you work on it for a while and you're like yeah this is crap or like I can't do this well enough that might affect my metrics, you know?


I see you.


So which is, I mean at least that's above federal minimum but it's not close to Washington minimum which is 13 50.


Yeah. Oh, okay.


So I'd rather be in Washington.


Mm. Oh, you're located in Washington right now.


Yeah. Yeah.


Oh, I see.


How about you?


Uh a little away I guess.


Well, oh sweet. Well I don't know how is it?


Well, I mean, I mean the covid cases recently have been like skyrocketing. I think two days daily cases was like 351 and that's only on the main island waffle.


Oh shit. Damn.


So I mean to consider, you know, hawaii as a state that's pretty, you know, plentiful for DV cases.


Mhm.


I mean it's not as bad as, you know, like California and other parts of the country, but still, I mean, it's kind of just scary to see, you know, especially that we're in like an isolated area in the ocean.


Yeah. Mhm.


It's, you know, scary, you see, you know, the amount of cases just rising and skyrocketing.


Right. Yeah, for sure.


I was the case is over there in Washington.


Yes there is. Well I'm in a rural county so it's been really so far pretty, you know um Pretty low. I mean really if you especially active cases like the total number when you look at it is like over 100 but then you go and look at it closely and it's like most of those are all recovered and then there's like like three deaths altogether in the county.


Yeah. Oh yeah.


Um So you know, you look at it and typically there might be like 3 to 5 active cases, but it's like they're little towns and basically if you kind of look at it statistically it looks basically they'll have like a little outbreak, so they'll have like five or 10 cases and, and everybody recovers, you know?


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


Um So it's been pretty, you know, pretty decent. Like I don't feel totally safe, but it's like, it's a lot better. I feel a lot better than I would if I was living in like phoenix Arizona, you know what I mean?


Right, right. Yeah, Yeah.


So if it does feel pretty relatively, you know, safe and especially me, I'm not even in a town, like I'm up on Mount, I'm on a mountain, you know, there's like there's like 250 people.


Oh, okay.


So a week.


Well, so you don't really have to worry too much, you're pretty somewhat isolated I guess?


Yeah. Yeah. Although I'm staying with my mom and she just went back to work today and she works in like a pear packing facility.


Um Mhm, Mhm, Mhm, Mhm, mhm Right, right, right.


So like putting all the pairs in the boxes and putting them up on the conveyor belt and your Iata. Um So because she was on unemployment during the summer, so she got the extra unemployment, she always gets laid off in the summer. Um But like she, you know since there is work she needs to go back to work, you can't just keep getting unemployment but she needs to get back on the health insurance anyway so but those are the kind of places that are a little bit more likely to get an outbreak just for various reasons like you have to be more close together and um and not to be like racist at all but it's a lot of hispanic people and they just because of their like kind of their circumstances they tend to live in like intergenerational households with lots of people so it's harder to do social distancing for them and stuff so.


Mhm. Right, right, right, right. Yeah, same as way, I mean, in our case it would be mainly pacific Islanders and filipino households where, you know, you have the multigenerational households and a lot of them come from, you know, working class households as well.


Yeah. Mhm.


So, you know, there are more at a risk because you know, a lot of them help in the service industry, so, you know, it's just, you know, concerning to witness, I guess.


Yeah. Mhm. Right. Yeah, for sure.


Yeah.


Yeah. Yeah, so and then Yakama County which is in Washington has had a lot of cases and it's also very agricultural county.


Mhm.


Lots and lots of orchards specifically and lots of migrant workers tend to work in the orchards and basically like they're given housing by the people they work for but it's just like shacks like they just give them like shacks to live in and who knows what even a sanitation they have right?


Okay, mm. Yeah. The enemy. Um Yeah. Right.


And they're all just close together I'm sure. And so it's.


Mhm, wow, I see it.


Yeah. Right. Yeah.


How's it in the Seattle area?


But yeah Seattle is so King County Seattle early on was um really concerning. It was pretty bad because they have like it's on the west coast right?


So it's like a pacific rim city and they have a major airport.


Mhm. Right.


Um So that was, it was like really peaking early on and that's when Washington state just like shut down like everything um pretty early.


What? Mhm. Oh, monsieur.


So like all schools were shut down, you know, all non essential businesses.


It was like stay at home orders like really early on.


Um So that helped to kind of get Seattle to flatten the curve, you know?


Right.


Um So I think Seattle is doing okay now.


Mhm.


I mean relatively speaking, you know?


Mhm, mm.


Um It's not, it's definitely not like exploding or anything. So it's not like some of these places in the south west or the south where they just like open everything up, you know, and stuff just although, you know, Washington state is opening up in like phases.


All right, Right, mm hmm.


So which I think is so stupid because it's not, it's like why would you start opening up when things aren't even better? It's not like it's all better and we can just open up all the businesses and go back to normal, you know? But yes, I don't know.


Yeah, that's true. I mean it's like sort of a balance between like people losing their jobs and trying to, you know, keep safe and healthy.


Yeah, because you can't just.


It's like where's the tipping point? I mean, where is like the balance between the two? Because you know, if you mean more towards the other than, you know, you have a risk of, you know, either having more cases becoming infected or you know, people more people losing their jobs.


Yeah right? And also having millions of people die would crash the economy too.


So you know.


Yeah. So it's like, what do we do about this, I mean, you know.


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?


Right, right. Mhm. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean, you be, I would be nice, but I mean, well, no, yeah, Something temporary at least to keep people you know happy and being able to you know live comfortably somewhat comfortably happy so you know.


That's what Canada is doing better. It's like it's. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know. It's at least through the pandemic. I don't know. It's like yeah so the people who can't work. Yeah. Yeah.


Right. Yeah. It's kind of interesting to see what kind of times that we've been doing.


Uh huh. Yeah. It sucks.


Yeah. It does suck. I mean this entire year has been just shit basically.


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.


Yeah.


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.


Mhm. Mhm.


It's a nice round number.


It was like, nope, completely wrong, like so wrong.


Yeah. Yeah mm.


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


Yeah. 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.


Yes. Yeah. Yeah.


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 I think it's cold virus.


Yeah. They anticipated supposed to get worse.


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.


Mhm. Yeah.


So yeah.


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.


Right. Right.


So like back what?


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


Uh huh. Yeah. Yeah.


I mean, yeah.


Pretty fucking sketchy man. Yeah, I don't know about that.


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.


But definitely like you just skip phase three trials like, you know.


Yeah, okay.


There be effective but we're not going to really tested in human populations who just go right ahead.


Yeah. Yeah. Boy. Yeah. Yeah. Just, you know, it just might kill off the entire population or at least half of the population never know.


Uh huh.


But it's just a waiting game.


We'll see what happens, I guess.


Yeah. Yeah.


Yeah.


I mean I lived out here for a little while before anyway after I left grad school.


Uh huh. Yeah.


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?


Mhm. Yeah.


So it's like it's not like it's this kind of just like isolation and lifestyle.


Mhm. Mm.


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.


Right.


So it does suck more or does suck, you know, like it is definitely more isolated, lonely.


Mhm.


But um what?


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.


Mm hmm. Yeah.


And then I lived in ann arbor michigan um was my home base for six years while I was in grad school.


Yeah. No. Mhm.


So when I lived in Russia, some two in Poland.


Oh, yeah. Oh, so you have some experience than outside?


Yeah. Yeah, a little bit.


Right, yep.


How about you, have you lived in Hawaii whole life?


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.


Mhm. Yeah. Mhm. Oh. Mhm.


What's it like in Poland Russia?


Cool. 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 like what I mean, people are in public.


Is it like the stereotypes of the portrayed in the media sort of cold hearted? Um I don't know, like just um, you know, like the Russian personality is just being strong and what not.


It's very 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 face.


Mhm, mm hmm. I see.


But part of that is cultural like smiling is like you don't smile for no reason in Russia right?


Um, basically Right, right.


Like America, everybody's like, you smile at the supermarket, you smile you know?


Mhm, mhm Great, right.


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 like you know like.


There's a purpose to it.


Yeah right?


Mhm Oh, I see, mm hmm.


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 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.


Oh, you got it.


So it's just like 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.


Okay. Yeah, mm I can imagine.


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 is definitely true.


Yeah, no, yeah, mm I see.


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 but like, like beer and wine is like it's more cool now, you know, than to drink vodka which is healthier like you know 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.


Yeah, that's true. Mhm, mhm Yeah, yeah, yeah, mm let's see.


Um But yeah and it's it's interesting culture, there's a lot of different things about it, you know Poland is um it's definitely more european like it is europe and people are more like immediately uh huh.


Mhm yeah, mhm yeah, mm hmm, mm, mhm. Is it heavily Russian influence? Is it heavily Russian influence?


Is it heavily Russian influence?


All right.


No but they're both Slavic people Islamic 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?


Oh, I see. Mhm, wow, mhm Oh, I guess it's more approachable for foreigners then mm I like Japan, I mean I'm japanese so I guess you know it's like the motherland basically um 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.


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 yeah yeah and crack crack house, early, nice city. What did you think of Japan? What's Japan like? Yeah. Yeah. Uh huh Right. Mhm Mhm Yeah. Mhm. Mhm 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, I was just, you know, go ahead, go ahead.


Mhm Yeah I guess well 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.


Mhm Uh huh Uh huh Yeah.


Um, you know, you can somewhat get accustomed to it I guess.


Uh huh Yeah.


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, you know, yeah, it is uh well what were you going to see earlier?


Mhm Yeah, I imagine what's a much bigger city Honolulu Tokyo is, I'm sure. Yeah.


I'm sorry.


Oh, I was for a random reason, I was reading today about pachinko parlors.


Oh, um, I passed by then and I wanted to play at a partner actually, but I guess it's like an agent everywhere.


Did you ever go? I'm not Uh huh Yeah.


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.


Mhm But they're like, they're kind of like pinball though, right?


But yeah, interesting because I don't understand how, you know, that's gambling.


It's like a Yeah. Right.


I mean it's like putting a little pain inside the commissioning and I wouldn't necessarily say it's like a people.


Yeah. Uh huh Okay, like you, you kind of like moving around and like Yeah.


Well, I mean, I guess it is in the sense that the ball just sort of, yeah, it just drops randomly and you know, you have those like tax and you know, it just goes in different directions.


Right. Yeah. Oh uh uh huh uh Well that's gambling I guess.


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 don't know. Yeah, I guess so.


Yeah 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.


Mhm. Right. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Mhm. Right. Yeah. Yeah, we take advantage of the stupid people.


Yeah they that enough that yeah.


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.


Uh huh.


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 yeah mm maybe I mean I don't know I don't really have much experience so they could have changed or there could be like different variations.


Yeah. Yeah Right 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 like pinball. Yeah. Yeah it's 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.


Mhm.


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.


Mhm mm.


So yeah why would I have not at a casino, I've bought just like, you know, scratch off tickets.


Have you ever gambled before like at a casino mm Have you want anything before?


Like that is the extent of my gambling experience. You know just like $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 like three tickets.


Oh wow. So I guess I was worth it then.


And yeah that one. And I've won like you know 10 bucks here and there off like a $2 ticket. So you know probably mostly I've lost money like all told but I rarely buy them.


Mhm. Because we Mhm.


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.


Yes yeah I just heard people 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?


It's not really like I've lost money because I wasn't gonna do anything with it anyway, sort. I don't know. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.


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 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.


Uh huh. Uh huh. No. Mhm. Uh huh. Mhm. Right. Mhm. Yeah. Right. Yeah.


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 they're allowed to 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.


Mhm. Yeah Is it regulated or is it just like a free for all if you're on a indian soon? Oh. Mhm.


So it's basically up to them as far as I know.


Oh, that's interesting.


Mm. Okay.


Yeah so that's a common way that they make money.


Mm. Yeah.


Yeah we take the money from the white man.


Uh huh.


You take out we take your money.


Yeah. Revenge for past atrocities, I guess.


All right well I think um I'm gonna probably eat something and do some work.


Yeah. Are we is it time for reading? Oh, yeah. Yeah. Okay.


It was nice talking to you though.


Yeah. Yeah same here. Yeah thanks for thanks for hanging out.


Yeah. Have a good rest of your day I guess and hopefully makes years better.


Yeah to, yeah hopefully hopefully 2021 works out a little better.


Mm hmm. Yeah. Okay.


Yeah. All right.


Take care. Bye bye.


Yeah. Okay.


Hi there.


Hi, how are you?


I'm good, how are you?


Good.


So what, what's your name?


My name's christa and your gotcha?


I'm Alison.


Yeah, yeah.


Yeah, it's nice to meet you southern California, like Orange County area.


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


Where are you from? Oh, cool.


So for sure.


That's awesome. Yeah, different time zones.


Your pacific Okay, that's cool.


Yeah. Yeah, I just got done observing. I'm in a teaching credential program, so I've been observing like an online school. Yeah, so I just got out of that and logged right on so Yeah, it was mhm.


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, 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.


Yeah.