Back to School, Teaching & Big Life Changes: What We’re Balancing in Season 4

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We'd like to thank our Season 4 presenting sponsor, Teacher's Insurance Plan,

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the auto insurance provider that was founded exclusively for educators.

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Check out their website linked in this episode. Teacher's Insurance Plan,

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auto insurance that brings exclusive educator savings and exceptional customer support.

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Joe Vitale.

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Well, hey, guess what? What? Isaac and Perry are officially recording.

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This looks a little different than it normally does. We are here.

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Welcome, welcome to season four of the Balancing Act podcast.

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I'm Jamie Wanko here with Joe Vitale. Hello, Mr. Vitale. Happy season four.

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Yeah. It also means we're heading back to the classroom very shortly, which, you know, tear.

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You'll have to put your flip-flops away for a little while. Yes. For a little while.

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I want to say never, but sadly, get those orthotics back and get your sneakers

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on. Yeah, but we are kicking off our season four in a very special place.

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And we want to thank the New Jersey Hall of Fame and Allie and everyone here

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on staff who's been setting up equipment and letting us use all this fancy schmancy

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recording with multiple cameras and amazing lighting. I mean, you look so good.

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And just the surroundings are... It'll highlight my little...

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Um, me cutting my face from shaving. It is not. On the way here,

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I said, Joe, did you eat an Uncrustable for breakfast?

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And he, cause he often does have an, he does. I mean, Uncrustables are delicious.

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And he said, no, I cut myself. I said, okay, good. I wanted to make sure that

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wasn't any grape jelly over there on your lip.

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I would never do you dirty like that. Yeah, I know. Just let you record.

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I just want to point it out so people know, you know, what's going on as,

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as my face for radio continues into season four.

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Um, but no, We're super excited to be able to use this space.

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The next couple episodes you'll see are actually going to be from here.

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We have some guests that we're going to have, and we're really doing a kickoff

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for the whole month of September of some amazing guests and talks that we're

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going to have. So we're really excited to bring that to you guys in season four. Absolutely.

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It's going to be a lot of fun. So, Joe. Hey.

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What's new with you? What's new with you? It's our new segment. What's new with you?

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So, yeah, we did a lot this summer. I mean, we were busy.

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For sure. Care to embellish. Yeah. I mean, I think the biggest thing for us is as a show.

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I went down to if you followed us on social media, I went down to Washington,

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D.C. I was invited to at the end of June.

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I got this email that I thought was fake. And I was like, where is this coming from?

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And I reached out to the person that it came from. And all of a sudden,

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we were invited to a creator day in Washington, D.C., where we were there with some additional.

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For teacher talk. Yeah, for teacher talk. There were some additional creators

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that were down there. People with way more followers than us on social media.

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Some of which you will see as guests on our show, which is really exciting.

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Yeah. Um, but we walked around the Capitol building and we got to tour some amazing spaces.

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Um, I was down there for just a day. Jamie was, um, away in a Disney world with

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her family on vacation. So that was the only bummer to this whole, um,

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to this whole thing was that I was there by myself and not with my co-host friend

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and partner and fellows. Not wife. Yes. Not wife.

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When I say partner in this. You would be surprised. Maybe you wouldn't be surprised

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how many people ask us if we're married. Miss, is that your husband?

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Yeah. The students at school. Yeah, they like to ask that. People,

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oh, is that your husband?

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No. Yeah, no. We should do the tech talk like, I am going to meet my husband.

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That's probably not the right words, but you know what that is?

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Yeah, I do vaguely. And then just walk past you.

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So I was super jealous that Joe got to, you know, hobnob on the hill.

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And all of a sudden they brought senators in for us to interview.

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And I'm like, why am I here? Why are you not here though?

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Exactly. Absolutely. But a lot of the conversation we've had,

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with many people that we've had on our show, we have talked about like legislation

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and how to make this profession more long-lasting for people that go into it,

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because we know there's a teacher shortage across the country.

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So we talked to a few people about their thoughts on that.

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There were some Democratic senators that came in.

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We actually got introduced to a staff member from Senator Andy Kim's office.

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A little spoiler alert for all our listeners. Senator Andy Kim did record an

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episode with us. We're going to have him on in a few weeks, which is...

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And what a nice guy. Yeah, really nice guy. At the same time,

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like we are a show that started from literally nothing. We were like,

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let's record a podcast sitting in your kitchen with one microphone and figuring out how to do this like.

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And we just interviewed a senator. Like, it's really cool to think about,

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like, where we started and where we are. Yes.

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And where we are. Absolutely. In this space. Yes.

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Was really cool. So that's, show-wise, that's probably the biggest piece of

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news for us, is that it's opened a lot of doors for us.

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Yes. We've talked to a lot of people already about being guests on the show.

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We have some book authors and things like that that we're going to be interviewing.

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So there's some really cool stuff that's coming for us in season four. So it's super exciting.

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Yes. Now, that is, you know, what's new with our show. Yes. What's new with you?

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Before I go into that, just real quick, we do have two sponsors that have come

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on again. We have Teacher's Insurance Plan, which you'll see them throughout our season four. Yeah.

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And also NJ School Jobs. And we want to thank them for investing in our show

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and helping us get ads out there and publicize ourselves more and stuff like that.

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So we just wanted to mention that. That's also good information about our show.

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What's new with us. And feeling all the support from they are so supportive.

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And we wouldn't be able to keep going if it wasn't for them.

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So I am officially an empty nester because both of my children are at college,

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which is kind of weird that it's just me and my wife.

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And it didn't hit me until I was like, hey, what do you want to have for dinner?

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And, like, I went and, like, I started cooking. And I'm like, wait a minute.

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I only have to cook for two people. I'm not cooking for four people.

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Like, it just, it never crossed my mind.

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And it was like, I don't need to make a whole box of pasta. I can make half a box of pasta. Right.

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You know, random things. And less opinions. Yeah. Because, you know, dinner. Yeah.

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My little Gordon Ramsay's. They're like, this is good. It's all right. It's okay. Yeah.

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No, that's been a period of adjustment. My kids, I feel, are thriving and enjoying

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themselves already down at school. They're freshmen at the College of New Jersey.

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We got all sorts of pictures of the things that they were doing during welcome week.

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And my son has been very busy. Like, we're like, oh, why did you go?

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Oh, well, I left class and then I met my friends for dinner and then we went

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to the gym. And now like there's people on my floor. We're going to have a movie

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night. I'm like, awesome. Good for you.

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So it's really, we're not sad. We're excited to see the journey that they're going to go on.

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Because like that's where my wife and I, that's where our journey started.

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Like we met there, we dated there, and now we're married and our kids are going

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back there. So it's just like a full circle moment for us.

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So yeah, that's the main thing, I guess. What's new with you,

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friend? What are we doing?

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So this was a happy hour summer for me. Yes, it was. What was your goal of the

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summer? To hit up as many happy hours as possible.

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And I feel really good about doing that.

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That sounds so terrible. It's not terrible. Not at all. It's just the truth.

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I did a lot of relaxing this summer, I have to say. Earlier,

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you were talking, I think you and Allie were saying how this summer felt the

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fastest of all summers. Yeah.

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And I have to say, for me, it felt as low and slow as a summer as I've had in

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a really long time. So I didn't have a lot of responsibility.

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So as a lot of our, you know, followers, listeners know, I lost my mom at the end of April.

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And so it has, you know, this summer's been really interesting because there's

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been a lot of grief, but also a lot of like recovery.

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And, you know, we, my mom required like such a deep level of care and it was

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just like all encompassing. Yeah.

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Having, you know, time is an interesting thing, right? Because you just you

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make time and you make space for the things that you need to.

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And sometimes when you get it back, you don't realize like how,

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you know, how it affected you in different ways.

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So we have been able to, you know, spend some time like really making sure that

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we're going out and living, enjoying, dancing, laughing and happy houring because, you know,

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that's what she would have wanted us to be doing.

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So, gosh, no one loved my mom used to go to a place on Long Beach Island and it was called the Jammy.

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OK. And it was her favorite. It was on Sundays. And these two guys would play

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like behind the bar and like it was interactive anyway.

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And so nobody loved a good afternoon happy hour more than my mom.

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So it's definitely been, you know.

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And as we've gotten older, the afternoon happy hour is way better than the late

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night go out to the bar fist pumping stuff. Well, nobody wants us late night. No.

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No, I know. But, you know, drinking, having a snack, four o'clock,

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five o'clock, you're in, you know, you're back home by seven.

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Yeah, a little golden hour. In your jams by eight. Come on. There's nothing better than that.

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You're a shirtless husband then making you drinks. That's the way it goes. I know.

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Talk about an intervention. He needs a shirtless intervention.

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You shouldn't be walking the neighborhood shirtless.

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I mean, you know. Come on. It's time. I said it.

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I said what I said. Don't walk the dog without your shirt on.

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Somebody in our neighborhood probably likes it, but it's not this funny.

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He is really walking the dog without a shirt. Okay, nice. That's good stuff.

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I can't believe I haven't told you. Oh, Jason.

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That is breaking news, everybody. Can we Can we get a banner?

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Breaking news? We'll put a banner on the bot.

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We got to hang out a little bit at the beach, our favorite beach,

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of course, in Long Beach Island.

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That was great. That was great. Our kids got to go out and have some fun.

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Went to the claw machine and got a whole bunch of seagulls and ducks, which is very exciting.

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So they had a good night out. That was fun for them.

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Didn't get to go down there as much as I would like to.

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It's just the way summer was. There's a lot of college prep and doing things

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and my kids working and stuff like that. And my son's leaving soon.

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He is going to Stockton. They have a very late start.

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Not that anybody really seems to mind, but it's so it's been nice.

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We have them a little bit longer than some of the other folks that have been

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dropping their kids off in August. So pretty excited about that.

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And, you know, so we'll see. It's going to be different.

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My girls did a lot of camps this summer and a lot of theater.

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So there was, you know, of course, still in my shofar era.

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So, you know, so all of those things were fantastic. But I can't,

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you know, I can't complain for the time that I had this summer because,

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you know, time is priceless.

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Yeah, I did focus on, you know, resetting myself. I did a lot of reading.

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Tried to stay active as much as possible. Yeah.

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You know, spent some time with my family. That's pretty much what we focused

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on for the summertime, which was great. That's a lot of new stuff. Yeah, it's good. Yeah.

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That's our new segment. We're starting out every show with, hey,

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what's new with you? What's new with you? Yeah, so when we talk to our guests,

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they can also tell us what's new with them. That's right.

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Yeah, so that's what we're jumping into. So what are we talking about next there, friend?

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What are we jumping into? So we are here at the New Jersey Hall of Fame.

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We are, yes. And we just did some karaoke. We did.

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Which was amazing. I mean, it was amazing for me. I'm not sure it was amazing

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for some of the people who had to listen. I can't pull off Whitney Houston.

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Nobody can. I know nobody can.

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There were points in her life when Whitney had kind of a hard time pulling off

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Whitney. You know what I mean? Very true. And she is Whitney. She's everything. Yes.

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Um everything she is everything that's a hard she is every woman um,

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oh my god that's a callback so she's amazing yeah we really part about being,

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old there's a lot of odd parts about being old and we'll talk about that clearly

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um but one of the um strange things is that,

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mentioning someone like Whitney Houston or many of the people that are here

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especially for us as history teachers is you assume, I still assume,

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and then I have to remind myself, like, you're old,

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is that you think that kids are going to know who some of these people are.

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So an environment like this is so immersive to really show them,

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not just, you know, the names in your classroom, but, like, get your kids here

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to be able to say, like, look at the pictures and look all around at some of

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these amazing and influential people from New Jersey. Yeah.

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And even Whitney. I mean, I bet you that there's probably a great majority of

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kids that have no idea who that is.

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Right. I think there is. They've heard some things. There's probably they'll

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probably eventually be some TikTok meme.

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Well, there's like, oh, my mom. I think my mom knew her. Yeah, exactly. Yes.

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So since we're here at the Hall of Fame, I think we should like say like if

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we had a teacher Hall of Fame, like the things that would be in a teacher Hall

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of Fame may not necessarily be people.

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Yes. But like in your teacher Hall of Fame, if you were to put some things in

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teacher Hall of Fame, what would you put in there? Because I have one off the

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top of my head. You go. You go first.

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The first thing I would put in my Teacher Hall of Fame is like, and it's an event, okay?

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It's pretty much a Friday or before break when that last bell rings and the

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kids have just left the building. And you could like take that deep breath and be like, okay.

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Yeah. Okay. And you could take that moment.

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There seems to be this like gorilla off your back release in that moment.

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And it's always very freeing. To me, that would be in my teacher hall of fame.

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Like that is, I don't know if other professions get that, that moment of release

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or that feeling where it's like, okay, I could take a little bit of a breath.

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And if you're the, you know, friend of a teacher or the spouse of a teacher,

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like you need to understand that that's a real thing.

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Yeah, of course it is. Yeah, that is something that would be on the Teacher

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Hall of Fame. There would be like some kind of display or like interactive activity

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where it would be like all the stress just releases you. And it's like birds

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and butterflies flying away and ocean waves crashing on the beach.

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Baby's laughing. Whatever it is that makes you happy.

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I think that's something that would be in my Teacher Hall of Fame.

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It's like that moment where you like feel that little bit of release.

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Like, OK, I could take a little bit of a breather now. Yes.

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And kind of reset myself because our job is very,

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much being on stage. Moment to moment.

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Moment to moment. Moment to moment. Yes. Of course. So when you asked me what

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would be my teacher hall of fame, I thought of like a best practice or something

00:16:01.353 --> 00:16:04.603
that I enjoy doing in my classroom. That could be too. And I'm going to throw

00:16:04.603 --> 00:16:08.002
this way back to the 1900s.

00:16:08.170 --> 00:16:13.012
Okay. And when I was doing my student teaching, I had a cooperating teacher.

00:16:13.302 --> 00:16:18.833
His name was John Simcero and he was fantastic. And he had this game and I still

00:16:18.833 --> 00:16:25.504
play it with the kids entering year 26 will still play it. And it is the most simple.

00:16:25.881 --> 00:16:31.243
And I have to say, year after year, it doesn't matter how much technology comes

00:16:31.243 --> 00:16:34.423
and goes or, you know, whatever is shiny and flashy at the moment,

00:16:34.423 --> 00:16:37.933
the list game is everything to everyone.

00:16:37.933 --> 00:16:44.283
So you have to get out a piece of paper, something to write with, and be ready.

00:16:44.736 --> 00:16:49.833
And I will give you a topic. And you have to list as many items fit in that

00:16:49.833 --> 00:16:55.237
category as you possibly can in 30 seconds. All right. Can you give us an example? Absolutely.

00:16:55.823 --> 00:16:57.577
Candy, not chocolate.

00:16:58.389 --> 00:17:01.588
Okay. Go. And then it would be Skittles.

00:17:03.109 --> 00:17:06.944
Sour Patch Kids. Very good. Yeah. Okay. And then after 30 seconds, stop.

00:17:08.354 --> 00:17:13.062
Count the number on your list. Stand up if you have more than 10. Stand up.

00:17:13.910 --> 00:17:18.025
So we do. And then we see who has and we sort of whittle it down to.

00:17:18.269 --> 00:17:21.636
And then whoever has the most has to read their list.

00:17:22.751 --> 00:17:26.988
And what do you win? Glory. Yeah. Glory. Kids do like to win glory.

00:17:27.441 --> 00:17:32.057
It's a good thing. What do we get? Glory. Yes. So I have to say that would be

00:17:32.057 --> 00:17:37.478
in my teacher hall of fame of that will never, it never disappoints.

00:17:37.739 --> 00:17:40.937
Now, sometimes there are some like more gender specific, you know,

00:17:40.937 --> 00:17:42.476
candy store goes for everybody.

00:17:42.708 --> 00:17:46.867
Sometimes if you do, if you throw in stores at the mall, oh,

00:17:46.867 --> 00:17:51.091
sometimes the boys get mad, you know, and then I'll say cars.

00:17:51.230 --> 00:17:55.057
Yeah. Oh, you know, things like that really go in many different directions.

00:17:55.057 --> 00:18:00.117
But it has never failed for those last, like, awkward two minutes when they

00:18:00.117 --> 00:18:03.188
start to get antsy and you're not really sure what to do.

00:18:03.605 --> 00:18:05.259
The list game every time. Yeah.

00:18:05.445 --> 00:18:10.857
Yeah. Um, I, hmm, what else would be in my Teacher Hall of Fame? Um...

00:18:13.114 --> 00:18:19.337
I would say, like, also, if you're, like, sitting in a faculty room.

00:18:19.720 --> 00:18:23.669
Yes. And you're, you know, having a great conversation with your coworkers and

00:18:23.669 --> 00:18:27.517
you're talking about something and everybody's laughing and jovial and having a good time,

00:18:28.863 --> 00:18:33.869
you know, sharing things about whether it be the job or, you know,

00:18:33.869 --> 00:18:37.646
bringing back a callback joke.

00:18:37.948 --> 00:18:41.699
Yeah. You know, that everybody, you know, brings up like one of our co-workers,

00:18:42.319 --> 00:18:45.679
loves the Scholastic Scope magazine. I won't say his name, but if anybody who's

00:18:45.679 --> 00:18:46.998
listening, you know who he is.

00:18:48.079 --> 00:18:52.639
And we always bring up like, oh, like he's probably like on the the wall of

00:18:52.639 --> 00:18:54.319
fame at the Scope building,

00:18:55.479 --> 00:18:58.699
because he has all of them like, you know, displayed in his room and he goes

00:18:58.699 --> 00:19:01.749
back to them all the time and stuff like that, which is a very good resource,

00:19:01.749 --> 00:19:03.239
by the way. Scope magazine sponsor us.

00:19:04.888 --> 00:19:07.339
But yeah that's something that definitely I would put back in there when you

00:19:07.339 --> 00:19:10.819
have those conversations with your co-workers and you know that you're connecting yes,

00:19:11.894 --> 00:19:16.379
because there's this feeling in our profession of like hey we're all in this

00:19:16.379 --> 00:19:20.099
together you know what I mean yeah if you're doing it right you're not doing

00:19:20.099 --> 00:19:24.039
it alone yes my daughters have recently introduced a new,

00:19:24.950 --> 00:19:30.679
their mantra and they said we didn't make it up mom we just really like it okay

00:19:30.679 --> 00:19:34.539
we're complainers we're not quitters And I think.

00:19:36.059 --> 00:19:37.319
It's fantastic.

00:19:37.659 --> 00:19:40.839
And I'm sort of like, that's the energy, you know, that you can bring.

00:19:40.839 --> 00:19:44.819
We're complainers, not quitters. So I was talking to one of my teacher friends,

00:19:45.279 --> 00:19:48.929
this week, and she was talking about her new schedule and the difficulty of

00:19:48.929 --> 00:19:51.579
the schedule, just how tough everything is going to be.

00:19:51.939 --> 00:19:55.239
And, you know, as someone who has to be in multiple classrooms,

00:19:55.619 --> 00:19:59.913
out of home space and traveling around and how hard that can be. And I said...

00:20:01.045 --> 00:20:04.045
And she kind of said to me, oh, I'm complaining so much.

00:20:04.045 --> 00:20:07.395
I'm so sorry. I'm complaining so much. I said, no, we're talking.

00:20:07.395 --> 00:20:11.585
You're getting out your feelings. You're explaining to me and you're complaining.

00:20:11.585 --> 00:20:15.415
You're complaining, but you're not quitting. And I think that that is so true

00:20:15.415 --> 00:20:19.005
of, you know, and a lot of people will say, oh, stay out of the teacher's room.

00:20:19.425 --> 00:20:25.083
But sometimes it is so cathartic to share your experience and have someone else

00:20:25.344 --> 00:20:30.533
see you and feel what you're going through and tell you, like, yeah, it's okay.

00:20:30.876 --> 00:20:33.025
And we're going to complain, but we're not going to quit. And I do,

00:20:33.405 --> 00:20:35.345
you know, I enjoy that sort of vibe.

00:20:35.645 --> 00:20:40.739
You know, that is pretty good. So what else would be in your Hall of Fame?

00:20:40.901 --> 00:20:49.307
My Hall of Fame, I will say, is also I love a theme day for like simple theme. Okay.

00:20:49.510 --> 00:20:52.525
Like I love a school spirit day. Oh, yeah.

00:20:53.145 --> 00:20:56.045
I am. We've talked about this before. Yeah, 100%. And I actually,

00:20:56.705 --> 00:20:59.705
I just got a new steamer. What's new with you? I got a new steamer.

00:21:00.605 --> 00:21:03.365
And I, you know, it's like my dad says, like, your generation,

00:21:03.765 --> 00:21:06.342
you all told each other that ironing is not important.

00:21:07.040 --> 00:21:10.951
Oh. And you all agreed on it together. And so you're all wrinkled.

00:21:11.520 --> 00:21:14.707
Which is, you know, it's like a, you know, when you're 80, you say what you want, right?

00:21:14.910 --> 00:21:18.095
So he's like, you all came up with this agreement together. He's not wrong, right?

00:21:18.095 --> 00:21:21.435
I mean, we are a bit of a, you know, he, steam press.

00:21:21.435 --> 00:21:24.345
But I don't let, he's right. I don't want to iron. It's wrinkle-free clothing.

00:21:24.345 --> 00:21:26.895
It's right. So, yeah. And he's, oh, you say it's wrinkle-free,

00:21:26.895 --> 00:21:29.355
but is it really? And it's like, now I question everything, right?

00:21:29.355 --> 00:21:33.535
Yeah. So, anyway, I was steaming up my Panthers, Panthers, Panthers,

00:21:33.535 --> 00:21:35.107
Panthers, Panthers shirt. Yeah.

00:21:35.506 --> 00:21:39.274
And I can't wait to have a good old-fashioned...

00:21:40.051 --> 00:21:43.344
Dress down we don't have to think about what we're wearing you don't have to

00:21:43.344 --> 00:21:48.695
worry about it and the kids come in and they're you know i love that culture,

00:21:49.314 --> 00:21:53.674
part of a school yeah and how important that can be um and what that means to

00:21:53.994 --> 00:21:57.194
the staff what that means to the kids and so in my hall of fame it's like those

00:21:57.194 --> 00:22:01.544
moments when um you have you know some sort of even grade level competition

00:22:01.544 --> 00:22:06.094
or a color war or something like that where you feel like the pride bursting

00:22:06.414 --> 00:22:10.154
yeah we've done like twin day before and sometimes you have like a student that

00:22:10.154 --> 00:22:11.814
dresses up like the teacher for the day,

00:22:12.514 --> 00:22:14.854
which is always fun where the kids match together.

00:22:15.854 --> 00:22:19.414
But even if it's not complicated I like that school spirit of everything.

00:22:19.414 --> 00:22:25.474
Last year I unfortunately got the flu during our winter one where we were having

00:22:25.474 --> 00:22:29.074
like we had like dressed like a movie Christmas movie character,

00:22:29.574 --> 00:22:33.584
and everyone was like the Grinch and everything else so I had made thank you

00:22:33.584 --> 00:22:36.314
chat GPT movie posters for.

00:22:38.262 --> 00:22:42.053
A hallmark made for TV movie called Pine and Punishment,

00:22:42.554 --> 00:22:48.394
where a big city lawyer who was my wife goes back to a small town and falls

00:22:48.394 --> 00:22:51.492
in love with a Christmas tree farmer and finds the true meaning of Christmas.

00:22:51.921 --> 00:22:54.884
I was the Christmas tree farmer. So like I was going to be hanging the posters

00:22:54.884 --> 00:22:59.994
up around the room the week before and then dressed up as the guy who was on the poster. Yeah.

00:23:00.680 --> 00:23:04.654
And then, of course, I got the flu and was out for a couple of days and it completely got ruined.

00:23:04.654 --> 00:23:09.194
But the best part was when I sent the poster to our secretary to like blow it

00:23:09.194 --> 00:23:13.164
up and laminate it. She's like, what are you doing in class that you need this?

00:23:13.164 --> 00:23:15.844
I'm like, it's not for class. And here's what it's for. And she's just like,

00:23:15.844 --> 00:23:18.774
there's something wrong with you. I'm like, it's for funsies.

00:23:19.554 --> 00:23:23.836
So I was, you know, I was the love interest in pine and punishment.

00:23:24.521 --> 00:23:27.665
Maybe they'll have that again just for you. I mean, I would hope so. Yes.

00:23:28.405 --> 00:23:31.735
I do love a good theme day. They're always fun. So tell me, what do you think

00:23:31.735 --> 00:23:37.495
specifically about, let's go, we're going to go like really into New Jersey.

00:23:37.495 --> 00:23:43.295
Yeah. Right? And be just prideful for our wonderful state here in this environment.

00:23:43.295 --> 00:23:51.340
Tell me, what do you think is like the best New Jersey food?

00:23:52.001 --> 00:23:54.405
The best New Jersey food. Do you want me to give you some?

00:23:55.145 --> 00:24:01.805
No. No? Okay. No. I mean, I'm going to go pizza. I'd put our pizza up against anyone anywhere.

00:24:03.245 --> 00:24:06.155
You know, New York has its thing. I know that New Haven, Connecticut is like

00:24:06.155 --> 00:24:10.425
a big deal. It's like a different style. I have not. I want to because I'm sure I would like it. Yeah.

00:24:11.085 --> 00:24:15.418
Well, he would definitely try it. Yeah, definitely. I try all the things, as we know.

00:24:16.962 --> 00:24:22.165
But yeah, it's 100%. That'd be me. It's It's pizza, I think, without a doubt.

00:24:22.165 --> 00:24:25.765
No doubt pizza. Yeah, I think so, because I think it holds up wherever you go.

00:24:25.765 --> 00:24:30.226
And like when, you know, I have a friend of mine who moved out to Indiana and

00:24:30.482 --> 00:24:34.425
they're like, they come back and they eat pizza like four of the five nights

00:24:34.425 --> 00:24:36.054
that they're here at different places.

00:24:37.529 --> 00:24:41.058
They just it's just one of those things that like if you grew up having it,

00:24:41.523 --> 00:24:45.535
that's what you want. Or when people move away, that's what they look for.

00:24:45.535 --> 00:24:48.155
They try to find, oh, I want to find the place that has, you know,

00:24:48.155 --> 00:24:50.143
I lived in Pennsylvania for a little while.

00:24:50.311 --> 00:24:52.975
You were trying to find a pizza place that was like the pizza place.

00:24:52.975 --> 00:24:56.481
You were just chasing it. Yeah, you were chasing it, but you never achieved it. No.

00:24:57.425 --> 00:25:01.334
It just was never the same. There were places that were good, but it was never like.

00:25:01.845 --> 00:25:06.445
The thing. The same. The thing. Yeah. You know? Yeah. Getting a slice and sitting

00:25:06.445 --> 00:25:09.467
at a little pizza place for lunch in an afternoon.

00:25:10.094 --> 00:25:17.089
Yeah. Yeah. Okay. I would have to say the tomato. Okay.

00:25:17.965 --> 00:25:22.017
The Jersey tomato. The Jersey tomato. Is absolutely...

00:25:23.242 --> 00:25:27.877
What's gonna get to your pizza yeah don't you think and it's like hand in hand

00:25:27.877 --> 00:25:31.462
in hand yep yeah and also in my younger days,

00:25:32.170 --> 00:25:40.332
diner culture oh yes okay and i'm gonna i'm gonna specifically go round the way yep to,

00:25:41.313 --> 00:25:46.479
my husband who um for a very long time um guarded,

00:25:47.698 --> 00:25:52.907
the uh drinkers of new jersey yes he did uh keeping them safe as a bouncer with

00:25:52.907 --> 00:25:54.261
a shirt though with a capital b,

00:25:55.087 --> 00:25:58.477
with a shirt not without a shirt he did have a shirt on then um but we used

00:25:58.477 --> 00:26:01.727
to go sometimes i would pick him up um,

00:26:02.272 --> 00:26:08.497
at you know 3 a.m yeah and we would hit up a diner yep and so my number one

00:26:08.497 --> 00:26:12.344
diner order would be okay 3 a.m.

00:26:14.544 --> 00:26:17.571
Belgian waffle. Belgian waffle, yeah. With chocolate ice cream.

00:26:17.571 --> 00:26:19.591
Oh, goodness. And then syrup. Oh, my God.

00:26:22.631 --> 00:26:27.031
Wow. I've been avoiding diabetes since. As long as I can remember.

00:26:27.491 --> 00:26:30.049
That's an order. What is your...

00:26:30.834 --> 00:26:34.511
Do you have like a diner order? Well, we know how I like to try all things.

00:26:34.531 --> 00:26:37.151
Late night diner and daytime diner.

00:26:37.551 --> 00:26:42.989
Yeah. Are not the same diner. Correct. Okay. But it would normally be like breakfast.

00:26:43.110 --> 00:26:47.641
Be like a like like any time yeah like eggs hash browns bacon that kind of thing

00:26:47.641 --> 00:26:48.971
is what you would get at like 3 a.m.

00:26:48.971 --> 00:26:52.911
If you went out somewhere um you know the famous disco fries right the cheese

00:26:52.911 --> 00:26:56.646
and gravy which i was like a fan of but i wouldn't go out of my way,

00:26:57.419 --> 00:27:02.571
to get that um okay but yeah it's uh but diner culture is like a big deal it's

00:27:02.571 --> 00:27:05.201
a very big deal and you don't see it there's a lot of them that have closed

00:27:05.201 --> 00:27:07.229
down like if you can find a good one

00:27:07.537 --> 00:27:11.652
yes i wanted to have my rehearsal dinner for my wedding at a diner really yes

00:27:11.803 --> 00:27:16.871
we used to go to a diner when when we were dating for uh we would go every single week and

00:27:17.291 --> 00:27:20.901
i we asked we even approached them and they were like we really don't do we

00:27:20.901 --> 00:27:24.171
don't do parties like that that would have been fun,

00:27:24.831 --> 00:27:29.031
yeah that would have been completely different yeah um oh wow yeah yeah that

00:27:29.031 --> 00:27:30.591
would have been a good time yeah um.

00:27:31.953 --> 00:27:35.012
Yeah, for sure. I mean, there's there's I mean, I know we're talking about,

00:27:35.012 --> 00:27:37.612
you know, Teacher Hall of Fame and New Jersey Hall of Fame.

00:27:37.612 --> 00:27:40.522
And like there's we're talking about items, different stuff like that.

00:27:40.522 --> 00:27:45.282
But like our state has so much to offer, which is something we're going to,

00:27:45.282 --> 00:27:46.552
you know, continue to talk about.

00:27:46.552 --> 00:27:49.682
Of course. Yeah. And it's something I teach about in class a lot,

00:27:50.582 --> 00:27:55.042
specifically with the question of like, what are the geographical features of,

00:27:55.342 --> 00:27:56.602
you know, particular place?

00:27:57.162 --> 00:28:03.090
And geographical features becomes a difficult term for them to understand.

00:28:03.702 --> 00:28:09.592
But in New Jersey, it's where else can you, you know, ski and swim and ocean

00:28:09.592 --> 00:28:14.442
and lake and mountain and, you know, they're at farmland and there's so many.

00:28:14.442 --> 00:28:16.482
So I think we sometimes get a lot of flack.

00:28:17.202 --> 00:28:22.122
But if you really think about just how unique a place New Jersey is. Yeah.

00:28:22.482 --> 00:28:25.492
Yeah. And even the fact that, like, I'm looking at this wall behind us here,

00:28:26.522 --> 00:28:30.362
and all of the icons that are behind us here, many of which have, you know.

00:28:32.458 --> 00:28:36.012
Rest stops named after them. Yes. And I'm looking at one, like you mentioned

00:28:36.012 --> 00:28:37.990
before, about like the kids not knowing someone.

00:28:38.234 --> 00:28:43.262
And I see Frank Sinatra over there, which I grew up with listening as my mom

00:28:43.262 --> 00:28:50.422
grew up in the Italian section of Newark and has every one of the original records on vinyl. Wow.

00:28:50.902 --> 00:28:54.872
And used to play, you know, had like a record player and would play all the

00:28:54.872 --> 00:28:58.614
music. And, um, I think we played, cause,

00:28:59.380 --> 00:29:03.523
In between classes, instead of bells, we have music that plays in our building.

00:29:03.523 --> 00:29:05.092
And one time it was Frank Sinatra.

00:29:05.743 --> 00:29:08.203
And the kids were like, I don't know who has that. I had to like,

00:29:08.203 --> 00:29:10.920
I showed them a picture. And then I talked a little bit about the story.

00:29:11.216 --> 00:29:14.357
And then we tried to like relate it to them and talked a little bit about like

00:29:14.786 --> 00:29:19.603
boy bands and like, you know, One Direction and NSYNC. I was like,

00:29:19.603 --> 00:29:21.423
this guy was like. And then they were like, who? Yeah.

00:29:21.843 --> 00:29:25.103
I was like showing them all the pictures. But I was like, this guy is like a teen heartthrob. Yeah.

00:29:25.463 --> 00:29:29.163
This guy was like the big band singing in front of everybody.

00:29:29.163 --> 00:29:32.294
Like, you know, charismatic, dressed in a suit.

00:29:32.642 --> 00:29:37.693
Like, it was just. My fourth grade New Jersey project was Frank Sinatra.

00:29:37.693 --> 00:29:39.272
I remember that so vividly.

00:29:39.487 --> 00:29:43.933
And fun, fun little fact, my very favorite Christmas song, because everybody

00:29:43.933 --> 00:29:46.839
knows Christmas is my jam, my jelly and my marmalade. Yeah.

00:29:47.141 --> 00:29:49.453
Is Christmas Waltz by Frank Sinatra. Oh, yeah. That's a good one.

00:29:49.453 --> 00:29:51.943
That is my absolute favorite. But no, there's so many. Like,

00:29:51.943 --> 00:29:54.753
I'm looking over here. Jon Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen. Like,

00:29:54.753 --> 00:29:57.703
just musicians alone. Yes. Is Connie Chung over there?

00:29:58.943 --> 00:30:02.283
I don't think so, but she is, I think she was inducted. Somewhere in here?

00:30:02.283 --> 00:30:03.083
Yeah, somewhere in here.

00:30:03.403 --> 00:30:09.143
But there's so many people, you know, icons of music and stage and screen and,

00:30:09.743 --> 00:30:13.542
politics and all the things. Yes, absolutely.

00:30:13.973 --> 00:30:19.803
That New Jersey has to offer. So it's really cool. Maybe we'll be in here one day. Podcasters.

00:30:20.945 --> 00:30:24.451
I doubt it. Okay, I heard crickets when I said that from the audience.

00:30:25.243 --> 00:30:29.153
Dream big. Yeah, I mean, of course. I would never tell you not to say.

00:30:29.153 --> 00:30:34.122
I mean, we didn't know we'd be interviewing a senator. And now here we are. That's right.

00:30:34.807 --> 00:30:38.883
Yeah. So let's go to unpopular opinions.

00:30:38.883 --> 00:30:41.747
Okay. Here we go. Yeah, I knew this was coming. This is going to be,

00:30:42.963 --> 00:30:50.423
the responses are agree, disagree. Okay. Or I'm going to need my union rep. Your union rep?

00:30:50.463 --> 00:30:53.038
You're going to call HR? No. Okay. Got it. Okay. All right.

00:30:54.849 --> 00:30:57.495
You ready? I'm ready. Okay. Cafeteria

00:30:57.495 --> 00:31:02.982
duty is enjoyable, and it's just not that big of a deal. I agree.

00:31:04.897 --> 00:31:09.628
I don't mind it. I really don't. Okay. I did. There's one year I did mind it. Okay.

00:31:10.681 --> 00:31:16.739
Because schools are crowded and the cafeteria has a stage.

00:31:17.163 --> 00:31:20.031
And on the stage was the dance class. Yes.

00:31:20.041 --> 00:31:23.451
She pulled the curtain closed. Yes. And do her dance class on the stage.

00:31:23.451 --> 00:31:25.458
Okay. And have music because the kids are dancing. Right.

00:31:25.858 --> 00:31:30.501
And between the music and the kids, not that it was excessively loud,

00:31:30.501 --> 00:31:34.032
but like I don't do well with like multiple noises.

00:31:34.299 --> 00:31:37.492
Joe is also a perimenopausal woman. Yes, I am.

00:31:39.476 --> 00:31:43.381
It's very true. I'm going to start the men's group of the We Do Not Care Club.

00:31:45.221 --> 00:31:47.891
And then the women said, we don't care. We don't care. Yes, we don't care what

00:31:47.891 --> 00:31:49.820
you do. But we just don't care.

00:31:51.486 --> 00:31:56.251
I actually did a little bit of research. I wound up getting earplugs by a company

00:31:56.251 --> 00:32:01.171
called Loop that would lower the decibels a little bit and allow me to be able

00:32:01.171 --> 00:32:02.401
to focus a little bit better.

00:32:02.401 --> 00:32:05.671
I actually could hear better. That's a great idea. Yeah. So I decided,

00:32:05.671 --> 00:32:09.891
let me try that because it would just set me off in different ways that I wasn't

00:32:09.891 --> 00:32:13.661
able to, not that I wasn't able to manage it. It just became a little bit more challenging.

00:32:15.501 --> 00:32:18.501
But honestly, I don't think it's that big of a deal. Like, as long as you have,

00:32:18.501 --> 00:32:22.676
again, a team of teachers that are all on the same page that are holding the kids accountable.

00:32:24.273 --> 00:32:28.761
I agree. You could have conversations with them. Yeah. You agree as well. I do agree. Okay. Yes.

00:32:29.141 --> 00:32:33.951
So I think that's an unpopular opinion, though. Yes. Yeah. Because I think most

00:32:33.951 --> 00:32:35.921
people are like, ugh, cafeteria duty. That's right. Yes.

00:32:37.181 --> 00:32:40.543
I have a couple non-negotiables, though. Okay. I'm not cleaning up after you.

00:32:41.228 --> 00:32:45.384
Oh, yes. And I have a huge problem with kids that leave messes behind.

00:32:45.901 --> 00:32:48.361
Like, you're cleaning up after yourself. Absolutely. I don't want to hear,

00:32:48.361 --> 00:32:49.621
well, what's the janitor's job?

00:32:50.041 --> 00:32:52.761
Don't you dare. No, no. Like, you are to clean up after yourself.

00:32:52.761 --> 00:32:55.711
That's right. And be a human being and not leave messes. Yes.

00:32:56.121 --> 00:33:01.650
You would be amazed, appalled, perhaps, at the amount of children,

00:33:02.201 --> 00:33:05.232
middle school children, that don't know how to sweep.

00:33:06.045 --> 00:33:11.427
Oh, yeah. Like they don't know how to hold the broom. Yeah. That is a...

00:33:12.767 --> 00:33:16.224
So we've had a lot of lessons. Our school asks them if, you know,

00:33:16.224 --> 00:33:20.894
if you throw something, you drop something, you're going to sweep it yourself. Yeah.

00:33:21.194 --> 00:33:26.369
And I actually think for Discovery Day this year, I'm going to have a sweeping class.

00:33:26.647 --> 00:33:29.074
It's a good idea. Thank you. You should do that. Me and John,

00:33:29.074 --> 00:33:32.704
the janitor at our school in Ed, they love that idea. You should do the big

00:33:32.704 --> 00:33:36.234
push broom too, I think needs some work. But they can't hold the dust.

00:33:37.101 --> 00:33:40.816
Yeah. What's it called? The dustpan. The dustpan. Yeah. Thank you.

00:33:41.902 --> 00:33:46.974
And sweep at the same time. That's right. It's amazing. Yeah.

00:33:46.974 --> 00:33:50.254
So I have some non-negotiables when I'm in there. Okay. It's like you're going

00:33:50.254 --> 00:33:52.254
to clean up after yourself. You're going to be a human being.

00:33:53.634 --> 00:33:57.564
And there's one more. What do we think? What's that? One more unpopular opinion.

00:33:57.564 --> 00:34:00.803
Oh, there's one more. That school supply lists are out of control.

00:34:02.376 --> 00:34:03.188
What do you think?

00:34:05.014 --> 00:34:10.056
I disagree. Me too. Disagree. At this point, yeah. Disagree.

00:34:10.950 --> 00:34:14.794
At the middle school level, I would disagree. Maybe I, my kids haven't been

00:34:14.794 --> 00:34:18.415
in elementary school in a long time. I don't know what an elementary school. Disagree.

00:34:18.925 --> 00:34:20.854
I don't know what an elementary school class list looks like.

00:34:21.074 --> 00:34:26.544
I have never met an elementary school teacher that would withhold something

00:34:26.544 --> 00:34:29.189
from a child that wasn't able to get it.

00:34:29.706 --> 00:34:34.414
Correct. And if you are an elementary school teacher, middle school teacher,

00:34:35.394 --> 00:34:38.634
I wouldn't imagine high school ever really needs to do this.

00:34:38.634 --> 00:34:43.931
But, you know, if that teacher is asking you for a box of tissues,

00:34:45.325 --> 00:34:51.874
some Lysol wipes, Clorox wipes, and extra notebooks, and they're putting them

00:34:51.874 --> 00:34:56.644
away for the greater good of the room for like those deep, dark days of January

00:34:56.644 --> 00:34:59.198
when everybody is sneezing all over the place. Mm-hmm.

00:35:00.684 --> 00:35:05.612
And it is not a financial hardship for your family, do it. Okay.

00:35:05.757 --> 00:35:08.224
Right? Or buy and buy extra.

00:35:09.124 --> 00:35:12.119
Buy extra and help them out. Yeah.

00:35:12.636 --> 00:35:17.739
Because the amount of teachers that, including the two of us sitting here,

00:35:18.157 --> 00:35:23.218
that purchase things for the students, for the class in underfunded classrooms

00:35:23.218 --> 00:35:27.241
is outrageous. And it's so common.

00:35:27.770 --> 00:35:32.898
For sure. So to say the supply list is out of control is, to me,

00:35:32.898 --> 00:35:34.311
it's an insult to teachers.

00:35:34.566 --> 00:35:38.448
It is insinuating that they are not contributing or, and it's really just,

00:35:38.448 --> 00:35:41.219
no, the classroom is underfunded.

00:35:41.590 --> 00:35:45.588
Yeah, I think there's a lot of there's I wouldn't say there's a movement,

00:35:45.588 --> 00:35:47.726
but there's a good amount of people on.

00:35:50.135 --> 00:35:53.608
Teachers on social media who are posting information and saying,

00:35:53.608 --> 00:35:57.159
like, I'm just not doing it. I'm not I'm not buying the extra stuff.

00:35:57.628 --> 00:36:01.678
If you want your child to have it, you have to send it in with them because

00:36:01.678 --> 00:36:05.648
a lot of them are are starting to make those decisions because and it's it's

00:36:05.648 --> 00:36:11.114
a trickle down effect. Right. I want to get into the semantics and the politics of everything, but.

00:36:12.520 --> 00:36:17.431
You know, we do get health benefits. We're contributing more to those health benefits every year.

00:36:17.930 --> 00:36:21.967
Some of us may be getting an increase in our salary, but then the increase in

00:36:21.967 --> 00:36:24.687
the amount of payment for premiums that we have to make for our health care

00:36:24.687 --> 00:36:26.967
insurance cancels those two things out.

00:36:27.267 --> 00:36:31.681
So many teachers go year after year after year with no financial,

00:36:32.012 --> 00:36:35.872
no or very little financial increase.

00:36:36.012 --> 00:36:37.987
So many of them are saying, like, I don't have it.

00:36:38.287 --> 00:36:41.613
Like, I just don't have it. Not independently wealthy. Yeah.

00:36:41.828 --> 00:36:46.147
So if everyone could contribute, I just don't think that there's a misuse of

00:36:46.147 --> 00:36:51.790
those extra supplies, like a roll of paper towels or, you know.

00:36:52.507 --> 00:36:54.247
Certain markers or something like that.

00:36:54.247 --> 00:36:57.877
Yeah, like I think about your class, too. You do like creations and projects

00:36:57.877 --> 00:37:03.847
and art things and stuff like that. And I'm sure it becomes very worthwhile

00:37:03.847 --> 00:37:08.307
for kids to send in the extra stuff. And they do. They do. They do.

00:37:08.767 --> 00:37:12.622
Have you ever thought, I work in education. Why is finding a job so weirdly hard?

00:37:12.895 --> 00:37:16.407
Yeah, scrolling through random job boards where half the listings don't even

00:37:16.407 --> 00:37:18.247
make sense is not the vibe.

00:37:18.421 --> 00:37:21.626
That's why njschooljobs.com actually makes sense.

00:37:21.985 --> 00:37:25.347
It's a job board built specifically for New Jersey schools, public,

00:37:25.347 --> 00:37:28.947
private, charter, and parochial. Teachers, administrators, counselors,

00:37:28.947 --> 00:37:32.527
support staff, coaching opportunities. If your job involves a bell schedule,

00:37:32.527 --> 00:37:35.198
this site's for you. It's free for job seekers.

00:37:35.482 --> 00:37:39.097
You can upload your resume, set job alerts, and apply without jumping through

00:37:39.097 --> 00:37:43.137
hoops. Schools across New Jersey actively use njschooljobs.com,

00:37:43.137 --> 00:37:44.956
so these are real current openings.

00:37:45.089 --> 00:37:49.277
They also host virtual job fairs, where you can connect with multiple districts

00:37:49.277 --> 00:37:51.399
online. No driving all over the state.

00:37:51.771 --> 00:37:55.805
Those are coming up soon, so check the link in our episode description to register.

00:37:56.159 --> 00:37:58.923
Head to njschooljobs.com.

00:38:00.044 --> 00:38:04.723
They do. Yeah. They do. Yeah. So to end today.

00:38:04.868 --> 00:38:09.907
Yeah. Mr. Vitale, what are you balancing this week? Um...

00:38:12.235 --> 00:38:15.719
I think the main thing that I'm, that I'm balancing is like the,

00:38:15.719 --> 00:38:19.059
the new space that I'm in, uh, with my wife at home.

00:38:19.059 --> 00:38:22.805
Right. I'm balancing, um, you know, being an empty nester, uh,

00:38:23.719 --> 00:38:30.499
figuring out, um, that space between the two of us and also like giving my children

00:38:30.499 --> 00:38:32.229
the space that they need to be independent.

00:38:32.229 --> 00:38:35.879
Like we were joking on the way here, like, hey, my son finally returned some

00:38:35.879 --> 00:38:37.739
of my text messages. That's why I'm talking to you, Joey.

00:38:40.040 --> 00:38:42.749
But, you know, but they're they're doing things and they're busy and they're

00:38:42.749 --> 00:38:45.787
not out partying and, you know, going out late at night.

00:38:46.979 --> 00:38:49.169
They're doing all the things that a new college student should.

00:38:49.169 --> 00:38:52.239
So I'm just navigating that new space and trying to balance that on my own,

00:38:52.239 --> 00:38:56.248
all while also closing out the summertime.

00:38:56.451 --> 00:38:59.599
Getting into that back to school groove. Getting into that back to school groove. Yeah.

00:39:00.299 --> 00:39:06.159
And making sure that we have systems set up for success to be able to balance all of this.

00:39:06.159 --> 00:39:08.675
But I'm looking, you know, I'm trying to look ahead and look at my schedule,

00:39:09.296 --> 00:39:15.969
and see like, you know, I'm going to have a little bit more time to like organize

00:39:15.969 --> 00:39:20.186
things a little bit better in my life, too. Sure. And then get another dog.

00:39:21.695 --> 00:39:22.460
So anyway.

00:39:25.100 --> 00:39:28.900
Season four is now over. We've had a good run. I am not getting another dog,

00:39:28.900 --> 00:39:31.380
although my wife wants to get another dog.

00:39:31.760 --> 00:39:37.652
I have two Golden Retrievers, and she wants to get a third, and no. Maybe. No.

00:39:39.340 --> 00:39:43.390
We'll see. We will keep you updated. Yeah. What are you balancing,

00:39:43.390 --> 00:39:45.820
friend? What are you— I am balancing.

00:39:46.160 --> 00:39:50.310
So I have some goals. You know, I like to do the beginning of the school year

00:39:50.310 --> 00:39:52.008
for me is really the year.

00:39:52.374 --> 00:39:55.300
Yes. Like some people make their nearest resolutions in January.

00:39:55.300 --> 00:39:57.905
I like to make them, you know, in the beginning of the school year.

00:39:58.201 --> 00:40:03.013
And so I would say I'm going to be balancing, prioritizing myself.

00:40:03.489 --> 00:40:09.960
Great idea for you. Going back to, I joined Pilates. Oh.

00:40:10.400 --> 00:40:14.220
So, you know, watch out. I may start carrying you around because I'm going to

00:40:14.220 --> 00:40:17.845
be so strong. I know. Okay. I'm just going to fire him and carry you.

00:40:18.629 --> 00:40:22.750
I love that. I love that for you. I love that for you. That's good stuff.

00:40:23.941 --> 00:40:29.182
And just slowing down. I think the same. Yeah. I think it's going to be good

00:40:29.182 --> 00:40:34.202
for my nervous system. I think I recently spent some time with a friend who,

00:40:34.682 --> 00:40:38.686
is someone who is a stop and smell the roses human being.

00:40:39.139 --> 00:40:44.482
And spending some time with her and her family has given me this perspective

00:40:44.482 --> 00:40:47.951
of like, where are you going? Like, where are you rushing to?

00:40:48.229 --> 00:40:54.772
Yeah. And so I'm going to really try to prioritize, like, the slow and sort

00:40:54.772 --> 00:40:58.456
of enjoying, you know, my girls are entering high school.

00:40:58.718 --> 00:41:03.612
The last four years have been crazy for me. And I'd like to try to have,

00:41:03.612 --> 00:41:09.103
like, a more calm going forward. And that starts with me.

00:41:09.300 --> 00:41:13.552
And I think if I'm calm, then everybody else around me can feel it as well.

00:41:13.552 --> 00:41:17.602
I feel the exact same way. It pays dividends for you in your job, too. Yeah.

00:41:17.942 --> 00:41:22.007
Um, you know, it's a lot to be managing, you know, and that's why we hope that,

00:41:22.495 --> 00:41:25.717
you know, our show continues to help as many people as possible and put,

00:41:26.257 --> 00:41:29.803
um, the idea of setting boundaries for yourself.

00:41:30.198 --> 00:41:35.502
And, you know, one of the guests that we, um, uh, just had on that we recorded

00:41:35.502 --> 00:41:39.062
with for an episode that'll be coming up talked about like, you know, when you're doing.

00:41:39.649 --> 00:41:42.562
When you're, when you're shutting off work mode and you're putting yourself

00:41:42.562 --> 00:41:45.964
in parent mode, that allows you to be focused more in that area.

00:41:46.255 --> 00:41:49.862
And, like, you know, I love being a parent.

00:41:49.862 --> 00:41:52.872
I love every moment with my children and doing things.

00:41:52.872 --> 00:41:58.572
But there are also, like, things that I miss about myself that you kind of put

00:41:58.572 --> 00:42:00.782
aside when you put yourself in that role.

00:42:00.782 --> 00:42:03.744
I know this is going to seem ridiculous, but, like, you know,

00:42:03.848 --> 00:42:09.317
me going out on a Thursday afternoon and playing golf in the fall by myself,

00:42:09.868 --> 00:42:13.293
listening to music, closing down a course as the sun is going down.

00:42:15.105 --> 00:42:21.265
That's like an epic feeling for me, you know, but it also allows me to be like, enjoy that moment.

00:42:21.605 --> 00:42:24.205
I've missed that because like you're busy and you're doing things that goes

00:42:24.205 --> 00:42:27.063
on the wayside. But I'm hoping to get back to little things like that.

00:42:27.405 --> 00:42:31.614
You know, having a drink in my backyard and enjoying myself.

00:42:32.785 --> 00:42:37.385
Date nights with my wife, like little things like that, that we like have put

00:42:37.385 --> 00:42:41.345
aside because we've so long been in parent mode. We're still parents. Yes.

00:42:41.765 --> 00:42:47.075
But I think we'll have time to reconnect and really do things together with

00:42:47.075 --> 00:42:51.085
two dogs and one with two dogs only.

00:42:51.925 --> 00:42:54.885
Well, Mr. Vitale, I appreciate you. I appreciate you, too, friend.

00:42:54.885 --> 00:42:58.775
And I'm really excited about what we're going to be doing this season.

00:42:58.775 --> 00:43:03.485
And all that is in store for season four. Yeah. We we we tease it all the time.

00:43:03.485 --> 00:43:05.513
But like we hope you're going to stay with us.

00:43:07.004 --> 00:43:09.725
We've already had to tell a bunch of people, hey, no, that's not the right time

00:43:09.725 --> 00:43:12.625
for us right now, which is also weirdly exciting.

00:43:13.765 --> 00:43:18.145
But yeah, we'll be doing a lot this upcoming season. So stay tuned and stay

00:43:18.145 --> 00:43:21.285
with us. Absolutely. We appreciate all of you. Yeah, we do.

00:43:22.265 --> 00:43:25.385
And we'll see everybody next time on The Balancing Act podcast. Bye.

00:43:29.338 --> 00:43:33.425
Have a show idea, a burning question, or a topic you think we should tackle?

00:43:33.715 --> 00:43:38.516
Drop us a line at podthebalancingact at gmail.com. We appreciate you.