Jan. 20, 2026

Gambling, Mental Health Awareness, and Seasonal Affective Disorder

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Gambling, Mental Health Awareness, and Seasonal Affective Disorder

Jamie and Joe discuss their personal experience with S.A.D or seasonal affective disorder and mental health issues that arise in the winter months and how to combat them. Both long time teachers try to rely on their humorous levity to get through some tough times together. Join them to celebrate Joe’s big win in his 2025 fantasy  football league and look to the future for some sweet action.

Jamie and Joe discuss their personal experience with S.A.D or seasonal affective disorder and mental health issues that arise in the winter months and how to combat them. Both long time teachers try to rely on their humorous levity to get through some tough times together. Join them to celebrate Joe’s big win in his 2025 fantasy  football league and look to the future for some sweet action. 

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Oh, we are officially recording. Hey friend, what's going on?

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We are officially recording.

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Yes. Welcome to the Bouncing Act podcast. I'm Jamie Wonko here with Mr.

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Joseph Vitale. Hello, Mr. Joseph Vitale. Oh, hello, Ms. Jamie Wonko. How are we doing?

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I am aces up and down and all around the town. All right. Very nice.

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Are you well? I am well. We've been dealing with some technical issues behind

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the scenes with our recording.

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Every once in a while, you probably, But if you watch us on the YouTubes or

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on Spotify, there's some freezing issues and we can't figure out why it's happening.

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So that's what we were trying to do. Some troubleshooting. So doing the troubleshooting.

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Yeah, we're all doing the troubleshooting. So if I drop a an F-bomb on this episode.

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He's not going to. He's going to keep it PG light. Yes, I am. And you know why? Why?

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Especially, especially here in season three, because we want to be of the utmost

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respect to our listeners and also to our sponsor.

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Because our season three is brought to you

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by our presenting sponsor teacher's insurance plan check out

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their website for more information and to get a quote

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teacher's insurance plan auto insurance that brings exclusive educator savings

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and exceptional customer care to new jersey and pennsylvania educational employees

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all right so here we are um i am still riding the uh post Holiday struggle bus,

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even though it's a few weeks past. Okay.

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I'm just... I am like...

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Tired. Like, why am I so tired all the time? It's, you know,

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if I only knew, if I only knew, although I, you know, I think that the,

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we have not had sun in days. Yeah.

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And, you know, I mean, I wasn't Joe, I wasn't joking about January being the

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Monday of the year. And also, I certainly, we kind of ha-ha-ha'd a little bit

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about my seasonal affective disorder lamp.

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Oh, I completely believe that's a thing.

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I mean, if I was not buying- I should have brought it. I should have brought

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it so that I'll make a post and I'll put a picture of it.

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It's pretty, I'll make a video of it. It's pretty amazing.

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And it really has helped me.

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I, it was one of those shark tank miss, miss and misses and hits and misses and misses, misfires,

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because I saw an episode of it on shark tank and, you know, sad seasonal affective

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disorder is a very real mental, you know, health disorder for many people that suffer from that.

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And so I saw this episode of shark tank and it was this tiny woman.

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I just remember her being tiny and beautiful.

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And of course, like so many of the shark tankers, she was in some sort of business

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situation or like she didn't have, I'm sorry, she didn't, wasn't in business at all.

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And then all of a sudden like invented this thing and then went into business.

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Maybe she was like a doctor and then she's like, now I'm a business woman. Yeah.

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So she invented these teeny tiny precious seasonal affective disorder lamps that,

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that you could take with you to your work on

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like put it on your work desk very you know very demure

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very mindful yeah got it so i can't remember how this like the order of how

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this happened but perfectly fitting to me and my life and my like always these

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kinds of things i ended up not getting that one.

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And mine is like three feet tall.

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It is like, it will light up a room. I mean, it's basically when, um.

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When like Rogers, Kenny Rogers roasters was outside of, um, Kramer's apartment.

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And you were like, I picture it as like the, um, if you go to like,

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if, if you go to like an outdoor restaurant at a, uh,

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on the patio in late April, like before it's like really warm out and they have

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like those big, like heater things that are still out next to your table.

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Like that's what I'm picturing. Yeah, that's me and my sad lamp in the morning

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before work. Your sad, your sad lamp. Seasonal affection disorder. Yeah, of course.

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So I fully support it. I think do whatever, although I do every once in a while,

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I'm like, just grow up and buy another one. But I mean, it works.

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It's one of those, like it works fine kind of a thing. So I don't need to get

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like the fancy, tiny, um, beautiful one, but maybe, maybe, maybe in 2026,

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you know, I mean, you got your fancy clocky clock behind you.

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Um, I mean, for those of you Pee Wee Herman fans, that's, I love the fact that,

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and I didn't notice it the last time we recorded that episode together.

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And I was like, God darn it. that is so awesome it

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was um uncle matt i love you he listens to

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every episode uh he is a uncle matt yeah uncle

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matt i call him pumpkin he's my little pumpkin and he uh

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always buys everybody the most thoughtful

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gifts and so that was

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my um i'm a i'm a big pb's playhouse fan from my childhood and um yeah so i

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love it so much and it works it really works i can see that yeah it's a fully

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working clock so yeah of course you know yeah so maybe we need to institute

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the word of the the word of the day is gosh could you imagine that's amazing yeah we should do that.

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People are like driving right now thinking please don't do that like i'll crash

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yes i think there's a way for us to um i don't want to crash the whole thing

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but i think i can add sound effects to stream yard. So I might be able to do that and be like, Oh.

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I of course have the, I had the box set and, um, all, you know,

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all seasons. And so of course we just watched, you know, Peewee's Christmas,

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Merry, Merry Christmas several times.

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Um, because my kids grew up watching it in the minivan, in the back of the minivan.

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And it was just like, ah, like all the things, Pee Wee and Paul Rubens.

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And, you know, and then of course it became more relevant. He had like redone

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a movie or he made a new movie a few years ago with the giant man that was married to the girl from.

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She's so sexy, but they're not married anymore. The giant man that was married to the girl.

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I am becoming my mom, which is such a compliment. And I'm so happy,

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but also those are my descriptions. Yeah.

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You know. You know. That show. Oh, my God. That show with Courtney Aniston. You know the girl.

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Combining birds. And she's so beautiful, but she has a very thick accent. Oh.

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She was on Modern Family. Oh. Oh, my God. All I had to do was Sofia Vergara.

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Yeah. I love her. She was married to him.

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Yes. And then he made the, he was a magic mic, I think. He was a magic mic.

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One of the mics of magic. Oh, what's the guy's name? Good Lord.

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I see his, like a very Italian last name. Now I have to look it up.

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Oh, I have to look it up. Let me see. What is the guy's name?

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Married to Sofia Vergara. Uh, Joe Manganiello.

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Yes. Joe Manganiello. He was in the remake with Pee Wee Herman.

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Oh, he was. Okay. He was. And it was a little bit like, what's happening here? And are you two in love?

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Is it, I mean, he was, he's so masculine, but I, anyway, of course me and my

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kids and, and, um, we all had to watch and enjoy and, and all the things, but he, um, yeah.

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So, you know, a little Pee Wee throwback. I mean, he's never left my heart.

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And I remember watching it on

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Saturday mornings and being so sad when he would ride off in his scooter.

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Oh, okay. Ding, ding, ding. That's right. Ding, ding, ding. And he'd be like, ah. Yep.

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Some of you got to go in on these classics. I couldn't believe it was over.

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Yeah. I never wanted it to be over.

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So, you know. Yeah.

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So, yeah. Pee Wee's Playhouse was definitely a jam from back in the day. Yeah.

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For sure. See, you seem to, you really gravitate for the nostalgia,

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right? You go back and watch like a lot of old episodes of things and stuff like that.

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I do. I have to say, Jason's big influence of that. There's comfort in that.

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So let's talk about mental health in the new year.

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Aside from, you know, so I think

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we've talked about a little bit like the like rewatching of shows is,

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you know, something that is like trends very much for people because it helps

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you so much not to have like new or unexpected or, you know,

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you have to take on like new.

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Anxiety, um, or more worry.

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And, uh, you know, so, so yeah. So I, and I'm also like, I will go through phases

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where it's like, I can receive a difficult show right now or a watch or whatever

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it might be or something new.

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And then there's also times where it's like, no, I'm not, I'm,

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I'm red light. I'm not receiving anything new in that way.

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Um, especially because if it's like unexpected or depressing or,

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you know, even if it's just like an emotional ride, then it's a no.

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Yeah. Yeah. I had that happen to me actually just the other the other night

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I was watching a show on Amazon called Fallout, which I like.

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It's like a video game based show.

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And some of it got like a little bit like intense. And I was like it was late. It was like after 10.

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It was like on a weeknight. And I'm like, I got to stop watching this.

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I was like, I like it. I want to watch it. But I'm like, this is going to like keep me up and awake.

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I also would like to say and officially announce on this podcast, sometimes, you know,

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anxiety is caused by sporting events and yours truly, yours truly,

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yours truly in massive last minute comeback fashion.

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Is the 2025 Smack League Fantasy League champion.

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So, I mean, I'm a fantasy champion. You are in the presence of royalty. Yay!

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For sure. We're going to make sure that this gets clipped and put on the internet

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for everyone in my fantasy football league who doubted my abilities.

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In your face, in your face, in your face, in your face. All your faces.

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In all your faces. How many people are in that? There are 10 people in that league.

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I was a late comer to it. Um, but, uh,

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the night that I wound up, uh, clinching the championship, the,

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uh, my friend had one player left on his team and, uh, it was Matthew Stafford.

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Don't fall asleep. I'm talking about sports. Uh, it was Matthew Stafford.

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Um, so it's Matthew Stafford. And he had, he had like not scored below 20 points

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in like weeks. I was like, this is not going to happen.

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Like, bro, you're still going to win. Even though I had this massive comeback.

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On Sunday night and it just kept like ticking away and ticking away and then

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he threw an interception then another interception then another interception

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and he still threw a touchdown and then it was getting close and it was like

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is it going to go over time?

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So I wound up winning by like six points and it was a massive yeah and it was

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a massive come from behind because I was down going into the Sunday night matchup

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had Brock Purdy I love you Brock Purdy and then I wound up being a fantasy champion

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but I did not sleep laughing.

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Going into the next day like i was up late and thankfully we were on uh winter

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break and i was like oh my god i would be exhausted tomorrow because my body

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still gets up at the regular time but what time i go to bed and um yeah it was

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awesome it's awesome to be a champ,

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uh but you know even for mental health reasons like sports are not good for me like.

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Especially when you're so deeply invested in well

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you know because it's a championship match fantasy football it's

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all we have we compete against each other i was in

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a pool well i wasn't in a pool as much

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as like you know jason man a few details

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in certain instances was like hey want to do a pool now i love

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some sweet action classically you know i will um i will participate you know

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a hundred dollars here fifty dollars there it's not like an ongoing gambling

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situation for me however so jason decided you know oh hey can we do this pool

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from work at the beginning This was like August, okay?

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Like football season is beginning and, you know, oh, it's $200.

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I was like, sure. Yeah, okay. That seems like a lot, but like, okay.

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It was $600. Oh, Jesus.

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It was just like, he's like, oh, you got to Venmo that guy again.

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And I was like, oh, you know, it was all, it was a, it was a,

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these were dark days in our house, you know, I was like, no,

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we're not. And we're quitting.

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And he's like, I can't, I'm in too deep. And it was like, oh my goodness. Anyway, we won.

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We won the whole kit and caboodle. Wow.

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Yes. That's awesome. Yes. And so here's my controversy.

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I don't want one i don't want to ask you how much

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you won i'll ask you off camera but good for you okay i mean it

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was like it was good it was like and jason's like are you happy now and i was like no

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i know because the lesson is

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like no no we're not doing this again like yes i like winning but but at the

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same time no it was it to me it was it was too deep it was too much with everything

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we have going on so um but yeah i was kind of a little bit happy but anyway

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so um you know i like to win some sweet action. But here's the thing.

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So when you do these pools, right, because we're coming up on Super Bowl season.

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So there's lots of pools for fundraisers and, you know, different teams, right?

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Like I just did one recently, like for a softball team.

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And I guess, you know, like you get half and then the team gets half, whatever. It's fine.

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So I'm like, yeah, I'm down for, you know, for a fundraiser and a little sweet

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action. I like to have those papers in my hand.

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When you win you are supposed to tip yes person yes okay so shade i'm throwing

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full shade right now okay okay the person that ran the pool that we were in

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that we won took the money automatically.

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And sent... Oh, that's messed up. Okay, so I'm... Unless that was agreed upon

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beforehand, that's messed up. Hard telling not knowing, who would know?

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Who would know? Because Jason can't 100% follow the rule or,

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you know, didn't even know what he was getting into, which is,

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you know, I always tell him, like, oh my gosh, like, he would buy magic beans.

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He would buy magic beans.

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He would, you know, let's bury the beans. It's going to be great. Like, he just...

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That's just him. It makes, you know, he has a childlike wonder.

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And it is, you know, it's fine. 25 years, like I'm used to it.

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But I can still be mad at it. You know, you can get used to something and still

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find it annoying, right? Like we can hold space for two truths.

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But I have done a bit of gambling before, you know, and I've dabbled.

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And like I've been in the same Super Bowl pool for, I mean, well over 10 years.

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It's one of those like you're in until you're, you know, I don't know how you

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get out. I don't want to get out. But, right?

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I've never had that. I've won before. I won a March Madness one to yours.

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That was probably like the most, maybe $1,400 or something I won.

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And they were like, oh, God, she's probably sleeping. And she didn't even see

00:15:28.223 --> 00:15:29.883
the game. They were right.

00:15:32.703 --> 00:15:35.803
Did it make a difference to me the next morning when I woke up?

00:15:36.083 --> 00:15:39.383
I was as happy as a clam. Okay?

00:15:40.943 --> 00:15:44.063
What do you think about that? So you're a no, right? Like they just took the

00:15:44.063 --> 00:15:47.923
money off the top. Taking the money off the top, I would completely be against.

00:15:48.083 --> 00:15:52.483
Unless there was some like, hey, we're going to take 10% for operational fees.

00:15:52.563 --> 00:15:53.883
And you know that going in.

00:15:54.243 --> 00:15:57.903
Right. That makes sense. Okay. But I don't know. I mean, Jason's like, I'm also.

00:15:58.103 --> 00:16:02.103
You have to tip him. And I was like, oh, he's taking it and sending the money

00:16:02.103 --> 00:16:04.283
with the tip. And it was like. No.

00:16:05.043 --> 00:16:07.943
That would be a no. You're not getting any other money. And secondly,

00:16:08.283 --> 00:16:12.443
like I used to run the football pool when I ran, when I was at,

00:16:12.443 --> 00:16:17.143
um, uh, previous, um, school, middle school. Yeah. Okay.

00:16:17.383 --> 00:16:21.643
And in, uh, in no way, shape or form was it to get tipped out.

00:16:21.803 --> 00:16:25.083
I was like, I never wanted any, I was like, I mean, I think it's fun.

00:16:25.223 --> 00:16:27.663
Like, and you look at everybody that you work with and you see,

00:16:27.663 --> 00:16:30.563
uh, you know, people used to do it all the time.

00:16:30.683 --> 00:16:35.043
I used to tell people like I, when I, and I didn't know that you were supposed to be tipped out.

00:16:35.143 --> 00:16:39.183
Cause it was like, I was younger and I was just doing it. I remember being taught that. Yeah.

00:16:39.443 --> 00:16:43.043
So, and appreciating that that was like a standard practice.

00:16:43.643 --> 00:16:45.143
So I was, uh.

00:16:46.024 --> 00:16:50.164
I was, you know, doing it and one of the lunch ladies won and she tipped me

00:16:50.164 --> 00:16:52.204
out. I was like, what is this? She's like, you're supposed to tip out whoever.

00:16:52.344 --> 00:16:53.364
I'm like, that never happens.

00:16:53.864 --> 00:16:57.364
So then I actually would like when we would have the meeting and I was like,

00:16:57.484 --> 00:17:00.864
and if you were to talk about it, I was like, and if you win, I do not want any money.

00:17:00.904 --> 00:17:04.104
I said, I'm just doing this because it's fun. I don't want anything.

00:17:04.384 --> 00:17:06.844
It's just, you know, something to do during the game. I'll keep track of it.

00:17:06.904 --> 00:17:10.644
I get, you know, it's not like I'm doing thousands of dollars. It was a $5 box pool.

00:17:10.824 --> 00:17:15.484
Right. And we had them at work and I actually won the box pool for a Thanksgiving game.

00:17:15.484 --> 00:17:18.444
Which is really funny because like i gave my

00:17:18.444 --> 00:17:21.964
whatever it was five ten dollars i bought two boxes and

00:17:21.964 --> 00:17:24.924
then didn't know i won until i like walked

00:17:24.924 --> 00:17:27.824
in the next like the monday after thanks i

00:17:27.824 --> 00:17:32.304
was like i won this i was like i forgot i was in a pool yeah um anyway yeah

00:17:32.304 --> 00:17:36.404
anyway like i tipped out because i won but i was like if you win a quarter in

00:17:36.404 --> 00:17:41.604
a box pool and you win 50 you should not be expected to tip somebody five bucks

00:17:41.604 --> 00:17:46.424
right like i i realize it's the principle i get it and if you're angry with me, come at me, bro.

00:17:46.824 --> 00:17:49.804
But like, it's, it's $5, especially if it's coworkers.

00:17:49.864 --> 00:17:55.384
Like I'm also not a believer in the, like, you know, you go to the charity thing

00:17:55.384 --> 00:17:59.704
and you win the 50 50 and it's like, and this person's donating it back to the organization.

00:17:59.784 --> 00:18:01.764
That's just not me. I won't play.

00:18:02.224 --> 00:18:05.084
Do you know that I won't play? Yeah. I kind of feel the same way.

00:18:05.184 --> 00:18:06.644
If you feel that pressure that you shouldn't.

00:18:06.844 --> 00:18:13.584
No, I won't do it. Cause I don't want to give half. So I know we went off on

00:18:13.584 --> 00:18:17.744
a little tangent regarding mental health, but what's good for my mental health is that I could say.

00:18:18.738 --> 00:18:21.878
Suck it losers because i am your fantasy champion for.

00:18:21.878 --> 00:18:24.558
2025 uh and yes we're gonna make sure.

00:18:24.558 --> 00:18:27.338
This makes the interwebs and that everybody gets a look at it um

00:18:27.338 --> 00:18:30.538
i don't currently have the championship belt yes there's

00:18:30.538 --> 00:18:33.598
a belt um i don't look like is it engraved

00:18:33.598 --> 00:18:36.838
oh it is oh it is like a wrestling championship belt oh

00:18:36.838 --> 00:18:39.638
i like that football champion i do not i do not yet

00:18:39.638 --> 00:18:42.758
have it but um i will eventually

00:18:42.758 --> 00:18:46.118
it has not it has not been uh the belt the belt ceremony has

00:18:46.118 --> 00:18:49.258
not happened yet just not a ceremony it's just yeah when

00:18:49.258 --> 00:18:52.158
the guy's got to drop it off because we're just busy like the previous winners

00:18:52.158 --> 00:18:56.218
responsible for dropping it yeah so look

00:18:56.218 --> 00:18:59.278
it's a good time it's fun um but i'm very

00:18:59.278 --> 00:19:02.038
happy for you talking about the stress of television and thank

00:19:02.038 --> 00:19:05.058
you by the way we're talking about you know the stress of like tv shows and

00:19:05.058 --> 00:19:07.838
stuff like that sometimes like i don't know how my wife does

00:19:07.838 --> 00:19:10.858
it my wife will be in bed and she'll watch like and it's dateline

00:19:10.858 --> 00:19:13.838
and and that was not the case and there

00:19:13.838 --> 00:19:17.078
was the the the you know the babbling brook

00:19:17.078 --> 00:19:19.978
and the person was asleep and they were a delight to see and

00:19:19.978 --> 00:19:22.938
she's watching all this stuff and i'm like she's either really into these

00:19:22.938 --> 00:19:25.938
kind of shows or she's taking notes on like different ways

00:19:25.938 --> 00:19:29.558
that she can off me if i really piss her off i feel

00:19:29.558 --> 00:19:37.978
like she could kill you and no one would know no she

00:19:37.978 --> 00:19:43.298
couldn't i do i think she'd be really no she couldn't is there like a safe word

00:19:43.298 --> 00:19:48.298
i could say to know that i'm in danger no uh no she of course um it's the it's

00:19:48.298 --> 00:19:51.118
the uber intelligence and i think it's because she's not caffeinated.

00:19:52.920 --> 00:19:55.920
I think it's her milk. I think it's her milk. It's drinking milk.

00:19:56.060 --> 00:20:00.460
Yeah. She's a milk drinker. It does a body and your murder plan's good.

00:20:00.860 --> 00:20:03.360
Yeah. I mean, I don't think she would murder you.

00:20:03.940 --> 00:20:10.720
Yes. But I do think that she would be, like, really good in a criminal mind situation.

00:20:13.780 --> 00:20:17.400
Right? You know. Yeah. I do. She's so smart. And then she plots.

00:20:17.560 --> 00:20:19.740
And then it would be like, and then I would this and then that.

00:20:19.860 --> 00:20:21.520
And, yeah. She wouldn't panic.

00:20:21.740 --> 00:20:27.560
She's not a panicker. Now, play the long game. She'd play the long game. If she panicked...

00:20:28.965 --> 00:20:33.725
I would, that would, I can't think of something like more frightening in this moment.

00:20:34.005 --> 00:20:37.865
Oh, interesting. Like watching her panic. She's just somebody who just doesn't.

00:20:37.925 --> 00:20:43.545
I'm not saying, yeah, I just don't see her panicking. Okay.

00:20:43.925 --> 00:20:45.985
Like freaking out. No.

00:20:46.745 --> 00:20:52.885
Yeah. Depends on the situation. It's sort of like my spouse when he anger,

00:20:53.125 --> 00:20:58.405
like when he is really, really angry, which happens like, I don't know.

00:20:58.405 --> 00:21:01.505
The twins are 13 it happened recently and they were like what's

00:21:01.505 --> 00:21:04.325
what is what's happening you know it's just

00:21:04.325 --> 00:21:07.305
happened so infrequently he is

00:21:07.305 --> 00:21:10.785
a very very chill person i

00:21:10.785 --> 00:21:13.525
mean and i i know you get into

00:21:13.525 --> 00:21:16.565
a 600 pool without even knowing what i know i

00:21:16.565 --> 00:21:19.945
listen i know that i'm high strong okay i do

00:21:19.945 --> 00:21:22.805
not get angry i'm just not

00:21:22.805 --> 00:21:25.545
i'm not an angry person i'm not a yeller i'm not

00:21:25.545 --> 00:21:28.885
but there have know but there have been times where but

00:21:28.885 --> 00:21:32.105
you panic you worry you have it's not gonna worry yes but

00:21:32.105 --> 00:21:36.045
i've also had instances where like i have to get things out and then i explode

00:21:36.045 --> 00:21:40.965
and i like to call it can of snakes because it's just so healthy can of snakes

00:21:40.965 --> 00:21:45.205
and it's out and then like i remember an instance where it happened and i was

00:21:45.205 --> 00:21:51.125
done and i was like i'm good like that was literally my reaction.

00:21:51.485 --> 00:21:54.425
Like, I'm good. I know I was like, I was like way over the top.

00:21:55.165 --> 00:22:00.245
And it was something that was greatly bothering me. And I just needed to get it off my chest.

00:22:00.485 --> 00:22:05.205
And I did. And then I was like, okay, I have my moment. I raised my blood pressure. I'm good.

00:22:06.352 --> 00:22:12.032
So I try at school, I try not to, you know, freak out. Oh yeah, same.

00:22:12.332 --> 00:22:16.312
And I do find myself this year,

00:22:16.512 --> 00:22:20.772
I don't know if it comes in cycles or what, but this year I'm,

00:22:20.772 --> 00:22:26.252
I'm finding myself doing a little bit of something I really don't like that

00:22:26.252 --> 00:22:30.672
I had not done for three years prior to this year,

00:22:31.052 --> 00:22:36.032
which is like, um, angrily speak low under my breath. Yeah.

00:22:37.632 --> 00:22:45.752
Which is my really like over response of when like things are not going the

00:22:45.752 --> 00:22:48.072
way that I want them to go or that, you know,

00:22:48.272 --> 00:22:50.932
and, and so I do find myself like, oh yeah, you're going to do that.

00:22:51.012 --> 00:22:53.272
That sounds great. That's a great idea. Way to go. It's great.

00:22:53.832 --> 00:22:58.292
And I find myself doing that and then it's like, oh, this is an,

00:22:58.332 --> 00:23:00.312
this is an honest question. I'm not asking this to be funny.

00:23:00.472 --> 00:23:06.212
Do you think it has, um, something to do with like, I know we've talked about perimenopause before.

00:23:06.292 --> 00:23:09.112
Do you think it has something to do with like some of the things that you're

00:23:09.112 --> 00:23:11.312
going through, maybe being short, short tempered?

00:23:11.332 --> 00:23:14.532
Does that, do you think that has anything to do with it? Is it hormonal? Yeah.

00:23:15.412 --> 00:23:19.392
Quite possibly. Yeah. And I'm not, and I'm honestly not asking that to be funny.

00:23:19.532 --> 00:23:22.832
It's more out of curiosity and you know. Oh, I don't think so at all.

00:23:22.972 --> 00:23:28.592
No, I, and I also just think it's the, like the mixture of students as well.

00:23:29.092 --> 00:23:31.832
And, um, and so I do feel better when I talk to colleagues and like,

00:23:31.932 --> 00:23:33.432
we all sort of feel the same way.

00:23:33.492 --> 00:23:37.312
So I don't think it's entirely me. I mean, believe me, like, what does it bother me?

00:23:37.432 --> 00:23:40.212
Like, the spinning and the rocking and, like, the, especially,

00:23:40.452 --> 00:23:43.452
like, and I think sometimes it's just about, like, certain kids.

00:23:43.632 --> 00:23:47.512
Like, why would you take, things I would never do, I wouldn't have done them

00:23:47.512 --> 00:23:49.612
at 13. I'm not going to do them at 46.

00:23:49.672 --> 00:24:00.332
Like, why would you take a chair and drag it along the floor to make the most horrific sound?

00:24:01.492 --> 00:24:04.072
Right? Those behaviors...

00:24:05.974 --> 00:24:12.554
Will never sit well with me. I don't, no one could ever, I'm not gifted in that way.

00:24:12.694 --> 00:24:15.294
I don't have chill for those types of things.

00:24:15.614 --> 00:24:22.414
Why would, why would you do that? Like why purposely bother a room full of people?

00:24:22.654 --> 00:24:27.534
I know it's for attention. I'm not, I know why, but it's just not, it's not for me.

00:24:27.674 --> 00:24:30.774
I don't care for it. I'm going to go back to, listen, I'm going to go,

00:24:30.894 --> 00:24:34.094
I'm going to go back to it again me in my 40s like now hate

00:24:34.094 --> 00:24:36.934
it more than ever yeah um i do

00:24:36.934 --> 00:24:40.234
but i don't think to the degree that i could actually blame um

00:24:40.234 --> 00:24:42.974
like it fully on home it's just me it's a me thing i get

00:24:42.974 --> 00:24:49.154
i get overstimulated uh and i'm it affects me more at home than it does because

00:24:49.154 --> 00:24:52.874
like i'll go through my whole day you bottle it up at school i don't think it's

00:24:52.874 --> 00:24:56.394
necessarily i don't think it's necessarily a bottling up i think it's more for

00:24:56.394 --> 00:25:01.654
me it's like it's more of like energy level right So I'll give you an example.

00:25:01.874 --> 00:25:08.834
Yesterday, I had a day where we were talking about the legislative branch,

00:25:08.834 --> 00:25:10.314
and we're doing all these different activities.

00:25:10.614 --> 00:25:13.454
And I'm doing a lecture. I'm showing a video. We're talking about stuff.

00:25:13.454 --> 00:25:17.874
I'm asking them questions. We're doing a simulation. It's a very labor-intensive day. And then...

00:25:19.522 --> 00:25:23.022
I had an errand to run and then I came home.

00:25:23.522 --> 00:25:24.842
Uh, I had some things to do around

00:25:24.842 --> 00:25:27.862
the house. I had to get dinner on the table. Then we were recording.

00:25:28.282 --> 00:25:31.322
Okay. We did two recordings and I was, I was a little drained and I was like,

00:25:31.362 --> 00:25:32.642
all right, I got to turn it on.

00:25:32.762 --> 00:25:36.462
Cause we're recording and I got to be like awake. And then when we were done, I was done.

00:25:37.262 --> 00:25:40.222
So we're sitting on the couch and my wife is finding some funny videos and I

00:25:40.222 --> 00:25:44.382
decided to like put on a show and watch it. And she's like, Hey, what's the video?

00:25:44.542 --> 00:25:48.042
I sent you a video. I said, it's a video. And I'm like, I can't,

00:25:48.042 --> 00:25:51.482
can't do this right now it's like i need to like i need

00:25:51.482 --> 00:25:54.142
i need to do one thing or the other i was like i wanted to

00:25:54.142 --> 00:25:56.842
focus on like just a television show to take my mind off of

00:25:56.842 --> 00:25:59.762
something right because that's how i decompress and she

00:25:59.762 --> 00:26:02.422
was fine and stuff that was cute and it was funny and it was dog videos and

00:26:02.422 --> 00:26:06.842
i loved it but it was just like i got too much going on in my brain so i think

00:26:06.842 --> 00:26:11.122
it affects me more when i get to like the end of my day and i'm tired and it's

00:26:11.122 --> 00:26:14.742
over and i'm like all right i i gotta shut it down because i know my brain is

00:26:14.742 --> 00:26:18.202
about to be mashed potatoes like yes and it doesn't affect me much at work.

00:26:18.342 --> 00:26:19.322
I will say this much though.

00:26:20.302 --> 00:26:23.642
The fact that I've, go back to Petty Petty Princess.

00:26:24.022 --> 00:26:29.182
The fact that I have the water bottle garage has been- It's everything to you?

00:26:29.302 --> 00:26:33.142
I want to curse right now. It's been effing life-changing, okay? I love it.

00:26:33.482 --> 00:26:38.022
It is, I don't get the, I don't get the, you know, the crinkling anymore of

00:26:38.022 --> 00:26:43.022
the bottles and the flipping and the I'm going to pour it in a cap and I'm going to drink it.

00:26:43.162 --> 00:26:47.242
And I'm like, no, no, no, no. I'm just not doing it. It's like,

00:26:47.362 --> 00:26:49.022
okay, don't forget water bottles in the garage.

00:26:49.302 --> 00:26:52.882
And I would, uh, hot take everyone. No one has died of thirst.

00:26:53.982 --> 00:26:58.702
Everyone is still alive. Um, and it has been completely, um,

00:26:59.672 --> 00:27:03.332
Honestly, I know how ridiculous it sounds. To me, it's been classroom changing.

00:27:03.652 --> 00:27:05.272
Why does it sound ridiculous?

00:27:05.612 --> 00:27:12.732
It doesn't sound ridiculous to me or any other teacher that's teaching with children walking.

00:27:13.352 --> 00:27:17.232
Some people are like, oh, my child needs a water bottle. Oh,

00:27:17.312 --> 00:27:20.292
I wouldn't do that because the kids need to be able to drink. Oh, I just.

00:27:20.632 --> 00:27:22.952
And then what if I. No.

00:27:23.912 --> 00:27:27.072
No. Oh, I love. I love a rule. You don't.

00:27:27.572 --> 00:27:31.212
I don't eat it. I do. So even if I don't 100% agree with the rule,

00:27:31.392 --> 00:27:36.872
I do love a rule that is happens and then it goes and it goes and it goes,

00:27:37.012 --> 00:27:39.012
you know, and it does not bend, break or,

00:27:39.232 --> 00:27:43.112
you know, I love that, especially because it's working so well for you.

00:27:43.172 --> 00:27:47.192
And your classroom has an element of over simulation to begin with because of

00:27:47.192 --> 00:27:48.832
its locale and the windows and stuff.

00:27:48.992 --> 00:27:52.652
So that's a whole other thing. One hundred percent.

00:27:52.972 --> 00:27:56.972
Yeah. I mean, it has its positives and its negatives. Right.

00:27:57.332 --> 00:28:03.172
So I think that's the idea of what we do, right? We're constantly looking for like.

00:28:04.075 --> 00:28:07.015
Uh, what's the word I'm looking for? Trade-offs, right? You might,

00:28:07.135 --> 00:28:09.015
this might be a positive and that's going to be a negative.

00:28:09.195 --> 00:28:13.595
And that kind of leads us to, you know, successes or failures throughout our school day.

00:28:13.815 --> 00:28:17.715
Right. So I know what I have to do or ask for help.

00:28:17.835 --> 00:28:21.655
So for example, I'm in the front of a building and when the,

00:28:21.735 --> 00:28:26.175
when, uh, the eighth graders are coming back from the cafeteria, it's Bedlam, right?

00:28:26.335 --> 00:28:29.095
It's, they're running down the hallway. They're jumping on each other's backs.

00:28:29.235 --> 00:28:30.155
They're banging on my windows.

00:28:30.155 --> 00:28:33.455
Cause I have like, not exaggeration, nine windows

00:28:33.455 --> 00:28:36.195
that line one side and it's like a kind

00:28:36.195 --> 00:28:39.035
of like a half wall and that's where everyone's walking by and

00:28:39.035 --> 00:28:41.855
they're waving and they're banging on the wind like some kids like

00:28:41.855 --> 00:28:44.635
bang on the door and run away it's like yeah i saw you bro by the way there's

00:28:44.635 --> 00:28:48.995
cameras so finally i just had to go to the vice president's like hey let look

00:28:48.995 --> 00:28:52.555
i need somebody out there i when you guys release the eighth graders i need

00:28:52.555 --> 00:28:57.375
a an adult because like i'm trying to conduct a class i can't do it myself like

00:28:57.375 --> 00:29:00.335
there were times i would like like my kids would be like working quietly and

00:29:00.335 --> 00:29:04.535
i'd like stand in the hallway and just make sure that there's a body, you know.

00:29:05.555 --> 00:29:07.535
That's an adult so that they see them.

00:29:07.695 --> 00:29:10.695
So, you know, like when you're speeding on the highway and you see the police

00:29:10.695 --> 00:29:12.135
officer, you pump the brakes.

00:29:12.435 --> 00:29:14.595
Yeah. Even if you're not speeding, you're like, oh, police officer,

00:29:14.675 --> 00:29:16.475
did I do something wrong? Do I have a dead body in my trunk?

00:29:16.655 --> 00:29:20.235
And you start to get, you know, a little bit squirrely because of what you're seeing.

00:29:21.975 --> 00:29:26.875
So I know when I need to ask for help, which also I think helps me know that

00:29:26.875 --> 00:29:28.955
I have somebody that's going to back, you know, back me up and like,

00:29:29.075 --> 00:29:30.035
okay, we'll get somebody out there.

00:29:30.135 --> 00:29:32.455
Or sometimes it's the vice principal or principal themselves.

00:29:32.635 --> 00:29:34.635
I'm like, I can't, I, I need the help.

00:29:35.035 --> 00:29:40.435
So you think as a younger teacher, you were able to ask those types of things,

00:29:40.435 --> 00:29:42.255
or was that something that you grew into?

00:29:43.035 --> 00:29:47.355
I think I was able to ask them. Yeah. Yeah. Sometimes it maybe it wasn't received well.

00:29:49.075 --> 00:29:54.235
But you still have to ask. Sure. Because I, I, I wonder even with,

00:29:54.235 --> 00:29:57.755
you know, some of the discussions that we've had with.

00:29:58.728 --> 00:30:02.888
The kids and, you know, some of the behaviors of like, oh, I'm not asking you

00:30:02.888 --> 00:30:04.088
that or like, oh, that's weird.

00:30:04.088 --> 00:30:09.788
Or so I try to challenge my students, even if it's, you know, go next door,

00:30:10.508 --> 00:30:14.768
ask this, this, this, please make sure when you do that, you say,

00:30:14.888 --> 00:30:19.068
excuse me, if they're in the middle of a sentence, you know, they really need,

00:30:19.368 --> 00:30:23.508
I am this, I mean, we are, we do not exaggerate, you know, for anybody that's,

00:30:23.688 --> 00:30:25.788
you know, not a, maybe not a teacher.

00:30:26.168 --> 00:30:29.948
Like we are not exaggerating when we're saying we're modeling these practices.

00:30:30.128 --> 00:30:35.388
And I think back to, you know, my younger days as like a student or even as

00:30:35.388 --> 00:30:42.128
a newer teacher with sending kids on errands and like what an amazing opportunity

00:30:42.128 --> 00:30:48.868
that was and how that is shifted with the kids being more resistant to,

00:30:49.088 --> 00:30:49.888
like, what am I supposed to say?

00:30:50.268 --> 00:30:53.588
What if they look at me? What do I have to do there? And it's like,

00:30:53.668 --> 00:30:58.688
usually there would be a few that like could not wait to deliver a note,

00:30:58.968 --> 00:31:01.648
take something, go, you know, move around.

00:31:01.768 --> 00:31:06.148
I don't know, right? It's a funny shift, but I think it's good that you feel

00:31:06.148 --> 00:31:13.048
like you were taught to or you were able to ask questions, speak on your own behalf,

00:31:13.508 --> 00:31:16.068
see what you needed, advocate for yourself because, you know,

00:31:16.108 --> 00:31:20.368
that's a difficult, more difficult life skill than some of the other ones, for sure.

00:31:20.648 --> 00:31:25.728
There are times when either it wasn't well received or the message was misconstrued.

00:31:26.488 --> 00:31:31.428
You know, that's happened before. We're going to have an episode at some point.

00:31:31.568 --> 00:31:35.008
I think you called it the you called it the twist and shout. Right.

00:31:35.508 --> 00:31:39.688
Oh, yeah. Which that's which which has happened to be in my career where someone

00:31:39.688 --> 00:31:42.428
takes what you say and twist it and shouts it.

00:31:43.128 --> 00:31:47.448
Yeah, that's a much longer conversation that we'll need to dive into on another episode.

00:31:47.728 --> 00:31:52.408
So anything else for January for your mental health and well-being? Yeah.

00:31:54.263 --> 00:31:59.443
No, not really. Uh, honestly, it's, it's a busy, uh, January is always like,

00:31:59.683 --> 00:32:04.303
I know it's the Monday of, uh, the year, right. As, as you like to call it. I do.

00:32:04.523 --> 00:32:08.203
It's also in the last couple of years, it's been pretty busy for us as a family.

00:32:08.543 --> 00:32:14.283
Um, you know, we, uh, my wife starts the semester, um, which is always stressful

00:32:14.283 --> 00:32:15.463
and a stressful start for her.

00:32:16.063 --> 00:32:20.403
Um, she's also traveling from time to time. So, um, you know,

00:32:20.463 --> 00:32:21.763
going to conferences and stuff like that.

00:32:21.863 --> 00:32:29.463
So that kind of plays into it so honestly for us it's kind of January is more about just surviving,

00:32:30.743 --> 00:32:33.483
not in a bad way but like it's just like we got to get through the month

00:32:33.483 --> 00:32:36.823
of January and then we can kind of things kind of level themselves off yeah

00:32:36.823 --> 00:32:43.203
so some people do dry January nah and I love your response to that and I know

00:32:43.203 --> 00:32:47.923
I also I honestly don't drink that much I really don't um I drink in social

00:32:47.923 --> 00:32:54.923
settings yeah um or yeah or like if i go out in social settings like i i went out uh,

00:32:55.403 --> 00:32:58.243
like buffalo wildlings to watch some football games with my friends

00:32:58.243 --> 00:33:01.943
and had a beer like but that's it because i knew i had to drive so i'm not gonna

00:33:01.943 --> 00:33:07.963
have like 10 years like that's not my not my speed no dry january i did see

00:33:07.963 --> 00:33:12.243
i you know i don't need to subscribe to that either but i what was it what did

00:33:12.243 --> 00:33:16.463
what was it called it wasn't dry january it was sort of um.

00:33:17.984 --> 00:33:22.384
Oh, it was like in reference to, you know, trying to slow it down a little bit,

00:33:22.644 --> 00:33:25.704
but, you know, and like moderate, you know, some of those things.

00:33:25.884 --> 00:33:31.444
And then someone else's response was like, it's January, like do whatever you need to do. Yeah.

00:33:31.664 --> 00:33:34.604
You know, and I and I do kind of think I think that, you know,

00:33:34.664 --> 00:33:38.584
there's that's probably like an excuse for some people to kind of just say,

00:33:38.724 --> 00:33:41.004
oh, I'm going to do it this way, that way,

00:33:41.184 --> 00:33:44.704
every way, you know, and you could find a reason for that every month of the

00:33:44.704 --> 00:33:46.984
year, you know, for one reason or another.

00:33:47.624 --> 00:33:52.944
But I do, you know, I don't know. I guess it's just interesting how people approach the beginning.

00:33:53.164 --> 00:33:58.564
And I asked my students how they felt about New Year's resolutions and most

00:33:58.564 --> 00:34:01.244
of them were like, no one keeps them anyway, so what's the point?

00:34:02.144 --> 00:34:05.704
Yeah, it's funny. It was an interesting perspective that they had about it.

00:34:05.904 --> 00:34:09.404
Yeah, I think I was trying to do the, you know, talk about the one word thing

00:34:09.404 --> 00:34:11.764
and get them to buy into that.

00:34:12.884 --> 00:34:16.424
That was something that was interesting to start the year.

00:34:16.544 --> 00:34:23.744
To me, January feels like, you know, from the time that I was cycling and doing

00:34:23.744 --> 00:34:26.724
some riding, it kind of feels like you're climbing a large hill.

00:34:27.424 --> 00:34:30.764
But knowing that like, okay, this sucks right now. Yeah.

00:34:31.064 --> 00:34:35.584
But eventually I'll get to the top of this. And then it's more, whee!

00:34:36.304 --> 00:34:40.684
Yes. You know, that's the thinking behind it for me.

00:34:41.404 --> 00:34:44.424
I mean, imagine all the people who are born in January who are like,

00:34:44.844 --> 00:34:47.464
stuff you two. You know, this is our month. Yeah.

00:34:47.764 --> 00:34:51.744
This is our month to shine. For sure. This is our big day month. It's also about...

00:34:53.849 --> 00:34:57.749
A reset in a way, especially in class, uh, you know, talking about like the

00:34:57.749 --> 00:35:03.469
reset of routines we get through the holidays, which is madness, uh,

00:35:03.709 --> 00:35:07.809
in, in many, for many reasons, both professionally and personally,

00:35:07.929 --> 00:35:08.989
the kids are off the wall.

00:35:09.449 --> 00:35:13.609
You're running in Joe and ragged to prepare for the holidays and do all those things.

00:35:13.929 --> 00:35:18.649
And then you're kind of like coming down off of that only to climb up again

00:35:18.649 --> 00:35:20.589
for a long stretch for us.

00:35:20.669 --> 00:35:24.729
Right. We've got, yeah, we have all these days off and, And I was actually talking

00:35:24.729 --> 00:35:27.609
with a co-worker, you know, as we're recording this.

00:35:27.909 --> 00:35:31.829
This is my first full week in like six weeks.

00:35:32.589 --> 00:35:36.009
Of school? Of school. Well, it's not over yet, so we'll see.

00:35:36.189 --> 00:35:37.389
I know, right? As of right now.

00:35:38.369 --> 00:35:41.329
So we had like the day and a half back.

00:35:41.509 --> 00:35:45.429
And then the week prior, I was out sick for two days because I was,

00:35:45.449 --> 00:35:46.749
you know, coughing up a storm.

00:35:47.069 --> 00:35:51.609
And the week before that, I had a doctor's appointment that was scheduled as well as jury duty.

00:35:52.309 --> 00:35:56.269
And it was like the week before that was you know thanksgiving it's like it's

00:35:56.269 --> 00:35:58.169
crazy like i didn't work a full week,

00:35:58.998 --> 00:36:01.858
for so long how's the feeling how

00:36:01.858 --> 00:36:04.638
are you feeling about that maybe that's why i'm so tired like oh

00:36:04.638 --> 00:36:07.718
i gotta work i gotta work five whole days and again

00:36:07.718 --> 00:36:14.378
and again and again can you believe that the blizzard of 96 was 30 years ago

00:36:14.378 --> 00:36:20.758
i thought about that yeah i'll never forget we lived in a i lived in a town

00:36:20.758 --> 00:36:25.758
with my parents my sister um had her period for like the entire winter,

00:36:26.218 --> 00:36:29.178
funny how that happened you know oh no hi june yeah oh

00:36:29.178 --> 00:36:31.818
hey uh just throw it out her just her

00:36:31.818 --> 00:36:34.678
can't shovel she just got her and it was like it doesn't work like that god

00:36:34.678 --> 00:36:37.458
dad but anyway so you know i'm the brother that we never

00:36:37.458 --> 00:36:43.338
had it's fine and um and i'll i will not forget that lizard in particular because

00:36:43.338 --> 00:36:47.698
i mean we had a lot of wallopers i feel like when i like in my school time yeah

00:36:47.698 --> 00:36:55.038
but that one i remember like um going out and meeting some of my friends because we could walk,

00:36:56.378 --> 00:36:59.538
and, you know, we were in your house for so many days that, like,

00:36:59.598 --> 00:37:04.658
by the time we were actually, like, able to go outside and I didn't have a snowsuit.

00:37:06.515 --> 00:37:10.975
So I borrowed my mom's, remember those like jogging suits that were real popular?

00:37:11.275 --> 00:37:14.535
Like they were like, we called them swishy suits because they like swished when

00:37:14.535 --> 00:37:18.775
you walked. But like moms had them and they were like matching like on the bottom.

00:37:19.955 --> 00:37:23.675
It's like when you see, that's one of my favorite memes ever is when they show

00:37:23.675 --> 00:37:25.695
like a family from the 90s. No, don't say the wind.

00:37:26.095 --> 00:37:30.155
Don't say the wind. So now, do you know that I can't see that?

00:37:30.395 --> 00:37:32.255
The wind never stood a chance. The wind didn't stand a chance.

00:37:32.635 --> 00:37:36.675
Yeah. That is one of my most favorite of all time.

00:37:36.915 --> 00:37:43.575
And my girlfriend, Jenny's sister, Kristen, tells a story when she was in seventh

00:37:43.575 --> 00:37:47.295
or eighth grade and her mom made her wear one of those to school.

00:37:48.715 --> 00:37:53.135
Her and the teacher had the same outfit. Oh, my God. That's amazing.

00:37:53.555 --> 00:37:58.655
And she's like, it was one of the worst, most horrifying things that ever happened

00:37:58.655 --> 00:38:04.955
in my entire childhood. But anyway, so I wear my mom's like swishy suit and it was pink.

00:38:05.115 --> 00:38:07.575
I was like the pink panther for like the rest of high school.

00:38:07.575 --> 00:38:10.195
But it was like, you know, one of those like funny, like, oh my gosh,

00:38:10.275 --> 00:38:14.895
remember, like you would have put a garbage bag on just to get out and get like

00:38:14.895 --> 00:38:18.835
some socialization with your, you know, with your people because no one,

00:38:19.015 --> 00:38:21.355
everybody was just locked in the snow for so long.

00:38:21.715 --> 00:38:24.675
I graduated. I graduated in 94 and that winter was awful.

00:38:25.115 --> 00:38:27.735
So were you away at college when that happened? Yeah.

00:38:28.238 --> 00:38:31.178
Uh, I was not actually. Oh, cause you were in your in between.

00:38:31.638 --> 00:38:33.798
That's right. Cause I was in between, I was going to County and I was,

00:38:33.978 --> 00:38:35.718
uh, got it going back and forth.

00:38:35.878 --> 00:38:40.018
I think I remember, and I, I wasn't like, like, you know, we didn't have what

00:38:40.018 --> 00:38:42.138
we had today with like the weather and stuff like that.

00:38:42.278 --> 00:38:45.438
I remember being at the window and there was snow.

00:38:45.638 --> 00:38:50.378
No, it's funny. I remember being at, um, I went to like a golf show.

00:38:50.538 --> 00:38:54.278
They used to have like a golf show in like, um, Somerset and you would go,

00:38:54.378 --> 00:38:55.218
I went with a friend of mine.

00:38:55.338 --> 00:38:58.038
We used to go every year and you go and like they'd have clubs that you

00:38:58.038 --> 00:39:02.018
could hit like i bet you they still have goodbye they do it stinks it stinks

00:39:02.018 --> 00:39:05.498
now i haven't been to it a couple years but the last couple years that i went

00:39:05.498 --> 00:39:09.718
it was all terrible okay yeah but we went to it i was like and people are talking

00:39:09.718 --> 00:39:12.578
like yeah the storm we're gonna stop i like storm what storm but i remember

00:39:12.578 --> 00:39:15.238
going home and like watching the news and i was like oh my goodness we're gonna

00:39:15.238 --> 00:39:17.318
get walloped and then being home.

00:39:18.178 --> 00:39:23.778
Uh for a very long time um long yeah i mean it was like 24 to 30 inches of snow

00:39:23.778 --> 00:39:25.758
yeah it's crazy That's wild.

00:39:26.038 --> 00:39:28.098
It's hard to believe. Would you like a storm like that?

00:39:29.138 --> 00:39:35.738
Uh, no. Would you like one really good, powerful storm?

00:39:37.465 --> 00:39:41.065
No. Maybe 12 inches? None. None. You want none? And here's why.

00:39:41.405 --> 00:39:48.405
Because we use the extra snow days around Memorial Day weekend. Yeah. Right?

00:39:48.725 --> 00:39:52.145
So if we don't use our snow days, we get an extra long Memorial Day weekend,

00:39:52.265 --> 00:39:57.065
which, yes, makes the end of the year seem like forever. But yes. Selfish reason for me.

00:39:58.025 --> 00:40:01.685
I wouldn't. I normally travel on that weekend. I go visit a friend of mine out

00:40:01.685 --> 00:40:03.305
in Indianapolis and we go to the Indy 500.

00:40:03.565 --> 00:40:08.505
And I really enjoy doing that. it's not that I wouldn't but I would take days

00:40:08.505 --> 00:40:11.005
and then I wouldn't have to and I could you know,

00:40:11.465 --> 00:40:14.185
um do it like a rock star at the end party like a rock

00:40:14.185 --> 00:40:17.025
star yeah okay all right fair that's just

00:40:17.025 --> 00:40:21.525
my thing also like we haven't had a storm like that in a while so maybe you

00:40:21.525 --> 00:40:25.785
know maybe we're due for one I think I think we are we've had a lot of snow

00:40:25.785 --> 00:40:31.225
so far already yeah considering you know um the last couple of years have been

00:40:31.225 --> 00:40:35.225
a little bit more um you know dry uh I don't know I don't love,

00:40:35.345 --> 00:40:36.465
I don't really enjoy snow,

00:40:36.605 --> 00:40:39.305
but I do like a one wall up, not 30 inches.

00:40:39.505 --> 00:40:44.345
When you, when you speak about mental health, like I'm literally like three,

00:40:44.825 --> 00:40:47.465
two, one, happy new year. Is it summer?

00:40:47.725 --> 00:40:52.025
Like literally I am, I am, I am moved on immediately.

00:40:52.245 --> 00:40:55.825
But we can't, but, but you can't. I know.

00:40:56.705 --> 00:41:02.625
That's, that's my problem. Yeah. You can't, you're, you're stuck in it. Yeah. Yeah.

00:41:03.145 --> 00:41:06.005
I know. But I don't, I mean, I don't want 30 inches of snow.

00:41:06.205 --> 00:41:12.425
Don't get me wrong. But I do, when I hear things are, what did I just read?

00:41:12.605 --> 00:41:21.985
It was like, to our kids now, Home Alone is as far away a film as the films

00:41:21.985 --> 00:41:25.385
when we were kids of like the 1950s. Yeah.

00:41:26.753 --> 00:41:30.893
I know or time is a yeah father

00:41:30.893 --> 00:41:34.453
time father time and mother nature they're both undefeated so

00:41:34.453 --> 00:41:37.213
uh what is the other one like if they did back

00:41:37.213 --> 00:41:40.693
to the future they'd go back to like 1995 today god

00:41:40.693 --> 00:41:44.953
damn it i was like first of all i would go back to 1995 in a heartbeat because

00:41:44.953 --> 00:41:50.473
a a no no younger people listen to this a the music was better okay that's the

00:41:50.473 --> 00:41:53.193
first thing i'm pointing at the screen right now i don't know why i'm doing

00:41:53.193 --> 00:41:57.793
that yeah uh b um they didn't you know there were no phones and connectivity.

00:41:58.073 --> 00:42:03.133
Like you went out without people knowing where you would go and you would just go there.

00:42:04.355 --> 00:42:07.755
And be like i'm gonna meet someone here it was such a different time

00:42:07.755 --> 00:42:10.575
yeah and i just it it was you know

00:42:10.575 --> 00:42:13.275
it was great i love where i

00:42:13.275 --> 00:42:16.415
am now great yeah i love where i am now in my life uh

00:42:16.415 --> 00:42:20.915
just like we all do right because time oh yeah i mean i saw my nephew on christmas

00:42:20.915 --> 00:42:25.535
and it was like you look like every boy that i went to high school with like

00:42:25.535 --> 00:42:29.115
the way he was dressed it was like you know and and i meant it with like it

00:42:29.115 --> 00:42:33.235
was like whoa am i in a time machine it was startling to me like the pants and

00:42:33.235 --> 00:42:35.895
the design and the, his hair and like everything.

00:42:36.695 --> 00:42:40.075
And he was of course, feeling more original than that.

00:42:40.195 --> 00:42:45.535
So I don't know that he wanted to look like 1997, but honestly,

00:42:45.535 --> 00:42:47.835
and honestly, what helps is to

00:42:47.835 --> 00:42:50.675
know that like, I mean, having this conversation helps to be very honest.

00:42:50.735 --> 00:42:55.395
Cause like, we're not the only ones I was talking to some coworkers today about

00:42:55.395 --> 00:42:57.655
like, you know, the being tired thing.

00:42:57.815 --> 00:43:00.675
And like, you know, we were talking about all of our old age things.

00:43:00.855 --> 00:43:03.695
And one of the, one of the people was talking about, uh, you know,

00:43:03.755 --> 00:43:06.675
oh, I, you know, I got out of my wetsuit in the summer.

00:43:06.935 --> 00:43:11.495
Cause like person likes to surf and it was like, I, and then I hurt my shoulder.

00:43:11.635 --> 00:43:13.875
I had to go to like orthopedic cause of getting out of my wetsuit.

00:43:14.015 --> 00:43:15.735
I'm like, yeah, cause that's what happens when we get old.

00:43:16.175 --> 00:43:19.875
I just got my new car and I'm having difficulty getting the,

00:43:20.095 --> 00:43:23.335
because it's so, it's so low in time that I was like, oh no,

00:43:23.375 --> 00:43:26.135
am I going to injure myself getting my seatbelt? Yeah.

00:43:27.035 --> 00:43:31.355
Gotta be careful. You gotta be careful out there. A wetsuit sounds way more badass than your...

00:43:32.375 --> 00:43:35.855
That's cool. It does sound way more badass. You know who probably wouldn't want

00:43:35.855 --> 00:43:39.775
snow? Than hurting your knee playing pickleball.

00:43:40.615 --> 00:43:42.995
You know who probably would not want 30 inches of snow?

00:43:43.777 --> 00:43:48.357
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00:44:12.717 --> 00:44:15.497
Bam yeah just like that so i'm gonna

00:44:15.497 --> 00:44:18.317
go work on my mental health i'm gonna go plug in my seasonal

00:44:18.317 --> 00:44:21.417
affective disorder lamp you should i'm gonna go uh

00:44:21.417 --> 00:44:24.837
get ready and do some lifting so i can lift up my championship belt

00:44:24.837 --> 00:44:27.757
i hope you wear it on another i hope like

00:44:27.757 --> 00:44:30.497
in the future we'll see you wearing it on that i might just i might

00:44:30.497 --> 00:44:33.877
just have to wear it it'll definitely make its rounds onto social media and

00:44:33.877 --> 00:44:38.437
again suck it losers hey guys guys

00:44:38.437 --> 00:44:41.777
you know i love you i appreciate you don't kick them out i no

00:44:41.777 --> 00:44:44.537
they wouldn't so the story behind it by the way the reason

00:44:44.537 --> 00:44:48.137
real quick the reason i'm in the league is they

00:44:48.137 --> 00:44:51.437
said they weren't having any fun so i decided in 2019

00:44:51.437 --> 00:44:55.257
that i was going to campaign to be their 2019 league commissioner and i was

00:44:55.257 --> 00:44:59.897
not in the league and i would make recap videos of each week and like how they

00:44:59.897 --> 00:45:02.477
were doing good and how they were doing bad and make fun of them and then i

00:45:02.477 --> 00:45:05.357
got their wives involved where they were like hey you got to step it up because

00:45:05.357 --> 00:45:09.857
you stink and it was really a lot of fun these were all close friends of mine and And then you got in.

00:45:09.977 --> 00:45:12.117
And then one guy stepped out. I was like, yeah, sure, I'll do it.

00:45:12.197 --> 00:45:13.477
So here I am. And now I'm a champ.

00:45:13.877 --> 00:45:16.157
But anyway, I digress.

00:45:16.597 --> 00:45:21.417
I appreciate you, Fred. I appreciate you. And we appreciate all of our listeners.

00:45:21.757 --> 00:45:24.877
And of course, if you are struggling with your mental health,

00:45:25.297 --> 00:45:29.337
reach out to a professional, see a friend, talk it through.

00:45:29.637 --> 00:45:33.597
And we wish everybody all the best getting through the longest month of the year.

00:45:33.877 --> 00:45:36.537
Yes. The longest, the Monday of the year. All right. We'll see everybody next

00:45:36.537 --> 00:45:37.937
time on the Balancing Act Podcast.