Welcome to Ear Biscuits, the podcast where two lifelong friends talk about life for a long time. I’m Link. And I’m Rhett. This week at the round table of dim lighting, we are getting into your questions that you have for us. Is there something specific that you want to tease that you know we’re going to tackle today? You looked at this a little more closely than I did. Uh, people, uh, I know that there is someone who is in a difficult situation between two friends who are not getting along. I’m definitely interested in tackling that for us. There was one about naming something or renaming something. I’ll remember when we get to it. I don’t know if that’s one of these, but, is it? Is that one of those? No, that’s not one of them. Oh, there’s someone who maybe committed a crime. Um, but I feel like I can relate to. I, I am chilled to the bone. I don’t know what it is. Well, it’s not your jacket. And I’ve got a jacket on that should be a rug. You might be getting sick again. Don’t you think it should be a rug? And before you say yes, I will say this is, Christy got me this for Christmas. And I really like it. Well, I think it’s a pretty nice jacket. I mean, what’s it feel like on the inside? Like the back side of a rug. I feel like a rug. It’s like it’s a repurposed rug or something. I’m not going to say who made it because then it will seem like we’re getting paid and we’re not. Well, if people want to know, they can do that thing where they go to Reddit and figure it out. This is a super chill start. Is there anything you want to share before we get into a voicemail? Uh, well, I do want to say that we, uh, we spent the weekend together. Yes, we did. A friend was celebrating their birthday. And we went to. Big birthday milestone requires a destination party. Went to Solvang. Yes. Which is a town that I’ve always wanted to go to because you hear about it. If you’re in LA, everyone talks about it. It’s like a Dutch themed town. It’s a couple hours away. It was like, it was founded by the, the, there was like a Spanish, um, church, what are those churches called? A mission? A mission. Did you see a pamphlet? And then, in 1911. How did you, how did you know this? In 1911, I think a lot of started, a lot of Danish people started moving in. I read the Wikipedia. I got there a little early, and I was at a coffee shop, and I was like, you know what, I’m gonna read a little bit. And I remember the year, 1911. And that’s about it. I recommend reading the Wikipedia for yourself if you’re interested in this stuff. Well, I recommend going. Uh, yeah. It’s, uh, I was surprised at the number of people that were walking around this, like, small town, which they had taken existing structures, and then the, because there was a large Danish population there, they, like, changed the facades to look more Danish. So, like, but there’s a lot of people who come in from Danish. What’s the name of the country? From Dane land? Dane land? The Netherlands? Yeah. No, the Dutch are, that’s called the Dutch. Oh, is it? Danish, Denmark. Is it? Denmark. Oh, it’s not Dutch, it’s Danish. It’s Danish, it’s Denmark. Oh, I thought it was Dutch this whole time. Hold on. Link read the Wikipedia. I’m thirsty. So he’s probably right, I didn’t read, I thought, I thought it was, It’s right here. When I was told by someone who told me about it, they said Dutch. Oh, it is Danish. It’s Danish, yeah. Well, somebody lied to me. It wasn’t me, brother, because I didn’t talk to you about it. And then I spent the whole time there. Thinking that it was Dutch, but because I’m American, the difference between Dutch and Danish, I’ll just be honest with you, did not register. The whole, everybody went walking around this town, which has all these quaint shops, and I’m like, God, please let there be a record shop here, and there was. And I went to the record shop, and I stayed there the whole time you guys were shopping. Well, I appreciate it. And it was awesome. I appreciate that you know what you like, but I will say, when you go into the record shop and that’s all you do exclusively, you don’t really experience the Danish at all. I didn’t like the, I don’t like going into shops. It’s very draining for me. But, but it depends on the shop. I went into that clock shop. And I had a spiritual experience, and I’m texting the whole thread, I didn’t direct this at you directly, but I was hoping that you would be like, well maybe, maybe, maybe he’ll think there’s things other than records. But the moment I came into that shop and you started telling me about the clocks and showed me the video, people started seeing us together and asking for pictures, and it was a whole thing, it was like Rhett and Link in Solvang. Well that was because we were in the spice shop. The spice shop. And I was on my way, I was on my way to leave, by the way. Well. I’m just telling you so you haven’t told me about the clocks because we got interrupted. So tell me about this clock. Well, there were clocks, but that was really just the beginning of it because in, in clocks when I say clocks, I’m talking about like Grandfather clocks and cuckoo clocks and hundred year old and two hundred year old clocks and that’s just the beginning because then there were all these music boxes and then there was like the phonographs, you know, like the original rec record players with the big horn. Yeah. Which I thought maybe you’re a record man, you might be interested in that, but. It’s a little too primitive for me. Um, the, the music boxes, which are prerecord, are essentially these boxes that have the metal disc that has all the little holes on it that go around and they kind of like dink dink dink dink. They can be really little. And they had some of those that were, there’s actually a company that still makes new ones. And then there are the antique ones. These things are all like $10,000. So, we’re starting. Really? Yeah. Oh, [bleep]. Um, but then they had, there’s another one that’s like a big crank and it’s a long, like, cylinder that does something as well. It’s another type of music box. Uh huh. I’m not going to get one of these, but I, but. This was all, all these things were stuffed in a little shop? It wasn’t a little shop. It was a shop that had room for clocks and all these other gadgets. So it, it was as big as what, like a hardware store? Like three. Are you talking about an Ace? Are you talking about like a mom and pop? Like a mom, well, Ace, I’m going to say a mom and pop. A little bit smaller than that. Okay. And, uh. Alright. Damn. I gotta say. Are people buying these? Well, there’s a, there was a retirement sale. So, and I don’t know if that’s real or fake. You know how that goes. Sometimes those retirement sales can last for years. Cause there was another place around the corner that said that it was going out of business. You think that’s a ploy they use in Solvang? Well, it’s a, it’s a ploy that they use in lots of stores. But let me just say this. But the cuckoo clock that you showed me, you gotta tell them about that. Uh, well I have a, I think Jesse took a picture of that. I didn’t take a video of that. I will show you the video that I did take, though. So, the thing I was telling Jesse is, I was like, now, I am so into this kind of thing, but I don’t have a, like, maybe one day I’ll have like a, a space or a home that has like a room. That you could just put stuff like this in, but so far I don’t have anything like that. Well one might argue that any room could use a clock. A clock is different. I’m talking, I’m, I’m, Jesse’s into clocks, I like clocks, but I’m into. She’s also in the hands. The music boxes. Okay. And those, how large, how large do those run? Well, the smallest one was, you know, two feet wide, 18 inches tall. The disc itself is like this. Oh, and there’s companies that still make these discs. That’s as big as a pillow, if you’re listening. listening and the company still makes these discs. And you can get any song you want put on a disc. So there’s like a company that’s still like, there’s enough people out there who collect these things. But, and you can put any song on it, but it’s being played by the tin. Yeah, but that’s what makes it. Tongs. That’s, the physicality of it is what makes it unique. know, I have that thing in my, in my office at the creative house, which is that animation machine that you turn and you look at it and it’s like a mirror. It’s very big. I love gadgets. That’s smaller than anything in this shop. It’s too big for your desk. Well, the point I’m making is that I don’t have a space for things. It’s not too big. Well, I don’t have anything else on my desk. I have a computer and I have that. I think it would look good on a coffee table, but you can’t put one in the middle. But you’re illustrating the point. Which is, you have to have a spot for these things. You have to have a spot. And not many people have houses that are large enough where they could just be like, We’re gonna put this thing here. And they kept getting bigger and bigger. And then they had this thing called a, Violano? I think it’s a violin and a piano together, And I don’t know exactly how you say it, And I don’t know. Violano. And there were these, um, brothers who made these things. A hundred years ago and older and essentially it’s a piano and a violin together that you would put a coin in and it would play a machine and it was the music that would be at like, uh, like a, a, um, a dance hall back before, you know, back before. When you say a piano, viola, are you talking I’m gonna play it for you right now. Are you talking about a, a completely new instrument or they were, here it goes. I see it moving. Oh wait, it looks like a watch this. It just looks like a dining room cabinet. Yeah. But inside, with a piano inside you. Watch this. Get ready. Now, a hundred years ago, this would be super impressive. I see that there’s a violin laying down. Ha ha. It’s mechanically playing this. The piano sounds a lot better than the violin, I’m gonna tell you that. But that gives it that authentic, the fact that it’s a little bit out of tune. I can’t quite make out. You rung a bell. No, that was somebody coming in. Alright. So, now, so, did you think about buying that? Uh, well, it cost $60,000, so no, I did not think about buying it. How would you know how much it cost if you weren’t thinking about buying it? Well, because it has a giant price tag on it. $60,000. I don’t often just see something and think to myself, I would love to have that. But there’s something about these, like, machines, like a machine like that, that I’m just, I am the target audience for this kind of thing. It resonates with you. Oh, yes! Like, I told Jesse, I was like you don’t, you’ve, you’ve shown some restraint because this, all this stuff is too expensive? We have, we have a skull in our office. And that, I guess cause you’re fascinated with skulls, but it’s not a real skull. So you use some restraint. I wouldn’t say I’m fascinated with skulls. I you once, you once were fascinated with fossils. And a skull is a fossil. And I have a It’s a saber toothed tiger skull. I have a giant fossil in my office in the creative house. That big thing with the little things on it. I didn’t know that was a fossil. Yeah, that big rock that’s got the, I wish I as you turn it around, you can see the name of the things on it. It says like what it’s from or whatever. Some kind of trilobite or something. Trilobite. Um. But no. But you, you’re proving my point. Well the point that I’m making is that if I had unlimited resources and unlimited space I would have a, I would have a place in my house where you would go in and there would be just like a collection of weird machines that you can interact with. You’re talking about, you’re talking about a, uh, a museum. Well, a museum like space, but not just, it wouldn’t just be curiosities, like a cabinet of curiosities. I’m talking specifically the thing where it’s like, Oh, would you like to see this thing? Would you like to see how this thing works? It has its own room? No, there’s a room with multiple things in it. It’s not gonna happen, I’m just telling you that in my grand vision. So Rhett’s playroom. Yeah. You want me to play with this? You want me to play with this? But don’t, like, wouldn’t, like, when you see that happening, don’t, don’t you think to yourself, I would like to be in the presence of that. No, not at all. But, you need to show them the cuckoo clock because I feel totally differently about that. Well, and I’m really looking at that right now. I don’t have a picture of it should I Has it come back into your mind because you were debating buying it and you thought it was way too expensive Um, I didn’t see this in person. He showed me a picture Right now so just you can send that picture if you’re only listening will describe it It’s an intricately designed cuckoo clock that hangs on a wall and it’s like dark, it’s painted, pretty dark. It’s not painted. It’s a very dark wood. It’s a dark wood. Cuckoo clock. And it’s got like. Would you like me to explain it? It’s got some, it’s got, it’s got a hunting motif on it. It’s from 1860 or 1870. And there’s dead shit on it. It’s probably four feet tall. Two and a half feet wide. The top of it has a, it’s all completely carved out of wood. The top of it has a deer head coming out with antlers and then there’s the clock. And then there’s all this other wild game that is hanging on it. Like as if it was just hunted to like a pheasant and some ducks and a rabbit, like, you know, like you see like those old pictures of like. The wild game like hanging like it’s been caught. It’s already been killed. And each of these things hangs independently and they waggle. No, that’s not true. They, they don’t. They’re pendulums. They’re not. Keep the. That’s not true. The tie. You thought. That’s what I thought. I thought it was amazing. So you’re saying that’s not part of the. There’s one thing at the bottom that goes back and forth. That may be an animal of some kind. So they don’t move, huh? But there is, on the hour, the cuckoo bird comes out of a little hole and Cuckoo! Cuckoo! The number of the hour. That is dope. And so we’re just gonna see if the guy, if the guy gets desperate, gets, in his retirement, gets very, very desperate and lowers the price significantly. What’s the price right now? I mean, I don’t think I even want to talk about it. You don’t want to say how much it costs? It costs, I would say it costs about as much as a nice guitar. Okay. Alright. There you go. Yeah. And no one will fault you for buying a nice guitar. Uh, yeah. Well, no. Some, someone would. It’s just the internet. What are you, crazy? But that’s not, is that why you’re saying you’re someone will fault you for anything. You’re keeping it to yourself. Oh yeah, I just don’t like to, you know, I don’t like to discuss the monetary value of the things that I, I keep that to myself. Yeah, I think that’s, I think that’s, you’re being a good example to me. But yeah, I uh, I think ultimately what I’m saying is that I really, I think it’s cool that you have a hobby that you, and there’s a place for you to experience that hobby, then you go there. But if it’s to the exclusion of what makes that town that town, it’s kind of like you didn’t experience the town. You experienced the record shop at the town. And it was a great record shop. Was there anything particularly Danish about it? No. Right. Right. I mean, was there a Danish section? Like what made it special? It could have been anywhere. It could have been in Detroit. Right? I don’t, I don’t, I don’t like your line of questioning. I’m not saying you shouldn’t have gone. I’m just saying when I invited you to the clock shop. I had a wonderful time. I met many mythical beasts in the shop. It was amazing. I would get the guy, the thing that I’ve started doing is I texted you and sent my location thinking that you, I was giving you the option to come to the clock shop. And I think you would, it would moment I showed up It would have made a core memory. You showed up at the spice shop. I had already left the clock shop. I wasn’t a huge fan of the spice shop, but I was just kind of following the ladies. I was doing what they were doing. Mike had to take me back to the EV charging thing. And he was ready to go too, so and he said if I was there in, if I, if I was there a few seconds later, he would have left me. Hey, listen. That’s how much he was done being there. I do not, I’m not much of a shopper. He hated it, and I found things that I liked that were different. We all have different levels. No, you found a thing. You found a thing! And I looked at every single record in that shop. I’m just saying, as your friend, I wanted you to experience. I had so much fun. I wanted you to experience the, the, the mechanisms. I got the Weezer. Uh, 30th anniversary of the Blue album. When or where else you could have gotten that? I see it, uh, pretty much everywhere I go, I see it. But I remember that I got it in Solvang. It’s called, uh, Off the Record, For the Record. It’s, it’s, uh, the only record shop in Solvang. It’s a little bit hidden, but I highly recommend it. You know it’s a good record shop when they have a section called Expensive. And then they have like, you’re like, they have records that are like, a hundred dollars, a hundred dollars. What are you, uh I’m freezing, I’m just trying to warm up. Anyway. I’m a little bit worried about you. Let’s go to check out how hot in here. Oh really? Let’s go to the voicemail. Do you want me to turn it back up? No. Hey Rhett and Link, this is Jason from Seattle. So, my family doesn’t all know that I’m gay, and I was wondering if you guys would have any ideas on how I could come out in a very fun way, kind of akin to, you know, how, how gender reveal parties, some kind of like spectacular display. To come out to my family. For some context, my dad has very traditional views of, uh, masculinity. But, uh, anyways, I think you guys would have some potentially good ideas. So, uh, love you guys. Been watching you since middle school. And now I’m getting my Ph. D in chemistry. So, um, yeah, love you. Bye. Wow. For a second there, it felt like we were having an actual conversation. When he started talking about the chemistry thing. Hmm. You want me to talk back? Yeah, I know. I wanted him to talk back. I wanted it. I’m, I’m gonna give him my personal number so we can continue just conversing. But, it’s very gay of you to want to do something fun as you’re coming out to your family. I think that’s cool. I think it, that fits right in line with you coming out. Hmm. You know, do it, do it, do it with some pizzazz. Well, so it isn’t, I, I do think that, uh, the relevance, I guess the reason you haven’t come out yet is partially because of the, um, expected reaction from your dad or from other family members. Okay. Or maybe he’s just waiting for the right pizzazzy idea. Cause I think there, I, I think there are two ways to do it. I, I’m gonna give the, the, the, the way I don’t recommend first because it sounds like you want something a little bit more extravagant. Alright, mhm. But you’re gonna give options. But maybe this would apply to somebody else out there. I think one way to do it is you really just start, um, doing the most gay stuff that you can. Yeah. When you’re with your family. Here we go. Suggest, when it, when you’re gonna watch a movie, what’s the gayest movie you can think of? Right. You know. And so, they come to their own conclusion, like, eventually, your dad might say I was a Marvel movie, and I was like, what’s the gayest Marvel movie? Go ahead. Why do we have to limit ourselves to Marvel? I just thought it was a fun challenge. It would be a big challenge. Well, put a pin in it. Um, and then, it leaves somebody like your dad to come to the conclusion That you’re gay. Like, you don’t even come out of the closet, he knocks on the closet. You know what I’m saying? He shows up and he’s like, You sure you aren’t gay? You’re like, No, no, I think I am. And then it’s basically, then he’s like, Well, I guess, I guess I discovered something. You know, it’s like when a cop pulls you over, right. And you want, you want to get out of a ticket, there’s a way to psychologically manipulate the cop to give him the opportunity to not give you a ticket and to seem like it was his decision. It’s very difficult to do, and I’ve never done it successfully, but some people can. Could you, I don’t even want you to explain it, because I don’t think I could do it. Uh, but that’s one way. But, again, that’s not as fun, and it also is a little bit of a long play. And maybe you’re already doing really gay stuff. I don’t know. Right. Um, most of the time when you’re gay, you can’t help but be gay. That’s the thing. And if you hide it, it’s, that’s, that’s sad too. So, again, I don’t think I’m the authority on this, but I think that Jason is, probably. Mm hmm. So he can figure out the gay stuff to do. It does stress me out to think about it. Like, if you gotta make such a big announcement to your family, you know, it’s like, it makes me anxious, and I’m just thinking about what it might feel like. Well, here’s the bigger idea. So that’s a little bit of empathy coming your way. The bigger idea is, um, To do the literal coming out of the closet. Yes. That’s it. What’s the biggest closet? Maybe play a game of hide and seek. And again, you’re letting them come to the conclusion. When it happens. Right. You’re physically stepping out of a closet. But they’re You’re leaving it to them to draw, to make the conclusion. And there are levels to this too because if you put like a closet on a flatbed truck. Mm hmm. And you back that into your parents driveway. If you have everyone gather for a party. Which side of the truck are they on? You’re saying the truck’s backing up into the driveway. They’re all in the front yard. This is like one of those reveals on like a makeover show. Okay. Everybody come outside. We’re gonna have the reveal. And then the truck, go ahead. And then there’s somebody who’s in on it. So that when, everyone’s like, what is To drive the truck. Well, somebody’s on, yeah, the driver, he’s in on it. But we don’t, we don’t really need him to be in on it. He’s a hired driver. I’m saying somebody in your family who already knows you’re gay and is in on this. Mm hmm. As you’re backing into the driveway, just sort of the people who are really slow, cause I know you got some of those in your family, cause we all do. Right, right. Uh, so, you’re backing into the driveway. And then somebody’s like, what in the world is this? And then somebody, the person who’s in on it says, well I think it’s a closet. Yeah, well there’s a, you need someone to say there’s a door, and I can tell it’s a box. I would call that a closet. It’s not big enough to be a bedroom. And then it’s just like and it doesn’t have a closet on it. Oh! That’s cause it is a closet. And they know that this is an event for Jason, right? And so, they start saying And where is Jason? You think Jason is in there? This is the people, this is the family members talking. You think Jason’s in the closet? You want them to say that so they can hear it being said out loud. It’s like, what did you, did you say that you think Jason’s in the closet? And then all of a sudden, there is a sound system. And there is a countdown from Five. Five? Sure. Four. What’s the gayest number? Well, I, uh, five. Three. Three is the gayest number? Cause you would say queer is a two dollar bill. Yeah. Wasn’t that a saying growing up? And it takes two a countdown from two is just Just forget the gay number thing, I don’t know. Two! Count down. One! No, don’t count from two. I mean, that’s what you were choosing. Uh. That’s also practically too early. Ten. I count down from ten. Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Music begins to play. The gayest song you could think of. Uh, I’m Every Woman. Okay. Great choice. And then Jason just walks out. He just, he, he, of the closet. And we see if anyone gets it. And again, the person on the inside, your agent, says Jason just came out of that closet. Jason just came out of the closet. And then you just let them, let them realize what’s happening. Jason just, Jason just came out of a closet. Jason just came out of the closet. Right. You gotta get someone who’s good at it. And then they don’t have time to let their bigotry, like. Oh. Permeate the situation because they literally just watched someone just come out of a closet. And they reacted to it in the way that you would, and then when they’re like, oh, it’s just, he just came out of the closet. And then play Proud to be an American by Lee Greenwood. Lee Greenwood. Why would you do that? It’s gonna bring people in, trust me. Okay. And um, that can play gently underneath anything, as you say, I’m here for questions, maybe. I think you just start hugging people. Okay, yeah. Just start allowing them to congratulate you. You know, set the tone. This is what you expect, to be congratulated. Oh, you’re in touch with yourself. And then if somebody’s gonna be, decide to show their ass and, you know, be like, well I’m not gonna have anything to do with this, uh, they’re leaving a party. They’ve gotta overcome all this, the social energy. Yeah. And if they’re, you know, I think, and, and they’ll make an [bleep] of themselves. Right. Yeah. So they’re gonna, they’re gonna be the ones to make an [bleep] of themselves and everyone else is going to be magnanimous and you’re going to have a good time. And you know what? Maybe you’ll be in for a surprise and no one will make an [bleep] of themselves. Right. And. You will have learned something that day too. And maybe you can do a combination of both of these. You can do a combination of both. You can do the long play and then end with the closet on the flatbed. Closet on the flatbed. Yeah. Closet on the flatbed. Let’s take another one. Hey besties, it’s Nicole. Uh, I would like you to weigh in on a potentially morally Confusing situation. Anyway, I bought these storage boxes from big lots a few weeks ago. I got home and realized that the lids that come with them, one of them I got the wrong size. So I wanted to go back into big lots to exchange it. But when I walked in, there was one cashier who was 424 years old, a line of full of people with full carts and not another single big lots employee to be. So, I made a quick decision and walked to the back of the store, put the lid, the wrong lid on the shelf, got the right one, and then just walked right out. Um, I have surveyed my friends and family and they’re mixed as to whether I am a terrible person or just a really efficient one. So, let me know what you think. Okay, love you, bye. Wow, I’m so glad that you’re bringing this to us. These are the type of questions that I like. Cause this, I believe her, and I believe that we can help her. And I’ve never thought of this before. So call us, with stuff like that. You got a little pep talk for him, Rhett? Well, I have thought about it, because I can very much relate. Oh, no, I’m saying that relating it to getting people to call. I was going to give them the number. Oh, oh, oh. But I was letting you dangle the carrot a little bit about calling in and leaving a voicemail. This one is such a good one. If you are Struggling with a moral quandary? Oh, Lord, yes. And your friends are divided, and you’ve consulted with them. Oh, consulted with them. And you are a house divided. You feel conflicted. There’s two men on the internet with a fair amount of life experience. And a podcast who are prepared to give you an answer that will change your life for the better. Along your mind, all you gotta do is call 1 8 8 8 Ear pod one. I think we made just a, we made a Midroll ad. We, oh, we, I’m, I’m sorry To Midroll, we were supposed to do another Midroll. Do you wanna do that one later? Uh, we’ll do it right now. Role of mythical begins this week with season two. If you’re into, I think we were told that we couldn’t save. If you’re into it, you know a TTRPG, you know what that is. Yeah. So you don’t need to hear D& D if you hear TTRPG. Don’t mean to exclude anybody, when I played Roll for Mythicality, and we did, in a one shot that’s gonna be part of this, I have a grand time, and I had very little point of reference, so. You’ll enjoy that over on the Mythical Society. And then there’s basically a quest every other, every other week featuring Emily, Michaela, Trevor, Lily, and Dungeon Master TJ. They do a great job. It’s very entertaining. Long form, couple of hours of content. MythicalSociety. com Back to the question at hand. The Big Lots Dilemma. Um, I haven’t told this story in quite some time, so if you’re not a longtime fan, you may not remember it. But I have done essentially this exact same thing. The year was 2004. Okay. I’ll tell you in a moment why I remember the year. Alright. I was at home. I realized that I had a I had gotten one of those specialty batteries, like for a Uh, a clock or a watch. Uh, or a clock. To come back to the theme of time. I can’t remember what it was. It was one of those specialty flat batteries that goes in some stuff. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And can also be the wrong size for reasons that no one understands. Yep, and there’s multiple sides. I get home and I’m like, well, this is the wrong one. Damn it I’m gonna go back to Walmart and exchange it and I ran into a similar situation I don’t remember exactly the reason why I decided to not do the return because had you opened it? No, I just looked at it And I said to myself it was as good as just trading. I’m gonna go back in and I’m going to see If these things are the same price. And to be honest with you, I don’t even remember if they were. I just, I think they were. I just went back in and I I think that matters. They were, for all intents and purposes, they were the same price, like within How convenient. Within cents of each other. Okay, well, okay. It’s like we’re talking about two batteries that are basically the same but slightly different. Okay. And, uh, I just put it back. Grabbed the other one and walked out. Okay. And here’s the, here’s the reason I feel fine with this. For me, and I think Nicole, maybe you’re in the same boat. You sound like somebody who is at least willing to explore the ethical ramifications of such an action. Meaning, you’re a good person. You’re not one of the bad seeds. You’re probably never going to jail unless you get falsely accused of something. Yeah. We don’t, as a society, we don’t have to worry about Nicole. I think as a society, we don’t have to worry about Rhett either. Okay? I don’t know about you, but I don’t think we have to worry about me. Now, For those of us that you don’t have to take care of each other, we don’t have to worry about from a legal standpoint. I actually think you need to do something like this in your life because you need to know what it feels like to do something that’s a little bit wrong, but not really that wrong. Well, if you are saying that what you did was wrong, then I agree. Yes, it was wrong because if it’s not exactly the same thing, the thing that she did is different than the thing you did. She fixed a problem that maybe she’s even, that maybe she created. She, she’s even more right, because she’s so right. She made things better by going in and, and repairing something up, because I assume you left the other lid behind. That actually went with something that’s still there. So, she was about to create the problem for another person. You are out of the question exonerated, but you, my friend, are in the wrong, and you want her to get a little naughty. Uh, what I’m saying, Because she needs to loosen up a little bit. Well, let’s just say that they are exactly the same price. I think that they were the same price. Let’s just say, you still think it’s wrong? Because I think it’s still wrong. Technically. That’s my whole point. Is that whether or not there’s a difference in price. In fact, it may have been that I felt so sure about doing it because the thing that I was getting cost even less than the thing I was returning. I 20 years ago. But at what point did you come to the grand realization? Okay. I think I’m piecing this together now, and I’m about to tell you another thing I did wrong, which is actually way worse than anything that I’ve talked about so far, and this is not something I encourage you to do, but this is something that I have a whole lot of sympathy for people, and people get so mad at people, and I understand why, people go to jail for what I’m about to tell you, so, we had just had Locke, you know, weeks before, this was, you know, I hadn’t had, I, 2004 when he was born, so I know that we had not had him for very long. Cause, Jesse was doing something, I was taking care of him, I put him in his car seat, I go to Walmart, to exchange the battery, I go in, I am looking at the battery, this is, I’m remembering now, I’m looking at the battery that I need to, the new battery that I need to get. And when I’m looking at the new battery that I need to get is when I realize that I am a father. And? My child is not with me. So? My child is in the car. Ha ha ha ha ha! Oh [bleep], that’s a [bleep] your pants moment. A couple of things to note. It was February. He was born in February. So, it wasn’t hot. Thank God. And I’d been in the store for approximately three minutes when I remembered that I was a father. Because you didn’t go to a counter. You went straight there to make the exchange yourself, so that was good. And so in that moment, I was like, I don’t want to have to go get him, so I did the exchange. I was just like, [bleep], I’m putting this back, I got the other one, and I ran out. So now you’re the hero all of a sudden. No. You’re a [bleep]. Hold, hold, at what point But you’re not the villain anymore. At what point was I a hero? At what point You weren’t, no, you were a villain. At what point You were the villain. How could I have been a hero at any point in this story? What thing did I say that would make you interpret that I was trying to communicate at any point that I was a hero? I went into Walmart I’ll tell you. Forgot I was a father and stole something. But you saved your kid’s life. No, he was fine. He was completely fine four minutes after I had left him. But, here’s the thing. You know, listen. Do I think that people who leave their children in cars should be prosecuted for? Of course. But every single time I see some, some parent who, when the worst has happened, when they left their kid and the kid has died, I just am like, golly, like, I can only imagine how hard that is. Hold on, hold on, let’s not talk about this. No, and I’m just saying, and I think that as a society, usually people who don’t have children, Or just like, how could you do something so heartless? Now there are certain situations where like, people leave them in the car and like, go play like, Texas Hold’em for 10 hours or something. Or crazy stories. Yeah, some sort of um, Some sort of maybe substance abuse. Right, but especially right after you’ve had a kid. So I think this is a warning for you if you just had a child. You have to remember that you had a child. Because those first few, like, when you put the child in the back, now a lot of the new cars have the backseat warning. The backseat occupant warning. Oh, really? Every new car that’s made now has that. Well, that should tell you something right there. And I, that’s a great feature. They all expect you to buy their car. And the fact is, is that a lot of people make that, make that mistake and just, you know, figure it out before it’s too late. So anyway I can’t say I’ve ever done that, but Because you’ve never watched your child. Yeah, I’ve never been trusted with my own children. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Chrissy never let you take the child out by yourself. She’s not crazy. Um, have I ever gone in and exchanged anything? I think, um Yeah, I just think you’re, I think you’re in the clear here. But I think you might need to just steer clear of your family members that thought you did something wrong. Yeah, those people. You can’t hold on that tightly to life. I’m just saying, I just slip right through your fingers. I think you should steal a little something. If you. Steal a little something. And I’m not talking to you who already stole something, okay? You know who you are. You’ve, you’ve stolen stuff and you still do it. I’m not talking to you. You should stop. I’m saying if you’ve never stolen something, you should steal something small. And don’t get into a situation where you get caught for shoplifting. I’m not, I’m not encouraging that. This is not trying to be like, um, scared straight. We don’t want you to get caught. Just do something a little bit wrong if you never do anything wrong. Take like a, break the speed limit, do something! Take a, well, take a, some gum. Jaywalk. Stealing might be too much. What about gum, though? Take some gum? Yeah, like a, not even, you know, now they have these big things of gum, it’s like, damn, barrels full of gum. You could, you could be a, be a music shaker. That’s too much gum. But like a little thing of gum? I think you could, I think, here’s how you could get away with that. I think if you get that, you can just plead the fifth. Right. Yeah. Oh, I’m sorry. You paid for everything else. Oh, I’m sorry. Oh, yeah. I didn’t realize this was in my pocket. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m not going to arrest you for that. Actually, pay, yeah, pay for everything else. That’s a good way into stealing. But don’t make this a habit. Listen, I’m not talking to some of y’all who already have made this a habit. You are, you’re a shoplifter. I’m not talking to you. Shoplifting’s huge. Maybe, maybe we should talk to the shoplifter. You, stop shoplifting! Don’t shoplift anymore. Don’t shoplift. I’m talking to the person who’s never taken anything. I am. Is gonna take one stick of gum. Hold on. One thing of gum. Once. I think I’m, I think I, we still need to talk to the shoplifter a little bit. Let’s talk to him again. Stop shoplifting! Don’t shoplift, because God, dang it. I mean, it’s, do you realize that It really gets their books off. When they’re trying to settle accounts at the end of the day. I don’t know if taking the side of the big corporation is the strategy here. It gets the big corporation’s books off. I don’t think that’s gonna work. It’s not gonna work in 2025. Okay. Um, I think you shouldn’t shoplift because You, you don’t need this. You’re not, you don’t want this in your life. It feels so good to do it. I know it does. Because you’re going to get caught and it’s going to, it’s going to be, it’s going to complicate things for you. But it’s going to feel so bad to get caught. It’s going to feel worse to get caught for it than it, than it feels to do it. But I know. You just don’t want to make a habit out of it. I know it feels so good to walk out of there and there’s, you think you’re going to get caught, and your sphincter’s tight, and you’re sweating out of places that you normally don’t. It’s a thrill. Mm hmm. You, you start to think you wish everybody could feel it. Why are you trying to make it sound so good? But don’t do it anymore. I don’t know how helpful we were. Okay. But hopefully we were helpful to Nicole. You did nothing wrong. We did nothing wrong, girl. Next! Hi, Rhett and Link. Um, I have a little situation with two of my best friends who are sort of not speaking right now. Um, there wasn’t necessarily a fight, but there is just some tension, and they had a conversation, and they both agree that they, like, need some distance from each other. And I’m needing some advice on how I can move forward, um, with my friendship with both of them. Whilst they sort of have this separation and how I can still maintain my friendship with the both of them during that time. So any advice would be appreciated. Thank you. Man, we got some juicy ones today. That was a very whispery delivery too. Because she didn’t want her friends to hear. Were they all in the next room? At least one of them was. She had just experienced it and she decided to call the number. I’m gonna say, flat out, choose a side. And then, spend time with that person. And then, for four days. Four days? A trip? As much time as you want to spend with that one person over the course of four days, you do that. And then, you go, you spend time with the other person for four days. And then at the end of that, you, you see what you learned. And what? That’s my advice. Okay, thank you for that. Uh, so it’s like a reconnaissance mission? Yeah, look at it like an information gathering, and then see where you go from there. Well, okay, so that’s one option. Um, I would say, in all seriousness, You are not in any way responsible for their friendship and their feelings toward one another. Woo! Go Rhett! You said it! It’s got nothing to do with you. Do not take that onto yourself. Do not be a go between. Do not, in fact, if, you gotta set some boundaries. If one of them starts talking about the other while you’re with them, you say, that’s between you guys, and I don’t want to be a part of it. My name’s Paul. And that’s between y’all. And that’s between y’all. And maintain each friendship to the degree that you want to maintain the friendship. Mm hmm. As if they didn’t know each other. Now, I don’t know the logistical situation here. I don’t know if like you’re all on a roller skate, roller derby team together. I think they are. I could hear it in her voice, in her whisper voice. She’s got an ASMR voice. She sounded like she could knock somebody down. Yeah, and she’s got roller derby hips? I don’t know that, Link. And I wouldn’t know what those are. But I will say, um, you If you’re, if you have to be all three of you together, I realize that this may complicate things, but let’s just assume that that’s not the case, and that you can avoid a place where all three of you are there, and maybe, if that is the case, all three of you are going to be somewhere that you don’t go to those things. But, I just think you can maintain, or you just go and say, I’m not coming in between y’all, and if you can maintain that. But I think the number one thing that happens in these situations is that the third friend becomes the go between becomes the yeah the ambassador and that is not your job, it’s unfair and you shouldn’t do that yourself, Don’t be the ambassador, be the assador. The assador? Because I was with you for don’t be the ambassador. Yeah, I just wanted to be something else well, we can do better than acid er, I think because what you’re saying is basically be the fence builder. You’re a conscientious observer. You’re not, you’re documenting what’s happening, but you’re not impacting over the course of four days. You’re not impacting what’s happening. So, think of yourself as a documentary. But you can pursue the friendship with each person to the degree that you want to do it. After four days, I think what we’re, combine what we’re both saying and you’ve got something that’s just ironclad. Because after this, this eight days, you will, you will have learned some things about what it’s like to have chosen a side. Because it, it may come to that. One of the things that happens in these situations, especially in the modern world with social media, etc. Is that. People find out when you get together with the other person, especially if it’s like a four day excursion. I won’t say that. You’ve complicated things a little bit. But that, um, but again, if the other person gets upset because you’re with the other friend, it doesn’t matter. That’s not, that’s not your problem. That’s their problem. Yeah. I may have to run out here with some diarrhea, but I, I had a, yes, I’m, I’m just letting you know, before we came out here, I, I had a surprise visit from the mayor. You know what I’m saying? Hold on. Did you feel this way? And then you ate all that Indian food with me? Uh, it was the other way around. Well, the Indian food is just going to be on top of whatever is happening. You don’t need, I don’t need you to draw a mental picture. I shouldn’t have brought it up. Let’s hear it, let’s hear it. I just, I thought you heard the gurgling. I didn’t. But now we all know that you might run out of here with some diarrhea. Quoting. I hope you run out of here and then diarrhea. Don’t run out of here with diarrhea because you’ll have some in here. Well, I mean, the stakes have just gone up today. Jenna, we’re teaching Jenna a lesson from Missy. No, we had chicken for lunch. Jenna is, uh, is on a location scout for Wonderhole Season 2, We are so excited about Wonderhole Season 2, we’re going to take a minute to say a little something about it. Yeah, we are going to take a minute. Um, what do you want to say about it? I want to say that it is the thing that I am most excited about right now. Me too. I’m excited. And I think that we have taken everything that we learned in Season 1 and we have upped our game significantly. We’re making some decisive decisions that will make it feel different. Then season one in the ways that we are interested in making it different in the in the ways that we are yep, in the ways that we are interested in making it different. We’re gonna make it different And I do think that we’ll we’re gonna try to be speaking more openly about Wonderhole as, as it gets closer. So it’s, you know, so that we can kind of build, you know, build up momentum by sharing more about it than we did with season one. But anyway, I digress. You got another one. Hi. Um, my name is Quinn. I’ve been a Mythical Beast for 10 years now. I am falling in love with my therapist. So, I don’t really know what to do about that. I’ve been seeing him for like 7 or 8 months. He’s my type. Very attractive. Very funny. We get along perfectly. And he recently became single. Um, so how should I go about this? Cause I want to talk to my therapist about it, but I can’t because it’s him. Anyways. Okay. Thank you guys so much. I need advice, please help me. Okay. Bye. Why are we getting some, I would say, I would say there are some questions. that we shouldn’t answer. But there are no questions that we won’t answer. All right. Oh my goodness. I mean, how do you even know this? I guess you could find out things like your therapist was recently single. I mean, I can see that’s within the realm of possibility that it comes up in a, in a normal course of therapeutic conversation or the surrounding conversation. Oh, you got a divorce. Okay. Or, oh, you’re single. So now that I’m past that, um well, this is not terribly uncommon. I wonder if it goes both ways, though. That’s a big risk. Well, it goes without saying, but we’ll say it anyway. If you are going to explore the possibility of this Step one is he can no longer be your therapist. Sever the A therapist or her therapist? He can no longer be your therapist and that is He has to leave the, he has to leave the profession for you. And that is your call. So I think that, and I honestly think realistically the way that you would do this, like I’m going to give the good, serious answer because it’s coming to my mind right now. You’re saying the way you would do it? And I’ll just, I’ll just support you in the reason why you’re doing it. At this point, she knows enough to know that she doesn’t need to be, it’s cloud, it has to cloud therapy when there’s attraction, even if it’s only one way. It shouldn’t be your therapist anymore already. Yeah, even if it’s just a you thing, and your therapist is completely blindsided by this. That’s still reason enough to, to make a change. You shouldn’t be attracted For your own sake. If you’re attracted to your therapist, it changes the dynamic in, in such a way Where you don’t get to experience the benefits of therapy to the degree that you might need them. Right. Now, I don’t know anything about you, Quinn, but you’re in therapy, you know that you need to be there, but I’m just saying you’re not experiencing the full benefits of it if you’re into your therapist in that way. You’re getting something else out of it. I have to think so, yeah. So, I think what you have to do But, we could be wrong. Is I think you have to say Um, and the next time you see him, maybe, you know, you might need to give it a few times to work your way up to this, but I think you have to say, I think that I’m going to have to find another therapist, and the reason is, is that I am attracted to you and like you in a way that I think is inappropriate for this You know. Therapeutic exchange. Yes. And then, if you’ve never, if you’re not comfortable with phrases like therapeutic exchange, then, um, say something like, uh, therapy. Doctor patient relationship. Doctor patient relationship. And then, The ball is in his court. Now, I don’t know what the legal, I, I assume that the legality of this is like, I think at this point, I don’t think he can charge for this session. I’m just gonna say that. I don’t know anything about that. I don’t think he should charge for this, this session where you’re breaking up with him. I think the thing you have to realize though, Quinn, is that this is going to be an extremely difficult thing for him to reciprocate, even if he likes you. Because, for the, for your, the entirety of your relationship, Exactly. The question, what is the first question you get when you’re hanging out with other couples? How’d y’all meet? And you’re gonna be lying about that. Or else he’s gonna be like, Well I’m a therapist and she was my patient. And then immediately he seems like A bad therapist, and so he’s probably not going to reciprocate this even if he’s into you. Exactly. But what could happen, maybe there’s a time period that will come past when this becomes acceptable. Is it a year? Like culturally or legally? It’s like, you know, she was my patient in 2025, but we started dating in 2027. I’m sure there’s a regulation for that. There, there has to be. I’m pretty sure, though, that it’s frowned upon to ever date a patient you have seen. At any point. At any point. Yeah, I’m, we’re frowning upon it right now. That’s why I feel like we should. We’re literally, like, doing. He’s always frowning a little bit. It’s just the way his beard is shaped. Yeah, I just feel like you should never get a therapist that you could potentially ever be attracted to. That would just be my personal move. Get yourself an ugly therapist. Uglytherapist. com Or just somebody who’s not your type. We should start that. Somebody who’s not your type. Ugly2Utherapist.com. Well, I think there’s a difference between Someone is not ugly, but someone can be ugly to you. Do you think I think that there’s a difference between let me just say, my therapist is a man. I’m not attracted to men. What about boner killer therapy? But what I will say is that, I think you can have a therapist that you think is attractive. But you can’t have a therapist that you’re into. And I think there are two. Vulva drying therapy. Well, that’s just too specific, to people with vulvas. The thing that they don’t know is that they own both of them. Oh, and redirects to the same thing. Yeah. Uglytherapist.com. Um, but I think you can be into a therapist physically, but not emotionally. Because I think you can turn that off. I think you’d be like, Oh, she’s attractive. And then I think you could just, that’s never happened to me. I’ve never been attracted to a therapist. But I don’t think you should stop seeing a therapist just because you could recognize that they’re good looking. That sounds, that sounds like it needs to be right. I want that to be right. Cause then you’re basically saying that like, you can’t have. And I, so I assume that’s right. Like professional relationships with people that you think are attractive. My I know a therapist is a little bit different, but I’m not, I mean my therapist is, uh, is a, is a dude. Mine too. And I’m not attracted to him. Uh, so, all of this is too hypothetical for me. But you in a pickle. I know when, I know when I stick my head in a jar and it’s pickles. And you’re in it. You know? So, it smells like a pickle jar. Just get a new therapist and then, shoot your shot. I guess, but like, Rhett’s right. Rhett’s right. It would cause so much trouble. For this person, in terms of their career, and it’s just like, I mean, that’s a huge choice to start dating. You said seven or eight months? You know, I feel like you can, I think you can cut the cord. Because there’s no way that the therapy is as effective as it could be. If you’re kind of like. Right. Getting off a little bit on it. Well, you’re making it sound oddly immediate, like. I’m just using it that proverbial in the proverbial sense You know saying yeah, yeah. Just think about the way you would look to like if you had a hot female therapist There’s no way you wouldn’t look forward to therapy a little bit and I’m saying that you’re just kind of like, you’re enjoying it for a different reason. And, and I tell you right now, I wouldn’t be as honest. Well you are right now. I just, I’m just saying I wouldn’t be as honest because you can’t help but be a, to shape your, present yourself in a different way when you, when you are trying to impress somebody. Okay, well if you’re going to generally impress somebody. Like, I’m not that crazy. Right. You know what I’m saying? It’s just like. I mean, if you’re talking about trying to, there’s many reasons why you might want to try to impress somebody, but if you’re, if you have a therapist and the whole point is for you to be your honest self, if you’re like, you’re just, you’re thinking about, uh, you’re paying for the wrong and the weird thing. Yeah. It’s a weird thing to pay for in that way. Don’t do that. How about that is your answer. So I think our answer is just you gotta break up with the therapist. And you can be honest and tell him why you’re doing it. Why not? And can the therapist charge for that session? Usually they charge before you even go. That’s right. My therapist charges 24 hours before the session. I hate that. I hate that, but it’s so effective. And that way there’s not a discussion if I have to cancel. It’s like, well, it’s not like I’m charging you. I already charged you. So now you have to ask me for a refund. Versus I’m asking you to take it. I think you gotta pay for it. I think you gotta pay for it. Yeah. It’s only right, like it’s like a parting gift. Yeah. Just one last, it’s a, wait till the end of the session. Get the therapy. What? Get one last go at it, if you already paid for it. Yeah. You already paid for it. Anything else? Yeah. What? Yeah, there is something else. Yeah, there’s thing that’s something else. One thing that’s kind of put a finer point on all of these proceedings, and with that note. We’re done for today. I think, um, I think the caliber of questions we got was inspiring. And I really appreciate it. So we’ll ask again. Give us a call. 1 888 EARPOD1. I’ll catch you next week. Hi, y’all. My name is Macy. I’m from Oklahoma, but I’m currently living in Long Beach, California. And I am driving to my very last final as an undergraduate student. So, I just wanted to say thank you guys so much for everything that you do. Um, joining me on late night study sessions, early morning drives. Uh, with the amount that I watch you guys, you probably have also earned your bachelor degree. So, thank you. Love you guys.