Two Noras and a Mic
Oh hello! We’re Nora and Nora and we’re glad you’re here!
From parenting and local faves to current trends and recipes, we are two Noras discussing it all with a whole lot of laughter along the way. As we raise our families in the west suburbs of Chicago we invite you to listen weekly as we dish about all the highs and lows and ridiculous amount of tomfoolery that ensue on this journey. Follow us wherever you get your podcasts as we check out new local spots, interview all sorts of interesting people, and catch up with each other! It’s like inviting two friends over to visit and catch up with without all the hassle of getting ready for company. Leave the entertaining to us and be sure to tune in for a new episode each Monday.
Two Noras and a Mic
"Checking In" with the Noras As They Talk About Hotels
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Ever wondered how a banana duct-taped to a wall could sell for $6.2 million? Join us on a roller coaster of laughter and curiosity as we dissect the wild world of modern art and poke fun at the eccentricities of wealth. We also navigate the maze of holiday shopping and teenage financial responsibility, sprinkled with tales of supportive friendships and the unexpected joy of a rescued package.
But that's not all! We reminisce about our favorite hotels and the magic they hold, taking you on a journey from The Ritz-Carlton New York Central Park to childhood adventures at The Breakers. Our love for the hospitality industry shines through as we share stories of camaraderie among hotel staff and the quirky antics of celebrity guests. Whether it's the charm of a luxurious lobby or the antics of a peculiar shower setup in Greece, we celebrate the unique allure of hotel stays and the unforgettable memories they create.
As we wrap up, the conversation turns to the heartwarming bonds formed during sibling sleepovers and the joy of wrapping presents with loved ones. We dive into the excitement and bravery of young performers, the inseparable sibling duo in our family, and the cozy charm of makeshift sleeping arrangements. Be part of our online community as we share these stories and more, embracing the spirit of togetherness and celebration that defines the holiday season.
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Hi, thanks for joining us today. It's Nora. Nora, we're sure glad you're here, indeed, and I'm glad you're here too.
Speaker 2Oh, thank you for having me. Yeah, I have to tell you something. Yes, there's another word of the year. This is outrageous, it's just too much. Merriam-webster is saying that their word of the year is polarization, which I haven't even heard that word all year. Well, I have heard it, but I'm like why does she have to be negative? I mean, I guess shitification is negative too, I love shitification. And then I couldn't even remember. I think there's five. Well, we had manifest brain rot, polarization, shitification. Was there a fifth one?
Speaker 1There might have been, but at this point it's just kind of— this is flooding the market.
Speaker 2It's too many, Too many words of the year. Clearly I can't keep them all straight because I can't remember them all.
Speaker 1No, how have you been? What's been going on? I'm pretty good. What's been going on?
Speaker 2I'm pretty good, that's been pretty good. No pain in there. I had a lovely thing. I brought Rose and a friend to Nazareth for their little kid's Christmas celebration. Oh, that was nice and that was really cute. She and her friend had a blast and they kind of just hung out together. And Aiden came with me because he wanted to see a friend of his in the play that was happening after this little holiday hoopla. So I got to hang out with Aiden. He's been driving me totally insane, so it was nice to have some time with him to be like I still like you.
Speaker 1The one-on-one time is so special because we don't get it very often, or at least I don't.
Speaker 2Correct. It was nice and he, I think, realized he had nowhere else to go, that I was his best option. We had a nice time.
Speaker 1You are a great option.
Speaker 2Oh well, thanks, I appreciate that. How about you? What's new I've?
Speaker 1just been like shop, shop shopping and getting things all ready. But before we kick things off I just have to throw a shout out to my friend Jen Okay In Scottsdale.
Speaker 3Because if you have good friends, hold them dear.
Speaker 1She saved the actual date for me. She was like my little Christmas angel, really. I ordered something that was supposed to come to my house but instead I sent it to my parents' house in Scottsdale and it already shipped. So I was on the phone with Amazon because the chat wasn't going very well and the woman said to me you deserve help.
Speaker 2I don't think that's what she meant.
Speaker 1I think there was kind of a language barrier, but I think she meant it in a nice way.
Speaker 2Yes, I do deserve help, you do deserve help, I deserve help.
Speaker 1So, anyways, there was nothing she could do, so the gift was sent to my parents and Jen went and picked it up, printed off a label and returned it for me.
Speaker 2Oh, instead of sending it to you here, you just bought another one.
Speaker 1Yes, but I just found myself so thankful for my people to have good, close friends like that. And people will go above and beyond that you can just pick up the phone and be like oh, I messed up big time, can you help me out? Oh, she said what people like to help other people she's right, it's like you're right, that's so true.
Speaker 2No, that's true, and we? We talked about that remember how yeah? Well, I'm glad that you asked for help and then it was so. You deserve help.
Speaker 1You just I'm gonna remember, though I'm to tell my kids that you guys, I deserve help.
Speaker 2I have had a bad habit lately of when I've been shopping, not looking at the price tags, and then I go to the register and I'm like, holy moly, I did it, I bought something for myself. It was a sweater that I was like oh, it's probably like $60.
Speaker 1It was $174. Well, the store you were at is typically reasonably priced.
Speaker 2Yes, and then I was too much of a nine to say anything at the register.
Speaker 1Oh, yeah, I wouldn't have said anything at the register either.
Speaker 2I went back three days later and returned it. And then I was at Dick's and I had to get something for Kevin for his birthday and I was like like oh, rose needs shorts. And I just grabbed two pairs.
Speaker 1They were $35 for little tiny shorts, yeah no, and I was like what I was like I'm returning these, but I'm creating so much more work for myself at the register. You didn't say no thanks, though you didn't learn your lesson from earlier in the week lesson no, why am I doing this? I don't know, because it's Christmas.
Speaker 2I just all scrambled and I was like it's fine. And because I bought a few other things, I was like, oh, I didn't realize what was the. And then I was like I mean, and Rose is six and the shorts already cut small. I was like it's like this big it? I was like this is the size of a plate.
Speaker 1Like craziness I put the kibosh on something. Elle asked for concert tickets for a concert in June. Who does she want?
Speaker 2to see SZA. Oh, okay, I like SZA.
Speaker 1So do I, but not for $240.
Speaker 2Holy moly.
Speaker 1Yeah, and she's like oh, I'll buy my own ticket. I was like no, no, no, no, we're drawing the line here. That's, this is all. My friends are going. What Good for all your friends, all these tickets.
Speaker 2Yes, I already have concert tickets for her under the Christmas tree as a gift, because those were outrageous and I don't want these teenagers to just expect everything expect everything Right, and I feel like it's important to learn like even though maybe you could pay for yourself, or you could get it on your own, or we could do this for you, paying this much money for something shouldn't be done, correct. But it's like that way with sports, with theater, with concerts. It's a real bummer because we're going to New York to see my in-laws at Christmas time. I really wanted to bring the boys to see the Outsiders, the musical, and there are hardly any tickets left. But the tickets that are left in like the nosebleed seats, are $200.
Speaker 1And that's a lot for a family.
Speaker 2Yes, and then there's other tickets you can buy on ticket resale sites, but those are like $550. Yeah, it's a bummer Because you want to give your children those experiences, but then you're also like I would also like to buy food.
Speaker 1Yes, or also bringing all of your children to something like that is unbelievably expensive.
Speaker 2I know, so it's kind of a bummer.
Speaker 1But I'll tell you a Yahoo. Oh yay, my Christmas cards came.
Speaker 2Can I be honest? I tell people that I got a sneak peek and they're so cute.
Speaker 1Nora, thanks, yeah, I'm excited that they're here. I just have to sit down and address them. You have fantastic children. Oh, thank you. They were good sports this year.
Speaker 2And the pictures are darling and people are going to. You're going to make people's day when they open up that envelope.
Speaker 1Well, I'm just glad that they're ordered and they're here Now I just have to address them and ship them off.
Speaker 2I had a bit of an awkward situation. I don't know if Ryan told you because he was there. No, so my oldest, your second oldest, has started driver's ed. Yes, and they had their first driver's ed. Yes, and they had their first driver's ed and they asked that the parents be there for the first 30 minutes. So there's 35 kids in the class and that plus one parent. Some kids brought both parents tight, tight space. Sure, I had on my very warm winter coat and I ended up being right next to the teacher's desk, in the front of the classroom, in front of the blackboard. It was about the thermostat was set to 72. I was in my coat, my zipper's really loud and this man talks really softly, so I couldn't unzip my coat. And because I was at the front of the room, I felt like I had to do like active listening, like, oh, okay, I'm like smiling along. So when he's like this is life or death, I'm like, oh, what is life or death? Driver said oh yeah, he doesn't mess around.
Speaker 3Mr.
Speaker 2Bill, which I appreciated him laying it out. Yeah, but it went on for an hour.
Speaker 1I was sweating. I didn't go.
Speaker 2I was so hot. Yeah, I know I didn't go. It was so hot. Yeah, I know I saw Ryan, because I was at the front of the room. I didn't see everybody, and I saw some of our other friends in the back sitting by the windows, probably in a little draft, and then at one point he was like my phone number is on the board, which I was standing like right next to. So I did like you being on the way, like here it is next to, so I did like you being like here it is. And then Brian Perino, who was next to me, left. He was just like boom out, I don't know where he went. And then the other guy who stayed at the end, I was like I'm gonna die, it's so hot in here why didn't you just zip your, because my zip is loud and that was like I tried and I was like I can it Because everyone I was in the front, Everyone had a seat.
Speaker 2Why were you in the front to begin with? Because that's the way. Like the traffic just kind of pushed forward, you should have reversed. Oh my God, it was so embarrassing, Sorry for you. So I was like sweating because I was embarrassed, Sweating because it was hot. And then I was like, are you visibly sweating? You think no? Like I got outside, I was like, oh my gosh, it was so bad. I almost texted Ryan. Ryan had a seat. He was lucky. He should have given you his seat. No, it would have been awkward. He would have walked across the whole room.
Speaker 1There was no good situation, but I think he left early.
Speaker 2He did.
Speaker 1And that was the other thing I couldn't leave early.
Speaker 2I was next to the teacher's desk.
Speaker 1You're never going to see this teacher again. What do you care?
Speaker 2Well, I have three more kids who will take driver's ed it would have been disruptive.
Speaker 3Send out.
Speaker 2It would have been disruptive. I'd have been like, oops, excuse me, pardon me. I think I would. Yep, I don't like to be hot, I don't like to be in the front of the classroom and I don't like to listen to lectures. Oh, it was all of the above Right. It was interesting information, but I was, oh man, this is not a good situation for me.
Modern Art Banana and Christmas Movies
Speaker 1I have some interesting information oh yay About the top three Googled words from Google this year. They're not the words of the year, though no, they're not the words of the year. Well, somebody's walking by our studio with a duffel bag In the front and the back. Are they training for something? Maybe he's a house guest.
Speaker 2He hopped off the train and he's staying in the neighborhood. Oh, but couldn't get a ride. That's not something you see every day.
Speaker 1No, it's a lot of stuff. It's not like you invited someone. These are the top three slang words Googled this year.
Speaker 2Oh, okay, let's hear it.
Speaker 1Skibbity toilet, yep, sigma, yep and demure.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 1But I was surprised by demure, because the clip pretty much defines the word right when they use it. Yeah.
Speaker 2And last people are like well, I know what demure means, but does it mean still what? I think it means maybe yeah Like, oh, that's sick and it's good.
Speaker 1And then in Illinois, I just looked up the number one search and it was DEI, which I didn't even know what that was. So then I had to look it up. Oh, diversity, yes, equity and inclusion that's like a huge buzzword.
Speaker 3That is a big buzzword, so I asked Ryan about it my husband and he was like oh yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 2Yes, mm-hmm. So I learned something. And did you hear that this man bought this art? There was this piece of modern art. It was a banana duct taped to a wall. Was it a real banana? It to a wall, is it a real banana? It was a real banana and it was purchased for $6.2 million what? And then the man who bought it ate it Expensive dinner. It's not fair. I feel like people like that, like give your money back.
Speaker 1Like you, failed. Was it a rotten banana? Because it was up there duct-taped, I'm sure it was not fresh at that point.
Speaker 2What does that man do? I don't know this man. He's a cryptocurrency entrepreneur, Like a Bitcoin guy. I'm kind of like shame on you, Like I just I don't know this person. Maybe he's lovely, but that to me is just like you took $6 million and bought a banana, Bought a banana and then ate it A rotten banana Because you have too much money, A moldy banana and you know what you could have done with $6 million Anything else and it would have been more worth it. And do you like bananas? I do.
Speaker 1Oh, you do not. No, I like bananas. Fine, I like them. I don't like $6.2 million. I'd even take the .2.
Speaker 2Yes, yeah, I'll take your point too. Make it a just an even six, yeah. But I was just like, oh, if I was, if I knew him personally, I'd be like what?
Speaker 1oh, that was my husband done crowds for divorce? Yeah, absolutely banana modern art banana banana yeah, this is bananas, it's just I'm kind of negative today, I'm sorry. And then what do you have to show for it? Just some duct tape on a poster board, a video of you eating this. You're like ha ha, I spent $6 million on this.
Speaker 2I'll watch.
Speaker 1Spacewise guy and then eat the banana. Yeah Ugh, we should have made banana bread, because I think you're supposed to Old bananas, yeah.
Speaker 2No, he shouldn't have bought it. No, you just you put, give your money away, like if you have too much money, don't buy bananas, don't say a modern art banana.
Speaker 1Do something good with it. I don't know much about art, but that doesn't sound like modern art. That sounds like produce. Well there.
Speaker 3I could see how people think it's you know, and that's great for that artist.
Speaker 2You think bananas look like art. Personally, to me that's not art, but that is kind of like there's other kind of crazy things like that that are modern art.
Speaker 1Oh, I guess I'm not into. I guess I don't appreciate modern art.
Speaker 2I would appreciate if someone gave me six million dollars. The only person who wins is the artist on this who's like, oh right, yes, they got paid and they'll be good. Hopefully it was a struggling artist. I hope so. Yeah, if all they had was a banana, you know what?
Speaker 1If I took a banana and some duct tape and tried to sell it, I would be like Nora Westphal has gone crazy. Yes, how did this wise guy jack the price up to $6.2 million? That's what I want to know. That I jacked the price up to $6.2 million, that's what I want to know. That's a good question. Should we try it with an orange and scotch tape.
Speaker 2Oh, you think it would hold packing tape.
Speaker 1I don't care what tape.
Speaker 2Frog tape for all I care, and we can call it Orange. You Glad You're Listening to the Norris.
Speaker 1Yeah, I mean it'll fly off the shelves. We'll probably have to make duplicates.
Speaker 2Oh yeah, I think, yeah, I mean, it'll fly off the shelves. We'll probably have to make duplicates, oh yeah, okay, but then they may not be worth as much. You just have to have one, great.
Speaker 1I'll take 3.1. Sure Perfect, perfect, we can split it. Speaking of numbers, yeah, number one Christmas movie of all time Is it in color or black and white?
Speaker 2I never saw it.
Speaker 1America's favorite.
Speaker 2Christmas Story.
Speaker 1Yes, okay, oh, my God, you're doing so good. All right, this is going to be a tricky one.
Speaker 2I'm trying not to look at your notes. I'm closing my eyes. I don't want to cheat.
Speaker 1Is that how you got one and two?
Speaker 2No, I did not see it, but you just pointed to where you are in your notes.
Speaker 1Oh yeah, so that's why I was like One Christmas movie in Illinois Home Alone Strike one.
Speaker 2Shoot, it has a number in it. There's a Christmas movie, then I can think of Eight Crazy Nights, but that's about Hanukkah, no.
Speaker 1I don't know. Miracle on 34th Street oh, I've never seen that. Oh, you haven't. No, I don't know if I have, I don't know. Yeah, but one of my very favorite Christmas movies is the favorite in Arizona. What is it Christmas with the Cranks? I've never seen that either. Oh it's cute.
Speaker 2Oh, I'll have to add that to our list. I owe you a Christmas movie because you watched A Big Christmas.
Speaker 1Oh, it was so good. Thank you for that recommendation. If you guys haven't watched that and have kids and grew up in the 90s, you would love it, all right.
Speaker 2Love it All right. Christmas with the Cranks is on my list, yeah.
Speaker 1Before we go on, should we check in with our sponsor.
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Hotel Memories and Preferences
Speaker 1And now back to the show. I really, I say this every week.
Speaker 2I really like our topic. It'd be funny if I was like I hate this topic.
Speaker 1Oh, my gosh, this topic had me daydreaming of hopping on our private jet, our company jet, our podcast jet and visiting some of these fabulous places. I know, with or without children, talking about hotels, hotels, I love hotels. I love hotels too. I love hotels more than the actual destination I go to.
Speaker 2Just checking in is the best, because you're like her whole trip is like just getting started.
Speaker 1I love a hotel lobby. Yeah, they always smell nice and there's pretty flowers. Yes, I think you go check out the museum and I will enjoy a drink in the hotel lobby.
Speaker 2I love a lobby bar.
Speaker 1I love a lobby. I put that in my notes.
Speaker 2Do you have a favorite hotel? Well, so I worked for hotels, so I do love the Ritz-Carlton New York Central Park because I have lots of happy memories there, but it's also super beautiful. Yeah, it is, but the George Sonk in Paris was also one of my favorites.
Speaker 1It's pretty special. I started trying to make a list of all my of my favorite hotels, yeah, and then my list kept growing. All of them. I was like this is a list of great hotels.
Speaker 2Our next 20 minutes will just be us saying hotels and then sighing.
Speaker 1Just like oh, that's exactly what I thought I was like, this is going to be a dumpster fire of a podcast because I'm just going to be rattling off names of hotels. So what are some of your? Well, this is kind of boring, but the plaza.
Speaker 3Oh, I just love everything.
Speaker 1I even love the chandeliers and the stairwells. Like everything about it is perfect. I've never stayed there, but I've been inside. It's my favorite place to stay and we go to New York a lot for medical reasons and we always try to stay somewhere different. I love that, but I always come back to that. That's my phase.
Speaker 2But then I started thinking about when I was a kid and we stayed at the Breakers, which I love, oh nice.
Speaker 1But you know what? What I have a feeling my parents might have chosen the Breakers for more than just luxury because they had a kids club. Is this when you were in a circus? That's when I joined the circus. Oh, it has everything there. That's when. I joined the circus so I really appreciate that hotel. But I was on a giant globe balancing.
Speaker 2That's pretty remarkable.
Speaker 1It is remarkable, yeah, but you don't hear kids going to kids clubs like that too much anymore do you?
Speaker 2I once went to Europe with this family as their babysitter and we stayed at this hotel in London called the Lanesboro, and you did not join a circus. I did not join a circus. We had like buttons for like a butler or someone to come and like help you out. See, it was amazing Me and the girls were like giddy. I was like, oh my gosh, it's so pretty. Oh my gosh it's amazing.
Speaker 1There's something about a good hotel that just kind of makes or breaks the entire stay, do you?
Speaker 2prefer because I feel like there's city hotels and then there's like a resort. I'm a resort hotel kind of girl. How about you? Hotel kind of girl, how about you? Well see, I probably prefer going to cities, but with the same family. We went to Sardinia and the hotel we stayed at there was crazy. This is when Gloria Gaynor stayed a few doors down and ding-dong ditched her.
Speaker 1You had some good gigs, I had some great babysitting gigs with this family. They were awesome and growing up in Scottsdale there's hotels everywhere because it's such a destination place. Were awesome and growing up in Scottsdale there's hotels everywhere. Right, because it's such a destination place to live and could you use the?
Speaker 2didn't you use the pools in the summertime you could do like a day pass, or like a day pass, yeah.
Speaker 1But there was a lot of staycationing going on, but one of my favorite hotels is the Hyatt in Scottsdale because it attracts locals and visitors alike. Oh, and their lobby is indoor-outdoor and it opens to yeah, it's, I took a class on it, a landscape architecture class on it, in college. Oh that's cool, I didn't know, I didn't know I was taking the class on it, but yeah. Oh, that's really neat. But I think it's a cool place to have, because a lot of locals flock to the hotels, they also go yeah, because everybody knows a good lobby.
Speaker 2Well, that's one of the things hotels try to work on. Is you know, how do you get local people to come to the restaurants? How do you get local people to come to the bar? And at least I know in New York, they were always trying to entice people to come.
Speaker 1No, I don't love a hotel restaurant as much as I love a hotel lobby.
Speaker 2This is the conundrum. Oh, it is, it's a thing. Yeah well, at least I mean how many years ago? 20 years ago, when I worked at a hotel. That's a long time ago.
Speaker 1That's a long time Damn.
Speaker 2Sam, thanks. Anyways, they had this beautiful restaurant called Atelier with this really famous chef and they were just constantly trying to like get people in there. And then the other hotel in Ritz-Carlton. I worked at Battery Park. Their restaurant I love it was a steakhouse. Oh, I love good steakhouse and it was delicious and they had the best breakfast ever. I was always like we should have a breakfast meeting. We should have a breakfast meeting. I couldn't afford to eat there, but I loved going with clients. I'd get the crunchy French toast. I was like super happy, that's pretty smart girl, yeah, I don't know are they more like okay
Speaker 2yeah no, they do a good hotel. I don't know it's not a hotel, but the disney cruise the rooms on that boat are pretty nice and for you, like us, you have to get a couple rooms right.
Speaker 1We've locked out so many.
Speaker 2Kevin goes in with my parents, but you can fit five kids in the room comfortably, or five kids.
Speaker 1Yeah, you can, and then you lock the door and you and Al go to a penthouse.
Speaker 2Because the bed that Al and I would sleep in there were dividers, so it would close you and. Al slept in it, oh, like our king bed. And then it was like pocket doors yes, so you could close the pocket doors, and then we had some privacy. And then there was a pullout couch, and then a.
Speaker 1Murphy bed twin bed. When our kids were little we'd bring a pack and play and put a pack and play in the closet for the youngest one, 100% yeah.
Speaker 2Yeah, I mean most of the time we're not staying at like super fancy hotels, like when we drive to New York. We, it's funny, we stay at the Williamsport Pennsylvania residence and we get a two bedroom room.
Speaker 1I don't know if I've ever had the luxury of staying at a residence inn Well.
Speaker 2Nora, it's like the same room every time, but it's nice because it's two bedrooms, but he has like $125. Oh my God, it's a steal. It's a steal and it's nice because it's two bedrooms, but he has like $125. Oh my God, it's a steal. It's a steal and it's great because we have two people in a bed, two people in a bed, two people on the couch Really, no one's there and there's a little kitchen.
Speaker 1There is Because really pull out all the stops.
Speaker 2Sorry to humble Because this is a full, anyways, but it always, always our kids are like this is great.
Speaker 1We're like this is not that great, but it's spacious and my girls are kind of hotel snobs which we discovered.
Speaker 2I know it's hard my boys don't much mind. No, have you ever had like?
Speaker 1a really bad. I was gonna ask you the same thing because I have a list of those two I only have one oh but, it wasn't that bad. Wait where is my bad one. We might have talked about this on the podcast. Okay, when? I guess it must have been last summer when I had that great idea on Friday evening with Ryan to load up the Family Fun bus and drive to Ohio to see the.
Hotel Stories
Speaker 1Zac Brown Band and I was so jazzed about it and Ryan is the king of accommodations, he always finds the best hotels so I just threw to him. Little did we know it was also NFL induction weekend for the Hall of Fame and there was nowhere to stay. I don't even know if there are nice places in Canton, ohio no disrespect to Canton, we just didn't stay in one. So Ryan got us two rooms. Our older kids are big enough to stay on their own in close proximity.
Speaker 1And we saw our hotel and we drove up a hill in the middle of Canton, ohio, and around a corner and went in through some like back entrance of a comfort inn. Oh okay, was it comfortable? It was a dump. Oh, gross and the gross. Are we staying here? Do we have to stay here? And really we just needed a place to sleep because we got there. It was a long drive, we got there we checked in.
Speaker 1We had a nice dinner at a great steakhouse, went to the concert, went to bed, woke up. You just need to sleep. I've had a hotel you have. Well, I, when I went with the Nazareth Theater Department for their state performance.
Speaker 2Last year I had my. You know it was in Bloomington Normal, but I had like a Marriott. I think it was like a residence center or whatever. It was like nothing fancy, but it was a Marriott and it was clean and it was fine. And I went there. I was like listen, I'm not going to be back here. I know I can't check in because it's not four o'clock, it's noon, but I will be here because I'm not going to get back to like 1130, 12 o'clock at night.
Speaker 2Me, nora Taylor. Okay, remember this. Yes, they were like all right, so we go do our two performances. I come back, it's like 1130, 12 o'clock and they're like oh what, we were oversold and we don't have a room. You're going to have to. No room at the inn, no room at the inn. And it was like snowing outside. I was so mad and so tired. I thought about driving home. Remember when our kids had the school day or snow day? It was like in January. It was really bad weather and I had already driven there in bad weather and I was like don't drive home. And they're like well, you could, there's a hotel down the street that will take you. And I was like your children. I was like I'm not taking my shoes off. I didn't shower the next morning because I was like I don't want to be gross, I'm just gonna chill.
Speaker 2I didn't want to take my clothes off in this room, like that's how disgusting it was like the reception was plexiglassed in oh gosh okay okay, I was like this is the most disgusting hotel I've ever seen. I had on, like I think I wore a sweatshirt to bed because they didn't want my skin to touch the sheets.
Speaker 1It was bad. And then in Greece we stayed at a terrible place. Was this with the cats?
Speaker 2Those were at a different, not at the hotel, but there were cats everywhere in Greece, but our shower in the bathroom usually Alpix great places. I don't know what happened. The shower head instead of being at like the short end of the shower, so that the water spray's length was at the back, Because it was like a bathtub shower. So it was in the middle of the back wall, the long wall, the middle of the back wall, the long wall. So you were like in the shower, like facing the shower.
Speaker 2It was terrible, it did not feel right. Oh no, because it wasn't right.
Speaker 1It wasn't right. I'm like who did? This, no they weren't paying attention to the directions, but I did work in a hotel for a long time and I highly recommend it it was a blast.
Speaker 2Okay, not to you, but it was. You know what was nice about it? I didn't think about it ahead of time. I kind of accidentally got into that industry. Everyone there wants to work in hospitality, and especially if you're at a nice hotel.
Speaker 2Like for the Ritz-Carlton, we had to take a personality test before we were interviewed to see like where you fall. What's a personality test? So it was called QSP and I don't know what it stood for. But they asked you like 100 questions and years ago, whatever they had done it, they took like their top performing employees and asked them the questions and then they took their lowest oh sure, performing employees and they looked at the scores and they're like, okay, our highest performing employees all respond this way and our lowest responding or performing, respond this way, and so they had this kind of matrix. Did you know that? No, not, not before, because I ended up learning how to give the test. I got to be like a search, so I got to learn like the inside school.
Speaker 1What is?
Speaker 2it called the QSP, qsp, oh. And so everyone had taken and passed, so to speak, this test. So you were with like-minded people who wanted to help, who were neat and clean and who were kind of go-getters, so it was a really lovely place to work Probably had a nice group of people working yeah.
Speaker 2I mean, everybody there was like helpful and nice. This one guy who worked in guest relations who I think is still there. He was from France, gilliam. He was amazing because he was in charge of all the celebrities that would come in and do the most amazing amenities and gifts for them. It was cool. He scored high in the QSP. He probably blew up the QSP. He was amazing, okay I don't know what to say, but it was interesting because it was fun, because when celebrities would come they use fake names. Oh, so you would get the fake names, so you would get to see the fake names and then if they were really badly behaved, did they get a check. One person came in they were hosting Saturday Night Live and destroyed the room Like glass chocolate everywhere, just destroyed the room.
Speaker 1Oh, so they have to go back to that room. Why would you make a mess of it? I?
Speaker 2don't know. Yeah, why would you want to sleep in a room, a messy room? Yeah, like we had to shut the room down, like it had to be, like, totally fixed. You're not supposed to sleep in a messy room. No, we talked about that last week. That's your stress. I think this person at this point in their career was a hot mess all over the place.
Speaker 2That's fair. And then another celebrity wanted something out of the bathroom, you know, because you could take the little soaps and stuff. She wanted something that was like a display. It was like bath salts in this glass container and they're like well, it's $250 if you want it. And she was like no, I want it. And they're like we're so sorry, we love that, you love it, but it's not to take. So if you want it, it costs this. And she's like I'm not paying it. And then took it and then you got charged.
Speaker 1Yeah, we told you, the Carlyle in New York has Kiehl's as their products.
Speaker 2Oh, that's Adam.
Speaker 1And I love that.
Speaker 2Hotels now are doing the like. I know which I get. I understand. I understand the pumps in the shower, pumps in the shower, but I miss because it felt like a treat.
Speaker 1Yes, tiny little bottles yes, I agree.
Speaker 2I agree. In Macon, georgia, on New Year's Eve this year, they're going to blow up a hotel. They are Mm-hmm, it's the Ramada Plaza Hotel.
Speaker 1Oh God, yeah, that used to be blown up. That place is dumb, but it's kind of historic.
Speaker 2It's crazy it was. I think it was built in the 70s, but it was built by a famous architect. Elvis Presley stayed there but then in the 90s, the hotel was part of a money laundering scheme and the money was going to Saddam Hussein and it was like crazy. But it's been vacant since 2017. And the town at midnight on New Year's Eve is going to blow it up.
Speaker 2Blow that thing up, blow it up and the town is really excited that there's a church that's two miles away and we're like we're thrilled they're going to blow it up, but we're just a little nervous about our stained glass windows.
Speaker 1Well, it'll implode, won't it? Yeah, I think, maybe because I know so much about building explosions.
Speaker 2Demolition yeah. But I just it's like, oh my gosh, what are the chances that there's a hotel getting blown up? And we're talking about hotels, that's great. There's 107,902 hotels in the United States. How many 107,902. Wow, that's a lot of hotels. That is a lot.
Speaker 1I have a few more. I'd like to check off my list.
Speaker 2Same but shall we high and low.
Speaker 1Yeah, let's launch into highs and lows. What's your low? Where are you at my low? Besides, my order mix-up is my skin is dry and my lips are chapped because it's so cold.
Speaker 2It is cold. I have to turn our humidifier up. Oh yeah, I thought about that this morning.
Speaker 1It's a really boring, low, no, but it's when you wake up and you're like it just feels like winter, but it feels like winter. But I love that it's getting dark so early. I think I'm the only person on the planet that likes that.
Speaker 2I would rather have chapped lips in lighter days.
Speaker 1I love it. Jam Jam's on by five. Nobody bats an eye. It's dark.
Speaker 2Yeah, that's true. Yeah, Mine was. I left my phone at Starbucks. It was recovered but I just felt like a real dummy. Oh, it's so annoying. I was meeting with my friend who is my set designer for the musical and we had such a great meeting and I was all excited and then I got home and I did like find my phone on my watch and it was like out of range and I was like, no, did you know? Right away I knew it had to be at Starbucks, but Starbucks was closed.
Speaker 1You know where I leave my phone a lot? Where the cart at Mariano's. Oh, because they have that little like shelf for it. They have a little tray for it. Yeah, Sometimes I go back and it's still in the cart in the parking lot.
Speaker 2In the corral.
Speaker 1Oh jeez, and sometimes I have to go to customer service.
Speaker 2Oh, that's nice. I know Bye now, because what do you want?
Speaker 1You don't want somebody else's phone.
Speaker 2No to do if you take someone's phone like pay like a criminal to unlock it and wipe it and then be like new phone. Who dis you, don't?
Speaker 1even know the phone number.
Kids' Sleepovers and Wrapping Presents
Speaker 2So yeah, oh yeah I have auditions for the play tomorrow that'll be so fun and I'm really excited. I'm excited to see there's some new kids. There's some of them regulars, uh very excited, very excited about them.
Speaker 1That's good energy, isn't it? It is, and they're so cute.
Speaker 2I love their little faces and they're so brave yeah, they're brave. Just seeing in front of me and Mrs Meany and four other little kiddos in the room, I admire them. Yeah, that's nice.
Speaker 1How about you? My highest, my two youngest are like thick as thieves and just kind of palling around like it's their actual job, and they have been for a while. But now they're sleeping in the same room. Catherine Grace, they're still doing sleepovers. Yeah has like moved in to John's room A blow-up mattress and I've kind of zhuzhed it a little bit because I— Elle's, I'm sure, fine with it.
Speaker 1Oh, yeah, yeah. But yeah, they like hang out and they do a sleepover every night. So I've made the bed look more like a bed than just a blowout mattress with a blanket, because it's kind of a thing. Now. That's really sweet.
Speaker 2Yeah, it's very sweet. I hope that continues. I mean I would like her back in her room, but I'm glad that they're.
Speaker 1It's for a really nice reason. Yeah, that's awesome. So go ahead and follow us on Instagram and tell a friend to listen to us, because nobody wants to wrap their presents alone. No.
Speaker 2Oh, we would be great to listen to you while you wrap your presents. Yeah, Totally.
Speaker 1We're here for you, absolutely Bye.
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