Episode 87: Charleston Trips, Dr. Phil Scandals, Alien Files & Roommate Revenge

Welcome back to This Is My Circus — where beach trips turn into shark anxiety, dogs fall into pools, childhood TV icons get exposed, and we somehow end up debating aliens, furries, and goose fights.

In this episode, we cover:

•  🌊 Charleston, Folly Beach, Teddy Swims, and grown-up dinners 
•  🎣 Deep sea fishing, baby sharks, and why seafood is a hard no 
•  🐶 Clifford’s accidental pool dive and muddy crime scene bath 
•  📺 Dirty Rotten Scandals on Hulu: Dr. Phil, America’s Next Top Model, and The Price Is Right exposed 
•  ⚽ World Cup chaos, international fans in America, and why Waffle House is basically cultural diplomacy 
•  🐊 A Florida alligator assists with an arrest, because of course it did 
•  👽 Government alien files, lizard people, praying mantis aliens, and why O-negative blood suddenly feels suspicious 

🎙️ “Am I the A-Hole?”

A roommate comes home early to find strangers sleeping in his trashed room… so he swaps bedrooms while his roommate is away.

Verdict: Not the A-hole. George deserved the ants.

📚 Next Week:

We’re doing both:

• Docuseries: Squatters: Get the F Out of My House on Hulu 
• Book: The Lake House Children by Greg Dunnett 

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Transcript

0:00

I'm Stephanie. I'm Meredith. And welcome to This Is My Circus. Circuses... We have circuses. We for sure have circuses. How was your week? It was good. So we went to Charleston this past week for a couple of days. Oh, good. Yeah. Jackson and I left on Tuesday afternoon and went with his girlfriend and her mom- Mm-hmm her little brother and a friend, and then one of Jackson and his girlfriend's, a couple friend. Mm-hmm. Um, we went down Tuesday. We came back Thursday. It was a lot of fun. Good. We spent some time on Folly Beach, which I'd never been to Folly. Mm-mm. It was really nice. Like, not bougie. I always thought it was just, super bougie- Mm-hmm not our people? Yeah. Not my, not my people. Until I get on the yacht. but It was a nice beach, but not, super bougie. It was clean and it was well taken care of and all the things, but I still felt comfortable and not felt like I was out of place. So that was a lot of fun. Got a little bit of sun. Good. Mm-hmm. And the kiddos went to a concert one night. They went and saw Teddy Swims. Mm-hmm. Did I tell you this story? Mm-mm. So when Jackson first asked me if he could go to this concert months ago, Mama, can I go to a concert?" And I was like, "Well, probably, but who?" And he said, "Freddy Swims." And I was like, "You mean Teddy Swims?" I was like, "Sounds like you're a huge fan." So anyway, it's just been just a joke at that. But, you know- Mm-hmm he would do anything for this girl. He would go to a concert of somebody. But they had a great time. Yeah. He ended up putting on a really good show. Yeah. And yeah. I like his music. Yeah. And they got to, just go experience it by themselves. They drove and they did the thing. So they had a very good time. And while they did that, the other mom and I went and got a nice dinner in Charleston at this cool old house restaurant. Got some crab cakes and, you know, it was a lot of fun. So not a fan. I don't eat seafood. At all? No, unless, like, a cow falls into the ocean. It ain't happening. Okay. Did I ever tell you, when I was little- Uh-huh like, kindergarten little, My dad ate a lot of seafood. Mm-hmm. And, one day he chased us around with lobster eyeballs. Was that it? Was that what did it? Uh, well, I'm sure it's part of it. I'm just not... i don't know. I tried it in college. Yeah. Brandon had made fish one day, and he's like, "Just try it," and I was like, "Fine." Mm-mm. Not a fan. Mm-mm. Okay. Mm-mm. I get it. And then Dylan wanted to try shark, so I got shark. I'm surprised you- I, I made it wanted to try shark. Yeah. I, I cooked it and everything. Mm-hmm. Like, I did the whole thing, and I did taste it 'cause Dylan's like, "You have to taste it, Mom. That's what you always tell me," you know? Mm-hmm. I was like, "Fine." Yeah. And I'm like, "I just can't do it." What did it ta- Did you taste it? Yeah. What'd it taste like? I- D- can you even compare it to anything? No. It's just like mm. I, I- Okay I think it's probably a mental thing, too. I'm just like, mm. I get that. Yeah, I get that. Um- I'm, I'm a texture eater, too, so if I bite into something that has any kind of off-putting- Mm-hmm texture, I'm done. Yeah. So I, I get the texture thing. Yeah. Yeah. Just not for me. Mm-mm. Um, but it was a fun ex- oh, why do I always say experience? Because Because I'm not right. Yeah. But it was a nice dining event. Good. A good place. A, a grown-up event. Yes. Yeah. Yes, exactly. Mm-hmm. Not somewhere where we were rushing. The server actually came over and was like, "Are, are we moving fast tonight or are we taking our time?" So it was nice to actually get to know her a little bit more, too. Mm-hmm. And just, like you said, a grown-up dinner. So it was a good time. But came back Thursday evening, and, I still don't know where I am. Like, I'm all out of sorts. Worked Friday. Cut some yards for Jackson on Friday night in the heat. Cut some yesterday in the heat. Yesterday morning we started- It was so hot. It is crazy hot. I need this child to get better so he can push this lawn mower. Push the mower. Yeah, Well, Dylan was at the beach all week. Yes. How was that? I mean- So he had a blast. Good. They did the deep sea fishing- Good and then they, uh, also just like fished from the beach. Mm-hmm. They caught so much. Yeah? He sent me a picture the one night, they had, like, all laid out, their catches from the day. And there were so many fish. And then there was one, really pretty... It looked pink in the picture- Oh but Dylan said it was red in person. But I'm like, "Oh, well, that one was really pretty." That's a pretty one. Did you put that- I said, "Other than the guts, hanging out of it right now" Yeah. So then he sent me a picture of his friend, when they caught it, and it's, huge. Like, when he was holding it up, and I was- Like a comparison? Yeah. I So that means that all the other fish that were in the picture- Were huge were, that much bigger. Did they fix them? Did they clean them and- Oh, yeah, they did all- They, they, they- They did all of the things and- I think that's cool. I know. I mean, I don't wanna do it. Mm-mm. I will go from just, like, put on a rod because everybody else is and I'm gonna hang out for a minute, to going to the fish camp and eating the things, but I don't wanna do the things in the middle. I appreciate it, and I'm glad somebody does it, so then he went... they just went, shore fishing- Mm-hmm from the beach the- Mm the next day. And, he's like, "Mom, I caught a shark." Look at him. Aw. He- It's like the size of a pencil. He like... He wrote back, "Baby shark, doo, doo, doo, doo." Oh, yeah. That's like the live version of his tattoo. Yeah. So, yeah, he... caught three baby sharks. Oh, my gosh. That means, though, that mom is somewhere. And that's what I said. I said, I zoomed in on the one- Uh-huh shark's face, and I was like, "It looks like... But you wait till my mama finds out." Yeah, absolutely. That's what's scary about it. Mm-hmm. That and then when you're walking on the beach and you start finding sharks' teeth- Mm-hmm and you're like, "Well, that means that there are sharks around here." We, where we were on the beach, on our beach day at Folly, we were really close to the pier 'cause some of the boys wanted to fish. And I started thinking- There's always sharks by the pier uh-huh, how much do I look like a seal right now? 'Cause, you know, they, on those shark shows, whatever, they always show, like, the underside of, like, a surfboard- Yeah and like the way the legs look and stuff. And I was like, how do I not look like that right now? But, came back. I'm whole. Yeah. Uh, every, every part of me is still attached. I'm glad. Yeah, me too. I haven't even unpacked. Yeah. I got the dirty stuff out and started washing it, but I'm like an unpack and get-it-my-life-back-together k- kind of person. I don't even have my charger beside my bed right now. I'm just- Mm-mm. First of all, I'm too hot to do anything. It is hot. I know. I can't. It's, like, miserable hot. It is. Yeah. It is terrible. Anyway, I don't want to talk about it. It'll piss me off. The only good thing I will say is, I think the heat is wearing Clifford out. Oh, probably. And so we're outside for, like, four minutes, and he's like- Done. Yeah and he comes inside, and he just, lays out. Yeah, yeah. So that's good. Well, boy, yay. I'll take it. I'll take it. So I had Clifford all week 'cause- Uh-huh Dylan was gone, and I, I love him so much. Yeah, it's like you're saying it to yourself to remind yourself. He was so good this week, though. He really, really was. He was. And again, again, like, I really try to tire him out- Yeah when he... And he needs it. Yes. So we are actively outside a lot. Yeah. But, um, I took the pool cover off to start working on the pool stuff. Mm-hmm. And, he used to love to just use that as a trampoline, the pool cover. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. So it's disgusting, like the water, Yeah, it's first of summer. It's what it is when you open it up. And then I had poured diff- like, the shock and everything in it. So my lovely little granddog- I'm like, "Clifford," and it was, like, slow motion. I went- Mm-hmm. And he, he starts running down the hill, towards the pool, and I'm like, "Clifford, no." And he's... Almost stops, he looks at me, and just goes to, jump- L- like he normally would. Uh-huh, uh-huh. He went, like, right down, and- Uh-huh he pops back up like, holy, what is- Let's wipe him off. And he's like, he's like, thank God he can swim. Yeah. I mean, naturally. Yeah. Yeah. He can swim because he had never been in a pool before. Yeah. And he went right into the deep end. Not that it's, a huge pool, but he went- But still. It's not- It wasn't in the two-foot end- Yeah or whatever, yeah. Or, where the steps are. It was- Yeah. So he swims to the side and, he puts his little arms over the edge. Oh, no. And I lifted him out. And he's not small. He's, like- No, he's a- 50-something pounds he's a big dog. But it was definitely a shock. So then he runs. Wide open, like, doing laps around the yard, which the hill is all dirt, so he goes into the dirt. So then "I have to get him washed off," because there's so many chemicals in the pool. Uh-huh. So I put a leash on him. I get him inside. I'm like He knows, he, he hates a bath. Yeah. And so I'm, like, dragging him to, literally- To get him in dragging him to the ba- He's, like, fighting tooth and nail. Oh. When I tell you it looked like a crime scene of mud. Mm-hmm. all in front of the bathroom- Oh, no where I was dragging him, and then he, like, put his little paws on the wall to stop. Oh, no. He was trying to put on brakes. And just mud that went everywhere. Well, of course, because, like, when you're soaping them up or, uh, that- that's when they do their shakey thing. Yeah. And it just goes everywhere. Well, uh, it was so bad. And then, he starts playing in the water, and I'm like- "Dude," like, "why do you fight me on this?" And he'd just play. Yeah. So, yes. Oh, my God. Yeah, and it... But he'll kind of like edges the pool and kind of like looks in it. Mm-hmm. But- Well, I thought maybe that would have, you know, now that he is over his fear of it, that might become his thing. No. "We're not doing that. We're not doing that." Have you seen the videos, though, of the dogs that continually like jump in the pool, and the owner's like, "Get out," and they're like disobedient children? That- It's hilarious gonna be him all summer. I have no doubt. So sorry. When we say it's okay, I have no doubt it's going to be like a rotating circle of- Mm-hmm just jumping, getting out, jumping, getting out. Mm-hmm. Well, a little tired. But that's okay. It'll wear him out. Just put a hose back there so you don't have to bring him in to, to do the bath and- And, and Rex was so very good with him all week. They laid next- Oh, good to each other a lot this week. It's... Yeah, you sent me a cute pic. Yeah. Um, one of them looked drunk. I'm sure it was Clifford. It was. He was like- Like he was upside down. Yeah. With a treat hanging out of his mouth. Yes. And then Rex was just in the background with a smile. Just, just being beautiful adult Rex. Yeah. And Clifford was just being Clifford. Yeah. Oh, my gosh. So yeah, that was my week. Well, I'm glad that they behaved for the most part. Mm-hmm. Yes. Well, Dylan is back, and he's jumped back into the working thing and all that now. He gets back today. He should be back- Okay any minute., But yeah, then tomorrow he has work. but he has dog training tonight, so. Nice. Yes. Good. And that's going well? It is very, very well. Good Again, the e-collar- Mm-hmm. Yeah kind of- Yeah, come in handy just works wonders and again, we just either use, the beep or- Mm-hmm the, vibration The buzz. Mm-hmm. Not the shock. Right. Have you ever put it on, like you've done it on yourself? No, but the trainer made Dylan do it- on himself, like the shock. Oh, god. It's a bite. It's got a bite to it. Yeah. We don't do that part. Mm-hmm. But No, I never did that either. We have a lot of trouble with him jumping on people. Mm-hmm. He's gotten, I mean, so much better- Good with that. If he does start doing that, I'll hit, just hit the beep and- He's like, "Oh, yeah, I'm not supposed to do that." Not supposed to do that. Mm-hmm. Dang it, Mama caught me again. Yeah. Or Grandma. Grandma. G-Ma, yeah. I- I'm G unit in Dylan's- phone. G unit, yeah. That's hilarious. Mm-hmm. That's- He's like Mommy Gangsta. I don't know what mine is. Mine's probably, like, the warden or something like that. Yeah, Dylan is Dilly Dilly in my phone. Mm-hmm. And I am G unit. G unit. Mm-hmm. Do you track him, with- Like 360 all the things? Do you check him often to see? I'm just curious. If I, don't know, where he's at- Mm-hmm or if he's late- Mm-hmm, yeah from getting home. Yeah. 'Cause I do Jackson's, too. he'll tell me where he's going and I'm like, "Okay." And then, you know, I try not to hover and let him have his space because we weren't, you know- Thank God great. I know, we weren't great. My goodness. And we turned out relatively okay. Yeah. But yeah, if, if he's not answering or it's getting late, or he's gone for the day and he's telling me, "We're gonna go to the pool, and we're gonna do this and we'll do this," I'm like, "Well, where did he end up?" Mm-hmm. Kind of thing. But I try to give him some space. Or if I text him and he doesn't answer- Oh, God then I will- If he texts me and he doesn't answer, then I'll Snap him and if he doesn't answer, and then I'll use the Find My iPhone and ping it. 'Cause he'll have his phone on silent all the time. I'm like, "That's, that you need to call me right now and I need a selfie." Yeah. I need proof of life. Yeah. For sure. Yeah,. So, um, I know we talked about the crash last week. Yes. And we did not announce a book, so we just did not do the book this week. Right. The book, we will get back to you next week. Yes. We did discuss watching another show. And I was hooked like you wouldn't believe. Right. So it was called Dirty Rotten Scandals- Yes on Hulu. Yes. And I had a hard time finding it, because like I would search for it- Mm-hmm and it came up like Southern Hospitality. Oh. Or something weird. So if you people are gonna go search for it, it might come up weird, but that's just the name of like I think that first episode- Okay in the series or something. Well, I think Dr. Phil was the first. It, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's weird. I don't know why it came up weird for me. Okay. Well- But anyway that's what, it's called Dirty Rotten Scandals. Scandals, yes. And I kept trying to, and I kept saying, saying Scoundrels, but it's not Scoundrels. Right, right. Scandals. It's Scandals, and it was f- was it sixeps? It is. Mm-hmm. And the first two were Dr. Phil. Right. So your thoughts? He's a piece of trash. Well, I kind of- assumed that. Yeah. I mean, even back when he was on TV, like he had his TV show. Mm-hmm. I just assumed all of those were... I thought that they were just all staged. Yeah. Like, the Maury- Yeah all of them. Yes, yes, yes. Back in the '90s- Yes early 2000s. They're all staged. Some are just better actors than others. Right. So I was kind of s- surprised- Mm-hmm that a lot of these were not, like actual- They were real situations. Right. Yeah. And so there's real lives at stake at that point. Mm-hmm. And that was disheartening. It was gross. Yeah. It was just really, really gross. So watching, like I, I never was like a huge fan. Yeah. So just watching it, I was always like, you know, I mean, he's, he's trying to do this tough love things, but it's coming across as just icky. And then I don't know if you've ever watched a, like a real episode, but when he would leave, his wife was always in the crowd, and they'd walk off holding hands together. And I was like, well, I don't even like that. Like something about that just felt so staged. Staged. Yeah. Mm-hmm. So then watching these episodes where, yeah, real lives are at stake with serious issues, and just the disregard for everybody- Mm-hmm other than just his pocket- Right is basically what it was. The one part of it said that there was an alcoholic that was coming on, his family brought him on. This part stuck to me so hard. And they put alcohol in his, like dressing room or whatever- Yes to get him, to entice him to drink, to come out drunk. Yep. And then they, like had to help him out, and then Dr. Phil's like, "Help him, carry him," and it's like what's wrong? And this poor kid- Mm-hmm or young adult, whatever- Yeah is just boohooing and trying to explain himself and what's going on. Meanwhile, this jerk of an adult man who's portraying himself as a freaking doctor- Is, who didn't even renew his license or whatever. He wasn't an actual doctor Right. And even if you're not, just be a good human. Yeah. If there's an alcoholic, don't put booze in the room with him. It was just all disgustingly gross. Yeah. It was all for ratings. It was all for ratings. And the other part that really stuck to me too was the fact that he would send these people to these, I forgot what one of them was called, like these, treatment centers and all this stuff, and then the people would just leave. He would say, "We're gonna pay for it." He wouldn't pay for it, and that poor kid with schizophrenia stuff, like he left and was just walking down the road. Mm-hmm. Well, and then they also said that, the kids camps or kids- Yeah whatever places were super abusive. And the only reason that they were using them was 'cause they were getting a kickback. Mm-hmm. The show was getting a kickback. Mm-hmm. And the feedback that they were getting was like, "This is abuse." Mm-hmm. "This is not any kind of help." Right, right. And they didn't care. They were getting a kickback for it and- Yeah that's all that mattered. One of the other, witnesses, whatever, the former, not contestant was, former person on the show, whatever, was the girl who was pregnant in high school. Mm-hmm. And the way he was talking to her... So it's, they're interviewing her now and then showing the flashbacks of- Mm-hmm of during her time on the show, and he was just trying to make her feel terrible and to make her sound terrible. Turn her into just basically this sex worker. Yeah. And she's like, "They never asked, you know, my GPA," or, "They never asked what good I do," or, you know, just different things like that. He was just trying to corner her into... Eh. Mm-hmm. It was just gross. Yeah. She was a kid. Mm-hmm. She was underage. Yeah. Again, watching it back then I- Mm-hmm assumed, and I don't know, it was something my sister knew, 'cause my sister's six years older than I am. Mm-hmm. So, when I was a teenager she was- A little- She was an adult. Yeah, yeah. One of her friends went to go in the audience, and they had somebody not show up, and they were trying to pay somebody in the audience to fill that role. Mm-hmm. Fill that spot on the, on the TV show. Oh. And I don't remember which TV show it was- Uh-huh but it was one of th- it was like Maury something. Jerry Jones. Yeah. Yeah. What, s- one of those. so I always had it in my mind that- That's how it all was that's all staged. Yeah. But apparently these are like legit problems and- Real people they didn't, uh, they just got embarrassed on national TV. Uh-huh. And I don't know if you caught the part where they were talking about the, this girl, whichever one it was, was like, "I don't wanna go o- I'm not gonna say that." Mm. "I'm not gonna go on and say that." Yeah. And they're like, "Well if you don't, we're not flying you home," and she was like, "Well, we were not in the situation where we could just buy airline tickets, so I had to say whatever they said." Yeah. Crazy. And then they went into his history a little bit with other things that he had done that were so shady. Mm-hmm. Different companies he had worked with and, different, businesses that just were not really businesses. Mm-hmm. Like, they were selling air. Yeah. No, I'm just kidding. Yeah. But, but selling- Essentially scams. Yes, 100%. And just a track record of just being a douche canoe. I didn't realize, and I was, early teens I think during this time. Mm-hmm. So I didn't watch a lot of. Oprah. Yeah. So I didn't realize that he got his start for on TV- I didn't... I had forgotten about that from Oprah. Yeah. I had forgotten about that till they made that comment. I didn't question a lot of that then. Mm. It was- Eye-opening to me in the fact that, like, this was real family problems Mm-hmm But it wasn't a surprise to me that there is a documentary about Yeah how it was handled. If that makes sense. Yeah. It wa- I just, I felt so bad for these people. Now, did you watch the other four episodes? Yeah. Okay, Well, at least I watched two. What were the last two? So there was, Dr. Phil was episodes one and two. Yep. America's Top Model- Yes was three and four, and then five and six was Price Is Right. I watched one of the Price Is Right ones. Okay. I didn't watch the, the second one. Okay. I, a- like, Bob Barker, why, is all I can say. Oh, my gosh. That was one of my favorite game shows- I know and now- That was when you're sick and you're at home- Yes on the couch and you're watching, you're waiting for 11:00 or whatever time that- Yes. But the, the clips that they have showing some racist things that he did, and- Racist and- sexual sexual harassment. Oh, my goodness. I mean, it wasn't AI, folks. No. It was crazy. It was crazy. I did not realize that all the lawsuits. Yeah. I guess I did watch some of the second one, 'cause I think that was in the second one. Yeah. my whole childhood just feels like a lie. I know. Like I know. I know. I agree. I loved that show. What was your favorite game on The Price Is Right? I liked the one with the little mountain climber. Uh-huh But I loved- The yo-yo? the Showcase Showdown. Okay. That was my favorite. I always liked it when they, told a little story- Mm-hmm about you're gonna get in your car and you're gonna drive to the airport to go to Aruba- Yeah or you know, whatever. I liked how they presented those really fun. Mm-hmm. How about you? I loved Plinko. I was thinking Plinko too. I liked that one too, but there's no way to win. No, but I just loved it. I don't know why. Just standing up top letting them fall. And yeah, I, I, the doo, doo, doo, doo, doo. Mm-hmm. I don't know. Mm-hmm. I, I loved Plinko for whatever reason. I don't know if you've watched any lately. No. We were flipping channels and we stopped on it, and the prices of things are so different now. I don't even know how I would compete in that. So I was never good at the Showcase Showdown because- I didn't think that the prices were really, relevant to, at the store. Yeah. You know? Yeah. I don't know. It just- Yeah I was never e- ever even close. Yeah. Like, I would be horrible. We were also watching that when we were a teenager or whatever- Yeah and not really knowing how much a trip to Aruba costs. That's true. Like, it could have been a bajillion dollars, and we'd have been like, "That sounds right." Well, me. I would have. I wouldn't have had a clue. I was just not good at, the estimating of- Yeah I would have never won. Do you know what? Ever. I would be like, "$1." Yeah. Well, that's what I was gonna say. So you know at the very beginning, I forgot what it's called, but when they call you down and then the four or five people bid on the thing, and somebody bids, like, $1,000 and the next person's like, "1,001" and you're like, "You're just a jerk." Yeah. You are just a jerk. There's no way this dude can win now. Yeah. Unless it's right at 1,000. Mm-hmm. Like, just jerk, and then they laugh like, Yeah. Push him off the stage. Now, did Go ahead. they did talk about, um, one of the backstage people, it was a woman, got hit with a camera, on accident and fell like three feet. Oh, I didn't see that. And she got injured. Oh. She, whacked her head really bad. Mm-hmm. And Bob Barker just came out and was like, "Show must go on. Somebody'll deal with it." And everybody was, like, screaming and, freaking out, and he was just like, "Don't care." Whatever, we gotta go. That's crazy. And they said that every year, he put in his contract he would get more and more control until he controlled the entire show. Mm. I mean, on one hand, good businessman. Yeah. But on the other hand, like, just jerk. Mm-hmm. Just jerk. I did like when they talked about the Barker's Beauties, but that name is gross. Yeah. But how they were describing their personalities. Mm-hmm. Like, Holly was the v- one that would just, fall and do stupid stuff. Mm-hmm. And, and I liked s- you know, 'cause now when they were showing clips of that, I was like, "Yeah, y- she was always the one who was, like, on roller skates- Yeah you know, slipping backwards and stuff." But yeah, piece of my childhood definitely gone. Mm-hmm. But at, on one- And he died at the age of 99. I know. Isn't that crazy? He lived a very long life. Yeah. Now, the m- the middle two, were about America's Next Top Model. Yes. I did not watch that show. I might have caught one or two eps, but that one was my favorite. So I mean, Times were very different when- Yes all these shows aired. Yes. None of this stuff would fly- No nowadays. No. So you gotta put the context in- Mm-hmm the timeframe. Yeah. But the abuse that those girls went through and then, 100% they didn't get any payments from it. They get- Nothing nothing. And Tyra's just sitting on her pile of chips. And she's... Yeah, and she's got, they've got drills to their teeth, and they're walking away with nothing. I feel like Tyra was so afraid to be upstaged by anybody- Mm-hmm that she purposely- Tore them down? Well, that, besides that, like, she purposely edited that sh- 'cause she was in charge of editing too. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. She purposely edited it so that anybody that could have had a career- Mm-hmm did not have a career. Mm-hmm. Like, she sabotaged- Mm-hmm anybody that she, I think, that she was- Mm-hmm intimidated by. Which was a lot of them. Mm-hmm. There was one girl, but they're like, "We really love the gap in your, in your teeth. We wanna make it bigger." And then there was another girl that had the same gap, and they were like, "This is all we see. That looks stupid." Like, what? What? So the point of the show, obviously we all know, is to become a model, where they're having them do these things that have nothing to do with, what a real true model would do. Mm-hmm. And it's just for, again, for ratings and one girl said that she couldn't be hired after the show as a model because of how- The way she was- she was portrayed. Yes. They made her look like just a witch. Mm-hmm. And no, nobody wanted to work with her- Yeah because they made her look that way. They also brought her back for the, it was the All Star round or whatever. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um- Yeah so she came back. She ends up winning. For redemption. Yeah, yeah. Mm-hmm. She came back. She ends up winning. Before they air the show, they call her to meet the lawyers, and the lawyers tell her, "No, you don't win the show because, at one point when you were down on your luck and you had no other option- Mm-hmm you, became an escort for a little while." Mm-hmm. They knew that before the show started. Yeah. They knew that before she ever entered the show again. Mm-hmm. And- That was- let her go th- all the way through, let her win, and then took it away from her- Mm-hmm well, and then, so with that, then they went on X or whatever social media it was and w- just said, you know, "She isn't in for-" She- "She's disclosed reasons," or it made it very vague. So everybody's like, "Well, what's wrong with her?" And then the more that they kept it vague, the more people were asking, wanting to know, and trying to dig to the bottom of it on is she sick, is she dead, is, you know, what happened? So they just stirred the pot, and they got more ratings. Yeah. I didn't like the show when it was airing. I just thought- Yeah it was gross. Me too. Same, yeah. The way that they treated the girls. But now watching it and really hearing- Mm the behind the scenes and- Mm-hmm how horrible it really was- Mm-hmm is- Well, you know, okay, so again, different era. That was the Kate Moss, waif thin era that we survived that was, in retrospect- terrible. Mm-hmm. Like, I, I mean, living through it then was terrible- Yeah but looking back as an adult and having, knowing what we know now, insane. And they had this one girl, and she was a curvier girl, m- maybe a size six. I don't know. And they were like, "Yeah, you're just too big." Yeah. And they wanted her to be a plus-size model at, like, a size six or eight or whatever. Mm-hmm. But she lost weight because they were sleep-deprived and food-deprived and, and all the things. And they got $37 a day to eat. Right. And then they were like, "Okay, well, you're too small for a, a big model, but you're still not a double zero, so you can't be a regular size model." And, and the body image issues, I'm surprised these women are still with us. Yeah. Mm-hmm. That one woman they kept showing the clip of her, uh, her being Tyra yelling at her like, "Listen to me," you know, getting all loud. I was like, "Mm." I would not fare well in that situation. Mm-mm. I would fare well. Yeah. They said after Tyra got her own show and they brought on, I think her name was Lisa, the, um, blonde girl. Mm-hmm. Um, they said that they wanted to discuss her childhood, and she said, "Absolutely not. I'm not coming on." Right. And so they came back and said, "Okay, we will just talk about your experience on America's Next Top Model," 'cause she- Mm did win that redemption or the whatever- Whatever it was. Yeah the all-star round or whatever it was. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, that she was second place, but because the first girl was disqualified- Right. She won so they brought her onto the TV show and said, "Yeah, w- we will not bring up your childhood, all the trauma that you went through." Mm-hmm. And she said, "Okay, I'll come on just to- Mm-hmm talk about the show," and the first thing Tyra says is- H- You were, physically and sexually abused as a child. Let's talk about it." Yeah. And she freaked out and started, screaming like- Mm-hmm "No," and they locked her in a closet that's insane. They locked her in a closet and said, like, "You are... You can't come out." You can't come out. She said she was in there for, like, 30 minutes locked in the closet, and then they opened the door and said, "We're not gonna pay you for coming here if you don't go back out there and talk about all of your trauma." How is that- I'm so glad things are- Like that, that would be kidnapping now. I mean, that could- Yeah be like a kidnapping charge. I'm so glad things are a little more regulated with things like that and with child actors and- Uh-huh I mean, I wanna think they are. I, but yeah, that, those two episodes were the ones that really got me because I just, I guess just so much sympathy for- Yeah those girls, and they were just trying to be great. Yeah. And they, you put your trust in somebody who is great, and you're like, "Well, they're gonna help me," and then all she does is do everything she can to sabotage you. Yeah. Yeah. Highly recommend the, that, little series. Documentary series, yeah. Mm-hmm. I've real- yeah, I really enjoyed it. Mm-hmm. Same, Zees. Same I have like a running notes doc now of- Things you wanna watch? Doc- like, things that like people recommend on social- Yeah I always save it, but then I never, I have so many- Uh-huh saves now. I do, too. And I never go back and look at what- Right I actually saved. Just take a screenshot of something, and I, and then I go back and I'm like, "What?" I have like 20,000 pictures- Oh on my phone. I just forget it. I do like, though, with the iPhones now that you can search- Search like, yeah. Well, do you wanna talk about a doc next week? Yeah. Or do you wanna do a book, or do you wanna do both? Uh, it's up to you. You, you, it- I'll make that your call Okay,, let's do another docuseries. Okay. So do you wanna do squatters? Love it. Okay. So it's on Hulu. Okay. It's squatters get the F out of my house. The whole squatter situation's fascinating anyway, just like knowing what they are and the, and some of the laws around it, so I can't wait to watch this one. I think it's on Hulu. Yeah. It's... That's crazy to me- Mm-hmm that people can just- Can just- take over your house. And that there's laws that protect them. They have gotten so good about, faking these documents saying that they have renter's agreements or that they've purchased- Yeah X, Y, Z. Yeah. And it's all fake. But they have everything so, looking- Mm-hmm legit. Mm-hmm. Um- Yeah, that's crazy. I can't wait to dig into that one. That just freaks me out. I know. Like, can you imagine going to your home, like your whatever- Right vacation home. Yeah. If you're fancy like that. And- Somebody's staying there somebody's there like, "Nope, sorry, I live here now," and you can't do anything about it because they have so many rights. That's what's crazy. That's crazy. There should be no rights. I, I don't understand w- why there are rights to protect people that do that kind of thing, um, why there are laws that protect that. I don't get it. Mm-mm. I don't get it. No. I'd be in jail. Just, I, I feel like every episode it's like, what would put Steph in jail? We need to do a whole stint. Oh, gosh. What would put Steph in jail today? This could be part- I'm just kidding a new section of the- Yeah yeah. Well, a new segment. Yeah. Changing gears a little bit. Yeah. The World Cup has started. Yes. And I love it. It's, it's... I love watching. I'm really enjoy... It's in the US. Yes. So it's very exciting here. Is it in, in Miami? It, it's kind of all over. Okay. So it's everywhere from New Jersey to Englewood, which Englewood's up to no good according to Dr. Dre. Atlanta, Auburn, and Alabama. So just like everywhere there's games being played 'cause all these countries are coming in. but their fans are coming into the US to watch the teams. So we've got people here from, you know, Spain and- Everywhere. Mm-hmm yeah, ev- everywhere, literally. There's a student named Freddy. Okay. Freddy is from Germany, and he is documenting his travels on X and what is great for him. And, it's great. Like, they went to Waffle House- I- and he was like, yeah, he was like, "This is amazing." And, people are sharing his stuff. He posted, it must have been yesterday, that he got to Texas. Mm-hmm. And JJ Watt retweeted, "Welcome to Texas, Freddy." He is just blowing up with his pictures and his, I love- impressions of everything. I love hearing it too, 'cause the US is always bashed. Yeah. Like, we're not perfect. We're not perfect. But it's f- It's not for USA. N- uh, nobody, nobody nowhere... Right, you know what I'm saying. But, but it's nice. It's refreshing- Yeah for him to come and just be like, "Oh my gosh, we're in..." Well, he didn't say that. No. I'm not gonna do the accent 'cause I'm not feeling it today, but, um, it's just been a, it's been a week. But they were in Louisiana, Alabama, and he was like, "We're looking for alligators." I mean, that's a total foreign concept. And then his next tweet, he, it's like a, a little video of the marsh, and you can see, like, them sticking up. It's great. Mm-hmm. It's great. Um, I'm really loving it. US won their game also, so that's exciting. But I'm loving hearing all of the fun stuff from all the people that are here. That's awesome. Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah. So we'll talk about that a little bit on and off. I follow, um, two, like, there's, like, two British guys- Mm-hmm that- Oh, yeah, Josh. Yeah. And I forgot the other one's name. Yeah. Yeah. Brit- Brit in America or whatever. Yeah. I like them, too. Yeah. Their reactions to stuff is- Mm-hmm I love it. Yeah. Yeah, they're hilarious, especially over the winter they were in, Minne- not Minnesota. I can't remember- It was one, I think- up there it was in one of the very cold states fisherman. Up there where, like, there's the, snow lake effect or whatever it's called. Yeah. You know what I'm talking about. And yeah, they were just blown away- Yeah by how everything was. They're always like, we don't complain about cold weather anymore." Right. Like, you don't know what hot is until you've been in the South of- the US. Oh, one more funny thing about the, all the different people coming. I had Norway's team, and they were playing somewhere obviously really hot because it's the summer in US here, and they were, like, laying out in the sun just, soaking it up. I have no idea what their, you know, their year-round weather is like, but I'm just picturing them always having snow, like Sweden and stuff. So yeah, they were, they were soaking it up. So it's funny. Well, speaking of alligators. Mm-hmm. Did you see in Florida- Yeah that an alligator assisted with an arrest? No. But you know, they're my soul animals so what happened? Um, somebody was running, like, on his legs from the cops. Okay. And ran into, I guess like, the marsh area- Mm-hmm or somewhere where that has alligators- Mm-hmm wherever, and an alligator attacked the- Oh dude running from the cops. Instead of K9, it was whatever else. They had the swamp puppies. Yes, the swamp puppies were attacking. Oh, no. Yeah. So the dude- Oh, my gosh the dude lived, but- But he was- and the alligator lived, Which is more important. No, I'm just kidding. Um, yeah, the alligator assisted with the arrest. You know, that's great. They need to rethink having, having them on standby. Mm-hmm. Could, you know you see the videos of the dogs where they've got, like, the, the suits on so they can, like, show how they attack and with the gloves. Could you see just like a alligator, like, hanging from the glove? Those are dinosaurs. Those are- Oh, no, they are dinosaurs. They are dinosaurs. They are dinosaurs. Something to be hanging off anybody's arm. No, no. Like, he'll take off the arm with the glove, okay? Yeah. They'd start rolling around- Yeah doing the death roll thing. Uh-uh. Are alligators dinosaurs? I think so In Jurassic Park, the one in the water looked like an alligator Did you see the most recent Jurassic Park? Um, don't think so. There was like 17,000. Mm. It was really good. Um, I did see that there is a bioengineer company that just perfected being able to, um, I guess clone whatever in eggs. Like, they weren't able to do the membrane before so that the actual birds would- Mm-hmm um, develop inside, but they have now perfected it, and they have grown several birds. And they want to bring back an, a bird that was extinct like 600 years ago. Can we vote on that? And I just see this turning into Uh-huh, yeah a Jurassic Park situation. Oh, 100%. Just picture the pterodactyl flying over. We can bring back dragons though. I would go for that that would be kind of- I would vote for that I just saw something- speaking of dragons on, on Facebook, and it said, "I'm not a bookworm. I don't read, to survive. I'm a book dragon. I collect books like they're treasure." Oh, yeah. And I was like, "I love that." I like that, too. I like that, too. Yeah. So... Dragons are fascinating. I'm a book dragon. Book dragon. Mm-hmm. That's okay. I like it. I like it. What kind of an- I mean, is a dragon just a dragon? Like, does it go back to any kind of- I mean, I think it's like in the lizard family. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But- That's what I was getting at but, they fly, though. Yeah. I don't know. So there was, um, I was moving some flower pots outside, and we've got a ton of the green lizards. Mm-hmm. And then we've got a ton of the black ones with the blue- Mm stripe down them. I think they're salamanders. I'm not sure, but that's what I call them. I just made up a name for them. And, um, I was moving one of those pots. It was split, and I was like, "I'm just gonna dump this out and we'll throw it away." Well, I started dumping it out and there were eggs in it, tiny eggs about the size of a pencil eraser. And all of a sudden, Mama, what I call Salamander- l- like peeked her head up, and I was like, "Oh, I'm just gonna leave y'all right here until you're done." So I just, moved them. So I'm expecting salamander grand babies any day. Maybe not, I have... Might not even be what they're called, but that's what I call them. Yeah. Salamanders. Mm-hmm. So I'll let you, I'll keep you posted. There was like 10 little eggs. Mm. But they eat the bugs. Yeah. I don't, I'm just not a fan of, like, any creepy crawlies. We had a frog outside the other night when I took Clifford out. Mm-hmm. And he thinks that anything that moves outside is a toy. And so he picked up the frog. Oh. And I, like, those are squishy. Those aren't turtles. Oh, turtles are gross. Mm-hmm. The turtles at least could go back in their shell and they didn't- Yeah, they could, they could get harmed. Right. They might've had a concussion- Mm-hmm but didn't get harmed. Frogs are gross. So he picks it up and he, like, flings it, and I'm like, "God!" So I get him back inside and I'm like, "Oh my God. Where is this frog?" Like... Mm-hmm. And it had, righted itself, and he was hiding underneath a chair out there, and I was like, "Okay, he's alive." Yeah, yeah. So then I let Clifford back out, 'cause he doesn't, pay attention. Mm-hmm. If there is a dog that has ADD or ADHD, like, it's Clifford. It's Clifford. So he runs right past it, and he's, looking where he flung it. Mm-hmm. Not there, thank goodness. Mm-hmm. But I'm just thinking "Oh my God, he's gonna squish it." Oh. "And it's gonna pop." Yeah. That's disgusting. And he's not coming in my house. Ugh. No. And I don't know how to clean that out. Mm-mm. Throw him in the pool, mouth open with a shock. Just kidding. Just kidding, no animals were harmed in this episode. It was so gross. Yeah. Our mix likes to play with frogs, and when she comes back drooling, I'm like, "What have you been doing, you stupid, stupid, crazy mutt girl." Well, Clifford comes running down the hill a couple of nights ago with a boomerang. Like, where did he find a boomerang? Like, he's just, you know, floppy like happy. Yeah. Happy as can be coming down the little hill, and I'm like- Oh, my gosh i, I take a video and I send it to Dylan, and I'm like, "Yes, that's a boomerang. Where he got it from, I don't know." We don't know. We don't know. Yeah. Clifford's treasures. Yeah. Yeah. He's a, he's a dragon. He's like a dragon. That's great. Yes. That's great. So, I don't know. Yeah speaking of lizards- Uh-huh the US government released the, the, uh, alien files. Shut up. Not too long ago. I did not read them. I just saw all the clips on them. I feel like that is a rabbit hole that would never end. Well, they released, the government videos of the UFO sightings. Now, here I go, going down said rabbit hole. Yeah. There are four, supposedly, there's got... I'm sure that there's a lot more, but there are four types of aliens that they have classified. Okay. Dragons, dinosaur. Lizard. Like, the liz- and they look like a li- well, the little drawing that I saw- Mm-hmm looked like probably like a six-foot-tall lizard, like standing- Like standing up? Yeah. So, you know that they talk about lizard people- Yeah. Yeah which are probably just aliens. Probably. It Did the drawing look like the little Geico? Yeah. Okay. But like a big one, like- Like big. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Okay. Um, a, then the other one looks like a praying mantis, like a big praying, not like the bug, like a big-sized one. Human-sized. Okay. The other one is the traditional alien that we, we all saw on TV. Mm-hmm. Like, you know. Mm-hmm, big eyes- Yeah and triangle head. Yeah. Yeah. Um, the last one are, like human-like. Yeah, they look like humans. Like in Men in Black. Mm-hmm. Before he came out of his- Suit, yeah yeah, his human suit. But very, very, human-like. Some people that are not human? If there's anybody listening- tonight, you can be anonymous. So I have O negative blood. Is that the one that, everybody can take? Yeah. I have that one too. And it had, the Rh negative whatever- Yes in it. So they said there's been, like, all these tests that whatever strain of something other is not, anything in regular humans, and that- So are we aliens? We could potentially be descended- And nobody told us? from alien somethings. Is there some kind of a scholarship for that? Because I'm really trying to get Jackson in school if he's an eighth alien. Yeah. Crazy. That is very crazy. I did not go through diving. I did see, like, just on social media, people's recaps of it, 'cause I was not trying to- No. Read 7,000 pages it's not, fun reading. It's government- Documents documents. Blah, blah, blah. Which I'm glad other people can read it and recap it. And tell me what it means, yeah. I can't just sit down and read stuff. Not that kind of stuff. Mm-mm. That is crazy though. The praying mantis one, you're not getting away with much. No. You... Or the lizard one. But I feel like they probably will just, Men in Black you and erase your memory. Maybe that's why my memory's so bad. Maybe I've seen so many aliens and been zapped so many times, I'm beyond repair. We shall never know. We shall never know. That's crazy though. Mm-hmm. I wonder if we've met an alien... Probably. Well, it's kind of like one of those things they say that you meet however many murderers in your life. Yeah. Now they're gonna come up with a stat on how many aliens you cross paths with. Well, they said this is the year of, information, and then next year is the year of, introduction to, like, actual, they'll release them into the wild. I don't know. We're just gonna tell you about them this year, and next year they'll release them? Like, ease you into, the idea of aliens, and then next year it'll be, like, a more, I don't know, showing us, real stuff. I don't like that. I do. I don't... What do they mean? If they're, if they're anyway. I mean, if they wanna take me out, they're gonna... Same stuff I said to my mom. If somebody wants to, like- I know kill me, they're gonna kill me. Like, I can't sit here and worry about it. Would you rather interact with an alien or a furry? Alien. I used to work with this woman, and, Did she pee in a litter box? No. And I'm not with this company anymore, so, uh, I was talking to her on a meeting and doing the whole small talk, "What have you been up to? How was your day?" And she was like, "Well, I have to sew my son's head," whatever. And I was like, I'm not really sure." She was like, "Well, he wears a headpiece," or something, the way she said it. And I was thinking, "Okay, well, he's in the band or he's an actor." And she was like, "Do you want to see it?" And I was like, "Sure." And she holds up this big cat head. She was like, "He's a furry." And I was like- Please accept this as my two weeks notice and I'll not be..." No, I'm just kidding, but that was one of those situations that you don't really know how to react. You don't hear much about that anymore. Mm-mm. It was- You hear about aliens That's true. Now they're gonna ease us into aliens. Yeah, that's true. But do the aliens make the furries not look weird, or do the furries make the aliens not look weird? They ease us into aliens with the furries. Maybe. Well, I don't know. I'm not opposed to aliens. I just don't want... I just don't want one to be my friend. I just feel like- I don't know. I mean, I don't know they probably are so advanced that, again, we probably already know aliens. Yeah. Are you an alien? No. No, I don't think so. Are you? Maybe. How would you know? If you look like a human anyway and you were- Yeah here from the start, like the start of y- How would you know you're an alien? Do you ever have... I'm so weird. Do you ever have, literally out-of-body experiences where you're, like looking down, like- Yeah this is my life, this is real, this is, this is- Mm-hmm what's... Okay. So well, either we're both aliens or both not. Well, I think... Well, we both have the, the blood. It's the universal blood type, right? Yeah. That's what you had to say. But only you can get O negative. Yes. But- So what- Yeah, if I'm ever in a bind, I know. So- Yeah you know, let me know. they always want mine, but I can't. Mm-hmm. So maybe. Yeah. Now I got something else to worry about. We've made it this far in life. I think we're okay. Yeah, yeah. You're probably right. Yeah. Oh, anyway, so these documents are documented all the way back to the '40s. They've been telling us that there's no real a- there's no aliens since forever. Mm-hmm. But they've been documenting aliens since the '40s. Crazy. I know. Mm-hmm. So who knows? What else are they keeping from us? Everything. There was some crazy meme that was like, "This is why we can't tell you things, because we tell you this little bit and you freak out and you do all these things. This is why we have to keep all this from you." Mm-hmm. Kinda makes sense. Yeah. We, we don't know how to handle information. We don't know how to act. Yeah, no. Well, I mean- No home training. No. Well, I guess we'll see. Yeah. I got a funny new book. Oh, what'd you get? How to Piss Off Men Ooh. It's 109 Things to Say to Shatter the Male Ego. Tell me a couple. Okay, I'm gonna just open to a random page. Do you think you could beat a goose in a fight? He will say, "Of course." Mm-hmm. Say, "Yes." He'll bring up weight classes, state his resume, et cetera. The trick here is that no matter what he says, cock your head, consider him carefully, and then say, "But it's a goose." That's hilarious. And it says, um, personal antidote from, the dude that wrote this. Mm-hmm. This one was used on me once. To a devastating effect. I was left feeling adrift. Had I based my entire concept on self-worth on my capacity for goose violence? I texted a friend for reassurance. Here's how that conversation went. Mm. Kyle: "Are you reasonably confident in my ability to win a fight to the death with a 20-pound goose?" His friend Max says, "What kind of goose are we talking here?" "Canada, greylag, brant, greater white thron-thron-fronted?" Kyle says, "Take your strongest pick." Max says, "So Canada." Kyle says, "Geese max out at 20 pounds, though, and remember that. Though you know me as an improv guy, I was a prizefighter with nearly perfect record, although I'm not sure if Muay Thai translate to g- goose brawling." And Max says, "Okay, so the giant Canada goose weighs in at five kilograms or 12 pounds." Kyle said, "I weigh 172 pounds, if that matters." Mm-hmm. Max says, "I think you have the edge here. Make no mistake, you're a rangy fighter and should have the reach necessary to dispatch the goose with a well-placed kick." I can't believe this conversation went this far. It keeps going. Okay. Um, geese are, geese are mean. I've been chased by geese. I was too when I was, like, four. Uh-huh. Yeah, yeah. Never feeding those suckers again. Never. Let's see. Their primary defensive response is to try and have a dick measuring contest with their attacker. The male geese will stare down a charging elephant, and usually this is enough to convince the attacker that they're not worth the trouble. What this means is you either likely have a gimme strike right at the start, so if you can take him out in one blow, this thing will be over before it starts. That's hilarious. He says, "My concern is that if it's not enough to take the goose out, you will have one huge seriously pissed off goose on your hands. I think if it gets you on the ground, it's over." I just can't believe that there was that much thought put into the goose fight. So the author says, "Bro, I'm crying reading this," and then he says, "This is a fight to the death, by the way. No running." If that changes anything. And the dude says, "I would probably bet on you then, 'cause the goose's only move is to peck your eyes out," which, like- if the goose is in that position to do that, then you've already lost. That's pretty great. Well, where'd you get the book? Amazon. You were like, "I need that in my life." I saw somebody reading it on, TikTok or something. I'm like, "That is hysterical." That is hilarious. Yeah. So we can add- Bet it's a goose we can add that to our- repertoire of things to talk about on the podcast. I love it. Yeah. That's hilarious. Geese are mean. Yeah. They are. Like- I got chased by a few they're scary. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Ruthless. They are. Agreed. So there's no silly g- Like, why would they- Like, why does he silly goose, though? I don't know what that means. She's- Like a silly duck, like not a silly goose. Yeah, I wonder why- Where did the saying silly goose come from? I don't know, but they're not silly. They're mean. No., You wanna move on to am I the a-hole? Sure. Your cute little face. What do we got? All right, am I the a-hole for swapping rooms with my roommate while he was away? Let's read why- Okay the thing did this- Okay before we make a judgment. Okay, I'm trying. Okay. I'm very judgey. Well, I'm always judgey. "I, 19 male, have been living with my roommate, George, 20 male, for about six months. We've been decent friends for a year or so, but it's definitely been rocky since moving in together. For context, we go to different unis." So I guess this, this is- They're probably British. Yes. And I'm not doing a British accent. That's okay. I get it. It's been a rough week. I was gonna say. All right. "We go to different unis, and our schedules are completely different, so our breaks don't really align. A few weeks ago, we got in a bit of a fight. He wanted to have a bunch of his friends over and have a house party, but I had an exam the next day and needed a bit of quiet. He was pretty pissed at me, and I didn't really see him before I went home for my mid-semester break. While I was home, the airline I would've been flying return with canceled some flights, problems with the gas shortage, and I ended up having to come back a day early. When I got back to the apartment, it stunk like beer and weed. The floor was a mess, the dishes were piled up. I was a bit frustrated with the mess, but also figured George thought I'd be back the next day. I didn't wanna start another fight given we'd left on bad terms. That was until I opened the door to my room and saw three of George's friends sleeping in my room, two on the floor and one in the bed. They seemed to have made themselves pretty comfortable. My stuff was still there, but moved out of place. There was empty cans and bottles everywhere, alcohol and spew stains on the carpet- Oh and the room reeked. I was livid, and yelled at them to get out. I would've been so mad. Mm-hmm. This must have woken George up, and he came in out of his room looking pretty surprised. I demanded he clean up everything, and went out for a few hours for fresh air. When I got back, he wasn't there. He'd cleaned up a bit. The beer bottles were in the bin, the dishes were done, et cetera, but my room still smelt and was far fr- from what it was before. I could see he'd made an attempt on the vomit- Mm and the alcohol stains, but it seemed pretty half-assed. The smell made me pretty nauseous, so I ended up sleeping on the couch, it was gross, but not quite as bad, for the next few nights. Eventually, it mostly aired itself out, but I was still pretty disgusted by some of the stains and lingering scents. I can't imagine. Me either George never apologized for this, and we just didn't talk much after the whole incident. I was pretty bummed. We were pretty good friends, and I would have been open to working through this to make the rest of our lease tolerable, but not without him owning up and apologizing, which is like the very least he could do. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Burn him. That's gross. All right. Two days ago, he left for his break, and I've had the apartment to myself. I was tidying my room and found a ton of ants in my wardrobe leading to some crumbs they must have left. I try not to eat in my room, and definitely wouldn't have in my wardrobe. This was pretty much the final straw for me. The lease was another six months on it, and so I couldn't move out, but decided that if George thought it was an okay way to leave someone's space, he could have it. It took me the whole day, but I ended up swapping out all our furniture, I set his clothes in up in the wardrobe with the ants, remade his bed, and tried to recreate his room exactly. His room is a fair bit larger than mine with an ensuite and deck, but we both split rent evenly. He found the apartment, so he claimed the better room first. There's barely any stains or smells in his room- Mm and even if there were, the deck gives me a bit of a safe haven. Not sure why they decided my room was the place to dump everything. At the time, I thought this was a fair enough response, but he's coming back tomorrow, and I'm rethinking it. I still have time to fix. Am I the a-hole? No. I don't think so either. I feel like it was very extreme, but I wouldn't say an a-hole. I mean, or maybe an a-hole, but he wasn't the... your roomie was an a-hole, too. Yeah. If they're six months, that means six months he's stayed in the small room. Right. You'd switch. Yeah. Yeah. So- Agreed. Agreed Oh. I would be furious that there was anybody in my room. I would too. Like, let alone the mess, but just anybody in my room In my room. That's, that was when we first started reading it. I was like, "You're touching the other person's stuff." That was my, like, uh, switch rooms is okay, but, you're moving somebody's personal stuff. They didn't care. Mm-mm. They were having orgies in his room. Yeah. Is there an update? Yes. Okay. All right. Update... Oh, there's several updates apparently. Okay. I didn't read this, I just, like, picked it randomly- Okay before you got here. Update one: Thank you for the advice everyone. I really appreciate thoughts, opinions, et cetera. Although I acknowledge and understand everyone saying I should change it back, the little time I had in my new room has been too good to let it go. Amen. Love it. I feel pretty justified by the support I received, and don't feel like being the bigger person at the moment. I will talk to him when he gets back so he doesn't just walk into the wrong room, and hopefully explain my position. To those asking about bolts, I will get locks, but it's tricky. The apartment's rules are pretty strict, but I will look into it. I'll update everyone after it goes down. Thanks again for the support and advice. Okay. And then final update. All right. "I wanna start off by saying thank you so much for everyone's support and advice. Really appreciate it. I did decide to keep the room switched." Hey, good for you. Mm-hmm. "I also looked i- at the lease agreement and was able to install the lock on my new room. When he got back, I sat him down in the living room and explained what I'd done. I tried to explain why I was frustrated and how difficult it had been in my new room." But he didn't let me finish and ran over to look at his, now my, room. When he saw everything I said was true, he started yelling at me. He called me a psycho and that I had totally disrespected him. I tried to stay calm, but ended up yelling back at him. I told him that his actions were what had led me to do this- Mm-hmm and that if he ever wanted to switch back, he needed to pay to professionally clean my old room- Fair and get rid of the bugs. He told me it wasn't that bad and I had way overreacted. Luckily, the fight didn't get physical, but he did get very close at times. We definitely didn't work it out, but he did seem to have somewhat accepted the new circumstances. Okay. Turns out he had not accepted it at all. That was quick. Turnaround. Yeah. The next morning, I woke up to the landlord knocking on the front door. George had told the landlord that while he was away, I'd trashed my room and swapped with him. The landlord was furious about the ants and stains on the carpet. I tried to explain what actually happened, including that George had been smoking weed in the apartment, which is illegal here, and the landlord did listen, but with no proof of when the apartment got trashed or who was telling the truth, he said- Mm-hmm both would be liable. He said that this was our first warning and he's giving us a week to get, to clean it perfectly, or we'd be kicked out and lose our bond. After the landlord left, George and I got right back into it. I demanded he pay to clean it up, but he completely refused. He said that he had done more than enough to try to clean it and i- wou- wouldn't consider paying for anything while I still had his room. I told him that he was an idiot for bringing the landlord into the situation, but apparently he's got another place to crash, and didn't care. Knowing he had a different place, I realized I didn't have much of a leg to stand on. My ego wouldn't let me give up the room, let alone pay to get everything cleaned up, so I retreated to my room and locked the door. Move my things over. I decided to text one of my friends to see if I could stay at theirs for a bit just in case, but they said it would be fine. I knew George was going out later that night with his friends and decided I would start moving some of my things over to my friend's place. George ended up sleeping somewhere else and didn't come home until later the next day, giving me enough time to get all my stuff out. So I basically moved out- Mm-hmm by the time he got home, at which point he sent me a text telling me not to come back and that he wouldn't be getting anything cleaned. I sent a screenshot to the landlord just letting them know that we had certainly be sacrificing the bond and our lease. I made sure to apologize to the landlord, not that it made much of a difference, but he seemed to appreciate it a bit. I'm now- apartment hunting again and have blocked all contact with George. I'm typing this from the couch of my friend's place, where I'll probably be for the next few weeks. Thanks for the support. Again, I guess I've learned to, not to move in with my friends and will be leasing by myself next time. Not sure whether I regret what I did or not. I still felt it was justified, but almost certainly not worth all of the fallout. Well, George was an a-hole. He was. Like, clean the room. Dude, take the L. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. I thought- He- he was gonna say, like, he moved out and he was still responsible for half the rent I thought that that's where that was going. I mean, I guess that's about a good as an ending as possible. Dude's homeless. Yeah. And George gets a whole apartment to himself. But what a jerk, though. Okay, first of all, he- you did it, dude. You did it, and then you bring Dad into it? The in-laws- are like, "Can we just settle this? Why do you have to get somebody- And lied. Uh-huh. Yeah. Yeah, punk. Mm-mm. I hope those ants got in his pants. Well, anywho. Are we doing a book or we're just gonna do this show next week? We can do both. Let's do a book two. Okay. 'Cause our bookies need us, us to do the books. All right, so it's gonna be The Lake House Children by Greg Dunnett. And he done done it. Who done it? Yeah, I just started it, we'll jump in and do this one together. Sure. And then we'll figure out what's next from there. Oh. But I'm also excited about The Squatters. Yes. So we'll do both of those convos next time. Sounds good. Okay. Thanks for listening. Please come back next week. Please leave us a five-star review, 'cause we love you. We do. We love you. Thank y'all very much. Thank you. Bye.