Before You Cut Bangs
Hosted by Laura Quick and Claire Fierman, “Before You Cut Bangs” is full of hilarious conversations about real life, common and uncommon crises, and possible cosmetic errors that come along with it. Through storytelling and therapeutic wisdom, Claire and Laura share how to NOT fuck up your hair (and life) while walking through similar situations,
Produced by Will Lochamy
Before You Cut Bangs
2.18 The Disney Princess Paradox: When Your Sibling Is Too Perfect
What happens when the sibling you've been talking about on your podcast shows up to defend herself? She doubles down on her baddassery. Laura's sister Dee joins the show to set the record straight about being labeled a "Disney princess" and reveals the truth behind the infamous turtle hiking disaster that nearly ended in tragedy (or at least severe dehydration).
Welcome to, before you Cut Bangs. I'm Laura Quick and I'm Claire Fehrman. I am a professional storyteller and I'm currently working on my first book.
Speaker 2:I have worked in mental health for many years in lots of capacities and this is a really important time to tell you our big disclaimer this is not therapy. We are not your therapists or coaches or anything like that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean you shouldn't really trust us very much at all. Unless you want to and it turns out well, then you can trust us. That's great.
Speaker 3:I listen to you guys on like one and a half times. I don't know if you've ever listened to yourself. It's hilarious.
Speaker 2:Do we sound like Little Chip? It's like Alvin Alvin.
Speaker 3:It's really cute.
Speaker 4:My brother listens to books and all the podcasts at one and a half and I'm like how are you doing this?
Speaker 1:I do 1.25 and it doesn't affect it that much.
Speaker 2:I'm 1.3, girly, so I mean earlier. You said you recognize our. I do 1.25 and it doesn't affect it that much. I'm 1.3,.
Speaker 4:Girly, Okay, yeah yeah, so I mean, earlier you said you recognize our voices, but it would sound totally different, seemingly.
Speaker 3:Well, I sometimes slow it down, like if it's a really good story. I'm like, oh wait, let me go back and listen to that.
Speaker 2:Oh damn. And when it's shit, then she's like huh. Fast forward, this bad boy. She's like fast forward, this bad boy. Two more miles Got to get through it.
Speaker 1:Okay, so the reason you're here is because you binged. And then what happened?
Speaker 3:And I was like these people talk crap about all the people in their lives. They really need to have those other people on the show.
Speaker 2:These people, these people, these people. So, before you correct Laura which is one of something she could get better at tell us who you are and why you're here. Oh, I'm Dee.
Speaker 3:I'm Laura's sister.
Speaker 2:And where did you come from?
Speaker 3:I live in Cleveland, Tennessee.
Speaker 1:Which is a dating desert for any of you single people out there listening. Don't move there. She got the last one out of Nam this is probably true.
Speaker 3:We experienced this.
Speaker 4:Where is Cleveland? I've heard of Cleveland. I'm trying to think where that is.
Speaker 3:It's like 25 miles north of Chattanooga.
Speaker 4:Oh, yeah, okay.
Speaker 3:So I really I should just say I live in Chattanooga.
Speaker 2:So you drove all the way here to defend yourself Is what we're getting to? Basically Sure.
Speaker 1:I feel like all I do is talk good about her.
Speaker 4:I actually do too right, Of course, I don't know.
Speaker 3:She does, she talks so great about me.
Speaker 4:It's true, but it's almost like she's mad.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, yeah, she's mad about how great you are, and it's too positive it is.
Speaker 2:That's the problem. Yeah, she's like. I'm here to talk about what a bad bitch.
Speaker 4:I am.
Speaker 2:I'm not a Disney princess, like she says how dare she call me a Disney princess, but we can't jump in. We haven't done my favorite part, which is the warm up which we're going to do. Siblings what's the worst thing you've ever done to your sibling or they've ever done to you? And I know Will Lockme will win this.
Speaker 1:Oh gosh, I don't know. I've done some fucked up shit to some siblings.
Speaker 4:Not you, though I don't think I have an answer for those actually.
Speaker 2:You never did anything naughty. No, don't say naughty.
Speaker 1:That feels weird.
Speaker 4:No, Reed and I are surprisingly friends Never pranked each other.
Speaker 1:I'm trying to think I have things at border Like they like live on, like possibly child abuse, like the things that come up for me.
Speaker 4:Never told him he was adopted you know he's older, so he would have told me, did he ever do?
Speaker 2:anything to you oh gosh.
Speaker 1:Me and Tony fought so bad.
Speaker 4:Oh, you have one Okay okay, yeah, I can't say it though there I feel there's a child in the room I mean like like somebody who's not.
Speaker 1:Uh, okay, she's a teenager. Yeah, I know that's the problem. That's the problem when I said child, that's not me to have her step out nope, nope, it's okay, because everyone will hear this in some way, uh, and I've told this publicly- Okay yeah, let loose buddy so whatever.
Speaker 4:when I was a teen, I was experimenting with you know what teen boys do and God it's so terrible, I'm sorry.
Speaker 2:Like drugs or masturbation, no, like yeah, masturbation Okay.
Speaker 4:And you know, somewhere along the way I'd heard that, which is so dumb, that like Vaseline, whatever, and so I guess I forgot to put it up and that's that right. That's the end of that. Reed then later goes in and he's taking a shower and whatever, and then at dinner he, full on at the dinner table, was like oh hey, who was using the Vaseline in the bathroom? And of course my mom and dad know that it wasn't them.
Speaker 1:Oh, hey, who was using the Vaseline in the?
Speaker 4:bathroom and of course my mom and dad know that it wasn't them, oh no, and I was just like dude, stop, stop, stop. And he's like, was it you? Well, you had the Vaseline, what were?
Speaker 1:you doing with the Vaseline? He's hazing you.
Speaker 4:On the fly made up a story about like oh, what If you put it on your eyebrows right here, like yeah, I just started making something up.
Speaker 2:Stop.
Speaker 4:Oh yeah, I've forgotten about that. That is a good one, but I feel like that's the only thing on my list.
Speaker 1:That's like him hazing you though.
Speaker 2:That was so shit, I said either way.
Speaker 4:Oh, either way. Yeah, that's what happened.
Speaker 1:I can't top that. But I will say, Tony and I and you probably have more horror stories about what me and Tony did to each other than anything else. My younger brother, who was the oldest of our younger brothers, was just honestly insufferable. He's just always been this really angry guy.
Speaker 2:If you're listening, he's about to get in the car and he's like calm down.
Speaker 1:He will come murder. He's like a good you kind of like it. He's like the angry elf that you're like come to Christmas, we need you here to mix things up, but we like chased each other with knobs Like we were like knobs.
Speaker 2:Did y'all hear how that came out?
Speaker 1:Knives never correct me. Um, no, we like wanted to murder each other. We used to beat the hell out of each other. We're a year apart and then, all of a sudden, when we get to high school, we're like allies. We're like, okay, time to be on each other's team. How many kids are there so many? Five, five. Well, and plus the two, my other siblings that are like them. No, but like I didn't, I didn't live with them. So, like my sister, my mom went on to have a daughter, and a son and you know, and I love them.
Speaker 1:I just didn't get to live with them ever and how far apart are you guys? A year, one year. We were best friends growing up. Yeah, like inseparable. I would cry every time she leave.
Speaker 4:Yeah, well, that was what I was gonna say, like to read. I just was tagging along too much. That's's not whatever. But also, I mean we just have the same friend group. We still all of our friends are the same friend group, and it's just always that way.
Speaker 1:Because you made it that way, by tagging on. I mean, I guess he would invite me.
Speaker 4:He would like take me places he loved you.
Speaker 2:You're replacing. It's beautiful, just right. All right, go on. Well, you know, I thought I caused my brother's drug addiction because I was so cruel to him growing up and I made amends to him once he was in recovery and I was like, hey, I'm sorry, I caused you to become an addict, and he was like what are you talking about? So like that felt pretty good that he didn't feel like I did.
Speaker 2:I was like, ok, I'm trying to clear that up, but I was awful. But I'll say something he did to me a little bit later. So in college I was like he was so wild and I was like want to be wild. And he convinced me to try acid. And I was very scared and I'm like, well, like, how do you know it's gonna work? He's like, well, you're probably gonna know, you know. And so the night goes on it. I knew it worked.
Speaker 2:And in the middle of the night like God knows what time it was this is obviously before he was in recovery and he's like y'all have got to listen to this new song. And so everyone gathers around and they're like all in on it and I'm on mars. And he like pretends to press play on this, probably like a boom box, and they all start dancing but no music's coming out. So I'm like I don't hear anything. I don't hear anything. And they're like how do you not hear this? And I'm like check my hearing and start losing it. And if you have taken a psychedelic, that is not a fun experience. I think you've lost one of your senses. And I was so upset I was like listen, I feel like we should go home and tell mom what we've done and he's like I think you're going to go to bed.
Speaker 1:That was your go-to. You always wanted to tell the parents.
Speaker 2:Always, I still do.
Speaker 3:I Always, I still do, I'm like I should probably call my mom. All right, dee, your turn. Well, I mean, I don't know that I did anything bad to you guys, but I did have a sibling that I lived with. I think that's the difference, like, when you don't live with them, you just miss them so much that you're happy to be around them.
Speaker 1:Maybe, not Maybe, but go on. What did you do to Fran? What did Fran do to fran? What did fran do to you?
Speaker 3:I mean, she was two years younger than me and she was constantly like annoyed with me for some reason or another, because you're pretty perfect. So she would try to like hit me and I would just pin her down on the ground and not not let her move until she stopped.
Speaker 1:She's always been a real strong bitch too, we knew.
Speaker 2:We knew it was in there. All right, well, D vindicate yourself, Okay.
Speaker 4:Yeah, you just have to say terrible things about yourself right.
Speaker 3:That's the only way to contradict. I know I come up with all the bad things in the world.
Speaker 4:It's the only way to contradict what Laura has said that's true. Because, she just complains about like, yeah, you know, you're more athletic and you run and you do all these so nice.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're just too nice. Disney's princess one time. This is a real story, chloe. Oh my god. This is actually one of the greatest stories about chloe of all time we took a trip to the beach.
Speaker 1:It was right after she got divorced, so it was like a dark time and or maybe you were kind of in the thick of it, I don't remember. So chloe was in like a terrible two situation and she did a lot of like, just like she would scream in your face, she would just go off. So we take this beach trip and chloe, legitimately, was in the back seat and she was losing her mind and I was recording her because I just felt so funny. She was really so cute when she was little, especially when she was losing her mind, and I was recording her because I just thought it was so funny. She was really so cute when she was little, especially when she was crying and screaming, and I would be like look at her. And then she was like stop filming me.
Speaker 1:And she was like my sister who is so calm. She would always be like Chloe, are you making a good choice? This is like she's in the front seat, she starts asking if she's making a good choice. She's like Chloe, if you make good choices, mommy will get you if you'll earn, blah, blah, blah. And I'll never forget, because me and some friends literally will call each other still to this day and be like I don't want to earn, because Chloe just starts screaming and she's like I don't want to earn, I don. And she's like I don't wanna earn, I don't want to earn. And I was like, yes, let me go off and I was recording the whole time and I just remember that made it so much better listen, her parenting skill even her parenting is annoyingly chill, like she would be like are you making a good choice?
Speaker 1:this is me. Meanwhile, I'm like cleo, beat your ass, get your ass in the car right now. And d would just be like when chloe's ready to make a good choice, we'll leave and I'm like chloe's just losing it. I don't want to earn anyways. That's a great moment of just as and same trip. Same trip. From the bedroom at like 7 am. Do y''all know the Cinderella moment where it's like sing sweet night. I'm not kidding. From my bedroom on the same trip, I hear this angelic voice coming from the kitchen making like homemade pancakes. And it's her. This is what I'm fucking talking about. I've had to live with this. Dee, you better step in. I know it's her. This is what I'm fucking talking about. I've had to live with this.
Speaker 3:Dee, you better step in. I know it's horrible.
Speaker 1:It's so hard, she really is so great. It's so aspirational.
Speaker 4:So maybe they complain that she woke up with singing.
Speaker 1:No, you're so beautiful. It's like crying. I was like Will Ferrell in Step Brothers. It's like God, you're so good. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard.
Speaker 3:So Bob said something about you Will.
Speaker 4:Okay.
Speaker 3:That I'm going to say about Laura. I'm copying Bob.
Speaker 4:All right.
Speaker 3:She embellishes.
Speaker 1:I don't. I've never been told that People constantly talk about how authentic my storytelling is. Did.
Speaker 4:Bob say that about me?
Speaker 2:Yes, he did, he definitely did. You were so nervous you probably blacked out.
Speaker 4:I really don't remember that.
Speaker 3:No, I mean, I guess I, the Disney princess, like always, just hits me a bit wrong because it feels like I don't know. It feels like I need someone to save me. Yeah, and I actually like saving myself.
Speaker 1:You've definitely never needed anybody to save you. I want to be clear. Maybe Disney princess?
Speaker 2:You just have to hear her first.
Speaker 1:Oh my God, that's right, we listen and you didn't.
Speaker 2:yeah, go on okay, repeat what you repeat what I'm hearing.
Speaker 1:You say right now is that you don't need to be saved because you're a bad bitch.
Speaker 3:Yeah, okay, go on what so are you like? We have this in common right that is true.
Speaker 2:You present differently, but you do the same thing wow, and that's beautiful.
Speaker 1:Okay, go on. What else?
Speaker 3:what are some stories that came up that you were just like, oh gosh I wanted to swim with the turtles too, and I'm very, very sad that that didn't remind me about the turtle swimming.
Speaker 1:I'm sorry. Let me first off. We go to saint thomas.
Speaker 3:This is like the pandemic is so kind of a thing it's right when they opened up saint thomas, like I think they'd only been open for like a week or so yes, and so we fly into saint thomas.
Speaker 1:We it's sketch as hell. We got to fill out all this paperwork and like everything's still happening and it was kind of a joint birthday trip, right. Okay, so we do this hybrid and we try to take at least one really great sister trip a year and we get there. It's awesome. And we're going to st john's island for one day, which is beautiful. And there's this one thing that I read about st john's. I'm like gotta do this. There's like a taco margarita, like hut on the side of the mountain and there's a place where you go and lay on the beach and you literally get to like just chill with these giant sea turtles. So cool, can you touch them? Yes, you can touch them.
Speaker 1:That never happened, and here it didn't happen for us okay, okay and it was not my fault, okay first of all, her love language is activity, doing something active and and and I'll be.
Speaker 1:I'm not, I'm trying to live forever too right, I want to. I'll be active with you, but I'm not necessarily athletic, necessarily in the same realm as her. Okay, I'm definitely not. So, for instance, like if you wanted to say like do I have all trails as an app, the answer is no, I didn't even know what all trails was. Great app, she has it. She's a, she's one of the top users on all trails, apparently. And she's like listen, I found this little trail. It's super chill, it's like a one star or whatever they rate them as one star one was like a one, like on the how hard it is an easy hike.
Speaker 4:This is what she said the pine cone system. It gets one pine cone right one pine cone.
Speaker 1:And then she's like it's gonna be no problem and like I'm looking at it here and we just go here, here and here, and then we'll end up right back here, okay, and what part of I lied about so far? Go on. So what happened?
Speaker 3:well, so the part that you haven't said yet is that we got to the place with the tacos and the margarita bar and and the turtles. Yes, like at 10, 10, 30 in the morning. These people don't open till noon.
Speaker 1:There was literally nothing for us to do, those fucking turtles were in the water waiting for us, but go on. There was nothing for us to do.
Speaker 3:Swimming laying. So I was like, while we're waiting, let's not just be lazy, let's go do some activity, let's go for this hike. And I had already looked it up because I was like okay, I don't want us to get in over our heads.
Speaker 1:And by that she meant she doesn't want me to get in over my head.
Speaker 3:Okay, but it is literally five miles to the other end of the island. I don't remember that number. And five miles back. Like it, you could run that in three to four hours Five.
Speaker 1:First of all, 10 miles.
Speaker 2:I know I will crush you now.
Speaker 3:But but now I wasn't planning on doing the whole thing, I was just like well, and it's an out and back. So, like, anytime you decide we want to turn around, we can turn around.
Speaker 1:Okay, so she also about halfway through, when I was sweating profusely and like falling apart as a human and I was like all I want is tacos. I would, we could be with those turtles to get like. I can't even imagine the instagram photos I could be getting right now and um, and she's like I bet, I bet there's tacos where we're going.
Speaker 1:I was like I don't know what to do with her right now, and so she keeps convincing me that when we get there, there's definitely going to be like a hut with tacos there.
Speaker 3:No, I knew there would be water. That was my concern. Like we kept going and I did offer like twice. Like we got to that road that you crossed over where all the cars were parked and I was like maybe we should turn back and you were like no, I want to see where it goes. And I was like okay, I don't.
Speaker 1:I'm going to be honest, it's kind of a blur for me.
Speaker 2:I don't ever remember, I'll do the 10 miles.
Speaker 3:No no go ahead no, no, go ahead, absolutely. What did happen? We did five, we get, we're about three miles in, and it is at this point is where it falls apart, like I'm actually thinking, okay, maybe we can do this. We get about three miles in and I'm like, oh god, she's not gonna make it and I don't, I can't carry her out of here, I don't know what to do.
Speaker 1:First of all, it's making me. I have started working out since then Good, shut the hell up, bitch, and I believe I could make it now with no problem.
Speaker 3:I think you could. I think you could make it there and back.
Speaker 2:All right, let's talk it out Three miles.
Speaker 3:You're worried, I'm worried. I'm like I think she's drank all her water at this point 100, I don't. I don't know that we can make it back three miles is she complaining audibly, or you just see, oh?
Speaker 3:hell yes, all the complaining in the world like they're these two hikers that by this point we've passed them twice already. We pass them again. And Laura's like is there, is there tacos and a margarita at the end of this hike? And this girl looks at us and she's like I think you're looking for something that isn't there. I don't know if you guys need to be out here hiking like she was.
Speaker 1:You remember how judgy she was she was such a bitch I remember being like. Well, that was a Debbie Downer. I don't like her. She would not be on our hiking team, yeah, so so we decided that we got to a beach.
Speaker 3:Well, at that point I was like, okay, we're three miles in, we can't turn back now. We, she doesn't have water, we're not doing. Well, the best outcome here is we get to the other beach and maybe we have cell phone service and I can call for a cab and there should be water there. Okay, like, if I can just get her to the other beach, I won't have to carry her.
Speaker 1:So I'm like it sounds so much worse with her here. Honestly, my version of this story was much better.
Speaker 3:Go on, you know there might be tacos and a margarita at the other beach, at the other end of the island.
Speaker 1:Let's just keep going so we make it five miles we get to the beach. There's this beautiful beach. Okay, sure, first of all, there were fucking zero tacos, no margaritas, there's nothing.
Speaker 1:There is just a what seems to be an honest looking couple a very intimate, secluded beach yes, there are three groups of people, that's true, and of course I'm doing nothing but getting in the water and trying not to die. So I'm flailing around. I'm like upset that we've been. I'm like I have no idea. I'm not, I don't know what's gonna happen. We have no self-service that was the other thing.
Speaker 3:So no self-service and no water no water I'm just thinking in my mind what the hell am I gonna do to get us out of this situation?
Speaker 1:and because she's very resourceful and honestly has much better discernment with people than I do, because I would have for sure picked a serial killer she makes.
Speaker 3:Yeah, with this cute little old couple that brought their lounge chairs and they're sitting on the beach drinking brewskis like they're having a good time. And and I just started chatting with them and eventually asked them if they would please take us with them. So we hitchhiked.
Speaker 4:So how did you have to wait for them to like finish their day at the beach? Or were they like, oh yeah, we can just go now?
Speaker 3:They were like we were about to leave anyway. Just let me finish my beer.
Speaker 2:Did they take you to tacos, or did they take you to no, we had to eat pizza we devoured.
Speaker 4:Oh, devoured, had to yeah.
Speaker 1:I mean a full, like I ate at least a half a pizza. Yeah, it was great.
Speaker 3:This was not back to where we started, by the way, though it was like the midway point. It was where the they had a resort on the island, but it wasn't at the place where we had taken the.
Speaker 1:What did we take?
Speaker 3:We took a ferry. We took a ferry over there, oh wow. So we had taken a ferry over there, and then we're at this resort.
Speaker 4:that's probably still two or three miles away from the ferry, but there we could call a cab, so we sat there and ate pizza if you take the details out of the story, you would think like oh my gosh, they were lost in the sahara desert, or like into the wild like they had to live in the school bus.
Speaker 4:When you say if you only had laura in the story, I'm just saying if you didn't know if you didn't hear the part about like oh it's, you know only five miles, or oh it's five miles is kind of a lot, so shut the fuck up we okay, if we had to walk back, we probably could have survived.
Speaker 3:Yes, but no you 100 could have survived.
Speaker 2:I don't think it's a probable situation.
Speaker 1:Okay, here's the worst part. Here's the worst. Well, I remember this vividly. We get back to the hotel. We had this cute hotel. So we get back to the hotel and like sunset's happening, it's so beautiful and I'm like out on the balcony, okay, and I can see her out of the corner of my eye, inside Planking, doing squats like jump squats. No, it was yoga, do not play. You were lunging across that place and I was like what are you doing? And she's like oh, I'm just going to close my rings. I'm thinking like bitch. I closed my rings 50 times.
Speaker 1:We'd only hiked five miles very slowly, okay, first of all, I feel like that is your perception of this. It was very aggressive for me she deserves this, laura okay, that's true, I don't. You are not a princess that needs to be saved. She saved you she rallied.
Speaker 2:she had mental clarity to ask the elderly couple for a ride While you're flailing around.
Speaker 1:Do you know? I never told Shane that we hitchhiked.
Speaker 2:Did you?
Speaker 1:not no, I mean, I did like years later.
Speaker 3:I finally told Don. He was like I'm glad you're alive.
Speaker 1:We made it. We made it Don, we made it. Shane, it's fine.
Speaker 4:I just remember that one of the big complaints was that she likes to close her rings.
Speaker 3:I do like to close my rings Every day. You have to. I switched to a Garmin watch now so I don't have my rings to close.
Speaker 2:But the Garmins are very rude. They are rude. What does that mean?
Speaker 3:They don't give you nearly the amount of calories or workout times you stand up twice and that Apple watch is like wow, congratulations.
Speaker 1:You are killing it.
Speaker 2:And then after I run five miles, it was like medium perceived effort and I'm like, wow, that was pretty good. You know, I got a good time. It's like not recovered Bad sleep, it's just like.
Speaker 3:Really, it'll tell me I'm unproductive.
Speaker 2:Yeah, very tough.
Speaker 4:Oh yeah, I like the positive reinforcement. Yeah, me too.
Speaker 2:I want to be shamed.
Speaker 4:I'm like all right, well, let's wrap this up then you know we have like these speed limit, like digital speed limit signs. It just says like slow down or whatever. I was on a motorcycle trip. We're in Denver-ish somewhere in Colorado at this point and if you were going the correct speed limit they would say positive things to you. I was like look at this.
Speaker 3:What a treat.
Speaker 4:I was like that would actually encourage me to go the right speed to see what it's going to say, as opposed to just I don't care, it's a slowdown Like no you slow down.
Speaker 1:Yeah, don't tell me what to do. I know how fast I'm going.
Speaker 2:Don't tell me what to do, just slow down.
Speaker 4:But if it said something nice to me when I was going the correct speed limit, then I would really want to see that that trip, I'm not kidding, I was like you know what.
Speaker 1:This feels shameful, honestly.
Speaker 4:But you don't do planks though. Right, that was a joke, do you like to? I have planks, I hate planking.
Speaker 1:Well, it's so good for your core, it is very good for your core.
Speaker 4:I thought that was just a common. Oh yeah, no, I'm sure it is the.
Speaker 3:Garmin watch has a five-minute plank workout. That's fabulous. Maybe I'll tune into that.
Speaker 1:Well, that's weird. Are you all going to run together tomorrow? I wish, Are you going with us? No, I will cheer for you all from my bed.
Speaker 2:I think you could do it. It's five miles. You've got practice from that trip.
Speaker 1:I'm more of a 5K girl of a 5k girl and that is also her fault.
Speaker 3:All right d any last thoughts, stories, vindications oh, I'm not a genius, we know.
Speaker 4:Wait a second, like you could be wait a second, I heard, uh, you and our other guest, dr austin, from a different episode. I heard you guys talking and you're a professor at lee, she's a phd in math, right?
Speaker 3:okay, so.
Speaker 1:I used to, when she was in school, like getting her B. I'd be like so what are you studying?
Speaker 3:And she was always so sweet. She always asked me what are you doing? What are you writing your dissertation about? What are you working?
Speaker 1:on and finally she was like, hey, we don't have to do this. I know you don't understand what I mean. Literally, she would start talking about, like I remember one time, topology. I feel like you were telling me she's like well, right now we're working on curing cancer with the study of topology from, if you take this distance and I'm happening, I was like, oh cool, I, this week I had a lot of meetings, so many meetings, so many. You wouldn't believe how much I talked this week.
Speaker 4:So why math? Because math, even if you're really good at math. It seems like. Is that an enjoyable thing? I don't know. Is that an enjoyable thing, like why you decided math and his?
Speaker 3:voice lifts at the end Very doubtfully. Yeah, it's actually really enjoyable to me.
Speaker 4:Like the teaching part. I understand, but actually like.
Speaker 3:No, the math part is actually really intriguing and fun, Actually, when I was in my undergrad degree for a whole. So I went to Lee University as a student, which is a Christ-centered institution, and I had been raised as a Christian and just kind of thought I don't know if this is quite for me by the time I got to college and it was actually math that made me see that some of the doubts that I had about God were less doubts and just things that I probably didn't quite understand. So I I, when my students ask me why math, I tell them because that's what God used to save me. Why?
Speaker 1:Wait, why? Why did Matt? Can you expound?
Speaker 3:just a little.
Speaker 4:That doesn't math for Laura.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that doesn't math for Laura. Yeah, what does that mean? Like, just like a couple of sentences.
Speaker 3:Oh sure, that mean like, just like in a couple sentences. Oh sure, so. So like take for the trinity, for instance.
Speaker 1:Um, that's pretty hard math equation that's like three people in one got it it's really.
Speaker 3:It doesn't make sense, right it it does, it just doesn't it doesn't it doesn't make sense.
Speaker 3:It doesn't matter how people explain it, it doesn't. Uh, there's this book I read, um Flatland, which is written by a mathematician, and it talks about a land where all of the creatures in the land are two-dimensional, so they're like circles and squares and all of that, and they live on like a sheet of paper. And all of a sudden, a sphere visits this two-dimensional realm and the way it described the way the sphere appeared to the two-dimensional creatures was just incredible. At one point it appeared like just a little dot and then at another point it appeared like a curve in front of them.
Speaker 3:And it just clicked in my mind while reading that book that if God is a higher dimensional being, if I take my hand and I stick my hand on the table, then something in flatland would see my fingers and I would appear like I was five things, when I'm really not. It's just my hand and I have five fingers. So I don't know that God's some higher dimensional being. I don't know that that is the way you explain the Trinity, um, because I think any analogy falls apart at some point. But it made my brain say, huh. Well, maybe I just don't understand this as well as I need to. That doesn't mean it isn't plausible.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that makes sense.
Speaker 2:D two things First, I do think you're a genius and two, we read really different books, you know, and I like that flatland.
Speaker 1:Everybody put that on your reading list, folks.
Speaker 4:It's a good little book, oh how about that old goodwill hunting huh?
Speaker 3:that guy solving math equation. Yeah, that's not my story. I'm not a genius like that, though that's what I mean, like I'm not goodwill hunting I. I had to work real hard for it. Um, so I have a phd, not because everything just came easily and naturally to me, but because there was a lot of time and effort and discipline put into it well, d you know, we are saying that because our, the three of us, we don't think like that and I think it's just jealousy because none of us are math whizzes on this couch.
Speaker 2:Or you and you didn't fucking tell us that either.
Speaker 4:No, I've told you this when I went to Auburn, I was in engineering school and you have to take an entry test and I uh, I unfortunately test well and I was put into like a high level calculus class that I should not have been anywhere near and the teacher did not speak english. So there were the two things the english was like. It may be his fifth language and it was like I had. Yeah, it's like I was out like within two or three weeks Remedial.
Speaker 1:We were joking about being both being in remedial algebra and Colin, like well, and I never made it out, I was just like yeah.
Speaker 2:I failed over and over again, so they were kind of like just get her out of here Just give her, whatever she needs, I'm in the wrong class class, but you guys are incredible storytellers, oh we are thrilled with that part of us. I'm just letting you know why we are like well, she's a mathematician. We just can't wrap our heads around it.
Speaker 1:It's kind of like like yeah, that's what I mean when I'm talking about you. I talk about you from this, like I admire you so much because we are so different and I have found so much peace, and when I go to you and I'm seeking advice, it's really easy because I love the way you live, and so if I'm talking shit on here also, know it's because I love them.
Speaker 4:So you haven't talked any shit. It's all just good, you just say it and you're mad about it way.
Speaker 1:That's true, and I am a little mad, you know, because some of it I am like what? Because some of it I am like what the fuck?
Speaker 4:Are you serious, God? Why not me bro? Well, I complained to Dee off the air about how I'm upset with my brother's athletic ability.
Speaker 1:Oh, but you're good at stuff I have to like Dee with her math.
Speaker 4:I have to work at it really hard. I mean we both have like athletic stuff, but he just it's very natural, he doesn't have to like. I took him to the gym once and he couldn't move for like a week. He was like always tells a story like yeah, he was afraid driving home because he couldn't like grab the steering wheel and like showering.
Speaker 1:He had trouble showering for days because he doesn't have to work out, he's just naturally, yeah, just like the most athletic person I know, Like when you see somebody with like a six pack and they're like oh yeah, I don't really do anything, I just like wake up and eat cupcakes.
Speaker 4:I had a coach one time say like hey, you know, your brother could have been like a starting quarterback in college. I was like oh. I had a feeling that may be the case.
Speaker 3:He's like yeah, he just wanted to play guitar more, but like he just quit the football team just because he wanted to grow his hair out. What an asshole, total jerk. That's okay, will, we can do hard things.
Speaker 2:Before you Cut Bangs is hosted by Laura Quick and Claire Feerman and produced by Will Lockamy. Follow along with us everywhere.
Speaker 1:Please subscribe to the podcast. Find us on Instagram. We're constantly doing polls. We want to know what you think, and I know that you probably know this, but reviewing us and giving us five stars matters more than anything, and we are so grateful to have you here, thank you.
