Ever wondered what it's like to weave through the bustling theme parks of Orlando with an insider's eye, or how Dollywood manages to sprinkle that Dolly Parton magic into its 39th season? You're in for an unplugged ride as Dustin and Ashley share their tales of navigating crowds, family quirks, and the vibrant atmosphere of Universal's Mardi Gras. With the added delight of Shan, our podcast mom, chiming in with laughter and anecdotes, you're not just listening to another episode; you're becoming part of our extended family banter.
Hold onto your hats – or should we say, beads – as we recount theme park thrills, dining spills, and the occasional mishaps that remind us of the importance of customer service. From engagement ring debates to personal updates, our conversation is a hearty blend of humor and authenticity. And let's not forget the lively discussions about travel essentials, dealing with laundry, and the secrets to our unusually close-knit dynamic – it's all the unscripted, real-life moments that make our adventures together so memorable.
Just when you think you've caught your breath, we whisk you away to the pages of our Orlando Unplugged Book Club series. Prepare to dive into family mysteries with our lively analysis of "What Mother Won't Tell Me" and share your own theories. Plus, Shan's presence as our first official guest adds a special layer of charm to the mix, proving that every episode is a unique blend of storytelling and heartfelt conversation. Tune in, join the speculation, and let's get unplugged together.
Ever wondered what it's like to weave through the bustling theme parks of Orlando with an insider's eye, or how Dollywood manages to sprinkle that Dolly Parton magic into its 39th season? You're in for an unplugged ride as Dustin and Ashley share their tales of navigating crowds, family quirks, and the vibrant atmosphere of Universal's Mardi Gras. With the added delight of Shan, our podcast mom, chiming in with laughter and anecdotes, you're not just listening to another episode; you're becoming part of our extended family banter.
Hold onto your hats – or should we say, beads – as we recount theme park thrills, dining spills, and the occasional mishaps that remind us of the importance of customer service. From engagement ring debates to personal updates, our conversation is a hearty blend of humor and authenticity. And let's not forget the lively discussions about travel essentials, dealing with laundry, and the secrets to our unusually close-knit dynamic – it's all the unscripted, real-life moments that make our adventures together so memorable.
Just when you think you've caught your breath, we whisk you away to the pages of our Orlando Unplugged Book Club series. Prepare to dive into family mysteries with our lively analysis of "What Mother Won't Tell Me" and share your own theories. Plus, Shan's presence as our first official guest adds a special layer of charm to the mix, proving that every episode is a unique blend of storytelling and heartfelt conversation. Tune in, join the speculation, and let's get unplugged together.
You're listening to Orlando, unplugged, celebrating life in living color with Dustin and Ashley. Grab a cocktail or a mocktail and let's get unplugged. Orlando, I was hoping you would do it, because you did it just now when we tested the audio and you didn't do it, so I was like I have to do it. Bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum.
Speaker 3:Hey, you know what we haven't done in a while. What are you?
Speaker 1:drinking, oh my God. Hi guys, and welcome back to another episode of Orlando Unplugged podcast. I'm Dustin and I'm Ashley and I am drinking what is that thing called Anaspresso? Anaspresso iced coffee, latte thing.
Speaker 3:I don't think it's latte, I think it's literally just an iced coffee.
Speaker 1:I don't know what the actual name of it is and I'm very underprepared to explain it because yeah, you didn't expect for me to ask the question.
Speaker 1:Well, I mean I did, but I just wasn't thinking about having to explain everything, and now I'm over here thinking, oh look, I also haven't had another singular drink from my cocktail book, but Zach's also not been home when we start recording, so I can't be like Zach making one of these drinks Exactly. He also said we didn't have most of the ingredients needed to make those drinks, and we've not A little busy. Yeah, it's been. Our lives have been absolutely hectic. Yeah.
Speaker 1:And they're just going to get busier from here, at least for me. I don't know about you, but for me my life is getting a lot busier because I Absolutely look at the time frame we're in right now, or the season. Oh, we're going into Spring Break.
Speaker 3:Correct, and Spring Break for non-Florida theme park guest related places, Spring Break is like six months long. In reality it's only like three. But like it goes on, I think I'm safe to assume I'm safe to say that Spring Break in Florida starts the end of February and then like season, like the busy season.
Speaker 1:Well, see, that's what I was going to say is we didn't have a slow season. There was no from winter to Spring Break, because we got South American Spring Break this year, so we had guests from Venezuela, brazil, all these places, and Ashley's not looking. The fact that we had people up here from South America, no, no, no, I'm straight. Oh, my God, that sounded horrible. I was like oh God.
Speaker 3:Okay, the reason I gave the ugh was simply because we didn't get a slow season, and I look very much forward to that slow season because our grocery stores are this busy, our places are less hectic, it's a lot more like instead of like oh my God, I'm a Florida resident at the theme park and I'm literally wall to wall and people are touching me and I don't even know you and we're too close, yeah, in the middle of like January and February, where it's supposed to be like a dead season, yeah, which evidently I was told I didn't know this, but I was told recently at work that Northern people think that.
Speaker 1:Florida is not busy in January and February, but it is actually some of the busiest from Christmas to mid summer. So it's that break between the end of summer break and the start of Halloween Horror Nights. So what is it? The month of August you have? Like August is when a lot of people go back to school and then fall breaks don't start until October, but then we have Halloween Horror Nights, which is one of the country's, if not the world's, largest Halloween and horror celebrations. So, yeah, it's just busy. How have you been this week, ashley? So you're going to find out later in this episode that we recorded our interview with Shan.
Speaker 1:Wednesday, wednesday no to Wednesday, and it is now Sunday, so we're a little discombobulated, a little out of the whack, but we had a busy week and we're going to get into all that. We're going to discuss all that and all that fun stuff.
Speaker 3:I love how you asked me how I was doing and then just went over my answer.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's because you just give long answers. I'm just kidding. You don't give long answers. How?
Speaker 3:was your week, ashley, crazy Like it was. It was insane. My mom was here and she got here on Monday along with my sister and my sister's boyfriend, nick. I love how I said everybody's name. I said Nick's name, but now my mom and my sister, the iconic Shan, was here, and my sister Lauren and Nick was here, and they were here from Monday until early, early Thursday morning. So then I got like that oh, my mom is gone. I'm so sad. You know, like my house was really loud, it was really nice to see them. I hadn't seen them in a really long time and I say like long time, like I hadn't seen them since November. But for us, like in my family, that's a really long time to go without seeing each other.
Speaker 3:Yeah because my mom would typically come down like every other month, if not every month, so this was like the first time. It has been a long time. So she was gone. I had to go back to the office and the office has just been the office.
Speaker 1:But not like the Netflix show the office.
Speaker 3:No, it's been pretty opposite of the office.
Speaker 1:It's been work.
Speaker 3:Yeah. It's been work, it's been work, it's been work. So I think you know, for me I am okay, but I am trying to actively be better.
Speaker 1:Yeah. How are you? I'm good, I think since the last time we had.
Speaker 3:Here. I just gave this a negative thing. You're like I'm great Well.
Speaker 1:I like. It's a great thing, millennials do we lie about our? Feelings oh God, we do that. No so.
Speaker 1:I had a roller coaster week, yeah, same. So I can't remember. I don't think we've discussed it on the podcast, but I had some good news a long time ago and even better news now. So I can officially say that if you know me and you're on my personal social media channels, you know the company. But I have officially accepted a position working even more in the theme park and hospitality sector in this area and I'm super excited to get everything underway and to get in there. So you know, as always I make the joke, I don't speak for the brand of the company, so if I ever talk about it. But that was really fun and exciting.
Speaker 1:But it comes at a time that I think has been dire for me in my move to Orlando 100%. So I've been very transparent with everyone. It took every penny I had to my name to move down here and it was. It was time. You know I was in the process of losing my job, potentially at my other place, and I wasn't happy there. So it just made more sense for me to go. So I did and I made the leap and the jump on good faith and I had some money saved up for it and I exhausted all of that money. I didn't work for almost a month, which I was not expecting to happen, coming down here in the holiday season. So I got a job and it was, everything was great. But then they started cutting our hours in January.
Speaker 3:So I'm actually not slow season yeah because it's slow season, even though it's not, you know no, because my work is.
Speaker 1:I'm working from the moment I clock in to the moment I clock out. I get one 30 minute break and that is it. Love that for you.
Speaker 1:And so it's been a little hard these last couple of weeks because the money has not been coming in as what I expected it to be. So I was getting a little behind on some of the some of the bills. And this past week I got paid. And then I got home from work and I paid the bills that I needed to get paid and I just kind of laid on my kitchen floor and had an anxiety attack.
Speaker 3:I'm going to talk about it.
Speaker 1:I am because I have no money. So I mean, that being said, my bills are paid. I've got some groceries in my cabinets I'm not starving, and my bills are paid.
Speaker 3:And it's going to be a tight.
Speaker 1:It's a tight budget, but you know I budgeted accordingly and I shouldn't have. But I did buy that Disney pass and I'm not I didn't pay for it right out, I bought it on the payment plan. So it's another monthly payment that I have to take on. But I did that because we don't other than hanging out here at your house, which is what we do pretty much all the time. We don't go out, we don't spend money, we don't always go out to these bars and I know people hear us talk about oh we're at Universal today, oh we're at Disney today. We plan our days accordingly we eat before we leave the park, so we know If we do eat there, it's like a snack.
Speaker 3:We're not going and sitting at like one of the restaurants or one of the quick service places.
Speaker 1:It's like I think in total I spend under $20 when I go to the park on the food and beverage, I think.
Speaker 3:I typically try to like keep it under a budget Like I go on and be like okay, I can, I can afford 25 bucks today, or I can afford 30 bucks today.
Speaker 1:Because that's what I budget. Correct so um.
Speaker 3:I have to pull out other things.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Like, oh, I didn't go here today and I didn't spend money. I get my money here.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and that's kind of how the way that I looked at it, because I've been wanting the pass since I moved down here. So I looked at it and I said, okay, I can afford to pay this because it's not a lot a month. It's really not. Um, you've got the pixie pass, which is $20 a month, in the pirate pass, which is $50 a month.
Speaker 1:Um, and I think that because I'm not going out and I'm not going to bars, I'm not drinking all the time. When I drink, I drink here at the house. We have a full bar here in the house. We'll just drink here, um, we don't go out and go crazy with our money. So I did that because it is my happy place. It gives me an opportunity to leave and go out and ride rides and have fun, and I'm not necessarily having to spend money to do that because I'm spending it on the pass.
Speaker 1:Um, but I was real stressed because, um, you know, I started to think did I make them? Did I make that mistake moving down here? Am I going to be able to make this be successful? Um, so with getting this second job now, um, I feel a little more confident that things will be fine and things will start to plateau out. My biggest problem is that I haven't paid off what it took me to move. I had an image in my head that it was going to be all of this and, you know, I set forth with my tax money. I'm going to do this, um and now my taxes have not received.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and the turbo, turbo tax said that my taxes were approved the day that I filed them but the IRS says they were approved and you know you can't call anyone, you can't talk to anyone, so I can't be like hey, is there an error? Do I need to go and make an amendment and fix something? What do you do?
Speaker 3:You play a waiting game.
Speaker 1:It says that it can take up to six months from your initial file date and that was a decent chunk of money that I plan to use to pay off a little bit of my move. So the money struggles have been hard, but there was good news. And then I got to meet your mom and your family and have fun and and we're going to have turkey burgers for dinner tonight. So it's fine and dandy and it's great. But that's how my week was. We're doing great yeah.
Speaker 1:So we're looking to our lives. But all right, I feel like I say that all the time.
Speaker 3:I'm just constantly being like I'm doing great, we're doing great, and I just really need, like at some point, for that to actually be a true Statement and not like a sarcastic. My life is falling apart statement.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, when I was nine years old, I thought by the time I was 30, I would be married and have a house and a really amazing job and I'd be living the American dream. But I realized now that I am 30. I don't have a house, I have no money to my name other than essentially what I live, paycheck to paycheck, and that's just because I'm still struggling to pay off for my house, to pay off those debts and do those things. But you know what? It'll be fine and I think it's time that we talk about some happier things. So let's roll on in to our pre show today.
Speaker 3:Ladies and gentlemen, Dollywood's dreamer-in-chief, the Smokey Mountain.
Speaker 4:Storyteller, ms Dollywood Dollywood. I think back on all the great things I've done, and one of the greatest things I've ever done was going in business with the Herson family and starting up Dollywood. It's going to be a busy year for Dollywood, no doubt about that. We've got a whole lot of things to tell you about just a little bit later on, but I just can't believe that this is our 39th season and we've got so many great things this year and some big things certainly for next year or 40th anniversary. So anyway, we continue to grow every year.
Speaker 1:So Dolly Parton was back at Dollywood this last weekend to open Dollywood for their 39th season. Can you believe that? No, it has been 39 years since that wonderful woman opened a theme park in the Great Smokey Mountains of East Tennessee. You know, I used to work there, right?
Speaker 3:You did.
Speaker 2:I did no way, never told you that. No, it's been a little secret.
Speaker 1:Wow Best kept secret. I know. So on March 8th, dollywood held their annual sneak peek for their season pass holders, where they could come into the park. Only season pass holders are allowed into Dollywood on opening day and then it officially opens to the public. The following, which I think was the 9th I've got March 8th and 10th written down so I'm contradicting myself somewhere, but anywho. So the park returned this year with the I Will Always Love you Music Festival, which is something they kicked off last year. I will lie, yeah, with love based on you.
Speaker 3:Okay, that's all I got.
Speaker 1:Thank you, I love that. And, as Dolly says, why don't you just leave the signal to me? And she did that to Jack, who is one of her business partners, on live television.
Speaker 5:Literally.
Speaker 1:It was hilarious. So, yeah, the park returned, or the park opened this year with the I Will Always Love you Music Festival, which is something that they started last year in 2023, and it was just supposed to be a one time thing for the anniversary of the I Will Always Love you. I think it turned 50?. Wow, I think it turned 50 years. I could be very wrong on that I think I am very wrong on that but they decided they wanted to bring that back annually. So now the park is hosting the I Will Always Love you Music Festival every year to kick off the park, and it is a festival that promotes singing and songwriting, and they give a lot of up and coming artists an opportunity to come and perform at Dollywood. So that's fun and cool. Another thing is that Dollywood invested Dollywood you were right, 50 years.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I came out in 1974.
Speaker 1:I know my Dolly facts Clearly. But you never worked there. So but do you know what she says about that song?
Speaker 3:That Whitney can have the song rights as long as she gets the chicks.
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm, and you know that she used a lot of the royalty monies to upkeep and maintain predominantly black neighborhoods in Nashville and the area around her first office.
Speaker 3:I didn't know that. Yeah, look at me learning something new every day, go.
Speaker 1:Dolly Whoop. So this year the park is doing something really awesome, I think. In my opinion, so Dollywood used to be the Golden Ticket Award winner for best shows of any theme park meeting out Disney Universal Six.
Speaker 3:Flags. Who owns it now?
Speaker 1:Owns what. The best. Well, I'm getting to that.
Speaker 3:Oh, I'm sorry, I'm too excited.
Speaker 1:Dollywood swept the leaderboards in the Golden Ticket Awards for so long that they changed the categories so Dollywood would stop winning. And you know what's funny? Dollywood is still winning. So they got rid of best shows and went to best new show.
Speaker 3:Best new show.
Speaker 1:Best new show. So that meant that Dollywood was uneligible for that award unless they debuted a new show every year. But Dollywood invested $1 million into their entertainment this year with new upgrades and are debuting four new shows, three of which debuted yesterday or this week with the new festival and one coming in May. So the first one is From the Heart, the Life and Music of Dolly Parton. So this show a lot of people are saying is the modern take on the classic show Paradise Roads that ran in Dollywood's before the 2000s and it was. It followed her life from rags to riches essentially. And this new show is kind of the same thing but it's been rewritten. And I believe Paige Bales, who is the entertainment president at Dollywood, had a hand in helping write this show and they brought in Broadway director John Dietrich to actually direct the show.
Speaker 1:So the audio that you guys heard earlier is from that opening ceremony from Dollywood. So we will definitely link to a YouTube video the opening ceremony of Dollywood this year so you guys can take a peek into it. But the show it pretty much says you can wonder back through the years of Dolly's musical journey, starting from her earliest song to her most recent hits. And this show is hosted in the Dolly Parton Celebrity Theater and with it we are seeing the return of the revolving turntable to Dollywood, which was a prominent piece of stage equipment that was used in Paradise Roads originally. So I know a lot of those Dollywood lovers is super happy and super excited to see this show. I've already checked it's still not on YouTube anywhere. I just want to see it, but it only runs through the Flower and Food Festival and then it's supposed to be going away. So we shall see. It's just a spring show, but they have said that there will be a show in every theater all season long.
Speaker 3:Maybe there needs to be a trip to Dollywood in the spring.
Speaker 1:Oh, there, definitely will be. The next show that Dollywood debuted is Trio, again featuring Three Times a Lady. So it's a mesmerizing vocal blend of songs inspired from classic songbirds like Dolly Parton Dolly just got that Linda Rynestead Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. And Emmylou Harris.
Speaker 3:One, two, three times a lady. Okay, no, that's the band I know, but it's not a song I don't know, but the band is called Three Times a Lady.
Speaker 1:Those are the ones that are coming into performance.
Speaker 3:I'm trying to sworn, that's a song.
Speaker 1:Anywho, the show features songs by Dolly Parton, linda Rostat and Emmylou Harris. If you don't let me get through a dang, it's without interrupting me child Guys.
Speaker 3:who's aggressive today?
Speaker 1:Can I say the sentence now? Yes, sweetie with music inspired by Dolly Parton, linda Ronstat and Emmylou Harris, comes to life on stage in a new production showcasing Three Times a Legend music from the trio album Anything.
Speaker 3:Oh, I thought you were still continuing. No, I'm happy for them. What the sound of like they sounded pretty good.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think, I think it'll be neat, I think it'll be a good show and there's definitely a crowd that goes to Dollywood that loves that type of show. The next show that they debuted is going to be an interesting show. In my book I'm interested to see how it goes but it's called Sing Along with Dolly. So with this show you get to be a part of the musical fun and sing along with your favorite Dolly song in the entertainment, in this entertainment experience where you become a part of the show and Dolly says if you don't know the words, that's okay, just follow the bounce and butterfly. Wow.
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm, the bounce and butterfly, the bounce and butterfly. And then the next show that Dollywood is going to debut later in May is going to be Heidi Parton's Ken and Friends, which is a new take on the family show that's been at the park for many years and it's had many different homes and versions throughout the park, but it's believed that that show will open with the new Dolly Parton experience, which you got really excited about when you saw it pop up on the TV screen.
Speaker 3:I did because we've been watching a lot of Dolly movies lately, so it's nice to kind of see that you could be a part of the movie scenes. But for those that don't know, can you tell me who Heidi Parton is?
Speaker 1:So Heidi Parton is one of Dolly's nieces, she. So she's got Heidi and Jada Starr, which are two of her nieces that have been very prominent in Dollywood. So she's got several family members that have stayed on, stayed with the parks and have worked in the entertainment industry. So there was Heidi and her father, randy Parton, who was probably one of the more famous ones. He had a music career, he had a full show at Dollywood and there's I'm forgetting the rest of their names, but there were four or five family members that had participated in different shows at the park. They started at the Backport Theater for many years and then they moved over into Inventures and Imagination and they had a show that I'm forgetting the name of right now, but it was in the theater where the Dolly Parton experience is being revamped and put in, because her Museum, rags to Riches, was also in that area. So I think that this new show is going to be in the same theater, but it seems as though they have not weeded out some of the family, but it looks as though some of the family has retired. Randy passed away a couple of years ago and then I think some of the other family members have retired from show business, but Heidi is.
Speaker 1:I think Heidi's in her 30s, but I love her. I love her dearly. I run into her in town all the time and it's so funny because you wouldn't know her from hide if you didn't know who she was. So I just walk up and have a conversation with her in the Hobby Lobby and nobody knows that it's Dolly Parton's niece. But she is the sweetest and kindest human that I have ever met, and so down to earth.
Speaker 1:But that new Dolly Parton experience that we were talking about. It opens in May of 2024 and it features a number of interactive elements that make guests feel like they are alongside Dolly as she journeyed from Locust Ridge to the stages around the world. The entire adventures and imagination area transforms to create the Dolly Parton experience, housed in multiple buildings. The multifaceted experience includes exhibits which spawn from her unparalleled career, a look at the inspiration for and the results of her biggest dreams, the importance of her family, even a curated exhibit that highlights Dolly's signature style throughout the years. So, yes, that red dress that you love from Best Little Whorehouse in Texas will be back on display at Dollywood.
Speaker 3:I love that dress.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so the Dolly Parton experience provides guests with more Dolly than ever, as it is three times the size of the former Chasing Rainbows Museum, and I love this because, a lot of people will tell you, through the mid-2000s up until about 2014, 2015, elements of Dolly started to seem to have disappeared from Dollywood, almost as if they were distancing their self from her likeness, which a lot of people will say she's not getting any younger, so the park wanted to be able to survive after her passing, and I think that Dollywood and the company in Herschel realize that, instead of going that route, if they move more of, let's make this her Graceland, and I think that's what they're doing at this point bringing her back in, because now she's everywhere again. We made it past the 35 years at Dollywood and they've seemed to really be bringing her back these last couple of years and she's continued to stay very involved in the growing of Dollywood, so I think that that'll be lots of fun and everything. So, yeah, ashley, what's your take on it?
Speaker 3:I think Dollywood has a.
Speaker 1:That's right. You come up with that response like you weren't just deep in your cell phone over there.
Speaker 3:I think that Dollywood has a. I think they're actively trying to participate and get into a point where they are trying to compete with a park announcement that was largest epic. I think they're trying to compete with Disney's shows that were at one point maybe on the same level. But I think that Dolly is kind of stepping outside of a comfort zone. I think it's gonna be good.
Speaker 1:And I think so A lot of people know. So Dollywood opened Dream or Resort in 2015 and a lot of people said that they that put you inside Hard Rock Hotel. That put you inside Portofino Bay as you would be here in Orlando. It's something that we did not have in East Tennessee. And then back in I think it was November of 2023, they opened the second resort, heart Song Lodge, which I haven't been to yet, but I've seen pictures and videos of, and it, within a month of opening, was named one of the best resorts in the country and it hadn't even hardly been open a month.
Speaker 1:So I think that that speaks volumes to the product that Dollywood and Hersheyn family are putting out, and Dolly even teased in her opening ceremony that there's more resorts to come. They wanted to have at least five by the time she was over and done with, and her and Eugene, the president of Dollywood, joked about that on the stage and they teased a little bit Dollywood's getting a new restaurant in 2025. And they were very tight lipped, but we think we're getting a new attraction coming in 2025. So I think that'll be interesting to see and if Ashley and I go to Dollywood this year, we'll have to take you guys along for the ride.
Speaker 3:Absolutely, because I need to eat all the Dolly food.
Speaker 1:Now to spur off from one theme park to another. Let's talk about Mardi Gras at Universal Studios.
Speaker 3:It's time for the clapping, the clap, king Don I and lounge.
Speaker 1:All UK section You're gonna speak.
Speaker 3:Oh, we're starting now. I'm sorry.
Speaker 1:In the words of how you spoke to your mother last week. This is a podcast you have to talk.
Speaker 3:You can't say that just yet. The part hasn't been put in yet.
Speaker 1:Well, they'll hear it when they come down. It's not an inside joke if they know about it. So what do we do?
Speaker 3:this week, Ashley. What didn't we do this week? We?
Speaker 1:went to Marty Gras with your mom Well we did a lot of things before you.
Speaker 3:Do you want me to recap all that?
Speaker 1:Let's recap everything.
Speaker 3:Because we also did things with you too, so you're missing some things.
Speaker 1:Oh, go for it.
Speaker 3:So on Monday my mom came in on Monday and then we went to SCP. Sloppy Taco Palace With a whole bunch of our friends. So mom got to meet everybody. If she hadn't met everybody, she met everybody. So I think that we were there, for we almost closed down Sloppy Taco Palace.
Speaker 1:I mean, it was before midnight when we left.
Speaker 3:Yeah, was it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was 1130 because I got off work. I got off work super early that night because when we were leaving I was like, oh, I would just be getting off work right now. Because work was that slow?
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, that's right, you did leave and get to come do us early. I didn't realize that. So mom came and we got to play Gio's game, hi. Gio TO Gio. He's TO Gio to Bruce, sorry. So we got to do that and had a good old time. And then Tuesday morning we got up and you came over Tuesday and we all went to Disney Springs.
Speaker 1:My favorite place on the world. He says that not sarcastically.
Speaker 3:I love and hate that place too, Like I got. You know what I miss. I miss downtown Disney, I miss with the McDonald's there. I kind of miss that.
Speaker 1:See, that's what I think Disney Springs is just an outlet mall. It's all it is now. It's not an entertainment destination. It's not a place to go and hang out, because Disney wants you to spend money on park tickets.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I wish they would have kept it like City Walk. City. Walk gives me like downtown Disney vibes.
Speaker 1:I wish City Walk, though, had a little bit more. I wish there was more to do. There's not enough to do.
Speaker 3:But I think that's the thing, I think it's just enough.
Speaker 1:I wish there was more. I don't know.
Speaker 3:But we did that and went to Earl of Sandwich and you hadn't been there before have you, I hadn't, and I was not happy with my experience. Why I thought you liked what you got.
Speaker 1:No, the food was good.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I didn't like that whole situation.
Speaker 1:The whole gluten. So we looked online ahead of time and actually found all these things that were gluten free and there I did a lot of research for you. What was it? The tomato bisque soup, which I didn't want. The one I'm talking about, the broccoli and cheddar soup. They were supposed to have broccoli and cheddar soup that was gluten free, and then, when we got up to the register.
Speaker 3:I'm sorry. The tomato bisque was not gluten free. The chicken tortilla was gluten free. Yeah, I'm sorry.
Speaker 1:And they wanted to. The girl at the register like argued with us and she was like no, that's not gluten free, and so she wouldn't got her manager. And I was like it says right here on your website that it's gluten free. And she goes like, oh, it used to be gluten free, but it's not anymore. They changed it. So I was like, okay, do you have a contact information for your corporate office?
Speaker 3:so I could just call, I think, my favorite is she was like listen, we've tried to have them change it, so best of luck. If you want to try, she's like I could give you their number.
Speaker 1:No, she wouldn't. She didn't even offer. She was like there's no point in calling them because we've already had a conversation with them about it.
Speaker 4:I don't care, your menu is telling me something is gluten free.
Speaker 1:So if I would not have made the choice to ask about it. I would have ordered that and I would have gotten served something that had gluten in it and I would have gotten sick. And that makes me angry, because this is a huge food chain. They should be up to date on this.
Speaker 3:It makes me more concerned for the more serious like okay, you are not self diagnosed, or you are self diagnosed gluten, but you are. You haven't actually been like, you haven't gone anywhere, you haven't like full on been like, hey, I have celiac disease or you have a gluten intolerance. You believe you have one, which I think is great. However, those people that have like an actual nut allergy, what happens if they go on this website and they go, oh, the tomato best soup doesn't have, or the chicken tortilla doesn't have nuts in it, and then they don't ask and they order that and then they have it. They go into anaphylactic shock. That to me, like that, that's a concern as somebody who my entire career is the food and beverage world. You could kill somebody doing that like that.
Speaker 1:Exactly, and it's ridiculous.
Speaker 3:Listen, earl of sandwich, a few people are listening. I'm gonna need you guys to do a little bit better there. Like, your food is good and I love it and I will actively go back because I I quite enjoy the things that they offer, but I think that you are running a dangerous slope there, earl of sandwich at Disney Springs A don't be so confrontational when people are asking questions regarding their health.
Speaker 1:And. B when someone's being polite with you and says hey, can I have your corporate number so I can call and discuss with them.
Speaker 3:I'm not going to rip you a new one. It's not your fault. Yeah, I know, and that was the thing.
Speaker 1:Like we were being super nice to them about it and she was just like rude. She put up a lot of defenses.
Speaker 3:but we we ate lunch and it was nice to to hang out and spend time with the whole family. And then we we walked down Disney Springs and it was crowded, as I'll get up. And then we introduced you to basin or bassin, I'm not sure how it's pronounced. It smelled good which is um Disney Springs, like if they have it's almost like I want to say like Disney Springs bath and body. It's got bath bombs, it's got scrubs, it's got lotions.
Speaker 3:It's um it's a city soap but Disney edition, because all the soap is literally themed to Florida or Disney world.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so we didn't. We went there and then we went over to where the Disney, which is chaotic and all the while crazy and busy and hectic, even for a Tuesday. And then you had to go to work and we went to shades of green, which, for those that don't know, is Disney World's military hotel. So we went there quite a bit as when I was a kid growing up that's not where we wouldn't stay there, but like we would purchase our tickets there. And then that is when they became a universal annual best holder again. Hey yo.
Speaker 3:Yeah, thanks, cham. And then we went back to Springs and then we had a couple of people in our group that hadn't been on the new Disney Skyliners yet, and I say new because to them it was new. I know the Skyliners have been around, for I think they just hit two years now two or three years, I could be wrong, don't quote me on that Disney. So we took a bus over to Universal Disney's Riverside Hotel. Oh my, can I talk about my tweet, my little Disney tweet? So I tweeted about how I was grateful that the Disney employee actively was okay, closing the doors on my sister and her boyfriend, and he did Like we were trying to get to the Riverside bus quickly because it had pulled into the spot and if you've been to Disney Springs it's like you've got the bus lanes so you have to get there in time in order, otherwise you're waiting Like I think the bus has come every 20 minutes. 25 minutes.
Speaker 3:So I was like if we don't book it, we don't miss this bus and I'm not waiting 25 more minutes for another one. So mom, rob and I take off and head to the buses as quick as we can and my sister and her boyfriend just kind of linger back and they're like fast, casual, just doing their thing. And I was like Lauren, I'm on, need you to move your booty? And she was like waving me off and whatever. And I get on the bus and I look at the guy and he goes, is that it? And I was like yep. I said could you close the doors right behind me? I said, cause those two aren't with me. And he's like I said, because that'd be my sister and I really don't need her on the bus.
Speaker 3:And he straight up closed the doors and she stood at the bus and was like, and then he finally opened the door and she sat at the end and we got into this conversation with this girl and her well, I think now engaged. We're friends on Instagram now because I literally talked to strangers and they were getting engaged. But I'll tell that story. It's quite funny. But she was asking Lauren why we were beefing. It was just us them and like this other, like two random, like girls that were on the bus and she was like straight up.
Speaker 3:She was like are you guys siblings? Why are you beefing? Is there life long tendencies there? What's going on? She like tried to be a therapist and then it got like, and, mind you, lauren was at the very front of the Disney bus and mom Rob and I were in the back of the Disney bus and we're actively screaming.
Speaker 1:God bless.
Speaker 3:It was so great, though. And then we get off the bus and I'm walking with them these are new friends that I had met and she was like yeah, my boyfriend has my engagement ring in his bag. I know it's gonna happen I don't know when, because I actively was there and picked out my ring. So I know it's happening this trip. And he's like, yeah, it's happening this trip so. And then we started following each other on Instagram so I could see it.
Speaker 1:Can I just say like that's great that you helped pick out the engagement ring, but like if I know that you're gonna ask me out on a vacation or ask me to marry you on a vacation ahead of time, I'm gonna be angry.
Speaker 3:Especially because, I know that the ring is on you.
Speaker 1:Like, well, here's a. Well, my friend, that you've met Claire and my other friend, nicole, both of them, I think. Well, I know at least sorry, Claire, I'm having a brain fart I know at least Nicole picked out her engagement ring and Nicole knows that she, like she's already got her wedding, like they already have all their weddings planned.
Speaker 1:They've not formally been asked for engagement, so they know it's coming. They're planning ahead for their wedding and I'm just like I don't understand that, like I'm so happy for both of them, claire and Nicole are obviously not together. Claire has a boyfriend. Nicole has a boyfriend and they're both moving that direction she's another husband. Yeah, they're moving that direction they're manifesting. Husband and I'm super happy for them. Super happy for you guys. Love you, Claire. But I just you know I want it to be a surprise, even if I pick out like Do you want?
Speaker 3:would you tell your significant other, like the ring you wanted, Like if they asked, then that way you're not stuck with. Like something you like, oh yeah, like if they were like hey, can we?
Speaker 1:go and pick out and like, pick out, what kind of like. Don't be like, hey, do you want to go pick out your engagement? Ring. But be like hey, do you want to go with me and show me like what types of rings you would want?
Speaker 3:I didn't do that. I just went. This is the like I, when I wanted to be married and wanted to that that part of my life, I said this is what I wanted, this is what I didn't want. It and what I wanted was what I got.
Speaker 1:But I didn't know what it looked like prior to-. I also don't think it should matter what your engagement ring looks like, cause you're going to wear that maybe a year I don't think so and then you're going to get a wedding ring. I don't.
Speaker 3:I don't think so Because my mom and dad were poor, as can be. When my mom and dad got married and my mom goes into this story and, like my mom's engagement ring did not get replaced until I was a senior in high school and that was 2014 and my parents got married in 1995.
Speaker 1:I'm also the same type of person that can walk into Walmart by a stainless steel ring for $29 and call it a day.
Speaker 3:You know what's funny.
Speaker 1:I'm also a man, so we don't have to have diamonds, no I mean, I don't think so, Because I had a very beautiful set.
Speaker 3:I got it together when I got engaged and then I wore a silicone band right afterwards Because I was going to theme parks, I was going to work. I didn't want anything to happen to it, so Anyhoo, so after you got this stranger, hello, this trail, this thing that you got on.
Speaker 1:What'd you guys do after that?
Speaker 3:We headed to. We rode the Skyliner.
Speaker 1:Oh which for the record, the Skyliner opened in 2019. So it's more than two years old.
Speaker 3:Oh my bad.
Speaker 1:She turns five this year.
Speaker 3:Happy birthday.
Speaker 1:And she still is unreliable.
Speaker 3:Correct and hot as hell. So we rode that over to Hollywood Studios and then you know what we did. What. We took the walking path from Hollywood Studios to Boardwalk, to Boardwalk.
Speaker 1:Did you make it back home before seven, like you told Zach you would?
Speaker 3:It was seven thirty and it was Julia and no, we made it. But you know what? I called her and told her what was going on, and we still had to rent a grocery store after we did all of these things, cause Julia made family dinner that night, so they were all okay with it.
Speaker 1:Voodkasas.
Speaker 3:Voodkasas, vodkasas, voodkasas. But yeah, and then Wednesday was the big old theme park day.
Speaker 1:My mom, Wait, didn't we all go to Epcot?
Speaker 3:No.
Speaker 1:I could have sworn. We were at Epcot with your mother.
Speaker 3:No.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we were.
Speaker 3:No, we did not. We did not go to Epcot with my mom.
Speaker 1:Oh no, that was, I think, Zach and Julia that we met up with. I'm getting my weeks confused, clearly.
Speaker 3:Yeah, Anywho. So you met Julia's mom at Epcot.
Speaker 1:That's what it was. It was Julia's mom, that's right.
Speaker 3:Did you listen to the last episode on the podcast?
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 3:Okay, it's clearly showing no. So then Wednesday was the big old universal day, and my mom is fairly new to universal, like she hadn't. My family grew up going to Disney World. We never went to universal. I didn't go to universal until I was 22. So my family is very new to that park and has actively become obsessed with it. Nice. Yeah, we did. My mom's favorite time of the year, favorite time of universal's year, is Mardi Gras.
Speaker 1:Hands down. Hi girl, it's her favorite Insert.
Speaker 3:Mardi Gras music here, boop. So let's talk about it, let's do I think? You should put Mardi Gras music in.
Speaker 1:So universal's Mardi Gras international flavors of carnival is a festival that universal holds every single year. This year the event takes place from February 3rd to April 7th of 2024. It is included with your theme park admission, so you don't have to pay additional to get into this. It is included with your general admission ticket and they have new food floats and tons of fun this year so you can excite all your senses at universal Mardi Gras international flavors of carnival. You can dig into sweet, savory and spicy dishes from around the globe, like chicken snitzel and quesadilla verdes, which I had while we were there and it was delicious yes, we did. You can catch a bunch of beads and they have live concerts on select nights. The other day they had Eva Max Tonight. While we were actively recording this episode, queen Latifah is currently on stage performing and I'm kind of sad I missed that they also had Walker Hayes.
Speaker 3:And who's the guy? Dj Khaled DJ.
Speaker 1:Khaled. So we're gonna have that chick that got boot off at the Rhyman Auditorium Cause she got too drunk. She was supposed to open, but they replaced her with. That's who Walker Hayes replaced. I didn't know that. He was not originally a part of the lineup. He replaced her when Universal pulled her Rip.
Speaker 3:They make a good drunk with Dolly.
Speaker 1:Mardi Gras is a groovable feast where the parade is raging and the fun doesn't stop at Cajun, according to Universal, and that is the cheesiest thing, but I love that. So, real quick, before we dive into this, I just want to explain what is Mardi Gras, because we've all heard it, we all know what it is in that aspect, but I don't actually know what is Mardi Gras. So Mardi Gras is the final day of Carnival, or I think it's pronounced Shrovetide, before Ash Wednesday. So Mardi Gras is French for Fat Tuesday, reflecting the practice of the last night of consuming rich, fatty foods in preparation for the fasting season of Lent.
Speaker 3:You know you're supposed to give up something during Lent.
Speaker 1:Yep, and I'm not Catholic.
Speaker 3:I am.
Speaker 1:I'm not. Why don't you give up for Lent?
Speaker 3:Absolutely nothing. Exactly, that's my point.
Speaker 1:Slam, dunk and point. So for our Mardi Gras trip we had a lot of fun. We're gonna skip over some things because we talk about them later in the episode with Shan, such as our fun at ET.
Speaker 3:Our fun at ET. Her best friend in the parade. That's a fun story.
Speaker 1:So I'm trying to remember exactly how our date like we got there, you got there early, I came late. That's tired.
Speaker 3:So we started at islands, our days started there and we popped over to okay so Lauren and Nick and Rob rode the Incredible Hulk coaster and then Mom and I got breakfast at the Crescent Bakery. It's the Crescent Moon Bakery, but all of their dishes all are on croissants. So, like all their sandwiches, breakfast sandwiches they also sell, obviously, like five different croissants. It's all croissants. So I'm a big fan, love it. And then I also had a cappuccino, because I can't live without coffee Valid. And then we met them at the end of Incredible Hulk, because I can't do the Incredible Hulk anymore. I hit my head too many times and then I hit my ears and it just stands and my mom is actively, I think, trying to pull back from coasters.
Speaker 1:So yeah, I hung out with her while you guys rode the Lossy. Yeah, we'll get to there.
Speaker 3:Don't go, don't go too ahead of the story we're supposed to be talking about.
Speaker 1:Mardi Gras.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but you're going too ahead of the story and I think the whole day needs to be talked about. And then we went on Doom and we got to do that Doom, doom, doom, doom doom and that was pretty good. That was pretty good. I'm proud of us, and then we went over to Terrassar, we went to Peter Pan, Peter Pan.
Speaker 1:We went to.
Speaker 3:Spider-Man, I'm sorry.
Speaker 1:Wow, julia is gonna disown you. Oh, yeah, she is.
Speaker 3:We went over to Spider-Man and we rode that, and then we popped over to Jurassic World and we did River of Venture, because my brother had to show mom all the new knowledge he knows. Thank you, frazy, if you know, you know. So we had to do all of that. And then we popped over to Lost the Coaster, and then that is when we met up with you. So there, Everybody's caught up to when you shut up. Now you can be included in the conversation. Now you're welcome.
Speaker 1:So shortly after we met up, you guys rode Velossi, and then we wanted to grab a bite to eat, so we headed over to Fire Breather's. Fire Breather's, yes, which is over in the Lost.
Speaker 3:Continent Fire Eaters. I think it's Fire Eaters, fire Eaters maybe.
Speaker 1:Which is over in the Lost Continent, and I got me some French fries because that was the only gluten-free option on that particular menu, but those were delicious.
Speaker 3:I ate chicken nuggets. French fries, I had chicken tenders and I had tzatziki Tzatziki.
Speaker 1:Tzatziki, but then after that we left, we left. We headed over to Mardi Gras. Correct and we headed over to Mardi Gras and we stopped, so we got in and then we immediately went straight to the first Mardi Gras booth, which was Mexico. And it was so funny cause we walked up and we were like, hey, we would like to buy.
Speaker 3:The card.
Speaker 1:The tasting card.
Speaker 3:That man was so mad.
Speaker 1:And so, for those of you that don't know, universal offers you a really great deal. So they have a lower deal, which I don't remember what it is, but it's like you buy $50.
Speaker 3:And you get $60.
Speaker 1:And you get $60. Yeah. So they give you $10 credit to spend on Mardi Gras food, but if you're an annual pass holder or universal employee you can spend $120. And you get $150 total on your gift card. So we bought that. And then he was like do you guys want to use it here? And we were like no.
Speaker 3:So you weren't around, though. When Universal had the punch system, you paid 90 bucks and you got, like I think it was 90 or 75.
Speaker 1:That's what Dolly would use this right now, and you got.
Speaker 3:I like that so much better Because it was almost like I was guaranteed at least like eight dishes or nine dishes or whatever, and it was the same way. They had like a low tier one and then they had one that was like a little bit more better if you were a team member, if you were an annual pass holder. And I missed that.
Speaker 1:And like I actually missed that, probably because they lose money that way. Because this way yeah well. Universal. Break it back, then you could buy a $7 thing or a $12 thing, and it was a punch. Now you're still paying for that $7 or $12 thing, but you know what I did?
Speaker 3:find that was pretty great. Is if you had cards from last year, you could still use them this year. So I did like that. I did appreciate that.
Speaker 1:Well, I think they. I think I remember when we went earlier, when it first started and we were discussing with a team member, that they always honor the gift card. Whether you bought it now or you bought it in the past before, they'll always honor it. So, yeah, I thought that was pretty good.
Speaker 3:So we did that. And then we popped over to ET and I cannot wait for you to hear the story from Shane about the man in ET. And then we popped over to Men in. Black Men in Black and we did not get a suit jacket because we suck. And then we popped over to Green Guts and we're in the very last row of Green Guts.
Speaker 1:And those lockers were universal. Please fix the Green Guts lockers, or you know what.
Speaker 3:just make it like COVID and only let one person in at this time, Like party of 12, only one of those people has to go in there.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:So that's my vote for that. And then we left Green Guts. And we decided at this point. Oh, we wrote Mummy in there somewhere.
Speaker 1:That was later.
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, I think it was right after Green Guts, and then we decided to go over to Rip Ride.
Speaker 1:Oh no, that's when we got, or that's when we stopped and got Mardi Gras food.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, that's right, I forgot about that. And then we grabbed a couple dishes from the Mardi Gras area and I would like to kind of touch base on this and I wasn't going to, but I think I'm going to.
Speaker 1:Let's do that and then discuss what we got.
Speaker 3:Yeah, okay, so I, as most know, if you do not know, my entire being, entire personality, trait, entire lifestyle, all of it centers around the food and beverage world. I know quite a bit, I respect it quite a lot. It is my passion, it is something that I I think all of our friends would actively say. I know more than the average Joe about it. So when it comes to to how theme parks operate their food and beverage world, I critique it a lot more than the normal person does because I know so much about that world. So I also understand and I'm saying all of this to preference the fact that what I'm about to say here, I know, is going to cost a little bit of controversy. However, I think it needs to be handled a little bit better.
Speaker 1:What is it?
Speaker 3:So we walked up to one of the Mardi Gras booths to order cocktails.
Speaker 1:I don't remember the country, but it was the Cajun booth.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think it was just the, the American.
Speaker 1:Oh, it was New Orleans, new Orleans, yeah.
Speaker 3:And we walked up because my, my family I say my family my sister, myself and my mother have been to Halloween Horror Nights and are actively a big fan of their. They call it during this season it's the Hurricane Five Punch or the category Five Punch During Halloween Horror Nights. It's the same punch, they just call it with a different name.
Speaker 3:So, every year we seek that out. Guys, I'm back drinking, anyways, we go up to this booth and four of us show our IDs. Universal's policy is one ID per drink. So four people you, me, my sister and Nick are all actively over 21,. Well, yeah, well over 21. I'll show this girl, this team member, our IDs. We ordered two of these punches, along with some food, and my mom goes, and after you get, after you pay for your food at these stalls, you have to get your receipt in order to act to go get your food, because it's at a separate spot, and then you wait at the cashier to get the alcohol. Now my sister and Nick ran to another booth to go get beignets and my mom went to go get the food. So that left.
Speaker 1:No, they went to sit down. They didn't go get the beignets, oh sorry, they went to go sit down.
Speaker 3:You went to go get another.
Speaker 1:No, I was with your mom, which I have a story to tell in a moment.
Speaker 3:You were over there with mom, so that left me to grab the drinks. Mind you, we had showed her four IDs. She saw all of us. So she hands me one drink and I go to grab the other one and she goes yeah, no, and I went, I'm sorry she goes, I will not hand you this drink until somebody else comes over and you hand it to them. And I said and I joked and I cause I thought she was kidding and I went, Okay, so I called my sister. She came over and I went here, hold this a second. So I handed it to her and then I was like here, hand it back to me. She handed it back to me and I went to go reach for the other one. She goes, no, the team member goes. No, she goes.
Speaker 3:I don't care what you do, Like this was her quote I don't care what you do when you go past me, but I will not hand you this drink with you holding another one in your hand. I was like man, you know, all of us are over 21. Like you know, I'm actually going to give it to them and you could. Where the tables are, where she is, isn't the same like sight line, it's not like. This is over in another area. They're literally 10 steps from each other and she was like hell bent on me not holding two cocktails in my hand.
Speaker 1:Which is weird, because during Halloween Horror Nights it's always been two.
Speaker 3:I do two drinks per ID two drinks per ID.
Speaker 1:It's one drink per hand. That is the general law in most states and stuff and that's how it was at Halloween Horror Nights last year.
Speaker 3:So I don't know if it's changing, is this?
Speaker 1:universal, trying to take a stab at dealing with people being drunk.
Speaker 3:But here's the thing I when Disney or when you see so we go to a lot of theme parks down here. So I've gone to not just, I'm sorry, I've gone to a lot of amusement parks, I've gone to a lot of theme parks. When I go up to Cedar Fair parks, they have a sign that's posted one drink per ID. When I go to SeaWorld, it's one drink ID but posted up Disney, two drinks per ID, and they have a sign. I did not see a sign anywhere that said one drink per ID.
Speaker 3:So I don't know if this is like something universal, is like soft launching or if this is something that she made up, or if this is something that like is the active rule and universal, has just neglected to put a sign up.
Speaker 1:We'll see there was. So there's a post on Reddit Now it's from two years ago, but it said they were planning to visit in October and they were looking if the dining past help with beverage cost and that they saw online. It says two drinks per license Correct. So I'm interested if you would have tried to have ordered two drinks with just one ID, if you would have been able to do that, because it's support like. From my understanding, I don't understand that that law has changed that one ID can purchase two drinks because it's one drink per hand. Correct.
Speaker 1:So I don't know, but we had an interesting time right after that because your mom and I were standing waiting for the food to come out and the same cashier, correct, comes from the registers into the booth where they're cooking, no gloves on her hands, and starts talking to a team member. Keeping in mind what they're talking about is not work appropriate conversation the vocabulary coming out of their mouth.
Speaker 3:On stage conversations.
Speaker 1:And the next thing I know the guy like turns, like he's going to run from her. She grabs him by his dreadlocks, full hands in her hair and he goes with his gloved hands and grabs his hair and her hands and then they both ran out of the booth and your mother made I made a comment I said that's disgusting. And your mother made a comment and she said I hope he changes his gloves.
Speaker 1:Well, the man standing right in front of us, he just turned away because he didn't know what else to do in that time, because we weren't saying it to him, they were just saying it out loud when I'm sure he heard it and that guy walked back in the booth, did not change his gloves.
Speaker 3:That's disgusting. I would see if I would have seen that I would have said something. Well. I was actually getting yelled at, scolded for any who I don't know. I just think that we in the food and beverage world we got hit so hard after COVID because people got really scared to consume food, and when you touch something like that, that changes my mindset.
Speaker 1:I played in the dirt as a kid. Nothing can kill me, but so, yeah, while we were there, your mom ordered the fried green tomato sandwich.
Speaker 3:The fried green tomato sandwich, the po boy, the green tomato, po boy, and she also got the shrimp and crawfish boil and we got to. You guys got your category five.
Speaker 1:and then she went and bought Rob, and then I got the espresso martini, yep. We had a nice little snack, little rest, and then we met that amazing Cajun woman who we're going to post. She will be. We're going to post this picture. We saw her from a distance. We were sitting really far away and they have the parade performers out in the park several hours before the parade, just interacting with people and being out on the park.
Speaker 1:She's the queen of Marty girl and we saw this woman from a long distance away and we just saw her body language, the way she was acting.
Speaker 3:I saw that purple, glittery lipstick she was rocking and I was like, oh, I want to be friends with this lady. And we walked over.
Speaker 1:I walked over because I just wanted to get a picture with her, because I thought she was stunning. She had a great smile like she. She was just she's been emphasized what Marty girl is, and I think Universal did a good job casting her, and she said you want my husband to be in a picture, so I don't know if it's her husband in real life or her her stage husband, but I was like yeah, get in here.
Speaker 1:And we I mean I felt more in Marty girl's event in that you know 45 second conversation we had with her because I walked up and I was like hey, can I get a picture with you for my podcast? And she's like yeah, but first and then, just out of nowhere, appears a Marty girl coin.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I've never gotten coins before. I've gotten a ton of beads. I've gotten, obviously, like all the beads and the confetti. I've come home with confetti in places.
Speaker 1:Confetti shouldn't be and all the beads and rest in peace to the other parade performers that were there, because I feel so sorry. They were trying to engage with us, but I wanted nothing to do with anyone but her.
Speaker 3:We did engage with the one that that made me do mom and I do our ring toss, oh yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you guys said that do ring toss with it, which I sent that video, so maybe we'll publish it if we can find good music to put behind it or something. But it was. It was nice because when you go to somewhere like Disney, your interaction is with a famous character and when you're at Universal, you're talking to mummy, men on stilts and just these random characters that are no one. They have no names, we don't know who they are. They're not a famous character. But it was fun because we were celebrating Marty girl and we were playing games with these random people that they were like you want beads, you got to earn them and they made you earn them, not in the typical Marty girl style that most people remember, because this is a kid show.
Speaker 3:I didn't have to flash any of my boobies, lol.
Speaker 1:But it was a fun experience.
Speaker 3:Just leave it that story. Thanks, Shan.
Speaker 1:And I really enjoyed that opportunity, because when I go to parks I don't do that, I don't interact with the characters, because I'm a 30 year old man and I find it kind of weird. Unless you're Mary Poppins, I will always interact with her and I thought it was. I thought it was fun. So hats off to Universal for doing that. I think you did a good job. The mushroom people that have the mushroom heads I don't like. They weird me out and I don't know why, and I have a friend that's actively terrified of mushrooms. Like, I'm not scared of them, I just don't like them. They look weird and I don't like it.
Speaker 3:Guys the sin's afraid of shrooms.
Speaker 1:No, the last of us is my favorite game and TV show.
Speaker 3:Until Fallout comes out. It's not too confusing, fallout boy. If you know, you know.
Speaker 1:So after that your sister and then went to go ride Jimmy Fallon, you and your brother road rip ride. And then your mom met a friend who we'll talk about, and I was sitting.
Speaker 3:I'm letting her talk about it.
Speaker 1:Well, that's what I meant. We'll talk about it Like as in. We'll get to that point. And then you were getting people out at that point and I was like this is not a good place for us to watch the parade. And you were like no, we're going to watch the parade right here. And you guys went to ride, rip, ride. And then you were like wait a minute, why don't we go over to where the parade begins? Because then we can also be where the parade ends and we can see the parade twice. And I was like we did.
Speaker 1:And we did, and then that's what mean your mom and I ran over to get some more food.
Speaker 3:We went back to the Mexico place and we got some food and margaritas and at this point I first saw Savo sauce and sat my booty down and waited for the parade. And we did, and the parade came out. We saw the parade.
Speaker 1:Peopleed out. But I think at this point, everything else that we've done, I think we discussed with Shan, so I think it's time that we jump in with time for the iconic Shan to make to be the first official guest on Orlando unplugged For the 10th episode. Here we go.
Speaker 3:But it's a dad, dad, dad, dad, dad Shan.
Speaker 1:Okay, so we're about to do the interview with Shan, but I have to apologize. I don't know exactly why the audio. We had to use a third mic for this and it's her first time using it, first time trying some new things, and it's going to sound a little weird and a little odd and we apologize for it. We're going to make it better. But yeah, here's Shan, it's.
Speaker 3:Shan Hi Shan, hello Ashley, hello Dustin. I was going to say it's a podcast mom, you have to talk.
Speaker 1:She's nervous. I told her she's got to eat that microphone like it's an ice cream and now she's just like focusing on the foam.
Speaker 3:You're doing great. You're doing great.
Speaker 5:I'm so glad I'm doing great.
Speaker 3:I think this is first off. This is a big moment for early known plugged because we have our first official guest, the iconic, the infamous, the shout out to Shan, as the last nine episodes that's heard me say you're, you're official. Now You're here, You're sitting inside Well, I can't really say the podcast studio, because it's definitely just my room.
Speaker 1:I mean, it's a podcast studio?
Speaker 3:Yeah, it definitely is, but you're here. This is so cool, I'm here.
Speaker 1:You look like you're about to pass out and go to bed. Yeah, you really do.
Speaker 5:I am ready to pass out and go to bed. It's been a very long universal day.
Speaker 3:So why? I think we had some original plans to do some things, but today was kind of just like a lot. So I think instead we should just kind of introduce you and kind of go from there and kind of spill the tea with, with the iconic shout out to Shan and do that Spill the tea. Spill the tea, all the tea. What tea?
Speaker 5:are we spilling?
Speaker 3:We should spill it all, Like I say all of this so we can start. Where do you want to start? What do you want to spill the tea on?
Speaker 5:You want to spill the tea, so you tell me where to start it.
Speaker 1:Well, okay, so let's do it this way. We know who you are. The listeners who have listened to us know that we shout out to you all the time, but who are you?
Speaker 3:Yeah, you're going to need to give an intro here.
Speaker 5:Oh God, well go. So the infamous Shan is a mom of three kids.
Speaker 3:I'm not you having to hesitate there for a second. Do you remember how many children you have?
Speaker 5:I'm tired.
Speaker 3:It's been a very long day. Is there a brother or sister out there that I don't know?
Speaker 5:The infamous Shan is the mom to Ashley, the mom to Lauren and the mom to Rob.
Speaker 3:I love how you put us all in order too. She's such a mom.
Speaker 5:I did. So yeah, I mean, what else do you guys want to know?
Speaker 3:I want to know everything. Give me all the dirt, give me everything.
Speaker 1:I feel like. So where are you from, Shan? Where do you?
Speaker 3:live when?
Speaker 1:do you live now?
Speaker 5:Where are?
Speaker 3:you from, where do you live? Go, give us a little hint.
Speaker 5:So I was born in Newport, new York, virginia, and then my mom and my stepdad moved to Michigan in 1979, and I think I was five and I've lived in Michigan ever since I was boo.
Speaker 3:I'm just kidding. We love horror. Michigan listeners Love you guys. Just despise your state.
Speaker 5:Yep. So I met my husband in high school, got married, Wait, wait wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
Speaker 3:You can't just bypass this story. Okay, Bypass what story? The iconic dad, mom story. We cannot just bypass that story and be like oh yeah, they met in high school. No, how did you two meet, Shan? Where?
Speaker 5:please tell all of our listeners, my husband played trumpet and I was on the color guard in the marching band and we met at band camp.
Speaker 3:At band camp, that like story that everybody hears, and they're like oh my God, I went in at band camp. Yeah, that was my parents.
Speaker 5:So I was a sophomore in high school and my husband was a senior.
Speaker 3:Wow, going after the younger lady. And the man's not here anymore, so I can totally make fun of him without getting grounded for two weeks.
Speaker 1:Oh, lol, I'm here for it, jesus Christ.
Speaker 5:Yep, so we were married. Oh God, we were together 30 years and married almost 25 before Rob passed away Too long. Yeah. She is. I actually shut up, Ashley, I can still ground you.
Speaker 3:I know she is.
Speaker 5:I actually just turned 50 in.
Speaker 3:December.
Speaker 5:She just turned five.
Speaker 1:Really I would not, I would not have guessed that.
Speaker 3:And she went on the cruise and while she went on the cruise I died in a hospital and had surgery.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I know, and you called the cruise line. Like where is my mummy? I need my mummy.
Speaker 3:And guess who didn't fly to see her daughter that was dying?
Speaker 5:Me, my mummy, I did not. I was on my last day of my cruise.
Speaker 3:She was precious to the wind.
Speaker 5:Oh, I was that night.
Speaker 3:She thought my kidney story was super funny.
Speaker 5:So, yeah, I was on the last night of my cruise when Ashley called, and the next day we were in San Juan, puerto Rico, and then the day after that we flew home.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and I actually died the entire time. But, yeah, my mother is 50 years old, so, yeah, there you go, yeah. I'm just getting older and older. I mean, my mother is getting older and older. We're getting older and older by the minute.
Speaker 5:But, dustin, I appreciate the fact that you said I that you would have never guessed that that kind of makes me feel good, oh, well, what can I say?
Speaker 1:That's what I do, that's what I'm here for. Wow, I say that with the realization that I'm only 20 years younger than you.
Speaker 2:Okay, I got you stuck. All right, so I have a couple of questions.
Speaker 3:Okay, being the oldest being the wisest out of the three.
Speaker 5:Let's not go that far, but okay.
Speaker 3:Okay, hush Hush, if you, we, we all. I feel like we always either start a segment of ours or we end a segment with, you know, questions for other people and giving advice, and I think that's how our lane to one plug has started, and I think that's something we'll continue to do for quite a while. So if you were a new coming up mom or in a new relationship that had just gotten married, what's the advice you would? You would recommend to those that are are just stepping foot into something new and hoping to make it last as long as you and Al Padre of minded.
Speaker 5:What's the?
Speaker 3:secret. What's the secret to 25 years Shan?
Speaker 5:There really isn't a secret. I think it's just taking it one day at a time and you have to do date nights. You can't forget about each other. You have to make sure that that person knows that they're important to you.
Speaker 3:But I love that. That's so great. That's so great. I'm in such an anti love mood right now. It's so wonderful for me. I wonder why I have no idea. I have no clue whatsoever, so can I? Can I allow to ask the next question, Do you? Do you have any questions, or am I just skipping you?
Speaker 1:Um, I don't know.
Speaker 3:All right, cool Out of all three of us. You're on air now live?
Speaker 5:Oh, I will never tell you, you are live.
Speaker 1:You're live recorded like a week before this goes out.
Speaker 3:Bullshit. I need to know who the favorite out of the three of us is.
Speaker 1:Me, it's me no it's me, it's me.
Speaker 3:No, it's not.
Speaker 1:It's definitely me, because I'm taking care of two out of her three children. For her, it's totally.
Speaker 5:Somebody get this man a cookie he's it might be all of the new people that I've met in Orlando when I got here on Monday it's not, it's my cat, bruce.
Speaker 1:Oh wait, Hold on, I'm going to get this man. So in her honor.
Speaker 5:Geo. So Jordan Geo Brandon.
Speaker 3:Zach Julia.
Speaker 5:Seth and you and me and Dustin.
Speaker 1:I don't, oh gosh, you might forget.
Speaker 5:I hope I'm not forgetting anyway.
Speaker 3:I don't think so. Is there anybody else that was there at?
Speaker 1:our event, our sloppy taco, bartenders and servers.
Speaker 5:Yeah, and then of course, rob Lauren, nick, yeah and Ashley.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I love how I'm last, but not least. Right, you're not. Ladies and gentlemen, she confirmed.
Speaker 5:I am the best. I did. Never said that and I will never say that I have a favorite.
Speaker 3:I don't wait to tell Lord, and I don't have a favorite. Okay, so we did an entire day today at Universal. We opened islands and then we pop over to studios and Dustin and I will go into our full day of that later in the episode or no way.
Speaker 1:We did that already.
Speaker 3:Oh, I'm sorry, we talked about that earlier.
Speaker 1:We're recording that at a later date, but we're talking earlier in the podcast.
Speaker 3:I'm so sorry we're messing up guys.
Speaker 1:Okay, no, just you.
Speaker 3:I'm just a little tired today.
Speaker 5:It was a very long Universal.
Speaker 3:It's 10 o'clock at night on a Wednesday and I'm really tired.
Speaker 1:And you have your flight. You have to leave here at 2 30. I have to be at work at five and poor Ashley was supposed to be at work at six and now is going in at like two o'clock two in the afternoon.
Speaker 5:Yeah, yeah, we actually have to leave at 2 30 in the morning because we have to be to the airport by three, because our flight leaves at five am.
Speaker 1:That's only four and a half hours from right now.
Speaker 5:Oh I know I'm doing great. I'm doing great. Tomorrow will be a very big nap.
Speaker 3:You know what's crazy is. By the time she lands, I'll be getting up to get ready to go to work.
Speaker 1:I will still be at work, I will have already been there and we'll still be there.
Speaker 3:I love that for you guys, but it's about time.
Speaker 5:So yeah, very long universal day.
Speaker 3:Yeah, You've done this trip coming down to see us quite often. I mean, when I originally lived down in. This is since this is my third time living here. You've done this trip quite a few times.
Speaker 5:What to Mardi Gras? Or just Orlando, like just to come down to Orlando, oh gosh, I feel like this is like my second home.
Speaker 3:What's your go to need to have on an airplane? Like you, don't travel without this thing. You have to have it. It's one of the first things you pack. What is it? Gum Gum. That's your first thing.
Speaker 5:Gum, jesus Christ. No, because my ears pop. I need gum, yeah, yeah. Yeah, probably gum and a bottle of water, because everything on the flight is just so damn expensive.
Speaker 3:See for me it's my headphones and a bottle of water. I can't. I can't stand crotch goblins and people and everything else and they just get too loud on airplanes and all the pressure and so I just feel like when I have my headphones I'm cozy. I can't.
Speaker 1:If you're going to, if you're going to full on, fist a big microphone while I'm over here stuck with this micro microphone, actually talking to it.
Speaker 3:Ashley did talking to know, you were going like this Well, I'm looking two different ways.
Speaker 1:So you got to take the microphone with you.
Speaker 5:So what is your go to?
Speaker 1:I don't know, because my flights have only ever been like an hour and a half, because it's just like here to Knoxville or Knoxville here. But now I use AirPods, headphones of some kind, and then usually like either a book or a movie or something that I can just like focus on, so I don't actually have to pay attention to do. I love that your sister has to do something and she is dead silent, whereas your brother or Rob or Julia need to come through and they like bulldoze the entire house down.
Speaker 3:Do you know, the only reason she came in here was specifically to steal my cat. Well, because we leave tomorrow.
Speaker 5:Oh, she has to yeah.
Speaker 3:She has to pee. She's got to pee All she's got to go Tinkle, tinkle, I don't know how she's been. Well, there's a go tinkle when she whispers.
Speaker 5:How cute is she.
Speaker 1:I don't, do. You think it's funny that you guys have these massive microphones in your hand and I've just got this tiny little?
Speaker 3:micro microphone.
Speaker 1:But yeah, that's what I take with me when I go on an airplane. I love that yeah. And a snack I like a candy, like I wonder how many trips nerds clusters down down here.
Speaker 3:when I've lived here, it's been quite a few.
Speaker 5:Oh God, I would. I would be afraid to even count.
Speaker 3:You know what? I would be afraid to count how much it cost All those trips combined Like how many. How much money in plane tickets?
Speaker 5:Well, the crazy part is when we first started coming down during covid, they actually weren't cheap. That's right, because nobody was on a plane. It was great to me.
Speaker 3:I joke all the time and nobody understands it. And then my mom comes down and I'm like now you like? Then she's the one that's like oh no, it's true, every I have. I have lived here three times and in the three times that I've lived here I see my mother more than I live here. Then, when I lived in her house, for eight months.
Speaker 5:Ok, in my defense. I live in Michigan. It's freezing eight months out of the year.
Speaker 3:Yeah, no that should be like no, I had to move out in order for my mother to move in. Normal thing. I moved out and my mother moved in.
Speaker 1:Oh, ok, I've got one, I got one.
Speaker 3:All right.
Speaker 1:So, shan, what so? This is a two part question. I have a part one. So Ashley came, did the college program, came home, came back down, went home again and then had that fateful day where she had a shot of water, a shot at Tequila and a coin and was like, what am I going to do? So when she said I'm moving back to Florida, oh no, what went through your brain? Oh no, what was your opinion on all of that?
Speaker 3:This is a horrible question, mom. You don't have to answer this. Don't feel pressured. Let the woman, let the woman talk.
Speaker 1:Let the woman talk.
Speaker 3:I don't want to know what she was thinking. That's why.
Speaker 5:Well, number one, if you're moving down, you're taking your brother, because Rob, since my husband died, Rob has that's all Rob has talked about is coming to Florida.
Speaker 3:I'm going to Florida and going to Florida since he died we have not moved on from. He has passed my dad died. Ok, it's, I mean, it is what it is this woman gave me so much shit after my father died and I'd be like listen, homeboy dead.
Speaker 5:He croaked, so to answer that question to answer that question. That was my first thing, and then my second thing was third time is the charm your? Ass is not coming back. I love you, but, god, we get along so much better when you're seven states away.
Speaker 1:Well, that actually she's not wrong, though.
Speaker 3:You know why?
Speaker 1:Because there's a little red button when we argue on the phone that I could just hang up on. And you do a lot.
Speaker 5:Oh, I do consistently. Well, actually the last like month or two, actually we haven't. I don't think we thought it.
Speaker 3:I did realize, though, that this is the longest we have gone without seeing each other. Yeah. And like the past two years. That was the longest we had gone from, from November to March. Yeah, yeah, that's sad November, december, january, February, march five months. And I'm like, mommy, when you coming now, I need to eat.
Speaker 1:All right.
Speaker 5:So now you said that was a two part. What's the second?
Speaker 1:Well, it was a two part, but you already answered the second part, which was to follow up. What was your reaction when you found out that Rob was leaving Michigan as well?
Speaker 3:Oh see, rob wanted to move down, though before I was like, hey, I'm ready to come back.
Speaker 5:Rob's been wanting to move down ever since Dad passed away. Originally he was going to live with James.
Speaker 3:and then James got this obviously wonderful opportunity to get a full right scholarship to college. Hey, James, we're super proud Because he listens to our podcast. Did you know that?
Speaker 1:I did I love that support. What's up, kid?
Speaker 3:Oh, we love that kid. So originally the boys were going to move down here without me, like they were just going to do the whole thing by themselves. And then there was a moment that we all you, me, rob, I think Lauren was even thinking about it that we are going to buy a house down here and just live down here, and then all of a sudden, not yet whatever, that is no it's Taylor Swift news, so hurry up. Oh God. And then, all of a sudden, it was. He does this all the time.
Speaker 1:Breaking news.
Speaker 3:Okay, jesus Christ, it was no Rob. Rob was. I was like okay, I'm coming down. Rob was like so can I go too?
Speaker 2:I think it kind of became a snow, way it was very.
Speaker 5:it was very hard for me when they both said that they were leaving. Yeah, because I mean I have Lauren at home and I'm thankful that I have, you know, lauren at home, but it's weird not to have all three of them in the same house.
Speaker 3:Well, and I think it definitely went from from. It was weird for me because, like, when I moved back home, I was back, basically, in my childhood bedroom, well, basically my childhood bedroom, Well, kind of not really my brother's room. He took over my room when I moved out and then it was like, okay, your mom's here, your brother's here, your sister's here, oh, and there's dead dad, you know, jay Chilling on the mantle now. So like, oh my God, I'm back in my childhood home, back in my hometown, doing all the things that I ran away from five years ago. Okay, now I'm back. And then I went, okay, I kind of want to leave again. And then I'm now by myself where I have to do my own laundry, have to do my own shit. Oh my.
Speaker 5:God, she has to adult.
Speaker 3:I do, but like not just adults, but it's a different adult because it's not like an adult, that like I have to adult, not just for me, I have to adult for Rob.
Speaker 1:So yeah, you'd be doing his laundry, but not anymore.
Speaker 3:He'd be doing his own laundry now, I know In every episode I always beg and plead to get a new podcast host. This time I'm going to put up signs and both of them are going to be on the podcast Bolo's for a new podcast host please.
Speaker 1:Because I acknowledge the fact that your brother can do his own laundry.
Speaker 5:Dude, he called me. I cannot tell you how proud he was the day that he called me and said mom, I've done my own laundry.
Speaker 3:He was so proud he called me and we were in Tennessee and he like how to do it. Zach taught him how to do it in Tennessee and I he called me and I was like, oh, you don't need me anymore.
Speaker 1:But you had a conemption fit, because Zach taught him to do laundry without separating the whites and the colors, because it is the 21st century and you don't have to do that anymore.
Speaker 3:But guess what? Yes, you do. Yeah, he do be back to doing it. You know why? Because he definitely shrunk his favorite shirts.
Speaker 1:So what does shrinking a shirt have to do with color?
Speaker 3:Because he put his undies, his tidy white he's in the same one as his D shirts and then throw them all in the dryer. And they threw them all in the dryer and he shrunk that shirt and he shrunk his tidy white.
Speaker 1:Do you dry your clothes on different settings.
Speaker 3:Yes, you're supposed to.
Speaker 1:Oh, I definitely don't, justin, you're supposed to You're delicate.
Speaker 3:Because you're supposed to be on a.
Speaker 1:What is a delicate, they do unplug that, honey.
Speaker 3:We are going to teach Justin how to drive his own laundry.
Speaker 1:Okay, hold on. Hold on. What is a delicate? A sock or a shirt? A delicate is your underwear.
Speaker 3:Your underwear is your under.
Speaker 5:That is not a delicate, it is no. Yes, it is it is your underwear?
Speaker 3:Yes, it is. Stop talking. Listen to your elders. The woman knows best.
Speaker 5:Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. So we're going to get a little personnel here. No, we're not, Justin. Are you a boxer or a brief guy?
Speaker 1:Brief Okay Brief.
Speaker 3:Lady is a gentleman. He's a brief man.
Speaker 5:Your delicates would be.
Speaker 3:I wish you could see the light that she just went Dun dun dun, dun, dun, dun dun dun.
Speaker 1:Okay, two things, ashley. I have changed the sound 50 times to keep you from clipping. Stop screaming no. And secondly, please be quiet. The elders are talking.
Speaker 3:Please, elder, you have the floor.
Speaker 1:No, elders. Oh goodie, we are here.
Speaker 5:Okay, wait a second. So your, your Delicates, your delicates, because their briefs would be on a white, but you're also not a female, us females. Correct, and our little, our little you know, Lingerie, our bras, our under knees, so our under knees are bras. You're over the shoulder boulder holders.
Speaker 3:He said that today, to muscle it up my knees oh my God, I'm dead Are over the shoulder boulder holders.
Speaker 5:So you're over the shoulder. Boulder holders our little under knees. You know, our panties our lingerie.
Speaker 3:My mother doesn't have sex anymore, clearly.
Speaker 5:Wait, wait, wait. It's so many years to say you know our little thongs, you know I don't, don't, don't, don't, Don't, don't, don't.
Speaker 1:Butt floss.
Speaker 3:What was that? What was that? Butt, floss, butt.
Speaker 1:That's what my grandfather used to call it. It's how all them girls running around with that butt floss, Wait, wait wait, wait, wait Before we get in this conversation.
Speaker 3:do you know, the first time I bought a thong, I went to Victoria's Secret. Of course. And I stole my mother's coupon to get a free thong. No, they don't do that anymore. No, they used to and I went to there and I got a thong and I came home and it was a size too big for me and then I went no, this isn't mine, it's my mom's dad, it's mom's.
Speaker 5:And then the crazy part is that when Lauren got her first long I believe your dad and I took her to go get her first. All right, I had to hide mine, and then, if I could, drove that bitch to her, well, no, you didn't have to hide it. You chose to hide it I was so scared. I just didn't want the lot of my luckings. Oh God I had the yolk.
Speaker 3:No, you know what they're called. So okay, wait a minute.
Speaker 5:Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait before we get before.
Speaker 1:Okay, hold on, hold on before we get off topic.
Speaker 5:All right, go back to.
Speaker 1:Which she does a lot, which oh, the ADB Bird squirrel.
Speaker 3:She's listening to all nine episodes.
Speaker 5:She's fully aware.
Speaker 4:So in our defense, our, our delegates are done on delegates and the other crazy thing is that I don't dry my bras.
Speaker 5:I don't dry my underwear, I don't dry any of that. I hang everything up and let it dry itself.
Speaker 3:So if you drive past my mother's house, you'll see them hanging up in the window.
Speaker 1:So here's my question. Oh my God.
Speaker 3:Now you understand why I display my watch and my callets because I watched my mother display her bras and undies.
Speaker 1:Here's my question.
Speaker 5:If Rob oh my God Sounds like a dying bird, Jesus Christ child. No, I had to pull it back. It's going to make so, oh, my God.
Speaker 1:In other words that's because Bruce is trying to get away from you right now. I'm crying.
Speaker 5:I have full tears in my eyes. Okay, so in your defense, so, yeah, so in my defense, no, because but Rob's underwear, it's underwear, it's not.
Speaker 1:it's not thongs or panties.
Speaker 5:No, no, no, no, no, ashley, it's hot and it's the same material as shirt. So delicate should just be like women's undergarments.
Speaker 3:Okay, but I you know what I do believe, though. I believe that clothes remember things. So I think that when we wash our clothes a certain way and then we go to change the way that we wash our stuff, I think our clothes go.
Speaker 1:What the fuck, are you shocked? The fabric.
Speaker 5:Yes, you're fucking with the fabric, so I think that's but see for, but for men's boxer and brief you're not screwing with the fabric, but you have to remember how Rob's boxers.
Speaker 3:I love that. This is the conversation we're having. You have to remember Rob's boxies. Remember, but they do they remember the way that they?
Speaker 5:I hate this conversation but they hit in the famous, in the famous words of Zach.
Speaker 3:I hate, it here, I think I'm getting the arrow, but it's fine. Anyways, I think they remember how they were Delicately washed. What are they children?
Speaker 5:They're going to remember how they were put in there and they were washed.
Speaker 1:They were washed. They were what Washed.
Speaker 3:Washed, washed, washed, sister sauce.
Speaker 1:Washed sister sauce.
Speaker 3:Thank you we have this company that we ordered through at work called Washed Shrom, and I can't ever say it, so I literally call it Washes sister store, my boss goes Nope, Wash your sister store yeah cause it's Washes. It's where we order it's Washes, can you?
Speaker 5:say that again for us in the back that didn't hear the first time WASS E R S T O R M Washes.
Speaker 3:It's a German company that sells all our alcohol. Kitchen equipment.
Speaker 1:All of your, what you're all allowed kitchen equipment.
Speaker 5:What is that?
Speaker 3:They sell like kitchen stuff and then they sell bar things. So I call it alcohol kitchen equipment Cause I run everything. So yeah, but like you know what, I can never say it.
Speaker 1:Mercedes, just heard what you said about alcoholic kitchen equipment and she's rolling in her grave because this woman literally teaches the bars at like bartending school. She would be so ashamed of you.
Speaker 3:Thank you for laughing with me, even though I know you're laughing at me.
Speaker 5:Oh my gosh.
Speaker 3:It's fine. Hey, speaking of alcohol you know my mother likes alcohol. Yeah, I tried to say, man, it's something nice for you, and I couldn't. I couldn't do it. Do you know? This woman is the reason that I have such a such a love for Tequila? Because she makes me drink Tequila.
Speaker 5:No, no, no, no, no, no. I don't make you drink, I don't make you give a love of Tequila.
Speaker 3:No, my love for bourbon and whiskey came from my mother.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yes, that came from me, my mother, the wonderful story, that we're not going to go into detail, on the amazing Margaritas that we had today at a great cost.
Speaker 3:Oh, so good. 10 out of 10.
Speaker 1:You can ask us about that off here. We'll happily talk about it 110 percent Off the air?
Speaker 3:we absolutely will. Oh, 100 percent, yeah, yeah, 100 percent. Okay. What's your least favorite thing about going to a theme park? If you could change one thing about your theme park experience, what would it be? The tourist Ma'am you are a tourist. I hate to break it to you, but you don't live here.
Speaker 5:Oh, technically I do because, I'm always here.
Speaker 3:I thought she was going to say because she covers Rob's rent. Technically, I do live here, I pay for it. Oh my God, oh yeah, same. I mean I know I love and hate the tourists. I love them because obviously they bring you know business to all of our jobs. And if, if we didn't have the tourists, none of us would have jobs, but I despise the one days that, like we want to go to the park and experience a park day that they are there.
Speaker 3:And you know, as a tourist who has a tourist who has now become a Florida resident, I would smack the crap out of myself five years ago had I watched how I behaved as a tourist, because I acted so oblivious. I was the one that would stop in the middle of the place and be like, oh my God, look at changing colors.
Speaker 5:Well, I think the one thing.
Speaker 3:I was like, oh my God, I'm going to be a tourist and now, as a Florida resident, I'm like move out of my way.
Speaker 5:I just want a Mickey on a stick. Well, I think today we were on River. Yes, we were River.
Speaker 3:Adventure in Jurassic Parkland.
Speaker 5:You should have said the whole name here, Sorry. River Adventure in Jurassic. Park, we are all called River, and there was a lady in the very front row and she was filming the entire time and they had to come over the loud speaker and tell her to please put your phone away.
Speaker 3:Please put your phone away, Bro one. Please put your phone away.
Speaker 5:We laughed today after we had all. Actually it was a dude's voice, so does someone need you to say the whole thing again?
Speaker 1:Be quiet and let your mom tell her story.
Speaker 5:That's not what you're supposed to say, but keep going Well and then, when we were all sitting here tonight at the apartment having dinner, one of them had said that was probably crazy because she probably didn't understand them coming over the loud speaker telling her to put her phone away. And the other one had said why can't you just unplug and enjoy that time? Why do you have to film every single thing that you do?
Speaker 3:I think the crazy part is because somebody has already done that. Like if you go on YouTube, if you go on these, I have to seize it.
Speaker 1:But people have. They have to have their own video of it.
Speaker 3:But it just kills me. I think pictures should be taken outside and you let the ride on. Photos be taken by Universal or by Disney or by SeaWorld, by whatever park you're experiencing at, because you pay for that.
Speaker 1:I'm not going to buy that photo, I'm not going to spend the money on it, but someone will.
Speaker 3:I'm sure she did, because I bet you when she called up somebody and went hi, I like to place my vacation package. Joe Schmo told her, told her that she goes. You know what it might be beneficial for you if you buy the photo package, because all those photos you want to make it your Christmas card this year. That's how you can do it. So now you just, instead of getting this wonderful Christmas photo, you now get because you're looking up at somebody who just said man, please put your phone away, row one.
Speaker 3:put your phone away and all of us on the boat going put your damn phone away.
Speaker 1:You know the thing I hate screaming at her to do it.
Speaker 1:The thing I hate most about that is it interrupts the show for almost, if not the entire attraction, Like the same thing happened to us at ET today. We made it to the part where ET was going to say all of our names and then they come over the loudspeaker over the entire ride so they interrupt the entire show and they're telling people to stay seated, keeping their arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times. And yeah, and then it didn't say anyone's names but Lauren and Nick.
Speaker 5:And the people in front of us, and here's the fun part.
Speaker 1:I have lived in Orlando since November. I've ridden ET probably. I think this is probably the sixth time I've ridden. It Hasn't said my name one time.
Speaker 3:Because I don't interrupt it each and every time. It's ridiculous.
Speaker 5:Yeah, so I think that's my, that's my annoying part, yeah.
Speaker 3:You know what I'm kind of ready for Universal to do, though. Give me some new food options, like some new QSRs, because I I love the Mardi Gras stands. I think those are great, but I don't get them all year round.
Speaker 1:You know you didn't experience this today, but your mom and I stopped it. Was it Mexico? Was it the Mexican? We stopped at the Mexican stand to get our margaritas and some form of quesadilla and some form of like beef nachos.
Speaker 5:So like a nacho for it. Now there was no line.
Speaker 1:We walked straight up to the counter, we placed our order and she said you know, step around to the side. There were two ladies in front of us and then, the time we walked over there, three people walked up behind us. They had one chef in there.
Speaker 3:What chef?
Speaker 1:Making all of that food and we just stood over there for like five.
Speaker 5:five to 10 minutes is what it felt like, at least.
Speaker 1:And I mean it was nice. The. The food for the most part was fresh. They were soggy because they had set in the stuff for so long. That was the. That was the part that I didn't like is we spent the money for that and then we didn't get our value.
Speaker 3:You know what I'm hearing, though, because, as somebody who who has obviously worked in the food and beverage world since I was 17, I have seen a massive we've seen a massive decline in food, and I've seen a massive decline of of cooks and chefs and people passionate about the food and beverage world, so they're running on like skeleton crews for these places. I mean, I've got friends of mine that actively work inside you know theme park restaurants that are like, yeah, yesterday we had a full kitchen. Today it's like half, because all half of our staff quit.
Speaker 5:Yeah, but I think the crazy thing for me is that it's Mardi Gras. Yeah.
Speaker 3:I mean there.
Speaker 5:Shouldn't, you shouldn't, be running on one chef during Mardi Gras.
Speaker 1:Well, and we spent. You know, shan, you spent what was $120 to get a gift card, that no, it was 120, and we got a $30 credit. So we had $150 to spend on Mardi Gras food. We stopped at one place. We spent a good chunk. You spent a good chunk of that money there because I think you got two beverages and three food items. And then you went over and got Rob a food item and another thing. And then we walk up to Columbia because you and I were going to get this weird drink that had these gummy cherries and stuff in it, and the one, and it is four o'clock.
Speaker 1:So there's, three hours left at the park is open and she goes oh we're, we were out of that for the day For the day For the day at 4pm they were out of three hours left in the park.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 5:Because you guys went to, I think you guys are getting ready to ride, rip ride, and so Dustin and I were kind of walking around to see what we wanted to do, because him and I were not riding. And she's like, yeah, I'm sorry we're out of it for the day. For the day, like that's what I meant, it's Mardi Gras, like you're not supposed to be one chef, you're not supposed to run out of alcohol.
Speaker 3:I'm curious to see then how itch I just going to roll. Then Are we going to see the same thing coming up here in the fall. Are we going to see a decline in? In my question is is this do you think we're going to see a decline in QSR stands because of the short staffing, or do you think we will see the same amount of QSR stands but with limited staffing?
Speaker 1:I don't think it my personal opinion. I don't think it'll be a problem because HHN is Christmas to Dollywood.
Speaker 3:That's pretty true, it is a massive.
Speaker 1:That is is where they make their money. The people love to do that, um, you know, I know like people go over from Volcano Bay and work at Universal during Halloween Horror Nights people. That is that is an event that people want in on and I don't necessarily think that that's going to be as big of a problem there. I think maybe we just hit an awkward. It was what. Today's Wednesday yeah, it's a Wednesday the park wasn't that busy, so maybe they just they they didn't make enough and they assumed that what they made would last them until the end of the day and obviously it did not.
Speaker 3:Hey, uh, mom, what is? Haha, you have to go to Shand, um, um, what is your? Um? Go to Universal, ride Like if you, if you, you're going to Universal. Be like I got my fanny pack and my snacks and my little light up cup. This is the ride I have to ride and then I know my day will be complete. What is it?
Speaker 5:Oh, hands down mummy. Oh iconic.
Speaker 3:Mummy is my. This is why Shand is like iconic.
Speaker 5:Mummy is my. It started out. You were terrified, oh God.
Speaker 3:I wish she would have been there for that. She was so scared. I was deathly, deathly, deathly afraid of that ride and now you got mummy like OG mummy too, like years ago mummy.
Speaker 5:Oh, I got mummy, before they renovated that, before they upgraded it screens.
Speaker 3:Before, everything was so nice.
Speaker 5:Oh, mummy, and it's so funny because screen mummy, if you've ever been on mummy, when you first go through, like all of it, when they tell you like the curse has real and to leave and to get out and they all, like you know, stand up on the side of you as you're going there right before it goes. Oh, I'm already screaming. I'm like I'm like a five year old.
Speaker 3:I've been told I have favorite to ride. You're wearing a candy. Yeah, oh yeah.
Speaker 5:I lose my voice every single time we ride on me. It's just my very favorite.
Speaker 1:I just remembered this when Shan Dustin Tell us about that wonderful experience we had today, as soon as we got in line at ET.
Speaker 3:Oh yes, Believe me. I said for a minute. I was like what is?
Speaker 5:the oh okay, there's none of us with touch handrails?
Speaker 3:Are we talking?
Speaker 5:about the 35 cheerleaders that were there no no, no, no, no, they weren't even half of the problem. No, we love the cheerleaders today, come into this today. We're walking. It's Rob and I, ash and Dustin and then Lauren and Nick.
Speaker 5:And all of a sudden, out of my mom, I, I see this guy, mom I got in front of me. Well, because I bought I'm I'm a huge people watcher. So the guy in front of Rob, literally I don't know if he was gagging, sneezing or whatever, but he started to throw up in his hand.
Speaker 1:In the queue line. In the queue line.
Speaker 5:And then took his hand and like, shook it like a dog, like a dog, like a dog, like, and all of a sudden I liked it, rob, and my mom instinct was to pull Rob back and I was like no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, go anywhere.
Speaker 1:But you want to know the funniest part about that she didn't pull Rob back, she didn't grab Rob, she grabbed me. Correct.
Speaker 3:Cause you be looking like. Rob.
Speaker 1:And my favorite part. And my favorite part is she just goes Rob Cause he's like three feet in front of us, right behind the man.
Speaker 3:It just happened to me. She's just like. I'm here, I'm ready to ride. And here's my mother. This guy vomits in his hand. She goes to reach for Rob, realizes it's Dustin. I go, mom. Then why are you grabbing dozen? Wait, rob.
Speaker 5:Well, and then here comes Lauren behind, so Lauren literally goes. What? What's going on? So I whisper to Lauren what happened? What does Lauren do? Hand sanitizer.
Speaker 3:And she's literally like down to me. She's like here, take a quick shower in this hand sanitizer for Bath and Body, because this would kill all 99.9% of the germs that he just threw up and sprayed everywhere.
Speaker 1:But here's the best part he doesn't get out of line, no, no, he walks right past a water fountain, doesn't rinse his hand off, nope, just shook his hand off and then kept going and then later put his hands on the handrail.
Speaker 3:Well, he did it again because we split. So in ET you split, you can go either on the left side or the right side, and he went to the left and went to the right. Rob goes Ash, ash and I went what? And he goes it is hand again. And then it's almost like he put it. I was like I'm never touching handrails again.
Speaker 1:I'm going to have to put so many trigger warnings on this episode Trigger.
Speaker 3:We do talk about vomit, occasional F bombs.
Speaker 5:It really says needless to say, when we got finally got through and we're saying our names and they're giving us the little cards, I literally took off running to where we were going and made the family catch up with me, so that way we could stay far away from that man as possible Every time we were at ET.
Speaker 3:I'm going to have to wipe off the handlebars just to make sure that they did that Gross so bad Please?
Speaker 5:universal white down the handrails at ET today. It's so bad.
Speaker 1:Welcome to a post pandemic world, ladies and gentlemen, oh yeah, god, I don't miss that hand sanitizer though.
Speaker 3:Hey, okay, I think.
Speaker 1:Final question oh wait, I think there's two final questions. All right, will you go first? Okay, tell us about your friend in the stilts that you met.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, your BFF and that conversation. Please, please, tell all of our listeners about the not PG conversation today that you had in a theme park that has children at it.
Speaker 1:Hey, and she was in Minionland, but I will. I'll preface this with that. Stilt Walker loved that conversation and shouted you out twice during the Mardi Gras Parade.
Speaker 3:And then she like, gave us a hug. Yeah. Yeah, and then she also did the boot scootin, the bootie, the bootie popping.
Speaker 5:Mardi Gras is my very, very, very favorite time at Universal.
Speaker 3:It's a 10 out of 10.
Speaker 5:I love it. I come down here specifically for Mardi Gras and the beads, yeah, and everybody knows that the back of my bedroom door probably has ridiculous.
Speaker 3:Oh God, there's so many. I'm going to need you now to send me a photo of it so we can post on their Orlando podcast page.
Speaker 5:There's so many beads and I've packed already for our flight and literally my Disney bag is like full of beads.
Speaker 3:Oh, and you can have mine.
Speaker 5:Yeah, so okay, and I've only had one, two, two you had to. I don't think I was done with my second cocktail.
Speaker 3:We went to the section right in front of Fallon to wait for everybody and you went, I'll be right back.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you were on, you were halfway through number two.
Speaker 5:Okay, so I was on number two.
Speaker 1:Hold on, hold on your all's microphones turned off because, guess what? You were screaming and it detected feedback. I'm sorry.
Speaker 5:Keep going Okay, so we, so we were trying to, it's still laughing in mid conversation.
Speaker 3:Now, everybody gets where I get it from.
Speaker 5:Please keep going. We were walking towards RIPRIDE and right in front of RIPRIDE is this little grassy area and that's where we were going to sit and watch the parade we were so all of these, you know, I guess you can call them universal actors. Entertainers.
Speaker 3:Entertainers.
Speaker 1:They're entertainers Okay.
Speaker 5:So universal entertainers, and there's three of them that are on stilts and this one lady comes down and when you see them you always say you know, happy Mardi Gras. You know they give you like the little heart in their hands or they'll blow you kisses, I know. Oh my God, it's so great.
Speaker 3:Oh be jealous. So we're here giving us the death.
Speaker 5:So she's standing there and she was like how are you guys doing, we, we? I just started having a conversation with her and I said, you know, Very inappropriate conversation.
Speaker 3:Shut up Continue.
Speaker 5:It. Nobody heard me. I was loud, You're about to tell everybody what you had, what you said. So she said, um, I said you know, I was telling her that Mardi Gras was my favorite time and I loved being down there. And she's like, oh, yeah, she goes, that's great. I said, yeah, and all the beads. And she goes yeah, all the beads. I said, and thank goodness, we don't have to show our boobs to get the beads. She goes yeah. She's one of the three and she goes.
Speaker 5:That's because they're free and this is PG.
Speaker 3:And I was yep, exactly, and here I come over and go. But this conversation is not PG, she goes, no it is not so.
Speaker 5:she, she was, she was forward.
Speaker 3:Wait, she was giggling.
Speaker 5:I was giggling so we went to sit down. We'll be ended up changing where we are initially set.
Speaker 5:Flash forward to to where, to the parade now the parade's, like we were at right where the parade started, correct. She cams out, sees us on the side and literally in her still, oh yeah, run down like leaned down in her still high fives us, hugs you Like, hugs me. She's like, oh, my God. And then, as the parade is leaving and we are getting ready to leave universal, we see her again because the parade is coming down the other way, pop that for you.
Speaker 5:She was fantastic and it makes me so sad that I didn't get her name, because I would have loved to do like a crazy inappropriate shout out to her.
Speaker 1:We will let's when we're done recording tonight so it'll already be done by the time this we will. We'll jump on Twitter and we'll what is it? You will fist bump, we will. You will fist bump the lady in the masquerade stilts with the gold and pink long pants.
Speaker 5:So with the just put in there, with the PG.
Speaker 1:If you know, you know if you know, you know. Good Lord Yep. All right, Ash, what else do you have for your mom? We're going to, we're going to get things wrapped up.
Speaker 3:Last question when are you coming back, Shan? Well, um, I actually like two days, please Like, maybe, like I don't know, two weeks I actually am starting a new job. Um, everybody is saying good bye.
Speaker 5:Yes, march 11th, so I got to gain some PTO and some vacancy.
Speaker 3:March 11th, it's the six. Why are you going home tomorrow?
Speaker 1:Wow, silence is are you, not the one that just said you were peopled out like 20 months ago.
Speaker 3:I'm peopled out Now.
Speaker 5:I'm mother out All right?
Speaker 2:Well, it's going to be difficult to leave all of them, but I'll be like please come back.
Speaker 5:Yeah, She'll cry on the phone to me and then she'll be like oh God, Justin, that woman is gone. Woo.
Speaker 3:I'll pull a rob and be like come back. Sit on the door. Well, that's all I got. You got anything else you want to add?
Speaker 5:Uh, no, thank you guys for having me.
Speaker 3:Thanks for being our first official guest.
Speaker 5:I have to say I was very nervous, but this wasn't bad at all.
Speaker 3:We just have a lot of conversations. I'm cutting out like crazy yeah.
Speaker 1:I know it's cutting out it's. I think it's the headphones, Okay.
Speaker 3:Um, we just do this a lot. We just have normal conversations like normal people and like what I contact. That's about it. It was very fun.
Speaker 5:Thank you both for having me. It was a blast. And, um, yeah, shout out to Zach and Julia and Robin Ash for letting me, letting Lauren and Nick and I camp out on your couch and hang out with you guys. And shout out to Julia for making dinner last night for all of us. And yeah, it was nice. It was great. And I got to meet Dustin, which that I'm so excited. That was great. It was kind of nice, cause I never knew.
Speaker 5:And then when I got here and I was like, oh my God, I see why him and Ashley get along so well.
Speaker 3:I feel like he's a great human Like the. I feel like our first official guest had the iconic shot at T'Chant.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, most definitely.
Speaker 5:I mean Dustin, you are a very fantastic human.
Speaker 3:Oh, thank you.
Speaker 5:Let's not boost his ego anymore than it already is. Shut up, need to invalidate the feelings. Who asked you that kid?
Speaker 1:Oh my God, you got anything you want to add no, I think we'll do our little send off here and then let's talk about a book. Yeah. All right, shan. Thanks for joining us, thank you Bye guys, we'll see you next time. All right, this week on Orlando Unplugged Book Club what Mother Won't Tell Me? Chapter 3.
Speaker 5:I love that Orlando, unplugged, is getting so creative and I'm here for it.
Speaker 1:I just love that. That was just a like joke around thing, but now we want to keep it. I literally just hit play on them on the on the song in our sound library trying to find our actual transition and that came across and we were like, oh my God, that actually sounds kind of cool. So we're going to keep it.
Speaker 3:Listen, Mr, Mr, you guys, the shit did we? We tell you guys that he shouted us out and he put us on his, his actual social media page and he had all of his like. He put a little blurb of our podcast episode and he, he, like you, could hear our voices talk about the book and he did a shout out to have all of his listeners because the man is originally in this book is originally written in German, and he had all of his like German followers, German readers, like start to listen to our podcast. And I saw people like on our, on our we can obviously see the stats.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and we had people over in journey listen to our podcast. So, thank you, sir. We we actively so far love your book.
Speaker 1:Yes, so we're sorry that it's been two episodes.
Speaker 3:We just had some life going on my dude.
Speaker 1:So for this week we are only going to be discussing one chapter because, like I said, our lives have been very busy and things have been very crazy and our podcast episodes have been very long and we're trying to limit the amount of time that we're spending. So I think in the future we're here soon we're going to have just one episode that's dedicated to several chapters that we read so well, and chapter three was pretty long compared to the first two.
Speaker 3:The first two were pretty quick, where chapter three was much more of an extensive chapter compared to the other ones. So grab your book and let's chat about it. Yes, all right, what are your thoughts on chapter three?
Speaker 1:Do you want me to go first? So well, in this chapter we meet.
Speaker 3:Yeah, let's do a little synopsis of it and then we'll get our thoughts on what's happening. Yeah, we meet.
Speaker 1:in this chapter we meet a new character.
Speaker 3:We do.
Speaker 1:I'm assuming when you're reading the synopsis of the book, it says that everything changes when she meets a stranger and her world comes crumbling down around her. I'm assuming that Uncle Ul is the stranger. And we'll get into more detail on that. But they wake up and they realize it's Monday, it's the day that Uncle Ul comes in his boat to bring post and newspapers to the family. But from what we realize is Uncle Ul never sees the children. The children are always in hiding.
Speaker 3:But wait before we get to that part. Uncle Ul is a 70 year old man. He walks through the cane. He has what we learn is pretty bad back injuries, so he comes from boat to travel to their spot and that's who brings them all of their goods that he needs. They need for one week.
Speaker 1:No, not the goods he brings, just the post in the newspapers. The guards dad goes to the day.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, to the guards and gets things, and he does this every single week, every single Monday.
Speaker 1:Please continue and the kids have to go into hiding. Correct?
Speaker 3:No, we just know that Uncle Ul does not know that those two kids, children exist. That boy and, oh my God, Juno. Thank you, I was like crap, I forgot her name.
Speaker 1:But do not exist. But in this chapter Juno becomes a little intrigued.
Speaker 3:I think she becomes a little rebellious.
Speaker 1:And she wants to see him. So she actually sneaks out of the hiding space and is looking in through the window.
Speaker 3:No, no, no, no, we backed up. We got to back up a little bit here because, remember, Uncle Ul was not supposed to come at this time. So she goes to boy and goes, hey, let's go outside before we have to be unlocked down because Uncle Ul's coming. So they go to the rock, which is right next to the water where Uncle Ul would arrive and they sit.
Speaker 1:Welcome to the rock when you come from sorry it's a musical. You're a five year old, yes.
Speaker 3:Okay, and they sit and they chat, and this is when Juno kind of thinks him for not escaping in the previous chapter that we learn that that's what boy wanted. So we kind of. And then this is also revealed that Juno and boy have the same thought process that at some point the two of them both collectively will like to get off this island. And then they hear the boat, which means Uncle. Ul is nice and early more than he should have been. So the children obviously knowing that part of the 10 commandments is not to be seen by him.
Speaker 3:They take off running and Juno realizes that she's been caught up pretty bad, her knee is bleeding and that she can't keep up with boys Now in the house and she has to. Now you can pick up, hide outside.
Speaker 1:And she becomes intrigued and interested so she looks through the window, correct? And he sees her, he sees her and, of course, mom is Like no, no, you're an old man.
Speaker 3:You're don't wear your glasses, and he's like my, my little name, my glasses. I only need a friend. I don't need glasses for reading.
Speaker 1:I love how you just took this character and made him American.
Speaker 3:An old Southern man, I don't think McLeish is only for reading.
Speaker 1:So then she kind of goes back into hiding and Uncle old drops off what he needs and he goes to leave.
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, I think you might be right. I might be seeing things. I am old. This is when we find out that he is 70 years old.
Speaker 1:And says he has children.
Speaker 3:Grandchildren he's like. So we miss part of the conversation because we pick up when he's walking out of the building and then that's when he's walking out of the house and Juno meets around the other side to visibly watch him leave. So she hears the tail end of the conversation, which he goes. Yeah, you must be right. Maybe I just miss in my granddaughter. I should probably call her and try to see if she can come to visit.
Speaker 1:So I'm reaching for a bit Reach, but this is what I do when it comes to books and movies.
Speaker 3:Oh, are you bringing back hunger games in this?
Speaker 1:conversation no, no, no, no no, oh, we've jumped away from that. Now Be quiet. I just want to know where is this rock in vicinity to the home and the dock that they heard him coming and she was not able to get in her house by the time? This 70 year old man docks and hobbles his way up to the house? I don't know. That's true.
Speaker 1:I mean truly honestly, that's just me reaching, but that's what I do when I read books and movies, because I find it funny that her brother is able to get into the house, into the hiding before she can even get there.
Speaker 3:She stopped because she was in pain.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, that's right. So I think that's more so. Why she couldn't keep up was because she was like oh my God, something's wrong with my knee, so she begins to panic by realizing that he saw her and she thinks that she needs to go and confront him and ask him not to tell that he saw this child on the island, because then the stranger, because then the people in the village will rat out the family so they can get the box of coins from the stranger that came and put a bounty on their heads.
Speaker 3:And uncle O was like what the hell are you talking about child?
Speaker 1:Yeah, so by the time she catches up to him and he turns around and sees her, it's very obvious that he is like who are you on this island? And she pours out her story, the story about how her father was on Southland or testified against the people in Southland and that they're in hiding to the communal trial there in a witness protection screen. Screen.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's what she called it. She couldn't say witness protection. She couldn't remember the program. They're wondering for a program, so she called it witness protected screen. She's like or whatever the term is.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 3:What did Mr Uncle O do, mr Uncle O?
Speaker 1:Here's the thing that should have been her red flag and they weren't her red flag until in a moment he is like oh, so you're in a witness protection program. Oh, he is poking her for more information, which should have been her red flag, to say, hey, something's not right here if Uncle O knows who we are but he doesn't know who I am and who Boy is. And I'm telling him about me and he's poking he's not poking questions at who are you? He's saying oh, you're in a witness protection program, Tell me more. Oh, because Southland. Oh, and that to me would have been my red flag if I was Juno.
Speaker 1:That I have made a mistake, Correct. I didn't realize it until Uncle O pulls out what we are assuming is a cell phone camera. We don't actually know because we still haven't determined at what actual time period in the world we are in, Because he does say he should call his granddaughter or his daughter, but that still doesn't mean is this like the 1900s? Is this present day? And I like that about this story because it has my brain going 10 million directions on where we are, and what?
Speaker 1:could be happening, because I don't see this being a modern book. So I'm interested to see how it turns out here in a few more chapters, in if we realize, if there's technology, because right now there's been no technology other than basic technology light, selecticity and a siren. So this is either an old camera or a modern camera on a cell phone, we don't know. But he takes a picture of her and proceeds to leave. And the last sentence in the book is I feel sick.
Speaker 3:No, no, no, you gotta wait, because remember what he told her. Oh, you don't remember what he told her Just do you tell me he said, and in quote we must never tell your parents we had this chat never. Do you understand, juno? Otherwise I'll portray the lot of you, you and all your family, and then that's when the final line goes. I feel sick.
Speaker 1:Dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun dun, and I knew that I would now Okay ready for my thoughts here. Yes, give me my prediction. What do you think?
Speaker 3:Okay. So Uncle Oll looked at Juno like she was on some hallucination drugs, like clearly this girl is living in Dalululu land, by the way new favorite word Living in Dalululu land has no idea what the hell she's talking about. He's like do you mean this island? Do you mean this? Do you mean that? Like none of this is making any sense. I think mommy and daddy took those children. I don't think they're actually her parents, because why are you hiding children? Especially, did you hear the line where he goes? Oh, I have to leave. Uncle Oll doesn't just visit one family, he visits multiples. However, he did not call them family. Mother and father. You never called them family. He never said any of that. He goes, I have to visit the Sjurber, the Sober family, the Sjurberg family.
Speaker 3:It's marked in the book. It is marked in the book I'm going. I'm going to my tales. What is their name?
Speaker 1:Oh no, the Sjurben family.
Speaker 3:The Sjurbergen family. The Sjurberg S-J-O-B-E-R-G family.
Speaker 1:Sjurberg.
Speaker 3:Sjurberg, family. Family to me doesn't mean a couple. Family to me means you have children. So why are we hiding Juno and Boy? My thought process is is mommy and daddy hiding Juno and Boy? Because she and then the man said, uncle Oll said you have a face that looks familiar.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's yeah.
Speaker 3:So is this girl missing? Why did he take a picture of her face? You look familiar. Your face looks familiar. We took a picture of your face. Had no idea what the fuck she was talking about the store, I'm sorry. I'm trying actively not to use that word, guys, I apologize. She's trying. She's like my story doesn't match with your story. You don't know what I'm talking about. And he's like honey. I have no idea what you're saying. And why are you hiding them? Children, I think, mommy, I'm telling you right now my guess here with this is that mommy and daddy are not who they say they are. They're either not her parents or like no, that's my guess. I think mom and dad are not mom and dad. I think mom and dad kidnapped her. What do you think?
Speaker 1:So I don't, I don't know, this chapter has kind of changed my opinion, so I mean I Because you were like full on Hunger Game theory. Well, no, no, I was saying that-.
Speaker 3:I'm sorry, Hunger Game isk. I like it was little-. No, I was just trying.
Speaker 1:no, you're hung up on the Hunger Game stop.
Speaker 3:I'm sorry. Go listen to the episode that we do talk about it, Shh.
Speaker 1:I steal them in my theory that mommy and daddy are the bad guys. Yeah. So talking about Do you agree with me? No, no, no, no, no no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. This is my theory. Be quiet you. Let me talk about my theory.
Speaker 3:I'm so sorry, I just get so excited.
Speaker 1:I still think that mom and dad are potentially the bad guys, but that leads me to believe. If Uncle Oll talked about another family, that means that there's potentially other islands not necessarily in this lake, because they talk about an island in the middle of the lake, but he talks about another family, so maybe there's no like it could, just it could. Will you stop?
Speaker 3:No, no, I'm agreeing with you sorry this makes me wonder.
Speaker 1:Is he saying, oh, I have to go visit another family, to just go visit or provide posts and newspaper for this family, because this is what I do, I provide delivery to these families that live outside of the village. Or is this other family a form of prisoner or something I don't know? So then I'm interested to see, and I could be reading into that. It could be nothing at all, it could just be you know what do they call that? The raven or whatever black rea when you play a game, it's like when you play an escape game and there's a puzzle that you have to solve, but it leads to nothing.
Speaker 3:I have no idea what you're talking about.
Speaker 1:I'll remember it. Next episode Doubtful. But then the fact that he doesn't know anything about these children. So that makes me wonder, and I mean I know we've talked about it. From the beginning we knew that the children were a secret, but the parents don't explain to the children why they're a secret from Uncle Ul and why they must hide from Uncle Ul.
Speaker 3:The commandment stated they just had to hide from him and then they just know that if they don't, they're in big, big trouble.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it just doesn't. I don't know. I don't know. It doesn't sit with me well, so it's either that or Uncle Ul is truly a bad guy. So right now I can't determine if he is a bad guy or if he's just gonna be the guy that causes all the badness to happen, but very clearly Juno is someone to him, and as soon as he figured out who Juno was, there's something happening there.
Speaker 3:Am I allowed to comment?
Speaker 1:Yes, you can comment now. Okay, because now I'm done with my theory for today.
Speaker 3:Rude Actively looking for a new podcast. I believe that I agree with you in the statement where I don't understand why the children are not being told why they have died from Uncle Ul, because the children are made such a point that they had to hide when the guards are coming, like if the siren went off, but they don't put a siren on when Uncle Ul comes. So I don't believe Uncle Ul is a bad guy.
Speaker 1:Well, I also think they don't do the siren when Uncle Ul comes, because he's coming and they don't want Uncle Ul to know that there's children that need to be hidden, whereas that alarm is specifically designed for intruders. Uncle Ul is not an intruder.
Speaker 3:But I don't know, I just feel like to me the whole scene of running, because the intruder situation to me gives the theory to me that but the whole family, including mom and dad, hide when the intruder alarm goes off. Oh yeah, that's true, I forgot about that aspect, but I think the difference here, though, is I don't feel like they're not considered a family there. Why did he make such a big deal, a big potent deal, to say, oh, I have to visit the family, and he didn't say another family?
Speaker 1:And father. It's father and mother having a conversation after he leave that it's stated he has no children. Correct, so maybe he's just a senile old man, or maybe he has a family and he doesn't keep in touch. And the other family that he's going to visit. They know he has a family, but father and mother doesn't know that he has a family and maybe he slips up. Yeah.
Speaker 3:He is seven years old, seeing little girls in windows.
Speaker 1:I'm still running on this theory. I want to think that dad is not a bad guy, but mother is, and mother's the reason that they're all here. What?
Speaker 3:mother won't tell me. Yeah, I know.
Speaker 1:I think that's probably why it's subliminally in my mind. Could be, but I don't know. I'm interested to find out. I'm interested to read the next chapter. I'm excited.
Speaker 1:Let's do it. We want to know, guys, if you're listening and you're reading along no spoilers, chapter three only, what did you think after you read that chapter? What do you think is happening? Without giving anything away, if you've read past us which you probably have, because we've just been really bad at reading the last two weeks because we've been busy- yeah. But we want to know. So until next week.
Speaker 3:Make sure you follow us on all our social media platforms and be prepared for me to blow up our social media platform this week with pictures of Mighty Girl and all the food we consumed and all the things we did. So you'll see lots of photos of that, and be sure to shout out to Shan. Let her give her some love on her first official ever podcast episode. Make sure we send the love to the iconic Shan. So, as always, you got anything.
Speaker 1:Stay safe, stay educated.
Speaker 3:Wow, and make sure you share a podcast not just with your friends, not just with your family and, of course, your favorite bartender.
Speaker 1:Actually, I do have one more thing.
Speaker 3:Oh my God, you missed Okay.
Speaker 1:I know.
Speaker 3:I'm gonna do it again, so it's fine.
Speaker 1:Okay, that's fine. If you guys enjoyed our pre-show topic today about Dollywood, be sure you guys head over to my other podcast, tennessee Roads Podcast, where I have a couple episodes where we dive into the history of Dollywood and what was going on in 2023. And who knows, maybe I'll do a full 2024 episode now. So until then, stay safe, stay educated.
Speaker 3:And make sure you share our podcast with your friends and your family and, of course, your favorite bartender. Okay, bye. Bye guys, stay unplugged.