Anne Levine Show
Funny, weekly, sugar free: Starring "Michael-over-there."
Anne Levine Show
Butt Breathers and Pebbling
Join us as we meander through this expansive journey through the curious ways humans connect—and sometimes miss each other entirely—in our attempts to show appreciation.
We kick things off with tennis talk, breaking down newcomer Jakub Mensik's surprising victory over Novak Djokovic before wandering into an unexpected debate about whether our show airs on "Monday at midnight" or "Tuesday at midnight" (a surprisingly philosophical question!). From there, we explore what Anne calls her "pebbling list"—the fascinating ritual of sending friends curated videos through Instagram as a modern form of connection.
Anne's current Social Media obsessions include dramatic hair transformation videos where men who haven't cut their hair in years emerge looking like completely different people, a child hilariously claiming they bought makeup at Home Depot, and dogs getting into all sorts of mischief. Also, just dogs. These digital gifts have become a midnight ritual, a way of maintaining friendships across time and distance.
The heart of our conversation examines the awkward politics of receiving unwanted gifts, particularly food. When someone brings you something made with love that you absolutely won't eat, what's the right response? Is honesty better than gracious acceptance? We share stories of a friend's violin studio where a student's mother brings weekly homemade goods that immediately hit the trash, and Anne's own memories of Yudi Grabie from New York's Garment Center, who would present greasy, foil-wrapped delicacies his wife Malka Esther had prepared.
Just when you think the conversation couldn't get more unexpected, Michael shares the surprising science of animals that can breathe through their rear ends—including turtles, frogs, and even some mammals! It's exactly the kind of bizarre fact that makes you question everything you thought you knew about the natural world and evidence of our absolute rock-solid educational mission to teach the world everything, one or two things at a time.
Whether you're fascinated by cultural traditions, digital connection rituals, or simply enjoy conversations that meander through life's curious corners, there's something here that will make you laugh, think, and perhaps reconsider how you navigate your own uncomfortable gift exchanges. Or maybe not, it could be just a bunch of hooey we put together for April Fool's Day. either way, thanks for tuning in!
Find our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/447251562357065/
Hello and welcome to the Anne Levine Show Coming to you from WLMR 92.1 FM in Provincetown Massachusetts!
Michael:And WFMR 91.3 FM Orleans, and streaming worldwide at WOMRorg.
Anne:That's Michael over there and he's spinning. What are you spinning?
Michael:This is I'm Down by the Beatles.
Anne:Are you down?
Michael:No, but I know someone who is. Oh, I know of someone who is. I don't know him personally.
Anne:Okay, I know of some down people yeah.
Michael:Yeah, there's one who's recently very down, so this song is dedicated to him.
Anne:Are we saying names?
Michael:Yeah, it's Novak Djokovic who was out there for his 100th title and got denied by a guy who's never been in a final before that no one's ever heard of Right.
Anne:What's his name?
Michael:Jacob Mensik.
Anne:Jacob Mensik yeah, he's. And he's from Czech Republic.
Michael:Yeah.
Anne:Well, Jacob Mazeltov TO.
Michael:Oh, the schadenfreude you know oh.
Anne:I know, yeah, I TO oh the schadenfreude you know. Oh, I know, I know, wow, so that was at the Miami.
Michael:Right and the final, and everything was delayed by quite a while because of thunderstorms and lightning and everything. But they got back to it and of course, yeah, but anyway, yeah, he's pretty down today.
Anne:Good grief. Well, I was thinking Of someone that we know personally.
Michael:Oh no, no, that's why I corrected myself Not someone I know, but someone I know of.
Anne:Jacob Menshevich Mensik, didn't you say Jacob Menshevich Mensik, didn't you say Jacob Menshevich?
Michael:No, I did not yes, you did it's M-E-N-S-I-K.
Anne:I know, but the first time you said it Before you looked at it. Okie dokie.
Michael:I had no idea what his name was before I looked it up right. That's why you said some sort of no, I thought he was some Danish guy. Actually, to tell you the truth, no, he's a, he's Czech and, by the way, it's the first time a Czech has won an ATP. Well, let's see. It's his first ATP singles title at any level. And where's the other one? He's the first Czech to like get in this crowd in like 100 years.
Anne:I didn't know that. I thought there have been other Czechoslovakian players Male, I think, oh yeah. Because there's someone famous that's a female Right and her name is I don't know, you don't know, no because I'm looking up Jacob Mensik. Jennifer Menshevich.
Michael:Yes, yeah, that's her name, that's it, jenny from the block.
Anne:Yeah, right. Okay, now the most important thing, which I don't know how, but it's gone unmentioned so far, by you Okay yeah, what was he?
Michael:wearing. Oh, you know what? That's a good question, I know that is a very good question. I, I know very good. And what was? Djokovic was wearing orange.
Anne:Oh yeah, a bright orange okay, important color for this summer. Yeah, and what was jokey wearing blue? And?
Michael:white. Yeah his normal thing.
Anne:Yeah, interesting. I think Djokovic might be teetering on the end of his career.
Michael:Well, I mean, he's getting to that age, to where it's getting a little harder to keep up with these guys. And Djokovic was wearing all green, like a lighter green and then a darker green shorts.
Anne:So like the. Medvedev.
Michael:Yeah, right, yeah.
Anne:No, I don't mean, like you know, of course, amazing tennis player. I saw a few matches of his. I saw some amazing shots that looked like magic.
Michael:Now, this was not easily won. He didn't like go in and stomp Djokovic into the ground. This was 7-6, 7-6. Both went into tiebreakers. Uh-huh, yeah, so it was. You know, he didn't roll over.
Anne:Yeah, no yeah, and I didn't know, but I didn't assume he had rolled over.
Michael:No, but wow.
Anne:He doesn't generally roll over, right, yeah, yeah, but it's not like he doesn't—it's not like he isn't capable of extraordinary tennis, right, but it's getting harder for him. You can see that he has to struggle a little more to put some of these matches away.
Michael:Agreed, yeah, and it actually does happen with a little more frequency.
Anne:Like he will lose the first set Right. And then everything kicks into gear, then he has to warm up. And then things really get rolling for him, but when you're playing three set matches, Right, it makes a big difference. Yeah, two set matches.
Michael:Yeah, you can't afford to lose one. So, Anyway, yeah. So here we are on the pop culture show of the universe, that's us, of the universe, the interviewing show.
Anne:Oh yeah, I think so.
Michael:Well, if we're going to do, we're probably more culture really than most Than most.
Anne:Yeah, most.
Michael:Like aliens. Yeah, I mean you and me personally Aliens. Yeah, well, I'm talking about the universe now. So everybody out there.
Anne:Okay, yeah, I'm confused'm confused, but hey, that's. You know, that's monday at midnight for me, or tuesday at midnight, depending on how educated you are.
Michael:yeah, right I can't believe. I just said that, but it's true, right, yeah, exactly or mond yeah Exactly, or Monday midnight.
Anne:Yeah, you know.
Michael:You know what? No one's ever actually told us which one we're supposed to use.
Anne:Well it's. I mean, if you look at the schedule, we're the first show on Tuesday, right which?
Michael:I mean meaningless, but if you say Tuesday at midnight, they're going to think it's. Wednesday, you know midnight on Wednesday you know, the next morning.
Anne:If you say Tuesday at midnight, people are going to think you mean Monday night.
Michael:No, I don't think so. No, wait a second If you say Tuesday at midnight, people are thinking Wednesday no, they're thinking, whatever they're thinking.
Anne:Yeah, they're thinking right when we say Monday at midnight, no one thinks we mean Tuesday morning.
Michael:Right, that is true.
Anne:That I can say with all certainty yeah, even though.
Michael:I can't. Monday at midnight is different from Tuesday at midnight. What day Monday?
Anne:Yeah. Yeah, it is different, yeah, but it's the same.
Michael:But I would call it Monday at midnight, because you've gone through Monday and now it's midnight.
Anne:Yeah.
Michael:That's what I'm calling it, but you could also call it Tuesday at midnight and be correct. But I don't like it. Yeah, because I don't work like that. How do you work? Not like that? I want to know your work method. Yeah, well, it's the opposite of that. If you went out and you did that like a hundred times, you'd have to do it the opposite way a hundred times to be even.
Anne:Okay, you lost me, but of course, being that it's Monday at midnight or Tuesday at, it's also April 1st. April fools. I knew all along. No, I didn't, I didn't know. Happy birthday.
Michael:Lillian Last week. I knew it would be the first, but I've forgotten about it. Okay, wait didn't. No, I didn't know. Happy birthday, lillian. I think I knew, like last week. I knew it would be the first, but I've forgotten about it.
Anne:Okay, wait a second. I have to go back to the top.
Michael:Right, okay.
Anne:All the way back to the top. All right, you want me to start the song again when you played? Name the song.
Michael:I'm Down.
Anne:When you played I'm Down and you said I know someone who's down.
Michael:And then I corrected myself immediately afterwards and said no, I know of someone.
Anne:No, okay, that's not. I have no issue with that. Okay, except I was thinking of someone I'd like to dedicate this show to. Oh, okay, and that person is Seth Goldman. Oh, who's been a little down lately.
Michael:He's been a little down also, I agree yeah.
Anne:But he did just come off being on an outrageous safari.
Michael:Oh, my goodness, yes.
Anne:Which must have been oh my gosh, I, I don't know. I've got to find out more about it had to be one of the most glorious things I know I'm very envious, yeah, um, but he's got reasons to be down, so oh, yeah, um, I gotta give him uh okay, no, I understand how he might have sprung to mind. He's one of the people on my pebbling list. Yeah, and my pebbling list has grown a little bit.
Michael:Would you like to tell people what a pebbling list is, in case they don't know? Do you know? Yes, I do, but you please.
Anne:Well, pebbling. For those of you who are over a certain age, pebbling is when you send people texts Well, not texts exactly, but it's mostly an Instagram thing where you send people little videos and so it's like you're throwing a pebble at their window. Yeah, that's kind of how it is, and you usually have a pebbling list, meaning just that there are certain people that you pebble.
Michael:I see.
Anne:Okay, yeah, and I have certain people that I pebble every night and it's a pretty.
Michael:Am I one of them? I wonder.
Anne:Gee, yeah, yeah. You wake up every day with a bunch of cute little things to look at funny things so much fun yeah. Yeah, I agree. And sometimes you look at them.
Michael:Yeah, I can't look at all of them. I don't know why, Because my ADHD makes me go skip things and then I usually don't get back to it.
Anne:But can't you go back later?
Michael:I can, but I usually don't. That's my problem, because I'm trying to keep up, at least sort of, with what's coming in still.
Anne:Oh, because sometimes you miss things that are just amazing.
Michael:Yeah, usually I go by whatever the picture is.
Anne:I knew it.
Michael:That's why sometimes, or the title, because the titles will also, if that looks interesting, what?
Anne:about when I write. You must watch this in all caps. You fly by that, right, I don't know. Yeah, exactly, I don't remember seeing you do that. Sometimes I add that and it seems to have absolutely no effect, which is fine, but anyway, I have people.
Michael:I pebble you know it might be that I think it's part of the original post that's just being forwarded.
Anne:So what should I put? I should put this is about dogs. Well, if there's a dog on it, I'm watching it we'll see. Some of them have dogs, but you don't see the dog right off yeah, well, that that's the problem.
Anne:Yeah, yeah, that's one of the problems. Well, I have run into in on instagram. There are a few things I'm obsessed by. One of those things are one of those things are. One of those things is a group of hair cutters and hair stylists, and the ones that obsess me the most are the ones who work on men, and these men come in.
Michael:Like the giant, haven't cut their hair in 15 years, guys.
Anne:Well, and some of them drive three or four hours. Now, there's not just one guy, there are like four different stylists, yeah and um if they do these big transformations if you want to be added to my pebble list, just let me know.
Anne:Just look me up on instagram, yeah, and I will be happy to add you to my hairstyling. Now I have two hairstylists in particular with whom I'm close and we go back and forth with the hairstyling and we are both a little obsessed with this woman in Statesboro, georgia, and I've showed you some of her work. She uses these jars, huge jars of different colored glop that's all I know how to call it. It's a stiffening and coloring product and she makes like sculptures on top of women's heads in all different colors like a philip tracy hat, but made out of their hair right, you've seen them yeah, I've shown them to you.
Anne:Yeah, there are people out there that do the most outrageous things. One of my favorite there's a guy who and it costs like a thousand dollars to get your hair cut by him in tokyo and what he and most people there have straight hair. Oh yeah, on the long side, right? So you lay back in a styling chair you know what would be like a shampoo chair and they lay your hair out on a board and he gets out a hatchet, right?
Michael:I mean not a hatchet, A cleaver A meat cleaver, have you seen? This. I have seen it yeah.
Anne:And like one other thing, yep.
Michael:And he just and he chops.
Anne:Chops the hair, Yep With the cleaver.
Michael:And I've seen him do you know kind of whack, whack, whack. Yeah, he's done. Yeah, I've seen several videos of this.
Anne:It's like a four minute haircut.
Michael:It's really weird, max.
Anne:Yep, and what do you end up with Nothing? Long straight hair, right? Yeah, you know, with a blunt, you end up with a blunt cut. It's so funny, oh my God, but it's so fun to watch.
Michael:Yeah, yeah To watch. I know those videos are really cool.
Anne:Well, the videos of the guys are mind blowing. Yeah, because these guys come in. They haven't cut their hair in three years, four years.
Michael:Like ever since COVID started, there's a lot of them right.
Anne:Well, that's five years and so, and it's not even that. It's just these like guys. A lot of them are young, are like teenagers with sad stories, are like teenagers with sad stories, like my girlfriend broke up with me and so I thought I should get a makeover to try to get a new girlfriend. Then there are the ones who are like my girlfriend said if I don't drive four hours to you, she's breaking up with me. She's breaking up with me, yeah. Or my mother said if I don't, you know way past their shoulders. Beards that are just jeezly.
Michael:A guy came in with haggard hair, I mean, you know what I mean Yep Along with a beard that just completely enveloped his face Out of control.
Anne:Yes, absolutely insane. Just these most here suit. Then the most miraculous transformations are when a guy walks in with like a baseball cap on and hair down past his shoulders, but then he takes the cap off and he's got like no hair left on the top of his head. He has like eight strands of hair. Yeah, yep, and you think, okay, there's nothing you can do here, just put the hat back on the guy.
Michael:Yeah right and give it up money back.
Anne:Yeah, no, these people are geniuses and they manage to turn every one of these guys into studs.
Michael:Yeah, they do a great job.
Anne:It's amazing, and one thing that's occurred to me is, for a lot of these guys, it's not going to be low maintenance, right.
Michael:Well, yeah, that's true. Like you're not going to get in the shower and pop out and your hair is not going to look like that, right yeah, but not going to look just like that. Your hair's not going to look like that, right yeah.
Anne:But it's worth it.
Michael:But just a little. You know, maybe a little product and a comb, yeah, and you're good.
Anne:And also, you know you got to keep the beard. All of them want these like mid-fades, low-fades high-fades. Yeah, there's a lot of that you got to keep that up because that stuff's going to grow in in a few weeks, right, um? So I don't know how many of them know what they're asking for in terms of what they're going to have to do, um, to keep it going.
Michael:That's a good point, yeah.
Anne:But just seeing the before and afters blows my mind.
Michael:Yeah, it's a lot of fun to watch Incredible. It's a lot of very cool stuff.
Anne:And then another thing I'm obsessed by are these run-of-the-mill people who want to do a recipe for you. Like, did you see the s'mores guy?
Michael:Oh yeah, I didn't think that was run-of-the-mill. I truly thought that that was meant to be comedic and as such it was still so cringe I couldn't finish watching it.
Anne:It was hilarious, and some of them are meant to be comedic.
Michael:It was so embarrassing to me to watch it that I just could not do it.
Anne:Oh see, I found it hilarious. There are these people who do. Some of them are comedic, but they're completely dry. You never see that it's comedic, exactly. But there's one guy who says okay, so you put this, this and this in a bowl and you want to give that a stir until it's all combined about 40 minutes, and each, each step is 40 minutes. Oh good, yeah. Which is how you know, and of course it starts out with this is the best brownie recipe, right.
Anne:And it's only got four steps, but each step is 40 minutes.
Michael:I watch a guy called Chef Reacts Uh-huh, and he watches videos like this and then talks about what he thinks of what they're making, and then he'll rate it at the end and tell you whether he would take a bite of it or not.
Anne:Why don't you tell me.
Michael:He is hilarious. You need to pass these on to me.
Anne:I don't even know if he's on Instagram.
Michael:I'll have to look. I'm sure he is now, because he's gotten much bigger since I started watching him. But I was watching him on Twitch and YouTube, but now he's kind of everywhere.
Anne:I also love.
Michael:I'll send those to you, though he's hilarious.
Anne:I love the dogs, the puppies, oh yeah, the kids, the kids who I love them Like. There's this three-year-old girl, and you're always seeing video of her leaving the bathroom covered in makeup. You know, in all the wrong places, right, yeah?
Michael:But you know she's doing a good job.
Anne:And Daddy says what are you doing? Piling on lipstick, lipstick. And is that your lipstick? Yes, my lipstick. Where did you get it? I bought it, yeah, where, home Depot, and so I love it. There's like all kinds of stuff like that.
Michael:I mean construction grade lipstick, come on. Yeah, and at three o kinds of stuff like that. I mean construction grade lipstick, come on.
Anne:Yeah, and at three o'clock in the morning. Yeah, I hope that my friends and acquaintances have their messages notifications turned off. I'm sure by now they do, because this usually happens three or 4 o'clock in the morning. Yeah, you, I know, have no notifications on. You also don't have your phone.
Michael:Yeah, I couldn't tell you. Oh, it's right here. I was going to say I couldn't tell you where it is right now, but certainly I brought it with me.
Anne:Well, you could look through and see a few. Well, anyway, this friend of mine with whom a lot of two-way pebbling goes on, sean, was telling me about she teaches violin, she's a great violinist, she teaches violin and she teaches privately. She has a great violinist, she teaches violin and she teaches privately. She has a studio in her home and she has many people a day coming into her house. And she was saying she has this one student whose mother comes. The student has a lesson once a week and the mother every week brings something disgusting that she has made like and a corner right. So like, say, she'll make a lasagna, she'll bring a corner wrapped in like a baggie.
Michael:Okay.
Anne:You know, like in some kind of just presented disgustingly Just to start with. You look at it and you want it to go right in the garbage with you look at it and you want it to go right in the garbage. Now, sean and I are both kind of carb phobic and we both mostly eat celery salad. Um, there's some cottage cheese. There are various fruits involved. Cauliflower is the carb substitute of choice. We end up. This is someone with whom I have always we find out we're doing the same things. You know she'll say like yesterday I went to such and such a store. Oh, my God, I was there yesterday. That kind of thing.
Michael:Right.
Anne:We're synchronized. Well, anyway, this woman brings the most carb-laden, most of it's sweet. You know she'll bring like cookies, she'll bring cake and it's cake with icing dripping and stuck to the plastic wrap and immediately it goes in the wastebasket. And she has asked me what to do about this Because she feels bad throwing it away as soon as this woman leaves her house. Right, this because she feels bad throwing it away as soon as this woman leaves her house, right. And I have said you know, I think you tell her because it's such a waste. You tell her something like my husband and I are allergic to sugar or we're diabetic. That's what she could say. We're both diabetic, although that's a bit of a. I guess that could get you in trouble.
Michael:Yeah, you know what my suggestion is. What is it? You know what my suggestion is.
Anne:What is that Is to consider the intent and— and just throw it away and appreciate that and just keep tossing it out.
Michael:Yeah, and the fact that it isn't presented thoughtfully may be due to the fact that they don't have the money for disposable containers. You know she doesn't want to have to worry about things, aren't ever going to come back.
Anne:It's not look I mean, it's not this disposable containers. It's not simply that it looks horrible, it's that what it is, no matter how it was presented, will not get consumed in that household.
Michael:Right. But that is the right way to do. It is just to let them express themselves and you don't have to express yourself to them.
Anne:Well, she always says she says oh, thank you. That's so nice of you. You really shouldn't do this.
Michael:You don't have to do this and you know what, and she should leave it at that. Okay, that's my advice. All right, because then you're number one. You're not messing with karma if that's something that you worry about, right, yeah, because it's all good at that point. There's no bad karma, there's no bad anything at that point, if you just let it be.
Anne:Right, okay. Well, people who send me and who do it on a regular basis and there were a few of those in my life, I have pretty much retrained them but would send me like cake from someplace really nice, yeah, cake from someplace really nice, yeah. Or a gift basket full of sugary stuff. I am diabetic, right, I know, and I can't even look at this stuff, so I end up giving it to you, but I feel bad for them because I'm like I don't know whatever. See the.
Michael:That's different know, whatever see the, the that's different. Well, I don't think it is because the the good part for them, the part that makes them feel good about it, is that they thought of you and that they sent you something that they thought you would like I could not agree more and I always give effusive thanks. Yeah.
Anne:Which you know.
Michael:I understand that, but that's what I'm saying, and for them, at that point, the transaction is over, right? It doesn't have to, you don't have to eat it, you don't have to do anything, but they've expressed themselves, don't have to do anything, but they've expressed themselves. Now, if this is a close friend, this is something that's very different, right? Because you can talk to those people about things like this. But for the lady who's Bringing her son in, I would never, yeah Well, and Sean shouldn't either.
Anne:No, no, this is different. This is every week.
Michael:I know, but it's and it's not.
Anne:Someone is just trying to show appreciation, that is all they're doing and how they're showing their appreciation is by paying her a ton of money for these lessons.
Michael:Okay, but maybe they don't feel that that is enough. Maybe they feel that that's the bare minimum. So here's a little something extra to show you that I appreciate what you're doing.
Anne:I completely understand, more than most, the politics of giving and receiving gifts. Giving and receiving gifts that is totally my stock in trade and I get it. Now, when it comes to someone who's doing something on the regular, every single week, and as soon as they're out the door you're throwing it away, it starts to feel bad, that's all.
Michael:I'm saying yeah, but I'm just saying that that may be because the focus is not on their intent.
Anne:I am not disagreeing with you. Okay, yeah, I agree with you. But I also understand that you might feel bad tossing something in the garbage every week. Yeah, that someone spent time and effort to make and I know you're saying that's what you should focus on the time and the effort. I agree with you. It's just uncomfortable.
Michael:Yeah, okay, I get that.
Anne:Anyway, it reminded me her telling me this of, so we're going back in time to the Garment Center, Okay, which is a lot of people's favorite place on the Ann Levine show.
Michael:Well, yeah.
Anne:I can smell 7th Avenue right now. 7th Avenue and 39th Street to be specific, which is now considered a groovy place to live. The idea of living there in my day was unheard of. You wouldn't think of it Just like living in the meat pasture district Right In the meatpacking district.
Michael:Meatpacking district yeah, did Meatpacking District yeah?
Anne:Yes, I was a pioneer, that's right, they were still meatpacking. They were still packing the meat, yeah, but the Garment Center was just considered. No way, it was all businesses, yeah, and it was manufacturing. It wasn't just like.
Michael:Right, just showrooms or whatever. Right no.
Anne:Right, it wasn't like oh, here's a building of legal offices, these could be apartments.
Michael:No, you had tailors and Right, yeah, they were all working in there, of course, yeah.
Anne:And fabric cutters and pattern makers, Anyway, no longer the garment center has pretty much there's no manufacturing left in this country in the garment business.
Michael:Very little, right, yeah, very little.
Anne:Oh, practically nothing, and it's all gone overseas.
Michael:Like T-shirts, right T-shirts. Yeah, you can get a made in america t-shirt yeah you know, I don't know what?
Anne:yeah, that was never really a garment center item yeah um, but anyway, I'm talking yeah, true that yeah, true, that's right, ida-da, that's right, I'm reliving a little.
Michael:That's so, raven, sorry. So I never saw one episode of that's so, raven, I only saw one, and it's haunted me ever since.
Anne:Well see, I'm glad I didn't see it. Just hearing you feeling like you were haunted by that. So, Raven, makes me feel a little haunted, A little uncomfortable.
Michael:Yeah, I understand. What can I say?
Anne:Yeah, All right, so there was this guy. There was a company called Graby Wollens. Okay, now, this was a company owned by abe gravy, ab gravy ab ab gravy.
Michael:Yes, okay, is it g-r-A-B-I-E, all right.
Anne:So it actually even A-B-I-E, g-r-a-b-i-e, right A-B-Gravy.
Michael:Oh my, that is hilarious.
Anne:I know.
Michael:Okay, I like it. That is an awesome name.
Anne:Now, he was the father, the father, the father, the father, the father, the father. He was the father, the father. And then there was the son, yuddy Uh-huh, yuddy Graby.
Michael:Yuddy Graby.
Anne:Now Yuddy Graby. Now these are 100%. We got your black hats, we got your payas keeping it out payas later, you know got your weird lemons oh, your a-trog, absolutely. And your lulav, which is your pump. Oh, your H-Rog, yeah, absolutely.
Michael:And your Lulav, which is your pump.
Anne:Yeah, yeah, these are beyond. Okay, these are as religiously Jewish as you can get, and that's more and more of a rare thing. In common, right, but in those days in the Garment Center there are plenty of dudes in this garb and in this culture walking around. I think in the Diamond District it's still like that, but not anymore in the Garment Center. But anyway, Yuddy Graby.
Michael:Right AB Graby's son Yuddy.
Anne:AB Graby's son, yuddy, had got married at last. Ah, and I remember him coming in and telling me I'm engaged to the most beautiful woman. Her name is Malka Esther. Malka Esther Graby yes, oof. Now, malka Esther for those of you who don't know, and I'm guessing that's all of you means Queen Esther. Malka means queen. I see, okay, malka Esther. So now, when you have someone come into you and say I'm getting married to a woman, her name is Queen Esther.
Michael:Yeah.
Anne:Can you imagine, oh?
Michael:my God.
Anne:Well, yeah. I guess, If a friend of yours said, hey, dude, I'm getting married, her name's Queen Elizabeth Right.
Michael:Well, I will tell you this Someone our age, they're not going to come up to me saying I'm going to have a kid. However, my son's age and younger that group, I would not be surprised if people were naming their daughter Queen Elizabeth.
Anne:Oh wow, Elizabeth Jones.
Michael:Yeah, or you know. Whatever, your last name is Levine Johnson.
Anne:Yeah, johnson, queen Elizabeth Johnson, I can only begin to think of the Queen Elizabeth Forrest. Anyway, at that time right, especially given that I mean other people would have. It's a name that only now. This is not a name like in Israel, where your average Israeli secular person is not going to be naming their kid Malka Esther.
Michael:Well, yeah, that's true.
Anne:Or King this or Queen that, no. So this is strictly among the ultra-religious.
Michael:Well anyway, he would come in to me. Yuddy, he gets married.
Anne:He gets married. There are 4,000 people at the wedding. He would come in to me, Yuddy, he gets married. He gets married. There are 4,000 people at the wedding. Hasidic weddings are known to have 4,000 people at them. They rent out stadiums to have these weddings. Wow, they do. It's oh, I went to one. Never again. Not that I wanted to go to the one, but I was related, Never mind. So Yudhi used to come in around any holiday that had well, and what holiday doesn't have food except Yom Kippur.
Anne:Right, yeah, and even Yom Kippur, you have break the fast Because you haven't eaten in 12 hours.
Michael:Right, yeah.
Anne:You know it's more than 12 hours. You haven't eaten in 24 hours.
Michael:Quick that's right, you know, administer Ivy locks and bagels. Exactly.
Anne:Yuddy Gravy used to come in.
Michael:That's a good idea for most situations, really.
Anne:Absolutely. He used to come in and pull out and he carried plastic bags, right, they carried plastic bags, right. So these gentlemen did not have briefcases or tote bags or—they didn't carry their—they were schlepping around wall samples all day, right, yeah, the Grabies, and they were not alone. But the Grabies famously had reusable plastic bags from the grocery store. So, like you know, in Gristiti's bags or in Pathmark bags, he would pull out of one of these plastic bags a greasy foil wrapped thing on a paper plate that was getting saturated with grease. Also.
Michael:Yeah, it does not sound good Right.
Anne:And he would say for you especially as I was thinking of you on this Also, these people, I've got to say, would announce themselves with a title. Now, these are people you've known years. Ok, right. And that you see, at least three times a week.
Michael:Yeah, I know they say it so often that they probably go home and say it to their wives.
Anne:And they would come to. We had this little window like where you would check in and announce yourself or whatever, and it would be Yoddy Graby of Graby Wollens or Amy Graby of Graby Wollens or AB Graby of Graby Wollens, right? So this is how they would present themselves and he would come, sit across from me at my desk and say from Yuddy Graby to you. That's what he would say my Malka Esther made a matzo braai you could die from and I'm assuming, based on the grease, you could literally die from.
Michael:Yeah, it sounds like it's possible.
Anne:It is so delicious no one can stop. But for you, for you, a corn apiece.
Michael:Oh, how nice.
Anne:I said to my wife Malka Esther, and he calls her the whole thing- Right. He never refers to her just as queen or just wife Malka Esther and he calls her the whole thing. He never refers to her just as Queen or just as Esther. It's always Malka Esther, because they're into titles in that family, Mm-hmm.
Michael:Malka Esther. But at that point it's not a title, it's her name.
Anne:so Right, yeah, but the whole thing is in use, right, not part of it. Right, but the whole thing is in use, not part of it. I'm sure if I had a kid named Queen Esther, I might take it down to Queen or to Esther at some point. But anyway, I would have thought maybe Esther, he would say my Malka Esther, such a matzah b'hai, and he would just completely like work himself up into a frenzy and then hand me this thing and he would say go, go, take a taste, have a taste.
Michael:He wanted me to eat this in front of him. Yeah, I can see how that might be problematic.
Anne:It was extremely problematic, especially when all the other people in the office because I was in an office with I don't know, there were six of us, eight of us are laughing hysterically, are laughing hysterically, you know, they have like their heads on their desks and they're turning red laughing. And I would have to say, yuddy, I'm so sorry. I, just the second before you walked in, finished my lunch and I couldn't eat another thing. It was interesting how every holiday when he came, I had just finished eating lunch.
Anne:Yeah, Well, you know, it's possible but I didn't anyway, and that's how it would. Finally, I said but I will, and and please tell Malka Esther, I'm so grateful, so kind of her, so kind of you and, on behalf of the entire Garment Center, you're welcome for me taking this off your hands and out of your plastic bag, oh my God. And of course, the minute he walked out the door it went in the garbage. Yeah Well, but yeah. So it reminded me when Sean was telling me about her woman, I suddenly remembered Yuddy Graby bringing me just the most vile little packets of whatever food that his wife had made. It's not what you want.
Anne:The other thing it reminded me of was Slivovitz. Now, I don't know if you know what that is, but it's a plum brandy and it is hardcore. I mean, you can get yourself completely smashed on Slivovitz. It comes from Southeastern Europe and it is known for its strong flavor and high alcohol content. Okay, and generally it's an aperitif or a digestif, if it's anything. If it's anything, but for some reason, to the Hasidic men it is the aqua vita, the water of life. They love this stuff. So every year at the holidays for Hanukkah, my father had to send someone out to buy like five cases of Slivovitz, which would get handed out to religious people. Gotcha yeah, from whom he purchased things, and, of course, yuddy Gravy and Aby Gravy were both recipients. Anyway, I've taken up too much of your time. Please, michael, tell us what you have to tell us this week.
Michael:Okay, well, we'll get to one of them anyway. Here's one that you'll find both horrifying and fascinating. Some turtles breathe through their butts. Excuse me, yeah, some turtles can breathe through their butts.
Anne:What does that even?
Michael:mean. Well, these turtles have the ability to stay underwater for really extended periods of time by sucking water in through their Butts. Right, their buttholes Right, they're buttholes Right, and then they pass dissolved oxygen past papillae that are in their digestive system, like fish use gills.
Anne:So you mean they do reverse osmosis into the lungs? Is that what you're telling me?
Michael:Right straight into their bloodstream.
Anne:Oh, it doesn't have to go through some Like gills yeah. Is there any other animal or creature on this planet that does such a thing?
Michael:You know what? I did not look that up and I should have.
Anne:I really should have looked up every possibility. Oh my god. Yeah, Now there must be an extremely complex situation where and I'm guessing there's more than one tube involved, where certain things go in and certain things go out.
Michael:Okay, here you go. This will freak you out even more. Oh no, turtles are not the only butt breathers in the world. In the animal kingdom it's pretty common, actually among reptiles and amphibians, according to McGill University. All right, frogs and salamanders are also butt breathers.
Anne:McGill University for those of you that don't know, fantastic, famous university.
Michael:Yep wonderful, wonderful school In.
Anne:Montreal. Oh my God, so this is dinosaur stuff?
Michael:Wait, wait wait, wait, wait and see. Look, we have uncovered and this is April 1st, but this is not April Fool's, this is real. Okay, Are you ready?
Anne:I don't think so.
Michael:Mice, rats and pigs can also butt breathe.
Anne:No wonder they're not kosher. No wonder pork is not kosher. Does that make you feel any different about pork, knowing that all of the flesh of the pork is imbued with poo? You're eating poo, you're eating pig poop when you eat a pork chop. Boy, oh boy. I am so disgusted.
Michael:I am so disgusted, hey we're all about education, though here on the Antlemane Show, we certainly are. Yeah.
Anne:Butt breathers, butt breathers. So wait a minute. So some warm-blooded mammals do this Right.
Michael:And there's only one, not warm-blooded mammal. Which is A naked mole rat it's a cold-blooded mammal which is A naked mole rat. It's a cold-blooded mammal, ugh yeah.
Anne:Ugh.
Michael:Yep.
Anne:Disgusting. Everything about that animal is difficult for me. Look, dinosaurs and reptiles, anything birds, dinosaurs, freak me out.
Michael:Yeah.
Anne:And a bird is more of a dinosaur than anyone realizes. Absolutely true, those are little dinosaurs.
Michael:Look, we don't have time to talk about Lane the Triceratops.
Anne:We don't.
Michael:No, but we can talk about him next week.
Anne:Well, we certainly will talk about the triceratops next week and I'm sorry that I took up too much time speaking about Amy.
Michael:Grady? No, you were on a roll. You were on a roll. There's no reason to interrupt that. And the slivovitz?
Anne:Yeah, because you know how to interrupt that. And the slivivits yeah, because you know how to interrupt me yeah, I know. You definitely know how.
Michael:Yeah, I can do it. If I need to, you can do it. I didn't because you were rolling.
Anne:I was rolling on the river. What was I? Where was I? Oh, these disgusting butt breathers. What was I? Where was I? Oh, oh, these disgusting butt breathers. So now you know what being a mouth breather is fine. Ha ha, ha, ha ha ha. That is fine, it's acceptable.
Michael:Yeah.
Anne:Everyone should be a mouth breather, All people, all animals. No one should be a butt breather and no one should eat butt breathers. If there's been any question in my mind ever about keeping kosher, about eating pork, about the some things I've always thought eh, that just seems a little no.
Michael:And the whole thing with pigs and rats and mice. It doesn't work exactly the same as it does with I don't care how it works. Yeah but they've actually done experiments to find that I don't care how it works, yeah, but they've actually done experiments to find that I don't care how it works If your oxygen is coming in the butthole and impregnating your blood with poopy oxygen. No, just regular oxygen.
Anne:No, the poopy kind, the kind that comes from the poop end.
Michael:No, because you know, otherwise we'd be saying that everything you eat is the same thing. It's because it all goes through your system, it all goes through your. You know intestines and stuff the same way and you still are subtracting nutrition from it.
Anne:So you know what I'm saying? No, I mean I do, but nutrition, I'm putting quote marks around it. Okay, right now, nutrition. Uh-huh, I want to say nutrition, my ass, but that's what it is, yeah.
Michael:It's astrition, astrition, yep.
Anne:All right.
Michael:You heard it first here on the NLA show.
Anne:Yes, you did Remember that. Thank you so much for joining us on your April 1st, April 2nd fulcrum that's where we land.
Michael:Monday or Tuesday at midnight, whatever day it is, yeah.
Anne:Whatever day you feel it is.
Michael:That's right. Time is arbitrary. It can be an hour later or an hour earlier, we don't care.
Anne:This is Superman from Five for Fighting. We don't care. This is Superman from Five for Fighting. And this week I would like to mention Adon Alexander. Adon Alexander is an American man. He's in his early 20s and he has been a hostage in Gaza for 540 days. That's what a year and a half so for Adan, who is literally sitting shackled in the dark please put a light on.
Michael:I can't stand to fly. I'm not that naive Men want men to ride With clouds between their knees. I'm only a man, no silly red sheet Digging for kryptonite On this one west street.
Michael:Only a man, no funny red sheet, looking for special things. Inside of me, inside of me, inside of me, inside of me, inside of me, inside of me. I'm only a man in the 40 red sheet. I'm only a man looking for a dream. I'm only a man in a funny red sheet, and it's not easy to be me. It's not easy to be me.
