Non-Vegan Voices: AJ

With Jon and Vanessa out of commission, Joey delivers another Non-Vegan Voices episode, this time featuring his equally introverted and socially awkward friend AJ. They kick off the show with their friendship origin story and explain how a single "man date" sealed their fate as geek buds. AJ recalls his supporting role during Joey's journey into veganism before the guys pivot to discussing AI and ChatGPT. After laughing about how they might actually be related, Joey gives AJ the floor to defend himself against vegans who claim that non-vegans can't truly love animals. Naturally, they take a massive detour to talk about comic books, including their trip to the comic shop on Superman Day. Finally, they close out the show by drooling over an upcoming meal at a favorite restaurant. The episode is a "blistering masterpiece" full of food conversations, comic book talk, and unscripted background noises from Joey’s lovable English Bulldog, Khaleesi. It's a completely different kind of episode, yet it's also exactly like every other episode.

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Vegans Talking Shit is hosted by Joey Di Girolamo, Jon Missirlian, and Vanessa Silva. Main podcast image artwork by Diego Orellana. Theme song "Flying" by TrackTribe. Visit @veganstalkingshit on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and @vegans.talking.sh on TikTok. Send questions, comments, and topic ideas to veganstalkingshit@gmail.com, and you may get your email read during the show.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:09

Hey everybody, welcome to Vegans Talking Shit. I'm Joey. I'm AJ. AJ is a friend of mine. We've been friends for well over 30 years, and we're going to get into that. Am I allowed to get political, AJ?

SPEAKER_00 0:22

Well, you know how I feel about that subject, so you know, I don't know if I can restrain myself once I get going.

SPEAKER_01 0:29

Fortunately, you and I are on the same page. Yeah. So I'm going to get into how uh AJ and I met. And by the way, just uh I have to say this because I'm hearing it right now. My dog, Khaleesi, my beloved English bulldog, she is here with us, and you're going to be hearing a lot of noises, a lot of grunting and huffing and licking, and just all kinds of weird noises from my beautiful dog. So AJ and I met under pretty amusing circumstances. Uh, in a previous non-vegan voices episode, uh, had a conversation with my friend Shane, whom I met at a comic book store. He uh worked there, he was the guy behind the counter. And uh technically, I met AJ at a comic book store. I was uh hired as a worker at Techno Comics in Miami International Mall. And AJ was my boss. I was just a regular worker bee, and uh AJ, you were the assistant manager, and yeah, you ruled with an iron fist.

SPEAKER_00 1:36

One correction. Yes. We met in the food court. Did we? Yeah, the first meeting was in the food court. Oh, which do you remember with the actual boss? Uh Roger. Do you know where where we ate or was it? It was it wasn't a food thing. It was I mean, it wasn't about eating. We we met at the food court. Yeah. Um, I remember you walking in and you had like a funky hat on. Did I have a funky hat? Was it black? It was black, but there was like something on it. I want to say it was metallic or something.

SPEAKER_01 2:06

Metallic.

SPEAKER_00 2:06

Yeah, you've always been a style guru.

SPEAKER_01 2:09

Yes, that's me. Uh so yeah, AJ was my boss at Techno Comics for what was it, a year? I don't even think it made it a year, to be totally honest.

SPEAKER_00 2:19

I could be wrong.

SPEAKER_01 2:20

So AJ was my boss uh during our time at Techno Comics, and uh you can say that we we got along really well. He wasn't much of a boss as far as telling me what to do. We basically just hung out, chatted, read comics, talked about comics, talked about movies, and then we went on a mandate. I don't remember the circumstances, but there was a regular customer whose name I forget. He had free movie tickets or something. He was giving away free movie tickets. I believe you.

SPEAKER_00 2:53

I do not remember free movie tickets.

SPEAKER_01 2:55

He gave yeah, this is what I'm remembering. He gave us free movie tickets, or he gave me free movie tickets. And it was, I think it was one of those things where it it wasn't to a specific movie, but it was to a specific movie theater company. I believe it was General Cinemas, which I don't think exists anymore. I don't think so. So I was like, hey, AJ, let's go see the uh Bruce Campbell star Congo. Bruce Campbell was in it.

SPEAKER_00 3:19

He was in it, but it wasn't his movie, but okay.

SPEAKER_01 3:22

He wasn't the main dude.

SPEAKER_00 3:23

Okay, that's why I had to think about it. But yeah, he's in it. Who Tim Curry?

SPEAKER_01 3:28

Tim Curry, I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 3:29

But you don't think of it as a Tim Curry movie. Right. Actually, you don't think of it? It's an animatronic gorilla movie, right? Amy.

SPEAKER_01 3:35

Good, good, good gorilla. So we saw this movie, we both agreed it was awful. And uh that kind of though. I never read the book. It's a good book. Michael Crichton.

SPEAKER_00 3:46

Just like uh Jurassic Park is a better book than it is a movie, even though the first movie is great. I never read the book, but the second movie was god-awful.

SPEAKER_01 3:54

The Lost World? The third one was even worse. That's when I stopped. But the second movie, The Lost World, was also based on a book. Did you read that book?

SPEAKER_00 4:02

I believe I did. Was it good? I don't remember if I read it after the movie came. I I don't remember anymore. But anyway, we we digress.

SPEAKER_01 4:10

Yeah, that's gonna happen a lot, I think.

SPEAKER_00 4:12

Oh. So I thought this was a professional police.

SPEAKER_01 4:17

Okay, so we we went on our mandate. I know you're cringing every time I say that, so I'll stop saying it. Thank you. So we agreed the movie was terrible, but that kind of sealed sealed our fate. Like we got along really well. We had a mutual love of movies and comic books, and so this friendship has lasted well over 30 years. I'm old.

SPEAKER_00 4:38

But I'm older than you. I'm way older than you, right? Not way older than me. Yeah, but if you put us side by side, it'll be like the old guy and the skinny guy. Oh, actually, the old fat guy and the skinny guy. Hey, you know I'm vegan. I don't know if you know that. I had no idea.

SPEAKER_01 4:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:54

Um you know what? To add to the lore, because you told me, I don't remember that much off the top of my head, but I was with you for your last vegetarian meal, or maybe your first vegetarian meal. Yeah. But no, no, I was with you for your last non-vegan meal. You had a burger.

SPEAKER_01 5:12

Okay, I actually know this. The last meal I had before I went vegetarian, I was with you. I don't remember where we went, but you're right. I did have a burger.

SPEAKER_00 5:22

I'm pretty sure it was a diner that no longer exists next to a theater. Next to uh what's Kendall Regal Village Theater. Okay. That diner is no longer the the the building's there, now it's a very popular barbecue place, which you would never go to, obviously. I've never been because apparently there's long lines, it's that popular. Wow. Um, but in that diner, I remember you saying, This is my last um that's the last time you had meat in your mouth. Which is not what he said. What?

SPEAKER_01 5:53

Uh okay. So yeah, you were my yeah, I was with you when I had my last omnivore meal, which was that burger, at that uh Kendall Diner. And then so after that, I went vegetarian for a week, and then Okay. Yeah. So I was I was vegetarian for a week with the goal being that the following week I would be vegan. And so I had my last vegetarian meal with you as well, and that was pizza at Anthony's coal fired. Is it coal-fired?

SPEAKER_00 6:25

Stonefired cheese. Yeah. That I oh, because vegetarian, you could have cheese. Right, yeah, yeah. Wow. We hung out two weeks in a row. That's weird. Oh, because you're living in a different area. Yeah, I was living in Durral at the time. Okay, so it's it's the the the the two weeks in a row makes a little more sense now.

SPEAKER_01 6:46

Yeah, so you were kind of with me on my journey to veganism as I had my last omnivore meal with you, and then after a week of being a vegetarian, I had my last vegetarian meal with you, and then I've been vegan ever since. And I still eat meat. You do in abundance, I do. So, okay, how did you feel or how did you because there's what you're willing to tell me, and then what you're not willing to tell me in the moment. But when I told you, Arnie, I'm thinking of going vegan. How did you feel? Do you remember how you felt? I'm sorry, I do not remember at all. Why not?

SPEAKER_00 7:22

Because my brain is not a good place. Probably because I eat so much meat. It's full of fatty stuff, you know. Um, I really don't remember. Okay. I don't remember. I wish I did because that would be fun. But um, I'm sure I thought it was weird. I don't know. I don't think I had I don't think I gave you a hard time for it, but maybe I did. I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 7:39

I don't think you did because I would remember if you if if you if you had given me a hard time, I'm sure I would remember that.

SPEAKER_00 7:44

I I remember that for a long time you still would go with me and other mutual friends, really your friends that I latch on to, um, and we'd still go to like steakhouses and stuff, you know. But then after a while you finally put your foot down and say, Okay, no more.

SPEAKER_01 7:59

Yeah, we would go to Longhorn Steakhouse because prior to going vegan, that was like our tradition, you know, we would go to Longhorn Steakhouse, right? And then I went vegan and then was like, what the hell can I eat here? So I would just get a couple of side items. Just literally decide to yeah, uh, so I did put my foot down, but you guys, you know, you acquiesced. Um, so thank you. So what I'm wondering is if you can remember, what did you think of vegan people prior to me going vegan compared to how you feel about them now, since you're good friends with the vegan?

SPEAKER_00 8:33

I think this came up in one of your episodes, like like hippies or something.

SPEAKER_01 8:38

Yeah, that's what Vanessa says. I the stereotype is I I think I might have thought that.

SPEAKER_00 8:42

I'm not I I'm not trying to be coy, I'm not you know trying to protect your feelings. Why would I do that? Um but I really don't remember exactly, but I'm pretty sure I thought kind of on the on the on the hippie side. And I know for a fact that I did genuinely, earnestly, and not with attitude, ask you how you would get your protein. I know I did ask you that, and I know that's a big laugh on you guys' side, like ah, I think we don't get protein. But um, I really did I I remember asking you that. And I think you what you told me was that your main example of protein is is um look at a uh silver back gorilla, you know, big strong beast, and then they're herbivores, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:28

Yeah, so but yeah. Getting protein isn't the issue for us. We get plenty of protein. The issue is vitamin B12, if anything.

SPEAKER_00 9:37

I mean, I've heard you say that, and I I'm pretty sure I don't know if I have vitamin B12. It's it's I take vitamin D if that helps. Raise my hand. You take vitamin D like. My my doctor's often take vitamin D supplements, yeah, because I live in Miami, so I don't get enough sun, apparently.

SPEAKER_01 9:55

So, how honest are you willing to be? What do you want to know? Because you listen at least a little bit to every episode. You'll you since this podcast began, and I'm incredibly appreciative because I know that if it weren't for Mir, you would not be listening to this podcast.

SPEAKER_00 10:13

Why would I? It's like I don't know anybody on this to talk about something I don't I don't live with, so let me watch this.

SPEAKER_01 10:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:20

Or listen to it.

SPEAKER_01 10:22

So, in your opinion, what what do you think of the podcast?

SPEAKER_00 10:25

Like, why would you ask me that though? What the hell?

SPEAKER_01 10:29

You can say it sucks, dude.

SPEAKER_00 10:31

No, it doesn't suck, but why would you ask? It's like, what am I supposed to say to that?

SPEAKER_01 10:35

You listen to every episode, and I uh so appreciate it. The fact that you're supporting it, even though you would definitely not be listening to it if not for me.

SPEAKER_00 10:43

Like, what do you but what what I think about it? I mean, you guys do a good job. You you you you go off in your little tangents about comic books and movies and conventions, and and and they put up with it, and then John pulls out his phone to check Jack GPD. It's like you guys have a thing. And then the cat's all over the place. And this was the other one's snoring. I like it. It's a good thing.

SPEAKER_01 11:05

She's snoring now. I don't know if the mic can pick that.

SPEAKER_00 11:07

No, she's doing a very she's being very subtle. I'm like her owner.

SPEAKER_01 11:11

The reason why I asked you if you like the podcast is because you do me this incredibly nice thing of listening to every episode, not the entire thing, you know. Granted, you're you're honest about that.

SPEAKER_00 11:21

I do listen to the whole thing when it's a normal episode. Oh, I didn't know that. No, when I the the the whole fast-forwarding thing comes in when you have like your guest, and it's very specific to a certain situation. And we probably shouldn't even be talking about this on the thing. So I don't know if this is gonna fall on the cutting room floor. But um, but yeah, the regular episodes, I'll leave it on the whole time. Uh that I didn't know.

SPEAKER_01 11:42

Okay. Wow. Oh, that's even sweeter. Yeah, well. Aw, you're sweet. 30 plus ears of this shit. So when I asked you what you think of the episode, I guess what I'm asking is being that this is not a topic you would listen to, you know, if not for the fact that I'm on it, you have to either like is it a drag? You're like, ah fuck, another episode I have to listen to, another 40 minutes wasted. Or is it like, all right, this is gonna be like what is your you listen to every episode.

SPEAKER_00 12:15

You're really putting me on the spot. I mean, but you you want me to be completely honest, right? So you just gave two examples, right? Oh shit, or or hey, this is pretty good. Yeah, let's let's put it in the middle. Okay, let's just put it in the middle. Everybody, nobody gets hurt.

SPEAKER_01 12:31

You wash your hands, you walk away. Well, okay, fine. But uh, once again, I honestly completely uh love the fact that you do that, and I really appreciate it. I'm trying to help your numbers.

SPEAKER_00 12:44

And you click like on all the videos, I click like on all the videos. I never comment though, because it's under my YouTube. Uh you know, everything's a freaking conglomerate, so YouTube is owned by Google. So it has like my real human name.

SPEAKER_01 12:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:58

My full human name. Like what people say their government name. Yeah. And why why do I don't want to comment with my government name? But it's already the best episode you guys ever had. You should check ChatGPT, it's gonna tell you. Um, how do you feel about ChatGPT? I'm too stupid to know the reality of it, but all I know is that apparently any form of AI is really bad for everything. You're like, it's like bad for the environment, apparently, which I don't understand it.

SPEAKER_01 13:29

Like it goes way over my head, but well, it has to do with the the amount of power that's needed in order. It's actually there there's different kinds of AI, and this is specific to generative AI. Oh, do you know what generative AI is?

SPEAKER_00 13:44

I'm assuming it means it generates something or create.

SPEAKER_01 13:47

Yeah, whenever you say, like, and you see it unfortunately in social media a lot, which you are Mr. Social Media, I am not, um, but on social media you'll see a lot of AI generated images. That is generative AI. If it's an AI generated image, or sometimes just an AI generated uh content. Like, for example, um, if you if you tell ChatGPT, hey, can you write a cover letter for oh yeah, you know, something like that. That is generative AI.

SPEAKER_00 14:20

The power that it's that it needs is just even for something like that, even for words as opposed to images and stuff?

SPEAKER_01 14:28

Yeah, because it's generating the the it in order to generate, it needs a lot of power to get all the data it needs to generate the content that you are requesting.

SPEAKER_00 14:38

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 14:39

So it has a lot to do with power, and I don't know if you know about the RAM shortage right now. Like if you want to upgrade your computer and give it more RAM, you can't because there's a RAM shortage. Wow, RAM is extremely expensive right now, and it's because of AI. Wow. Yeah, I had no idea. And then there's another thing. Like, if I have to use AI for some reason, I'm gonna use Google Gemini. Chat GPT, ChatGPT is the product, the company is open AI. Right. And open AI is one of Donald Trump's biggest campaign contributors. So there are many reasons why I don't like Chat GPT.

SPEAKER_00 15:22

But uh you just mentioned Google Gemini, but just Google in general, just if you just look up anything on Google, the first thing that pops up is AI. It says like AI summary or something, and then it'll start with I mean, unless you're looking like for like a specific thing, like like if you're Googling a restaurant to find where it is or something.

SPEAKER_01 15:43

Well, you there is actually uh a code you can enter into the Google search field that bypasses the AI. Oh if you let's say you want to do a search on uh spawn, the comic book, right? Okay, you enter spawn into the search field, and then next to it you put minus AI. Oh if whenever you search something on Google, if you want to bypass the AI component that you know that uh is part of the search query, you just put minus AI after whatever it is, whatever the cur keywords are that you entered. Interesting. So minus AI. Oh, you know what I just remembered? It's funny I didn't bring this up in the very beginning. We might be related. Oh yeah, we can't talk about that. Well, I can. I just can't say your last name. But uh I mean you didn't show up in my ancestry, right? But like you, your last name is the same as my grandmother's maiden name. So, you know, you being well, my grandmother was from Cuba, and you know, you have relatives who are from Cuba. My whole family is Cuban, right?

SPEAKER_00 16:52

I consider myself Cuban.

SPEAKER_01 16:54

Okay, so yeah, that's just interesting. Uh it's you know, there are plenty of people with that last name. I'm not gonna say it here. Of course, yeah. There's so many people, including very, very famous people. Right. But yeah, it's possible. You might be my fourth cousin twice removed or whatever.

SPEAKER_00 17:12

I I have a feeling you go further than that.

SPEAKER_01 17:14

Yeah. But we're twins practically.

SPEAKER_00 17:16

Well, I mean, obviously. I don't know how many times like I look in the mirror and I'm like, what the hell are you doing here, Joy? That doesn't really happen.

SPEAKER_01 17:25

I'm your doppelganger. Jeez.

SPEAKER_00 17:27

Yeah, exactly. My doppelganger's a lot taller than me. Crazy.

SPEAKER_01 17:31

Whenever we go to comic book convention. I don't know where this is going, but I don't think I like it. It makes me think of the movie Twins with Arnold Schwarzenegger. I'm calling myself Arnold Schwarzenegger in this scenario, and you're Danny DeVito.

SPEAKER_00 17:45

Definitely much more Danny De Vita than you are.

SPEAKER_01 17:47

There's no getting around that. He's not a dude. No, it's kindergarten cop. No, twin. Yeah, that was kindergarten cop. Twins was I like nuked food. That's where that's from? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:57

Oh, God, I didn't know that.

SPEAKER_01 17:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:59

You've been saying that for 30 plus years, too.

SPEAKER_01 18:01

I like nuked food.

SPEAKER_00 18:03

I had no idea that's what you were doing with that. Yeah. That's such a great imitation.

SPEAKER_01 18:08

So let's talk about animal lovers.

SPEAKER_00 18:10

Oh, here we go.

SPEAKER_01 18:12

This is where I get kicked off the show. I know you feel very strongly about uh episodes in the show where we talk about how you can't truly be an animal lover if you're not vegan. I will now give you the platform to explain yourself.

SPEAKER_00 18:32

So I get it. I totally get it. How the food ends up on the plate is horrific. I understand that. And I understand that it's cognitive dissonance. Your favorite fucking words. Cognitive dissonance. It's the the battle cry of the vegan. Cognitive.

SPEAKER_01 18:52

Also, MAGA. Oh, such cognitive dissonance. You can't tell on anything. Yeah, that's there. You go. Flat earthers? Them too? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:00

And I'm I'm you are being absolutely horrified that I'm tied into this shit.

SPEAKER_01 19:04

You're grouped with flat earthers and MAGA. That's that is that is so wrong. Anyway. You're in the Venn diagram, my friend.

SPEAKER_00 19:11

Earlier on, before you learned that term, apparently, you would call it uh willful ignorance. And while still not a compliment, I prefer that somehow than the whole I I just got tired of hearing cognitive dissonance. Cognitive. I can't even say it right. Cognitive dissonance. It's a good name for a band, though. Yeah. Welcome to the stage. So, I understand that. It's horrific. The numbers that have to be slaughtered, let's be real, every day, you know, to feed everybody, etc. etc. I that's har I understand that. I I understand that. That said, I don't think it's fair to say that you can't love animals otherwise. I I see I know you're trying to do it. You're trying to make it sound like go ahead, explain yourself or you get you can't do it, right? Because you can't you can't possibly I'm not trying to do anything. Well fine. That's how that's how my guilt my guilt is feeling, but I can't believe that they were like they were they they were put on this earth to like you know eat plants. It's like like they only eat plants, I should say. Like I understand that you're talking about humans or yeah, when human like I can't believe that it was like, okay, you're gonna be the most powerful species and you're gonna take over the planet, but you can only eat plants.

SPEAKER_01 20:34

But I mean, I don't necessarily disagree with that. I just I don't know if we're meant to be vegan, meant to be omnivore, but those arguments are irrelevant to me. What's relevant to me is I don't want to hurt animals, therefore I don't, and I can I I am able to eat healthily and happily and not harm animals, so that's my reason. Everything as far as history, as far as uh why are we here and what are we supposed to eat, all of that's irrelevant to me. I guess when it comes to the animal lover thing, I I tend to sympathize with non-vegans because I can remember when I was not vegan, I would call myself an animal lover. And at the time, yeah, I felt like I was an animal lover. No one could tell me differently. Um, but now that I'm vegan, looking back on it, I can't say that I was wrong to feel that way because that was how I felt. How you feel isn't wrong because it's a feeling. Now, what I will say is now that I'm vegan, I still love animals, but I'm willing to make a sacrifice every single day. Does that make me more of an animal ever? I don't know. But the fact that I am willing to make a sacrifice, I believe, is significant. Grace Randolph is a YouTuber who's always talking about movies and comic books and Uh I I used to listen to her or watch her YouTube channel a lot because she's very, very well informed as far as the insider stuff in Hollywood, but also comic books. But one time she said, I'm not an animal lover. And that turned me off big time. It was like, who isn't an animal lover? Right. Like she she was actually annoyed by uh there's a director, you and I both know who he is, James Gunn. Now he's uh basically the head honcho at DC Studios, and I think he's awesome. Love his movies, but he's not vegan, but pretty much every movie of his, he has some kind of animal uh animal message about his love for animals. And Grace Randolph finds that annoying. She is literally annoyed that this guy loves animals, which is disgraceful to me.

SPEAKER_00 22:50

I don't remember that was that being the case. I know you've told me about it, but I didn't remember that was the reason. Yeah, that's like that's what she's that's what made her say that. She doesn't love animals.

SPEAKER_01 23:01

No, I think she she said it under other circumstances because she said something about how um it was it. I I think it was a non-James Gunn movie that she was talking about where she says like she doesn't understand, you know, certain things about uh like maybe it was John Wick. I don't know, but she's she just flat out said she's not an animal lover. And then she brought it up again with the James Gunn thing where she says, Why does he always have to have this thing about animals? So I look at someone like Grace Randolph, who I don't know if she doesn't like animals, but she says she's not an animal lover. And I can't say that non-vegans are in that group. You know what I mean? Because she is just she is actively not an animal lover. Right, right. So I do believe that there's somewhere in between vegan and someone like Grace Randolph or Jesus, someone like the Trump family or the owner of Jimmy John's who goes out to Africa to kill lions and elephants.

SPEAKER_00 23:59

That's part of the reason I feel like not justified, but again, knowing how bad it is before it gets to the plate, it's sort of like, isn't that reason enough? And I I get it, I get that. But what I'm trying to say is even if you do eat meat and animal products like you know, like hell, what I eat the most is what we're going into later, you know. John the baker is is cheese pizza. So unfortunately, the cheese is real because I've had that fake cheese and we're not going there.

SPEAKER_01 24:28

Um when did you have the vegan cheese? Did I get was it with me? Of course.

SPEAKER_00 24:33

Why else would I do that?

SPEAKER_01 24:35

But I'm not remembering. Where do we go? You took me to a pizza place. Did I plant pizza?

SPEAKER_00 24:40

I think it was.

SPEAKER_01 24:41

Mallory loves plant pizza. Well, now it's no well, no longer there. All right.

SPEAKER_00 24:47

What?

SPEAKER_01 24:47

Um my niece loved it. Okay. And she's not vegan. No, I know. You're wrong.

SPEAKER_00 24:53

I am. My love for animals is it's I consider pretty big part of me. It's like I love animals. And the majority of them. Hell, I would say all of them, I don't I don't want to eat them. You know, it's like it's not like I look at the like I'm not looking at your dog and saying, you know what I'm saying? It's like, and I and I know obviously that's the dog, which is that line that I've heard on your show before, which you know irks me. But but um, it's not just pets, it's like I literally walk over to the canal to like hope I get to see an alligator. I don't want to eat the alligator, I want to see the alligator, you know, and a manatee. And and I have seen manatees, and I and I look to see if I see a snake. I never do, but but I want to see the snake, I don't want to eat the snake. Uh I just want to see the snake. I feel like I love all the animals. I feel it's not, you know, it's not because it's a pet, it's it's I I love animals.

SPEAKER_01 25:44

So well, I think there is a genuine gray area. Like uh I'm vegan, obviously.

SPEAKER_00 25:51

Oh, you don't say I had no idea.

SPEAKER_01 25:54

And uh, you know, I think that there are certain rules that you know there is no gray area. Like, you know, obviously don't wear fur. Now there are some who I I wouldn't call them vegan, I would call them plant-based. You know, they tend to be more on the health side than the ethical side, so maybe they'll wear fur, maybe they'll wear leather.

SPEAKER_00 26:14

But in my defense, I don't think I've ever like I I feel like food's necessary, but you can keep warm without a fur curl.

SPEAKER_01 26:22

Yeah, the fur thing is purely vanity.

SPEAKER_00 26:24

Yeah, and it's that's crazy.

SPEAKER_01 26:26

Um, but yeah, I mean, I I I right now off the top of my head, I can think of someone who is very vegan to the point of running very big vegan events who rides horseback. She goes horseback riding. That's not good for horses, you know. That's animal exploitation, but she's vegan. And from what I've seen, ethical vegan according to her, but she rides horseback.

SPEAKER_00 26:52

I uh obviously I'm absolutely no expert, but personally I don't think any animals was again put on the earth to be used by somebody else, right? At the same time, I I feel like a horse is probably strong enough to carry most people, you know? Like I would I wouldn't get one poor thing, but uh but I think most people as long as they you know like if they're casually riding one slowly, but like a horse race, I'm I'm totally against that. Like I think that's pure bruise is like you know, like you're using them like till you basically kill them off because they you tired them out so much, you know. It's it's it's that's that's I'm glad that's finally I mean it's actually it's still around. Yeah. But I'm thinking dog the dog race is the one that's been made illegal.

SPEAKER_01 27:42

Uh I don't know about nationwide. I think there are still places around the country. Um that's that yeah, that's that's that's crazy. But I I have to kind of disagree with you. Um because yeah, a horse may be strong enough, but I'm not sure that's relevant because who's to say that the horse wants to be carrying around these people? And then you have to consider some of them are carrying spurs, not carrying, no, you're not wearing spurs.

SPEAKER_00 28:05

That's what I'm saying. Yeah, that I totally I don't yeah. Spurs to me is I I mean, I really thought that was literally just the Western thing. I thought that was over with, but maybe it's not, maybe they still would have. I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 28:18

Well, I think you did a good job of explaining yourself or defending yourself, or however you want to say it.

SPEAKER_00 28:23

I am a horrible uh I don't know what the term is. It's I don't think it's debater, right? That doesn't sound right.

SPEAKER_01 28:29

It sounds too much like because if you're a master debater.

SPEAKER_00 28:33

Yeah, that's a whole other show. We'll do we'll film it, we're taping that one later.

SPEAKER_01 28:38

Um do you drink coffee? What do you what do you put in that? Did you hate whenever I go to Starbucks and drag you with me?

SPEAKER_00 28:44

Yeah, we won't we won't get into that. Uh uh, you know, the things I call you. Um I I have coffee every day at work. Maybe it's it's a fat thing, like just give me something to you know consume. Um but I don't like coffee, yet I drink it five days a week, and I drink it more than once, uh, usually two to three times every morning, and I drown it in that totally healthy non-dairy creamer.

SPEAKER_01 29:13

Flammable, highly flammable.

SPEAKER_00 29:15

Well, there you go. That's why that's why I don't take a lighter into the bathroom. And then um what?

SPEAKER_01 29:20

And then you drink coffee or you're taking a dump? What are you talking about?

SPEAKER_00 29:24

And then yeah, well, it's gotta come out somewhere, right? Um, and then um I also add Splenda.

SPEAKER_01 29:30

I would recommend Stevia.

SPEAKER_00 29:32

I used to try that, and I I think I had like an aftertaste or something. That was just much more expensive. I don't know after, but I definitely tried it. Less available? I don't know. There was a reason why I stuck with the Splenda. Anyway. Um so there's my dairy. I don't do dairy except for the cheese. I love me some cheese. Yeah. You're gonna get all these angry letters. Why did you bring that guy in? Okay, you're not gonna get any angry letters. That means people were actually listening. Oh, well, come on now. Little humor, a little humor among friends here.

SPEAKER_01 30:05

Uh so let's talk comic books. We actually went to the comic book store today. We did. I wanted to go because it was Superman Day. Uh they the DC comics, they have a Superman day and a Batman day. And a Batman day, they have free Batman comics. On Superman Day, they have free Superman comics. So I wanted to get my free Superman comics. So we went to Past Present Vuture in Davy, Florida, and it's a great comic book store. And plug plug. Yes. And um tell us what you bought because you actually bought comic books for the first time in a while.

SPEAKER_00 30:37

Years, and and I keep thinking about them like, why did I buy those? Am I gonna read them? I will probably read them. You should read them, but um, I don't remember exactly what about. I know I can just turn around and look at them, but I'm not gonna do that because that's a lot of work.

SPEAKER_01 30:48

I can tell you what you bought.

SPEAKER_00 30:50

I I mean I know the one of them was the absolute Batman Annual one. Yeah, well, there's only one. Okay, and then the Wonder Woman, no, absolute Wonder Woman Annual. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 31:00

One Absolute Batman annual, absolute Wonder Woman annual, and did you get yeah, the the special absolute Batman special, Ark M.

SPEAKER_00 31:08

Ark M, yes.

SPEAKER_01 31:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:10

Which from the stuff we talked about and the stuff I've read about, the fact that it's called Ark M as opposed to Arkham, that's oh, there's a reason. Oh, okay. Well, there you go.

SPEAKER_01 31:18

It's explained. Oh, there you go. Yeah, there are various Arcs. Ah that's Ark M. It's kind of tied into DCKO, but I don't think you need to have read DCKO to because I think it's explained in in uh the special.

SPEAKER_00 31:33

Oh, and also my good friend Joey, he uh for whatever reason, out of the goodness of his heart, brought me the uh the first trade paperback from the absolute Batman line.

SPEAKER_01 31:44

Yeah, I think it's uh issues one through six, I believe. Wow. Maybe one through five.

SPEAKER_00 31:48

And I thanked him profusely, but I'll thank him again. Thank you, Joey.

SPEAKER_01 31:51

Well, honestly, it was part of uh it's kind of a thank you for doing this, for doing this podcast.

SPEAKER_00 31:58

Thank you for this. What are you stupid?

SPEAKER_01 32:00

How many how many times did I ask you to do this? You were always like, no, no, no. I'm too and and this is why.

SPEAKER_00 32:07

Look at this blistering masterpiece you were creating here. Blistering masterpiece. I don't know why I said that. That makes no sense. Blistering. They're a little bit of blisters, and I don't know, man.

SPEAKER_01 32:20

So you said that you're not gonna post this on social media on your social media.

SPEAKER_00 32:24

But I'm very anonymous. I try to be. No, no, that's I'm not seeing my dogs' names, and then I even regret that sometimes.

SPEAKER_01 32:31

That that's fine, but are you gonna but are are there any special people in your life?

SPEAKER_00 32:37

Oh, yeah, I'll tell people, I'll tell I don't talk to that many people. I'm a loner. Rebel. Um I yeah, I'll tell people like a Pee Wee's big adventure reference. That's what I did, yeah. I'm a loner daddy. A rebel. But you're no E.G. Daly. You know, that was Easy Daily, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_01 32:53

It was E. Daily. She she played Dolly, and uh she was in one of my favorite 80s movies of all time, Better Off Dead. That's right.

SPEAKER_00 33:01

Yeah, and she still does cartoon voices, I believe. I should say animated series voices. Um I will probably tell people I did this, yes.

SPEAKER_01 33:12

After you've listened to it, made sure that you don't say anything that will upset people?

SPEAKER_00 33:18

Uh I haven't the only people who are gonna be upset, I need to upset are vegan, and I only know one. Well, maybe also Trump lovers, people who are in the cult. I'm not worried about upsetting them. Yeah, fuck them. I mean, I don't say it to my bosses to the face because I need my job, even though every day gets worse and we're not gonna go about and get there. And I don't know how much long I'll be there, but um, I can't bring it up at work because my bosses they don't wear the red hat, but they're just shy of that. Yeah. I got a package. Oh.

SPEAKER_01 33:52

Edit that.

SPEAKER_00 33:53

So how hungry are you? I want to go to John the Baker and I want to eat cheese pizza.

SPEAKER_01 34:01

Really cheese. I I'm not gonna have cheese pizza. Yes, I know. I'm gonna have penny pasta pomodoro. I think pomodoro is the one I can have. Well, I just ask uh penny pasta with uh marinara. So good.

SPEAKER_00 34:12

Even with even without any animal byproducts, see that?

SPEAKER_01 34:15

So, AJ, do you have any final words, any uh any last thoughts before we sign off?

SPEAKER_00 34:22

I'm sorry, this has been the worst episode ever.

SPEAKER_01 34:25

It is not the worst episode ever, I assure you. So anything else? You done? I believe so. Thank you for having me. Sorry, John and Vanessa. And with that, for vegans talking shit, I'm Joey. I'm AJ, and we are out of here. Bye, everyone. Bye, bye, bye. Say bye, AJ.