Episode 26: Analog Over Digital | Candy Disasters, E-Bikes, Phones & Why People Are Craving Real Life Again

On this episode of Out Loud with Rob & Rachel, the conversation starts with a Starburst… and somehow turns into a full discussion about aging, bad dental work, analog life, parenting, phones, e-bikes, resilience, and why people seem desperate to reconnect with the real world again. Rachel tells the story of literally ripping part of her tooth out with candy, while Rob and Rachel spiral into memories of old school dentists, gas station habits, bike riding as kids, and how today’s generation may finally be rediscovering life outside.

They also dive into the growing tension between digital overload and analog experiences. From kids hanging out at soccer goals and mountain bike trails again, to frustration over people ruining public spaces with garbage, the episode explores why so many people are craving hands-on hobbies, outdoor connection, and a break from constant scrolling. There’s also a surprisingly deep conversation about parenting, resilience, overprotective culture, and teaching kids how to navigate challenges instead of avoiding them.

Other topics include chemo brain, loud families, terrible handwriting, Apple Watch hacks, Mahjong culture getting commercialized, sourdough influencers, fake Instagram followers, gas prices, and the strange little habits Gen X still carries around decades later. As always, it’s funny, chaotic, honest, and completely ADHD fueled. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to Out Loud with Rob and Rachel. This is what happens when two ADHD brains come together and think out loud.

SPEAKER_00 0:08

Hey everybody, thanks for tuning in again to the Out Loud Podcast.

SPEAKER_01 0:11

Hello, everyone. Welcome back. Thanks for coming back.

SPEAKER_00 0:14

Rachel was on uh she's on fire the last couple of days.

SPEAKER_01 0:18

I am on entrepreneurial fire, I must say. I am winding down the school year. So my creative, you know, my my creative outlet um will is able to shift, I should say. So I've been definitely um I'm not working this summer, which is scary. No, no, it's not. It just doesn't happen very often. Um it happened once for the first time two years ago, and then now for the second time this year, um, where I'm doing literally nothing. And um, so I'm I'm really gonna make it a productive, yeah, you know, an entrepr a productive entrepreneurial summer for myself. Um But um I I wanna I wanna share a little, which is I want to share something really funny um that happened to me this week, and I just think it's so since we've been doing the podcast, the thing that I bring most of the time is candy every day, right? I'm a big candy person, I bring it everywhere, it's like my signature thing. I have been slacking. Well, here's why. So I had the Mahjong event a couple weeks ago, and I brought candy to the Mahjong event, and Starbursts were really like the center of attention, and they were the um I think they're my favorite, by the way. Meets well, they were my favorite also, and I think I have to say goodbye. And here's what happened I'm literally in my car, getting ready to drive onto the Newark Bay extension on my way home from work. Um, my music's set, I'm driving, thank God I was in traffic, and I pop a starburst into my mouth, and all of a sudden it gets crunchy. And I'm thinking, nope, that's not normal.

SPEAKER_00 2:04

Mostogenics had that happen to us.

SPEAKER_01 2:06

Well, right. And then I'm like, um, oh my God. Big hole, big hole in my tooth. It literally ripped my filling out and part of what was left of the tooth.

SPEAKER_02 2:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:21

So again, thank God I'm in traffic. And I now hear you also I have the dilemma. Do I tell them what happened? Oh. Right? Like, so now I'm in a moral dilemma, like I'm embarrassed because I'm eating the worst thing that you could possibly eat with all of the cavities that I have in my mouth. Honestly, I have so many cavities. That like, shame on me, but I need my tooth fixed. And so I call and I I sort of came clean. She was like, Oh, what was you know, what happened? I said, Well, I was eating a piece of candy. Thank God nobody asked me anything further. And I I I I but they fit me in, best dentist. I love him so much. I I mean Dr. Brodsky and East Bronswicky, I love him.

SPEAKER_00 3:11

Oh, Summerhill?

SPEAKER_01 3:12

Yeah. Okay. Love him. Fit me in literally in five sacks. Like they were like, she was like, Are you in pain? I was like, no. She's like, okay, house 515. Like, if I said I was in pain, she would have been like, Come right now.

SPEAKER_00 3:24

I gotcha.

SPEAKER_01 3:24

But even 515 was only two hours after. Like, that was amazing. And uh by six o'clock, my tooth was fixed.

SPEAKER_00 3:30

My dentist in the in in the 80s or even eight eighties.

SPEAKER_01 3:36

Horrible, right?

SPEAKER_00 3:37

Well, they got caught like putting fillings in people that didn't need them, and and like years later, like I think that was a big thing in our generation.

SPEAKER_01 3:43

Well, I so here's all that fucking murder. Here's my thing. I don't know. Like, we went to um I had a very good dentist when I in the younger years, somebody very, you know, very um in town that was used a lot. And then my mother's insurance changed. So we went to a a dentist outside of East Brunswick, very nice man, somebody that my mother grew up with. So we never left him because my mother felt bad. But he was an awful dentist, and he took our insurance. So we, you know, my mother was a teacher, he took teachers' insurance, and he was from Brooklyn, so we took New York City teachers, and but he was awful, yeah. And so later on in life, we are all paying right for the bad work that was done to our mouths back then, and that's what this like that. I mean, now granted, I'm 50, you know, I'm almost 54, like, right? Am I on? Yeah. And it's been in there for a while, probably, so it's old, but like I can't eat Starburst. Yeah, so now I have to have a moment of silence for no more starbursts. I also have to like really that's like a concerted effort. Like, I love Starbursts. Like, so I have to actually find something else to replace it.

SPEAKER_00 4:53

So, what do they do? How do they fill the hole? More fillings, or do they have to start building?

SPEAKER_01 4:56

Well, he bonded it because it broke my tooth.

SPEAKER_00 4:59

Right. Oh wow.

SPEAKER_01 5:00

So um he said to me, I and again, like this is why I love him. He was like, at first I thought that I was gonna have to just say to you, Rachel, you're gonna have to get a root canal and then a crown. No, first he said, I I think you're he may you may need a crown. I already was at his place like two months ago, three months ago for a crown somewhere else. I still have to go back to him for that other thing that the other dentists. Oh, right, right, oh, yeah. No, I have to go back to now, I have to go to specialists to fix the other one. Um, that's a whole nother podcast. And I don't really want to out anybody for being a big thing.

SPEAKER_00 5:29

You'll be drinking out of a straws.

SPEAKER_01 5:31

I mean, seriously, or I'm gonna have to take out like a second mortgage to pay for like a new set of what are those things called? Veneers. Veneers. Like, I mean, really. It's so bad. But he was able to save the tooth and just fill the cavity again, like fill the you know, fill the space and bond the rest. You know, and on a wing and a prayer, it should stay.

SPEAKER_00 5:51

This is such a 54 to 55 year old conversation.

SPEAKER_01 5:55

And I was like, oh, I want to talk about my tooth today. I literally was like, I have to talk about because of the candy, really more about the candy.

SPEAKER_00 6:04

I'm upset out to dinner with some local people that I've known, one of them, they're like 70 now, and they used to uh uh my kids call her Mimi because we shoot the watchers kids a lot and like after school. I like those relationships. Make sure they got off the bus and stuff, and yeah, and then uh the husband's always uh nice. Then we went out with a with with an an another couple that lives in our neighborhood that's right. She watched all the kids, but it you know, the the conversations were all just about her ailments. I mean the whole thing, I mean, you know, you think we have it, but now we see their seven-year-old ailments. They got to tie the fine, they can't fucking see them. I know.

SPEAKER_01 6:39

Listen, my mother just got hearing aids.

SPEAKER_00 6:41

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_01 6:42

Yeah, my mother just got hearing aids, and now she's like, Why are you screaming?

SPEAKER_00 6:51

That's my voice, mom.

SPEAKER_01 6:53

And I'm like, can you not judge? Like, can you be less judgy now that you have hearing aids? Like, turn them down, all right? Like, maybe they're just really loud. Like now all of a sudden I'm self-conscious about how and I know I'm loud. Like I grew up in that house. Like, we're just loud people.

SPEAKER_00 7:10

Gina's loud too, my wife.

SPEAKER_01 7:11

Sometimes I'm like, sorry, I'm right here.

SPEAKER_00 7:14

Like, I know, but it's you're loud when you're passionate about something always, really. You're not really loud in a normal conversation. But I think you're passionate about everything.

SPEAKER_02 7:25

So you're not sure. Most things. Most things. I am.

SPEAKER_00 7:28

I have too much. That's not a bad thing.

SPEAKER_01 7:30

I I I've tried to tone it down in my later years. I mean, the loudness because I've tried to find a place, you know, like to know where I am. Like I've tried to become more more uh you know cognizant of the environment and Rachel's text can even be loud.

SPEAKER_00 7:46

Like you know it's loud. She you know she's talking about. No, no, you don't even do caps. You know, you know you can just tell by your uh the you you text the way you speak.

SPEAKER_01 7:54

The ver I text stream of consciousness. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Absolutely. But also because I text very often voice. So it's literally what I can think of.

SPEAKER_00 8:04

Yeah, no, me too, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:06

And I don't unless it's unless I know that it like really botched a spelling or something, I don't usually fix it.

SPEAKER_00 8:13

No, either do I.

SPEAKER_01 8:14

Because especially with you, because I know he'll figure it out, like, which is so weird.

SPEAKER_00 8:20

I forget words. I I thought we were.

SPEAKER_01 8:24

I don't even proofread them.

SPEAKER_00 8:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:26

And even if I like, I know I don't have to worry, like if it was something that might have been offensive, like later on I can be like, oh shit, I didn't even realize I texted that to you. Like, you know, I meant like whatever, whatever. That's funny.

SPEAKER_00 8:38

That's that's your dick you're good at that too, decoding from being a good idea. I am that's it is.

SPEAKER_01 8:42

It's I actually am, I have to say, I am really good because not just being an educator, being a special educator. Yeah, because I've had to figure out some shit. Like, look at you know what's so funny that you say that? My sister and brother-in-law, their their kids went to slepaway camp, and my nephew has awful handwriting. It's probably gotten a little better, but when he was younger, like you know, 10-ish, 11, whatever, he had awful handwriting. And one time they screenshotted one of his letters because they had no idea what it said, and I I figured the whole entire thing out. No, no, no, it just was horrible. Why? Lefty's worse handwriting.

SPEAKER_00 9:25

Well, back in our jet, because it's nothing was set up that way. And also, right?

SPEAKER_01 9:29

Didn't they try to like shift people?

SPEAKER_00 9:32

I think that was a few years before me. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's so interesting. I think that was sometimes sometimes Rachel texts something, she goes, Oh, I meant to say, you know, so and so, like, like you did a typo, and I'm like, I read it the right way though.

SPEAKER_01 9:45

I know that's what I I read what you meant.

SPEAKER_00 9:48

Like, like I didn't even realize the mistake.

SPEAKER_01 9:51

Well, did you ever see like those memes where it's those words and they're like you only it's almost you can read it perfectly.

SPEAKER_00 9:59

Totally. Yeah, isn't it true?

SPEAKER_01 10:00

A hundred percent.

SPEAKER_00 10:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:01

That's so cool. I can do those things. Like I'm always one of those people that can get all the way through and figure the whole pretty quickly.

SPEAKER_02 10:08

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:08

I'm just used to my eye goes to that. Yeah. I mean, you are really, I mean, I again I don't proofread anything anymore because I know you're gonna figure it out in some way, shape, or form. Um, but I also want to talk about analog versus digital. So last time we talked a little bit about pencils versus over, you know, pencils over pixels.

SPEAKER_00 10:28

Which to me is the same thing.

SPEAKER_01 10:29

It is the same thing, it's just not school related, but it's it's more life related. And this morning I take my dog on Saturday morning. I like to walk my dog as much as I can around the block. And she loves I I read one where it's like, don't take them on a walk, take them on like a sniff adventure or something. Just let your dog live. So I do, and I put my AirPods in, and I just, you know, keep walking. And um I there's a field, I guess. I I I guess you could call it that. It's behind an apartment complex, and it's open, um, and there's a path. And near the path is a um like a dog walking station with bags, and you can it's a little garbage can. Now, yes, you're only supposed to throw away dog poop or you know, dog waste, but it's still a garbage can, right? And then on the other side of it where all the grass is, I've noticed about two or three weeks ago, somebody erected a goal, a goalpost like out of PVC piping, not like one of the metal ones, but like a smaller scale, only one, not two. They I guess they can't play a full game. And I thought it was so great that they were able to, I don't know if they got permission, whatever. I think it's great. I think it should stay. What I'm seeing is kids hanging out, and it's awesome. No, it's awesome. I loved it. That was last week. Yeah, I think I literally, as a teacher, was like, this is so amazing. I love that they have a safe space, there's no cars really coming, it's away from the road. It's great. This morning I'm walking the dog and it is filled with garbage. Yeah, I cannot tell you how many water bottles. Yeah. Wrappers ripped, not only wrappers, but like ripped apart into like a couple of pieces and then like strewn across the grass. Um, a kite broken, just like sitting there. And I'm so angry because I'm like, why would you ruin a good thing, right? Like you somebody's gonna like you're I so I cleaned it up because here's my thing.

SPEAKER_00 12:34

I saw the picture too.

SPEAKER_01 12:36

Because I don't want these kids to screw themselves out of such a great location, but like do better. Yeah, like parents also, like, I I don't know, nobody's gonna be watching this, but like if the parents of the kids, they know who they are, by the way, because it's the same kids that go there. Right. So have a conversation with your kids for God's sake. Or just tell them to clean up yeah, but have it again.

SPEAKER_02 13:02

I know, I know.

SPEAKER_01 13:02

Have it again, and then have it again, and when they get home, say to them, Did you clean your shit up?

SPEAKER_00 13:07

Like, obviously, don't say shit, but like I I think it's from like not calling them out at home enough, too. Right, yeah, yeah. Like you had to do. Like, stop cleaning up for them. And sometimes the kids, I mean, like, not to make excuses for, but if you're not taught something, like it's a good thing.

SPEAKER_01 13:23

I know, but you're a hundred. Yeah, but you're right. But what I always say in my classroom, and I always say this do you want to be the reason that something stops? Like, do you want to be the reason that something gets taken away? Because I'll take it away, but I'm gonna let you know, and everybody else know that I took it away because of you.

SPEAKER_00 13:43

Yeah, yeah. You're owning it. But go going back to that though, I have noticed on a pretty large scale that people are doing things like that more. I was driving down the street the other day. There was a volleyball net set up, and it was down today. So they're taking it up and down.

SPEAKER_02 13:58

Right.

SPEAKER_00 13:59

And uh, so there's a volleyball net set up, and then um, not too far away from it, there was a Lonzac over there by the Fox Metal Townhouse. There was uh just cones, kids with a bunch of kids were playing soccer.

SPEAKER_01 14:12

Oh, I know where you're talking about. Yeah, with the basketball float there.

SPEAKER_00 14:15

And uh and I walk in in the trails by us a lot, and I'm seeing a lot of kids on mountain bikes, not even I mean, there's a there's a lot of e-bikes too, a mixture of them, but there's a lot of mountain bikes where the boys are um the kids are actually hanging out on this one pack because there's junks there. There's nice junk and they're all taking turns. Yes, which is interesting, yeah, they're not even filming, which I think is a mistake just because that I love looking at my DMX pictures back. Like they make like those.

SPEAKER_01 14:43

Oh, you think for later on nostalgic purpose. But I'm glad they aren't.

SPEAKER_00 14:46

They don't even have their phones out filming it, which is cool too, but they're totally into that. Like I'm yes, this is the first year because I'm outside a lot. I used to be a big runner and I never saw anybody else. I'm seeing people outside more often than not.

SPEAKER_01 14:59

I know. So I I I said to you before that I it's there's a big juxtaposition between the good of the e-bikes and and the negative of the e-bikes, right? Like there needs a hundred percent to be um some respect shown to those bikes for the power that they have, for the speed that they hold, for what needs to go behind this, you know, the helmet and all of that. And I I'll talk like a 54-year-old. I don't give a shit. Like, I I'm I won't let my kids drive those, ride those, whatever you want to call it, because I don't think that they're responsible enough. I don't think that there's enough respect shown for the power that those bicycles have. However, again, that being said, the other day, driving down the street, I saw two girls riding on the bike. It was the first time that I had seen girls riding a bike like that. So it was really cool to see. Now, should the other one be riding on the back of the bike? Uh that's a one-person bike. No. Okay. Again, looking beyond that, I'll take my teacher and my mom hat off. I think it's so cool that they're outside going somewhere.

SPEAKER_00 16:02

Right.

SPEAKER_01 16:03

Like I you don't see that often.

SPEAKER_00 16:05

No, no, no, I know. And and maybe that's why we're seeing kids more together more because it's easy. It's easy to get together. The best, the best quote I I I've heard in a while um was um, teach your kids to do dangerous things carefully.

SPEAKER_01 16:19

Right. That's so good.

SPEAKER_00 16:21

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:22

That is so good. Oh, teach your kids to do dangerous things carefully. I always that's so interesting.

SPEAKER_00 16:30

I'll get a lot of hey from the from some spectrum.

SPEAKER_01 16:33

No, from what?

SPEAKER_00 16:34

No, it's some psych some controversy, some conservative psychologists. A lot of people don't like them, but okay. But he's more about, you know, let's stop being pansy asses with our kids. I mean and so teach teach uh I get that though.

SPEAKER_01 16:46

I can feel that. I can because if they're going to do it anyway, I'd rather them do it in my presence. Right.

SPEAKER_00 16:53

So that I can or set them up for success. Right.

SPEAKER_01 16:57

So right. So that yeah, so they can navigate the colour.

SPEAKER_00 17:00

If they're gonna skateboard down a big ramp, have elbow pads on and a helmet. Right. So do exactly very dangerous, you're still gonna get hurt. Right. But it's as safe as you can do it. Right, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:11

Yeah, I do feel that. Like I totally can feel that, and I think I think I'm raising my kids like that.

SPEAKER_00 17:16

But even when they're two year old, two years old, even let them climb up things, but be behind them when I them know. Exactly. Yeah, that's it. Yeah, let them kind of struggle through all that because they're always like you know, it's funny.

SPEAKER_01 17:27

I just saw something today I was watching Instagram, and you know, a lot of educational things and a lot of special education things come up on my feed, my algorithm, as you like to say. Yes. And there was this one, and I don't even know why it was called, I don't even I don't know where it was coming from. It it did have a little bit of a religious-ish overtone to it, but more of a special needs community type thing. So I felt that part of it more, and it was a a a young man, but not he was probably in his 30s, no, maybe 40s, talking about how he was raised by a father who has cerebral palsy and he was raised to watch people making fun of his father.

SPEAKER_02 18:06

Oh, jeez.

SPEAKER_01 18:07

And all of the things that his father couldn't do, and you know, he heard them laughing at him behind his back, and you know, the things that they would say about him, and the way that they would, you know, physically make fun of him. And he said, I I watched it, and so the whole point the the old the the whole premise of it was that this son adopted a special needs child and how the fa his father, who's still at least around now, I don't know how old it is, I just just came up today, um, has such a connection with his son because he knows what it's like. So then the father is interviewed. Now, cerebral is one of those things where they're they can be completely able-bodied and it's just a physical thing, you know, not all the time, but very you know, sometimes. And this man is totally able-bodied, and you know, mind cognitively is totally able-minded. You know, it's just more of a physicality, you know, his cerebral palsy has manifested more physically, and he says, Don't oh, and the and the mom of the the the husband, I mean the son's wife is also interviewed, and she said, My father-in-law will sit with my son next to the dishwasher and literally for a half an hour hand him one spoon at a time. Oh wow, and has the patience to show like to and it you see the videotape of the kid walking around the thing and just and it's slow and it's arduous, but the the grandfather says, like, yeah, it's not gonna be easy and it's gonna take a little longer, but like help them navigate through the difficulty, not avoid it. Like, don't take the struggles away from us, right? Help us navigate through them, and I think that's the same thing.

SPEAKER_00 19:54

Like the same thing, and it's interesting because I think about it a lot. Like our generation, you know, we we we pat ourselves on our back of being so tall, resilient, is resilient, and I think we just fucking raised our kids, a lot of us raised our kids like just like pans to.

SPEAKER_01 20:09

Oh, I I yeah, I can't say that for myself. I don't have the luxury.

SPEAKER_00 20:14

So this is what I mean.

SPEAKER_01 20:15

Like no, I understand what you're saying.

SPEAKER_00 20:17

You don't see any kid mowing their parents' lawn anymore. Okay. Like stuff like that.

SPEAKER_01 20:22

Like so I have something to say about that though. Every j I feel that every generation hopes that they can make life easier for their kids, right? I think where our and I agree with you where our generation is, is that some have gone way too far. Yeah, yeah. But I can't relate to that because my I haven't had the luxury to be able to raise my kids like that. Like my kids have had to watch themselves for since they're young. I'm a single parent.

SPEAKER_00 20:50

So like from you know the get-go, I can't You said it perfectly prior to the to the uh podcast when we're sitting on the couch that uh you told your kids, you know, you can ride your bike over here, friends.

SPEAKER_01 21:02

Well, right. That's true too. Right.

SPEAKER_00 21:05

Right? Yes, that's what I mean.

SPEAKER_01 21:06

That yes, you're absolutely right. But that's what I'm saying. I don't raise, but that just also proves that I don't raise my kids to be PCS.

SPEAKER_00 21:15

Yeah, I'll just bring up as an example where we're driving because when we were kids.

SPEAKER_01 21:19

Oh no, I know, they're lazy as hell. Oh my god, I see it.

SPEAKER_00 21:22

Our bikes were transportation, yes, you know what I mean. It wasn't a luxury thing. No, it wasn't a lucky ride ride our bikes around a neighborhood.

SPEAKER_01 21:29

Or let's see how many it was transportation.

SPEAKER_00 21:32

It was transportation, it was a car.

SPEAKER_01 21:34

I mean, for and you know, it's funny growing up in the same town, like uh my kids are like, Yeah, but they live over there. I'm like, Yeah, I know. You go here, there's a trail there. I went through that street, that takes you over there, and then you're over there. And they're like, What? And I'm like, Yeah, I did it. And then if you want to go on the other side of Route 18, this is the path you take here, and then it gets you there, and then you go there, and you're there without. Crossing 18.

SPEAKER_00 22:01

So funny. I I I saw a picture of myself. Um, I guess I must have been in like 11th grade. It was in my backyard on Merrill Avenue in East Brunswick, and um I was I was diving just playing goalie. My legs were so shredded.

SPEAKER_01 22:18

Oh, I'm sure.

SPEAKER_00 22:18

What like like ridiculous in my life?

SPEAKER_01 22:23

Yes, like shredding.

SPEAKER_00 22:24

Like disgust like just like well, because that's all you ever did.

SPEAKER_01 22:30

But then when you got off your bike, you did something that involved XP, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 22:34

I mean, from so I mean that's from you know eight years old to you know sixteen years old.

SPEAKER_01 22:38

By the way, I was not athletic at I mean, I played soccer because it was the thing to do in East Brunswick and I played rec. I wasn't great ever ever. Um, and that's okay. Like, um I but I I I played soccer to have fun. Right, right. But I had calf muscles, like and five, like, yeah, because same, but not from soccer. No, no, no. From riding my bike, from running around my neighborhood, from being on, you know, yeah, like from being scrappy, yeah, right, and having grit.

SPEAKER_00 23:07

Like So maybe the e-bikes is bringing analog back, ironically. It could be.

SPEAKER_01 23:12

That's what I'm saying. So there's this juxtaposition between the negative of the e-bikes, but where it's bringing our kids.

SPEAKER_00 23:18

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Connecting them. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:21

And I think that's where, yeah, I I yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:23

It's like a monorail.

SPEAKER_01 23:24

I oh God. The monorail is you have to now explain what it is. Some stupid joke from our town. Yeah, where that they every anytime anybody asks what's going up somewhere, somebody says a monorail, and there's no monorail, and there never is gonna be.

SPEAKER_00 23:40

But people think there are that some people new people think the monorail is being.

SPEAKER_01 23:44

Well, it's like when when we were growing up and people were like, Oh, there was no second floor of the high school. Right. And they were like, Oh, it's on the second floor if you didn't know. And they're like, Well, where's the second floor? There is none. Uh uh, you know, and then they made you feel like an asshole. Oh my god. That's actually pretty funny. I want to bring analog back. I think we need to make a movement. Analog versus, I think analog over digital. I like the way that you say that like that. You really coined, like I you kind of coined that.

SPEAKER_00 24:12

The analog versus digital. I'm in the marketing world. It's in the marketing world where you're you will see that, but the problem is the marketers are taking over, and this analog is gonna be you know, $50 for an hour. So it has to be analog self-creative.

SPEAKER_01 24:31

Yeah, which is I also you know what's so funny? I I I don't want to take over, but on that thought, it's like as soon as the marketing sector gets involved, like Mahjong, can I just talk for a second? I only got into Mahjong probably right after the pandemic. So probably three years, four years, right? I would say. And no, yeah, maybe about five years I'm playing. And now the Mahjong set world, right? It's like hundreds and thousands of dollars now. And Hobby Lobby is jumping on board, and Michaels is jumping on board, and now HomeGoods is jumping on board, and here's the problem people are buying up all of these limited sets and reselling them for thousands of dollars. And now it's become this crappy, shitty game where can't you just chill and play the game? Like, dude, why do you have to have the best set? Yeah, why do you have to have the most beautiful, aesthetically beautiful, pleasing set? Like just sit down and have fun, play the game. Why does it have to become a marketer's wet dream?

SPEAKER_00 25:33

I I think the analog would have took off uh a little quicker if it wasn't for COVID for my 19-year-old kids. They were so locked in. Well, it was like can't even play next to each other because you might die. Right. Yeah, that was the message for a couple of years. I mean, and God forbid, I I remember like a bunch of kids playing outside and on the Facebook, kids are playing us.

SPEAKER_01 25:56

Did you see those kids together?

SPEAKER_00 25:57

Fucking I know these people are sick.

SPEAKER_01 25:59

I know. I'm sorry, I know. I actually have to say though, we in my house did not um I mean, my kids connected, they obviously they went to school online and you had to do all of those things, and they did have their play dates online with kids, you know, playing Roblox. It can it kept them connected socially to other people outside, but we did a lot of analog stuff. Like my mother like read them stories, like we read um Heidi, my kids like so. We did a lot of like you know, in your face family stuff during that time. We were not buried in our I don't remember it being a buried in your phone kind of time at all.

SPEAKER_00 26:38

Right. No, I I just think that what we're seeing now would have happened five years ago. I agree with you.

SPEAKER_01 26:45

I actually I know I think we're seeing it because of what happened five years ago.

SPEAKER_00 26:52

Right, yeah, yeah. Because I think people's sick of it.

SPEAKER_01 27:00

Like I'm so I said that last time.

SPEAKER_00 27:02

I'm sick of it too.

SPEAKER_01 27:04

I just I mean, and I can't control it. I and that's what bothers me also. Like, you don't like you you pick up your phone, oh my god, I know I hate it. Right? Yeah, so I I yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:16

And those kind of addictions are tough. It's almost like a food addiction because you know if you're addicted to alcohol, you you can stop drinking alcohol. Not that it's easy. I'm not saying it's not a necessity in your life. But if you're addicted to food, you still gotta eat. And if you're you st you still need your phone if you like it or not.

SPEAKER_01 27:33

I actually said to my kids, maybe we should go one night over the weekend without our phones.

SPEAKER_00 27:38

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:38

And then I looked and I was like, I don't think I could. I honestly don't think I could.

SPEAKER_00 27:43

I I I could easily. Yeah, I could pretty easily. Yeah, I I could I could give it up.

SPEAKER_01 27:49

I mean, I really would like to try. Yeah, I it's awful that I say that I like kind of like Really. I mean, a little bit.

SPEAKER_00 27:57

Yeah. Nothing to be ashamed of. I know, I know.

SPEAKER_01 28:00

Like it does make me but it makes me upset that I that that's a thing.

SPEAKER_00 28:04

I honestly think I can give it up for the rest of my life.

SPEAKER_01 28:06

Get out.

SPEAKER_00 28:06

Yeah, I know, seriously. That's how much the rest of your life and go back. I I would like a flip.

SPEAKER_01 28:14

So that's not getting rid of a phone though.

SPEAKER_00 28:16

Well, well, it is. I mean, by how we can get rid of a smartphone. No, I could get rid of a cell phone. I wouldn't never do it. Like if I want a lottery, right? I could absolutely get rid of it. Like where I don't have to work and make a living, where I could definitely get rid of my phone. No questions either.

SPEAKER_01 28:34

Okay, so but then you start to think about okay, but what if you're in the there's no payphones anywhere. What if you're in the so but then if you have that much money, then you probably have a driver who has a cell phone, so you don't have to have a cell phone. Like, so if you you're saying that if you won the lottery, you could give it a but here's the thing with that you if you won the lottery and were self-sufficient and never had to work again in your life, then you could also hire somebody who does the have the cell phone because what happens if your job See, I have PTSD from back in the day when like we had shitty cars and I broke down so many times and I couldn't call anyone. Right. So that still weighs on, like so things like that I think are why, and like I've had phone calls in the middle of the night of bad shit that's happening. Well, I would have a household. So, you know, yeah, but then what happens when you get in your car? Like things like that that panic makes.

SPEAKER_00 29:26

I I am the happiest when I'm disconnected. Like I am, I am so happy in my own head. Like I can't even I'm happy in my own head also and how grateful I am that I'm capable of being happy. And it took me a long time to get there, too. Right, you know, right, but like I am the happiest when know what's a good know what's a good fix if if you want to fix. If you want to make it.

SPEAKER_01 29:52

Bring it on, buddy.

SPEAKER_00 29:53

All right, so it's not the same.

SPEAKER_01 29:55

Oh, he's giving us some life.

SPEAKER_00 29:57

This is good. I'm moving things. Look, yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_01 29:59

You have to see what's going on over here. He's setting up, he's totally setting up his scene. Go.

SPEAKER_00 30:04

Because I just found mine, so that's that's why I thought it was. Coach Robert. Get the Apple Watch. I have the Apple Watch. Where you can make phone calls without it. I have it. So then you don't need your phone. All your emergencies are right here. You're not gonna be scrolling it, you're not gonna be doing anything. But if somebody calls you and if you have to make a text I have it. So you don't need your phone. So I do that when I go on hike sometimes.

SPEAKER_01 30:28

So I'm you can also do music through that, right?

SPEAKER_00 30:32

Yeah, so that's that's my recommendation for you. So instead of going out without your phone all weekend, get your kids cheap Apple Watch.

SPEAKER_01 30:40

My daughter, one of them has an Apple Watch, actually.

SPEAKER_00 30:42

But can she make calls without the phone? I don't know. That's ten dollars extra a month.

SPEAKER_01 30:47

Do you have to have a specific phone? Yeah, I mean do you have to have a specific watch for that?

SPEAKER_00 30:53

Um of the versions?

SPEAKER_01 30:55

Because my no like I don't do all versions have the phone like answering.

SPEAKER_00 30:59

I think the newer ones do. No, I don't think they do. So so if your phone's not with you, can you still make a call?

SPEAKER_01 31:05

No.

SPEAKER_00 31:06

Okay. That's what I mean. You gotta get the data on your phone.

SPEAKER_01 31:09

Right.

SPEAKER_00 31:10

On the watch. Right. Then you can leave your phone at home.

SPEAKER_01 31:14

Oh, right. Like so for me right now, I have to bring my phone with me.

SPEAKER_00 31:18

So my my watch, I don't.

SPEAKER_01 31:21

And that's just adding it on your plan.

SPEAKER_00 31:23

I just tell your plan, yeah. Yeah, you yeah, yeah. Yep.

SPEAKER_01 31:26

Oh.

SPEAKER_00 31:27

Right. So think about that. So now you can't scroll. Oh my god. But if you get a text or a phone call, you can answer a phone call. And if you have Bluetooth, you can listen to music through it.

SPEAKER_01 31:38

And like my Spotify would be on there?

SPEAKER_00 31:41

Yeah, everything. Everything, but you just too. You have to do voice attacks on the phone.

SPEAKER_01 31:47

Oh, or that weird, which never I never get at all. So that's big fat fingers. Okay. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 31:55

That's a good hack.

SPEAKER_01 31:56

You know, even if I do that around the house without adding it onto the plan, where I literally lock my phone up. Right.

SPEAKER_00 32:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:06

And don't use it.

SPEAKER_00 32:07

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:09

So my daughter and I have recently gotten into resin. You know, the making like those acrylic mold, you know, things out of the resin pouring. Um it didn't work out so well the first time. No, but it's trial and error. And I also would like to um, I would like to attempt sourdough. So I do things like that.

SPEAKER_00 32:30

That's what I think you should. Wait, there's a I told you about the sourdough.

SPEAKER_01 32:35

I love the so right. I love hers. I follow her. You know what? I have to tell you. Can I tell you about her? A little update on her? I was so upset for her. I wish sometimes that these like I I know it's corny. Sometimes I email like a DM them, but they don't answer me back ever. But the sourdough ho this week, she's posted a picture of just her like this. It was just like a simple picture of her in her kitchen posing, but next to it, she wrote, um, or it was like a voiceover of her saying, Oh, it was, yes, somebody wrote, Tell us about your family. And she said in a voiceover with this picture of her and the little caption of the DM, I won't show you my kids. My kids are under eight, you know, they didn't ask for this, they didn't want to be on camera. You may hear them in the background. My husband shows up every once in a while because he thinks it's funny, right? But I won't show my kids and I won't share stuff about my kids. Like, that's just not. And then, like three hours later, she comes on, she lost like 3,000 followers after that post.

SPEAKER_00 33:42

People are judging her, huh?

SPEAKER_01 33:44

Oh my god. And she was like, I can't believe I lost followers because I won't show you my minor children. Like, why should I I came on here to make sourdough?

SPEAKER_00 33:56

That's amazing.

SPEAKER_01 33:57

Like, why are why are you weird? But is it was it like weird people who were like skeevy and one? I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 34:07

People felt judged, it seems like I don't know. Really weird.

SPEAKER_01 34:11

Oh, you think the people who asked her about her kids were the ones who are. So here's a funny thing though.

SPEAKER_00 34:16

It is a funny thing though. It could be a coincidence.

SPEAKER_01 34:18

I feel bad for you, sourdough ho. I'm still following you and I get you.

SPEAKER_00 34:21

It could be a coincidence. So uh Instagram actually did something recently where I guess their AI is um going through fake accounts and deactive. This just happened over the last few weeks. So a lot of people are complaining that they lost thousands of followers.

SPEAKER_01 34:39

And it's oh, do you think maybe she hadn't paid attention to it?

SPEAKER_00 34:42

And then it might have been a coincidence where it just happened. It could happen. This is actually something that happened. So, you know, all the people. Yeah, like there's a lot on my personal account, every new follower request is a fake it's yeah, it's a fake account. Like every single one.

SPEAKER_01 34:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:58

Yeah. Yeah. So that kind of sucks. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 35:00

You don't know what's real and what's fake anymore.

SPEAKER_00 35:02

It's like well, you know, because it's like the 25-year-old girl with her boobs out. Like I know it's fake. Right. Like it's always those who are followers. I know.

SPEAKER_01 35:11

All right. So there was one I have to check because I forget everything and I text myself.

SPEAKER_02 35:16

Kemo brain.

SPEAKER_01 35:17

I I keep chemo brain.

SPEAKER_02 35:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 35:20

Um, oh, this I knew there was one other thing. So on my way here, I stopped for gas. I always first of all, thank you because I follow your remember you said I only put $30 in.

SPEAKER_02 35:31

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 35:32

So that's what I do now. If I have the extra $10, I put $30. And if I don't, I just put $20 in because I I don't want to deal with change. Like I hand you what I hand you and then I'm moving on, right? And it's too expensive. But um today, so I pulled in and I only had two twenties. And you can't go $40 because then I would have to wait for change and then I don't I'm so I said, hi, you know, can I get $20 regular cash? And he's like, sure. And and then he comes up to the door.

SPEAKER_00 35:59

40?

SPEAKER_01 36:00

No. And he before he started anything, and he goes, I need the cash first.

SPEAKER_00 36:05

Oh, that's weird.

SPEAKER_01 36:07

I was like, uh, and I was hooked up already, but he didn't start the pumping yet.

SPEAKER_02 36:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:12

And I was like, oh, sure, no worries. I gave him the cash. But like, that's fine. First of all, I had to pay you full price, like full before you gave me my service, which is weird. But did he make sure that happened, or are they told to make sure that happens because people just tear out and don't pay?

SPEAKER_00 36:33

I know. I I was actually shocking.

SPEAKER_01 36:35

That's where we're at as a society, right?

SPEAKER_00 36:38

I've been paying cash for gas more.

SPEAKER_01 36:40

Yeah, I don't pay, I won't use a credit card for gas.

SPEAKER_00 36:42

Yeah, I usually use debit, but um No, you can't.

SPEAKER_01 36:44

They can steal your that's why. But gas stations are the worst for that. That's why I stopped using it.

SPEAKER_00 36:50

So what I was surprised about was that they weren't taking my cash first. I was actually surprised. Yeah, I was like, man, I would as a business, like I would take the cash before I sold up. Well, so here's the thing for your reason in case they they realize they didn't have the I left my wallet at home or something.

SPEAKER_01 37:07

Yeah, I I get that. And and I think that in certain areas, you're probably correct. In certain demographics, I would imagine without saying, you know, that there are certain areas where that would happen more, right? It's never happened to me before in our town. And I pay gas, I pay cash. Yeah, and very often I'll say fill it up, and so they don't know how much it's gonna be.

SPEAKER_00 37:28

Right, right.

SPEAKER_01 37:28

So like you can't ask me.

SPEAKER_00 37:31

Oh yeah, that makes sense. You know what I mean? I never even thought of that.

SPEAKER_01 37:34

I if I I it could be 37, it could be 32. You don't know how much money you know how much gas I have in my car. It could be ten. Maybe I only wanted to top it off just because I see it's cheaper. Like But then I started to think about is it better mileage-wise? And so I laugh because growing up, and I don't even know what he did with this, but like one of my dad's wacky fixations was every time he put gas in.

SPEAKER_00 38:02

You wrote it down.

SPEAKER_01 38:02

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00 38:03

My dad too. He figured out the miles per gallon. Yeah, the no piss.

SPEAKER_01 38:08

Yes, yeah. Why?

SPEAKER_00 38:10

They just want to know. I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 38:12

Did they did your dad ever I mean, did it make a fucking difference?

SPEAKER_00 38:15

I don't know, but he did everything.

SPEAKER_01 38:17

Did it make him go to a different gas station?

SPEAKER_00 38:21

Did it make him get uh He's just making sure the car's running prime. I think that's what it was for.

SPEAKER_01 38:26

Is that I with all due respect to my father, I don't know if that's why my dad was doing it. I don't know that my dad knew well. I mean, he did in he liked his Cadillac and then like like those types of things, but I don't know that he would have been like, oh, it's 20 to gallons less, you know, 20 miles less to the guy. I don't know that he would have done that. And but that's so it made me start to think.

SPEAKER_00 38:51

That's so funny.

SPEAKER_01 38:52

As I'm doing this now, not filling up and only putting in either $30 or $20. Am I spending more? Like, do you get less mileage to the tank if it's not full? Like, I want to.

SPEAKER_00 39:04

I would think you get more because your car's lighter. Less gas.

SPEAKER_01 39:10

Is that a thing?

SPEAKER_00 39:11

Your car is lighter.

SPEAKER_01 39:12

Is that a thing?

SPEAKER_00 39:14

I mean, if you were gonna do it, if you were really not a good idea.

SPEAKER_01 39:17

I'm gonna Google that right now in real time. I'm gonna chat GPT whether or not.

SPEAKER_00 39:22

Yeah, so okay. If you're really to critically think, it would be a little bit more. Is it?

SPEAKER_01 39:26

Okay, so let's see.

SPEAKER_00 39:28

And don't say by like thousands of dollars.

SPEAKER_01 39:31

Well, no, so what do you put in? Is it better gas mileage? That's what it is. Is it is it better gas mileage when you only put in like let's just say $20 each time as opposed to a full tank filling up.

SPEAKER_00 39:55

Basically a half tank to a full tank.

SPEAKER_01 39:57

Right, it is, because that's exactly what it was. It was exactly a half and I was on. That's why I said to you, oh shit, my light went off.

SPEAKER_00 40:03

So you shouldn't be faster too. You should be able to drive faster.

SPEAKER_01 40:08

No, putting in only $20 at a time does not improve gas mileage. Your car's fuel efficiency is determined by things like driving habits, tire pressure, speed, traffic.

SPEAKER_00 40:18

Follow up with it though.

SPEAKER_01 40:19

Say, but your car's Well, wait, so it says the amount of gas in the tank itself has only a tiny effect on gas weighs about six pounds per gallon. A full 15-gallon tank weighs roughly 90 pounds more than an empty one. Right.

unknown 40:34

Right.

SPEAKER_00 40:35

So that's that's all I was getting at.

SPEAKER_01 40:36

Slightly reduced. Right. So I'm glad. No, but I'm glad to know that I'm expecting less whatever just because I'm not filling up.

SPEAKER_00 40:46

I thought of real quick.

SPEAKER_01 40:48

Like what?

SPEAKER_00 40:48

I thought of all. Yeah, I know. Wow. ADHD. Woo!

SPEAKER_01 40:53

Superpower. Of course. Total.

SPEAKER_00 40:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 40:55

Um, so I'm gonna continue. Thank you. Your strategy. And also, you know what I find? I'm out of there quicker. Yeah, yeah. So I don't have to wait for change.

SPEAKER_00 41:02

I haven't filled, because I like I filled up today and I had zero miles left to go. Yeah, I didn't know.

SPEAKER_01 41:08

I had a little more than zero miles, thank you.

SPEAKER_00 41:10

Because I I've tested it enough knowing that that's I will never like I'm not waiting for the car to be that low. And it's like $460 a gallon something.

SPEAKER_01 41:21

Yeah, I paid $455 on Route 18 and down at the Wawa, $455.

SPEAKER_00 41:27

That's real money. I mean That's real money. Yeah, that's a specialty coffee right now. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 41:35

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 41:36

Yeah. I mean, it's hurting me. It's hurting me right now. Like I my I so I my neighbor um is a year exactly a year older than me and has the years in teaching, and and called me the other day and said, I just put in my papers. I'm retiring. She loves her job, but the commute, she commutes to Jersey City just like me.

SPEAKER_00 42:00

And she's which is like 40 miles.

SPEAKER_01 42:01

It is mine is 36 miles each way. And she said, I just can't with the gas and the prices and the tolls and everything, I can't take it. And she got a teaching job here at a private school.

SPEAKER_00 42:11

Oh, nice.

SPEAKER_01 42:11

So she's still she said, I can't not work. I can't not work when I retire. But I won't do this commute anymore. Like the quality of life and the money and all of that, it's just not worth it.

SPEAKER_02 42:21

Wow, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 42:22

I'm so I like I it's really getting my wheels turning. I have to be honest with you. I'm like, hmm, pretty impressive. So I can't, I I'm gonna continue to put $20 in and not have to worry about um screwing up my my tank. Yeah. Thank you for the strategy. I appreciate that. Do you have any other life lessons for me?

SPEAKER_00 42:41

The Apple Watch is a game changer.

SPEAKER_01 42:43

I know you were really a chunk full of information this week for me. Look, maybe we should make a Rob's um life lesson every every every life tips that Rob doesn't follow. Every podcast will look to Rob for one life lesson that he can bring to the masses. I know. He does. He gives himself no credit, but he does he he infuses them. We'll just make sure that they're more pointed so that you can benefit too.

SPEAKER_00 43:10

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 43:10

We'll see you next week. Thanks, everyone. Bye.