Dopamine & Detours
Dopamine & Detours is about riding the waves of life — the highs, the lows, and all the unexpected side quests along the way. Born out of our own infertility journey, this podcast dives into raw, unfiltered conversations about what it really means to keep going when life doesn’t follow the script.
Through interviews and honest storytelling, we explore the moments that test us, surprise us, and shape us. From heartbreak to humor and everything between. Because even in the detours, there’s always a chance to find connection, resilience, and maybe even a little dopamine
Dopamine & Detours
The Nursery Is Ready...... are we?
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
This week we talk about finally finishing the nursery and how real becoming parents is starting to feel. Ashley shares some wild pregnancy dreams and Jordan talks about joining the unofficial 5AM gym “old man club.” We also rant about how ChatGPT let us down this week and wrap things up reacting to some chaotic Reddit marriage fight stories.
What's up, dogs? What's up, what's up, what's up?
SPEAKER_02What's happening? It's been like, oh, two weeks.
SPEAKER_01It feels like forever every time.
SPEAKER_02I know. I'm always like, huh, when was the last time? Oh, two weeks ago, precisely.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Yeah. What's up with you?
SPEAKER_02What's up with you?
SPEAKER_01What is up? I keep having weird dreams. Yeah, like what? I have recurring dreams and my ex-best friend comes back into my life. About three times a week. Okay, the interesting part about the dream is even in the dream when we're becoming friends, I don't want her to be my friend. So like in the dream, we're becoming friends again, but even that version of me is like, I don't want to be your friend. So but it happens about three times a week.
SPEAKER_02Sounds problematic.
SPEAKER_01It's annoying more than anything.
SPEAKER_02More annoying than all this dog hair that we have from our dogs.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, why do we have two dogs?
SPEAKER_02I know. Stupid. Don't get two dogs. I love them both. I don't know what I'd do without either of them. I know. Man, they're both dumb.
SPEAKER_01Sometimes when I come home and my new pregnant nose just smells dog, I think to myself, why do I have you? And then Zeke cuddles me, and then I can't imagine my life without him.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01He's the cutest little baby.
SPEAKER_02He's a turd.
SPEAKER_01No, he's not.
SPEAKER_02A little bit of a turd.
SPEAKER_01Why? Name one thing.
SPEAKER_02He didn't listen to me yesterday.
SPEAKER_01When? When?
SPEAKER_02When we were on our walk.
SPEAKER_01Yes, he did.
SPEAKER_02He was like, I don't have to pay attention to you.
SPEAKER_01He listened just fine. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Your story. I was there, I saw. We finished the nursery.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, we did. Didn't we already tell him that?
SPEAKER_01There's no way because we just finished it last weekend. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02We didn't work on the nursery last weekend.
SPEAKER_01Not this weekend as in yesterday, but the weekend before.
SPEAKER_02Oh yeah. Touche. Touche, touche.
SPEAKER_01We hung sconces.
SPEAKER_02Well, we didn't talk about how we we freaking nailed the freaking molding. No. Huh. It looks really good. Do I have a story for you guys?
SPEAKER_01What?
SPEAKER_02Well, I had to map out the what do you call it? Mo you called it molding. What do you call it? Trim? Trim? It's about the same thing. Okay. Anyways, to make out this decorative accent wall. And it came with like dimensions, like a sheet of paper of dimensions. So I put it into Chat GBT and said, hey chat, this is the measurement of my wall. Give me the proper dimensions so that this fits my wall evenly. And it was like blip blip blip blip blip blip. Gives me dimensions, and I'm like, okay, looking at it. Gives me the wrong dimensions of the things. I'm like, chat, you messed up. The paper clearly says that it's this size, and you said it's this size. And it was like, okay, my bad, I'm sorry. Then it gives me the proper dimensions. So then I'm sitting here trying to map it out on my wall. And it wasn't mathing. Math wasn't mathing. And I'm over here thinking to myself, I'm not that dumb. Like, this isn't going the way it's supposed to go. By this time, snow shows up.
SPEAKER_01Chat out snow.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and I'm like, hey bro, am I dumb? Or like, is the math not mathing? He was like, no, the math's not math and apparently Chad GPT doesn't know what's talking about. So we put our little pea brains together.
SPEAKER_01One giant pea.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and we mapped it out. Now it fits perfect. We're within one eighth of an inch of being completely perfect.
SPEAKER_01It looks great. Yeah. Very impressed.
SPEAKER_02So fuck you, Chad GPT. We don't need you. We don't need you.
SPEAKER_01We don't.
SPEAKER_02Took all day, though.
SPEAKER_01I use it less.
SPEAKER_02It took us all day to do.
SPEAKER_01You guys did the molding, the sconces, and hung my plant ladder.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it took us a couple hours. Most of the day.
SPEAKER_01I love my plant ladder.
SPEAKER_02Turned out good.
SPEAKER_01It did.
SPEAKER_02Turned out real good.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it's great in here. It's a vibe. I took a great nap in here the other day.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, for like four hours.
SPEAKER_01It was an hour.
SPEAKER_02Seemed like four.
SPEAKER_01It did seem like a really long time because when I came out, I felt like I was in a cave and I was like, where am I? New pregnancy symptom. I'm obsessed with you suddenly.
SPEAKER_02Creepy. Oh my gosh. You told me you wanted to eat me today. I was like, whoa.
SPEAKER_01You smell so good. I want you inside my body and I want to eat you.
SPEAKER_02No, you said you wanted to crawl inside of my body and live there. And then I was like, okay. And then you're like, I want to eat you. And I'm like, oh my gosh, let's tone it down. You insert stepbrothers meme. You sound insane right now.
SPEAKER_01The amount of times you sent me that in the last couple weeks. I have to tell them what I did.
SPEAKER_02What did you do?
SPEAKER_01I went through your phone. Oh yeah, you crazy person. You guys, that's not like me. Another phone goer through her. I can't even tell you the last time I went through your phone. Because half the time I'm just over your shoulder watching you talk to your Lintlicker boyfriend. Talk about what did Ross ask you?
SPEAKER_02What?
SPEAKER_01Do you come to your house? Do you what did he say?
SPEAKER_02Do you I'll find it.
SPEAKER_01Uh anyway, something about Jordan was in the shower and his phone was just there. And lately, because my new pregnancy hormones and I'm so obsessed with him and madly in love with him, I'm have this new irrational fear that he's just gonna leave me one day.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, irrational fear for sure.
SPEAKER_01Well, I think watching our friends divorce is scaring me. And just all these new hormones, and we feel really tied together now that we've made a human. So, and you know what? We read these horrific stories.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, you don't do it. You don't do yourself any favor.
SPEAKER_01Every other week to these people.
SPEAKER_02I found what Ross said. Okay. He said, Do y'all turn your head to the hot dog and eat it? Or you let the hot dog turn you?
SPEAKER_01We found out we'd let the hot dog turn us.
SPEAKER_02No, I said meat in the middle.
SPEAKER_01Oh, okay.
SPEAKER_02Just think about it. Yeah, like bend down. You don't want to get no condiments on your white white t-shirt. Right. You don't want to have a barbecue stain on your white t-shirt. Right. Only if she was killing you in the miniskirt, but I digress.
SPEAKER_01She was killing me in that mini skirt. What is it?
SPEAKER_02It's a song.
SPEAKER_01Sun tan line with a what is it? Help me.
SPEAKER_02I actually don't know.
SPEAKER_01Don't forget something like this.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Isn't it called like barbecue stain? I don't know. No, it is not. What is it called? What's the name of that song?
SPEAKER_01I don't know. I just asked you four times. Anyway, I didn't find anything in his phone. Of course not.
SPEAKER_02But told Something like that.
SPEAKER_01Oh. I got there. I sang that part. Yeah. Told my therapist about it. She didn't even entertain it. She just changed the subject.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, because she knows how crazy you're being.
SPEAKER_01She asked me, What's your birth plan? I was like, I don't have a birth plan, and then proceeded to tell her my entire birth plan. Love therapy. I've been skipping Bible study.
SPEAKER_02That's a crazy move on your behalf.
SPEAKER_01Is it? I think I'm just mishaving my Wednesdays. Not because you've been going so much. I know, but that's what I think I've missed Wednesdays to myself.
SPEAKER_02Why are there just random puzzle pieces everywhere?
SPEAKER_01Because we have a lot of puzzles.
SPEAKER_02Not that many.
SPEAKER_01I don't know. I think that goes to Bob's burgers too, so don't lose that. Don't want to finish Bob's.
SPEAKER_02Anyway, sorry for interrupting. Continue.
SPEAKER_01I don't know what I was saying.
SPEAKER_02You're saying you like to have your Wednesdays.
SPEAKER_01Oh, yeah. Yeah. So I've been well, I've been working on other things instead. Like this last Wednesday, I worked on tech stuff. That took a lot of time. And I finished our invitations for the baby shower.
SPEAKER_03Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_01This Wednesday I have another phone call with our CPA. So I'm gonna miss it again. And they're having a happy hour Friday night.
SPEAKER_02What does that mean?
SPEAKER_01Well they're meeting at a mutual they're meeting at one of the ladies' house for mocktails. Why not cocktails? Cause most she's pregnant. I'm pregnant.
SPEAKER_02Everyone's pregnant.
SPEAKER_01Can't decide if I want to go or not.
SPEAKER_02I'm on call, so you could go.
SPEAKER_01I mean I can do whatever the fuck I want.
SPEAKER_02Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_01You know what we're gonna do?
SPEAKER_02You're just as bad as the dogs right now. I can't go anywhere, and you're just underneath my feet.
SPEAKER_01I know yesterday I realized it when I was like, you want to take a shower? And then you're like, I got all this stuff to do. And I found myself just with you in the kitchen.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Just waiting for me. And I'm like, I'm gonna be like on probably like two hours.
SPEAKER_01Just basically hovering over.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I'm like, if you're gonna get and then you came in and started doing the dishes in the middle of me, like trying to like I was like washing off my raw chicken, and you're like, I'm like, do you really need to do that right now?
SPEAKER_01Yeah. I did.
SPEAKER_02I appreciate you trying to clean up my mess that I was making, but you were like, in my way.
SPEAKER_01In your way. Whatever, I'm just obsessed with you right now, and I need to be near you all the time. Um, yeah. Oh, you're on a fitness journey. Our house permanently smells like broccoli. I made broccoli one time, yeah, and it's stuck. And fish. You've been making fish and broccoli. Our house just smells like dog and food.
SPEAKER_02I tried to eat tilapia. I'm not gonna do that again. I think the next time I'm gonna go for the rock fish.
SPEAKER_01Oh, we're trying fish again.
SPEAKER_02Well, I did I didn't not like it. It was just like day five of the day four of the fish.
SPEAKER_01I was like of reheated fish.
SPEAKER_02I didn't even reheat it.
SPEAKER_01You were just eating cold fish. Yeah. I can't even eat fish.
SPEAKER_02It wasn't bad, but it's also you gotta think, it's probably like farm raised tilapia that's just it wasn't great. The rock fish could be good. The salmon wasn't bad because I put it on the smoker. It was good. But also, it kind of sucks to eat fish here because it's not fresh.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Today's episode I'm drinking just nice and high quality H2O.
SPEAKER_01High quality H2O.
SPEAKER_02But yeah. I'm on fitness journey. I was getting fat, so uh had to go start going to the gym.
SPEAKER_01He wakes up at five o'clock.
SPEAKER_02I wake up at five o'clock.
SPEAKER_01Every day.
SPEAKER_02I'm becoming one of the old men regulars at the gym. Shower at the gym.
SPEAKER_01Oh yeah. Do you wear split flops? Sandals. You wear sandals in the shower. Mm-hmm. Really?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it's gross in there.
SPEAKER_01I didn't even know you owned sandals.
SPEAKER_02I have like ten pairs of sandals.
SPEAKER_01Like the flip flop?
SPEAKER_02I have my rubber birken stocks.
SPEAKER_01So is is that what you wear in the shower? Oh.
SPEAKER_02I don't have like thong sandals.
SPEAKER_01Please never say that or wear those ever. Flip flop.
SPEAKER_02But yeah, um, yeah. So I do that and then I sit in the sauna and then I take a shower. All the old guys with their dicks out. I'm one of the old guys now.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02But I was like, I have to I have to start going to the gym because we're having a daughter. And one day she's gonna bring home a boy, and I'm gonna have to be big and scary, and I'm not that right now.
SPEAKER_01So you got 16 years.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I know. So I gotta get a jump on it. I've been going to the gym. Gotta get a jump on that shit, dog. Crack some skulls.
SPEAKER_01Mine isn't as exciting as yours. I go to the gym. They only bark when we're proud.
SPEAKER_02They don't bark and then we record the podcast.
SPEAKER_01There's nothing even out there. He's just mad. He's probably barking at us. Yeah. Hey, soft me out here. Although I'm out here. He follows me around. I follow you around. He follows me around, and Lila just pouts in the corner.
SPEAKER_02She hides behind the couch. For safe, safe space.
SPEAKER_01Oh, he is mad.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, he just bumps the door. Let me in.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Calm down, Debo. That's why we should have named him Debo.
SPEAKER_01No. Sir.
SPEAKER_02Freaking Ezekiel. Freaking Zekiel. Freaking Ezekiel. Um shrinking. Shrinking.
SPEAKER_01We are caught up. I cry every episode. That is one of the best shows.
SPEAKER_02It is a really good show.
SPEAKER_01That I've ever seen.
SPEAKER_02It is a really good show. It's like wholesome. I dare I say I like Ted Lasso better.
SPEAKER_01Then Shrinking? I'm gonna have to disagree with that one.
SPEAKER_02It's better.
SPEAKER_01It isn't, though. That's okay. We don't have to agree on everything. They're both great shows. Zach Braff produced an episode on both of them.
SPEAKER_02Well, what's his name? He's in both of them.
SPEAKER_01Oh, Brett Goldstein?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that guy.
SPEAKER_01Uh, we started a new show that has Jamie in it. Rooster. Yeah, what'd you think about that?
SPEAKER_02We necessarily started.
SPEAKER_01I brought you in.
SPEAKER_02I mean, I was I watched part of it.
SPEAKER_01What do you think of it?
SPEAKER_02I don't know, I was sleepy.
SPEAKER_01Do you like Steve? You don't feel for what I feel for Steve Carell.
SPEAKER_02No, because I'm not an office guy.
SPEAKER_01He's one of the greatest actors to ever do it. Really? Name one thing he's bad in.
SPEAKER_02Well, I didn't like The Office, so really? You didn't none of them. Not a single episode. I just uh the humor's not for me. I don't like that humor. Does to be fair, the older I get, the more I'm like, okay, I see why people like this show. But like when it was popping and pop super popular, and I'm like 20, I was like, this is fucked.
SPEAKER_01I didn't either. I didn't like it until I got until I grew up. Same with Scrubs. Tried to watch it when I was younger, now watching it now, I think it's funny.
SPEAKER_02Scrub is a guy who thinks he's fly, and he's also known as a busta.
SPEAKER_01You me. What else are we? Oh, I was gonna say we have Tatum's birthday party this weekend, but we are also going to Project Tail Mary at some point or another.
SPEAKER_02What's that?
SPEAKER_01That movie I've been wanting to see that I told you the.
SPEAKER_02Why do you only want to go watch movies when I'm on call? This is the most annoying thing ever.
SPEAKER_01It comes out this weekend. We can go the weekend after with my mom and my brother. We could at least take my brother. I don't know if my mom will go.
SPEAKER_02There you go.
SPEAKER_01That is one of the best.
SPEAKER_02I swear, you only are like, let's go watch this movie.
SPEAKER_01When you're on call. I know.
SPEAKER_02You don't want to do anything, and then you're like, blah blah, you're on call, let's do everything, and then pout. We can't do anything. We never do anything fun. I'm like, okay, calm down.
SPEAKER_01Anyone out there who listens to audiobooks, Project Hail Mary, best audiobook I've ever listened to.
SPEAKER_02Oh, that's the the Mars space movie with Ryan Reynolds. Space, he goes to space.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I finished that book quick. The audio is amazing. Very excited for Ryan Reynolds. Gosling. That was shameful. It's Ryan Gosling.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it is Ryan Gosling because it'd be better if it was Ryan Reynolds.
SPEAKER_01No, it would not. I think I'm mad at him.
SPEAKER_02Little dead pole in the sky.
SPEAKER_01Okay, he would have been good in that role as well.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Um shot out the World Baseball Classic. That was a real barn burner last night. The US held off and beat the Dominican Republic. Now that oh, what's tomorrow? Championship. Tomorrow. Tune in.
SPEAKER_01Shrinking comes out.
SPEAKER_02Or you're not a real American.
SPEAKER_01Oh.
SPEAKER_02Baseball, America, baseball. I can't even say much. I snow had to text me. Are you watching this game? And I was like, oh shit, I forgot it was on. Tuned in late. Watch the end. It was great.
SPEAKER_01You did your due diligence.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Okay, that's all I have now.
SPEAKER_01That's all I have, too. Our lives are not very exciting.
SPEAKER_02Uh it might it will, it's about to pop off, okay? Why? Because it's gonna get warmer. I'll have more uh uh more golf stories.
SPEAKER_00I want you to tell a story about Michael.
SPEAKER_02Well, I wasn't gonna say who it was.
SPEAKER_01And I don't edit, so it's too late. It's already out there. But that before we pushed record when I was laughing.
SPEAKER_02Somebody went golfing this weekend, and uh there was a group in front of them that was far away they didn't think that they could get to. Well, said person hits the driver, and the ball bounces like pretty close to them, apparently. Close enough that he's looking through the rangefinder and sees them like bend down and pick up his ball. And uh he he drives up to uh where his ball's at and he looks down at his ball, he sends me a Snapchat, and on his ball it says, Way to go, you almost hit a kid, and then below that says, Nice pants fag.
SPEAKER_01And then he pans down to his pants and he's wearing these like bright baby blue pants. Oh my gosh. I laughed for hours. I thought of it randomly today and laughed. That's so funny.
SPEAKER_02Don't cancel me for saying that, but I'm just I'm just gonna nice pants fag. Technically, you didn't say it. They said it. Some kids did. But I guess the the guy that was in that group stayed afterwards and was like, hey, you weren't close to those kids. They were just being It's like it wasn't that bad.
SPEAKER_01He's just getting bullied.
SPEAKER_02They just wanted to tell him uh talks just about bands. Does Michael listen to our podcast? We'll find out.
SPEAKER_01So funny. Okay, I have three stories. Pick which one you want first. Ready?
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01My wife went out last night and didn't come home until this morning.
SPEAKER_02Ooh, she's in trouble.
SPEAKER_01Wait, did we already read? Yeah, whatever. Wife, 37 female.
SPEAKER_02I thought you told me to pick a story. You're just gonna pick for me?
SPEAKER_01I'm reading the title.
SPEAKER_02Oh, sorry. I thought you were going into the wife not coming home.
SPEAKER_01We have. My wife went out last night and didn't come home until this morning. Or wife, 37 female, tells me, 38 male, find somewhere else to sleep tonight. Argument over sheets escalated to crazy levels in seconds. Or am I the asshole for ghosting my boyfriend after throwing my dog?
SPEAKER_02No one cares about a dog. Let's hear about them sheets.
SPEAKER_01The sheets?
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Sounds dicey. Like, how are you gonna get so mad over sheets? We're gonna have another pee situation.
SPEAKER_01Okay, pause. I asked a bunch of people did he pee in her mouth on purpose?
SPEAKER_02It was a consensus yes.
SPEAKER_01No. Oh everyone felt the way we did, except one person, Sam, shout out, said, I want to look through his phone to see if he told his friends.
SPEAKER_02It was like ha ha pee in your mouth.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And I was like, that's genius, actually. I wouldn't have even thought of that.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I don't know.
SPEAKER_01What sucks is we'll never know.
SPEAKER_02The more I thought about it, the more I'm like, you have to like you don't just like accidentally pee with a boner.
SPEAKER_01He peed in her mouth on purpose.
SPEAKER_02It's kind of seemed that way.
SPEAKER_01What a jerk. And with the trauma she already had from her ex. Like, why does this girl get peed on? I've never had this.
SPEAKER_02She has a pee onable face. I don't know. Like, you know how some people have a punchable face? Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02She has like a pee onable face.
SPEAKER_01All right, let's get into this story. Wife, 37. They're adults. The story. They're almost in their 40s.
SPEAKER_02About the sheets. They take sheets seriously.
SPEAKER_01Wife, 37 female, tells me, 38 male, find somewhere else to sleep tonight. Argument over sheets escalated to crazy levels in seconds. I'm typing this from a hotel room. Of course you are. Still swirling with anger, confusion, and sadness. Several weeks ago, my wife, seven years, two kids, and I bought a new mattress, and she also bought new sheets to put on. The old one sat in the laundry room floor for a couple weeks. Tossing some junk recently, I had the dumb idea to toss the old sheets too, thinking we have new ones now.
SPEAKER_02Bad idea, mister.
SPEAKER_01Wife decides to wash all sheets today and asks where the old ones are. When I explain, she goes ballistic. After she called me fucking retarded, I lost it. Yelling at the top of my lungs to never call me that, and I threw an empty detergent container against the wall and stormed out of the house.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_01All right, this is crazy. I don't want to write a novel, so I just say so I'll just say that this happened a couple of times before, and I get really triggered when the attacks go to insulting names. We agreed we'd never cross the line again, and yet here we are. After walking about an hour, she calls and texts, and I don't answer or look. Not ready. After some breathing, I check it, and she wants to know where I put something in the garage. I burst out in tears because after all that, I can't believe this is what she texts me. I text her the info, then turn off my phone. I walk for another hour, calm down, and check text. Quotes, not cool. You whipping things at me has to stop. Next time I will press charges. You hit me with the tide bottle, end quotes. That never happened. I text her, so then power off my phone again. I do a lot of walking and thinking, and my emotions are all over the place. About two hours later she calls me and starts going on a tirade that I've been gone for hours and I better find somewhere else to sleep tonight. I walk for hours, then check into a hotel. A cook a couple more hours, and she asks where I am. When I tell her she says I've abandoned my family. Didn't she tell him not to sleep there? I can't stop cycling between anger, sadness, and fear. I always feel powerless and compelled to apologize, but that my wife doesn't respect me to call me such names. I don't want to blow my life up, but I don't want to lose my dignity. Maybe a fool's choice? Any advice? Question mark.
SPEAKER_02Hmm. I don't know if I have advice for him.
SPEAKER_01They both sound very immature.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, get your pants back, bro.
SPEAKER_01Get your what?
SPEAKER_02Get your pants back.
SPEAKER_01What does that mean? His wife's wearing the pants in the family.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Scouts him by the balls. Probably shouldn't be throwing things and throwing a temper tantrum over. Maybe she shouldn't have called you a retard. But it sounds like this is just one of those toxic relationships. Because then she's like, Where are you at?
SPEAKER_01I feel bad for the kids.
SPEAKER_02Leave my house and never come back.
SPEAKER_01Where are you?
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Yeah. Do find a place to stay. And then gets mad that he checked into a hotel.
SPEAKER_01You abandoned your family. Yeah.
unknownWhat?
SPEAKER_02Over. Oh, this mind you all over some sheets. Some rust, probably crusty old sheets.
SPEAKER_01Some old sheets that were sitting on the floor. What is that? The floor of the laundry room. Laundry room floor, there you go. For weeks.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Now I have I have I have thrown a pair of sheets away before. Don't do it.
SPEAKER_01Did I get mad at you?
SPEAKER_02Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_01Really?
SPEAKER_02Mm-hmm. Not like this mad, but like you got mad at me. And I'm like, yo, dog, we have We probably have five pairs of sheets in there. I know that I'm and we s and we cycle between two pairs. But there's another like three or four pairs in the closet.
SPEAKER_01Well, if they were the nice Egyptian cotton sheets, then you deserved whatever I said to you. Sheets of Egyptian cotton. Turn it on.
SPEAKER_02Did we have Egyptian cotton sheets?
SPEAKER_01No. We did when we had our queen. Spent a lot of money on sheets. They weren't Egyptian cotton, but they were nice.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, get out of here. They were really nice. What was the threat count?
SPEAKER_01High?
SPEAKER_02You don't know.
SPEAKER_01I spent a lot of money on those sheets.
SPEAKER_02Doesn't mean anything.
SPEAKER_01They were n like thousand count.
SPEAKER_02That's slow.
SPEAKER_01I don't know. They were nice. I miss them. We don't want our king because I don't want to spend that kind of money on sheets anymore.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, especially when our dogs just get hair everywhere.
SPEAKER_01We are just covered in hair 24-7, it's just part of our life.
SPEAKER_02I don't know how you do it. Because then you go to work and you get hair everywhere. I know. Maybe that's why.
SPEAKER_01I have a hair sliver in my finger currently. Gross. I know.
SPEAKER_02Remember that when I pulled out of your foot? Yeah, I don't want to think long. Stop gross. It's like two inches long.
SPEAKER_01Yes, that was a terrible time for everyone involved. Back to the story. I think, and I always suggest this, but go to therapy? Yeah. But individual therapy, because it sounds like they're both problematic.
SPEAKER_02It sounds like they have some anger, man. Yes.
SPEAKER_01And that now they're passing on to their children because their children are gonna think this is how you talk about it.
SPEAKER_02Oh yeah, this is proper behavior.
SPEAKER_01Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_02Proper.
SPEAKER_01Well, especially because he said I've talked to her about this before. So this is an ongoing problem. Also, her text, not cool. You whipping things at me has to stop. Next time I'll press charges. So she can emotionally abuse him or verbally abuse him. Yeah. And he can't do anything about it. Probably shouldn't throw things.
SPEAKER_02This but she shouldn't have called him a retard. Apparently, that's triggering.
SPEAKER_01That is triggering.
SPEAKER_02That would make me so mad. It reminded me of Force Gump.
SPEAKER_01Why?
SPEAKER_02Oh no.
SPEAKER_01What? Why are you bringing him into this?
SPEAKER_02Because they call him a retard.
SPEAKER_01Oh well you're hurting.
SPEAKER_02And then he gets mad. He punches people.
SPEAKER_01What are you talking about? When? Does he ever punch oh punches a lot of people? In the Black Panther party.
SPEAKER_02Sorry for starting to my fight in the middle of your black panther party.
SPEAKER_01We have an update. Should I read some comments first?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, let's see if everyone else thinks that they're crazy like us. Okay.
SPEAKER_01Top comment. It sounds like you both have some issues and need some therapy. Either separate or together. Yes, what I'm saying.
SPEAKER_02What I'm saying, dog.
SPEAKER_01What I'm saying. Probably both. Maybe I'm extra/slash overly sensitive to it, but I don't think I could handle the back and forth that is scribed between get the fuck out and why have you been gone so long, you're abandoning your family.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that was kind of crazy.
SPEAKER_01That basically is abuse, followed by seeking to want him back home or whatever. That seems like something I would have a very hard time dealing with and being able to feel secure and going forward. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Emotional damage.
SPEAKER_01Emotional damage. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02That would be like a roller coaster right there. Like high, low, high, low. Like, damn, damn.
SPEAKER_01I know. Come at me with some. Big picture. I feel bad for the kids.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01You know. Does someone actually I think someone gives good advice because all the people are saying, wow, that was great advice. So I'm going to read it, but it's kind of long.
SPEAKER_02Okay, let's hear it.
SPEAKER_01I'm going to start off by letting you know I'm a happily married man in my mid-30s. I am not a 14-year-old who has never had the quote, why didn't you turn on the fucking dishwasher fight? I'm mostly going to ignore your wife's actions. I don't care about your linens, and she is not here asking for advice. To be blunt, you have some serious work to do. Your actions are not examples of an emotionally stable person. When you add everything together, the throwing, the severe avoidance, the emotional roller coaster, and the hotel together, it makes me worried about you. I went through anger management classes when I was a younger man. My wife doesn't know. To this day, we have a yelling fight once a year at most. And I'm proud of that. I think that is pretty good. But during our more common disagreements, I really use the techniques I learned over 15 years ago to keep a disagreement from becoming a fight. There's really good counseling out there that can help. As to your wife, well that insult would not fly in my marriage either. She needs to work on her. She needs to work on her. That's the advice I would give her if she was posting. You need to work on you, and you both need to work on your marriage. But just saying that would make me captain obvious. Go back and tell her you're sorry for throwing the thing, and ask her to apologize for the insult. Ask her if she'd be willing to work on the marriage. Tell her you're going to be working on yourself, and do it. If you sweep this under the rug, your marriage will soon be over. So I don't really know. I was hoping he would give some advice of the of the anger management.
SPEAKER_02Like tips?
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02I think he's like, yeah, you gotta go put in the work, dude. Like, go put in the work and be better. I mean, it did seem pretty childish, like.
SPEAKER_01Very childish.
SPEAKER_02You're gonna throw something at your wife. Even if it wasn't like if you weren't trying to hit her, you were just throwing it in her direction. Pretty childish.
SPEAKER_03Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_02Like you're almost 40 years old, bro. Go the fuck up.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Alright, let's get to the update. First, thanks to all the replies. It was eye-opening seeing the range of opinions. Some people claiming I'm a moron, pussy, toddler, etc. Another saying lawyer up because I'm being manipulated, gaslit, emotionally abused, etc. The one takeaway I had was that I definitely have some issues and need some kind of therapy, and my marriage is not healthy. This update has three parts and is pretty long, so read whatever parts you want. Oh shant.
SPEAKER_03Oh boy.
SPEAKER_01Oh god, Ross. It's mildly long. One, what happened next? Two, some more context. Three, conclusions and next steps.
SPEAKER_02Oh boy.
SPEAKER_01One, what happened next? The next morning, after some deep reflection, I tried calling, but there was no answer, which wasn't too surprising since she starts work early. I followed up with a text. Quotes, I'm coming up to pick up the key to the house. We need to talk tonight. We have much deeper issues in our marriage than I thought. It might be time for counseling. End quote. She replied she's not giving me her key and to not come. It's normal for me to occasionally drop by her work to pick up slash drop things off. The reception knows me. I respond that I need to get in the house to get ready for work, and she says that's not my problem. I could have come home last night. Then she says I can go to her parents' house and ask for their key. With no access to a car, it would take me a few hours to get there and back by transit. I could have called a taxi or a locksmith, but honestly, both options felt a bit humiliating and expensive. Without access to my work computer or a clean change of clothes, I decided to call work and take a sick day. Ts sorry guys, burping. My daughter has a soccer game that night, and it's pretty long journey by transit. So I spend a good part of the day journeying across the city, stopping to grab a bite or a drink along the way, doing a lot of thinking. My phone is almost dead, so I text her that I have no way to charge it, and I'll see her at the game tonight. She replies that she's not driving me home. I can take the bus. Jeez Louise. At the game I get the silent treatment. Her father's there too and asks how I'm doing. I lie and say, I'm okay. After the game my daughter asks if she can ride home in my car. As I open my mouth, my wife shoots me a dirty look and mouths, Don't you dare. It's obvious that she hasn't told anybody about what happened. Her father thinks I drove to the game. I decide to just go with it and say, I'll meet them at home, walking towards a nearby bus stop. I get home around in 10 PM and knock. She lets me in and gives me an earful about how disgusted she is with me. She asks me if I think what I did was okay. Shamefully, I apologize and say how wrong I was. She goes up to our room and closes the door after tossing my pillow and a blanket on the floor. The next morning, aka today, she leaves for work without saying a word to me. I don't like this woman.
SPEAKER_02She's a bitch, dude.
SPEAKER_01I could not imagine treating you like this.
SPEAKER_02He needs to get his balls back.
SPEAKER_01Uh yeah, he's kind of just taking it on the chest, which is I would have showed up at her work. Give me the goddamn house key.
SPEAKER_02Oh yeah, and I would have been like, yeah, you can come home with me. We have to take the bus. Ask your mom why.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02The dad, are you okay? No, your daughter's a bitch and she locked me out of the house.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I just don't understand why she thinks it's okay to treat her partner this way.
SPEAKER_02But he just did so much avoiding.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Yeah. Well, like that guy said, You have avoidance problems.
SPEAKER_02Well, I can grow up, dude.
SPEAKER_01Do we want more context or go straight to conclusion?
SPEAKER_02Give me the conclusion. I'm over this guy.
SPEAKER_01Conclusion. Currently, I'm in a figurative doghouse. I'm going to pay for what I've done through cold stairs, unnecessary snaps.
SPEAKER_04What do you do?
SPEAKER_01Making my life inconvenient at every turn until she's satisfied that I've fallen back in line and things can go back to quote normal. I've seen this pattern before and know how it goes. When things go back to normal, we can talk about her behavior, but bringing up now will just be reframed as me making her the villain and trying to play victim. I'm going to get therapy. It's not an easy step. So I've I've been really successful in life, but one thing I struggle with is asking for help. I need to understand what's happening to me. My behavior is some seriously messed up, unhealthy shit. My marriage is not what I thought it is. I deeply regret the whole incident. I wish I didn't act childish and turn my phone off. I wish I came back to the house and tried to work things out. I'm not sure what I was thinking except that I was really shaken about what happened and calling into question if my wife even loved me. I was scared to enter into another argument or conversation without getting some clarity first, and really wanted some sign from my wife that she wanted me to come back or at least acknowledge that things got out of control. I'm going to try and get my wife into therapy and marriage counseling together. I'm not sure if she will in her mind. This is all my shit to deal with. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And there's a very big stigma around any kind of therapy/slash mental illness, mental health issues in her family. It's an embarrassment to them. Even though clearly some of them have super obvious issues.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, sounds like they're the problem.
SPEAKER_01One final thought. I don't feel good about growing old with my wife. I worry that if my mental capacity goes before, she's going to unfairly punish me when I screw up. Losing things, throwing things out, whatever. I don't know if she'll be there for me. And that's a really scary thought. I really hope therapy will help our marriage. Edit. Wow. So while typing this, my po typing this post, my wife sent me a text that she thinks I should take the bus into work because I'm in no condition to drive. I didn't think much of it until I went to leave the house and realized she removed the car keys from my keychain. I have no access to the car. I'm really freaking out.
SPEAKER_02Call the locksmith, bro. Get a new key mate.
SPEAKER_01For his car? Oh. Edit two. I texted her to say it's not okay for her to remove my access to the car. She replied, quote, You're in no condition to drive. All I need is for you to get into an accident. You were tired and on a regular day, aren't most the wear driver. You'll be worse today. Looking out for your well-being. End quotes. I am furious. Like my hands are shaking. I can't believe it.
SPEAKER_02This lady is controlling, bro. You lost it when you lost all power to her, bro. Not trying to be like misogynistic or anything, but look where it got him.
SPEAKER_01There's another update I'm trying to scan.
SPEAKER_03Oh my gosh, dude.
SPEAKER_01I'm planning on getting a divorce. Probably a good idea. Like I don't say that often. I need therapy. I can't do something so drastic based slowly on a Reddit thread. If a therapist echoes red Reddit's sentiment, I will accelerate.
SPEAKER_03I d okay.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, he messed up and he threw the frickin' tide bottle. Okay. That seems like something we can get over. The fact that he's still here days later being punished for this and then for trying to remove himself from the situation from the situation and she's punishing him for that. Doesn't let him home, makes him run around, take the buses and all this stuff. Now he's tired. She's like, I'm taking your keys because you're just not well to drive. You're so tired.
SPEAKER_01She reminds me of the type of woman who would yell at your server.
SPEAKER_02She reminds me of the type of woman um what's it called? What's that show we watched where the girl where the girl Gets poisoned. Dix mixie wrote, Dixie wrote.
SPEAKER_01Oh, the mom? Yeah.
SPEAKER_02What is that called?
SPEAKER_03Um. Stockholm syndrome? No, that's not it.
SPEAKER_02Is that it? That's not it.
SPEAKER_01No. Someone out there is screaming at us. They know what it is.
SPEAKER_02Probably talent yelling at me right now. It's this gypsy rose.
SPEAKER_01Gypsy Rose, but what is that called?
SPEAKER_02Um, it's called gosh darn it, it's run on the tip of my tongue. It's called Munchhausen. Munchhausen. That's she reminds me of that.
SPEAKER_01I know she yells at servers. I know she's a Karen.
SPEAKER_02She's not a nice lady, I'll tell you that.
SPEAKER_01No, she is not.
SPEAKER_02She's not portraying nice lady qualities.
SPEAKER_01No, she's not.
SPEAKER_02You know what's kind of crazy?
SPEAKER_01Hmm.
SPEAKER_02As we're talking about this, but in church yesterday he said God comes first in your life, then your marriage, then your kids. Nobody be doing that. And w look at all the stories we're reading.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02All these people get lost. And it's probably easy for us to say, because we don't have a k our kid's not here yet. Mm-hmm. So it's easy to be like, you have to put your marriage first and your kids come after that.
SPEAKER_03Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_02It's easy for us to say, but if you think about it in the big picture, like it really is key for your kids' future to be able to see a healthy marriage and how to talk to people and how to interact and how to navigate living with somebody and just all the basic functions of life and and interacting with other human beings, they're learning by watching you and your spouse.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Yeah. It's easy for us to say without kids, but there's so many like yeah, like everything you're saying. Everything about your kid and who they are and their development will be such they'll be such a better person if you actually do put your marriage first. You prioritize your marriage over their needs. Because when it's them, them, them, that's when they start to get that mentality where the world revolves around them. I mean they don't know any different. Right. Yeah, that'll be challenging.
SPEAKER_02And I'm sure it gets harder as they get older and you have more kids. Well, yeah, because they're just they need everything to do. This kid's gotta go to baseball practice, and this kid's gotta go to cheerleading, and this kid's got detention or freaking whatever. You know, and you got three play there's two of us, three of them, like this one needs a new baseball glove, and this, you know, like so it's so easy to just like lose track and you're focusing all of your energy into putting on your kids on these kids, and you're not you're not refilling your marriage cup, and so it just dwindles, and then you get tired and you're irritable, and then you will people have fights and it tears people apart.
SPEAKER_01And I think Then you're fighting about the sheets.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, then you're fighting about the sheets. So I think it's just really important that like you guys make time, everybody that we all make time for our marriages to keep them in healthy positions and healthy healthy places.
SPEAKER_03Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Well, that's all the time we have for you today, everybody. Next week it'll be my wife went out last night and didn't come home until this morning.
SPEAKER_02Naughty, naughty, naughty. That is the opposite of filling up your marriage cup. It's a one way to drain it real quick.
SPEAKER_01Seriously.
SPEAKER_02All right, guys. Well, thanks for tuning in. We love you. Thanks for the support. You know the deal. Like it, subscribe to it, give somebody a hug. Peace. Oh, yeah, share with a friend.