B + H : NEW YORK RAISED US
Native New Yorker husband and wife duo bullshit all things past and present in the city.
B + H : NEW YORK RAISED US
Bad Mom Behavior.
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It's always so random. This episode B+H cover : Canal Street in summer weather, Mother's Day, The Knicks, Mahjong, Drinking in Public, All the things NYC doormen know, the pre school birthday party scene, B's Bad Mom behavior, socializing with adults when you're insane kids are there, unsolicited advice (ie 'no offense but'), CPG industry, Ozempic at the Met Gala, Love Languages, Dictator : transplants must ensure their kids are New York sports fans.
Sounds good. Good evening. Good evening. Welcome to the New York Raised Us podcast. It is Friday night, May eighth, twenty twenty six.
SPEAKER_00Yep.
SPEAKER_01Someone told me to call this podcast date night.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_01Which I found interesting. Okay. Um, wait, I gotta say our sponsors. Rockaway Soda. Always. Oni's Rum. Cheers. In the flask. Uh-huh. Uh Nick's on the screen right now. Yes. I'm repping with my shirt.
SPEAKER_00You are. Better than I am. My sweaters are too big. I don't want to wear them.
SPEAKER_01Nick's up to nothing.
SPEAKER_00In the series, down seven points currently at the time of this recording in the game.
SPEAKER_01We never post these podcasts like in a timely fashion.
SPEAKER_00Live now.
SPEAKER_01We never we never publish them in a timely fashion.
SPEAKER_00By the time you hear this, it might be sweet. Might be done. Yeah. Six or two.
SPEAKER_01Maybe Nick's will be the champions by the time this podcast public. No.
SPEAKER_00And we're really, really sure.
SPEAKER_01We'll drop it next week. So the series will either be still going or over or swept. Yes. Um, but anyway.
SPEAKER_00Yep.
SPEAKER_01How are you doing?
SPEAKER_00Good. I've got my person of canal. But it's actually it's the scent of canal. I've literally walked by the guy smoking the whatever it is, the deck eight weed. We saw our boy that was the K2 smoker. He wasn't in the sunken place yet, but he was getting there. While we saw him smoking whatever the weed he's smoking is, or whatever the substance he's smoking is, I also got a huge waft of whatever fucking cologne these guys are wearing, slash the the smell of canal street, slash real weed and real sigs. So my person of canal tonight is uh a scent that I think is unique specifically.
SPEAKER_01We're bringing back people of canal.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, always, I mean, always, I'm always having my eyes peeled.
SPEAKER_01I told Harry he had to carry the pod tonight.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, handbag mafia.
SPEAKER_01Mental load on my brain is slowly deteriorating my existence.
SPEAKER_00You have a huge mental load on your brain, brain pause, and your brain is deteriorating.
SPEAKER_01I didn't get it. See, see my reaction time, I didn't even get the joke. Yeah, it's like, why did you say pause? Oh, got it.
SPEAKER_00Um little inside baseball, New York City rap reference. Um, but yeah, uh Canal Street handbag mafia is stronger than ever. There might be 500 of them outside. Um what we never mentioned, we call them the handbag mafia, but they're really the AirPod Max Mafia. They sell a lot of Apple AirPod Maxes, or at least one would think.
SPEAKER_01Uh I was canal was like meh, it's kind of mid.
SPEAKER_00Just crowded. It's nice out there.
SPEAKER_01Mid. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Weather's at the on the tens. So it's nice out there.
SPEAKER_01I was more just enjoying on our walk here. You know, it's like a mile. Lots of people out on the street. Yes. Drinking teenies and other delicious looking cocktails. Yeah. We saw some children, as I call them, like 20-something girls, jeans and bar tops reminded me of my youth.
SPEAKER_00Children, children to us, yeah. Yep.
SPEAKER_01And I was like, yes, Gen Z is going out. I hope they're drinking.
SPEAKER_00Yes. Encouraging.
SPEAKER_01Um and Think. Yeah. And then we passed a cannabis shop and they had the Gick Nicks game on.
SPEAKER_00They did.
SPEAKER_01And they called themselves a cannabis boutique. And I was curious. That has been a cannabis shop.
SPEAKER_00Before. Before. I bought edibles.
SPEAKER_01It's on like West Broadway, right by the police station.
SPEAKER_00My final foray into weed. I bought edibles from there, and then they're too strong.
SPEAKER_01You did?
SPEAKER_00My dad. And then I took a couple and they were not good. Not good for me.
SPEAKER_01Uh. But it was called a boutique, and there were like guys on the street playing chess outside, and it was like blacked out, like the the Frosted out, like.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, frosted.
SPEAKER_01The windows were frosted out, so you couldn't really see what was happening. But I was wondering like, do people go to these this cannabis boutique and like watch the Knicks game like getting that high?
SPEAKER_00I don't know if you can smoke in weed shops. I'm guessing, yes.
SPEAKER_01But like, can you drink a drink?
SPEAKER_00Like a THC infused drink? Right. Good question. And then just wait for an hour and then bug out, maybe? I don't know. We can find out.
SPEAKER_01This is so far. No.
SPEAKER_00I know. I've not.
SPEAKER_01I'm going to drink alcohol after this podcast. Right.
SPEAKER_00Right. I have no idea. Again.
SPEAKER_01It's been a week, although I've been out multiple times this week. And but leaving the kids tonight was stressful. It's all it's all stressful. They were melting down.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And I was like, I'm making the most of it.
SPEAKER_00Turns out everyone needs a nap. Three-year-olds and 40-year-olds.
SPEAKER_01What's that?
SPEAKER_00It turns out everyone needs a nap. Three-year-olds.
SPEAKER_01I need like a week-long nap. My sister's like, what do you want for Mother's Day? And I was like, ironically, to like pretend I'm not a mother.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. The other mothers I ran into at pickup today, I was like, basically, all we want is like go to sleep at eight. No, go to sleep at seven, wake up at eight, serve us food. And that's a perfect Mother Day. Mother's Day. We could put like have our kids carry trace. Yeah. Just fucking sleep.
SPEAKER_01I just want some quiet.
SPEAKER_00An SDF you.
SPEAKER_01Some quiet.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01The next game's also on three o'clock. So it'll be a nice afternoon activity. Yes.
SPEAKER_00Happy Mother's Day. Ideally a series clinching sweep win. We'll say. Depends on the night. Again. Yeah. Mother's Day. You hate these holidays though.
SPEAKER_01My son's starting our son's starting to like watching sports, which is pretty cool.
SPEAKER_00Yes.
SPEAKER_01He likes He doesn't have a huge attention span, obviously.
SPEAKER_00He's a three-year-old boy, but he likes numbers and he likes the clock.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And basketball, a lot of score changes.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and it's fast-paced.
SPEAKER_00Yes.
SPEAKER_01Um, so we'll see.
SPEAKER_00We'll see. Getting there.
SPEAKER_01Mothers of the the preschool he goes to got together last night for Mahjong.
SPEAKER_00The new pickleball.
SPEAKER_01Mahjong.
SPEAKER_00As in like trending 2026.
SPEAKER_01You know Mahjong.
SPEAKER_00I played it. Why does it seem female coded, as they say, to me? Why does it seem like a thing that women do? It is. Okay, it is.
SPEAKER_01I think. I don't know. It's it's branded that way, too.
SPEAKER_0010 blocks in the Chinese.
SPEAKER_01It's like a Chinese thing, obviously. That's been Americanized. There's an American version. I also learned last night there are other, like, there's a Japanese version and other Asian country versions.
SPEAKER_00So this, okay, but if there's like a Mahjong championship, what do they play worldwide?
SPEAKER_01The last time I played was the first and like the second time I played last night. The first time we did an event like this, you know, the school, the social people at the school organized this last year, and I had a great time. Um, quote unquote learning, and then I never played since last year. But I was like, had all these grand plans that I was gonna play. Requires upkeep. It's like the new book club in a way, in a way. I think. Um last night, it was hilarious. Because like all the mom, it was a great time. But I was sitting next to one of the moms and we were just like so tired, drinking wine, obviously. Like that's the main event generally. Yes. And then like trying, it's a complicated game. It's like uh you need to think. Yes. And also you need like there's a card and you have to like memorize the patterns. So if you play and the the card comes out every year by the National Mahjong Association or something.
SPEAKER_00Oh, there's like a So it's like a standard.
SPEAKER_01A million poker hands, think about it. Like, think think like I don't I forget how many variations poker how many patterns there are on the card.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01But like a lot. And it changes every year, and it's pretty complicated. So, like to be good, well, first of all, you don't need to know the like the fundamentals of play, but also like the people who are really good at it have memorized the patterns on the card for the for the year, right? And they play often. Um anyway, I got a mod. We've we're playing in like panners because none of us know how to play.
SPEAKER_00You knock the mahjong out of the park.
SPEAKER_01And I got a mot. I was so excited, I screamed like mahjong, and then the whole room turned on in time.
SPEAKER_00You get to like slam, what do you do? What's your celebration?
SPEAKER_01There's a lot of like yelling that goes on. You have to like pick it goes fast, like why am I not so fast?
SPEAKER_00This is like my fucking bread and butter.
SPEAKER_01Also, like the proctor, the proctors. Proctor, they're not the instructors. The instructors. Last year, too, when it was at a different venue, the instructors are so intense because they're like very passionate about the game.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_01And they have to justify the game. They're there to teach you, and like everyone's like sort of paying attention, sort of socializing, sort of like having their one.
SPEAKER_00Do they shit on you if you're being sloppy? Yeah, they yell at you. Oh, good, good, good, good.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And like basically at the end, the woman who was like coaching our table was just playing all of our hands. She was just running around the table, and she was obviously very smart and very capable. And she like fun, this is like her side thing that she did when her kids were young, that she started when her kids were young. Okay. Because when in preschool, like her and her friends kind of got interested in it because they watched the movie Crazy Rich Asians.
SPEAKER_00And now she like asked, were they in fact Asian?
SPEAKER_01Yes.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_01I don't know what type, but uh American. Yes. Uh, very American.
SPEAKER_00But have Mahjong backgrounds.
SPEAKER_01No, they didn't. They learned because they got inspired by the movie Crazy Rich Asians.
SPEAKER_00No wonder. Salty.
SPEAKER_01And but they're like professional bankers. Anyway.
SPEAKER_00Got it.
SPEAKER_01It was I'm ranting, but it's it was uh something that happened this week that I did.
SPEAKER_00Uh so Mahjong, the new pickleball.
SPEAKER_01I would like to play again. I said that last year, but then I took a whole year to actually play again. Yes.
SPEAKER_00Um, this is replacing like the bridge club for seniors.
SPEAKER_01I will tell you that like playing poker or like gin rummy is a lot easier to me. Yes. Um, or like spades.
SPEAKER_00Yes.
SPEAKER_01This requires a lot more thought.
SPEAKER_00Is it fast?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's like part of the game. Like, and you can like someone can jump in and grab like a tile to complete a hand, but only on certain things. And there's like a lot of like yelling and holding and calling.
SPEAKER_00People get pissed?
SPEAKER_01Well, not in I I would imagine like competitive, like when you're actually playing, just like doing it obviously very much for fun, but um so you gotta maintain this.
SPEAKER_00I'm sure we can find a mahjong place nearby.
SPEAKER_01Anyway.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Back to mental loads of five minutes ago. I'm like, I can't handle more thoughts right now. No, as I'm trying to digest mahjong at 8 30 p.m. on a Thursday after a long week where I already went out twice, had ridiculous meetings, the kids are insane.
SPEAKER_00Went to a bar for a six-year-old's birthday, because that's what one does. Paul McGuire's. It's great. Cinco to Maya was a whole tie-in.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, my cousin's kids.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_01Sixth birthday was there.
SPEAKER_00They they serve cake, so the bar's on the up and up. But like, yeah, you know, rip for it.
SPEAKER_01Run early or like relatively early. No one was there.
SPEAKER_00And then as we were like, how's that of the trivia night?
SPEAKER_01Yeah. As we were leaving, like, you know, we sang happy birthday, and it was all like young people playing trivia. Yes.
SPEAKER_00Like my family and like wanted to stay and play trivia. That's great. Young people, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Um like what else has been happening? Work, random social things.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. And let me quickly interject. What do you think the most degenerate way to drink in public is? And I'm only gonna be thinking about it. Why as you're sitting there drinking a flask? And I was inspired as I had a flask in my back pocket. Like, I was like, this is what alcoholics do. Um Do you think the flask, a brown bag over any Wait, what was the The most degenerate way to drink in public? The most degenerate way to drink in public is to drink straight booze like with no fucks given. Okay, let's just remove that from the situation. That's probably being you're probably being told.
SPEAKER_01Like, no, don't conceive.
SPEAKER_00Basically, like you're trying to be sly, but like obviously you have an alcohol problem. Um, or just want to drink it. Do you think it's a flask full of alcohol, an airplane bottle? You're clearly just trying to like sustain a drunk, uh, like a like a a drunk. Uh yes, a buzz, and you're just buying airplane bottles from liquor stores intermittently, or a brown bag over whatever you're drinking. Rank them. I flask, airplane bottle, or nip, whatever we call them, the 50 milliliter things.
SPEAKER_01Or I think flasks are the most classy.
SPEAKER_00I do, but I also think you're like the most hard by boiled alcohol, like if you drink from a flask.
SPEAKER_01Yes, because you've like very much premeditated. Right. You have to bring a flask with you. I've got home. You've gotta come prepared.
SPEAKER_00Right.
SPEAKER_01Like an airplane nip, you could be like, you could have had a stressful day or like something happened and you just like need a hedge off and you ran into it. And a beer, you just probably No, I've seen it, I've seen it at liquor stores.
SPEAKER_00It was it was pretty much.
SPEAKER_01I don't think I've ever in my life purchased a nib.
SPEAKER_00I've seen people pay like basically with change at a liquor store, and I'm like, Well, obviously, that's who they're sadly who they're there for.
SPEAKER_01But like, I don't think I've ever gotten one. And all of my years of degeneracy and weird things, like like even as like a kid, like doing stupid shit, I don't think I've ever bought one of those.
SPEAKER_00I I'm sure I have. To Diker Heights Christmas. Yeah, it's great. Um good move. That's the the time to do it. Um and also disclaimer for myself, I only drink out of the flask on podcast night.
SPEAKER_01So it's let's hope it stays that way.
SPEAKER_00So yeah, I handed the flask to our daughter today, you know, for her to play with. Oh, that's good. It's fine. She's I mean there's a gigantic. We're gonna have a family liquor business, so and there's a bar cart right in front of our kids, like a shrine.
SPEAKER_01Um we establish healthy rules.
SPEAKER_00Yes, exactly. Um but yeah, sorry, that was just a quick, a quick, quick, quick ask.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I'm trying to think of like the ways I've drank, drunk, drank. I still don't know this. Every time it comes up, I'm like, I've been in the beverage business for 15 years.
SPEAKER_00Let's stick with drank.
SPEAKER_01In public, it's been in a like a 40. Oh, it's either been totally unconcealed at night somewhere where like you know, a parking sea. Yeah. It's been in a paper bag, it's been in a like water bottle, like a plastic water bottle.
SPEAKER_00Classic. Yeah. Um solo cup, of course.
SPEAKER_01Like I don't know if I've taken solo. I mean, on the beach, yeah, like in Rockaway, but I don't think I've ever taken a solo cup like down the street.
SPEAKER_00We brought them on the train. That brought me in that got me.
SPEAKER_01Now I have to have that.
SPEAKER_00That got me in cuffs. That was good. Solo cup on a train's a smart idea. God fucking dodo.
SPEAKER_01How old were you that that?
SPEAKER_0020, 21. Way too old.
SPEAKER_01Like way too old.
SPEAKER_00God, just the worst. Like just you brought it, or a whole group of you brought it. No, I made eye contact with a cop on West 4th, and he's like, you with me, then everyone else is like walking away.
SPEAKER_01You're that guy.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. That was it. Everyone else.
SPEAKER_01No one else got a ticket. Or you got arrested?
SPEAKER_00Yeah. They were like, why give out tickets when we got this guy in cuffs?
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01What did the tickets out drinking in public?
SPEAKER_00Yes.
SPEAKER_01I don't wonder if people get those tickets anymore. It seems like it's very tolerated, especially post-pandemic, where like you could take to go drinks everywhere. I don't think I think I mean it's not like New Orleans or like something like that, but I don't think that I think it's all tolerated now, except for except for basically violent crime.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Including like heavy drug use. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Interesting. Yeah. Like that was something you just didn't do when we were kids.
SPEAKER_00No.
SPEAKER_01Well, I talked about on the like the beach in Robbie.
SPEAKER_00Speaking of which, apparently. It's on the way out. Yeah. Apparently, last rights. Yeah. I'm not going to get into Giuliani right now. No. No.
SPEAKER_01Don't have the bandwidth.
SPEAKER_00No. No.
SPEAKER_01I hardly ever have the bandwidth for that. Definitely not tonight.
SPEAKER_00No.
SPEAKER_01When I'm like running on less than not gonna talk about Rodie G.
SPEAKER_00Um his before and after as New York City mayor. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Do kids get in trouble? Like I got a like my friend, we would get arrested.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Like, do they arrest teenagers?
SPEAKER_00I wonder. There was a couple of kids that like the cops by the cops by us knew.
SPEAKER_01That are that aren't really criminals that are doing bad things.
SPEAKER_00Also, our cop friends are like narcs and like fucking detectives and like knocking down doors and like doing major drug busts, not patrol men and women or sergeants like in a well enough to do neighborhood, like just busting 16-year-olds. Like our boy, top cop, if you're listening, yeah, he's like knocking down doors and like there's guns on the table.
SPEAKER_01Have they talked about Officer Beecher on this podcast?
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Respect. Yeah, we hope he's like retired in Florida, right? Yeah.
SPEAKER_01He was like the getting that pension. He was the cop in Roxbury.
unknownYes.
SPEAKER_00And he knew your names, but like he also would put you.
SPEAKER_01He laid down the law.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Sometimes.
SPEAKER_00A lot of times. Once a quarter. Once a quarter, there was a calling, an example to be made. So interesting. No, I think this has all changed. I really do.
SPEAKER_01Kid do kids hang out in parks anymore? Like, I've been reading a lot about kids. Well, I just have since I'm in the beverage business and have kids and like a 20-year-old from Ohio likes not going to do a Queen's High School, but that's another story.
SPEAKER_00And say they're pretty much.
SPEAKER_01How do they socialize? I mean, I this topic comes up a lot on this podcast, but like house parties don't seem to be like a thing anymore. Yeah. Partying doesn't seem to be a thing anymore in terms of like people are afraid like the thesis' phones like ruin ruining the world. Yeah. People afraid that they're gonna get videotaped doing something whatever, embarrassing.
SPEAKER_00Yes.
SPEAKER_01So I wonder, we would have and we've talked about this, so I don't want to spend time on it, but like ridiculous house parties.
SPEAKER_00Wrecked houses.
SPEAKER_01And also Rockaway was the best place because we would have like hundreds of teenagers on the beach at night. It's quite like wild.
unknownWild.
SPEAKER_01And I can't even contemplate it, honestly.
SPEAKER_00If we were over 25, 25 to 30 in Riverside Park, the cops came. And like would slow roll down Riverside Park.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And we would we would flee. And they knew a couple people by name for sure. And they would call them out. Call them out.
SPEAKER_01Anyway.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Yeah. Alright. So do wait, do we rank the degenerate? Well, how are we doing it? Degenerate one's gotta be the flask.
SPEAKER_01No, no, we're we've moved past that. Okay. That's the classiest way.
SPEAKER_00Right. But the most calculated. Yeah. Airplane bottle is the most desperate. And paperbag is the loneliest.
SPEAKER_01I don't know.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_01I find it funny to watch you on this podcast these days and how more or less balanced you become.
SPEAKER_00My watch says I'm just enough balanced. Yesterday did not feel did not was not so.
SPEAKER_01What has happened recently that we want to tell stories about? How about that woman who asked our I would love to eventually grow this podcast to get people to call in. Like I want to hear from New York City doormen. I know we touched on this last episode about like how we love our staff, but like the other day there was a woman that asked, our door people are so nice. We overhear her asking, and there's like a hundred feet. What happened to that?
SPEAKER_00There is a no parking, no standing anywhere.
SPEAKER_01Where people load and unload in front of our building, like most buildings.
SPEAKER_00Including school buses, effectively two plus car lines.
SPEAKER_01It's like a no-standing zone.
SPEAKER_00You can maybe fit three three sedans. Two cars. Two.
SPEAKER_01She asked the doorman to take one of the spots. Like it's not a first of all, it's not a spot. She was asking to leave her car there until 9 p.m. for the whole day. And he was like, but it's Sunday, and like we got a lot of people coming in and on coming home on Sundays that go away for the weekend. And she was like, but please, and like begged him.
SPEAKER_00Please.
SPEAKER_01And put him in in such an uncomfortable position. And then he was like, okay, can you give me your phone number in case like you need to move the car? Yeah. And she was like, Oh, I'm just gonna be in 27, whatever. I'm not even gonna say I don't even remember what the apartment number was.
SPEAKER_00Apparently, she was like an in-house chef, too. I found out because I saw said door.
SPEAKER_01She's probably there for like helping with a party or something. I don't know, who knows? But I just want to know, door people, tell me your story. The asks tell me the horror story.
SPEAKER_00The asks gotta be story too.
SPEAKER_01Like, what do people ask for? What have you seen? Like, how much dirt and gossip do you have on like what goes on in the building?
SPEAKER_00The doormen of one person.
SPEAKER_01Do you guys conspire about it together? Do you guys like have coffee talk in the break room together?
SPEAKER_00A thousand percent.
SPEAKER_01Do you talk shit? Who are your favorite people? They definitely talk shit.
SPEAKER_00I mean, what do we do? I don't know. Other than your burpee session. Um, what do we do? That's like, yeah, we're not, we're not like, hey, let me take this. Can you get this bellhop cart, take it up to my house? Can you get my fresh direct and like put it in my fridge? No, we have we have the smallest ask. Um Yeah, we're we're the uh amongst the lowest maintenance.
SPEAKER_01That happened the day before.
SPEAKER_00That woman the fact that people just have the fucking nerve to ask, have such extreme asks and like expect it to be all good. Why would you put someone by asking that? Even if it's a long shot. And she was like under pressure. You're taking it back.
SPEAKER_01And like no, you know, ask for something. And but he said he was trying to say no politely to you, and you just pushed him and pushed him and pushed him, and like fuck you. Like the worst. Um the worst. But I would someone should write a book.
SPEAKER_00Yes. Like that nanny diary's the door, yes, concierge undercover for sure.
SPEAKER_01Call in. One day we'll have like call into the show anonymously. We'll like have the voice scramblers tell us your stories.
SPEAKER_00Sound all horrifying like uh cops, tell us your stories. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Door people, firemen. What shit have you seen?
SPEAKER_00Oh, I've seen it all. I mean, like yeah, first responders. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Oh, that's like a whole other level of like different. I just I I'd rather hear like the gossipy, funny, stupid shit. I don't want to necessarily hear the horrible shit that the first responders see.
SPEAKER_00Yes.
SPEAKER_01Um, but I think that was the day before or the day after we had like three birthday kids three birthday three four year old birthday parties in a row. Yeah. It's like birth. I feel like the bridge seasons have a lot of birthday parties.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_01And we're like in the birthday party scene, so to speak. Yep. I mean, there are just so many children.
SPEAKER_00We basically don't say no.
SPEAKER_01The density of children around us is wild.
SPEAKER_00And you have and if you're in a class, you're invited to the birthday, of course.
SPEAKER_01And then like Neil and Harry have a million friends because they are just like out all the time. Harry's running for mayor of Tribeca.
SPEAKER_00Not successfully. Sadly. Um my my my agenda has been thwarted immediately.
SPEAKER_01I am just this is like I I should do a whole bit on like what I'm a good mom at and what I'm really like suffering with. And I think one of my sufferings is gift giving. I think just generally, I don't fucking give gifts to anyone. I am like bad with my family.
SPEAKER_00You should be great with me. You speak with me.
SPEAKER_01When we first started dating, it was like, oh, that mattered and you cared.
SPEAKER_00Yes. You're you're you're you're vested. Yes.
SPEAKER_01You need something by yourself.
SPEAKER_00Yes. Like whatever. I'll complain about it anyway. Yes.
SPEAKER_01Um You're a good gift giver. To me.
SPEAKER_00I've gotten back. I've improved. I've improved over time. We've we've given each we've traded the aura. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01It's just like not who I am. It's not like who my immediate family is. My ex some of my extended family are such good gift givers, and they like giving gifts is their love language. It's just acts of service is my love language.
SPEAKER_00Right.
SPEAKER_01So to me, like showing up, being present, like my presence is your present.
SPEAKER_00Right.
SPEAKER_01And I get it. It that sounded really god. Like that sounded mad arrogant. I didn't mean it to sound like that. It's just like the stress of the gift for me is wild.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Um, and I know it's for the kids, and I know that like kids like gifts and it's fanfare, but I just never I need to come up with a system to like again, mental load. There's like how do I just get this done without having to think about it? I'm always the mom, like getting the gift on the way to the party.
SPEAKER_0030 minutes prior.
SPEAKER_01Also, today this this past party, I was telling the mom. I saw the mom of the um the birthday girl last night at Mahjong, and I was telling her this story because I saw another one of the moms bringing her. Anyway, whatever. Long story short, I try to support those local small business toy shops in downtown Manhattan, which are very few and far between for obvious reasons. My go-to place, which was like this wonderful mom and pop shop, great selection. They've wrapped the things for you. There were cards there. You pay triple the price than you go to Target, but like whatever, you feel good about it. Tip the gift wrapper, whatever. Yep. That place is gone. Bye-bye. And as I we walked by it on the way here, and as like that whole block of commercial space, I don't know what happened. Some ownership changed there. All of the shops there are no more.
SPEAKER_00Doors shuttered.
SPEAKER_01Uh so I went to another local place that I had never been to before that had like a decent selection. It's really tiny, everything's like on top of each other. That was all right.
SPEAKER_00Did I get a stroller in?
SPEAKER_01No, you did. I did get a stroller. Okay, but it was it was barely. Come on. Yeah, it was hardly in.
SPEAKER_00I mean, they can't pay for much for it. I get it.
SPEAKER_01Um, I pick out my thing. I also like you don't really know these kids, right? Like you know them, you don't know what they like. It's not like, oh, like so-and-so is really into like flue. Unless so-and-so is really into like unless they're rocking crafts.
SPEAKER_00Rocking the stuff daily.
SPEAKER_01And I would have to notice, like, I don't see like I they're in school together, like that you're running around the park with them, or whatever. It's like I love the idea of the birthday party and getting people together, and it's always so much fun, and it's something to do, and like I love that. It's just the gifts I just freeze. It's just one of my bad mom stuff. But anyway, I go and get bad mom. It's my it's in the bad mom column. I don't have my shit together in this regard column. Yes. Birthday gifts for kids at these in the birthday party scene. But I went and I got it at this new local, you know, mom and pop shop. Triple the pri again, down the block from Target.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01They don't, not only did they not gift wrap, which I understood was like a bit of a luxury.
SPEAKER_00Selection mid, didn't gift wrap.
SPEAKER_01The selection's fine. No gift bags, no tissue paper, no cards. So I couldn't even like make it look like I put an effort into it. The woman behind the counter told me, oh, most people just write on the bag. So it's like a bag, like a paper bag that's branded for the store. And she said, most people just will write on the bag like who it's from.
SPEAKER_00So that means you're that is fucking hood. That is hood. So that means you're in good shape because you're doing better than that because you are getting a card.
SPEAKER_01You know, that's what I said. In some regards, like bad mom deficient column of the gifts. Right. But like, I can't not have a card.
SPEAKER_00Yes, you're big, you're big. Yes, cards are fucking big up. You're a big card person. Yes.
SPEAKER_01I don't know. I I I I and I was saying this last night, like, I like a card. Yeah. I like a card. I think my we got cards growing up. I had a card drawer. I would go through the card drawer, like, look who came to my birthday party, who thought of me. I'm trying to do that for a while.
SPEAKER_00Take mental notes who No, not even.
SPEAKER_01It's just nice to revisit. So then I wind up going to Target anyway. I buy the gifts at the place. Yep. I wind up going to Target to get the get a bag, some tissue paper. I'm not wrapping them at this point. Like I'm on the way. I'm now 15 minutes late to the party, which are only 90 minutes to begin with.
SPEAKER_00Yep.
SPEAKER_01But I have my card and I write something cute in it.
SPEAKER_00And that's that. Point you. So you're better than you think you are.
SPEAKER_01But I'm just saying, like you try first. What is the what is the solution to the gift? And then this is so my thoughts. So much on the mental load. That's one thing, and I'm a bad mom about it. But like on the whole, like You know what my thoughts are. This is so wasteful.
SPEAKER_00Moratorium starting in 2027. We're done.
SPEAKER_01It's not, because you're in a vicious cycle, and like that's just what you do. Breakfast. I would love to know how many gifts are the same gifts. How many gifts are gifts that are toys that the kid already has?
SPEAKER_00Even Target selection sucks. Target's a gigantic big box store.
SPEAKER_01What is the solution hit? The kids want gifts because they're four.
SPEAKER_00You know what my solution is. Give them the 10-year bond. Oh, like the your aunt Tilly. Grandpa Warner was born in 1916. Four-year-old and 10-year bond. They will appreciate it in time. God, I'm not sure. Or whatever these like Trump accounts are that like you get a thousand bucks.
SPEAKER_01It is what it is, but it's just unfortunate. Get like a little stock. And maybe if I was good at it, I wouldn't hate it so much.
SPEAKER_00I know. To your point, the second we get an invite and we're going, like, we got to get on Amazon or Etsy. Like, I think I'm a I think I'm a really good mom. And how much do you spend? Who knows? Do you is there is 25 too cheap? Is 50 on target? Like, I don't know. This is this is that's why we gotta do the moratorium. Everyone stops. Sorry, kids that are not born yet. You're there was a time.
SPEAKER_01I think I'm a really good mom. Like, I'm I love my kids so much. I'm obsessed with them. I, you know, am there for them. I play with them, I t talk to them, I teach them, I read to them. Like, but in terms of like domestic shit, it's just not me. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Like That's fine.
SPEAKER_01I just not a trad wife.
SPEAKER_00I know, but that's not a trad wife thing, excuse me.
SPEAKER_01No, it's not even a trad wife thing.
SPEAKER_00No.
SPEAKER_01And I'd like to be a little bit more like that. And every year I'm like, I'm gonna like I don't know. Just be more home, not homely homey. I don't know. I don't like curate things.
SPEAKER_00More Hallmark channel, Martha Stewart.
SPEAKER_01No, because I can throw an awesome party too. So like You do. And you think about it. It's more like I can pick a good venue and like hire or like stuff like that. I'm not gonna like ever cook a dinner party for anyone in my life. Like, I'm never gonna host a dinner party where I cook.
SPEAKER_00Well, we can get that one.
SPEAKER_01Whereas like some people can really do that, and it's like, whoa.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's wild.
SPEAKER_01It's just like I I no, I'm not that's just not me.
SPEAKER_00No, no. We can talk to that woman that like want to take up parking spots, maybe she'll cook for us. Yeah. It's fine. I wouldn't beat yourself up over that. That's fine. Plenty of people these the this is like an aplot plastic ecological abomination. It's okay. They're just toys that kids like rifle through and then forget about. And in reality, they just want to play with like a dishwasher and like sticks, like our kids. Um, yeah.
SPEAKER_01So But our son, we've never thrown our son a birthday party because he doesn't want one. Yes. But last night one of the moms gave me a good idea. I'm like, he he likes going to them, but he doesn't really like to like do the things, the activities.
SPEAKER_00Well to throw a party.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. She was like, okay, so it sounds like you just need juice and everyone meet in Rockefeller Park and they drink juice and run around. And there are maybe few some balls in the mix. And I'm like, Yep, that sounds good.
SPEAKER_00It's the move.
SPEAKER_01Put it on the couch.
SPEAKER_00You can put a fourth four birthday balloon and maybe juice for the kids, juice for the parents. The hard stuff for the kids, juice, make them flip out. The hard stuff for the parents so they can mellow out. Yeah. Um yeah, we we do owe we do owe a party to our our contemporaries.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. It's also hard to socialize at the birthday parties when you have a kid like we do, because he's like bouncing off the walls, and you're like, again, now my brain feels like mush because you're like trying to like acknowledge that there are other people in the room and like talk to your new, you know, friends, whatever parent friends, maybe have a glass of wine, but like in the back of your head, you're like, where's my kid?
SPEAKER_00He's destroying the ceramics they all just like painted. Yeah. Like one by one. And our 16-month-old is like flirting with a six-foot four dad and like grabbing my beer.
SPEAKER_01And I'm like looking over my shoulder the whole time. Yeah. I don't even know what the words are coming out of my mouth because in my mind, I'm like, is my kid like what is he doing right now? I know. So that's also like a whole other topic of like socializing with adults when your kids are there at this age, because like my kid could kill himself at any given moment.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, we read some other kids will see. We read a birthday party over the summer where a kid fell like down like seven flights of stairs. Seven flights, pause, seven stairs, you know, just because yeah, you take your eye off the ball and then your kid is downstairs. I know it's brutal. It's brutal.
SPEAKER_01Anyway, what's been going on in your athletic training world?
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_01I'm glad let's not like real quick. Let's keep this segment short here. Real quick.
SPEAKER_00Um, okay. Um balanced? Barely. Every morning. It's like just off the cusp. Like, what the hell's going on? I gotta like go see a doctor and be like, you're dying. Okay. Um let's see, real quick. Uh, New York runs half marathon. That is not the New York Roadrunners. Uh ran a 130-21. Uh we'll run the Brooklyn half next Saturday. I'm gonna run it sub 130. Run a high rocks on June 6th, try to do that sub 70 minutes, and then uh I'm retiring and I'm just gonna let go. That's it. And then I'll that's it. I'm very happy with the the running times right now.
SPEAKER_01Hmm.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Good. That's it. I don't have to deal with this for the rest of the year.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, we'll see. More runs on the way. There's a Halloween run on Governor's Island if people like dress up and shit. So the kids doesn't sound on. Oh, how the kids come, everyone's dressed up like every year.
SPEAKER_01We're like, or every race, you're like, oh, you're gonna come meet me at the end of the kids. And I'm like, no, I just can't.
SPEAKER_00It was amazing. Every time I'm like peeling out, people are like crying with their friends. It's about to be like Sunday, Funday, more or less. They've got their medals on all day, wearing their like fucking silver, like I've just ran the marathon, like blanket. They've got their medals on, effectively a participant. It's not just a participation trophy. You do have to complete the race. You know, they've like they're just really basking in the glory, bib on, rocking their whatever spandex. And then like I just walk away and like get on a train by myself with like nothing on. And everyone else is like five, six family members, like with their signs and all this stuff. Yeah. It's very workman-like for me. Punch in, punch out. Now you're coming to you're coming to the Brooklyn half. It ends in Coney Island. I'm in the first wave, just get it together.
SPEAKER_01We'll see.
SPEAKER_00Just do it. Be on the boardwalk. The Peach Wolf watching is like through the roof. It's more just like at the Nathan's hot dog and the beer at 9 15 in the morning.
SPEAKER_01Who's gonna have that? You?
SPEAKER_00Me.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00And Neil will have his chicken and tenders and fries. You'll be furious, and that'll be that'll be that. Awesome. Can't wait. The people watching is gonna be through the roof, though. Yeah, that's it. That's it for athletics. So we're like right in the swing of things. Things are going well.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00I got rejected uh on like fake ass sponsorship. It took 50 dudes, didn't take me. So I think two things going wrong for me. One, my Instagram grid is only this, talking about like alcohol. Like the trials and tribulations of paranoia. But like this guy, not exactly a great band rap. I'm talking about you 10,000 brand. Um, and also You should have some diversity there. I am saying, baby.
SPEAKER_01Also, a lot of-so neurotic. I love this movement going on of like a sip right now. Of everyone, like, or at least maybe it's just being fed to me because that's what I want to hear. Of like, you know, this whole like narrative of like stop trying to go to sleep at nine o'clock every night and drink seven gallons of water.
SPEAKER_00Meditate and like you're missing life. Yes.
SPEAKER_01Not saying like you should be like, you know, on cocaine.
SPEAKER_00Shouldn't be mad for like weeks at a time. Shouldn't be mad men or 1980s Wall Street, or maybe a chill.
SPEAKER_01I don't know. But like people are happier. Like you s everyone's so uptight.
SPEAKER_00Yes.
SPEAKER_01And the second thing I think that's a group of people. At least that's what the narrative rhetoric is.
SPEAKER_00But I don't know what uh No, the second thing going against me, why I think they turn first of all, they probably just got like superior dudes, of course. But I'm gonna conspiracy theory them. And then also aesthetically, I'm not like looking like a fitness model. I've seen these guys fucking, these guys look great. Don't get me wrong. They all look like, you know, you know, Adonises. But when push comes to shove, some of them aren't the best runners ever. So I'll be happy to pass them. Made me think of like wearing 10,000 brand.
SPEAKER_01Made me think about checking people out on the street, like on the way here.
SPEAKER_00One of my favorite pastimes.
SPEAKER_01I don't check people out on the street.
SPEAKER_00I I do it as I told you, downrange, sniper rifle.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. I have to be like really face to face with someone if I'm like, and I'll be like, oh, he's he's really good looking or she's really pretty. Oh, great-looking dog. I really have to be like sitting next to them at a bar or a restaurant or like you know paying for something at at a store, like a cashier.
SPEAKER_00Right.
SPEAKER_01Or it's like I felt like on the street here today, people were like looking, like, but I but I'm like, do people just do that? I think people just do that. I I'm not I'm just like more in the zone when I'm walking daydreaming and like I try to like listen. Especially if I have my music on.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Um, or if I have the kids, I'm like just totally distracted and you know, thinking of them or like listening to them.
SPEAKER_00How naked do you feel? I feel like I need something in my hand, headphones, and half the time sunglasses. That's how crazy I've gotten at this point in time.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Like standing at a red light without something without something in my hand, I'm like, and I'm not even that, I'm not even that fidgety.
SPEAKER_01Your brain is melting. Mine is melting. I don't even know if it's mine's melting because I have way too much on my plate, but like yours is melting because you have something on your plate, but like I have little raptor babies on my plate, but nothing else.
SPEAKER_00So like too much content. Too much, too much phone. A little too much content. Should get the brick. Brick, you want to sponsor? Whatever that thing is, you can't we haven't asked for a sponsor. Yeah, all right. We got that. Well, I'm not being sponsored by at 10,000 brands, so you know what? Maybe should I burn all the clothes I have from even spent like fucking $1,500 with you guys? What? At least a G. That's wild. Yeah. Um I mean, not in one sitting. Um, and then no, the brick or whatever these apps are that make you um No, I know what that is. Like monitor your phone, you Yes, but the strength of the brick, I understand, is you can certain applications, you leave your brick at home, let's say, probably not work, and like you can't check Instagram or TikTok once you've left your house because it's it's bricked.
SPEAKER_01My goal is to go somewhat analog in 2027.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I've got friends that talk it. Talk a big game about going with the dumb phone.
SPEAKER_01I'm gonna go with the dumb phone or flip phone. I don't know. I gotta get this company established. I can't do it until then.
SPEAKER_00What's gonna be the what's gonna be the hardest come down for you? Which app? It's definitely Instagram.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's like the only one I use.
SPEAKER_00I thought you were a LinkedIn lunatic.
SPEAKER_01I'm more of a LinkedIn lunatic now that I'm like fucking into the networking charade of dating investors. It's only men because I was gonna say dating men, d dating businessmen. Why don't you actually date them?
SPEAKER_00You gotta pass for me. Just like go out and date with them.
SPEAKER_01I don't want to.
SPEAKER_00Go on Tinder.
SPEAKER_01Match. But be like I had a good investor call today, but generally I'm not even I'm just just generally getting in the mix with this new business and like You know what my feelings are about this strategizing and and sort of like reconnecting with people and figuring out like what the plan is and just having so many different energy exchanges and so many different conversations and interactions, and like, oh my god. First of all, yo everyone needs to stop acting so hard.
SPEAKER_00Like things are real performative.
SPEAKER_01It is wild. Like the charade like just chill, like stop.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01It I see right through it, first of all, and like yo, it's just a lot of people don't. How exhausting. Like, just be yourself. Um We are uh like I'm not a pol like I'm not gonna politic with you. You're I'm you like I'm gonna tell it how it is, uh, and you're gonna like me or not. Good.
SPEAKER_00For better or worse, I guess. There's no snake oil, there's no bullshit, there's no smoking mirrors. Yeah, this is what I've this is what my plan is. I'm not lying to you.
SPEAKER_01Like games, no games. I'm not about games.
SPEAKER_00I know, but that is that is not the time we are in right now. Everything is fucking, you know, jazz dance.
SPEAKER_01Just a couple of uh annoying conversations this week where people my college friends who somewhat listened to this probably. We always had this joke.
SPEAKER_00Shout out to Canada. Yeah. We're still with you.
SPEAKER_01We we always had this joke when people would say, like, no offense, but and then offend you.
SPEAKER_00That's the best. I'm not or like the person you don't really know that well. I'm not racist, but and you're you're you're about to say the the fucking craziest shit to me.
SPEAKER_01I have a black friend. I have a Jewish friend.
SPEAKER_00But so I'm not racist, or no offense, but no offense, but yeah.
SPEAKER_01So like this week I had a couple of conversations where like, I don't really know you, but and then gave me unsolicited advice about what I should do. Naturally. I don't know you, but, or like, you didn't ask me, but yeah. Like, just stop. You didn't ask me, period. Now don't say what you're gonna say.
SPEAKER_00Right. But you okay. Is it what would how would you And I'm mad at myself? How would you want that package?
SPEAKER_01I'm judging myself for my reactions because I should have been like, you're right, you don't know me. Period. Instead, I just like giggled it off, which fuck that. I don't wanna, that's not how I'm gonna respond.
SPEAKER_00I know. There's like so many people don't know how to thread the needle between giving like a fast no, but and like not showing it.
SPEAKER_01Well, this isn't a fan, this is not an this wasn't a pitch. This is just random people. Like, I in addition to people that I'm pitching, there's other like just you know, people who are looking for the industry is in the spirits industry is in complete disruption and chaos. So there are like senior executives looking for jobs that are like pitching me for that, like looking like there's just a lot of spinning and noise and like nutty behavior occurring. Of course, which creates a tremendous amount of opportunity if you ask me. Um, but I'm just getting a lot of like things spun around me, including like saying things such as you didn't ask me, but if I were you Right.
SPEAKER_00Oh the worst.
SPEAKER_01People can't help with I if I were you.
SPEAKER_00Right.
SPEAKER_01I didn't call this. It's one thing when you like preempt a call or you ask for someone's time for their advice.
SPEAKER_00Sure.
SPEAKER_01This is someone who reached out to me to try and broker a deal to get a percentage of my company, and I told him no. And now let me negate because the deal did not sound appealing to me. Right. He put it, I mean, shoot your shot, put it out there. I was like, nah, that's not gonna work for me. He's like, well, maybe in like a few months you'll change your mind. I'm like, maybe, yeah, sure. Like, I'm not gonna close the door on anything, but like, no now. She nag, this is a dating tactic. I said this in a book. I say no, and then he's like, Well, and went on to like I wasn't really with you anyway. Maybe I got maybe I got under his skin by saying no.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Uh yes, that's this is typical.
SPEAKER_01But it was like a deal that like he I don't think my no was surprising. I think it was like not a good deal for me, and I think that he was shooting a shot. Um, but me saying no. Anyway, this is the oldest in the book, and then went on to like tell me how I could be pitching things better. I'm like, well, clearly I'm Pitching things good enough because you want broker, you've you've been getting at me to like you approached me with your terms.
SPEAKER_00No, it's worse.
SPEAKER_01It wasn't his terms, it was the like the buyer's terms on the other side. Right.
SPEAKER_00Fuck them.
SPEAKER_01Anyway, it's all interesting, and I need like to digest all the things in like pieces and in time. But yeah, you know. People don't really think while they're speaking. And I think I can be better better at that myself too. I think it's a skill that I I think that I am quick to try and fill the conversation a lot of times. Like pausing in a conversation is uncomfortable for me.
SPEAKER_00Yes, I understand.
SPEAKER_01Filling, filling the filling- Like if someone asks me a question, I want to just immediately respond. Yeah. Because I think that sounds first of all, sometimes it's just very natural for me to immediately respond because I know what the like I know intuitively and I don't have to think about the answer because it's just it is what it is. But sometimes there's a question where I'm like not so um reflexive. Uncon unconsciously, I I need to sort of think about it for a second. I should probably take more of a beat than I'm more comfortable taking.
SPEAKER_00Sure.
SPEAKER_01This is the problem with Which I think is the smart thing to do is to take a beat. Whereas I'm like, if I don't respond now, it like kind of looks like I'm gonna be on the code.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. No.
SPEAKER_01But it's interesting to like do all of these dances and really understand how effective communication is what success is really all about.
SPEAKER_00For sure. You know? But just like language and communication is like how we adapt evolved as a species. Yes. It's very, very yeah. Ancient. So screw them. You'll find the right one. That's coming.
SPEAKER_01Some interesting. Screw 'em. I I'm not like I'm not holding anything. I'm just we're updating our several listeners on what's been going on in our life. And I got a lot of good feedback last episode that people were really interested in how I was discussing how I was discussing um doing business uh as akin to dating.
SPEAKER_00Yes. Um yeah, no question.
SPEAKER_01So I figured I would provide like more anecdotal insight into what's been going on in my business life on this public.
SPEAKER_00Do you feel like everyone in the liquor business is like running out of a burning tower and you're like, fuck it, I'm going in?
SPEAKER_01Yeah. I mean, I think a lot of investors are scared to jump in right now because um but that's when you jump into something.
SPEAKER_00Or just call the company blah blah blah dot AI and like, oh, okay, what do you do? No, I'm kidding. But that's No. No. That's not what I do.
SPEAKER_01I tell it how it is. I keep it real. Consumer problem. There's no fucking charade. There's no like, we are an AI company now, and we should be valued at $1 billion, but we haven't made $1 yet.
SPEAKER_00Like the Long Island, wait, who just talk about a Ponzi scheme. Alberts and Long Island, I think Alberts is now, yeah.
SPEAKER_01I mean, Ollipop's raising $200 million now. Spoon talk soda.
SPEAKER_00And you said off of $1.5 billion valuation.
SPEAKER_01I don't know what the valuation is this round. The last round they did was uh a $1.85 billion valuation. They raised $50 million. The rumors and headlines are like Coke and Red Bull passed. Yeah. And now they can.
SPEAKER_00Pepsi's already got their poppy.
SPEAKER_01And they need to yo, I've touted this on this podcast before. I am so fucking skeptical of building brands uh off of social media? Off uh the internet. Like, first of all, the companies wind up getting valued like tech companies, which should not be the case when you're a consumer good.
SPEAKER_00You it takes Well, good for the people that sold it freaking a ridiculous.
SPEAKER_01Sure. I I want everyone to do well and be happy and be healthy and all of the things. I'm talking business because I'm a business person, right?
SPEAKER_00And pay taxes, ideally. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Sure. Yes. I mean, like that's what people are like, what's your why? I'm like, in addition to having fun and partying, I like to employ people and give them jobs. I like to pay taxes. I think those are the benefits of capitalism, um, contributing to the growth of the economy and society. Right.
SPEAKER_00Uh while enjoying the fruits of your labor monetarily. Yeah. Also monetarily.
SPEAKER_01Sure. That's not really like if I was purely driven by money, I would have never left Wall Street 20 years ago and be sitting on a lot more than I am now. Um so that's not really m motivation. Right. Um, you know, I probably wouldn't have bought my rum brand back from a global multinational if I just wanted to sit pretty on money.
SPEAKER_00Talk to them.
SPEAKER_01Uh so but back to back to um these evaluations of strip uh No, I just think that fundamentally it takes like decades to build long-lasting brands.
SPEAKER_00Right.
SPEAKER_01And I don't think you can pop onto TikTok.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01I think it's gonna go south. I'm really interested to see what's gonna happen. Um, obviously I'm talking soda now because that's where I've been operating with Rockaway soda for you know past five years, but uh you can see it across beauty, yeah, wellness, like all types of consumer goods. Like it takes traditionally a long time. And so then you build a f a like a is it a flash in the pan overnight with on TikTok or whatever whatever social media service uh service provider at platform? That's the word I'm looking for. Right. Uh how long how loyal are those customers for life for a generation? Are they giving like generation would be best case? Like are the people who drink poppy right now giving their kids poppy?
SPEAKER_00Wonder.
SPEAKER_01Does it taste good enough?
SPEAKER_00Right.
SPEAKER_01I mean, I don't know. Like, look at Coca-Cola. Like, first of all, I know that's like you know, a unicorn for lack of for lack of a better term, but like no one can touch that flavor. No. Uh obviously.
SPEAKER_00Red can have been trying to do it for red can or silver can. Delicious. Yeah. Coke heavy is fucking great too.
SPEAKER_01Trying to do that for a really, really long time and they just can't. But um anyway, I digress.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. So social media platforms, flash and plan pan, I mean, all yeah, you're right. All these companies that were like these 22, I mean, there's plenty that are not, but thing like Casper that were huge, Barbie parts.
SPEAKER_01Or Coca-Cola and take less Ozempic. I mean, not generally, like the people who are obese and need. I just like the Met Gala was Monday, and I don't even fuck with the Met Gala. I think there's because I think everyone looks like they belong on the Hunger Games and like the outfits are more. I'm not into fashion in that regard, and they look ridiculous.
SPEAKER_00And M in the Capitol.
SPEAKER_01They look all look so dumb to me. Um, but again, I'm not like a fashion person, so take that with a grain of salt, but it looks absurd to me. And then you just see so many of these people with the Zembic face, and like it's just disheartening.
SPEAKER_00Well, I think it cuts both two ways. I think there's plenty of people in this country that would be a huge benefit.
SPEAKER_01No, I am not anti-GLP ones. I just think that they should be given to the people who need them. Right. I mean, it's like anything else, right? Like fucking opioids. Right. Like, let's see how history writes Ozempic.
SPEAKER_00You know, if a bunch of people that are that really need it in this country, like, and it of affects the diabetes more like the morbid obesity problem, and like, you know, just inf affects it tackles that part of the health crisis. I mean, huge win. But the like, I feel like I'm five to ten pounds overweight, so I'm gonna like go lose 40 and take Ozempic is gonna look scary. It's kind of crazy town.
SPEAKER_01And it does like the scary costumes or fashion coupled with the Ozempic look is like coupled with Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez.
SPEAKER_00Lauren Sanchez looks nuts. Um, yeah. I mean, this is yeah, this is what the Hunger Games is basically predicated on. I mean, you know, what's does art reflect reality or vice versa? I don't know. Um Okay, you have a dictator.
SPEAKER_01We're almost done, but I am gonna check the score of the Knicks game.
SPEAKER_00Yes. No, I think this is uh a culture thing. It's a culture war thing. Is we're more it's oh, it's halftime.
SPEAKER_01Knicks are up 60 to 52.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Even with Joel Embiid, God, if Sixers fans, are you ready to trade Joel Embiid? No, you're just Oh good.
SPEAKER_01We're gonna finish this just in time to watch the second half.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, to freaking sign Joel Enbi to a super max. I just saw sad. He hasn't played six consecutive games since 2023. Anyway, back to Dictator. Culture war. What? I didn't catch any of that. Joel Enbiad, the Sixers Center, who I'm sure Sixers fans probably hate or love to hate.
SPEAKER_01Your mouth getting dry from drinking that flask.
SPEAKER_00No, from talking in my overall unbalanced lifestyle. Um, the uh dictator is dictators gotta fight culture wars too, right? It's an all-encompassing.
SPEAKER_01Should we like reintroduce what dictator dictator is? Sure. For people who might just have this.
SPEAKER_00Hoped in. Okay, welcome. Um, welcome. Don't know what you are doing, jumping in 14 episodes in, but welcome. Um maybe, maybe 20. I've god knows. I'm not keeping count. I should. Um This would be if me, Harry Drennan, 41-year-old.
SPEAKER_01All right, take the mental load of this podcast. How about that?
SPEAKER_0041-year-old man. Uh sure. Uh I say I'm gonna do it every time. Uh, 41-year-old male were to somehow basically co-opt the New York City, specifically the New York City government. I got love for Zora Mamdanny, real nice guy. Shout outs. Uh, hopefully he does a good job.
SPEAKER_01You don't know him personally. Don't know him personally. You like his image.
SPEAKER_00I do. And I was I was dubious, don't get me wrong. Um, I thought, you know, this was all you know, more fucking comms and messaging and social media presence, but he's he's trying, he is trying to put a good spin on government, which has no one respects institutions anymore. So uh this would be in hypothetical world. I become the dictator. The city council is completely co-opted by me. I can do whatever I want, more or less. I've gotten into like traffic situations, I've gotten into we're gonna kill all the bikers, there's a purge involved, there's like ethnicity. Well, they can go back and listen and feel fun.
SPEAKER_01But anyway, what is your dictator of the day?
SPEAKER_00This is a culture war thing, and we already touched upon it. Starting midnight on New Year's Day, January 1st, 2027, we're taking the pressure off of the young peop moms and dads or grown-ups or whatever guardians of kids at birthday parties and and in perpetuity. No more gifts.
SPEAKER_01I think it applies to everything like my family, Christmas, all the fucking gifts. We're done. This is very self, this is self-serving, honestly. It is because we're not gift people, like but some people really get joy out of giving gifts. I'm gonna say you're in the minority, and well, I'm I'm I have a lot of friends that have joy, and then I feel badly because they give me gifts all the time. I've never given them a gift once.
SPEAKER_00This is a base play.
SPEAKER_01But I will always show up for you. Like, I will owe again, I'm an active service love language. So, like if you invite me somewhere and I can be there, I'm there and I'm bringing my best self. The gift I'm bringing my good energy, I'm bringing fun, I'm bringing life to the party.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_01But like, I'm probably not gonna think about how to get you a good gift.
SPEAKER_00Right. Exactly. So I'm I'm bailing you out. You're the dictator's wife.
SPEAKER_01No, I think since we've trying to become a more inclusive society, trying, we should just recognize, okay, maybe we just have to identify. I am an my love language is an act of service. So like you're never gonna get a gift from me. Okay, great.
unknownOkay.
SPEAKER_01But I will show up to your things, I will be there for you, I will, you know, if you ask me to do something and lend a hand somewhere, like that's my love language. So we should all there shouldn't be a universal need. And other and like similarly, like if I get offended that my friend doesn't show up for me, maybe his or her love language isn't an act of service. Or no names on gifts. And I should respect that. Whereas, you know, an immediate first reaction would be like, just send a gift, like ugh, lazy. But you know what? I should respect that.
SPEAKER_00No names on gifts or just no gifts at all. Let's just move on.
SPEAKER_01If you like to give gifts, give gifts. If you don't, show up and have fun. And they're kind of what uh I don't even know what the other love languages are.
SPEAKER_00Time served. I don't know. I don't know either. There goes a yeah.
SPEAKER_01But I think it they're probably it's a pretty was a silly thing, I think, when that first became a thing. What love language? But it probably makes a lot of sense. Totally uh psychologically. And I think we can implement it into other rituals, societal rituals that we have, so that everyone can get what they need from Yes.
SPEAKER_00I'm just saying there's gonna be a five-year like municipal wand that you can just give people and pay for it.
SPEAKER_01That's horrible. No, fuck that. I'm gonna just conform to buying shitty gifts and whatever.
SPEAKER_00A $40 Bluey toy from Fisher Price, China.
SPEAKER_01And sadly, now I'm gonna go to Target because the mom and pop shop won't doesn't even have a card for me there. Like screwed. No, I'm not gonna do that. No, I'm gonna buy from the mom and pop shop. Oh no, my t our tech's going off, which is the babysitter.
SPEAKER_00Great.
SPEAKER_01Uh Okay. As we're wrapping up, sorry. She's the only one that gets through on do not disturb.
SPEAKER_00Everything okay?
SPEAKER_01Yes. House not on fire? She accidentally kicked the baby camera over and the camera came right off, which it does. Yes. Don't worry, the kids are sleeping.
SPEAKER_00Great. And you're just admitting that like we're pretty janky. That's why we don't give good gifts. Our fucking nanit's completely broken. It's by the door. We don't give good gifts. Our kids like don't have like winter clothing or rain shoes.
SPEAKER_01That's not true. We are so dedicated to our kids.
SPEAKER_00We are. So that's that's our love language. Like we'll be here, but like serving, we're serving you. You might get hypothermic.
SPEAKER_01We're serving you, but like you're not gonna get like a cut up, ridiculous Instagram recipe from me, nor our like am I gonna be curating. Don't have a good outfit.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, no gray goose like bubble for the two months you fit in it. No, and you don't have rain shoes yet, sorry, because you don't want to put them on. And like you're gonna wear two shoulders. Yeah, he doesn't want to wear them anyway. Yeah. That's it. All right. Don't take parental notes from us, guys.
SPEAKER_01We're gonna get back to that dictator because it's gonna have something to do with love languages and how we're gonna implement that in our society going forward. Fair. My ears ringing on that note.
SPEAKER_00Oh, dictator. Boom, real quick. That's it. I got it. If you're raising most of you guys from out of town. And uh, I got love for you guys. My parents are from out of town too, and they raised me, and I'm a New York City sports fan. If you raise kids in New York City, do them a solid. I've grew up with a lot of kids that were fucking cowboy fans my day. That sucked. They need to look, they need to be New York sports fans. I know that sucks for them, especially if they're gonna be like Jets and Metz.
SPEAKER_01And if they're Knicks fans for now, anyway.
SPEAKER_00You your kids need to be New York sports fans. Don't do that to them. Don't like throw them in the Eagles gear that I see everywhere and the Pats gear that I see everywhere. It's lame. Half my friends are Cowboys fans. That's lame. I'm calling you guys out too. If you were born in New York and you intend to stay here. Dolphins fans from Argentina. Okay, I mean you're just nuts. What are you doing? Um make your kids New York sports fans. And I have I've met parents that are like from Atlanta, from Denver, and they're like, they're gonna be New York sports fans. Good on you. Everyone else. That's a good take. Everyone else, your kids are scarlet letters in this town.
SPEAKER_01I agree.
SPEAKER_00Yes, and Knicks fans are psycho. Just just watch clips of Knicks fans on Instagram. They will goon your Boston Celsius Celtics fan son walking on 7th Avenue. Good night.
SPEAKER_01Let's go watch the second half.
SPEAKER_00Let's go, Knicks. Bye.
SPEAKER_01Oh, yeah. We're good.