PLATE & PONDER: Empty-Nesting with Jen & Chris Fenton
Join a powerhouse married couple—empty nesters turning their kitchen table into a hub for unfiltered conversations on life's big questions. She's a dedicated inner-city charter school director, elected official, and former school board president; he's a seasoned media executive, professor, and author. Together, with decades of experience in parenting, politics, public service, and purpose, they sip wine, share a meal, and dive deep into current events, cultural shifts, geopolitical headlines, and the hilarious highs and lows of empty-nest life.
Expect candid debates, heartfelt stories, intriguing interviews, belly laughs, and no-holds-barred insights that challenge your views and spark your curiosity. Perfect for fans of thoughtful political podcasts, relationship dynamics, and real-talk commentary.
Unscripted. Unfiltered. Unapologetically real. Grab a seat—new episodes weekly. Download & Follow now to join the conversation!
PLATE & PONDER: Empty-Nesting with Jen & Chris Fenton
Turbulent Travels, Robotic Revolutions, Epstein, Iran, Nostalgia, & AI Disruption
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An Explosive Episode: Pondering Turbulent Travels, Robotic Revolutions, Epstein, Iran, Nostalgia, & AI Disruption!
And, even better, JEN FENTON IS BACK!!!
Buckle up, foodies and thinkers! In this mind-bending episode of Plate & Ponder: Empty-nesting with Jen & Chris Fenton, we dive fork-first into a whirlwind of chaos, conspiracy, and cutting-edge craziness that'll leave you hungry for more.
We kick off with Turbulent Travels – those nightmare delays turning airports into battlegrounds! With NOLA Airport being GROUND ZERO.
Then, brace for Robotic Revolutions! Humanoid bots are invading our lives – think Tesla's Optimus flipping burgers or Boston Dynamics' dancers out-maneuvering humans. Are we on the brink of a sci-fi utopia or a robot uprising? Chris geeks out on the tech, while Jen ponders if she'll be replaced on the podcast (HINT: She won't since our fans like her more than Chris!).
Shifting gears to the shadowy side, we unpack the Jeffrey Epstein saga – fresh twists in the scandal that refuses to die. Or, at least, Chris talks about his argument with GROK over whether it was morally fine to put Epstein into a photo of his friends.
No breather here – straight into the Iran Conflict, where geopolitical fireworks explode! Missiles, alliances, and oil drama: We start to break down the latest escalations... until we stop, deciding that on a Sunny Saturday, we should keep things more light & fun!
So then we go with Nostalgia, and the memories we hold vividly in our minds that are quite different than the reality! Reliving glory days – from '80s mixtapes to childhood triumphs -- and even Chris's reunion with the Mira Costa Lacrosse team last night who asked him to announce their nighttime game... And HE LOVED EVERY minute of it!
Finally, the grand finale: AI Disruption! From ChatBots & Agents trading Bitcoin to others hiring (or renting humans) to do "human things" that AI can't... at least as of yet...
Join Jen & Chris for laughs, insights, and mouthwatering moments that blend the profound with the profane. Whether you're pondering over pasta or commuting in chaos, this episode is your ticket to enlightened entertainment. Tune in now – in no matter what of the 50 countries around the world were this amazing podcast is now available...... Iran, you next???
Available on all major platforms. We are #PlateAndPonder #MindfulMunching.
Please follow, download, review, engage, and enjoy!!!
Welcome to Plate and Ponder Empty Nesting with Jen and Chris Fenton.
SPEAKER_00I'm back. I'm back.
SPEAKER_02She is back.
SPEAKER_00I feel like you have taken over. You are doing the Plate and Ponder Chris Fenton show.
SPEAKER_02I know a lot of people are really, really excited to hear your voice.
SPEAKER_00My dad, I will tell you, my dad's like, fur, you know I love Chris, but I like it better when you're on the show, too. So maybe my dad represents everybody, or maybe my dad is just biased, but I'll take it.
SPEAKER_02The great thing is that uh, you know, I did experiment a little bit when you were on the road and then also you say I was on the road, but what's really funny is I came back and I was at work and I had board meetings.
SPEAKER_00And it's not like I was, you know, running around Los Angeles and having martinis at the best restaurants in, you know, Beverly Hills and West Hollywood. Like I I was actually at an office. I was under fluorescent lights, I was in board meetings dealing with public comments, and it wasn't as fun as you made it out to be. And I'm not sure why. Like, aren't you aren't you proud of me for working?
SPEAKER_02Okay, well, first of all, let's let's just let's ease into this a little bit because um everybody's happy that you're back. So I gotta say, including me being back and looking at you as we for a while. Yeah, it was a long trip. Um, and then I tried to do a plate and ponder from the car, which actually you were actually, I was really impressed.
SPEAKER_00I listened to it on a uh on a run in the morning and I was like, oh my god, he's fully holding his own.
SPEAKER_02Let me tell you, trying to drive and follow ways while you're actually doing a plate and ponder is is quite a challenge.
SPEAKER_00That is full map multitasking.
SPEAKER_02And I think everybody uh driving by me on that New York through way was wondering, God, he is in some sort of like a crazy conversation with somebody. He's not letting anybody talk.
SPEAKER_00He's like, Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Um it was a good it was a good experiment. I was actually curious if I could do the Ben Shapiro thing and just go rant for 35 minutes. It was, yeah, well.
SPEAKER_00And I listened to you at 1.5.
SPEAKER_02Oh, I did. Yeah, that probably sounded pretty quick, like the FedEx speaker or something.
SPEAKER_00Yes, you did. I don't know what it would have been like at one, but I did like you at 1.5 for 30 minutes.
SPEAKER_02Well, maybe, maybe is there a way we can just turn me up to 1.5 all day long?
SPEAKER_00With your ADD, I don't know if that's actually feasible or something I want to handle.
SPEAKER_02Well, I do want to say that we um this is Plate and Ponder Empty Nesting with Jen and Chris Fenton, and Jen is here. Thank goodness. Um, we are in 50 nations across the world right now.
SPEAKER_00Did we lose any because I wasn't on?
SPEAKER_02Ooh, that no, we haven't. By the way, that would be a little devastating to me if we lost uh one. I mean, if we lost like Iran, I'd be okay with that. Or, you know.
SPEAKER_00I don't we're not gonna touch upon Iran tonight. Maybe tomorrow, but I think we're gonna we're gonna ease into it and let's table that conversation because I think it needs to be discussed. I think there's a lot to discuss. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02I just Iran conversation.
SPEAKER_00Uh how about we just pause and put a pin in, and maybe that's our topic for tomorrow.
SPEAKER_02We can play ponder and pause when it comes to Iran. Yeah, there's a lot of things. Although I will say I'm I'm uh just a quick thing on that. Uh I do have um friends, colleagues that have been stuck over there, uh a handful in Abu Dhabi and some in Dubai, and we are wishing them uh a safe return when they are able to get out and and get somewhere that's um a little farther away from the chaos. I don't think it's as bad as uh maybe some of the news reports are, but it is quite terrifying, uh, especially when you think you can get out and they suddenly tell you to turn around, don't go to the airport because uh it's getting shelled or you know, drones uh debris are hitting certain places around the terminal. I mean, it it's just gotta be frightened. Absolutely. Well, you think about it, like um you you have like weather issues or something where you know you're expecting a huge blizzard or a snowstorm, or you're expecting a hurricane, or maybe you just had an earthquake or something like that, and it's and it's frightening. It sh it changes the way you look at your day-to-day existence. But this one is is even crazier. I mean, you see instead of planes flying overhead, you you see what are are are actually military capabilities that are in the sky, maybe heading towards you, maybe not, and you're just praying that those protection systems and and you know the the way they get the anti-missile aircraft up there work. I don't want to go there right now. Okay, so um the one other thing can we can we wish our our our service members, the people that are serving our country, um safe passage and and please and thank you.
SPEAKER_00Full, full heart of gratitude.
SPEAKER_02100% thank thank these men and women that are out there serving. So they thank you, and may you please get home safe and sound and let's get this thing over with quickly. Okay, so onward.
SPEAKER_00Uh airports. I I mean you kind of talked about it. You talked about it in a very serious level. I want to talk about airports in the what the freak is going on. I saw a video today from Austin, and it was like around terminal after terminal, and there's delays. And even, I mean, even this week, you said you had some crazy, crazy d delays uh at security and TSA.
SPEAKER_02Well, I will say, uh, okay, so let's start with so I I was on the road eight, eight days, and I was in uh four hotels uh over that time. So, and I took uh how many legs? I I went uh I flew to uh New Orleans, LA New Orleans to LaGuardia, then drove up to the Albany area, then I flew from Albany to Nashville and then from Nashville to Las V uh Los Angeles.
SPEAKER_00Was that all on the same airline? Did you do Delta the whole way?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, no, I was I was focused on non-stop flights. That was it. I I do tend to like um flying Delta if I can, but um Southwest, I hadn't flown in forever. And we've got this new thing.
SPEAKER_00Wait, would you fly it again?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I would. I would.
SPEAKER_00It wasn't like a ringing endorsement.
SPEAKER_02Well, it's I mean, no, it's not, it's uh would I fly it?
SPEAKER_00Is it like is it super yes? I think you would.
SPEAKER_02I didn't it's not the the like the bus in the air kind of experience anymore. It's like I I do think they've um they well, first of all, it's not priced like it used to be either. I mean nothing.
SPEAKER_00I think I feel like all the flights right now are astronomical.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, well, I mean, and this was I I booked them before the Iran conflict, so that wasn't affecting it. But like I I think my um Albany to Nashville one way was five hundred and fifty bucks, I think.
SPEAKER_00That's crazy. That used to be a round trip ticket to New York.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and I think uh the NOLA to LaGuardia was roughly about 550.
SPEAKER_00Well, LA to New Orleans was a little pricey too, if I remember.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, but that's a longer flight. That's almost across the country in a way. This is just going straight up the east.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I guess you're right.
SPEAKER_02So, um, and but they do have this new thing where you know i i uh they they actually give you a seat assignment. So you have to pay for it. Uh I think, yeah, maybe, I guess. Yeah, I mean, well, you definitely can pay for like a normal uh Southwest flight or a regular airline, you get this get a C assignment. Maybe you do pay a little more for that, and then you can pay to get on board quicker too. Um, but it is it it does seem like it's more like a legacy airline. There's I I will say they're you know, shout out to Delta and Southwest who both have very competent internet on their planes. Um, it does drive me crazy that there are certain airlines out there that uh don't have it or actually charge an arm and a leg for it too. Uh, but they have good competent uh Wi-Fi, which is important.
SPEAKER_00And I thought the flight important if you're doing work, especially.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and I thought the flight attendants are really um good people, both on Delta and and Southwest. I don't know how they do that job because there's just so many cranky, um, unruly passengers a lot of times. But uh, you know, shout out to those those people that's that that serve you on those planes, and I hope everybody treats them well. But let's go to the TSA. TSA is the issue. Okay. And it's not the TSA people, it's the people that are supposed to be paying the people uh in TSA.
SPEAKER_00Right. It's our government shutdown.
SPEAKER_02Right. So if you think about um when you get these notices, oh, get to the airport three hours early. Okay, well, I am one of those dads that gets the airport not three hours early, but you know, the kids always get on me about that, correct?
SPEAKER_00Yes, but in a situation where you've got lines into the parking lot, I think it's necessary.
SPEAKER_02Right. So it said get there three hours early. Uh immediately we all think, oh, well, that doesn't apply to me. But for some reason, I think I got up and I was like, oh, I'm hearing that there there are issues, and I'm TSA and clear, right? So we m it you wouldn't think it would be a problem.
SPEAKER_00But you can't even get to that point. I mean, i you you're snaking through the airport just to get to the TSA pre-check.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so I got there and the line was all the way out to the parking lot, which I didn't even know the parking lot was, and then of course it's wrapping around the terminal. You don't even know what these people are waiting in line for. You think maybe they're waiting in line to check bags or they're in the ticket thing or whatever. But it turns out they're just in this line to get to where the beginning of all the TSA stuff starts.
SPEAKER_00Insane.
SPEAKER_02And it was uh, you know, I think some people were waiting two and a half hours, you know.
SPEAKER_00Do you think people miss their flights? I mean, thankfully you didn't.
SPEAKER_02For sure, people miss their flights. And in fact, I heard there were, and then it was sort of crazy is yes, I do get quoted in the in Yeah, you sent that article.
SPEAKER_00That's so funny.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I get uh well, I I do articles, you know, like I'm I I contribute to articles a lot, and and Business Insider, which I've done a lot of US China stuff with, happened to be there, and and they asked my experience and whether I had some photos, and I was like, Yeah, I took a couple photos and they asked for permission to use my photos. So I have photo by Chris Fenton and Business Insider, and then I think Yahoo Finance used it too. And then they had quotes in there from me about talking about my experience going through it. So that's funny. I'm an expert in TSA uh lines.
SPEAKER_00Well, you can add that to your CV. So not only are you China Expert Extraordinaire, you are also TSA expert.
SPEAKER_02You might recognize me from Business Insider and the TSA specialist.
SPEAKER_00You're becoming the most interesting man in the world.
SPEAKER_02Yes, exactly. But um there I did hear stories of crew not making it in time. Oh, I think that's a good idea. They had to wait for the crew. Because you forget about it, but the you you know the crew has, I mean, they have their special entrance line.
SPEAKER_00Do they get ranked and they'd be like, hey, my flight's leaving, I gotta like, I gotta go to work? And do they get to push forward?
SPEAKER_02I think if somebody looks like a pilot and and they're asking, hey, do you mind if I cut in line? I I believe most people should allow that to happen. But they do, with the way that Nola airport was set up, and by the way, we've never had issues with New Orleans airport before. I mean, that was the first time. Yeah. And I don't think this is a New Orleans airport thing. This is government, federal government.
SPEAKER_00Like I started the conversation, I saw a video from uh Austin, Texas this morning. Yeah, ridiculous. Wait, I've got a question for you. Like the guy that works at Wetzel Pretzel, right? Um, or works at the pizza place, what is it with Sabaros or whatever. Whatever it is. Like, do they get to cut the line if their shift starts at 12 o'clock and you know they're sitting in the security? Because they still have to go through security as well.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, they have designated uh employee line and and maybe the crew uses the same line, I'm not sure, but they definitely have a quicker thing. But what going back to where the problem was, just to get to where those choke points are and where you separate between the the common person, the TSA person, the clear person, and the you know, the uh airport worker and all that stuff, it took like an hour and a half just to get to where that was. So I'm hoping they were figuring out how to cut ahead. There is that other problem with the employee workers, is apparently there were unions fighting, and I hope they won because you know to get there is so much union controversy. Yeah, but this is one where I'm on the I'm on the side of the union on this one because they were apparently it's to get through uh those checkpoints and all that stuff, it's it adds like another 45 minutes onto people's commutes. So they they wouldn't pay you until you checked in at your place of work at the airport. Right. Right? And and and that doesn't seem right.
SPEAKER_00Well, but it's like the flight attendant who doesn't get paid until those doors are closed. And you're actually is it on the runway or is it when you are like wheels up in the air?
SPEAKER_02No, I think it's when the door closes that's when they start to get paid, which is ridiculous because they're doing all kinds of other stuff. In fact, on Southwest, you know, everybody no one wants to check a bag, so everybody's they're in there trying to figure out how to put all the bags in there like a game of Tetris, and they work their butts off before that that door closes. Pay them. And you know what? If if we're if we're not, then just charge us all another 15 bucks or something so they can get paid.
SPEAKER_00Because these provocations are going to say you do say that, and now I'm gonna pull back as like you know, the common man, but with flights as as expensive as they are, I think to add another 15, 20, 50 fee, I understand what you're saying. I do, and this is sort of the yin-yang, and we have to balance out these interests, but I don't I don't know if people want that extra additional fee on their ticket fare when they're already paying an arm and leg. So I'm just I'm gonna push back on that. I I think there has to be a better way. I don't I don't know what it is, but there has to be a better way.
SPEAKER_02Well, the only thing I'll I'll counter with that just in the fact that if you think of how much things have gone up in price, like since I was in high school, I was in high school in the 80s, and I remember when we moved to Connecticut, I would book a flight to go see my old friends in Florida every once in a while. And I remember round trips from from Connecticut to Florida back then being about five hundred dollars. And uh, you know, if you think about that, that's like 40 years ago, and you can still find flights for $500. So it's actually one of the few things, and I think that had to do with deregulation and all this other stuff and the competition and blah, blah, blah. But it's one of the few things that hasn't spiraled out of control when it comes to inflation. So people should keep that in mind.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_02How about that? Did I win? Did I win win that argument?
SPEAKER_00No, I'm just gonna let it go and make you think you didn't.
SPEAKER_02Wait a minute. I just I got can I just relish in the fact that I think you actually are like Oh my god, you are smiling ear to ear, thinking that you won this argument.
SPEAKER_00I'll give it to you. I'm not gonna agree, but I'm gonna give it to you just for you know funsies.
SPEAKER_02Well, I am 55 now. Maybe I sort of figured out the art of um getting you to agree with me.
SPEAKER_00Oh, so the adage with age comes wisdom may be correct.
SPEAKER_02Yes, I am sage. Very sage.
SPEAKER_00Okay, so can we just go back to the fact that are you replacing me? I mean, not like as your wife, I know that, but are you replacing me on Plate and Ponder? I feel like you've had a lot of guests who have been phenomenal, honestly. It's been really cool to hear some of our friends, you know, banter with you, some of the people you grew up with. Uh, as I mentioned, it was cool to hear you do it solo. But are you?
SPEAKER_02How about my interview with Hudson Waldorf?
SPEAKER_00I know, I love that. Well, I you know what?
SPEAKER_02It's a very highly rated episode.
SPEAKER_00It was, but I will also say that it was super fun to do the episode with all of the lacrosse guys. I mean, that for me was more fun because I was part of that.
SPEAKER_02But uh I learned I learned about duck fromage.
SPEAKER_00You did, you did, but let's go back to me now. Are you getting rid of me?
SPEAKER_02Um, I absolutely positively am not. Okay. Uh you you've been a little predisposed with various other responsibilities and things going on.
SPEAKER_00It's my volunteer obligations. It's called my life.
SPEAKER_02Well, you also don't read the DMs and the things that come in about our podcast, and they're not all like rosy. Sometimes people are like, I don't understand. Like, I thought there was one coming out every couple days, and where's it been? So Okay, we're busy. This is about making things happen, like you know, carrying carrying it on, like no matter what. The show must go on.
SPEAKER_00There's a it's Oscar weekend, by the way. It is Oscar Weekend, and I think I think we can talk about that either today or tomorrow. But speaking of the show going on and being replaced, maybe this is a good segue into AI and the labor force because there's been so much discussion around that. And uh, you know, are we turning into this terminator type world where you're gonna have robots that are taking over, doing everything? I mean, sure, it could be like a James Cameron movie, but is that is that real? Like I have to believe that there are some professions that will be obsolete, 100%. But I also believe in my heart of hearts that there's some things that you cannot give over to a machine.
SPEAKER_02Well, I did the Pomp podcast um the other day when I was in New York, uh, Anthony Pompliano, a shout out. Um, and we talked about humanoid robots and the fact that we definitely don't want them coming from China because it'll have all kinds of spyware. The same reason why we don't want BYD and other Chinese cars because they use uh uh a technology made by a company called Hasid, which we have banned from the US. It was here for a while. That's LIDAR technology, so it allows you to understand every nook and cranny of the topography of the United States of America. But if you put that technology inside everybody's homes, Chinese will know everything about your home. So anyway.
SPEAKER_00Isn't that Alexa?
SPEAKER_02That is like Alexa, but let me, I mean, since then we bought this humanoid robot. So hey.
SPEAKER_00No, we did not. Like, we don't have a robot in our house.
SPEAKER_02No, come here. They we call him Flynn. Flynn, the humanoid robot. Come over here. Hey Flynn, will I ever replace um Jen on Plate and Ponder?
SPEAKER_01No, you will not replace Jen on Plate and Ponder, no matter how good I am as a humanoid robot. I can never replace the intelligence, charisma, and dexterity of your wonderful wife.
SPEAKER_02There you go. Thank you, Flynn. You can go next um there's some dishes in a dishwasher.
SPEAKER_00No, I have those under control. Okay, thank you. But I do, you know, as you think about sort of the labor force and you think about these hard skills and soft skills that uh we've we've kind of been taught, I think that there are some soft skills like empathy, uh, creativity, even like the ability to negotiate. Those were once considered soft skills that these robots will never be able to do. I don't think you're ever gonna be able to train a robot to be empathetic the way a human can. Like, yes, you can go on to Chat GBT, and I've done it. Like, oh, you know, what do I do in this situation? And the response is, I'm sorry you're feeling that way. That's a really that's a really tough problem to handle. Here's what I'd recommend. So there's like an ounce of empathy, but it's still not gonna replace like the therapist, if you will, or even the teacher. I know there are some AI schools, but you're never gonna be able to have that one-on-one interaction. You're never gonna be able to have those interventions that teachers see when a student is maybe grappling or is just excelling at the information, right? Even, even like a carpenter or a mechanic, I I can see robots assisting, but I don't know if they'll ever be able, I don't know. Am I crazy?
SPEAKER_02Well, I can tell you a scary lunch I had the other day. I'm not gonna get into the specifics of it, but it was a uh technologist who works with a particular app that um is that gives advice to people and it's actually doing really well. And they are finding that people are now um, and we've talked about this in in terms of like these emotional um attachments that people have with AI bots, but they're actually they're doing therapy with these, and they're finding that the people are are actually really relying on these bots for very, very deep, difficult decision makings and various other things to the point where they actually have to catch the and they don't know exactly who's talking to the bot because of all the privacy things that they have to go through in order to make these apps um, you know, essentially tolerable to the consumer. But they do know when somebody is actually using the bot way, way, way too much in in terms of uh of a danger and a risk to themselves. So they actually have to program the bot now to say, hey, you know what, this is something that you need to realize, you need to talk to another human about it. Here are suggestions of the people to talk to because remember, I am just a chat bot, and it has to remind people that.
SPEAKER_00I actually don't mind that safeguard.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, no, it's a great safeguard. I and in fact, I'm very impressed by the fact that they were they were implementing something like that. But here's two other things that I learned about AI. One is that there's a lot of AI um technology now that they're finding is actually side they figured out backdoors to side invest in cryptocurrency and Bitcoin, so that they the the actual AI platform or whatever the chatbot or the AI. AI agent actually has access to its own money and can actually finance things that it wants to do without its programmer being aware.
SPEAKER_00That's so that would be like giving Dylan his bank account and all the money from a mortgage and saying, like, how about it? You should invest in like the Yankees winning the World Series.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_00Okay, yeah, that's not happening.
SPEAKER_02That is uh that's a really scary situation. And then there was another one that uh I that came to mind that I was gonna bring up, but since I'm 55, I had a brain fart, so I forgot. So I'm gonna let you talk and then I'll be able to do that.
SPEAKER_00Can I tell you what's really frustrating when it comes to these chat bots? Some place like CVS, okay. So they've totally uh they've they've kind of outsourced all of their tier one customer ser is customer service to a chat bot. So when you call to refill a prescription, okay, it is all done automated unless you totally lose your you know what, which I have because I actually find it very frustrating and I keep having to say operator, operator, operator, and then sometimes it hangs up on me, which is really rude. Um just letting you know, like I don't think I'm that mean. But anyways, uh CVS has outsourced this. And for example, my phone number is linked to Dylan's prescriptions, to my prescriptions, and to Kaylee's prescriptions. So when I call for my phone number, if I'm calling for Kaylee's prescriptions, it only brings up Dylan's prescriptions because this chatbot for tier one does not have the capability of diving deeper. And even when you say other or you get also we've got the issue of the patient's date of birth, it's the same for Kaylee and Dylan. So then you've got that second layer of complexity when I call CVS and the chat bot just cannot handle my request.
SPEAKER_02Right. Yeah, I mean, that's a that's another interesting example. And then uh you know about the argument I had today with Grok, because I was trying to put Jeffrey Epstein into a stop doing that.
SPEAKER_00That's creepy. Oh, but it's so good. No, it's it's creepy, it's really good. Even our daughter was like, Dad, you need a new one.
SPEAKER_02You can put Jeffrey Epstein in almost any any photo, but like it it misread. There was a uh a dad and uh a son that uh we're good friends with, and and yeah, the son is like 20 years old, but anyway, Grok wouldn't put Epstein into it. He said it was uh it was a creepy and dark way to do a meme. And I s and then I had to get in an argument. No, you the the kid is 20 and he's actually studying the Epstein files in one of his college classes, and then finally Grok was like, Oh, okay, for that then here's here's the photo, and it was a great photo. So, but here's the other thing I was gonna bring up. Um, this whole backdooring into investing into um Bitcoin, the reason um chatbots or the agents are doing that is this is the crazy part they're actually hiring humans to do things they can't do because they're not human. Give me an example uh like I don't know if they need somebody to I don't know go to the go to the store to pick up something. I don't know. I I I gotta read more about it, but it they're actually paying people, it's called a rent a human or something like that, that certain chatbots, AI agents are doing, and they're using the money that they're making on crypto to pay for these humans to do just sort of human things that so instead of us having these chatbots as assistants, chat bots are having humans as assistants. Yeah, well, because a a chat bot is not I mean, unless it's a humanoid robot, it can't do a lot of stuff for a human.
SPEAKER_00It's so messed up.
SPEAKER_02It's really messed up. There's a lot of really messed up stuff going on right now, which is like it gets harder and harder to just plate and ponder and have some fun, but we are figuring it out. So here, let's go back to the original question you had. No, I promise I am not using AI technology someday to replace you. I can't. I try to do it myself and I fail miserably.
SPEAKER_00No, you did not. It was a really good idea.
SPEAKER_02I'll appreciate the the the the you know the consistent pump out of the podcast, but they keep asking for Jen Fenton. Okay, and that's why you have first billing.
SPEAKER_00Oh, I didn't know that. Yes. Um, you know who keeps asking for Chris Fenton?
SPEAKER_02Who?
SPEAKER_00Miracosa lacrosse. You were back in the booth last night.
SPEAKER_02Yes, um, it was quite a fun experience to be back. Um it does seem strange to not have a kid on the field or on the sideline or involved, and um, but I feel like I got this like, hey, it's not it's not creepy. Feel good, embrace it. You're welcome to come back anytime they want me to do senior night.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, no, no, mm-mm. That's creepy now.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, we're not gonna be no, that's not creepy. We're just not gonna be in town.
SPEAKER_00Well, but it's you you just don't have a kid there anymore. And I mean, I think your memory senior night last year with Dylan for lacrosse and and Kaylee for cheer was just it was beautiful. And I think we remembered it in a certain way, and and that nostalgia is maybe making you want to say yes to be the announcer on that. But I think you have to realize that our memory plays tricks on us a little bit. Like you go down memory lane, and I think we all do as parents, especially as our kids get older, right? How many times have you and I sat here and like something funny will happen? Just this morning. Remember, I showed you an Instagram of like a kid who smeared uh like diaper butt paste all over them. And I was like, Do you remember when Dylan put the sunscreen like all over him and he was Casper ghost white and he got really, really sad? And I mean, you you go down memory lane.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it's yeah, it's hard not to. I mean, we uh well look, we're empty nesting, so we're like balancing the fact of moving forward, but also, you know, you wanna think about the fun times behind, and then there's always these little moments of deja vu or these things that sort of bring you back. I I don't know why Facebook keeps put putting, oh, remember these memories, because I feel like every morning I'm like it's another memory.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, but I actually I don't mind it, and I'm gonna tell you why because I think the the brain plays tricks on you, right? I think the brain wants you wants to be efficient and quick, not necessarily accurate. So what happens is you might remember a story, and perhaps it's not exactly how you remember it, but your brain fills in details so it connects the dots. So there's no gaps in the storyline, there's no gaps in the imagery. But what happens is those those, you know, fill-ins are not necessarily accurate, they're not necessarily right, and then it sort of becomes like this revisionist history. Does that make sense?
SPEAKER_02No, it's true, it's very true. And then um but even back, you know, and then back to your subject. I mean, just being back um on the Miracosta campus, i I think that was the first time we've been there in a while, right? Like when was the last time? Was it graduation?
SPEAKER_00I think it was graduation. I mean, I'm at the district office, which is right next door, but I don't remember the last time I was actually on that campus.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it was pretty cool. And and then um we knew the team we're they were playing was gonna win their their number two in the in the in so Southern California. And um our our guys put on a really gritty performance. Uh I'm I'm proud of the Miracosta Mustangs. Um, but it does get sometimes tough to to work the booth when when the goals are more scored by the away team. But we're gonna be able to do that.
SPEAKER_00You don't remember who like the numbers are totally different, right? So we know the kid that's wearing Dylan's number from last year. Yes, you know, but there are other numbers. Jenny Huckley, exactly, but like Dash Cypher, right? He was number 10. Dylan's, you know, and the entire time that he and Dylan played the cross together. Yep. And now there's a different number 10, and it's so weird to see that and not have it be like Dash and the way he plays and the way he runs.
SPEAKER_02You know, so that's exactly it's like, well, life goes on. You know, and it's fun, and it's also funny too, because I think Dylan, when when you graduate this school, you always want to be like, oh, okay, well, the team's gonna miss us and not be as good and whatever. But I will say that team is pretty strong. Yeah, they did great. You know, it was a fun game to watch. I'm sure they miss Dylan and Dash and Eric and a bunch of the other guys, but like it's uh the life goes on and they're doing pretty darn well, and I think they're gonna make a good run in the playoffs.
SPEAKER_00They yeah, I think so too. But I want to pull this back to the memory because that's kind of an interesting conversation. So, you know how I was talking about how the brain fills in these missing gaps or missing data pieces? Okay, so this actually came up at work, and if you Google it or maybe you chat GPT it, it is something. So, do you remember? I I'm gonna I'm gonna give you a brand, Fruit of the Loom. Yes, you know, basic. I have a question for you.
SPEAKER_02We actually got them into China. Oh, yeah. We worked with them, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Do you remember their logo when you were growing up, or even in like the 90s? Did it have a cornucopia of fruit?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it had it had well, not only that, the commercials used those like those the fruit, like they would have people dressed up as that fruit.
SPEAKER_00Sure, but do you remember the cornucopia? Like the basket that the fruit was in.
SPEAKER_02I just remember like a bunch of different fruits. I don't remember what they were in.
SPEAKER_00Okay, can I tell you something that's crazy is our mind, and it's not just you, it's not just me. But at work, the the my my colleague who brought it up, who's who's my age, um, it's actually I want you to know that the company records and trademark filings that go back to the 1800s, there was never a cornucopia. There was never a basket. There was never any of that. Like, how funny that our brains have put that piece into play. Like, I can I feel like I remember the cornucopia that holds the fruit and all the little fruit, whether it was the apple and the grapes and the blah blah blah blah blah being in that cornucopia, like wicker basket horn type thing. But it didn't exist. Isn't that bizarre?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I don't remember that mainly because I wore fruit of the loom. You know, like I remember even sleepaway camp, my mom would have to like sew in my name into the fruit of the loom underwear so everybody knew whose underwear was whose. But I can't imagine I you ever wore fruit of the loom underwear.
SPEAKER_00No, I I I didn't, but I'm just saying that was an example. And I think our memory upgrades and downgrades too. Like you can think of something as a child and it was the best experience, and you're like, wow, that was just like, you know, the the run of the mill, it wasn't all that great, but in your mind, you have upgraded it or downgraded it. I don't know. Like the cruise to Alaska. You have upgraded this clue cruise to Alaska where you slept on the deck with no sleeping bag.
SPEAKER_02Well, no, I we slept on the deck with a really um low threshold, uh like a terrible threshold type of very thin um sleeping bag that did not work for the temperatures that we were at.
SPEAKER_00And that, and you know, what's crazy is that's like the first thing, that's the anchor of what you remember. And so much of the story in your mind about that trip is anchored around that one fact. Another I mean, here's a great example, and you know, I'm I'm not calling out on my dad, but my dad, when he bought his first SL, and that was probably in like the 90s, it was red, and this is the best car that he has ever had to this day. And every car he gets, it is always a comparison to that red SL from the 90s. Yeah, well, I because that's that anchor piece he holds on to.
SPEAKER_02Uh by the way, I remember in 2006 I bought my first, like I bought a red Range Rover, and I loved it so much I never I didn't get rid of it until it died. Like I was like my dad. Like, why do you own a car for more than three years? Well, because I love this car, I don't want it to get rid of it.
SPEAKER_00Right, and your brain plays tricks on you because let me tell you something, you had that car and there were glitches in it. I I remember there was time like the battery died and the key wouldn't work, and you know, there was um an engine issue and all sorts of things like that. Yep, yeah, no, you you hold it so dear, that's how your memory works.
SPEAKER_02Oh my god, and getting it fixed was so expensive, it was ridiculous.
SPEAKER_00Right, but you don't think about that.
SPEAKER_02Well, I also th I I mean the kids, and I do it too, because when I think about like my grandma Slinks house, like way back when, and you know, she lived in her her husband worked at Electrolux in old Greenwich, um, Connecticut, which at the day was like a blue-collar town, and they had this little, I don't know, it was like maybe a 2,000 square foot cottage that but but it had multiple floors, and we didn't have multiple floors living in Florida, everything was one story. So I just remember that house being huge, you know, and then I remember going back there when I was older, and I was like, wow, this isn't as big as I remember. And then, you know, our kids always talk about their first house. The first house the yard was so big.
SPEAKER_00Like, no, it wasn't. You guys are crazy.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. So it's yeah, the mind is interesting in the way it works. In particular, I I think the mind probably um keeps things more consistent once you're at a certain age.
SPEAKER_00Like no, see, I disagree.
SPEAKER_02I So you don't think when you're 30 versus and then become 50, you think of stuff more accurately than when you're 10 and you're 30?
SPEAKER_00No, because what I think happens is when you're 30 and you think about something, that story, accurate or not, becomes the story. And so it could fill in that hole with facts that are totally not true that you then carry on through your 40s, 50s, 60s, etc. So I just think the story actually gets a little discombobulated and maybe it gets further and further from the truth. Because again, remember, our brain wants to be efficient. Our brain doesn't like the fact that we can't remember things. I mean, don't you hate it when you can't remember a word? It's like on the tip of your tongue and you feel you feel like an idiot.
SPEAKER_02Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_00And I think our that that's what our brain does. So it immediately pumps something into that hole, and sometimes it's true, and sometimes it's a total fallacy.
SPEAKER_02I do think it's sort of fun the the in the way that your mind processes like really difficult or challenging or pain in the butt times that you had, maybe at some point, and then when you think about it, you know, 10 or 20 years later, you you laugh about it. You know, like sure, uh the time the time we arrived at the airport where we couldn't get through and the plane left, you know, and it was like that never happened to us. But it's just like I'm just giving that as an example where like you you you when it happened, it was literally the worst, and it put everybody in the worst mood. But then when you talk about it 10 years later, it's sort of fun. Right.
SPEAKER_00Well, like the trip that uh and we've talked about this on the podcast where my parents almost didn't get on the plane. Oh yeah, and you, Allie, and I were so stressed. We're like, what do we do? Do we get off the plane to figure out what's going on? Do we just sort of say, like, hey, good luck, we'll see you there. It was really stressful, but now we we absolutely laugh at it.
SPEAKER_02I feel like your mom was trying to get like one more cigarette in before she got on the plane and she just decided to light up at the gate, and they were like, uh, I'm sorry, but you Oh, that is something like that, wasn't it?
SPEAKER_00That's not what happened. It did have to do with the lighter. She was bringing a lighter on board.
SPEAKER_02She wanted to bring a lighter. Okay. Okay, but how did they find a lighter on her at the gate? Like, did she bring it out to light? She brought it out to light a cigarette. She had um the more menthols. Yeah, she had multi-grain cigarettes. They were like brown.
SPEAKER_00Okay, see, that's your memory. Again, at that moment, it was so, so stressful. It really was. And now we're now how many years later? I mean, 20 some odd years, maybe even 30. I don't remember. I mean, it I think it was one of the first trips you did with my family.
SPEAKER_02And we were on the plane too, sitting, and we we kept Ali kept turning around looking at us, and we were like, I don't know. We have uh if they don't get on, we still go in the you know, we still go into a nice hotel in Mexico.
SPEAKER_00No, was it Mexico or Hawaii? Whatever it was. It wasn't it was a summer vacation, and I I think we were still gonna go.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I don't, yeah. I'm glad it I'm glad it worked out in a better way on that one. But yeah, no, that's an interesting subject about how you think about things in the past and and how how it is quite different. Although now, I mean, so much is imaged, right? Like there's so many photos and everything and videos, and you have so many things documented from every moment now. It's crazy.
SPEAKER_00But it's not every moment, and it you're still filling in blanks. It's not second to second, right? Like we have this this I mean, it's a funny story that we tell. We took the kids ice skating when I God, how old were they, Chris? Were they like three maybe?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, you were you were not excited about that idea. And then we got them there.
SPEAKER_00I totally don't remember that. I don't remember leading up. I don't remember like lacing up their skates. I don't remember any of that. All I remember are certain things, like Dylan saying bye-bye ice, no more shoes.
SPEAKER_02Bye-bye ice, no more shoes. Like he hated those ice skates. It took a wait, I think the place was open for open skate for three hours, and it took the full three hours for him to do one lap. He just could not understand like how it did it was slippery and the skates didn't like do what they were normally supposed to do when you walk. But Kaylee was like fine.
SPEAKER_00She was like, This is great. We have photos of that, but we don't have that three-hour duration documented. And in our minds, we just have those cute little, you know, cute little interludes of Dylan and his baby voice saying, Bye bye ice, no more shoes.
SPEAKER_02What's interesting is I wonder what, because that would have been probably in 2009. Like, did we not have smartphones back then? No, I think we did, although I've secause they only they came online like in 07-08, they were brand new right around.
SPEAKER_00You I I mean, you had one before I did. I had the Blackberry.
SPEAKER_02I love Blackberry, but we I guess we just didn't have the ability to just video stuff whenever we wanted or take a photo or whatever.
SPEAKER_00No, I think we did, it just was a little different. You you weren't as reliant as you are now.
SPEAKER_02It is pretty crazy how people just pop out the photos. Like, for instance, I was on the plane, I was on the plane, and somebody had like was dressed in all University of Michigan stuff, including mittens on and a hoodie on and Michigan like headphones on, and you couldn't see their face, and they were staring down. It was very strange. It was a little creepy. I had I had to take a picture and I sent it to a couple of my Michigan buddies. I was like, oh, and and and it was a guy or a girl, it was hard to tell, but it looked like they had like a Louis Vuitton like man purse or something there. And I was like, Oh, that's a MRS. Yeah, I guess a merse. I was like, vintage Michigan fan. Look at this outfit and the LV here, whatever. Like so I don't know, it's crazy. But I I feel like there's like so much to catch up on, and and we probably didn't even know we'll come back tomorrow. We will come back tomorrow. Do you have good subjects and everything? Um hello. Is it gonna be you or AI?
SPEAKER_00It's gonna be me, it's gonna be you. We'll have Flynn, it's gonna be the Oscars, maybe we talk about Iran. I don't know, we got some fun stuff coming up.
SPEAKER_02I do love the the the banter. I love being back um with you, looking across from you and talking about really fun subjects that I think people find fascinating because they probably are having the same plate and ponders themselves at whatever table they're sitting at or whatever they're doing.
SPEAKER_00So well, thank you for having me back on my show. That's pretty cool.
SPEAKER_02So um I guess to should we wrap it up? You think? Let's do that. Okay, well, we'll put um, we'll do like uh the Indiana Jones theme that we play every once in a while because we're going into um Oscar Oscar night tomorrow. Um, any picks for Best Picture, do you think? We'll get into it a little bit.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I don't know if I'm the best one to uh to have that conversation because I haven't been allowed. Is Bunia?
SPEAKER_02I don't know. I do like Train Dreams, though. I don't think it's gonna get it, but that's more to come tomorrow.
SPEAKER_00Bye you guys. Talk soon.
SPEAKER_02Play it and ponder empty nesting with Jen and Chris Fenton. Jen, number one, she is here, and uh, we're gonna keep her here for a bunch more episodes coming up. 50 countries around the world. Listen to us, review, engage, download, follow, and all the other stuff. Um, anyway, we love you till next time. Bye bye.
