S1 - EP 3 - Disappointing Affirmations

Baby and Glucksey review and experience 

Disappointing Affirmations by Dave Tarnowski.

A purse swings, stickers fly, the register dies, and the coffee runs out—so we reach for the only thing that still works: a book that tells the truth with a smirk. We dive into Dave Tarnowski’s “Disappointing Affirmations,” a collection of sharp, honest lines that cut through chaos and hand you the tiniest slice of control. Not glittery inspiration, but usable humor—the kind that lets you unclench your jaw, pick the next best step, and get through the morning in one piece.

We unpack why blunt affirmations hit harder on hard days. “No one is coming to save you. You’re the adult. Sorry.” It sounds rough, yet it creates agency. By mixing candid humor with mental health awareness, Tarnowski offers a realistic mindset shift: acknowledge the mess, then move anyway. We share favorite quotes, talk about how wit reduces rumination, and show how a single line can reframe a tense moment at work, at home, or in line with a thousand-yard-stare clerk. Humor isn’t an escape hatch here—it’s a stabilizer.

You’ll hear the story behind the book’s tone, why “grim-positive” jokes feel grounding, and how to turn a laugh into action: setting boundaries with difficult customers, calling tech when systems fail, and not collecting every feeling like a sticker. We leave you with quick practices for stressful days—pick a line that makes you breathe, use it to break a problem into one next step, and keep going with a little more grace than you started with.

If this conversation helps you breathe easier, tap follow, share it with a friend who loves honest laughs, and leave a review to tell us the line you’re keeping on your desk.

Transcript

Chaos At The Bookshop

SPEAKER_01 0:00

It's time for Baby Baby and Evil Gluxi's Book Point Book Review Podcast. Book Reviews Incarnate. Good morning to everyone. This is the Gloxy.

SPEAKER_00 0:14

And bad morning from Baby Baby, because it's been a real rough morning so far.

SPEAKER_01 0:18

Take a deep breath. It's okay.

SPEAKER_00 0:20

First off, Gluxi, let me fill you in on what happened.

SPEAKER_01 0:22

Yeah, go ahead. Tell me, buddy.

SPEAKER_00 0:24

A lady comes in with a pendulous purse that's knocking everything off the tables, and I'm sitting there going, Oh, would you like some help today? And she's, oh no, I'm fine. And her kid comes in and sits right at her feet and pulls all the stickers out of a sticker book and sticks them all up and down the mom's lane.

SPEAKER_01 0:39

Oh my. Oh my, I'm sorry.

The Broken Register Spiral

SPEAKER_00 0:41

Glad she says that's okay. Guess that's okay with you too, huh, Gloxy? Um, no, no, no. Also, also, let me add to the burden of the morning. Oh no. The catch register doesn't work.

SPEAKER_01 0:51

Oh, we gotta call tech support.

SPEAKER_00 0:54

Nothing has happened yet. And there's not enough coffee in the world that can help me get through this this morning, Gloxy. I'm at the end of my rope!

SPEAKER_01 1:01

Well, I got the perfect book for you.

A Book For A Bad Day

SPEAKER_00 1:03

Of course you do.

SPEAKER_01 1:04

Oh, I think you'll really like this one, baby. It's called Disappointing Affirmations. It's by an author named Dave Tarnowski.

SPEAKER_00 1:11

I know, Gloxy. Please, not right now.

SPEAKER_01 1:14

It's a lot of fun. It's a total humor book with little snippets of life in there that I'm sure you could relate to because it almost sounds like you talking.

SPEAKER_00 1:22

This lady is driving me up the wall. And since we are shapeshifters, I'm gonna become the cat register. Please, you can deal with this customer now. Thank you. Baby, are you gonna be okay? Know what I'm doing. Okay, let me connect to the internet. Thank you, baby. That's stepping up to the plate.

unknown 1:41

A lot.

SPEAKER_01 1:41

Let me tell you about the book, baby, since I've got you right here.

Humor Meets Mental Health

SPEAKER_00 1:44

Please don't I'm in a book. According to Dr.

SPEAKER_01 1:46

Natanya Wachtel's interview with Dave on her outcomesrocket.health podcast, there's no reason that candid humor and mental health can't be put together.

SPEAKER_00 1:57

Well, see, I don't have time for this. I don't agree. Okay, fine.

SPEAKER_01 2:00

Okay, well, baby, let me tell you a little bit about the guy. Great. Dave began crafting satirical affirmations addressing his own often avoided emotional struggles, according to him, into this podcast. Whatever. His unique blend of humor and honesty created a reliable space for discussing mental health nuances.

SPEAKER_00 2:18

Except here.

SPEAKER_01 2:19

Dave also shares insights about the deal he made for his new upcoming book and his hopes to leave a legacy centered on authenticity, providing an alternative view of reality within the realm of mental health discussions. Are you reading this off a script, Roxy? Yeah, I'm reading it off my notes I made for our meeting today.

SPEAKER_00 2:38

Roxy, you didn't rehearse enough.

SPEAKER_01 2:40

I came prepared today, baby.

SPEAKER_00 2:43

I don't think so.

SPEAKER_01 2:44

Well, I'm not connected to the internet like you are right now, baby, so I have to use some kind of manual making. Thank you, Roxy.

SPEAKER_00 2:53

And I found your data feed for your research into this book. It's a book called Disappointing Affirmations by Dave Tarnowski. Yes. This isn't a bad book. And after some prousal, here's my favorite by the baby baby. In the cash register. Yes. No one is coming to save you. You're the adult. Sorry. It's very apropos for today's.

SPEAKER_01 3:15

See, this was a perfect book for your baby.

SPEAKER_00 3:18

You're doing the best you can, which is pretty fast.

SPEAKER_01 3:20

I told you I did my research, baby.

SPEAKER_00 3:23

Another one is stop worrying about other people. I mean, have you met other people? Yes. They're awful. That goes especially for today with Pendulous first person. Well, yeah, I guess for your situation today, yes, have a panic attack. You find it. You can do it, but you probably won't. It's okay to have feelings, but do you need to have so many? I like that one. I'm beginning to like this Dave guy.

SPEAKER_01 3:48

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00 3:49

I can't wait till his next book comes out.

SPEAKER_01 3:50

I hope you're out of cash register mode by then.

Tech Troubles And Wrap

SPEAKER_00 3:52

Roxy, you're not gonna leave me like this. Get tech support on the phone.

SPEAKER_01 3:56

The phone isn't working, though.

SPEAKER_00 3:57

Oh, Roxy forgot to use my cell phone. It worked. I just charge it up. Roll the music. Well, that's the end of our podcast today.

SPEAKER_01 4:04

Apparently, get this book disappointing affirmations. Be sure to like and subscribe. I don't know where you go do it, but do it.

SPEAKER_00 4:13

But leave me on here.