What are you the Scalabrine of?
What is your most pathetic moment?
Video Stores
CST
Held Up At Gunpoint, Ep. 1
(upbeat music) - Okay, are you recording? - Yes. - Good, 'cause that was gonna say, and I wanna make sure that this is on record. - Yes. - Screw Emilio, am I right? - Definitely. - Oh yeah, it goes without saying, I suppose. (laughing) - Did you listen to the latest episode that you posted where he had a little song for us? - Oh my goodness. (laughing) - This is shocking to you. - I mean, from someone who was our friend. - Well, this is what I was thinking. Like, what kind of friend? - Yeah. - That's a good one. - Dot, dot, dot. You know, fill in the blank on that. This is what I think. - Yep, yep. - So, are there fireworks going on right now? - Yes, and we also are having a thunderstorm. We're gonna have some rain, too, so. - That's a terrible night for fireworks. - Yeah. (laughing) - And we'll see how it goes for recording as well, but. - Oh, right. - But actually, you know, I do, I'm not too worried. - These noise filters are shockingly effective. - Yeah. Now, hold on one second. They had a thought. - Uh-oh. - Right before I connected and then-- - Very dangerous. - And then, I think I just lost. - Oh, lads. - That's okay. I have two possible topics, but the second one, just had it, and then I'm blanking on what it was. So, whatever. (laughing) - Well, you know, you have been critiqued in this regard, I must inform you. We were listening to the most recent episode on a road trip down to Idaho to visit my sister and brother-in-law. And Tiffany was shocked that you had proposed a topic of the most useful item in your home that you own and did not have your selections ready to go. - Ready to go. (laughing) - There is actually a story behind that. - Oh, okay, what's the story? Let's hear it. This will be useful for Tiffany to hear because she was very upset about it. By the way, that episode was all the technical problems and oh my God, did she hate it? (laughing) So much, this could barely listen to it. Like, she wanted to jump out of the side of the vehicle. - Yeah, yeah, that sounds about right. So, okay, so the reason for that was that what made me think of it was the new thing that I got which I kind of alluded to was that there was some new product that I had just purchased that I did not, I was like, that was what I was thinking of with the topic 'cause it was just so good. But it had not, I'd only had it for like a week. So I was like, I don't feel like-- - You weren't ready to say it. - Yeah, I don't feel like it deserved the status, but-- - What was it? - It's my, you ever heard of the remarkable tablet type thing? - Maybe, say more. - Yeah, so, do you have a Kindle by any chance? - Oh, I love my Kindle. - So Kindle's amazing, right? - Yeah, yeah. - And the fact that it's the E-ink stuff? - Yep, that's the key. - Incredible, yep. - That's what the remarkable is, but you can write on it and you can draw and you can use it as a notebook. And it's the best experience I have ever had with any of those things. Writing, drawing, notebook, taking note, anything. And it's this piece of technology that just, it just blew me away and I use it basically every day now and it's the best and it's all the E-ink stuff, but it's fast, it's good, it's like all the good things. So I'm just like, but I felt like it was too soon to like make that call in that moment. - I see, Amelia, welcome, we're recording. So if you're not recording yet, you should go ahead and start. - We're recording this? (laughing) - Yes, for the 10th time, Amelia. - What? (laughing) - Every time, every time with this guy. - Yes, talkative about. (laughing) - Well, so I'm really curious less because I actually, I must admit and disclose that I subscribe to this YouTube channel. It's good e-reader, like because I actually do follow these like E-ink type devices. For me, I'm really waiting for, you know, the actual like serviceable color e-reader so that I can read comic books on it. - Yeah. - So I have seen many of these devices where you can write on them, but man, you know, the refresh rate still is so slow that it feels off to write on it and drawing on it feels out of the question for me. So I am really curious your take on that because you just mentioned that that was part of the impressive features. - It is the best. And so, you know, when I was in college, I had hard times sometimes with my writing projects. And what I kind of put it down to or eventually kind of realized was that I just have a hard time writing on my computer, which like is the main place you sort of should be writing, but I just had a hard time because I do so much other stuff on the computer. And at the time, like all my hobbies were on the computer and I have messages and it was just like, it was not conducive to, you know, and I could disable everything, but it was just too much and I just couldn't do it. So I had a hard time and I still do. And what I did in college was I bought this like, ancient brother word processor typewriter. - Oh, the one of those. - Yeah, and like you had a little screen and you could just kind of go up and down and all you could do was type on it and then you could print it when you were ready. And that like changed my writing in college and I wrote like most of my last two years, I wrote almost everything on that and had like very good success with it. So that was kind of the thing I was thinking. And so I got this, I just kind of like went for it. I've been thinking about it for a while and Grace had like had thought about getting it for me for a gift, but they're so expensive, which is this remarkable too. And it has something called, that comes with it called the type folio. And that is a keyboard that attaches in a very cool. - Oh, okay, so you got one of those too, dang. - Yeah, so the whole thing is like, I think it was probably around $650 with everything. But the experience is just unbelievable. And I've been using it as a notebook. So it's like you create notebooks and you can have like any kind of notebook you're used to, like lined paper, graph paper, regular, plain, like. And then you can kind of like swipe through the pages. And then for writing, it's just like, it's just like a blank piece of paper, but like not a screen because it's that eating and it just looks good, it feels good. And there's, you know, the delay is negligible. Like it's not an issue. Like some of the other reading screens and the drawing, because of the non-delay, the writing and the drawing for me. I mean, like I don't care about the color. I just use it as like the same way I would have like a pencil and paper. So it's just like, it's, I don't know. I like, I feel kind of like lame just talking it up. But I have used it every single day since I got it. And it's way better than I thought it was going to be. So sponsored by Remarkable. - Oh, Steve and Emilio, you took it. You took it, I wanted it and you took it. - Remarkable to Type Folio. Thank you for the sponsorship. I appreciate it. - You bastard. - Do slow, Christian. - I've been here the whole time. - Emilio just swiped it and it took this fucking shit back. - Oh. - You know, actually Emilio gets paid double because he said it. - Oh, oh no, I needed that money. I got some very powerful people, very angry with me. - You're not going to be able to buy any e-readers, Christian. - What about kneecaps? (both laughing) Hey, Emilio, hey, old buddy old pal. - Hey. My friend, one of my D&D buddies just bought a Remarkable 2 and brought it to D&D for note-taking and we're all oohing and eyeing over it when it busted it out. Yeah, yeah, yeah. - So it was oo and a-able? - Oh, yeah, it's cool. I mean, I've wanted something like that also for a while, but I didn't really know, you know, I think I had heard of the Remarkable 1, or whatever the first version of it was. And I remember the price point just being way too high at that point for me. So, and then I saw this one and it's still, even the base one I think is like, you know, 500 bucks or something, right? - Yeah, if I was, yeah, yeah. - Yeah, yeah, but yeah, I think, you know, it's actually something I wanted to get from my wife 'cause I think she would really enjoy you. - Yeah, if I wasn't writing with it, like using it with the typewriter, I probably wouldn't have splurged on. You know, it's like, I wouldn't have been like, okay, I could actually use this like for something bigger, but because that's kind of like a bigger long-term goal for me, it was like, you know what? I'm gonna try this. If it doesn't work, you know, it's money gone. But yeah, I mean, it's just way better than I thought it was gonna be, so good. And the battery lasts for so long because it's one of those eating things. - Yeah, that's the great thing about those. Yeah, my next eating thing will be a color one. I've had the Kindle Paperwhite for years now and Tiffany's had it for years and I've like bought it for people for presents 'cause I just think it's so great. And yeah, so I'm looking forward to the next thing because I love, I read comic books more than I read regular books and I use a really nice tablet, but E-ink is just so much more of a pleasant experience. So I'm looking forward to it. - Yeah, and you can actually like do stuff outside in the sun, which like I've tried to do for years on the laptop and I just hate it and I kind of like, I don't, that's don't even try anymore. But yeah, it's totally different. - Well, so that was Laz's topic. (laughing) - What do you guys get? Who's got the topics? I got the topic. - A good recurring segment is like, you know, what products are you doing? - Well, this was actually a follow up to Christian had questions about the fact that I came unprepared from my own topic last time. (laughing) You know, what's your favorite product that you're in your house and I didn't actually have any to mention and then eventually I thought of the electric kettle. - Tiffany and I listened to the episode on a drive down to Idaho and she was very upset about Laz's lack of apparent preparedness. (laughing) - So I was just explaining what happened. - That's how we call it though. The remarkable is a, it's a good, you know, I'm waiting for, I'm hoping they'll come out with one that's like half the size 'cause I tend to use like, what are they? Five by eight size notebooks versus like full size. - Sure, yeah, yeah. - And I really like that size. It's good for just kind of the types of notes I take. So I'm hoping they come up with something like that but maybe it's not, I don't know if maybe the, whatever the market or the price point or whatever or something, it's not appropriate for that or, yeah, I would love to see a smaller one. - I prefer that size too, but if I'm gonna read comic books on it, it's gonna be muy macho. - I have a new product that just came into my life just hours ago. - Whoa. - And it's a goose neck kettle and it's not an actual kettle, it's just a goose neck like poorer, I guess. But basically I make coffee every morning and I used to use a French press and it broke and then I started doing just, you know, just putting ground beans into a filter and pouring hot water over it. And it's a rough process but it ends up like kind of just making a mess. And so I've kind of now gotten a nice metal filter that is like really good and just sits on top of the cup and then I was using a cup like measure to pour into it and that was still making a mess. So now I got this goose neck thing and I just tried them drinking my coffee right now. - Mm-hmm. - Which is great, doesn't make a mess. Very convenient, it's, so sort of bigger picture what it makes you think about is, you know, we were talking about like product and also like efficiency, the last few episodes. And it makes me think about how there are often specific tools for a specific job that can really kind of make a difference and while on the one hand, it's nice to be able to say, well, I just sort of use what I have and I can be resourceful. It's also really nice to be like, this tool does this one thing exactly the way it's supposed to. - Mm-hmm. - I, you know, I don't want to sort of substitute that for an inferior version just because I don't want to have two of a thing, right? And then this, you know, leads you into accumulating more things, I suppose. But, but I, so I think there's sort of, I guess like a, a counter to what we were talking about in the past about kind of being efficient or, or reducing stuff, you know. - Yeah, it depends how many of those specific things you want because like, I feel like that could fall into the same category as the salad spinner. And it's like, you've got your, like, do you really need to spin your salad or can you just shake it out? No, so like, so like you could have that one specific very, like, those are, those are actually like, they must be big sellers 'cause that's what you see ads for all the time is like, this thing will, will peel a potato. And this, this thing will cut an egg into 30 slices. - Right. - And this, like it's like, if you actually filled your kitchen with like every one of those things, like it would be just a disaster. But if you really like your egg sliced in a certain way and then you can like have this perfect egg slicer then. - And you do it every day probably. - And you do it every day, yeah. - That's the coffee thing I do every day. Every day I pour hot water all over the counter and all over your arms and all over myself. - You're burned arms, you're burned legs. - Right down, right down your pants. - Right? - I have to change twice. Got some of that I want to coffee in the afternoon. I mean. - So I'm sorry, so that is what, so that's what that, it's a different shape of spout. Is that it literally looks like that. - It's a long narrow spout that pours in a very controlled manner. - We have tea kettle like that, or hot water pot or whatever, and it is from Sweden and it's freakin' great. - Mm-hmm, it's great, it doesn't make a mess. - Yeah. - For at a 90 degree angle, they say. - Yes, yes, it's really handy. The only thing is we got a relatively small one and so we, you can't, you know, you get maybe two cups worth of hot water out of it, but Tiffany just lost it. - Yeah, oh, okay, yeah. Tiffany just lost the top to it, so I told her she hasn't until next week or I'm buying another one. - There you go, a nice big one, right? - Yep, that's the plan. I will fix that issue. Jack. - I got another topic to bring up if you guys are. - I'm ready, look at the topics. - Oh, that's our recurring segment. Each of us does a topic, right? Is that the, I just realized that was the recurring segment. - Product talk, yeah. Somebody said they had a gripe last time, didn't they? - Oh, I think I did, but I don't remember, yeah. - You guys familiar with Celtics legend, Brian Scalabrini? - Scalabrini. - Duh, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh. - He's that I know his name, yes. - Right. - He's the last great white Hope for the Celtics. - So, yeah, that's a great, you know, description. Also, you know, often referred to as like one of the worst players in the NBA, one of the worst players in the Celtics, but a very love, you know, likable guy and. - We love them. - Yeah, everybody loved him. He was a fan of it. - Super Irish, right? - Pretty Irish-looking. - Well, except for his last name. - Except for his name. - His name. - Except for probably his ethnicity. - But he looked Irish, didn't he? - He looked so Irish. - So, yep, and he always- - And hey, he got that ring too. He got a ring, boy, oh boy, unbelievable. Anyway, what about him? - So we're all familiar with Scal. So, I saw a thing, and I sort of vaguely remember this, but there was a briefly like a show that Scalabrini did on some network where like, you know, college athletes and guys off the street would challenge him to one-on-one basketball because they saw him play in games and they're like, this guy is trash, I could do better than him. - He's beatable, right? - And he challenged all these guys off the street. He beat them all resoundly. Like he just never lost, he crushed them, right? Why is that? Because he is NBA caliber good. Even if he is the worst player on any NBA roster, he is good enough to be in the NBA, which means he's better than anybody off the street, right? - He's incredible. It means that he is, you know, for anyone who happens to meet him outside of the court, he is the best basketball player they have ever met in their life. - Right, yeah. So we're on board with this premise, right? - I love it, love it. - Okay, so my question is, and I'll go first, what are you the Brian Scalabrini of? What thing do you do like professionally as a hobby that you are like maybe the worst of the professionals, but better than any lay person? And I'll tell you, I've got two. So while you guys do. - Okay, man, yeah, you go. Yeah, so while we're thinking, you go. - So the first one is an easy one for me. And we've sort of talked about this before. I am like the worst, best street ball player. Like I've played street basketball for many years, and any time I played with people that were good, I was generally the worst person on the court. But if you take. - Unless I was there, but yes. - Right, so that's the thing. If you take people who don't regularly play street ball, I'm gonna dominate them. It's just a different level of play, right? And so even though I was terrible by most standards, like I would go into, this was after high school. In high school I was terrible basketball up through college, but then I started playing a lot more. I was playing in like leagues. I was playing three on three tournaments. I was playing like on a weekly basis with a group of guys. Again, I was the worst player in most of those situations. But I got good enough through that, that like if just some random guy was like, "Hey, let's play basketball." I could pretty much dominate them. - Mm-hmm, that's a virtue here. - So I'm the Brian Scalbrini of street basketball. - Yeah. - The next one is going back to high school. I was on the chess team. I was the worst player on the chess team. And this could be verified with like ratings. Like I was the last seat, you know, you sit in rank by your rating. And I was on the second team. There were two teams. Each team had four players. I was the last seat on the second team. My rating was like at best, like 1,100, which is like, you know, a child's rating, right? A grandmaster is like 2,500. - Oh, I mean, I think we tell a little bit about chess ratings. - Sorry, sorry, I speak of talking down to you guys. I apologize. But if you, you know, put me in a game against somebody who just plays chess for fun and who's never really played, you know, competitively, I'm nine times out of 10 going to just dominate them. - That's a, I like that in that like comparison a lot. I feel like that, I mean, you know, Skalabrini is like pro level. So you'd have to like go higher in chess to like be that exactly. But that's, I think that's exactly right. Like in most world, in most like chess tournament style things, like it's a different, whole different ball game. But like you cannot beat somebody who's ready to 1,000 if you don't play regularly. - Yep. - It's just like, you just won't do it. It's just not like, there's no fluke. There's no like, I don't know. - They're just, they've practiced a lot. They know strategies like, yeah, you don't really know what you're up against. - Yeah. - Yeah. So I'm curious, so those are my two. So man, what do you guys got? What do you do, you know, professionally that other people think they can do, that they can't, or what do you do as a hobby that you happen to be really good at them? Maybe you've done competitively at some point or another. What do you got? - It's tough because it's hard to gauge if you're the worst of the best, you know? Like, and I don't know, isn't it more common to be sort of the middling of the best of a thing that you're doing that you do a lot? - Well, I guess it would depend like what level you've done it at. And if there was a kind of way to rank that, or yeah, I don't know. Like Christian, I would say, I mean, if I could give an example for you, like, it sounds like you are one of the worst of the fitness people in the army. But you, I couldn't even do a eighth of that shit that you're on a video on, what does it make every month or whatever, you have to do that shit. - No, I have to do the test every two, every six months, but you know, I still work out to do that, yeah. - Yeah, like you're in shape and you can do all those things. And like, I can't even imagine like, I was thinking about, maybe I'll try to like, you know, I looked up the exercises and I looked up the times and whatever and I was like, I'll try training for this. And I was like, God, I don't even know where to begin. It seems really impossible to even consider. - I mean, I am certain that if you gave it two weeks, you would be better at me than it. - Better at me on it, better than me, yeah. - I don't know about that, you described it last time and that was, that was pretty intense. - I know. - I tell you guys, like, I am, you're right, like I am worst. I'm the worst among people who still pass this. All around, I would say. - Just anywhere in the country. I am the worst. - Well, I mean, you, it's a, it's a, it's a standardized score, right? - You could tell, right? - Yeah, I'm like, yes, I guess. - Yeah, it's true. - I'm basically just over, like, being able to continue on with my army career. But that's a great thing. Okay, I like that. All right, it wasn't one that I was gonna come up with, but I like that. I can, I can offer, I'll offer one. And I think there could be something of a pattern to this that I'm detecting and ones that came to mind. And the pattern is this. I think that things that I did a lot when I was younger but do not do anymore seem to be in this range of ability. Because things that I'm doing presently, that I am like, that I'm good at and that I enjoy doing, I think I'm like, not so, not so bad. Like pretty darn good. Like, you know, genealogy was one thing that came to mind. But like among people who do that in an amateur way, meaning they don't get paid for it, I'm sure I'm like better than half of them, right? So I wouldn't, I wouldn't say like, you know, that I'm toward the bottom, I'm not the worst of the best there. I'm like middling the best. And so one that I came up with from a while back that I think would make the worst of the best probably would be like various fine art forms. So like drawing, sculpting, you know, maybe including ceramics, that kind of thing. Like I think, you know, 20 plus years ago, I was like on my way to being like, you know, very good or at least middling good, right? At those things. But now I once in a while do that stuff. And what I produce is gonna be better than most people you know. But among people who draw like, you know, like I feel a little embarrassed around them. So I would say at in particular, like drawing, I think I'm the worst of the best on drawing. - The Brian Scalabrini of drawing. - Scalabrini. - You have to say that at the end of your thing that you give. - Yeah. Yeah, so I think Christian, what you said is probably similar to the stuff I like, what I was trying to like think of a few things that might fall into that category. And I still feel like there's maybe something that I'm not thinking of, but you know, the sort of obvious thing is like, you know, I used to play baseball all the time. And like a perfect example of this came up where like, you know, if I were to, yeah, like just when you, when I see people doing like basic things like throwing or something like that, if someone never played baseball, like I can spot it on their first movement, like I'm like, oh yeah. They never played baseball, like it's just easy. It's just like they don't have, there's a certain thing that you have to have, they're throwing, like the way you swing a bat, like all these things. And so I can do all those things like at one point in my life, like I was maybe not for batting or for fielding. Like I was passable in those categories, enough to play like high school ball and not enough to play college probably. But for pitching, I was like in the high level for a while. So on that like I feel, you know, I was like, okay, maybe that's like, you know, better than the average. Like I was top of the team and stuff like that at the time. So I felt pretty good about it. But yeah, now it's like, if I were to play in like a pickup game with some like real baseball players, like I would, I would be the worst person there. And like that sort of happened because my brother, who you know, he played baseball when he was younger too. And he has continued to play on softball teams. And he just, he's like, yeah, me and my buddies 'cause he's always got like, you know, a crew of like 30 buddies from college and from, you know, work and just all these different places. Just like, just like Bruce. Yeah. And so like, so they went out and they played a game of softball and he was like, oh yeah. Like, why don't you want to come play with us? And I was like, yeah, okay. And I'm like thinking I'm going to be a ringer. Like I'm just like, oh man, this is going to be great. Like I played baseball at a pretty high level and I played for 10 years and like I can do all these things. And this was like, you know, 10 years ago. So this is like, it's happening. Yeah, I was about 10 years out of like having not played or maybe eight years after like that. That long. Yeah, like eight years without playing. It's like, I did not realize the steps that I had lost. So like I still had all the stuff where I'm like, oh yeah. Okay, I know how to do here. And then like, just someone just wails a ball at you and it just goes past you. And I was like, what the hell was that? And I was like, I was pretty faster than I thought it was going to be. Oh no. And this happened at every single point in the game. So I was the absolute worst there. And it was so amazing. I was just like, this is terrible. Like I, this is, these are things I should know how to do. But yeah, it's like you take some time away from it and like lose a step or 10. Oh, you put a man. Yeah, so that I would say probably falls into that category for sort of the same reason. I was trying to think of anything like professionally. And you know, I was like a computer science major. And I sort of felt like my whole college career with computer science was a little bit like that. Because I don't think I was ever really a computer scientist. Like it's very different than like being a programmer. And I'm like a decent programmer, you know, or whatever. I can figure things out and make programs that do what I want them to do. And like I'm sure there's lots of people who would not like the way that I do it. And you know, there's like the world of programming and computer science is such like, there's all these niches and all these different, like if you're a big company programmer, you program completely differently than if you're like a solo person just like with their own business. Like they're just in different worlds and they barely, they can almost not communicate between the two. So it's kind of like two niche, right? I don't feel like I'm bad at what I do, but there are plenty of people who would say that I'm bad at what I do. Or we just kind of like fundamentally disagree with like my primary way of doing things. So I don't. - When Emilio and I are not spending time with you, he often speaks of this. (laughing) - So. - It's embarrassing. - Yeah. - Yeah, I didn't mean to out you on that, Emilio, but I mean, I think it's time you. - Well, it was, I mean, it's fair, it's fair. (laughing) No, but I think in college, I sort of felt like that. And I don't know if that's true now, but like in terms of actual computer science, like the science of like inductive reasoning and like these proofs that you do and like the theoretical aspects behind computer science, I think I was one of the worst. And I just didn't care. Like I just did not care. - Yeah. - Like I like to tell the computer what to do and see the like the stuff happen. And beyond that, I was just like not that good at the rest of it or not that interested or something. So. - That can be an uncommon view. Like that must be somewhat common among computer science majors now. - No, that definitely happens. There's sort of like different tracks people. And like if you go into the academic, then you're all about that stuff. Most people are not into the academic. So I don't think it was that uncommon for that sort of thing, but it was still noticeable to me anyway, 'cause I was like, you know, I'd be in these classes doing this high level math and I'm like trying to like figure out like does everyone else understand what's happening here? Like we haven't touched a computer in two years. So. - I mean, that really resonates with, you know, being a psychologist as well, like I'm somebody who has some like significant strengths in the areas that I enjoy doing. And that's where I found, you know, myself. That's where I work as well. I work in those areas of being a psychologist that really engaged me. But it's true like if we look at let's say research and you know, I have front row seats of this sort of thing 'cause I'll be invited on to like dissertation committees and thesis committees. And like there's like some serious goddamn statistics in there. And I'm like, I'm like, I'm like just grasping it. I'm like, uh-huh. (laughs) - That's on me. - That's on me. That's how I thought it's just right on the outside of my understanding. (laughs) Like it's just pulling in. I would be like, like talk about it, but I just go. - If I had 15 minutes per topic that is brought up in these areas, I'd be like, "Hi, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah." (laughs) But instead I just sort of, I just kind of nod and other people will laugh at things and I'll be like (laughs) - That's how it does. - R-R, I got it. - Oh my God. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. - Last could I tell a story about a snowball fight that Tufts won the year? - Oh my goodness. - Do you remember this? - Those were intense. - Yeah, thank you. - Those were so amazing. - I don't, I've built this story of a lot in my memory, so you might remember this completely differently than I do. But you know, we went to school, I went to school in Boston. They were just outside of Boston in Medford. And we had a big snowstorm one year. And I go outside with a group of friends from our dorm and like, there's a quad area between a bunch of the buildings and people are just involved in the biggest snowball fight I've ever seen. Just groups of students have come out from all the dorms. They're just, everyone's just attacking each other. There was a war zone. And of course we get in it. So we're, you know, me and I, four or five people, we'd be like, oh yeah, snowball fight. We just start grabbing snowballs and chucking them. And I'm thinking, you know, in the back of my head, like, hey, I grew up in this environment. I know snowball fights. I'm gonna kick some ass here. So, you know, we're going out there. We're throwing snowballs. We end up like battling like, I think it was the baseball team from Tufts or something. And they're just like, just- - Oh God. - Hurling these missiles at us. And we're just like, I don't know. And so I'm like, David, this sucks. And then like, out of nowhere, like last shows up. I think we invited you to visit and like we were waiting for you and I don't know how it worked out that you showed up. - Me and Eric and Emmy and like three other people. And last is just comes in like a superhero. - Oh man. - He just starts pitching. And this is when, you know, you know, this is college high school when he actually played a ton of baseball. It was in his prime as a pitcher. And he just starts nailing these dudes. And we're just like, yeah, we all rally behind Les and like just start taking him down. It was a great, it was just such an epic move so far. - Oh my God. It last is greatest moment of his life. - Let me tell you, that is exactly how I remember it. - Yes. It was so good. Okay, so here's what happened. - No, embellishments. - Yeah, no, this was like, you are correct. This was at my peak of playing, but like I had taken a little bit of time off, but I had just finished like playing on a team, you know, like six months before or something like that. And so I had not thrown in a while, but like we were throwing snowballs on the walkover. And like I was getting, so basically, I was just getting warmed up and I had no expectations to actually like, you know, whip snowballs at people. Like I don't usually do that 'cause it's like pretty rude because they hurt a lot. - It's really painful. - I could hit by your snowballs. - Yeah, so we went there, we met up with you guys and there was this huge snowball fight. And I'm like having a good time just like chucking some snowballs in the distance. And then these assholes, I don't know if they were on the baseball team or not, but there was this group of drunken guys who were just, I think they even hit Emi and one of Emi's friends like in the face with a snowball. And it was just like, I was like, fuck these guys. And so, and I was already like warmed up. And I don't know if I have ever in my life had such like pinpoint control. (laughing) There was this one kid and he was running away because he was a, after I hit a couple kids like pretty hard in the face, like he was actually, he was actually running away. And this like, wherever this forever, he was running to the side. And I just like, take a like real hard pack snowball 'cause I'd be like, back in a tight side arm and whip him, and he hits him in the face and knocks him down. (laughing) Like as he's running, like it just nails him in the side of the head and he slips. (laughing) And these guys were just like, these guys were huge assholes already. And I felt like no guilt whatsoever. And it was like, they were picking on people. And I was with the people they were picking on. And there was like, you fucked with the wrong person tonight. Like it just felt, it was so good. - Yes. - I remember just like that. (laughing) - Oh my God. - It's like one of those things, those type throwing only comes in handy a few times in life, and like that was one of them. - For sure. (laughing) - It's so good. I'm so glad we remembered it the same way because like, I've been telling that story for years. And like, I feel like I built it up a little bit, but it's actually, that's how it went down. - It kind of went, that's my recollection of it too. It kind of went down like that. And yeah, they got hurt pretty bad. I think I, so pretty hard. - Yeah. - Like they just weren't ready 'cause at the time I was throwing probably 85 miles an hour. (laughing) Like that was my speed for speed. And like, nobody expects an 85 mile an hour of snow. - Oh my God. - It was so great. - It was so great. - You know what's incredible about that is those people you hit, they will fucking remember that for the rest of their lives. (laughing) For real, they will. Oh my God. Like then, I mean, can you imagine you're like, you're drunk, you're having fun. You're like fucking with all these, like, you know, other undergrads, and then somebody comes out of nowhere. - Just out of nowhere. - And like, just on your herd too. Like one of the nerds in the herd group. - Yes, and just like, you know, they're inescapable. They just start flying from all directions, and there's no cover, and you're running away, and they smash you in the face, even though your back is supposedly turned to the individual. Just some sort of like supernatural being, a demon, a demon of the snow. - I just, I remember at all having it slow motion, the light from the street lights, and the snow coming down in last, just like, just his arm cocked back, just like, (laughing) one, two, three, just knocking them out, one by one. - Oh my God, oh man, that was good. (laughing) - That's pretty amazing, that's pretty epic. (laughing) - Well, should we go to another? (laughing) - Should we go to another topic? - Yeah, so, should I switch gears completely for my topic? - Please. - From the absolute peak of our lives. - Oh no. - Which was the previous topic. (laughing) To, okay, so, let me think here. Have you guys ever seen that store, the like, clip of Patrick Stewart, and he's like, probably on like a late night show, and he's telling the story of how he, it was like in a hotel room, and he had just like finished shooting something, so he's all, he's like playing King Lear, or something like that, so he's like all bedraggled, and he's in a hotel room late at night, and he's just flipping through the channels, and he gets to Star Trek next generation. And so he's like, you know, having a laugh, and leaves it on. And then like, some person who works at the hotel, I don't know if he ordered it or whatever, I don't remember the story fully, but some person from the hotel comes up and sees him, and it's like, he looks like this like old, in his mind, like this old, sad, pathetic person, alone in a hotel room, watching himself on Star Trek next generation. - Oh. (laughing) - So he's like that person, you know, in that moment, like that's how they know Patrick Stewart, like that's their moment to meet Patrick Stewart, was like this. So, okay, so I was wondering, and I can think of like a few moments for myself, but I don't know how easy it is to just like think of something off the top of your head, but like, do you guys have a moment in your, like, in your lives that you can just like think of where from, like you, you know, you have some explanation for what was going on, but if someone else, if that's the only moment that they saw of you, it would have been like, it would have just seemed like the most pathetic person in the world, or you know, just some sort of like really pathetic scene that like, they would have a completely different view of who you are. So, I'll just say, well, you guys think of that. So the thing that comes to mind for me is I, when I was in college, and like this, you know, I don't know if this really counts 'cause it's like college, I can, there's probably a few of these, but when I was in college, I was coming back really late. I may be, I probably sure I told you the idea of someone else, but I was just like, you know, had a late sort of night, and I was walking back, it was the middle of the winter, I was walking back across campus, and just like, oh man, like wiped out and so cold, and maybe a little bit drunk, but so cold, and I was like, oh man, these grates are so nice and warm, and you mass, has all these steam grates all over the place. So I was like standing by the steam grate, and just getting warm, and I was like, man, this is really nice. I was like, I think I'll just sit down here for a minute, and then I was just like, oh man, I'm gonna lie down and just get warm, and then I'm gonna keep going, this all happened apparently. - And then I'm gonna take my hat off, and then I'm gonna take my shirt off. - So this all happened on, I guess it was a Sunday night, or something, and so I wake up, and it's the morning, and there's-- - Oh my God. - There's like students all over this, you know, there's like, everybody's just going with their glass, and I've got like these lines across my face from the grate, and I'm like drooling, and I'm coming over, and I just sit up in the street, and I feel like the grate's off to the side, so I'm not like in danger, and I'm like, oh my God. I just get up off this grate, and shuffle my way home, and I feel like anybody who witnessed that moment, she's like, oh man, this guy's in trouble. - Oh my God. - Oh my God. - I slept there for about seven hours, or months ago. - Oh my God. - Oh my God. I mean, that was decades ago, but I now have more worry for you as a result of that story. - Yeah. - Yeah, really. - Jeez, where? - I mean, that's gonna be hard to top. I don't think I should think of anything. - Oh my God. - I'll give one more, so it's slightly, just so that it makes like a terrifying pattern. - Oh God. - When I traveled to Europe, I went on a trip, and it was a super low budget trip. Like, the plan was to spend, I think, $1,000 total for, I think it was two weeks in like going all through Europe, and this includes tickets. So, and I went with Anna and Kasim, and that first night that I got there, me and Kasim, we got there, we got to Switzerland at like, I don't know, 1 a.m. or something, and we like looked around, and it was like, $5 to use the bathroom, and like, we were like, oh, we can just go to the McDonald's, and like, everything in McDonald's was too expensive, and I don't even, I think we ended up paying to use the bathroom, and then I got into the bathroom, and I had paid just for the peeing part of the bathroom, and it was like, it was just, everything was money, and we were on like, such a budget, and so we had kind of figured like, well, you know, we'll get in late, but we'll like, we'll find somewhere to crash or something like that, and so we did not find anywhere to crash, and so we went out into this park, and you know, we were just in Zurich in Switzerland, and we were like, we're hanging out, and we're like, we could just stay up the night, we'll just hang out, and the next morning, we'll rent a car, but then like, we were both getting pretty sleepy, and so we like, you know. - Found a nice warm grate. - Yeah, I wish there had been a grate. No, no, so we just like found-- - You think we had great money? (laughing) - We each found a little place on a park bench next to each other, and we like, you know, put our little tiny backpacks underneath our heads, and then we went to sleep, and then it started just pouring rain. (laughing) - Oh, no! - So that would probably be another time. I actually have, now that I'm like, in the moment, I can think of like, several of these times, and I think I'm gonna stop there. (laughing) - Yeah, we slept the night, we just woke up, you know, soaking wet on the park bench in Zurich. That was day one of our trip. - Listen, you guys, I don't relate to this at all, 'cause like, the worst time this happened to me, was like, I was like, you know, like fighting a guy, and like, instead of taking him down in two punches, I have taken down in like three, you know what I mean? - Oh, how embarrassing for you. - Just never been a moment anything like that of any kind. (laughing) - I feel like mine are like, witnessed things that would just, I mean like, the alternate, it'd be alternate like, like explanation, or the actual explanation, the one that they're not seeing is also very embarrassing. (laughing) - It's very weird. - Yeah, I just like, oh God. All right, I'm gonna tell a story. So, do you guys remember that I used to work at an independent video store? - Yes, yes. - This video store was called Hollywood Express, and it was a local independent video chain in the Cambridge and Somerville area. And I worked there for like two years or something. Three or two, three years or something like that. And it was like one of the easiest jobs in the world. It was such a delight. However, I started to get on the outs with, because I was very objectionable, I started getting on the outs with, yeah, you guys, you guys remember, do you remember when I used to be? - You were so nice and likeable. - Oh no, no, no, no, but it's hard to disagree. - We were best buds. (laughing) - Amazing. Anyway, so got on the bad side of like the assistant guy who runs everything, and so I started to follow a favor with the big boss as a result. And then what happened was, and then I was a manager. A bank deposit went missing. And it seemed like maybe it wasn't the first time either. And so I, everybody actually got brought in to speak to a private investigator who wanted to find out who stole this money. And so he's asking me these questions about the situation. And he asked me things like, what do you think should happen to the person who did that? And I was like, oh, I mean, I guess they should probably just like, you know, get a second chance, basically. Because maybe it was just like a mistake or whatever. And he asks me other questions like, do you think like the person who did this was like wrong to do it? And I'd be like, oh, well, you know, I mean, that sort of thing can be pretty relative. Like, you know, I don't know. I guess I could see it both ways. And so like he's asking me questions like this, and I'm giving him answers like that. And as we're going, you can imagine I am nurturing just the most delicious panic attack. Just like shifting in my seat and playing with a pen and looking around the room and like, you know, test quavering. And when I see. - The most suspicious behavior that I could possibly look. And he says, well, what do you know about what happened with this money? I said, I don't know anything about it. And he says, why? I think you do know about it because I think you took that money. And he says that I'd like you to sign this piece of paper that says that you are the person who took this money. And he says that I'd like you to sign this piece of paper and took this money. And that you will agree to pay it back. And so he slides this paper over to me. And by the way, I'm going, no, no, no. And I'm like, what, no. And I put my head on the table and as he has this paper sliding over toward my face and he puts the pen in my hand and I take the pen and I start thinking, should I sign this? - Oh man. - And then I set the pen down and I, kind of like a puddle of water, just find myself sliding onto the floor and lying down on the floor and saying, I just need to be down here for a minute. And eventually I get up and I say, I can't sign this and I leave the room. And to be clear, I did not steal this money. - I was going to say, Chris, I'm convinced at this point that you stole the money, like I did not steal this money. But I was in a period of my life where I was just starting to have the experience of panic attacks. Like I hadn't really had one that I would identify that way. And this was, you know, for the start of a stretch of many years where I had frequent panic attacks. - And this is like a moment where you think maybe signing it could avoid this panic attack or something. - Oh my God. That's so well put. Exactly like, oh, will signing this make this feeling go away? And so I wasn't guilty. I was extremely scared of many things in the world. - Said it, said, yeah. There's the explanation sort of still not very edifying. (laughs) - So that this person who interviewed you, like... - Yeah. - Very impression of you. - Yes. - What do you think that's like, like they're like... - Oh, I think that he thinks that this is a person who I can make do this, sign this thing, whether or not he did it. - No, it didn't matter what you did. - Wow. - I mean, Emilio, maybe you got that immediately, but that was like, that's definitely what this person got. - This person was paid to find somebody who was not finding the person, whoever it was, was maybe a decent liar. - Yep. - And then you were the easy mark. - Yep, exactly. - Which 100%. - You said it's a private investigator, but this is like so typical for what police, I mean. - I'm sure. - I hear stories like this, and yeah, it's not about finding, using evidence to find who's guilty, it's about getting somebody. - Yeah, and he said, would you take a lie detector test to say that you didn't do this? And I said, yes. And so then he, so then after that, I was like, you know, I was being laid off anyway, 'cause it was just an opportunity to get rid of me. And the private investigator called me and said, if I would still be willing to do that lie detector test. And I said, I'll have to talk to my lawyer first. And he said, you have a lawyer? And I said, no, but I get one. And he said, okay. - And that was the last time. So I found my nerve over the phone later, but like, it was, yeah, it was really, oh man. - Awful. - Do you guys subscribe to the School of Thought? I believe this, that you should basically never interact with police without a lawyer present? - Yes, definitely. - That seems reasonable, though, I will say, I had so little interaction with the police. I mean, I have not had a lot of interaction with police, except for, like, even just the most mildly shady dealing that I've experienced, which was like being pulled over in a middle of nowhere, Idaho, and the police officer making us wait while they got a K9 unit to walk the dog around our vehicle, yet to see if the dog could smell anything and give them a look at it. Well, yep, to see if the dog could smell anything and give them probable cause. And of course, I didn't have weed on me because, like, that's crazy to transport weed across state lines, which was the deal. And so, yeah, so that was the most mild of inconvenience I've had with police, really. And I'm like, oh man, this could be way worse, and I don't know under what circumstances that might occur. So, yeah, if I ever find myself in that situation, I am not going in without support. - Yeah, yeah, I think we, I wanna just say this to our audience, all of you out there. - Say what? I don't understand. (laughing) - Make sure you get a lawyer. - Well, I thought that was gonna be about, yeah. - Race? - I thought it was gonna be about race, about my stories, yeah. I mean, I have had some run-ins, and some of them were probably racially motivated. Although I don't necessarily always present as a brown person, but I've been with friends who are black, and it's like, yeah, we've been stopped because people matched the description, which the description was black. - Yeah, right. - It's like, we had nothing to do with any of this, we were nowhere near there, but, well, there you go. And my friends, luckily, I wasn't brave enough to kind of stand up to the cops in that moment, but my friends were like, no, you like, you, you know, we didn't do anything, and, like, unless you're gonna arrest us, you need to leave us alone. - Right on. - And, like, they did stop us, and they, you know, made us wait for a while, but they didn't do any, and, like, just, this is, it had happened on a couple of times, a couple of months. - Well, Emilio, have you thought of one? - You know, mine is kind of lame, the one that I've come up with, but I guess it's related to what you just mentioned, in a sense, about, like, getting pulled over. So, I think the whole thing is stupid, but, like, you know, it's a couple of times I've been, like, you know, broke, or, like, low on funds, and I've gone to, like, let's say, like, go to the dispensary to get some weed, and I've had, like, to grab the coins from, like, the coin jar, to, like, you know, to, like, to fill, you know, I had, like, $12, and I needed 14, and so I've got, like, two bucks in change, and I'm, it's like, oh, there, you know, and I'm like, oh, man, you know, hey, I'm so sorry, like, I get paid next week, I always said some bullshit, like, oh, I get paid next week, or something, right, like, I'm waiting for a paycheck, and they're like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever, just, just give me the fucking coin, you ask 'em. - Oh, my God. - But, yeah, I mean, it's not really a big example, but definitely embarrassing, and the person, you know. - I think that's great. - At the dispensary, he had a very low opinion of me, I'm sure. This bomb comes in here with his sweatpants, and his coins. - Oh, man. Exact same sweatpants, exact same hoodie. - Yeah, I agree. - No, wait, hoodie is your one thing you vary. - I've got a few hoodies. - Okay. Ah, that's good, that's a good topic, I like that one. - Yeah, I see. - I wanna, I wanna, we can put a pin in this topic, but I wanna, at some point, maybe talk about just like, video store culture, and-- - Oh, God. - You know, like-- - I'd love to. - Just the whole world that was video stores in our youth doesn't exist anymore. - Oh, my goodness. I would love to talk about that. I'll put that on my list, try to remember, video store culture, that's the topic. Whatever you think, yeah, I think like, you know, I mean, there were like, you know, entire movies about this, right? Like, clerks and like-- - Not really. - Yeah, and you were on the inside, Christian. We were just-- - What's that? - You were on the inside. - Mm-hmm, yeah. - Actually, I guess I kinda worked at a video store. It was minor. - I spent a lot of time at video stores. - Yeah. (laughs) - And we all did, I mean, that would be a fun topic. All right, I've got it on the list. Um, I don't know. I mean, we could just talk about that. Maybe, do you want more time to think about it? Like, before we talk about it? - We could jump into it now if you don't have something else pressing. - I mean, mine's a departure, you know? And this does have a nice flow to it. So I'd be willing to do that. And I do have more of the scoop on that. So like, it could be my topic. - Sure. - All right, all right, I'm doing that. - Okay, cool. Before you start. - Yes. - I will just tell my own quick story. - Okay, yes. - Of also being accused of stealing while working at a video store. - Oh, no. - No, what? - Yeah. (laughs) I worked at a place called Honeymoon Pizza and Video Store. So it was primarily a bake at home pizza place. So I would, and they didn't trust me to make the pizzas. But I would make, I would do the dishes and I'd do stuff in the back. - Was this in Seattle? - Is in Seattle. - Yeah, yeah. - Yeah. - Yeah. - I remember us hearing about this when we do group calls. Do you remember that, Amelia? - Oh my goodness, I forgot about that. - So you make the pizza and everything like you, it's the dough. We had all the dough and then you say what you want on it. And we had like crazy toppings, like potatoes, corn. I don't know. It was like, just like, you know, 50 different things and that you could do, actually potatoes was a pizza. And so, and they would give you a free pizza every shift. So that was, that's why. So, you know, that was when I was living with Kelsey and so too. So we ate a lot of pizza. But I was working there and this place had two different sides. So on one side, it was the bake at home pizza. And on the other side, it was the video store. And they were like, there was just a door between them. But after a while, they were like, okay, you know, 'cause I just sort of washed dishes. But eventually they were like, okay, you know, you can like take a shift at the video store. So I started working at the video store more, which I kind of always wanted to do 'cause they just thought they were cool. And then I was working there with this like, this girl who was best friends with the owner's daughter. And so the owner's daughter would come in and sometimes and hang out. And then her friend just did no work. Like she just like, she was just kind of like, you know, there was like senior in high school or something like that. And like, she kind of just hung out. And you know, she got the job through the friend or whatever. And one day, like we were working together, me and her. And end of the day comes and Rick, who owns the place, like calls me over after everyone's gone home and I'm ready to go home too. And he's like, well as the register is, you know, $40 short. And I was like, well, I was like, fuck, like immediately. I was like, this other fucking girl, they are like, your daughter's best friend. Like it's just dropping you fucking blind. But he is convinced that it's me. And I was just like, I was so, my only real thought. I just told him like, immediately, I was just like, Rick, like, I did not take the money. And I was like, let me tell you, like, if I were just gonna take money from the register, like I would not ring it in such that it looked like $40 was missing. Like I'm not a fucking morgue like whoever it was who took the money, who probably worked here with me tonight. Like him, I was like, I'm not like a complete idiot where I would just have the money not add up. Like I just, I was like, I'm so offended that he would think that out late. I was like my main offensive, not uncertain in any way that he actually would, would like think I still, I would say, just like, I kind of let him have it. And I was like. A fronted, insulted, good day, sir. - Oh my God. Oh my God. - I was gonna rob you, Rick. You wouldn't know shit about it. - Oh my goodness. - Not only so like-- - How dare you. - Even people at Starbucks, the one day I worked at Starbucks, the guy who trained me, taught me the correct way to steal from the guy. - Oh my God, that's hilarious. - The thing you gotta never do is like, we found that somebody, every dollar they took, they were putting a bean into the register. And so we found this stack of beans, you know, this person was, that's how they were keeping track of how much money they undercharged. At the end of the day, they could take that much out. And I was like, put a good fucking system. (laughing) I would never steal a good deal. I would do something like that. Not just like grab cash when the register's open. (laughing) - Oh, that's incredible. I had a big response to that. - He just said like, he was, I think he's trying to be like, you know, stick to his guns. And he was like, well, listen, if you have anything, you need to tell me, like just. But I, you know, I was only gonna be working there for the next like few months anyway. And we both sort of knew it. And I think that my response like basically convinced him. Like we, he never mentioned it to me again. And I basically said like, you need to keep an eye on the person who I worked with. - Yeah. - We all know who that was. (laughing) That's amazing. Oh, what a good story. Oh my God. All right. Well, can I tell you guys about what it was like on the inside? - Oh yeah. - Oh man. - Can you frame? - The inner circle. - Can you, you know, for our young listeners out there, the many of them that are, you know, Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Can you frame the concept of video stores first? (laughing) - Oh my goodness. I mean, it is really interesting that, and I was just listening to a podcast, an episode of Hidden Brain Today. And it's the first part of their Innovation 2.0 series. And they mentioned the example of Blockbuster Video. And it's a really great framing for the existence of video stores, which is that they created this system of, you know, making money off of people borrowing movies. And they thought that it was basically an unstoppable system. The idea of having a ton of stock locally available for people to come over, browse through, and then pay money to use for a couple of days. Like that was, they thought that was the pinnacle. (laughing) And so when, you know, Netflix and so forth came along, like it was just sort of, like, they just, they totally took them unaware. Anyway, so that's video stores. (laughing) And so I worked in this video store, like I mentioned, Hollywood Express, Cambridge and Somerville. And that was, like, the fucking cool video store. And you guys know that, right? - Yeah, I think it's important to kind of paint that distinction between, so there were like Blockbusters and like other sort of, there were a couple, maybe one other big chain. And these were very-- - Hollywood video. - Yeah, very generic, you know, bright lights. You know, they had all the standard movies. They had posters and shit. And then there were like local video stores, which were like, almost like, felt like coffee shops in a way, right? They were like, you know, they just had all this random stock. And the people that worked there were sort of quirky and interesting and like, yeah. - It was very like, indie, indie boot type. Like, if you were looking for anything that was like, a little offbeat, like the movie Heathers would be somewhere in there. - Yeah, for sure, yeah. And also like a good selection of foreign films. And also like a good selection of documentaries, like that kind of thing. - So it was a pretty cool place to work. And my job prior to that, I was like, maybe 1918, was working at CompUSA, it was just awful. And there's another orienting thing. Yeah, but also like, yeah, there used to be use giant warehouse stores and that sort of computer stuff. I guess there's still a couple of those out there. In any case, I left that job, hated it and was so happy to be working at a video store where like, you know, interview questions included like, what's your favorite movie? And like, at the time, Indiana Jones and the last crew said, fuck, yes. But anyway, so I had a really fun time there and I was just like a front desk guy. And then eventually I got promoted to a manager and then eventually I got promoted to like a store manager. And I was at that location that was over in the Twin City Plaza. And so I just had a lot of fun doing that. But let me tell you, the types of people who work in these stores are just a bunch of people who are in their late teens, early 20s, maybe their first job. They're probably not in college, they either dropped out or didn't go, but they do really like movies. And so, you know, first off, everybody is boning or like trying to find a way to make that happen or like, I mean, it is just like a given. Like you're just trying to, like if there's a new female like employee who just came, like, and she's good looking, it's like, okay, like, let's try to make this happen. And so that's what's going on. Meanwhile, there are these parties where people are just like doing coke all over the place and like, you know, just like getting very, very inebriated and like this is just sort of like a weekly occurrence basis. - Oh, wait, wait, let me add one thing here. - Yes, this is not an easy job to get for those reasons, exactly. This is like the indie version of the Abercrombie and Fitch. (laughing) Where you like, you have to be a certain level of good looking to get an Abercrombie and Fitch job. (laughing) And this, I think these video stores, like I didn't, I would not have applied to one of these places. Like I just, that was not, I don't think I would have had a chance. Does that sound about right? - Why do you think? - Because I'm very normy. Like I- - Ah, I see, yes, yes, yes. I don't look the part and I don't really act the part either but maybe a little bit, but like, you know. - I mean, it was upsetting to just see you in the videos. - Yes, yeah, like if I went to that video store, like it would be like a hush, just a hush all around and I'd probably sort of back out and oh, you guys know where the CVS is? Thanks guys. (laughing) - Which was the next, in the same building? - Yes, correct. - I thought it was weird that the CVS was downstairs. - It's just like the comic book store thing. It's like- - Yeah, it is like the comic book store thing. - Yeah. - You just had to, if you weren't cool, you didn't belong there. Like you weren't in, you know. - Yeah. - Which is a terrible business model. - Yeah. - And let me tell you, it was a lot of fun. There's a lot of drama. People were like, you know, doing all the things. Like it was great, it was so much fun. Let me tell you about the people running this show. (laughing) So, this business was owned by, and operated by this guy, George Lewis. He was the owner, so close. - An operator. What's that? - So close to another name. - What's your name? - George Lucas. - Oh, yeah, that's hilarious. No, he's not at all that. Let me tell you about George Lewis. George Lewis was this sort of like, he was kind of in bands, but mostly just was kind of like, I don't know, kind of like a groupie, but for, he'd just hang around bands, basically. And he'd make friends with band members, like he just liked being around people who are musicians, and I think he maybe nominally played, you know, like guitar. And, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's a good way of putting it. But somehow like came into some investment money, and decided to put it into this, and also got like a silent partner who was like a lawyer or something. You know, not really around. And so he just tried to hire like old buddies. And so he hired this one guy, whose name was Kid Bangum. Kid Bangum. And Kid Bangum was a mildly famous rock star for a band called The Fabulous Thunderbird. And he wasn't anymore. And so, this guy was like in his 40s at that point. And so he like became like a head manager type person, and he was like just like constantly snorting coke. Like probably during work and like just a serious problem. And those are the sorts of people who were like running the show and working there. By the way, the person who had stolen the money, I'd later found out, was somebody who I thought was a friend of mine who got a really bad coke habit from this particular culture. And that's why he was stealing money. Man. Yeah. And so like it was just wild. And then they're like the people who work out front. And then they're like the inventory guys and the inventory guys just do nothing but tag and enter titles into databases and tag sort of DVDs and VHSes. And like they're the most unpleasant people. Just so they're just in a back room doing that all day and they hate their lives and hate everyone else. And yeah, I mean it was, like I said, it was a good time. So did you actually, yeah, I'm trying to remember if I actually went to your video store. I mean, I know I've been in there a couple of times, but I'm trying to, I think I lived near there a little bit, so I must have. Well, yeah, and I've worked at all of them at one point or another. And so, you know, it would have, you would have seen me. Or you would have been in a place, one of the ones where I had worked. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I'm trying to think like, because we didn't actually go, like I loved going to the video store, but it was actually not something like Richard and I did very often. It just, it was kind of, I would, usually if I went, I was going with a friend, like we were going to their house. I don't, I'm trying to remember, we must have had a VC. I don't really remember. But I, so I'm just thinking of like video, video store culture. The big thing for me was that me and my brother would, when we were younger, would rent a super Nintendo. Yeah. We never really bought, we had a couple of games, but it wasn't something we'd really buy, but we would get like Donkey Kong Country for the weekend and play for like 36 hours straight. And like fall asleep with the controllers in our hands, like calm down on the floor next to it. And then like, because we knew we just had like, okay, we've got like, we're counting down the hours that we have this game. That's crazy. We have to like, we have to try to beat it before we have to return it. And that was, yeah, that was kind of, and there's most video game. There's no save slots. There's no, you know, loaded screens. You have to beat it in one go. Like most games back then, you had to just like get through it. Well, Donkey Kong Country was it. But yeah, there's, I mean, and you couldn't like save it from like, person to like, I don't know, it just, some games, yeah, I wouldn't let you save it all, which was kind of a startup. Yeah, that one. Or you'd have to at least leave your system on. Okay. Cause otherwise you'd have to like lose your progress. Oh, yeah. We definitely would lose our progress if we like, put the game back or something. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, my, my experience with video stores was like pretty mixed. Although I spent a lot of time at Blockbuster because they opened up in Central Square, and that was the closest to us. But before they opened, there was a tiny little video store, little rental place, like right on the corner across the street from Blockbuster. I remember it. I remember it. I don't know. Cool and interesting. It had like a lot of weird stuff. They had video games in there. And I was probably too young to really appreciate, you know, the sort of indie nature of it at that time. But then, you know, it was such a clear contrast when Blockbuster opened, and I'm sure like put them out of business. And it was just a, you know, the experience was just completely different. Blockbuster just had all the mainstream titles, right? And like, it was like you weren't finding like you're saying Christian, those indie movies, the documentaries. Right. One thing that I think sort of bigger picture that's interesting about this is like-- Wait, wait, wait. Before you move on, I just want to say like I remember being a kid and hating that indie video store in Central Square because they never had the things that I wanted, which was like the most popular video game, the most popular movie. And it's like always so disappointing. It's just hilarious just remembering that because I totally had never, I had not thought about that place for a long time. Do you think that, so it's funny that you said that like, "Indiana Jones and Last Crusade" was your favorite movie at the time, right? And I wonder, like at that time, a movie like that, while popular, was also kind of off the mainstream enough that like it could be seen as sort of cool or different, right? That feels right because it was like it was something that was excessively sort of actually kind of special. And I feel like Star Wars and Indiana Jones were sort of like, these are like directors doing their projects. These aren't Hollywood like pictures, right? And it's interesting because now, of course, right, if you think about like Star Wars and Indiana Jones, it's like the most mainstream thing you can think of. So like I'm trying to imagine you going to a store like that now and they're like, "What's your favorite movie?" And you're like, "Oh, Indiana Jones and Last Crusade." And they're like, "Get the fuck out of here." I don't know, I think that still could be a respectable choice actually. Like I think especially compared to the subsequent films, you're just sort of like, "Oh." Like there was a pinnacle of this and like, you know, it's fun to remember that there was a time when it was just so awesome. Yeah, I would find that respectable, I would say. You have to say like, you know, you have to say some obscure like, Scorsese movie or something. Oh God. I mean, to be fair, like, you know, my tastes in film are pretty-- Yeah, you could still get a job then, I'd say. Yeah, they're pretty fucking pret-- I'm pretty fucking pretentious. Like, you know, like-- Yeah! I didn't want to stop talking about it too. Finally! Finally! We get to the crux of the matter. Yeah, I mean, I, like, I am-- I have very specific tastes. I mean, I think though, like, Emilio, you're not too far off from this level of thought on things that you consume. Yeah. Lads, I think, probably you're less in that world because I think-- Yeah, I just feel like you don't watch a lot of things necessarily. Yeah, that's mostly true. I watch a lot of-- I watch a lot of bad things. Low quality. Like what? I mean, like, Paul Mark-- CSI, Vegas. Yeah, no, I can't-- I can't really watch-- I don't watch bad TV either way, I watch bad movies. But, like, I will watch any movie. Like, there just isn't-- I don't have a-- I don't have a floor. Oh, my God. But I don't like horror, and I don't-- so I just like-- you know, I watch-- I watch a-- I do watch a decent amount of stuff because I like to, like, I'll sometimes do other stuff while I watch a movie, but-- Which to me right there, I'm sort of like, okay. Wait, what the what? I just thought you would do something else while a movie is on. Oh, yeah. Even that alone is such a giveaway. Well, but that's the thing is, if I'm watching-- Like, I have two different modes, and one of my modes is like, I watch a movie, and that's probably a good movie, and-- and that's fine. But, yeah, I have this other. Yeah, I don't care. I'll just-- I'll put on, like, some '80s adventure, like-- I don't know, fantasy-type movie, one of those kind of, like, low-budget-- the ones that probably are going to end up on Mystery Science Theater someday. Oh. That was sort of things. I can't even imagine having something like that on in the background. Like, a Hallmark movie, or this, like, Christmas movie, like, you know-- If it is-- if it is neutral, if it's neutral, then it is not worth being on in any context. That is my feeling on that, sir. But what if, every now and then, you found some tiny little glimmer of something good in one of these movies? Well, then I'd feel bad that I missed all the other stuff because I was doing something else. And I'd be like, "Ah, I'm going to have to rewind this," and start it over, and then sit down and watch it so that I fully understand what it is that I think I just saw that-- Yes! Yes! This is what I'm saying. I have-- my guilty pleasures with movies is usually a bad horror movie. I love a bad horror movie, mostly because they're generally really dumb, and I think it just kind of makes me feel smart and, like, immediate savvy when I watch them. I'm like, "Oh, man, I see how they did that. How stupid." Or like, "Oh, man, they really missed the-- they really left a big plot hole there," or something. But I do enjoy them, and I think maybe I'm just getting scared a little bit, too. That's funny. Yeah. I'm not a big horror fan either. But interestingly, I do watch more sort of, I don't know, pretentious shit or high-faluting shit. I don't watch a lot of the big blockbuster movies that come out, typically. But the horror movie thing has weirdly given me some street cred, because every now and then, you come across people who fancy themselves to be weirdos. And they'll be like, "Yeah, I was just watching Leprechaun 4, and I'm like, "Oh, yeah, I saw Leprechaun 1 through 7, and I can tell you." Like, the whole fucking-- Oh shit! Oh shit! You know, they have some obscure horror movie that they want to talk about, and I've probably seen it. I think that's a pretty big stretch on the term street cred. Yeah, well, fair enough, yeah. Among those who be fronting, right? Exactly. Emilio drops knowledge. Yeah. I'm the bride of Scalabridi. That's our movie watching. No, but see, you're probably-- this is what I'm saying. You're probably more than a Scalabridi. You're probably actually, at least midling. Mm-hmm. You're not the worst of the best. You're like, at least in the middle group of the best. I'll take it. Yeah. It's more fun to-- Oh, that's good. Have you seen "Methregan"? No. That's just what I call that movie, Megan, that was like a chucky type thing, except like a girl doll. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've kind of avoided that one. That one actually was too popular for me. You know what? I was really curious. I was wondering if you refrained from watching it. I haven't seen it, I'd like to. But I thought, oh, I wonder if this is, like, to something to actually be considered for Emilio's horror movie. There was a lot of discourse about it. And I was like, yeah, I don't want to get involved in this. You're like, I'm not trying to watch horror for discourse. Oh. People are saying it might actually be good. I don't want to deal with that. [LAUGHTER] I probably will watch it. It's not going to make you feel smarter than it. No, I want to feel smart. That's great. [LAUGHTER] Well, all right. I think we've done our topics. We nailed it. OK, wait. Whoo. Sorry. I'm sorry. Go. What? I will never, ever get a chance to tell this video store story. If I don't sell it. Oh, tell it. Yes, you've got to sell it. One final one. You've got to sell it. Just because it is so, so funny. All right, now I am, but don't start. I have to go to the bathroom. Oh, no. Tell it. Tell it right now. Start now. [LAUGHTER] Oh, wait. [LAUGHTER] Well. If you think I'm editing this out, you've lost your mind. Well, I'm going to vamp here and tell a story about, you know, chess going back to my topic. Nice. I don't know if I told you this story already last about when I played chess against one of the hustlers in Harvard Square. I may have told this already. I don't think so. It's like my brother's friend's wedding and we were all pretty wasted and we go to Tasty Burger in Harvard Square. This was maybe out of the five seats. Tasty burgers open late and we're getting burgers and outside. There's a couple dudes sitting at the little picnic tables or whatever. The little outdoor tables playing chess and they're hustling and they're, you know, the Harvard Square has these chess hustlers who will play you for five bucks or whatever and they're good and they'll beat you and they'll take you. And they might even let you win one to, you know, to try to up the ante. So I'm drunk and I go and I'm like, "Oh, chess, okay." And I sit down at this table and I play this dude and we have like five dollars on the line or something. And blitz chess or yeah, yeah, yeah. Of course. Five minute chess, you know, that's mainly what they play. That's part of their game is that they hustle, you know, they play quickly and they kind of talk shit and they get you to like fuck up. So I'm playing this dude and I think he won the first game. And my memory's a little haze. I think he won the first game and I was like, "Ah, fuck, all right." And he's like, "No, no, let's play again. Let's play again." And so I was like, "All right, sure." And I play second game and we're playing. He's kicking my ass. He's kicking my ass. And then he just slips up. And just because I had, you know, played chess. You have enough experience. Just to capitalize. Just enough experience. Nice. Worst of the best. I just, I just, I don't know, I capture his queen or something. And he's like, "Oh, no." And then like a move or two later, I checkmate him. And I grabbed the $10 off the table. And he's like, "Wait, wait, wait. You got to let me win it back." And I just book it. I just leave. I don't say goodbye to my brother or his friends or anybody. I just walk from Central Square to Harvard Square. From Harvard Square to Central Square. I walk all the way home. I think we got turned back. I'd send him back. And the sweetest $10 for everyone. The greatest moment. But I thought, you know, my memory was so hazy. I thought maybe I kind of made up this story. And I was like, "Oh, I don't think this really happened the way. I remember it." Uh-oh. And so I was in Boston last year in October. And I went to a bar with my brother and some of his friends. And, you know, without prompting, unprompted, my brother's friend brings up this story. And he's like, "You guys remember the time Milio beat the chess hustler at Harvard Square?" And I'm like, "Oh, yes, it really happened." Someone remembers it. And he goes on. And he's also like a very animated, like big, loud guy. And he tells the story in like the most exciting way. And it just, it felt so good. It was the best feeling. I was like, "Thank you. I can't believe that that happened the way I remembered it." And you told the story. It was so good. It was good. Oh, man. That is the best. Oh, it's great. All right, last. You got to tell the story. You got to tell it. I'm going to be super quick. So, no, no, no. You give it its due. You give it its due, buddy. You give it its due. All right. I'm working at the video store. Rick, the owner, two people in line. So the guy comes up. He wants to get, you know, the latest video. And Rick, I don't know if you guys remember how late fees work at video store. Oh, my God. I sure do. We did not touch on the discussion of video stores. Oh, my God. Every culture is wild. Can I just say, we, every week, will go through a list of all the people who were late that was printed out and sent to us. And we would just start charging them. Hundreds of dollars sometimes. And it was crazy. Yup. So, so this is just a little hole in the wall video store. And this guy is coming to rent, you know, his weekly video or whatever. And he's just, he gets some, some video and, and I, and I'm like, Oh, my God. This guy owes $60. One single video. He, you know, returned like two weeks later. I don't know. I don't even think it was that long. It was like one week late, but it was a, a new release. And he owed so much money and I was usually I would, I would, Rick would ask me to, you know, you can have me fail. So, so I was like, yeah, like, you know, his guy was like, you have $60 late fee. And the guy was ripped shit, just pissed. And he was like, fuck that. Like, fuck you. I'm not coming back. Like, I'm never, he's like, put the video fucking back. I'm just going to call you. He just, so he like, he just like tears into Rick and Rick is like, you know, listen, this is our policy and we're very clear about it. And he's like, oh man, that's, and like, so the guy behind in line is like witnessing this whole thing. And he's like, he's just like, geez, man, that guy is psycho. Man, I can't believe this and Rick's like, you know, I'm, it's really, and we just, we have these policies. Yeah. So I ring the next guy, this guy is like, he has like $90 in late fees and he is, he's completely unaware. And he just had this conversation like this scene and then he talked to Rick and he was like, yeah, that's unbelievable. That guy's attitude, you know, it's like, geez, you rent these videos and like, you expect to just like, you know, return them late with no fee. Oh my God. And then he gets up and I was like, this guy is $90 in late fees. Oh my God. And he was just devastated. He had no clue. And you can tell that he wanted to be so, he was so mad, but he could not, he was like, he had just given a speech about how the other guy was being an asshole. Oh my God. So he couldn't say anything. And he was wow, and then, you know, Rick being like the trying to like make it be the, be the nice guy was like, oh, we can cut that down. $50. It's still like way more money than this person ever imagined spending at the video store. Just casually dropping by, but yeah, it was just, it was so good. The series of events between these two guys was so good. Oh my God. That just brings back so much, not to extend it, but dang, like, you know, you have to get really good at asserting boundaries. If you're going to be like a manager in that job, because shit, you have to like, I mean, you know, that's like a major source of like what pays you is these late fees. And so you have to like hold firm on the rules and like, you know, if you, if you don't have that skill, then you're going to hit your job and you're, you know, probably going to get fired. So that was, oh my God, I forgot about that. Damn. I also got held up once by at gunpoint. Oh, Jesus. And in the video store. Right? Oh, my God, my God, my God, my God, what was the name of our very first podcast episode of that podcast? All right, well, good. Goodbye. Goodbye. All right. All right. Bye. (upbeat music) (upbeat music)