SoberNotMature - Episode 149 (Poop Throwing Monkeys Or Your Host's Other Endeavors)

00:00:01.34
Bill
all right everyone welcome once again to another episode of sober not mature and uh yeah we're by the uh the old fat man and the virgin giving birth and all that stuff and i say i'm air quoting virgin when i say that but uh so have uh have you seen the meme that uh you know i don't know how you know whatever it is jesus is clearly of talking age like sitting on mary's lap and

00:00:17.17
Mike
Right. Sure.

00:00:27.88
Bill
the question comes along it's like oh mommy where do babies come from and of course Joseph's in the back background going yeah Mary where do babies come from and I'm like that's that's pretty funny and then the other one other one Joseph sitting in front of Mary and he's like come on you can be honest with me he was bigger than me wasn't he

00:00:30.79
Mike
Yeah.

00:00:40.36
Mike
yeah

00:00:49.39
Mike
Nice.

00:00:50.37
Bill
ah know

00:00:50.48
Mike
Nice. Yeah. The one I saw and shared in the family group was, uh, Mary and Joseph around the manger and, uh, Maury sitting in front of him with his little list.

00:01:02.79
Mike
Right. Joseph, you are not the father.

00:01:07.21
Bill
Yeah, that's pretty good. I don't think I if I saw that one I kind of just breeze right over me You know it reminds me though you posted something on our Facebook page the dude with the watch and the two chicks in it um I didn't get that so it's no it's just and I know I'm probably gonna kick myself or not not having a click but go ahead tell me oh

00:01:18.20
Mike
Ah, really? Yeah, you are. Well, no, he wants to watch.

00:01:33.20
Bill
I couldn't get it. I'm like, I'm like, watch timepiece clock time. I'm like all this different stuff. I'm like, I can't, I can't fuck.

00:01:40.04
Mike
No, he's sitting in front of the two girls and and he's holding a watch and he says, yeah, you misunderstood what I wanted.

00:01:43.14
Bill
Yeah. I want to watch.

00:01:46.62
Bill
Yeah. He wants to watch. Okay. Not once a, I got it. Okay. So, you know, every once in a while my, my mind doesn't.

00:01:52.09
Mike
I want to watch for Christmas.

00:01:54.96
Bill
Right. No, I get it now, but it's a literally I.

00:01:56.95
Mike
Well, good. About fucking time. It was yesterday, man.

00:02:00.90
Bill
I know, but I figured, you know, if I, if I thought about it, I'd ask you on here. And, uh, um, I'm glad I did because I, I, when you first posted, I looked at him like, I'm like, I'll look at it later. Then I ran through the, you know, at night I run through, you know, obviously our page I'm looking at, I'm like, I can't, I can't fucking figure this out.

00:02:16.08
Bill
I'm like, uh, like am I, am I tired? Am I just, am I losing it? You know, all those could be true, but yes.

00:02:20.55
Mike
Yes. Yes, right.

00:02:23.15
Bill
yeah but uh no that's uh that's cool so yeah we're past uh yeah it's it's weird i mean we've recorded on a thursday before not that anyone ever cares but i i like bringing this up it's uh yeah it's four o'clock uh well four four eighteen real time on on a thursday of all cases but if right man but uh yeah it's a it's a fucking thursday that i don't even know what kind of feels like a friday or a sunday or i don't even know what

00:02:32.17
Mike
listen Uh-huh. It's almost 4.20, dude.

00:02:48.49
Mike
Feels like a Saturday to me, right?

00:02:50.19
Bill
Yeah, I don't even know what fucking day it is anymore. so but All right, but either way, um i'm I'm guessing, guessing possibly.

00:02:52.48
Mike
Uh-oh.

00:02:57.28
Mike
Uh-huh.

00:02:58.64
Bill
You had some time. I know you were out there running around getting oil change. And what did they what did they do?

00:03:02.13
Mike
Yeah.

00:03:03.28
Bill
They have the fucking drill for the oil for your car or whatever?

00:03:04.70
Mike
i i've died Apparently, I don't know, man. I don't know. You get what you pay for, right? I went to Walmart.

00:03:10.38
Bill
Oh, really?

00:03:11.19
Mike
It's cheaper there, right? I'm like, okay, cool.

00:03:12.98
Bill
OK.

00:03:13.59
Mike
You know, I'll go in because it usually does take them about an hour and I'm like, yeah, I'll go in and do a little shopping and blah, blah, blah. And took them like close to two hours. So I don't know that heads up their asses.

00:03:27.10
Bill
Well, Well, when I went in to get my tires um at the Firestone, the guy told me, you know, it was tires and the oil change.

00:03:27.49
Mike
Powerless man. Fucking powerless.

00:03:35.83
Bill
And I figured, well, I'm there, I'll get it all done. And I mean, he said, he said it it could take like two and a half, three hours.

00:03:38.43
Mike
Right.

00:03:41.56
Bill
I'm like, Jesus Christ.

00:03:42.34
Mike
Uh-huh.

00:03:43.83
Bill
And it ended up, they got it done in, I don't know, like an hour and a half, whatever it was, but maybe hour 45. But I just, I went across the street to some fucking restaurant and had lunch and, you know, just kind of kicked around and came back.

00:03:53.98
Bill
And I was, I was surprised that they got it done that quickly, but you know, they were,

00:03:55.92
Mike
Yeah.

00:03:58.16
Bill
Apparently they were gonna be busy and it was a Sunday and I don't know whatever but yeah Walmart I don't know, you know, like it just because you said your your point was it like 130, right? You just got back Well, hey it's done that's what matters right be grateful that you we were able to to get your oil changed

00:04:07.25
Mike
yeah Yeah. And like I got there at like, I don't know, one 15. Yeah. So, I mean, i I was there for over two hours.

00:04:23.05
Mike
Right. Yeah. That's it.

00:04:26.86
Bill
right gratitude okay so um yeah i mean if uh i've got actually ah got a couple of little things i saw i saw a uh i saw an interesting billboard on the way up to wisconsin i got my wisconsin trip that we did i did but uh just to launch up there um and speaking of books i i actually have a new book in the rotation which i want to talk about real quick but

00:04:28.73
Mike
Uh-huh.

00:04:40.17
Mike
Right.

00:04:45.68
Mike
Hmm. Cool.

00:04:47.33
Bill
um actually just ah just added it this morning, but there's like a little a reading from there, and I think it's one that you might have read, but I'll talk about that too, but the billboard, yeah, the billboard's kind of funny, it threw me as I was driving along, but we'll get to that, we'll get to that.

00:04:50.27
Mike
Nice.

00:04:59.12
Mike
All right. We will. Yeah. And I actually saw a halfway interesting news story this yesterday. Yeah. Yesterday today. I don't know.

00:05:08.53
Bill
Nice.

00:05:09.20
Mike
Whatever. It's all blended together. I'm kind of on vacation. So who gives a fuck?

00:05:13.74
Bill
Right.

00:05:15.55
Mike
and All right. So I'm assuming you're expecting some sort of reading or some shit.

00:05:20.16
Bill
I mean, if you have one, if not, we could just talk. We could talk nonsense like we always do. we don't We don't have to do anything for the listener. It doesn't matter to me.

00:05:26.82
Mike
Wow.

00:05:26.96
Bill
Like it.

00:05:27.79
Mike
Yeah. Well, now I think I have to do something for others. I've. I heard that Reddit something somewhere.

00:05:32.73
Bill
Okay.

00:05:34.02
Mike
I don't know. Whatever. Yes, I do have one. It's actually today's Reddit this morning and went, eh, that'll do.

00:05:38.44
Bill
Nice.

00:05:42.97
Mike
So here it is. Uh, it's from God grant me, uh, December 26th. Uh, it's not, and I thought it was kind of interesting for the day after Christmas with all of the nonsense that you people had to go through. I didn't, but anyway, here it is. Um, yes. Uh, December 26th.

00:06:02.88
Mike
It is not the level of prosperity that makes for happiness, but the kinship of heart to heart and the way we look at the world. I don't know, I'm assuming some Russian dude, I can't even fucking pronounce it, so I'm not even gonna try. ah The values of society often seem to leave us feeling hungry for more things, more status, more power.

00:06:27.02
Mike
The pressure can be strong to have the quote-unquote right friends, clothes, or house. There is, of course, a catch. This whole way of thinking is a lie. The real way to happiness is by opening our hearts and joining with other people.

00:06:44.41
Mike
Real joy can be found in having real friends with whom we can share our deepest thoughts and feelings and with whom we have fun and solve problems. We can be happy and it is not about money and things. It is about bringing heart to heart acceptance into the world.

00:07:05.31
Mike
prayer for the day, higher power, help me focus on the richest in my rich is in my life, friends, faith, and the health I am regaining in sobriety. Help me remember that no amount of wealth can buy those things. Today's action, damn actions.

00:07:25.13
Mike
Uh, how do I look at the world today? I will make a list of five things. I believe are most important in life. I will read them to my sponsor and talk about how I am doing at building these things in my life.

00:07:39.72
Bill
All right. And I, you know, I read that, obviously read that one and I remember that one for once. So, Hey, it was only, uh, I dunno, less than, yeah, i probably led less than that.

00:07:44.00
Mike
Ah, right. What? 10 hours. Right.

00:07:49.60
Bill
I get, I get up at eight, so it's a little, a little less than that.

00:07:50.99
Mike
Hmm.

00:07:52.52
Bill
But, um, so I mean, start off in a, and I, I saw that the five things that I was, that was actually one thing I was going to write down to talk about, but I'm like, ah, fuck it.

00:08:00.26
Mike
Hmm.

00:08:01.17
Bill
Cause I mean, you know, us and lists and, and whatever, but so can you read that again, lists of five things in life that.

00:08:01.18
Mike
Yeah.

00:08:03.44
Mike
Right.

00:08:07.64
Mike
Ah, sure. Why not? Let's see here. Uh, but buth by today we'll make a list of five things I believe are most important in life.

00:08:18.70
Bill
Okay, so um on that, I mean, do you have, I mean, things right off the top of your head that are, ah whether it's five or three or two or whatever it is, most important things.

00:08:27.13
Mike
Right. Um, yeah, well, um, yeah the easy one is my sobriety January six motherfuckers. Um, um, yeah, definitely my sobriety. Um, and then secondly, the people that I give a shit about, you know, it's not a huge list, but it is there and it is very important to me. Um,

00:08:53.90
Mike
Yeah. And then the rest of it, you know, whatever doing good, you know, not necessarily to get good, just because it makes me feel good.

00:09:02.12
Bill
Right.

00:09:02.98
Mike
Because, you know, I'm an alcoholic and a junkie and I fucking, I i want to feel good. So I do good things.

00:09:09.51
Bill
Right? Well, and that yeah, the whole you know do good, get good type of thing, the AA math and everything else that we talk about. But just as ah is a quick side note, in and I think, well, I don't even know.

00:09:15.32
Mike
Mm hmm.

00:09:19.40
Bill
I mean, maybe hopefully people out there that listen to us know what January 6th means, but it just it bothers the fuck out of me that that that date now got hijacked by a political event.

00:09:24.17
Mike
Mm hmm. Yeah, right.

00:09:31.07
Bill
you know and because January 6th in our mind has nothing to do with that whole fucking hullabaloo that happened you know on the political side of the, yeah, it has nothing to do with that.

00:09:37.17
Mike
Mm hmm. Dottie Brooke.

00:09:41.47
Bill
It has to do with staying sober is the most important thing in my life.

00:09:46.27
Mike
Today.

00:09:46.85
Bill
today. Yeah, it's, it's a reading from the 24 hour book um that we grew up on.

00:09:47.45
Mike
yeah Right.

00:09:51.94
Bill
And it was something that was, you know, we've talked about it on here a lot.

00:09:52.55
Mike
Mm hmm. Sure.

00:09:55.15
Bill
But ah it just ah it every time that is, you know, we, we refer to January 6, a lot in here. And I think about it, I just ah keep forgetting to bring it up. But it does.

00:10:03.00
Mike
yeah

00:10:03.82
Bill
There's a that sticks. And as you said, a couple episodes ago, that sticks in my craw. So when we talk about January 6th, I think we've made it clear for the most part, we we don't talk about politics, at least we try not to.

00:10:14.66
Mike
Right.

00:10:17.48
Mike
Right.

00:10:17.58
Bill
um It has nothing to do with that fucking mess. It has to do with staying sober in the 24 hour book. So there.

00:10:23.13
Mike
Right. Exactly.

00:10:24.91
Bill
But to yeah, I mean, yeah easily the number one, I mean, because yeah the thing of it is, and we know, and at least we tried ah try to let other others know that our opinion is, because based on what we were taught and what we've seen is that, um you know, if we're if we are not sober, nothing else matters, you know?

00:10:33.20
Mike
Mm hmm.

00:10:36.76
Mike
Right.

00:10:41.50
Mike
Right.

00:10:42.13
Bill
um all these All this, whatever, you know, the whatever point we are, whether it's, who doesn't matter, whatever point we are at in our life, if you and I drink or use, um all that stuff fucking goes away, it's gone.

00:10:42.13
Mike
Exactly.

00:10:49.96
Mike
Mm hmm. Yes, it does. Yep.

00:10:54.36
Bill
and uh we decided the one time it may not be tomorrow it may not be next week but i'm pretty goddamn sure that if i start drinking today um tomorrow's gonna be it well the rest of today and and tomorrow and beyond are gonna be fucked up for me so i don't think it's gonna take it's not gonna take a long time because i'm

00:11:07.06
Mike
Yep. No, it is not.

00:11:11.13
Bill
Well, here's the thing too that, you know, i'm of course I'm right now, well, through I'm leaving, you know, obviously early Saturday morning, but at the moment I'm sitting in our sister's house. And if I decided to start drinking in her house today, I wouldn't stick around here and continue drinking in her house.

00:11:25.64
Mike
Right.

00:11:26.93
Bill
I i would fucking leave because I would be, you know, too embarrassed.

00:11:29.23
Mike
Right.

00:11:31.30
Bill
I couldn't drink the way I wanted. There was no fucking way in the world. I could function as an active alcoholic in this environment.

00:11:34.10
Mike
Right.

00:11:37.68
Mike
Right.

00:11:37.72
Bill
You know, and, you know, to to everyone's credit I mean that, you know, the life that's been built around us with family and friends, you know, grant that puts us in a position where thankfully we, we could not function in that, in that manner, which is, which is, which is a good thing, you know, good thing for them, good thing for them a good thing for us but

00:11:46.97
Mike
Right. Yeah. It is.

00:11:55.10
Mike
Yep.

00:11:55.75
Bill
um But yeah, beyond that, and it is, it's it it always comes down to you know that the people in the relationships and am I am i out hurting people today or intentionally?

00:12:04.53
Mike
Mm hmm.

00:12:05.78
Bill
you know we We talk about that enough. I mean, who knows? that I mean, if somebody is hurt by our actions, it's not, I think that we both admitted, it's certainly not intentional. you know And if we hurt somebody, you should fucking speak up because we don't realize it you know and but we'll try to fix it.

00:12:15.28
Mike
Right.

00:12:19.53
Mike
Mmhmm.

00:12:22.17
Bill
yeah you know In most most cases with most people, um But, you know, that the reading and everything talks but or was talking about all the material stuff, um you know, and the the pressures in the societies and in all those different things.

00:12:35.12
Bill
And, you know, really, like in you know and the Christmas but christmas holiday and and all that stuff, I think is a big one. So many people, I mean, I don't know, the the one thing I didn't hear this year, which was kind of surprising, the whole, you know, but let's put Christ back in Christmas.

00:12:51.92
Mike
That does.

00:12:53.43
Bill
which makes me laugh every year anyhow, but I understand the point. People are like, it's too commercial, it's this and that, and I get all that, okay?

00:12:57.97
Mike
Sure. Mm hmm.

00:13:00.06
Bill
And I agree to it only to the extent, not from the religious side of things, but the expectation of what Christmas is supposed to be, or maybe what it what it should be.

00:13:06.98
Mike
Right.

00:13:09.26
Bill
I mean, again, I asked my kids, you know, what do you want? I mean, like ah Derek and Katie, we were on on the way up, I picked them up and we drove up to the Fond du Lac, And I'd send a text out to Kimmy and Brian and and Derek and Katie.

00:13:20.63
Bill
What do you guys want? That sort of thing. And Kimmy and Brian, I got that handled.

00:13:22.54
Mike
Right.

00:13:24.52
Bill
I knew what I was going to get for Ollie. I chipped in for that. Got him some things. So got that all set. um When it comes to Kathy, I'm like, yeah do you want any books? And she told me so. I ordered some books for Kylie the same thing.

00:13:34.88
Bill
Yesterday morning, I sat down with her. I'm like, did you get my gift? And she's like, no. And I said, good. You need to tell me what you want.

00:13:42.05
Bill
ah But that's that's what we've done for for years, you know, and she she wanted an Apple gift card So I bought her an Apple gift card, you know, but the the point is that it's to me it's it's so much it's had nothing to do with the material stuff I'll buy gifts for my kids and whatever but um You know there I've had years when things are tight, you know And I'm not gonna go fucking broke trying to you know, try to buy somebody's love I want to be with my I want to spend I want to spend time with my kids and That's what I want to do, you know

00:13:44.60
Mike
Right. Hmm.

00:13:56.67
Mike
Sure.

00:14:08.97
Mike
Right. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. All the, all the material shit. I know. I mean, I'm looking around and I'm seeing people, you know, losing their goddamn minds, trying to fucking force this thing on this day.

00:14:18.96
Bill
Right.

00:14:20.58
Mike
And I'm like, I'm just sitting here going, why, why are you doing that? Why, you know, I mean, I, I bought gifts for people a couple of weeks ago, you know, right?

00:14:30.12
Bill
Right.

00:14:31.23
Mike
Yeah. It's because I wanted to and saw something that I went, oh, that that we will like this. And yeah, I don't care what the calendar says. I don't care what society tells me to do, man.

00:14:43.73
Bill
I'm not gonna conform to your rules, man.

00:14:45.16
Mike
I'm right, right.

00:14:48.56
Bill
Yeah, and and seriously, I mean, it it really is. there there were There have been plenty of times when you know I didn't see my kids until um you know a couple of weeks after Christmas, and we get together for lunch and exchange gifts then, and I tell my kids every year, birthdays and Father's Days and Christmases, like I don't want or need anything.

00:15:04.52
Mike
Right.

00:15:07.10
Mike
hu

00:15:07.43
Bill
Now, Kimmy and Brian, they did these handmade gifts with but Ali, and it's really nice. It's these little cutting board stuffs and but blah bla blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

00:15:13.47
Mike
Sweet. Right.

00:15:16.13
Bill
But they they did all these handmade things, and um that's what they did for gifts. And I'm like, it was, to me, unnecessary for them to do anything, but I understand where that came. that These were gifts that came from the heart.

00:15:27.82
Bill
They sat down and they did these things for every everyone.

00:15:28.30
Mike
right

00:15:30.42
Bill
um you know And that's what that means. Kimmy even said, she's like, we we're doing this because we want to buy a house next year. i'm like I don't care if you did anything. This is wonderful.

00:15:39.15
Mike
Right.

00:15:40.09
Bill
you know I mean, you could have you could have written something out on ah on a piece of paper for me. I mean, I and don't even need that.

00:15:44.09
Mike
Right.

00:15:46.12
Bill
you know

00:15:46.28
Mike
sir Exactly.

00:15:47.20
Bill
but dumb

00:15:47.68
Mike
But and edge you know, I mean, in this sobriety thing, you know, ah we can go too far the other way, right? Cause we were takers for so damn long that we don't want to take things, but we have to be gracious in accepting things.

00:16:01.79
Mike
That was one of the early lessons I had, I had to learn.

00:16:05.93
Bill
right

00:16:06.03
Mike
Um, you know, right again, cause you know, I was like, you know, I'm not taking anything from anybody anymore, right? Which is fine, but we also have to go, but these people want to do something for us.

00:16:16.52
Mike
It means something to them to give something to us. And we, again, have to be gracious and accepting these gifts, whatever they happen to be from people because they want to do it.

00:16:28.00
Mike
It makes them feel good. Who the fuck are we to take that away from them?

00:16:32.50
Bill
Right, yeah, and you just said the word that I was thinking of, you said accept.

00:16:33.16
Mike
Yeah.

00:16:36.02
Bill
you know So you know we're not we're not taking, we're accepting you know from from people and and that's ah that's the big difference.

00:16:36.41
Mike
Mmhmm. Great. Mmhmm.

00:16:42.30
Bill
And I was, I mean, I was touched by by it and you know the the fact of, and same thing, you know there's there's been times when you know both of my kids have gotten me something and yeah I'm like, you really didn't need to do that.

00:16:52.35
Mike
Mmhmm.

00:16:53.54
Bill
They're like, oh, I wanted to. And I'm like, thank you so much. you know um But just reiterating the fact that i don't I don't demand gifts, I don't demand anything like that.

00:16:55.47
Mike
Right.

00:16:58.59
Mike
Mmhmm. this c sim and

00:17:02.46
Bill
um I don't even really demand time. i I let them know that that's all that I want though.

00:17:07.32
Mike
Right.

00:17:07.69
Bill
I want a little bit of time. That's it. you know And I drove 450 miles on Tuesday?

00:17:10.36
Mike
so

00:17:13.25
Mike
Yup.

00:17:15.94
Bill
What day was Christmas Eve?

00:17:17.59
Mike
Yeah.

00:17:17.67
Bill
You know, and and i I left here at, you know, like six 30 in the mornings. I didn't know what fuck Chicago traffic was going to be like.

00:17:23.23
Mike
Sure.

00:17:23.96
Bill
I was up on Godly early, you know, which again, doesn't fucking matter. Um, but drove up there, you know, picked up Derek and Katie hung hung around with, uh, get there a little bit early and hung around with, you know, talk to Dawn and, uh, you know, shut the shit with her or her and Corey for a little bit.

00:17:37.70
Mike
Sure.

00:17:38.03
Bill
then drove another, you know, hour and a half back and forth up to Appleton, or I'm sorry, Appleton Fond du Lac.

00:17:40.96
Mike
Mm hmm.

00:17:44.87
Bill
This restaurant that we first went to is just like this, I don't know, something I found this burger restaurant that I think I mentioned last week.

00:17:50.63
Mike
Yeah.

00:17:50.84
Bill
um And we we get there and I don't know, we kind of pulled around the corner. It's on a busy ish street.

00:17:56.98
Mike
Sure.

00:17:57.94
Bill
And I'm like, that place looks closed, you know, and again, it's Christmas Eve, but didn't really think about it right away. So we pulled into the parking lot and then you have Derek or Katie checked and like, yes, this close Christmas Eve.

00:18:08.34
Bill
I'm like, fuck me. So called Kimmy and then she's like, oh, here's another place that cause her and Brian were on the driving down. Brian was driving. Kimmy looked up a couple of things. And so we went to a place called the sweet and salty pig.

00:18:21.56
Mike
Yes, I saw that.

00:18:22.35
Bill
Did you see it?

00:18:22.88
Mike
I did.

00:18:23.35
Bill
Okay. When I, when I saw the, when I, Kimmy said that to me, I'm like, that's fucking ridiculous. It's funny. you know but again a lot of bacon bacon based stuff a lot of stuff on sandwiches and whatever and um nice little restaurant it's a restaurant bar it could again it looked like that badger burger thing that we went to um you know again set up like that but um they were busy we ended up waiting 15 20 minutes whatever to get us get a table not a big deal good food um the service was great um but yeah i mean the sandwich that i gotta get this burger with fried egg which i've never gotten an egg on it before it was good ham whatever

00:18:41.64
Mike
Right.

00:18:57.94
Bill
um And it came with bacon and I said, just, you know, no bacon, you know, and the sandwich was wonderful, you know, but, but the whole point is, is this, I, I liked the time and getting together with them and hanging out with them.

00:19:01.41
Mike
Right.

00:19:04.84
Mike
Mm hmm.

00:19:10.62
Bill
um I did not care about, I never care about the drive, you know, never at all, you know.

00:19:14.78
Mike
Right. Yeah. Yeah.

00:19:17.58
Bill
It's just, it it is what it is and it's what what I want to do and drive it a little bit to get there is is certainly not a big deal.

00:19:19.39
Mike
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

00:19:23.85
Bill
But, um so back to the reading a little bit.

00:19:24.21
Mike
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

00:19:27.32
Bill
Hungry for more, I wrote down. her but I forget what the context was, but I mean that that pretty much. That kind of describes us. And I think that was talking about the materialism and stuff, obviously hungry for more.

00:19:36.16
Mike
ah her it was

00:19:39.69
Bill
um Opening our hearts to happiness. And that was one of the things that, you know, obviously you talked about what what people I think in what society or what people think, you know, happiness is brought in by.

00:19:50.52
Mike
Mm hmm.

00:19:51.53
Bill
um But like you said, you know, what you always talk about, what we've talked about is that, you know, happiness is ah is a byproduct, right? It has nothing to do with all this shit.

00:19:57.82
Mike
Yep.

00:19:59.99
Bill
I mean, it's just a byproduct, right?

00:20:01.47
Mike
Yeah, exactly. Byproduct of doing the right thing. Yes, you know, it can't be. Happiness cannot be a goal. We tried that. I tried that for, you know, decades and it didn't work out too well.

00:20:11.55
Bill
right

00:20:15.47
Mike
Yeah. Chasing happiness. hey No, and I have plenty of happiness in my life now, but it's, it's not something I'm shooting for. It's just something I, I, I'm doing what I'm supposed to do and I turn around and I go, damn, I'm kind of not miserable.

00:20:32.44
Bill
Yeah, it is. It's a it's it's a nice change to to kind of sit back and look around and be like, God damn, i think what what am I feeling right now? I think that's it's not i think it's i think it's happiness. i think um I think I'm relatively happy, comfortable, and and just comfortable in my own skin, as we say.

00:20:42.74
Mike
Yeah. Mm hmm. Mm hmm.

00:20:49.45
Bill
and

00:20:49.57
Mike
out and content with what I have.

00:20:50.64
Bill
yeah Yeah exactly and um yeah I mean even the you know i haven' having a couple of days off and I mean i you know I was thinking about you know because this it's it's probably the the worst time in the world for you know for me to you know technically for me to take off with the type of business that I'm in. um You know it's the end of the month and I mean these these couple of days that Christmas Eve and in today I mean would have been good for me to have work days. I mean again think things are Things have been slow-ish again this month.

00:21:17.54
Bill
I've been talking about that for a couple of months. But but I'm like, you know what? I'm like, it just because I wasn't there doesn't mean that things still can happen. you know um So you know I mean, i I'm hoping that you know a lot of big things happened over the last couple of days, and then I've got it.

00:21:25.67
Mike
Right.

00:21:34.77
Bill
shortish day tomorrow. I only got to work till, you know, my typical 3 p.m. on Friday, but I got Friday and then Monday and Tuesday, you know, and I still got I still got three days to, you know, kind of kind of make shit make shit happen and all that stuff.

00:21:41.89
Mike
Right.

00:21:46.14
Mike
Hmm.

00:21:47.35
Bill
But it is it's it's it's weird like I was joking, you know, not really knowing what what day it is, but it is it's it's nice to be in a position to be able to, you know, to to take off.

00:21:58.61
Bill
And, you know, I mean, again, I have these little things in the back of my head that I'm like, oh, fuck, it'll all be there when I get back and I get you know when I get back in there tomorrow morning and I can fight if I need the stress I'll start as of tomorrow morning again.

00:22:10.87
Bill
yeah Because you know again it it is it it has to do with my money in a difference of a thousand bucks can make a big difference in my in my paycheck on different levels.

00:22:18.47
Mike
Right

00:22:19.39
Bill
But um you know one of my, the the friend I'm gonna get together with out in Phoenix, she texted me about something this morning and um she's basically off today, but she's like, yeah, she goes, I had i had to log into work and check a couple of things.

00:22:31.39
Bill
And she's like, I'm hoping I can you know get out with, she's with her mom and her sister this afternoon doing something.

00:22:36.03
Mike
Mm hmm.

00:22:36.87
Bill
And I'm like, you know what, I said that's just one thing that I just don't, I don't miss at all, you know, because even, even if the entire company, you know, was off on a particular day.

00:22:42.30
Mike
Yeah.

00:22:47.94
Bill
um Not always, but we had such a small staff of people like 10 collectors and then me and the other, the other manager, kind of in our department, but

00:22:55.15
Mike
Right.

00:22:57.79
Bill
Even on ah on a day when the tire company's off, you end up getting a text at some point, oh, not feeling good.

00:22:59.29
Mike
Uh huh.

00:23:04.53
Bill
Kid's sick. May not be in tomorrow. Gonna be late. This came up. That came up. And I'm like, you know, I mean, every fucking day, every fucking weekend, or it could be nine o'clock at night or, you know, eight o'clock on a fucking Sunday morning.

00:23:08.52
Mike
the

00:23:15.05
Bill
And I'm like, I don't need this shit, you know?

00:23:16.98
Mike
Right.

00:23:17.88
Bill
But um yeah, it just it it's nice. That's what I told her. i said I clock in, I do my fucking work, I clock out, and I'm done.

00:23:21.85
Mike
Mm hmm. Yep.

00:23:24.83
Bill
you know And it is it's a it's ah it's a breath of fresh air. Well, you pretty much have that same thing too, except for but just waiting for your schedule sometimes, see what your week's like, right?

00:23:31.01
Mike
Yeah.

00:23:34.24
Mike
Mm hmm. Yeah, right. But exactly. I mean, I was talking with one of my ah managers a couple of days ago, right? And I was all, yeah, so he's actually bitching because he's working from home on Christmas Day. He was all, yeah, I don't even know why they have me on ridiculous. We've got one driver who's going to be working. That's it. And I got to sit there and be available all Christmas Day till like three in the afternoon or something. So I don't know why Texas just doesn't take it.

00:24:03.29
Mike
And I was all, yeah, I know, yeah, but that's why you make the big bucks, dude.

00:24:05.06
Bill
Right?

00:24:08.49
Bill
Yeah, that's why you that's why you have the title, you know?

00:24:10.63
Mike
Yeah, exactly.

00:24:12.25
Bill
But yeah, it just, um again, things that things that I don't miss, that the little you know stresses that that I have or the the things that I need to do. at I mean, ah there's there's just no comparison to have and having that.

00:24:25.11
Bill
I did it for years, and it it had served me well. And you know i don't I don't regret the you know the position the positions that i've that I've had or the things I've done.

00:24:27.67
Mike
Mm-hm.

00:24:33.70
Mike
Sure.

00:24:33.88
Bill
But man, I just don't fucking want to do that shit anymore. you just not

00:24:37.39
Mike
Right. Yeah. um How could you be grateful to not have it if you didn't have it in the first place?

00:24:42.62
Bill
Yeah, that's that's ah that's a really, really good point. That's a very good point. And I don't know what made me think about it, but I was, did you did you see the, and you may not have, it just came up today, but Mark released a, yeah he's doing like an origins thing that he released.

00:24:56.87
Mike
Hmm.

00:24:58.12
Bill
Apparently this is what's through his, like the full Maron type of thing, the stuff that people pay for.

00:25:02.43
Mike
Right.

00:25:02.81
Bill
but they're going through kind of the the whole lineage back from you know the air america days through what he did and you know up to the podcast and i think it sounds like the way they've got their separation it's like an hour and a half episode i didn't get through the whole thing that you halfway through but It sounds like they're you can hear breaks in it where they're probably releasing this you know the paid version in different levels or different pieces, but it's it's interesting.

00:25:25.67
Mike
ahhu Yeah.

00:25:27.68
Bill
So Brendan's on with him, his producer, um and they're just going back and forth and talking about stuff. Bits and pieces I knew, but the only reason I brought it up, it's just interesting. you know He was going through some of the the struggles and the you know how how the the podcast came about and how they did things.

00:25:36.28
Mike
yeah

00:25:41.66
Bill
and um It was just it's it's interesting. You know, I mean he he is I mean, you know, obviously the you know They were talking about some of the things they tried back at the time when there was no streaming available that wasn't the technology wasn't there and all these different things and You know, he he talked about it being you know, kind of looking back is it himself?

00:26:00.52
Bill
He goes stop being egotistical but kind of is a historical figure in this whole podcast thing which he is, you know, and and uh it's just kinda it's just kinda fun because um you know just he says it all the time he's like everyone's got a fucking podcast now it is he's he like he goes i i feel like i'm partially to blame for all this shit that's out there yeah yeah and ah including us you know because he's been he's one of those one of those people that uh

00:26:05.44
Mike
Right. Yeah. Right.

00:26:17.81
Mike
he He is.

00:26:26.00
Bill
I mean, obviously, there was that that other you know sobriety podcast that could kind of drew me into this whole thing. But you know initially, the thought behind it.

00:26:31.94
Mike
who Right.

00:26:33.71
Bill
But I mean, both you and I listened to Mark. And I think that you know i I really listened to how his interviewing skills and how he does something, the fact that he makes, um you know if if we were mirrored you know to him in any way, shape, or form, um mean if anyone ever said that, you know hey, you guys are set up kind of like that, i that'd be a huge fucking compliment.

00:26:51.59
Bill
you know

00:26:51.68
Mike
Yeah, absolutely. It won't happen, but it be.

00:26:53.57
Bill
Because right.

00:26:54.54
Mike
a

00:26:56.73
Bill
But I mean, we I mean, i I think our goal from the start was obviously do this, do it for ourselves, all those sort of things. But, you know, try to make these conversations just conversations, you know, and not interviews necessarily.

00:27:05.61
Mike
Yeah.

00:27:08.16
Bill
And, you know, I think that I think, you know, we've we've accomplished at least that much.

00:27:08.27
Mike
he

00:27:12.60
Bill
We're not we're not all We're not all big and bad and and that sort of thing and and all that stuff. but oh and that's the thing The other thing Brendan said that when they first started the podcast, he said um their their goal, I think, was to basically bring a certain number of people, like 1,500 people was their thing, from whatever that break room thing that they did.

00:27:33.13
Bill
I forget what they called it now, um to bring that over in the podcast.

00:27:33.20
Mike
Mm hmm.

00:27:36.38
Bill
And he said after after the third episode, they had like 30,000 downloads. after three episodes. And I was looking at at ours and we haven't even had 30,000 total, you know, um which, which again, I mean, I'm not, I'm not sad to say that, you know, the, the smallest nature that we are, but same thing that goes back to it is we have, we have, I think, genuine people, engaged people that we have, you know, that this group that, you know, that listens to us consistently, because I could see it by the numbers, you know, and it is what it is, you know, if it, you know, if it, ah once again, if it breaks free at some point, fine.

00:27:43.71
Mike
Right. Right. Right.

00:28:09.90
Bill
If not, it, it still is what it is, right?

00:28:12.54
Mike
it is

00:28:14.52
Bill
But anyhow, so back to the reading. anything Anything else with the reading? Anything else that kind of popped out in there?

00:28:21.27
Mike
No, not really, you know, just the, uh, don't let society tell you what to fucking do, man. You know, live, live your.

00:28:28.63
Bill
Right.

00:28:30.25
Mike
I hate this, but live your truth, man. You know? ah Realize, what you know, I mean, the program of honesty, man. Honesty, the truth. Truth is the truth. And that's what I try to live by in these last couple of days of me ignoring the holiday. um Felt pretty goddamn good, actually.

00:28:53.15
Bill
Right.

00:28:53.27
Mike
I'm just you know sitting back and looking around and going, man, I didn't do any of that stuff and I'm glad I

00:29:01.90
Bill
But yeah, like you say, is that yeah and you hear that a lot, you know um you know, live your best life, you know, speak your truth and all those different things and live your truth.

00:29:07.17
Mike
he

00:29:08.46
Bill
But you know what? And when right before you and I got on it, I've said it for years, you know, I don't know, I said, how's your day going? You're like, ah you know, and I'm like, yeah, you're like, how you doing? I'm like, yeah, just hanging out being me.

00:29:18.70
Bill
And that that's been my that's been my saying for years, you's just hanging out being me.

00:29:21.83
Mike
Right.

00:29:22.64
Bill
I'm sure I stole it from somebody.

00:29:22.65
Mike
out Sure.

00:29:24.73
Bill
You know, but I mean, that's what, what the fuck, man? I mean, that's the, that's a, that's kind of a comfort and a freedom. You know, I don't need to, I don't need to be somebody else. I don't want to or need to um be anyone else.

00:29:33.61
Mike
Right.

00:29:36.23
Bill
So yeah, I mean, just being true to, true to yourself. It is, it's a, it's more of a catch.

00:29:38.49
Mike
Mm

00:29:40.29
Bill
It's a catch term and a catch word and a catch phrase, I think these days, but, but fuck it, man.

00:29:42.51
Mike
hmm.

00:29:44.77
Bill
It's, it is, it's true.

00:29:46.26
Mike
Right. Yeah. All those people out there living their truth, being forced to do things that they really truly don't want to do.

00:29:51.67
Bill
Right.

00:29:53.16
Mike
No, thank no, thank you.

00:29:53.39
Bill
right Right. Yeah. And it was, it was funny that, you know, Elise from the, the sober curator on, uh, I think Facebook, well, probably Facebook and Instagram, she had a post on there that, uh, it was something about either art, I think was an article about, um, you know, single people or something.

00:30:10.02
Bill
And it said something about stop asking people why they're, why they're still single type of thing.

00:30:14.50
Mike
hey

00:30:15.24
Bill
And, um, you know, she said something about, she's like, yeah, you know, people are single by choice. And I said, I said, I have an answer for that. And I posted it and I said, because at this moment in my life, um, there's nobody out there that, you know, was probably willing to live the life that I want to live.

00:30:30.84
Bill
You know, that's my easy answer. I, I have nothing against, I'm i okay. Just for everyone. I've never stopped trying to date. I always try to date never taking a fucking break.

00:30:38.30
Mike
Sure

00:30:40.75
Bill
I'm not that guy. Well, I'm going to take a break from dating. Fuck you. you know just it's Whatever happens happens, but the thing the thing that I'm not going to do when I decided it, when whenever I get into this whole travel thing, I'm not in this, no offense to anyone else.

00:30:53.78
Mike
Mm hmm.

00:30:56.36
Bill
I don't care how fucking wonderful you are, you know whoever this individual could be, I'm not gonna stop doing what I'm doing until I'm ready. um And if somebody wants to come along for the ride, I think that would be fucking wonderful.

00:31:07.81
Mike
Right.

00:31:08.93
Bill
but ah if I mean, if I it if i you know ah start getting involved with somebody, whatever you want to call as a quote unquote relationship and like, oh, come live here full time.

00:31:12.46
Mike
Right.

00:31:20.17
Bill
No, I'm not going to do that because what would happen?

00:31:21.54
Mike
right

00:31:22.91
Bill
And I know for a fact, I know myself well enough.

00:31:25.14
Mike
Hmm.

00:31:25.76
Bill
I mean, I'd happen right now, but I'm going to get fucking resentful and I'm going to, I'm going to be, I'm going to take it out on that person and I'm going to be a fucking dick.

00:31:29.24
Mike
Yeah.

00:31:33.79
Bill
And i I don't want to do that to me. And I sure as fuck don't want to do that to somebody else, you know?

00:31:37.89
Mike
Right.

00:31:38.98
Bill
And that's the thing. I mean, no, I mean, granted, nobody's like beating down my door. Don't get me wrong to, to like date me or whatever. I haven't had to, haven't had to have that conversation with anyone. um you know, like, sorry, hon, you know, I'm, I'm not doing my thing.

00:31:53.25
Mike
That's right.

00:31:54.17
Bill
Can't hang with you, you know. um But if it comes up, I'm not, I'm just not, you know, I'm just not. So being being true to myself, live but my best life.

00:32:04.49
Mike
That's right.

00:32:07.20
Bill
yeah All right, so you good on the reading?

00:32:10.85
Mike
yeah yeah All right.

00:32:12.02
Bill
All right, so let's, uh, let's hit you with a billboard. I apologize. Rewind. Let's hit you with a billboard right away. So I'm driving into, um, or through Chicago, actually coming into, you know, like 294 that, that area, Chicago kind of around ish. And this billboard pops up and for the life of me, I can't remember if it's one of the electronic ones who was just up for a second or what it, it doesn't even matter. The billboard, I swear to God says vitamins for your vagina.

00:32:39.89
Mike
Mm.

00:32:40.68
Bill
And I'm like, what the fuck is this?

00:32:42.57
Mike
Right.

00:32:44.99
Bill
So I end up, I literally do a Google search. Not right there as I'm doing 80 down the highway, but you know it's it's not one that I'm going to forget.

00:32:51.04
Mike
ahha right

00:32:54.37
Bill
So I do this search on it. Hey God, god damn it where is it? um And it's a... Okay, so for for the female listeners we have out there, im I'm guessing you probably know what this is.

00:33:06.02
Bill
Anyhow, maybe, maybe not. um But it's ah it's a product called Euro, um U-R-O, whether it's pronounced Euro or row whatever, vaginal probiotic for women, vaginal health.

00:33:16.86
Mike
Ah.

00:33:18.91
Bill
it's Speaking of you know possible, it's vaginal health. Let's just not go too deep into it.

00:33:23.42
Mike
Yeah. like Hey.

00:33:25.82
Bill
ah yeah

00:33:29.74
Mike
Uh-huh.

00:33:38.93
Bill
Oh, fucking totally unplanned. Thank you 12 year old Mike.

00:33:45.39
Mike
You're very welcome

00:33:47.23
Bill
Let's not go too deep into that. Hello. oh jesus christ ah thank thank you thank you very much but uh anyhow so it's just but it's this fucking billboard and it is i mean hey ladies i mean do what you gotta do i'm all about your your vaginal health it just uh it uh it made me laugh but but it it caught my attention it uh it did it did the right thing but

00:34:11.77
Mike
Sure.

00:34:13.72
Bill
um I was just kind of, i I wasn't offended by it.

00:34:14.37
Mike
Oh, yeah.

00:34:17.17
Bill
I wasn't, um I don't know, even if it was like kids in the car, i nothing out of the, earth I'm just like vitamins for your vagina.

00:34:23.27
Mike
Mm hmm.

00:34:25.84
Bill
And I'm like, that might be the best billboard I've ever seen. And that's it. I've got nothing else on the story. It's just ah just about vain vaginal health.

00:34:31.91
Mike
Yeah.

00:34:33.62
Bill
Should we say vaginal a little bit more?

00:34:35.33
Mike
i Apparently.

00:34:35.40
Bill
Vagina?

00:34:37.60
Mike
Yeah, right. You know, got a little vitamin D for that.

00:34:41.99
Bill
Yeah, you know, it's, it's kind of funny, but that, that literally crossed my mind just after I was reading that, I'm like, I got a bite of it for you.

00:34:46.92
Mike
see

00:34:49.53
Bill
fight a minute d Yeah.

00:34:49.62
Mike
Right.

00:34:52.17
Bill
Let's, let's go deep into this topic. Hello. yeah All right, so this this one was kind of ah speaking about, you know, obviously living your true life and this and that. So this was on Instagram and it was a, again, kind of a ah ah meme post sort of thing.

00:35:09.87
Bill
And it says, I just want to enjoy my life next year. No more survival mode.

00:35:15.78
Mike
Hmm.

00:35:16.17
Bill
Don't know who, you know, who posted it, whatever it is, but you know, again, a picture a picture type of post.

00:35:17.98
Mike
Alright.

00:35:21.67
Bill
And I have thoughts about that right away, but let me read it again. I just want to enjoy my life next year. No more survival mode.

00:35:27.96
Mike
Mm hmm.

00:35:29.86
Bill
So just right off the top of your head, if you read that, or now that you hear that, what are you, do you have any thoughts about that? Anything?

00:35:37.69
Mike
I mean, not a hell of a lot. Um, I mean, I get where they're coming from. Sure. You know, um, life is more than just surviving, you know?

00:35:48.14
Mike
Um, yeah I get that I'm shit, man. Uh, I'd like to know how old this person is. Uh, you know, right. I mean, I, I would like to think I'm, you know, we're, you know, at least, uh, 13 years beyond survival mode.

00:36:05.23
Bill
Right.

00:36:05.51
Mike
Um, Yeah, I know I am. Yeah, I live. you know It's fine. I guess I have to survive, but um there's more than that.

00:36:18.26
Mike
And clearly you're you're doing more than just surviving.

00:36:21.75
Bill
Right.

00:36:21.85
Mike
um Yeah, it's pretty fucking sad if that's, you gotta wait till we turn the calendars over to realize that you need to do more than just survive.

00:36:32.26
Bill
Right. And that was, you know, actually, literally my my two thoughts. First of all was personal responsibility. um But second of all was, you know, I mean, whatever whatever day it was that i that I read that, let's say a week ago, so even let's say December 20th, you know.

00:36:47.58
Mike
Sure Right.

00:36:48.01
Bill
um So what what is the difference between December 20th and January 1st? We've talked about that, um which I think is important maybe to bring up again.

00:36:53.29
Mike
Mm-hmm Oh, yeah

00:36:55.77
Bill
But the other thing too is, i and I put in parentheses, isn't that our responsibility you know for for enjoying, and and rather than you know wishing that you enjoy your life next year, make it a statement, not ah not a question mark, because that's what this is.

00:37:10.76
Mike
Right.

00:37:11.25
Bill
you know Baby, I just want to enjoy my life next year. like Will it happen type of thing? No, I'm going to. What steps are you going to take?

00:37:16.83
Mike
Yeah.

00:37:17.91
Bill
What actions are you going to take to enjoy your life next year? And I get it.

00:37:21.56
Mike
Right.

00:37:22.05
Bill
I mean, so, but to to your point too, what does survival mode mean? Is it, is it financial? Is it in relationships? Is it just your mental health? Whatever the case is, those are all things that, I mean, those are our responsibility, right?

00:37:35.11
Mike
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. And why the hell are you waiting until next year?

00:37:40.92
Bill
Right.

00:37:41.50
Mike
Yeah. Like you said, man, why didn't you fucking start that shit yesterday?

00:37:46.16
Bill
Right? Well, and that's ah that's the thing, too, and you know that even but Mark brought up a couple of things I think he was kind of half joking about. I can't remember what he said, but he because yeah, these two things are my New Year's resolutions.

00:37:56.56
Bill
They were kind of sarcastic things. But um you know speaking of that, because you and I are not going to speak again, at least not on here until after the after the first of the year. But um what are your New Year's resolutions?

00:38:05.23
Mike
Right.

00:38:07.86
Mike
yeah

00:38:08.71
Bill
I couldn't even say that with a straight face.

00:38:11.35
Mike
he I resolved not to have any fucking resolutions.

00:38:16.67
Bill
right Right, yeah. And that's that's the thing that i've i've never I've never ever, and I mean ever, even in my drinking days have never you know done a New Year's resolution.

00:38:22.09
Mike
Mm-hmm. Now, right.

00:38:27.21
Bill
I think we've talked about this you know every every year that we've been on here you know as as the calendar's about to turn. But um you know what what is the goddamn difference between, again, January 1st, December 20th, May 25th, April 18th, April 22nd,

00:38:42.60
Mike
Yep.

00:38:45.23
Bill
I mean, I know what happened to us on those dates. you know it wasn't Neither one of us you know popped up though in you know out of bed that morning.

00:38:47.69
Mike
see

00:38:51.20
Bill
It's like, okay, today's the fucking day, man.

00:38:53.16
Mike
Right.

00:38:53.86
Bill
I'm going to live my best sober life today.

00:38:55.87
Mike
Right. That's right. I resolve to stop just surviving.

00:39:01.92
Bill
Right.

00:39:02.67
Mike
Yeah.

00:39:02.77
Bill
You know, and then when people are like, ah Oh, you know, in the new year, I'm going to get a new job and I got to do this.

00:39:06.16
Mike
Hmm.

00:39:07.59
Bill
So how long have you been fucking unhappy in your job?

00:39:10.00
Mike
Yeah, right.

00:39:10.13
Bill
Why didn't you, why'd you start looking three years ago? You know, now last year at this time, I was struggling to try to get back into the workforce and nobody was fucking hiring, you know,

00:39:12.41
Mike
Mm hmm. Right.

00:39:21.11
Bill
and i mean whatever it was hundreds of interviews and i know i talked about it on here but and i'm reading all this shit saying yeah the you know the job market's gonna turn after the first year i wasn't waiting um you know but it ended up it did i mean after the first of the year i ended up getting i got like four interviews in like two weeks and you know had two solid ones and you know ended up interviewing well for this job and got it

00:39:29.61
Mike
Right.

00:39:37.64
Mike
right

00:39:42.70
Bill
um And I didn't even, to this day, ive no I have no fucking idea what was going on with the hiring shit, but um it was happening everywhere, you know?

00:39:50.37
Mike
Mm-hmm.

00:39:50.71
Bill
um But I sure as fuck wasn't waiting.

00:39:53.97
Mike
Right.

00:39:55.57
Bill
I just, it did it, like you said, and you you actually said the other thing too, that makes sense, as you said, it's kind of sad if you're just sitting around hoping, you know, that that your life gets better, and then again, next year, you know?

00:40:02.19
Mike
Mm-hmm.

00:40:06.43
Mike
Mm-hmm. Thoughts and prayers.

00:40:08.51
Bill
What?

00:40:11.63
Bill
Special intention. I throw out a special intention that my life i gets a little bit better next year.

00:40:17.76
Mike
yeah

00:40:18.33
Bill
man

00:40:21.12
Mike
Right. I mean, again, what are the gifts of this fucking program, man? We're responsible for all this shit. Find our part in it and do something about it. It's a beautiful thing.

00:40:29.66
Bill
Right. Yeah. I mean, in, in the, the one thing that in, and I, I always like to make a point of this because you always bring up the fact that, you know, we're responsible for the bad shit, just as well as we are for, you know, making our lives better.

00:40:41.61
Mike
Mm hmm.

00:40:41.98
Bill
You know, if we're, if we're, it's our life, if we're in some shit, there's, saying there's a way that we got into it.

00:40:45.56
Mike
Oh.

00:40:48.33
Bill
It didn't just happen to us.

00:40:48.56
Mike
Yep.

00:40:49.99
Bill
I very unlikely that we walked by and even if you walk by a fucking monkey cage and the monkey through literally through shit at your face.

00:40:50.22
Mike
Nope.

00:40:57.43
Mike
Mm hmm.

00:40:57.71
Bill
Um, why were you so goddamn close?

00:41:00.07
Mike
Right.

00:41:02.80
Bill
What are you doing hanging around shit-throwing monkeys to begin with, you know?

00:41:05.72
Mike
Right. Exactly.

00:41:06.56
Bill
and I think I've had some friends like that in the past, shit-throwing monkeys.

00:41:13.72
Mike
No, have friends, family, girlfriends.

00:41:16.04
Bill
yeah ah

00:41:20.28
Mike
Yeah.

00:41:21.55
Bill
Bunch is a shit-throwing monkey.

00:41:23.81
Mike
Uh huh.

00:41:24.13
Bill
So he what what do you think? you know on on the On the term shit-throwing monkeys, should we take a break?

00:41:28.59
Mike
yes I believe we should, well we'll be right back with more sober, not mature and throw some more shit right after these words from our sponsors.

00:41:46.01
Bill
All right, everyone, welcome back. Shit throwing monkeys. God, I wonder, I wonder if there's anything with, there could be something with a title and a picture involved.

00:41:52.43
Mike
Uh-huh.

00:41:56.80
Bill
Have we had any shit throwing monkeys yet in our episode titles or episode pictures?

00:41:59.45
Mike
i Don't believe we have I think or if maybe next year Right

00:42:01.64
Bill
Well, wait, wait.

00:42:06.97
Bill
Right. Yeah, and don't be surprised if you're listening, this people and you see a shit throwing monkey in our, either in the something about shit throwing monkeys in the title or in the picture. And I always, I, I have, I had no desire to, to lean you towards anything like that.

00:42:20.41
Bill
But every once in a while there, there's lines that come up in these, in these recordings. And I'm like, God, that feels like an episode title, doesn't it? But, uh, so before, before we forget here, before you forget, you said you saw a news story.

00:42:34.25
Bill
Do you want to share?

00:42:35.04
Mike
Oh yeah. Um, right. So, um, uh, apparently, uh, at the Buffalo Bill's game this week, or I dunno, the last, actually I think it's the last game of the season.

00:42:48.28
Mike
I don't know, something like that. Anyway, they're going to have an AA meeting at the tailgate.

00:42:53.94
Bill
Really?

00:42:54.67
Mike
Yeah. Yeah. It was like, it was like a regular news story. It was up in, it was in my Google feed.

00:43:00.31
Bill
Really?

00:43:00.34
Mike
I believe this morning. Yeah. There's this guy who, uh, you know, clearly is one of us. And, um, he was like, yeah, you know, I want to, I want to bring this to, uh, let people know that, you know, he was talking about, you know, going to events like that, that, you know, clearly alcohol is very prevalent and, um, you know, like a football game, like a football tailgate, blah, blah, blah.

00:43:18.79
Bill
Right.

00:43:24.22
Mike
And so yeah, he's organizing it. and I mean, they're he said they were expecting like 200 people to do this thing. It's like supposed to be two hours before the game in the parking lot or whatever. And yeah, they're going to have yellow balloons all around their little area so people can find them. And yeah.

00:43:43.36
Mike
You know, just, uh, let people know that they're not alone and people, you know, aren't one of us or whatever, you know, officially, and, uh, are interested. They could check it out there and, uh, yeah, I just thought it was really cool.

00:43:57.51
Bill
Yeah, I mean, I've, I clearly, I mean, I'm, I'm more of a football fan than, than you are. Um, you know, I, you watch more on the baseball side and I'm on the football side for the most part.

00:44:02.89
Mike
Right.

00:44:05.57
Mike
right

00:44:07.34
Bill
Um, but I've, I never heard of anything like that. I guess it doesn't, it surprises me, but then again, I'm like, well, why wouldn't, why wouldn't that be happening at at big events like that? Um, maybe it is, but it's just didn't make news.

00:44:19.48
Bill
But, um, what a, what a great thing though, I mean, to, number one to do it, but on top of that, to get the to get the coverage on it too. you know Because I mean, fuck these days, who wants to talk about, well, I guess sobriety is is a little bit more chic than it that it used to be, a little bit more mainstream than it used to be, but but still.

00:44:27.79
Mike
Mm hmm. Right.

00:44:41.03
Bill
I mean, it sometimes it really does, it still surprises me to see you know good, deep news stories, anything like that about about sobriety. So that's that's really cool.

00:44:50.87
Mike
right

00:44:51.84
Bill
you know

00:44:52.09
Mike
Yeah, I thought that was pretty cool. and Yeah. And I mean, we've talked about before, you know, um, uh, music festivals and stuff like that now, or, you know, they're having sobriety tents and, uh, having, you know, meetings at that stuff.

00:45:01.77
Bill
Right.

00:45:04.26
Mike
So why not have a fucking football game?

00:45:06.47
Bill
Right. Yeah, Buffalo's an interesting one, though. They could be having a meeting in six feet of snow.

00:45:09.56
Mike
Right. Yeah, they're used to it up there.

00:45:16.87
Bill
Yeah I suppose but but yeah that would be that'd that'd be crazy. It's funny I mean just going, I get s snow up and I mean I was keeping an eye on the weather obviously for driving up to you know Germantown and Fond du Lac and they got they get hit with more of like ah ah snow sometime last week which I hear on the the morning show anyhow but then they got like more of a

00:45:34.15
Mike
Mm-hmm.

00:45:35.67
Bill
overnight ice sort of thing. So it was a little sloshy around parking lots and stuff like that. But um you know I know northern Wisconsin at this point, and again, upper Michigan, I'm sure they they probably have plenty of snow by now.

00:45:44.41
Mike
Right. Mm-hmm.

00:45:46.93
Bill
But um yeah, things that, yeah um I'm glad that um'm that I'm starting to, and I kept an eye on the weather too, and I think I mentioned that. you know Again, Oklahoma City and Albuquerque, still chilly areas, chilly-ish.

00:45:58.08
Mike
Hmm.

00:45:59.66
Bill
Phoenix is still in the 60s and 70s, and you know then come back around.

00:46:02.00
Mike
Right.

00:46:03.38
Bill
Oh, I booked, um Amarillo, Texas on the way back already.

00:46:07.80
Mike
Cool.

00:46:07.92
Bill
So I got I got that for a week. And there's a same thing. One of those, like, um I don't know if it's ah probably not a national park, but it's, ah again, some canyon park out there.

00:46:15.76
Mike
Hmm.

00:46:17.63
Bill
And then I think really, it's some and I'd have to look it up.

00:46:18.61
Mike
I believe I've been to that one. Yeah.

00:46:23.88
Bill
But yeah, it's it's right.

00:46:24.27
Mike
Right.

00:46:25.24
Bill
ah Literally, it's like 30, 30 or 35 minutes, I think, southeast of Amarillo.

00:46:31.53
Mike
who Yeah.

00:46:32.42
Bill
It's right there.

00:46:32.95
Mike
Sounds about right. Yeah.

00:46:34.77
Bill
Yeah.

00:46:34.78
Mike
I'm pretty sure I went there one time. I was actually, we were I was helping someone move to LA from Cleveland and yeah, me and this guy and his wife ah turned out she did some movies and stuff.

00:46:42.11
Bill
Huh.

00:46:47.56
Mike
They went out there because she was pursuing her acting thing. And yeah, so we he and I drove the truck from Cleveland, LA. And yeah, well we stopped at Amarillo and yes, i he was a geologist.

00:46:58.35
Bill
Nice.

00:47:04.30
Mike
So he wanted to check it out and I was like, yeah, sure, what the hell?

00:47:04.41
Bill
Oh.

00:47:07.50
Mike
you know Of course we were partying the whole way.

00:47:10.20
Bill
and Well, why of course. of course

00:47:12.36
Mike
Of course. yeah But anyway, yeah, so I've i've been to that canyon.

00:47:16.94
Bill
That's kind of cool. Yeah. And it's, um you know, and the same thing with, I mean, like Albuquerque, I'm just going to, I'm going to hit that desert area where the, you know, the very bad stuff is, but still, I mean, it's going to be out in that area. And I'm guessing from what I've seen, it's going to be fucking beautiful.

00:47:27.36
Mike
Mm hmm.

00:47:30.85
Bill
um But I, you know, I wanted to look at the like Phoenix too, because I've got that first

00:47:31.21
Mike
Right.

00:47:34.97
Bill
ah that first Sunday that I'm there and I looked around and there's this, there's like trails and stuff around the Phoenix area, which when I was there the one time we were at the owners, one of the owners' houses and ran on a golf course at the mountain shit and hills in the background, it was fucking beautiful.

00:47:37.24
Mike
Mm hmm.

00:47:47.98
Mike
the Right.

00:47:49.40
Bill
um But there's this there's this one trail and it's listed as a hard trail and I could see, because in all trails, which I use that app, um you could do a preview. So it kind of runs you, it's ah it's almost like a 3D model from like looking at it from above type of thing to the side or whatever.

00:48:04.51
Bill
And I mean, you could see these fucking inclines and stuff. I'm like, it's probably ah like a mile and a half out and then a mile and a half back type of thing. But all I want to do is I think I can get about halfway through and get a decent view, you know, still having a crawl, you know, crawl, um walk down and up, you know, probably a pretty fairly decent inclines.

00:48:14.52
Mike
All right.

00:48:20.74
Mike
Yeah, you might be crawling.

00:48:21.66
Bill
But I'm like, I just want to get to the point where I Yeah, I might be um You know, but you know just that's one I just want to I was looking for ones that you know I just apparently you just see all over the city and stuff like that this big mountainous area and the same thing, you know the um Yes, yeah it is I couldn't think of it I couldn't think of it but yeah it is absolutely 100% yeah, so, you know of that also

00:48:33.37
Mike
Mm hmm. Right. Is it camelback mountain?

00:48:43.02
Mike
Right.

00:48:46.45
Mike
I do. Right. Right. Yeah. you So you get to go hang out with Rob Halford and Alice Cooper while you're there.

00:48:53.00
Bill
are they Are they both in? Oh yeah, i do I guess I did know Rob was in Hell, or Rob Helford was in Phoenix from after listening to his thing.

00:48:54.99
Mike
Yeah.

00:48:58.93
Mike
Mm hmm.

00:49:00.14
Bill
but So Alice is out there too, I guess I am.

00:49:02.36
Mike
Oh yeah. Well, he went to high school there. It's where the band was formed was Phoenix.

00:49:05.95
Bill
Shit, I completely forgot about that too, because I have to listen into Dennis's thing.

00:49:06.68
Mike
Yep.

00:49:10.19
Bill
I'm sure that was talked about, completely forgot.

00:49:12.23
Mike
Right.

00:49:12.31
Bill
But yeah, I don't know. But yeah, that's kind of funny. Yeah, Camelback, I couldn't think of the name of the, I was just looking the other day and I just, I made notes about all this shit in this one note area that I have. And then I kept there and I'm like, where am I going to go?

00:49:24.09
Bill
What do I want to see?

00:49:24.63
Mike
a

00:49:26.54
Bill
But um yeah, so it it'll be it'll be a lot of fun. But yeah, I still have the one the one last leg, and probably like wait a couple of weeks until I do that. But I think it's going to be around the, again, Lake of the Ozarks.

00:49:36.87
Bill
There's a place that I found there that's relatively decent, different than the place I stayed in, just because it's um so of the place I found as a washer, dryer, and actually dishwasher in it, plus a different area.

00:49:48.03
Bill
So I can just kind of check out a different area while I'm there.

00:49:50.08
Mike
All right.

00:49:50.35
Bill
but

00:49:51.38
Mike
Well, when you're in Amarillo, you have to go to the big Texan.

00:49:51.41
Bill
yeah either way

00:49:56.18
Bill
What's the big text in that restaurant?

00:49:57.14
Mike
It is a restaurant and yeah, it's a, it's a, it's kind of famous place. It's touristy, but you know, it's the, it's one of those places where if you eat a 72 ounce steak and in an hour, it's free.

00:50:09.19
Bill
Oh, okay.

00:50:12.38
Mike
But, but actually I've been there a couple of times, been a long time, but yeah, and you know, if you get like a regular steak dinner there, it's pretty damn good.

00:50:12.57
Bill
I will not do that.

00:50:20.65
Mike
So I, like I said, it's super touristy, but yeah, you know, gotta check it out.

00:50:20.76
Bill
Right.

00:50:26.32
Bill
You know what, I just, ah I made a note on here. I'll put it down on there. I mean, I usually, well, you know me. I mean, when I, when I travel and stuff, I usually don't go out to eat, but if there's something, something like that, who knows?

00:50:33.84
Mike
Right.

00:50:35.30
Bill
Maybe I will.

00:50:36.24
Mike
right

00:50:36.76
Bill
Cause depending on that, but that's the same thing that we got to figure out as we get a little bit closer to just maybe think about it that, um, cause I'm, I'm coming from Prescott, Arizona there. That's another like fucking 12 hours back or whatever it is.

00:50:49.99
Bill
um So same deal, we might have to do like a Thursday. there's There's a couple of, we might have to do a couple of Thursdays over the next month and a half or something like that. But again, one with the Phoenix thing because of the airport with a friend of mine, but then that one, if I can, you know, cause I know I'm going to want to probably leave early.

00:51:07.54
Mike
Right.

00:51:07.57
Bill
Cause my point is to be able to have time on a Sunday.

00:51:09.87
Mike
the Sure.

00:51:10.15
Bill
I like my Sundays to be free. So I get there at a decent time so I can get all my shopping done. And you know, again, maybe stop at the the big Texan.

00:51:18.25
Mike
Mm hmm.

00:51:19.75
Bill
the week fuck it i don't know yeah i got nothing else i' do during the week so but um all right so yes that was the i think we were we were talking about oh yeah your a meeting i was like what was the like ah can we talked about right Okay so this is and another one that and I think this came up on a podcast I was listening to it I remember but so the repetitiveness of recovery we've we've talked about obviously the the repetition and all that stuff is that something that you um embrace all the time or do you ever get do you ever get bored with the repetitiveness or does it ever

00:51:21.02
Mike
Right? Yeah.

00:51:31.62
Mike
Buffalo.

00:51:45.17
Mike
Mm hmm.

00:51:56.75
Bill
I don't know, is repetitive this always a good thing in this whole recovery process or is it is it ever on the bad or whatever boring side?

00:52:05.70
Mike
Um, I mean, well, clearly it's, it's necessary in the beginning. Um, and then, you know, It just, I don't think about it too much.

00:52:17.44
Mike
You know, I mean, it's, it's what I do i and and many of the things that we have to do on a daily basis.

00:52:17.52
Bill
Right.

00:52:26.26
Mike
Yes. They're repetitive. Absolutely. Um, you know, what are you trying to make muscles stronger? What do you do? You do reps, right?

00:52:33.31
Bill
Right.

00:52:35.21
Mike
Um, and, and to continue to keep a muscle strong, you continue to do reps on it. Um, Yeah. So, you know, I understand where it can, it can maybe get a little boring, maybe get a little set in your ways and you're not, uh, you know, expanding, but yeah, you know, I'm, I'm kind of, I'm okay with that at this point.

00:53:00.00
Bill
Right.

00:53:00.66
Mike
I'm not looking for a lot of adventure. I'm not out traipsing around the country. Like some people I know, uh, ah You know, I'm getting old man.

00:53:11.38
Mike
I'm fucking, I'm comfortable doing the same thing over and over. Cause you know what? It fucking works. I get the results that I want and, uh, and almost expect at this point. So yeah.

00:53:21.68
Bill
Right.

00:53:22.17
Mike
Um, you know, we've talked about plenty of times. Yes. There's always more I could do, but you know, again, more, right? Could be a dangerous thing for me too.

00:53:33.09
Mike
I

00:53:35.83
Bill
Yeah, that's that's a good point. And you know, I was, I was thinking about it on a, um you know, strictly on a recovery level, but I guess you're you're right, too. And the thing of it is, though, is that I'm, I never, and I'll tell you about the the new book, and I think it's again, might be might be one that you've read before. Also, um I can't remember, but um Like the readings and stuff like that.

00:53:55.73
Bill
I never get sick of doing the readings, you know, and I never get sick of ah you know when I get up it's never um god damn i these Fucking readings man, you know um and I don't Some of these things again.

00:53:57.98
Mike
Mm hmm. Right.

00:54:08.78
Bill
I don't remember something I read this morning, but a reading that I read a year ago I sit down and like goddamn I remember that and I really like this one and or it's brand new and it's fresh and I didn't remember this one, you know but whatever the case is, that repetitiveness I didn't i didn't get sick of.

00:54:10.83
Mike
Right. Mm hmm. Right.

00:54:24.75
Bill
Even when I was, when we got in that, you know the whole meeting routine in Cleveland, you know going to all the same meetings all the time, never any difference in and that sort of thing, I didn't realize that the repetitiveness wasn't bothering me, but I enjoyed the change when I went to Madison.

00:54:29.33
Mike
Mm hmm. Right. Right.

00:54:41.33
Mike
right

00:54:41.85
Bill
you know When I started doing more discussion meetings, it was just, I didn't realize that And it wasn't again, not bad.

00:54:47.11
Mike
Mm hmm.

00:54:48.67
Bill
Cleveland was a bad thing. It was just like, oh wow, look at this, you know, this, this fresh new thing over here. Um, you know, and then ah again, going back to Cleveland, I love going to lead meetings into here.

00:54:53.72
Mike
Right.

00:54:58.70
Bill
The only thing I got sick of doing is we'd, we'd end up going to these same meetings all the time. Um, invariably we're, we're going to see the, you know, the, the same guy that's getting asked by everyone, you know, to lead.

00:55:09.41
Mike
Mm hmm. Right.

00:55:10.59
Bill
So you hear the same fucking lead, you know, six times in a row over two months and you're like, Jesus. fucking christ i can i could do this guy's lead now you know um you know but that i got part of it but i i just don't know i mean but um i kind of i i eat repetitively you know the the type of food that i eat um i eat the same goddamn things for lunch every every day um i get up in the same time i relatively speaking go to bed at the same time all those things it's it's all repetitive

00:55:15.67
Mike
Yeah.

00:55:18.71
Mike
Right.

00:55:25.95
Mike
Mm hmm.

00:55:36.90
Mike
Yeah, yeah.

00:55:39.04
Bill
you know but um but yeah i guess i am i'm i'm running it around the country now which it again it's as it's this it's an adventure type of thing you know i haven't gotten bored being being here you know but yeah it's uh i it is one of those things that you know um

00:55:43.77
Mike
he

00:55:48.10
Mike
Mm-hmm, right

00:55:56.26
Bill
Now that I've had this, again, people this so the world has been feeding me with this these new sights and these new sounds and these new adventures. And again, back to more, man.

00:56:06.38
Bill
I want fucking more. It has nothing to do with um'm I'm happy here. I'm content here. I'm comfortable here. No issues whatsoever. But um i'm I'm really looking forward to get out and seeing some shit again, you know?

00:56:17.85
Mike
Right. Yeah, exactly. You know, and, and, uh, you can call it repetitive if you want. I call it stability.

00:56:25.54
Bill
Right. Yeah. And I mean, you, you started off with the, with the, with the best part of it is the fact, the most important part is that it's necessary. We have to, there are certain things, certain core things that we have to do repetitively every goddamn day, every goddamn week, every goddamn month yeah for every goddamn year, you know?

00:56:38.70
Mike
right well Right.

00:56:44.87
Bill
And if we don't, we are fucked.

00:56:46.58
Mike
Yep. Yep.

00:56:48.16
Bill
So, but yeah, so speaking of running around the country, and I didn't even and let any of you you guys know as far as like a media family and stuff like that, but I just posted a little bit on social media. um i I did a website for the hobo thing.

00:57:02.11
Mike
Ah.

00:57:03.28
Bill
So here's the, and it's pretty simple, it's the, because I couldn't get Modern Day Hobo, ah but the website is themoderndayhobo.com, and I set up an Instagram page, because why not?

00:57:16.15
Mike
Sure.

00:57:16.19
Bill
um um ah You know, it's not going to be a just you post it, try to draw people to the website, but same thing, Instagram page was available, the Modern Day Hobo, or at the Modern Day Hobo, so it's Instagram.

00:57:22.05
Mike
Mhmm.

00:57:27.24
Bill
And I'm gonna have cross links between our website and that I the sponsor page that I had kicked over to Amazon I know have on our on our website our podcast page and I have kicked over to the website.

00:57:38.58
Bill
um I have two partners on the website sober not mature and also sober curator so I'm cross cross doing, you know, obviously back and forth.

00:57:44.34
Mike
Hmm. Nice.

00:57:47.61
Bill
but what i what i thought about was and i think i mentioned i was going to take my you know so i got the first book obviously doing this is how you do things but then i wanted to start i was going to write do a second book about like my favorite trips then i'm like how the fuck do i keep up with that you know because i mean if i if i do you know three or four trips and then you know release that one and then i'm like well i got more trips i'm like oh

00:57:59.56
Mike
Right.

00:58:08.66
Bill
I started looking into it and I just say, fuck it. I did ah i did a website through Squarespace and I've been working on it now for like the last month. So I've got three of my favorite trips on there.

00:58:16.85
Mike
Hmm.

00:58:21.07
Bill
I've got recent trips. So three that I've done, three that are how you have coming up. um you know I've got this whole little stuff built out. It's a lot of fucking work. let's let's put Let's put it that way because, you know, um

00:58:29.82
Mike
Yeah.

00:58:33.94
Bill
Not to get into a lot. It doesn't even fucking, it's a lot of work. Cause I've got, I was able to post pictures. I posted one video cause I'm going to, you know, I can start doing videos and you can't really, you can put them on Instagram, but, um, I can put videos on here. I've only got like the basic version. I think there's only a certain number of videos, but I don't know.

00:58:50.57
Bill
there's a lot that i can There's a lot that I can do with it. But I just figured it'd be an easy way. It's, ah again, a way for me to you know um i don't know keep keep a creative side of me going if i if I want to.

00:59:00.81
Mike
Sure.

00:59:01.93
Bill
And then also, um you know again, it's just it's it's logging it's logging my trips. And who knows?

00:59:07.03
Mike
who Right.

00:59:07.78
Bill
Maybe maybe somebody will want to take a peek at it. so

00:59:10.82
Mike
Yeah. So go check that shit out.

00:59:12.99
Bill
Yeah, go check out the website or go to, again, you can go to Sober Not Mature if you don't remember what I said, or you can go to our Instagram page and I don't know where all this shit's gonna be cross-linked, but I've got, yeah, and, you know, again, nothing, the only, I never mentioned anything, not that I'm trying to avoid it, but these trips I take have nothing to do necessarily for anyone out there outside of us that's, you know, not sober.

00:59:33.42
Bill
or, you know, but, you know, I figured, you know, I want to link our website on there. So I did that. And then sober curator, I did, because they, they do a lot of with floating us. And Elise was talking about promoting the book and I'm like, okay, so a little bit of cross posting, but, but yeah, so it gives me more to more things to do while I'm running across the country.

00:59:42.59
Mike
isn

00:59:51.55
Mike
a Right.

00:59:53.42
Bill
Don't have enough to do in my life.

00:59:55.26
Mike
And, and don't forget, man, you know, showing people what is possible when you get sober and stay sober.

01:00:02.67
Bill
Yeah, that's ah that's a good point. yeah you know And that's the thing, I really wasn't looking at it like that about, you know say not like a, hey, look at me and a type of thing, but I don't know, it's it's fun. I like sharing, I appreciate the beauty of the places that I'm seeing, and it's an opportunity for me to, um once again, be creative, but also try to share that. But yeah, to your point, yeah, okay.

01:00:22.89
Bill
Yeah, fuck it, this is what you this is what you get if you stay sober, so there.

01:00:24.28
Mike
a Right.

01:00:27.47
Bill
And you give and you give up everything else in your life, and you don't have a place to live.

01:00:27.60
Mike
hey Right.

01:00:30.59
Bill
and yeah there's There's a criteria, but that's where you you read the book first, because I explained everything that I did and how I did it.

01:00:34.44
Mike
Mm hmm.

01:00:39.38
Bill
um but yeah so But yeah, so the moderndayhobo dot.com, there you go.

01:00:44.86
Mike
There you go.

01:00:45.08
Bill
This episode is brought to you by,

01:00:46.97
Mike
The,

01:00:48.91
Bill
The modern day hobo. All right, so the the book that I grabbed, did you ever um read anything from Touchstones?

01:00:57.18
Mike
um I don't know.

01:01:00.06
Bill
Okay, it's it is a Hazilden book and it's one that I've seen before.

01:01:02.16
Mike
Right.

01:01:03.65
Bill
and I think one that I peeked at before, but never really looked into it.

01:01:05.49
Mike
Right.

01:01:07.22
Bill
um you know But basically it's, um it's ah again, another Hazilden book, the same day readings and stuff like that, but it's supposed to be for, you know um I guess geared towards men and their sobriety and you know how to stay sober and this and that.

01:01:14.27
Mike
right

01:01:20.79
Mike
Hmm.

01:01:22.23
Bill
And I was like, well, you know what?

01:01:22.68
Mike
Right.

01:01:23.66
Bill
And I looked at it kind of like going to men's meetings. you know

01:01:26.23
Mike
Right.

01:01:27.21
Bill
And I mean, I don't know that it'll be any, I don't know that the readings or the motivations will be any different.

01:01:31.21
Mike
Right.

01:01:32.17
Bill
There was a couple other ones that I looked at, like, um God, I can't think of the one, there was ah one other one that I had read that was kind of ah almost like a mixed bag of all these different ones.

01:01:42.50
Bill
So you get the God grants, but you you get to keep it simple. You get the little red book or whatever that fucking thing was and all these different ones.

01:01:48.10
Mike
Right.

01:01:49.06
Bill
And I'm like, I think I read through that a little bit. That was one of the ones I think I i rotated through at one point. But I just figured I'd try it. I mean, it's six bucks, you know, so I bought it.

01:01:58.23
Mike
Right.

01:01:59.54
Bill
And then kicking aside a day at a time for now, you know, but, you know, obviously look at at the this touchstone ones.

01:02:02.72
Mike
Hmm.

01:02:07.53
Bill
But the the reading, and I did it this morning, so the reading for today um talked about, well, I'll just read the read the line, because I thought this was kind of interesting to get your opinion on. It said, he who knows how to be poor knows everything, okay?

01:02:23.02
Bill
And i did I did a screenshot of the reading if you want to hear more about it. I don't necessarily need to read the whole reading, but do you want more information about it or just taking it from that statement?

01:02:32.54
Mike
Yeah. Yeah.

01:02:33.60
Bill
Okay.

01:02:33.64
Mike
Give me a little more.

01:02:35.26
Bill
All right, give me one second here. Let's get into the screenshot. I did that just in case, you know the more you know.

01:02:42.69
Mike
Right. D D D D.

01:02:43.79
Bill
All right, so the it starts off with um letting go is one as one of the simple yet profound spiritual tasks taught by many of the world's religions.

01:02:54.59
Bill
Knowing how to be poor means knowing how to have a full and rich life by meeting our basic needs without a dependent relationship on material wealth, food, sex, or mood altering substances.

01:03:05.52
Bill
So unknowingly, it kind of went along with the reading that you did.

01:03:09.49
Mike
Yeah.

01:03:10.22
Bill
earlier It means not relying on the props in life such as expensive clothes, preigious prestigious job or sporty car, but relying on the basics. And then it says knowing how to be poor is knowing that we are not in control and not wasting our serenity and trying to gain power that we can't attain.

01:03:30.36
Bill
So, I mean, it talked about poor in a sense, I think more not necessarily, I mean, sort of maybe, from a financial standpoint, but but I think poor in kind of a life circumstance.

01:03:38.50
Mike
Sure.

01:03:42.45
Bill
you know um what what are we What are we lacking?

01:03:42.98
Mike
Mm hmm.

01:03:45.88
Bill
you know We don't have, I don't know if we didn't have ah you know a spiritual side to us, if we didn't have peace and serenity.

01:03:52.36
Mike
Mm hmm.

01:03:52.39
Bill
um I mean, those for us would be in at least a conception of poverty, right?

01:03:58.24
Mike
Oh, absolutely. Yeah. Well, I mean, those things have meaning and worth. And so, yeah, you know, they're definitely not having them would be poverty.

01:04:08.99
Mike
Absolutely.

01:04:10.22
Bill
Right. So I just I thought that was kind of interesting. But um you know, the other thing too, and even if you took a took it from the financial side of things, and and we've been honest, you know, we've been open about it.

01:04:20.76
Bill
um You know, I don't know that it not trying to, you know, rank either one of us, but I know that you've been, you know, literally without a roof over your head on on a couple of occasions.

01:04:30.81
Mike
Oh yeah.

01:04:32.59
Bill
um I was headed that way, but didn't get to that.

01:04:35.16
Mike
Right.

01:04:35.34
Bill
I've i've never had to sleep outside. I've never been you know completely penniless. um you know But I think you've had a few more of those raw experiences certainly than I have. you know But um i I know that both of us have talked about the fact of you know not not having the money to even sustain you know the the simple necessities of life.

01:04:56.29
Bill
you know

01:04:56.62
Mike
Right.

01:04:57.38
Bill
um And then other times, being at a point where we had just enough, you know, to sustain the necessities of life. And those are both, depending on the circumstance, I think could both be humbling, um but important experiences, right?

01:05:11.64
Mike
Well, absolutely. Yeah. I mean, you know, yeah we talked about before, how can you be grateful that you don't have it if you've never had it?

01:05:22.06
Mike
It goes the other way, right?

01:05:22.82
Bill
yeah Right.

01:05:23.58
Mike
It goes the other way too. How can I be grateful for the things I have if I had nothing in my life at times? And yeah, so I mean, you know, and again, you know, I could sit here and focus on, oh, I don't have this and I don't have that, but I have a lot of things and I focus on those and then remember, you know, um it's it's like this the stupid, I think I saw it within the last day or so, you know, ah be grateful for the things, you know, the things you have today are the things that you prayed for yesterday, blah, blah, blah, whatever.

01:05:30.56
Bill
Right.

01:05:54.97
Mike
um Right. You know, and it it is kind of true. You know, I have to be grateful for this shit. Cause there was, it wasn't that damn long ago. that I didn't have anything.

01:06:05.43
Bill
Right? Yeah, and it is. And that goes back to the to the reading that that you you know that you read in the beginning and the the material shit.

01:06:14.61
Mike
Yep.

01:06:15.43
Bill
And it is.

01:06:15.50
Mike
yep

01:06:16.01
Bill
it's some it's It's still hard, even though that I think you know that that I have ah you know a little bit more solid head on my shoulders than I did 14 and a half years ago, at least I hope I do,

01:06:28.66
Mike
Right. v Right.

01:06:30.16
Bill
you know But again, social media and this and that, the guy I want, I need, um um all these things being thrown into into our faces. you know um And yeah, I do, I want, and I i don't need, um but i but I want. you know and and And it is, it's it's hard still to this day. um you know it's Again, human nature, I have to catch myself and not you know not compare. Because again, all these different things that these fucking people have,

01:06:57.99
Bill
When I really look at it, do I even really want those things? you know Just because this person can afford a blank, whatever that might be, do I even want that thing?

01:07:05.55
Mike
Right.

01:07:08.15
Mike
Exactly. Exactly.

01:07:10.01
Bill
Right.

01:07:10.41
Mike
Or more importantly, do I want to go into debt to get it? Cause to guess what?

01:07:13.71
Bill
right

01:07:14.71
Mike
They didn't pay cash for that shit.

01:07:16.69
Bill
Yeah, right. Yeah. And, and, you know, again, yeah usually you're right.

01:07:18.99
Mike
Usually.

01:07:21.44
Bill
And then, you know, these these people, these, these people over here that have, I mean, yes, what I, what I love to be, you know, when, when I've got a couple of days off and I don't have to go through the grind and, you know, I'm about to leave for these trips and all that stuff.

01:07:31.39
Mike
Mm hmm.

01:07:33.71
Bill
And, you know, again, how, how can I not think to myself, man, it would be nice to be financially.

01:07:36.65
Mike
Mm hmm.

01:07:39.31
Bill
um you know have financial freedom where i didn't have to actually work a day job to be able to do this but i mean again which is one hand shit in the other i know i know which one fills up first but.

01:07:41.93
Mike
Sure. Right.

01:07:51.91
Bill
and I'm not the type of person if i didn't have a full time job i would i would need in there you wanna talk about need i would need to find something to do with my time.

01:08:01.60
Mike
Sure.

01:08:01.88
Bill
um you know, maybe not even, maybe it was a money earner, maybe it was helping people, whatever the case may be, I can't, I wouldn't just be able to to run around and travel, yes, every once in a while, a handful of days a month to be able to just go someplace and like, I'm gonna do, I'm not doing any work, I'm gonna do blah, blah, blah, this, this, this.

01:08:07.06
Mike
Right.

01:08:14.69
Mike
here

01:08:19.00
Mike
Right.

01:08:19.64
Bill
You know, but um I don't know. I mean, it's ah I don't mind working, you know?

01:08:22.98
Mike
Yep.

01:08:24.18
Bill
I mean, yeah, ah like you you've said plenty of times, I'd like to have a couple of more bucks in my pocket. yeah I mean, yes.

01:08:29.05
Mike
yep

01:08:32.56
Mike
Yes, I would.

01:08:32.93
Bill
but dumb But I mean, I don't know, it just that it's it was it it was an interesting thing to me. Again, the whole point of the ah poverty, is it is it, you know, again, is it a personal poverty or is it financial, I think both?

01:08:44.79
Mike
Mm hmm.

01:08:45.46
Bill
both have have worth you know having having not had those things i i think have worth you know yeah so but i'll uh it'll be interesting though that um just to see how this book you know kind of literally plays out to see um and nothing wrong with uh with the day at a time but i think i've been i think i've been reading it for a god and i i keep thinking three years it could be four or five i don't know how long i've been reading it it's been a while

01:08:49.23
Mike
Yep, absolutely.

01:08:56.69
Mike
Oh, uh huh.

01:09:08.52
Mike
Mm hmm. Right, right.

01:09:11.17
Bill
you know And it's nothing wrong with the book, but i um I think we had talked about this before, and I'm pretty adamant about the fact that the other three, I'm i'm not gonna give up.

01:09:11.30
Mike
Mm hmm.

01:09:19.79
Mike
Right.

01:09:20.49
Bill
I'm not gonna throw those out of rotation, but you know that yeah, that fourth book, I mean, you know I don't know.

01:09:23.85
Mike
Right.

01:09:27.34
Bill
What does it matter? you know Read it a little bit of...

01:09:28.97
Mike
Right, exactly. I mean, I, yeah I've done that as well. I mean, I'm doing, uh, whatever my third one, you know, cause I've talked about it out here. I'm not adding the fourth one cause I don't.

01:09:40.16
Bill
Right.

01:09:40.91
Mike
But I rotate that third one. Yeah. You know, clearly, uh, data, uh, 24 hour book and, and God grant me aren't going anywhere. And, you know, I'm doing whatever the hell they want.

01:09:49.91
Bill
Right.

01:09:52.45
Mike
I'm doing now. Um, but yeah, you know, after and probably, I'll probably do it one more year, you know, hopefully, and then, and then I'll, maybe I'll go get touchstones next year.

01:10:02.94
Bill
Right.

01:10:03.89
Mike
Yeah.

01:10:05.08
Bill
Yeah, so keep it keep it simple as your third one.

01:10:07.12
Mike
Yeah, that's it. Right. Whatever. Yes.

01:10:11.68
Bill
No, it's just, it's just funny because I mean, our, um, and those are my, those are my top three is that, you know, 24 hours of God grant me to keep it simple.

01:10:16.33
Mike
Right.

01:10:18.72
Mike
right

01:10:18.99
Bill
Um, and I, uh, fuck I, I've been reading, keep it simple for a long fucking time.

01:10:22.27
Mike
Yeah. See, I just started it. i I think I'm probably going to on the first started from the third time.

01:10:28.72
Bill
Right.

01:10:28.92
Mike
So, you know, right. I've only been through it twice. So I'm going to give it one more go and then I will probably rotate it another one in and, you know, in the last 14 years, that third spot has, I've had probably five or six different books in there, you know, so yeah.

01:10:44.85
Bill
Right.

01:10:47.33
Mike
You know, I've talked about a couple of them, you know, the one, uh, was a gift to me and, uh, it was psychologically based and I fucking hated it. And I did it for, I did it for two years because I, you know, I read it once and then I went, well, shit, I should probably do it again.

01:10:57.04
Bill
Right.

01:11:01.23
Mike
Cause I really fucking can't stand this. And, uh, I did it again and yep, sure. Shit that didn't like it. Um, but, but learned a few things from it. And there you go.

01:11:13.02
Mike
And then I put it away and I will never read it again.

01:11:17.60
Bill
Yeah, but like you said, it just it it it blows my mind because if i I don't have that commitment when it comes to these books. If i if I'm reading this Touchstones, however long, if I'm reading it for a while and I'm like, this is fucking ridiculous, I'll go back to a day at a time, because I've done it for long enough, it's consistent.

01:11:29.10
Mike
Right. Mm hmm. Right.

01:11:34.63
Bill
ah But i mean I know, I know you talked about it. i i you and I talked about it long before we did this, ah the fact that you give these books two years, I'm like, that's ah and's a fucking commitment.

01:11:43.06
Mike
Yeah.

01:11:44.79
Bill
I mean, for something that you could end up hating, it's a goddamn commitment, you know?

01:11:46.52
Mike
Yay. Yeah, but you know, again, I've got to remember that I don't fucking know everything.

01:11:49.77
Bill
yeah

01:11:53.78
Mike
And you know, if anything I've learned, uh, if, if I don't like something, maybe I need to take a real good fucking look at it and see why I don't like it.

01:12:02.82
Bill
Yeah, and I,

01:12:02.87
Mike
And I did and went, okay, that's why I don't like it.

01:12:06.80
Bill
Right. And i you know I fucking hate that. that i i'm I'm the same way. but I hate the fact, I don't hate it. um It's one of those things that's like, God damn it. When I don't like something or somebody in realizing the fact that there's something, something is in me, the reason I don't like them or it.

01:12:17.50
Mike
Mm-hmm.

01:12:22.41
Mike
sir Right, right.

01:12:24.89
Bill
And I don't like that. Because then I'm like, I'm like, fuck, now I got to figure out what the fuck is wrong with me.

01:12:32.01
Mike
Right.

01:12:32.24
Bill
You know, why why don't I like this person or why is this fucking thing bothering me? You know, why is this being, you know, because nothing's happening to me. You know, it's whatever it is, it's I'm doing it, you know, I'm I'm doing it to myself.

01:12:42.58
Mike
Right.

01:12:44.02
Bill
This person, unless again, they're they're coming up and they're just being fucking evil, you know, but.

01:12:48.16
Mike
Right. Right. Right.

01:12:49.95
Bill
Once again, why am I hanging around somebody as fucking evil? you know Or if something is really just completely fucking negative, why am i why am I putting myself in a position to deal with it?

01:12:52.52
Mike
Uh-huh.

01:12:58.77
Mike
Right.

01:12:59.01
Bill
But yeah, it's yeah it's just...

01:12:59.32
Mike
Why am I allowing it to happen around me? Yep.

01:13:03.07
Bill
it's just fucking frustrating to realize that it's my fault.

01:13:06.26
Mike
Uh-huh.

01:13:08.14
Bill
But you know surprisingly enough, I'm um'm kind of eyeballing this one from Guy Grant. me This is kind of a sort of along the same lines. um For the next 24 hours, I will watch the way I treat myself.

01:13:18.36
Mike
Hmm.

01:13:18.90
Bill
I am sober, yes, but do I take good care of my health, safety, and happiness?

01:13:24.77
Mike
Mm hmm.

01:13:25.01
Bill
Mike, over to you.

01:13:29.14
Mike
Yeah, I do. As a matter of fact, you know, um again, that stupid balance shit. I got to make sure I'm not being selfish, but um right. But I do need to ah maintain a certain level of health and happiness um in order to be effective for other people.

01:13:50.05
Bill
Right.

01:13:50.40
Mike
Right. If I'm sick and miserable, I'm no good to anybody.

01:13:54.87
Bill
Right.

01:13:55.57
Mike
Yeah.

01:13:55.62
Bill
Yeah. the And the thing about this here, you know, talks about safety too, you know, and, you know, we talk about the, you know, again, it goes back to, you know, people, places and things. What what positions are we putting ourselves in?

01:14:05.67
Mike
v Right.

01:14:06.15
Bill
um And, you know, granted, I mean, but we're only hurting ourselves, right? um You know, but i I don't know I mean running around to these some of these places I've been and you know, I there there's some of these trails that I mean literally I The the one the one trail is you know, this fucking rock climbing shit.

01:14:22.67
Bill
I'm not it, but it was it's like climbing rocks going up the trail part I'm not going up the side about doing that shit.

01:14:26.17
Mike
Mm hmm.

01:14:28.15
Bill
I can't I couldn't do that if you paid me um You know, but you know one one part of that trail it it looked like it ended but I could see where I'd have to kind of jump down to go around like fine you doing that and I mean I I'm a little bit more

01:14:28.27
Mike
Right.

01:14:30.65
Mike
Right.

01:14:33.77
Mike
Mm hmm.

01:14:41.40
Bill
um i I don't know, these things I wouldn't have done, wouldn't even thought about doing a handful of years ago.

01:14:45.95
Mike
Right.

01:14:46.08
Bill
So I'm a little bit more, I guess, open to, I don't even wanna say taking chances, but taking challenges, but I'm i'm not gonna fucking, I mean, literally hang off of a fucking mountain.

01:14:49.57
Mike
Sure. sure

01:14:55.21
Bill
I mean, I, cause I mean, seriously, I mean, yeah, it's me, but I mean, it does. If I fall off a fucking mountain and die, um I think it might affect other people in some way, shape or form.

01:15:05.04
Mike
Right.

01:15:06.44
Bill
yeah

01:15:06.84
Mike
And probably mostly negatively.

01:15:09.44
Bill
yeah Right, right. Yeah, but um, you know, I mean I i do ah kind I got some life insurance though, so you never know maybe maybe the payoff and Kids get you know kids get a little bit of money.

01:15:15.58
Mike
Yeah. There you go. Right.

01:15:20.44
Bill
I don't really have that much in debt I think I've got I mean I don't have a house so I get yeah I don't really have that much in debt Pay everything off burn me and throw me someplace and I mean after all said and done the rest is yours

01:15:24.51
Mike
Right.

01:15:29.33
Mike
Mm hmm. The same cliff that you fell off of.

01:15:33.71
Bill
Yes. Oh, would God wouldn't that be? Wouldn't that be great? Yeah. Tell me, why do you even drag me up? Just start a fire down there. Just, just, you know, have the service out here and just light me up right down there.

01:15:40.04
Mike
room

01:15:43.14
Mike
Right.

01:15:44.14
Bill
Save the, save the time and the trip, whatever the, whatever the tra transportation charge is.

01:15:49.67
Mike
Right.

01:15:50.19
Bill
It's not fucking worth it because I'm going back here anyhow.

01:15:52.72
Mike
right

01:15:53.24
Bill
but um But yeah, I mean, that is, I never really thought about that much, but it is. I mean, I i know that both of us you know go, we don't do things completely reckless anymore, or reckless in general, you know to to things and all that stuff, you know ah relatively healthy, relatively safe, and you know to remain relatively happy.

01:16:05.32
Mike
Now. Mm hmm. Right.

01:16:13.61
Bill
Because once again, if if we're fucking you know miserable and sick inside our own heads, what's gonna happen?

01:16:18.85
Mike
Yep. Mm hmm.

01:16:21.23
Bill
it's It's not going to stay inside. It's going to go after somebody else. I know that for a goddamn fact.

01:16:25.34
Mike
That's right.

01:16:27.87
Bill
um All right, so one other one that I got from a 24-hour book, and this must have been recently, but it said, we have been given a new life just because we happen to become alcoholics. We may feel that we don't deserve the new life that has been given to us. okay So the reason that I wrote this or copied this down is the fact that I mean, we talk a lot about, um you know, we had to kind of be alcoholics to get to the where we are.

01:16:53.20
Bill
But the thing that the thing that the the line that kind of the reason I wrote it down is a line where it said we may feel that we don't deserve the new life that has been given to us, you know.

01:17:03.03
Mike
Right.

01:17:03.24
Bill
So what is your opinion on that?

01:17:05.83
Mike
Um, well, I know I don't deserve it.

01:17:10.89
Mike
Uh, you know, in a sense, right? yeah Just not myself, but, um, I deserve it because I followed the direction of the people that came before me. Um, that's how I deserve it. Not because I'm entitled to it, but because I've put the work in, um, and I've changed fundamentally who I am. Um,

01:17:33.07
Mike
which I had to do to get this new life. So yes, the person that I am, the light of the cheat and the thief, um, of course doesn't deserve it, but the person who followed the directions and did what he was supposed to do. Yeah. I, you know, I, it's not even so much that I deserve it. It's just, I've done the work and so therefore that's the byproduct of doing the work.

01:17:58.21
Mike
Yeah. So I deserve is a dangerous word.

01:18:01.59
Bill
Right.

01:18:01.90
Mike
I'm grateful that I have it.

01:18:04.35
Bill
Yeah, and you said the other word to entitled, you know, or as far as not being entitled because I think that that and that's the that's the other thing that that word and that was right at, you know, i'm obviously right out of the reading the word deserve I know we've talked about that, you know, we're not entitled to and we don't necessarily deserve, you know, anything.

01:18:06.36
Mike
Mm hmm. Right.

01:18:14.54
Mike
Mm hmm.

01:18:21.17
Mike
Right.

01:18:21.28
Bill
um but you know, to your point, we've we've done the work and based on doing the work, um again, these byproducts, the happiness is byproduct, the, you know, the the relatively comfortable life that we have, and um not really having anything to do with the material side, just being comfortable in our own skin, as we talk about.

01:18:24.98
Mike
Yep.

01:18:27.88
Mike
Mm hmm.

01:18:32.06
Mike
Right.

01:18:35.74
Mike
Mm hmm. Yep.

01:18:37.47
Bill
So, but yeah, I like the fact that you said that the the guy, basically the new guy that did all the work,

01:18:37.86
Mike
Mm hmm.

01:18:43.10
Mike
see

01:18:43.71
Bill
maybe he doesn't deserve it but he gets this because you know that this new guy over here you know did did the work and now he is rewarded with this with all these pleasantries that we have in our lives yeah the old guy didn't deserve shit

01:18:45.95
Mike
Yeah. Mm hmm. Right. Yep.

01:18:58.05
Mike
Nope.

01:18:58.66
Bill
ah yeah But still, it's just kind of funny that I've run across, and once once again, I don't know if I'm, I don't know, I don't know why all these these readings out or bits and pieces out of the 24-hour book kind of hit me lately and in a positive way, you know which is, again, weird.

01:19:07.17
Mike
All right.

01:19:19.41
Bill
you know But is it is it growth? Is it you know that I'm paying more attention? is it I have no idea.

01:19:23.63
Mike
Mm.

01:19:24.60
Bill
you know but

01:19:24.68
Mike
Right. Yeah. That's the shit I don't question.

01:19:29.04
Bill
I know. And it's ah it's just, it's weird to me, you know, cause literally for, you know, that's the book that we've read from, you know, from the start and yeah.

01:19:34.31
Mike
Yeah. Right. Exactly. This is the 15th time around, you know? Yeah. Right.

01:19:39.60
Bill
And why, why now did the, not that I was writing stuff down out of the, out of the books, but even so, I mean, we've been doing this, you know, this would be the the third time around on, as far as us doing these things on here, but we didn't start doing, when did we start doing readings?

01:19:51.28
Mike
Right.

01:19:52.72
Bill
That was a year and a half, two years ago.

01:19:54.89
Mike
Yeah, something like that.

01:19:55.24
Bill
I don't fucking remember.

01:19:56.43
Mike
Yeah, I don't know.

01:19:58.53
Bill
yeah Yeah, we are we're we're coming up on coming up on that third year in February, but that's still a little ways away.

01:20:05.92
Mike
Right.

01:20:06.80
Bill
All right, so a couple of, I don't know, kind of fun-ish things. Well, if this one's not fun. Remember, this has nothing to do with sobriety, maybe, because I didn't light the kid up, but... um

01:20:16.68
Mike
but Well, that sounds like it had something to do with sobriety.

01:20:20.17
Bill
Yeah, okay, so maybe this does. I ah i was and was not a dick to this kid on the phone.

01:20:26.05
Mike
Mm hmm.

01:20:27.41
Bill
So i get this I get this email and I talked about my storage unit a couple of times and the last time I talked about it seems like recently because it was, um it was just back in like March.

01:20:30.98
Mike
Right.

01:20:36.21
Bill
I mean, so, you know, it's eight, nine months ago, but still a recent recent ish, March or April, whatever it was, but

01:20:38.83
Mike
Mm.

01:20:42.77
Bill
um Every month I get the email, it's like, oh, your source payment, because it just comes out automatically on the first.

01:20:47.07
Mike
Sure.

01:20:48.21
Bill
So usually a couple of weeks beforehand, I get the new statement is available and blah, blah, blah.

01:20:51.41
Mike
Mm hmm.

01:20:52.64
Bill
But I saw, however it was, and I think I just saw it, they must have had the amount on there because I didn't normally don't look at the invoice. but it was 115 and it's saying 133.

01:21:03.73
Bill
And I'm like like, what the fuck?

01:21:04.46
Mike
Hmm.

01:21:06.00
Bill
That's a lot, kind of a big increase.

01:21:06.96
Mike
Yeah.

01:21:08.91
Bill
So and i saw I pull up the invoice and I look, I'm like, are these motherfuckers, did they not you know log my fact that I had my own renter's insurance? I'm like, no, that's not on there. It's just that. I look back at invoices from, you know did a search on my emails.

01:21:19.42
Mike
Sure.

01:21:21.96
Bill
I'm like, did I miss something with a price increase? Nothing on that. So um whatever day it was, I called, I think it was was said i'm on my way up to, we yeah, probably on my way up to Wisconsin, because I had time.

01:21:32.30
Mike
sure

01:21:32.64
Bill
And so I'm you know like, blah, blah, blah, this, this, this, yeah, I got my new invoice. He's like, oh, yeah, that's the that's the most recent price increase. And I'm like, really? I said, OK, so here's the thing. I said, that is the third price increase I've had in a calendar year. And he's like, are you sure? And I said, well, let me ask you this. When did whatever this new it's storage market or storage, whatever it is, um it used to be something, Germantown something, and now it's whatever, they got bought out.

01:22:02.60
Bill
I said, when did when did this buy, you know, when was that buyout? And he said, he goes, that would have been last December or January. where I'm like, okay, so there was an increase because of the buyout.

01:22:13.96
Bill
And that was explained to me, ooh, because of the buyout, even up prices to go along with everything, get that.

01:22:16.67
Mike
Right.

01:22:19.32
Bill
But I said then, I said, it had to have been like six months ago. And he looked and he's like, oh yeah, March, you got a price increase. I said, okay, and now you're hitting me with another one. That's that's three.

01:22:27.67
Mike
Yeah.

01:22:28.15
Bill
in a fucking calendar year. And I said, what is the deal?

01:22:30.55
Mike
Yep.

01:22:31.77
Bill
ah um But again, he's like, he goes, oh, you know, he starts to go on with the typical, I'm sure what he's what he's told to say to people. Well, you know, what prices are, I said, stop real quick, you know?

01:22:42.63
Bill
And I said, I get it. I know what yourre but you're supposed to tell me, but I'm gonna tell you what i what I think, right? And I said, first of all, I said, I know this has nothing to do with you. That was the first thing I said to him.

01:22:52.35
Mike
right

01:22:52.81
Bill
but I said from a business standpoint, I get it, okay? I said, but when I first opened the storage unit two and a half years ago, it was 80 bucks.

01:23:02.10
Mike
Yeah.

01:23:02.15
Bill
And I said, you do the math. I said, that's a 60% increase in two and a half years.

01:23:05.45
Mike
Uh huh.

01:23:07.75
Bill
I said, that's unacceptable.

01:23:09.63
Mike
Right.

01:23:10.33
Bill
you know it i was again wasn't yelling at the kid you know but i said i get it everything else is going up you know why not but i said from a business standpoint i said i realized i said there and i said this is not you but i said they are doing this because they can and he's like well i said no no they are i'm like because i'm like even if they lose 20 of the people that they're that are renting from them

01:23:19.79
Mike
Mm hmm. Right. Uh huh.

01:23:30.90
Bill
I said, the price increase will still not only pay for that that they lost, but I said, they're going to make money even with that.

01:23:36.24
Mike
Right.

01:23:36.37
Bill
And he sees like back and forth. He goes, well, what I can do is, he goes there he goes, I'm not going to be able to get it reduced back to what it was.

01:23:42.42
Mike
Right.

01:23:42.58
Bill
But he said, let me let me put in, try to get it decreased, blah, blah, blah.

01:23:45.18
Mike
Right.

01:23:46.06
Bill
So I'm trying to ask him to. I'm like, part of this is my problem. I said, I meant to come up there in June, but I'm like, I just haven't had time. um you know But I'm like, i don't I don't live there. I said, that's the reason I have the storage unit.

01:23:56.63
Bill
you know

01:23:56.79
Mike
right

01:23:57.85
Bill
But anyhow, so I can go down to the lower one get a better price blah blah blah So he puts this in and gets this, you know gets it approved for a decrease. So it's going down to 124 But still and I'm like like these fucking people but but here's the other problem too because I in another thing I dare Derek and I were talking about it because his his boss um that he works with

01:24:06.99
Mike
Mm hmm.

01:24:19.64
Mike
Yeah.

01:24:19.90
Bill
um Has a storage unit for like some overflow that they had and we were talking about whatever and he's like he's like Hey, did your storage unit get get an increase? I'm like, let me tell you about that. He was he he said he goes Yeah, he goes my boss was telling me and I'm like ice.

01:24:29.45
Mike
hey

01:24:32.85
Bill
It's a fucking mess, you know um but it just it's I there's no other literally within within a ah close radius of there and There's no other storage units that are, it's in a nice area that's number one.

01:24:41.17
Mike
Mm hmm.

01:24:46.26
Mike
Right.

01:24:46.45
Bill
I don't have to worry about, you know, it being broken into it's the big warehouse building, you know, with it to drive into with a code, everything's climate controlled, it's all of that, you know.

01:24:50.91
Mike
Right.

01:24:56.30
Bill
um So I mean all those things that that I wanted and I need, um it's not some just you know outside storage unit. But I'm like, you fuckers, I mean, they again, I just I, I don't know, I don't like, I don't like being taken advantage of.

01:25:08.96
Bill
And that's kind of what it feels like.

01:25:10.49
Mike
right

01:25:10.71
Bill
You know, only in a sense where it's like the, once again, if it were my business, I would think the same thing. Fuck them. Who's going to come in here?

01:25:16.59
Mike
Yeah.

01:25:17.41
Bill
You know, most of the people are just going to leave their shit here because they they can't, who's going to do that?

01:25:22.18
Mike
Right.

01:25:23.40
Bill
You know, like 20% of the people are going to do it. So I'm like, you know, I know exactly what I'll do. Cause it's, again, it's it basically it's fucking January. Um, you know, I'm probably not going to be up in Wisconsin where I would have maybe in the springtime, you know, I'll, I'll try to plan that, but I'm going to end up paying this until I end up getting up there, getting a smaller unit, but then I got to take all of my shit out of there.

01:25:32.95
Mike
Right. Right. Right.

01:25:41.93
Mike
right

01:25:44.80
Bill
and Fuck me.

01:25:45.91
Mike
Yup. Yup.

01:25:47.12
Bill
So you know what? I may just actually just continue to fucking take it because i I don't know. This is, I'm not trying to sound egotistical, but I think I know my worth. And when I start to add all that stuff, it's not worth it for me to to spend $20 less a month and go through all this fucking hassle.

01:25:56.73
Mike
Yup. Yup.

01:26:04.49
Mike
Yup.

01:26:05.24
Bill
So I don't know. I'll probably just fucking take it.

01:26:09.48
Bill
yeah

01:26:10.40
Mike
Yeah, you probably will.

01:26:12.44
Bill
I know. And it's just, it's a, you know, after all, after all said and done, and I know for a fact exactly what I mean, same thing. It is the same thing I said, whatever it was eight months ago, when I talked about this, I'll probably do nothing, which is exactly what I did.

01:26:24.04
Mike
Mm hmm.

01:26:24.19
Bill
You know, I got fucking jacked again.

01:26:26.62
Mike
Yup.

01:26:26.99
Bill
yeah how Well, but again, I didn't go off on the kids so I guess maybe to your point maybe that is And as part of sobriety because it I'll tell you there's been times of my times in my life before I got sober that shit like this man I would have lit somebody up.

01:26:35.44
Mike
Yes, it is.

01:26:38.66
Mike
Mm hmm.

01:26:40.65
Bill
I know for a fucking fact.

01:26:40.92
Mike
Yup.

01:26:41.69
Bill
I would have so

01:26:42.65
Mike
And you would have gotten the same result.

01:26:45.18
Bill
yeah I wouldn't have, nothing nothing positive would have come out of it, and i would I'd be paying $133 a month.

01:26:46.00
Mike
Yup.

01:26:48.79
Mike
Yeah. Yup. hey

01:26:54.06
Bill
All right, so last thing, and I've talked about the the TV show Landman, I think, with Billy Bob Thornton.

01:26:59.41
Mike
Mm hmm.

01:26:59.64
Bill
I'll tell you about that, the whole Texas Midland thing.

01:27:01.91
Mike
Yeah.

01:27:02.37
Bill
So um just some of these lines out of here. Well, first of all, first of all same deal. ah they're They're sitting down, this one I almost forgot about, but this has to do with the Michelob 64, whatever it is, or ultra Michelob Ultra 60, whatever.

01:27:13.39
Mike
Right.

01:27:16.34
Bill
So they sit down to lunch and, you know, this server comes up and she's like, so what do you boys want?

01:27:16.73
Mike
Right.

01:27:20.18
Bill
Do you eat or are you drinking? It's the middle of the afternoon. They're like, ah, both, you know?

01:27:24.21
Mike
right

01:27:24.58
Bill
And Billy Bob says he goes, but he goes, only bring us a picture of that, of Michelob Ultra, cause we're still working.

01:27:35.81
Bill
And I'm like, they they really play up on that. He says it was such a straight base. And she's like, she's like you got it, hun, type of thing.

01:27:41.92
Mike
mrs is

01:27:42.37
Bill
um But the the line was he goes, so he's got a daughter that's like 17. And her and her mom just moved out there. long Long storyline in that. But she ends up going to this party out in the middle of wherever.

01:27:54.15
Bill
And it ah ends up um kind of meeting up with this the football player. Again, Texas football, blah, blah, blah. So it's a high school quarterback, right? So, um, Billy Bob ends up, but they're, the mom is tracking her phone. So he goes to pick her up, you know, cause she hasn't moved in a while. Um, so this fucking football football player has got her in the back of his pickup truck and you know, they, there's kind of going at it a little bit. Um, nothing, it's not like porn or anything like that, but they're, they're starting to kind of get friendly with each other.

01:28:23.44
Bill
And so Billy Bob comes up, literally lists a fucking dude off, throws him off, um throat punches him, I think, if I remember correctly. And then, ah you know, so the daughter runs up, he's like, you get in the truck, youre we're going home. And so he's giving this guy a talking to and he goes, you know what? He goes, I hope that someday that you get married and you have a daughter the same way that's hotter than a $2 Rolex.

01:28:46.55
Mike
yeah

01:28:48.15
Bill
And it was just the line. Have you ever heard that hotter than a $2 Rolex?

01:28:52.02
Mike
I have not.

01:28:54.73
Bill
But he's like, basically he goes, cause I want you to deal with the same thing that I'm dealing with.

01:28:58.82
Mike
Right.

01:29:01.23
Bill
But, uh, I don't know that show. Um, it's, uh, it's, I enjoy the fuck out of it. I really do.

01:29:06.41
Mike
All right.

01:29:07.38
Bill
But yeah, the biggest thing is a mickle of altar. Yeah. We're only going to have the beer because we're drinking. So, or we're, cause we're still working.

01:29:11.30
Mike
That's right, we're we're still working, right?

01:29:15.34
Bill
All right, man. Well, speaking of, uh, of work and I think we've done enough work for the night, haven't we?

01:29:19.46
Mike
We have, uh, yeah. So, uh, you doing anything new years?

01:29:23.83
Bill
Um, I don't know. I mean, I'll be in Oklahoma city. Um, I don't know what, um, I don't know.

01:29:26.82
Mike
Ah, where do they drop there?

01:29:32.57
Bill
I have no idea.

01:29:33.36
Mike
since since

01:29:33.40
Bill
No idea. But, um, yeah, my that friend Morgan of mine was talking about something going to whatever game with the shoes going to with her kids. I mean, I don't know that I want to go to a basketball game or whatever, but.

01:29:42.62
Mike
Right.

01:29:43.20
Bill
um I don't if anything, I don't know that I'll do anything, you know, I don't give a fuck, you know, so But there was New Year's Day There's some hiking thing that she might want to do this group this meetup group that she That she's gotten involved with they do the like the first year or first day of the year type of hike But it's only if the weather's right and this and that but I mean, it's like fucking two hours away from from that But I'm like, well again, what else do I have to do on New Year's Day if she wants to do that, you know go and go see some new thing.

01:29:47.85
Mike
right

01:30:05.09
Mike
Hmm. Right.

01:30:10.49
Bill
But yeah, it could actually be like two or three hours away. It ah it would be a cruise. That's for goddamn sure.

01:30:14.77
Mike
Hmm.

01:30:15.25
Bill
But what about you?

01:30:17.17
Mike
Uh, actually going to have a little ah guest reunion here at the house.

01:30:21.57
Bill
Oh, really?

01:30:22.38
Mike
We're gonna have the Albright's and Mara and her boyfriend and Chris and I, we're gonna get together, yeah play some board games or and hang out, eat some food, you know learn about Cuba, it'll be wonderful.

01:30:27.72
Bill
Nice. Nice.

01:30:36.22
Bill
play some Peanuckle, bridge, play bridge, Peanuckle, something like that.

01:30:37.46
Mike
Yeah, something like that.

01:30:41.29
Bill
Has some checks mix, you know, trail.

01:30:42.64
Mike
Right, yep, and ringing the near.

01:30:46.04
Bill
Yeah. And I mean, seriously, it's ah it could be, you know, maybe maybe I'll hang out with you know a friend of mine, maybe I'll do nothing. I don't i don't really know. if I haven't done anything on a New Year's Eve in a long, long time.

01:30:56.85
Bill
And, you know, we talked about some of our New Year's Eve stories last year, which I think it was last year we were telling New Year's Eve stories.

01:30:57.14
Mike
Right.

01:31:04.47
Bill
And yeah, I think both of us have had our fill of, you know, wild New Year's Eve.

01:31:04.89
Mike
Right.

01:31:07.67
Mike
Oh yeah.

01:31:09.49
Bill
So

01:31:11.93
Mike
Yeah. So it'll be nice. It'll be, uh, you know, us three couples just hanging out being old.

01:31:19.41
Bill
That's all right, though. i mean it's ah something A lot of times, like you say, you know the fucking amateur night and all that shit, everyone talks about the safest place to be someplace, or sometimes it's just you know not not out.

01:31:20.05
Mike
Yep.

01:31:24.79
Mike
Mm hmm.

01:31:30.57
Bill
That's for goddamn sure.

01:31:30.73
Mike
Right, yeah, so it'll be ah some sober people hanging out and a couple ah couple of normies hanging out with us.

01:31:38.45
Bill
Yeah, that's right, because Mara's boyfriend is normie.

01:31:42.10
Mike
Right.

01:31:42.56
Bill
And then obviously you're yeah Chris. i still I still think Chris is one of us anyhow. But I mean, I'm like, who's the other fucking normie?

01:31:46.73
Mike
I know.

01:31:50.14
Bill
Who's the other normie?

01:31:50.33
Mike
Right, yeah, right. My normie.

01:31:54.19
Bill
Right, exactly. All right. But yeah, so other than that, and anything else on on your end there, pal? Or do you want to you want to wrap up?

01:32:01.35
Mike
yeah Let's finish this shit up.

01:32:02.60
Bill
yeah All right, man, your turn.

01:32:05.23
Mike
All right. Well, thank you everyone for listening to a another episode of sober, not mature. So always be good to each other. Be kind to each other. Go out and do something nice for somebody else this week.

01:32:16.56
Mike
And don't tell anybody you did it. now from the bottom of my heart to the depths of my soul from the beginning of time till the ends of the earth always and eternally fuck you and now it's time kids it's time for you to fuck off then keep fucking off keep fucking off till you get to a gate with a sign on it saying you cannot fuck off past here climb over that gate dream the impossible dream and keep fucking off forever see you next year

01:32:50.01
Bill
Yeah, keep fucking all the way off until next year. And everyone have a safe and sober New Year's because we, your your buddies here, Mike and Bill, will not not speak to you until then.

01:32:56.44
Mike
Mm hmm.

01:33:01.20
Bill
And once again, it's it's not worth it, man.

01:33:01.83
Mike
Right.

01:33:03.84
Bill
you know it's ah Whatever it is, it's just another day.

01:33:04.36
Mike
Nope.

01:33:06.80
Bill
And even even us guys, you know we're talking about, you know we got a kind a handful of years into this thing, we ain't doing, more than likely, neither one of us are doing a fucking thing that leads outside of the confines of a home, so.

01:33:07.28
Mike
It is.

01:33:13.98
Mike
Yep.

01:33:17.94
Mike
Uh huh.

01:33:20.04
Bill
But yeah, stay sober and and safe. And yeah, exactly. We'll talk to you. Talk to all you fuckers next year, right?

01:33:26.18
Mike
Yep.

01:33:26.89
Bill
All right, brother. Love you.

01:33:28.39
Mike
Love you too.

01:33:29.37
Bill
And we'll talk soon.

01:33:30.54
Mike
Yes. Bye.

01:33:32.57
Bill
Bye.