SPEAKER_0 [00:00:00]
Dramas, please.
SPEAKER_1 [00:00:13]
Yeah.
SPEAKER_1 [00:00:20]
This is life
SPEAKER_0 [00:00:21]
with a twist of lemon.
SPEAKER_1 [00:00:24]
Hey, John. Hi, Stanley. Did you see it?
SPEAKER_0 [00:00:28]
See what?
SPEAKER_1 [00:00:29]
The crowning of the greatest Jeopardy contestant of all time.
SPEAKER_0 [00:00:35]
Like, was that tonight?
SPEAKER_1 [00:00:38]
So it was possibly tonight, and then it actually happened tonight.
SPEAKER_0 [00:00:42]
Oh, really?
SPEAKER_0 [00:00:44]
Right.
SPEAKER_0 [00:00:45]
So okay. I I have to be honest with you. Somebody at work mentioned something
SPEAKER_0 [00:00:50]
about Jeopardy, and there's, like, something going on right now, and I really have no idea
SPEAKER_0 [00:00:56]
what the deal is.
SPEAKER_1 [00:00:59]
So this was the Jeopardy greatest
SPEAKER_1 [00:01:01]
of all time tournament.
SPEAKER_1 [00:01:04]
So they have, like, a tournament of champions every couple years and things like that, but this was the greatest of all time tournament.
SPEAKER_1 [00:01:10]
Some people are saying it is Alex Trebek's
SPEAKER_1 [00:01:13]
swan song
SPEAKER_0 [00:01:16]
and kinda I was gonna say, I mean, like, can't they just do it again next year and then it's the greatest of all time again?
SPEAKER_1 [00:01:23]
Maybe.
SPEAKER_1 [00:01:23]
Assuming that the guy who was crowned the greatest of all time this time was
SPEAKER_1 [00:01:30]
competing against new people, I guess.
SPEAKER_0 [00:01:33]
So do you normally watch Jeopardy?
SPEAKER_1 [00:01:35]
So
SPEAKER_1 [00:01:36]
I like to watch Jeopardy. I have not for a couple of years,
SPEAKER_1 [00:01:42]
and that's usually because it's usually on earlier than prime time, and I haven't had my antenna plugged in for a long time.
SPEAKER_0 [00:01:50]
Okay. So this whatever this is right now that's going on, the greatest of greatest of greatest It's over now. Okay. Why? It's over as we're recording on Tuesday, and this will air on Thursday.
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:01]
So what are you gonna what are you gonna watch tomorrow night? You're watch Jeopardy tomorrow night? I probably won't watch anything tomorrow night.
SPEAKER_1 [00:02:07]
Interesting. Okay. I don't think Jeopardy's on tomorrow night.
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:10]
I
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:11]
I I
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:13]
don't know that I like, so I've watched Jeopardy. I've definitely watched Jeopardy. I don't know that I've ever watched and enjoyed it.
SPEAKER_1 [00:02:18]
Seriously?
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:19]
Yeah. It's just Do you not like trivia?
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:22]
I like trivia with people, like, in a group, at a table,
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:26]
with snacks,
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:28]
particularly cookies. I've actually never done trivia with beer. What?
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:32]
Yeah. Oh, well, what can I say? It's a fundraiser at a high school. That's the one we go to. So Got it. But but I
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:39]
I don't know. That's only fun because of the social atmosphere. Don't think I actually enjoy the
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:43]
the game.
SPEAKER_1 [00:02:44]
Interesting.
SPEAKER_1 [00:02:46]
Because you seem like the kind of guy who appreciates random knowledge.
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:49]
Well, I mean, I do, but I don't I don't necessarily appreciate other people's random knowledge. It's just my own. I think you should give Jeopardy! A shot again because there's usually questions about presidents or vice presidents,
SPEAKER_1 [00:03:01]
and I think you would know more of those answers now that you've made your way through a whole bunch of presidential biographies.
SPEAKER_0 [00:03:07]
Alright. Well, I'll
SPEAKER_0 [00:03:08]
I'll consider that, John. I'm not gonna make any commitments on the podcast.
SPEAKER_1 [00:03:13]
So, anyway, Ken Jennings, who previously
SPEAKER_1 [00:03:15]
or still holds the record for, I think it was 27
SPEAKER_1 [00:03:19]
consecutive wins in regular
SPEAKER_1 [00:03:22]
Jeopardy games.
SPEAKER_1 [00:03:25]
It's now the greatest of all time.
SPEAKER_0 [00:03:27]
Okay. But a million bucks. At some point, he lost, though. Right? Like, after 27 times?
SPEAKER_1 [00:03:33]
I don't know if he lost or if that was, like, the cutoff.
SPEAKER_0 [00:03:38]
Well, I mean, if that's weird that they would have a cutoff. He might have lost.
SPEAKER_1 [00:03:43]
Okay. I don't know that there's anybody who hasn't lost. So one of the other guys who has won the most money playing jeopardy ever
SPEAKER_1 [00:03:51]
lost to IBM Watson.
SPEAKER_0 [00:03:54]
Oh, I I think I vaguely remember when they had Watson
SPEAKER_0 [00:03:58]
con compete. Yeah.
SPEAKER_0 [00:04:00]
It it seems like that's cheating, to be honest with you. Like, they have Watson up against it, but alright.
SPEAKER_0 [00:04:07]
Well, John, I'm I'm glad you enjoyed yourself.
SPEAKER_1 [00:04:10]
Stan, I was watching TV, like, real over the air TV.
SPEAKER_1 [00:04:14]
What I so I started last week. I missed the first night, but I caught the second night and every night since.
SPEAKER_1 [00:04:22]
I was caught off guard by the number of political advertisements
SPEAKER_1 [00:04:26]
because I don't watch TV usually.
SPEAKER_0 [00:04:29]
Buddy, you live in Iowa. I live in Iowa. Caught stays February 3 or something like that. Yeah. They're they're pumping money into Iowa like there's no tomorrow.
SPEAKER_0 [00:04:39]
By the way, is this when we take a break and then let our political ads run?
SPEAKER_1 [00:04:43]
Sure. Stan Lemmon for president. There you go.
SPEAKER_1 [00:04:46]
What party would you run under, Stan?
SPEAKER_0 [00:04:49]
The me, myself, and I party. There you go. The sour That seems to get people into office these days.
SPEAKER_0 [00:04:54]
So follow-up from I think it was last episode. We talked about ad blockers.
SPEAKER_0 [00:04:59]
Yeah. And your friend, Josh Chandler.
SPEAKER_1 [00:05:03]
Josh Chandler rocks.
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:04]
Okay. Yeah. Yes, he does. So he
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:08]
he tweeted at us and directed us towards an ad blocker called Better.
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:12]
And it said better.fyi.
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:15]
And I I jumped on this bandwagon. It was 99¢. I went for Had a lovely icon. I mean, really, really just beautiful.
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:22]
And it's great, but they're apparently, like, I don't know, changing
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:26]
the name of their business, and they're telling you don't buy their app right now until they release sort of the new name. It's all very confusing.
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:33]
Suffice to say, I think this is probably the
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:37]
best ad blocker, at least the fastest one that I've tried, but you should wait to buy it. So props to Josh Chandler.
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:44]
Timing, little off.
SPEAKER_1 [00:05:47]
He just listened to our episode, and you're talking about ad blockers. And he probably doesn't pay any attention because
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:54]
he already bought it. Well, that's that's fair. But he's gonna have to buy it again. That's the whole thing. Right? So
SPEAKER_0 [00:06:01]
they're the company that makes this, and it's like a nonprofit. They moved from The UK to Ireland, and they're they've got, a new company that they incorporated.
SPEAKER_0 [00:06:09]
And it's just a whole weird thing,
SPEAKER_0 [00:06:12]
but
SPEAKER_0 [00:06:13]
the the app will continue. So when the app is relaunched, hopefully, will spot it. I follow them on Twitter, and, we can we can actually, like, say, hey. Go ahead and get this ad blocker.
SPEAKER_1 [00:06:24]
Alright.
SPEAKER_0 [00:06:24]
Sounds good. Anyway I'll wait till then. Josh, thanks for for tweeting at us.
SPEAKER_0 [00:06:31]
So, John, I got a question for you. What what shoes are you wearing right now? I'm not wearing any shoes. I'm in the house.
SPEAKER_0 [00:06:37]
Oh, that's the next segment.
SPEAKER_0 [00:06:40]
So wait.
SPEAKER_1 [00:06:43]
I And it's snowy in Iowa,
SPEAKER_0 [00:06:46]
so I'm not gonna track water melting snow all through the ice or all through the house. That's frustrating. This once whenever we have snow, I usually keep slippers by the door I can switch from one to the next. When I say slippers, I really mean Crocs, but, you know, what are you gonna do? Interesting.
SPEAKER_1 [00:07:01]
I I think wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. You care about what makes mac and cheese mac and cheese and what makes grilled cheese grilled cheese, but you'll call Crocs slippers?
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:11]
Alright. Let me
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:13]
explain.
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:14]
So I used to have two pairs of Crocs, a summer pair and a winter pair. And the winter pair had
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:20]
soft, fluffy liners that were very slippery like. Slipper. Interesting. Like, I don't even know how to say that, but you get what I'm saying. Slipper like? Yeah. Slipper like. There we go. You weren't like ice skating around the house?
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:31]
Correct.
SPEAKER_1 [00:07:32]
Yes. Slippery. That's correct. Okay. So yeah. Alright. Anyhow,
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:37]
so in my mind, those are my slippers. Now, I wore out the insides of those, and so I just have the summer pair,
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:43]
but they're they're, like, the they're my go to switch to indoor
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:47]
shoes.
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:49]
You make a fair point, John. You make a fair point.
SPEAKER_1 [00:07:52]
I'm not gonna defend myself. I think you need to get some old man,
SPEAKER_1 [00:07:56]
like,
SPEAKER_1 [00:07:57]
flannel plaid patterned slippers.
SPEAKER_0 [00:08:00]
I think that's a brilliant idea. Missus Lemmon, if you're listening to this podcast, I have a birthday coming up in May.
SPEAKER_1 [00:08:07]
What? You won't need slippers.
SPEAKER_0 [00:08:09]
Oh, dude. You need slippers all year round. Alright. Yeah. Absolutely. Alright. So where I was going with this wow. That was really off topic.
SPEAKER_1 [00:08:17]
What topic, Stan? I
SPEAKER_0 [00:08:21]
had the most frustrating
SPEAKER_0 [00:08:23]
experience trying to buy shoes this week, and I'm not even done. Like, I I can't even say that the saga is over because it's just so infuriating.
SPEAKER_0 [00:08:31]
So as as you know, I'm going to Disney here in February.
SPEAKER_0 [00:08:36]
I know that. Do our listeners know that? They're probably not because my kids just found out a couple weeks ago. K. Cats out the bag. We're going to Disney. It's gonna be great. Disney World or Disneyland?
SPEAKER_0 [00:08:45]
Disney World. I've never been to Disneyland. Not really interested. Is Galaxy's Edge opened at Disney World? Oh, you better believe it is. Alright.
SPEAKER_1 [00:08:52]
Continue.
SPEAKER_0 [00:08:53]
Talk this later. So I'm trying to prepare myself for a lot of walking. Right? Sure. Or standing in line for hours. Yeah. All of it. And there are two components to this. One is your cardiovascular health and your leg strength. Right? So
SPEAKER_0 [00:09:07]
every morning, I'm waking up and I'm doing the Disney Elliptical Run, right, for for thirty minutes on the Elliptical Disney prep. Wait. Wait. Wait. Are you gonna sign up for one of those, like, Disney five k's?
SPEAKER_0 [00:09:18]
No. No. John. John, I'm just prepping to walk around the park from ride to ride.
SPEAKER_0 [00:09:23]
Alright. So
SPEAKER_0 [00:09:25]
I gotta I gotta build up my stamina, man. Like, this is critical,
SPEAKER_0 [00:09:29]
especially this time of the year because, you know, I'm a little bit of a once it's cold outside. You do know that the these people run these five k's in costume and stuff, and you get this really awesome looking metal. Right? That's that's great. I have no interest. Like, running is not my thing. I'm not I'm not gonna even sit here and pretend like missus Lemon would love that, and someday, I hope she does. But that will not be me. I will be on the side handing her a cup of water. Fair enough. Anyhow, so I got the stamina thing going. Right? Like, I'm I'm working on I'm just exercising
SPEAKER_1 [00:09:57]
in the morning for Disney prep. Not even gonna comment about how ridiculous this is, but continue.
SPEAKER_0 [00:10:02]
So the the other component of this is your clothing. Right? And it begins with your shoes. You have to go you have good footwear. Yep. The secondary, like, good underwear and and, like, comfy tops and all those things. But you start with the the shoes. Right? And so I thought to myself, like, my shoes are just old enough that I probably
SPEAKER_0 [00:10:20]
I probably should get a new pair. Right? And, like, a good, nice walking pair.
SPEAKER_1 [00:10:26]
What's wrong with the Steelers shoes?
SPEAKER_0 [00:10:28]
Well, they're they're a little worn in. Like Oh, yeah? I yeah. And here's the thing. The Steelers shoes will be coming as a backup pair because when you go to Disney, you always need two pairs of shoes. Especially if it rains, except you're going in February, so I have no idea what Florida weather is like in February. It's a complete crapshoot.
SPEAKER_0 [00:10:42]
But the raining is the thing that causes you to bring a second pair of shoes. So the Steelers shoes, my Nikes, they will be my backup pair. K. But here's the thing. I was trying to figure out, like, okay, what do I what do I want my other pair of shoes to be? Because I really should get something, you know, sturdy with proper support, good for walking, standing in lines. Because, you know, I do recall, being at Disney World, you you're standing on, like, asphalt and concrete the whole time. There's there's just not a lot of give there, you know? Right. And it wears on you. So I was like, alright. I'm gonna I'm gonna invest in Disney shoes.
SPEAKER_0 [00:11:15]
K. So
SPEAKER_0 [00:11:16]
doing the Disney exercise, gonna do the Disney shoes. It's just the progression here. So I go online and I start doing research. Sure. And
SPEAKER_0 [00:11:24]
I tell you, John, I don't like buying a car, but I think I'd rather buy a car than buy shoes. That's the conclusion I've reached this week. Did you talk to
SPEAKER_1 [00:11:33]
Zappos customer support?
SPEAKER_0 [00:11:36]
No. What what would I would you say, hey. I need a pair of shoes for walking around Disney? Yes.
SPEAKER_1 [00:11:41]
I bet they would answer.
SPEAKER_0 [00:11:43]
So you're talking about just hitting up live chat.
SPEAKER_1 [00:11:47]
Yeah, man. I don't know if they have live chat, but they pride themselves on customer support.
SPEAKER_0 [00:11:53]
Okay. This this didn't even cross my mind. I'm I'm not gonna lie. This was not something that I had pondered. So
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:00]
should should we call them up right now here on the podcast?
SPEAKER_1 [00:12:03]
It might be boring to listen to, but you can try it. Yeah.
SPEAKER_1 [00:12:08]
But I you need to do this, and then you need to take screenshots and, like, post the
SPEAKER_1 [00:12:13]
the whole transcript.
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:14]
Okay. If they have
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:16]
if they have online chat,
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:18]
because I looking around here oh, apparently, I can text
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:22]
Ah, nice. To the the Zappos customer loyalty team,
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:27]
the chat with the Zappos customer loyalty team by text. This is the maybe
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:33]
needs some copy editors on this page, but whatever. Which is weird because Yeah. They're all native English speakers, I presume.
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:40]
Oh, yeah. Yeah. Mean Maybe not the support people, but they're all based out of Vegas, aren't they? I'm just I'm talking about the page I'm looking at, John. Not the not the texting. Yeah. Yeah. So
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:48]
alright. I'll give this a shot. We'll come back to this. K. Here's here's here's what I did. So I searched the interwebs
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:55]
for hours. I mean, like, literally multiple hours over several days in a row.
SPEAKER_0 [00:13:00]
I concluded that I didn't want cross trainers or actual running shoes. I wanted a legit
SPEAKER_0 [00:13:04]
walking shoes.
SPEAKER_1 [00:13:06]
Why did you come to that decision?
SPEAKER_0 [00:13:08]
Because of the support and, like, the, like, you know, where you can put pressure, and I'm not I'm not gonna be running. Like, I'm gonna be standing vertically and walking
SPEAKER_0 [00:13:15]
at a relatively slow pace because I'm gonna be with kids. And so, basically, a lot of the stuff I read said, like, you know, if you're using running shoes for just, like, up long walking,
SPEAKER_0 [00:13:24]
you're putting pressure in the wrong places. Like, okay. That makes sense. Right? So
SPEAKER_0 [00:13:29]
everything seemed reasonable. I was like, alright. I'm gonna go for straight on walking shoes. Cross trainers, the Internet seems to think it's just an abomination.
SPEAKER_0 [00:13:36]
I I don't I don't know what to make of it. It's from the shoe companies, man. I guess, dude. All a plot to make money. It's so overwhelming. So then I'm like, okay. Well, what do I do for like, where do I start for the brand, and how do I find the right shoe?
SPEAKER_0 [00:13:49]
Historically,
SPEAKER_0 [00:13:50]
I've I've bought, like, Keynes and Merrells, lately Merrells, and I I buy just, a hiking shoe,
SPEAKER_0 [00:13:55]
which has, you know, really great grippiness,
SPEAKER_0 [00:13:57]
but the support isn't there. Like, it's got a thick undersole or I shouldn't say thick. It's a tough undersole. It's not very thick. It doesn't have lot of cushion. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It makes sense. Why why I'm wearing these walking the dog around the subdivision?
SPEAKER_1 [00:14:10]
Nobody knows. Because they look cool.
SPEAKER_0 [00:14:13]
Well, I don't even know if they look cool. If you've seen the shoes I wear, they're
SPEAKER_0 [00:14:17]
they're just functional. Right? And they they fit, and I just kinda went with it. They the look fits a variety
SPEAKER_1 [00:14:24]
of situations.
SPEAKER_0 [00:14:25]
That's true too. And so I literally bought the same pair of Merrells, like, four times in a row. Just once a year, bought the Merrells, you know, phase the old ones out because I wore them off. Because I wouldn't shoot until they fall apart. You need white New Balances
SPEAKER_1 [00:14:39]
to
SPEAKER_1 [00:14:40]
solidify
SPEAKER_1 [00:14:41]
your status as a father.
SPEAKER_0 [00:14:44]
It's funny that you should mention New Balance.
SPEAKER_0 [00:14:46]
So eventually, in my search in my search for
SPEAKER_0 [00:14:50]
for walking shoes, I landed on the New Balance site. Alright. And yeah. So but here's the thing, John. I I've not tried New Balance shoes, and I don't know whenever. Like, it's just it's it's been a long time. And
SPEAKER_0 [00:15:04]
I think the great misnomer
SPEAKER_0 [00:15:05]
it's it's kinda like pants sizes, actually. The great misnomer in the clothing industry is that a size of a shoe is the same
SPEAKER_0 [00:15:13]
wherever you buy it, and that's just not true. Not
SPEAKER_0 [00:15:16]
It's not true at all. So what what size New Balance do I wear, John? I've been getting the same size Merrells for four years. It's not been a problem. What do I do? Sure.
SPEAKER_1 [00:15:25]
Not to mention the same size?
SPEAKER_0 [00:15:28]
Well, I mean, sure. But then what if it's too big or too small? You know? And you return it and go up or down. Oh, it's just it's so stressful. Even you saying that, like, it causes me to have heart palpitations. You know what you could do?
SPEAKER_1 [00:15:40]
So there's this place called Kohl's. They sell shoes. Oh, no. No. I am not.
SPEAKER_0 [00:15:46]
I have no desire to go shopping. Target? It's just the other part of problem. Does Target sell shoes? I have no idea. I think Target does. But again, it's not something I'm gonna do. Right?
SPEAKER_0 [00:15:55]
But but here's the thing. So I was I was spent a lot of time trying to grok all the numbers at New Balance.
SPEAKER_0 [00:16:02]
Right? Because it's it's like they don't have names. It's like 900, 9038771213262.
SPEAKER_0 [00:16:10]
Like, it it's all all over the place. And they Like in the shoe named title or whatever? Yeah. So, like Weird. Like the infamous, the classic New Balance is the one that Steve Jobs wore. They're right. There was New Balance's September, and you can buy the nine ninety v three today. Alright. Oy vey. So I finally find the one that I think is gonna work for me, and it's at a reasonable price because that's the other thing, John. New balances go from expensive to stupid expensive.
SPEAKER_0 [00:16:34]
True. Right? Yeah. So and I'm not think mine were pretty mine
SPEAKER_1 [00:16:38]
were pretty reasonable.
SPEAKER_0 [00:16:40]
Okay. Well,
SPEAKER_0 [00:16:42]
reasonable for you is, like, what? $20?
SPEAKER_1 [00:16:44]
I think it was probably more than 20. I think it was more like 40, but it seemed reasonable for a pair of shoes that are gonna last me probably
SPEAKER_0 [00:16:51]
three years. So Okay. I have to ask.
SPEAKER_0 [00:16:54]
Were they used?
SPEAKER_1 [00:16:56]
No. They were not used.
SPEAKER_0 [00:16:58]
Okay. Well,
SPEAKER_0 [00:17:00]
I
SPEAKER_0 [00:17:01]
finally settled on the New Balance eight seventy seven walking shoe.
SPEAKER_0 [00:17:05]
And
SPEAKER_0 [00:17:05]
I I was on Amazon, and I realized that I could do a prime wardrobe box having no idea what size. I ordered three sizes.
SPEAKER_0 [00:17:14]
Okay?
SPEAKER_0 [00:17:16]
So of the exact same shoe,
SPEAKER_0 [00:17:18]
and the box has been here. And so each day, I've worn a different size. I have done the elliptical on it, and I've worn them all day. I have not been outside with any of them. Sure. But somebody somebody in the world is gonna be getting my sweaty shoes after they're done or after I'm done,
SPEAKER_0 [00:17:34]
But, John, I can't I can't decide, like,
SPEAKER_0 [00:17:37]
which one is the right size.
SPEAKER_0 [00:17:39]
And I I didn't expect this to be a problem. Like, I don't know. It's it's just very frustrating.
SPEAKER_0 [00:17:45]
It's exhausting. I haven't made a decision yet. I have five days left on my prime wardrobe box. I really don't know what I'm gonna do.
SPEAKER_1 [00:17:53]
So three different sizes.
SPEAKER_1 [00:17:55]
Yep. And they're all of equal comfort.
SPEAKER_0 [00:17:58]
They're of different types of comfort, John.
SPEAKER_1 [00:18:01]
Alright.
SPEAKER_1 [00:18:03]
I think you're overthinking it. Go with the smallest one and
SPEAKER_0 [00:18:07]
Well, that's probably what I need to do. So what I've what I've come to realize, first of all, New Balance shoes are sized much bigger than Nike's.
SPEAKER_0 [00:18:14]
Second of all, the
SPEAKER_0 [00:18:16]
the boxing of the toe being more square
SPEAKER_0 [00:18:20]
probably means I don't need as long of a shoe is is was the conclusion I've reached as well. Sure. And then I think I just I've always gotten shoes that were, quite frankly, probably too large,
SPEAKER_0 [00:18:30]
by about a half size. So I'm I'm reconciling all of this. I think
SPEAKER_0 [00:18:35]
I think a couple more days of switching between really, I've eliminated one of the sizes. I'm just down to two. So if if I, if I can eliminate between those two, I'll be good. So We spent a lot of time talking about shoes right here. Well, it's stressful, John. I've been I've been having a hard time with this this week, man.
SPEAKER_0 [00:18:52]
And and everybody makes fun of me because I'm walking around the house with these shoes and I still got the tags on.
SPEAKER_0 [00:18:57]
So
SPEAKER_1 [00:18:59]
for the your Nikes, were your Nikes running shoes?
SPEAKER_0 [00:19:03]
I I don't they were. I have no idea what they were. I don't even know that they advertised a particular type of shoe. They just were decorated with Steelers colors, and they had the Steelers logo on it, and so I went with it. Got it. Because, like, running shoes will fit
SPEAKER_1 [00:19:16]
more snugly than a walking shoe, I presume. Well, and I bought these pretty loose
SPEAKER_0 [00:19:22]
as well. You know, they don't say anything. They just say Steelers. Like, I Got it. Who knows? And they're a couple years old. So Sure.
SPEAKER_1 [00:19:30]
Well,
SPEAKER_1 [00:19:31]
best of luck to you, Stan. I buy shoes by
SPEAKER_1 [00:19:34]
finding, hey, those kinda look like mine. My shoes aren't down here. Right now, I'm showing John the gray August
SPEAKER_0 [00:19:41]
New Balance walking shoes that I'm So I have seven.
SPEAKER_1 [00:19:45]
Mine must be cross training, but I have a darker gray,
SPEAKER_1 [00:19:49]
and I think there's some, like, red
SPEAKER_1 [00:19:53]
accents around my New Balance,
SPEAKER_1 [00:19:55]
but I like them.
SPEAKER_0 [00:19:56]
I I do like the simplicity of them. I'm hoping this works out. Again, just a little stressed about it, to be honest with you. It'll be fine, Stan. You'll be at Disney, and you won't even care. But here's the problem. What if on the first day of Disney, my feet hurt, John? What am I gonna do? I'm sure that there's some place to buy shoes near Disney That
SPEAKER_0 [00:20:14]
just seems like a terrible idea right there.
SPEAKER_1 [00:20:17]
Where are you staying? Are you staying at a resort? Are you staying at a
SPEAKER_0 [00:20:22]
Art Art of Animation.
SPEAKER_0 [00:20:24]
Of Animation. Art of Animation. Yeah. I think in the cars room, I think that's because they're they're different themes. It's like this You're going all out.
SPEAKER_0 [00:20:32]
And and we're gonna have fun. It's a it's a Pixar themed
SPEAKER_0 [00:20:37]
resort. So Interesting. Pretty stoked about it. So we'll we'll talk about that in the next episode, John. Yeah. I got a little bit of
SPEAKER_1 [00:20:44]
Okay. My
SPEAKER_0 [00:20:45]
mom invited me. I don't know what to tell you. Oh, okay. How's
SPEAKER_0 [00:20:48]
about next time? You wanna come with me next year? Maybe.
SPEAKER_0 [00:20:51]
Alright. Now we're talking.
SPEAKER_0 [00:20:53]
John,
SPEAKER_0 [00:20:54]
I finished that goofy book you like so much. Goofy book.
SPEAKER_0 [00:20:58]
Yeah. Which one? Alright. Well, let me hold on. What's your favorite book, John? My favorite book? Yeah.
SPEAKER_1 [00:21:08]
So I read the Chronicles of Narnia about once a year.
SPEAKER_1 [00:21:12]
Wage of the Dawn Treader is probably my favorite. That's not the answer I was expecting. So
SPEAKER_0 [00:21:17]
what's your second favorite book, John?
SPEAKER_0 [00:21:23]
I don't know, Stan. I haven't thought about it. I you mean to tell me that The Hobbit is not one of your favorite books? I haven't, like, ranked books, but I do like The Hobbit. Yes. K. When was the last time you read The Hobbit?
SPEAKER_1 [00:21:35]
Three years ago.
SPEAKER_0 [00:21:37]
Oh, gosh. See, I did this all for you, and it just doesn't
SPEAKER_0 [00:21:41]
seem seem significant anymore. So
SPEAKER_0 [00:21:43]
on multiplications, you've told me that I should read The Hobbit. My wife has also told me that I should read The Hobbit. And if you remember, I think it was probably this time last year
SPEAKER_0 [00:21:51]
I don't know. Actually, maybe it was a little before then. I I watched Lord of the Rings for the first time. Right. I I'm not gonna read that book or books. There's multiple. Right? No. It is one book.
SPEAKER_1 [00:22:03]
It's broken up into
SPEAKER_1 [00:22:05]
it's one continuous story. It's broken up into technically six books,
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:10]
what it's called. But, yes, you read it all at once, Stan. Okay. Well, I'm not doing that. But I did slug through The Hobbit. I got a bone to book pick with you because you like this book, don't you? Yes. I do. Okay. So here here's my bone that I'm gonna pick with you right now. I read 200 pages
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:27]
about these dwarves
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:30]
walking through Mirkwood
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:32]
and traveling to the mountain.
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:35]
The mountain? Yeah. To take on this dragon. And I'm picturing, like, a big epic fight with the dragon. Right? Sure.
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:44]
They're nowhere for the battle with the dragon.
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:47]
Dude. Some man kills the dragon with one arrow.
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:50]
Sure.
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:52]
The dwarves are completely out of the picture. Yeah. And and then all that goes down, and the guy Thorin turns out to be a real jerk, and he dies in the end. Yep.
SPEAKER_0 [00:23:02]
Are you kidding me? What were the 200 pages for, John?
SPEAKER_1 [00:23:06]
Hey, Stan.
SPEAKER_1 [00:23:08]
What's the name of the book?
SPEAKER_0 [00:23:10]
The Hobbit. But The Hobbit wasn't even part of killing Smaug.
SPEAKER_1 [00:23:13]
That's what I'm saying, man. He was AWOL. But The Hobbit has some awesome dialogue with Smaug.
SPEAKER_0 [00:23:19]
Okay. I the those riddles were better than the one with what's his bucket? Gollum?
SPEAKER_0 [00:23:24]
Yes. Yeah. Yeah. I didn't really enjoy that. That's like your favorite part too, isn't it? Yes. I love that. Riddles in the dark. Oh my gosh. So
SPEAKER_0 [00:23:33]
but again, that doesn't even have any point. Like, Gollum's whole presence barely has a point. Like, you don't need Gollum to discover the ring and suddenly be, you know, invisible and still get sifted out by smog.
SPEAKER_0 [00:23:45]
You don't read much fantasy, do you? I not like this, John. Here's I have a proposal. I've been thinking about this.
SPEAKER_0 [00:23:51]
You know, Thomas Jefferson
SPEAKER_0 [00:23:54]
didn't like all of the Bible, and so he cut it up and he made it into one version.
SPEAKER_0 [00:23:59]
Do this with The Hobbit? I'm a do this with The Hobbit, and I've got a I have a print I have a physical physical print print copy copy here. Here. The first thing I'm a do is I'm a rip off 200 pages in the beginning.
SPEAKER_0 [00:24:07]
It's gonna become a short story.
SPEAKER_0 [00:24:11]
And it's it's basically gonna be the battle of the five armies. That's it. There you go. Yeah.
SPEAKER_0 [00:24:17]
So now should I or should I not watch this movie?
SPEAKER_1 [00:24:21]
I would say don't watch the movies. It's also a trilogy.
SPEAKER_1 [00:24:24]
So they broke that 200 page book up and made it
SPEAKER_1 [00:24:28]
three movies that are two hours long each.
SPEAKER_0 [00:24:31]
Okay. Let me let me I I have more questions.
SPEAKER_0 [00:24:34]
K. So so the first two movies, is that, like, the first 200 pages of the book?
SPEAKER_1 [00:24:41]
Maybe.
SPEAKER_1 [00:24:42]
So Smog shows up in the second one.
SPEAKER_0 [00:24:45]
Okay. So no. No. It's not.
SPEAKER_0 [00:24:48]
If Smog if Smog is in the second book, they've already jumped 200 pages by the time they get or second movie. They've already jumped 200 pages to get to the second movie. Sure.
SPEAKER_0 [00:24:57]
So see, there you go. That's proof that, like, that first 200 pages completely unnecessary.
SPEAKER_0 [00:25:02]
They crammed it into one movie.
SPEAKER_0 [00:25:06]
I think we're looking at different things when we're reading this book, Stan. Well, help me understand, John. I I read it and I was so mad. I was so mad
SPEAKER_0 [00:25:15]
that we spent all this time and Bilbo is a coward, the dwarves are doofuses and Thor How is Bilbo Bilbo a coward?
SPEAKER_1 [00:25:24]
I I mean From a hobbit point of view. For what does that even mean? What does that even mean? Hobbits don't leave the Shire, man. So
SPEAKER_0 [00:25:33]
the second half of the book is like, I'm going on an adventure. Wine, wine, wine. I need my gold. I need breakfast. Wine. Wine. Wine. 200 pages of that. Like, I could do without that. Probably.
SPEAKER_0 [00:25:45]
Alright.
SPEAKER_1 [00:25:46]
It's all in the details, Stan. It's in the details
SPEAKER_1 [00:25:49]
of
SPEAKER_1 [00:25:50]
how are hobbits like you and in the
SPEAKER_1 [00:25:53]
world that Tolkien created.
SPEAKER_0 [00:25:55]
Okay. I will have you know,
SPEAKER_0 [00:25:58]
last night, as I was pondering all of this, I had missus Lemon look at my toes. I do not have hairy toes, John. I got nothing in common with hobbits. So you're a dwarf?
SPEAKER_1 [00:26:08]
Scaredy cat little dwarf.
SPEAKER_0 [00:26:12]
I feel like I should say, may your beard ever grow longer and just be done with it.
SPEAKER_0 [00:26:17]
That's it right? So the
SPEAKER_1 [00:26:19]
don't know. So
SPEAKER_1 [00:26:21]
so the only men
SPEAKER_1 [00:26:23]
in
SPEAKER_1 [00:26:24]
the hobbit are the ones that you run into in Rivertown or whatever. Right?
SPEAKER_0 [00:26:29]
Yeah. Yeah. K. So, like Well, I guess, in was it Dane?
SPEAKER_0 [00:26:34]
No. Dane's the dwarf still. Dane's the dwarf. Yeah. Yeah. It's just them. Then they reprise the elven's
SPEAKER_0 [00:26:39]
the elven king
SPEAKER_0 [00:26:40]
and his his
SPEAKER_0 [00:26:43]
brosefs. I don't even know if they call him.
SPEAKER_1 [00:26:47]
Yeah.
SPEAKER_1 [00:26:48]
So I'm sorry that you don't have a lot in common with The Hobbit, Stan.
SPEAKER_1 [00:26:52]
If more of us valued
SPEAKER_1 [00:26:54]
food and cheer rather than hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.
SPEAKER_0 [00:26:59]
Listen.
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:00]
I get the I get the food bit. Like, I'm all about that. I don't know.
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:05]
It
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:06]
was my first time through The Hobbit that I remember. I I might have read it when I was younger, but Sure.
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:11]
I I I just don't get it, John.
SPEAKER_1 [00:27:13]
No. So I would not watch the movie. I'm sorry you didn't like The Hobbit. I like it. I like it for the world building. I like it for the escapism,
SPEAKER_1 [00:27:21]
and I like it for the literary
SPEAKER_1 [00:27:24]
characters and devices that Tolkien uses
SPEAKER_1 [00:27:27]
to uncover
SPEAKER_1 [00:27:28]
things that are in reality.
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:30]
I feel like you probably thought about his sentences
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:33]
more than I did. Maybe.
SPEAKER_1 [00:27:35]
Yeah.
SPEAKER_1 [00:27:36]
Just go read the first page again, Stan.
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:39]
The first page. That's all you want me to read again? Yeah. I mean, it's like magic.
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:44]
Magic. Okay.
SPEAKER_1 [00:27:48]
In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit.
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:50]
We could we
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:52]
could drop a
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:54]
extra episode here, John, of just me reading the first page of The Hobbit. You want that? No. Sounds like it could be potentially weird. But No. It definitely could be weird. Can you imagine if somebody's just, like, driving along and they happen to be listening to us, and suddenly they're hearing the first page of The Hobbit?
SPEAKER_1 [00:28:08]
Yeah. Yeah. Anyhow, I tried it, John. I tried it for you, buddy, and I I I know. So let the listener know that Stan doesn't gravitate toward fiction usually. If it is fiction, it's a Star Wars novel,
SPEAKER_1 [00:28:21]
which is its own kind of fantasy, so I respect that, but
SPEAKER_1 [00:28:24]
not quite at hobbit high fantasy level.
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:28]
Yeah. I I don't know. There's I so I I I have on my list for this year
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:33]
to
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:34]
trek through Narnia again.
SPEAKER_1 [00:28:37]
This is gonna be long rocks. You have to think about Narnia
SPEAKER_1 [00:28:41]
and what the theological parallels are in each book.
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:45]
I I and I will do that, John. I will do that. But but here's I will say this. My If you're just gonna see a bunch of talking animals, you're gonna hate it, Stan.
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:53]
I don't know. I like Animal Farm. That's just a bunch of talking animals. That is true.
SPEAKER_1 [00:28:58]
That also is a stupid book unless you're looking at what he's really trying to say.
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:04]
And I'm and I'm okay with that. I I I think I don't know. There's something about
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:10]
CS Lewis in particular. I feel he just does a more like long
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:14]
tail coherent
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:16]
So It's it's Yeah. It's very different to me than Tolkien. So Tolkien
SPEAKER_1 [00:29:20]
loved languages,
SPEAKER_1 [00:29:22]
and he loved words.
SPEAKER_1 [00:29:24]
So there's definitely some of that nerdiness that comes through in his writing when he's trying to find the perfect word to describe something or, you know, creating his own languages completely so that he can write this song in it,
SPEAKER_1 [00:29:37]
and some of that definitely comes through.
SPEAKER_1 [00:29:40]
Yeah. I think that Lewis is probably more boring and more grounded, whereas
SPEAKER_1 [00:29:46]
Tolkien was more eccentric and
SPEAKER_1 [00:29:49]
nerdy.
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:50]
This explains why you like him, John. Sure. I like Lewis too.
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:55]
Alright. And on that note, John, it has been a pleasure, and I look forward to talking to you next week about something other than men with furry feet. Alright.
SPEAKER_1 [00:30:04]
Sounds good. We'll talk to you later,
SPEAKER_1 [00:30:06]
Stanley.
SPEAKER_0 [00:30:07]
See you, John.