And That's Why We Drink

Episode E460: Haunting Snap Chats and Screening Calls from Space

Date: November 30, 2025
Hosts: Christine Schiefer & Em Schulz

Episode Overview

In this lively live show edition from Houston, Christine and Em treat the audience to their signature blend of campy paranormal tales and jaw-dropping true crime. Em leads with the chilling haunted history of the Hotel Galvez in Galveston, Texas, weaving local lore with interactive antics. Christine follows with the notorious true crime story of astronaut Lisa Nowak—a love triangle that launched an astronaut from heroism to tabloid infamy. With Texas road trip mishaps, playful on-stage chaos, and their infamous drinking game, the episode is a classic reminder of why "the world's a scary place. And that's why we drink!"

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Houston Live Show Banter & Audience Connection

• The hosts discuss their Texas tour adventures:
  • First time doing a double live show: “Feels like an eternity...we’ve been on the road a long time.” (06:54)
  • Buc-ee’s splurge: “We spent our life savings.” (05:35)
  • Struggles with Texas highways: “Your highways have very short ramps…and many, many large trucks that won’t let you have text…they have places to be.” (06:32-06:47)
  • Texas hospitality: “You’re setting the bar very high for the rest of our tour.” (09:16-09:23)

2. Drinking Game, On-Stage Antics & Audience Warm-up

• Emma introduces the show’s self-deprecating drinking game:
  • “Drink once if Christine gasps.” (10:18)
  • “Drink once for ‘listen.’" (10:24)
  • “Drink once for ‘fun fact’…which is not fun at all.” (10:28)
  • Running jokes (e.g., sweating references, references to the ‘sweet baboo’).
  • Ivan: “And based on the last show we did—woohoo! That’s why everyone’s drunk.” (11:41)
• Memorable audience pander:
  • Em: “If you’re not excited, applaud anyway, because I have anxiety.” (09:51)

3. Paranormal: The Haunted Hotel Galvez (Em’s Story)

[17:01-47:04]

Background & Tragedy

• The Hotel Galvez in Galveston, TX is rumored to be "the oldest and most haunted hotel in Galveston." (18:48)
• Built on the site of devastating tragedy:
  • 1900 Galveston storm destroyed St. Mary’s Orphan Asylum, killing 90 of 93 children and 10 nuns.
  • Nuns tied themselves to children with rope to keep them together—tragically leading to mass drowning.
    • Em: “Allegedly, some of the bodies are buried on the property where the hotel is now.” (21:31)
  • Beach rebuilding and the birth of the Hotel Galvez in 1911.

Ghostly Residents & Encounters

• “Lovelorn Lady,” aka Audra:

  • Bride-to-be, stayed at the hotel awaiting her fiancé.
  • Hung herself in room 501 after falsely believing fiancé died at sea; he returned a week later. (23:57-24:07)
  • “Her name is, quote, ‘Lovelorn Lady.’ That’s the ghost’s name. And she is the most famous spirit at Hotel Galvez.” (24:16)
  • Ghostly activity: seen walking, sitting on beds, slamming doors, electronics malfunctioning, “phones not working in the room…someone else will answer.” (32:39-32:56)
  • Audra's EVP responses: “When asked ‘what happened to you?’ a spirit box has gotten her saying both the words ‘bathroom’ and ‘rope.’” (33:11)

• Child Spirits:

  • Orphan ghosts: “Guests and staff have seen a little girl in early 1900s clothing, bouncing a ball.” (24:38)
  • Children’s voices: “Children are heard all over the hotel doing the creepiest things—singing, humming, giggling, touching, playing in groups.” (25:58)
  • Pranks on guests: knocking on doors, playing piano, stealing toilet paper, knocking on bathroom stalls. (26:35, 28:48, 36:18)
  • Particularly active on the third floor.

• Other Paranormal Phenomena:

  • Woman in white (Audra) seen with child spirits.
  • Cold breezes, crying in bathrooms, electronics malfunctioning.
  • Haunting stories in bathrooms: “Lights went out, then she heard heavy breathing and a man say, ‘Get out.’” (35:09)
    • Christine: “That’s paranormal and true crime…ultimate terror crossover.” (35:21)
  • Nuns’ spirits seen walking the beach before storms, especially Sister Catherine, who tried to save the children. (40:30)
  • Mischievous spirits: breaking wine glasses, laundry machines, dishes; sometimes cleaning or messing up hotel rooms.

Notable Quotes

• “Children are just the worst sometimes, aren’t they?” – Christine (36:22)
• Audience’s nervous laughter at dead children: “It’s really fun trying to make everyone laugh when I talk about dead children. Dead orphans. Welcome to my world, baby.” – Em (25:19)

Audience Anecdotes

• Em’s own “ghostly knock” in Houston hotel as they wrote notes: (27:06-28:26)
• Christine on living with nightmares: “All of this nightmare stuff, just nightmares all the time…That’s the toll this job takes. Just thinking about the ring, dreaming about the ring.” (30:00-30:50)

4. True Crime: The Case of Astronaut Lisa Nowak (Christine’s Story)

[50:06-76:46]

Lisa Nowak: Childhood Dream to NASA Stardom

• Highly accomplished: Naval flight officer, engineer, NASA astronaut. (51:37-53:02)
• Life upheaval begins after the death of best friend and fellow astronaut Laurel Clark in the Columbia disaster. (53:23)
• Increasing stress: “Lisa and her husband began having arguments so loud and terrible that neighbors started noticing.” (54:16)

The Love Triangle

• Affair with fellow astronaut Bill “Billy O.” O’Fline while still married but separated. (54:41-55:25)
• O’Fline meets Colleen Shipman, “they form an instant connection and fall for each other.” (55:36)
• “He literally called her from space…A voicemail from space.” (56:30)
• Colleen learns of Lisa only when Billy accidentally calls her by Lisa’s name during an intimate moment. (61:21)
• Billy claims he broke off with Lisa, but “that was not the case. He was full of baloney.” (61:36)

The Infamous Drive & Attack

• Lisa drives 13+ hours from Houston to Orlando overnight, equipped with a violent “kit”: latex gloves, wig, pepper spray, hammer, knife, cash, Colleen’s flight schedule. (63:12-64:04)
• “She waits in the baggage claim…changing into her disguise.” (64:18-64:49)
• Pursues Colleen across parking garage. After being rebuffed, pepper sprays Colleen through the cracked window. (65:18-66:49)
• Caught discarding trench coat, wig, and weapons; arrested for attempted kidnapping and other charges. (66:49-67:20)
• Christine’s “fun fact”: “She’s the first US Astronaut ever to be arrested…let alone for a felony.” (67:20)

Cultural Fallout: The Diaper Legend

• Media sensation: alleged use of adult diapers to avoid stopping on drive. (71:22)
• “That’s what she became famous for…she urinated in diapers so she did not need to stop on her way to Orlando.” (71:24-73:01)
• Christine: “You can call her a lot of things, but you can’t call her not dedicated.” (71:44)

Legal Aftermath & Social Implications

• Pleads not guilty, claims temporary insanity, apologizes in court (perfunctorily).
• Receives two days in jail, one year probation, discharged from Navy with reduced rank, but retains benefits. (73:32-74:23)
• Media, NASA, and military leadership all handle fallout differently—Colleen permanently sidelined, Lisa vanishes from public life.
• Case becomes inspiration for film “Lucy in the Sky” with Natalie Portman. (76:06)

Notable Quotes

• “I want to take a quick moment to address Uranus…” – Christine, on audience-invented space innuendos (59:20)
• “The stuff in her car obviously says otherwise…she also had a precise trip log, flight info, and a hand drawn diagram.” (69:18-69:47)
• On the infamous diapers: “Every late-night show…making fun of her despite herself. She would deny the allegations, but the media was like, fucking hell, we don’t care. This is gold.” (71:44)

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On the unique energy of a live show:
  • “If we sound a little out of it at the end, you’re gonna hear some nonsense out of me, I’ll tell you that.” – Emma (07:54)
  • “This is the unedited version because Eva can’t edit this live. So good luck to whatever you hear tonight.” – Emma (17:08)
• Em’s horror story audience engagement:
  • “It’s really fun trying to make everyone laugh when I talk about dead children. Dead orphans. Welcome to my world, baby.” (25:19)
• Space romance puns:
  • “More like spacey emails.” – Emma (59:10)
  • “Leave it to humans to be like, sexting each other IN SPACE.” – Christine (57:57)
• On the dedication of Lisa Nowak:
  • “I mean, gross, but dedicated.” – Emma (71:42)
• Christine on the mundane horrors of haunting:
  • “They break entire cabinets full of wine glasses. That ain’t a joke, sir.” (38:12)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time | Segment | |------|---------| | 04:47 | Show kicks off in Houston, live audience banter | | 09:51 | Drinking game/rundown of show inside jokes | | 17:01 | Paranormal Story: Hotel Galvez background begins | | 23:01 | The legend of Audra, the “Lovelorn Lady” | | 24:38 | Child spirits and their antics | | 27:06 | Em’s hotel door “knock incident” | | 32:56 | Electronics and phone ghost activity | | 35:09 | Ghostly bathroom encounter (“Get out!”) | | 40:30 | Sightings of nuns on the beach during storms | | 47:04 | Transition to True Crime segment | | 50:06 | Christine introduces Lisa Nowak case | | 53:23 | Columbia disaster, mounting stress | | 54:41 | The love triangle blooms | | 56:30 | “Voicemail from space” segment | | 61:21 | Billy O’ accidentally calls Colleen “Lisa” | | 63:12 | Lisa’s infamous road trip and confrontation | | 67:20 | Lisa becomes “first US astronaut arrested” | | 71:22 | The legendary diapers and media feeding frenzy | | 76:06 | Natalie Portman’s “Lucy in the Sky” mention |

Episode Close

• Warm thanks and gratitude for the fans and the last two years of podcasting. (77:26-78:18)
• “And that’s why we drink.” – Classic sign-off.

This episode is a perfect example of why fans love "And That's Why We Drink:" campfire storytelling, a touch of the bizarre, and chemistry that turns any tale into an essential listen. Whether you’re in it for the ghosts, the crime, or just the laughs, this live show brings it all—Texas-sized.