Soooo...Any Plans for the Summer?

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand Episode: Soooo...Any Plans for the Summer? Release Date: January 29, 2025 Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts

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Introduction

In this episode of Armstrong & Getty On Demand, hosts Armstrong and Getty delve into the perennial question: "Any plans for the summer?" The conversation navigates through personal anecdotes, societal observations, and light-hearted banter, providing listeners with both humor and thoughtful insights.

Engaging with Everyday Interactions

Timestamp: [02:30]
Armstrong opens the discussion by reflecting on the often mundane yet universally relatable experiences of engaging with strangers in everyday settings, such as grocery stores. He shares his frustration with store employees who attempt to initiate conversations during transactions.

Armstrong: "People that try to engage you in conversation, like the person ringing you up at the grocery store... So what are your plans for tonight?"
[02:30]

Timestamp: [03:03]
Getty chimes in, empathizing with Armstrong's sentiments and expanding on the discomfort that unsolicited small talk can create.

Getty: "And I realized you're gonna drink milk and eat carrots."
[03:03]

Generational Differences and Communication

Timestamp: [03:37]
The hosts explore the generational gap in communication preferences, particularly focusing on how younger generations are increasingly engaged with technology, such as earpieces, which impacts face-to-face interactions.

Armstrong: "If you engage me in conversation, I feel less likely to come back. It's not your fault."
[03:37]

Timestamp: [04:00]
Getty recounts an experience at a dollar store where an employee, distracted by her earpiece, failed to acknowledge his presence, leading to Armstrong's strong reaction.

Armstrong: "If I owned that store, I'd be so freaking pissed off to know that I have somebody working the register that doesn't even say hello."
[04:00]

The Earpiece Phenomenon

Timestamp: [04:10] - [06:11]
Armstrong and Getty discuss the prevalence of earpieces and headphones in public spaces, dissecting the impact on social interactions and the potential for increased isolation. They ponder the future implications of this trend on society's ability to communicate effectively.

Armstrong: "I want to be able to talk to you. I want to know when I talk to you, you can hear me."
[05:30]

Getty: "It's going to happen. There's no stopping it. But it makes me nuts."
[05:56]

Customer Service and Personal Boundaries

Timestamp: [06:48] - [09:31]
The conversation shifts to customer service experiences, with Armstrong sharing a personal aversion to conversations initiated by service providers, such as dental hygienists. He advocates for clear communication of personal boundaries to improve service interactions.

Armstrong: "Tell them, please talk me through this. Help distract me. Or say, I'd prefer to sit here and just think and stare at the ceiling or listen to a podcast or something."
[08:35]

Getty: "A good one will get a sense from the patient whether they want to talk or be quiet."
[07:58]

Handling Stressful Situations

Timestamp: [09:28] - [11:24]
Armstrong delves into the challenges of managing stressful situations, such as blood draws, especially when service providers fail to respect patients' wishes for silence. He expresses frustration with lack of emotional intelligence in professionals.

Armstrong: "I don't want to hear a word about it. Let me just sit down, look at the wall, pretend something else is going on. You jab me. I'm fine."
[10:21]

Getty: "How do you not get this?"
[11:24]

Intergenerational Perspectives on Communication

Timestamp: [11:37] - [12:16]
The hosts reflect on how different generations perceive communication, expressing concerns about younger generations becoming increasingly insular due to technological distractions. They speculate on the long-term societal impacts of this shift.

Getty: "They'll all have your pieces in and they won't expect any communication whatsoever because they're all listening to music or a podcast."
[11:37]

Armstrong: "So we'll return to Jack's brutal and hateful dispatch of innocent dogs and probably cats at a future date."
[12:03]

Humorous Exchanges and Closing Remarks

Timestamp: [12:25] - [14:03]
The episode concludes with a series of light-hearted exchanges and humorous remarks. Armstrong and Getty briefly touch upon future topics and engage in witty banter, maintaining the show's signature blend of humor and candid discussion.

Grace: "If you don't mind, while you clean my teeth, tell me about the Cuban Missile Crisis."
[12:16]

Armstrong: "Clorox and feels like hmm. Alright, that could go on for a while."
[12:28]

Conclusion

Armstrong and Getty effectively blend personal anecdotes with broader societal observations, offering listeners relatable content mixed with thoughtful commentary. The episode underscores the complexities of modern communication and the evolving dynamics between service providers and customers, all delivered with the hosts' characteristic humor and sincerity.

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Note: Advertisements and promotional segments interspersed within the transcript have been excluded from this summary to maintain focus on the core content of the episode.

Transcript

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[Bob]

Have any big plans for the summer. It's One More Thing Armstrong and Getty One more thing. So we've been talking about this for years. People that try to engage you in conversation, like the person ringing you up at the grocery store and you know, I'm buying some groceries, I'm buying, I'm buying a gallon of milk and some carrots. So what are your plans for tonight?

[Charlie]

And I realized you're gonna drink milk and eat carrots.

[Bob]

That is exactly how I answer usually. Because I'm a smart ass and annoyed by those questions. And I am, I feel bad because it's not their fault. I, I don't think, I think many times you're told that that will make the customers feel more welcome or something. And like I said on the radio the other day, I wish there was some sort of stamp I could get or thing I could work around my neck or something says I'm not one of those people. I don't feel more likely to come back. If you engage me to in conversation, I feel less likely to come back. It's not your fault.

[Charlie]

But although I do require the basics of polite society because occasionally you'll be in a place, grocery store, maybe not so high end or person's having a bad day and they don't even acknowledge your presence. They just start ringing stuff up.

[Bob]

Did we talk about this on the air or not? About the person ringing me up who had the earpiece in. Did we talk about that on the air?

[Charlie]

I don't think so.

[Grace]

No, I don't think so.

[Bob]

I'm at a dollar store and because I agree. Hey, how you doing? Good, how you? Fine. Gotta have that.

[Charlie]

Find everything okay?

[Bob]

Yep, that's fine. I have no problem with that whatsoever. The nothing is weird. And so I was checking out the Dollar Storm with my two boys and checking out. And I said, hey, how's it going? She says nothing to me and rings me up and I said, have a good day. She said nothing to me and I walked out and I said, that girl shouldn't be working there. If I owned that store, I'd be so freaking pissed off to know that I have somebody working the register that doesn't even say hello. And he said, dad, she had her earpiece and she's listening to music. I said, well then I'd absolutely freaking fire her. And he said that in. My son was like really taken aback by my response to that. Like everybody has their earpiece in. It's okay, it's not a big deal. She's listening to music. And my son always has his earpiece in. I mean always. And I have to tell him, take it out. I want to talk to you. I want to be able to talk to you. I want to know when I talk to you, you can Hear me. I mean, if we're riding in the car or whatever, and it's just part of that, that age group, they have it in always with each other. Like if there's four dudes sitting around talking, they each have an earpiece in listening to music. I guess while I don't know what that is, if it's just like a fashion thing or if their brain actually desires it, but I thought, when I'm dead and it won't be long, I'm in the winter of my life. The next generation, they'll all have your pieces in and they won't expect any communication whatsoever because they're all listening to music or a podcast. And so I guess they'll go through the store checkout. Nobody will talk to each other. You know, you ride together in a car somewhere, nobody says a word to each other because you're all listening to your own stuff in your head. It's just going to happen. There's no stopping it. But it makes me nuts.

[Grace]

But I didn't realize it had gotten that bad.

[Bob]

Oh, yeah, yeah. He couldn't believe that it bothered me that she had an earpiece in and didn't respond to me because that's the way his generation does it.

[Charlie]

Shocking to me.

[Bob]

Yeah, I know, I know.

[Charlie]

Well, and it's resulted in so much unmistakable misery and isolation. I just. If I'm. If I'm casting my bets for who's in charge of the world in 200 years, it's the young and hungry and backward civilizations right now. Although they may well as soon as they get hold of the technology and the food. I mean, every country that goes from like 11 cents per capita for GDP to like over A$50, they immediately become obese and they adopt all of the modern stuff that's killing us. I just think we've invented our own doom. We've invented too many pleasures to resist.

[Bob]

No country for old men. Right? But back to, like, people that aren't teenagers, where you expect some sort of normal give and take with the cashier or. The dental hygienist came up the other day, Katie brought up. She hates it when they ask her questions. When they got their hands in your mouth because you can't answer. Anyway, Katie's not here today because she's sick, but we got this text about that because we were wondering. I'm sure the dental hygienist is told to make conversation. It makes the patients feel more comfortable or something like that. I don't know.

[Charlie]

Yeah, helps distract them from things that bother you. Or scare you or whatever.

[Bob]

Sure. Longtime listener. This person texts. Lived in San Francisco for 20 years. I now live in Manhattan. Okay.

[Charlie]

Wow.

[Bob]

One of those people that. There are only really a couple places you can live in America. Los Angeles, New York, maybe San Francisco or Chicago. But those are your only options. I know a number of people like that. The only places they've lived are those very big cities. But anyway, as a longtime dental hygienist, employers do not tell you to engage in conversation with the patients. Some patients absolutely want us to talk and tell them stories to take their time off the process or their mind off the process.

[Charlie]

Yeah.

[Bob]

And a good one will get a sense from the patient whether they want to talk or be quiet. Which I do appreciate that you picked up on my hateful, hateful, murderous vibe. But I don't want to talk. I appreciate that. It is perfect. Perfectly polite to tell us how you want to experience the appointment. It's your money, your time. So tell them, please talk me through this. Help distract me. Or say, I'd prefer to sit here and just think and stare at the ceiling or listen to a podcast or something. You don't need to talk to me. That's not a bad idea. Just tell them ahead of time. I'm not a person that wants to talk, so don't feel like you have to. I don't know. Does that come off as being a dick?

[Charlie]

I would guess among the folks that have bothered me. And when I say bothered me, it's fine. It's really.

[Bob]

Oh, yeah. It's a. Yeah. First world problems. I mean, seriously.

[Charlie]

Yeah. If. Yeah. In the list of things that actually bother me, that's way, way, way down. But the gal who I've worked with at times in the past, I'll just say that. Dental hygienist. I could write a fairly brief but but reasonably complete biography of this woman.

[Bob]

And that is her Boswell to her Johnson. You could write a biography of her having just followed her around.

[Charlie]

Yeah. And I just. There's no need for that. But, yeah, it's fine. I just. I will. I'm not going to put on they. My old dentist and I've been very fortunate to have had two dentists in the last 30 years. They've both been fantastic. My old dentist.

[Bob]

I haven't been to the dentist in 20 years. So we have that in common.

[Charlie]

Wow. But they would give you headphones. But I would always just wear one because they have to communicate with you. Can you tilt your head a little toward me? Great. Or, you know Whatever, Open a little less. That's to help them do their thing. And so I've never been comfortable with. And maybe it's my generation with being incommunicado.

[Bob]

No, I don't like.

[Charlie]

You have to communicate.

[Bob]

You know the one that I hate the most, and this is a different topic, but the one I hate the most. Blood draws. And I. Even if I. First of all. Yeah. Don't talk about it. And then even if I tell them not to talk about it, most of the time they do. Look, just. I'm fine with this. We'll be okay. Just. I don't want to. Don't talk about it at all. Let's not talk about it still. I'm going to get a. Ooh, you got some juicy veins. This will be easy. Or having trouble finding your veins. It's going to be hard to get the needle into your veins because I need you to clench your.

[Charlie]

Yeah, stop talking about it.

[Bob]

All right. I don't want to hear a word about it. Let me just sit down, look at the wall, pretend something else is going on. You jab me. I'm fine.

[Charlie]

Some people, and this covers every occupation known to mankind, be they a humble street sweeper or a skilled brain surgeon or something in between. In every profession, Jack, there are dumbasses or people who are so emotionally not intelligent they can't take an effing hint and see it from your perspective.

[Bob]

And it's. It's annoying with me, but really annoying with my son, who every time but once has thrown up when he gets a blood dry, gets so anxious and nervous and out of control. Everything like that. We have multiple adults, have to hold them down. I mean, it's a horrific experience every time we do that. But I go in there ahead of time and say, let's just not talk about it at all. He really struggles with this. I say what I just said and everything like that. And almost all the time they say, the needle's not that big. See here, look at the needle. It's not going to.

[Charlie]

No.

[Bob]

No. You effing moron. How do you not get this?

[Charlie]

Wow. Wow. I don't think there's anything you can do for a person like that.

[Bob]

Here, I'm going to grab me the needle. How do you like it? Suppose you're not so.

[Charlie]

Probably not now, but next podcast, I will tell you this next to one more thing. Podcast. The discussion of your disposable dog theory will not die. And. And the. The responses and thoughts and philosophizings are not getting less interesting. They're getting more interesting.

[Bob]

Okay, cool. I like this.

[Charlie]

So we'll return to Jack's brutal and hateful dispatch of innocent dogs and probably cats at a future date.

[Bob]

So. So more psychopathy on the next One more thing.

[Grace]

You know, at my next dental appointment, I'm going to look at the hygienist and say, if you don't mind, while you clean my teeth, tell me about the Cuban Missile Crisis.

[Bob]

Just give them a topic.

[Grace]

I'm going to give them a topic.

[Bob]

Yeah.

[Grace]

Well, I guess that's it.

[Alice]

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[Eve]

Cleans like.

[Bob]

Clorox and feels like hmm. Alright, that could go on for a while.

[Alice]

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[Eve]

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