#4698 The Dog Days Of April

Summary

TBTL: Too Beautiful To Live

Episode #4698 – "The Dog Days Of April"
Date: April 3, 2026
Hosts: Luke Burbank & Andrew Walsh
Special Guest: Genevieve

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Episode Overview

This Friday edition of TBTL explores the excitement and anxiety as Andrew and Genevieve move closer to adopting a dog, with updates on their foster experience, the saga of Lola and her puppies, comical digressions about pet naming, and Genevieve’s recent courtroom venture to fight a traffic ticket. The show also features updates on community happenings, listener mail, and the reveal of the new name and mascot for the TBTL Junior Sluggers little league team.

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Key Topics & Insights

1. Andrew & Genevieve’s Dog Adoption Journey

(Timestamps: 03:01–19:57; 42:59–43:12)

• Background:
  Andrew and Genevieve have been seriously considering adopting a dog for the better part of a year, ideally an older rescue compatible with their cat.

• Rescue Organization Meeting:
  After meeting with a rescue organization, they were introduced to Lola, a two-and-a-half-year-old dog who, although sweet, showed prey instincts that likely make her unsuitable for a cat household.

  • “Lola is a sweet dog... but also has showed a little bit of a prey instinct.” – Andrew (05:31)

• The Puppies:
  Lola has a litter of eight puppies, all named after Taylor Swift songs (with some confusion about the naming origins). Andrew notes that, contrary to previous assumptions, it can be easier to find homes for puppies than older dogs, which led them to consider fostering a puppy instead.

• Puppy Party:
  During a house visit to meet the dogs, Andrew paints a vivid scene of “a sea of cuteness” as they interact with the puppies. Genevieve took to a puppy named Clara, while Andrew felt a strong bond with Lola, who kept approaching him for quiet affection amid the chaos.

  • “None of the other dogs said to me, I am your dog. Like Lola did.” – Andrew (16:32)

• Fostering Decision:
  Ultimately, Andrew and Genevieve decide to foster (with intent to adopt) a puppy, specifically “Ophelia” (the name will change, but it’s one of the trio available: Ophelia, Clara, Betty).

  • “If all goes well over the course of two weeks, will be our puppy.” – Andrew (18:03)
  • Genevieve is postponing the name reveal for added suspense and “content.”
    • “I’m stretching the story out. I’m giving you content.” – Genevieve (21:40)

• Dog Behavior Learning:
  Andrew brings up researching dog signals, like how a post-social interaction “shake-off” is an emotional reset for dogs.

  • “That’s them, sort of saying, I’m just gonna reset here. It’s like our version of deep breaths.” – Andrew (13:48)

• Bonding with Lola:
  Despite committing to a puppy, Andrew shares real reluctance and nostalgia for Lola, questioning if she’ll find her own forever home.

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2. Comedic Pet Name Debates

(Timestamps: 06:11, 13:07, 18:15, 19:41)

• Luke jokes about naming dogs after Taylor Swift songs and tosses out ridiculous alternatives:
  • “Is there one of the songs called My Boyfriend Has a Large Hog?” – Luke (06:33)
  • Suggests names like "Cruel Summer," “I Knew You Were Trouble,” and “this sick beat.”
• The couple plans on giving the adopted puppy a new, secret name—a source of playful tension and show fodder.

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3. Frame Mogging & Mariners Baseball Tangent

(Timestamps: 10:25–11:51)

• Andrew engages Luke in a side conversation about “frame mogging” (outshining someone physically) in both sports and puppy behavior, complete with deliberations over Seattle Mariners’ representation on the “MLB All-Mog Team.”

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4. Listener Mail & Show Support

(Timestamps: 23:02–31:16, 51:59–58:39)

• Dazzling Donors:
  Luke and Andrew thank donors, reading their notes and discussing show- and region-specific references, such as Balkan breakfasts and Trader Joe’s store openings. Notable donor quotes:

  • “I look forward to another year of garbage anxiety, travel talk, and cat adventures. Well, Laura, add dog adventures to the list.” – Luke (25:27)
  • “My drive home to Edmonds from Queen Anne Hill takes me through Seattle’s historic Burbank district and right past Daniel Bagley Elementary.” – Craig (29:49)

• What's in the Box:
  Listener Catherine sends handcrafted calendar objects; listener David (from the band The Smittens) gifts TBTL-themed art prints.

  • “This is my Remains of the Day lunchbox.” – Luke (53:15) (quoting Waiting for Guffman as he unboxes the themed print)

• Community Story:
  A listener updates that support from another ten helped them through hardship, ending with a job as head chef—a moment that moved Andrew to tears.

  • “I was just—tears raining on my face, raining on my face.” – Andrew (59:00)

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5. Genevieve’s Courtroom Adventure

(Timestamps: 32:07–41:57)

• Genevieve recounts her experience contesting a $75 bus lane ticket received during a frantic effort to retrieve her lost phone with Andrew behind the wheel (“a caper”).
• Portrays a mixture of over-preparation (suit for a Zoom court) and surprise at how mundane the process actually was (“I was on the Zoom call with her for three minutes.” – Genevieve 40:45).
• Shares the story’s successful result: the judge reduces the fee to $30.
  • “She just said, 'Okay, well, that makes sense. I’ll reduce your ticket to $30.'” – Genevieve (39:31)

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6. TBTL Junior Sluggers / Parkside Jalapeños Announcement

(Timestamps: 43:16–46:26)

• The team formerly known as the Gators is now the Parkside Jalapeños, with a new mascot designed by Coach Ben: a jalapeño in a baseball cap holding a TBTL pennant (“Keep it spicy” slogan).
  • “If that were a minor league team, Andrew, I’d go watch the Jalapeños.” – Luke (45:19)
• The children’s name suggestions included “The Nukes” and “Rabid Squirrels,” which Coach Ben vetoed, favoring the spicy choice.

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7. Baseball: Games, Rule Changes, & Weather Woes

(Timestamps: 46:27–51:19)

• Andrew reflects on new MLB time regulations and recounts watching a particularly long, rain-soaked game. He expresses being won over by the pitch clock and worries over player injuries during unnecessarily extended matches.
  • “I am now like a mother hen constantly.” – Andrew (50:05)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Andrew on Puppy Pandemonium:
  “It is like your dream of a puppy party. It’s just like these just fluffy little... it was just a swarm of cuteness.” (09:33)

• Luke on Names:
  “Are you gonna name it Cruel Summer?” (18:15)

• Genevieve on Court Over-Preparation:
  “I put on more makeup than I normally would for a work-from-home day. And from the waist up, I look very presentable.” (34:02)

• Luke’s Take on TBTL Community:
  “This thing, TBTL, has become the scaffolding for a bunch of really awesome people like yourself to get to be friends and, you know, support each other and also make this show happen.” (25:30)

• Genevieve on the Legal Outcome:
  “I feel like this is a win for me, and an absolutely great... a great use of my time. To the tune of $45.” (39:54)

• Andrew on Listener Support:
  “I was just—tears raining on my face, raining on my face. So I’m glad to hear that that person’s doing all right.” (59:00)

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Important Timestamps

• Dog Adoption Backstory: 03:01
• First Puppy/Human Interactions: 08:25
• Decision to Foster/Adopt Puppy: 13:07; 18:03
• Comedic Naming Segment: 18:15
• Puppy’s Identity (Ophelia): 19:41
• Genevieve’s Court Story Starts: 32:07
• Bus Lane Ticket Reduced: 39:31
• Reveal of Parkside Jalapeños: 43:16
• Listener Mail & Gifts: 51:59
• TBTL Community Story: 59:00

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Tone & Style

As always, TBTL delivers its mix of gentle, meandering humor, affectionate self-deprecation, and cozy community vibes. Whether discussing the logistics of pet adoption, dissecting baseball minutiae, or championing the power of small kindnesses, the conversation is warm, personal, and sprinkled with inside jokes and playful banter.

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Summary Takeaway

This episode offers a window into the TBTL community’s heart: from the chaotic joy and anxiety of bringing a new puppy home, to the relief of a court case resolved, to the delight of a little league team picking a quirky mascot. The show exemplifies camaraderie, mutual support, and everyday comedy—proof that even the “dog days” of April can brim with warmth and optimism.

Transcript

[Luke Burbank]

How many hot dogs do you eat in a day, Tim? I'd rather not answer that. Thank you, though.

[Andrew Walsh]

Did you eat hot dogs today?

[Luke Burbank]

Not exactly. Why are you bringing this up? Well, you have mustard on your shirt, and frankly, your burps reek of hot dogs. I had a hot dog bowl earlier today. Yes, I did.

[Andrew Walsh]

And what is a hot dog bowl?

[Luke Burbank]

It's like a burrito bowl, but chopped up hot dogs in a big old bread bowl.

[Andrew Walsh]

So like a much larger, less healthy hot dog.

[Luke Burbank]

Can I go? I'm starving.

[Andrew Walsh]

TBTL Guess what day it is. Guess what day it is. It's Friday Friday Gotta get down on Friday Everybody's looking forward to the weekend I have no idea why I have

[Genevieve]

Fred Schneider's solo album. Why did I buy this funky little purchase?

[Andrew Walsh]

Is that your first finder?

[Genevieve]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

Why did I buy this funky little purchase?

[Genevieve]

We have our own friends.

[Andrew Walsh]

We're the number one show in hospitals and on sinking riverboat casinos. Just to make sure I've gotten all

[Luke Burbank]

the information correct, I'm going to need

[Andrew Walsh]

to confirm a few more things. I need some help, please.

[Luke Burbank]

Your name is Eric Target.

[Andrew Walsh]

Is this correct?

[Luke Burbank]

Okay, I'll go ahead and make that change. Great. I've made the change. Your wife's new legal name is Targets. Targets.

[Andrew Walsh]

Let's get to the jokes.

[Luke Burbank]

All right. Hello, good morning and welcome, everyone, to a Friday edition of tbtl, the show that just might be too beautiful to live. I can't believe you're still on the air. My name's Luke Burbank. I'm your host, oh La La. Coming to you from the Madrona Hill studio, perched high above the mighty Columbia, where it's gonna be a beautiful, sunny, warm. Oh, Ma pa. It's so. Just beautiful Friday out here as we arrive at episode 4698 in a collector

[Andrew Walsh]

series, Let the fun begin.

[Luke Burbank]

Australia has enshrined a particular piece of audiotape. Australia is a wonderful island and said that it's one of the more culturally significant recordings that's happened in Australia in maybe the last 20 or 30 years.

[Andrew Walsh]

Australians are just as unique, both warm

[Luke Burbank]

and direct, and we will tell you what that audio is. Also, we have an update with the TBTL junior Sluggers who kick off their season tomorrow. Kids and fantasy. They have landed on a team name, and it is a humdinger. Can't wait to tell you about that. And can't wait to talk to this guy. Longest running cobra of the show. Maybe best known for his depictions of the tall ships. Oh, he's Hilarious Dog. Who is Andrew Walsh, and he's joining me right now. Good morning, my friend.

[Andrew Walsh]

You gotta say Rick Moranis there, though. It's just. It's like shaving a haircut. Two bits. Remember how drove that rabbit crazy? And who framed Roger Rabbit?

[Luke Burbank]

Are you considering naming your new dog Rick Moranis?

[Andrew Walsh]

Who is Rick Moranis? And you have to say that he is Hilarious Dog. We did go visit some dogs yesterday, Luke, as you well know, I mentioned that to you earlier in the. In the week. That was a dog that we went to to meet. So here, let me tell you what the situation was, please. Little background, little BG and me here. As you know, Genevieve and I have been talking seriously about getting a dog for, I'm gonna say, eight to ten months now.

[Luke Burbank]

Years.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, unseriously for ten years, but seriously, for the better part of a year at this point. But the plan in our head, once we got serious and started saying this is actually something that we're gonna pursue, was the idea to adopt an older dog, you know, like a couple of years old, between 2 and 4 years old or something, because we wanted a dog that had a good relationship and a proven track record with cats. Because, of course, we have a cat that we have here in the home that we love to death and don't want to do anything to disrupt him. So that's been our plan. And as I told you on the show earlier this week, we sat down for the first time with somebody who helps run a rescue organization for dogs, and she was showing us dogs in about that range. But the more we talked, it sort of sounded like, well, conventional wisdom is if you want your dog to get along with your cat, you probably want to bring a puppy in and raise them more together. Which was an idea that was sort of in the back of my head. But I really thought my assumption for all of this is that, like, if you're rescuing a dog, the dogs who are a little bit older, like in the range I was talking about, need more attention. Anyway, I just figured puppies fly off the shelves because they're puppies and they're cute and everything, and everybody wants a puppy. And so I thought it'd be much easier for us to find an older dog. So this person that we were meeting with the other week showed us a dog named Lola who's about two and a half years old.

[Luke Burbank]

Was that the one you sent me a photo of? Was that Lola, or was that Ophelia?

[Andrew Walsh]

No, I didn't have any. I didn't have any photos of Lola. But we saw a quick little video. The woman was sharing her screen with us. And so I saw a quick little video of Lola. And I'll be honest with you, when I saw Lola kind of running around, I was like, okay, that's fine. She didn't strike me as like an especially, you know, like a dog that I saw a quick video of and just fell in love with right away. I was like, okay. But the person who was showing us Lola said, listen, Lola is a sweet dog, super, super sweet, but also has showed a little bit of a prey instinct. Not dangerous in any way in a

[Luke Burbank]

normal bird or something.

[Andrew Walsh]

Chasing birds and squirrels and stuff and loving to do that. And not in any way that is problematic for, I think, even the birds and the squirrels. I think that, like, she's just a dog playing in the backyard of her foster home right now, but. But not a good. Not something that you'd want if you're going to be bringing her into a home with a cat. You just. You just don't want any of that behavior at all. So we're like, that's fine. But the person said, lola has a litter of eight puppies. And those were some of the photos I was showing you. There was a dog named Opalite who was just like, oh, right. Just one of the most beautiful little puppies you could possibly imagine. But I think she was already maybe flagged to go home for another test run.

[Luke Burbank]

She had to go back to her planet.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, she was too perfect. She had to go. But then she had some sisters. And as listeners pointed out, as I mentioned, these names, all eight of these puppies were named after Taylor Swift songs, Opalite and Ophelia. Did I ever tell you that, Ophelia?

[Luke Burbank]

No, you didn't.

[Andrew Walsh]

But apart, my phone was blowing up the rest of that day, they're like, this is not a Greek thing. These are all. Every name you name.

[Luke Burbank]

There's one of the songs called My Boyfriend Has a Large Hog.

[Andrew Walsh]

Somebody. Somebody texted me that and said, is that the name of one of the dogs? And I said, no, but, like, there was a dog in that litter named Betty. I'm like, well, that doesn't fit. And then when I met the foster, the person who's fostering all nine of these dogs, counting Lola last night, she's like, oh, yeah. She said, Lola came because I was thinking of the song Lola. She was a showgirl. That's the mom. And she said. And then once I thought showgirl. Then I came up with eight other names based on Taylor Swift songs I was shocked, Luke. I was shocked when I walked into this house. We went up to Edmonds and again, this is like, this is a woman and her husband who are fostering these nine dogs right now, Lola and her pups. And I could not believe how young these people were. At first I really thought that like the teenage kid was answering the door for the family or like the 20 something kid or whatever. But like, I was really shocked to see. And they have a beautiful, beautiful home in a beautiful part of Edmonds. And I. And this sounds so. And I didn't know this was not the Arby's district of Edmonds. And it's more than Steve's area, probably. I couldn't believe how old I felt. I don't think I've ever had that experience. I was like, wait. I kept on thinking and I get. I didn't make any jokes or. I think that's really cringe to do that and just gross. But like the back of my headline Minecraft to them. I thought about doing that, but I was just like, how can these kids own this house? I don't. Kept waiting for the parents to come down. But anyway, incredibly, incredibly sweet, incredibly responsible people who are fostering these dogs right now and trying desperately to get them into good homes. It turns out Lola and her eight puppies were abandoned by the side of the road. Luke.

[Luke Burbank]

Whoa.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

That's how you could have actually found them on your. You know, your whole idea to get a cat was drive around the country and look for a box of them. You might have actually gotten some dogs that way.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah. But it's so sad because here's where I'm going with all of this. So we go in. I know that Lola, the mom, we're gonna meet her, but I know that we're not going to adopt her even on a trial basis. But it's good to know her so you can sort of get to see like about the size and shape of maybe what these puppies will grow into. And there were eight puppies, like I mentioned, I think almost like all but I think all but three were kind of spoken for as far as other families showing interest or whatever. And as you said, one of them was named Ophelia. One of them was. I think Betty was on the table, if you will. And then there was a Clara on the table. Those were the three dogs and they two. There were like two pairs or three pairs that looked exactly alike. And so it's so hard for me to keep track of who is who and we go in and it is just like, it's a very nice house, very clean house. And the dogs are all, like, kind of gated in on the kitchen floor. And so we come in and we just sit, crisscross applesauce on the floor and spend time. I mean, it is like. It is like your dream of a puppy party. It's just like these just fluffy little. In fact, I can send you while we talk. I'm not going to post this because there are people talking in the background about, like, diarrhea and other dog issues, but I will send you while we talk via text here, Luke, a video of these dogs because they fed them dinner while we were there. And they all just, like, just. It was just a swarm of cuteness.

[Luke Burbank]

How is Genevieve handling all of this?

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, Genevieve is loving it. One of the dogs. So Ophelia and Clara were two dogs who looked very much alike and had this. This great tan coloring. And they. And Clara, like, jumped on Genevieve's lap immediately and started, like, kind of. Kind of like loving on her and playing with her and everything. And then I was a little bit overwhelmed. There were tons of dogs and some of them were coming up to me. There was one who is a little bit of a toe biter. He kept on trying to.

[Luke Burbank]

One of them brutally frame mogged you.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes, they all did. Man. These dogs are just. I'm telling you. By the way, is there a difference between frame mogging and mogging? I noticed that you've totally said. You've stopped saying mogging. You only say frame mog. And I'm not sure if there's a difference or you're using them interchangeably.

[Luke Burbank]

I'm kind of using them interchangeably. I think brutally frame mogged is the funniest way to say it, but I think frame mogging is if you're. If you look stronger. I think your frame, your physical frame.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, interesting.

[Luke Burbank]

So mogging is just like. You have better jawline. Whatever. By the way, we do have. We don't have to play it today, but maybe next week. We do have guy weighing in on TikTok on the MLB All Mog team.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, okay.

[Luke Burbank]

He's ranked every player at every position for who is the. Who has the best ratio, who is in the eyes of like a clavicular type, who looks the best.

[Andrew Walsh]

We don't have to get. I was going to say we don't have to get into it, but is there good Mariner representation like there was for the World Baseball Classic?

[Luke Burbank]

It's. I. Well, we only have One player on the All Mog first team. We have a player, I think, on the second All Mog team as well. But we do have someone on the first team.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's.

[Luke Burbank]

But anyway, I just like to say brutally, frame mug, because it makes me laugh.

[Andrew Walsh]

Okay. I don't know if I'm even using it correctly. Missing something. Who was. I think not. Kelnick. Who was our guy? Who is our, like, our super utility guy for the past three years. But he always drove everybody kind of crazy. He was pretty good.

[Luke Burbank]

Dylan Moore.

[Andrew Walsh]

Dylan Moore. Is he on the list?

[Luke Burbank]

He could have been.

[Andrew Walsh]

He could have been, right?

[Luke Burbank]

Great jawline.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, he's getting snatched. Incredible jawline.

[Luke Burbank]

By the way, I have not received this video.

[Andrew Walsh]

Really?

[Luke Burbank]

It might.

[Andrew Walsh]

Because it's a little bit big. Give it a second. I think I said it's also kind of talking and texting at the same time. I'm trying not to get too distracted by that. I can make sure that you have eyes on these puppies, but point is, the more we're talking with this family and talking with these dogs, you know, it's kind of like, yeah, you know, it sounds like a puppy is probably the way to go for us. Which was, again, kind of. It's kind of a curve ball late in the process for me. But also, that's good news. Not because I'm necessarily as puppy obsessed, but because I want as much if we're bringing a new member of the family, and I want as much time with that member of the family as possible. Right. And so that's definitely a bonus for me. But I will say, and I guess, spoiler alert, we have not. Spoiler alert. I guess I'm jumping to the end of the story, but then I want to back up to something. But we have decided that we're going to bring one of these puppies home for a trial fostering, which we're going to do next week. In fact, you and I need to. I just realized I was supposed to talk to you about our schedule next week to make that happen. I assume that you will move heaven and earth to make it happen for me, but we are going to adopt one of these puppies for Shake it off for two weeks.

[Luke Burbank]

I would die for Shake It Off.

[Andrew Walsh]

It's funny because I was watching a lot of videos last night about dog behavior because I suddenly need to go from 0 to 100 on understanding dogs. And I guess when dogs do that shaking thing, that's like an emotional reset for them. Did you know that, Luke? That's something I Learned, you know, when a dog.

[Luke Burbank]

Not.

[Andrew Walsh]

Not when they're, like, shaking water or something. Okay.

[Luke Burbank]

That's what.

[Andrew Walsh]

But like, something like if you see your dog kind of maybe interacting with another dog at the dog park or something, and it was maybe a little bit not. Not negative, but maybe a little bit questionable or a little bit tense for them, and then you see the. One of the dogs kind of go into their own corner and just, like, shake. That's them sort of saying, I'm just gonna reset here. It's like our. It's like our version of taking, like, deep breaths. This kind of like, I assumed it

[Luke Burbank]

meant that the dog was a little, you know, literally a little shake. Like, I assume that that was not a sign of, like, pure joy for the dog.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

I didn't know it was a reset, but I assumed it was a dog that maybe needed a hug.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah. And. And that's them maybe hugging themselves. I don't think it means that they're super upset, but it's just them kind of saying, okay, I'm going to reset here. And then are we going to get you a thundershirt? We. I need a thunder shirt. I need a shirt for.

[Luke Burbank]

The dog will be fine. We'll have you all thunder shirted up.

[Andrew Walsh]

So I will tell you a little bit more about the puppy that we'll be bringing home next week. But. But I also want to tell you, if I bonded with any of those dogs, it was Lola. I had. I can't. And it's like, I'm not saying this for any reason other than just to, like, tell you about my experience, because she's just not going to work for us. But by the way, in the house with all these puppies, she was nothing but a very sweet dog. She was super sweet. I didn't see any. She wasn't, like, running around or anything. But what she would do is. And she's a dog who's about 26. 26 pounds. We don't know any of the breeds involved here, but they're dogs who are a little bit lower to the ground. Not super stocky or anything. Genevieve doesn't want a dog with super short legs, but varying degrees of, like, there might be some dachshund in the mix somewhere because they're a little bit longer. But again, 26 pounds isn't like, you know, it's kind of a decent sized little medium to small dog. But we're sitting crisscross applesauce on the ground, and Genevieve's being mobbed. Frame mobbed by the puppies brutally frame mobbed by the puppies, and they're all over and again. It's like a sea. It's like a sea of cuteness that, like, your head can't even. It's just really hard to even take it all in.

[Luke Burbank]

But then, God, Andrew, the video came through.

[Andrew Walsh]

But then Lola comes over to me and just sits down right in front of me while all the puppies are getting all the attention from all the adults in the room and probably have been for.

[Luke Burbank]

Is Lola in the pink?

[Andrew Walsh]

Lola just. Yeah, I think she finally just got spayed and so they had.

[Luke Burbank]

She's wearing, like a little kind of like, shirt thing. Okay.

[Andrew Walsh]

She's wearing a shirt that's sort of like, kind of keeping her all protected. And she just keeps coming up to me and nobody else. She just keeps coming up to me and I'm sitting on the floor and she just keeps sitting right on the floor right in front of me, eye to eye and just almost nose to nose with her long nose. She's just putting her nose and just looks me right in the eye. And then I just keep scratching her head and scratching her head. And then I'll go to try to, you know, play with a puppy or whatever, and then she just comes right back to me. I'm putting my nose on the microphone and the whole. We were there. It was hard to leave, as you can imagine. We were probably there at least a half hour, like 40 minutes.

[Luke Burbank]

Get me out of here. These puppies are absolutely killing me.

[Andrew Walsh]

And Luke, I am very, very excited to tell you more about the puppy that we are bringing home. But I will be honest with you. I can't get Lola out of my head.

[Luke Burbank]

I kept asking, what about a twofer?

[Andrew Walsh]

We can't bring Lola in because she's just. We can't trust her with. With cats again. Not that there's any record of misbehavior, but she just has too much of a prey instinct. But she just. In all of the chaos of the puppies, she was just this still dog that just kept coming up to me and knowing that, like, she. None of the other dogs said to me, I am your dog. Like Lola did. And again, it doesn't. It doesn't work for our situation. But I kept asking, I kept saying, like, well, because I think in the next about seven days, one by one, these puppies are going to be leaving. I'm like, is she going to be sad? Like, do we know where Lola's going yet? And I guess there was, like, one family that maybe is seriously thinking about Lola and they have like a, I think maybe a two year old baby at home. And Lola is so calm and just like it would be probably a good match for them. You don't have to worry about prey instinct. Again, when I say instinct for children, I'm not saying. Again, when I say prey instinct, I don't mean like she's at any way a troubled dog or doesn't know boundaries. She's just, if she's chasing squirrels, she's probably going to chase a cat. You know, it's just as simple as that. It's just. But so I'm really, really hoping, like I keep on thinking, like I want to know, like, is Lola going to be. Is Lola going to find a home this week? Like, is she going to with this family, with the 2 year old? Can we be in touch? And Genevieve did say that because we're likely and you know, to not to. I feel like I'm skipping over the important part of this, which is we're bringing a puppy home, which if all goes well over the course of two weeks, will be our puppy. And I'm not going to tell you the puppy's name that we're bringing home, but I will tell you that it's one of the three that I listed that are available because we will be changing the puppy's name. And I don't want the. I don't want to keep emphasizing, I don't want to keep emphasizing the dead name of the puppy that we are adopting, but let's just say.

[Luke Burbank]

Are you gonna name it Cruel Summer?

[Andrew Walsh]

That's right. We do know.

[Luke Burbank]

I knew you were trouble.

[Andrew Walsh]

I'm gonna name it the rap verse that ruined that one decent song, this

[Luke Burbank]

sick beat

[Andrew Walsh]

I don't want to be. I mean, I know that people love

[Luke Burbank]

Taylor Swift one time. So I can picture this dog. Give me the dog's dead name. Give me the dog's tail.

[Andrew Walsh]

Let's just say it is Ophelia, ironically. Oh, it's Ophelia. It is the one that we were going to see. The thing was it was Clara that was crawling all over Genevieve. But Claire and Ophelia look and act almost identical. And I guess there was one family that's coming today, like literally maybe around this time. But they were specifically coming to look at Clara. And so we were just like, you know, they're very similar. And also Clara has a hernia thing that needs to be kind of taken care of, which will be taken care of. But given that we're bringing A dog in the house. And I have a lot of. I feel like I have a lot of learning and all this stuff to be concerned about over the course of the next several weeks. Maybe having an impending kind of surgery and making sure that the dog doesn't jump too much or whatever because of this thing is just another layer of complication and the fact that another family already was sort of coming to look at Clara. We're just like. Well, let's just.

[Luke Burbank]

Just.

[Andrew Walsh]

Let's just say that we'll bring Ophelia home. And we do know what we're going to name our doggo. But Genevieve, in a surprise twist, is withholding. I. Genevieve texted the wordle gang last night. I was downstairs watching dog videos. Genevieve was upstairs watching some sort of brain rot on tv. I'm the only one who cares in this house.

[Luke Burbank]

Let me give you the update on the dog. Give it some food, give it some water. Teach it how to poop outside.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, teaching how to poop outside is important. Also, I do think integrating with a cat is going to be. I think you want to do that,

[Luke Burbank]

but, I mean, you only see how much you know about the psychology of this dog. I would say don't. Don't stress yourself out too much.

[Andrew Walsh]

I think. No offense, Luke, I think I'll take my advice on dog raising from other corners. I.

[Luke Burbank]

None of them died.

[Andrew Walsh]

I want to do it. I wanted. I only have one chance to do this, and so I just want to make sure that, you know, I do it right. And again, I'm coming with no. No experience in this at all. And so, you know, I'm not gonna. I want to make sure that, you know, that I feel confident enough. I feel like if I am. I feel like if I come into this with too much uncertainty and insecurity, then I worry about that sort of affecting the process. And so I want to know as much as I can, you know, with. I'm just. Whatever you need to do. I'm watching a few YouTube videos. I'm not, like, going overboard here, but I. I.

[Luke Burbank]

So Genevieve is brain rotting.

[Andrew Walsh]

So Genevieve is brain rotting. I'm watching these videos, and she texted the friend group, and she was kind of like, hey, we are bringing a dog home next week, and the name is tba. And I read that for a second. I was like, wait, TBD we already know, because Genevieve and I have had conversations. We landed on a name that we really like. And then I was like, oh, wait, TBA and TBD mean different things. TBD means to be determined. And we have determined it. Genevieve is TBA ing our friends.

[Luke Burbank]

Are you having a gender reveal party?

[Andrew Walsh]

And she is forcing me to TBA you and the listeners, which I am shocked about.

[Luke Burbank]

Are you shooting a balloon that when it explodes, it will reveal the dog's name?

[Andrew Walsh]

It's gonna be a bunch of dog glitter. Exactly.

[Luke Burbank]

Are we all coming over for this?

[Andrew Walsh]

I'm very excited for our dog's name, but Genevieve won't let me tell. I'm sorry, by the way, I would not be withholding this. I am not the withholder. Genevieve just said, listen. And I said, I just want to. I said, I don't want to use the dog's old name a lot because I don't want people to get used to that. And she said, listen, I'm stretching the story out. I'm giving you content. I'm like, all right, sweetie, that's fine. So, hey, by the way, on the dog's name, by the way.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, I'm excited to hear it. And by the way, speaking of Genevieve and content, I don't know if you've been monitoring the text chain between the three of us, but maybe after we thank some donors, we could. We could get Genevieve on the line because she has now had her legal. Her court case.

[Andrew Walsh]

That was today. I knew it was this week. And I guess today, just Friday, she's

[Luke Burbank]

offering to come on the show and update us on how it went.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, she should have been here for the dog conversation too. Yeah. Okay. All right, let's do it.

[Luke Burbank]

So. So maybe we. Maybe we do some dazzling donors, and then we get the update on that. And also we've got an update on the TBT Junior sluggers, which is. Yeah, they're not being withholding with the name. No, Ben is being not. He's being very front facing and public about it. So we'll do all of that after we thank some donors. We was hoping for some razzle dazzle. Razzle dazzle. That's right, man. Razzle dazzle.

[Andrew Walsh]

On your mark.

[Luke Burbank]

On your mark.

[Andrew Walsh]

Get set, get set now. Ready? Ready, go.

[Luke Burbank]

Everybody, Razzle dazzle. All right, let's thank some dazzling donors. These folks are donating a dazzling amount of dough to TBTL voluntarily. And that is how we pay for this whole thing. That's how. This is Andrew's job and my job and John Sklaroff's job. 100% listener supported podcasting, thanks to Laura Gosling in. All right, I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna be careful. Podgorica Montenegro.

[Andrew Walsh]

Hey, Luke, read the first, there's a pronouncer. I should have moved this up. But there's a pronouncer in the first place line of Laura's message.

[Luke Burbank]

Podgorica.

[Andrew Walsh]

Podgorica. It looks like it.

[Luke Burbank]

Podgorica, Montenegro is where Laura Gosling is like Baby Goose or Ryan Gosling.

[Andrew Walsh]

We should have. Instead of adopting a puppy, we should have adopted a Ryan Gosling. That's right.

[Luke Burbank]

Laura says hello, biz boys. Greetings from Podgorica. Podgorita karitsa. How am I getting worse at saying it's not.

[Andrew Walsh]

It's not easy.

[Luke Burbank]

Montenegro, in the heart of the Balkans.

[Andrew Walsh]

Wow.

[Luke Burbank]

I've been on this whole. Andrew, are you up on the Balkan breakfast situation? Have you seen this thing?

[Andrew Walsh]

Is it like a continental breakfast?

[Luke Burbank]

No, it's just a guy who's got like a small loaf of bread, like freshly baked bread, kind of a roll thing, a couple of tomatoes, a raw onion, some salt, and he's just. And like a pepper. And he's just tearing the bread apart. Tearing the tomato apart, Eating the tomato, salting the tomato, eating it. Eating a bite of bread, putting the pepper on the tomato on the bread, eating it. He's just kind of eating this weird thing. And it's called a Balkan breakfast. And it actually looks really kind of.

[Andrew Walsh]

I gotta say it actually, there's some part of. Well, it's probably the Eastern European in me. That sort of sounds appealing.

[Luke Burbank]

Your chacha is up there somewhere smiling. This has been a very difficult year for all of the reasons. And as always, having TBTL on a steady five day a week schedule has been a huge comfort. It gets me away from doom scrolling too much. I know you don't take credit for it, but you have provided the scaffolding for a great community in the slack for which I am grateful for book recommendations, to sharing game scores. I look forward to checking in daily. I'm also so proud that the community has enabled you to take the show independent and keep it that way. I look forward to another year of garbage anxiety, travel talk and cat adventures. Well, Laura, add dog adventures to the list.

[Andrew Walsh]

Buckle up for at least two weeks, although.

[Luke Burbank]

That's right.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

Laura, thank you so much. And you know, you're right. I think we don't feel comfortable taking credit for it. But yes, through some happenstance, this thing, tbtl, has become the scaffolding for a bunch of really awesome people like yourself to get to be friends and, you know, support each other and also make this show happen. So thank you very much and have fun out there in podgorica. Now that I know how to say it, I'm going to come visit.

[Andrew Walsh]

I am hoping upon hope that our next dazzling donor is also from Podgorica.

[Luke Burbank]

I mean, honestly, it took me so long to learn it. I want to get my money's worth, no matter where they're from. Maestro, on your mark. On your mark.

[Andrew Walsh]

Get set, get set now. Ready, Ready, Go. Everybody rattle.

[Luke Burbank]

It's Craig Barringer in.

[Andrew Walsh]

Hey, Craig.

[Luke Burbank]

Edwards, Washington. Edwards, Washington.

[Andrew Walsh]

Is that a typo? Is this AI?

[Luke Burbank]

I mean, I've never. I have not heard of an Edwards. I've heard of an Edmonds, Washington. In fact, on this very episode. Andrew. Yes, I hear it's where. I hear it's where your future dog is currently residing.

[Andrew Walsh]

Exactly.

[Luke Burbank]

Edwards, Washington. Are you googling that?

[Andrew Walsh]

I am. And I. Okay, the only thing that's coming up is, and I'm not joking, is a link from MapQuest. And so that raises some red flags for me right here, TomTom, but on MapQuest, not Google Maps. I'd like to be very clear. On MapQuest, it is showing it as a place Edwards, Washington, which is, it looks like above Kennewick.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, Andrew, unfortunately I just read into Craig's message and he doesn't live in Edwards, Washington. I believe he does live in Edmonds, Washington.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, okay.

[Luke Burbank]

Although, bad news, Craig. You now have to move to Edwards, Washington because it's for the plot.

[Andrew Walsh]

But wait a second. Can we, even though it was just a typo, can we explore the fact that there's a tiny, apparently tiny town that only exists on MapQuest but no other mapping service on the Internet? Why would that be?

[Luke Burbank]

That is really strange. Also, I think I'm gonna start saying culturally, Edwards, I think you should. It's my new favorite thing to say. Craig says, aloha, friendos, and thanks for another year of commuting companionship. It's been quite a trip since the radio days of TBTL as well as the erstwhile Andrew Walsh show. Andrew, there it is. You've got a listener.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's how you reel him into tbtl. You expose him to the Andrew Walsh show.

[Luke Burbank]

Absolutely. We haven't crossed paths since the before times when I worked at Chateau St. Michel and was there for a rained inside family picnic. Do you remember this, Andrew?

[Andrew Walsh]

I do very well. Yes.

[Luke Burbank]

We had to move inside because it was. I don't know if it was raining or threatening to rain, but we moved the whole operation inside and had a fun night. After all, Covid would end that gig, but I landed at Andrew's favorite grocery store. Trader Joe's.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh. Little irony there. I don't usually deal with Trader Joe's, but did you see that? There's a Trader Joe's that's coming right into my neighborhood. Luke, might that be the catalyst that changes me? The Northgate. The Northgate? Trader Joe's. Yeah, everybody does.

[Luke Burbank]

I'm surprised that you. Is it just that you're. You just you're committed to your. I mean, your sars. But also, you weren't a SARS man until you became a sars.

[Andrew Walsh]

No. And also, I was always somebody who only went to one grocery store, and now I have like three main grocery stores that I ping pong between, depending on my needs and my mood. And I guess maybe the arrangement of

[Luke Burbank]

the stars open up one. One more chamber of your heart for some pirate's booty.

[Andrew Walsh]

I could. That's what I'm thinking. Like, maybe I am a different person than I used to be. And I continue to evolve, Luke. And so maybe there will be that one thing that I can only get at Trader Joe's that will start bringing me in the door.

[Luke Burbank]

It might be where they sell Ophelia's favorite dog food.

[Andrew Walsh]

I don't know who Ophelia is. Are you talking about tba?

[Luke Burbank]

Hold on. Somebody shoot a balloon so I can find out the name of this dog. Anyway, Craig says I've worked at Trader Joe's. My drive home to Edmonds from Queen Anne Hill takes me through Seattle's historic Burbank district and right past Daniel Bagley Elementary. It would also be a trek through the Walsh neighborhood if I continued north on 99 instead of veering off to I5. I'm sure tens all over the world are enthralled with this hyper specific North Seattle geography talk. Well, I am, Craig.

[Andrew Walsh]

I am too. Exactly. I was in your hood yesterday.

[Luke Burbank]

Anywho, we've all been through a lot together since the start of this thing Luke and Jen created that I can't explain to other people. Craig, what I would like is if you're doing the Trader Joe's thing when you don't know about this, Andrew, because you know the Trader Joe's man. But oftentimes when you're get, you know, you're paying for your stuff. The Trader Joe's folks, who are very friendly and awesome, I love them, will say, got big plans.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh.

[Luke Burbank]

And you say to them, got big plans. And they'll say whatever. And then if they ask you if you have big plans, you say yes to listen to TBTL on the way home.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's exactly right. Playing Sorry you said that and I just freaked out. I figured I had to. You say those words. I'm totally Pavlovian after watching all my dog videos. Well, you know, by the way, I've been watching videos about how I can be a better dog. Is that a yes? I got the algorithm slightly off.

[Luke Burbank]

Are you on Brian Gnome's personal YouTube channel getting some information about dog life?

[Andrew Walsh]

It was off air yesterday that you filled me in on that, was it?

[Luke Burbank]

What a story. What a story. Craig says. Here's to another year of community levity and phone throwing. You owe me at least two, by the way. That's fair. Go Mariners. Go Seahawks. And go eat a bagel. Craig, I don't know if you've heard. It's not the water.

[Andrew Walsh]

Maybe it was.

[Luke Burbank]

But Craig, thank you so much for supporting the show. We couldn't do this without you.

[Andrew Walsh]

Hello and welcome to Top Story.

[Luke Burbank]

All right, our top story is that we've got some TBTL breaking news, legal news. As careful listeners know, Genevieve and I have both been locked in pitched battle with our various municipalities over tickets. I had a parking ticket that was issued in error. I had paid for the meter and yet they gave me the ticket anyway. You guys, it's a little more, I would call it on the line as far as the legality of what you were doing. You were driving to chase down Genevieve's cell phone on a metro bus and drove in the bus only lane. And then there was a photo, I believe, of the car taken. And then you got one of those auto generated tickets. And Genevieve, you now have seen the magistrate. That was this morning. What can you tell us?

[Genevieve]

Yes. So as I said on this show, I had the opportunity to mitigate the ticket. It's not a moving violation. So it doesn't matter that I technically wasn't driving it, just whoever owns.

[Andrew Walsh]

Cause I was behind the wheel.

[Genevieve]

Andrew was behind the wheel. Andrew had jumped in the car.

[Luke Burbank]

It'd be like if you got a parking ticket kind of thing.

[Genevieve]

Basically, they treat it like a parking ticket. And it was $75, which isn't life changing money. But I would prefer to pay none or less of that.

[Andrew Walsh]

Obviously, as you said on the show, cheaper than a new phone, which we'd be buying.

[Genevieve]

Certainly cheaper than a new phone. So I was. So I requested this mitigation. They sent me a letter saying. And I thought when I requested the mitigation because I'm so old and old fashioned, I thought I would like put on my suit and go into the Courthouse and sit. Be in the court. No, that's. That's like, what year do I think it is?

[Andrew Walsh]

Have you ever done that?

[Genevieve]

Well, when I was a teenager and I plowed my car into a little neighborhood, like road, like sort of like a little brick sign that stands outside of somebody's neighborhood, I had to go into the court and explain that I was paying for the sign repair and you know, like I was. Yeah, like there was.

[Andrew Walsh]

Didn't you actually have to. I thought you had to go fix that sign. Right.

[Genevieve]

I did go for one day and like make a sort of token gesture, like putting bricks in a wheelbarrow.

[Andrew Walsh]

Wow.

[Genevieve]

Yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

And then did you dress up for court that day?

[Genevieve]

I dressed up for court. My parents were with me. It was a big deal.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Genevieve]

I mean, it wasn't like there was no, I don't think I was ever like, I don't think jail was on the line or anything, but, you know, but it was a.

[Andrew Walsh]

You were probably 16 or 17.

[Genevieve]

I was 16 or 17. I was. Must have been 17 because I didn't get my license till I was 16. And probably for the best that I didn't. But yeah, so I like, that was real court and like I had to go to court. So this was more like get on a zoom call. And even that I was like, I put on more makeup than I normally would for a work from home day. And from the waist up, I look very presentable.

[Andrew Walsh]

You guys can't see Genevieve right now, but it looks like she just took lipstick and just kept smearing it around and around.

[Genevieve]

Yeah. Tammy Faye Baker, basically.

[Luke Burbank]

Dina Martini.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes, that's it.

[Genevieve]

Yeah. So no, I look very presentable. I look like a real haus frau, you know?

[Luke Burbank]

Uh huh.

[Genevieve]

And I got. And so I was very prepared and I was like thinking through, like, how am I gonna, you know, spell this out? And like, will I be asked questions? And even, even knowing that like the way the world works now, I over prepared for this. And I, in my head, it was like going to be a bigger deal. No, let me tell you what happened. Prepared for this.

[Luke Burbank]

Did you declare yourself a sovereign citizen at the beginning of this?

[Genevieve]

And the magistrate said, ma', am, this is a Wendy's.

[Luke Burbank]

I am traveling. I am a traveler. I am not engaging in commerce. You have no jurisdiction.

[Genevieve]

No. Of course. Prepare to be underwhelmed. So at about 10:20, my court, my hearing date.

[Luke Burbank]

Veebs, Can I just quickly, can I reset this a little bit if somebody missed this or just. Even for my own sake, part Of. What was so fascinating about this to me was that you guys were on basically a sort of a caper.

[Genevieve]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

And I think what we were talking about was, like, if the magistrate. If whoever is adjudicating this is. If their heart is warmed towards the idea of the caper.

[Genevieve]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

Then maybe they would. We're hoping that would be a way for them to kind of cut you a break because of basically how charming the story is.

[Genevieve]

That's exactly right.

[Andrew Walsh]

And don't forget, there is also a charming photo that Genevieve took of the bus driver waving at us from his bus window as we were in the car next to him. And we were in. We were literally in the illegal lane when we took that photo. And he was giving us essentially what the law refers to as a nonverbal thumbs up. A nonverbal attaboy. And so that was gonna be.

[Genevieve]

Because we took to be. We thought he had the legal authority to give us carte blanche to be in the.

[Luke Burbank]

I had proposed that you blow that photo up and put it on an east hole.

[Andrew Walsh]

Exactly. For board.

[Luke Burbank]

Exactly.

[Genevieve]

And tap it and somehow, like, move my zoom camera such that it could be shown.

[Andrew Walsh]

Exactly.

[Luke Burbank]

Okay, so what happened?

[Genevieve]

So today is my. My date. I like, 10:20. I'm very, like, I'm gonna be the best, you know, mitigation hearing person. I'm gonna get an A in this class because that's my whole vibe. So I get on it, like, you know, 1020, 1025. There's a woman there who's like, okay, you're on the. You know, we have. You, like, your. Your technology is working. In a minute, you'll just see a button that says join, and you'll join. So then I did see the button that said join, Click, join. And now it's just me and the judge. And the judge is an older woman. She likes, probably in her, you know, 60s maybe, with gray hair. She looks. She looks very judge. Like. I will say that. Like. Like, I was like this.

[Luke Burbank]

Does she have a robe on?

[Genevieve]

I think she did, although I don't think it was, like, fully, like, closed up. I think she had it, like, over her. Her regular street clothes.

[Luke Burbank]

Okay.

[Andrew Walsh]

Was it a bathrobe?

[Genevieve]

No, it was a judge's robe. She did not have a gavel that I saw, but I would love to have gotten gavel. That would have been amazing. No, she did. Yes. And I. Honestly, as a very frequent and loyal watcher of Law and Order, I definitely think she was from central casting. Like, she could totally be a Law and Order judge. Like, you would absolutely believe her as a lie.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, then. And that's good, right? That means we feel like she's.

[Luke Burbank]

No, I don't think that's good at all.

[Andrew Walsh]

Really.

[Luke Burbank]

Like Otto from the Simpsons. Well, you want someone in the gig economy who. This is.

[Andrew Walsh]

It's funny that you chose a bus driver when the offense ends.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, right.

[Andrew Walsh]

You know what?

[Luke Burbank]

Good point. I just. It's clear that I think of him as the most chill guy on earth.

[Andrew Walsh]

Absolutely.

[Genevieve]

Well, she just said, okay, Ms. Haz, I see that you were seeing, you know, that you have a ticket for driving in the bus Lane on January 29, you know, and that you requested this hearing to explain what happened. Go ahead. And you're just like, here. The floor is yours.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, was it almost too open?

[Luke Burbank]

Pressure?

[Genevieve]

Yeah, it wasn't like. There wasn't. There was no sort of, like, Q and A. But I just said, I. So I started with my ultimate truth, which is that I very much respect the bus lane and I would not intentionally drive in it. And then I just told the story. I tried to be succinct. I didn't want to, like, you know, she's obviously like. She probably does 500 of these in a day. And I just.

[Luke Burbank]

I would argue you had the best story of the day.

[Andrew Walsh]

I agree. You could have maybe just like, kind of like, let it stretch out a little bit. She's probably enjoying it more than most of the stories she hears.

[Genevieve]

Maybe she was very pleasant. She wasn't, you know, she wasn't giving me any kind of, like, weird, you know, trying to be extra stern. I just said, I really respect the bus lane. I was taking the bus home from work. I realized as soon as I got off the bus that I had left my phone on it, and my partner very generously hopped in the car with me. And we were chasing the bus through the city, and we saw the bus. We caught up with it just as it turned into the bus only lane. And we were so fixated on trying to get there before we lost it so I could pick up my phone that we turned after it without realizing that it was a bus lane. And I hopped out of the car and I grabbed and I got on the bus. And the bus driver. And I really did try to talk up the bus driver. He was so nice. And he actually had my phone, and I retrieved it. And again, you know, it was a. It was sort of an exigent circumstance, so I kept it pretty short. And she just said, okay, well, that makes sense. I'll reduce your ticket to $30.

[Luke Burbank]

You'll get a letter from 75 to 30.

[Genevieve]

75 to 30.

[Andrew Walsh]

All right. But I think it's a good outcome. But it's also the same outcome that you would have gotten if I'd written a letter or if you just said I had. I was going to my job making balloon animals, and I left all of my balloon grease at home. It almost didn't matter. What?

[Luke Burbank]

You didn't get the cool story discount.

[Genevieve]

I don't know. I was like, I actually got below half the ticket, which is really my goal was to cut it in half. So I feel like this is a win for me and an absolutely great. I think a great use of my time. To the tune of $45.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Luke Burbank]

And great content for the show.

[Andrew Walsh]

Absolutely. I was gonna say. Yeah. Before we include the time you spent telling the story on tbtl, which has got to be a net loss of you. Let's see here.

[Genevieve]

But hopefully a net gain for the test.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

You made. Absolutely.

[Andrew Walsh]

You made $40 in about how much?

[Genevieve]

$45.

[Andrew Walsh]

$45 in about 20 minutes worth of work.

[Genevieve]

15.

[Andrew Walsh]

15 minutes. Well, what about writing back and send. Requesting the.

[Genevieve]

Even that.

[Andrew Walsh]

Okay.

[Genevieve]

I mean, I was on the. I was on the zoom call with her for three minutes.

[Andrew Walsh]

Okay. I was like, 160 bucks an hour.

[Genevieve]

Like, don't. You know, where's the. Where's the prosecutor? Where's the jury?

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah. All right, well, let's go spend that. I know.

[Luke Burbank]

I know what you mean, though, Veebs, about what you're doing.

[Genevieve]

We're still out $30. We're still negative $30.

[Luke Burbank]

Wanting to be, like, the model, I guess, defendant or whatever. I got a speeding ticket in Idaho a couple of years ago, and I think it was during the pandemic. Maybe I was doing a TV shoot. But then I had to zoom in to court and. Same thing. I think I had a suit. I was wearing a suit. Like, you know, I was just totally ridiculous. But I was literally like, Luke Burbank representing himself, sir. I mean, I was like. It was real Inherit the Wind territory.

[Genevieve]

Right?

[Andrew Walsh]

Right.

[Luke Burbank]

I turned it into the Scopes Monkey trial. But the crazy part was the judge actually threw it out like it was a speedy table construction zone. I didn't even have an excuse. I just said I didn't notice it was a construction zone, but I think maybe the cop didn't show up or something in that case. So it was amazing. I got out of it, but, like, they fully expunged it or whatever. They fully threw it out, but. But yeah, it's kind of fun to get to play. Play your own lawyer, even for five minutes.

[Andrew Walsh]

If I ever get the opportunity, I'm gonna treat it like the scene from Nothing but Trouble. The court scene in Nothing but Trouble.

[Genevieve]

Is that the. With Tevy chase and demeanor.

[Luke Burbank]

You mean the Reeve of the Shire, Dan Aykroyd, as something weird like the old.

[Genevieve]

He's in, like, really, really old makeup.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes. In the digital. Comes in.

[Luke Burbank]

Digital Underground shows up with Tupac. Yes. That's the thought about that movie in forever.

[Genevieve]

It is peak weirdness.

[Andrew Walsh]

It really is.

[Luke Burbank]

That really is. Now, I know you're not a big Halloween guy, Andrew, but if you would dress up like the re of the sh with. And I believe he calls cigars dog rockets.

[Andrew Walsh]

I don't remember that in that movie. I think he's like. Like. I think he says, like, do you

[Luke Burbank]

want a dog rocket? He's referring to a cigar.

[Andrew Walsh]

That is my hairline. Has been waiting for this moment his entire life.

[Luke Burbank]

Awesome. Well, Veeves, thank you for the update, and congratulations on. On saving money. You can put that towards chew toys.

[Genevieve]

Absolutely. We're really excited, and this is, I think, a good omen, and I. I only wish there had been more courtroom drama, but at least it went well.

[Luke Burbank]

Life is long. You have much more time for legal duress.

[Genevieve]

All right, thanks for letting me wrap up the story.

[Luke Burbank]

Thanks, Veebs.

[Andrew Walsh]

It was great.

[Luke Burbank]

Another update I've got for you today, Andrew, is that I've heard from coach Ben, of course, of the TBTL junior Sluggers about the season. Their season kicks off tomorrow. Let's see. I could even tell. Let's see. Let me get to the schedule. The schedule, which, you know, I think it's okay if people want to go. I don't know if it's gonna happen or not, but maybe trying to put together a little TBTL day at the game. One of these games, because the season goes all the way through May 18, so we've got some time, but tomorrow they're going to be at the. Let's see. I don't actually know. It's Parkside Minors, which I think is us. Is playing fairer. Oh, at Sacramento Elementary School, they're playing tomorrow. And the big announcement is that they have settled on a name for the team. What were they last year? Were they the Gators, I think last year.

[Andrew Walsh]

I apologize. I can't remember exactly.

[Luke Burbank]

They. I think they were the Gators, which I thought was a pretty good name. But they were also constantly playing like the Fire Dragons.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

And the, like, you know, like, just names that were. The chicken jockeys. Names that were clearly chosen by. By young people of a certain age. But we have a new name for this season of the Parkside Little League Junior Sluggers. That is the Little League team that we sponsor, and they are, Andrew, The Parkside Jalapeno.

[Andrew Walsh]

Jalapeno. Love that. And tell the people, Luke. Tell the people about the logo.

[Luke Burbank]

It is so great. I'm going to assume that Coach Ben designed this. Coach Ben contains multitudes. You know, baseball coach, father, chamber of Commerce employee and supervisor and graphic design genius. It's the Parkside Jalapenos. It's a adorable jalapeno wearing a little baseball cap, holding a TBTL pennant. And the catchphrase is keep it spicy.

[Andrew Walsh]

I love it.

[Luke Burbank]

I mean, that is like, I would if that were a minor league team, Andrew, I'd go watch the Jalapenos.

[Andrew Walsh]

This is really, really good. Yeah, it's right. Be careful, though. Spicy.

[Luke Burbank]

The TBTL Jalapenos. What a name. I asked Coach Ben how the kids came up with that name, and he said, well, he goes, I vetoed the Nukes and Rabid Squirrels. That's how we landed on the Jalapenos. They wanted to be called the Nukes or the Rabid Squirrels.

[Andrew Walsh]

The Rabid Squirrels. I kind of like that. We're just going for like, oh, yeah, how about a diseased animal? An animal that's so diseased that it wants to rip your face off.

[Luke Burbank]

But he got. He was able to. He was able to get the team to agree to the Jalapenos. And so that's. That's who we're going to be rooting for this season is the Parkside Jalapeno.

[Andrew Walsh]

And how could you not? That is who the world is rooting for. This.

[Luke Burbank]

Absolutely. I mean, again, I can't overstate. Can we. Can we make that the show pick today? Maybe the logo.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, absolutely. Good call. Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

Because that is like. I mean, that is a handsome logo. So nice job, Coach. Looking forward to many an update this season about how the Jalapenos are doing.

[Andrew Walsh]

Absolutely. I was looking. I. Looking was. I took some notes the last time we talked, Luke, about the Junior Sluggers, AKA the Jalapenos. And I have the list of players here in front of me, but I don't know the batting order. I was thinking that this might be the. This might be the batting order of the team tomorrow, but I guess not. But we got a lot of folks out there who are going to be. How many challenges do you think the team gets? Is it the same as the Major League baseball? You get two.

[Luke Burbank]

It's unlimited. It's now take over 70 hours. Can you imagine giving an 11 year old unlimited challenges?

[Andrew Walsh]

The other day, the ABS system, you know how I, you know, I was one of the people who complained about the rule change, I think two seasons ago that they were going to like kind of put a pitch timer on the game to keep it shorter. I didn't like it. And I was like, the games, I like long games. Like I just, I like baseball, make it long or whatever. And a lot of people who are like, have loved baseball much longer than I have were like, no, it's getting out of control. It's good to kind of keep it tight. And I gotta say, the first season I think I still resented it a little bit. And now I've just gotten used to it and I guess I like it. I don't really know. I didn't really have much of an opinion on it. The other day. This is, I think two days ago I was at, I was at the gym and I just want to get that in there. And that's the end of my story. No, the other day I was at the gym and I remember I was like actually finishing up my like cardio part and. But I was like, I was kind of bummed because there was a, like a, I think it was a Royals Twins game that was starting and it was going to start like when I had like five minutes left on the elliptical or something. I was like, oh man. Because nothing gets me through the cardio better than having a baseball game that I'm even moderately interested in on the tv. And I have that MLB app now. So basically any game that's playing while I'm at the gym, I can just dial it up on my phone and set it in front of me. And it really is, really does help make the minutes tick by and the miles or whatever. But I started this game and so I know for a fact that it started our time at I think 4:40pm and I started at the gym and I finish up my cardio. I do a couple of other things and then I'm like in the locker room and I take showers in the locker room, but I kind of keep my headphones on for as long as possible if you guys all want to picture that horrible scene. Because I'm always like, I never want to be alone with my thoughts. So like my phone is still playing the game in the locker, but I got my headphones on while I get ready to shower. Then I shower. I come back out. I still catch the game. The point of this is it was a bad weather game. And I don't think they ever took a delay during the game. But because the ground was so mushy and the mound was so mushy and just the field, the grounds crew kept coming up to maintain the field. That game ended up ending it like I don't know how many beers later for me. But it ended up ending at like 8:30 or 8:20 or so. I think the game was like three and a half hours long. Which was not an exceptionally long game by the old standards. But when that game was wrapping up at like 8:20 at night, and I had started it at 4:40 when I was in a completely different part of North Seattle, I was like, have I been watching this game my entire life? I don't remember who I was when this game started. It felt so incredibly long. And while I. While I didn't hate it. Although I don't think the players should have been playing in those conditions, especially considering that the score was 12 to 1 at one point I was gonna.

[Luke Burbank]

Yikes.

[Andrew Walsh]

I was getting really nervous about injuries. That's something new for me. Like, I am now like a mother hen constantly.

[Luke Burbank]

You worry your boy the past Squatch was gonna get hurt.

[Andrew Walsh]

Literally anybody. Like, I just listen, you know, there are players on some teams that I even kind of quote, unquote, sports hate. But even that, I never want to see anybody go down because of an injury. But especially an injury when a game could have been called after like whatever the fifth inning and the score was up 12 1. And you just have this absolute downpour going on. Like, I was like, this is silly. There's a lot of players on both of those teams that I like if any of. Especially the pitchers. And then also it puts the managers in a position of like, well, I guess I don't want to put out my best closer because the Twins ended up making that game way tighter than I ever thought it was going to be by the end.

[Luke Burbank]

That's why you play the game, Andrew.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's why you play the game. But the thing is, like, you literally must have managers saying, well, who could I possibly injure? I mean, hopefully they don't think about it in those terms. But like, pitching off a mound like that is really dangerous. And then you got to start thinking like, well, who's my least valuable ankle? What a terrible. What a terrible way to. And nobody said that that was my own internal monologue while I was watching this game. I was a little bit ticked that they kept the game going, but it did remind me of the old days. And I got to say, I think the new rule is right. I think keeping games around two and a half hours is probably for the best.

[Luke Burbank]

Yep. Like many things with baseball, they did this adjustment. I thought it was going to suck. And now I'm used to it and I like it better.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, exactly. But I hope every now and then we do get the occasional three and a half hour game. This is my box. This is my box. I never travel without my box.

[Luke Burbank]

What's in the box? Box.

[Andrew Walsh]

In the first draw, I keep my magic stones.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, what's in the box?

[Andrew Walsh]

Licorice. Licorice. Black, sweet licorice. Black, sweet licorice.

[Genevieve]

Have some.

[Andrew Walsh]

Luke, will there be any black, sweet licorice in the P.O. box today?

[Luke Burbank]

I mean, I'm on 10 hooks.

[Andrew Walsh]

Nobody knows.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah. What do you got? What's in the box?

[Andrew Walsh]

I have been checking out the TBTL PO Box lately. If you have anything that you must get to us, you can email us. Just email TBTL P O. Box 3368, Seattle, WA 98133. I don't have it in front of me right now, but I want to give a shout out again to listener Maggie, who sent me that very nice stainless steel water bottle which I've been using. Thank you. That's a very, very sweet gift. You shouldn't have. Also, I got an email from listener David. David Zakaris of the Smittens. Oh, exactly.

[Luke Burbank]

Okay.

[Andrew Walsh]

By the way, I went around and around and around with him about the pronunciation of his name the other day, and then I'm just totally winging it there. I think I got that right, Zakar. Does that ring a bell to you, Luke?

[Luke Burbank]

We'll never know.

[Andrew Walsh]

As you know, David is not just a wonderful musician in the Smittens, but also a visual artist. He made the illustration of you and I podcasting that you'll [e-mail] in our respective studios. Well, he sent us a couple of posters that he made based on some of his favorite movie scenes. I'm going to hold this one up to the camera for you and I'm going to see if you can immediately identify the movie and the scene that this is from.

[Luke Burbank]

The Remains of the Day lunchbox from Waiting for Guffman.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's right.

[Luke Burbank]

That's actually kind of in the credits.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes, it is. It's the extra. It's one of the extra scenes. Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

It's basically like Corky has gotten to New York and he's finally opened his little store.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes.

[Luke Burbank]

And he's got. This is my Remains of the Day lunchbox. Let's see. Kids don't like eating at school, but if they have a Remains of the Day lunchbox, they're a lot happier.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's so great. Great rendering of that. And that's one of two. And here's the other.

[Luke Burbank]

That's amazing. I'm jealous.

[Andrew Walsh]

This is a Twin Peaks inspired one that's more your style. A triple panel. And I don't know if you can read that. It'll be hard for me. These are amazing, are they not? It's just about treating yourself once a day with something special like a cup of hot.

[Luke Burbank]

Which I do think sounds vaguely sexual. I've told you this.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

Off air and on air. There's something about that taste tape that it sounds very breathy. I guess maybe it's just that it's breathy. But I'll allow it because we love Kyle Chandler. Stan. Kyle Chandler.

[Andrew Walsh]

I love those.

[Luke Burbank]

I'm not Kyle Chandler. What's his name?

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, I stand David's art. I really do. So thank you. That's really good.

[Luke Burbank]

Both of those things.

[Andrew Walsh]

Incredible. And I could be wrong. I don't have it in front of me right now. There is. There is no note. And I don't think David sent us that as a promotional opportunity for himself. But I do think. Think that this is something that David was making from or for his merch store. I want to think so. My guess is if you type in the Smittens, you'll get enough information to sort of zigzag around and maybe find David's website. If I'm right about that or if you're interested in and that doesn't work for you, email me and I'll see if I can connect you with David and see if.

[Luke Burbank]

And I believe David and the Smittens, unlike us, would like to sell things in their merch store that sets them apart from ttl.

[Andrew Walsh]

It's an interesting approach. I would say unusual. It's not something that I usually go in for, but anyway, yeah, those are really, really cool. And I had already opened that, so I knew what was in that box. But I got one more thing here, and this makes me nervous. I don't think I'm very good at kind of opening things on the fly and explaining to you what they are. But I have this box here and it says the return address is that. This is from a listener, Catherine, in. In Elkins, Virginia. Luke. And now listen. This is a box that is, I don't know, maybe 5x4 box here. And this is what it sounds like. So I'm very curious as to what's in there. It could be. I'm wondering if it was something that was in one piece at one point and now sounds like that because of the travels this box has taken.

[Luke Burbank]

I think I told you this story before, maybe when we were doing a. What's in the box? But when I was a kid, I really wanted to. Wanted a calculator watch.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, yeah, I have one of those.

[Luke Burbank]

And my. My uncle Mike, who wasn't my uncle at the time, he had not yet married my aunt Mary Lou, but he was just a single guy at our church, got me a calculator watch, which was so nice of him, but he put it in a box and then he wrote fragile on it and all this, like, do not shake. And then he put rocks in it. So if you shook it, it sounded just like it was broken glass. It was very funny. Yeah, it was pretty. It was a pretty good spoof.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's really great. Well, this box that we got from Catherine here is filled with. And it's not a calculator list, Luke, but it's not that far away from a calculator. It's these handmade calendar. I want to say spheres. They're not spheres.

[Luke Burbank]

No, they're like a. Is that a dodecahedron?

[Andrew Walsh]

I. Yes. I think it's that because I don't trust myself.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, how many sides is 12, I guess.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, I guess it's a 12 sided.

[Luke Burbank]

Is there something inside?

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes.

[Luke Burbank]

Calendar.

[Andrew Walsh]

And inside them are like, it sounds like maybe some pebbles or something like that, or beads to give it a little ballast. Yeah. So that you can set it on your desk and set it to whatever the month is. And it looks like there's five of these in here. So I think it's probably for me, you, John, and maybe the other people in our lives. Bingo gets one. By the way. I feel a little bit bad. I was teasing Bingo today. I was saying. I was like, I don't know, Genevieve, if we're bringing the new puppy in. Do I have enough love in my heart? Do I have enough love in my heart?

[Luke Burbank]

And then on their toes.

[Andrew Walsh]

Exactly. And then I. I gotta be honest with you. I felt a little bad about it, and I apologize to him later.

[Luke Burbank]

Go watch a cat. Go watch a cat parenting video.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes. How to apologize to your cat. And we also in the.

[Luke Burbank]

I promise you that's a video that exists.

[Andrew Walsh]

How to apologize to your cat. Got a nice long note here from Catherine. I'm not going to read it cold here, but oh yeah, it says for Luke, John, Genevieve and Hannah. So I'll be distributing these things as appropriately. There's also, though I love this, there are some, some crumpled up newspaper in here to keep these things safe in transit. But also just the rest of the newspaper was folded up and put in the bottom of the box, which I love.

[Luke Burbank]

This is the, Is that a Virginia paper?

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, the Intermountain. The Inter mountain. From Friday, January 9, 2026. So I'll be. I haven't held a real newspaper in my hand for way too long. So anyway, thank you very, very much, Catherine, David, Maggie, everybody. Really appreciate you thinking of this.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, thank you so much. I'm also still working my way through all of the holiday cards that you gave me, Andrew, that were addressed to me. And so I've been opening those and I just want to say if you sent us a holiday card, if you sent me a holiday card, thank you so much. I'm seeing them and it's, it warms, it warms the cockles of, of my heart.

[Andrew Walsh]

So, yeah, I sent you, I opened one yesterday too, that really warmed my heart. I was telling you about.

[Luke Burbank]

God, that was incredible.

[Andrew Walsh]

I'll keep it anonymous, but I'll, I'll, I'll give a quick recap here. And then I know we got to get out of here and enjoy our weekends, but I found it incredibly moving. I'm down to just a few holiday cards that I open every now and then from the tens of listeners. And I've been opening them since the holidays. I just open one or two a night. And I read one last night from a listener and I do remember this when this happened, but a listener reached out to us, I want to say maybe last year during one of the card exchanges, maybe the holiday card exchange. And they said I want to participate, but, you know, takes postage to do that. And I'm in a pretty tough place right now. So we reached out and we had an anonymous donor, a friend who helped help that person, I think maybe send him some money, just, just enough to get some postage. And we got a followup from that person via a holiday card this year that said that was so inspiring. And even though they were like, I think homeless and jobless at the time that they reached out to us, us, they were so filled with the spirit of the person who kind of made that happen for them that they, they were, they were encouraged by that and really just pushed through and now have had several jobs and now are working a really great job as like, a head chef at a restaurant where they live. And things are a lot more stable for them now. And they were just reflecting on TBT and the community, and it just. I mean, I was just. Tears raining on my face, raining on my face. So I'm glad to hear that that person's doing all right. And thanks for the follow up.

[Luke Burbank]

Up. Yeah, thanks to everybody who reaches out. We, we really do appreciate it. It's, it's, you know, it's, it's intense to like, to, to hear those stories and also to kind of like, just try to be present and appreciate all of the amazing people that listen to the show and, and that are part of this whole thing. Like, it's, it's kind of a bit of a miracle, and we're really grateful for it. So also grateful that it's a Friday, meaning we are at the end of our broadcast week, but. But Monday is a mere 48 hours away. So we'll be back then with more imaginary radio for all of you. So please do join us for that. In the meantime, everybody, have a great Friday. Have a great weekend. Take care of yourselves, Happy Easters and go Mariners. And please remember, no mountain too tall.

[Andrew Walsh]

And good luck to all.

[Genevieve]

Power out.