The JTrain Podcast: Ticked Off Tuesday

Episode Title: Delta Hiding Upgrade Certificates, Clipping Nails On A Flight, and Parents Coddling Their Kids
Host: Jared Freid
Date: January 6, 2026

Main Theme & Purpose

This solo episode is part of the “Ticked Off Tuesday” series, where comic Jared Freid reads listener emails and vents his own frustrations about travel, etiquette, airline policies, parenting, and more. Jared leans into the comedy and camaraderie of complaining, offering his unique blend of empathy and wry observation to amplify the grievances of his audience. In this episode, Jared covers his misadventures at a trendy restaurant, the peculiar etiquette of walking on the beach, frustrating airline loyalty programs, listener stories about airplane nail clipping, over-involved parents of adult children, meddlesome mothers-in-law, and run-ins with mispriced seafood.

Episode Breakdown

1. Opening Riff & Recent Restaurant Complaint

Timestamp: 00:00 – 12:30

• Jared introduces “Ticked Off Tuesday” as the day listeners come together to gripe, saying:

  “You complain, I listen…to maybe agree with you. I’ll always find a way to agree with you.” (02:19)

• He details his botched attempt to dine at The Grove, “the hottest restaurant in Delray Beach.” He mistakenly booked for the wrong date, finds the place closed on one of the busiest dining nights, and questions their business sense.
• Commentary on “saying things confidently” and why it’s half the battle in life.

Notable Quote

“Are you swimming in money?...Because if it were me, the Tuesday before Christmas I would be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.” (06:15)

2. Beach Walks & Social Snafus

Timestamp: 12:30 – 19:00

• Jared’s daily routine involves working out at The Lab Gym and “getting 5K steps on the beach.”
• Two complaints:
  • The unavoidable awkwardness of running into acquaintances while trying to enjoy a solitary beach walk:

    “If two people see each other and they go in the same direction, there’s really no good way to be like, ‘Hey, you go first. I’ll lay back.’” (14:55)

  • The logistics of passing large groups and floppy hats on narrow walkways:

    "If you’re going to wear a floppy hat…you gotta go single file, like synchronized swimmers.” (16:45)

• Emphasizes the lack of etiquette for communal spaces and the social discomfort of unwillingly falling into step with others.

3. Delta Airlines: Partners in Frustration

Timestamp: 19:00 – 28:00

• Jared, a Delta Platinum Medallion member, details his grievances with hidden upgrade certificates.
• Rants about being “pot committed” to Delta, not out of love but practicality ("I am a fan of their work, but…now we’re partners because I am pot committed. I have flown enough…” 21:50).
• Frustrated by the lack of information in the Delta app about the status and usability of upgrade certificates.
• Describes a recent phone call where a representative reveals he has unused global upgrades:

  “The fact that I don’t see how many upgrades I have...on the app, every time I open it, is a disservice...It is a smack in the face to your medallion holders.” (24:15)

• Argues Delta deliberately keeps these benefits hidden to minimize usage, which he calls “actually evil.”
• Passionately pleads for Delta to be transparent with loyal customers:

  “If there was a town hall meeting, I would stand up and I would say...‘Why are you hiding my benefits after I’ve earned them?’” (25:35)

• Closes with:

  “I’m not leaving, and you know that, Delta. So you’re taking advantage of your customer for an unknown reason.” (26:55)

4. Listener Complaints

a. Clipping Nails on a Flight

Timestamp: 28:00 – 31:30

• A listener shares their disgust after witnessing a woman in the middle seat biting and picking her nails for over an hour.
• Jared weighs in, noting some people are more aware of gross behavior than others:

  "If I saw the nail thing, it would take me a while to be clued in...it would be less throw up, more this is nutty cuckoo bananas." (29:25)

• Suggests there should be special “anti-disgusting behavior” policies for flights home from party cities like New Orleans, Vegas, and Miami to accommodate the hungover and weary:

  “Every flight home from New Orleans should be seen as some sort of military flight leaving a war stricken country...all nail biting, all of that stuff should put you on the no-fly list.” (30:55)

b. Parents Coddling Adult Children

Timestamp: 31:30 – 36:45

• University administrator frustrated with parents intervening for their grad student children, offering excuses like “my kid doesn’t check their mail.”
• Jared admits he was once a coddled kid, relates to both sides but ultimately sides with the emailer:

  “What the fuck is going on with parents coddling their kids in their twenties? …The kids, the parent—I agree with you.” (33:00)

• Describes embarrassment when his own mother intervened at a car dealership.
• Wishes parents would take accountability and show self-awareness instead of foisting complaints on university staff.

  “The issue I would have if I were you is that there’s no moment of honesty and self-realization. No awareness moment.” (34:40)

c. Overbearing Mother-in-Law

Timestamp: 36:45 – 41:45

• Listener’s mother-in-law can’t attend dinner without cleaning, criticizing, or rearranging the apartment; later texts “don’t take it personally, I just wanted to help.”
• Jared empathizes but counters that you can’t expect to be your “full self” around a mother-in-law:

  “It’s delusional to think that you’re ever going to be fully yourself in front of your mother-in-law.” (37:50)

• Advises to let go of some battles (harmless jokes), focus boyfriend’s intervention on the main issue (cleaning), and accept the “free cleaning,” as her opinion will not change.
• Suggests the boyfriend should advocate gently to his mom before a visit:

  “She wants to get to know you, and when you’re away the whole time, we don’t even get to hang out with you…try to go that route.” (40:30)

• Encourages acknowledgment from the boyfriend to validate the listener’s frustrations.

d. The Mispriced Seafood Power Struggle

Timestamp: 41:45 – 46:00

• Listener shares an ordeal at Sprouts with a butcher counter that mislabels crab legs and lobster prices, leading to confusion, aggravated employees, and a near collision with a meat cart.
• Jared links this to the old retail mantra:

  “The customer’s always right. When you speak in extremes…you leave nuance at the door...now all the customers are assholes, all the people working are acting like dicks, and it’s this friction, and that’s what you’re dealing with.” (43:40)

• Reflects on the fallout from decades of customer entitlement interwoven with burnt-out service workers.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On restaurant holiday closures:

  “My feedback to them is: are you swimming in money?” (06:10)

• On Delta’s user-unfriendly app:

  “All I’m asking is for the upgrades that I have earned to be shown to me and not have to do this like, well, can I see how many I have left?” (25:30)

• On the special rules needed for flights home from party cities:

  “All nail biting, all of that stuff should put you on the no-fly list.” (30:55)

• On parents intervening for adult children:

  “I would love for these arguments to happen between my parents and I and not with a third-party adult who has nothing to do with this.” (35:25)

• On mother-in-law dynamics:

  “You’re just not [going to be your full self]. Nine and a half out of ten people are not their full self in front of their mother-in-law.” (37:53)

• On customer service friction:

  “When you speak in extremes like ‘the customer’s always right,’ you leave nuance at the door.” (43:30)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00 – 02:00 — Cold open/‘Ticked Off Tuesday’ introduction
• 02:00 – 12:30 — Story: Restaurant reservation fumble, business hours, delivering complaints
• 12:30 – 19:00 — Beach walk complaints, floppy hats, passing etiquette
• 19:00 – 28:00 — Rant: Delta Airlines hiding upgrade certificates
• 28:00 – 31:30 — Listener: Airplane nail biting story
• 31:30 – 36:45 — Listener: Parents coddling kids into adulthood
• 36:45 – 41:45 — Listener: Overbearing mother-in-law at dinner
• 41:45 – 46:00 — Listener: Seafood counter signage debacle

Tone & Style

• Jared’s voice is conversational, candid, and self-deprecating.
• He consistently validates his listeners’ complaints, drawing on his own experiences with a blend of sardonic humor and empathy.
• Signature exaggerations and relatable asides keep the mood light, even when he’s genuinely “ticked off.”

This episode spotlights the minor grievances that unite us all, from airline annoyances to the interpersonal minefields of family gatherings. With his trademark comedic lens, Jared helps listeners feel seen—and reminds us that sometimes, griping is good for the soul.