The JTrain Podcast – “Kids At The Pool, Parallel Parking Helpers, And Parents On The Phone – TICKED OFF TUESDAY”

Host: Jared Freid
Date: October 7, 2025

Main Theme

This Ticked Off Tuesday edition of The JTrain Podcast centers on listener-submitted complaints, with host Jared Freid commiserating with the frustrations big and small that make everyday life so uniquely annoying. From the generational pain of parents using smartphones, to kids overtaking adult pool spaces, to unsolicited help while parallel parking, Jared uses his signature relatable, comedic style to validate these gripes and offer cathartic commentary.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Parents Struggling with Smartphone Calls

[03:35–11:00]

• Jared calls his parents in the morning, anticipating what he describes as the now-customary 30–60 seconds of confusion ("Hello? You there? Hello?")—demonstrating how many in the older generation are still at “iPhone 101.”
• Merging Calls Gone Wrong: His mom accidentally merges calls, creating a cacophony of “hello?” between himself and his parents.
• Insight: Jared jokes that smartphone features (like call merging) should be unlocked like levels in a video game—only accessible once users master basic tasks.
  • “My mom should have to go through a year of doing things right on the phone to then, oh, okay, now you get merge.” (09:15)

Notable Quote:

“You can’t press the merge button if you can’t even figure out how to pick up the phone.”
— Jared Freid, [08:37]

2. Bread at Breakfast Cafes: Temptation and Frustration

[11:00–15:50]

• Jared describes a tantalizing tableau at Los Angeles’s “up its own ass” Earth Cafe: He orders a healthy meal but is served irresistible, fresh baguette slices with equally “cartoonishly delicious” butter he must resist.
• Complaint: Bread should be “opt-in” at breakfast spots—let diners specifically add it to their meal rather than force the temptation on them.
• Insight: The struggle is universal; he frames his successful self-control as an achievement, but wishes restaurants would adjust ordering to support people’s goals.

Notable Quote:

“For me to not eat this bread and butter was like a real achievement in the way that I’m mad at Earth Cafe because it should be… Order the egg white. Okay. Do you want add ons?”
— Jared Freid, [14:20]

3. Ticked Off Tuesday Listener Complaints

A. The Backless Massage

[17:37–20:44]

• Submission: Listener’s friend gets a massage, but due to “running out of time,” the masseur skips her back and just apologizes—no remedy offered.
• Jared’s take: As a monthly member, you should speak up—calmly!—and asking for a remedy isn’t overreacting. Letting it slide perpetuates the issue.
  • “The back is the one people are going to catch. Like, that’s the one I wouldn’t ever miss. I’d rather miss the forearm.” [19:55]

B. Mobile Order Coffee, Strawlessness, and Sippy Cup Lids

[20:44–23:25]

• Submission: A listener laments that Starbucks coffee, brought out with a Target pickup, never includes a straw—leaving her with only an “adult sippy cup” lid.
• Jared’s take: None of us asked for sippy cup lids or strawlessness; options should be requestable just like silverware on food apps. The war on straws is misplaced.
  • “The straw company is now seen as a luxury. It’s now seen as something we don’t need. That it’s a murderous weapon.” [22:21]

C. Kids in Adult-Only Pool Spaces

[23:26–26:45]

• Submission: A gym member is frustrated by kids using the 14+ jacuzzi and wandering pool’s adult spaces, leaving adults unable to relax and forcing them into the role of disciplinarian.
• Jared’s take: The onus should be on the facility to enforce its “no kids” rules; adults don’t want to be “Mr. Wilson yelling at Dennis the Menace.” Create separate, enforced adult-only space.
  • “If you’re going to be a kid-friendly environment, you have to protect the adults. No one wants to be the rando adult yelling at someone else’s kid.” [24:19]

D. Unsolicited Parallel Parking Help

[26:45–31:16]

• Submission: A listener deals with an overly eager neighbor who gives spontaneous parking directions—even when she’s not struggling—to the point of ignoring her polite rejections. The help feels condescending (especially due to gender and racial stereotypes).
• Jared’s take: People who “help” without being asked are projecting their desires to dominate, not true altruism. The added scrutiny increases pressure; it’s rarely helpful and often patronizing.
  • “He doesn’t want to help. He wants to dominate you. He wants to show you that you don’t know what the fuck you’re doing, and he does.” [29:10]
  • “When you’re parallel parking… I don’t want to be the person that can’t parallel park. And then for someone to just, like, assume you can’t… No. Get out of here.” [30:45]

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On Family Tech Woes:

  “I’ve become accustomed to 30 seconds to a minute of figuring out how to talk to each other on the phone. That’s just the, that is the going rate of calling my parents.”
  — Jared Freid, [05:30]

• On Bread Temptation:

  “It is a cartoonishly delicious looking baguette slice and butter. You’re going and I hope I, I hope I’m creating the image enough.”
  — Jared Freid, [13:10]

• On Adult-Only Pool Spaces:

  “No one wants to be the rando adult yelling at someone else’s kid. We don’t want to have to be put in the position of parenting.”
  — Jared Freid, [24:20]

• On Unsolicited “Help”:

  “I don’t need this, like, assumption that I don’t know what I’m doing… He wants to be. He wants to show you that you don’t know what the fuck you’re doing, and he does. The guy’s an asshole.”
  — Jared Freid, [29:00]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:35] – Family phone confusion and merging fail
• [11:00] – Earth Cafe baguette and the problem with unsolicited bread
• [17:37] – Listener complaint: Massage that skips the back
• [20:44] – Listener complaint: No straw included in Target coffee orders
• [23:26] – Listener complaint: Kids overtaking adult-only pool areas
• [26:45] – Listener complaint: Neighbor giving unsolicited help with parallel parking

Tone and Style

Jared’s take throughout is empathetic, self-aware, and punchy, combining specific listener scenarios with broader observations—often framing universal annoyances in ways both commiserating and biting. His approach validates each complaint (“They shall be read and they shall be heard”) and foregrounds the comedy in everyday irritations.

Summary

In this episode of The JTrain Podcast, Jared Freid guides listeners through the comic trenches of daily annoyances, bringing humor, empathy, and some pointed social commentary along for the ride. Whether dealing with tech-challenged parents, forced bread temptation, or the boundaryless “helpers” of the world, Jared’s mission is clear: Your gripes are real, your pain is shared, and your complaints deserve the spotlight—until next Ticked Off Tuesday.