The JTrain Podcast

Episode: My Assistant Keeps Having Me Explain Things! Help! - TICKED OFF TUESDAY

Host: Jared Freid
Date: January 27, 2026

Episode Overview

This "Ticked Off Tuesday" episode of The JTrain Podcast, hosted by Jared Freid, is a comedic therapy session devoted to listener complaints and minor annoyances. Jared kicks off with his own travel headaches before reading and riffing on listener-submitted grievances covering overpaying for tickets, first-class flight letdowns, the pitfalls of delegating to assistants, and a head-scratching tech fail from Verizon. The tone is fun, sarcastic, and commiserative, with Jared providing validation, witty commentary, and life lessons along the way.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jared’s Travel Complaint: Show Scheduling Chaos & Weather Woes

Timestamps: 02:00 – 13:58

• Jared details his convoluted travel schedule: Delray Beach → Tampa → Atlanta → Charleston → Beech Mountain, NC.
• Annoyed at people messaging him about upcoming weather affecting his shows, months in advance:
  • “It’s almost as if... it’s like having, you know, 100 girlfriends who are watching the weather app messaging you every day.” (07:48)
• Explains the emotional aspect of people preemptively assuming he’ll cancel shows due to weather:
  • “So on the options of what are you going to do? I’m going to see when we get there and we’re going to figure it out... I’m not letting that thought cross my mind because it would make me feel sad.” (10:13)
• Insight: There's a broader contrast between “happy people and miseries”:
  • “That’s the difference between happy people and miseries, the idea of like, hey, we’ll get there and we’ll figure it out.” (12:35)

2. Listener Complaint: Overpaying for Sixers Tickets

Timestamps: 19:10 – 24:20

• Bartender from Philly meets tourists who paid $500 per ticket via a third-party site; she’s shocked to learn direct tickets were $50–$60.
• Jared riffs on people’s lack of curiosity and the comfort in believing things are set in stone:
  • “That’s just what Sixers tickets cost is something that makes her feel comfortable knowing that, like, that’s why she doesn’t go all the time.” (21:40)
• Life lesson: Most “impossible” things become possible with a little curiosity and adventure.
• Relates to the earlier weather complaint—people default to “it’ll never work out” instead of just trying.

3. Listener Complaint: Business Class Letdown on United Polaris

Timestamps: 24:21 – 32:56

• Listener describes her disappointing luxury flight experience: pre-ordered meal confusion, missing items, sparkling wine instead of champagne, overwhelmed but nice flight attendant.
• Jared’s detailed play-by-play on what “should” happen in first class:
  • “They sometimes go in reverse. They bring your meal and then they bring the bread through. It should go bread. Then you get the hot meal so it doesn’t get cold on you... So that your bread can be eaten and have the full experience.” (28:50)
• On being stuck with someone learning their job:
  • “You don’t want to get stuck on someone’s first day... You can never go, well, get out of here! I’m not signing up for this.” (26:57)
• Big laugh about no champagne on a flight to France:
  • “You’re going to France to not have champagne... Let’s just not go. Turn the flight around!” (30:15)

4. Listener Complaint: The Assistan(t) Dilemma

Timestamps: 32:57 – 39:10

• Listener vents about their assistant always calling to clarify tasks, making the job harder instead of easier.
• Jared analyzes the psychology:
  • “The only way to learn is to mess up. That’s the problem with what they’re doing... When you fuck up, you don’t fuck up again. When you feel consequences, you learn.” (34:40)
  • “In the assistant world, they might have other dreams. That’s the problem... Becoming a good assistant is actually a detriment to what real dreams they have.” (35:53)
• Key insight: Don’t be afraid of mistakes—growth comes from them, and over-clarifying gets in the way.
• On the frustration: “If I have to say it twice, I could have done it myself.” (37:30)

5. Listener Complaint: Verizon’s Snail Mail Password Reset

Timestamps: 39:11 – 43:56

• A teacher tries to recover a Verizon password and is only offered “text your phone” (which she doesn’t have) or “send in the mail.”
• Jared finds the postal mail option absurd:
  • “Do you want us to send it by mail, or do you want a pigeon to fly it over to you? Do you want like a horse and buggy to bring it over?” (41:55)
  • “If you click on please send me a letter with my password—like, it should take you to a part of the site that says surprise, you’re a fucking idiot. It should be a prank. If that’s not a prank, there’s no pranks.” (42:29)
• Wonders who would even opt for the mail option—“I’d frame it. It might be the last thing ever sent in the mail.” (43:12)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On forecasting doom:
  “Imagine that—like, that’s hell on earth going, ‘Oh man, it’s going to rain.’ And it’s like, no, I can’t get down. I have to be up. I have to be pumped to go to Tampa Bay.” (08:07)

• On human curiosity:
  “When the reality is, if you’re like, a little bit curious, a little bit flexible, most dreams can come true.” (22:45)

• On workplace learning:
  “They’re so worried about messing up that they’ll never learn. The only way to learn is to mess up.” (34:37)

• On absurd bureaucracy:
  “That’s like taunting you... Are there cameras on me? Like, thanks to our building getting key fob access recently, I was able to go back and get my phone after everyone else had left. But I had to share this nonsensical discovery.” (40:55)

Segment Timestamps at a Glance

• 02:00 – 13:58 | Jared’s travel and weather rant
• 19:10 – 24:20 | Overpaying for event tickets
• 24:21 – 32:56 | First class flight service complaints
• 32:57 – 39:10 | Trouble with an over-clarifying assistant
• 39:11 – 43:56 | Verizon’s mail-in password reset absurdity

Episode Flow & Tone

Jared’s tone is classic stand-up: high energy, brutally honest, self-deprecating, and always looking for the little bit of ridiculousness in everyday life. He steers each complaint to a broader human insight, mixing empathy with tough love (“happy people figure stuff out, miseries complain about the rain”). The episode is cathartic for both the host and his audience, offering validation and laughs around life’s shared frustrations.

For Listeners Who Haven't Heard It

This episode is a fun, easily digestible therapy session for anyone annoyed by bureaucracy, service hiccups, workplace inefficiency, or people who always expect the worst. Jared’s comedic voice and the show’s fast pace keep it lively, while real-life scenarios provide both entertainment and moments of wisdom.

To submit your own gripe or complaint, email jtrainpodcast@gmail.com or join Jared’s Patreon for guaranteed airtime.