“I’M AN AIR FORCE VETERAN”

Summary

Therapy Gecko Podcast Summary: “I’M AN AIR FORCE VETERAN”

Episode Information:

• Title: I’M AN AIR FORCE VETERAN
• Host: Lyle (from iHeartPodcasts)
• Release Date: August 3, 2025

Overview: In this emotionally charged episode of Therapy Gecko, host Lyle engages with three callers, each sharing personal stories that delve into themes of military service, mental health, friendship, and life transitions. Skipping over advertisements and non-content segments, the episode provides a deep dive into the challenges and triumphs faced by veterans and individuals navigating complex relationships and personal growth.

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1. Anthony: An Air Force Veteran’s Journey

Timestamp: [02:22] - [35:38]

Background: Anthony, a 31-year-old Air Force veteran, opens up about his military service and the struggles he faced during his time in the Air Force. Serving in network defense, Anthony was discharged early due to a toxic leadership environment. He shares, “I was only in for two and a half years because I had some pretty fucked up, what's the word I'm looking for, leadership” ([04:06]).

Current Challenges: Post-service, Anthony deals with the aftermath of a broken three-and-a-half-year relationship, resulting in a sudden move to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Utilizing veterans assistance, he secures a new apartment with hopes of rebuilding his life. “I actually just got the call today that I'm approved to move into the new apartment in the city that I wanted to move into” ([03:07]).

Mental Health and Disability Claims: Anthony discusses his ongoing battle with mental health issues stemming from his military experience, including PTSD, anxiety, and depression. He is pursuing a disability claim to receive financial support, explaining, “The veterans thing, I was only in for two and a half years because... it resulted in me getting PTSD, anxiety, depression, and like, a severe distrust of authority” ([11:39]).

Future Plans: Looking ahead, Anthony plans to transition into an HVAC career to secure a stable future less threatened by automation. He outlines his strategy to demonstrate financial responsibility and stability over the next year to eventually take over his lease. “What that's going to look like is switching job careers... getting my HVAC certification” ([05:08]).

Philosophical Insights: A significant portion of Anthony’s call delves into philosophical musings about suffering and the nature of existence. He posits that suffering is a fundamental aspect of life that neither inherently good nor bad, suggesting, “I should accept suffering as the baseline of life. To live is to suffer” ([14:28]). This leads to a profound discussion on finding peace through acceptance and love despite inherent suffering.

Notable Quotes:

• Anthony: “I was diagnosed with a few different, like, mental illnesses because of the events that happened during my stay at my permanent duty station” ([11:40]).
• Anthony: “Suffering is just like the self is. It just exists. It's not inherently good. It's not inherently bad” ([14:28]).
• Lyle: “Life's too short to spend it stewing and getting pissed off” ([42:37]).

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2. Sasha: Navigating Toxic Friendships

Timestamp: [38:51] - [53:73]

Background: Sasha, a 24-year-old from Chicago, seeks advice on her deteriorating friendship. She describes how her best friend has become increasingly mean and unreliable, culminating in a recent incident where the friend canceled plans to hang out with a new boyfriend.

Emotional Impact: Sasha expresses feelings of betrayal and confusion, highlighting the emotional toll of her friend’s behavior. “I feel like this is just something I should have been doing. Seventeen, you know?” ([41:50]) she admits, reflecting on the maturity required to handle such situations.

Philosophical Insights: The conversation explores the balance between loyalty and self-respect. Lyle advises that friendships should be effortless and not a source of constant stress. “Friendships should be easy... life’s too short to spend it stewing and getting pissed off” ([42:37]).

Personal Growth: Sasha shares her journey toward building a stronger sense of self and reevaluating her relationships. “I'm almost kind of building my own sense of self for the first time” ([50:11]). She acknowledges the difficulty in letting go of long-term friendships but emphasizes the importance of surrounding herself with supportive and positive people.

Notable Quotes:

• Sasha: “I have to respect myself enough to not put up with that, I guess” ([44:26]).
• Lyle: “Friendships should be easy... life’s too short to spend it stewing and getting pissed off” ([42:37]).
• Sasha: “I am like, I have to choose carefully who I not only spend my time with but just like, invest my energy in” ([44:57]).

---

3. Pat: Moving and Letting Go

Timestamp: [53:24] - [84:24]

Background: Pat, another caller, shares his plans to move to Toronto and is conducting a garage sale to declutter before the move. He lists items for sale, including a bicycle, a picture of a wolf, various bags, chairs, and video games.

Garage Sale Insights: The discussion turns to the art of pricing items fairly and the emotional aspect of selling personal belongings. Pat aims to offer fair prices without overcharging, stating, “It's pretty much just going for offers. Like I don't have any prices on anything” ([54:37]).

Personal Reflections: Pat reflects on letting go of possessions and preparing for a new chapter in Toronto. He describes the importance of moving forward and the bittersweet nature of parting with items that hold sentimental value: “I'm packing it all away so my parents don't have to deal with it when I go to Toronto” ([55:41]).

Hobbies and Personal Growth: Pat discusses his hobbies, including ukulele playing and hunting, highlighting the challenges of maintaining interests while managing a busy life. “I have a big ass dog who's also kind of a lot of work, but I mean, good company” ([74:02]).

Notable Quotes:

• Pat: “I'm getting rid of some stuff because when I come back to get my stuff, I don't want to take some stuff that I don't want” ([53:37]).
• Pat: “The chair I'm sitting on is not going anywhere unless someone asks a hundred bucks for it” ([59:19]).
• Lyle: “You have to be like, it's the things that aren't for sale...” ([57:51]).

---

Conclusion: Supporting Personal Growth and Recovery

Throughout the episode, Lyle provides compassionate and thoughtful responses, offering practical advice and emotional support to each caller. The discussions emphasize the importance of mental health, the complexities of interpersonal relationships, and the journey toward personal growth and stability. The episode concludes with a teaser for a premium bonus episode, encouraging listeners to engage further with the Therapy Gecko community.

Final Notable Quotes:

• Lyle: “Life's too short to spend it stewing and getting pissed off” ([42:37]).
• Anthony: “I feel good about it and I feel ready to take on the next year” ([05:52]).
• Sasha: “I think there's a lot of freedom” ([22:30]).

Summary: “I’M AN AIR FORCE VETERAN” offers a profound exploration of the struggles faced by veterans, the dynamics of toxic friendships, and the personal evolution required to overcome life's challenges. Through authentic conversations and philosophical debates, Therapy Gecko provides listeners with relatable narratives and actionable insights for navigating their own journeys toward healing and fulfillment.

Transcript

[Lyle]

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[Anthony]

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[Caller 1]

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[Caller 1]

Hello.

[Lyle]

Hey, what's your name?

[Anthony]

My name's Anthony.

[Lyle]

Anthony. What's up Anthony? How you doing?

[Anthony]

Not too bad. How about you man?

[Lyle]

I'm hanging in there. Another day alive on the earth.

[Anthony]

Right on.

[Lyle]

What's going on with you, man?

[Anthony]

Not too much. I'm recently moving to Harrisburg after a three and a half year relationship breaking up. And yeah, I've been crashing with my friends. I've been using veterans assistance. I actually just got the call today that I'm approved to move into the new apartment in the city that I wanted to move into.

[Lyle]

You're a veteran?

[Anthony]

Yes sir.

[Lyle]

I actually was about to ask you if I thought you were like 17.

[Anthony]

No man, I'm 31.

[Lyle]

Oh wow, you have a youthful voice.

[Anthony]

Oh, thank you.

[Lyle]

What, what are you, what are you.

[Caller 1]

A veteran of the Air Force?

[Anthony]

I did network defense for the Air Force in a place I'm not gonna say where.

[Lyle]

Cool. What? So what kind of benefits do you get as a veteran?

[Anthony]

The story of the veteran thing is a little complicated too.

[Lyle]

Hey listen. Hey man, are you like holding your hand over the phone or anything like that or walking around?

[Anthony]

I'm not trying to. I'm holding it right up next to my face here.

[Lyle]

Okay, you're good. There we go. Okay. Sorry, what are you saying?

[Anthony]

Ok. No, the veterans thing, I was only in for two and a half years because I had some pretty like fucked up, what's the word I'm looking for leadership. Like my very high ranked officers would come do like 2:30 in the morning room inspections on me and random shit like that. So they got me out before I had my all 4 years. And not all benefits I'm available to. So because my boyfriend or my ex boyfriend only gave me such a limited amount of time, 40 days to leave the apartment, I had to rely on their anti homelessness assistance to go through those avenues.

[Lyle]

And so are you moving to a place that is sponsored by the Veterans Association?

[Anthony]

Yeah, so there's an apartment complex like owning company that the Veterans affairs and then another local assistance program. They work hand in hand with them and they'll cover rent for me for a whole year. They'll put the utilities in my name but also cover utilities so that I can build credit. And the goal is to show significant improvement over the course of 365 days and then take over the lease at the end.

[Lyle]

Cool.

[Caller 1]

Yeah, good.

[Lyle]

So what is, what is it? What does it mean to show significant improvement?

[Anthony]

What that's going to look like is switching job careers Right now I'm. I'm working for a company where I get to be part time chef for a retirement center and then part time maintenance for the other side of their campus. But with all of this in mind, I'm going to be training for H Vac since there's such a big need for that. And that's going to be really hard to replace by AI So I'm going to be getting my H VAC certification, showing that I have like enough in savings, showing that I can keep up with like other bills and things like that.

[Caller 1]

Just like.

[Anthony]

Yeah, showing I can be a responsible adult, really.

[Lyle]

Okay. And how do you feel about your ability to do all those things.

[Anthony]

Same time?

[Lyle]

You know, like you cut out just a little bit every.

[Sasha]

Sorry.

[Anthony]

No, I'm excited and nervous about it. You know, I feel like I am capable of doing it. It's just going to be a lot of work to have a full time job, settling into a new apartment, getting to know the city that I'm living in, and then also going to school to get my H VAC Certification as well. So it's a lot to get on my plate all at once, but I feel good about it and I feel ready to take on the next year.

[Lyle]

Sick. Very good.

[Caller 1]

Yeah.

[Lyle]

So what happened with your. With your ex?

[Caller 1]

Yeah.

[Anthony]

Basically his mom gave him an ultimatum where he could stay with me in the state that we were living in and not receive any more assistance from her because he was having a hard time holding the job and things. Or he could go home, work for his mom's online business, live rent free, have his debt continue to be paid and stay with mom and he ended up choosing to go home instead.

[Lyle]

Okay, so. And then that was the end of you guys.

[Anthony]

Yeah. Because I've been living in this state for like 10 years and I have a really large support network and a full time job. And all of this news was only brought to me with 40 days notice and I couldn't pack up my life to move to a different state in 40 days. And I explained that to him, but it was more important that he went home.

[Lyle]

So you're moving to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania?

[Anthony]

Yeah, yeah.

[Lyle]

Except what's going on in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania?

[Anthony]

Well, South Central PA is the like Mecca of the metal scene, which I'm like huge on right now. I always have been since I was in high school. It's mostly Lancaster, but Harrisburg has a lot of stuff for it. Like JB Love drafts. Best fucking place to hang out in Harrisburg. For sure. It's this little like punk Dive bar on Second Street. Yeah, best place. They do, like, free music every Fridays, all kinds of events. Good. Like craft beers, good food. Yeah, awesome place. I was just at Pride on Saturday and had all kinds of fun with that. Yeah, it's just a cool city and I'm excited to, like, get to know it more outside of, like, visiting it once every couple months to go to a bar.

[Lyle]

What? So that's so random that there's a big heavy metal scene in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. How did that come to be?

[Anthony]

There's just like, a lot of up and coming artists coming out of, like, south central Pennsylvania, like I said, specifically Lancaster with, like, August Burns Red. I mean, the other band. I'm thinking of my favorite, Galactic Empire. Yeah, so, like, there's that and there's Mickey's Black Box out in Lancaster too, which is like this rock campus that has two stages, hotels and like, restaurants and all this stuff and studios for rent. So, like, any band can just like, get time there, stay there, produce however much they need, get help producing it, and then go on with their lives.

[Lyle]

And are. Do you play in a band?

[Anthony]

I used to play in, like, a. Like a normal cover band that we would do, like birthdays and bars, but I haven't been able to get into a metal band yet.

[Lyle]

Or is that one of your plans when you go to Harrisburg? You're going to get into a metal band?

[Anthony]

I mean, that'd be dope as hell. But, like, really, I'm just trying to, like, just be known in the scene in general because I just love music scenes and I. And I did the, like, local artist in Carlisle thing, and now I want to, like, get to know the metal scene better. Just a little more.

[Lyle]

Like, personally, how does one get to be known in the scene?

[Anthony]

I think. I think it's just gonna be like hanging out at JB's, get introducing myself to different bands, figuring out where they're doing other shows, going to shows for bands that I like. I used to work merch, so I'm always talking to the merch guys about, like, what they're doing and stuff like that. Yeah, I think it's just about, like, networking and getting to know people.

[Lyle]

All right, man. That's pretty cool. That's pretty cool. Well, let me ask you this, caller. Is there anything in particular that you wanted to call in to talk about today or just kind of.

[Anthony]

Kind of just shoot the shit about, like, what's been going on? Kind of like I did with you so far. If there's anything in specific that seems Interesting to talk about. I'm down for that, too.

[Lyle]

Okay, well, in the. In the. In the Air Force.

[Caller 1]

Yeah.

[Lyle]

Did. Were they mean to you?

[Anthony]

Oh, 100%. Yeah. I'm actually. I'm pursuing a disability claim because of it.

[Lyle]

Wait, really? How.

[Anthony]

100%?

[Lyle]

How does that work?

[Anthony]

So, basically, I was diagnosed with a few different, like, mental illnesses because of the events that happened during my stay at my permanent duty station, which just means, like, the place where you're supposed to be for your job.

[Lyle]

And.

[Anthony]

Yeah, just the environment of harassment, the twisting of Air Force standards so that I was set up to fail or specifically removing avenues of help and assistance from me and me only, along with, like. Yeah, the random room inspections, the, like, constant supervision. There was one point I even got moved out of my section, and the only person I was allowed to report to was the supervisor of the division that I was working for. Tried to create an environment of harassment and fear, and it resulted in me getting ptsd, anxiety, depression, and like, a severe distrust of authority.

[Lyle]

Okay. Okay, that sounds. That sounds Air Force. Y. That sounds very.

[Caller 1]

It sure does.

[Anthony]

Yeah.

[Caller 1]

Yep.

[Lyle]

Okay. And now you're gonna go into H Vac?

[Anthony]

Yeah, yeah. Because I, you know, computers are fine, but all the certifications I got are at this point, like, 1112 years old. And AI is moving so fast with computers. It's not really worth it for it.

[Sasha]

The.

[Anthony]

The effort versus reward is not worth it for me to just, like, go in and.

[Lyle]

Yeah, yeah, there's going to be.

[Anthony]

And everything.

[Lyle]

There's a flip. I feel like, where it's like, blue white collar work is now going to be worth less than blue collar work.

[Anthony]

Yeah. So basically, they look at my diagnoses, and then they're like. They have me do a doctor's appointments, and they're like, yes, you do have depression, anxiety, etc. And it looks like it was from that. So here's your disability check.

[Lyle]

And how much. How much can we get from disability? What's. What's that about?

[Anthony]

So. So that really depends on what I get rated for my percentage. That can be anywhere from like 500 twice a month for 30% up to 2000 for 100%.

[Lyle]

Now, is that, like, based. Because I assume this is based off of expenses that you incur as a result of these things, or is it just like.

[Anthony]

No, actually, it's really. It's.

[Caller 1]

It's.

[Anthony]

It's literally like an I'm sorry check. And they're like, hey, this. This. All this stuff happened to you that was real. We're sorry. About that. You were not owed that. Therefore, here's the money as an I'm sorry, and you'll get that until you die.

[Lyle]

Cool.

[Caller 1]

Yeah.

[Lyle]

That's exciting.

[Anthony]

Yeah, that one's going slower. But the assistance with the va, they did get me the approval for the apartment, like, fucking today, and that was really exciting.

[Lyle]

And are you living in this apartment by yourself or you got roommates?

[Anthony]

I will be living in the apartment by myself.

[Caller 1]

Yeah.

[Lyle]

Okay. Very cool. So H Vac. I mean, this is a fun. This is a cool life. All right, so you got. You got your H Vac job, which ain't getting taken by AI anytime soon, right? You're going out to heavy metal shows. You got a little bit of government beer money, we'll call it.

[Caller 1]

Yep.

[Lyle]

Great. Great antidote for depression beer. Not. Well, not. I mean, not great in terms. Well, sometimes. No, it's not. It's not a good idea.

[Caller 1]

It's not a good idea.

[Lyle]

It's really not.

[Anthony]

Actually, dude, something I'd be really excited to talk to you about is all this stuff that's been happening in my life has had me contemplating suffering and what I mean by that.

[Lyle]

Why are you excited? Why are you excited to talk to me about that?

[Caller 1]

Well, because your.

[Anthony]

Your podcast, dude, I listen to it all the fucking time. Like, anytime there's a new episode on YouTube, I got that shit running while I'm at work. And you talk to a lot of people about a lot of really cool philosophical topics. And I kind of just wanted to, like, launch some of the thoughts I've had about suffering at you, if that's cool.

[Lyle]

All right, let's do it.

[Anthony]

Okay. So one of the first things I've come to is suffering is just like the self is. It just exists. It's not inherently good. It's not inherently bad. You don't inherently gain something good from some. From suffering, and you don't inherently gain something bad. It just is. So what I've come to think is, like, I should accept suffering as the baseline of life. That just is life. To live is to suffer. But in the acceptance and knowing of that, I can then circumvent that and find other avenues of finding my joy, peace, or what I've found to be spiritually significant is just sharing love, whether it's platonic or otherwise with people. That's really where that suffering is lessened. And I find more joy and can and contentment in sharing love and just trying to find the ways to, like, not necessarily ignore suffering, because I think it's important to acknowledge it, but, you know, find ways to smile even though you're suffering.

[Lyle]

Oh, God, man. Yeah, I know, I know what you mean. I know what you mean. I know what you mean. I don't yet want to accept that existence is suffering.

[Anthony]

Okay, so why is that?

[Lyle]

Why is that? Because that's just such a. You know what's, man, and I'm telling you this in this moment, is that I don't know if. I mean. Yeah, you know, you listen to the podcast and you know, you hear me talk about philosophy and stuff. I don't know if philosophy has yet. I mean, I'm on. It's a continuing journey, but I don't know if it's had a great impact on my life. Philosophy.

[Anthony]

I would agree. I think it's like taking your brain to the gym, you know, it's only.

[Lyle]

No, no, it's not. It's like. No, it's like taking my brain and throwing it down a flight of stairs. Taking my brain, Tate. No, taking my brain to the gym is like playing chess or, or, or dissecting a nucleus or some shit.

[Anthony]

Okay.

[Lyle]

You know, that's training your brain. Philosophy. I've started. I am, honestly, I. I don't know if it was this morning or yesterday. I was thinking and I was like, dude, fuck, Mike, as my brain has been stuck in a lot of like, this philosophy shit, and I'm just like, dude, fuck. Just like, fuck this, you know, like. Well, cuz, you know, like, you meet, you, you've met, I'm sure in the Air Force. You met a lot of. And this is not a dig on the Air Force, is nothing to do with the Air Force, but just, you know, whatever you meet people in when you do things. Yeah, I'm sure you met. You've met people before where you're like, is this fucking guy ever fucking thought about anything?

[Anthony]

Yeah, when I was younger, that kind of thing used to make me mad.

[Lyle]

It's. It doesn't make you mad anymore. It's still. It makes me mad still. I'm like. And you know what? And they're always having a great time. They're always having a great time. I don't.

[Anthony]

Yeah, when I was younger, that's what used to piss me off.

[Sasha]

Yeah.

[Lyle]

Yeah, they're always having a great time. I don't think philosophy, I don't think that like being it like when you're an overthinker and you're dissecting things and you're like being like awareness and the fuck. You know what the fucking I'm sorry, I'm on to rant right now because I'm feeling. This is. I don't. I almost feel like there was. And by the way, I'm hope. I'd love to chat with someone who can really change my mind about this. I really, I really truly would love to chat with someone who could change my mind about this. But I think we were sold or taught or whatever that like consciousness was some kind of a virtue where the philosophy was virtue, you know, And I don't know if I believe that anymore. I had a conversation. Yes, I was talking to. I was talking to someone yesterday and I was like, you know, I used to like, if I saw like a 78 year old guy in line at a grocery store. Yeah. And he's yelling at the cashier. That's a guy with no consciousness. That's like that guy. That's a guy with no consciousness. He doesn't think about his own mortality. He's probably not thinking about other people. He's not, he's not really thinking about suffering. He's not.

[Anthony]

Can I throw you a curveball here?

[Lyle]

Just. I want to finish this thought.

[Anthony]

Okay.

[Lyle]

But yeah, I don't think he's thinking about those things. I think he's deeply enthralled in the moment with his anger. He's. His, his emotions and his anger are grounding him in the present. And he's kind of. And he's guiding, he's being guided by them. His emotions are throwing him around and guiding him. And he sees something on the news and he gets pissed off and someone like. And every little thing is like irking him. And, and I used, and I used to think that I'm gonna say something so crazy. And I. And it's okay, this is recorded. And that I'm. I'm willing to be challenged. And I used to be like, well, that. What? That's not, that's no way to live, being constantly thrown around by your emotions. And now I look at that guy and I'm like, I think that guy is. I actually think there's a lot of peace in that almost. I kind of do. I kind of do. I'm like, if you never fucking think about anything, you're never thinking about other people and you're never thinking about the world around you. And every day is the day that you're in, you're probably like doing. Fuck you. That, like that, like, you're probably doing fine, you know?

[Anthony]

Yeah, that's what I was gonna say. That dude's like living Authentically present, even if. Authentically present.

[Lyle]

Yeah, present at the expense of a lot of the people that he's around.

[Anthony]

People hurt and that's where he has.

[Caller 1]

Self work to do.

[Lyle]

Yeah, yeah. But he's never gonna do the worries. He's gonna die and he's just gonna.

[Anthony]

Yeah. And there's shitty curmudgeons like that everywhere.

[Lyle]

And whereas if you're, if you're so conscious and you're thinking about. And you're always thinking about mortality and you're always thinking about, you know, all the. And you think, you think about like whatever you're like, oh God, everyone in, you know, you think about like third world countries and you think about like all the suffering. And it's always there. No matter what's going on in the news. There's always. And there's forever will be, always has been. Currently is lots of, lots and lots of human suffering to dwell upon. And I think if you're thinking things and you're conscious about them, I think it's. It you, you're. It'll make you depressed. And then you start to believe. And then you start to believe things like existence is suffering.

[Anthony]

But, but I think that the suffering is a beautiful thing, not a negative.

[Lyle]

Okay. And that's where I. And that's when I'm challenging myself and I'll talk to you about this, is that I think there is a way to be conscientious about things larger than yourself. But it, but then you get to choose what perspective you want to have on that. So go ahead. Why is it a beautiful.

[Anthony]

Yeah, well, my best friend is the one that's really helping me wrap my head around this. And the way he words it is nothing matters. And because of that, nothing matters in the, in the like light sense, you know? So if everything is suffering and nothing in life matters because at the end of the day we're this tiny little speck that is insignificant in comparison to the universe. If all of that is going on and nothing matters, then how you live your life is completely up to you. There's a lot of freedom.

[Lyle]

Yeah, but that's. I don't. That spooks me. I have always.

[Anthony]

Yeah, it's supposed to be scary.

[Lyle]

Yeah, that's.

[Caller 1]

I think it's.

[Anthony]

I think it's supposed to be scary. It's cosmic. You're thinking well beyond your singular individual experience and contemplating the cosmos as a whole. It should be scary.

[Lyle]

Yeah, but you ever meet a fucking. Did you ever meet a guy who works at a thing and he's like, and he's got like a girlfriend and he's like, yeah, I saw a movie. And you. There's like, they're fine. Fine. Everything's fine.

[Anthony]

Yeah, I mean, I, I think, I think there's also like, you know, ignorance is bliss. And I don't mean that as a negative. I think, I think there are some people, whether it's mental illness or, you know, soul or whatever it is that causes you to contemplate existence, maybe it's even trauma. Like in this specific instance. It's been a lot of very difficult life events that have led me to contemplating all of this.

[Lyle]

Folks listening to this podcast, I. Are you guys sick of this? Tell me if you're.

[Anthony]

Please, yeah, please tell me.

[Lyle]

No, no, no, this is. No, no, this has nothing to do with you. This is nothing to do with this. You can totally remove caller. You can remove your cell phone. This is me, this is me talking to. Okay, I have to know if the people listening to this podcast are sick of this because I've, I've been, I think this year specifically, I've been getting too philosophical. Let me know when the. I normally in the comments, if, when people get pissed off about things, I'm like, I don't know why you guys are pissed off about that, but if, Let me know if this is too much. If you're like, I had to stop listening because I don't want to have an existential crisis every time I'm doing the laundry. I want to know I'm okay. I would, I'd love to have that feedback. I really would. I think it's a double edged. So I think on one end, people, you know, when we get into philosophical shit and we talk to callers about it, I think a lot of people have this experience of like, oh, this is amazing because this is like, you know, the conversation alludes to a thing that people probably think about but don't have any kind of like external representation of. And maybe that's cool, but then also I'm like, God, is. I just, I just don't want to be a bummer all the time. You know, this is going, this is going into my. This is, this curtails into my life. I think I've started to, like, I don't like every, every day, I mean, I'm in some new big crazy conversation. I don't like that anymore. I want to, I'm trying to figure out how to, like, how do I, how do I get back to some sort of normalcy or does that even Exist? Is it? Does safety or normalcy even exist? You know, do you feel, you feel like a normal person?

[Anthony]

Who, me? No.

[Lyle]

Yeah. Oh, wait, yeah. I know you said all that stuff earlier.

[Anthony]

Now I am, I'm super proud of being a weirdo. But being a weirdo is my normal. Everybody's normal is different. Every person I've met, their normal is different than mine.

[Lyle]

Yeah. Sometimes I feel really confident in, in that sometimes I'm, I feel really. You know what it is? I'm very complimentary when I hang out with people. And I don't mean that in, like. I don't mean compliments. I mean, like, like, if I'm with somebody and they're freaking out, I'm so calm and I'm like, everything's fine, you know? But if I'm with someone and they're calm, I'm the one freaking out. That's how.

[Anthony]

Yeah.

[Lyle]

Usually when my friends. Lives are going well, mine is not even in. My life is going well, and I am happy and I check in with my friends, they're all, they're usually doing terrible. I don't know why that is.

[Anthony]

I think there's, there's a human, like, instinct to balance out the energies that you have with other people and relationships that you have.

[Lyle]

Yeah, yeah, I have certain, there's certain. I've probably talked about this before, but, like, I have certain little pockets of things where I'm like, I'm not. Nihilism will not touch this. No, sir, it's not.

[Caller 1]

Oh, okay.

[Lyle]

Like, for example, I. Oh, I got it. This is a really important thing I need to talk about on the podcast. The. I. Why, Maybe I talked about it. Maybe I talked about one of the IRL episodes, but what day is today? Friday. As I'm recording this. Six days. Six days ago, I woke up and I was, I was not doing well, and I was like, I need to finish feel something. And so I, I, I went to GameStop and I bought a Switch 2.

[Anthony]

Oh, yeah, I think you did talk about that.

[Caller 1]

Yeah, that's. Yeah.

[Anthony]

So how did, how did that work for you?

[Lyle]

And I've been playing Donkey Kong Bonanza.

[Anthony]

Nice.

[Lyle]

And this is so. I don't, I don't want to keep being depressing. I want to. But I was, like, playing it and I was like, what's the point of doing all this? Like, this is just stupid. And. But then once I started to get into it, I got into it and I was like, oh, there's a fucking banana. I'm going to get the banana. There's the coins. If I get enough of these fossils, I can make my. I can change the color of my fur. I'm like. And once I got into it, I was like, all right, I'm so back in life. This is great.

[Caller 1]

Yeah.

[Lyle]

Now, now I'm big into Donkey Kong Banana. No amount, no amount of nihilism will stop me from being excited. Background the photo. Six, right?

[Caller 1]

Yeah.

[Lyle]

Video nihilism is time enjoyed is not video games for me.

[Anthony]

And that's good because I also believe that time enjoyed can never be considered time wasted.

[Lyle]

Yes, I agree with that. I. Anyway, caller.

[Caller 1]

Yeah.

[Lyle]

We were talking about you.

[Caller 1]

We were.

[Anthony]

Yeah.

[Lyle]

We were talking about Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

[Anthony]

Yeah. Talking about how I'm moving into Harrisburg soon. Like, honestly, next week. I just got the call, the approval call. Yes, this. Today at noon.

[Lyle]

So what is H Vac? What, like, what is.

[Anthony]

It's. It's H Vac. So it's like, I don't know the specific of like, what that acronym stands for, if I'm being completely honest. But it's, it's everything to do with like air heating and cooling inside of buildings.

[Lyle]

And a robot can't do that, at least not currently.

[Anthony]

No. And I don't know if you saw, but there was a recent call for like a big swell of hiring H Vac because you need air conditioned rooms to host the servers that AI is using and they need a lot more server rooms. So there was a recent like federal thing to like make a point of hiring a lot more H Vac people. So I'm jumping in on that.

[Lyle]

Things where you need to use your hands are good.

[Caller 1]

Yeah, yeah.

[Anthony]

Like, I'm a chef. That's always been my go to, but it just doesn't make as much money as I would like it to.

[Lyle]

You're a chef?

[Caller 1]

Yeah.

[Lyle]

Did you mention that at all throughout the course of this call?

[Anthony]

Yeah, I did. Like, my full time job is part time chef, part time maintenance on the campus that I work at.

[Lyle]

What do you cook? What do you make?

[Anthony]

Everything. So it's a retirement center and we do all of our shopping at like the local grocery store. So it's like literally at home cooking. And since I'm in pa, it's a lot of like, like just Pennsylvania homestyle cooking. Like ham and string beans is something I make a lot. Pierogies, shepherd's pie, I mean, you name it, we make it. It's usually like a soup and a sandwich for lunch and then some kind of baked prepared thing for dinner.

[Lyle]

And the people in the retirement Community. How old are they? Like, 70s.

[Anthony]

So yeah, like, I work for a religious organization. I'm just going to try to keep that non specific. But so the retirees can be anywhere from like 40 up. And then we have like people who are in between assignments and they'll be. And they can be anywhere from like 28 to 72. Like, they'll just like stop in for a month and then go to the next place.

[Lyle]

Oh, okay. I thought it was like, when you said like, retiree home. I thought it was like a nursing home.

[Anthony]

No, it's independent living, but it is a retirement home.

[Lyle]

Okay. How are the retirees doing? Like, what's their vibe day to day?

[Anthony]

You know, it's like, it can be so. So it's. It's a lot of old white men. So, you know, sometimes there's really good days and sometimes they have a bad day, and I'm the only person available to take it out on.

[Lyle]

What? Like. Okay, all right, so when. When I was just talking about the guy yelling at the grocery store and went on the whole rant. Yeah, that guy's. You. You. You are around those people a lot?

[Anthony]

Oh, yeah, I experience at least once a week.

[Lyle]

Okay, so what's the skinny on that? What. What do you. What's your firsthand analysis of that person?

[Anthony]

At first it was like, really hard to not take it personally, but once I got more used to that just being a constant of working there.

[Caller 1]

It.

[Anthony]

Was more of a. I was able to realize that it's not about me is coming from. They're having a bad day, something went wrong in their life, they lost control over something, and again, I'm the the most available outlet for those complex, difficult emotions that they don't have the healthy outlet for. So I got to a place where it's like, I can't really judge you for just coming in and having a bad day, because we all have bad days. But I can still say that the way you handled it was incorrect. But at the end of the day, if me saying that 20 times over the course of three months doesn't change anything, then I just need to protect my own peace and let that move on like water off my back.

[Lyle]

You know, I fully believe that whole thing of. Of, you know, it's never just about the thing that the person is angry about. There's something under underlying always.

[Anthony]

Yeah.

[Lyle]

Oh, but that's okay. That's actually what I was gonna ask. Do you think it is always? Do you think ever? Sometimes. Because it's. Because sometimes is. Is a Person. Not ever. Like, no. I genuinely am just pissed off that the ice cream machine is broken.

[Anthony]

I think. Yeah, I think. I think that that happens. I don't want to speak, like, in blanket terms like, yeah, of course somebody's just gonna be the kind of person who gets really pissed off at the ice cream machine, and that's just the only thing they're pissed about. But I think that that's a lot more rare than the, like, transfusion of emotions towards an easier outlet. Like, for me, it's video games. I love getting on and just playing, like, shooter games to, like, let out some frustration.

[Lyle]

Oh, yeah. I love killing fake people.

[Anthony]

I go for aliens with helldivers. But, yeah, same vibe. Same vibe.

[Lyle]

Mr. Caller, sir. This was nice. This was a nice conversation. Enjoy.

[Anthony]

Thanks, man. Yeah, I'm really glad I was able to talk to you. I've been a huge fan.

[Lyle]

Thank you, man. I'm. I. You seem like you're doing good. I'm excited for the future for you. You're gonna be going to heavy metal bands. You're gonna. You're gonna find you're a new boyfriend or girlfriend or whatever you're doing or whatever.

[Anthony]

I'm demisexual. It could be anything. I'm not picky.

[Lyle]

What is demisexual?

[Anthony]

It means I like the vibe. So as long as you and I vibe, well, it doesn't matter what you have under your clothes. I'm just excited to be around somebody that I.

[Lyle]

Okay.

[Anthony]

But I. But I need that good vibe to, like, view them in a, like, sexual context. Like, with you. I'm not interested.

[Lyle]

I have heard the term demisexual before, meaning, like, somebody who can. Basically, demisexual means I can only have sex with you if I like you.

[Anthony]

Yeah. Like, in really simple terms. Yeah.

[Lyle]

Crazy stuff.

[Anthony]

Hell yeah, man.

[Lyle]

Well, caller, good luck.

[Caller 1]

Thanks, man.

[Anthony]

Appreciate it.

[Lyle]

Is there anything else you want to say to the people at the computer before we go?

[Anthony]

Is it cool if I shout out my favorite local band?

[Lyle]

Oh, sure, of course.

[Anthony]

Awesome. So, yeah, guys, Galactic Empire is a cover band out here in pa. They do metal covers of Star wars songs, and they're just now releasing an album called Cinemetal later this month, where it's going to be all covers from different movies.

[Lyle]

Beautiful.

[Caller 1]

They're super cool.

[Anthony]

They dress up in costume. I'm in contact with their costumer. Okay. It's all good.

[Lyle]

Galactic. Galactic Empire.

[Caller 1]

Yep.

[Anthony]

And that's on all social medias, I feel.

[Lyle]

Is that too broad? Like, if I search Galactic Empire on.

[Anthony]

Instagram, type the word band after.

[Lyle]

Oh, okay. Type the word band after.

[Caller 1]

Yep.

[Lyle]

Beautiful. Take care, man.

[Anthony]

Cool. Thanks man. You too. Bye.

[John Fry]

This is John Fry from ok Storytime. Are you an aspiring singer songwriter? Let me ask you a question. What do Cardi B, Mozart and you, yes, you listening right now, all have in common? I would like to see all of their music performed live. But why am I saying this? Because if you are a music artist, you have the chance to perform at the legendary iHeart Theater this fall. Because TikTok Live and iHeartRadio are teaming up to present NextUp Live Music, a nationwide search for the next wave of original music artists. All you need to do is go live on TikTok and post a video performance of your own original song using the hashtag NextUp Live music auditions are open now through August 11, so don't wait y'.

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All.

[John Fry]

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[Gecko]

Whatever it takes to get you the in depth info on local schools you won't find anywhere else. Things like student teacher ratio, test scores and school programs. And sometimes that requires attending school recitals. So many recitals that's my son.

[Lyle]

Isn't he terrific?

[Gecko]

Yeah, a real prodigy. Homes dot com. We've done your homework.

[Sasha]

Call from. This is Sasha. Hello, Is this Age?

[Lyle]

Yeah, hi. Who is this?

[Sasha]

Hi, this is Sasha. Can you hear me okay?

[Lyle]

I can. What's up, Sasha?

[Sasha]

Oh, I'm just hanging out right now. I've had some things on my mind lately. I was wondering if I could bounce them off you.

[Lyle]

Sure, why not? What's up? What's going on?

[Sasha]

Well, I've been having some issues with my best friend of, like, nine years.

[Lyle]

Hit me.

[Sasha]

So we're both, like, 20. We're both 24. And lately she's just been. She's just been kind of mean, and I, like, have been brushing it off, but it's gotten to a point where I'm, like. I don't know how much more of it I should just, you know, put up with.

[Lyle]

In what way has she been mean to you?

[Sasha]

It's just, like, little comments here and there. It started off with, like, in the past few months, but it started escalating. And so, like, I. The thing that, like, was kind of the, like, the catalyst for calling you, I guess, is so.

[Pat]

We were.

[Sasha]

She and I had, like, made plans. She asked me to, like, come stay at my apartment for the week because her family was out of town, and she, like, wanted some company. So I was really excited to, like, have her. I thought it'd be, like, a good chance for us to kind of, you know, reconnect and everything, since we had been, like, having little fights here and there. And the. The day that she was supposed to come over, she texts me and cancels saying that, like, you know, she. She's just, like, really anxious or whatever, and she has to stay in her town because she lives in the suburbs. I live in a big city, and. And she's been, like, talking to this guy. She even told me, like, the guy asked her to hang out, and she still, like, said she couldn't. And then I check, like, later in the day, I checked her Snapchat story. I saw that, like, she posted a screenshot of their text, and, like, they had made plans right around the time that she, like, canceled with me. And she had spent the whole day getting ready and everything.

[Lyle]

The second you're checking a Snapchat story to look at a thing, we're all. We're already in. We're already in too deep.

[Sasha]

I know. It feels silly. I. I'm like. I feel like this is just, like, something I should have been doing. Seventeen, you know?

[Lyle]

Well, you know, here's the problem and it's. And it's, It's. It's fucking sucks and it's hard. And I, I don't know if I have answer for it, but like, a friendship should be easy, you know?

[Sasha]

Yeah.

[Lyle]

Save the hard shit for, for your committed romantic relationships. Friendships should be easy, you know, I mean, if you're having to like, play detective on Snapchat, we're already in too deep. And it sucks, man, because at a certain point, I think there's a bit of relinquishment to be done. And I'm only speaking from my own, from my own life where, you know, if you have friends that are, that are dodging you or that.

[Caller 1]

Are.

[Lyle]

They don't. They don't respond to you or they are not nice to you, it's like, it sucks. We live in a. I think a world that's like. There's a bit of a scarcity of connection. And so it's hard if you do have someone that you've. Especially if someone you've been connected with for a long time. It's to like draw that boundary and go, listen, we're fucking. You know, there's. We're hurtling towards nothingness at an alarming rate. I got to choose carefully who I not only spend my time with, but just like, invest my energy in. I mean, you're investing. And the fact you called me, the fact this is on your mind, right? This is investing.

[Sasha]

Oh, yeah, no, I've been stewing over.

[Lyle]

It for like, you stewing over. Right, right. Been there. I know what that is. You're just stewing over it. You're investing energy into this fucking shit. Like this shouldn't. This isn't what friendship should be. It should be. Friendship should be easy. And there's something to be said, I think about in one sense, communicating your issues and seeing how that's received. But after you do that, there's, It's. It's hard. I think you, There's. You kind of have to withdraw at. With a while. That's the hard thing about these relationships is that there's so much of it is not in your control but once. But yeah, you've been stewing. Right. And the stewing. And there's so much better things you could be doing with your time and your. And your most importantly, your energy, because you can just waste so much energy stewing and getting.

[Sasha]

Right. No, I, I totally, I totally agree. And so I am like, at this point, I just need to come to a decision like with myself about whether I'm gonna like, just completely let her go or like, like try to forgive her. But I'm kind of leaning towards, you know, just cutting things off because I did end up confronting her about it that day, you know.

[Lyle]

Well, well, when you say forgive her, it's like, you can only forgive someone if they, you know, ask for forgiveness. If they, if they put in some kind of effort to. I mean, what did, what did she. What was her vibe?

[Sasha]

Well, she, she said that she was really. Well, first when I said, hey, what. What are you guys, like, doing together? She's with the guy, like, literally in my, in my city too, which was just the, the other thing that kind of upset me. But she, she said like, oh, like, we made plans really last minute. And I'm like, you're lying to me. Like, I can see it right there. And then after that, she apologized. She's like, I'm really sorry. Like, I know that that was messed up, but. So she's known this guy for two weeks also, but they've been like, going on some dates and she was telling me, like, you know, he's just so important to me. Like, I've, like, been really lonely. I want a boyfriend. And I was like, like, I don't know it. She was like, I. I don't want you to think of those guys.

[Lyle]

Is this a. Like this guy, whatever, who. I don't care about this guy. Right. Like, is this a recur. Is this a recurring element of your friendship?

[Sasha]

So she's had two boyfriends in the past, and both times, like, this was years ago, you know, But I did remember, like, feeling blown off by her.

[Lyle]

Mm, yes. Yes. Some people get like that when they get into relationships. They just kind of blow off everyone else.

[Sasha]

Yeah, like, like there would be a drop off in like, communication.

[Lyle]

Well, it's. It's hard, man. These, these are hard issues to deal with. There's not a lot you can do.

[Sasha]

Yeah, I think that's just what I'm trying to.

[Lyle]

Because, like, look, if this person really, if this person I really strive, believe strongly in the whole, like, if they wanted to, they would thing. Like, if this person really strongly wants to be your friend, they'd be your friend, you know?

[Sasha]

Yeah. No, and I, I think she's like, it's weird. Like, she's kind of made it clear that like, she has almost sort of this like, malice that's been like, coming out towards me, but also like, I know she still loves me, but it's just gotten weird and toxic like, even after she had apologized, when I confronted her, she, like, made a point to be like, I don't regret what I did. I was like, why would you say that? Like, you know, there's no reason to do that. So there's been all these comments and, like, just like, the, like, the lies and just kind of, like, mean stuff or, like, trying to put me down lately. Then I'm just like, I don't even really think she likes me at this point, dude. Which makes me really sad to say, but, like, I. I have to respect myself enough to. To, I don't know, not put up with that, I guess. But it's just. It's hard.

[Lyle]

It is hard. It is hard. I'm thinking about it, and when it's happened in my own life, I think there's probably something to be said about what can you pursue outside of this to put you around other people? This is one of the. Bit. I've talked about this a bunch on this show, but this is one of the big. One of the great paradoxical challenges of life, I believe, is that we need other people to live satisfying lives, but we also don't want to get too wrapped up in things that are outside of our control and other people are outside of our control. It's one of the biggest.

[Sasha]

Yeah, it's a.

[Anthony]

It's a difficult tension.

[Lyle]

It's one of the big difficult tensions of. Of life. But I think that as far as the things that are in your control, there's. There's a lot of ways in which I think you can kind of move through the world to put yourself around a lot of other people and to make yourself available for connections with other people, and that's kind of the elements that are in your control. And also, you know, the element of not subjecting yourself to relationships with people who make you stew because you never want to. Life's too short to spend it stewing and getting pissed off and, you know, all this stuff. But it's the kind of. The emotional acceptance of it that's the difficult part.

[Sasha]

Yeah. And I think, Sorry, my timer went off. I think that's the thing that I've started to come around to and what initially made me so I would say, like, angry in this instance. Whereas, like, if. If I feel like I've been slighted in the past, I will do anything to, like, capitulate to the other person and try to just, like, end the conflict, even if I've done nothing wrong, like, I'll end up apologizing kind of thing.

[Lyle]

Yeah, yeah.

[Sasha]

And I'm coming around to just like I'm. I'm almost kind of building my own sense of self for the first time. And it's a little weird. It's a good thing, but like, it's making me reevaluate like all of my relationships. And yeah, I mean, it's definitely possible. Like I. I know that I can like, you know, build other like, close connections. I do have other like great friends too, but it's just. It just sucks when it's like your best friend. I feel a sense of loyalty to her almost that I would. To like a family member, you know, But I don't know if she feels that same way, so I don't think she does.

[Lyle]

What's your name again?

[Sasha]

What did I. It's Sasha.

[Lyle]

Sasha. Well, Sasha, I'm sorry you're stressing about this, but listen, go. Are you 24? Where do you. Do you live in a city?

[Sasha]

Yeah, I live in Chicago.

[Lyle]

You live in Chicago. Listen, Sasha, do me a favor. Listen to me closely. Fucking go out. Go leave your house. Go do some stuff. Go exert your guy.

[Anthony]

What?

[Sasha]

But the air quality is so bad right now.

[Lyle]

And who gives? Who cares? The air quality is only going to get worse. The planet is. Is. Is hurling towards non existence. It's going to get hotter and more difficult to breathe every year. So you just get used to it. What now? While you can. This is the best the air quality is gonna be forever.

[Sasha]

Yeah, fuck it.

[Anthony]

What's a little smoke?

[Lyle]

So you go out and just try to make. Try to make some friends. Try to hurl yourself in situations where you're around other people, where you're attracting other people and you know, make your. Make yourself big in such a way that you're attracting other people because you don't. You just fucking. You don't want to be running around for scraps, you know, I mean, you're. But yeah, I think. I think you're better than that.

[Sasha]

Yeah, I think. Hey, I don't. I don't think I deserve to be putting myself in this situation. So.

[Lyle]

Chicago. You're 24 in Chicago. Go kill someone. I don't know. Do something. You should just. You should. I don't know. What do you. Do you like stuff?

[Sasha]

I do like stuff. You know, I do have some plans to go out with some friends tonight.

[Lyle]

Great.

[Sasha]

We've got a big festival here, so they have like a bunch of like after shows. So I have plans tonight, you know. Okay.

[Caller 1]

Yeah, keep.

[Lyle]

Keep having.

[Caller 1]

So it'll be fun.

[Lyle]

Keep Having plans to get you away from the stewing? Yeah, thank you, Jack.

[Sasha]

I will, I will do my best.

[Lyle]

Is there anything else you want to say to the people at the computer before we go?

[Sasha]

I don't think so. Thank you for taking my call. I've been watching you for years. But yeah, I appreciate you.

[Lyle]

Thank you, Sasha. Have a good one.

[Sasha]

All right, you too.

[Lyle]

Bye. Hello.

[Pat]

Hi.

[Lyle]

Hi. What's your name?

[Pat]

Herbert.

[Lyle]

Herbert. What's up, Herbert? How's life?

[Pat]

I just wanted to say that I'm having a garage sale and I'm moving to Toronto.

[Lyle]

You're having a. Alright, what's for sale at this garage sale? Give us the details.

[Pat]

Well, since I'm moving to Toronto, I'm getting rid of some stuff because when I come back to get my stuff, I'm. I don't want to take some stuff that I don't want.

[Lyle]

Okay, so what's that? What are we selling? What do we got?

[Pat]

I was selling one of my bicycles that got sold for $80. I got a picture of a wolf. I got some bags and some chairs and random stuff.

[Lyle]

How much did you sell? Wait, I'm sorry, are you having a garage sale or you had one?

[Sasha]

I'm having one.

[Lyle]

Okay. Like as we speak because you said it's you. Your bike sold for 80 bucks.

[Pat]

Oh yeah. Yep, since Monday.

[Lyle]

Oh shit. Okay, so how much is the picture of the wolf?

[Pat]

We're pretty much just going for offers. Like I don't have any prices on anything, so whatever they give me an offer for, I pretty much say, yeah.

[Lyle]

Describe the wolf to me.

[Pat]

So it's a regular looking wolf. It has the, the gray fur and the white kind of fur with it. And then he's just like the face, the portrait of the wolf and it looks like it's like staring out and stuff. Ultra realism.

[Lyle]

Okay. I'm probably not gonna buy it, but I wanted to know. That's too much. Even in Canadian dollars, that's too much. Are you, are you, Are you. What's the word? Are you going to miss anything? Are you going to miss any of these things you're selling?

[Pat]

Oh, no, no, definitely not.

[Lyle]

Okay, not even a little bit. You're not going to miss the picture of the wolf if it sells?

[Pat]

Not really. I still have stuff of my, my own, my belongings that I'm keeping, but I'm packing it all away so my parents don't have to deal with it when I go to Toronto.

[Lyle]

What are you doing in Toronto?

[Pat]

I have to go back to school.

[Lyle]

You said you have to Go back to school. Why do you have to go back to school?

[Pat]

To get a license for something that I'm doing already. I kind of don't want to get into detail because of everything, but, yeah.

[Lyle]

You have to get a license for something that you're already doing.

[Pat]

Correct.

[Lyle]

That's fucking lame. Can you.

[Sasha]

Lame.

[Lyle]

Are you selling any video games?

[Pat]

Yeah, definitely.

[Lyle]

What are you selling?

[Pat]

Call of Duty, Advanced Warfare. There's one of those ones.

[Lyle]

Call of Duty, Advanced Warfare. What fucking number is that?

[Pat]

That's my favorite one. I think that's like the fourth or fifth or something.

[Lyle]

I don't know. There's no way it's the fourth. The fourth is Call of Duty 4. The fifth is World at War. I fell off after Modern Warfare 3. After that, I have no idea.

[Pat]

It's my favorite one because of the exoskeletons. I don't know if any of the other ones have it.

[Lyle]

Exoskeletons.

[Pat]

You can jump and run really quick.

[Lyle]

Did anyone try to haggle you at the garage sale?

[Pat]

No. If, like. So there's a couple of customers that won't give me an offer, and they pretty much ask me to see what the price is, and then if they don't like the price, they'll go lower. And I'm like, okay, okay.

[Lyle]

How do you. How do you evaluate? Like, how'd you come up with 10 bucks for this wolf picture? By the way? The fact. By the way, just so you know, remember when I asked you if you're gonna miss any of these things and you said, no, that's the wrong answer because you immediately devalued the wolf picture. Because now. Because I'm not interested in the wolf picture that you're not gonna miss. You know what I mean? I want. You have to be. Here's what you have to do. You have to be like, listen, I'm. It kills me to part with this wolf picture, but I have to do it for my own survival. Then I'm like, oh, shit. Okay. This actually sounds like it has value, but if it's like, oh, I don't give a fuck about this, then I'm like, well, you know, this must not be a very good wolf picture. You know, I mean, you got to really. You got to kind of ham it up a little bit.

[Pat]

Well, the way I see it is that it's not about the money. It's about just, like, being fair in the garage sale. Because the garage sale is like, I want to get rid of some stuff. And, like. I mean, people come here to like get stuff for their own place and I mean, I don't want to jip them or anything.

[Lyle]

Do you live in like a walk, Like a cul de sac of some kind? Like, like this is a literal garage sale. Like you're selling out of a garage.

[Pat]

In our front yard.

[Lyle]

Okay. Do you have a lot of passerbyers, A lot of foot traffic?

[Pat]

No, unfortunately, I live out of town about 10 minutes, so it's kind of slow.

[Lyle]

How do people find out about this? Do you put up a sign?

[Pat]

Yeah, signs in marketplace.

[Lyle]

Do you put them out? Do you put it on a Facebook marketplace or any of that shit?

[Caller 1]

Yeah.

[Lyle]

Okay. Are most of the people driving to the garage sale or did they stumble upon it?

[Pat]

I think they have to drive to. I don't think you can really stumble upon it. I'm kind of, I don't want to really say, but like out of town, so I mean, like there is other houses here, but I mean, no one's really walking to the garage sale.

[Lyle]

What is one thing that is not for sale at your garage sale, but if, if given a certain price, you would sell it?

[Pat]

The chair I'm sitting on this chair is not going anywhere unless someone asked a hundred bucks for it.

[Lyle]

I'll give you a hundred bucks for it. It sounds like a great chair. See, that's what it is, right? That's what you should do. That's what, it's how you got to ham it up in the garage sale. You got. It's the things that aren't for sale. Like, you ever seen Toy Story 2? That's a classic garage sale movie. The value of Woody goes up because he's not for sale. The supply and demand economics.

[Pat]

Well, I just would like to be more fair. I don't want them be like, that was a rip off at that garage sale, never coming back.

[Lyle]

I mean, look, is it not a nice chair?

[Pat]

Oh, it is so comfy.

[Lyle]

Sounds like it's worth a hundred dollars. Sounds like it's worth more.

[Pat]

Are you guys doing any, Are you doing any, like, talks in Toronto? I heard that you had one in Edmonton.

[Lyle]

I'm gonna do something in Edmonton, but I don't know when I will go to Toronto.

[Pat]

What's your opinion on Toronto?

[Lyle]

I mean, I love Toronto. Toronto's awesome. Maybe in 2026 we shall see if people still want to see me. I don't know yet. I. I think I haven't, I don't.

[Pat]

Know, I haven't been to a live one. Like I'm close to Edmonton, but like not that close.

[Lyle]

If people still want to see me, I'll go. If people still want to. If people are still down, I'll go. I might go again in 2026. We'll see. I had to. I had to stop this year. But 2026, I might go. Definitely going to Edmonton. I don't. Again, I don't know when, but Edmonton will. I mean, no, I do know when, but I don't know where. But that information will be revealed at some point. What's your name again?

[Pat]

Herbert.

[Lyle]

Herbert, is there anything else you want to say to the people, the computer before we go?

[Pat]

I'm so happy I got on.

[Sasha]

Best day ever. Love you, Lyle.

[Lyle]

I'm happy we got to talk, too. And I wish you good luck with your garage sale and I hope you take my advice and you ham it up and you get what that chair is worth.

[Pat]

Not for sale.

[Lyle]

Bye, Herbert. But $200 for the chair.

[John Fry]

This is John Fry from OK Storytime. Are you an aspiring singer songwriter? Let me ask you a question. What do Cardi B, Mozart and you, yes, you listening right now, all have in common? I would like to see all of their music performed live. But why am I saying this? Because if you are a music artist, you have the chance to perform at the legendary iHeart Theater this fall because TikTok Live and iHeartRadio are teaming up to present nextup live music, a nationwide search for the next wave of original music artists. All you need to do is go live on TikTok and post a video performance of your own original song using the hashtag nextuplivemusic. Auditions are open now through August 11th, so don't wait, y'.

[Lyle]

All.

[John Fry]

I want to see you get this opportunity. You could perform. Perform on Stage at the iHeart Theater in Los Angeles this fall and even get your track heard on radio. And if you win, you'll be nominated for live creator of the year. So go on TikTok right now and post with the hashtag nextup live music before August 11th. Again, that's hashtag NextUp live music only on TikTok.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway now through August 12th. Get great savings on your favorite self care items and earn four times points when you shop in store or online. Shop for items like Neutrogena cleansing and makeup removing towelettes, Dove Men 2 in 1 shampoo and conditioner, Dove shampoo, Tresemme shampoo, Method body wash and Suave body wash and earn 4 times points. Use these points for discounts on Groceries or gas. Offer ends August 12th. Restrictions apply. Offers may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.

[Ryan Reynolds]

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[Gecko]

Homes.com is the only place where you can find specialized neighborhood guides with the in depth insider info home shoppers want. Very in depth info. Want to know if there's homes for sale in the area?

[Lyle]

We've got it.

[Gecko]

How long has a home been on the market? We'll know it. Average lot size?

[Caller 1]

Uh huh.

[Gecko]

Proximity to local parks.

[Caller 1]

Of course.

[Gecko]

Insight into your neighbor's divorce. We're working on it. Homes.com we've done your homework.

[Lyle]

Hello?

[Caller 1]

Oh, hey, Gecko.

[Lyle]

Hey, what's up?

[Caller 1]

Not much, man. It's been a while.

[Lyle]

Have we talked before?

[Caller 1]

Not really. But I don't know if you can recall that one time you were asleep and I called you and I played you a tune on my uk.

[Anthony]

Yes.

[Caller 1]

Yes.

[Lyle]

Okay. Wow. Holy fucking shit. Amazing.

[Caller 1]

Yeah, like years ago, man.

[Lyle]

All right, like I can. Back in. Let me. I'll explain. Back in 2021, I was, I was living and kind of starting up this stream in my mom's basement. And I remember I was there for a year and a half and I would do these things called experimental Tuesdays. And one time I did this bit where like I went live on Twitch, but I was asleep and I put a phone number up and I was like, don't call me. And I was, I put a phone number up and I was like, please do not call this number. I am asleep. And it was. And then somebody would call the phone and I would pick it up and I would go, what is a lot of fun? And then. Yeah, you called and you played. You played the ukulele. I actually totally remember this.

[Caller 1]

Yeah, dude. Like I remember. I haven't watched you in a really fucking long time. But I remember like back in the day when you would open the line and then you'd have to like fill the air for like 10 minutes waiting for a call to go through.

[Lyle]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Caller 1]

Like the really early days, man. Like good fun, man. Me and my old roommate used to hang around and drink beer and yeah, Kind of watch you get it off the ground.

[Lyle]

Cool. Well, how you doing now, Pat? What's going on? Yeah, I don't think that ukulele shit ever made it into the podcast. So this is our. This is our first official time speaking together on a recorded line.

[Caller 1]

Yeah, I mean, yeah. I mean, like, things are going okay. I mean, I've got a few complaints about life, but, I mean, who doesn't, you know?

[Lyle]

Mm. And you're a Canadian?

[Caller 1]

Yeah, I am. Oh, you probably, like, you read that off, like, the Google thing or whatever.

[Lyle]

Yeah, I read that off the Google thing or whatever. Where in Canada. Where in Canada are you?

[Caller 1]

I live in Northern Alberta.

[Lyle]

Oh, okay.

[Caller 1]

What's like, we get. Yeah, we get, like, the harsh weather up here. Like, the really, really hot weather. We get the really cold weather. We get it all.

[Lyle]

I haven't, like, announced this anywhere yet, but I'm doing a show in November in Edmonton.

[Caller 1]

Dude, you're coming to my town.

[Lyle]

Wait, you live in Edmonton?

[Caller 1]

Yeah. Do you want to have a beer?

[Lyle]

Oh, shit. Maybe. Maybe. I don't know. Yeah, I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming to Edmonton in November. I'm doing a college show there and.

[Caller 1]

What college?

[Lyle]

Fuck. I don't remember off the top of my head, but once you enter Grint Mac or what, Once there are tickets available, I will know that information off the top of my head.

[Caller 1]

But yeah, okay, yeah, then I'll buy a ticket and I'll buy one for my old roommate who used to watch with me back in the day.

[Lyle]

Cool. Very good.

[Caller 1]

Fuck, yeah.

[Lyle]

Yeah. Which. Yeah. So, well, I mean, what's going on in Edmonton? I looked it up on Google Maps and it seems like it's kind of in the middle of nowhere.

[Caller 1]

Well, I mean, kind of. I would consider it. Like, it's kind of one of the cultural hubs of the entire country.

[Lyle]

If.

[Caller 1]

You want to find all kinds of different. Like, we've got a pretty big arts and culture scene. You go down to White Ave. Like, even I think right now they're putting on, like, a collective visual art, science, music, like learning about neurochemistry while people are making live art exhibition going on here. I don't really know that much about it, though. But, like, I'm sure you'll be able to find something that if you have the time to put into it, that you'll be able to take something out of it too.

[Lyle]

So, Pat, you said your name was. Do you still play the ukulele?

[Caller 1]

A little bit. Not really. Like, more of A kind of kicking around on the couch. When my buddies are playing the guitar. I'll pull it out and play a few tunes, but not that much anymore. I've kind of like let my music fall to the wayside.

[Lyle]

Any particular reason why?

[Caller 1]

I mean, I've got other hobbies and you know, I'm. I'm in my 30s now. And your time, like while you're getting older, you kind of just get crunched for it and you gotta figure out where are your priorities, what things do you actually want to do with your time? And then like, the importance of having downtime too is becoming more and more apparent to me.

[Lyle]

What is the thing, what are the things that are crunching you for time?

[Caller 1]

Well, I mean, I've like gotten into a more serious relationship and you've got to make time for that. Alternatively, like, I've been working more and my work is like really stressful a lot of times.

[Lyle]

What is your work?

[Caller 1]

So I work in the mental health field. I do home care for folks with disabilities, so that can range. Oh, dude. Well, I mean like, it's a real give and take though, right? Like I work night shift, so you could have a really, really laid back night where you don't really do much at all. Like maybe making some people breakfast or hanging out and shooting the shit or even just like watching Twitch half the night. But then like, in contrast to that, you have nights where you're doing like nine hours of crisis intervention. And it's not always easy, but you know, as long as you don't bring it home with you, you know, what.

[Lyle]

What is the nine hours of crisis intervention look like.

[Caller 1]

In for like legal and privacy reasons? Like I couldn't go into any actual specifics for my real job, but.

[Lyle]

Well, like if you. Could you like, could you like, make up a scenario of like, what?

[Caller 1]

Okay, yeah, like imagine like pick a, pick any name at all.

[Lyle]

Kyle.

[Caller 1]

Okay, imagine if Kyle was an Afghanistan war vet who suffered a traumatic brain injury and he's got ptsd and now he's also got physical and mental disabilities from his injuries. I could show up to Kyle's house and we're going to, you know, Kyle's got to go to bed, it's 11 o' clock at night. But instead, you know, maybe there's something going on, some kind of trigger that sets him off. And then my goal would largely be to de escalate the situation before it progresses to a point where you're in a real crisis. So falling back on like procedures that you've got in place and policies and known strategies that have been developed by a team that has degrees and stuff. And then my goal would be to implement them on the ground to try to make sure that you don't end up with injuries to people in the community or injuries to the client that you're serving or to the staff or police involvement. The goal is more or less to just be ahead of that by knowing the client and knowing the procedure.

[Lyle]

Okay, I thought. Yeah, that was very. That was very general. It was a very general assessment. I thought you were going to be.

[Caller 1]

Like.

[Lyle]

Yes, someone was doing something and I would. And then I did so. And then I did something. Wait, that was more vague.

[Caller 1]

Yeah, I think. Yeah.

[Lyle]

Okay. So you. Your job has taken up a lot of time. Your relationship's taken up a lot of time. Do you have kids?

[Caller 1]

No. I mean, I have. I have a big ass dog who's also kind of a lot of work, but I mean, good company.

[Lyle]

What kind of dog?

[Caller 1]

Like a German shepherd mutt thing?

[Lyle]

It's a very big dog.

[Caller 1]

Yeah, no, a real. Yeah, big pooch, but. And then, I mean, like, I've got other hobbies too. I practice archery and I like hiking and fishing and hunting, so.

[Lyle]

Oh, okay. Wait, you're like a real guy. That's awesome.

[Caller 1]

Yeah. I mean, the kind of a weird way to put it, but yeah, depending on how you classify a real guy, you're.

[Lyle]

A real guy is someone. You know who I think a real guy is? Like, you do stuff, you know?

[Caller 1]

Yeah, I mean, like, my, My hobbies aren't like, I don't know, watching paint dry or anything.

[Lyle]

Right.

[Caller 1]

But yeah, I mean.

[Lyle]

Oh, you're right. No, you know what I mean? You're real. You're a real guy. You gotta know you're. You know what I mean, though? You're a real guy. All right? You have. You got a job where you help people. Yeah. You're. You got a girlfriend, wife, you got a dog. You do. You do hunting, you do archery or a real guy, You're a real human being.

[Caller 1]

Yeah, yeah, I do all the things.

[Lyle]

You do all the things. You know what I'm talking. I'm not, I'm not. I'm not crazy, you know, I'm saying.

[Caller 1]

No, no, I totally get where you're coming from, but, like, it would have been like an easy angle to kind of pick into to be like, you should play the ukulele and you played me the song of Storms, and now you don't play the ukulele. What the is up with that, like, yeah, it's. I mean, things are going generally quite well. Like, I'm not. I'm not so bent out of shape that I'm like, oh, hang up my ukulele. I quit forever. But I mean, like, in contrast to that, like, nothing ever goes perfect, you know? Like, I've been having a pretty challenging week this week. I found out this morning that I've got shingles.

[Lyle]

Oh, no. What are shingles?

[Caller 1]

Yeah, it's like when you got chickenpox when you were a kid, and then it comes back and gets you as an adult. But I thought that I had just been hit by poison ivy when I was out in the woods last weekend, but as it turns out, I've actually got, like, shingles, which apparently you're not even supposed to get until you're, like, an old man. And I'm in my early 30s. And, yeah, like, as a consequence of that, I've been dealing with some pretty, like, moderate to severe nerve pain all week. And it's kind of gotten me thinking the way. Well, like, have you ever thought about how you conduct yourself in regular life when you're also dealing with physical pain?

[Lyle]

I guess not really.

[Caller 1]

I mean, it's kind of like, to my mind, it's kind of like being very, very tired. Like, everything is harder when you're really tired. If you haven't slept in a day or two, like, shit that you could do very easily, very quickly turns into, like, what the. I don't even want to do that, you know?

[Lyle]

Okay. Okay.

[Caller 1]

And that's been kind of the thing that I've been trying to wrap my head around, because I've been offered a few days off work. I don't really know if I want to take them, but. Yeah, I don't know. That's just kind of been the thing that I've been wrapping my head around.

[Lyle]

Mm. Why. Why did you quit the ukulele?

[Caller 1]

I don't know, man. I'm. I'm kind of very often one of those people who will perpetually pick up a new hobby and then eventually drop it to the wayside.

[Lyle]

It's good to. I think, you know, people. People dog on, like, being a generalist, but I think it's good. I think it's good to have a lot of different stuff that you do.

[Caller 1]

Yeah, I mean, like, the. The ukulele is far from the only instrument that I quit. You know, I played banjo for a while. I played the bass for a long. A long while, actually. But eventually, I always find myself, like, where's the. The new thing.

[Lyle]

Mm. What's the. What's your next new hobby?

[Caller 1]

Well, right now, I've really been knuckling down on learning how to bow hunt.

[Lyle]

Yeah. Yeah. You really like. You like hunting?

[Caller 1]

Yeah. And so I've been doing that for a couple of years, but this is the first year that I've actually taken it more seriously. Like, I've put in the work.

[Lyle]

What have we been. What have we been hunting?

[Caller 1]

Well, I haven't been hunting anything. I've just been, like, scouting and preparing things. You know, I went out and put out trail cameras that I've been moderning, monitoring and patterning the deer. And then I went out recently and hung a tree stand and. Yeah, just kind of putting in the preseason work, which, I don't know, it adds a different kind of dynamic to it.

[Lyle]

Okay.

[Caller 1]

And it's. It's kind of like a discipline in and of itself, which I think is the thing that I like about hunting, is that you're combining, like, 20 different disciplines that you have to learn if you want to make it actually work. And I think that's why it keeps me engaged.

[Lyle]

Well, then fuck ukulele.

[Caller 1]

Well, I mean, there's nothing wrong with playing a little bit of ukulele too.

[Lyle]

All right. If I. When I come to Edmonton, if you come to the show, will you bring the ukulele?

[Caller 1]

Yeah, dude, I've got, like, a little backpack thing that I could put it into.

[Lyle]

Okay, sick. All right. Come to the show, bring the ukulele, and. And we can do what we did four years ago, but we can do it in real life.

[Caller 1]

You'll take a nap, and I'll, like, hang out by your bed and play you a tune.

[Lyle]

Yeah, it sounds fucking sick, actually.

[Caller 1]

Yeah. Do you have any requests?

[Lyle]

Can you. Can you do Sonic the Hedgehog, Green Hill Zone?

[Caller 1]

Hold on. I'm gonna put that into a different tab.

[Lyle]

I bet you could do that on ukulele.

[Caller 1]

Green Hill junk. Okay. Yeah, well, I mean, I'll see what I can do. I mean, it's probably gonna.

[Anthony]

You know.

[Lyle]

All right, how about this? Either. Either that, or you can. Or you can kill me with a crossbow. What? Either of those two things are okay with me.

[Caller 1]

I'm. I'm above using a crossbow.

[Lyle]

What is that. What is the thing that you use? You. Just a regular bow and arrow?

[Caller 1]

Yeah, yeah, like a vertical bow.

[Lyle]

Okay. All right. You can kill me with that.

[Caller 1]

Okay, well, then. But I'll look into that. Sonic the Hedgehog. Yeah, you have.

[Lyle]

You have to hunt me down. Alpha I'll get naked, I'll hurt myself.

[Caller 1]

What's the gecko season out here? How do I draw a tag?

[Lyle]

I'll get naked and grease myself up and I'll run through the woods and you can chase me and you can try to strike me down again. Either that or Green Hill Zone on the ukulele would be a perfectly good activity for us to do together.

[Caller 1]

Yeah, well, then, I mean, like, if I. If I have to default back to like, Legend of Zelda, like, are you here for it?

[Lyle]

Or if you have to, if you can't play Sonic the Hedgehog, Green Hill Zone, you're hunting me in the woods. Options. Nothing in between.

[Anthony]

All right.

[Caller 1]

Yeah, well, then, I mean, I'll really, really try my best on Green Hill Zone. Because I don't think that I'd like to do that other option. So I'm. Yeah, I'll give the old college try.

[Lyle]

Beautiful. What's your name again?

[Caller 1]

Yeah, I'm Pat.

[Lyle]

Pat. Pat, is there anything else you want to say to the people at the computer before we go?

[Caller 1]

Yeah. People on the Internet, remember to take a little bit of time to exercise self care, even if it's only like 30 minutes a day.

[Lyle]

Very cool. Pat forever.

[Caller 1]

Okay. Yeah. All right.

[Lyle]

All right. I'll see you in Canada, Pat.

[Caller 1]

Yeah.

[Anthony]

Yeah.

[Caller 1]

If you see me hold up my ukulele, then call me.

[Lyle]

Hell no, I'll know. Don't worry. If I see. If I'm at this place and I see someone holding up a ukulele, I will know it's you.

[Caller 1]

Okay, Perfect man.

[Lyle]

Unless somebody. Unless somebody hears this. And then they also go.

[Caller 1]

They're like, oh, yeah, they're all coming out from Calgary. They're gonna drive over and bring their uk. Okay. You'll know the real Pat when you find me.

[Lyle]

I'll know the real Pat. Don't worry, I know my Pat. Okay.

[Caller 1]

All right.

[Lyle]

All right, take care, Pep.

[Caller 1]

All right, bye.

[Lyle]

Hello, folks. It's Lyle here. That's the end of this episode. But get this. I'm releasing a bonus episode this week. That's right. An entire extra hour of the podcast that you can listen to by becoming a premium member of Therapy gecko over at therapygecko.supercast.com Supercast subscribers get access to bonus episodes. They get a completely ad free podcast feed of the regular show. They get recordings from my live shows members only streams, and they help support my ability to continue doing this podcast. So here's a clip from this week's members only bonus episode.

[Anthony]

I have something really weird I'm scared of that. I feel like. Could be an interesting topic actually.

[Lyle]

Okay. If you want to talk about it, we can talk about it.

[Caller 1]

Yeah, I have a fear of chickens.

[Lyle]

How serious are you being right now?

[Anthony]

I'm dead serious.

[Lyle]

You have a fear of chickens?

[Anthony]

Yeah, I have a fear of chickens.

[Lyle]

Where does that stem from? If you want to hear this full conversation, you can sign up to become a premium [e-mail] or find the link in the episode description. That's therapygecko.supercast.com Alright, I have nothing else to say.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and safeway now through August 12th. Get big savings on your favorite products for the little ones in the family and earn four times points to use for discounts on groceries or on gas. Shop in store or online for items like Earth's Best Yogurt Smoothie, Gerber Pouches, Happy Baby Pouches, Huggies, Natural Baby Wipes, Pediasure Bottles, Earth's Best Crunchy Sticks and Gerber Yogurt Melts snacks and earn 4 times points. Offer ends August 12th. Restrictions apply. Offers may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Lenovo is built for creators who don't wait for inspiration. They chase it with inventive tech, built in AI tools and seamless performance. Lenovo devices powered by Intel Core Ultra processors are designed to bring your wildest ideas to life faster. That's the power of Lenovo with Intel inside. Enjoy flexible financing, rewards on every purchase and free shipping. And students get special offers when you create an [e-mail] lenovo lenovo.

[Herbert]

Every day has a to do list, but adding Enjoy Belvita to yours can help you knock out the rest of it. Belvita Breakfast Biscuits are a tasty and convenient breakfast option when paired with low fat yogurt and fruit that provide steady energy all morning while Belvita Energy Snack Bites give you the perfect mid morning refuel. Best part? They both taste great, so make the most out of your morning with a bite of Velveeta. Pick up a pack of Velveeta at your local store today.

[Lyle]

Hey it's me, Earhart. Mind if I pick the next song? Listen, even though we're eating better, people.

[Gecko]

Who'Ve had one heart attack are at.

[Lyle]

Higher risk of another. But Repatha Evolocumab plus a statin lowers LDL C, our bad cholesterol and our heart attack risk.

[Gecko]

So let's talk to our doctor about Repatha.

[Herbert]

Do not take Repatha if you're allergic to it. Serious allergic reactions can occur. Get medical help right away if you have trouble breathing or swallowing Swelling of the face, lips, tongue, throat or arms. Common side effects include runny nose, sore throat common cold symptoms flu or flu like symptoms back pain, high blood sugar and redness Pain or bruising at the injection site. View the important safety information in our banner. Listen to your heart Ask your doctor about Repatha.

[Lyle]

This is an I Heart podcast.