Open Hearts, Hidden Truths
Open Hearts, Hidden Truths is a podcast where the raw meets the revelatory: secrets, realizations, and turning points that reshape who we become, yet rarely get discussed.
Episodes are curated around conversations that challenge assumptions and make room for thought-provoking perspectives.
Let's explore life's shifts and uncover the hidden truths that connect us.
Open Hearts, Hidden Truths
Headlines We Can't Stop Talking About, Part 2
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Christian male-only gyms. Magic mushrooms. Japan's human refrigerators. My friend, Toby, and I discuss a variety of today's headlines.
What's a recent headline you can't stop thinking about?
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Intro
ShamronThis is Shamron, and you're listening to Open Hearts Hidden Truths. This is a second installment of our summer roundtable series. I've got Skank with me in Chicago. What's up, Skank?
TobyUm, yeah, just hotter than Hades here on the surface of the sun whore.
ShamronSometimes I sometimes I call you Skank and I don't even think okay, that I should call you Toby. That's just how we are, though. Toby doesn't sound right. Toby sounds like I'm mad at you. When I call you Toby, it sounds like I'm angry with you. You know what I mean?
TobyYeah, I don't know. That's how it's how it's always been. Hey skank, what's up, skank? Nothing skank.
ShamronIt's been like that for so many years. That just sounds natural and warm and uh normal. It's a term of endearment, which probably most people I guess wouldn't get, but you know, it's like it's no different than saying, Hey honey, hey dear.
TobyI don't think so. Um yeah, I don't think so. Um, you know, even my grandfather used to always call me buddy all the time. Hey buddy.
ShamronThat wouldn't sound right for me to call you buddy.
TobyNo, it'd kind of be creepy a little bit. Maybe a little incestual, I don't know.
ShamronSo uh yeah, so I came up with some some topics that caught my eye again. I just love dissecting hot topics, and I don't even know if they're hot topics, but they're kind of some of them are kind of quirky, some of them are a little they just they just kind of make you raise your eyebrow a little.
No Girls Allowed
ShamronSo have you heard of these all-male Christian-only gyms popping up?
TobyNo, I haven't. That sounds very gay though, but go ahead.
ShamronWell, that was one of my thoughts. Um that was definitely one of my thoughts. But so they're not yet open, but they've got a couple gyms that are in the works uh and they're popping up in Oklahoma City. There's one in Denver going up. And this is this is so that men don't have to feel tempted when they're around women. I was kind of wondering how that's legal to discriminate based on sex. But and then on the other hand, I feel like, you know, by by treating women like, okay, you're you're a distraction, you shouldn't be here. Um you know, this is how one guy, one of the founders said, well, this is how affairs often start, is in the gym. And I I found that kind of interesting that they it felt like they were villainizing women for just merely existing. And so their solution is, you know what, let's focus on spirituality, let's focus on fitness, and and keep all the women out. So though that's in the works. Um, and we'll see if it takes off or if it catches on.
TobyAnd I call bullshit on that. Bullshit. You know, I can understand there being like these Christian mingle websites where if you wanted to date somebody that was a Christian, I get that kind of stuff. But why are you saying that men can only like like the temptation is going away because you went to the gym for an hour and 30 minutes, but now you're leaving and going out in the real world and you're still not able to find hooking up with somebody. I mean, that it it just seems really it just using faith for something like that just seems really, really odd and weird, you know.
ShamronI mean, one of the gym one of the gyms, the one in Denver, uh, and that one is called The Remnant, the Remnant Gym, which is opening in Denver. The owner of that, he said that he even makes you sign some sort of covenant, like the spiritual covenant to join the gym. They have uh along with sauna, a sauna there and you know, steam rooms and you know all this other stuff, they have Bible study, a Bible study room.
TobyOkay. Well, first of all, the remnant the remnant sounds like one of my favorite gay porns, to be honest with you.
ShamronSecond, is that wait, is that the name of a gay porn?
TobyYes, it is.
ShamronWait, the re it's called the remnant?
TobyThe remnant. Am I saying that with am I saying that? Don't laugh at me. Am I saying that with my Midwest accent?
ShamronNo, you're the re R-E-M-N-A-N-T, the remnant.
TobyYeah, that's anywhere.
ShamronWell, that's it, that's an interesting um coincidence.
TobyWell, I find it to be really interesting that I mean I go to the if if I do go to the gym, which is not very often, it's I'm there to work out, I'm there to do my business and get out. I'm not there to make friends, I'm not there to take selfies or do to be, you know, in a social influencer or something and flex my arms or whatever. I don't understand why uh for just men. I can I mean maybe if you had said a Christian gym, maybe I could get more on that. You know, if it was men and women. But to say it's only for men, I don't think that's even legal anymore. Because I remember years ago my stepbrother went to the Citadel, and there was a girl that was pledging the Citadel, and she got in because they said you can't say that it's only a men's club anymore. I guess maybe because of tax tax tax reasons or something.
ShamronWell, and no, there's you know, just for discrimination, and you know, you can't you I I don't I don't know what the laws are in those states, though. And I I don't know. Maybe it's I mean, if they're in the works, then then clearly it must be allowed. But you know, these guys claim that women are a distraction, you know, that, you know, d somehow almost like blaming women that what these guys can't control themselves. Uh women spawn lustful thoughts, they want to keep that away, they want to be uh spiritually focused and focus on, you know, working out their their faith, their bodies, all of that. But here's my question what happens when they're at a beach or they're at just a restaurant and they're just going about their day, you know, and some woman walks by in less clothing than what you'd wear even at a gym, since they say that, oh, you know, that's it's a it's a big distraction. So how do these guys even get by? It it seems just I I'm not quite getting the connection that they have. It seems misogynistic uh and it seems a little gay.
TobyIt seems very gay to me. I mean I mean, and then here's my thing. You're gonna do Bible verses at a gym?
ShamronIt's all yeah, it's very, it's faith-centric, it's Christian centric. Male only. So stay tuned for that. We'll see.
Man in the Can
TobyNext topic, please. I'm over that one.
ShamronDo you hear about the Kansas City man that was found inside the tank of a porta potty? This went viral, apparently. I didn't hear it. I didn't hear about it.
TobyI've not so what happened?
ShamronSo uh the company that owns the porta potties, they were gonna they were they went up to the unit, they were gonna move the unit, they knocked on the door, someone was inside. Uh they heard a voice coming from inside. So uh when they opened up the door, this guy's head popped out inside the toilet. So in the tank, this guy's head pops out.
TobySo he's coming, he's coming out of the toilet, and those things are not very big. How how is he shoved all the way? I mean, it's been years since I've been in a porty potty, but you know, did I say porti potty is it port a port-a porta potty. Porta party.
ShamronSometimes I want to say porter, porter potty, but it's porta potty.
TobyWell, I remember going to festivals in Los Angeles and West Hollywood where you would have to use them sometimes. But how does a man actually get down there and how does he fit in there? Because for my it's been years, but they're not really that big, right? It's not like it goes into the ground, it's just basically in the contract. I don't know themselves.
ShamronI don't I don't know how deep the actual tank is. But so anyhow, so the worker finds this guy, this guy's head pops up, he's like, hey, I'm stuck, I can't get out. So they saw him out. It only took a couple of minutes.
TobyWell well, how did he get in though? If he was able to get in, how could he get out?
ShamronSo this is the interesting thing. They said, Well, you know, what the hell are you doing in here? How did this happen? He said, I dropped a Mountain Dew bottle and I needed to go get it. You can't make this stuff up.
TobyI can't.
ShamronAnd No, you can't make that up. I mean, really? He jumped in that tank, in that porta potty, to rescue his Mountain Dew bottle.
TobyIs that really a true story? Is that really true?
ShamronAbsolutely. And uh they said after they hosed the guy off, he refused medical attention. He was on his merry way, he just he just took off. He didn't provide any more additional uh info, like uh and you know it didn't say how his mental state was either.
TobySo that was my first question. Yeah.
ShamronWhat was in that Mountain Dew bottle?
TobyUm that's a good question. I never thought of that. Maybe there were some drugs in there and he didn't want to lose them because I'm here's my thing. You drop a Mountain Dew bottle down a in a in a porta potty. Um, girl, I can go to the CVS and get a new one uh and you know, in 20 minutes. I wonder if there was some, like you said, some sort of a drug or something in there that he just was not willing to let go. I mean, I don't know if that I would even go in the bottom of a porta potty for my own animal.
ShamronSo I mean that's a that's a commitment.
TobyCommitment, correct.
ShamronTaking a sewer dive. That that is just.
TobyWell and here is my other thing. Again, it's been years since I've been in one of those, but couldn't you have just gotten a stick somewhere if it if that Mountain Dew bottle was so important? It wasn't like it was all the way down a well or something. Couldn't you have gotten a stick or a hanger or something to pull it up? It's not like it just went in and fell all the way to the bottom unless unless the Mountain Dew bottle was full. I don't know. This is, I mean, you can't, like you said, you can't make this shit up.
ShamronNo, and there's a lot of info missing. Like there, there's some serious info that they left out, the guy's mental state. Um, and by the way, to your point about isn't couldn't you have fished it out? That would be the last that would be the last thing on my mind. Trying to fish out a Mountain Dew bottle.
TobyWell, first of all, when I've gone into a porta potty, I'm not bringing anything to eat or drink with me in there.
ShamronSo that's why I think that you know, what what was really going on?
TobyWas he either drugs or mental health, probably, right?
ShamronJust imagine the shock though. You know, you you hear a guy's voice inside, you open up the door, and a head pops out of the toilet.
TobyI mean, there's so many missing uh questions, uh answers to questions, like how long was he there? Was it at a festival? I think you said was it outside of a home being remodeled or something?
ShamronI'm not sure where exactly in Kansas City it was. Was it next to a bunch of other Portageons? I don't know. I'm not sure. Um, but it was time to move that particular unit, and that's how they stumbled in on this guy.
TobyDo you think there's also a possibility that he might have been a homeless person that was using that as a place to sleep and stay? And I don't know, you know.
ShamronI'm happy to say in the t sleeping in the tank.
TobyWell, I mean, I guess if you're homeless and you lose your mountain dew, you're gonna go diving for it. I don't know. I'm just trying to ask. Because it doesn't seem to make any sense. And and wouldn't you think, like, why did the fireman or the policeman just be like, here, I'm gonna hose you off. Bye-bye, have a good day.
ShamronWell, what else were they supposed to do?
TobyI mean, maybe take him on. We both know that in California has a 5150 hold. Maybe there was something to be like, what were you doing down there? You know, I mean, it it it seems like there are more questions than answers to that topic.
ShamronNo, there are there are, but yeah, I mean, I mean, doesn't sound like the guy was really, I mean, he wasn't doing anything illegal. Doesn't sound like he was being a menace, or you know, he you couldn't keep him. You had to let him go.
TobyI'm just cracking up. Could you imagine popping up and be like, hi, I'm stuck down here, you know.
The Rabbit Hole
ShamronMan, it's been a long time since I've done any psychedelics. Those days are over.
TobyOh, yeah. Those have those days have been over for me for years.
ShamronReally long time. But there is this one magic mushroom um that's found in uh China and the Philippines. I'm probably gonna butcher this, but it's called Lenmoa essiatica. Lenmoa essiatica. Um and it's not psilocybin, um, so it's not to be confused with psilocybin, but consumed raw or undercooked, 90% of the people who consume this magic mushroom describe seeing detailed hallucinations. And they describe these hallucinations as little tiny gnomes and elves that were crawling under doors, climbing on top of furniture. And they even report that these little gnomes and elves were diving into suit bowls. So uh it's kind of a very specific hallucination with this with this thing, this Lenoa asiatica. But I find it interesting, and scientists are baffled that you know why why is why are these gnomes and elves popping up for these people, jumping and and swimming in soup bowls and and uh crawling underneath the doors and everything. Just kind of a quirky little little story. I'm glad I'm not doing psychedelics anymore, though.
TobyBut you know what? And and and going back to maybe um, you know, we were doing them together, at least when I was doing them, you and I were doing some of those things. I never had like an outer.
ShamronNo, we no, we never did hallucinogenics together.
TobyWell, we did things that altered certain things sometimes. But we without getting in too and deep into it, but yes.
ShamronBut never actual, like we never actually well, yeah, right, right. We never did LSD or mushrooms or anything like that together.
TobySee, I've never done those. I've done mushrooms uh since I've lived in Chicago a couple of times. They didn't really do anything for me, but this hallucinogenic thing, I've never been on a drug where I was seeing little people or decided to dive in from my Mountain Dew can and to the uh to the toilet. I've never, I've never been. There's there's never been anything like that for me. So I've you know I've never done acid.
ShamronUm, but you've never tried this one particular uh magic mushroom that um No, but I don't want to see little people running around my house and getting them across the city. That would be a little disturbing, but it's interesting. 90% describe seeing these little gnomes and elves and they're you know playing, crawling up the walls. That would be a little creepy.
TobyDo they find it to be a positive interaction with these little gnomes?
ShamronSome of them reported being kind of a little bothered by them, but um it didn't go too much into that from what I saw.
TobyYeah, you know, things are so different from the days when I used to do little things. I mean, people are microdosing with even like ecstasy, aren't they? And like all the crazy stuff that these doctors are coming up with, like people are trying to use certain drugs to say it's okay for you. And I just don't understand that, you know.
ShamronWell, I don't I don't think they're they're saying I I I don't I didn't see where there was a judgment on it one way or the other. Um, it's just that you know, researchers and scientists were a little baffled about why exactly this particular mushroom is causing people to see gnomes, very detailed gnomes acting crazy.
TobyWell, skank, I'm sorry, but I don't want to take something to see gnomes. Can I take a pill and I can see you, or I can take a pill and see money or something, but I don't understand wanting to see gnomes.
ShamronI would that would make me not want to take something if I knew that that's what the trip would be like.
TobyYeah.
ShamronTo get a bunch of little gnomes and elves just messing with you. I I I would pass on that one.
TobyWell, of course, but do you think that maybe people are seeing the gnomes because they did research and they said this is what you're gonna feel like when you do it? You know, I mean, I can tell you honestly, when I took ecstasy for the first time, because it wasn't called Molly back in the day when I did it, it was ecstasy. People are like, you're gonna feel this and you're gonna feel that. I didn't feel most of the things that people felt on that. So I wonder if there's some sort of a predisposition that these people think they're gonna see gnomes, they take the drug and then they see the gnomes.
ShamronI I didn't get that sense from the articles that I read that people almost like a placebo effect, you know, where it's like, um, you know, but no, I I didn't see that at all where they were warning people, oh hey, this is what you're gonna see, and then they saw them. I didn't get that sense at all from from what I read. But Molly isn't Molly is very different from ecstasy, right? And I don't know, I don't know how.
TobyBut it's like I've never I've never taken Molly. I've taken ecstasy. Yeah.
ShamronYeah. But I mean, do people I don't even know if people do ecstasy anymore. I think it's more like um I hear more about Molly.
TobyWell, I can tell you I have a couple, um, I have one very young, um, at least in my opinion, young, I call her my niece, even though she's my second cousin. Yeah, they are taking it a lot. But I guess it's more in the pure form. I don't know. Again, we were doing this together, God, 20 years ago, maybe, probably.
ShamronNot quite not quite that long ago.
TobyBut a long time ago. A while back we were and so I guess there's maybe the volume of how much of it you take and who your dealer is or who you're getting it from. Um, because you know, all the kids, when they say Molly, I'm like, yeah, I've never done that because we only had ecstasy. What is the difference between the two?
ShamronThat's a way that's a good question. Um That's a good question. This is probably a subject for me to look up after, but I'm curious right now.
TobyYeah, yeah. Well, and then they also say, isn't there is it do they say it's the purest form of MDMA or whatever?
ShamronYeah. So they're both both slang terms for the same active chemical, MDMA. The main differences are their physical form and the common myth about their purity.
TobySo, um So do you think that the Molly we took back in the day was had rat poisoning and stuff in it, but now Molly doesn't?
ShamronSo the pure myth. Many people believe Molly is a pure unadulterated form of MDMA, while exti ecstasy pills are heavily cut with other substances.
TobyThat can make sense a little bit, yeah.
ShamronSo but it says the pure myth.
TobyUm so that sounds like it's that's well I would I would have I would have to say, I I would have to say, and not to go off topic and we can change in a second. Um when doing ecstasy, um I had done it enough times to experience it, to know kind of like what was going on. I think there was one time that I maybe had done Molly that maybe was the pure part, which is I was with you at that club and we were just sitting there and everything just felt so great. And that was the only time that I ever experimented with that drug that it didn't have the same side effects that ecstasy did.
ShamronWhat was that place called? Here, no, here high.
TobyNo, no, no, it wasn't, it was the it was it was right off of La Sianega, remember? Me, you, and our art, my friend. But it was white, right?
ShamronIt was really, really everything was very white Yes. But what was that called? He Here Lounge.
TobyNo, no, no, Here Lounge. This was this uh Here Lounge used to be in Boys Town. This bar, remember, this was on gay pride. The three of us had stayed at a friend's house, we had gone down the street, and it was a really nice place. But I think that this bar was set up to have that trippy kind of feeling. Do you know what I mean? And it and and if I'm not mistaken, it we might have been there on a gay night, but it was pretty mixed. Uh, it was right off.
ShamronIt was mixed. Yeah, I remember that.
TobyI want to I want to say it was right off of Melrose and La Cieniga. And it just kind of it was very, very nice inside.
ShamronBut what yeah, it was cool, but what was the name of it though?
TobyI have no clue because it was only around for a hot minute. And to be fair, I think that I only went there two or three times. It just wasn't, you know.
ShamronThe sound of a club just sounds so gross to me now.
TobyOh, yeah, I know. But remember, uh at least there, you know, when you go to a club when you can hear somebody talk or something. But yeah, I mean, it that was geared toward everybody there was on something. You know, I mean, that was also 2000 and what, 2007, 2008, whatever.
ShamronYeah. Way to take it.
TobyAnyway, sorry, didn't mean to I'm sure you can cut that out.
ShamronUm I like no, I like little I like going down these little little side roads.
TobyYou know, thinking about the days when we used to have fun like that, would you really ever want to physically see something? That was never something that I ever wanted to achieve from anything that I ever did in my younger days.
ShamronWhat, see a gnome? No, of course not.
TobyThat sounds not even a gnome, but I wouldn't want to see like the windows moving or do you know what I mean? Like, I I don't know like why. Well, you know, it's kind of an interesting question for you too. What did we ever think when we were doing that? What did we think was gonna be the outcome from it?
ShamronWell, just to have a good time, we didn't have to worry about fence. Fentanyl back then.
TobyOh my God. Yeah. That's another thing. I don't even know what that is, but you know how many times I read on the news somebody's dying on fentanyl? Wasn't there even a story we were talking about a couple of years ago? I think it might have been in Kansas City. Where remember that was a story we talked about where apparently, right? We heard about it, but then it kind of disappeared a little bit.
ShamronWell, they because basically what happened was is a bunch of friends got together to watch a ball game. I think they watched the Chiefs together. And many of all of them except for one, I think, uh, they were found dead outside, frozen.
TobyYou are correct because wasn't it the guy that owned the home? He they found him upstairs and he had disappeared. He had slept for he said he had slept for three days, and the other guys had gone out to go have a cigarette or something on a sofa that was outside.
ShamronAnd they froze, yeah, and it came out that whatever substances they were doing, I think it was cocaine, but um, yeah, it was mixed with fentanyl.
TobyYeah, well, like I said, thank God we didn't have fentanyl back in our party days because that's just scary that it's everywhere. Even I've even had a couple of friends say that even marijuana dealers will put fentanyl in marijuana. That's so scary, too.
ShamronOne of the things I don't get about it, I mean, okay, I get that they, you know, the dealers are trying to maximize their profits and they're trying to cut it with something. But why cut it with something that's gonna kill your clients? You want to keep your clients alive, I would think.
TobyYeah, I mean, I guess. Um well, I guess. Of course you do, but I'm wondering. No, I'm I guess I'm trying to say is maybe they don't realize how much is in a bundle, and maybe you just take enough of uh whatever you're getting. I don't know. Like I said, that's so crazy to me because fentanyl was never around. And even if somebody said, hey, I have fentanyl in my marijuana, I'd be like, no, thank you.
Standing Room Only
ShamronYeah. Um Wow. Going taking taking a trip down memory lane with We went down a rabbit hole, didn't we? We went down a little rabbit hole. So um are you familiar with with what an is an ascetic monk is? An ascetic monk?
TobyI'm sure you're gonna tell me, no.
ShamronI am gonna tell you. So an ascetic monk practices extreme beliefs with the with the di with a desire to obtain spiritual enlightenment. But they practice extreme self-discipline, they just sort of withdraw from mainstream society and and typical pleasures that other people partake in. So there's an ascetic, an ascetic monk in India, uh, and he has vowed to stand for twelve years. He's done it so far for five years. This man has not sat, has not lied down in over five years.
TobyWell, where's he at standing?
ShamronI'm not quite sure the structure that he's in. Like is it a house, a temple? I I'm not quite sure.
TobyAnd saying five five years without sleeping. I mean, no, no, no, no, no.
ShamronI didn't I no, I didn't say he didn't sleep. He doesn't lie down. So what's interesting is that he's sort of created these these contraptions, these harnesses that enable him to sleep standing up. And it showed pictures of this guy, and his legs and his feet are dreadfully swollen, and they're they're black. They're black from where all the blood has pooled, and it's just really bad for you, for your body, for your health. And I just thought, wow, that's that's a whole new form of torturing yourself. You don't even know what to say about that.
TobyMaybe maybe dedication. But you know, it's not it's not like he's Gandhi and he's not eating, you know, to change, to change apartheid or something. Um what is the purpose of doing this? What's happening? What is he doing to change his life? I mean, you know, how does he exercise? You know, we've talked about the fact that I didn't have a job for a little bit, so I had to make sure to go outside and walk around. Do I have a treadmill for this poor man? I mean, what's going on?
ShamronWell, what do you mean? I mean, he's he's walking around. He's not, it's not like he's um like he's not standing still. I just mean he's not taking any breaks to sleep, or I'm sorry, to lie down, to sit down. He's getting a lot of global attention for this. Um, so is he liking all the attention he's getting, or is it really just for spiritual enlightenment, uh, you know, denying himself? And and but I mean, from a health standpoint, it's really, really risky.
TobyWell, yeah, don't don't monks in Tibet, you know, they don't, you know, they're quiet all the time. I can understand those things, like right taking in the world, being quiet, um, having small conversations, not watching porn, not eating bad food, you know, etc. But what is he, what is he doing standing? And and where did the 12 years come from? Why did he decide 12 years? So you're so you're telling me this uh my piercing voice, sorry, but you're telling me this man has stood for five years.
ShamronThat's exactly what I'm saying. Yes, and he's going for 12.
TobyHe's probably gonna be dead before 12 years.
ShamronYeah, I mean, this this isn't this isn't advised to do this, and this this is obviously a really extreme practice. Um so anyway, good luck to him, I guess. You know, knock yourself out.
TobyYeah, that's all that's left to do.
ShamronGood luck.
TobyYeah, I guess. I hope he has a port a pot. Oh goodness. Um so is there a camera on him? Is somebody watching him 24-7? How do we not know that this man's gone out for a Big Mac and laid in the bed for two hours?
ShamronYou know, I don't, to my knowledge, there's not a camera on him. He's not a reality person.
TobyUm So if if this man has not sat for five years, doesn't he have to prove it somehow? You know, I close my door, I come into my apartment, nobody knows what I'm doing in here, you know.
ShamronRight. I don't know if he's really that strict with uh how people are observing and keeping track of all of his um lack of uh lack of horizontal activities. Which sounds like something else entirely. Uh anyway, enough enough with this standing monk.
TobyYeah. Okay.
ShamronSo there's a human refrigerator in Japan. Have you heard about this?
Care to Cool Down?
ShamronToby
No.
ShamronIt retails for $9,400 approximately. It's a stainless steel, one-person cooling booth to beat the heat. Okay. So it cools down to 59 degrees and then it blows uh 41 degree air on you. And then it automatically switches off after 20 minutes. And um they're trying to market these to businesses and organizations and things like that. And uh I guess my question is, uh, why don't you just kick up the AC? Like, do you really need to go to a booth to go freeze your ass off?
TobyWell, you know, I mean, I guess it's no I mean, maybe I'm not following the topic that well, but um, it's no different than like in in Paris where it was super hot and nobody had ACs. Do you think maybe in China or wherever this place is, is that they can't
ShamronJapan.
TobyJapan. But um but why maybe because people can't afford to have AC? Because here in the United States.
ShamronNo, no, no. It's because it's to literally to beat the heat. They're too hot. They want to cool off and cool off very quickly, so they've created these stainless steel booths. Uh again, this, I mean, it's $9,400 for these things. It's not exactly convenient. It's huge, it's bulky, it's expensive. Again, why can't you just kick up your AC? I just feel like they're kind of making it a little complicated. And I'm I don't really know if there's that big of a demand for something like this.
TobyNo, I mean, I mean, I guess w as you were describing it, I could say that maybe if you were maybe on the streets or something, you could go and pay like $1.50 to cool down as you're riding your bike or your scooter to work or something.
ShamronThat would be actually a good idea. Yeah.
TobyYou know what I mean? Like, so I'm getting really hot, it's a hot day, let me spend, you know, three dollars to get in here for 45 seconds to a minute, whatever, to cool down. But you're saying that people are buying these for their homes?
ShamronWell, it it doesn't look like they're taking off, unsurprisingly. It doesn't really look like the idea is taking off as they would have hoped, but I think it's probably too early to tell. Um, but again, they're they're marketing these to businesses and things like that. They're not really marketing them for people to buy uh to throw in their condo. It's not, you know, that's not exactly convenient.
TobyI hate to say this also, but is there a possibility that these are going in factories where there are no air conditioning and these people have to work so hard all day long that you get to have a little cool-off as you go step in your stainless steel refrigerator?
ShamronI actually like the idea you had. It's sort of like how at the airport they have those uh massage chairs and things like that.
TobyOh, and get your shoe, get your shoes buffed and all that stuff. Yeah.
ShamronYeah. So throw one of these coolers, one of these human coolers, uh in well, I mean, you couldn't just have it on the sidewalk. So I I don't know how that would how you'd fit that into everyday life.
TobyBut well, do you do you think it would be any different than we when we used to have telephone booths? They found a way to do telephone booths because it's shouldn't there shouldn't there be able to be a way that if you wanted to step into a refrigerator and cool down, that you could I think it all goes back to the demand.
ShamronIs there really that big of a demand?
TobyWell, you know, it's also a very populated country. You know, it's very, very populated. So, you know, maybe that delivery man just needs to go pop into his little refrigerator. Well, yeah, and I mean, so what do you have? Like a fridge next to your fridge? You'd be like, hey, I'm gonna step in here for a minute. Anyone want to coke out of the other fridge?
ShamronI don't think any other countries are gonna be replicating this idea that they have over there in Japan. I I don't think it's gonna catch on. It just seems a little silly.
TobyWell, and I think, you know, you and I talked uh about this uh quite a while ago, but wasn't there a time when LA County was gonna try and put washer and dryers outside for the homeless people?
ShamronI mean, that wouldn't surprise me. Um but but obviously it didn't happen because that's insanity.
TobyYeah, that's why the same reason this fucking refrigerator is happening either. Good luck.
ShamronSpeaking of speaking of homelessness, did you see that homelessness has actually risen by, don't quote me, but I want to say four point three percent or three point four percent. I just saw the article the other day. Did you see this in LA County?
TobyI did. Uh it's not just LA County. Um, even in like Washington, uh Washington State in uh Chicago, uh Florida, it's getting really bad, which I was really surprised from because they said there were there were so many elderly people that were losing their homes and stuff.
ShamronBut yeah, the um New York, you know, I mean No, but I'm I'm specifically referring to LA County, you know, because of the epidemic we have here with that, and all of the billions that taxpayers pay for uh to address homeless. And it's kind of interesting how, you know, kind of makes you wonder where the money's going, the problem's getting worse, not better. And these are people who want to be doing drugs out on the street. Many of these unhoused people do not, not all of them, but many of them do not want to be housed.
TobyWell, you know, it's it's interesting that you're bringing that up because I think that LA County has had such a big surge that it's the worst in the country. It is. And and then they're also saying that when when they're asking certain government officials where did the money go, nobody seems to know where $350 million went to. Where 400 they can't explain it. So is it even really going to those people on Skid Row?
ShamronNo, no. It's it's going to other places, you know.
TobyUm, because there's people trying to do but I think that you're right, some of these homeless people don't want to be housed.
ShamronThe the majority of them. I mean, it's you know, there are other things like, you know, mental illness and things like that. But you know, they there are places for them to go if they want to be housed. They don't want to be. They want to be on the street doing drugs and just living that life. I guess the bigger question is, you know, do they see gnomes and elves? All right. Final thought.
TobyYes.
ShamronOne or two sentences. I'll go first.
TobyOkay.
ShamronWhat's one thing you're thinking about that you can't stop thinking about this past week? I made the most amazing shrimp scampi last night. It was buttery and garlicky and delicious. I'm still thinking about that. What about you?
TobyUm, I I'm in training for a new job and I'm starting to finally catch on a little bit. So it's kind of making me a little bit more excited. If that makes is that the kind of question you were asking about like what was the the basics. There's no wrong answer.
ShamronThere's no wrong answer. What's something that's still on your mind that you can't stop thinking about? So that's good.
TobyI'm I'm excited about learning more about my job and being good at my job. You know, I mean, this is you know, that's not the two sentences, but at the end of the day, it's new, you know. Um, but I think I'm kind of a little excited about it. I'm out of my comfort zone, I guess. Maybe that's an answer.
ShamronThat's good though, because that's when you grow. You're forced to move out of that comfort zone. That's when good things happen.
TobyTechnology, um, I'm learning so much about that. Um, yeah, I guess that's it.
ShamronYou're pushing yourself. All right.
TobyYeah.
ShamronCool. That wraps things up this week. What are you feeling? Talk to me.
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