Hi, is this Katie?
Oh?
My god?
Is this low it is? How are you? Katie?
I'm about to ship my pants because so it's not it.
Oh, I'm excited to talk to you too. What's going on with you? Man?
I was actually just eating some ramen and watching your stream.
You were eating some ramen and watching my stream? That sounds nice. I haven't eaten ramen in a while. I know it's high in salt contents, but I'm not going to sit here and pretend like I give any half of a shit about what I put into my body. Uh, Katie, how can I get you today?
My father in law thinks that the family runs a prostitution ring, which is not true at all.
Your father in law believes that your family runs a prostitution ring.
Uh yeah.
Why does he think that?
Well, he has been well. I don't know if he's currently on drugs, but he's been on drugs since my husband was an infant, and I think mentally he's not very well.
So you think that he is there any sort of maybe a misunderstanding of things that he's observing within your family that is causing him to believe this.
I don't think so.
Because he thinks that we have millions of dollars, but currently, like I live in a trailer, so there's no way that we're consuming that much money.
So what is your relationship like with your father in law?
Otherwise we don't talk to him. I haven't talked to him since we got married.
Actually, really, what was it like when you were talking about Yeah.
That was very interesting.
He is just very hard to talk to.
He likes to make up stories in his mind about things that aren't true at all, And I honestly believe he's a narcissist because he doesn't take any other person to concern.
So this whole thing about your family running a prostitution ring is not the only thing that he has made up in his mind.
No, definitely not.
Other stories and whatnot has he fabricated.
Well, he said that my husband's friends when my husband was a teenager, so he was sixteen, seventeen years old, his friends were sleeping with his own mother, and which wasn't true at all, and his little brother, who was fourteen at the time, was actively watching them sleep with his mother, and.
That that's what began the prostitution ring.
So your father in law believes that about himself that when he was younger, his friends used to sleep with his mother.
No, no, no, no no. My father in law believes that his own son's friends were sleep being with my current husband.
Yes, okay, you're okay, guys, I'm getting the family tree down. So your father in law believes that your husband, his son, that his friends slept with his mother, your father in law's wife.
Yes.
Interesting, And he believes that this was happening a while ago, or that this is happening currently.
This happened a while ago, but now he thinks that it has progressed to a whole prostitution ring across two different states because we live right on the North Carolina and Tennessee state line. He's actually went to the state Bureau of States and they told him that he needed to get off drugs and there was no proof whatsoever.
He's actually taken laptops, uh, cell phones and other things to the police stations and they've investigated and found no proof whatsoever and just told him that he needed to seek help.
What kinds of things is he presenting his evidence on these laptops? Like, what is he saying is evidence that really is nothing?
He says that they have been hacked, which I believe he's just locked himself out of the account and can't get back in, so he thinks that.
He's hacked, but I don't actually know. He's just not mentally well at all.
Well, okay, so these accounts like, so your father in law goes to the police station, shows them that he can't log into his Facebook and goes this is evidence of a prostitution ring.
Exactly.
I would also respond with, sir, you need to lay off the drugs. That's how I would respond, exactly. What Okay, what is it? What about the mother in law? What's going on with her?
Well, she's currently trying to get a divorce from him. I'm not really sure because he has been back currently and tried to steal things from our previous property that we were renting from. We don't live there currently, but he tried to steal things from the people that live there currently.
Divorce your father in law? Okay, I'm sorry, I interrupted. She tries to defend.
Him, She is trying to divorce him, but she also defends him at the same time.
What does she say in her defense of.
Him that he's not mentally well and that he doesn't mean any harm?
Mm and uh, what about your mother? And I she sort of mentally okay.
I think she's just been abused a little bit by him.
I think she's okay, she just needs some time.
Oh you think that she's been abused by him.
Not physically but mentally.
Yeah, okay, And she's okay. She doesn't feed into or or agree with any of these sort of wild things that your father in law is putting out there.
Oh no, definitely not.
So tell me about your husband. What's his whole relationship like with his family, because it sounds like there's a lot of drama going on there.
Oh, there is plenty of drama. He he loves.
His mom but tries not to get too involved, and he has no content with his dad whatsoever. But I actually I can get him to talk to you.
If you want sure. Is he cool with that?
Let me make sure real fast. But I think he should be.
Is he in the room with you?
He is?
Do you want to talk to him?
Yeah? I'd love to talk to him.
Okay, here he is.
There's no way.
This is the third right now?
Who what's up?
Man?
What's your name? My name is Chris, Chris.
How you doing.
Chris, I'm doing good man, Chris, I'm sorry, I forgot you guys. Relationship right, is she your fiance or your wife?
Shoes my wife?
Your wife? Okay, right, I guess I guess if it's an in law, you guys are made well your wife. You picked a great person to be your wife because she's clearly very invested in you and in your family and cares a lot. I'll say that off the bat. She was telling me that your father and that your father has been sort of losing it.
Oh yeah, definitely.
I am one lucky guy to have her in my life.
But then and again.
Yeah, my dad's taking a toll. I don't I don't know exactly what got doing, but I think it's something he's had and it's got worse because of drug abuse. But yeah, he's a he's a showcase, that's for sure.
And I mean, how do you feel about all this because you haven't talked to him in a while, but you know, you're clearly, like I guess, connected with him enough or you're thinking about him enough for you guys to bring him up to me.
Yeah, definitely. We thought it just be a really good story, I mean for me, it's not really like an emotional thing because it's been going on since I mean, like I was I mean basically born, I guess, And I mean I can remember little kid being involved in some stuff and just it being absolutely wild. I mean, he has a couple of different personalities and that's sure.
Do you ever think that that affected you at all when you were growing up?
Oh yeah, definitely without a doubt, Like being you know, five six years old and knowing what crack was and knowing what all these different I guess, different kinds of people, that's for sure. I mean, you know, bouncing around trailer parts and whatnot, you come across some interesting characters.
What about your mom, Do you still keep in contact with her?
Oh yeah, definitely.
My mom.
She was a lot different when she.
Was with my dad.
My mom, she's kind of like she had been with him so long that she didn't know anything different. But once she got away from him, actually she got a lot better. The last time she talked to him, and it was actually the last day I talked to him as well, and it was on my wedding day.
Of all things.
Oh.
Actually, no, my mom has had to keep up a little bit with him. Here and there because she's told us some stuff that recently he's been been doing, and it's anything like it was when we were younger, because I mean, you know, Mom could hide it pretty well, but me and mom saying really good contact. I mean, I try to help her when I can, but you know, getting my life started and then being able to be with her a lot, it's changed, that's for sure. But she definitely is a lot more in my life than my.
Dad and has your relationship. So your relationship with your mom has gotten better, it sounds once she got away from your dad.
Yeah, definitely, because she opened up and I knew that side of my mom because you know, like when dad would be away or we would go do things without him, which was basically I mean all the time he was there, not really in family events because he would start drama, and she was a completely different person even when we were younger when he wasn't around.
You said she was opening up to you. What kinds of things would she open up to you about?
Uh, just kind of like I guess her relationships and what she does day to day now instead of being you know, kind of just like I'm with your dad type situation or whatever they were doing at the time. She's definitely showed more of her personality simply being away from him.
Yeah, she's forming a bit more of her own identity in her own life.
Yeah, because they got married, well, they actually was in a they both had kids with. I have two sets of stepbrothers, one from my mom's side and one from my dad's side. But I mean that was you know, they were probably nineteen twenty when they had their first kid, and then they got together after that.
Do you are you in good touch with the brothers and the sisters.
Oh, yeah, definitely. I have an older brother.
I actually have two older brothers, and they are both the stepbrothers obviously, and I have a full blood young brother. And we adopted she's technically my first cousin, but her third cousin. Excuse me, but we adopted her because her parents, I mean, you know, we're pretty close to the same as ours. I mean, you know, they didn't have a stable support system, so we took her in basically right around the time she was born.
Into high school.
So it sounds like a lot like you and your step siblings. It sounds like a lot of you guys didn't have like super stable support systems. Is that accurate?
Yeah, Like, you know, I remember being twelve thirteen years old and dad going out basically on crack binges or drug binges, and you know, us kind of fending for ourselves. But luckily the community we moved to after we bounced around North Carolina a lot and moved into Tennessee, the town and the community was kind of helped us a lot. You know, me gaining friends and things like that helped us a lot. But I mean, we spend for ourselves, but mom, for us, tried to be there no matter what.
And but a lot of the times it came down to you know, her dads even and my dad going and doing you know, back to North Carolina and doing partying and then would come back, you know to three weeks maybe even a month at a time.
So it was a support system tour.
So when did you When did you meet your wife?
Well, I actually where the community we.
Live in at a.
Smaller town, and I actually knew were probably when I was around like fifth sixth grade. I knew of her and her family and knew her most of my life and we actually started talking whenever I got out of technical school or right around the end of it, so that would have been I was I was about twenty years old and I'm twenty four.
Now, so.
You know, this is this is I'm very impressed with both of you guys because both of you guys, who are are you know, seemed to me to be very smart, stable people, even coming out of what sounds like a pretty crazy environments.
Oh definitely, And we appreciate you saying that. I mean, we try our best, but I mean we are you know, small town living cup or married couple, and you know, we're simple, but we try to do our best on you know, anything we can because we came from nothing and you know, when me and her Matt, it was it was a pretty close connection and we helped each other, so it was good.
So you two continue to be the greatest source of support in each other's lives. How do you two support each other these days?
Well, I mean we, you know, we do the basics. We try to talk every day, make sure that you know, we know what's going on in each other's lives, and being there for each other, you know, no matter what circumstance, and kind of just living off of that that motto, you know, be there for each other, and that's kind of what we oh by.
What is in the future for you too? Are we are we having a kid?
We've definitely talked about it, and it's something you know that I'm not gonna deny, and you know, if it happens, it happens, I would not mind having children, and she wouldn't either. You know, she gets baby fever sometimes and we you know, we not said no to it, so eventually there's definitely a good chance.
Well, guys, thank you very much for sharing your story with us. Is there anything else that either you or Katie would like to say to the people at the computer before we go?
Not necessarily the people of the computer, but thank you so much for taking my call.
It may not not, Oh my god.
Of course, of course. Thank you guys very much for sharing with us. You guys have a good name.
You too, you too, see it?
See you guys? Ah oh. I love to those guys. They were so nice. They were so nice, and they really were describing like crazy shit. It's very interesting to me. I feel like I'm losing track of all the calls that we've taken on this show, but I feel like this has been a common theme of like people going into a retrospective about some crazy family situation they were in or whatever, and like, you know, they were doing it with a like a smile on their face and
a very positive attitude. And I'm glad to hear that they were talking about how the community was supportive of them even when their dad was going on crazy crack binges and shit. And yeah, just a nice group of folks. It's always a pleasure to have a phone call with a couple of nice folks from a small town in Tennessee. Hello. Hello, is this David?
Is this the Gecko?
This is the Gecko? What's going on with you? David?
Hey man? How's it going?
Little?
No, not much, man, I'm just going pretty good. How are you?
You know, I can't complain. I'll find a way, but I can't. You know, I'm just chilling man, enjoying the stream.
Well, David, how can I get you this evening?
You know that's a good question. So right now I'm on campus doing a three D sculpt of a friend who gave me her three D head scan And it's at that point in the I'm a digital sculpture, by the way, is at that point in the sculpt where, well, she's naked and I'm trying to find a good way to poser so I can put clothes on her. And uh, this is a bit awkward, you know, just trying to pose a friend, you know.
Okay, you are three D sculpting your friend. Uh, well, it says here, I'm gonna say what says here. It says here that you're making a sculpture of your friend. And this is nothing, this is physical. This is all on the computer. Yeah, okay, so your friend gave you her head, and so you have her head a digital naked body. And it says here that you are falling in love with this three D model that you have your friend's head.
I don't know if that's accurate. I think your your guide, Tim might have been a little bit over exaggerating.
But is he ever exaggerating.
It's difficult. No, I think he's over exaggering a little bit.
Okay.
I don't think I'm calling alone with the three D model for sure, But it is kind of weird just constantly staring at this this girl's face. I don't think I'm growing feelings. I mean, well, she's attractive first off, and I don't know, man, it's just it's just weird. I'm staring at her, her naked body of digital equivalent and figure out what.
The post has David, are you? Are you? This is your your friend? Are you? Do you like her? Do you like like her?
While?
I mean she has a boyfriend, and I don't want to be I see, I have a habit. I'm going to get off topic for a second while I have a habit of falling for girls who are emotionally unavailable.
So you are attractive to this.
Person, yeah, but I think it's better off as friends because she has a boyfriend.
Okay, so why are we having trouble with this three D model thing?
Well, I don't know, man, it's getting weird. Like I'm finding pictures of her to try to get like a decent reference, and I'm just staring at pictures of her like hours at a time, trying to sculpt it, and it part of it feels weird And I don't know if I'm setting myself up for another failure of I don't know how to put it, like just getting attached to someone who I know is not emotionally available again, if that makes.
Yeah, it doesn't make sense. And Here's what I would say to you. I'm David. You have your life and you have your work, your three D sculptor. You're professional three D sculptor. You work? What do you work in? Blender? What's the part? What's the program?
Uh?
Z brush?
You work in Z brush?
Dame, I did not know you were in the program.
I don't I know Blender and now I know Z Brush.
Okay, man, that's two.
Okay, you're working in Blender. So listen, David. If you're a professional sculptor and you also have your own personal life, separate those two things. So if you're gonna make up three D model friends, make a three D model of your friends. And if you're going to this whole thing, it doesn't need to be as complicated as you're making it out to be. Do you agree with me on that? Or do you disagree with me on that?
Oh? Absolutely, okay, you're making I agree with you.
You're making this too complicated for yourself, David. If you are attracted as someone and they are in a relationship or they're not attracted to you, just move on, David. Find and you're you're you're a hopeless romantic boy. Go find another person to be hopelessly romantic about hopefully somebody who will uh be hopelessly romantic about you as well. But don't waste your what do you do? What are
you doing wasting your time? Like engulfing yourself in this fantasy with the three D model thing, like, and stop it, get out of this, get your head out of this, like weird three D because you just like, it's great that you have a passion that you're pursuing. It's three D modeling thing. Go do that, Go pursue that. And then it's great that you have the emotional capacity to be attracted to other human beings that you see in this world. This is a wonderful part of the human
exp sperience. Go enjoy that part of the human experience. But don't engage in these fantasies that you're having because they're they're not serving you in any way, shape or form. So don't engage with them. I don't tell you what, don't don't don't don't romanticize them. I'm hearing you, like, romanticize them. Just don't.
Hmm. I'm trying not to, that's the thing, Okay, But like I'm at this point where I would like to keep going with the sculpture because I think it's a good concept. I don't know if I should just start from scratch and follow the concept and just leave her out of it or what I've already put a good chunk of time into it.
Uh.
I don't know. The trouble is trying to not romanticize it because it's because we I don't know. Uh, I feel like we click decently well.
David, you're just David. You're in charge. Yeah, you're in charge. Day you get to decide what which of your fantasies you're gonna indulge in. Okay, so your brain is gonna try to get you to have this weird fantasy where like you're in a movie and it's about this three D sculptor guy and he's sculpting this girl, but she's a boy don't don't engage with that fantasy, David. I want I want so much more terrible, I want so much more fun than sitting in this fantasy because this
girl's got don't wait, you got a boyfriend, she's your friends. Like, dude, there is so much more for you outside of this fantasy. Go pursue that and and don't be wasting time here in in this, in this strange daydream that you're having. Can you do that for I really want you to see outside of this.
Absolutely for you, Lyle.
Anything, No, don't do it. I don't want you to do it for me. I want you to do it for yourself.
That was okay, I'll do it for me now.
Okay.
If this is not for you at all anymore, Lyle.
I'm like, I'm like fucking with you here a little bit, and I want to hear what you actually have to think about what the conversation that we're having, because I feel like I'm not letting you talk as much.
I mean, okay, I agree with a lot of your points, but I don't feel like I'm I'm I don't feel like I'm romanticizing this as much as it may seem over the call. It's just something that I'm having trouble with, just even as just a platonic thing. It's weird, like even if it was like a friend, like a dude friend of mine and they gave me their head sculpt and just having to pose them and deal with something. Dude, I've had a conversation with this person about milk duds.
I've never skull in someone's face or just I don't know, it feels weird to have a digital version of a friend just there.
You What are you talking about with milk duds?
It's just like we've had an actual, real human conversation before. I've never sculpted somebody that I've you know, have weird conversations with.
Okay, all right, different David. I'm gonna David, listen. Are you you're like switching up your story on me here. I don't know if you're like, don't want to admit something. I don't know if you are like feel like you gave the wrong impression. But you're telling me here that you you're telling me all these telling like five hundred different things. You're telling me that you have this like thing where you fall in love with people who are
emotionally available. You're telling me this thing where you're romanticized, Like, where where are we with this? Be honest with me, Tell me where we are honestly with this, and then what you ever you tell tell me next is the angle that we're going to go with and that we're gonna end on. Okay, tell me the honest thing.
The honest angle is that I'm trying to not romanticize the situation. Okay, great, and I do feel like I am in control and I am a professional and I can do that.
I agree with you. I think that too.
I just I don't know, man, I appreciate you talking to me.
While of course, of course I'm sorry if if I seemed like I was like getting mad at you, I'm not, man, I'm just trying to get us on like a page, because we're going all over the place. Here.
No, I don't. Here's why I didn't get that.
Here's the here's the final thing I'll tell you if you're having trouble with this. First of all, if you have a platonic uh friend of the opposite gender or of the same, the gender doesn't matter. But if you have a platonic friend who you are romantically attracted to, and you feel as though that romantic attraction is getting in the way of your friendship, I do believe it is okay to, for the sake of yourself, limit exposure and interaction to that person. That's one and then two.
If you feel as though these romanticizations are persistent, you can ignore them, or you can go and sculpt something else. But it is within your power to ignore them. It is within your power. That's what mindfulness is. When you observe your thoughts and go, oh, I'm in this thought pattern that's not good for me. I'm going to steer away from That is within your control as a human being.
So let's tell you those things. Is there anything else you want to say to the people of the computer before we go?
Shout out Tim, Shout out the guy who set me up.
Tim.
I appreciate him.
He's a good man. David, thank you very much for calling and sharing, and I wish you good luck.
Hey you two while I have a good one, you.
Too, man. There is also another thing about falling in love with the idea of a person, which I think we all do, especially now, Like if you have a crush on someone and you're like looking at their Instagram a lot, you know, or if you have a crush on someone and it's someone you've been texting and you know, keeping in contact with over social media, you almost start doing exactly what David is doing, where you're forming this idea of a person based on some digital persona. I've
done this, you know, everyone does that. It's a weird thing, but we all kind of do it. Let's talk to Juan. Hello, Wan, Oh yeah, there you go.
What's going on?
Uh Wan? What's going on with you today? Uh? Nothing.
I just kind of wanted to tell the story. Just get some of my chest, you know what I mean.
Okay, what's the story?
Well, I guess I just like the round it up, like sum it up. It's just like back of the day. I was hanging out around a lot with my cousin, like he was an older cousin, and we ended up robbing the liquor store. I was like around like nine ten when everything went down. It's kind of like a long story to take a two part story and how I'm like, you know what I mean, like keep you on the line too long, give everyone a chance and all.
You know, Well, okay, so you were nine years old, hang out with your older cousin. Old was your cousin?
He was probably like seventeen eighteen really.
And yeah, how did he get you involved in robbing a liquor store with him?
Well, we were kind of you know, we're kind of breaking in the homes already. All this happened like back in like two thousand and nine ten. Yeah, it all just started just kind of like just like after school activities. I guess, you know, I'm just getting into shit. We weren't even supposed to be doing.
Yeah, but.
We actually ended up breaking into a home and I guess the owner was a gun fanatic and he had a lot of a lot of weapons, and you know, that was like I guess like the main target that
we took. It just it was mostly me and him kind of everyone else kind of just kind of did their own things, but it was just it's always just me and him, just you know, we go like literally right after school because we knew, like you know, white houses didn't have you know, kids, like you know, usually everyone's like still at work during like the days, so you know, it's just like it's prime time. You know.
So what is like your thought process about what you're doing when you're nine, Are you like, oh this is fucked up or oh this is kind of cool, or what's your head about you're doing?
It definitely was like a I guess like older looking back, you know what I mean, It just like it felt like I idolized that lifestyle. I felt like, you know what I mean, It was cool, Like you know, no one could tell you nothing, you know, like I don't know, it was just dumb, you know what I mean?
Looking back?
Did you did you when you were nine? Did you did you handle any weapons? Did you have any guns or anything like that?
Well, not personally, just because I feel like I hang around with a lot of oglaholmies, so they kind of showed me how to like do things like like you said, not having weapons on you.
And it's just like we.
Had stash spots like around the neighborhood. It's like, you know, something would happen and you need to grab something, you know where to go to hold it.
You never held it, so you so you would stash weapons around the neighborhood where you knew where they were in case if you needed them just see okay, And so you were nine when you robed this bicker store And how did that go down? Exactly? It was just you and your cousin.
Yeah, it was mostly me and him. Like he had like you know, his friends and you know, my message on their own end. But it was just you know, when you know, stuff had to go down, it was usually he would call me to go with him and
then yeah, I remember literally just like so vague. If I close my eyes, I could remember like the sun in my face, Like I remember it was hot, and like, yeah, like we all had like a meat up spot, like because we stayed in some apartments and like you always had like a meet up spot near like the garbage, Like.
What did those freshures?
And like we all met up back there, and you know, you let out the plan and we had eyes looking out those But I was going to be me and him stepped into the store.
Yeah, what was your sort of job in all of this?
So you know, me being really young, he you know, he was going to be like the front of the house basically like you know, getting everything, be kind the register, and like I was going to be basically securing goods.
I was walking with them on the side of the road, down the side of the road, but like on the sidewalk and stuff, and like, yeah, I was walking with him, and I remember he took off his hoodie and like it was hot, and he told me to put it on, and I put it on, and I mean I already knew what I was gonna go, do you know, it was already premeditated and everything. Yeah, so your.
Job was to was to protect him. Is that what you're saying.
Nah, It was just like because all this shit was like laid out, it was like four people in play, but it was like someone went in made sure the
store was clear about a little something. Then they left, and they gave us the queue to like you know, walk in when the store was empty, and I tucked in the hoodie he gave me into my waistline to make it into like little pockets, and as soon as he hit the fucking door, it was like green light, and like I already knew what I had to go do, which was like go to the fucking beer section and start stuffing beer into like the hoodie, and like because I took it into my waistband, it just made like
a big old backpack. So I just started grabbing just like beer and like liquor, and literally I feel like, you know, even back then, just thinking about it, I was just like, you know, the little rugrats. So like, of course I went for like chips and like you know, snacks, and I was thinking about like you know, sew the pops and stuff, you know, So that was like my thing.
He was so so what was going on with your like parents at the time, Like, did they or your your cousin's parents have any idea what you guys were doing.
I felt like, you know, he was definitely older, so he took a lot of the heat and he you know, it was mostly like him. And I feel.
Like they found out what you guys were doing, were they yeah? And what what what? What sort of went down when they found out that you guys were doing all this ship?
Uh the cops came to the door and like they knew exactly who they were running for, and like so, uh so I guess like one of the houses we
ended up breaking into. One of the neighbors ended up watching the ship go down, and like they saw this, like bust the window and walk in and like yeah, I mean we got everything and we left before the cops of it, right, but we didn't know there was a witness and like they were able to like identify, you know, us and stuff like that, and then yeah, yeah and ended up just like pointing the finger like oh yeah that, well.
Tell me, tell me tell me less, tell me less about the how, and tell me less about how you guys got caught, because I'm not as interested in how you guys got caught as I am, and how your parents reacted when you did.
I feel like I felt like no one really knew I was kind of like super involved because they knew I would hang out with him and stuff like that, but it was never like I don't know, I felt like everyone just kind of saw me like it was a good kid, you know what I mean. So I would just kind of like really try to play that role. And it was like whenever the cops showed up to
the house, it was during a family event. We were at a party my gas house, which is like you know, my cousin's mom, and like we were all right there and like there was a banging on the door, you know, and we turned on the music and like they opened up and they were like, yeah, we're looking for Julano, and like they were like, you know, we have re poured,
so we just want to ask them some questions. And like you know, when they opened the door, they saw him like literally right there, like standing right there, so that just gave him like green light to like step in and like arrest them run from everybody, and like they were saying that the witness go ahead and continue.
So tell me about like now, like, do you still keep in contact with your cousin?
Nah, because all this happened like a long time ago, and it happened in California, and like a little I feel like, you know, just my parents, I felt like they started hearing all the static that was kind of going around and they kind of just packed their bags and we just kind of drove out here to Texas, and like I've been stationed out here since then, you know what I mean.
Okay, So, so part of your parents' reaction, So part of your parents' reaction was to move away from from your cousin and his family.
Yeah, definitely, it was just just my less influencias, you know what I mean that influences.
Okay, So I mean that's a pretty that's pretty wild, wild stuff for you to be doing at nine. Do you feel like and you are also saying that you looked up to your cousin and you sort of idolized this kind of lifestyle. So even after you stopped hanging out with your cousin, were you still like getting into trouble at like, you know, in middle school and high school?
For sure? I feel like, you know, like you know, fresh face on the block. I felt like I had something to prove, so I was just wilding out.
You know.
Eventually I did end up getting picked up, and it was like a whole thing.
But I feel like, you mean, what do you mean by it?
What is picked up?
Man?
Like picked up by the law? Like I was eventually like you know, apprehended, like arrested and stuff like that.
And when you arrested, how long were you were?
You were?
You were you putting jail for.
Like a day or two? It was like real quick. I got picked up for like having half ounds of butt on me, but they were trying to put a lot of stuff on me because it was individually packaged, and they were trying to say I was like distributing on school property.
You know.
So tell me about what do you do now?
Uh?
Well, right now, I'm working at a warehouse, you know what I mean, as a forklift operator. I got my own little corner of the world right here with my fiance. We're planning on getting married in August, you know, Lord Willing. And yeah, no, I mean she helped me out to a lot. I feel like she really done straightened me out, you know.
Really really happen like that she strained you out.
I just started taking it stopped taking like a lot of zands, and like, you know what I mean, I feel like, you know, having someone you know that cares about you that much, you know, you hate doing stuff that would hurt on I guess, and you know, I feel like I would try to take care of myself a little bit better, just like, you know, for her sake. And it was just like overall, it's like, yeah, it was rough, you know.
M hm, Well, I'm glad. It sounds like it sounds like you're on an upward trajectory. It sounds like you've you've had this.
Man, right, I'm trying.
Yeah, yeah, So you say you're trying.
Yeah, for sure.
Tell me a little bit about out the like the transition between you know, because it doesn't sound you do you do do any sort of like like wild ship now?
Uh nah?
I feel like now why I think like the wildest thing we do now is just like go out to eat and like drink.
A little bit and come, yeah, I think you're going out to drink is not exactly what I mean by wild ship, but that's a good thing. So tell me when you sort of transitioned because you kind of seemed like you were on like a trajectory to like either really get fucked up in a fight, you know, if you're running around using using guns and having you know, doing all this ship with a stash box, or you know, accidentally doing something really fucked up and winding up in
jail for a long time. But you didn't, and now you got a nice little thing going on. As you said, you're on the corner of the universe with your fiance and you know, hoping to have a child and you know all this all this great stuff. What made you kind of transition away because you're still pretty young it since you're twenty two, So what kind of made you transition away from you know, doing all this all this stuff to where you are now?
I think definitely just like a really taking a step back and really looking at like I guess, like my atmosphere in my environment, just because you know, I mean,
they're my cousins, so they're family. And like even my mom now to this day, she keeps track of them, like through the Facebook and stuff like that, and like sometimes she'd be like, oh, look, you remember you know Julano, and like she shows me a picture and like just seeing him like covered in Tad's like he doesn't even look like the person I remember, you know what I mean.
And it's just like a it's kind of sad, you know what I mean, just because like I'm like, I know, he wasn't that much older than me, and it was like, you know what I mean, like I was, Damn. It's just and then you know, seeing you know, the friends that I've made here, like struggle with like addiction and shit like that, it's just kind of you know, I don't want that for myself, you know what I mean, Like, yeah, you know, I got my siblings, and it's just you know when.
You look at your brother, not your brother, your cousin and you're like, oh, I don't even recognize him anymore. Did you sort of uh see yourself in that and go, oh, I don't want to end up you know, not recognizing an older picture of myself or anything like that.
Yeah, stuff like that. And it was just like I feel like, especially like you know, as I got older, I feel like, you know, my eyes widened a little more, and like, you know, seeing my siblings, like I just don't want them to repeat what I've done, and like and I see that now with my little brother like that he just turned eighteen, and like no, I went over and like, you know, chat it up with him and stuff like that, and it was like, yeah, I guess like seeing his point of view, like he was
idolizing that life too, and I was just like, yo, that ain't it, you know what I mean? Because when my cousin got arrested and like you know, they said there was a second person with you entering a home, he took the rap for everything. He looked at me straight in the eye and like you didn't say nothing, Like he was just like nah, it was just me.
And like later on, you know, I feel like I just took like an oe of silence and it was just I carried that with me like forever, you know what I mean, Like the only person that I've ever told is like really my fiance and it's just like, you know, I don't know, I just don't like thinking about that stuff. It makes me.
Feel past.
Well, Juan, I'm I'm glad to hear that you're being a good role model for your brother. I'm glad to hear that you found a person in your life who seems to be a great source of stability for you. And I'm glad to hear that you have things going on in the future that you're excited about.
Man, definitely for sure. Oh my god, I didn't ever thought I was gonna get.
The as Wow one. Is there anything else you want to start to the people of the computer before we go?
Yeah, Man, don't let the wrong style destroy your dreams. You know, believe in yourself. And uh, I want to just give a big shout out to the Boys and Girls Club. You know, I feel like they really didn't help me out a lot in my youth. And you know, one day, when I'm reaching famous, I'll be able to give back, you know. But yeah, hey.
When you're rich and famous, can I have thirty dollars?
My guy? I would take you out to eat and I'll pay for the tab and you could keep the thirty dollars, you know.
Okay, good, I'm gonna hold you to that, all.
Right, mister k I really appreciate you and what you do.
Yeah, thank you for Hong one. Thanks for sharing me. I'll talk to you John, Yes, sir, all right. Likewise, Hello, Hi, what's up?
Not a whole lot. I'm stick. I'm checking out my goldfish right now? How are you?
You are checking out your goldfish right now? What? What does uh? What does that mean?
Well, I'm sitting in front of I'm sitting in front of her tank, and you know, she's just like doing her things and I'm just checking it out. You know, she's very silly. She'll like like she'll like react to my finger if I put it in front of her, and it's really funny. And sometimes she'll splash water on me because she's a little bit of a bitch. But you know what, I love her.
What made you want to get a goldfish?
Well, I had at one point I had like six tanks set up, and I had like different kinds of fish in all of them, but I hadn't had a goldfish yet, mostly because it's kind of like not well known. But goldfish actually live a really long time and they can get up like big, like like coyfish big, like.
A foot long.
So I knew that it was going to require like a bigger tank, and at the time I would like didn't have the space for it, but I made some like rearrangements. I got a nice table for it, and she's up there. She's it's right next to our bed. She's got a couple of little playkos in there with her. Those are the little sucker fish, and then she's also got a beta in there with her and some snails.
She's a happy girl.
Uh So, Maddie, what is it that you would like to talk about today?
Well, I called you to talk about my current unhealthy obsession that has kind of put me in a weird position that I kind of feel like trapped in now just because of the results that I've seen. So I'm not exactly sure how the calls werena worded it. Do you want to read it or should I just go ahead and start.
I go ahead and go ahead and tell me.
Okay, okay. So I collect this brand of stuffed animal.
It's called Squishable.
They make really really like high quality stuffed animals. They don't they're not specifically animals, like. They have a whole line of food food style ones. They're called the comfort Foods, and they're so cool, like they have anything you could think of, like broccoli, lemons, watermelon.
Oh this is uh, this is yes. It says here you're addicted to Squishables. I've heard of trying to make a gecko squishable at some point, I would love to make a therapy gecko squishable. See, I don't know.
If they have a gecko actually, now that you said that, they might like maybe an older version.
But no, no, no, not not just any gecko. I'm talking about me. I want my face on it.
Oh you want it to be you? Okay, Like they do collaborations with people sometimes, you know, maybe it's in the cards.
Okay, Well, so anyway, it says that it says here that you have an addicted wait hoy, hello, year of over three hundred of them.
Yeah, I do.
You have three hundred of them?
I haven't counted recently, but the last time that I did count, I was bordering on two hundred and it's been a few months now, so I'm I feel like that's a pretty healthy.
Guess what is it that is driving your obsession?
They are cute little faces and the fact that they are just like the most huggable things in the world, and they're so soft, like they're the softest thing you've ever felt. And it's like I feel like every time I touch it, like I'm taking a hit of like drug, you know, Like it's just like gives me, that feel good in my brain and there's there's nothing.
Else like it.
Okay, So you have hundreds of these and how much do they cost per unit?
Well, it depends because they're kind of they're pretty popular. So something that they do is they cycle through designs. So they have a whole, like huge list of retired designs, so they don't make them anymore, so they're more range.
Give me a range, like twenty to two hundred dollars, twenty to two hundred dollars. Tell me what is the most expensive one that you've purchased? About two fifty okay, so minimum the floor is twenty dollars.
Yeah about you know, I mean if you get like if you get lucky and somebody is just trying to get rid of like a little tiny one that they have, you know, maybe you get it for like five ten bucks. But if you're trying to get one that's in you know, it's in good condition, you know you're going to be spent at least twenty dollars for shipping.
And approximately how much money have you spent on these squish mellows?
So I have been I have done the math before. It's been at least like a month since I've done the math. If I okay, it's gonna be so bad, it's prob gonna be more than like eight thousand dollars.
Okay, And how are you funding your squish mellow addiction?
So all right, So it started last year like December ish because where I work at, we have a huge like holiday season where you know, we're putting out all these specialty holiday merchandise. You know, we got the holiday like the flavors and stuff, you know, because I work at a like a retail like a fast food type deal. So we're serving you know, the holidays drinks for serving the holiday food, you know, all that stuff. Yeah and yeah, yeah.
So at the end of it, at the end of the season, we throw all this shit away that we don't use, Like they give us like a like a date and then when that date comes, they gotta go. So I have happened to weasel my way into handling the marking out and disposing of the product. And usually like I'm there like closing at night. So I just took I was like, you know, okay, yeah, I'll take the trash out, guys. And then I took it all all that stuff and just put it behind the dumpster
because it's not like a locked thing at all. So I just drove off their grabbed hit and it too go home. And once that, you know, I started selling it like on eBay, and once that stuff was listed, it's sold fast. So I was like, I kind of was like, oh shit, like it kind of got me hooked. So I after I was done with all the holidays, have I just started doing regular stuff?
And how much money have you made from selling these holiday items.
A good week? Like a good week, I can get towards like a thousand dollars.
Do you make more money selling the merchandise than you do actually working at your job?
Oh yeah, My average paycheck is like five.
Hundred bucks.
Versus a thousand, so yeah, versus one thousand a week. It's you know, it's like it's really tough because not only have I been able to like feed this bit of an addiction, but I am actually putting money towards things that matter in my life. You know, Like we needed a new bed really bad, so I replaced the mattress, the frame. You know, I got everything new. So that's really really nice and great, like you know, like on a subconscious level for the health. You know, I helped fix our car.
Uh.
You know, I've put money towards a lot of other things in our lives besides the stuffed animals, you know.
So it's it's usually.
Hard toward the squish mellows.
Yeah, exactly. Any kind of a kind of a bind.
Now, is any part of you afraid that you will get caught for doing this?
I mean there's always like, okay, let me back up there. Yes, only because I have been caught stealing. Outside of this situation, I unfortunately am kind of ecliptomaniac. There is a reason for that, but I have not gotten the proper hold on it. So I did have an incident where I was caught feeling something at a different establishment and I didn't get arrested because I had never done anything before.
So and I was really nice and just honest with them, and they were like, okay, all right, yeah that's cool, dude. You know, I had to go to court and like, no contest, so I think it is on my record, but I just had to pay a fine, which I just got done pan off actually, so it wasn't the worst thing in the world. But I do, you know, have that lingering fear. But I also don't because it's extremely easy to do this in my work. I've been there for many years now, so I have a really good rapport.
People trust me. I put away the weekly.
Order of our shipments anyway, so I know how much we get every week and how fast we go through it normally.
So I kind of you said that by the like I got an acdrupt you. You said that you're you know the reason as to why you're a clepto maniac?
Yes?
What what is that reason? So?
I didn't have a super great family situation growing up, and my mom kind of fed into that habit of mine. It it, I know, like exactly the day that it really clicked, me and her went to a big this crystal shop in the Slea Market and I took like four hundred dollars for the crystals and I stuffed them in my bra So when we got to the car, I started pulling shit out and she was just laughing her ass off, and she was like, Yeah, that's so
fucking awesome. That's badass, you know. And I just kind of kept doing that stuff, and she never said that that was bad or not good, So it just kind of solidified in my head and now I have a problem.
M Interesting. Uh have you talked to your mom about that?
Oh?
Yeah, she knows that I got arrested, and she regret.
Not telling you that. Does she regret not telling you that stealing was was wrong when you were younger?
I don't.
I don't really think so.
No.
Uh, that's most certainly not the worst of the things that she has allowed to happen to, you know, her children growing up under her supervision. So no, she she kind of was just like, you know, I get it. I'm not judging you. You know, she's She's also had a habit of grand theft throughout the years. So no, I don't think she cared that much.
So before we go, Maddie, in the future, do you see yourself slowing down on stealing things? Or did? Does any part of you want to stop stealing stuff? Or you know, what's what's your own sort of personal take on your habits. If you were to get on a little step ladder and look at yourself from above, what are you observing? What are you hoping for the future.
I definitely would like to slow down, you know, like my my husband has definitely expressed his concerns, and you know, I definitely know myself to kind of have a little bit of hubrious in this department. So ideally, yes, it's hard. You know, it's really hard to be battling this kind of thing for a while. It's hard because it's so easy.
You know, like I have access to all the cameras in the back room, so I know exactly where they're, Like I can look at them while I'm taking this stuff off the shelf and show that I'm not on this camera. So like, it's just so hard because it's so easy. But I would ideally, yes, like to like to not do it as much anymore, which I did better at the past couple day that worked, So you know, yeah, something.
Well, good luck to you in trying to beat your habit. And you know, I hope that with Squish mellows. I wonder if it'll be like Beanie babies where they go up in value. Actually I think the b babies go up at value or down in value, like in ten years.
I think they I think they had like a spike and then they crashed real hard if I'm an understanding, right, But I mean that's kind of what's happening now. Like I said, people are selling these things for like three hundred bucks some of them, so.
Maybe, well I look and I hope you make a profit or if if you lose it all, I hope you enjoyed the ride getting there.
Oh, I will thank you much for your time.
Low, of course, thank you for calling Maddie.
Yep, have a good one.
Goes on the line.
Taking your phone calls every nine goes to teaching you in the life