Hello, Hey, what's going on?
What's up? Man?
What's your name?
Rob? Rob?
Rob? You said that you're being sued by the Pokemon company, not stude.
I gotta stop selling my product stuff.
Okay, here we go. I got hit by the Pokemon company for a cease and desist because my blankets were making good money. And now my Etsy store is closed and I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do in life. Okay, great call topic. I'm very very invested in this. Tell me about how you got started making Pokemon blankets.
Oh well, I was just trying to like figure out my own kind of side hustle, and I started designing stuff through AI and I really love the Pokemon stuff like sleeping Pokemont flapping me on some blankets.
Okay, I have instantly, I think this is about one hundred percent less school. Now okay, all right, you totally all okay, Okay, Oh wow. I thought this was gonna be I thought I was gonna be I thought this was gonna be awesome. And now I'm like, you absolutely you deserve the cease and desist you. I'm glad your atsy store has been closed. And uh, He's like I talked about it. I talked about AI a lot. I
talked about a fair amount on the show. I know, like like I use the chatbots and stuff like, I like there's helpful ship in there, but I despise generative AI. Like AI like can be helpful for certain ship, but like generative AI to like make art I despise that, did you like do what? Like what did you what did you do? Like did you make any changes or anything?
I'd go on a little there right, because like it can only go so far, so beyond programs and edit it and stuff like that, but just like the general basis of like the artwork and stuff, I take that and then kind of intermulate with different backgrounds or change what they did a bit.
Damn, I'm so disappointed.
Man.
I read that text. I thought this was going to be like fighting the man.
I'm like, I know I'm going to get caught eventually, and here it is, and I was like, oh, you know, like this is a little bit cool where it's just like I got noticed a bit about my favorite game company.
I do think that is the interesting thing about the C synthesis is like, yeah, you got noticed.
One. I'm like, damn, must have did something right besides you.
Ai no no, I think this was how much money did you make doing this?
What was it through the about a half a year? About thirty grand?
You made thirty grand in six months? Yeah, by making AI generated Pokemon blankets.
Yeah, isn't that crazy?
You You deserve that ceason desist so much. You deserve that ceason desist. Like like this is what like cause you know, okay, because like sometimes right, like people will make like like like like I'm I'm a huge Smash Bros. Fan and people will make like cool mods of like
Smash Bros. Or they'll make like their own like you know, like there's all this like fan Pokemon games, right and like like there's people who are like they really care about the like they really care about the IP, they really care about the games, and they're like making these really cool like fan games or this really cool fan art and they get hit by season desists, and uh, like that's a bummer that makes you go, like, fuck Nintendo.
You're the kind of person who the ceason desist is totally for that Fox hit up for the people who are like actually trying to make it.
No one hundred percent. God, I was just doing it while I was bored. I'd like, pump one out once in a while, ago once in a while and see what happens, And yeah, now it's here. I was like, all right, what do I do now?
Also, I'm also I'm very surprised by this because it's so dumb that you made thirty thousand dollars doing this, Because ay, there must be eight hundred trillion. First of all, there must be eighty billion people out there who are like making Pokemon fan merch like that are like actual artists that are like making shit that's like good, and like why and a wouldn't why wouldn't people buy their
shit instead of your ship? And then b there's probably like eighty billion scammer guys like you making like an AI fucking like bullshit thing. Why wouldn't they buy Why would they buy your AI bullshit and not some other person's a bullshit?
Yeah?
I know, like one thing I think is just like what it looks like too, right, Like the design of it maybe is what drew it. Yeah, it was a crazy process.
For the year. I was like, damn, dude, why don't you like.
Dude? Every time I meets every fucking time I meet, I meet I like in New York, I meant I meet a lot of like AI folks who are like and like I like, I like, I'll be real like I you, I you. I don't use AI to like I don't like generative AI. But like, you know, when I when I have like a weird bump on my phone foot, you know, I'm not gonna say, I don't go into Gemini and be like, what's this weird bump
on my foot? But uh, when people are like there's some of the people all the time are like, oh, I'm developing an AI app that does this thing, and they'll tell me about it, and I'm like, there's that does not need to fucking exist. Like there's so much ship, there's so much AI shit where it's like I, I just can't. I have no respect for like they're not like making anything or doing anything. They're just making these
tools that don't fucking do anything. There's no art being made, there's a community being made, there's no like story being told, there's no like it's just there's just there's just like I'm I'm not a total doomer and I'm not like total anti like like I'm sure that like in the fucking medical field or the the whatever, like there's applicable, good uses of the technology, but the techn I hate that.
I'm not like completely utterly fully anti AI everything, but like there's so many industries and what I really fucking hate is that it's applied needlessly to everything, and people think that like not every fucking industry is enhanced by technology, especially like the arts, and like it'd be ignorant to say that there's no use for it, like you know, like whatever, like the medical field, fucking I don't know, like bullshit accounting, what like law shit, I don't know.
There's some shit where it's like, yeah, I would trust a computer more to do shit than like a human. But like the the fact that like people apply it to everything, like, oh, there's an AI dating app, there's an AI friend maker thing, or an AI like you know general or like AI generated Pokemon shit. It's like that stuff. It doesn't need to you know, like the technology just people have this stupid way of feeling like it literally must be applied to every facet of human existence.
I'm hopeful, I am. I am hopeful that like the facets of human existence where it actually can be applied for some form of benefit. Will be the ones that are left over, and then the ones that are total bullshit, like like AI Pokemon blankets and like AI movies and shit, will people will Like I do, I do think that like the human taste will prevail and that shit will not be around anymore, you know, like the actual use cases that are good for society that people actually want
will will remain. But like the AI slop shit, I think people get tired of it and it'll bring back you know. I hope that your cease and desist like somehow clears room for like other you know, like there's some motherfucker out there who's been drawing Charizard since he was like three, and now he's like thirty two, and he draws, and now he's thirty two and he draws like the coolest Charizard shit in the world. Like that guy.
Hopefully like that all the AI bullshit, Hopefully hopefully your help, like by by putting out some AI bullshit thing, Hopefully you're making people so burnt out by that bullshit that you're actually, in a weird way helping the guy who's been drawing Charzard for thirty years because they're like, I want to buy a real thing from like a real artist. I don't know if that's true. Anyway, I went on a whole rantom at ai instead.
Of the worries. I get it, and like the craziest part too, is like, you're right, it's everywhere and seeing how it's progressed, Like I'm starting to get stuck on those TikTok stories where it's all Ai generated and just how it progressed in the two years. I'm like, I can see how Netflix is hopping on this bandwagon, and it's just we're gonna have to go through so much crap to get polish stuff.
You're contributing to it.
I gotta hop on some band wagon. And that was one of them.
I mean, we do we do. We do live in a society where it's like, yeah, if I have an opportunity to make money by we do live. I don't fully blame you because we do live in a society where it's like, if I have the opportunity to make money, uh uh in by fucking you know, doing a Pokemon blankets like whatever.
Another example I use, Oh, I don't mean to cut you off.
Oh well, I'm just it's more on my ramp. But like, yeah, like how Netflix Netflix AI. Yeah, that's just another example of like every company needlessly I mean, dude, it happened with like I feel like it happened with like Web three and like nft S and shit like that, where like it was it was so hot, and every company in everything in the world, like everyone on the planet was like, how do I integrate this ship into my ship? Because just because it was hot? Right, And that's what
everyone's doing right now with AI. But I don't I think I think people will come to realize that not every facet of human society has made better with it. I mean, there will be some facets of human society that are made better with it, but like not not ninety nine point ninety nine percent as people like to believe. But go ahead, sorry what we're saying.
Yeah, I'm just curious where it goes because like I bring up the example like I Kia furniture, right, like that's for the mass consumerism of it, and a lot of people would be like, well, that's taken away from people who do it by hand.
Sure, I mean they're they're there. I see a world where like I mean yeah, I see. I mean, I mean if I don't just see a world, I mean we we we we we we live in this world where like AI slot bullshit like does coexist alongside actual art. You know, like people I'll do go to see movies in the in the theater, like there is still value placed in actual art on the very same day that, Like, you know, a person can be on the toilet looking at TikTok bullshit, they can like you know, still go
to a play or whatever. Wait, so what are you gonna do with your life now?
Well, right now, I'm back to just working away and raising the kids until I kind of start something else out of the side hustle. But yeah, that was the craziest one, was just playing around with that stuff and seeing it grow and then try to do some parenting kind of products. But that didn't work out so well, so I'm just taking a break from side hustles.
It'd be very funny if your children were just like AI chatbots that you programmed to call you dad.
And then I see the lamp.
And then I see the lamp. Yeah yeah, yeah, how old are your kids?
Are?
Seven and five?
Okay, do your kids like Pokemon?
They're getting more into but I think it's just more of a they know their dad loves it.
Would you buy an ai uh Pokemon blanket for your kid?
Well, we got a few at home on my own, but I mean if it looked good like my kind feel, I probably would.
Huh.
I'm sorry, what did you I don't know if you told me this? Sorry? But what did you do for like to make money before this?
I just warehouse?
And okay, why don't you like? I mean, you can make you can make more money doing a real thing.
Well, like I'm still doing warehouse and it's just like it's been ten years of it and it was like I was ready to do something else from that kind of boom, I'm like, ah, back to square one.
Mm hmmm.
So what's what's your next scheme?
What's my next scheme?
I don't know.
I was looking at financial advisory that seemed like pretty sneaky stuff.
But what do you mean financial advisory?
You know the people who sell you like life insurance or r R sps. I can get a lot of people are like you should join this, and I'm like, oh the pyramid, all.
Right, dude, why don't you do a like why don't you do a real thing. By the way, this is this goes out to by the way, you know what, I'm I'm okay, hold on, I'm gonna get on my like on my fucking I'm gonna get on some entrepreneur bro shit right now with this because I do I fully mean this, and this is just like this is my experience in my own life. You will, I do believe, like long term, you will make more money, Like if you want to do your own thing, you will make
more money doing something real. Like before I like before I was doing the therapy Gecko, and I was like
before I was doing therapy, I was like nineteen. You know, it's funny ten years ago when I was like eighteen nineteen selling a if like AI was booming at the time that I was like nineteen, I probably would have been the kind of guy who was selling AI Pokemon blankets because like I remember at that age, I just remember having this feeling that I think a lot of people have now, this feeling of just like oh fuck, I'm about to enter into the world and like I need to find a way to have money or else
I'm fucked. So like, let me just scheme around endlessly and try to find out like what the best scheme is to like make a living, and like I don't I don't think any of those. Like I was like I didn't do anything schemy, but it was like it was like, oh, I'll make like social media videos for dentists or whatever, or I'll like you know, or like airbnb arbitrage or just like stuff that's like schemey, you know, stuff that like there's no real value to it that's
being created. It's just kind of like a scheme. And then like the scheme that ended up like working out for me and making me able to make a living is like you know, do it inter having having conversations with people about like having having conversations with real human beings about like shit and like you know, expressing myself and making videos I wanted to make and like it was it was the and I've probably made a way better living like doing a thing that felt like real
to me. Then I would have made like doing some crypto real estate fucking like bull bullshit fucking thing. So like what the whole like schemey, I do think the whole like scheme me, let me figure out a thing to do this is just for money. Thing you I do, I end up you feel like you end up making less money than if you just like are like, oh,
what do I actually want to do? And like what would actually be like helpful or expressive of mine or or like you know, is there a local business I could start or a thing like you know, you know what I'm saying.
Yeah, I hear you.
It's just right back to step one, right, Like what is it? The wife just quit her job, so it's just staying floating and then working weekends. I just have a bunch of time. But I'm just lookings and that is that popped off. I was like, oh, this would be funny to tell GEK, but.
Way just for for your next venture. I don't know, that's the only I just that's the only thing. Like for the next venture is like is it like what what like is there anything real that you want to do.
Well? Right now? I was looking into early childhood education.
Yeah, there we go, you know, take care and then.
Yeah that was one of them, like starting a daycare.
Right.
So it's just been a slow process. That is, like I said, the light just had to switch her job and we're figuring stuff out. But get the education going and see how that goes.
See that'd be great. Like if you see if you started so you're not gonna get a fucking That would be hilarious if you had like pictures of Pikachu up on this because this happens to people, like if you start a daycare and you have like pictures of Pikachu up on the wall or whatever, like and you get like a cease and desist from Pokemon again.
Oh right, we're shutting down your facilities.
Sorry kids, dude, that does happen.
That happens to people with like did like you'll have a picture of like Simba from the Lion King up at like your preschool, and like Disney will come and take it down.
I've heard stuff like that. I even heard that. Uh I think my stuff got caught because they went through a huge thing towards to everybody, like if you have Pokey in it, they were just like ceason desist.
But I like the daycare because that's a See that's a if you if you told me, like, oh I run a daycare, it's like that's a real thing, you know, and you'll probably make I really like what you were making, like five grand a month doing the AI. But I was that was that in revenue or profit.
Revenue?
Okay, you'll probably make more money and hate your life less doing a real thing.
Fair enough. Even right now I'm doing like before or after school care and it's crazy money there too. Like I said, it's just that was a silly thing that popped off, and I was like, oh shit, Well.
I like the daycare idea. That's cool. So this it's fun.
It's like a.
Physical it's like a physical space. There's like art. There's like cool fun, interesting ways to be business y about it and be creative about it. It's cool. I like, I think this is I think this is an evolution for you. I'm excited.
I don't know, a picture and being on the like in Hawaii or something. But no, you're right, there's more satisfaction between like the difference between it.
Yeah, of course.
M hmm.
What's your name again? Man?
Rob? Rob? Rob?
Is there anything else you want to say to the people of the computer before we go?
Yeah, live life, enjoy it to your fullest, and peace out.
Thanks Rob, see around the universe, see you get. I feel like I did a lot of ranting on this episode. I'm gonna probably put this call before the call. Okay, So I recorded this call before the call that you're a wait. No, I recorded this call after the call that you're about to hear. And I ranted a lot on that one too. I felt like ranting a lot today. Okay, next episode, I'm gonna it's not rant as much, or I will. I'm not sure. Okay, all right, let's let's take the other call.
Hello, Holy shit, what's up?
Man?
What's your name?
Fuck?
What is my name? All right?
Your name is Tim. I'm calling you Tim. Here's what I've noticed is people tell me their names. I forget them. But if I make up a name, I remember it.
Now.
That's a that's a strategy making up someone choosing a name for someone so that you remember it is a strategy that you can only really use if you're hosting an anonymous call in show. You can't really do it if you're at a park, like your friend. Like if your friends invite you out to like a show or something, or like a bar, and you they're like, you know, I'll come meet my friends, and you know, you meete a guy and he goes, hey, my name's Adam. You
can't go, oh, your name is Tim. I'm gonna say that, I'm gonna choose you all over it. I mean, you can do that. If I met someone at a bar and I told them my name was Lyle and they said, actually, I'm gonna call you Brian because I can remember that easier, I would totally roll with that. I would be like, this is the most interesting I don't know. This is not the kind of person that I could really keep around in my life for a long amount of time, but I would roll with it. I would be like,
this is an interesting person. I want to know more about them for an evening and then probably not have them in my life recurringly, but at least I would be interested in them for that one bit of time. Like the kind of person who does that, Like, who is that person?
You know?
I feel like I disagree with that. I feel the opposite a.
Way really tell me more?
Uh, I don't know. I feel like there's some scenarios where I could I could be interested in that.
I could be.
Based on the vibe of either the person or maybe than myself or the environment. But I feel like I might be disrespected.
Interested. Well, well, that's because you're taking it. There's no there's no reason to take that personally. You understand that right like it, like they might, you might feel disrespected, but that's that's stupid to feel disrespected in that moment because clearly whatever's going on. Like if you meet someone for the first time and you say my name is you know, whatever your name is, and they say, I'm actually,
I'm sorry, I'm bad at remembering names. I'm gonna call you Brian instead so I can remember that, and you feel disrespected by that, I think, I think that's dumb because clearly that person is like a little insane and has that has nothing to do with you, you know what I mean, Like you can't. I it's pretty impossible, I think to be disrespected by a person that you have zero relationship with, you know.
Yeah, No, I see your point. I see that's very understandable.
But I and if someone did, I'm I love. I mean, that's why I do the show. I guess is I like I'm interested in crazy folks. I met a woman at a bar. Go ahead?
Do you think I'm I feel disrespected by you?
Do I think that you feel disrespected by me by me calling you Tim?
Yes?
I don't know, and I'm not really interested in that because this isn't an because our relationship in this is that of an anonymous call in thing and name I don't like, the names are not really important to me in this space.
That's alpha male behavior.
But well, I was. I met a lady at a bar the other day and she was talking about how homosexuality is a sin, and I was like, and I've and like, you know, you know that those people exist, right, you know that they exist on like the Internet and stuff. I was like, but I was like, oh, this is interesting. I maybe it's because I grew I didn't grow up. I mean, I know people grew up in like, uh, you know, more rural parts of the country and stuff.
But I was like, oh, it's in I've never met a person who actually believes that, and I want and I was like, I'm very curious why you think that, you know. And I don't know if there's a thing of like just when people display behavior that's like bizarre are or uncout. I don't know if it's a word or not. But I'm like, oh, why are they?
What?
Who? What is I'm like, I've become observational, you know, I'm I don't take anything. I try not to take shit, uh personally at all. I just want to observe them and cure I mean, I guess that's the thesis of the podcast is like, I'm just curious. Yeah, well, I mean we can get I'm sorry you get interrupted. Well, we can we can get into it. What do you feel disrespected by me calling you? Tim?
No, absolutely not, Lyle, Lyle. I'm a longtime listener. This is actually my second time taking a call from you. The last time we took a call, it got dropped because I was using to somebody else's phone and they called that phone during the And it's happening again right now.
What's happening again right now?
If somebody is calling me while you are on the.
Phone with me, go to voice, Yeah, let me go who wait o guess the last So we didn't really get we didn't actually really talk whenever you last called. Okay, great, great, but you know I I okay, So Tim, Uh, you texted me a lot of stuff. You've texted me a lot of stuff. We can talk about all of it? Why not?
Oh? Fuck, I don't know if we should talk about all of it.
Let's see, Okay, well, the first text you sent me was a year and a half ago. You said, the amount of weed my grandfather smokes makes me feel like I'll be seventy five years old still smoking weed. Okay, he hung up again. All right, See he did the thing where the call dropped. Hold on, we're not I'm not even gonna cut this part out because this is central to the story of talking to this caller. We'll call them back. Hold on, I have their Sometimes I
can call people back. Sometimes they can't. What the hell happened to this guy? Why is he doing this? It's going to call dropped? Hello, Hello, Lyle, Hey, are you back?
I am back?
Okay, Wait, why did that happen again?
Because people keep calling me? I don't know. It's like a universal sign that we can't talk to you.
What do you What do you mean that people can That's not how a phone works, that people call you can. Phones give you the authority to choose Your phone can't.
Force phil and somehow the phone call dropped. I don't know what to tell you. I don't know to tell you.
Your phone can't force you to talk to someone.
And I didn't. I didn't accept the call.
All right, we're gonna do this whatever. I'll just keep calling you back. I don't care. We're gonna have this conversation and I'm not And every time the call drops, I'm not gonna edit it out. We're just gonna, I mean, we'll stitch it all together.
But you know, those are actually, as a viewer, my favorite type of call.
Okay, good, good, good? What what the calls were? The calls where nothing happens and it drops a lot.
Well, I like I like to hear your unfiltered thoughts on you know, whatever situation is happening.
Okay, here's what you said. All right, here's what you really Here's what you said on Thursday. You said, Lyle, how are you not angry listening to all these stories, going to these corners of the world, to the miraculous bits of humanity outweigh the stain left by the majority. I have a feeling I know how you'll answer, if at all, why do you choose peacefulness overrage?
I did? I did say that because, quite frankly, I just I'm tired of a lot of aspects of the world and of society.
Yeah, you sound misanthropic.
I actually don't know what that word means.
Uh misanthropic is like someone who has a general distaste for people in humanity.
Well, yeah, that kind of describes me.
Okay, why do you have a general distaste for people in humanity?
I don't know. I feel like maybe maybe it has to do with I never fit in I guess widely accepted by peers or even family.
Okay, so we're talking now about a dissatisfaction with your place in the world rather than the world itself.
Yeah, but I think they kind of feed into each other for at this point in my life.
Okay, okay, But okay, so I want to I will get into your place in the world. But this thing of like do okay, this part of your message, do the miraculous bits of humanity outweigh the stain left by the majority? What do you like? What do you mean? What kind of stain? What is the stain?
I feel like it's just all the and the aspects of maybe socializing or even communicating with other people that just I find unnecessary, unnecessary and quite frankly grueling to go through.
Oh just socialization. Socialization is agonizing, oh for sure? Mm hm And how long have you felt that way?
Most of my life, I would say, I don't really remember not feeling that way.
Do you have any people in your life that you like talking to?
A few?
Okay, okay, who are they?
I have some friends from you know, high school or even college. You know, people I play video games with. I don't really go to see them anymore. It's kind of tough. I don't really I hate I hate. I hate driving too. I know you don't. I don't know if you don't like driving, I know you prefer walkable areas. I hate driving so much. It's the one time in the day you're gonna die, right, Yeah, I think about it. That's statistically most likely to perish, and we're all forced to do it.
Yes, I feel that so deeply. I think it's so insane how much we've normalized. Uh, this thing that is so easy to die doing is such a daily part of our existence in America.
I won't I won't like act naive and say like we haven't improved in terms of safety and regulation and manufacturing the cars themselves. They're you know how they're like collapsible now so that you're more likely to live. I guess that's the science.
Hm hm, I keep hearing. I know I'm keeping in all you know, by your request, I'm keeping in all of these technical difficulty questions. I keep hearing myself like a feedback every time time I talk.
I'm sorry, Lyle, can I can I just that's because I'm like actively doing something for my mom.
Okay, hold on? You can't, if you're all right, just if we're gonna you can't, I can't. You can't apologize for the phone but then also be doing something.
What do you? What do you do? What do you?
What do you?
What do you do.
To the girl?
You're a walking contradiction. You hate people, and yet you're talking to me while also talking to a bunch of other people on text.
Not my choice, not my choice, choice, you're my choice.
Why do you have hold on? Okay? Who's texting you right now? And why do you have to respond to it right now? Genuine is a genuine question.
It's my mother and she needed something for my father related to is related to his work. So and it was immediate. They were at they were at he does stuff with cars, so they were at a business. They were at like this tire place, and he needed a picture of the size of his tire.
All Right, that's a good enough that's a good enough explanation of that.
I'm sorry, Lyle.
You don't have to. You don't have to, you don't have to apologize. Wait, well, am I on the speakerphone? Still we're not cutting any of this out? Am I on the speakerphone?
No, not anymore?
Okay, who do you? Who do you talk to the most in this life? Is your mom?
No?
Who do you talk to the most?
That's a good question at this point. Probably this one friend I have that I play video games with?
Okay, or do you like them?
Yeah?
Okay, okay, what the hell?
All right, we're you know, we're doing this podcast. I'm not letting whatever the fuck is going on with this happen. We're doing it.
Okay, I'm sorry.
I so you know what I forgive you. We're gonna do We're no, we're doing this. We're doing this phone call. I'm determined. I will find where you live. I will walk there and we will have the We're doing this. I can do anything I set my mind to. In soaking you. Okay, you have one friend, you play video games with him, but you're in so you Okay, this text and by the way, just so you know, because you sent me at the end of the text, you're like,
why do you choose peacefulness over rage? And just so you know, I totally I totally uh all the time. I mean, you listen to this show. You know, I have an insane amount of existential dread and shit.
It's like.
All the time, all the time, I do genuinely look at the world and I look at like crazy shit, and I do wonder. I'm like, how is like is life worth living for a lot of people, like because most people because like I don't know, Man, I live in fucking I mean, we live. Do you live in America?
Right?
I do? I do. I live on the East Coast as well.
You live on the East Coast? Are you like, how did you did you grow up? Like Dick? Did you have enough money to like, did you have enough money to like eat food and stuff?
Yes, I I didn't grow up you know, poor or like low class. I'm saying that poorly. I meant that I grew up fortunate lucky.
Yeah. Yeah, well, I know I feel like most of the I feel like I do get existential about the thing of like I most you know, I grew up like decent. I grew up pretty good in America, and it's like for most of human history in most places, I think like life has low key sucked, but I also think, yeah, life is oky sucking, and I have wonder I'm like why is like oh fuck, that's kind of crazy, like is that not? But also like society has kept going and people keep living and like there
is good. There is like things that are like inherent about the human experience and about just like the body in general, that make it want to keep being alive. And like, I don't know, there's like probably like there's some dude living in like you know, poverty in India who like their life, like I guess on paper sucks, but they're not like I don't but like are they I don't know if they're in I don't know. I don't know if but they but they there are What
am I trying to say? There are probably people who still figure out just figure out to like live life and figure out like their own version of happiness that's much less less complex than like whatever the you know, western modern American you have everything. Everything's great version of finding happiness is you know, I don't know what do you think.
I don't know. I get what you're saying too. Honestly, it feels very relatable. The more I think about it, the more I feel about it. It's it feels like everybody else.
Has, you know, everybody else has well.
Has like a you know, they have the guide. They have like the video game guide, or they have the they have the rules, they have everything, some sort of collection of knowledge that I don't.
Uh, what are you looking for a guide to?
What am I not looking a guide for? While socializing?
For one? Mm hmm?
What isn't there a guys wealth building? I know that's like you're not a Dave Ramsey type, but you kind of are at the same time, you know whatever. I know you always talk about going to a spot, finding a spot to go to, going there and developing friends.
Right, Yeah, it's great.
It's kind of like you. But I don't know. It's just like I hate driving. I hate people. No matter where I go, I find a reason I hate them.
Uh huh. Well, I'm actually I actually am familiar with the idea. I'm very familiar with the idea of feeling like everyone else has the guidebook on how to live like I definitely I Yeah, I'm very familiar with the idea of like, oh fuck, why why do I why does everyone else feel like they're a normal human being? And I just don't know how to fucking do it. But I don't really have the answers. But like, but
there is there really is no guidebook, you know. I mean you know this, you know that there's no fucking like guide. But I can tell, I can tell that you're a I can tell you're an existential motherfucker. You know. There's no objective way to you know, there's no objective way to do anything right. I mean, you can decide
how you want to live your life. Now Listen, if if you want to like let yourself be, if you want to like feed the wolves of all of your worst shit, then you're probably gonna end up like alone and isolated. And that's I don't know if that's like healthy. But you also can't. Yeah, but you also the thing of like, I it's hard because I'm not I naturally am someone who like wants to be around people, not like one hundred percent of the time all the time.
Like I'm a very ambiverted I guess is the fucking word. But uh, like I'm trying. I think that like a space for you to exist and like a group of people that you identify with is out there. It just must be created or found in some way, you know, because I don't know, dude, we're like I get, I get being like anti social and being an introvert. Like, I know, it's a thing. I know that it's like it's like kind of it's kind of popular, like like it's like a it's like a millennial cringe core thing
to be like, ugh, I hate people. People suck, you know what I mean.
And that's the worst part. It's like you can't you can't exist in that space publicly because then it's like it's millennial core. Like you said, it's cringe. No one wants to be around it, and no one wants to be perceived in it either.
No, I don't think I don't actually think that that's an I don't think that like, oh people's people suck is an unpopular sentiment. I think a lot of people. I actually think it's more. I think it's popular to be like, oh, people suck, life's the worst. Uh, you know, I love I got my TV at home and and I order a takeout I got my cat and life is good. Like I think that that's a I think that's a popular sentiment. And and by the way, if you're if you are saying that ship and like you
are happy and you genuinely are happy. That to to kind of tie it back to like the guide, right, like if you have your fucking cat and your pizza and your TV and you are genuinely happy with that, like that's the rhythm. Like you get to decide what the rhythm of your life is like. And if that's the rhythm of your life that you fuck with, like that's fine, but I is that? But is that the case? Like when you think about that rhythm of life? Like do you actually did? Did? Did?
Do you?
Are you whole? Do you resonate with that?
I mean, I'd like that rhythm of life if you know my all my dolls were paid and I had money and I lived alone mm hmm, you know, and I had a fucking harem.
Shut the fuck up, dude, what are you talking about?
You know what I mean?
Like if everything else was in line, then yeah, I'd love to be Oh.
Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I thought, I'm sorry, you want to have I'm sorry. I thought you said I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I thought you said you you had it, you have a harem. I thought you want to have it? You okay, okay, never byd I thought you said you. I thought you said you have a harem.
I know.
Okay, you want to have a haram. Okay, that's way more reasonable. Okay, uh hmm, Okay, but like I don't know where but yeah, but like sure, yeah, sure, but where? But like, where are you? Where are you at?
I'm stuck in the job that I just got laid off from that I have to finish my contract out in my parents' house that you know barely tolerate my presence.
Your parents barely tolerate your presence.
I'm over exaggerating. They listened to this podcast.
Your parents listen to the podcast.
My mom does.
Yeah, that's funny. Who discovered it first?
Me?
That's funny. Hold on, you have other things you wanted to talk about. Okay, here we go.
Uh, maybe don't read all those.
Okay, Uh, well, I don't know which ones you want me to not read. You said, daddy issues.
Well, I don't even know what I said, to be honest with you, I'm not looking at the text. I'm just like trying to keep for the best listening experience. I'm not moving my hand.
All right, I have about this. I'll have this. I'll read a text and if it resonates with you, we can talk about it. Does daddy issues resonate with you in this?
Okay?
All right, you send me that two years?
All right?
All right, how about this, I'm being guilt tripped into going to a wedding. Does that resonate?
Oh? Yeah, that resonates me?
Are you still going? Did you end up going to the wedding?
I had to?
How was it awful?
Why was it awful?
I don't like my family?
Is family like my immediately Yeah?
It was my immediately immediate family, and I don't really appreciate or care for them.
Com feelings YouTube, So why did you go to this wedding?
Because I depend on my parents' household and I was told either go or get kicked out.
Okay, So all right, so you're trying to you you're trying to get You're trying to you're trying to like start living your own life. It sounds you want to get out of your parents' house. Okay, I feel like this conversation is going to dive us into a Dave Ramsey conversation, which.
I know and I know you kind of hate that. And I don't really want to bring you there if you don't want to go there.
But that's just.
That's that's my situation. A lot of things.
Yeah, I'll go.
Let's say about a lot of things politically, economically, financially, whatever.
Okay, I want to talk to you about traveling to Japan as a teacher. Oh, did you do the Japan teaching thing?
You are?
Waitless? What is it? The jet program? That's the English teacher span thing. Did I have a friend in real life that I actually you know, it's funny. I have a friend in real life that you remind me exactly of.
That's crazy.
We probably would be friends in real life.
Yeah, I know you're.
Close enough to my age's.
Right, I'm twenty eight. There's a friend of mine. Yeah, there's a friend of mine. He went to be a teacher in Japan. He dreams of having a hairum, he's got a cat. He doesn't. He's a little bit of an introvert. Now, okay, you know what all right, all right? How about this?
All right?
You?
Hm?
Which?
What? Let me? What's Tim?
There? We go?
Tim? Where what happened to? Would you like this conversation to go down preferably to you?
How do you cope?
How do you cope? Last?
How do I cope?
Yeah?
I'm not skilled?
Uh well I have I have many I have My life as is. Actually perhaps existence as a whole for everyone is a series of coping and no, no, no, no, I take that back. I take that back, you know, I take that back. I'm tired of this nihilistic fucking bullshit, the existential fucking bullshit. I'm tired of it. I don't want to do it anymore. I feel bad spreading it on the podcast to other people, like a fucking virus. The I don't think life is just coping. I don't
think existence is suffering. I don't think any of that shit at all. But uh I do. Yeah there, But yes, life is hard. I undeniably do think that life is like hard. I don't know if it inherently has to be. But to answer your question, the way I cope is either through uh insanely destructive uh behaviors that just like kind of fuck my life up and get me further away from the person I want to be or uh through positive behaviors like doing meaningful work and engaging in
meaningful relationships. And a lot of my life is a struggle between the ideal version of myself that primarily copes through engaging in meaningful work and meaningful relationships versus the version of myself that copes with destructive behaviors. So that that's my answer to that question. I don't think existence is suffering. I don't think that life is a series of coping. I hate all that nihilistic shit. I think it's stupid. I want to, Yeah, I think it's stupid.
After like marinating in it for so fucking life, I just think it's fucking so dumb to be like nihilistic and existential.
Is this people like positive nihilism? I know sometimes you kind of ride that high.
I try to, but I just don't want to. Just don't want to. Is this exhausting? Is this dudie? It has no you know what? I actually did you watch the I made this documentary in Ukraine? Do you you didn't watch that? I did you?
I actually haven't yet.
I've been I watched I made this document I went to Ukraine to make this documentary and I I this guy Roman was showing me around and he went on this whole rant to me about like why he thinks that nihilism and extentialism is so like stupid and why he like, uh whatever. He just went on this rant
to me about it. And I was like, man, this guy, like, you know, his fucking like family is dying in a war, and like he's seen like he's like his like this guy's childhood was so much more fucked up than mine. This guy's like seeing so much more fucked up shit than I have, and like he's still is and he's not like a wallower or like a oh life is suffering and how do we cope with it? He's just like living his life and like doing shit and making art and like being and existing and like just having
a good time. And like that's what That's what I want to be. I don't want to be like a fucking nihilistic wallower anymore. It's just not.
I guess for me. That's where you get back to the guidebook.
You know, it feels like he has the guidebook. That's a guy that has the guidebook. And I kind of have a person like that in my life who who's definitely like, yeah, I've had way more shit happened to me than the work than regular people or other people who are like me. And it's like, if I could do it, then you can do it, you.
Know, dude, I uh, listen, listen like this, this is like a work in progress for me. So yeah, the I'm just I'm just chalking it up to a decision at this point. And again, the coping thing is like, uh, when I when I when I engage in meaningful when I engage in meaningful work, or I engage in like community, or I engage in like relationships, all that ship goes away. And I'm just like there, you know, So that that's how I try to cope. That's what I'm trying to do.
But you can't, well you don't want to. You can't just wallow for for that long because you'll just it's yeah, it's not it's it's just kind of a brand of bullshit. There's no point. And and you see people all this, I know, look, we're all fucking we all we all live in the same world, and like you see people like you know, all this dude, like, like we all live in the same world. You see people every day
who like manage to like be yes, the guidebook people. Yes, the people who you believe have a guide book of some kind, who just like live their life and they're like on Mondays, I go to the gym and on Thursday, I uh do like you know, I don't know whatever. Just people who like who don't live like that, like if they can, I do genuine believe if they can do it, you can do it. Like you know, you're just just just just be here, man, I don't know.
That's all I That's that's the best I got on that for now.
Mm hmm, thank you.
Yeah, just just just just be here just being grossed in something. I mean, I I I just I just got tired. I'm not like I don't know if it's like okay, it's a it's a work in progress, but I just got times as tired of like being in like a depressive nihilistic thing.
You know.
I just want to be like a normal person of the world and like engage and I don't want to like I don't want to like wear nihilism or existentialism, like even the positive nihilism. Shit, it's like like, I don't want to wear this ship as a badge. I don't wanna have it be part of my ID. I just don't want anything to do with it.
Yeah, I feel very similarly. That's the most relatable thing, you know.
Let's see you wrote, oh were you wrote? I want to tell you a story of gluttony. Okay, let's hear the story of gluttony before we go.
I don't know.
Is that it is that all it said?
No, you said I have three stories for you based on your mood. A story of heroism, a story of gluttony, and a story of rage. And I'm choosing a story of gluttony.
I don't even know what I could have been talking about at that time. I'm sorry to let you down. I don't have I don't have a story of gluttony right now.
Well, you know what, you should go out there today and uh and make one box of pop tarts or something.
I will I will allow just just for you.
Good.
You know what, it's not for you.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
Yes, yes, yes, Tim, yes, Tim?
Yes?
Wait what the fuck? Hold on wait wait wait wait wait wait wait did you tell me your name was Tim or did I give you that name?
No, you gave me that name.
Okay, hold on. Fucking two years ago you texted me and you said, my name is Tim. I'm twenty four years old.
Yep, it is totally a fake name. It is not my name. However, what people use that for me as a fake name?
Wait?
Hold on, so wait, you're telling me that the fake name that I gave you is the same as the fake name that you use.
Not in the first call, but when you took when you took my first call, my fake name was Murray.
I'm not forgeting out. I'm talking about this. There is no first like this this call, this call.
This call, yeah, this call.
The whole time it was Tim, all right, the fake name that you gave me. And then I think I texted you a fake name.
You texted me that your name was Tim. You texted me your fake name was Tim. But then I'm just okay. All I'm saying is it's interesting.
It was a massive coincidence.
It was a massive coincidence. That's all.
That's what I'm saying, which is crazy.
It's a little crazy. Tim. Yes, Wow, join the fucking living dude. We're gonna join the living, Tim, Tim, are you there? Tim?
I am there.
We're gonna join the living, Tim, I'm tired, you're tired. We're gonna join the living. That's my That's been my fucking motto for myself. It's just like, join the join, join the join the living. That's all. Listen. Here's the thing. They don't have a guide, right, they don't. They don't have a guide, Tim, They're just the living. When you look, when you look at those people who who have a guy who you think have a guide, recognize that they don't have a guide. Uh, they're just the living, and
join them. Just join the living.
I'm gonna try my best, get I know.
I'm gonna try my fucking best to do. We're gonna join the fucking living, Dude. That's what I want to do. I want to join the living. I want to stop being a fucking crazy person.
I really do. I really want to stop being a crazy person, because it's it's hard being a crazy person.
Had a crazy person.
An angry person.
But also, dude, I'm but I I know, but like, but Tim, Like, here's the thing, sorry, this is another rant, but like, here's the thing about here's The thing about being anti social is that like I do look whatever, I'm not a real therapist, but I'm just like, this is just this is just all the ship I say on here is just me pontificating on my own experience
of life. But like, you also have to realize that a change in your environment mm hmm mh Like, a change in your environment will prompt like changes in your
behavior and shit. So like, if you want to like discover new versions of yourself, perhaps even a version of yourself that feels more aligned with the living and more aligned with the guidebook, you have to put yourself in situations where you're talking to new people and you're in new environments, because you can't unlock new versions of yourself
alone in a room. I mean this is a documented experience, like the like you can have a conversation with someone and then the way that person's talking to you like unlocks versions of yourself and like feelings about yourself and like, like you like you can be talking to someone and be like, oh, I'm actually funny, I've been just been hanging out with people who like, don't bring that out of me. Or you can go somewhere or be a part of something that like just brings new versions of
yourself out of you. And if you sit.
At home because some of this stuff, this is where you're gonna bring me on a rant, because some of this stuff that makes me feel live. Honestly, all the stuff that makes me feel like I'm part of the living is locked behind such a financial wall. And to change the environment locked behind such a financial wall. And I know this is where you You don't want to get Dave Ramsey, uh, And I don't want to make you Dave Ramsey. But it's just something. Not all of
it is existential dread. Some of it is financial dreads. And I know that's that's that's just me right now.
No, sure, that stuff is that stuff is that stuff is realist. You're you, you are you are being real as fuck right now? Like what like going to like oh, just the thing of like, oh, if I want to go to a place or talk to a person, I gotta fucking like put put you know, seven dollars a gallon gas in my car and go to the fucking thing and pay the due and like just all that ship.
Yeah, kind of, but more like, oh, if I want to be you know, doing stuff like that that costs money or you know, living. I love traveling, like like you said before all and I said that I wanted to be in the jet program. I've been to Japan before and it was awesome, so I wanted to teach their right. And even though that's not great pay right, everything else is you know, less expensive. There was a way to experience it and have the experience I wanted for you know, a less rate, a cheap rate. And
I'm not like saying I'm a cheap aster. But it's hard.
No, I know it don't make the most.
And I just got it.
I know what you mean, I I I I get you. I understand. I understand that there is a financial barrier to putting yourself out there to do new ship. Yeah, I get it. But but I don't know, Man, where do you live?
I don't want to dos myself. I kind of already have for you know, because my mom listen to this podcast.
But are do you live in like a city?
No, I live in like a suburb, like a moderately middle class maybe upper middle suburb. Okay, And I know that sounds like I'm like a whiney baby, right, Like, Oh, this guy lives at his parents.
No, I don't think you're being a whiney, but I I mean.
I I uh the viewers wile I'm thinking about the viewers.
But sure, but I interrupted you.
No, I mean I I would I listen. I could get all Dave Ramsey on you for sure and the thing. But like, I don't know, man, at the end of the day, I do feel like you got Like.
I love my job even though I got laid off. I love I love it. I love it low I teach.
Hmmm.
It's amazing the dopamine I get from when when somebody gets something right, or they understand something, or they're able to to, you know, do something. They have a skill, they have a you know what I mean, they create something amazing.
Yeah, Now, you're not entirely you're you're not like you have like you're not like a hopeless lost cause of a being on the planet. You have you have meaningful work, and you have the desire to engage yourself in meaningful relationships and community. But you're you're not there yet. Is it an accurate read?
Yeah, but yet just feels far away.
Hm hm hm.
Hm. Phone dopamine addiction, you see everybody else.
Yeah, sure, no, it's it's uh. You know, you can form a parasocial relationship with a cat online or a lizard or a lizard. Mm, Tim, Yes, how do you feel like this phone call went?
I think it's everything I've ever wanted get and I'm so happy about it.
I hope it's not everything you've ever wanted. I hope you want for more.
Well, especially after the first time where my call dropped, I thought it was and then it was I thought it was happening again.
Tim, is there anything else you want to say to the people of the computer before we go?
I don't know what I want to say to the people of the computer. The people of the computer should get off the computer and learn a skill, become valuable.
I agree. I think I think it's good to do stuff. Get off the computer, go outside, don't kill yourself, and uh yeah, look at a dog or some ship. Thank you, Tim, Good luck man, good luck man. Try to figure some ship out. Trying to figure some ship out, man, Okay, good okay, good, okay, good.
Join a living Tim, I will, I will, while I hope you come to my area. I am on the text chain.
All right, Okay, cool? Where's it what they living? You can't give me the state.
I don't know if I should. All Right, I'm an agent of the state, I teach.
Oh, yeah, you are an agent of the state. All right, that's so good. All right, I'll see you around the universe. Tim.
All right, thank you, Lyle. I have a great have a great more calls today.
Thank you, Tim. That was Tim. We're joining the living folks. Uh yeah, I know if I feel like I've like bummed everyone out in this pipet, like I don't, I don't want to do like existential fucking bullshit. I don't really care about it. That's not true. That's not I can care about It's like I'm like, I just I just want to be done. And it's okay to engage in conversations about it every now and then, but it just feels like a thing that I don't I just don't want to be like a recurring It's such a
fucking it's like a it's such a crazy thing. Because I do I do think that like exploring that stuff it makes for like better art and like good conversations and like better understanding of the world. But like it, there's got to be like a way to approach it that feels less crazy. I suppose. I don't know, we can talk like I'd rather like talk about the best flavor of dog treats for you know, seventy percent of my life. I know, it's where I mean this, Hold on,
I'm trying to gather my fucking dumbass thoughts. But like sometimes it feels like some people like like existentialism and all this crap, like you know, maybe it's like ten percent of the thoughts and the other ninety percent are just like, oh, what are we having for dinner?
You know?
And like I'd like to be if right now my life is like ninety percent existentialism and ten percent what are we having for dinner? I'd like to get to like I'd like to have a good you know. It's like with like in all of life, you have your your pie chart, I suppose, and I'd like to spend about Uh. I'd like to spend like eighty percent of my life like existing and being in it, and then like twenty percent can be reserved for thinking about it. I'd like to spend way more time existing in life
than thinking about it, is how i'd put it. Say you can still think about it, but it's more time living.
It never goes on the line taking your phone calls every nine, goes to just teaching you loud in
The Memorial life really an expert