Ear Biscuits with Rhett & Link - Link's Embarrassing Ski Trip Story | Ear Biscuits Ep. 377

Episode Date: April 10, 2023

True friendship is in the air. In this episode, Link tells an embarrassing story from his family ski trip that eventually turns into a heart to heart talk between himself and Rhett on social interactions. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This, this, this, this is Mythical. Summer's here, and you can now get almost anything you need delivered with Uber Eats. What do we mean by almost? You can't get a well-groomed lawn delivered, but you can get chicken parmesan delivered. Sunshine? No. Some wine? Yes. Get almost, almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now. Alcohol in select markets. See app for details. Welcome to Ear Biscuits, the podcast where two lifelong friends talk about life for a long time.

I'm Link. And I'm Rhett. This week at the Roundtable of Dim Lighting, we're going to be hearing about Link's spring break trip to the snow-capped mountains, Rocky Mountains. I went on the most ambitious private ski trip that Christy and I were in charge of ever, ever. It was very ambitious. And let me tell you, I need to share a story of embarrassment. Oh, you've got a story of embarrassment? And humiliation. Well, that's a change of embarrassment. Oh, you've got a story of embarrassment? And humiliation.

Well, that's a change of pace. And yeah, it involves me being the one embarrassed. Oh! And humiliated. And also the source of the embarrassment? Yeah. The source and the recipient? I don't, there's no part of the story that I'm proud of.

Good. Those are the best kind. That's part of the story that I'm proud of. Good. Those are the best kind. I feel like I have to share the story to redeem some sort of value out of it. Well, listen, man. Like getting you to either laugh at me.

That's my mantra at this point. When something starts going south, I'm like, I've got a podcast. Yeah, I know, it's great to have a podcast. So you can either laugh or you can ultra cringe. Yeah, like in fact, I use it as a coping mechanism now when I get in a situation where I get scared. Scared?

Where I'm like, I might die. Or like, this could go south so fast. And then I'm like, but you know what? If I get through this, I'll have a story to tell. It's really cathartic. I don't wanna be like, I might die, but hey, I have a podcast. No, it's like- No, I'll have a story to tell. It's really cathartic. I don't wanna be like, I might die, but hey, I have a podcast. No, it's like- No, I'm saying,

it's a good coping mechanism. It calms you down. I don't use it when I'm about to die and to justify doing something. I do it when I've done something really dumb, really embarrassing, oh man. And I'm like, well, at least I can share it and we can get a good laugh out of it,

hopefully. Oh, I won't laugh at you. Do you promise to laugh? So I want to share this story because I just feel like it's the only way to redeem what I did. And then I want to forget it happened entirely. Okay.

Once it's immortalized on the internet. All right. So I'm going to tell you that story and I will contextualize my ambitious vacation ski trip as part of that. So stay tuned. But I know in my absence, did you not make a link-free podcast? Yeah, I did. And did that come out last week? And did I listen to it?

No, because I'm not in it. Yeah, oh, I'm not. I don't listen to the ones I'm in either. I don't feel any obligation to listen to it. But like, is there anything I need to know about it that everybody else knows? Do I need to listen to it? Probably not.

I mean. Well, hold on. So you didn't make it about me? Do I need to listen to it? Probably not. I mean. Well, hold on. So you didn't make it about me? I mean, you were mentioned. I mean, I think we got a couple of good shots of your empty chair. So there were some questions about you that I answered. But do you think you need to listen to it?

Yeah, is there something I should know, Jenna? You're too busy for that. No. Okay, it's not while the cat's away, mice will play? You know me well enough to not need to listen to me talk without you there. You know what I mean? Unless you're dropping some non-truths about me.

People ask some questions that I didn't end up answering because I, like, what's the one thing that you've never told us about Link or something like that? I'm like, I can't, I spent some time thinking about those things and I just didn't, there was nothing. There was nothing there.

There's nothing, there's nothing. There better not be anything. You know, but it was horrible. It was horrible without you here. I'm sure no one listened. I struggled through the whole thing. I struggled keeping the conversation going. It was really short because I ran out of stuff to talk about, you know, all the things that you want to hear.

Good, good, good, good. Thank you. Thank you. And I'm going to give you the return favor. Yeah, I heard about that. I'm going to do one without you because you're going on a vacation. I've got my own trip. Our kids' spring break breaks no longer line up. And now that we've got

two kids in college and kids at home, it's just the months of March and April at this point, we barely see each other. No, we see each other plenty. It's good. Yeah, but we used to sync

up all our spring break vacations. Right. And now we just complicated things at Mythical here by not doing that. Did you make any Mythical decisions that I should have known about? You kind of brought me up to speed. It was actually remarkably efficient. But did you decide anything that you knew I would have done the opposite? Oh, yeah. When you were running the company?

Yeah, I definitely took advantage of that opportunity. Like what? No. Okay. No, I didn't do that. So you paid nothing. I didn't do that. But I did do something that I would like to tell you about.

Yeah, tell me. That you do know, but you don't know the details. So I took this opportunity while you were gone to join you as a open water certified scuba diver. Surprise! Congratulations, yeah. Tall guys can scuba dive. I knew that you were getting your certification,

which required, you went to Catalina too, right? Yeah, yeah, same process. Two days. Same company, same process. You had to stay overnight. With Shepard. Out on the island with Shepard in order to do everything you needed to do in the open water, in the actual ocean.

Yeah. This is where my mind's at right now. I'll tell you a little bit about how it went, but the main thing that I was thinking was, why did you not, upon having this happen to you, immediately come to me, grab me, put both hands on me, on my shoulders, look me directly in the eye and say,

you have to get scuba certified ASAP. It's the best thing ever. You totally undersold it, man. You undersold it. I'm just gonna be honest with you here. I didn't literally grab your... You should have forced me. I had to wait a whole year before I get to do this. Well, you... The adventures that we can go on now? Dude, I talked about it on the show.

You did talk about it on the show. We talked about it in our normal lives. You talked about how good of a time you had, but you did not insist. Like, if I had have done it first, I would have got home, I would have gone over to your house, I would have been like,

listen, you need to set the date right now. You got to get this. You got to do this. Pick a son who's willing to go with you and do it. I did tell you to do it. I said, you would really enjoy this. And you know what you said? Well, my beard.

You know, I can't do the mask thing because of my beard. I got this mustache. You know I'm not going to shave my mustache. Whenever I bring it up, that's what you would talk about. Yeah, but you should have broken through that. I'm just being honest. You should have forced your way through. This is your problem.

You should have forced your way through that. I'm not going to beg you to do something that. Well, I would have begged you. Just going to say that. I told you to do it. I didn't ask you to do it. You suggested it like, hey, man. I was like, this is awesome.

There's a good restaurant on the other side of town. I built it up on the show. Maybe you should go. What world are you living in? You should have picked me up and driven me there. Yeah, you know what? Next time. And you know what the brutal honesty is, Rhett?

It's not my job to make you happy. I did everything I could. I shared my experience. And you know what? I had worthy companions. I had my son Lincoln, and I had Chase. I replaced you with Chase, and I was okay with that. Also, I got a thought of Chase. He has undersold it, too. Now, for those of you out there who do have a beard, let me just go ahead and say that that whole thing about the beard being a problem, that's oversold. That is so, so oversold. You get the right mask. And you're talking about mustache here, really, not beard.

And you shave it. First of all, I think I could get away with it without doing this, but as you can see, it's growing back in, but just a little, like, literally like ten hairs at the top of your mustache, just enough to get the mask under there. Create a little nose cap. I don't know. Listen, man, I felt like... I wasn't... I didn't keep anything from you. Well, I think this is the thing, is that you talked about how you've always been scared of being underwater, right? So you've had a lifelong fear of holding

your breath underwater and being underwater. So your story was a lot about overcoming that fear. Overcoming anxiety, yeah. And the thing that I did not realize is I've always loved being underwater and diving and holding my breath and going as deep as I can. And I just assumed, like, yeah, this beard thing, I don't want to get... You didn't tell me... Okay, this is another thing I'm going to blame on you. You did not tell me that if you're 60 feet underwater, it doesn't matter how deep you are, it makes sense,

but I didn't know that if your mask fills up with water, you just literally breathe out of your nose and fill it back up with air. I did tell you that! You didn't make it clear, man. I just feel like it wasn't clear. I used those words! I feel like there should've been a chart. I feel like you should've set me down. Whiteboard. I just feel like it could've been more forceful. You needed to discover this on your own terms

in your own time, and I'm glad that you did, because I'm gonna benefit from this. Already, he's been talking about, we need to go down here and do it. Yes! We need to go up here and do it, we need to start traveling places to like the best scuba. Yes! Because you loved it so much.

And I'm like, this is what I want, someone to do all the thinking scuba. Yes! Because you loved it so much. And I'm like, this is what I want. Someone to do all the thinking for me. Because I don't remember. I've forgotten everything about it. I need to be recertified. And you're gonna do that for me. You got it. So, um, yes.

So Chase, sorry buddy. I'm not gonna talk. Well, no, first of all, Chase can go with it. Nope, he's out. I can't have that many traveling companions. The thing that Well, no, first of all, Chase can go with it. Nope, he's out. I can't have that many traveling companions. The thing that was, you can imagine this, but of course, when you were diving in California, you're in Catalina, you're diving in like the kelp forest.

And so this feeling, I've always wanted to fly, but it's the closest thing to flying too, right? I'm sure I told you that. I'm sure I described it that way. You probably did. You probably did. You probably did. Anyway, I'm not gonna tell you extensively about this.

We're gonna hear it from Link. And cause I'm going to, my spring break, I'm going to the Caribbean and I'm going to dive in a shipwreck and I'm going to dive on like a wall. Okay. So I'll talk more about that and maybe get some good video. I'm talking to Chase right now.

This is the thing. This is also why I'm a good friend because you don't buy anything. Right. But like when I get into things, I immediately am like, well, what do you actually need to do this and make it cool? So I'm like, I'm talking to Chase about his 360 camera so that when I come back and I talk about my vacation, there'll be footage of me in a shipwreck. Like you talk about things, but it's only, we can just imagine. Yeah, because I did it for me.

Well, I'm doing it for you, listening. No, I'm doing it for me, but I'm like- Are you doing it for the write-off? Is that what you're saying? But Chase has this- You're putting this all on the company card? Chase has this camera that you just literally float next to you, and it just films your whole thing in 360.

You don't even have to think about it. I know that. He brought that when we went out to the Channel Islands, and he lost it. Yeah, he did. But he found it again. No, someone found it floating out in the ocean and called him. So anyway, I'm on board. I absolutely love it.

Like it was just wonderful. And I am, yes. It is wonderful, isn't it? And I definitely think we got to- Shepard loved it, I'm sure. Shepard was all in, like both of us- Y'all didn't have any anxiety overcome. No, we loved it.

We loved it. It's cool, man. So- It's cold as balls out there, but... And it was cold. The surface temperature was 57 degrees, the water temperature. Why is it cold as balls? My balls aren't really ever that cold.

Well, they're colder than the rest of your body. That's why they're in a ball sack. Oh. And the colder they get, the more sperm you make, but we don't need sperm anymore. No, we don't. But we make... We still, just so you understand, we still make semen sperm anymore. No, we don't. But we make, we still, just to understand,

we still make semen. A lot of people seem to be confused about that. Well, this was a tangent. So- That was gonna be my wreck. You just stole my thunder. The other- Semen making. The other thing that you undersold,

I'm sorry, I'm on this, you undersold Catalina Island, man. Like, you actually talked exclusively negatively about it. I don't recall. Yep. You didn't say that on the thing, but you were like... I mean, I was like... Because you know, I'm also obsessed with islands. I've always had this weird thing about islands. I love islands. I mean, there's a putt-putt course?

See, exactly. You're still in this negativity spiral. I mean, there's an ocean around it and there's an amazing kelp forest, but the island itself, I told you, I wouldn't spend more than two nights there. Yeah, right. Yeah, I stand by that. Well, when we arrived, the sunrise was shining on,

you know, the town of Avalon. And it was, was shining on, you know, the town of Avalon. And it was, I was like, this place is enchanting. That's the exact words that I used when I told Shepherd about it. And yeah, there's not a whole lot going on there. It's, I'm not gonna spend a week there or anything. There's more ice cream parlors than people.

But also finding out about, like did you find out about the giant squirrels and the dwarf foxes? Did you find out about this? No. Did you see this? So one of the reasons I love islands is because of the isolation of the island. Not only does it make weird stuff start happening

in terms of the people, but it makes very weird stuff start happening in terms of the people but it makes very weird stuff start happening in terms of the flora and the fauna because of their their isolated populations and evolution begins taking hold like well like it does everywhere there's a giant squirrel so a lot of times when a population of a particular animal uh is isolated on an island, depending on who his competitors are, it will either get smaller or bigger. And so- Just like a Madagascar. The squirrels are like 25% bigger than a normal squirrel.

And I didn't see one, but I saw it like the museum that we visited. There's a museum. You went in the museum. Well, actually, I think the squirrel is at like a sporting goods store. But it's a big ass squirrel. and they have a little tiny fox. And they also have a butterfly that's only on the island. And then they have trees that are only on the island, the only place in the world. And then there's a 39-mile Trans-Catalina Trail that you can hike from one end of the island to the other. And there's bison

on the island because the bison herd was isolated during a John, they used it for a John Wayne movie and then they just left them on the island and now there's just this like

roaming herd of bison that they have to cull it, not by killing them, but just by herding them up and then they give them to like bison farms where they're like trying to repopulate bison

in America or something like that. Every like so and so number of years they have to do this. And the whole island is owned by the Wrigley family, you know, Wrigley Spearmint Gum, and that big house that you see on the upper left when you get there, that big mansion, that's the Wrigley Mansion. And apparently like the grandkids of the Wrigleys

run the island and make all the decisions about things. There's like a council and, you know, they also, you know, they're from Chicago, right? So Wrigley field. So the Chicago Cubs had their spring training on Catalina Island from 1921 to 1951. This is all fascinating. I was just like, what? This is crazy. And it's just quaint. It's beautiful. And the fact that the dive center is right there and it's just steps down into a kelp forest. And then you go, and I heard that- The underwater school.

I heard that you took your, you rented your tanks in LA and took them to the island? Yeah, that wasn't my decision though. You rented your tanks in LA and took them to the island? Yeah. That wasn't my decision though. Well, whoever took you on your thing was like, you should have told them, no bueno, because- It was heavy. They're so heavy, the tanks are so heavy.

Yeah. That's the only thing I'm worried about. You can rent them on the island, we should have done that. Not only can you rent them, so like, we had to get the tanks refilled, right? Yeah. So because we were using the Casino Point dive center right there, we would get our tanks and our weights, by the way. You can also rent your weights.

You were carrying your weights. So heavy. You had like 60 extra pounds of luggage, which I can't believe that because just the other stuff alone is crazy amount of weight. You probably had a wheeled cart though. I did, yeah. Yeah, they didn't give us that

because we didn't have this other stuff. But you just, you dive and then you go, you take your tank and they give you a new one, and then you go back into the water. It's so convenient. It's wonderful. It's like- Well, I like to think that I earned it.

It's like a wonderland. It's like a wonderland. It's a. It's like... Well, I like to think that I earned it. It's like a wonderland. It's like a wonderland. It's a wonderland. And I just feel like you said, a couple of days there, you've seen everything you need to see. If I would have told you everything you just told me, when you did it, you'd have been disappointed. I gave you a gift.

Okay, well, it was unintentional. Speaking of a gift, look at this T-shirt. It's a puff-painted GMM logo. That's right. There you go. Of flowers. You were trying to make it sound different, but you ended up just saying it. Look at this. Am I doing the same thing I did for Catalina? Just underselling it? Yeah. Make it seem like something people want. This t-shirt is the GMM logo, but it's flowers and it's puff paint. And if you look at it and you like it, you should buy it.

If you look at it and you don't like it, buy something else, because we got a lot of shit. Mythical.com. I have notes. I have notes. Jamie and Jenna loved it. And I'm not saying it's just for girls. Right?

I'm not saying that. You're right. Yeah. I actually quite like it. I'm also wearing it, because it's for girls. Right? I'm not saying that. You're right, yeah. I actually quite like it. I'm also wearing it, because it's for me. I quite like it. I like it too. I wish I had some puff paint.

If you look at it really closely, it's just like you're in a wildflower forest. If somebody gets really close to you, it's like they're in a meadow. How's that for selling it? That was pretty good. And then when they back up, you're like, wait, wait, wait, is this a logo for an internet show?

Tell me about that. Mythical.com. You know what's great about ambition? You can't see it. Some things look ambitious, but looks can be deceiving. For example, a runner could be training for a marathon or they could be late for the bus. You never know. Ambition is on the inside. So that road trip bucket list, get after it. Drive your ambition. Mitsubishi Motors.

So, we went to Park City. It's the second year in a row we took spring break, but this is a special spring break because it's Lincoln's senior year. And, you know, I'd been perusing Airbnb well in advance. I like to find a good spot. And I was just thinking this is a special year for him. I'm willing to kind of blow it out a little bit. And I found this like big house that was, it was the only one like this. And it said rare find on Airbnb.

They're selling it. Yeah, they're selling it. Yeah, you could have said that about the shirt. It was like a big log cabin type thing. On the ski slopes, it had like a ski in, ski out. And the big thing about skiing is like getting everybody in the car and Christy doesn't ski, so then she's relegated to just being chauffeur for all of us to go skiing drop us off

coordinating to pick us up trying to find parking it's like oh this is this is a an amazing luxury here this is a good find and then i was like you know what we have a lot of room lincoln bring your friends i can accommodate up to four of your friends. Good God. So, Lincoln and his four friends, me and Christy, Lando, Lily. He's got four friends. That's cool. Is at home. Oh, he's got a lot of friends.

He had to narrow it down. More popular than both of us, Rhett. How did that work? Do the top four sort of just naturally present themselves? Yeah, I think it simplified itself. Some people couldn't come. Some people didn't want to ski.

Some people who had never skied or one person who had never seen snow did come. They come to the top of the list. Yeah, you want to have somebody around who's like, oh, look at this. Let's watch him see snow for the first time. Wow. He's like, oh, look at this. Let's watch him see snow for the first time. Wow.

And then Lily was able to come and her boyfriend came. So here we go. There's 10 of us in this house. And who's in charge? Christy. Good. We flew. We're like, we're coordinated flights for all of us.

We had to get like, we had to rent two cars at the airport to get everybody from the airport up to the house in Park City. Yeah. And then Lando's best friend, his parents happened to be staying in Park City because they're spring, Lando's spring break at the same time and so is his friend. So like they were there.

So there was this other family of four that we're meeting up with. So like the first night, well, the second night we were there, we had made reservations for 14. That's a miracle. That's a lot of people. Actually in Park City to find a restaurant

between Christy and Kara, they were able to find this place and secure all 14 of us eating at this nice steakhouse type place in a yurt. It was awesome. But here was what was so much a feat about it. We were sitting down at one end of the table, me and Christy and Alex and Tara. Those are the adults from the other group, you know, and, cause we're friends with them, we're having a good time.

And at one point, Alex says to me, he's like, look down there at the rest of the table. And you know, the other, I looked around at all the kids, like you got Lily and her boyfriend, you got Lincoln, all of his, and Lando and his friend, like, they're all just talking to each other, having a blast. And that was a big early moment that I, like, felt great about this ambitious decision

because I was really nervous. I mean, the logistics involved in getting that many people somewhere and knowing that everybody's not going to make it back home in one piece. Someone's gonna get hurt. I mean, when you're bringing that many people, when there's 14 people on a mountain, well, 13, because Christy didn't ski. I just didn't, I was like, I'm proud of us for trying this, but it's gonna be riddled with defeats. Because at some point, the number of people really starts to play into the statistics of it all. I know, exactly.

So having that early victory of just looking at a table, having this moment of gratitude that you're bringing this many people together at one table, and everybody of all ages is having a great time. It's like, man, all of a sudden, I'm getting a good feeling about this. I'm starting to feel confident that this was awesome.

And you know what? That I'm an awesome dad. Okay, there's where you went wrong. I mean, not that you're not, but I'm saying you can't. I'm an awesome dad for doing this. You got a pride cause before the fall. It made me feel good when the parents of Lincoln's friends before we went would say to us,

are you sure you're gonna do this? Yeah. Thank you for doing this. And I was like, no, this will be fun. But they like enhanced my trepidation. So we bought, you know, our high school friend, lifelong friend, Eric, you know, lives out there. He hooked us up with buddy passes.

Getting that many ski passes will set you back. So he achieved a discount. But that meant we had to, like, buy all the passes up front. So, like, I was buying snowboard lessons for Lincoln and his friends because Lincoln's only skied. And they wanted to learn how to snowboard. Right. And then I'm buying passes for like three days for everybody else. Lily even said she wanted to ski, get back on the skis.

I thought she was done, but I was like, okay, this is good. So I had to buy all of the lift tickets in advance for all of the days. And, of course, after the first day, they're learning how to snowboard, and then there's certain people who just like, oh, I don't know if this is for me. That's a, man, learning how to snowboard, I don't care how old you are, it's really, really tough.

You remember when we learned to snowboard? As teenagers, it was just like. I think we were in college when we learned to snowboard. Sophomore year of college. Yeah, it was a group of like six or eight guys. And we went somewhere and we stayed in this condo that probably had like one or two beds. And so we learned how to snowboard. No classes.

We didn't even know it was a thing. No instruction. We didn't know you could do that. No instruction. And we definitely wouldn't have paid for it. No, no, no, no. We weren't paying for anything. We did buy our own snowboards. We were like committed to could do that. No instruction. And we definitely wouldn't have paid for it. And no, no, no, no. We weren't paying for anything. We did buy our own snowboards.

We were like committed to it in that way. Snowboard, snowboard, boots. Of course, no helmets at the time. And I remember after falling on my hands and my wrists and busting my ass and just like, because on a snowboard, you either fall forward and catch yourself or you fall backward and catch yourself with your butt. Couldn't do it. But you did do it. And that night, we had to sleep on the floor of that condo.

And I remember being in, when I woke up, I just, the pain of everything is what woke me up. And I was so stiff. I was a sophomore in college. I had a lot of, I had some, I wouldn't say athletic prowess, but I had some, you know, I was young and spry. You were a 19-year-old person. I was 19. Yeah. I couldn't get off the floor.

Yeah. Like, I'm talking like an 88-year-old man. I couldn't get off the floor. 88? Yeah. That's what I felt like. That's specific. That's exactly what I felt like.

The boys didn't have it that bad. I was kind of disappointed. They didn't go hard. They didn't go hard because they had an instructor and they actually said it was boring and useless. Do you know what the biggest difference actually besides the instructor was? Me not being there.

Location. We learned on the icy hard pack slopes of North Carolina. They learned on the frou-frou, fluffy slopes of- And let me tell you- The Rocky Mountain. There is so much snow. Yeah. Like coming out of the driveway of the place we stayed, which had been, you know,

they maintained it throughout all the snows. It was clear. But then on either side, we're talking easily four and a half feet of snow on either side of the driveway, everywhere. On top, like on top of the roof. And it was just, when we arrived and we were like getting, like looking around the house, all of a sudden we heard something that sounded like

a cataclysmic earthquake. And we were arriving, we were like getting, like looking around the house, all of a sudden we heard something that sounded like a cataclysmic earthquake. Pow! And it was the snow falling off the roof of the house. That'll kill you. Onto, there was a hot tub there, and it fell on the hot tub, which the cover was on the hot tub,

but there was so much snow that fell off, it collapsed the cover, and it just filled the hot tub with snow, which is not conducive to hotness of tub. No, but that kid that had never seen snow before, that was pretty cool. That was pretty cool for him, that kid. That's his first experience. Right.

So by day two, I noticed when I was going out with Lando skiing and the boys were doing some more snowboarding, there were a couple of- So you're skiing at this point? I'm skiing with Lando skiing and the boys were doing some more snowboarding, there were a couple of- So you're skiing at this point? I'm skiing with Lando. Got it. And his friend and Alex and Tara. Lily elected not to go out the first day. I was like, fine, whatever.

I bought you this lift ticket, but we have an extra day on the end so you can use your three days starting tomorrow. And then I was like, I got to let go of this. People just got to do what they got to do. What about the boyfriend? Is he skiing? Yeah, he's out there.

Okay. Balls to the wall. Got it. And yeah, it's occurring to me some people are, they're going to discover that it's not for them. That happened. Day two, Christy's like, I'm going to make a run to the grocery store.

Two of Lincoln's friends are like, oh, we're going to go with you and do that. You know you don't want to snowboard Christy's like, I'm gonna make a run to the grocery store. Two of Lincoln's friends are like, oh, we're gonna go with you and do that. You know you don't want to snowboard when you're like, I'm gonna go with your mom to the grocery store. Two of the four dropped out on day two. Yeah. And so,

I'm like, I'm not gonna guilt them about this. I don't want to push them, but now I got these passes that I'm not using, and I'm thinking, I should have pushed them. I didn't buy, I can go another day now, and then I'm like, I'll just use one, because it's like a credit card,

and with the credit card, they just scan it, and you get on the lift, and then you're up there, and it has the number of days on it that you bought, so I'm like, the third day we went out was when I was like, today I'm going to snowboard.

I haven't snowboarded in over a decade. I want to ski with Lincoln. He's going out with the friends that there's like three other guys. The non-grocery guys. Yeah. One of them went back and snowboarded the third day. Real quick, just to interject. I'm not saying you should have done this.

I'm just telling you what I would have done because that second day discouragement is such a real thing. That night, after day one, while you're all at dinner, you give a speech, you give a dad speech, and you say, guys, tomorrow you're gonna wake up and you're very likely gonna be a little bit sore. It's gonna be like, do I have to get cold again? Do I have to put on this gear?

Yeah. And you're gonna be faced with resistance to doing this a second day. You're gonna be tempted to grocery shop. But here's the thing. If you get through the resistance of day two and the resistance of day three, you are securing for yourself a potential lifetime

of enjoyment of this hobby, but you got to get through these first couple of days. And then they wake up and they feel a little bit of shame and then they go and they do it again. They don't go to the grocery store. Yeah, I didn't want to be that guy who was gonna, that didn't work well with my own family. So I didn't want to put it on like Lincoln's friends.

Because again, I'm the superhero dad. I'm the cool dad. Okay. I'm anything, hey, anything. If you don't want to go, you don't have to go. You know, I'm the cool dad. And plus, I started to calculate, some of us who want to go for a fifth day,

we weren't planning on snowboarding on Friday or skiing. And then Lincoln was loving it. And after day two, he was like, this is, I think this is my favorite thing that I've done. So snowboarding compared to skiing or just being on the slopes? It seemed like compared to anything, but like definitely snowboarding over skiing.

He loved it. So I was like, I want to go out with you the third day. And now because some people didn't go out yesterday, I've got, let's see, Michael has a pass that he has another credit. So I can use that. And so it was me, it was Lincoln, two of his friends and me on the snowboard for the first time in over a decade. and me on the snowboard for the first time in over a decade. And we snowboard out of the house. And I determined, well, my pass, if Michael wants to go out tomorrow,

I need to use his pass today so that I can, instead of using it tomorrow, because that way he has the option to go out with his pass and I can use my pass tomorrow, his today. So I took his. And I'm kind of concerned about, is it like riding a bike, snowboarding? And you ski from the house, you ski down to this little lift that nobody goes on to like, it's kind of in a weird spot to really get you to the main space.

So we skied down, snowboarded down to that. I was feeling okay. We skied down, snowboarded down to that. I was feeling okay. Going up the, I got on the lift with Lincoln, two other friends behind us, and I'm feeling a little trepidated here. You know, I did break my pelvis and receiving a concussion that I lost eight hours of my life as a result of

permanently. But I gave it back to you. You did. Many times over. Many forms. And the rest of the viewing audience. But when we get up to the front of the line, I'm in front of the boys.

And there's like somebody scanning everybody. You know, 25-year-old woman. Boop, boop. Scans me first. Uh-uh. No, it scanned. Okay.

And she said, sir, what you your name And it takes you a long time to answer Yeah I think that throws up red flags Because at that moment when she was like Sir, what's your name? It occurred to me for the first time That this might happen.

I was in no way prepared. I had no story. I had nothing. I just didn't think. I was like, they're going to scan it. I'm going to go on. It's a credit. I paid for it.

And then I'm thinking, I'm thinking a lot right now instead of telling her what my name is. Right, and she's coming to conclusions about you. And so I'm like, Michael? His name was Michael, after all. The name on the card. Because I could see her look at the scanner.

It's like the scanner had a thing on, like a screen on it. Okay. Like, I was like, Michael's name popped up. And I was like, Michael. And of course that had been a lot longer than it needed to be for me to produce my name. Okay, hold on, Michael, one second. You're saying that you got these tickets

through our friend. But they- Who's not Michael. No, it's Eric Eric But everybody's ticket Had their name on it Matter of fact They wrote the name on it So everyone could keep

Their right credit card In their pocket And not get them mixed up So why did you I don't understand Where the Michael comes from Because it was Michael's card And I knew

That when she's looking At the scanner That his name popped up You didn't You just kind of Mixed all the cards up It was like It didn't matter

Who gets what card No Rhett I told you I picked Michael's card up. It was like, it didn't matter who gets what card. No, Rhett, I told you. I picked Michael's card up to use that day because he didn't use it. Oh, okay, I missed that part. He wasn't using it that day. Got it.

So she said, sir, what's your name? Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick. Boom, Michael. And then she says, she's like, she's like, she's like, well, you know, she's, and then I'm like, what do I,

what do I say now? And then she's like, well, sir, sir, this is, and then I was like, oh, this, this must be my, I must have got my son's card instead of my card. It's his name, Michael.

And I turned around to the boys, Lincoln and his friends, who were watching this all happen, and I turned to them and I was like, guys, I got the wrong card. I got little Michael's card. Oh no! No! No, Link! Little Michael, Michael Jr. Oh no! And so then, as I'm turning back around from the boys, you know, I just thought that would play off. Hey boys, you know what?'re going to have to go up the mountain without me. I got little Michael's card.

And as I'm turning back. That was pretty good, though. Good thinking. Little Michael. Turning back to the woman, she said, Sir, what's your last name? And I did not know Michael's last name. So what I heard myself say to the woman was,

what's going on here? Hold on. You said that? I said that. And I was, and so, and then I heard myself say, I'm like, oh, that's how you're playing this. You're escalating this. Hold on, you took an aggressive posture?

I'd noticed that was happening. You're such a strange man. And I said, she said, sir, can I see your ID? I was like, I don't have it. Little Michael has it. And then she said, He's at the grocery store. Can I see your phone with some form of, like, your name connected with anything on your phone? And I was like, I'm not giving you my phone. You said that?

I said that. Something about the way that she... I felt like she was trapping me, and I think I got angry, but you know what I think I was? I was getting kind of embarrassed. Maybe. A little bit. So I said, I'm not giving you my phone.

And she said, sir, can you step out of line with me? How many people are in line? I don't know, 75? Maybe 100. At this point, it's getting longer. Do you have a hat on? I have on a helmet. Good.

I have on goggles. Great. Yeah, for real. You could be anybody. You could be have on goggles. Great. Yeah, for real. You could be anybody. You could be little Michael. We do. It's hard to tell behind all that. She said,

Sir, you're not 17 years old. Ah, I knew it! And did you keep going with that? Actually, I am. She said that as we were walking out of the line, as I was being escorted out through the ropes, just to the outside, still where everyone could see me. This is not a private location. Sir, you're not 17.

And I was like, oh, shit. Not only is his name associated with it, his last name is associated with it, and his freaking age is associated with it. His birth date is on here. Yeah. So she pulls me out of line. Common knowledge. The boys are going on this lift at this point.

Oh, they're going on without you. I told them to. You know. Yeah, you don't stand here and watch this. Yeah, I was like, guys, please, look away. Look away. Forget this as quickly as possible. And, yeah, I told them to go ahead.

Did Lincoln say anything to you as he was? They didn't say anything. I did not make eye contact with my son or his friends. Guys, go on. Little Michael's got to figure this out on his own. Super dad was melting into a puddle after being escorted to the site. And they call in reinforcements. And another fully suited employee shows up.

And I'm like, oh, shit, what am I going to do? This is aggressive. As I was walking out of the line, I was like, what's happening here? You said that? Yeah, I was like, what's happening here? You said that? Yeah, I was like, what is happening here? Hold on, so you escalated again? Yep. Okay, and then-

Can we pause and talk? Well, let me just tell you, it was as if I was hearing myself say it and then observing that this is the decisions that someone else was making. It was an out-of-body experience. They called in reinforcements and then I was like, what am I gonna do? Am I gonna get arrested? Well, I've seen the videos.

Am I gonna get escorted off the mountain? Are they gonna call in the cops? Like, is this illegal illegal what i've done i mean i'm impersonating a 17 year old who i know not his last name and so i was like oh crap i gotta change gears here so i took my goggles off put my goggles up and i said she had a name tag on i'm not gonna call her by her real name angie i said it's not her real name. Honestly, I don't remember her real name because I want to forget her entirely. Just like I hope she forgets me entirely.

But something tells me that ain't going to happen. Because I said, I put my goggles up. You know, at this moment, this is like, I'm getting real with you. I put my goggles up. You know, at this moment, this is like, I'm getting real with you. And I said, Angie, my name's Link. I lied to you. I lied to you. And the other guy, the other employee at this point says, Link from Red Link. Man. I don't know if this is getting worse or better. What's up, man? What's up? And I gave him a fist bump, and I'm thinking,

hey, this is... alright, this is... I got this. I got this now. It's both good and bad. Both good and bad. I was like, please make this better! And then I turn to Angie, and I'm like, expecting like... I'm embarrassed, but yeah, it's me. You know, that guy from the internet. The only thing she says with a blank face is, sir, I need to take your card. Or I need to take Michael's card. And then I sheepishly took it out of my pocket and just handed it to her.

And I'm like, yeah, you know, he's here. He didn't want to ski. I just thought I could take, and then I'm going into the truth, but it was way too late for her. I don't even know if she was still there as I was explaining this to the fan employee who I thought could be, who would be like,

hey man, don't worry about it. Yeah, Michael's not skiing today. You're using his and you'll use her tomorrow. They take this very seriously This is like just so you understand. This is like one of the only things that Angie cares about like the one of the clearly her job Is to do what she's doing the reason that she's there Is to scan you in and make sure that you are the person who you are. She's probably rewarded for catching people who are trying to impersonate

others. So it's like all of a sudden you're expecting Angie to not do her job? I didn't steal the card, was all I'm saying. I reallocated the purchase that I had made to myself from someone who was never going to use it, which is what I explained to the ticket counter when I took the walk of shame from the line. Because at that point I was like,

I'll figure this out. I apologize. And I walked away. Honestly, I walked away because I didn't want to stay there and get like arrested or something. And so I took that walk of shame over to the ticket booth and had like a 17 minute conversation with the guy trying to get him to transfer Michael's day to my card.

Which you also had. No, also print me a new card. Okay. Which I did succeed at that. And then I'm like communicating with the boys. They finally ski back down and I get in line with them. And I got on the lift and I had to go by Angie to get on the lift. And I was like, I was like, look at the other way.

And like, she's scanning me. And I'm like, oh God, is she going to recognize me? And what did she do? She didn't say anything. She was in a conversation while she was booping. Which if that would have happened the first time, I would have got through. Of course, then I would have come back down and it would have happened again and again and again.

I just didn't think through any of this. I'm innocent, I tell you. That's evident. I'm innocent. Yeah, I'm guilty, but I did it in a very innocent way. I'm like the most innocent, guilty person on the slopes today is what I'm feeling. Okay. And I'm not trying to put this on Angie, but the way she did it really hurt my feelings.

She did it. Really hurt my feelings. I mean, she's like, sir, what's your name? She's like trapping me. What's your last name? Like, she knew from the beginning that I was not 17. Why didn't she say, sir, the card you have is for a 17-year-old, so there's some problem here. And then, yeah, I could have lied. I would-old, so there's some problem here. And then, yeah, I could have lied. I would have still lied, but... There's some problem here. At least she would have been like, Sir, the card I scanned is a 17-year-old card. Like, she could have given me the benefit of the doubt.

I feel like I deserve that. This is an interesting takeaway. I'm looking around the room for support. No one's helping me. I'm glad I don't have a microphone today. Yeah, I elected not to give you a microphone today. No, I didn't, but... I need one.

Wow, okay. That's an interesting take that Angie trapped you. She humiliated me. Oh, no, I think you did that all on your own, Michael. The thing that, okay, so first of all. Didn't know. Yeah. And if I would have said I knew his last name, it wouldn't have helped.

Shop Best Buy's ultimate smartphone sale today. Get a Best Buy gift card of up to $200 on select phone activations with major carriers. Visit your nearest Best Buy store today. Terms and conditions apply. The initial choice to use somebody else's card because you have an extra day. Okay, we've all been there. We've all done something like this, right? Okay, yeah. Now, I think you do,

well, some people know that the information associated with the person, their name and their birthday is gonna show up on the scanner. I should have known that. You know why? Because I'm the one who provided all that information when I bought the tickets.

Like, I mean, birth date, last names. But the most interesting part of this, and we've talked about this before, is your tendency to escalate. That's the most interesting part of this thing. I was embarrassed. But there's a neat, like, it's not calculated. You're not like, I'm going to go be an asshole.

There's a... I didn't have any, when she's like, what's your last name? I mean, I'm not telling you. I mean, like, what else am I supposed to say? Well, there's a number of things. Like, I'd already dug the hole. I was in it. So, like, she's staring down at me in this hole that I've dug, and she's like, hey, what's your last name down there, huh?

She's taunting me at this point. She knows I'm not 17. So she's like, oh, it's Little Michael? Well, then what's Little Michael's last name? That's what I'm taking issue with. Hold on. She's making a fool out of me. And yeah, I can do that on my own.

Okay, that's blame shifting. I can do that on my own. I take all the blame. That's blame shifting. Angie is not at fault here. But she added more. Okay, but I think that... Here's the thing. I think the thing that I'm trying to get to is the... And if it was a man, I'd be saying the same thing, Jenna. It doesn't have to do with gender. It definitely does not have to do...

That's exactly what I'm saying. It needs to... It's... This has nothing to do... You have failed. Okay, okay. I'm not... Well, I think the lesson... I'm still humiliated and it's happening again! No, no, here's what we need...

It's happening again! Here's what we need to do. As your friend, here's what I think we should do here. Y'all are stupid. Y'all suck. I'm... Okay. I need some support.

You are gonna find yourself in these types of situations again, right? It might be your wife gets... over by a spring break football player. You know, that happened one time. What are you thinking? It might be a guy that does something weird in traffic, and then you roll down the window. Or a guy who got mad at us. There was a guy who got mad at me for something I did.

I was driving, and he rolled down the window and started cursing me out. And my reaction is always nothing. And you rolled down the window and were like, what's your problem or something like that? No, I was like, have you not ever done something wrong in traffic? Yeah. So a tendency to escalate. I guess what I'm saying is that because this is a natural reaction, right?

It's not coordinated, planned, right? I think the thing maybe that you can do in the future- This is not who I want to be, Rhett. No, but listen, it's very difficult to change something that's instinctual, but what you can do is you can learn to recognize when you are in a situation where your natural tendency might be to escalate, like, oh, this is a person of authority in some regard,

or this is some, this could become, this moment could, this situation could escalate, and so I'm just gonna keep, first thing to do, put a smile on your face. Start smiling. And that actually changes your posture and it actually influences your mood. And it obviously influences the person's perception of this. And then while you're smiling and they're being disarmed, you can begin to think about reasonable responses to the situation. Well, what's that you say? My name? Well, give me a moment to smile.

Yeah, and now what you're doing is you can begin to develop a new neural pathway where it's like... My name is... I'm not going to dig a big hole right now. Blink. And I would say almost always... Maybe you've heard of him? I can think of very few times in life when you're asked a question like,

what is your name, where you shouldn't just give your actual name. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's a bad start. Yeah, I think that's... When you said Michael... That's the name on the card. I thought that was gonna be the end of it. What's your name? Michael? Boop-boop! Okay, zoom! Nope. Nope. See, the thing that Chris... Jenna wants a mic so bad.

Is there not another mic? I'll let you let me have it. Hook up the mic, but before you... I'm gonna take this opportunity to continue to defend myself. I appreciate the advice, Rhett. I don't think it's wrong at all. I'm gonna take this opportunity to continue to defend myself. I appreciate the advice, Rhett. I don't think it's wrong at all. Oh crap. What was? Because it's such a natural thing for you.

I'm not saying that I don't do that because I've thought about it. It's just my natural response in any escalated situation is to minimize and diffuse. Yeah, but. So I don't get myself into those situations. Here's the thing. But that's your natural instinct, so you just have to recognize when it's happening so you can back off in the moment.

I appreciate your take. I mean, she's not cruel about it. It's gentle ribbing, but Christy's like, you can't do anything on your own. You need to be watched. You need to be own. You need to be watched. You need to be assisted. You need to be... And you know what? I'm very grateful for the assistance that I have.

And yeah, maybe. Maybe. I don't know if she's right in this case, though. Maybe I think... It's not that I think the world revolves around me. It's that I didn't know if she's right in this case, though. It's not that I think the world revolves around me. It's that I didn't think at all. I'm just going with the flow, baby. I mean, it has nothing to do.

This is me talking to Christy. It has nothing to do with me being some sort of Internet celebrity or thinking that I can get away with anything because I'm something. No, no, no, no, no. That thought, honestly, was not in my head. But I think Christy's point was, yeah, but it's in your practice. This is the life that you live. This is like you just stroll through it. I mean, listen.

Do you feel my pain on this point at least? Yeah, I don't necessarily share her perspective on that. Thank you. But not thinking about things big time. I'm on vacation. But also like- I was thinking about a lot of things. Like I got 10 people to dinner.

Yes, I didn't make that reservation. I had nothing to do with it. Yes, Christy and my assistant made the reservation. Well, yeah, she's got a point. She's got a point to that. But I did. I was there. And I was...

I was there. I created a vibe. Well, what I'm getting at is... So, things like that, like, I think you have a tendency to not anticipate how, like, making that decision, there's a real quick decision tree, right, that's built that's like, okay, yes, I could take advantage of this kid's ticket and then maybe we get an extra day or something like that. I could utilize the ticket that I bought. Right, right, right. But that's one step down the decision tree. Yeah.

And then you have to actually go out on the next two limbs. Yeah, there's one of the ramifications. One of those is this will go off without a hitch. And the other is this is going to complicate things at some point and create a potentially embarrassing moment where I'm going to be found out or called out. Never got there, of course, obviously, at this point, right?

My brain is always thinking about all the things that could go wrong. That's why I get anxious about travel. And you see, that's what Christy does. Christy is like, she's an instinctual, she follows the path, she can explore the worst case scenario as well as the best case scenario, and she's always can explore the worst case scenario as well as the best case scenario. And she's always preferred for the worst case scenario. Well, it's funny because she's... And that's why...

That's one of the great things that I benefit from. But one of the... You're both self-preservation. You have a self-preservation thing, which I also have. But your self-preservation manifests itself... In skiing in as many days as I can. In things like, I I gotta bring a blanket to this event

yeah like you're gonna I gotta be warm enough you're gonna show up and you're gonna have a blanket and you're gonna have slippers and you're gonna be hydrated I had a water bottle

in my pocket with the right type of electrolytes in it but here's the thing I think you don't think about is your self-preservation instinct does not extend

to your interactions with people that's how I would categorize it nope absolutely not it extend to your interactions with people. That's how I would categorize it. No, no, no. Nope. Absolutely not. It's like, your interactions... And thinking of worst case scenarios isn't fun.

But that's... It's hard. What I'm saying is... It's a downer. For me, I'm just like... These things are related. I'm gonna ski, and you know what? I bet you it'll be fine, and if I can just get on this lift, then...

And if I would have been, like, had this whole contingency plan and, like, developed a story, that would have just made me anxious. And, like, all of that would have been nothing. I'm sitting on the ski lift going up with my friends, my boys, and, like, thinking all of that anxiety, all of that planning, all of that effort wasn't worth it. Right. But here, okay, I'm going to say... No, I was wrong about all that. I'm going to say something that may sound like I'm reinforcing say No I was wrong about all that I'm gonna say something

That may sound like I'm reinforcing something That your wife said And I'm And that would be okay And I'm riffing here But I'm saying all this in love With the hope that

You will You know Not find yourself In this situation again So Going back to the Self-preservation thing Right

So your self-preservation Tendency does not Extend to your potential interactions with people. And so one of the things that might be true about what Christy is saying is- Because I don't care what people think about me. You don't care what people think about you. And while there's a positive side to not caring what people think about you, there's a negative side to not caring what people think about you, because people are the other beings that we have to interact with. And so thinking about how someone is going to

receive you, thinking about how someone is going to interpret what you're doing or what you're saying. Sometimes I think you might be like, I'm going to, I'm myself. I don't care what people think. Well, yeah, but you have, you have to interact with another person who's going to receive you in a certain way. And so in this scenario, I didn't hurt Angie, but, but you have to interact with another person who's going to receive you in a certain way. And so in this scenario. I didn't hurt Angie. But hold on. But I'm just, I think maybe what Christy is saying is that it seems like you're like, I don't care about anybody except me. I don't think that's true.

And I don't think she's saying that as well. I think she's saying that there might be some pre-existing thing because we both have created a life where we have a, you know, and this happens. It's like CEO brain. It's a real thing where you have a lot of people who figure shit out for you on a regular basis and you become dependent. Not only do you become

less good at doing things for yourself, but you become less good at considering other people. This is a very common thing, right? And it's something that we both have to be... we both have to watch out for. I don't think that I go through hurting people. Like, hurting their feelings. On purpose. That's what I'm saying. Wait, but I didn't hurt Angie's feelings at all. Like, I may...

Like, this might be what she was living for. I think it is. I think that she loves her job so that she can trap idiots like me. Because I felt that's what she did. I don't think that you're... What's your name? Just first name now. Jenna, are you ready? Because you've been biting your tongue over there.

I've been waiting patiently. I'm open to feedback. I think there is one variable that hasn't been mentioned yet that should be considered is you are a grown man who has just given Angie a child's underage boy's ski pass. Little Michael. So she is like, okay, what's your name? And when you don't know the last name, that's an indication that you do not know the last name. It's an indication that you are not related to this boy. You do not know this boy.

Yeah, but I said I was. But you said, but you clearly weren't because you're a terrible liar. Yeah, that's also true. I think if you had just been honest. You don't think little Michael was good? Good work? I think it was bad from the start. You should have just been honest and been like, oh, this is my son's.

My son's friends. I didn't grab mine when we left the lodge. Whatever. Yeah, that's what I should have said. And that would have probably worked. That would have also been a lie. No, that's what I should have said. And that would have probably worked. That would have also been a lie. No, that's basically the truth. Okay, yeah, that's the truth.

Because, yeah, you... I didn't do it accidentally. I didn't say accidentally. I said... I grabbed my son's friend. His name is Michael. Don't know his last name, Edgy. But I have it, and here we go.

I didn't say you did it accidentally. I said that. And if I would have thought ahead of time and developed some sort of plan, that would have been a good one. I'm going to just say, oh, I've got the wrong ticket, and I'll turn around. I didn't have room in my life for a contingency plan. I don't. This is. Okay, what else, Jenna?

Well, it's just an easy – like, it was the truth. The truth is easier to say in that situation. But, yeah, then you get yourself – I agree with that. It's almost always easier. I'm not defending – am I defending any of my actions? No, you're saying that Angie's reaction was wrong. No, I'm critiquing her approach. You can't control her.

It is an underage boy's past. You can't control how she's going to react to it, right? Right, right, right. You can only control how you're... And the only thing I'm pointing out... Listen, and I'm playing it up a little bit. I mean, I felt like I don't actually, I'm not really coming after Angie.

I'm coming after Angie a little bit for the comedic effect, okay? Yeah, so funny. Like, I acknowledge that I was really embarrassed because of the decisions that I made. Yep, right. And it was pretty deep. It went pretty deep.

I humiliated myself. And I don't know that she trapped me, but I felt a little trapped. I think that her, when you went back through the line and you had your pass again, and her being in the middle of a conversation and not looking at you was completely intended. Like, she definitely meant- So you think she's graceful? I think she knew how embarrassing that was for you

and was allowing you to pass without giving you a hard time about it. Well, I'm willing to let off the hook, but I'm not willing to make her the hero of the story. I don't think she's the hero, but I think she was like, dang, that was a really embarrassing situation that happened. I'm not going to bring it up again to that man. He could just go, oh, look, he's got his own pass now.

He can go on through. I'm not really comfortable you calling me a man. Well, that is how other people view you. What do you want to be called? You are a man, a 17 year old boy Is an underage Call me little Michael from now on Yeah I'm a man child

Now this does make me feel like a Like a little Michael In this instance I think maybe you're underestimating how easy This would be to rectify Like you don't... Or to circumvent. This is not a...

Yeah, to prevent from happening in the future. Like, it actually doesn't take... It took 17 minutes at the ticket counter. I'm just saying that thinking like, oh, okay, I'm going to this event. I'm going on this trip. I'm going on this trip. I'm about to experience this particular situation. Yes, I'm gonna think about the things that I need to have in place

in order for me to have a good time. But I also need to think about the following things may occur in this situation. And you're shaking your head like you're never gonna think like that. Like, it's not that hard, though. I know, I know. It's not that hard. Like, it's not that hard, though. I know, I know. It's not that hard.

Like, the one thing that you have to prepare for, when you decided to use a different ticket, it was like, okay, today, I'm doing one thing that's a little bit shady. I'm impulsive. What is this shady thing? I'm not even taking issue with the shady thing that you did. I didn't do anything!

I didn't, well, okay. It's shady. It is shady. It's against policy. And I wouldn't have done it just because, not out of some moral obligation, just because I'm like, I don't want to deal with the potential inconvenience. You think about the future, man! But I'm saying, I don't think it's...

This is on you. Because you're the future guy. I'm the present guy. Well, I wasn't there. I know! But you've... I have been trained to not have to think about the future. Between you and Christy. But here's the thing that ends up happening. Are you blaming Rhett? Jenna, here's the thing that happens, though.

Here's the thing that I don't think you appreciate, is that people who love you and are in close relationships with you, they have to think about the future for you. And that's a burden that I don't think you appreciate. But some of them get paid to do that. I don't think, I don't get paid to do it. This is true. I don't get paid to take future for you. And that's a burden that I don't think you appreciate. But some of them get paid to do that. I don't get paid to do it. This is true. I don't get paid to take care of you. But I'm saying...

Do you feel like you babysit me? And don't answer that. Okay. Yeah. And you know what? I can't tell you not to answer something that I ask you a question. I feel like such a jerk today. It's okay.

Listen. It's okay. Listen, I'm being... Listen, I just want to take a sidebar for one second. Okay. You can cut this out of the edit, but don't. Please. I feel like I'm portraying myself as a baby jerk.

As a big baby jerk. And I'm making fun of myself, okay? I know all these things you're saying. I also welcome the feedback, but in this context, I'm also making fun of myself. Is that okay? Is that okay? I'm not as...

Yeah, and no one's... Are people going to say that I'm a, like... How am I coming across here? People are going to say whatever they're going to say because, listen, have you seen this that they say about me? Don't worry about what people say. I'm, of course, not actually blaming you, but I'm toying with the, I am acknowledging that I'm glad that you were going scuba diving

so that we can now go together so that I'm not the one in total charge. Like, I'm not comfortable being in charge of my own well-being, a lot of times, much less other people. Like, I felt like I was on top of the world. I was, like, facilitating 10 people having an experience of a lifetime including myself um and i wasn't the only one but i was part of that and i felt like that was good for me like that was hey i thought about the logistics of this i think you succeeded i'm working this out that's it sounds like a great trip you had an embarrassing it was a great trip

you had an embarrassing moment that i think is is great that we're all laughing about because it's all we can do after the fact. It's just like, dang, that was real embarrassing. But yes, I do have a tendency to like when we go scuba diving, I'm like, damn, you could die doing this. Like if I don't remember some of the stuff that I've been trained to do, like, what if something happened to Lincoln because of me? I'm like, I better bring Chase. I mean, honestly, I should have been pushing harder for you to get scuba certified for that reason. That's a good tendency. Recognizing that you have some challenges in that area is great.

that you have some challenges in that area is great. But I'm just saying that I think that there are some aspects of the way that this story unfolded that the solution is not a chaperone. That's okay. That's all I'm saying. I'll accept that. I mean, I'll accept a week ski trip to chaperone. I won't say no to that.

A little enablement goes a long way, Jenna. Yeah, Chrissy and I can hang out, it'll be fun. And have opinions about me. And the thing that you're not gonna be able to avoid... Is that what you're saying? No! The thing that you're not gonna be able to avoid is finding yourself in these situations. Because even if you say... I've got a good heart! I'm not say like, I've got a good heart!

I'm not gonna do... I've got a good heart! I'm not...yeah, but it's not...that's not all that matters. That's what I'm getting at. The point...it's like, having great intentions... I think is what matters most. Well, yeah, but how does somebody receive your actions is actually a thing, is a part of being a human. And so I'm saying that- I don't think I would be exploring this story at all and being like, making fun of myself

and exploring all of this in every way that we are. You're not a bad person. If I had hurt somebody. I think you're missing my point. Yeah, I guess I am. Yeah, I'm saying that the thing, sometimes you don't think about how this thing will unfold. I'm not talking about Angie's feelings. I'm talking about a situation where the person is like,

oh, I'm making a decision right now that might lead to an uncomfortable interaction, an interaction in which someone might be offended or have their feelings hurt. Me. Exactly. And what happens is, well, I think you get into those situations and like the reason you escalate it is because you go into self-preservation mode in the midst of the interaction. And what that person's thinking and what that person's feeling is not on your radar.

And I'm saying that I actually, so it's not that you didn't care about Angie, it's that you are like, okay, you don't say, oh, this girl's trying to do her job and I just need to be honest with her and admit my fault. You immediately like, why do you want to see my phone? You're doing it without even thinking about it is what I'm saying.

I think the most interesting thing is asking the question of like, why is that your reaction? Like, why is that the reaction that you have in the midst of that? Because if you would figure out what that is. It doesn't happen all the time. Well, I think it happens more than you perceive that it happens.

I see it happening with other people, and I'm like, he didn't see how that came off. But it's fine. It's fine. He means well. It's not like you're like, I'm going to go out and I'm going to intentionally do things. But because this is, again, what your greatest strength is can be your greatest weakness. So not caring about what people think is one of the things that makes you you, makes you entertaining, makes you fun, makes people interested in the things that you're going to say and do, your unpredictability. All that stuff is a positive. But when you have that strength, you have to consider how that strength can become a weakness in certain

situations. And that doesn't mean that you're trying to, oh, I'm going to be less of myself. It just means, oh, me being myself sometimes might get me into a situation where I end up having to say something that is hurtful or uncalled for. And so I just need to be cognizant of that. I have my own shit that I deal with. It's a different thing. I might be too much on the people pleasing side. And so sometimes there are times when I need to stand up for myself

or I need to say something. We all have our own shit and I'm just saying, it's a strength, but you need to think about what the negative aspect of it is. And I think if you do, you'll find, oh, I'm in one of those situations right now. I recognize that, and now I can actually think about what I'm going to do, how I'm going to proceed. Do you think, okay, all right, before I ask something else. Okay, I'm going to take a little breath here.

Thank you for the feedback. Do you think that the conversation that I had... Was it last night that we went to that movie? No, night before last. Do you think that... I'm just trying to think of another example.

When I was talking to the guy, it was you, then me, and then the guy on the left who was on his phone that I started talking to. Do you think that there was something inappropriate about that conversation? That was an interesting guy. I was trying to think, was he really cold to me because of how I was coming off to him? Or was that on him or was that on me? Because I observed that, like, he was, he had the strangest, driest sense of humor. Or he was the meanest person I've ever struck up a conversation with. And was that my fault?

Yes. Okay. So, because I actually wanted to talk to you about this, so here we get to talk about it on the podcast. Really? Because I'm thinking about it too. I'm like, I'm having, here's this guy, we're sitting at a movie premiere, me, you, and this guy. He's not with anybody else. There's an empty seat beside him. I'm going to be friendly. Right, but your idea of friendly is coming out of the gate with some aggression. Sometimes. Now, here's the thing. You don't... What was the aggression? Like, aggressively friendly? No, no, you're...

I wasn't mean. I was being friendly. But it was an... I will acknowledge... I come on strong, but I wouldn't call it aggression. You're busting his balls a little bit. And then when you began to think that he was busting your balls. I thought he bust my balls first. Now you're busting his balls. Again, this is not always a bad thing. But yeah, well, the thing I wanted to talk to you about is not that I'm that

concerned about you potentially digging a hole with somebody and having to dig yourself out of it. And then maybe, oh, by the end of the night, you're best friends, maybe. That can happen, right? I wasn't impersonating anybody. I can't remember how I started the conversation. But I'm with you.

Like you're with another person, right? And this wasn't that big of a deal because we're sitting there and you're talking to the guy, but I think it's emblematic of a type of interaction that can happen in public, which is like, and I think about this a lot. I'm like, okay, I'm going into this situation. Rhett and Link are going together into this social situation. We're going to meet somebody.

And we met that other, we met that couple right when we walked in. Yeah. And I'm like, I know how this is going to go. Link's going to take charge of the conversation he's gonna say some spicy things he's gonna talk about something and i'm and like if he says something that is potentially offensive that he doesn't mean to i have to be there to like monitor the situation and play play like referee and i don't think you have any perception that that is something that happens. If you talk to your wife about this, she'll say,

yes, this is what I do when we go into situations. And so again, you're a fun guy. There's no questioning that like, oh, Link's fun, he's gonna take the initiative. I wish I didn't bring this up. He's gonna take the initiative and he's, and with that situation, I'm like, as you were having that conversation with that guy,

because you kept talking to him and you were like, you know. Do you remember how it started? I don't remember the first question. I know he was on his phone. I was like, should I talk to him because he's on his phone? And he was alone. But I heard the first couple things you said to him and I was like, I was just going to go. I don't remember what it was. Was it like, because it was that movie air.

So I was like talking about, I was talking to you about, do we need to be sneaker heads if we're here? Because that guy thought we were sneaker heads. Cause he said, I didn't know you guys were sneaker heads. And then I'm like, are you, oh, I asked him about his shoes. Cause then I turned to him and I was like, are you wearing Nike's? Cause this is a Nike movie.

I think that's what I started the conversation with. Right, but that's not how you say things. You know what I'm saying? You come a little bit, I don't think you perceive it sometimes, but you might be like, oh, Nike. So you're trying to fit in too. Like you'll say something that, again,

some people, I would say the majority of people are going to respond like, Oh, who's this guy? Like, I'm going to respond positively to this guy's kind of vibe. But what I'm saying is that. And his response was, I'm just wearing, I'm just wearing shoes. It doesn't matter what you wear. You wear anything. Don't worry. Don't worry about what other people think. Just wear what you want to wear. And so he was, he came in strong with a response. And I don't want to talk about- And I'm like, oh, I like this guy.

I'm not saying that particular interaction. I'm just saying that as your best friend who is with you at a lot of these things, when we start walking up to somebody, the predominant thing on my mind is, what is Link going to say to make things up? Well, that's not fair to you, and I'm sorry. And so I'm just saying that sometimes you don't,

like, you don't, I don't think you have a consideration for like, oh, I'm gonna come in here, and I'm gonna say whatever the hell I want to, because I'm myself, and I'm gonna be myself wherever I go, and like, that's a good thing, but like, you're with somebody else. I guess I, I appreciate you saying that, how this impacts you

because my thing is like my motive is to just spark up a conversation with somebody just to have a good time and not at their expense. I understand that, but I think you do that. So you know that. I think sometimes you behave as if you're the only one there. That's what I'm saying. Like, oh. This is getting real. No, I'm just saying, and again, I think it has,

you know, you're an only child. There's things like. Damn. No, I'm being real here. It's like, you know, I grew up with a brother. It's just like, you can't like, you walk into a situation and you're like, oh, the other guy's here. I have to kind of like accommodate the fact that he's here.

And so sometimes you'll be in a social situation, and it's just like you're coming in hot, and it's just like, all right, I'm going to throw some shit out there and see where the cards fall, and you guys can pick them up and do what you want to. By the way, I think that's why if we go to something, I split up.

Because I don't feel like, yeah, I mean, it's like, you know, I don't want to, you know, you talk to who you want to talk to and the way that you want to talk to people. And like that, I don't, I'm much more concerned about you than the guy I was talking to in this instance. Like, the last thing I want is for you to feel like you got to be my safety net. Well, but no, but I think the thing is, is like I appreciate that, and I do find myself in certain social situations where we split up, which is fine with me, where I'll walk back up and I'll walk into a conversation where it's just like, oh shit, Link is doing his thing right now. Well, it got really, I mean, I think about the little Dicky story from way back when.

There's a number of stories like this. There's a number of stories where I'll kinda walk in, and again, there's a good part to this. We've talked about it before. You take initiative in a social situation. You'll go talk to anybody. These are good qualities, but they're qualities that have to be metered and also considered as they happen in social situations. Because I don't think the answer should be like, well, okay, Rhett feels like he's got to be there to make sure things don't go off the rails with me,

so therefore I'm going to always split up. I don't think that's the application. To me, the application would be like, I can enter into a social situation and actually, before I say the thing that I'm thinking, sometimes I feel like there's a tendency to be like, if I say or feel it, there's a compulsion. I have to say or do it right now.

Because if I don't, I'm repressing myself or something. I'm just saying it's like as an outsider looking in, I'm not saying that's what's going on. That's how it seems. I don't. So as I'm experiencing it, I'm like, oh man, it's like, and then I think everyone else. So it's almost like you come into a conversation

and you are the catalyst. So you're like, here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to come into this social situation and I've got a magic trick. And so the first thing that's going to happen is my magic trick. And then everyone else has to respond to my magic trick. Do you see what I'm saying? Like, that's the dynamic that you're unintentionally creating. And so as somebody who's like right there with you,

you as your best friend coming into the situation, I'm like, all right, here we go. But I don't think of it as a magic trick. I think of it as banter, cutting it up. I do think of it as a playground. I get it. This is a playground. And it can have a really great effect.

I'm sitting next to a guy. I need to talk to this guy. What's a fun way to talk to this guy? I'm thinking about how I decided. to a guy. I need to talk to this guy. What's a fun way to talk to this guy? I'm thinking about how I decided. I told him. I said, I was thinking about what shoes I was going to wear to this thing, and I decided that I should wear Nikes. I wasn't badgering him about his shoes.

I was sharing about my shoes. I don't remember the specifics of the conversation. No, I do, and that was it. So it was about my shoes, And that's when his response was, well, I don't think you should care at all what they think about your shoes. Wear whatever shoes you want to wear. And then you were like,

yeah, this isn't sponsored by Nike. This is not a Nike movie. Yeah, I'm just saying that- It kind of was, but not in- I'm just saying that my sense, based on my intuition and experience with you, is just like, am I going to have to step in and make sure that Link doesn't piss this guy off? But that rarely happens.

That never happens. People might think I'm strange, but I don't think their feelings are going to be hurt or they're going to get angry. I've never gotten close to getting in a fight with somebody. Except for going back to the ski ticket to Angie. Like, I don't, we're now talking about something different that has nothing to do with aggression. But, and you use the word, you say that I aggressively try to connect, try to put myself out there. And listen, I didn't.

But I don't, I'm not aggressive towards people. In my opinion, I'm only telling you how I feel about it because you asked me, did you feel like the, and I was like, well, actually, yeah, I wanted to talk to you. I didn't, I wasn't going to be like, hey, the way you interacted with that guy, the thing I was going to say is like, hey, next time we get ready to go into something, can we have a conversation about how I feel when we go into a social situation? Okay. And did we just have it? What do you hear me saying? I want to make sure that you understand. Because, again, I'm not saying that you should be a different person.

I'm just saying that who you are is something that you have to consider. who you are is something that you have to consider. When you come on so strong, it puts you in a position that you have to respond to. And if you want to go to parties by yourself and do whatever you want to and see where the cards fall, but I'm saying that like, when you go somewhere with me

or with your wife or with a friend, like just so you know, it is the thing they're preoccupied with is a sense of like, okay, is he going to do something that kind of makes things a little bit awkward for what it feels like for his own entertainment? And maybe it is like, hey, I'm going to, I want to connect with somebody. It's like, well, but it is for my own entertainment. But hey, I'm also there. Yes.

I've got interesting things to say as well. And people might be like, well, you can just say, why do you have to tell Link what he needs to say? It's like, sometimes when somebody creates such a strong dynamic, because I'm not, like, that's not my personality. I kind of, like,

I got tall guy syndrome, right? We like, we're already really big, so we make ourselves small a lot of times. And we don't come on very strong. We come on kind of soft, and then we get to know you. But when you've got somebody there who is coming on very, very strong, and you're going to always be there at these things, it's just like you set the dynamic in a way that then everyone else has to respond to. Everybody's like, okay, all right, this guy's weird.

He's saying weird things. He's talking about my shoes. He's whatever it might be, and now everybody is responding to it. And so if you do that all the time, it can become kind of an exhausting thing for people who are with you all the time. That's what I'm saying.

In those social situations, I'm not saying that it happens on a daily basis. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I understand. Yeah, yeah, yeah. This is very much a social thing. This is the party thing. And this is different than the other thing.

I tend to think that there is a root, and I'm not, listen, I'm not a therapist, because I'm not going to give any advice. I'm just, my guess is that there is a rooted thing that causes you to find yourself in both of those social situations. I think it actually is a common root. That would be like, I'm gonna say this thing

in this situation, like, I'm not taking my phone out. Is the same, is there's a common route to like, I'm gonna come into this group and just say something that makes people feel uncomfortable because it's kind of fun. And you know what? A lot of times it's actually gonna lead to a stronger connection with somebody.

Wherever you're going, And you know what? A lot of times it's actually going to lead to a stronger connection with somebody. every drop out of the last day how about a 4 p.m late checkout just need a nice place to settle in enjoy your room upgrade wherever you go we'll go together that's the powerful backing of american express visit amex.ca slash ymx benefits vary by card terms apply i just don't understand why i mean in my mind though Talking about the neurosis Of me Picking out the type of The brand of shoe I'm gonna wear to this movie Was something that I thought this guy would get a kick out of

And he might enjoy meeting me Yeah but all I'm saying is that There's sort of a ribbing Yeah There's a tone of like There's a type of person that gives people nicknames All I'm saying is that there's sort of a ribbing. Yeah. There's a tone of like. There's a type of person that gives people nicknames. You know what I'm saying? There's a type of person that gives people nicknames.

Me. You are that type of person. Is that a bad thing in and of itself? It is not a bad thing. But one of the things. I wouldn't want to demean someone with a nickname. But here's the thing. I think it's not. Again, you have a good, you have a great heart.

You're not a bad guy. You're not an asshole. But just something to be considered. People who give people nicknames, one of the ways that that can be interpreted is as they are orienting all the people in their lives according to the way that they see them. This guy is tall, stilt. I don't give that many people nicknames. No, but I'm just saying. I only give employees nicknames.

No, and it's not bad, but I'm just, I'm not, I'm just, can you help me out here? Am I saying anything that makes any sense? We're at time, if you don't want to say. No, please do, please. Because I, listen, I don't want this to be one of those things where, again, I'm used to people talking shit about me,

but I don't want this to be the competition episode where I'm trying to get Link to see something negative about himself. I'm saying all these things out of love, and you asked me the question. I think, Jenna, I want you to have the floor and I'm not gonna interrupt you. May I just respond to this?

Oh, yes. I agree that this is helpful feedback that I ask for. This is helpful feedback, I ask for. This is helpful feedback. I ask for it. I think, and I'm fine with it being in this venue because I'm fine with that. I don't want, I think it's good

entertainment, too. But this is a conversation that we could have on our own, and it would be different because there's not an entertainment value, but I welcome it and it's valuable. And I don't think you should be criticized for it. Now, if that happens, yeah. This is not about taking my side or his side. We're on the same side.

Yes. We're on the same side. Don't pick a side. There's only one side. I asked for this. And I find it very fascinating. And I would love to listen to a podcast of other people talking about it. That's why I'm totally game to do it, because I think it's good content. And it's honest.

But we are on the same side and I appreciate what you've said and I want to hear what Jenna has to say I agree you are both on the same side and the side is the side of growth and I also feel that I just have a different relationship to you than what Red has. So I don't feel like I have any comment either way on the discussion, honestly. But from my perspective as your employee, none of it bothers me and the work that i have to do so that's i feel like my takeaway that's helpful it is helpful because i think what you said about because red was saying this is a dynamic that he and he's sure that Christie also experiences. And then, you know, there's there I think there's other friends at times that experience it, you know. But the reason I think it's not an issue with Jenna. Right.

Is because once people have the opportunity to get to know you, your employees know you. They're like, oh, the first time I met him, he said something really awkward to me that kind of offended me. But it turns out that's just Link. They're like, oh, the first time I met him, he said something really awkward to me that kind of offended me, but it turns out that's just Link. And now I know that he's a good guy and he didn't mean that. So I think that that's the dynamic. And so I'm often with you where we're entering into the first interaction with somebody or some very like tertiary, like surface level. You're trying to help them process me.

And I'm like, you're taking that on. I would be having more fun if I didn't enter into this conversation with somebody with a level of like tension. And like some people might say, why do you give a fuck, man? Just don't even care, just like happy-go-lucky. And it's just like, well, it's harder to do that.

It's harder to do that when you're half of a duo that's kind of, oh, we're there as these two guys. Yeah, and I wouldn't want you to do that. Yeah, it's hard to accommodate. It must be accommodated. Do you know what I'm saying? I don't think when you go someplace with me, you think, how am I going to accommodate Rhett

in this situation? No. You're not thinking about that. But most people who are with you are going into the situation thinking, how do I accommodate Link? Because I know that's going to be a part of this interaction. I like to be handled. I think is another through line here that I'm realizing.

Something about me, I like to be handled. I like to get a massage. I like to go. I like to have a social. I like to go, I like to have a social net where it's like, I can just have some fun and then we'll pick up the pieces later. Or I can trust someone else to pick up the pieces immediately or like patch it up.

Or I can dive in this ocean knowing that like, oh God, this is not, my life is not completely in my own hands. Like, I love that feeling. I love this. I love the feeling of just being, just letting go. And in social situations where to me it's about fun and it's a playground, like I'm drawn to situations

where I can just let go and see what happens. Like it's, there's a vitality to my experience. situations where I can just let go and see what happens. There's a vitality to my experience, but as I'm saying it, I hear your feedback, which is, well, that's only looking through your own lens, and that can be very self-centered. What if every single person at the party had the same mentality? Right. It would be fucking chaos. Right. And I would love it, by the way.

I think. Maybe I would hate it. I don't think you would. It's not that I want to be the center of attention. I don't think that's it. I don't think that's the center of attention. You want to live a life with no filter, and I think that's admirable. Well, I want to.

It's abandoned. There's more. There's this freedom. I think there's so much of my life that's like I think so hard about it that if I can get out of my head and just get into living, then it feels so good. And that's good. I'm just explaining myself. I'm not defending myself.

And so it helps me to understand that there's other things to take into account. I have this desire in a party setting where there's no steak. I feel like there's no steaksaks and it's all just about fun. And whether it's the critic in my own head or whatever it is, it's like there's a lot of crunching down. So like the places where I can let loose, I find myself wanting to let loose in a big way because it feels so good. because it feels so good. And I think that, you know, I take the feedback that that has an impact on the people closest to me,

and that has an impact on strangers too. It has more impacts than I'm willing to consider. And it's like, it's a bummer, you know, because you're right. Well, listen. And it's like, okay, so now it's like, it's a bummer, you know, because, and it's because you're right. Well, and it's like, and it's like, okay, so now it's like, well, how can I, does that mean I have to have a little less fun? I don't think, I don't think so. And I know, but it feels that way. But see, the message is not, Link, you need to be reeled in.

You're too much fun or whatever. I'm not. Yeah. I think- I am hearing that I need to be reeled in. It's not because it impacts other people. I think the message is- And I'm not the only person. I think the message is- I'm not the center of the world. I think the message is,

I do think that the filter thing is a good analogy because I do think that you like to live life without a filter. And again, as we've established, and as everyone listening would agree, that is one of the things that we love about you, is that you're gonna say the first thing that comes to your mind.

However, because you're a good guy, you have a good heart and you love people, I would say that there are instances where a filter is an act of love. Does that make sense? So actually having the filter in certain situations can be an act of love because it means that I'm taking into account how my actions impact the people I'm with,

the group dynamic. And so I don't think that it, because I think that that motivation appeals to you, you actually do care, you actually, people who don't care what people, what anybody thinks about them, truly are assholes. Because what people think about you is actually important because I want people to be happy,

but that's actually not who you are. You do actually care about people. I do. And when people- I do. And I care what people to be happy. But that's actually not who you are. You do actually care about people. I do. I do. And I care what people think about me. Yeah, right. You care about people's experience, but I just don't think that you've considered, because of people, you know, it's like,

it isn't the kind of thing I want to talk to you about. It's not the kind of thing I want to be like, hey, before we go into this party, can we have a little powwow? Yeah. So that we don't get ourselves into one of these situations? Or can I just tell you how I feel in these situations? Like, I don't want to have that conversation.

I don't want to be a buzzkill. That's the last thing that I want to do. I'm just saying that I think that ultimately having those tendencies is all good. But it's just like, hey, when Superman goes into the, starts giving you a massage, he has to think to himself, oh, if I give the full massage that Superman wants to get, I will kill this person. Does that make sense? So like you have to have an appreciation for your strengths so you can actually utilize them in a way that's beneficial to people and ultimately to you. I think ultimately this will be beneficial to you. It's not just about how you can accommodate other people you. I think ultimately this will be beneficial to you.

It's not just about how you can accommodate other people, but I think that, I think there is a, there is a better reality ultimately for you that isn't just, hey, I'm going in there and stirring the shit up and seeing where the cards fall. And that's what I do in social situations. I think that there's a fuller experience, which is like, yeah, I'm doing that,

but I'm also like metering that and funneling that and being a little bit more strategic with that strength that I have. So it can be used to benefit people, not just myself. Yeah, I just have to figure out how to like, I just want to jump out of the plane, you know? And I think, you know, the funny thing is, is I actually think that this is a tendency

that you have been- And I'm telling you, that's a skydiving analogy, by the way. This is a tendency that you've been, has been increasing year over year. One of the biggest differences between you now and you from 10 years ago is that like, that, I never thought about that in a million years.

There was never a moment where I was like, we're going into this situation, who knows what Link's gonna do? What am I gonna have to do to figure this out? And so I think that there has been some, there has been growth in a good way and you like, I'm embracing who I am, I'm being myself. But sometimes as an outsider looking in,

it feels like there's such a commitment to expressing yourself without a filter. First thing you think, you say it. First thing you feel, you say it, you do it. That becomes a thing that everyone has to adjust to. I hear that. You know, and so the adjustment over time has increased so that now I go into social situations

with a sense of trepidation, which 10 years ago would never, it would never been on my mind. And I'm not saying you should go back to who you were. I'm saying that there's growth. It's just the growth has to be managed and, you know, managed. Yeah, I'm not jumping out of the plane alone.

I'm in tandem. It's a tandem jump. Yeah. Or there's a group. It's a group. It's a group of people. There's nine of them. There's Lincoln and his three friends. And then there's one guy who's like, this is what I do when I jump out of a plane.

I go as fast as I possibly can. And they're like, yeah, but we talked about how we were all going to, like, there's a plan. We're all going to do this together. And I don't want to choke you while we're doing it. Yeah. And it's just like, well, hey. I don't want to, hey, every once in a while, I got to jump out of a plane and go as fast as I possibly can. It's like, okay, that's great. But when we

say that we're going to jump out of the plane as a group, let's be thinking about the group, not just your own jump. I think that's why when I went to Rolling Loud and I got separated from Lincoln that I had so much fun. Yeah. Because... And so maybe you need to give yourself those experiences. But I think that you don't need to give yourself those experiences when other people are with you.

Yeah, I get you. Well, I'll have to think more about it. You're going to be one of those guys that goes to the movie theater alone or goes out to eat alone and has weird interactions with the waiter. I don't like movies. goes to the movie theater alone or goes out to eat alone and has weird interactions with the waiter.

I don't like movies. Yeah, but it's, that's the thing is that it's the interaction with people that is, that's my skydiving, I think a lot. It's that social thing.

It's like, I'm, you know. And when people that love you, they can appreciate it and it can be fun. Sometimes it can be like, okay, let's pull it,

let's pull it in. We've had a lot of moments. But I like the strangers. I like interacting with strangers. That's evident. So that was the thing about the concert was I was interacting with nothing but strangers. I was in a sea of strangers and anywhere I could turn,

I could interact with somebody and it was fun. So maybe I'll just start going to conventions. Maybe I'll start crashing weddings and making them all about me. Yeah, okay, you know, this is good. This is good. I mean, this weekend we're going out, me and you. So we're gonna have to

I'll think about this leading up to that because we're gonna have a good time I appreciate you listening I want me and you to be able to do stuff and have a good time I don't want to be and now I want to cry

well I'm gonna cry all of a sudden at the end of this let's just make it come full circle cry a little bit I don't feel embarrassed now like I did on the ski slope. I'm just manipulating you by crying to feel sorry for me. No, that's not true.

You know, it's just emotional to feel like, okay, what is this inside of me that wants to come out? And it goes out sideways, and it's funny sometimes, but then at other times, it's like, man, it's like you don't want to, I don't want to, you know, I don't want to be the guy

that's giving people that are closest to me like a shitty time because I'm having the best time of my life. It's like, that sucks. Yeah, and I don't want to, and I don't want, I don't want. I'm sorry for getting emotional. That's going to complicate things. I don't want you to feel like, again, and I'm sure,

I do care about what people think a lot, too much, and so I try to meter out everything I say, but I don't want people to think that the takeaway is that well, Rhett just like told Link to be less Link. And that's this thing. Because I think- I agree with what you're saying at every turn. I agree.

It's feedback that I've gotten and it's not just from you. It's like people who love me the most have given me this feedback. So like, I feel that, I feel that. Well, I appreciate you listening to it and taking it to heart. So I would like to apologize to Angie. Because we need to wrap this up, Angie.

Think about that. Think about somebody. Listen, let's just go ahead. If you work at, what was it? Park City. The Canyon's Resort. And you are the guy who had an interaction

or you know somebody who knows Link and you're the guy that came up, make sure that Angie or whatever her actual name is, watches this whole episode, because it would be such a fucking mind trip for her. That it ends with Link crying. She's gonna be like... Come on, Angie.

This conversation we just had is gonna validate everything she was already thinking about you based on the interaction. She's like, yeah, this is exactly what I expected watching this guy's podcast. I feel like this whole conversation is just a perfect encapsulation of Link's chaotic storytelling energy. It's just like we went on this whole dang journey. It's entertaining. It's great, man. We wouldn't be here without it. So it's just, we went on this whole dang journey. It's entertaining. It's great, man. We wouldn't be here without it.

So it's just, you know, it's always there. It ain't over until somebody's crying. And I'd prefer for it to be me. Okay, I got no rec. I got no recommendation. I'm exhausted. Hashtag Ear Biscuits.

Let us know what you think. I bet you got some stuff that you're thinking. Oh, you do. Please leave us a voicemail and let us know. 1-888-EAR-POD-1. Wow. Hi, this is Ava. I just thought you guys really should know,

if you look up Sims 3 University Expansion Pack, the opposite household, there's a Wikipedia page entry for it. There's no confirmed evidence of this, but I've been convinced for years that that household is based off of you two. Just look at the images of the characters and

see their different personality traits, and I find you will agree. Thought that was something you guys should know. Thank you, and have a great day.