WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Thursday Lunch: PETA Violations?

Episode Date: February 22, 2025

This Thursday, Jillian and Bella are back at the lunch table and hoping you will join them for this week’s topic: animals. We all know ‘em, we all love ‘em. However, their stories stray from tales of the beloved family dog or cat and veer more towards those of a suicidal bearded dragon or a lifelong lie concerning pigs. Take me to the loony bin because you’re bacon me crazy! Haha. Did you guys like that one?”

You're listening to Radio Free Hillsdale in 101.7 FM. I'm Jillian. And I'm Bella. And you're listening to Thursday lunch. Where we only have one question. Do you want to sit with us? Ooh. Oh, do you?

And for this episode, for this episode, we are encouraging you to bring your furry friends. Not your friends that are furies, but your friends that have fur. Oh. Well, funnily enough, none of my stories are about things with fur.

Oh, really? Yes. I took it the word much. Okay. No, I mean, they're animals for sure, but no fur. Not fur. Okay. Well, I'm dying to hear about your lunch for today.

My lunch. Having to do with our topic today, if you haven't already guessed. It's animals. Animals. I'm so excited. All the animals. Me and Ella. Do we know because this is about to make me a sound a little bad at least.

I will say I grew up in a house without any pets. We always had a dog. weirdly enough though none of these stories are about my dog they're about like pets they're about like a I don't know fringe pets pets we had for a short time oh okay well hit us with your appetizer what food is your first story okay big coffer okay so my appetizer I think as a food it's probably like maybe speaking to the mic when you talk sorry whoa oh should we cut that out so we don't sound evil So I don't saw any more Okay

Can we start from Okay so my appetizer Okay so my appetizer for today is like Ooh okay And this is you're gonna be like what But this is a real thing I've eaten before And it's called gator nuggets Sounds good Bella

It actually is good But it kind of just relates to The animal of this story Which is not actually an alligator But it does have scales So let me set the scene for you Okay, my younger sister got a bearded dragon for her birthday. What?

Like, it's a lizard, okay? I was horrible because I was so jealous. I was like, why does she get a pet and I don't get a pet? I don't know. Because she was like, I don't know, eight or nine. And of course, immediately, like, we were buying live crickets for this thing. They would come in a bag full of air, full of crickets, and we'd buy it and, like, feed it to Spikey. His name was Spikey, okay?

Did your sister really want this pet? I don't even remember. I guess allegedly she probably did. So I remember, I do think she wanted this animal. Like it was at least something she'd asked for. But still, I was mad at the ease in which she got this stupid lizard. Then also, of course she didn't take care of. Like, she was like eight years old.

So two weeks later, that was my mom's bearded dragon. Oh my gosh. But we did have a little fun. You in the dragon? Well, my sister's in the dragon. So at this point in time, we lived in a condo, okay? So I had a bit of a balcony going on. And actually right below was my parents' restaurant.

which is how we got caught in this story. So this is a very long story, but one day we were playing with this animal that we weren't allowed to let out of the cage, but once in a while we'd take it out and put it in a cardboard box and it'd like run around and try to escape and it would be as bad. And so one day we put, I can't remember exactly how we attached the leash. I like, in my head it's like a rubber band or something. I don't know. But we put something around its neck and attach.

the leash to it and it was like running around the house and we had the leash and we we opened the balcony door. Bella. You're not being there. Bella, that's not funny. I'm an animal rights activist and that's not funny. Okay, we didn't mean to. It runs straight off the balcony under the railing. It's hanging by the leverland by the leash by its neck somehow that we attached it. It's hanging off the balcony and this is horrible. Weirdly enough like we weren't very urgent. We weren't. We just like, oh, wait, Spikey's low-key hanging. I can't laugh at this. I feel really bad. I mean, it was bad, but we were like little kids.

She was honestly, I think I was probably eight, so she was probably five or six. Who gives a five-year-old the bearded dragon? No, right? Exactly what I was saying. That's why we did not have this bearded dragon for very long. We gave it away to someone else. But so it's like hanging off the balcony and like at some point we're like, oh my gosh, get him up. But he's like scratching and like flailing around and we're trying to pull him up but he's like resisting and people are kind of down below like eating outside the restaurant like what the what is it like stop someone's gonna tell papa like someone because my dad works there and and so finally we get spiking up we're like oh my gosh and loki

i feel like this happened again another time like i feel like another time we took him out on the balcony we're like what if but my dad came home from work and was like so who was playing with spiky today oh and so we were definitely not allowed to touch him for a long time after that wow but so yeah he would just hang off the balcony he literally opened the door ran straight through he like saw the outside he was like let me out because you guys were being evil yeah I guess we were okay but anyways so that's my story and it's gator nuggets gator nuggets okay my next story my appetizer is gonna be it's not Neither of these stories are technically mine, but I lived in the house with these story, with these story subjects.

We're going to give it a, something measly, a good measly food. Oats. We're going to give oats, but only three or four. Three or four oats on the plate. You're way better coming up with these foods than me, because you say them and I'm like, and then I hear the story. I'm like, yeah. Wait until you hear the story.

Okay. So these are two stories about my dear sister. Liberty. She's really the only one in the family who's ever had a pet. The rest of us did not have pets. We now have a dog. Ever since I left college, my family got a dog. But before that, the only things we had were a beta fish that Liberty had and a hamster that Liberty had. First one, betafish's name, grunchy. Like grinchy, but grunchy, crunchy. Liberty did not feed this beta fish. She got it for Christmas. And she just... just didn't feed it.

I think mom fed it. I think it, to be honest with you, it kind of lived a long time, but mom would feed it periodically. Liberty would like, I knew she cleaned it periodically, but not frequently. Obviously that fish eventually died because fish die, but I do think there was a resilience of

spirit to that fish that led Liberty to believe that pets will live no matter what. Pets will always live. Pets will always persist. So fast forward like how many years quite a few into high school both of us in high school it's the pandemic what do me and liberty want to do we want to go to peck smart and we want to get a hamster right now so we went a couple times and we like they had these little dwarf hamsters that were like literally the size of the palm of your hand no joke the palm of your hand like the babiest hamsters and liberty's

like i want that one and so she got it okay it never had a name it definitely like we called it Stinky. We called it Tinkerbell. We called it, like, I think we called it Henry or Timothy, I think we called him at one point. We called him a lot of different things. The problem with this hamster is you would get him in your hands and he would skitter around every. And you're like, oh, come on. Oh, no. It felt like a nightmare. Like you felt like a nightmare. Like you felt like he was going to jump out of your hands and fall. Jump off the balcony. Like go under a couch and stay there forever. And so liberties. It felt like a nightmare. Liberty's, it was so bad. It was. had Liberty's, like, solution to that problem was to never touch the hamster. Oh. Oh. So she's older now. She's feeding it. She's cleaning its cage.

She's putting it. She's, like, letting it run into the ball and letting it run around. But never touched it. But this hamster died quick. Because this hamster was never loved and never touched. So you... She never touched the hamster. Can you believe that?

I imagine it's probably feral. in there like I need to eat someone. Please touch me, please. We had one friend and he would come over and the hamster would like play nicely on his sweater. But otherwise none of us touched it and it died. The moral of the story is the love is more than just providing love is real and love is feeling. And love is holding each other.

Yes, good. Yes, okay. Good. So. Entree? Before we get into our entrees. This is Radio Free Hillsdale 1.1.7 FM. And you're listening to Thursday lunch.

We're currently talking about animal stories from our lives. Yeah, and it's turning out we're not good people. Because you never touched a hamster either, did you? But it wasn't my job. I didn't buy that hamster. I knew. Oh, I know. I know.

Okay, hit it. So for my entree, it's got to be something gross. And I'm kind of thinking, oh no. Wait, okay, I'm thinking chicken sandwich. Why is the chicken raw? Like you bite into it. Why is it pink?

That's foul. Okay, so... Wait, raw chicken sandwich with... With gator nugget. It's a chickeny meal. Wait, I guess the gator is not chicken. No, because it's gator. Okay, similar idea, though.

So, um, I'm from, I'm from Florida, and there we have a lot of little lizards that love to run around, okay? Something fun you do with these lizards is when you pick them up, they open their mouth. So you, like, put them on your ears as earrings. That's not even the story. No. That's like, we weren't the only ones who did that. Wait, that's horrible. But they would like, you would, you pick them up, they go,

and then you would like put them on your earlobe and they'd bite your earlobe and then you'd be like, anyways. So we used to catch lizards all the time. Like that was the fun thing you'd go and do. And like I said before, we were living in this condo, so we would just go downstairs into the bushes and catch a bunch of them. There's also another part of the story, which we also had these giant. And nowadays, I would never in a million years go near or touch something like this.

huge orange and black grasshoppers. Ew. Yeah, right? Ew. And they were huge. Like this. You were grabbing them? You guys can't see, but like this.

And we would grab them and they go in your hand and they would poop and stuff. But anyway, so we would catch together lizards and grasshoppers, okay? Bring them home. Let's just say we had a drawer that we cleared out where we just put them on this drawer. And be like, our pets, our pets, like lizards and grasshoppers. And when to- They all died. Well, yeah, at some point.

But usually my mob would find the drawer because, like, they would poo in there and stuff and she'd find the drawer. Was it the same drawer every time? Yes, it was, or we had, like, this little box that we'd put them in. But- Did your mom tell you to stop? Yes, but, like,

It's fun to catch a lizard. This is freaky. Okay, so we would, one day we had this genius idea. Okay, wait, we should build a little restaurant for these animals. So with magnet tiles and blocks, we built a restaurant, tables had a bit of a bar, a booth, high top table, like it was pretty good. And we were so excited. Like we opened our drawer, like got out some of the lizards. And they're dead, right?

No, they're not dead. We wouldn't keep them in there that long. Like, we would let them go or my mom would find the drawer and make us let them go. Well, some things died in there before, like probably the longest. We probably put something in there before and then like three days later. but usually we got like we'd let them go or whatever but this this was a nightmare what's about to happen you can't be a mom and opening a drawer where you keep on grasshoppers and lizards in their poop what's wrong with you I don't know we were bored a lot oh my god and so we made this little restaurant and my sister's holding her lizard

and we have a bit of a bit of blueberry muffin okay and we're like feeding them little crumbs like they're looking kind of eating it okay My sister, my sister, Gigi, gets a little brave, breaks off this piece, gives it to the lizard. It tries to swallow it. Neck breaks. Or holding it. Its neck is like, ugh. Because of the muffin? And there's like chunk of muffin in its throat.

Like, it choked the lizard. It's choking. It's choking. It's totally. Its neck is broken. And like. Bella. I think we like, like, like this, like shook the muffin out of the lizard.

But it was like dead and gone. And for some reason. That was really, really traumatic to this because you killed it. Yeah. Well, it ate the bite and choked and like it like broke its neck. And we were all sitting there like, oh my gosh. It choked. It choked.

We were like, we were really upset to be fair because our restaurant's about to get a bad review. I don't know. But we after that, I don't remember catching a lot of lizards after that. Like that's the last event I remember. Because I remember honestly, like we were all just really shocked because we were having fun and it just died. Guys, I'm in the presence of a serial killer. Okay, no, because you never

touched the hamster. No, I never touched the ham. And I never fed that fish. We're both guilty. Everyone's guilty in some ways. Are you ready for my next story? Oh, I'm ready. I'm not, I'm not, it, I'm not guilty of anything besides being a poser.

Okay. The food here is unfortunately a big slab of ham. Oh! And you'll know why. So, I'm about to confess something that I have not confessed to anybody in my life. And my hope is that nobody listens to this so that nobody ever finds out. Okay. Okay. So in fourth grade, I did a day camp. It was a theater day camp and I was called Peter Pan. And at this day camp, I met a set of twins. I'm not going to say their names, but I thought they were the coolest thing since sliced bread.

And I wanted to be their friend. So we're asking to their questions, what's your name what do you what school do you go to what's your favorite subject eventually we get to what's your favorite animal yeah i wait for them to answer okay one of them says my favorite animal is a pig i say oh my gosh me too wait look you have a history of pigs pig hat remington who bought you you're gonna you're about to hear why oh okay i go yeah me too she goes really i've never met anyone who has a favorite animal that's a pig oh my gosh wait this is the origin and i go yeah i love pigs get in the car. Mom's like, how is, how is camp?

I'm like, camp's great. Camp's great. Camp's great. And then I was like, Mom, did you know that my favorite animal's always been a pig? I know I said that. And she was like, since when? I was like, no, it's always been a pig. Literally since I was born, though.

You just never asked. I've always loved pigs. And that is the beginning of my obsession for the next, I guess, two years with pigs. And in this time, I acquired a collection of I count, over 200 pig stuff stuff day because you wanted this girl to like you I would go to the thrift and I would just

buy every pig stuff animal there was I was buying figurines people were buying them for me my birthdays were always like people were buying me pig pig pig pig pig for years through middle school people were like pigs she loves pig Gillian loves pigs I got that pig hat because my favorite animal

was a pig I what was the other example you brought up the Remington bought me a pig because he knew my favorite animal I was telling Every, it became, I knew I had lied. And so in order to make it right, I made it true. That's honestly really, by telling everyone my favorite animal is a pig. It's really honorable of you. Well, and at this point in life, yeah, sure, my favorite animal is a pig because I was so obsessed with it.

I went through years of not eating bacon or sausage or anything because I was like, I'm against it. I don't eat a pig. Because that little twin was like, I don't eat pig because it's my favorite animal. That little twin. And I said, yeah, me too. I said, yeah, me too. I lied. I lied to be her friend.

And here's where it all comes crashing down. No, I continue to like pigs much longer after that, and it was still a major part of my personality. But we went to the fair together, me and those little twins. And we were walking around. And we get to this petting zoo where they have pigs. And they're like, oh, my goodness. But the trouble with me is that I,

I wouldn't say I have a fear of all animals, but I was definitely a little kid who was really afraid of dogs. Yeah, okay. I was really afraid of lizards. Fish are still my greatest fear. Like, I just moving things. There's something about it.

It just really does not put me at ease. And so everyone's like, Julian, come pet the pig, come pet the pig. I'm like barely stroking the top of it, but I'm shaking. I'm literally,

I'm crouched and they're like holding it, grabbing it. They're like, but you love pig. They said, Gillian, come pick it up. And I spent the last,

because this is like probably year two of our friendship the last two years asserting that i can't believe we're friends because we both agreed we love pigs the basis of our friendship was a big fat lie and we had talked endlessly about the fact that i wanted to have a pig one day we wanted to have a pet pig you and these twins i wanted to have a pet pig one day and so and they're like well if you want to have a pet pig one day you have to come pick it up feel it would feel like i couldn't do it you couldn't you didn't even fake i couldn't because the bottom of it had like little like a Little spooks.

The bottom of it had what pigs used to feed their pig babies. Others. But it was so off-putting to me that I could see them that I was like, I can't. I was like, guys, I'm sorry, there's a reason I can't, I just can't tell you. Like, I was like sitting there. I can't tell you. I'm allergic. I was sitting there lying through my teeth because I could not pick up this pig.

And I know from that day on They kind of had a feeling about me That was like she might be a poser She don't like to be a liar She eat a bacon I do eat bacon now I eat a sausage here and there It's not great

But it is just the truth So I don't eat ham Just because I think ham's nasty A big slab a ham But like I'm a poser And I'm coming out and saying it right now On this podcast They're gonna listen and be like

We knew it They're not gonna listen How do you know what if I sent it to them? Please don't I can't have them knowing I lied. But you said you like pigs now. I love them. But the origin was to seem cool and I lied. Yeah. So did you ever do that though as a kid?

Like, oh, 100%. Like say something as a lie and then be like, I have to make it true now. Yeah. Are we ready to give our big drink? Our drink. Okay, what's your big drink? Okay, so I think my drink as a drink, what would this? My song. Drink too.

My song as a drink, low key, it'd be kind of a sad drink. It's something you drink and you, oh, you know what it is? Actually, that makes it sound like the song's bad. The song isn't bad at all, but the feeling is like when you make hot tea and you fall asleep and you wake up in the morning, you're like, oh, and like you take a sip and you're like, it's cold. Oh, my gosh. I don't even get to drink it, but that's more like the feeling. Like the song is good, but the song is, I can't seem to make you mind by the seeds. And the best part about it is the guitar in the beginning.

It's like, bern, I don't know me. Like, it's so good, and it's very, like, and it's like, it's cold tea. It's cold tea in the way that, like, you listen to her, you're like, darn. It's darn, this all sucks, you know what I mean? Yeah. But it's such a good, like, uh, like it, I don't know, it's a good yearning song.

Like, you know what I mean? And you've been yearning lately. Yeah, so. She's in her yearning era. Okay. What, we're all allowed to say? You were going to tell a whole story about a crash out. No, I can't say you were yearning.

No, you could say I'm yearning because I am. You're yearning. Yeah. Anybody knows. Okay. Everybody knows. My song is like, I don't like coffee. But it is coffee.

Okay. But I love this song. Like hot coffee? Yeah, it's like black coffee. Hot black coffee. Okay. No, it has a sweetness to it. Hot black coffee, a bit of vanilla creamer.

Yeah, there's some creamer, there's some sugar, but it's coffee. And it's because it's smooth. It's when it hurts so bad by Miss Lauren Hill. Okay. From the album, the Miseducation of Lauren Hill. It's, I've been listening through that album. actually frequently because somebody reminded me that it existed. It's one of the best albums of all time.

And that one's like, when it hurts so bad. And you're like, oh, oh, yeah. And you listen to it. And you're like, oh, and I want to be like in a jazz club in front of the mic. And it hurts so bad. Oh, it hurts. And everyone's like, oh, when it hurts. That's smooth coffee.

Yeah, I totally get that. So my meal was coffee, a slab of ham, and three oats. What are these meals? I don't know. So mine is cold tea, gator nugget, raw chicken sandwich. So it sounds like we're going to be eating good today. Sounds like we're getting salmonella. Yeah.

Hopefully you guys are having better lunches than us. Yeah. Yes, on Radio Free Hillsdale, 1.1.0.1.com.m. It's Thursday lunch. I'm Jillian. And I'm Bella. Thanks so much for tuning in. We'll talk to you next week.

Bye. Bye.