Episode 15 - GenZ Series: Nate

[Music] Welcome to Genex Adulting. Today we have a very special guest with us, our older son Nathan. So welcome Nathan. Hello, hello. Our first question is what year were you born? 1997. And where were you born? Oregon. Okay, you're born outside of Portland. So I'm sure you're aware of this by now just from us doing this podcast. But before we did this podcast, did you know you were a Gen Z? No, maybe. But I'm sure there's some subtype thing that I'm about to get bucketed into. Yes. I think from the last episode it's like, Jen's the lineal or something. So you're a Zillennial, which is a small group. And I know you've listened to past episodes. You get the best of both worlds. For those who haven't listened to those past episodes, Zillennials can relate to part of Gen Z and they can relate to part of the millennial group. They also spent most of their childhood without social media, without phones, without technology. Most didn't have TVs in their bedrooms, all that. The computer, if it was in the house, was in a centrally located location, not in their bedrooms. Even if they had Xbox, a lot of them, it was in a centrally located location. So you guys kind of like you just said, got the best of both worlds. You got a traditional childhood and then social media and phones entered the world. And I know we're going to touch on that a little more later on in the episode. So you were born in Oregon and how long did you live in Oregon? Two years, right? About two years. Just shy of two years. I didn't have my consciousness yet. I don't remember anything until I was like eight, like third, fourth grade. Yeah, you were young when we left Portland. Right. So we, where did we go after Oregon? New Jersey, Sparta, New Jersey.

I don't remember anything until I was like eight, like third, fourth grade. Yeah, you were young when we left Portland. Right. So we, where did we go after Oregon? New Jersey, Sparta, New Jersey. Yeah. And that's where we, you actually celebrated your second birthday. So you were just shy of two. Yeah. What are your memories of living in New Jersey? Like what stands out to you? Playing baseball. What was that? Station Park? Yeah. Playing baseball there, going fishing when we had that boat, the like little John boat that would not work down here. Yeah. And then I'd say a lot of like family parties and stuff because that was kind of our life. It was school sports. And then I felt like just because we were kids, you know, it's not like I was going around doing things. There's play dates and stuff. But like, you know, now, even in like high school, middle school down here, it's like you made your own plans. Right. We'd bike around. But like, I was so young that that wasn't really a thing. So it was a lot of like family parties, you know, major holidays, birthdays. I do remember going to Grammy and granddads a lot after school throughout the week and having dinner here and there. And that might have even happened less frequently than I remember it. To me, it feels like we were there all the time. Right. Probably wasn't the case. Yeah, I'd say a lot of that. And there are still like bits and pieces of, you know, school things. I remember doing like Bingo Club and like we did the Hacky Sack Club. Yeah. Yeah. I think in like fourth grade. Yeah. You two ran it, I believe. Yeah. I mean, I ran all the clubs, but I believe dad came to at least one. Yeah. You came to one because Brian is actually still very good at Hacky Sacky.

You two ran it, I believe. Yeah. I mean, I ran all the clubs, but I believe dad came to at least one. Yeah. You came to one because Brian is actually still very good at Hacky Sacky. Like he just has a knack for it. And so a lot of time spent doing it. Yeah. In college. But we started a club at your school. You went to Catholic school. I do remember now that you say that you bought all those Hacky Sacks. Yes. And we had a pile of Hacky Sacks with us as we moved around. Off of Oriental trading for people who remember. I don't even know if Oriental trading is a thing anymore because Amazon's probably taken over. Probably. But at the time, Oriental trading was the place you went to get pretty much anything for anything related to kids. And parties. Which is really funny if you think about because there was a pretty like. Like straight edge community, I feel like in Sparta. Yeah. And like some of the clubs were like, you know, arts and crafts bingo. Very normal things. Then you have this arc or family hippy bullshit start the Hacky Sack Club. Yeah. And what was it? Reverend Brown. Reverend Brown. Yeah. Yeah. Catholic school. You were Catholic school. I'm sure they were like, okay. Yeah. You can do that. It was innocent fun. It was certainly the first Hacky Sack Club. For sure. Probably the only one. Probably the only one. Right. And do you remember your sister being born at all during that time? No, I remember like obviously not when she was a little kid. I mean, we're only three years apart. Right. So. Three and a half. So those early years, I still have very spotty memories. I feel like up until like 10, you know, it was like big deal things that happened that I remember that I could like pick out of a hat.

So those early years, I still have very spotty memories. I feel like up until like 10, you know, it was like big deal things that happened that I remember that I could like pick out of a hat. Right. I remember going to her sports. I remember that. But for New Jersey, it's spotty. Yeah. Yeah. She was just kind of there. Yeah. And so then and I probably a lot of your like you said, a lot of your main memories are with your cousins. Yeah. You know, that's where you got really close with your cousins. And it's this might sound bad, but her and I beefed a little bit when we were younger. Like we were best friends now, but we were not like that. Right. Up until she was probably like 15, 16. And obviously that relationship got better as time went on. But when we were younger, I remember because like I have two cousins that are older than me and then one cousin who's like basically my age and then another one that took a year or two younger. And so I remember that group of like four or five. It was mainly Tommy, Gabby, Christopher and I. As like the core group that I remember, like playing video games with then mainly Chris and I would play like wall ball upstairs. We'd play running bases outside of granddads or manhunt, all those random things. And then Amanda and Kyle would get sprinkled in here and there, but they kind of did their own thing. So to me, like they were definitely involved in a lot of those things. But I remember hanging out with like Chris the most and then Gabby and Tommy and Chris. There was an age difference. So it's a natural natural separation. And we were also young. So like we would play like computer games and Nintendo 64 and GameCube a lot. Those that's like the house when those things were coming out, like

natural natural separation. And we were also young. So like we would play like computer games and Nintendo 64 and GameCube a lot. Those that's like the house when those things were coming out, like we started with Nintendo 64. And I remember we'd play in an traditional today's upstairs room across from Chris's room. We'd be up there playing these old ass games that you'd look at them now and it's like they're blocky and shitty. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And then and then we started playing like Warcraft a lot with like Uncle Chris and then the GameCube came out. So we'd play that a lot. And that was like what we do in the daytime. And then, you know, it felt like we play a lot of like manhunt and stuff at night. When we were playing video games like that, a man and Kai were in their room playing dolls or some girly thing. And there was definitely like a split. Like we never mingled. It's not like we ever were like, oh, let's go do that with them. It was like, right. You guys go do that and we'll do this. And Anthony was and then Anthony was born and he kind of stayed with them. Yeah. But he was really little. He was little. He was because right. He's six years younger than me. Yeah. And I moved. We moved away from New Jersey when I was 11. And that is a good segue into right before you went into fifth grade, dad, his job moved us down to South Florida. So what's that 11? So yeah, 10 11. And so Kyle was about to go into first grade. You were about to go into fifth grade. Do you remember how you felt when you found out we were leaving Sparta? You want to know? Yes. No, no. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. I remember being I actually do remember this. I was in the bath crying. Yeah. So I was like, I'm going to leave all my friends. Like what is it? I don't want to go

No, no. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. I remember being I actually do remember this. I was in the bath crying. Yeah. So I was like, I'm going to leave all my friends. Like what is it? I don't want to go anywhere else. Like this is where our family is. This is where my friends are. But I was like 10. Right. So in my eyes, it's like this is like my life. Like why are we moving? And I don't remember moving from Oregon to New Jersey. Right. And so that was like we lived at that eight West Cherry Tree Lane house. Yeah. We had our cousins around us. We had a schedule. It was comfy. Yeah. Some real small town. Like there was no deviation. It was like fish on the weekends for fun. See our family do sports, do school. How was it? So then it's like and I never I never been to Florida. Right. No. We really didn't like leave all that much. I feel like in New Jersey on some of the vacations, like once we get down to Florida, I feel like we did more. But then I remember, you know, I was in the bathroom and dad came in and he was like, hey, you're when you turn 16, you'll thank me. You're not going to get it right now. You have no clue what I'm talking about. But you'll see, like once you once you go a bit over, you know, you'll be happy that we're down there. And did you understand when you turn 16? No, that I remember telling him actually in high school. He was like, I think I'm told him multiple times like, yeah, yeah, definitely better than especially after going back to Sparta. Oh, geez. Yeah. And we visited once or twice. I'm like, geez. Yeah. Thank God. I'm like, whoa. Oh, my gosh. So then we get down there and I assume starting a new school again, it's a Catholic school. It's a small school. I assume you were incredibly nervous, probably nauseous on the first day.

get down there and I assume starting a new school again, it's a Catholic school. It's a small school. I assume you were incredibly nervous, probably nauseous on the first day. How was that transition in that adjustment? Yeah, I think that that whole first year was like figuring it out because because obviously there's a new school. Right. I lost a lot of friends. So then I had to make friends. And what was helpful actually was was you reached out to the secretary of the school in the summertime when we were moving down there. And I honestly, you're probably one of the only people that's ever done that ever. And it'll ever do that again. But you got a list of all the kids that were in the class and then started cold calling the parents trying to set up play dates. And then I ended up coming into fifth grade knowing like five or six kids, making friends with like two of them. And then that was at least like a safety blanket because I think a couple of them were in my class. Yeah. Well, I think because we did some play dates over the summer from cold calling and one of the kids, they were a set of twins. So you knew there were two. There were the classes were split. You knew you'd get at least one twin. Yeah. So that at least you knew you had one friend going in. So that probably helped a bit. Yeah. And some of those people I was friends with for a while, like like Margo, we met in the summer and then we went to high school together and we were friends up until graduated high school, I think. Yeah. And then last week you went to one of your friends housewarming parties from the use, but you didn't really get to know Tommy until sixth grade. Right. Yeah. So the way it worked was you didn't switch classes a lot. You stayed in.

the use, but you didn't really get to know Tommy until sixth grade. Right. Yeah. So the way it worked was you didn't switch classes a lot. You stayed in. I was in five a right with Mrs. I forget her name and then other kids were in five B. Yeah. So there was like I think it was like twenty eight kids per class. And we would go to music and art and library and then we had a typing class. And those are the only times we'd ever leave in P.E. Those are the only times we'd ever leave that class. Actually, they taught typing back then. Yeah. We had to put a cover over the keyboard and sit there and get typed to learn. I wish it was like one of my favorite classes. They stopped that. I don't know why kids don't have typing class anymore. It's so ironic. Dylan do the yes. And Kai does a little bit too. Yeah. You don't do that. You know, the QWERTY where your hands going all that. OK. But I also I've played a lot of computer games. Yeah. So that's it's been needed. Yeah. It's been very helpful. You know, it's crazy. There's a lot of people my age to do that. What? The two fingers. The two fingers. Oh yeah. It's painful. And I'll be like when I first started to grant it, you'd I'd sit behind someone all the type in an email. I'm like, what the fuck are you doing? Yeah. Put your goddamn fingers on the keyboard, man. Yeah. Like, why are you going like this? Backspacing and a lot of people like don't know how to do like control C, control V. And they'll do right click copy right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But yeah, no, that was that was a good class. I'm glad we had that because I couldn't imagine not knowing how to type. Yeah. Like writing papers in college and high school. It's like, I could not imagine. How are you going to

good class. I'm glad we had that because I couldn't imagine not knowing how to type. Yeah. Like writing papers in college and high school. It's like, I could not imagine. How are you going to sit there and go like this? I think that your your generation that last gen or the oldest Gen Z's I bet you you're the last one's the last ones who had typing. But I bet it's not even a guarantee. You don't even think everyone your age. I'm telling you. I've sat behind people like that were your age older. Oh, wow. Twenty eight. I was 22 when I first started working. Meeting people that are 25, 26, 27, 30 years old. Fucking those are millennials. Typing like this. It's like it's like, you know, that drives you crazy. Wow. It's a painful thing to watch. I honestly think typing class should be reintroduced into the curriculum at every school. It makes zero sense to me with how kids are completely on computers now. It makes zero sense. Well, now you just buy that program. It's like $150. Well, I think you just say Siri or AI engine. Type me a paper. Yeah. Now we're in intern into that world. Okay. So, you spent middle school in Catholic school. Well, no, no, no. Back to that. So, okay. So the way it worked in fifth grade was we were all in that same class. So I only made like really good friends. I was around 30 of the 60 kids. Right. Besides lunchtime. And I would probably made a couple of friends through other people. Right. From like a birthday party. It'd be like, oh, this person from 5B is coming to the party. And you know, there was some mingling, but it wasn't as forced, you know, something I honestly miss about school. And I'm jealous of Dylan is you're just forced to be around people. Yeah. You make a lot of friends. You meet a lot of

it wasn't as forced, you know, something I honestly miss about school. And I'm jealous of Dylan is you're just forced to be around people. Yeah. You make a lot of friends. You meet a lot of a lot of girls just from being in class. So it's it's it's it makes it easy. You mean versus your life now as you're working. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's just forced, right? Even in college, like, I mean, if you went to class, like a lot of people were just there real quick and went home. Yeah. It wasn't like, let's let's be friends. Now we're in class together. It's like, I have a friend group. You're my classmate. Adios. It's so true. School gives you automatic, typically gives you automatic friends and gives you an automatic potential dating pool. Automatic. Yeah. Yeah. I never thought about that before. That's interesting. So so then, yeah, I I'd say by the end of sixth grade, right? Because then sixth grade rolled around the class is switched. You had some people from fifth grade that in your class, you got some new kids that you like knew about their, you know, they were just also in fifth grade. And that's when I became really good friends with Tommy. Because he was in that sixth grade class. And I think a couple other people that, you know, you guys would see my birthday parties and whatnot. Right. So by the end of sixth grade, it was like fully mingled in. I would say I'd say getting through fifth grade was like the nervous jittery part. But then after sixth grade, it was okay. I've met everybody, you know, and there's no surprises like it was the same 60 kids. So there was a couple of people that come in a couple of people that would leave and then they'd go through it. Yeah. And I probably had a soft spot for those people because it's like, oh, I

60 kids. So there was a couple of people that come in a couple of people that would leave and then they'd go through it. Yeah. And I probably had a soft spot for those people because it's like, oh, I was just there last year. Let me know if you need anything. Well, because with a lot of those kids, especially in a small private school or in a Catholic school, they've been in school together since at least kindergarten, sometimes since preschool. No, there were people in my class that had family friends from when they were like two. Yeah. And that always like, I was kind of jealous of that a little bit because it's like, I didn't know people like that. Yeah. And I still don't know people like that. Like I have friends like, like, Collins, one of my really good friends. And he has people. He's been friends with since he was, you know, two or three, four years old. And I don't have any really friend in my life now that is past like 15 years. Right. Collins is probably one of my oldest friends that I'm still friends with. We met when we moved. We lived across the street from him. In sixth grade we moved. And that's when I became friends with him. And he's probably the only person from that time period that I'm still in at least constant contact with. Obviously, I could if I see some of these people like church, when we go out and about them, like, you know, the app or whatever. Right. I'll run into them. It's like, hey, what's up? Right. But I'm pretty sure he's probably my oldest friend at this. He's in your circle, I guess, in a sense. He's your oldest friend. Yeah. If we had stayed in New Jersey, that's not that long. Right. I'm 27. Right. So I'm missing like almost a dozen years of friendships with people that there's definitely people like

friend. Yeah. If we had stayed in New Jersey, that's not that long. Right. I'm 27. Right. So I'm missing like almost a dozen years of friendships with people that there's definitely people like Tommy, for example, are still friends with people like people that were at his party last year. Last week that, you know, he's been friends with them a lot longer. And it was it was it was good. I saw a lot of those those same guys from that like fifth grade, sixth grade swing. Yes. And that was the first time I've seen him in a while. That was probably cool. I think if we hadn't moved from New Jersey, you would have those friends. For sure. Yeah. You would have the. You're just forced. There's no option. Yes. Especially in New Jersey. It's a great way to look. It's a small town. You either know what, Sparta High or Pope. Yeah. It's not like Boca High was bigger than both those schools combined. Right. Right. And down here, there's six high schools in Boca. Yeah. So no, in New Jersey. Yeah. I'd probably still be friends with like Adam and Joey. Right. And you remember their names. That's how close that body. Yeah. Real follow each other on Instagram. But I wouldn't consider them my friends. Right. Right. Well, what's what you're talking about as far as your friends who have known people pretty much their whole life. Dylan will go through that. Dylan has friends he's known since he was two and a half. Like when him and Chase hang out. Yeah. They've known each other. They were five. But they don't even go to school together anymore. Correct. And they it's like, oh, Dylan's with Chase. And that's like, to me, it's like, oh, I remember that. Five years ago. Yeah. Or like Shane or all those kids. So I'd say he has more friends at his age now than I did. Right.

And that's like, to me, it's like, oh, I remember that. Five years ago. Yeah. Or like Shane or all those kids. So I'd say he has more friends at his age now than I did. Right. Because you were you were new. And Kai probably is in between that. Yes. She was younger. Yes. So she got to build it up a little better. Because if you think about it, I was I basically started new in middle school. And then that was three years, four years to make friends in that school. But then we all kind of separated. Well, what's interesting, I was actually going to bring this up. First of all, being new in basically middle school. Yeah. Yeah. And I think middle school, that's just a loaded statement because middle school is hard, even if you've known everyone since you were two and a half. Middle school sucks. I hate middle school as a parent. And I think most kids hate middle school. But yeah, yeah, it sucks. I don't remember like hating it. But if I think back, like those years, we're probably the most, like annoying to deal with. Yeah. Compared to like high school is awesome. Yeah. Right. No middle schools and elementary schools, you're just a kid. Yeah. Yeah. Nothing mattered. Right. Everything was taken care of. It's just like we're having fun, we're doing sports, blah, blah, blah. Yeah, middle school's rough. It's when mean girls get real mean, and it's when alpha boys decide they wanna be the alpha-est of them all. And so everyone suffers. There's a lot of casualties there. Everyone suffers from subtle bullying, which is the worst bullying, because adults don't catch on to it, teachers don't catch on to it. And as a parent, if you try to talk to another parent about their kid doing crap, those parents are like, they don't wanna hear it.

teachers don't catch on to it. And as a parent, if you try to talk to another parent about their kid doing crap, those parents are like, they don't wanna hear it. So you're just kinda stuck in this vortex of having to get your child through middle school to the next step. You're just getting through it so you can get them to high school. And that's whether you have a boy or a girl. Unless your kid is the mean girl or is the alpha-est boy of them all, all of us parent, anyone listening that's a parent knows what I'm talking about. So my next question to you though was, you entered into high school, Boca High is a huge high school. And you entered into high school coming from a small private school. And as you just said, most of the kids you knew in eighth grade scattered. I would say most of them went to Pope. Most of them went to Pope. Which was the Catholic High School in Boca. Yeah, that was the logical step. Honestly, a lot of my friends that I considered good friends in middle school went to Pope. So it wasn't like people scattered, but the people I cared about and wanted to be friends with or was friends with and wanted to stay friends with, a lot of them went to Pope. I didn't want to go to Pope. So it didn't really change anything for me in terms of wanting to go to Pope now. Yeah, just to be clear, he could have gone to Pope. Yeah, I'm thinking the same thing. We totally failed this. No, no, no, he wanted to go to public school. That's funny. Okay, so just to be clear, he was a Catholic school child his whole life. He wanted to go to public high school. Can you share what was your motivation to switching into a totally different environment? I want to say it came down to, and this is so nerdy, but they only offer a

Can you share what was your motivation to switching into a totally different environment? I want to say it came down to, and this is so nerdy, but they only offer a couple college level classes for freshmen. And it was like, you're basically on our track, right? You're on our runway here. This is what you're able to take. You really can't overachieve. And I was a pretty bright kid in middle school. And I would got really good grades in high school. I went to Florida State with 72 credit hours. I was a junior before I even got to campus. So that wouldn't have happened. If I went to Pope, I wouldn't have gotten a double major in four years. Just a little sidetrack. I think a lot of parents have, there's a kid that's just smart and ours happened to be our first born. And I tell people, I didn't realize Nathan, Nathan is very, very brilliant. And I did not realize that until a parent came up to me. He was in second grade. And after school, a parent came up to me and said, "Oh my gosh, congratulations." And I was like, "For what?" And they're like, "Nathan won all time reading for the class." And I'm like, "Oh, cool." And they're like, "And he won all time math." And I'm like, "Oh, cool." And they're like, "And he won all time English." He won every single subject. And I was like, "That's when I came home." And I said to dad, "He's smart." And we had no idea. And so that's when we actually, up until then we had no idea. And it's interesting being-- I remember I'd get the stickers. I might be full with stickers all the time. He's the child who got the hundreds, who didn't really have to study. And he killed his ACT. So when he's talking about, and I'm not bragging because this had nothing to do with Brian or I, he was born this way.

who didn't really have to study. And he killed his ACT. So when he's talking about, and I'm not bragging because this had nothing to do with Brian or I, he was born this way. So part of making that decision to which high school to go to, what you're saying makes sense. You wanted to continue to be academically challenged because that's where you were coming from mentally. And this is not to shit on Pope at all. But I did like the fact that it was bigger. And honestly-- You mean Boca High? No, no, no, Pope is smaller. Yes. Right? So you're dealing with less. It was way more close knit. It was safer. It was a safer option. Yeah. Right. And honestly, I kind of skipped over it, but I got lucky with, and this probably influenced my decision. When we moved in sixth grade to the house we rented for a while, it's like five blocks from where we are now, I met Colin and Tyler, and through them met a lot of kids from the public school system. And what really helped was we had a park in our neighborhood three blocks down that a bus stop was at for the main, for Boca Middle, which is where a lot of the people, a lot of the people in Boca Middle, basically everyone in Boca Middle went to Boca High. They're really close by, I think it's the same zone, same bus loop, all that. So every Friday after school, after St. Joan, I'd go down to the park with a couple people that I was friends with on the public school system and meet all their friends. And I'm talking like 50 kids at the park. Yeah, yeah. And we would play football, basketball, just sit there and talk shit. That was the first time I ever saw a kid who was like in eighth grade get drunk right after school. And that was like, I went for my cushy little Catholic lifestyle to like,

That was the first time I ever saw a kid who was like in eighth grade get drunk right after school. And that was like, I went for my cushy little Catholic lifestyle to like, these kids are smoking weed and drinking and we're 14, like what is this? (laughing) I'm going to go into Boca High. Yeah. (laughing) I guess so. That's not how, but it did help me because when I went to Boca High, like I already had, as much as my friends went from St. Joan to Pope, I knew a lot of people going to Boca High still. So I kind of just switched friend groups. Well, there was a couple really good friends of mine from Boca High that also went to Pope, or a couple really good friends of mine from St. Joan that also went to Boca High. And I remember my freshman year, I'd say my first friend group was with a lot of those kids from St. Joan. And then we picked up some stragglers that we would hang out with in eighth grade that weren't going to St. Joan, but were going to like St. Paul, or the various middle schools around Boca. And then we all knew we were going to Boca High, like Dylan knew kids that he wasn't currently at school with, but were going to be at school with. And it was a lot of the same of that. So then it was three or four different schools of us all hanging out the first freshman year at Boca High. And then obviously I started meeting people. Would you say that transitioning into a public high school as a coming from a private school is much more challenging? I don't know, because I think Boca High was a little unique. We were a really good school, right? It was one of the best public schools in Florida. I think it still probably is, especially when our principal or director was there, we were like- It was 35th in the country, I think.

It was one of the best public schools in Florida. I think it still probably is, especially when our principal or director was there, we were like- It was 35th in the country, I think. Yeah, it was like an A plus plus school all four years I was there. It was run really well. Like it wasn't the stereotype of fights every day. Oh, that is not allowed. No, that wasn't a thing. It was business, right? Like I took like four college classes my freshman year. And so that honestly kept me away from the hooligans. Cause I had this little niche like STEM program that I was friends with and met a lot of the kids that they're all come from good families. They're all smart. They all knew that this was for college now. Right, like you guys drilled into me in eighth grade. You need to get good grades because this will be looked at. And I don't even know if that's true. It is. But this will be looked at to go to whatever college you want to go to. So that I had that mindset going into high school. It's like, this matters now. Like I can't fuck up. Well, part of that was you were taking two classes in eighth grade that were high school credit classes. Oh yeah, yeah. So there's math and something else. By English. So those counted, that was part of that. The one thing I would clarify too, it wasn't necessarily you have to get good grades. You have to do well so you have options. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then it opens up the landscape of what you can do. Choices. But so my experience in high school is definitely different than a lot of people's. And probably not a lot of my friends because we're all pretty similarly like smart and driven. And I think a lot of the people I'm friends with now had that same mindset of, I'm not going to be a fuck up.

because we're all pretty similarly like smart and driven. And I think a lot of the people I'm friends with now had that same mindset of, I'm not going to be a fuck up. And I'm not just going to like skate by and just try to have fun. Obviously I had a ton of fun in high school. No, I mean. High school was a lot of fun. Yeah, I mean, let's say that was my next question. So although you were very academic minded, you also partying. Well, not freshman year. Freshman year I was pretty focused. Obviously that was, you know, that's when I had my first serious girlfriend which took a lot of my time. And then yeah, I was in a lot of really hard classes. And I was like, it wasn't that hard. Like I got good grades all four years of high school but it was definitely a step up from middle school and from being in the like, this is the, you know, these are the classes you're going to take. You have to take these right when I got to high school. I kind of had an option. And I remember I took a couple of AP classes. I think my easiest classes probably like Spanish. And that's just because I got taught Spanish for five years down here. But the rest of the classes were all AP, ACE and I had to take these like college level tests. But so freshman year was definitely like still, still a young kid, still figuring it out. I think I switched front groups like two or three times in between, I'd say from the start of freshman year to the end of sophomore year, I had a whole new group like every nine months probably. Would you say that's common? Cause I think I'm seeing that again. It's sort of like high school, the freshman year of high school feels like a transitionary year. Well, you got to think about it. Cause so this is the big difference. Every class of Oka High,

It's sort of like high school, the freshman year of high school feels like a transitionary year. Well, you got to think about it. Cause so this is the big difference. Every class of Oka High, I had different kids in that class. And again, we'll go back to the, you have to automatically become friends with these people because this was the same group of people I was in class with at seven periods. Yeah. I think I had four college level classes. So in those college level classes, they were mostly freshmen, but I did have some sophomores, juniors and seniors. Like my AP human geography class was third period. I had like five seniors and these kids are like going out on the weekends, coming in hungover on Monday, like talking all this shit. I'm like, what the heck? I'm going home and playing Xbox or like throwing the football or something. Like I'm still 14. So it was, that was a wild thing to then go from was this tiny little middle school to these kids who are driving and going out on the weekends and like, you know, having sex and all this shit. Yeah. Right. To go back to the academic part, I remember, that geography class, I remember he needed help. And I started reading your book and it's this book like this big and it's college level science. And I'm like, you're on your own buddy. (laughs) Yeah. You helped me out with math after eighth grade. Yeah. I'd come home and be like, have questions. And you're both like, and there was no chat GPT. No. So you're both like, you would study the book. You'd have to go back and teach yourself a lesson. We're not stupid, but there was like- I'm stupid in math, but we ended up hiring a tutor a couple of times. Mr. Weiss helped you a little bit. Yeah, I was like, probably sophomore or junior year.

We're not stupid, but there was like- I'm stupid in math, but we ended up hiring a tutor a couple of times. Mr. Weiss helped you a little bit. Yeah, I was like, probably sophomore or junior year. But in general, you handled all of your academics pretty much on your own. I always high school figured out. I never went to my locker. I never carried around textbooks. I did my second period homework in first period. I did my third period homework in second period and so on and so forth. And sometimes like in my seventh period, I do the days homework, they got assigned real quick. So I could just go home and then go out and fuck around. Be a kid. Well, I think honestly- High school was easy. But there were some classes you had to study and you had never studied before. And I remember you being frustrated because it's almost like you had to learn study habits for the first time. And it's too bad because I didn't have any going into college and I got blindsided. That got real. I think that happens for kids who where academics come naturally. And so they never learned study habits. And then you end up going somewhere. Like if it hits you at the end of high school or in college, you actually have to learn study habits for the first time in your life. Well, I'd say the biggest difference is in high school, you got to test like every couple of weeks. So it was chapter one's quiz is on Friday. Okay, that's 15 pages of the textbook. I can memorize that real fast and smoke that. Then you go to college. It's like, all right, class, we're gonna have our test in November. It's August right now. So figure out how to retain three months of information. And this is gonna decide your grade. And it's like, whoa. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, yeah.

It's August right now. So figure out how to retain three months of information. And this is gonna decide your grade. And it's like, whoa. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, yeah. And then you're cramming a whole semester of work like 10 days before the test, sitting there. It was like a full-time job. And that was the beauty of my major too was this was so scheduled. I would go to class and learn whatever and write the papers and do these little quizzes. But then you really only had to be on like two times a semester. That's all the tests would line up. But I did not, high school did not, that was not like that. No, it wasn't. So then just to go back, you played baseball from the time you were five until when did you stop with baseball? It was 14 or 15. I got kind of fucked. What made you, cause you didn't play in high school, what made you decide to stop after eighth grade? So I was, we did the first league of the Boca Little League. Yeah. Right? And we played at FAU Stadium. I remember that, we're the Phillies. Yeah. I got to pitch on their stadium. Yeah. Yeah. And so I remember that was a great season. That was probably my best season of baseball. That was 13, 14. Seventh grade. No, no, no, that was- Well, no, at that point you were 12. It was Little League. No, but like Connor was on my team and we had, maybe that was eighth grade. Well. Cause I came into high school and I knew some of my teammates at Boca High from the year before. I think it was eighth grade. So I was like 13, 14, like starting pitcher, pitching as much as my arm could let me, leading off hitting. And then if I wasn't pitching, I was like dicking around in the outfield, which I hated. Yeah. But I was, it was like, I was figuring out baseball, total assets of the team.

And then if I wasn't pitching, I was like dicking around in the outfield, which I hated. Yeah. But I was, it was like, I was figuring out baseball, total assets of the team. You also closed. Yeah, I would pitch all the time. Yeah. And then the next season that like league ended. And then my birthday was March 31st. So the cutoff made it. So I had to play as a 14 year old with 16 year olds. And like, I was throwing like 40, 50 maybe, and hitting 40, 50, and it was all fastballs. And all of a sudden these kids were throwing 50 mile per hour curve balls, 65 mile per hour fastballs. And there was no loading period. And so what happened was because I was the smallest kid on the team or youngest kid- You would not be younger than you were in the league. No, it was fucked. Because you were the first day of the new year. Yeah. So, and you would drive me to practice. These kids were shaving and driving. Yeah, I think that tricked you out. I rode the bench the whole year and I was like, fuck this, I don't want to play this anymore. And I honestly, it burned me out on baseball. It's too bad because I was good and getting better. And then it just all fell apart and I didn't want to do it anymore. Because that one season was like, hey, I'm good on this. Like these kids take away, and it was a mental thing, right? I remember older, been playing for longer, probably had a couple of years of experience on the belt and way more serious about it, where I was still like kind of a kid. And like, this was just the extra curriculum. Like I've been playing sports my whole life. This is what I do. I didn't take it that serious. I do travel. Dylan probably takes the cross a little bit more serious. You guys take Dylan's across more serious

sports my whole life. This is what I do. I didn't take it that serious. I do travel. Dylan probably takes the cross a little bit more serious. You guys take Dylan's across more serious than we took my baseball and that's just how it was. But then you show up and you get in this league where you're the youngest kid. And honestly, I was just outclassed physically. I remember there was one kid who was driving to practice. He was a baller and it was very serious. He had a beard. He had a beard, yeah. And it was like, I'd know that tripped you out. And it was like-- My voice was still cracking. You were pitching against him. He was gonna hit the ball. No, I didn't play. Yeah. Well, you did get out there a few times. I remember watching, but-- It was like bottom of the lineup, left bench. Yeah, see you. You having fun, Nate? Like, not really. Well, plus add on to it. This is South Florida. We are a baseball state still, right? Football and we're baseball and we're soccer. South Florida baseball's-- It's every sport down here. There's so many people and there's so many athletes. You can practice any sport year round. If you wanna get nasty, you can get nasty. Yeah, yeah. So you ended up not playing baseball in high school. No, I did stupid cross country. You did cross country. You did cross country, I think, for two years, right? A year and a half, then I tweaked my back and I was done with that. You were done with that. And then I started partying. Yeah. (both laughing) I quit sports. I was like, "I'm gonna go drink and talk to girls. I'm done with this shit." (both laughing) Yeah, so you-- I didn't know that. Yeah, so you would say you started partying, what, like mid-softmore year? Yeah. Yeah, yeah. As soon as, because it was,

(both laughing) Yeah, so you-- I didn't know that. Yeah, so you would say you started partying, what, like mid-softmore year? Yeah. Yeah, yeah. As soon as, because it was, so cross country was in the fall, then it was a track, and I was pretty quick. I wasn't the fastest kid, but I was pretty quick. But it sucked. Like, every day after school, "All right, let's run five miles." Yeah, I know, right? Great. In the heat. Awesome. In South Florida. So then sophomore year, cross country, roll around, and I had a few friends on the team. And they all felt the same way. So we'd do these off-campus runs, and Whole Foods is right across the street from the track. So the coach would be like, "Go run. Go run your four miles." We'd walk over to Whole Foods, get pizza, sit on the bench, wait for our team to run by, and then hop in the back and go back to practice. Oh my God. And I'm like, "God, get me out of this shit. This sucks." And then I think I had that, I had like tweaked something in my back, didn't do track, and then never went back. Yeah, you had a soft tissue and injury on your back, and then you didn't go back, and then you ended up having a lot of fun in high school, but still maintained your grades and everything. Had a long-term girlfriend, did the whole traditional-- There was an honor roll every semester. Yeah, yeah, did all that. And then it came time for college, and we did do a tour your sophomore year, and right from then, you wanted FSU. Yeah, I remember going to, we drove by UCF, which I don't wanna be too mean, but Orlando's the worst city in this country. (laughing) And then we went to Gainesville, and Gainesville was just bland. Like the buildings were white and gray, I think. Just looked very cookie-cutter, spread out.

worst city in this country. (laughing) And then we went to Gainesville, and Gainesville was just bland. Like the buildings were white and gray, I think. Just looked very cookie-cutter, spread out. Well, we actually, we went to FSU first. Maybe that's where it was. Because I remember you're like, "This is it. I don't wanna steal a thundergourd." Yeah, because I was used to like bricks. Yeah. It looks like a college. Yeah. And when I didn't have, so I wasn't one of those kids that was like thinking about going to Harvard the whole four years. I'm not gonna lie, I didn't think about college until it was like, "All right, we need to apply for college." Yeah. I didn't have a dream college I wanted to go to. I just knew, it was just, the gist was, I have really good grades, and I have extracurricular stuff. Like, you know, I was volunteering. I had a bunch of service hours. I did sports for a little bit. So I knew that I would be able, yeah, and I worked a lot. Junior and senior year, I worked a lot. I worked like three to four days a week at Custom I. Was that at Custom I? Yeah. Okay, yeah. Yeah, you worked a lot, and you did-- Sunshine. You did a lot of volunteer work with-- Tons of volunteer work. Mentally and disabled children. Yeah, the whole summer. Yeah, you still do it. Yeah, you still do that. But, so yeah, you had a great resume. But my whole thing was, I never really cared about where I was gonna go because I just knew I'd be able to go somewhere. Right. And there were kids in my grade that were like, "I'm gonna go to Cornell. "I'm gonna go to Harvard." They were smart kids, smarter than me. Like, they cared, they didn't go out. I didn't see them at the parties. Right. Yeah. Right, so I was like, "I'm gonna go to college

They were smart kids, smarter than me. Like, they cared, they didn't go out. I didn't see them at the parties. Right. Yeah. Right, so I was like, "I'm gonna go to college "and get into a good school, "but I'm still gonna have friends and, you know." The balance. Do things. Yeah. Right. So that was never a concern of mine. And then we went to Florida State and, you know, you see the, you see like, I remember watching Blue Mountain State when I was a kid, which is like this school about this, or this show about this backup quarterback, who just loves being the backup out of college because he just gets fucked up and, you know, he's just doing whatever in college. And I remember like seeing that campus, it's like the bricks. And any movie you see is always this, you know, very like historic looking campus. And then, yeah, we went to Florida State and it's like, this is it. I mean, you think about that fountain going into that Ruby Diamond Hall at the top of College Ave, and it's like, "Geez, this place is awesome." So we went there and then hit Gainesville and UF on the way back and then UCF, and I'm like, "Eh." Yeah. Let them download. I remember. They're like, "Do you wanna go look anywhere else now? "Let's just go there, that works." It's true. I remember we had a little tension, cause I was like, "You gotta at least go look at UF." And you were like, "No." And we got there and it was like tense. It was tense. I remember being in the gift shop and I think we were all like kind of being snippy. Cause you're surrounded by blue and orange versus garden and gold. There's just, that's what she's just so excited. Well, you had made up your mind and you fell in love. You had made up your mind and you did get into both and you chose FSU. Yeah.

There's just, that's what she's just so excited. Well, you had made up your mind and you fell in love. You had made up your mind and you did get into both and you chose FSU. Yeah. Yeah, so. Nothing's funnier than the day I got into Florida State. There's two things actually, it's hilarious. I remember I took the SAT and the SAT is very writing focused. I don't like writing. I'm good at reading comprehension. I like reading, I read every night for about an hour and a half. I've been reading for about every night. Probably fifth grade, right? I think I've read Harry Potter like seven times and I've read it for the first time in like fourth or fifth grade. We used to go get the books probably even earlier, honestly. You've read more books in your life than I've read in mine. Easily. Yeah. I read like 30 books last year. I've already read five this year. It's the 10th. Something stupid. I think I'm on my fourth book and it's the 10th. Well, and kids your age, actually your age and maybe a little older will remember those midnight releases of the Harry Potter books and we would go to the local bookstore in Sparta. The Green Bean or whatever. Yeah, what was the Sparta bookstore next to Green Bean? Next to Green Bean. And we'd all be waiting in line and you guys would dress up a little bit or some kids would dress up, but I'm sure there's-- That was second grade, third grade. Yeah, I'm sure it's a shared experience. I'm sure there's many kids your age remember actually the release of the next Harry Potter book. And yes, you were reading those at that age. Yeah, but so I took the SAT and we did like pre-SAT stuff. I didn't do tutoring at all. A lot of kids did tutoring. Like my girlfriend at the time tutored every week

reading those at that age. Yeah, but so I took the SAT and we did like pre-SAT stuff. I didn't do tutoring at all. A lot of kids did tutoring. Like my girlfriend at the time tutored every week for the SAT just to get better at test taking. I'm a good test taker. I like tests. I don't like writing. I hate writing. I would get bad grades on writing and you give me a test, I'll study, fine. So I remember I took the SAT and walked out of it like, "Damn, that didn't go well." And I didn't even get that bad of a grade, but I got a grade where I had to work on it. And then I took the ACT and I remember walking out of that bitch like, "I just smoked that test." I think that was so easy. And she's like, "So we got my SAT score before my ACT score "because it takes a little bit to get it." I got like a bad grade in the SAT and she's like, "Let's get you in tutoring. "Let's do this. "I'll sign you up. "We'll get you the whole test book. "It'll take a couple hours, but we'll get you there." And I'm like, "You need to relax. "It'll be okay. "I have a good grade coming. "Don't worry about it." She's like, "No, no, no, no. "I'm like, just wait. "I'll do tutoring if my ACT score "isn't as good as I think it is." And then the ACT score comes out and it was like middle, it was like on the upper end of what you needed to get in first aid. Way upper end. Yeah, it was like a 29. And then I took it again and super scored, it's like a 31. And I was just like, "Yeah, yeah, no tutoring. "I'm good." I took the test twice and that was it. We were done, no. And I never took the SAT again. I was like, "I'm sticking to this test. "That's not my thing." And that happens. I know your sister, the SAT was better for her. Yeah, my girlfriend at

And I never took the SAT again. I was like, "I'm sticking to this test. "That's not my thing." And that happens. I know your sister, the SAT was better for her. Yeah, my girlfriend at the time only did the SAT. She took the ACT once and was like, "That sucked. "I'm never gonna get good at that." Because that's way more problem solving, I think more math and science focused. So you chose Florida State. Oh yeah, that's what I was gonna say. And the day you found out. So my whole life and it's still an issue I have now, I hate waking up and also I stay up way too late. Middle school and high school, I was probably up till 1 a.m. every night, even though I was waking up at like seven. And I'd wake up to toast made and my shower on and hot. Hot water going. Because she knew. Your brother's in the same boat. Well she knew because I'd wake up and be, leave me alone. She's like, "The shower's on, we're wasting water. "Get in there." And then she'd throw my ass in there and it'd be like hot already. And that just wakes you up. I think that's why I shower every morning before I go to work. Well I would hope that's one of the reasons you shower. A lot of my friends shower at night. Oh. And don't shower in the morning. I shower in the morning. I can't wake up unless I shower. Yeah, totally. Like that's like my cup of coffee, it's hopping in the shower. So I remember, this was probably what, senior year, right? Yeah, no senior year and it would have been like-- Fall, it was November. I remember I had the whole semester after I found out to just fuck around. Because I knew I was getting into college. So she wakes me up, she's like, "Come on, the results are here, the results are here. "Open the thing." I'm like, "I got in, leave me alone, let me sleep.

getting into college. So she wakes me up, she's like, "Come on, the results are here, the results are here. "Open the thing." I'm like, "I got in, leave me alone, let me sleep. "I wanna go back to bed." Oh, so you're seeing the envelope from Memphis who came in. Early, early decision. Early admission, yeah. So she's like, "Open it up, let's see if you got in." And this was like 15 minutes before my shower is supposed to be taking place. I'm like, "Whoa, whoa, it's just 7.15. "Leave me alone, I'll open it." I'm like, "I got in, don't worry about it." She hands me the envelope, I open it up, I'm like, "Yeah, see, I got in, let me go back to bed." It was so uneventful. And now kids get these emails with all these like confetti and everything, but you got a nice envelope with a beautiful letter and it was so uneventful. He's like, "Yeah, I got in." Like, can you close the door please? Turn the light off. I'm gonna fuck around. Oh, that semester was awesome. We had so many people that got those early admissions and then I still got really good grades and the issue was my senior year of high school had eight college classes and I only had six classes. Or I had seven college classes, but the way I worked at Boca High was the older you could drop a class. So freshman year you had seven, sophomore year you had seven, then junior year you could leave a period early. So then we were getting out after sixth period instead of seventh period. And I think you could have done fifth period senior year, but being the nerd I was, I just took another class. And then one of those classes was a double block. So it was microeconomics in the fall, in the fall semester, fall like winter. And then like US government or something. Yes.

And then one of those classes was a double block. So it was microeconomics in the fall, in the fall semester, fall like winter. And then like US government or something. Yes. Some government or like political course in the second semester. So I had seven AP classes and I still had to like dial back in to make sure I pass those to get those credits so I didn't just waste those classes. So like there was a lot of us that knew we were going to school, didn't have any worries. There were still a lot of people like taking the ACT, SAT, trying to rush the shit in. And for those that knew we were good and going to school, it was like, all right, let's, we can hang out after school now. Go out every, we were going out every Friday and Saturday. I was still working a lot, but it was like, it was go mode because everyone was leaving and we all, we were all getting older and looking older. A lot of us had fake IDs. And I remember that was a really fun semester. Because there was no worries. It was like, all right, we did it. You did it like four months ahead of time and you still had to graduate, but that wasn't an issue for me. Like that was automatic. The hard work stuff. It's maintaining, it's what I've told Dylan is that-- It was like, don't fuck up. Yeah, yeah. I've told Dylan you put in the work freshmen sophomore junior year to get into college and then you just maintain senior year. Senior year should not be where you're still trying to work to get into school. No, the resume was there. But if you want to set yourself up. The resume was there. It was like, just continue, like, don't do it. Like, don't get a DUI, don't get arrested. Don't do something dumb. Just stay out of jail. Don't get a girl pregnant. 100%, it was like, just

It was like, just continue, like, don't do it. Like, don't get a DUI, don't get arrested. Don't do something dumb. Just stay out of jail. Don't get a girl pregnant. 100%, it was like, just don't do anything too dumb. And then you did at FSU, everyone typically does the summer session. So you headed up to Talley. This was our first child that we took to college. So I remember that was an interesting year for us because you were graduating high school. Kaya was graduating eighth grade. So she was graduating from Catholic school and our youngest was graduating kindergarten. So we had three graduations that time. It was a very, one of those things would be emotional for a mother. I had three and I-- That was a fun year. It was a great year, but I remember suppressing my emotions during that last month or so because I knew if I started crying over any of these things, I wouldn't stop. And I remember when we dropped you off at Degrath dorm. By the McDonald's. We got you all set up at Degrath. And I remember I grabbed, when we checked out of the hotel, I grabbed a box of Kleenex before we dropped him off. We took him to breakfast, we dropped him off. I remember looking in the side mirror and just watching you walk. I can still see it walk away from us into Degrath. And I remember, and I'm sure you do, I opened that box and I cry, tallied to where we live is-- Five and a half, six hours. With the way that Brian drives, like six hours. I think you stopped crying. You finally settled down around Gainesville and Ocala, which is about an hour and a half to two hours away. Two and a half, two hours. I don't know. I felt like it was all the way to Orlando before I calmed down, but it could be. I just remember I started crying

a half to two hours away. Two and a half, two hours. I don't know. I felt like it was all the way to Orlando before I calmed down, but it could be. I just remember I started crying and I didn't stop for a really long time. And I remember Kaya and Dylan were in the back and just everyone was silent. Everyone let me have my moment, but I had waited because I wanted you guys to have each of your moments to be positive and happy and not about my sadness. So I waited until I could just do it where everyone had their moment and now it's mine. And I thought I cried till Orlando, but maybe not. But then the second time we dropped you off in the fall-- I turned you out at about Lake City. You got off, I'm 10, you're like, holy fuck. Everyone was dead quiet. But then the, I always tell people the first time's the hardest. The second time was when we brought you back in the fall and I didn't cry as much. I cried for a bit and then I just ate a bit. Oh, that's right, because I didn't have a car. Yeah, so we had to bring you up. So you guys were bringing me up, right? Because summer was six weeks? Yes, so then you came home for a while. For August, we brought you up and I cried for a bit and then I ate a pie when we got home. Well, but by then too, that's after summer, everyone's fear was gone and probably mostly yours too, right? You're like, I'm ready to get back. I'm not scared. There's no nerves, because I got this shit. I don't remember having much nerves going into college. He had no nerves. I was ready. He was so ready, yeah. You had a great time in college. I also knew a good amount of people going up and I had a really good summer. I met a lot of people, like I met Mason's in the summer and then I got the summer bid to my frat,

I also knew a good amount of people going up and I had a really good summer. I met a lot of people, like I met Mason's in the summer and then I got the summer bid to my frat, which was that would have been the nerves, would have rushed. But I hung around that frat long enough and just integrated myself with those people. It just kind of worked. I didn't even mean for that to happen. A lot of the kids from Boca go up to Fei Del and a lot of my friends went into Fei Del and I was around there a little bit, but I didn't really want to just be in the same fraternity with all the people I just grew up with. And there were some people that obviously went different ways, but I remember I met Mason and then he introduced me to a lot of the kids in the frat I joined. So then it was like every day, him and I would hit the gym together every day, play racquetball and then go to the frat house. I wasn't even in the frat yet. And then by like the fourth week of the summer, one of my really good friends, Pierce, who I'm still really good friends with, him and another guy who I had eventually lived with offered me the summer bid. And then it was like, well, now I'm good. I don't have to do rush. I'm just gonna go up. I already have this bid. I just have to show up and I'm good. If I didn't get that summer bid, I probably would have been like, fuck, I gotta go through this. So would you say that summer session, if you're interested in Greek life and if your college has a summer session, utilize that to network? Even if you're not trying to join a frat or sorority, you should 100% go do the summer C or summer B session. In Florida, it's called summer B or summer C. I think UF's the summer B or summer A. Florida's stated summer C or summer B.

you should 100% go do the summer C or summer B session. In Florida, it's called summer B or summer C. I think UF's the summer B or summer A. Florida's stated summer C or summer B. Cause there's a summer A is all 12 weeks. It's like a full term. That's right. Then there's the first six weeks, the second six weeks. The way the freshmen works is you come in on the second six weeks, which includes July 4th. July 4th is like the first weekend or second weekend up there. So you're moving into college and all of a sudden it's the 4th of July. And that's one of the biggest days at Tallahassee. But so I would definitely encourage you to do that because A, you learn where the buildings are and you kind of figure out your day to day of like, where am I gonna eat, how to do laundry in the dorm where you have to put quarters in or whatever. Yeah. I mean, I was spoiled. I got fed, I never did my own laundry and I didn't really clean. So all of a sudden I have all these things that are now my responsibility and I still suck at, but I had to figure that out. Yeah, yeah. And so that was a good six weeks because the way the summer session works is I took, one class was a joke, it was like computer studies. And as long as you memorize the little test sheet you gave you, you walk in and get 100. And it was these like classes that were like smushed into a six week schedule. A condensed schedule, yeah. And you just whipped through it real quick. They're really easy. Like it was so easy. I got my English class out of the way. Never did English again. And I hated that class. I hated, it was again, writing. Well, we should say you entered in with so many credits. You were officially a junior. So there were some prereqs you didn't even have to take.

I hated, it was again, writing. Well, we should say you entered in with so many credits. You were officially a junior. So there were some prereqs you didn't even have to take. Yeah, I took one math class. I took one science class. I took one English class my whole four years of college. Right, because of that. Thank God. Because those classes, college algebra smoked me and I'm good at math. It is so much harder when you're not in like a 30 person class learning, when you don't have like attention from the teacher. Yeah, so I didn't have to worry about all that. And I used that summer session to get rid of English. But no, I would encourage that 100%. Because I met some people, right? It worked out for me probably better than a lot of people. Just because I did get that bid and I automatically came up like knowing this is the frat I was gonna rush and associate myself with. And it helped me out during rush because I came in being the kid who was hanging out with them and partying with them all summer. But like we would go out a lot with those kids and whenever they'd get a table or have like a bus come to pick them up and like do all this stuff. Me, my girlfriend and her roommate were all invited. So we just had this like, I came up with like a system in place already. So it worked out really well for me. But even if that didn't happen, it still would have gotten me somewhat acclimated to living on my own. So what would you say-- Without a lot of pressure. Right, right. So what did Greek life and your frat give you? Would you say? In the moment and also still? So for me, a lot. And it's one of those things where you can make a lot of it. Right, there was people like myself and my friend group

Would you say? In the moment and also still? So for me, a lot. And it's one of those things where you can make a lot of it. Right, there was people like myself and my friend group who were around the house all the time involved in the pledge process, involved in like I was on the pledge committee rushing kids every year. I was in the interview room, interviewing these new kids, freshmen to see if they were cool or not. So I got to vet out, that was one thing I did a lot. I got to vet out these new people. And I had a lot of final says on if these people could get in or not with other people. But so for me, I was always around it. That became like my social life. I didn't really hang out with a lot of people. Even people I was friends with from high school or from Boca, I didn't see them a lot because it was like, I'm just gonna chill with my frat. But for me, it gave me that, right? It gave me a friend group that I'm still really good friends with to this day. It gave me a job. I saw from a year I was DJing for my fraternity and that helped me DJ everywhere else. So that was great. That was like basically a recommendation to everyone else in Tallahassee, like this is our DJ. He does this all the time. Like it gave me a resume. So that was nice. And then junior and senior year, mainly senior year, I was the pledge educator. So that was the first time I was ever in charge of people, ever. I was like a manager of 60 kids, right? I had to keep them on track, made sure they weren't failing out of school, made sure they were learning the history of our fraternity, made sure they weren't fucking around, making sure they were learning how to carry themselves correctly and not being weird towards girls

the history of our fraternity, made sure they weren't fucking around, making sure they were learning how to carry themselves correctly and not being weird towards girls and not being like a jackass at the bar. And that was the first time I've ever, probably the only time still where I've ever been like a manager of someone. It's almost, sounds like you were mentoring those kids in a sense. Yeah, that's probably a little like too polite of a way to play it. They were definitely, they liked me, but there was definitely like a factor of like, this kid could totally flip my life upside down if I don't respect him and listen to what he's saying. So it was an easy situation. Cause it's like, I was their guy. They'd confide to me. Like I remember one kid came up to me my first year doing pledge educator and he's like, man, brother Barker. They always cut, we, most fraternities aren't included. If as a pledge, you had to say like brother last name or brother, whatever, certain people would, other things. I hated it. I never made them call me that. I always got mad at them if they'd call me that. I was like, dude, just call me Nate. Like I don't want to hear you ever say brother Nate, brother Barker, like that shit's weird. You have to do that with everybody else unless they tell you otherwise, but please do not call me that. I just felt awkward. It's like, you're, some of them are my age. I'm not going to look down on you. Like I'm no better than you. You just happened to not be a brother yet. You're just a pledge. And so I remember this one kid came up to me at the end of my first year, first semester doing that. And he's like, brother Barker, man, I just can't, I can't do this anymore. Like I'm losing my mind. Like what do I do?

one kid came up to me at the end of my first year, first semester doing that. And he's like, brother Barker, man, I just can't, I can't do this anymore. Like I'm losing my mind. Like what do I do? And it was, they were getting initiated the next day. And I was like, listen pal, you need to nut up. Like you got one more day. I'm not, I'm like, you cannot tell anybody this, but just listen to me. I was like, you have one more day and you get initiated tomorrow. He's like, are you fucking with me? I'm like, I'm being a hundred percent serious. If I find out you tell them, I will kick you out. So like you just, you got to hold on. And he was like, all right, thank you. Then the next day. So it was like, that was the first time I ever had to deal with anything like that. Where it's like, I'm like responsible for this kid's wellbeing. And so I would say like to back to your question, you know, it taught me a lot. Obviously it gave me this really good friend group and you guys have met most of them. A lot of good guys. And I think both Ben and Abdel have talked about this on the previous episodes. We have a group shout out of like 22 people that talks every day. I'll probably get off this recording this and I guarantee you there's a message in that group shout about something. And that started with Pierce, Ben and I when we used to go to Music Festival sophomore year. There's the three of us. And then as time went on and honestly as people got initiated, right? Like Ben and I were the first Ben Abe, Abdel and I and Mack were all in the same pledge class. So we were all in the fraternity. Pierce was there. He's a couple years older than us. Then shortly after that, like Jesus, Quinn and Ali were all in the same

all in the same pledge class. So we were all in the fraternity. Pierce was there. He's a couple years older than us. Then shortly after that, like Jesus, Quinn and Ali were all in the same pledge class and they came in. So those guys were behind you? Abdel, no, Abdel, Abe, Mack and Ben were all my pledge brothers, fall 2019. So then like that was like the first stage. And then as each pledge class came in, we'd be very involved because a lot of my friends were similar to me. We'd be around the house every day. Cause there's people who get initiated and you never see them again until there's a party. That's really interesting. And they'll come cause there's free booze and girls. That's cool. If that's what you want to do, like that's what a lot of people joined the ship for. And then they have friend groups that they hang out with. But for us, it was like, why not make the most of this? Everyone here we like. And we also had a huge pledge class of like 55 people or whatever, 49. So you just instantly have this friendship and this group to hang out with. And I never really looked past that. It was like, hey, I like a lot of these people. And we hung out every day, literally every day, either at my place or Abe's place or someone's apartment. It was every day. And there was even more people, like it was a bigger group. Obviously it's gotten reduced over time. But it's like that group chat started with three people. And then as these pledge classes came in, it was mainly like we were going to music festivals and doing this. And then eventually after Pierce Bennett, I went to like five or 10 of these things. Some of the other people were like, well, shit, this looks fun, I want to come. And then they'd start coming with us.

I went to like five or 10 of these things. Some of the other people were like, well, shit, this looks fun, I want to come. And then they'd start coming with us. And then they'd get out into the group chat. And then a new pledge class would get initiated like Ali and Quentin Jesus. And then it was like, well, we like them too. Let's get them in the group chat. And I think the last one that got out was probably Evan McKenna, because he was the class I was in charge of. He was the last addition to our chat. And now it's like 20 strong. So you've mentioned a few times, you've said music festival. And my memories of those years, once you, I don't know if this started during high school, I feel like it started when you got into college. High school. End of high school? Yeah, think about it. Junior year I went to Ultra. Ultra, yeah. Ultra. So that would have been the beginning, right, Ultra. So music festivals were a constant in your life from 16 probably until just a couple of years ago, right? I mean, I just went to base after for three nights last week. But I mean on a regular basis, but yes. No, I went to a music festival in April with Corey. Oh, true. So there's still-- I went to Suwani. Yes, yes. So music festivals entered your life when you were 16. As you already know. It's reduced, but it's still a thing. I mean, if another really good festival pops up in the area, I'll probably look into it. And I kind of equate that. Our listeners probably don't know, or they may, if they've listened to past episodes, but Brian and I are dead heads, and we have been dead heads since we were 16 years old, 15, 16, where we started seeing them live, and are still, and just like how Nathan said, if a music festival comes around, he's going,

and we have been dead heads since we were 16 years old, 15, 16, where we started seeing them live, and are still, and just like how Nathan said, if a music festival comes around, he's going, if there's typically anything high quality, dead related, we go still, and we're 53. It's just music in general. It's music in general. It's not even specific to music publishers. And that's why I think my friend Group and I are still such good friends. That's what I was going to say is, do you feel that the common bond that really has held you guys together was music? Yeah, so like obviously I was our DJ for a while. Now my buddy, Alec, his DJ name is Illo, Superfire. Definitely check him out if you haven't. Dropped the bond there. He is firey. He's incredible. He's incredible. So he's kind of carried the torch now, and he's gotten way better than I ever was. It's been awesome to see. But so like that was always a thing. A lot of what we did in college, and this is why I have a lot of my friends, is I would DJ at the bars and whatnot, but a lot of what I did was DJing after we go out. Like the 2 a.m. to 3 a.m. late night after party stuff. And so we do it a lot at Kappa Sigma because that was the best speaker system in the world. We had this like just super way too obnoxiously loud bass from a JBL bass from Guitar Center. But we had no business having that set up. It's still to this day one of my favorite places to DJ. How did you get that? Did you guys talk even to-- No, I was sorry, it was all there. Okay. And yeah, I mean, that's a different story if we want to talk about how I even got into DJing, but that was already there. So we do that a lot at Kappa Sigma, but then junior year we met a lot of these. We had some friends from Atlanta

if we want to talk about how I even got into DJing, but that was already there. So we do that a lot at Kappa Sigma, but then junior year we met a lot of these. We had some friends from Atlanta and a lot of the kids that he was friends with in Atlanta went to another fraternity. And you guys have heard me imagine these people like Gage and Cole. So they were in a different fraternity. They lived at an off-campus house with an also really good speaker system. And they had a six person house and everyone in there didn't care if we DJed or not. So the whole thing was like, even if we wouldn't go out, like senior year, I'd barely went out senior year. It was just like, "Yo, let's go DJ somewhere and let's just invite people and get booze or whatever." And so that was a lot of what our friend group did was like, "All right, where are we gonna go party?" We would just kind of make our own little parties and just do our thing. Cause like either I was DJing or Gage was DJing or our buddy Finn was DJing. We were just friends with, we kind of created this like DJ friend group to where there was always someone willing to DJ regardless of the hour. And then it was, let's invite as many people as we want. And people would always come. If you're playing music and there's, you know, booze and people talking, like you can easily get people to get behind that. And that was a lot of what our friend group did was either party at the house just on our own or like I'd skip happy hour, invite 10 people over and they could invite whoever they wanted. We all just sit in the backyard and I would just play music and we'd dick around. Yeah. And that's how our friend group kind of function. And then you guys would go to different festivals

We all just sit in the backyard and I would just play music and we'd dick around. Yeah. And that's how our friend group kind of function. And then you guys would go to different festivals like Okeechobee, you went to Ultra, Bay Sector New Year's Eve and others that, you saw Charles I and you traveled. You guys would travel. You're going in March to see somebody in March. Yeah, going to see Grammatic and the Red Rocks. Right. I'm going to Tampa in February to see, just do the other trees with some coal engage. So all these people I just mentioned, I still hang out with bullets. And like, I'll hang out with them without music, but a lot of it's like, hey, this guy's coming to Tampa. You should come out and it'd be nice to see you and we can go to this concert. All of you guys are actually working and professional now, different cities. So it makes sense. That's the common bond. We kind of wait for a good concert to pop up and then get as many people as they can to jump on it. And then additionally, because of being our son, I think, the Grateful Dead has been a part of your life literally since you were born. And so you are also a deadhead. So you have these two worlds in a way of, you're very much into this one type of music, heavy bass or however you would describe it. And then you're also very much into jam bands and Grateful Dead and that life, I would say. And so I think it's really interesting. I think your life is very consumed with music. It's literally, yeah, that's all I do. Yeah. Like I always listen to music. I don't understand how people either don't like it or like my buddy at work just doesn't, he doesn't have an aux cord. He just listens to the radio. I'm like, you're fucking out of your mind. Right, right.

people either don't like it or like my buddy at work just doesn't, he doesn't have an aux cord. He just listens to the radio. I'm like, you're fucking out of your mind. Right, right. I'm either commutes 10 minutes and I'm like, all right, what am I gonna listen to? It's funny if I ever were in the car, the first thing he does is touches the radio. I can be in the car in silent. He's been like, how do you do this? And it's for me, it's like, I just want silence. I want peace and he's dialed in. Well, he hasn't been a career hit. I go to the beach and bring my speaker. Then when I take a shower from the beach, I bring my speaker into the bathroom. And then I'll listen to my music until I hop on Xbox or leave the house. That's hilarious. So it's just always on. So another aspect of that is, and I've told people that you and Kaya weren't necessarily close when you were growing up. And I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that, you know, you guys had different personalities. You were very compliant, easygoing, and she was very strong headed, strong willed, and a little more loud as a young child. And then you guys-- She's crazy. (both laughing) You guys came to this union that I think was music. It was bonded over music, yeah. It was bonded over music. You took her to Ultra and she actually had to get a fake ID to prove she was 16 to go to Ultra with you. And from those music festivals, from that very start, she was 15, I think that's what was the bridge to form that you guys are basically best friends now, and you continue to see music together. So I can tie this into why I'm friends with my friends and why my friends are friends with me, why we're all friends with each other. When you go to a

and you continue to see music together. So I can tie this into why I'm friends with my friends and why my friends are friends with me, why we're all friends with each other. When you go to a multiple day music festival, it's not real life, right? You go out to Okeechobee, and by the end of it, we would all rent an RV. So my buddy, my best friend in college, Abe, had an RV. We'd pack like four or five people into it. First year, we were the only ones with the RV. Maybe someone rented an RV with a different group. But by the end of it, I think the last Okeechobee went to, which was after we graduated. So we're all fully paid jobs, not living near each other anymore. We have three or four RVs. So we're living in the high life at Okeechobee. But my point is, when you get out there, we'd go for four days, right? There's no, you don't really use your phone. It's not like you can go to a store and get what you need. You shop ahead of time, and whatever you bring, that's what you have. So then you're kind of on your own. And that's like, it's borderline like survivor, like that show survivor. It's like, you're out there for four days, and the objective is to see the music you wanna see and have fun. But also, you still need to eat. You still need your drink water. You still need to clean yourself and brush your teeth and all that. You can't, it's not like you just go into a wild animal. You still gotta function. But it's way more bare bones. There's no showering, you don't have a bed. So it's an uncomfortable four days while you're still doing what you want. And that's when I feel like we all got really close, is when we'd go through those experiences together and turn into that almost like a clan of individuals going through this and

And that's when I feel like we all got really close, is when we'd go through those experiences together and turn into that almost like a clan of individuals going through this and helping each other out. It's like, you'd ask your friend for a favor, and I don't know. It feels like when you're at a musical festival, you help each other out more. You're way more understanding of what do you need? I'll go get it done for you. And that'd be times where I'd go to the bathroom and my friends would look after Kaya. Or someone of the girlfriends at the time would walk, but they'd go to the bathroom with Kaya. And that's just one example with her, but it's like you really bond over that. And it comes into a team effort to like, all right, let's have a really good time, but all be very responsible for each other. And you come out of that week, I'm like, damn, I really fuck with these people. Because you just had a great time and there was no issues. And but we did that like 20 times through our college. So every time it was like, we know what we're doing, let's go have fun, we're gonna go see this. Like we had a system where it was like, everyone was on the same plan, everyone was on the agenda, and we just did it. And I think we had more fun than most groups that would go to musical festivals, just because we were all so like, just about whatever happened. Like no one really, if there was an inconvenience, it wouldn't end the trip. You'd still with it. Yeah, it was just keep on rolling, whatever. And so when your sister was a part of it, you two together as siblings had to also figure out that weekend together. And so, And that's when her and I became close. Every time you guys had those experiences, you got a little bit more closer,

had to also figure out that weekend together. And so, And that's when her and I became close. Every time you guys had those experiences, you got a little bit more closer, a little bit more closer. And then of course she got older and all that. So I've always cherished that about your relationship. Well, she handled herself well. She wasn't a nuisance to deal. That's why she kept getting invited back. It wasn't like, she was a lot younger than me, but it wasn't like stressful enough to worry about. Right, right. And I'm hoping that once Dylan is older, he also will be able to have that experience with you guys. So that's, so, okay. So that brings us to, you graduate FSU. All right, so if we go back a second, you'd mentioned you're doing your DJing. Or you got into DJing. How did you get into that? I vaguely remember, but where did that start? Where did that come from? So, so freshman year, freshman year I was the pledge the fall semester and had no say in what happened, right? We just, I honestly- Like the music scene? I couldn't even tell you what was going on. Cause my life was so stressful, worrying about moving ice around and refilling. Cause at parties, pledges would do shifts of bartending, make sure the ice was there. We'd have to go get extra booze cause we had like a lurker closet. So that was like not even a, I couldn't tell you what. Clean the frat house after a party. But even during the party, like, I don't know. I couldn't tell you what was happening. That shit was so blurry, just getting through that pledge ship. Yeah. But then I remember when I was, when I came back after a Christmas break, I was a brother, we started having, like we'd have the parties that we were always having, but I was paying more

Yeah. But then I remember when I was, when I came back after a Christmas break, I was a brother, we started having, like we'd have the parties that we were always having, but I was paying more attention to like what was going on. And for a little bit, one of our brothers was like a janky little DJ and would like try to spin, but it was like real bush league stuff, not committed to it, which is fine. Like it's, it takes some time. And it was, it was nice that he was like willing to try it. Like it was like this tiny little thing. But for the most part, we would use those nice ass JBLs we had, rig it to an aux cord, and then someone would sit there with their iPhone and shuffle the playlist. So the issue with that is when everyone gets drunk, everyone's a dickhead and comes up and unplugs it, replugs it, unplugs it, and replugs it, and wants their music on it. So all yours popping and popping and popping, and they're like almost blowing out the speakers. And I remember towards the end of the semester being like, this is not it. Like we, there has to be a better alternative here. Like we need to figure out a way to like make it so one person controls this and just DJs. And this isn't, cause it'd be like a country song would be on someone would get angry, yank it, blow everyone's ears, throw on like a rap song. And it'd be like the middle of the song. And it's just like, there's no flow. So I remember I went home and I asked you, I think that summer I just worked. I didn't go back up to school. So I was home. And I remember being like, you gotta buy me a DJ border. You know, I probably asked you in a nicer way. But it was like, I need, I want to figure this out. I want to be the one that does this. Cause no one else was taking an issue.

You know, I probably asked you in a nicer way. But it was like, I need, I want to figure this out. I want to be the one that does this. Cause no one else was taking an issue. It's not like I told anybody my frat, hey, I'm going to go learn how to DJ. It was like, I just knew, I identified that that was an issue. And if we wanted to be like better and have better parties, we needed to figure out music. And I think that was probably talked about, but it wasn't like, it's not like, cause we had meetings every Sunday amongst the whole fraternity in the frat house. Like, and we'd talk about suggestions, yada, yada, yada. That was never like, it wasn't like someone was like, all right, I'll do it. So I remember I left and I was like, I'll just, I'll try it. I'll take a swing at it. Then you bought me that tractor board. I remember I spent the whole summer downloading music and figuring it out. And I didn't look at many videos. I didn't know anyone who DJ'd at the time. So I didn't have anyone to ask for help. I just sat there and played basically pots and pans, asked transitions, giving myself headaches, trying to figure out what did what and all this. And then I came back in the fall and I was like, all right, we're done. This is a new look. I'm going to DJ. Like, well, give me a semester to figure it out. It's going to suck. But just bear with me and this will be a lot better for us in the long run. Everyone's like, no one had any objections. Everyone honestly thought it was pretty cool for the most part. Is this something that you present at like a meeting? No, I just kind of told everyone like this. I think this is what we should do. Oh, okay. So it wasn't like, there was no voting or anything. No, no, no, it was just like,

No, I just kind of told everyone like this. I think this is what we should do. Oh, okay. So it wasn't like, there was no voting or anything. No, no, no, it was just like, because I moved in that year with my three roommates. So honestly, I was like really fuck with, I'm really glad I moved in with those people. You know, Josh, Deebo and Mason, and then eventually Mason became the president and Nick moved in. Were you in the frat house then? No. That wasn't until senior. That was a cliff. Okay, cliff, that's right. My first apartment. Yeah, the blue place. This is sophomore year. Sophomore year. And I remember I came back and they were all older than me. Like Deebo gave me my summer bid as a freshman. That was his senior year. And you met his dad at dad's week. No, I liked them. Straight guys. So I'm really glad I live with them because I was still like a dickhead 20 year old and they were all like 21, 22, 23. They're more mature. And they taught me how to not be such like an immature kid. And so it was cool living with those guys. But I remember I moved in and I was like, yo, look what I got. I have a DJ board now, you guys wanna hear it. And they all would give me a little shit, supportive, but it was like, oh, DJ Barker, blah, blah, blah. And everyone would fuck with me. Like, oh, you wanna be a DJ now? And obviously I wasn't that good at it. So I'd do it in my apartment. And I'd kind of try to teach them how to do it. And I'd sit there and just practice and practice and practice. And then there's actually a picture of my Instagram of all four of them posing with me. I think the first tailgate ever, like where I think I'm in like a Jersey or underneath like a tent. And it was brutal in the beginning.

a picture of my Instagram of all four of them posing with me. I think the first tailgate ever, like where I think I'm in like a Jersey or underneath like a tent. And it was brutal in the beginning. Like I only knew how to mix music that I liked, which mainly didn't have words. It was like more like underground, like bass music stuff. And obviously that wasn't a big thing at Tallahassee at the moment, which eventually that kind of became a big thing. But so I'd get a lot of complaints in the beginning, like, hey, play more words, play more words, play songs people know. But it was hard to DJ that. Well, I think if you go back a step, what the DJing you were doing and were describing and talking about, isn't just like going from like a journey love song to the, or from one song to the next, like the wedding or something. You're creating music. Yeah, there was constantly being mixed. And it was never, I never owned like an agenda or set list or anything. It was just, I have this 500 song library and we'll all figure out together what we listened to today at this tailgate. And I'd play like house music in the beginning or like Drake, you know, popular stuff. And then as I drank and as people drank and I was like ramped up, I'd more move over to like the dark, like deeper stuff and start getting like kind of experimental. And then I'd get that first semester, I got a lot of complaints like, dude, what the fuck are you playing right now? Really? Oh yeah. That's funny. You had to think, this was a time where half our fraternity, this is right, when I joined, we weren't that great. It was a lot of like Georgia panhandle kids. It's some country boys. Country. And then me and a lot of kids in my fraternity,

this is right, when I joined, we weren't that great. It was a lot of like Georgia panhandle kids. It's some country boys. Country. And then me and a lot of kids in my fraternity, in my pledge class were very so flow, like new generation, kind of like dickheads a little bit. And not like we just fish and hunt for fun. Well, it's a combination. They're listening to country music in Georgia, catching possums out of your frat room. You guys are all down in South Florida going to ultra. Yeah. Yeah, very different. But that was my influence for sure. And a lot of people didn't have that same influence, but as I DJed, we're like, yeah, this is cool. And then got into it, like a Del and Abe, two of my friends at first were like, damn, I need to check this out. Not really that, I'm not gonna say that because that's just not how it was, but like they liked rap a lot and didn't listen to what I listened to a lot. As I got better at DJing and as I was, it was insistent on like, yo, you need to come to this music festival, you need to check this person out. People started coming around to it. But that first semester was definitely rough because I was still figuring out, it was the louder you play, the harder it is to DJ. Because your mistakes are so much more apparent. When I was in the bedroom on two little speakers, it was muddy and I couldn't tell where I was fucking up. And then I got to the, on the big speakers we had and I was like, geez, I sound like ass. Like I need to figure this out. So that first semester was a lot of complaining to me. Like we had a Facebook page and I'd check my phone and be like, Nate, dude, what the fuck is this? And it wasn't like terrible, but it was like, I was like just trying to wing it.

Like we had a Facebook page and I'd check my phone and be like, Nate, dude, what the fuck is this? And it wasn't like terrible, but it was like, I was like just trying to wing it. But then as time got on, it got better and better. And honestly, like it, I got, I had to figure out a way because they wanted more words, but I'm a stubborn bastard and I wanted to play this bass music. And I was like, you're gonna figure out a way to enjoy this and I'm gonna make sure that I figure out a way for you to all enjoy this. So then my focus was downloading super popular music and then running it over the lyrics over my music. And then by like the end of "Star From the Year", beginning of "Junior", everyone's coming up to me who hated that music. Like, dude, this is sick. How'd you do this? Like, what is this? I'm like, this is the music you hated six months ago. I now just figured out a way for you to be able to like stomach it. You put words to it. Yeah, and so then everyone, then we started getting like people would come to the show and like, I don't wanna like sit here and be like, "Oh, I was the man, people came to the party because I was DJing." That's not what it was. But there was a lot of times where like my friends, like girlfriends or their friends would come up and be like, "Yo, we only come here." Or like, "We come here a lot because the music's awesome here." And like, you know, people, we used to do this thing called Four Loco Friday where we'd buy a bunch of four locos and it would lead into happy hour. And then as time went on and as more and more people kind of came around to the music, it would just turn into like half the people would go to happy hour, half the people would just stay at the frat and we would just party

people kind of came around to the music, it would just turn into like half the people would go to happy hour, half the people would just stay at the frat and we would just party and I would just keep DJing. So it was a work in progress of figuring out how to get that crowd of people that I really didn't see eye to eye with on music to put up and tolerate what I was doing. And I feel like that helped me like get good at mixing a lot just because I had to figure out a way to blend the genres more so than I would wanna do. Because when I was learning, there was just no words like bass music rhythms and as simple as possible, that's a lot easier. When you start bringing in lyrics, you know, that gets tough. But that's why I got into it. I saw that our frat needed it. It was something that had to be done and otherwise we were gonna stay in this like, just this mid party scene where you have no clue what's being played. Because that's jarring when you're like at a party and then all of a sudden it's silent. Yeah. And then a new song starts and then it's silent. And you're looking around like, dude, who's on Ox? Well, we have videos of us going to the party. We did, yeah. There'll be people all around me freaking freaking out. My question, what's that like for you when you're sitting, we were there we're sitting behind you and we're all just, the place is going nuts. But we were participants, you were driving that, which was really cool. You know, as least from our parent, from a parental perspective, it was like, this is pretty fucking cool. It was cool. But from your perspective, can you think back to then and you're like, you're into it, other people are into it. But then you look out and there's like a hundred people in the frat yard just getting off.

can you think back to then and you're like, you're into it, other people are into it. But then you look out and there's like a hundred people in the frat yard just getting off. Yeah, it's fun. It's cool, right? It's the best thing in the world. Yeah, yeah. For sure. I'd look up and there'd be like, and the best was like, I knew those people, you didn't. You just see like, by centers. I know that person hates the song, but I got it into a way where he did, like they didn't even realize, all of a sudden we're not listening to heavy bass music, not country and you were like into it. And it was fun. It was a powerful feeling. Like you were in control, I was in control of it all. And like the music drives a lot of the vibes of a part. Yeah, it drives a hundred percent of the vibe. We do like Halloween parties. I'd make sure I had like a matchup with like, what's it, like Freddie or whatever that movie, like Halloween, Michael Myers, like the piano. Yeah, I'd have that with like a drop. Or we did like a jungle party. I had the Lion King song with a drop. So it was doing shit like that Christmas. I had a whole playlist with like rap songs with Christmas beads and like all this stuff. So would you say that your frat became a more popular frat during that time, than it was? Yeah, but not just because of me. I think I was a contributing factor and I'm covering my ass here. So my friends don't just absolutely get to me after they listen to us. They're gonna be like, oh, you think it was all you. It wasn't that. We recruited better. We got better people. Like our friend group, like, you know, people like Ali coming in, my whole pledge cost, like Ben, Abe, Dell, Mac are all just cooler than where we started and

We got better people. Like our friend group, like, you know, people like Ali coming in, my whole pledge cost, like Ben, Abe, Dell, Mac are all just cooler than where we started and more outgoing, more social. Right, this is all social. So when you, just to clarify for the audience, what do you mean when you say cool? Like we went out and met people. Okay. When I started, we barely hung out with like a sorority. We didn't have like a main sorority we hung out with. It was like a hodgepodge of individuals. Like our relations were low with other fraternities. Our relationship was low with other sororities. And this was not, this was mainly like, our leadership got better. Like Pierce became president. He was our social chair. He managed recess. He was a bartender. He was facey, right? We just had face here people like that knew. Explain facey. Like you had some pole when you went out around Tallahassee, right? Cloud. Cloud, yeah, yeah, cloud. We had more cloud. We had bartenders in every bar. Like Mac got into standard. We never had a bartender from Kappa-Sig in standard. So that became a thing where, you know, we'd go to happy hour and my roommate was the bartender at Clyde's. And then there was now 30 of us all just, you know, talking and around this area. And then we'd meet people and bring them back and be like, hey, come to our parties, come to this. So I think we just had a more social like shift more outgoing, more outgoing and confident and all that. So have you been- It was a group effort. Have you been back since? Yeah, I went for a Clyde's 21st birthday. I barely was at the, I think I went for the, for a concert actually. They had one of my like favorite DJs to play. Oh, okay. It's pretty cool.

Yeah, I went for a Clyde's 21st birthday. I barely was at the, I think I went for the, for a concert actually. They had one of my like favorite DJs to play. Oh, okay. It's pretty cool. Cause we built this big stage for the last party I did. It's like huge stage. We made the pledge to build it. And it was sick. And we were like 15 feet above everybody. Gage, Finn and I DJ'd my two friends I mentioned earlier. Did we even see that at graduation? Wasn't it in the back corner of the frat yard facing towards the frat house? Yeah, probably. Maybe we saw it on graduation weekend. Cause it was there. So like that was there. And then, yeah, I went up for Clyde's 21st and they had a really good DJ there. And I remember going, it was cool. It was like kind of where I left off, but that wasn't where we started. So they've carried that a little bit. I haven't seen it really since. So I can't speak on that. Right, right. But I just know from the time when my pledge class and my friends started there to where we ended was like a massive jump in like popularity, connections, relationships amongst other fraternities and sororities. Cause we all had friends and other frats too. Where some, like when we first started at least, then this is all I've been told. I wasn't there, but it was very like seclusive. And we weren't like, we didn't have good like relationships with other fraternities. Kind of did our own thing. And then by the end of when we were there, when we did those like after parties, I'd say like 25% of the people there were Kappa-6. The rest were our friends that we've met through like out, nightlife, different bartenders, different DJs, different girls that we'd always go out with. This also stems from the music festivals. We'd meet a lot of these

that we've met through like out, nightlife, different bartenders, different DJs, different girls that we'd always go out with. This also stems from the music festivals. We'd meet a lot of these people at music festivals. And a lot of the times when we went to music festivals, half of our campsite would be people that weren't in our fraternity that we were just friends with. And then when they'd be like, oh, this was a great time at the music festival. Let's hang out in Tallahassee. And then we'd make more friends. And then that would just, it's an infectious thing where, you make friends with this group, then they introduce you to this group. Then all of a sudden a year you have five groups. Right. It was fun. Proximity wise too, if your frat house was right near pots in that hot stretch there, if you're DJing, you're leaving pots and you guys are open, people could easily flow in and it's on. Yeah, that makes sense. And also you guys were on Sorority Row. I don't know, did that help too? Yeah, I mean, I'd like to think so. And getting girls there at least? Yeah, just because they'd go to their house, whatever, take pictures, and then our house was the first thing in sight. So it's like, hey, they're up to something, let's go check it out. And then I think in the early years, it was like, man, these kids were lame, but then as time went on and as our group kind of got control, right? Because when I started, we had all the older kids were in charge. And then each year, the seniors graduate, then the juniors who are now becoming seniors typically move into like president, social chair, the important positions. And so as that happened, as like the new age individuals became more important, like things got better. Right, that makes sense. Because we were more

president, social chair, the important positions. And so as that happened, as like the new age individuals became more important, like things got better. Right, that makes sense. Because we were more all on the same page too. That makes sense, yeah. The whole frat leveled up because of the kids that were in there. Yeah, that's all of this. That's really what happened, yeah. And music, really. I have a question. I think you maybe wanna go to a different topic, but I'm curious on the music front. So as mom, you know, the word to the Grateful Dead, we just bought a three day pass for Billy Strings in St. Augustine. So we're gonna go have some fun there. Oh, when's that? April. April. You're welcome to join us. (both laughing) Is it GIA or you have seats? With seats. Yeah. Either way, so, you know, one cool thing for us as you've gotten into music, you've introduced us to a whole different world of music, whether it's Grammatic, BassNectar, Alec, you know, Alec as a DJ will drop the plug again. You gotta go see him, he's from Denver, Metro. What's his name again? Illo, I-L-L-O-H. Yeah, check him out on, definitely Apple, that's how I listen to it. Spotify and SoundCloud. Yeah, check him out, honestly, good, just amazing stuff. But, so you've introduced us, we've had a lot of, the music's are tying bond within this family. The entire family, because even Dylan is very, he's like you, he always has music going. Yeah. His music stinks. No, it doesn't, no, every generation, he's the youngest Gen Z, they have a different music. We used to think your music sucked, too. Oh, I listen to some of my older music and it sucks. Yeah, yeah, either way, where I'm going is, I was lucky enough to go catch some New Year's Eve shows of BassNectar with Nathan

Oh, I listen to some of my older music and it sucks. Yeah, yeah, either way, where I'm going is, I was lucky enough to go catch some New Year's Eve shows of BassNectar with Nathan and, I think it was Nathan and, well, we went by ourselves maybe, then Ben was with us. He was with Ben, who was on the podcast. And the second year was Ben, back, Ali Pierce. And then the last two years was like, all those groups. Everybody, big group. 30 people. It started with us three getting seats in that tiny little enclosed area in Birmingham and out of a great spot. Then the next year was Standing Rumoni, five of us kind of packed together. And I think Greensboro is the next one. And that's when it became like probably 15 people, mainly from Kappa Sig, mainly all other fraternity brothers. And then I think in Louisville, that's when things really exploded. We had like three rows of seats saved for like all these different people. Yeah. It's cool. That was wild. What I think is so cool is that you wanted your dad there. Oh, it's precious. It was a funny question. Everyone's like, how did this come to be? Like, you're cool with your dad coming here? I'm like, bro, that's the coolest thing ever. It's like, he doesn't care what we're doing. If he wants to come, I'm not gonna tell him not to come. Okay, but you just nailed what I was about to say is, we've tried to raise you guys with complete and open communication. I think we always told you guys, and we still tell Dylan this, you have all the freedom in the world. The only one that can take it away is you, as you were growing up. And mainly our biggest issue was if you lie. Yeah, I would say that's the number one thing that I was told not to do. Do not lie. That we can work anything out.

as you were growing up. And mainly our biggest issue was if you lie. Yeah, I would say that's the number one thing that I was told not to do. Do not lie. That we can work anything out. We were very open about, we know you guys are gonna party. You guys are going to do different things. Our main issue is safety and honesty. I think the two times I got grounded was when I lied. Yeah, probably. And I didn't get grounded for having a party. I got grounded for lying about it. Yeah, exactly, exactly. So, but I think maybe one of the reasons you felt, and correct me if I'm wrong, you felt comfortable, including your dad, because at that time at those shows, you guys were partying. And so you felt comfortable letting your dad because of the way you've been raised with that open communication. You didn't feel, he could come because you didn't feel you needed to hide anything from him. Would you say that that's accurate? Well, so yeah, I think that's a big factor, but I think a lot of people, right, like you said, that's a very, what you just said is important. We were partying. And so I think a lot of people are not honest about that with their families. And there's probably certain degrees, right, of honesty. But that was never a concern of mine, A, I wasn't gonna get in trouble, B, I wasn't gonna get judged. I knew if, because you go see BassNectar, any, and some of these music customers get out of hand with some of the energy in that place, right? Some of that music's so aggressive and upbeat or whatever, people are really moving and letting loose, I guess. And I knew that that wasn't gonna affect coming home and my relationship, where I think some of those people had parents. And honestly, it comes down to you guys

and letting loose, I guess. And I knew that that wasn't gonna affect coming home and my relationship, where I think some of those people had parents. And honestly, it comes down to you guys also being pretty cool about things and being dead heads, falling, the degree of full dead around, you've seen it. It's not like you guys are like, We partook. Goody two shoes parents, right? You probably did a lot of the same stuff I did. So it's like, you're really gonna, and that was the safety blanket, it's like, you're not gonna judge me because I'm not doing anything different than what you're doing. And we shared that with you at the appropriate age. That look, we get it. Our goal always from the start was we agreed, to know our children authentically always. We wanted to know who you were always. And if we ever made our children feel that they need to hide something, then we're not knowing who they are. Yeah, and I think a lot of my friends now that I'm like, I talk too often, like I consider my best friends, have similar relationships with their parents. I can't take them to example right now at the top of my head that is lacking that. But I do remember being in high school and college, mainly high school, it felt like, where kids would just lie about everything. And their parents thought they were like, not smoking, not drinking, not going out late, not sneaking out. Not having sex. Yeah, all this shit. Like they would, they'd like go to church and think they're like this angel. And it's like, listen, dude, that's all cool. Like I'm not judging you because I'm your boy, but your parents are totally fucking clueless about you. They don't know who you are. And I think that happened a little bit probably with those groups at Bay's sector.

you because I'm your boy, but your parents are totally fucking clueless about you. They don't know who you are. And I think that happened a little bit probably with those groups at Bay's sector. There was definitely some people that didn't have those like relationships with their parents. They had good relationships, but it was very like at face value. Like you know about me from what I tell you. And I don't tell you a lot because if I told you a lot, you would think differently. Well, you said before, you didn't feel like you would be judged and maybe they feel like they would be. It didn't feel, maybe at that time, they didn't feel safe sharing that part of their world with their parents because they were concerned it would alter their relationship or they would be judged. So a lot of the questions were like, you really don't care that your dad's here. Or like, how did that come to be and now inviting your dad to come to these things? Like when we went, when you guys just went and saw a Bay's sector with me in Miami on the 29th. So much fun. Like nine days ago or 10 days ago. And a lot of people there were like, why are your parents here? I'm like, they wanted to come. I'm not gonna tell them they can't come. I'm gonna tell them, oh, you're not allowed to come here because I wanna go. Like, I'm like, I want them to come see this so we can all talk about it. And I think, but for a lot of people, and that's like, I'd say like 80% of the people that aren't like my best friend that know me well and know you guys well are also thrown off. Cause it's like, they would never invite their parents to come to something like that. Right. Or you can talk about it. I would say too, your closest friends are like, we're kind of grooving with them

never invite their parents to come to something like that. Right. Or you can talk about it. I would say too, your closest friends are like, we're kind of grooving with them while we're there type of thing. It was all good. Less we're stupid and we're misreading it, but. No, no, no, no one cares. Everyone's like, everyone thinks it's cool. Yeah, yeah. Well, I think that just dad and I cherish it. We cherish the fact that you welcome us and have always been open to us being a part of that, of that part of your life. Because we understand that that's a privilege for us. And so we've all, like when he asked you to go to Bay Center, there was never a question. He was never gonna say no. I don't even know how that came to be. I don't either. You just asked him, I think. Yeah, I think he just. I might've been like, do you wanna come? And then you're like, sure. I probably was like, oh, okay. Hey, Ben, my dad's gonna come with us. He's like, all right. Thank God it was Ben. Ben'll go with anything. Yeah, but him and I kind of vetted it out. Like, all right, is this guy gonna be like cool or are we gonna have to be like, yo, you're not coming next year? And it worked out. Because I remember the next year, we went with Mac, Pierce, and Ollie, and they're like, your dad's coming? And Ben and I were both like, he's cool, he's cool. Don't worry about it. He'll get us water. Yeah, pretty much. He'll get us home. I remember Ollie specifically, and that's when you guys didn't know each other that well. He's like, your dad's really coming with us. Like, are you sure about that? I'm like, bro, it'll be fine. And Ben and I both were like, it'll be okay. We just did this last year. Don't worry about it. We can still do whatever we wanna do.

I'm like, bro, it'll be fine. And Ben and I both were like, it'll be okay. We just did this last year. Don't worry about it. We can still do whatever we wanna do. He's not gonna hold us back. It'll be all right. We don't have to worry about him. Yeah. That's funny. Yeah, no judgments. I know you cherish those times. I love you. And we love them, they're family. But I know you cherish those times, those memories. I mean, those are some of the coolest concerts that you could ever see. 100%. I remember, I guess it was Birmingham, and people are going, it's like a deadhead scene in a sense, the Wooks, right? There's full of Wooks. I'm the only non-Wook. I'm either a drug dealer to the cops, or I'm a narc. Yeah. You're a fed to everyone my age, and probably like, yo, what's this guy selling to any cop? 100%. So the cops are looking at me shifty eyed. The kids are looking at me like, and then I'd see a random dude roughly my age, and we'd be like, hey, what's up? But I remember when the first notes dropped, when Nectar came out in Birmingham, and people just started just banging their heads, not banging their heads, but were into it, and they didn't stop until the end. And I was just like, okay, this is a deadhead experience. It is, yeah. This is how I jive with the dead. And so it was cool, totally different music, completely the same vibe. So to your point, because dad and I had lived the Grateful Dead experience for so long, he was able to pick up on it immediately. And he's like, okay, I get it. I get with this. You didn't have to explain anything to him. He got it. I feel like I was probably open to inviting him based off what you guys have told me about what you did in college, showing me the Grateful Dead.

explain anything to him. He got it. I feel like I was probably open to inviting him based off what you guys have told me about what you did in college, showing me the Grateful Dead. And honestly, I didn't really get into the dead until after I graduated. Like I obviously listened to that when I was with you guys. I think we saw like further when I was younger, we'd go to various things, but I never once, like in college, I wasn't really listening to the dead. Because partly because I was always around people and they didn't like the dead. And I already put them on this stuff. I'm not gonna try to put them on this. And I didn't listen to it all that much on my own. But I remember when I graduated and I started working and I started being like more than an adult and less of a college kid, I was like, I can't just listen to this EDM shit at seven a.m. in the morning while I drive to West Palm. I need something like more just chill in the background. Like one year I listened to Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead like 65 days or whatever. It was stupid. But so that's when I finally started getting into it like myself when I got like pilled and figured it out and looked into it on my own. And I think that's how it goes. That's how people become dead heads. Because usually no one really listens to the dead for the first time and they're like, this is awesome. Like there's a lot that goes into it and it kind of is insidious and it gets into your blood. And then you really can't explain to anyone why you like it. You're like, it's just a part of me now. Most good music I think is like that. Yeah, a lot. So you graduated from Florida State. You had this wonderful experience with your frat. You double majored because you could have graduated

Most good music I think is like that. Yeah, a lot. So you graduated from Florida State. You had this wonderful experience with your frat. You double majored because you could have graduated in two years because of all the credit she-- Three. Or three years. I got a call at the dean's office so I can either come in and I'm like, what? Yeah. But I can either come in and I'm like, all right. I'm like, where the hell is the dean's office? Let me figure that out. Florida State? Yeah, the business office. So I walk in there like, so listen, you're gonna graduate this semester. I'm like, no, the fuck I'm not. I'm like, you're out of your mind. I was told I could do four years. I'm doing four years. This is like, it was like the beginning of my junior year. You completely worked us. Well, we told him he can have four years. But because of all those credits from Boca High, you could graduate in three. She's like, this is all you need to take and then you're done at the end of this year. I'm like, no, no, no, no, you need to help me out here. I'm like, what do we do? How do I stay here another year and not have to stay an extra year to do it? I'm like, how do we, what do we fit in? Four years. In the last year that gets me here. And then she's like, you could do a real estate degree. Like a lot of it overlaps. So I picked up the real estate major. I ended up having to take six classes my last semester, but yeah, I finished four years, four years on the dot with two majors. You did, you got a double major in finance and real estate. You graduated in four years with a double major. And then you moved home to start saving some money. And then if memory serves COVID hit, right? Well, you got your first job and then I think COVID hit. Correct?

years with a double major. And then you moved home to start saving some money. And then if memory serves COVID hit, right? Well, you got your first job and then I think COVID hit. Correct? So you were going into the office. Yeah, I think I, so I worked up at Granite. In West Palm. In West Palm doing sales. And then I was there for like two and a half years, I think. Maybe three, I think it was two and a half years. Cause yeah, I started 2019 in July. I definitely did a year in the office. And then that second year began and then that COVID started and we, it was a huge company. So based out of Massachusetts and then they put out the policy like, all right, we're going to do work from home. So then luckily I lived with you guys because that would have sucked. Like living on my own, doing work from home, my bills would have gone up so much. Yes. So it was nice that I was living with you guys. And then yeah, I was at home. And so I moved to Boynton with Ali, whenever he graduated, which I think was 2020, like maybe halfway through 2020 towards the end of it. I wonder if we're off a year because COVID hit in the winter of 2020. March 2020 is when COVID hit. And so that's when- I feel like I was with you guys during COVID for like at least nine months. Yeah. Definitely, if not longer. The thing about COVID here in Florida isn't really ended by like the summer of 2020. So it didn't last that long. Oh, I remember, cause we went to Okotobi and that was the last weekend when COVID was going on. And then everything got canceled. Yes. So that was March 2020. Okotobi got canceled or right after that? Okotobi was essentially the last public gathering. Yeah, okay. For like two years. Yeah. And I remember we all were going in like,

Okotobi got canceled or right after that? Okotobi was essentially the last public gathering. Yeah, okay. For like two years. Yeah. And I remember we all were going in like, this might not be the place to go. I remember us talking about it as a family. We were like, is this, you know- This could be where we all get COVID. You and Kai went and then, so then that shut down. That was Dose Nectar's last show. Was it really? Yeah, cause then it got canceled. Yeah. Yeah. And then I think you lived with us all through COVID and then you ended up moving in with Ali. So Ali must've graduated the end of 2020. Winter. And then we probably moved in together like January. I don't know if it was that quick. Unless you- I think it was that summer you guys moved in. Unless you graduated 2021 and we moved in together in the summer, that could have been it. Yeah, I remember. Cause he is two years younger than me. Yeah, so you lived with us for a while and allowed you to save up some money, invest some money. I would say, like you just said, for COVID, cause COVID hit your age group right as you were entering life. And so you guys got going. You got a good year. You got going. And then like society said, now stop. Yeah. And I think mentally, that could, I'm sure that was very challenging for all of you because you were just getting in a groove of your lives and then you had to kind of stop. And so the pros of you living with us where you didn't have to worry about the financial burden. I didn't spend any money. You didn't spend any money. You had this- I had no money going out. Right. I had no bills. Right. I didn't have a car at the time. I didn't have a car payment. I never ran. Right. You guys were paying for my,

You had this- I had no money going out. Right. I had no bills. Right. I didn't have a car at the time. I didn't have a car payment. I never ran. Right. You guys were paying for my, I think I had health insurance through my company and then you were paying for my phone, but then like you guys fed me. We would do our weekly total wine orders. Then we all collectively were like, all right, we're turning into alcoholics. We need to cut this shit out. I was like, mom, please stop ordering Medello. I'm just gonna drink it. Just please. And then I remember, yeah. And you were surrounded by your family. So you weren't alone in an apartment. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I would say- Which that would have sucked too. A lot of people dealt with that. I feel like I had it fine, partly because like you said, it ended in Florida in two weeks. We were back to doing things fairly quickly. Like at least going out. I think by June, I think. Yeah, like going out to the bar, like we'd wear a mask. We had the dumb rule, the fucking stupidest goddamn rule in the world, where you had to fucking wear a mask to show your ID. And as soon as you're in the goddamn establishment, you took your mask off and never had to put it on again. It's the most ass backwards bullshit ever. Well, it's more ass backwards north of here because you couldn't do shit. No, I understand that. Florida, we at least- It was more just like, yeah, we're wearing masks. Because I remember I went down to the Key West for 4th of July and they had this place called Dante's, which is like a pool club you have from the pool. All this whole thing. And you had to wear a mask in the pool. And people were getting kicked out of the club their mask falling off. That's insane. And I remember that,

club you have from the pool. All this whole thing. And you had to wear a mask in the pool. And people were getting kicked out of the club their mask falling off. That's insane. And I remember that, so that must've been that 4th of July after COVID started. Cause I remember I went down there with my buddy Evan and Tim, who you guys know. And we were fully masked up, like the bars on that. So have you ever been to Key West? Yeah, we went as a family. We took you guys. So the way it works is I forget the name of the road, but it's like Bourbon Street in Louisiana. You can have an open container. So the way it worked was normally you go in the bar and then you can hop around. They moved all their booze and stuff to the front. To the sidewalk. To the sidewalk. So you'd walk up, they'd hand you a cup of Coke and they'd hand you a shooter of rum. And then they'd send you on your way and you'd pour it in yourself. So then you're just walking up and down the street. But I don't think we were wearing masks in the street. It was just to get into these establishments. So it's just like, it's like 50 50. To your point, if you lived anywhere besides Florida, you were just stuck. Yeah. If you're fucked. Yeah, we had it the best I think out of everybody. That makes it hard to remember. Cause there was like COVID for everybody else. I don't really remember totally being limited all that long. Like I think we, I specifically hung around with you because of Grammy D living with us and being older. And then we weren't sure what was going on. You had the thyroid thing. So we were a little bit more cautious. I feel like we did like a month, a month and a half at home. Where you were careful. Yeah. And then it was like, okay. Yeah, you're fine. Well, we traveled,

So we were a little bit more cautious. I feel like we did like a month, a month and a half at home. Where you were careful. Yeah. And then it was like, okay. Yeah, you're fine. Well, we traveled, Dylan played travel lacrosse. That summer. We were in South Carolina. South Carolina still dealt with it differently than everywhere else. But then like the following year, we went up to Pennsylvania. And this year when there was nothing going on in Florida. Nothing's going on here. And then we're going up there and being like back in that world. Back in the world. It was a trip. It was weird. It was weird. I flew to New York and they threatened to kick me off the plane. We're half way to New York. I fell asleep and my mask came off. She's like, I'll turn the plane around right now. I'm like, all right, do it. Yeah. You're going to turn around the plane. Well, I think it was kind of like how you forget it's winter when you live in South Florida that everywhere else. And then all of a sudden you see something on TV. It's kind of like that. Like we forgot for a while that COVID was even a thing still until you go to another state. But that makes it harder to remember what was going on. Yeah, that makes sense. When I moved in with Ali, I was still at Granite. I got him a job at Granite. Right. So then I left Granite and he was still at Granite when we lived together. And then I think he left Granite and that's when he moved to Boston and I moved back in with you guys. Well, one of the reasons you moved back in with us is because there was this boom because of COVID and because Florida was open, everyone moved here. And as a result, the housing prices went up and your rent tripled. And that happened to a lot of young adults where that--

and because Florida was open, everyone moved here. And as a result, the housing prices went up and your rent tripled. And that happened to a lot of young adults where that-- And I didn't have anyone to live with. And there was not another roommate to live with, but a lot of young adults, it was a phenomenon. I don't think just in Florida, but where this was happening, young adults were having to move back home because the rents were tripling and they couldn't afford it. And so you did that. But you were only with us, I think, what, nine months or something? Yeah, until Nash became available. And then you moved into a place here with your friend near the beach. So you've been in sales since you graduated. You got your degree in finance and real estate, chose not to go either one of those routes. Why did you choose, why do you think you're drawn to sales? Honestly, it was a combination of not really knowing what I wanted to do. And that just, like obviously when I first graduated, I was just looking to get a job. It felt like just go get something and then that'll help you move somewhere else. Or, you know, like for example, junior year of college, I did an internship at Northwestern Mutual selling life insurance. And that was sales, but it was to consumers. So calling like parents and like individuals that don't own a business. All that taught me was I never wanna do anything that involves not calling businesses. So I was like, that's done. So then I was like, all right, let's go try business to business sales, which was, it was good. The issue is COVID kind of threw things off and like warped the reality of business. And that persisted into my next job. But I don't know, I like sales just cause I like talking. I like convincing people to agree with me.

kind of threw things off and like warped the reality of business. And that persisted into my next job. But I don't know, I like sales just cause I like talking. I like convincing people to agree with me. It's also like, I'm pretty money focused. And, you know, I like that I have a base that gets, you know, my bills paid, but then it's like the harder I work, the more money I can make a commission, you know, then that opens up to how much you can make. It's also just a social thing. Like, I feel like I'm that stereotype of, you know, talking a lot, being like pretty outgoing. You know, I like going out to the bar and meeting people and like hanging out with my friends every weekend. And a lot of the same people I'm friends with are also in sales. Cause it's just like a competitive thing where, you know, your go, go, go, everyone you work with is pretty like-minded. You know, I wouldn't fit in like a back office, like with a bunch of IT people. That's just not my personality. Like I don't share those interests. You're throwing with IT people. But I don't know. I couldn't really put like a word on it. I'm still gonna continue to do it. I do it right now. I think whatever job I do next will be in sales as well. I have a theory. Do you wanna hear it? Sure. (laughing) So you like to gamble a bit. Yeah. Yeah. And I think you get that from your great, great grandfather, your great grandfather, your grandfather. That's from my side. I think the sale is, it's like that hit when you get the sale. Yeah, 100%. It's like you got the win. Yeah, you hit a bet, you hit a sale, yeah. Yeah, so I think it's tied to that same part of your personality. That you like the anticipation and the work towards something and the excitement when it hits.

you hit a sale, yeah. Yeah, so I think it's tied to that same part of your personality. That you like the anticipation and the work towards something and the excitement when it hits. Yeah. And even when it doesn't hit, you're just onto the next thing to get that. Yeah. So I think it kind of goes hand in hand with your person. I think you would have been, at least at the time, and at least right now in your 20s, would have been bored in finance. Even now, I couldn't see myself doing that. Even though you have the mind for it. It's just like, that's a total different thing too, because you're not talking to people as much. That's more like crunchy numbers, staring at like spreadsheets. No, you have collaboration internally. You're obviously on calls, but my whole shtick is like, just pick up the phone and then bullshit. Yeah. Yeah. Where that's not like that. Right. Oh, so fun. Yeah, so I think it takes that personality that likes to talk to people, likes to convince people, and also likes the hit of making the sale. So then that's what makes you a successful salesman. But I think it takes a certain person to enjoy sales. Most people I know that aren't in sales are always asking like, how the hell do you pick? Like, why do you like being on the phone? Like most girls I meet don't understand how, like they hate getting on the phone. Right. And anyone who's not in sales just like thinks it's like, like picking up the phone's like this horrible thing. Like if I order, like if I order food in certain places and they have an order online, I'm just gonna call them. Yeah. That's hilarious. So do you know-- Like I don't wanna go on my, I wanna talk to this person and make sure they're not gonna fuck my order up. Yeah, yeah.

online, I'm just gonna call them. Yeah. That's hilarious. So do you know-- Like I don't wanna go on my, I wanna talk to this person and make sure they're not gonna fuck my order up. Yeah, yeah. So-- And it's quicker. Yeah. Do you think, you look at somebody like Dylan's Generation where they do not, their world-- I don't know what they're gonna do. So their world has been social media, texting, Snapchatting, and then maybe, then it's face to face talking or maybe on the phone talking. I've heard Dylan get on the phone at times with his friends. Where do you see the difference in? Like you're used to talking, you're used to face to face talking, you're used to interaction real time. Where do you see this-- There's an awkwardness-- There's differences there with that younger Gen Z and that Gen Alpha Generation. So it's tough to like pinpoint right now because like I'll pick him up from his buddy's place or I'll give him and his friends a ride and they all put their faces down and get on their phones and no one says a word to each other. Where I feel like when I was a kid, we'd be in the car just like laboring. Just yapping about God knows what. You're probably up there like, oh my fucking God, these kids won't shut the fuck up. The phone's not the worst thing when you got five of them in the car. No, no, no. In this, for me, I pick them up and like get on your phones. No one's saying goddamn words. We're gonna listen to music and you all are gonna type. But I don't know what they're gonna do because I do think there's like an awkwardness going on with these kids. I think a lot of what they're digesting on the internet is also just so fucking brainless and terrible. Like there's a lot of like just traps on social media to keep your attention

I think a lot of what they're digesting on the internet is also just so fucking brainless and terrible. Like there's a lot of like just traps on social media to keep your attention that's not like providing you any value. So I'm curious. Like I don't wanna say they're doomed because right now they're also 14. This is from my experience. This is all my experience with mainly him and his friends. They're 14. I'm sure when I was 14, there was an awkwardness of speaking. You're a little nervous. You're still not fully sure of yourself. You're still going through the puberty and like the confidence of like testosterone and all that. So like it's hard to be like jump the gun and be like, oh, these kids are doomed when they get like, as of right now, I don't think any of them would survive on a phone call. I don't even think any of them survive getting pressed by their boss in an interview. They're just not, but they're also 14. So I don't know. It'll be curious to see how it plays out. Two years will be a big. Yeah. By the time he's a junior and he's 16 years old, I'll be interested to see what's going on. I do think it's going to be worse because they're just always on their phones. I feel bad for them. I don't know how I would have handled always having being available to like girls you're trying to get with, friends you're trying to make plans with. Like when I was a kid, there was no group chats, right? If you wanted to make plans, it was like, and I would call my friends too. It's like, hey, do you want to fish? Okay, cool. I'll call the other buddy. Then, hey, do you want to fish? No. Okay. Call your other buddy back. Hey, he's out. Should we call someone else? Right. There was a lot of back and forth. That's what we did as kids.

Then, hey, do you want to fish? No. Okay. Call your other buddy back. Hey, he's out. Should we call someone else? Right. There was a lot of back and forth. That's what we did as kids. You had to like plan it out. Now it's like, there's 12 of them. And this is what my friends and I do currently. Hey, who's free today? Let's figure out something to do. And then all of a sudden five kids are free and now you're making plans into five people that are free. But I feel bad for them because that's just how it's been since he's like an eighth grader. No, that's how it's been his whole life. So that's, and that brings up how you're a zillennial whereas you had most of your childhood, Snapchat entered your world, I think, sophomore in high school, freshman sophomore. Yeah, Instagram is freshman year. I think Snapchat was sophomore year. I never really got on Snapchat. I still don't, I don't have it anymore. I think that's appropriate for you. I think anyone on, I don't think 27. Oh, okay. I agree. I agree. But I mean, to my point is, Dylan is the first true all social media generation that will be interesting to see. It's not just an all social media generation. It's phone. It's the phone. It's the 24 by seven by 365 access to people. And it's getting worse. You go to a fucking restaurant and four year olds have iPads and that's their version of shutting up. It's like, geez, dude. Yeah. Like what do you think is gonna happen when your kid's missing his dopamine? But that's been going on for a while. The iPad's been in kids laps probably since Dylan's age and his generation. He used to have it here and there, but not nearly as bad as some of these other people. No, it has increased. It's definitely increased. But do you think that

and his generation. He used to have it here and there, but not nearly as bad as some of these other people. No, it has increased. It's definitely increased. But do you think that technology also has affected the dating world for your age, people in their 20s and to a detriment? I mean, yeah. Just, I think Instagram is pretty bad just because it's like you, I mean, at least the thing that drives me crazy is like you'll meet people who on Instagram seem like one type of person and then you meet them for the first time in real life or you, you know, I'll have friends. I obviously fall on Instagram from like high school or like middle school. And all I know from them is what they post. And then you come across them and meet them at the bar and it's like, Jesus, you're not anything like this. Right. So I think it's like, there is like multiple personalities being created here. Obviously not everybody's like this, but this is definitely a thing. And I think you can tie it back to COVID where it forced a lot of people to be inside. And if you were on your own, like you were saying up in New York for a year and a half. That's a lot of social interaction you're missing out on. And to your point, those were the years fresh out of college. Being a college kid is way different than being an adult. When you're a college kid, it's kind of like high school where like everybody you interact with is on the same page of you're not working, really don't have any responsibilities and you're just looking to have fun. That's a really easy way to bond over things with someone when it's like, this is all kind of just for fun. Now it's like, there is multiple things going on. You have a job, you have your hobbies you do, you're trying to go to the gym, stay

when it's like, this is all kind of just for fun. Now it's like, there is multiple things going on. You have a job, you have your hobbies you do, you're trying to go to the gym, stay healthy, all this shit. And I think COVID probably stunted that a little bit with a lot of people because you just missed out on like a year and a half of like socializing with individuals and your way of socializing went digital. So you're not practicing speaking and like looking people in the eye and having common like just normal social cues. I feel like social cues have definitely gotten worse with a lot of people. And that's why you hear about a lot of girls calling guys creepy or like a lot of guys, saying things about girls. It's like, there's just been this gap. So do you think COVID stunted all that normal communications and interactions and stuff? Yeah. And it's got a longer term effect? Yeah. That is true. Because think about it, that's like a skill you practice every day. Yeah, yeah. Like when I, when I take, I just took a two week break for my job. I came back, my first phone call was probably shit. Yeah. Cause it's like, I haven't done this in two weeks. So you do that a year, but then you, that's my job that I've been doing for five years that is also pretty emotionless. And it's just picking up the phone and trying to make a sale. With this, like if you're trying to talk to like, like a guy trying to talk to a girl, there's like the pressure of like trying to win her over. So that's riding on your head, right? Wanting to make sure you say the right thing. But now you're a year and a half removed of like practicing and working out the kinks and like trying to figure out the date outside of being in college. Well, both sides are too.

But now you're a year and a half removed of like practicing and working out the kinks and like trying to figure out the date outside of being in college. Well, both sides are too. But in college, it's like, you could have like some sort of status just because of who you were. Right. Like if you bartend, right, at a bar and then you're gonna tell that girl pretty quickly on, hey, I bartend at this bar. So in that girl's head, she's like, oh, he's cool. He's in a fraternity. He bartends. He has a lot of friends. That already does a lot of the heavy lifting for you. Doesn't really matter what comes out of your mouth from that point on. You've been vetted through like your social resume. But now you're just a sales guy at a company that really means nothing to a female. So you're now having to figure out, okay, well, what differentiates me to make this person like me or wanna go out with me? But you missed a year and a half of figuring that out. So now you're coming back into it and there's an extra pressure of now I'm older, they're older and we all still kind of don't know what we're doing. Like I do think that COVID hurt that a little bit. Well, also when they... And that's where social media got really like... To define themselves. They used Instagram or social media to, now how am I gonna differentiate myself? I'm gonna create a persona on social media. And I think that hurts me a little bit because I don't use social media. So if you're a girl like looking into me, you're not seeing much. Right. Like I've posted once each year, the past four years. And I think I skipped one of those years. I was gonna ask you that. It's because you're the, what'd you call them? Zillennials? Zillennial, yeah. And you grew up without the tech

And I think I skipped one of those years. I was gonna ask you that. It's because you're the, what'd you call them? Zillennials? Zillennial, yeah. And you grew up without the tech and then moved into the tech. Is your age group, are you able to not be like, you're doing it obviously. I'm not into social media whereas other people are. You can kind of straddle the fence there. Yeah, but it's like I'd say it's somewhat of a segregation in terms of like being social. Right, yeah. Like there's certain people that care about that a lot. Yeah. And like I don't, and honestly if you do, I just don't really fuck with you. You're more old school. And that's both guy and girl. It's like, dude, if you're a dude posting Instagram stories and wanting me to like take pictures with you while we go to Happy Hour, like I'm probably not gonna be your friend. And that's just, that's okay. One of my friends are like that. You're very old school. You know, I think that, I personally think a dash of old school into your generation could go far as long as there's girls that are receptive to it because they may find it creepy. You know, like you show up to a girl's place to pick her up, you walk up to the door, you knock on the door, you might have some flowers. They're gonna be like, what the? They're fucking weird. They're gonna be like weirdo. That's not just from social media and just from COVID. What you gotta think about what's happened these last three or four years, like the feminist movement got way out of control. Politics have become people's identities. There's literally people like on hinge and people you meet where it's like, if you're a conservative, don't talk to me. And it's like, okay, like you're fucking crazy. The world's divided.

There's literally people like on hinge and people you meet where it's like, if you're a conservative, don't talk to me. And it's like, okay, like you're fucking crazy. The world's divided. That's a wild take to have. That's your personality now that because I voted for someone else, we're just automatically like enemies. Like that's crazy. I would never think of it like that. Like I might judge you a little bit because you voted for Joe Biden, but I'm still here you out. And like maybe we're still friends, but there's people like that, both guy and girl that are like, just, it's like this, it's bad. Like the feminist movement got a little out of hand and partly damaging the women, I think a little bit. And identity politics. And identity politics. But then you throw that in with social media becoming a bigger thing and everyone wanting to make money from social media, like the OnlyFans movement's crazy. And everyone thinking like, just because you remotely have a presence online, you now should be this like influencer that's, this is your shtick. It's like, dude. Right, right. It becomes your whole personality. So with OnlyFans, we are so out of touch with anything that that is. Is that really prevalent with women in your generation in their twenties? Late, I guess late teens, not that you would know about that, but twenties? I'm not sure. Is it accepted? No, I don't think so. Okay. I think. (indistinct) Yeah, you're, you're. Yeah, my mic is wacky. You're basically, you're like a porn star, but it's so proprietary. No, I understand what OnlyFans is, but. So OnlyFans, so young women in their twenties are having OnlyFans accounts and. Asking people to send them money and posting pictures and videos and all this shit. No, I get what

So OnlyFans, so young women in their twenties are having OnlyFans accounts and. Asking people to send them money and posting pictures and videos and all this shit. No, I get what OnlyFans is, but that's the, that's the genre, I guess that's blowing up is your age group. It has blown up, I think. I think it's pretty oversaturated in the fact that like, I saw a stat, it was like a million American girls and like a certain age bracket, I wouldn't say like early twenties. Yeah, that's true. Trying to do OnlyFans, but the issue is, is like, there are some girls who make bread, like millions of dollars, but then there's probably, I'd say like, that's the 1%. But think about if you go do OnlyFans and sell yourself out and make 50 bucks a month, you now have no respect from me, no self-respect and no career. So like, what are you? Yeah, that's a huge risk. Like, what are you now? Would you say it's almost a form of like, in this day and age, porn? Yeah. 100%. Yeah, yeah. But it's more like-- It's like private, it's like being able to be your own CEO in porn versus like working with the studio, I think. But it seems like it's more quote unquote accepted in a way. Well, it is. To have an OnlyFans account. I don't know. Among women maybe, among young women, do you think they judge each other? But that's why I say, I think the feminist movement got a little too far. So, just going from empowering women to like, selling yourself out as a hoard and somehow being okay. Right, right. But I'm telling you, most people I'm friends with, that's like, yeah, I'm not dealing with that. Would you say that's true with most young men? Yeah, I'd say it's a deal breaker for a lot of people. It depends what you're looking to get out of it.

not dealing with that. Would you say that's true with most young men? Yeah, I'd say it's a deal breaker for a lot of people. It depends what you're looking to get out of it. It's wild. I don't share that perception, but I'm also married, I'm not out on the market. I think it's good for them to have another alternative means of an income. But I agree with you, if you don't strike gold, it's rough, because now you're out there, you've shared things about yourself. But I think it's a good, I'm open to anything that lets people make money and not be stuck in something and empowers them, if it empowers them, I guess. But I don't know if it is empowering them. That's what-- I think it's creating mental health problems. You think so? For sure. And that's where I might be wrong. Okay, think about this. You think you're this hot girl and you're getting no action on the OnlyFans. Now you're like, am I really this hot? Right. And now you're in your head like, fuck. Am I totally wrong about myself? Well, you've exposed every aspect of yourself. You've saved nothing for yourself. That's the danger. Yeah, and then I don't wanna date you if you have a million videos of you doing things on the internet. Right, right. So would you say that there is definitely though, young men that are all about the persona and are looking for women that look a certain way and fill the physical needs of the online persona just to have that arm candy and don't really care about any substance? Yeah, but that's not new. Yeah. So you just, okay, so that's just the constant thing. I mean, that's, that's, yeah. Look at, what's the same? Oldest time itself. Leonardo DiCaprio, what's DiCaprio? Yeah, yeah. That's the only date 25 year olds? True, true.

I mean, that's, that's, yeah. Look at, what's the same? Oldest time itself. Leonardo DiCaprio, what's DiCaprio? Yeah, yeah. That's the only date 25 year olds? True, true. That's just avoid your fillings. I think I'm just tying it in with online now. It's just now more common because everybody has a profile. It's more visible. True, yeah. Yeah, but that's not, that's no different. So how challenging is it to meet people down to earth, to meet women down to earth that are somebody you would consider seriously dating? Is it pretty challenging? Yeah, I guess so. (both laughing) It definitely still happens. Yeah, yeah. You just gotta meet it through connections. Okay, so it's more. I feel like it's definitely gotta be like, you gotta get leads from your friend. So it's old school. It's gotten more old school. Yeah, it's going back to old school. I mean, that's for me. I'm sure there's people having success hopping on Instagram and DMing. Yeah. DMing and DMing and DMing and striking out and striking out. Right. I'm not, I don't have Instagram again. I just recently deleted it again because I got tired of being on it. But like that's definitely a subgroup of individuals probably having success. Right. I just, that's just, I'm not doing that. I've looked for leads all day at my job. I'm not gonna look for leads on my other woman. What about dating apps? Like sometimes they're hit or miss. Yeah, I've used it a couple of times. I've gone on a few dates, but it gets kind of old doing the song and dance and like where you're from, what's your name? Yeah, yeah. What you study, yada, yada, yada. But that happens even old school. If you're old school dating, you're still going through that. Yeah, but that feels way more natural.

Yeah, yeah. What you study, yada, yada, yada. But that happens even old school. If you're old school dating, you're still going through that. Yeah, but that feels way more natural. If you're just out casually at the bar with your friends and all of a sudden like you and a girl start talking and you just naturally get through that versus like taking a girl out on like a hinge day and then you're forced to sit there for 30 minutes, going over like the preliminary basics of this person's life, trying to the whole time judging them and being judged. So you have the option, you have the opportunity to sell yourself in a way that might not totally be truthful. So it's a first impression thing where it's like, all right, for these next two hours, I'm gonna make myself sound like the fucking man. And just either lie or stretch the truth a little bit. So it's like, I don't know. It got old after a couple of times. I was like, yeah. It's not organic. No, that's a really good way to play it. It's not organic. You're like both forcing an issue. Well, you bring up a good point as far as like talking about the younger generations that are always on their phones. They probably, when they're trying to date or chase the opposite sex, they have all this time to prepare their pitch because they're only using technology. Like they don't have to do it on the fly. So-- What do you mean by that? So they can present themselves through Snapchat, right? Snapchat, texting. Yeah, so think about like you text someone, right? And they respond. You don't have 30 minutes that you could take to formulate the perfect response. And I think this is definitely an issue probably with my age, definitely with Dylan's age and in between and younger as they get older.

to formulate the perfect response. And I think this is definitely an issue probably with my age, definitely with Dylan's age and in between and younger as they get older. If you're only talking to people on the phone texting, you have all the time in the world to come up with something witty. And you could be some idiot that has no wit. But if you sit there long enough and type in delete, type it delete until you come up with something, right? You can come up with something good. And then it's like, okay, now I'm good for compliments until she responds and I'll figure something else out. But then you go on a physical date and you start talking and you both sit there and you're like, Right. Because that's definitely a thing. It's a skill to be able to have banter, to be able to talk to people and to your point. And I think his generation is gonna be fucked by that. I think maybe not him, like he's pretty normal, but he definitely has some friends that are gonna get smoked by that. Yeah, I think there's something to be said to-- It's like the opposite of a keyboard warrior. Yeah, you need to be able to then follow through on what you're presenting through text. You need to be able to show up and be that person. So it'll be interesting to see once they hit their late teens, early twenties. But that's an issue with him. Yes, it's the same thing. It's the same thing. The first 20 messages, the objective is to grab the number and get a date set up, I'd say, right? That's like step one, when can we meet? So I can see if your pictures are actually real or not. And then it's like, are you actually this type of person? Because you can talk and sit there and say anything. And I will say, at least in my experience with him, because I don't look

And then it's like, are you actually this type of person? Because you can talk and sit there and say anything. And I will say, at least in my experience with him, because I don't look at it all that often, there'll be a week in between my responses for a couple days, because I'm just not looking. I'll miss the notification, I'm not gonna go look. It's not like an app, I'm opening up. I look at my messages every day to see if I've missed a text. That's a total different platform that I'm not looking at a lot. And so then it's like, you can do the first 10 messages and then you can go meet with them and then you're sitting there like, holy fuck, I don't wanna be here anymore. Like what do I do? And then you're like faced with, do I just cut it short? Do I just, you know, tough it out and just never hit this person up again? But like that blows, like that sucks to go through. And that could happen even with just any normal first date. But at least if you like meet them out at the bar, within 10 minutes of talking to someone, you can get a pretty good idea if you're gonna mesh with them or not. So you can get a pretty good idea of what you're gonna do. So then if you take that out, it can be real, you can be in trouble. I think that's what's missing. I think that's what's missing is that initial, can we vibe or not time? That's what's been completely taken out with technology being introduced because that is where you kind of feel out, is this worth pursuing? What do they call those places? Like third places, third, it's like a coffee shop. Oh, the third stop. What the hell is the coffee place we go to in Boca? Third place lounge. No, no, no. But I think that's what it is. It's like back in the day when you didn't have a phone,

Oh, the third stop. What the hell is the coffee place we go to in Boca? Third place lounge. No, no, no. But I think that's what it is. It's like back in the day when you didn't have a phone, think about the show "Friends." They would always meet in the coffee shop. You meet people at a sober environment, like a bookstore coffee shop. That's not really a thing as much anymore. At least for me and a lot of people I interact with, it's like, I go to work, I go to the gym, I'm at my apartment until I go out to the bar or like a restaurant. And if I happen to run into someone also at the bar, great. But then alcohol is now influencing the thing. If you go to like a club, it's like what are the intentions here behind a lot of people? So there's not as much casual, just like, "Hey, you go to my coffee shop every Tuesday. What else are you interested in?" I'm not going to a coffee shop. Right, right, no, it's really interesting. What's your take on who should pay? I mean, I think the guys should pay on the first date every time. Yeah, and then as the guy, you should definitely make it so you're not exposing yourself to too much financial responsibility by making sure you're not going. I'm not taking a girl. So in my opinion, and a lot of people I talk to, I do not like eating with a girl on the first date. I think the move is to go to like a happy hour type bar in public around people. I even like sitting at the bar and just having a couple of drinks and talking, super casual. And then I'll pick up that tab of drinks. It's like 50 bucks probably. So you're not tied into like some fucking, then it's like, "Oh, can I get the lobster?" It's like, "I'd rather you not." Because I'm about to get not the lobster.

It's like 50 bucks probably. So you're not tied into like some fucking, then it's like, "Oh, can I get the lobster?" It's like, "I'd rather you not." Because I'm about to get not the lobster. So like, "I'm going to get a burger. Could you not double my price?" But like, no, I think that you should probably pay. Unless the girl's like, I don't know, Bean, it's never happened to me, but like maybe there's some horror story where she's like ordering some super expensive thing on purpose and it's like, "Hold on." I think that happens. Oh, for sure. Well, there's definitely, I think-- There's people working these-- No, there's girls that use to get meals. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Gold digger meal chasers. What do they call them? There's got to be a name for these. I call them gold digger meal chasers, but I don't think that's it. That sounds good. Yeah. But so no, I feel like you should pay like, you should pay at least the first date, probably the second date. Again, you have to manage it so you're not like dropping a hundred bucks on every date, but it's like you're going to end up spending like at least $200, I'd say. Well, it probably takes a couple dates to figure it out. To get to your goal, you're going to have to drop some bread. Yeah, to figure it out. So do you-- But then once you get like past that like first date, second date, third date phase, where you're like, all right, and you have some sort of like-- Report. Like a recent, I went out on a few dates with this girl over the summer, and I think she picked up the tab on the third date. Like I went to pay, and she's like, no, I got it. You paid for the last two, and I'm like, all right, fine. And I'm personally going to, if they're offering, I'm going to take it.

Like I went to pay, and she's like, no, I got it. You paid for the last two, and I'm like, all right, fine. And I'm personally going to, if they're offering, I'm going to take it. Like don't offer if you want me to be like, no, it's okay, I'll do it. If you're going to offer, you can buy my meal. Because I did just pay for the last two. And then you hit the back and forth. No, that makes sense. And honestly, like if you're a girl that's willing to go like six or seven dates without paying, like you're fucked. Right, right. You need to toss them some money. Right, because I think it just says something about a person being thoughtful. You're just disrespectful. And considerate and generous. Yeah, yeah, so that makes sense. Now, I know you do the thing where you don't let a girl walk on the outside on the sidewalk. Do you open the door, the car door? Yeah. You do, okay. Now, do you go up to a door or do you text them here? Or do you not pick up? For what? A date. No, no, no, that's like meet me at the place. Okay, so you guys meet, is that normal? I feel like the girl does not want you going to their apartment and knowing where you live. Okay, okay. No girl's ever like, yeah, I live here, come pick me up. It's always like, hey, I'll meet you. And this girl was like talking about not having a car one time and I was like, I'll scoop you. And she's like, no, it's okay, I'll Uber. I'm like, all right, perfect, see you then. That makes sense. I've never had to run into that issue. Okay, all right. I feel like that's part of girls being like, guys are fucking creepy these days. I'm not telling them where I live. Yeah, no, that makes sense. And it's warranted for sure. I think the women definitely now more than ever

guys are fucking creepy these days. I'm not telling them where I live. Yeah, no, that makes sense. And it's warranted for sure. I think the women definitely now more than ever are on the watch for the red flags. There's a good reason to be. There's a bunch of weird little things. I wouldn't want to get picked up by a random girl. Like that I've never met. Yeah, because what if she's crazy? No, you're fucked. Yeah, then she knows where you live. No, you can't do that. You got to be like very protected. It makes sense. People are crazy these days. Well, some of it might have to do with what you talked about. The growth was stunted during COVID. I think a 15 year long Adderall prescription doesn't help. That's where I was gonna go. Antidepressants, like, oh, you have a tough time getting out of bed, so you're gonna take pills every day. Like you're cooked. This isn't social media or a phone epidemic. This is a pharmaceutical drug problem we have in this country. I do think that's a really big influence. Do you think with the Gen Z's? That's a red flag to me. Like if you're taking anti-anxiety every day, I am gonna be very cautious about what else you do that might be a red flag. Because there's a pattern there. Like you're probably just fucking nuts. And there's a certain level, right? There's that hot crazy scale, where you'll deal with it to a certain degree. But like once you reach that level, it's like, yeah, I'm out, I can't do this. Right, are you finding that a lot of people your age are on some sort of pharmaceutical-- I feel like a lot of girls I meet are on something. Antidepressant or anti-anxiety. Why do you think that is? Like for real, why do you think-- They've been conditioned to think that minor inconveniences

girls I meet are on something. Antidepressant or anti-anxiety. Why do you think that is? Like for real, why do you think-- They've been conditioned to think that minor inconveniences are a mental health issue. And that's guys and girls who like, I think the whole world is just so soft. Like you have one bad day and all of a sudden you fucking think you need to pill to not have another bad day. Like, dude, you're gonna have tough days. You just gotta deal with it. Like there's days where I wake up, I'm like fuck, I don't wanna go to work. But me taking a pill is not gonna get me to my job. It's like, you just gotta suck it up and deal with it. And think about tomorrow or work your way to the weekend and then look inward. It's like, if you only eat fast food, never work out, and are always on your phone looking at bullshit TikToks that are designed to capture your attention or piss you off and create an outrage, right? Like rage bait you. And then you're constantly like stressed out about it. Maybe you should not do that instead of taking a pill that allows you to do that and be normal. Like cut out some negative things from your life versus just automatically going to your therapist and being like, I need Xanax. It's like, no, you don't. You just need to fix your habits. So what about people that suffer from depression for years and years and have tried everything? I'm not a doctor, I don't know. Yes. That's real. That exists. That's real. I do think that's real, but I think all Americans are over prescribed. I agree with that. Way too quick. Like you can hear a bit of precision with like a telehealth meeting now. I agree. Like I can hop on a call and even just getting your med card, which is fine. But like you can be

Like you can hear a bit of precision with like a telehealth meeting now. I agree. Like I can hop on a call and even just getting your med card, which is fine. But like you can be like, oh, I have anxiety. There's no testing that. They're like, cool here, go get legal weed. Oh good, that's legal weed, okay. But you can do the same shit for like something way more addicting. And the side effects of all those drugs, like if you ever sit there and watch sports, we were all at meet, Adele, Ben and I watched the Notre Dame game on Thursday. There's this commercial called Sky Rizzy. It's for like plaxoriasis and Crohn's disease. But then they go really quickly and this deep voice side effects are depression, suicide, coughs, coughs, blah, blah, blah, blah. It's like, that's what they all do. And then I saw one, it was a depression drug and the side effect is depression. Yeah. Yeah. So like, what are we doing here? Yeah, no, I agree. I mean, you know me. I think that we need to go into a whole clean eating society. I think when COVID hit, we should have focused on restructuring the health of America, but instead it went to different drugs. Yeah, I got pretty healthy during COVID. Yeah. I started biking, spending some time outside. Cause it was like, honestly, in the beginning, I was like, dope, I don't have to go to work. I'll just play Xbox with all my friends who also don't have to go into work. Like the new Call of Duty was out. It was right after we graduated. So we all were kind of missing each other. And it was like, dope, now we can spend all day just talking to each other, bullshitting on Xbox. And then after like a couple of weeks, I was like, okay, I need to get the fuck out of my house. This is terrible. I got like restless. And then Tommy would

other, bullshitting on Xbox. And then after like a couple of weeks, I was like, okay, I need to get the fuck out of my house. This is terrible. I got like restless. And then Tommy would come over with his bike and we'd bike 10 miles every day. Oh, that's right. And then like, I'd start like going on walks, running, just hopping outside. Like it forced me just due to being inside and being restless. I had to make an adjustment cause I could feel myself going crazy. Yeah, no, I think that if there was a whole restructuring of health and wellness in America, you would see a big decrease in pharmaceutical sales and use. I really do believe that. I do think a lot of that's in food as well. I mean, there's so many ingredients in food that are banned in other countries. And like the companies here that like, let's say, like that Berea company that makes the spaghetti, Barilla or whatever, they probably sell it in Spain with 10 less ingredients, but it's coming from the same company. But because it's not illegal here, we get like red dye, blue dye and all this shit that probably causes like inflammation, like stress, anxiety, poison. They're non-natural things that you should not be eating on a day-to-day basis. But then that same company goes and sells it to someone in Europe and it's just wheat and flour and water. It's true. You know? So I think, I think there's, it's like, as much as I think social media is cancer for a lot of people and preying on a lot of people, it's like, that's not just the one thing. That's not why people have these issues. Like there's so much going on right now. It feels like the world's moving so fast. Yeah. Well, it's gotten smaller and it's moving fast. And like the issue is you can,

Like there's so much going on right now. It feels like the world's moving so fast. Yeah. Well, it's gotten smaller and it's moving fast. And like the issue is you can, like back in the day, you got the newspaper, right? And you'd read the newspaper and be like, "All right, what's going on around me?" That was your source of like terror. Like, "Oh, this kid's missing." But you saw that like once a year, if that. Now you can follow news sites that will post what's going on in Topeka, Kansas, some shitty little city in India, somewhere in China, this, this and this and it's like, "Oh my God, all these people are missing and dying and getting eaten by bears." It's like, "Dude, that's always been happening. Why are you looking at that?" Like you shouldn't be stressing out over that. But it's just constant boom, boom, boom, boom, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad. So then you're in this mindset of like, "Holy shit, the world's going to shit." But that's just because that's what you're ingesting. Like that's always, that's always happening. You don't need to know that. You know, what's really interesting is that I think that has a lot to do with why there's all these prescriptions for anxiety. I don't think that our, the human brain was made to accept all of that information. No. I think that's what's causing, that could be what's causing all the anxiety or a lot of the anxiety, especially in your generation and younger generations is it's too much consumption. We were not made to consume this much information 24 seven. And I don't, I think our brains short circuit. It's like an issue of serotonin or dopamine. Yeah. But I know the one thing that freaks me out the most about myself and probably a lot of my friends relate to this and I

our brains short circuit. It's like an issue of serotonin or dopamine. Yeah. But I know the one thing that freaks me out the most about myself and probably a lot of my friends relate to this and I don't even know the solution. That's probably what scares me is I wake up and probably look at my phone to shut off my alarm and then check my notifications. Then I brush my teeth and take a shower and then I drive to work. Then I'm in front of a screen from 8 30 to 5 30. Then I come home and look at my phone and to do whatever. Maybe like, maybe I'm out of my phone for like an hour at the gym or something, but then it's like you're, I'm either playing X-Box, watching sports or doing both of those things. And then I'm reading on my iPad. So literally for like fucking 15 hours a day, I'm looking at a fucking screen. And I don't know how to not do that because everything these days is on screen. The only thing I could do to cut that down a little bit is to buy physical books, but that's more expensive and more of a nuisance to deal with. Yeah. No, I highly recommend the Kindle. The Kindle reader gives you that natural light. I don't think it has to. I have it on my iPad. I have, I go on dark mode and go all the way down to the brightness and even on the Kindle, my point would still be the same. Like it's just, I feel like I'm always on screen. Yeah. No, and it'll be interesting to see. We all are. Everybody is. That can't be good for your eyes. Do you have the blue light blockers? Yeah. But even for the brain, it's just, I think it's a different way that everything is getting absorbed and I do think it's too much consumption and the brain is like short circuiting. So these medications maybe are kind of helping with that.

everything is getting absorbed and I do think it's too much consumption and the brain is like short circuiting. So these medications maybe are kind of helping with that. But I think it would be interesting to reverse it and everyone go back, but once it's out, it's hard to out of the can. You can't put it. There's no fixing it. It's only getting worse. Because now you have the fucking Oculus glasses that just attach right to your damn face. They cannot be good for you. And now the Apple Vision Pros are out where you can do all your work with goggles attached to your face. Yeah, no. And soon you're gonna have a chip in your brain that puts things out in front of you. I think that's the future. I think the solution is to find something to make a living where you're not in front of a screen. Yeah, whether like a river rafting guide in Southern Oregon or Northern California. No, that's what I'm saying. But that's the solution. But that's like not common. It's not practical. Well, they're saying that the new multimillionaires or whatever will be trade, electricians, plumbers, that there's so few now that those will be the new people that are really-- Those are better examples than the river guides. Yeah, the only issue with those jobs is you do sacrifice your body. Yeah, yeah. Like you fucking throw your back out, bending over doing things. Right, no, it's true. I read a whole Reddit post on that the other day. And everyone was like, yeah, I know. What you're saying is correct. If you don't know what you wanna do in your life, you could go get a trade. But I've grown up with, like my dad was, for one of the examples, just like a railroad conductor. He's like, that dude had been in and out of surgeries his whole life. Right.

you could go get a trade. But I've grown up with, like my dad was, for one of the examples, just like a railroad conductor. He's like, that dude had been in and out of surgeries his whole life. Right. He's like, yeah, he's put a living, but he's fucked. Yeah. Yeah, so it's like you're either sacrificing your brain or your body. Yeah, no, it's-- (laughing) Well, on that note, let's be optimistic. And what is your, where do you see yourself in five years? You know, I don't know. I don't think about that. I probably should. I'm not really a, I don't have like goals. I don't have like, I'm not a goal-driven individual. I don't write down like, oh, I wanna do this. Like at the start of the year, I know a lot of people probably put in like, this is what I wanna be in a year. I wanna make sure I accomplish this. I just kind of mentally like keep track of how I want to things to play out. Like I told myself that I'd be less lazy this year. And that's like my main focus. And that encompasses a lot of things. I think by being less, like by being less lazy, a lot of things will come from that. Yeah. And so like this, like, you know, I'm doing dry January for this year or for this month. Been trying to go to the gym every day, at least doing cardio. If I haven't worked out, I've gone, I've done cardio. But like normally I always try to do this. I'm gonna try to actually make it past like the 15th. Five years though, I'm not sure. I- Because you'll be 32, right? I think I do wanna get into a mode or job that I could see myself being out for like a dozen years or beyond, like, because right now I'm in this, you know, I work for a company that, you know, I get a piece of the pie basically. And I feel like I've done that.

being out for like a dozen years or beyond, like, because right now I'm in this, you know, I work for a company that, you know, I get a piece of the pie basically. And I feel like I've done that. I've worked at three different companies. It's all been the same shtick of like, we'll give you a base, make sales, you got a percentage. I wanna be in a place where like, I have more control over that. So something of like an independent sales agent or like, you know, at the very beginning stages of starting my own firm with whatever industry that I find interesting, I'm having success in. And that's something I'm gonna try to figure out a lot this year. That's a goal. Yeah. That's definitely a goal. I wanna move to something that like, I actually like doing. I do wanna bring my resume back into the mix here a little bit. Because my last job dealt with money and I like that a lot. So I think I'm gonna try to go back to something like that, whether it be for financing or insurance or something that involves money. I think that's, that's probably, I'd say in five years, I'll make my goal on this podcast to be doing something with my, whatchamacallit majors. Your degree. Yeah. That's a great goal. Yeah, interesting. That's a very good goal. I'm just, first job is telecom. I could quite literally give a fuck about phone and internet. Right now I sell a website subscription for like data. It's cool. I'll probably continue to stick around here for a little bit longer, but I'm definitely, you know, getting restless in my mind of, all right, what's next? And I wanna fix that. It feels like I get a job, it's new and exciting. And then once I figure it out, I'm like, this isn't cool. This isn't fulfilling. Yeah. Like what do I do? What's next?

And I wanna fix that. It feels like I get a job, it's new and exciting. And then once I figure it out, I'm like, this isn't cool. This isn't fulfilling. Yeah. Like what do I do? What's next? I keep always asking what's next. And I wanna get into a mode where that's not always at the forefront of my like thought process when I think about my job. Or whatever you're doing is fulfilling that need. Yeah, exactly. The job itself is growing and changing. So it's fulfilling that need. Yeah. If you think about that for us, I have a consistent job I've been in forever, but I've got 50 hobbies to address the need you're talking about. If you figure it out, you're bored, move on. It's a hobby thing for me. This is true. And there's something to be said when you, once you get married and start a family also, that challenges you enough. Yeah, I'm hoping now that I figured out a little bit better in five years. Yeah, yeah. Well, no, I mean, you're still very young. For sure. But I think by 32, I should have a general idea of what or who I'm trying to settle down with to kind of finalize things here. That sounds good to me. Yeah. Yeah, she's ready. No, I know. No, I've stopped with the pressure. Whenever you guys, if you guys want children or not, I support whatever path you take. So, you know, I want you guys to be happy and that's the main thing. I think everything you just said are great goals. Those are goals. You just stated goals. I just think if I focus on just doing more on a day-to-day basis instead of like, fucking wake up, work, decide if I'm gonna work out or not, and then decide what's for dinner. And then that's the end of my night. And I'd watch sports. Like, I gotta figure out, I gotta figure out something

gonna work out or not, and then decide what's for dinner. And then that's the end of my night. And I'd watch sports. Like, I gotta figure out, I gotta figure out something to do that's a little bit more meaningful at that time. As you do that, I think more things will-- Or be more productive. Yeah. But I think as you do that, more things will fall into place in terms of what's interesting, what you want to spend your time doing. 100%. Yeah, I'm not too concerned about it. I do believe even something as simple as making sure I'm active and go to the gym or go on a run and do some sort of physical activity. Luckily, softball starts up next week, so that'll be something to do. But I feel like just getting that mindset of focusing on getting better sleep, trying to eat better, and trying to be more active in the gym, by making the changes to accomplish that, things that aren't even related to that will fall into place and work itself out as well. Yeah, no, I agree. And everything you just stated is, so many people struggle with all those things. I'm still trying to figure it out. Yeah, yeah. But I think you're right. If you continue to live that way and challenging yourself and adjusting and trying to improve and be more productive, I think more and more things will come, because you're gonna be making space for those things to come. So it makes sense. So thank you for sharing everything with us, Nathan. Yeah, last thing I'll say, I'm not the biggest caffeine drinker. I drink coffee, definitely. Usually it's every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, when I'm in the office. But I work from home Monday, Friday, and I typically don't caffeinate myself when I'm at my apartment. And I try not to drink caffeine on the weekend at all.

when I'm in the office. But I work from home Monday, Friday, and I typically don't caffeinate myself when I'm at my apartment. And I try not to drink caffeine on the weekend at all. My friends have created this company called Fungora, that is the lion's mane extract supplement that you're supposed to do. I think it's like two months on, a couple of weeks off, or maybe like a month on, a couple of weeks off. I've been putting that either in my coffee or just doing it straight. And I gotta say, it's like, if you've ever taken Adderall or like Vyvanse or anything like that to focus, it's exactly like that without all the bad side effects. I feel like laser focused when I do it, and it does wake me up. So whenever I've done the Fungora with my first cup of coffee, typically I never have to drink a second cup of coffee that day. That goes live at the end of February on Amazon. What's the name of the company again? Fungora, F-U-N-G-O-R-A. I can't wait to try it. Yeah, we're all very excited for it. We've been working on it for two years now. That's awesome. And we just got the samples from them a couple months ago, and now we're all kind of the test dummies, and it's definitely interesting. That's amazing. And I think you were saying that on the days you don't have coffee, it wakes you up just the same. I meant to take it before coming on here. Because I think it would have, I mean, it ended up being fine, but it's one of those things where like, like I walk in when I'm on that. Interesting. And there's no side effects. It doesn't keep you up, your heart rate doesn't increase. Like coffee, I'll drink coffee in the morning, I feel like I'm still feeling it at like five. Or like I feel cracked out somehow. And then I stopped

your heart rate doesn't increase. Like coffee, I'll drink coffee in the morning, I feel like I'm still feeling it at like five. Or like I feel cracked out somehow. And then I stopped drinking coffee this week because I was going to bed so late and I didn't drink coffee the last two days and I was able to get to bed a little bit earlier. And I'm talking coffee at like 9 a.m. So like that's a problem. And then by not drinking coffee all the time, now when I do need to drink coffee, it does wake me up. Versus it just being this crutch, where it's like, I'd rather drink coffee and it work, versus if I don't drink coffee, I'm ruined. That's me. Yeah, that's what a lot of people are. Yeah. So this has been a nice alternative. Interesting. So it's Fungora, Lion's Mane? So yeah, the company's Fungora, it's a Lion's Mane extract. It's got something else in it, but I forget. They go live the end of February on Amazon. Nice. Well, again, I can't wait to check it out. So yeah, thank you for having me. I hope to be back soon because there's definitely more to talk about. More nitty-gritty details of various random phases of my life that we kind of glossed over. And I think there's definitely some funny stories that I know you guys have told me that we could share. And I've told you guys, or maybe I haven't told you guys, but I've told other people that could definitely be shared around here that I think would be entertaining for other people. No, we definitely wanna have you back soon to go over some more stuff like that. And also we plan on having you back in a few years to do another recap to see where you're at. But yeah, we wanna do a part two and dig more deeper into some of those college years and some other stories.

having you back in a few years to do another recap to see where you're at. But yeah, we wanna do a part two and dig more deeper into some of those college years and some other stories. So we have to dig into some of the, we talked about doing some music sessions. Oh yes. Really gotta do that. That's actually something that I think Brian and Nathan are going to possibly start doing is sharing some music and talking about music. And so, stay tuned for that because I think that'll be really interesting if you're into music. So thank you. And if you're not, what the hell is wrong with you? Yes. (both laughing) So thank you again for listening. We welcome all questions, comments. We love to hear from you and we'll see you next time. Bye. Take care. (upbeat music)