June 17, 2025

#107: Janet Tamez

#107: Janet Tamez

Janet is a writer, editor, and mom of four who recently earned her Master's in Publishing from Pace University with a 3.95 GPA. After more than a decade in the classroom, she made a bold career change in her 40s, shifting from teaching to publishing. Today, she writes and edits for the Catholic Writers Guild, where she supports other writers in their faith and writing journey.

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Welcome to another episode of
Come Together

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and We're Live.
Welcome back.

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How's it going?
Welcome.

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Thanks so much for coming,
Janet.

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It's good to have.
You.

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Thank you.
Do you wanna tell me a little

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bit about actually, I'm gonna, I
could introduce the fact that

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what popped out to me on your
LinkedIn profile was that you're

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a writer and a teacher.
And that really that that

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strikes me because I rate a lot
in my free time.

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And like my, you know, my degree
in college was in creative

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writing and literature.
I love writing and I love

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teaching and I teach part time.
And, you know, I find it, I find

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it really important to make time
to continue teaching.

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And I think education is on the
most important things in the

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world.
So from there on, you tell me a

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little bit about yourself.
Yeah, I kind of like went into

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teaching.
It just happened.

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Like my degree is in English.
Your degree is in English as

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well, right?
Yeah.

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Creative writing.
So creative writing, that's the

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same thing.
I, I studied at the University

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of Miami and then I just kind
of, I did some copywriting work

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right after and then I just kind
of went into teaching somehow

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and just stayed there.
But then eventually, like now in

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my 40s, I was like, I, you know,
I just thought I just wanted to

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go back to what I really loved
and which is publishing and

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literature and book.
So I did a career change and I

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just earned my master's this way
and.

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Congratulations.
So exciting.

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Wow, was that was that tough to
do, to go back to school?

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It was because I didn't leave
teaching.

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I was still like working full
time and I was, you know, taking

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classes and I, I didn't want to
drag it out, but so it was, it

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was tough, but.
Tell me about what that would

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tell me what that how, how, how
the balance was.

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So you're taking what kind of
classes were wait, So what was

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the masters in?
And then what were the kind of

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classes like and how did you
balance it with your with your

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life?
Because that's why I feel like,

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at least for me, I like every
time I think about grad school,

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I'm like, I don't have time.
Like, you know, work and this

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and teaching and my family and I
have two kids and any of a

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family and, you know, how do you
do it?

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It was it was hard, but you
know, like my husband, he would

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take the kids.
I'm like, I need like a few

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hours at home by myself, take
the kids.

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I don't know what you're going
to do.

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You know, he would just take
them because my son plays

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soccer.
So, and that's kind of what

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brought us, you know, we just
came back from, you know, Mexico

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because we spent a year in
Mexico for my son.

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So anyways, while we were in the
United States, he would take my

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son to to play in the field and
take the other kids and they

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would run around and, and that's
what how we would manage.

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Right.
It's crazy.

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It's very patient of him.
How many kids do you have?

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I have 4:00, it's awesome.
It's awesome, it's awesome.

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And the boys, girls.
Yeah, I have both 2 like 2 boys,

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2 girls.
Oh, nice.

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Yeah.
And I kind of have them 10 years

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apart.
So they, the older ones do help

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out the younger ones.
And sometimes that that's how I

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did manage my studies.
Like I'll have my older kids

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take the younger ones to like
the park.

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Like, you know, there's a little
park in the community.

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Like, OK, I need some time.
I have to log into class, go

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take the kids to the park for
like 2 hours.

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And you know, I'll let you know.
I'll text you when I'm done.

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Totally be able to have that
when when I was in college,

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there was a rabbi that was on
campus and he had like without

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that exaggerating, I think like
6 kids under 10.

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And I was like, how do you, how
do you do it?

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And he's like, and, and, and,
and I'd watch as the weeks went

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on because I'd, I'd, I'd visit
on, you know, I'd go to services

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and stuff and I'd watch his
kids.

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And the five year old is helping
the three-year olds cross the

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street and looking both ways.
And then the 10 year old, you

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know, meets them at the door and
is running around with food for

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everyone and helping throw food
away.

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And it's so cool just to see
like, you know, like when you

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have that kind, when you have
the need for responsibility,

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even kids step up, you know,
even like, you know, 3 or 4 year

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old who really step up and and
help out.

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It's really cool.
Yeah, for sure.

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Because there were times when I,
you know, my kids were in school

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and I have the two younger ones
at home homeschooling then like

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my last semester.
And I'm like, listen, I need you

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guys to go upstairs and don't
come down, you know, and then

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like, and, and they would know,
they would kind of understand.

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Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
They're intuitive too.

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I've known you know, which is
which is really cool.

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So you so you so before teaching
you originally, you originally

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started with writing.
You wanted to be with your

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English degree?
Yeah, with with.

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OK, so you that's what caught
you first.

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You want to be a writer?
Yes.

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What kind of writing do you like
to do?

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I like creative writing, so
yeah.

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So right now I'm like, starting
to focus more on blog writing

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and I am working on a novel that
I like.

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Yeah.
So I'm kind of editing that and

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that's, you know, another
project.

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What's your relationship with
editing?

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Because I hate editing and some
of my other friends who are like

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great writers love to edit.
They say that's their favorite

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part.
What I like about writing is

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catching the spontaneous
thoughts and ideas in my head

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and writing them down.
And so to me, editing is almost

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like a different type of skill.
It's a different type of of job,

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you know.
Yeah, I think editing for me

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requires that like, which
requires less mental work.

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I think the creativity is like
when I have to write creatively,

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I can't have any distractions.
But when I'm editing and it's

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all in the pace and I can, you
know, I can have some busyness

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going on around me, some
distractions, I can do it with

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my kids.
But if I'm writing like, and I'm

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like writing the story and it's
just very raw.

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It's like I don't, I have to
find a space where there's

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nobody around me, so.
We can get in the zone.

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Yes, exactly.
Gotcha, gotcha.

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So what was University of Miami
like when you were there?

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Because I actually just went
there recently to interview a

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professor there and she'd and
she'd been there, she'd gone to

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school there and she was telling
me about some of the changes

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that have happened since the
80s, you know, at University of

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Miami.
But would you, what was your

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experience like there?
What was it?

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What were the What was it like?
That's funny you say that

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because I, I like, I got an
alumni magazine and it was like

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showing all the articles of
like, you know, 100 years of,

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UM, and, and all the football
team and the, the library.

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So it does have a really long
history.

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But when I was there, what I can
remember most was I guess the

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creative writing department, my
professors, they were really

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cool and they would allow me to
kind of sit in on the, on their

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graduate classes.
So I was an undergrad and knew

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how serious.
Yeah.

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So it was really cool to kind of
sit in and actually like I would

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participate in the assignments.
I wouldn't get graded because

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I'm not officially in the class,
but yeah, I would, you know, do

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it.
And, and so they were really

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open and flexible about just
letting me sit in their grad

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classes.
So I, I kind of, you know, they

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had.
That experience too, by the way.

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Yeah, I wonder if that's, I
wonder if that's an English

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thing, because I think that like
I had professors that would just

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like, if I like them, I would
just pop into all their classes

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and, you know, they'd welcome
you and they'd be.

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And then, you know, and they'd
be like, you know, we're happy

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you're here.
And like, if you're here to

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learn about things that you're
interested in, then like, come

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on in, you know, like, who cares
about, who cares about the

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grade?
Like if you want to learn, you

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want to hang out, then hang out.
One thing I, I realized

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recently, because I, I was, I'm
always trying to think about

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ways to kind of be a better
teacher.

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I'm not, you know, I, I, because
I have to figure out how to

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balance time and to be a good
teacher, you really need to

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invest a lot of a lot into
feedback, a lot into grading, a

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lot into responsiveness.
Like that's most of where kids

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learn from is, is, you know,
the, the response to their own

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behavior.
I feel like because that's what

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they're all they're focused on,
you know, like, you know, I

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remember I, I just as a student,
I would, I would never care

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about anyone else's work.
You know, I'd want to know what,

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you know, what I was doing and
then what I could do better or

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worse, you know, whatever I was
doing.

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And I told.
And so I told the students,

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like, I'm here because I'm
excited to be here and because I

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want to volunteer my time and
like, do this, but you guys

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aren't coming at this from the
same place as me.

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You guys are here because you
have to be here and because your

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parents will kill you if you're
not here.

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It's like you don't feel like
you really you should be there,

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you know, and like, you don't
really care whether you're there

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or not or what's happening in
class.

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And so I think it's so
refreshing that, you know, for

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professors, when you see that
people are willing to, you know,

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take a graduate, you know, take
a, you know, go to college and

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get a higher degree in the
English language or, you know,

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creative writing.
Like they know that you're doing

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that because you want to be
there, you know, And so, and,

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and so they know that you're
going to be like excited and

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invested and you want to learn.
And like, I think that that's

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kind of what the value of that
world is, is like, you know,

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like you're not there because
you have to be, because it's

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going to hook you up with a good
job afterwards.

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Like it's notorious for not
doing that, you know, but you do

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it because of passion.
You do it because you love it.

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Yeah, it's true.
Like even now, like in my

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master's program, you know,
they're, they do the best that

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they can to try to pace you for
work.

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You know, there's mentorship,
mentorship and internships,

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which I couldn't do the
internships because I was, you

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know, I had a full time job as a
teacher.

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So, you know, I, I did a lot of
mentoring, but I think they

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really want to help you succeed.
But what do?

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They do.
Well, my, my schooling was

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online, so they would, I would
meet with like a publishing

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professor like every month and
just talk to them.

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They would tell me their
journey.

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And a lot of their journey was
just like, you know, good luck,

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honestly.
Like, you know, and I'm like,

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I'm, I'm going to school.
I'm, you know, working, you

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know, hard to get in this field.
And like, you have the story of

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this guy who's like, goes to the
bar and meets somebody who just

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so happens to work like in this
great publishing house.

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And it's like, come apply, you
know, like.

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And then, you know, all these
stories that I'm like, wow.

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It's just like, really good
luck, you know, how these people

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get in.
Yeah.

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So, you know, it's it was a
little bit like, it's

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heartening, but, you know, I'm.
I'm so I'm still trying to get

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my first publishing job and
that's why I'm doing a lot of

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blog writing because I think,
you know, I have to like a lot

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of people kind of do like do
entrepreneurship and try to make

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their way.
If they can't get into a

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publishing house, they'll just
kind of, you know, self publish

220
00:11:18,040 --> 00:11:21,440
or write, write their own stuff
and kind of, you know, go

221
00:11:21,440 --> 00:11:23,920
through that route.
You have to learn how to be kind

222
00:11:23,920 --> 00:11:25,520
of flexible in the writing
career.

223
00:11:26,480 --> 00:11:29,000
Yeah.
So why don't you, do you know

224
00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:32,760
how the publishing process works
to get your work submitted?

225
00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:36,640
Yeah.
What's the process for that

226
00:11:36,640 --> 00:11:40,040
like?
So for people who are

227
00:11:40,040 --> 00:11:44,600
interested, you definitely have
to research the publishing

228
00:11:44,600 --> 00:11:48,440
houses and see if your work
matches theirs because a lot of

229
00:11:48,440 --> 00:11:50,760
the times when you get
rejections is because your work

230
00:11:50,760 --> 00:11:53,600
is not like what they want or
what they're looking for.

231
00:11:53,600 --> 00:11:58,080
You know, you have to.
So once you have, you can see

232
00:11:58,080 --> 00:11:59,960
it.
And if there's open submissions,

233
00:12:00,280 --> 00:12:02,960
you can, you know, submit
there's like, you know,

234
00:12:02,960 --> 00:12:05,160
guidelines for how to send your
manuscripts.

235
00:12:06,240 --> 00:12:09,520
It's kind of rare to kind of
have open submissions, maybe

236
00:12:09,520 --> 00:12:13,160
like small publishing houses who
are still looking to publish,

237
00:12:13,480 --> 00:12:16,480
but most of the time you'll
probably need a literary agent

238
00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:19,200
to represent you and submit your
work for you.

239
00:12:19,680 --> 00:12:22,720
So the dynamic is that the
writers want them more than they

240
00:12:22,720 --> 00:12:25,600
want the writers.
Yeah, for sure.

241
00:12:25,840 --> 00:12:27,320
Yeah.
Yeah.

242
00:12:28,440 --> 00:12:34,600
And because I see, so it's
publishing is almost like any

243
00:12:34,600 --> 00:12:37,600
other aspect of entertainment in
terms of like acting or, you

244
00:12:37,600 --> 00:12:39,200
know, directing or anything like
that.

245
00:12:39,200 --> 00:12:41,240
Like, you know, there's the big
people that will give you your

246
00:12:41,240 --> 00:12:42,760
jobs.
You have the studios, you have

247
00:12:42,760 --> 00:12:45,000
whatever.
And then you have your agent

248
00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:47,600
because you're talented, but no
one would have ever have heard

249
00:12:47,600 --> 00:12:49,480
of you.
And there's so many people out

250
00:12:49,480 --> 00:12:51,600
there always trying to get their
work submitted and trying to get

251
00:12:51,600 --> 00:12:55,160
famous overnight that that a lot
of that that they're probably

252
00:12:55,160 --> 00:12:57,560
overwhelmed all the time with
submissions.

253
00:12:57,560 --> 00:13:00,160
That's why I mean, so publishing
is the same way.

254
00:13:00,200 --> 00:13:02,720
So you have.
Yeah, it's very elite.

255
00:13:02,800 --> 00:13:07,320
It's very elite.
And almost like you have to be a

256
00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:09,640
celebrity.
You have to have like a big

257
00:13:09,680 --> 00:13:14,720
following in social media for
people to really like want you.

258
00:13:14,720 --> 00:13:17,440
That's why that's why, you know,
I'm trying to blog, right?

259
00:13:17,440 --> 00:13:20,160
I'm trying to like build my
audience.

260
00:13:20,160 --> 00:13:23,920
You know, you if you have to
make yourself like marketable,

261
00:13:24,520 --> 00:13:28,160
so it is, it's very elite.
You have to, you know, sell

262
00:13:28,160 --> 00:13:30,440
yourself basically.
It's not just a writing.

263
00:13:30,520 --> 00:13:33,000
There's so much more.
At the end of the day, it's a

264
00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:35,160
business and they want to make
sure that if you publish I'm not

265
00:13:35,240 --> 00:13:38,600
being somebody's, you have an
audience and fans to buy it.

266
00:13:39,320 --> 00:13:40,920
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I always talk
good.

267
00:13:40,920 --> 00:13:44,800
It's funny.
I I love, I, I love live music.

268
00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:47,520
I love going to loving.
I love going to hear music.

269
00:13:47,840 --> 00:13:50,960
And I've always found that like
all these like local little

270
00:13:50,960 --> 00:13:54,000
joints and local little bars or
whatever have these incredible,

271
00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:55,680
incredible musicians that come
play.

272
00:13:56,080 --> 00:14:00,200
And I realized that like there's
a lot more talent in this world

273
00:14:00,200 --> 00:14:02,080
than there is fame.
You know, there's a lot more

274
00:14:02,080 --> 00:14:05,000
people that are talented, that
are capable that like what

275
00:14:05,000 --> 00:14:08,160
publishing or write or do
incredible, incredible,

276
00:14:08,160 --> 00:14:11,040
incredible creative endeavors
and don't.

277
00:14:11,040 --> 00:14:12,720
And you'll never hear of them,
you know, and they'll be in a

278
00:14:12,720 --> 00:14:15,240
local coffee shop somewhere or
in the subway or, you know,

279
00:14:15,240 --> 00:14:17,200
trying to play on this, you
know, trying to trying to busk

280
00:14:17,200 --> 00:14:20,920
in Ireland or something like
that, you know, and, and, and

281
00:14:20,960 --> 00:14:22,760
you'll never know, you know,
you'll never hear of them ever

282
00:14:22,760 --> 00:14:24,600
again.
And like, and then, you know,

283
00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:28,280
then you have, you know, you
keep on having guys like, what's

284
00:14:28,280 --> 00:14:33,200
Harrison Ford, you know, at 95
years old, you know, being cast

285
00:14:33,200 --> 00:14:34,560
in movies over and over and over
again.

286
00:14:34,560 --> 00:14:36,080
And you're like, what about all
the young?

287
00:14:36,080 --> 00:14:39,000
What about all the, you know,
people that are like ready to

288
00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:40,320
go?
What about all the new talent?

289
00:14:40,320 --> 00:14:42,880
What about all the exciting
young, you know, young potential

290
00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:45,440
out there?
But I feel like a lot of

291
00:14:45,440 --> 00:14:47,680
industries are like that, that
they're just kind of like

292
00:14:47,680 --> 00:14:49,520
they're hanging on to like the
old and they're not letting the

293
00:14:49,520 --> 00:14:52,200
new in.
Yeah, it's true.

294
00:14:53,720 --> 00:14:57,240
You know, like they say in
writing, you're not going to get

295
00:14:57,240 --> 00:15:00,160
famous, you're not going to get
rich off of writing like, you

296
00:15:00,160 --> 00:15:03,240
know, like those best sellers or
you know, Stephen King.

297
00:15:03,280 --> 00:15:06,240
You know, you can't like you
have to define your own success.

298
00:15:06,240 --> 00:15:10,080
Like what is success for you?
Like even if it's just like one

299
00:15:10,080 --> 00:15:13,040
small published, you know,
publishing house, you publish a

300
00:15:13,040 --> 00:15:16,200
book or even self publish
because self published is not

301
00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:19,160
what people think.
It's it's very respectable

302
00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:22,000
nowadays.
Yeah.

303
00:15:22,040 --> 00:15:24,400
Like, before it used to be
taboo, but now it's like, you

304
00:15:24,400 --> 00:15:27,200
know, it's kind of a path into
publishing.

305
00:15:28,840 --> 00:15:32,640
So yeah, you have to measure
what success is for you,

306
00:15:33,080 --> 00:15:38,120
especially as a writer, because
it's, it's definitely not for,

307
00:15:38,560 --> 00:15:41,720
you know, getting, yeah, not
getting rich and famous, you

308
00:15:41,720 --> 00:15:44,600
know?
Yeah, I was just, it's so funny

309
00:15:44,600 --> 00:15:47,960
you say that because I was just
in Amsterdam last week and I've

310
00:15:47,960 --> 00:15:49,480
never been there before it.
Was.

311
00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:50,840
It was.
Awesome.

312
00:15:50,840 --> 00:15:53,320
It was such a great place.
I've been raving about it since

313
00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:55,480
I got since I left, but since I
got there even.

314
00:15:55,480 --> 00:15:59,560
But one thing I was, you know,
and I took a riverboat tour with

315
00:15:59,560 --> 00:16:05,640
one of my friends and, and I'm
talking to one of the women that

316
00:16:05,640 --> 00:16:07,960
was on the, that guys, I was
working there.

317
00:16:07,960 --> 00:16:13,560
And she is Egyptian,
Argentinian, That's where our

318
00:16:13,560 --> 00:16:15,520
family.
And then she grew up in the UAE

319
00:16:15,880 --> 00:16:21,000
and we're just talking about
like how we enjoyed the pace and

320
00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:24,840
like the quality of life.
And she was also, I, I think an

321
00:16:24,840 --> 00:16:27,000
English or communications major
or something like that.

322
00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:30,840
She wanted to go into like
charity worker and we're talking

323
00:16:30,840 --> 00:16:34,160
about how in the states people
are just like sell their mothers

324
00:16:34,520 --> 00:16:37,320
if they needed, you know, for
for to, to get ahead.

325
00:16:37,600 --> 00:16:40,600
And like she's like, there's so
many artists with integrity here

326
00:16:40,600 --> 00:16:43,120
and there's so many, you know,
people with like that that don't

327
00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:45,280
care about the money and like
don't want don't care to be

328
00:16:45,280 --> 00:16:47,160
bought out.
And they just have their own

329
00:16:47,160 --> 00:16:49,280
like what you were saying they
had their own measurement of

330
00:16:49,280 --> 00:16:50,560
success, you know, in their
head.

331
00:16:50,560 --> 00:16:55,280
Like, listen, success for me is
finishing this incredible poem

332
00:16:55,280 --> 00:16:58,240
that really describes the way
that, you know, the turmoil that

333
00:16:58,240 --> 00:17:00,920
I'm going through in this point
of my life that my family can't.

334
00:17:00,920 --> 00:17:02,880
Like, that's what I think when I
write a lot, when I when I

335
00:17:02,880 --> 00:17:06,760
capture how I feel, I think one
of my kids and grandkids going

336
00:17:06,760 --> 00:17:08,960
to read this one, you know,
hopefully read this one day.

337
00:17:09,319 --> 00:17:11,640
And when they're going through
the same thing, like to me,

338
00:17:11,640 --> 00:17:13,119
that's successful.
Like, you know, I mean, I could,

339
00:17:13,119 --> 00:17:16,160
you know, that's that's way more
important than getting published

340
00:17:16,160 --> 00:17:18,760
and massive success and not
being able to walk outside

341
00:17:18,760 --> 00:17:21,319
without an entourage, you know,
that without the paparazzi or a

342
00:17:21,480 --> 00:17:23,359
bunch of people trying to dock
you there, you know?

343
00:17:24,319 --> 00:17:29,320
Yeah, I had just like the other
day, I was like packing up and

344
00:17:29,320 --> 00:17:32,480
there was like I saw like this
little tote bag that I picked up

345
00:17:32,480 --> 00:17:37,200
at A at a book fair in Mexico.
And it's like it says at the end

346
00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:39,680
of the day or something like
that, we all become stories.

347
00:17:39,920 --> 00:17:41,360
And it's true, like what you're
saying.

348
00:17:41,360 --> 00:17:42,600
And it's just like, step with
me.

349
00:17:42,600 --> 00:17:45,440
I'm like, it's true.
You know, you're and you want to

350
00:17:45,440 --> 00:17:48,280
tell those stories and you have
talented writers in your family,

351
00:17:48,280 --> 00:17:52,120
You know, that's awesome that
can tell the story of your

352
00:17:52,120 --> 00:17:53,640
family.
And a lot of people do like

353
00:17:53,640 --> 00:17:56,160
publish books about their family
and kind of just.

354
00:17:56,520 --> 00:17:59,200
Yeah, yeah.
Just if that's their successor,

355
00:17:59,200 --> 00:18:01,560
publishing something that they
can pass down.

356
00:18:01,560 --> 00:18:04,680
This is your family legacy.
This is the story.

357
00:18:04,680 --> 00:18:06,720
Because, you know.
Yeah.

358
00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:08,880
So what's your what's your
writing process?

359
00:18:08,880 --> 00:18:10,080
How often do you write these
days?

360
00:18:10,080 --> 00:18:11,600
Or not often?
Or when you were writing, what

361
00:18:11,600 --> 00:18:17,160
was your process?
You know, I think I really got

362
00:18:17,360 --> 00:18:22,160
heavily into it when I moved
abroad because I where were you

363
00:18:22,280 --> 00:18:25,840
this year?
This year we we moved to

364
00:18:25,840 --> 00:18:33,640
Monterrey, Mexico for my son.
My son plays soccer and, you

365
00:18:33,640 --> 00:18:36,560
know, we're kind of supporting
his career.

366
00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:39,920
So my husband did.
Yeah, my, my husband did live in

367
00:18:39,920 --> 00:18:43,040
the Netherlands last year, like
the year before.

368
00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:48,040
And we were separated.
Like he was with my, my son.

369
00:18:48,040 --> 00:18:50,320
And then I was with the rest of
the kids in the United States.

370
00:18:50,320 --> 00:18:54,080
And he was just like, you know,
got him in the clubs and doing

371
00:18:54,080 --> 00:18:57,000
all that stuff.
And then we were trying to

372
00:18:57,000 --> 00:18:58,480
figure out what he did.
For his career.

373
00:18:59,280 --> 00:19:01,160
Yeah.
It's really amazing.

374
00:19:01,680 --> 00:19:04,160
This year we were like, OK,
let's try to figure out how we

375
00:19:04,160 --> 00:19:07,160
could do this together, you
know, because it was very tough.

376
00:19:08,120 --> 00:19:11,480
So we found a way to like do it
in Mexico because I'm part

377
00:19:11,480 --> 00:19:15,040
Mexican.
So I ended up getting my city,

378
00:19:15,040 --> 00:19:18,520
you know, you can have your dual
citizenship people United States

379
00:19:18,520 --> 00:19:21,000
and Mexican.
So I, I ended up getting my

380
00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:25,200
citizenship, passing it down to
my kids and then getting my

381
00:19:25,200 --> 00:19:27,520
husband in.
And we all like, this happened

382
00:19:27,520 --> 00:19:31,360
like in one summer, like, OK, we
get all the paperwork and we

383
00:19:31,360 --> 00:19:35,800
went and I spent some time
teaching English in the schools

384
00:19:35,800 --> 00:19:37,680
there.
And then like half the year I

385
00:19:37,680 --> 00:19:43,080
kind of finished out my masters
and just was writing full, you

386
00:19:43,080 --> 00:19:46,320
know, just like, oh, yeah.
And it takes a while, you know.

387
00:19:46,320 --> 00:19:49,040
Yeah.
I was like, it kind of tapped

388
00:19:49,040 --> 00:19:52,240
into, I think when you live
abroad, you learn more about

389
00:19:52,240 --> 00:19:54,880
yourself.
You learn what you don't want to

390
00:19:54,880 --> 00:19:56,120
do.
And that's when I realized, you

391
00:19:56,120 --> 00:19:59,960
know what I really don't want to
teach.

392
00:20:00,280 --> 00:20:02,520
This is what I love.
I love literature.

393
00:20:02,520 --> 00:20:05,480
I love I was.
And so I kind of just.

394
00:20:06,200 --> 00:20:09,400
Focused on writing even more, I
started up my blogs again

395
00:20:09,400 --> 00:20:12,160
because I would start up blogs
and never finish them or not be,

396
00:20:12,480 --> 00:20:15,120
you know, consistent because you
have to like that's the.

397
00:20:15,120 --> 00:20:17,440
Hardest thing with that's the
hardest thing with writing, it's

398
00:20:17,440 --> 00:20:21,240
the hardest.
Thing yes, and and there was a

399
00:20:21,240 --> 00:20:23,800
class in publishing that's like
it was very important.

400
00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:26,200
It's like if you want to be a
credible publisher, you have to

401
00:20:26,200 --> 00:20:29,520
be consistent.
You know you, and that's how

402
00:20:29,520 --> 00:20:32,480
you're trustworthy, you know,
otherwise, if you're publishing

403
00:20:32,480 --> 00:20:34,640
randomly, you're not, you know,
you're not going to be

404
00:20:34,640 --> 00:20:36,000
trustworthy.
Yeah.

405
00:20:36,000 --> 00:20:37,560
So I mean, that's what I
struggle with.

406
00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:39,240
But you don't have to set a
time.

407
00:20:39,240 --> 00:20:44,480
But I was writing a lot, you
know, and started up my blog.

408
00:20:45,040 --> 00:20:47,800
You, you, you sit down.
You just sit down at dark room

409
00:20:47,800 --> 00:20:49,400
and you just go for it.
Do you need light?

410
00:20:49,400 --> 00:20:51,000
Do you need music playing?
What do you?

411
00:20:51,600 --> 00:20:55,080
Do No.
I mean, honestly, I I wish, you

412
00:20:55,080 --> 00:20:57,120
know, I read a lot of stories of
writers that have their own

413
00:20:57,120 --> 00:20:59,360
process.
Like Maya Angelou would like,

414
00:20:59,360 --> 00:21:01,280
rent a hotel room and write all
day.

415
00:21:01,280 --> 00:21:02,640
Oh, yeah.
And then.

416
00:21:02,920 --> 00:21:03,680
Yeah.
Yeah.

417
00:21:03,680 --> 00:21:05,400
But.
That's a change of scenery, by

418
00:21:05,520 --> 00:21:08,240
the way, I'm sure.
And but she would rent like not

419
00:21:08,240 --> 00:21:11,720
a she would rent like in a
cheesy, like like a really like

420
00:21:11,720 --> 00:21:15,600
sketchy hotel and like, I guess
cuz she, you know, to get into

421
00:21:15,600 --> 00:21:18,440
the grittiness of her story,
like it wasn't like she's like

422
00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:21,280
in a night 5 star hotel.
She would get a motel, actually,

423
00:21:21,280 --> 00:21:23,440
and write.
Yeah.

424
00:21:23,440 --> 00:21:27,000
And then and then I would read
some, you know, stories about

425
00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:31,520
other writers like Sandra
Cisneros, like she got her her

426
00:21:31,520 --> 00:21:34,400
fellow, like her grant.
And she wrote in one of her

427
00:21:34,400 --> 00:21:37,160
favorite books in like the
Greek, in Greek, in like the

428
00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:40,640
islands of and Greece.
And I'm like, well, that's nice.

429
00:21:40,640 --> 00:21:47,360
You know, I, I just had to write
in the mid sometimes, you know,

430
00:21:47,480 --> 00:21:50,800
when the kids are upstairs or
the kids are out of the house or

431
00:21:50,800 --> 00:21:54,560
sometimes early in the morning,
you know, when they're kind of

432
00:21:54,600 --> 00:21:58,040
sleeping, but they would wake
up, you know, so you just got to

433
00:21:58,040 --> 00:22:01,000
do what, what you have to and
just kind of right.

434
00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:04,200
Sometimes I'd have to stop and
then come back to it and attend

435
00:22:04,200 --> 00:22:06,400
to my kids and then come back to
it, you know?

436
00:22:07,000 --> 00:22:08,320
Yeah.
And then you have to start over,

437
00:22:08,320 --> 00:22:09,640
get yourself back in that.
Zone.

438
00:22:09,640 --> 00:22:12,000
Yeah, you know you're starting.
You're in a flow and then you're

439
00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:14,880
like, you get up and then you
come back and you're like, where

440
00:22:14,880 --> 00:22:16,280
was I?
You almost wish you could just

441
00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:17,600
pick up from like.
Exactly.

442
00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:21,080
Yeah, I'll be writing in them.
And because they're like, I'm

443
00:22:21,080 --> 00:22:23,440
hungry.
I'm like, wait, can you just

444
00:22:23,520 --> 00:22:27,600
wait?
And I'm like, you know, but

445
00:22:28,560 --> 00:22:31,440
there are some writers that were
like, I would, you know, Google,

446
00:22:31,440 --> 00:22:35,120
like, can you know, ChatGPT,
like, can you give me some

447
00:22:35,120 --> 00:22:39,120
inspiration like of, of, you
know, mom writers And they like

448
00:22:39,280 --> 00:22:40,680
they would tell me, OK, don't
worry.

449
00:22:40,680 --> 00:22:45,120
You know, these, you know, who
was it Harry Potter that the

450
00:22:45,160 --> 00:22:49,640
author, she would, she, she
would write like in a cafe with

451
00:22:49,640 --> 00:22:52,400
her baby in the stroller next to
her, you know?

452
00:22:53,040 --> 00:22:55,840
Yeah.
And I think Toni Morrison wrote

453
00:22:55,840 --> 00:23:00,360
as a single mom, you know, so
there's a lot of writers that

454
00:23:00,360 --> 00:23:02,960
do, you know, they do it and you
get inspired.

455
00:23:02,960 --> 00:23:05,560
You're like, OK, you know, they
did it somehow.

456
00:23:07,480 --> 00:23:11,640
And as a mom writing and, and
sometimes you kind of feel like,

457
00:23:12,160 --> 00:23:14,280
you know, there was one.
There was a writer, Sandra

458
00:23:14,280 --> 00:23:15,840
Cisneros.
She's my favorite writer.

459
00:23:15,840 --> 00:23:20,560
And I had to remember reading a
interview from her and she and a

460
00:23:20,560 --> 00:23:23,240
student had written to her and
said, I go what, what I think it

461
00:23:23,240 --> 00:23:26,560
was like an interview that I
read like people are like, what

462
00:23:26,560 --> 00:23:28,440
advice you should have as a
writer.

463
00:23:28,960 --> 00:23:31,360
And one of her advice was like,
don't have kids.

464
00:23:31,360 --> 00:23:35,000
And I'm like, how can you give
advice like, and I love to it

465
00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:37,240
broke my heart to read that.
But I understood, like where

466
00:23:37,240 --> 00:23:40,720
she's coming from because, you
know, a lot of, you know, you

467
00:23:40,720 --> 00:23:42,720
know, if you're going to be
focused on your own, it's, it's

468
00:23:42,720 --> 00:23:46,040
hard.
But yeah, I was like, Oh my God,

469
00:23:46,320 --> 00:23:47,920
you know how this is like
horrible.

470
00:23:47,920 --> 00:23:50,440
I have like 4 kids, you know,
how am I going to do this?

471
00:23:50,880 --> 00:23:52,360
But.
And then I had to find other

472
00:23:52,360 --> 00:23:56,520
writers that did have kids and
they did do it and like, you

473
00:23:56,520 --> 00:23:59,360
know, read their BIOS to kind of
get inspiration.

474
00:23:59,360 --> 00:24:00,840
Yeah.
Like, I could do this.

475
00:24:00,880 --> 00:24:01,920
I could do this.
Yeah.

476
00:24:02,120 --> 00:24:04,360
Totally, totally, totally.
That's where music helps me

477
00:24:04,360 --> 00:24:07,960
actually.
That's a lot of times when I'm

478
00:24:07,960 --> 00:24:11,320
going through like particular
phases in my life and you know,

479
00:24:11,320 --> 00:24:15,960
I kind of, I need that little
like push in my head to convince

480
00:24:15,960 --> 00:24:18,600
myself that I could do it.
You know, a lot of times I'll

481
00:24:18,600 --> 00:24:24,600
find music that will match the
tone of either how I feel or

482
00:24:26,240 --> 00:24:30,600
will like, you know, like
Springsteen was like a huge

483
00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:35,160
example in terms of, you know,
if I was really feeling lost and

484
00:24:35,160 --> 00:24:37,600
like I, I was trying to like,
figure out my way through life

485
00:24:37,640 --> 00:24:40,720
and like, I felt like no one,
like everyone else hadn't worked

486
00:24:40,720 --> 00:24:43,320
out except for me, you know, or
even, you know, like I'm never

487
00:24:43,320 --> 00:24:46,160
going to get it worked out.
You know, I'd listen to his, I'd

488
00:24:46,160 --> 00:24:49,200
listen to, you know, his Born to
Run album and like I'd hear that

489
00:24:49,880 --> 00:24:52,480
there's other humans, not only
though there's another artist

490
00:24:52,480 --> 00:24:55,320
out there that felt that way,
but there's millions and

491
00:24:55,320 --> 00:24:58,760
millions of people for the last
50 years that keep going to his

492
00:24:58,760 --> 00:25:00,520
shows because they feel the same
way too.

493
00:25:00,520 --> 00:25:02,680
And like, you know, and like you
feel through that and you

494
00:25:02,680 --> 00:25:05,680
realize that like you're not the
only one out there that's going

495
00:25:05,680 --> 00:25:07,320
through this.
And like, you could make it, you

496
00:25:07,320 --> 00:25:09,040
know, like you could, you could
go another day.

497
00:25:09,040 --> 00:25:12,520
But even in terms of my creative
writing, sometimes, you know,

498
00:25:12,520 --> 00:25:15,120
like I, it's always, it's
obviously almost like, like a

499
00:25:15,120 --> 00:25:18,200
muscle, you know, and, or like,
you know, like putty, like you

500
00:25:18,200 --> 00:25:20,280
got like really pull at it.
And then and then and it gets

501
00:25:20,280 --> 00:25:24,720
stretched out.
I would listen to Van Morrison

502
00:25:24,720 --> 00:25:28,360
and Bob Dylan because they were
like, they had these weird, like

503
00:25:28,680 --> 00:25:31,320
first of all, the writing,
they're like the actual poetry

504
00:25:31,320 --> 00:25:36,520
is just bizarre, you know, and,
and very spiritual and very

505
00:25:36,520 --> 00:25:39,960
retail and like, very like, you
know, almost like prophetic.

506
00:25:40,320 --> 00:25:45,720
And then Bob Dylan is just a
word vomit of like poetry, you

507
00:25:45,720 --> 00:25:47,880
know, like he just jams all
these lyrics.

508
00:25:47,880 --> 00:25:50,960
And and so I'll just listen and
I'll listen to just the details

509
00:25:50,960 --> 00:25:54,440
of the craziness and the
wackiness and be like, oh, like

510
00:25:54,440 --> 00:25:55,600
that's fun.
Like, you know, you could do

511
00:25:55,600 --> 00:25:57,040
that.
Like, you know, and, and and

512
00:25:57,040 --> 00:26:00,240
that really that kind of clicks
my brain into, yeah, I do find

513
00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:03,400
obviously that like you, you
could tell when I finish that

514
00:26:03,400 --> 00:26:06,280
there's inspiration.
Like you could tell that some of

515
00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:10,160
the imagery will tend to match,
but that's how I, that's how I

516
00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:12,480
get like, you know, the ball
rolling for myself sometimes

517
00:26:12,480 --> 00:26:14,840
It's music is really, really
helpful in that sense.

518
00:26:15,320 --> 00:26:19,400
Yeah, I think when you're a
creative person, you just tapped

519
00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:22,800
into like a lot of different
creativity, like forms of

520
00:26:22,800 --> 00:26:27,360
creativity, like whether it's
music, art, you know?

521
00:26:27,760 --> 00:26:30,320
Yeah, I have to get into art.
I have to get more into art

522
00:26:30,320 --> 00:26:33,760
rather.
But yeah, as far as like, I look

523
00:26:33,760 --> 00:26:38,160
at, I look at film or I look at
certain directors or, you know,

524
00:26:38,560 --> 00:26:41,720
yeah, movies, like I watched
them as art.

525
00:26:41,720 --> 00:26:43,600
Like, I watched them as like,
oh, what's this guy?

526
00:26:43,800 --> 00:26:47,520
You know, one of my favorite
examples is Scorsese's Mean

527
00:26:47,520 --> 00:26:50,200
Streets.
I don't know if you ever saw

528
00:26:50,200 --> 00:26:54,480
that movie, but it's it the
whole movie.

529
00:26:54,480 --> 00:26:57,040
Like Scorsese always did this
thing, and that's what made Wolf

530
00:26:57,040 --> 00:26:59,400
on Wall Street.
I think part of what, like was

531
00:26:59,400 --> 00:27:04,320
so cool about it.
His style is that first of all,

532
00:27:04,320 --> 00:27:07,360
he uses a lot of narration.
So he'll have the, you know, the

533
00:27:07,360 --> 00:27:08,840
main guy's voice telling you the
whole story.

534
00:27:08,840 --> 00:27:13,120
And then he'll he'll freeze a
shot at one particular moment.

535
00:27:13,120 --> 00:27:15,760
And it's usually like a sloppy
or degenerate moment to like

536
00:27:16,600 --> 00:27:19,760
force the audience to that, like
to talk, to force the audience

537
00:27:19,760 --> 00:27:22,680
and understanding that this is
what's happening right now and

538
00:27:22,680 --> 00:27:26,200
this is a pivotal moment.
And like all this corruption and

539
00:27:26,200 --> 00:27:29,440
all this, whatever, this is the
moment where it's starting and

540
00:27:29,440 --> 00:27:30,800
this is the moment where it's
falling apart.

541
00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:34,160
And like, he actually will break
down the narrative for you, if

542
00:27:34,160 --> 00:27:36,680
you're, if you will, if you're
willing to open your eyes to it,

543
00:27:36,680 --> 00:27:38,880
you know, like he almost like
forces that perspective on you.

544
00:27:38,880 --> 00:27:43,520
It's awesome.
Yeah, movies are definitely an

545
00:27:43,520 --> 00:27:45,480
inspiration for me in my writing
too.

546
00:27:45,480 --> 00:27:49,080
Like when I, when I was doing
research for my novel, I would,

547
00:27:49,360 --> 00:27:52,800
I would rent a lot of movies
that were kind of like the theme

548
00:27:52,800 --> 00:27:54,720
of my novel and kind of like the
storyline.

549
00:27:55,080 --> 00:27:57,440
And I would, you know, analyze
the movies.

550
00:27:59,120 --> 00:28:02,800
It's a coming of age.
So, and it's definitely like,

551
00:28:03,200 --> 00:28:06,520
but it has like vibes of like
Jersey, like, you know, Jersey

552
00:28:06,520 --> 00:28:08,600
girl who wants to like live in
the city.

553
00:28:08,600 --> 00:28:12,400
So I, I, you know, I got a lot
of themes of like, like Mystic

554
00:28:12,400 --> 00:28:15,080
pizza was like an old store.
Like, you know, I watched that

555
00:28:15,080 --> 00:28:19,800
one Jersey girl.
Like a lot of these even, or

556
00:28:19,800 --> 00:28:22,520
even like stories that were
like, you know, rags to riches

557
00:28:22,520 --> 00:28:26,080
type of stories I watched.
What is it?

558
00:28:26,760 --> 00:28:29,720
My goodness, I don't know.
I can't even think of in the

559
00:28:29,720 --> 00:28:31,160
head, but.
But yeah.

560
00:28:31,560 --> 00:28:34,360
And because script writing is
all do you?

561
00:28:34,480 --> 00:28:35,880
Watch Personally Being a
Wildflower.

562
00:28:36,760 --> 00:28:40,760
No, I I heard of that book.
That's yeah, the book.

563
00:28:40,800 --> 00:28:42,680
The book and the movie are both
excellent.

564
00:28:42,680 --> 00:28:46,480
They're both great coming of age
stories that might be able to

565
00:28:47,440 --> 00:28:52,600
help with some inspiration.
How long are you working on the

566
00:28:52,600 --> 00:28:57,640
novel for?
So look, that, that has been a

567
00:28:57,640 --> 00:29:02,160
while and I think, and it's
really sad because, but I, but,

568
00:29:02,160 --> 00:29:03,760
you know, it's not, it's
typical.

569
00:29:03,760 --> 00:29:07,480
A lot of writers have novels
that they've been working on for

570
00:29:07,480 --> 00:29:11,000
like years.
So I, I started like, it's gonna

571
00:29:11,000 --> 00:29:14,000
be like 10 years, but it's not
that I have been.

572
00:29:14,720 --> 00:29:19,400
So I, I like, I started it and
then I took a big gap away from

573
00:29:19,400 --> 00:29:24,200
it and then I kind of finished
the last chapter like this year

574
00:29:24,440 --> 00:29:28,000
because I had to like 90% and
like that closing chapter I just

575
00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:29,440
didn't finish.
Yeah.

576
00:29:29,760 --> 00:29:33,920
And so and then I finally
finished it and now I'm in the

577
00:29:33,920 --> 00:29:38,080
editing phase where I have to go
back and edit and kind of fix it

578
00:29:38,080 --> 00:29:38,800
up.
But what?

579
00:29:39,200 --> 00:29:41,360
Did it feel like when you
finally finished it, when you

580
00:29:41,360 --> 00:29:43,760
finished that last?
Chapter, it was great because

581
00:29:43,760 --> 00:29:46,720
they say that that's like the
hardest part is like is

582
00:29:46,760 --> 00:29:49,800
finishing your first draft.
Yeah, like finishing it

583
00:29:49,800 --> 00:29:53,200
completely and then going back
and editing is like, you know,

584
00:29:54,080 --> 00:29:55,360
it's easier.
But yeah.

585
00:29:56,640 --> 00:29:59,960
And I think like, as I look back
at right now, like the time, I'm

586
00:29:59,960 --> 00:30:02,720
like that time did help shape
the story because I think it

587
00:30:02,720 --> 00:30:05,400
would have been different if I
didn't have, like, this

588
00:30:05,400 --> 00:30:08,480
perspective on.
Like it changes, you know, like

589
00:30:08,520 --> 00:30:11,760
what you think your story is
about, especially time in

590
00:30:11,760 --> 00:30:15,080
between, it kind of helps you.
Like what is the true message of

591
00:30:15,080 --> 00:30:18,680
my story?
But yeah, so it.

592
00:30:18,760 --> 00:30:22,320
Could be a cool exercise to try
to continue the story like on a

593
00:30:22,320 --> 00:30:25,000
separate like creative like
endeavour to continue.

594
00:30:25,000 --> 00:30:26,840
Try to continue the story from
the perspective.

595
00:30:26,840 --> 00:30:29,880
Try to remember what things were
like when you started it, you

596
00:30:29,880 --> 00:30:31,680
know, like what your life was
like at that point.

597
00:30:31,680 --> 00:30:33,240
And then try to continue in that
mindset.

598
00:30:33,240 --> 00:30:35,200
I don't know if you can, but it
sounds like a cool idea.

599
00:30:36,400 --> 00:30:40,280
You know, a lot of there's this
thing, if you kind of just

600
00:30:40,280 --> 00:30:42,400
reminded me, I just discovered
it.

601
00:30:42,920 --> 00:30:47,600
It's called like I think 750
words a day, I think.

602
00:30:47,680 --> 00:30:52,360
And it's like it's a website and
you have to you go on and you

603
00:30:52,360 --> 00:30:57,720
write 750 words.
Yeah, sevenits750words.com and

604
00:30:57,720 --> 00:31:00,120
you and it and it makes you wake
up, I've heard.

605
00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:03,320
Of this.
Yeah, and then you just write

606
00:31:03,320 --> 00:31:06,680
like your first, it's supposed
to be equivalent of 3 pages,

607
00:31:06,680 --> 00:31:10,920
like your first 3 pages a day.
They, they created it to 750

608
00:31:10,920 --> 00:31:13,640
words.
And I had read about a writer

609
00:31:13,640 --> 00:31:17,200
who kind of like does that as
part of her writing routine,

610
00:31:17,200 --> 00:31:21,560
warming up or even like giving
back on information on like what

611
00:31:21,560 --> 00:31:23,600
she's doing that day.
So like how you said you can go

612
00:31:23,600 --> 00:31:25,720
back and think of like, it's
like journaling, OK.

613
00:31:25,720 --> 00:31:28,680
Like I'm, you know, this morning
I had a cup of coffee.

614
00:31:28,680 --> 00:31:33,680
I wore my favorite like cats,
you know, T-shirt, Broadway

615
00:31:33,680 --> 00:31:37,040
T-shirt, whatever.
Cuz the details are always

616
00:31:37,040 --> 00:31:40,440
what's important in writing.
So if you capture little details

617
00:31:41,400 --> 00:31:43,520
you can incorporate that in your
writing.

618
00:31:43,520 --> 00:31:45,560
So I'm trying to make.
That makes good writing.

619
00:31:45,960 --> 00:31:47,640
There's all.
That yeah, yeah.

620
00:31:47,640 --> 00:31:50,240
So I'm trying to be consistent
with that too.

621
00:31:50,240 --> 00:31:52,760
And it's good because it kind of
tracks, you know?

622
00:31:52,760 --> 00:31:56,440
OK, are you on a streak?
You know, it's kind of like it's

623
00:31:56,600 --> 00:32:00,560
AI, so it helps you, you know,
and I think these AI tools kind

624
00:32:00,560 --> 00:32:03,000
of I, I, I like it.
I do like the old school

625
00:32:03,000 --> 00:32:05,840
journals because I had journals
back then when I was in college.

626
00:32:06,320 --> 00:32:11,520
But I do like this because it
helps me know, OK, I, I missed

627
00:32:11,520 --> 00:32:14,360
like 3 days, you know, I have to
let me go back.

628
00:32:14,840 --> 00:32:16,240
Yeah.
Yeah, totally.

629
00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:18,040
I think AI is great for
collaboration.

630
00:32:18,040 --> 00:32:22,000
I think it really is.
I think that like, you know, for

631
00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:25,720
anything, you know, for writing
for, you know, for my podcast,

632
00:32:25,720 --> 00:32:28,040
for, for even for business.
I was talking to my

633
00:32:28,040 --> 00:32:31,720
brother-in-law about this
because we were talking about

634
00:32:32,280 --> 00:32:35,040
his family's from Philly
originally and then they live in

635
00:32:35,520 --> 00:32:38,000
in Jersey now in in Passaic
area.

636
00:32:38,480 --> 00:32:45,880
And we're talking about how you
like, we will all the steps that

637
00:32:45,880 --> 00:32:51,120
it takes to that it used to take
to write, to brainstorm, to, you

638
00:32:51,120 --> 00:32:54,880
know, to get to get leads for
sales, for customers, for for

639
00:32:54,880 --> 00:32:58,240
anything you want to do, for
marketing, for networking, All

640
00:32:58,240 --> 00:33:03,000
that could be done in a fraction
of the time, in a fraction of

641
00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:04,920
the time with AI, you know what
takes people.

642
00:33:04,920 --> 00:33:07,560
Years.
Of like networking, like even

643
00:33:07,560 --> 00:33:11,160
with this podcast, right?
Like with my podcast, I just

644
00:33:11,160 --> 00:33:13,680
went to AI was like, listen, I'm
interested in XY and Z, can you

645
00:33:13,680 --> 00:33:17,040
please crawl my podcast site for
the types of guests that I have

646
00:33:17,360 --> 00:33:19,800
and give me 10 recommendations
of people or types of people to

647
00:33:19,800 --> 00:33:23,080
talk to.
And that saved me and what would

648
00:33:23,160 --> 00:33:25,720
have taken me what I know,
because until I thought of doing

649
00:33:25,720 --> 00:33:28,680
that, I was literally spending
3-4 hours a night, you know?

650
00:33:28,680 --> 00:33:30,640
Just.
Looking up just to send out five

651
00:33:30,640 --> 00:33:32,680
or six emails to people to
introduce myself.

652
00:33:33,400 --> 00:33:34,760
And it does this in a matter of
seconds.

653
00:33:34,760 --> 00:33:37,920
And so like, Oh my God, now I
have more time to do everything

654
00:33:37,920 --> 00:33:42,880
I've, you know, so, so I think
that if like what we're going to

655
00:33:42,880 --> 00:33:46,920
need now it with AI, if we use
it as a good like companion,

656
00:33:47,440 --> 00:33:50,800
it's just a discipline to
actually use the tools, like the

657
00:33:50,800 --> 00:33:52,880
tool, like all the information
is being given to us.

658
00:33:52,880 --> 00:33:54,800
And the question is, are you
actually going to pick up the

659
00:33:54,800 --> 00:33:56,200
pen in right now?
Are you going to, you know,

660
00:33:56,200 --> 00:33:58,960
actually open the docs and and,
you know, do and and do the

661
00:33:58,960 --> 00:34:00,120
creative writing now that you
have?

662
00:34:00,120 --> 00:34:01,600
These ideas.
Now that you have this

663
00:34:01,600 --> 00:34:05,760
assistant, you know.
It's true because now like, you

664
00:34:05,760 --> 00:34:08,960
know, writers sometimes like
your writer, you just want to

665
00:34:08,960 --> 00:34:11,239
write your story.
You don't want to like focus on

666
00:34:11,239 --> 00:34:14,719
like my social media post
because and, and social media is

667
00:34:14,719 --> 00:34:17,760
so important as a writer, you
know, developing your presence,

668
00:34:18,239 --> 00:34:21,560
but if you're managing your
social media, you can't get back

669
00:34:21,560 --> 00:34:23,719
to your, your writing and what
you really want to do.

670
00:34:24,520 --> 00:34:26,840
Yeah, totally.
I, I that's what I'm stuck with

671
00:34:26,880 --> 00:34:28,520
right now.
I'm trying to figure out how to,

672
00:34:29,159 --> 00:34:33,199
you know, I, I can't, I have
such a, I have such a hard time.

673
00:34:33,199 --> 00:34:36,120
And I also don't care for, to,
you know, to deal with social

674
00:34:36,120 --> 00:34:38,520
media.
And I know how unhealthy it is

675
00:34:38,520 --> 00:34:42,840
for my, for my brain.
Even something stupid like I

676
00:34:42,840 --> 00:34:44,800
leave a comment on something on
Twitter, right?

677
00:34:45,199 --> 00:34:48,639
And I get 2 responses into the
most vehement, obnoxious

678
00:34:48,639 --> 00:34:51,800
responses to something that was,
you know, that was just like a

679
00:34:51,800 --> 00:34:53,880
polite joke, you know, whatever
it is.

680
00:34:53,880 --> 00:34:56,360
And maybe it's obviously being
misinterpreted and that's, you

681
00:34:56,360 --> 00:34:59,000
know, that's fine.
But like, just that amount of

682
00:34:59,000 --> 00:35:03,800
like yelling and negativity in
order just to keep up a presence

683
00:35:03,800 --> 00:35:06,600
so that you can continue being
creative is crazy.

684
00:35:06,600 --> 00:35:08,520
Like, it's crazy you have to
deal with that, you know?

685
00:35:10,000 --> 00:35:15,360
But that's why, you know, that's
why you have to hire some kid to

686
00:35:15,360 --> 00:35:16,920
do it.
You know, that you have to get,

687
00:35:16,960 --> 00:35:20,040
you know, some high school
that's looking for an internship

688
00:35:20,040 --> 00:35:22,040
or work experience.
And, you know, they're doing

689
00:35:22,040 --> 00:35:24,800
this anyway.
But yeah.

690
00:35:25,480 --> 00:35:29,720
The AI tools, you know, there's
like a, I guess talk and

691
00:35:29,720 --> 00:35:33,360
publishing that like AI is
taking all the entry level jobs,

692
00:35:33,360 --> 00:35:37,680
you know, that they can, they
can do like, and they can whip

693
00:35:37,680 --> 00:35:41,280
up these like, you know, stories
that are, you know, that don't

694
00:35:41,280 --> 00:35:45,120
really need, you know, a writer
behind it.

695
00:35:45,120 --> 00:35:49,360
Honestly, like everyone, I like,
I have written a article so far

696
00:35:49,360 --> 00:35:54,240
back about like how newspapers
were using AI to like dish out

697
00:35:54,240 --> 00:35:56,360
news like, you know, because
it's straight to the fact

698
00:35:56,360 --> 00:35:59,200
there's no creative, you know,
you know, very journalistic, you

699
00:35:59,200 --> 00:36:02,640
know, like was it the Washington
Post had, I think it's called

700
00:36:02,640 --> 00:36:07,240
like Paleo or Helio, something
that that was their AI.

701
00:36:08,360 --> 00:36:12,280
But nowadays it's it's true,
like, you know, the AI clicks

702
00:36:12,280 --> 00:36:16,440
with a lot of the.
A ton, a ton.

703
00:36:16,440 --> 00:36:21,200
And, and the truth is that like
you can discern for sure.

704
00:36:21,280 --> 00:36:24,680
I I think like you can kind of
tell once you start to realize

705
00:36:24,680 --> 00:36:28,040
the pattern, you can recognize
like what's AI created or not.

706
00:36:29,280 --> 00:36:31,080
It's funny why students try
using it.

707
00:36:31,080 --> 00:36:32,840
It's so cute.
They're like, you know, they're

708
00:36:32,840 --> 00:36:36,360
10th graders and their
vocabulary, the level of 6th

709
00:36:36,360 --> 00:36:37,600
graders.
And all of a sudden they're

710
00:36:37,600 --> 00:36:39,760
using words like, you know,
oblique.

711
00:36:39,760 --> 00:36:42,760
And I'm like subsequently and
I'm like, you don't know how to

712
00:36:42,760 --> 00:36:45,360
use the word subsequently ever.
Man, I don't know what you're

713
00:36:45,360 --> 00:36:49,880
talking about, but but but I
don't even mind if they use it.

714
00:36:50,600 --> 00:36:53,080
What I told them is that a kid?
What I, and I struggle with this

715
00:36:53,080 --> 00:36:54,360
trying to figure out what's the
point?

716
00:36:54,360 --> 00:36:57,120
Like what are you trying to
teach in English If AI is doing

717
00:36:57,120 --> 00:36:58,760
all this stuff, like what are
you trying to teach?

718
00:36:59,200 --> 00:37:01,560
And I think that, and I think
for me, the answer is

719
00:37:02,600 --> 00:37:05,880
communication and your ability
to express yourself, because AI

720
00:37:05,880 --> 00:37:08,600
will never really be able to
express your own thoughts.

721
00:37:08,600 --> 00:37:12,320
And I've known in my life at
least, that the times that I've

722
00:37:12,320 --> 00:37:16,120
been most depressed or anxious
or that things have weighed like

723
00:37:16,120 --> 00:37:19,560
life has weighed most heavily on
me, is when I could not find a

724
00:37:19,560 --> 00:37:22,040
way to express myself or I had
the words to describe it.

725
00:37:22,040 --> 00:37:24,400
And then like almost once I
figure out a way to get it out,

726
00:37:24,800 --> 00:37:30,280
then I, once I figure out a way
to get it out, the burden is

727
00:37:30,280 --> 00:37:33,120
almost like partial, almost
like, you know, half of it's

728
00:37:33,120 --> 00:37:35,760
gone, you know, like just saying
the words and just getting it

729
00:37:35,760 --> 00:37:38,440
out like helps you.
But until then, it's kind of

730
00:37:38,440 --> 00:37:42,160
just living in your head and it
just weighs on you, you know?

731
00:37:43,440 --> 00:37:49,520
Yeah, I think, I think AI really
has helped like students who

732
00:37:50,120 --> 00:37:55,880
have been like, I guess, you
know, below proficiency or, or

733
00:37:55,880 --> 00:38:02,280
maybe have, you know, challenges
with, with writing because you

734
00:38:02,280 --> 00:38:04,080
know, there's, there's everybody
has their skill.

735
00:38:04,160 --> 00:38:06,680
If they're like, you know, I had
I remember there was a student

736
00:38:06,680 --> 00:38:11,600
in my class and he you know, he
is she struggled with writing

737
00:38:11,600 --> 00:38:17,840
and when ChatGPT came up, I'm
just like use it, help it write

738
00:38:17,840 --> 00:38:21,080
your rough draft and then like
always have a rough draft and

739
00:38:21,080 --> 00:38:25,760
then use it to level level up
and then word edit it from

740
00:38:26,120 --> 00:38:31,000
it'll.
So I think it does, it does, I

741
00:38:31,000 --> 00:38:35,720
guess, help people who kind of,
you know, writing is writing is

742
00:38:35,720 --> 00:38:38,920
hard and writing isn't for
everyone and not everyone is, is

743
00:38:39,600 --> 00:38:44,160
a skilled writer.
So it does help, you know, it,

744
00:38:44,280 --> 00:38:46,720
it helps level up people who
kind of really need it 'cause

745
00:38:46,720 --> 00:38:50,680
they have other talents that if
it can't be seen if their

746
00:38:50,680 --> 00:38:53,160
writing is, is bad.
So, yeah.

747
00:38:54,000 --> 00:38:56,600
So I think it like I, you know,
when I think of my kids future,

748
00:38:56,640 --> 00:39:00,120
you know, my students as well,
I'm like, you know, I, I hope

749
00:39:00,800 --> 00:39:04,320
that, you know, ChatGPT and
things like that can help them

750
00:39:04,320 --> 00:39:07,840
become a better writer so that
they can succeed in college and,

751
00:39:08,240 --> 00:39:10,240
and, you know, use it.
But yeah, definitely not

752
00:39:10,240 --> 00:39:14,120
plagiarizing, but helping them
feel but get the confidence to

753
00:39:14,160 --> 00:39:16,560
like, oh, I wrote this, this
kind of sounds good.

754
00:39:16,560 --> 00:39:19,000
You know, I can't really like do
something like this.

755
00:39:20,360 --> 00:39:23,960
So, yeah, it is boosting
confidence, I think, and

756
00:39:23,960 --> 00:39:26,440
helping, you know, being
efficient for for writers for,

757
00:39:26,520 --> 00:39:31,000
you know, to, you know, focus on
the things that they like to do

758
00:39:31,000 --> 00:39:33,760
and pick the platforms that they
liked.

759
00:39:34,160 --> 00:39:37,800
Like, like LinkedIn is supposed
to have a really good reputation

760
00:39:38,080 --> 00:39:41,480
for being a positive platform.
Like when in my studies and

761
00:39:41,480 --> 00:39:44,600
publishing they were talking
about how like different

762
00:39:44,600 --> 00:39:47,200
platforms, like the psychology
of platforms.

763
00:39:47,600 --> 00:39:50,600
That's so.
Cool your, your ego, your like

764
00:39:50,600 --> 00:39:54,000
the different levels of your
psychology and like what each

765
00:39:54,000 --> 00:40:00,080
platform does and how like for
Instagram and and Facebook, you

766
00:40:00,080 --> 00:40:03,760
want to like show your, you're
like, I think like super Eagle

767
00:40:03,760 --> 00:40:06,280
or something like that.
And you want to, you know, show

768
00:40:06,280 --> 00:40:08,200
your best self.
You're not really being

769
00:40:08,480 --> 00:40:11,000
authentic, but you want people,
you want to prove your, your

770
00:40:11,440 --> 00:40:14,120
like, what people want to see.
Like, you know, the outside.

771
00:40:14,600 --> 00:40:16,760
It's not really true.
It's superficial, right?

772
00:40:17,040 --> 00:40:22,040
It's superficial, exactly, but
LinkedIn is very like you know

773
00:40:23,360 --> 00:40:25,200
it.
Really is.

774
00:40:25,240 --> 00:40:27,640
It's such a positive network.
Yeah, I've found.

775
00:40:27,640 --> 00:40:33,520
Also like that people are like,
it's an awesome tool for

776
00:40:33,520 --> 00:40:36,120
network, like really an awesome
tool for networking and not in

777
00:40:36,120 --> 00:40:38,680
like the lazy.
It's funny because I feel like

778
00:40:38,680 --> 00:40:40,960
there's a lazy way to network
and that's like people that have

779
00:40:40,960 --> 00:40:43,680
like those 500 connections, but
like don't know any of them are.

780
00:40:43,680 --> 00:40:46,680
And like, they just kind of add
people all the time, which is

781
00:40:46,680 --> 00:40:48,200
like one thing.
But.

782
00:40:48,240 --> 00:40:51,880
Actually, I use LinkedIn to like
find people that have jobs that

783
00:40:51,880 --> 00:40:54,240
I think are interesting or like
cool, you know, do cool things.

784
00:40:54,680 --> 00:40:58,680
And then I'll and then like, and
then you could just introduce

785
00:40:58,680 --> 00:41:00,200
yourself.
Like you could like find you can

786
00:41:00,200 --> 00:41:02,640
introduce yourself to find you
find you find the company e-mail

787
00:41:02,640 --> 00:41:04,680
address and you say, Hey, you
know, I think what you do is

788
00:41:04,680 --> 00:41:05,880
super cool.
I'd love to, I'd love to

789
00:41:05,880 --> 00:41:08,600
introduce myself and just get,
you know, get to know, you know

790
00:41:08,600 --> 00:41:11,040
what you do a little bit.
And people have been so

791
00:41:11,040 --> 00:41:14,000
receptive to that.
Like I've really found that even

792
00:41:14,000 --> 00:41:16,960
people that don't even want
necessarily want to give the

793
00:41:16,960 --> 00:41:19,280
time, they'll respond.
You'll be like, hey, you know,

794
00:41:19,280 --> 00:41:21,040
thanks so much for reaching out.
You know, I'm appreciate, you

795
00:41:21,040 --> 00:41:23,080
know, I have a ton of my plate
right now, but you know, you can

796
00:41:23,080 --> 00:41:25,520
talk to my colleague XY and Z
or, you know, if you're really

797
00:41:25,520 --> 00:41:28,880
interested, here's a couple of
resources And you're it's, it's,

798
00:41:29,280 --> 00:41:31,960
it's a place that gets so much
positive reinforcements.

799
00:41:32,120 --> 00:41:35,880
I wonder why it's not more more
probably because it's it doesn't

800
00:41:35,880 --> 00:41:38,600
give you the same dopamine hit
as seeing all the controversy as

801
00:41:38,600 --> 00:41:41,840
like, you know, Instagram or
face or Twitter or something.

802
00:41:43,120 --> 00:41:45,160
But they are saying that the
young like, you know, high

803
00:41:45,160 --> 00:41:48,640
schoolers are kind of going on
it more and start like it's it

804
00:41:48,640 --> 00:41:51,800
is drawing a younger crowd.
That's kind of I guess.

805
00:41:52,400 --> 00:41:53,440
Yeah.
Yeah.

806
00:41:53,480 --> 00:41:55,480
In my in my class, they're
talking about it.

807
00:41:56,720 --> 00:41:58,560
You know, the the kids are
starting to put up, you know,

808
00:41:58,560 --> 00:42:00,440
look for internships.
They're trying to network

809
00:42:00,440 --> 00:42:02,680
already.
So.

810
00:42:02,680 --> 00:42:04,880
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, it's a it's a cool

811
00:42:04,880 --> 00:42:06,280
tool.
It's a really cool tool.

812
00:42:07,840 --> 00:42:11,040
What was living in Mexico like
this year?

813
00:42:12,320 --> 00:42:18,720
So it was, it was a struggle.
I think there was, it wasn't

814
00:42:18,720 --> 00:42:22,880
like one of those places where
you're like, you know, a dream

815
00:42:24,000 --> 00:42:27,120
destination, like, you know,
like maybe like for me, like I'm

816
00:42:27,120 --> 00:42:32,560
like, OK, Europe sounds pretty
cool, like it sounds, but but

817
00:42:32,560 --> 00:42:38,240
Mexico was, was very rough.
You know, there was a lot of

818
00:42:38,240 --> 00:42:41,920
things that, that we were going
through as far as like, you

819
00:42:41,920 --> 00:42:44,640
know, like my son, he was going
there for soccer.

820
00:42:44,640 --> 00:42:47,480
So he ends, he had a positive
experience, you know, because he

821
00:42:47,480 --> 00:42:50,880
obviously we're, we're thankful
he got a really good club.

822
00:42:50,880 --> 00:42:55,040
The club really supported him.
But, and, and at school too,

823
00:42:55,040 --> 00:42:57,080
they accepted him because he's
like the American kid.

824
00:42:57,080 --> 00:42:59,840
He, he doesn't know any Spanish,
but he's learning Spanish and

825
00:42:59,840 --> 00:43:03,520
he's very open to, you know, the
Mexican culture.

826
00:43:03,560 --> 00:43:08,560
You know, he's, he's, he's in
love with it, you know, but he

827
00:43:08,560 --> 00:43:12,960
did deal with it.
They're ready.

828
00:43:12,960 --> 00:43:17,280
They like to party.
So, yeah, because as I'm driving

829
00:43:17,280 --> 00:43:22,080
around, they have ice cream
shops, a lot of ice cream shops,

830
00:43:22,080 --> 00:43:26,680
a lot of like rental places for
like dresses and tuxes for for

831
00:43:26,680 --> 00:43:29,480
like the quinceanera, which is
like they're, you know, they're

832
00:43:29,480 --> 00:43:33,520
coming of age, you know, party
that they have, you know,

833
00:43:33,840 --> 00:43:37,800
celebration for the young kids.
So you have a lot of those

834
00:43:37,800 --> 00:43:41,800
businesses, you know, they're
it's and then again, everybody

835
00:43:41,800 --> 00:43:44,320
is like having ice cream.
Like we're driving around at 10

836
00:43:44,320 --> 00:43:47,280
at night and there's like a line
of everybody, you know, waiting

837
00:43:47,280 --> 00:43:50,280
to get their ice cream till they
do.

838
00:43:50,840 --> 00:43:55,280
They do like to enjoy life.
And I did read that it's like 1

839
00:43:55,280 --> 00:43:58,440
of like the top ten places like
in the world that kind of

840
00:43:59,200 --> 00:44:01,480
they're the happiest.
They consider themselves like

841
00:44:01,520 --> 00:44:04,040
happy, you know, so you don't
really have to have much.

842
00:44:05,880 --> 00:44:09,960
You know, it's a very rough like
it's not like it's not that

843
00:44:09,960 --> 00:44:11,520
pretty.
Like there's a lot of like

844
00:44:11,520 --> 00:44:13,640
litter on the street is very
where I'm at.

845
00:44:13,640 --> 00:44:16,080
I was at Monterey.
That's and it was.

846
00:44:16,080 --> 00:44:18,000
Monterey in the West.
The West part.

847
00:44:20,160 --> 00:44:21,800
It's right.
It's close to like Texas.

848
00:44:22,000 --> 00:44:25,240
It's close to which Texas
border?

849
00:44:25,560 --> 00:44:26,480
Yeah.
Gotcha.

850
00:44:26,480 --> 00:44:28,840
So kind of central.
Yeah, so.

851
00:44:29,040 --> 00:44:31,480
Yeah, so it wasn't so pretty.
But is it?

852
00:44:31,480 --> 00:44:33,920
But is it good culture?
It was.

853
00:44:33,920 --> 00:44:39,760
They're very friendly and, and
it would and they like to, you

854
00:44:39,760 --> 00:44:42,000
know, they like to really have
fun with what they have.

855
00:44:42,000 --> 00:44:44,720
And they, you know, on Sundays,
you can see that the families

856
00:44:44,720 --> 00:44:48,000
getting together, you know, they
take out their, their table and

857
00:44:48,000 --> 00:44:51,240
the patio and they, you know,
pull out the TV and they, they

858
00:44:51,240 --> 00:44:53,760
take it outside.
They watch the, the games and,

859
00:44:53,760 --> 00:44:56,640
and grill and you know, they're,
they're kind of every like

860
00:44:56,920 --> 00:44:58,640
Sunday.
They're getting together as a

861
00:44:58,640 --> 00:45:02,320
family and friends doing that,
so yeah.

862
00:45:02,960 --> 00:45:06,240
Yeah, the last I've noticed.
I mean, every single time I've

863
00:45:06,240 --> 00:45:10,280
traveled out of the States
almost, it's one thing I've

864
00:45:10,280 --> 00:45:13,320
noticed almost inevitably no
matter where I'm going.

865
00:45:13,320 --> 00:45:18,440
And I've been to not a ton of
places, but you know, let's say

866
00:45:18,440 --> 00:45:20,160
six or seven countries outside
of the States.

867
00:45:22,200 --> 00:45:25,440
The culture is always about or
always much more, it's much more

868
00:45:25,440 --> 00:45:28,920
social and much more about
interaction and community and

869
00:45:29,160 --> 00:45:32,280
human, human interaction.
Then I then I almost, I've seen

870
00:45:32,560 --> 00:45:35,160
almost anywhere in America, you
know, like it.

871
00:45:35,560 --> 00:45:39,480
It's weird in the supermarket
for people to not, you know,

872
00:45:39,480 --> 00:45:41,920
just ask a stranger a question
about, you know, something that

873
00:45:41,920 --> 00:45:43,360
you're looking at or how does
this look?

874
00:45:43,360 --> 00:45:44,720
Or, you know, have you had this
before?

875
00:45:44,720 --> 00:45:47,360
And like, I think an American
people are afraid to talk to

876
00:45:47,360 --> 00:45:48,960
each other.
You have your headphones in and

877
00:45:49,280 --> 00:45:51,480
you go to the supermarket and
like, it's considered rude to

878
00:45:51,480 --> 00:45:53,000
like bother someone and ask them
a question.

879
00:45:53,000 --> 00:45:54,680
How do you know, what are you
doing, You know, stop someone in

880
00:45:54,680 --> 00:45:57,280
the street and say if you know a
good place to get coffee or what

881
00:45:57,280 --> 00:46:00,080
could I do here?
And like in Europe, it's or, you

882
00:46:00,080 --> 00:46:02,880
know, in the other countries
I've been to, it's it's the

883
00:46:02,880 --> 00:46:05,160
total opposite.
You know, like you talk to the

884
00:46:05,160 --> 00:46:08,040
bus driver and you talk to, you
know, you talk to your cab

885
00:46:08,040 --> 00:46:13,200
driver and like you the, the
emphasis is a lot more on, on

886
00:46:13,200 --> 00:46:14,720
interaction.
And I don't know why.

887
00:46:14,720 --> 00:46:17,440
I don't know what it is about
here that we don't do that as

888
00:46:17,440 --> 00:46:19,800
much.
It's, it's, it's strange to me,

889
00:46:19,920 --> 00:46:23,680
you know?
Yeah, I, you know, I can say

890
00:46:23,680 --> 00:46:27,680
like, because I did spend time
like teaching in the classroom.

891
00:46:27,680 --> 00:46:30,760
The kids are very, they're very
welcoming.

892
00:46:31,200 --> 00:46:34,880
They're very friendly, even like
where we lived in the community.

893
00:46:34,880 --> 00:46:37,840
Like, you know, the kids are
playing all the time, like at

894
00:46:37,840 --> 00:46:41,080
night, they're in the little
playground like late at night.

895
00:46:41,080 --> 00:46:44,440
And, and they wanted to, they
were very welcoming of my kids

896
00:46:44,720 --> 00:46:46,360
who don't speak Spanish.
So.

897
00:46:46,760 --> 00:46:50,320
And, you know, they weren't
afraid to kind of, they're

898
00:46:50,320 --> 00:46:51,120
learning.
Yeah.

899
00:46:51,160 --> 00:46:55,400
They're kind of, you know, yeah.
And and they would just even the

900
00:46:55,400 --> 00:46:59,720
older ones would like talk to my
four and five year old one, you

901
00:46:59,720 --> 00:47:02,040
know, and I'm like in a, in a
playground in the, in the United

902
00:47:02,040 --> 00:47:06,040
States, like the older kids
would not be trying to talk to

903
00:47:06,040 --> 00:47:08,400
the four and five year old.
They would be like, you know,

904
00:47:08,720 --> 00:47:11,000
they would play.
They were three to themselves or

905
00:47:11,000 --> 00:47:15,440
yeah.
So it is like, like, like

906
00:47:15,600 --> 00:47:17,800
recently, like my daughter
started summer camp and I'm

907
00:47:17,800 --> 00:47:20,560
like, how was your day?
And she was like, good and bad.

908
00:47:20,560 --> 00:47:22,960
I'm like, what happened?
She's like, like that.

909
00:47:22,960 --> 00:47:25,120
She asked one of the little kids
like, oh, do you want to be my

910
00:47:25,120 --> 00:47:26,960
friend?
And the little girl was like,

911
00:47:27,480 --> 00:47:29,840
I'll talk to you, but I won't be
your friend.

912
00:47:29,880 --> 00:47:33,560
You know, I'm like, OK, I mean,
I get it.

913
00:47:33,560 --> 00:47:36,920
But like, I'm thinking like, oh,
in Mexico you would have, you

914
00:47:36,920 --> 00:47:40,160
know, like the kids are just.
I don't think that would happen.

915
00:47:40,160 --> 00:47:43,840
I think, you know, they would
just like talk and be friends

916
00:47:43,840 --> 00:47:45,320
and, you know, kind of be
interested.

917
00:47:46,360 --> 00:47:50,280
But, you know, I think people
are like more, I guess.

918
00:47:50,280 --> 00:47:53,280
I don't know, they're more
mature or the kids are kind of

919
00:47:53,280 --> 00:47:56,400
making like, I don't know.
It isn't just just there's a

920
00:47:56,400 --> 00:48:01,200
disconnect with like with like,
I don't know, I'm with my friend

921
00:48:01,200 --> 00:48:04,640
and I'm like, do that, right?
Do I do that and be like, no,

922
00:48:04,680 --> 00:48:06,040
you know what?
I'm going to talk to you, but

923
00:48:06,040 --> 00:48:07,440
I'm not necessarily going to be
your friend.

924
00:48:07,680 --> 00:48:09,200
That's like, wow, OK, well.
I.

925
00:48:09,840 --> 00:48:12,400
When I went, so this trip to
Amsterdam, I went with a friend

926
00:48:12,480 --> 00:48:16,040
of mine and, you know, and we're
trying to get in, you know, and,

927
00:48:16,680 --> 00:48:19,120
you know, we get to the airport
and when you land, we're walking

928
00:48:19,120 --> 00:48:21,440
out of the airport, we're going
to try to take a train to our,

929
00:48:21,520 --> 00:48:27,200
our, our hotel for the night.
And, and it turns out the the

930
00:48:27,200 --> 00:48:29,520
subway's down right, there was a
worker strike.

931
00:48:29,880 --> 00:48:32,920
And so there's a cab driver
driving around.

932
00:48:33,520 --> 00:48:35,400
So cab drivers are walking on
the airport saying you need a

933
00:48:35,400 --> 00:48:36,720
cab, you need a cab, you need a
cab.

934
00:48:37,120 --> 00:48:38,800
So my friend's ignoring them all
that.

935
00:48:38,800 --> 00:48:40,400
I mean, I'm telling them no
thanks, thank you.

936
00:48:40,440 --> 00:48:41,560
You know, have a, you know, have
a good one.

937
00:48:41,680 --> 00:48:42,880
You know, I'm good.
Thank you very much.

938
00:48:42,880 --> 00:48:46,440
I'm responding to them and it's
a very like already like a very

939
00:48:46,480 --> 00:48:48,080
almost New Yorker American
thing.

940
00:48:48,800 --> 00:48:50,440
Like someone talks to you, but
like, you don't want their

941
00:48:50,440 --> 00:48:51,520
services.
You just ignore them.

942
00:48:51,520 --> 00:48:52,960
You don't.
You act like they're like, you

943
00:48:52,960 --> 00:48:54,800
know, part of the wall, but.
Yeah.

944
00:48:55,320 --> 00:48:58,280
You know, and So what so we
realized that that the Uber

945
00:48:58,280 --> 00:49:00,160
wasn't coming to the airport
because it was packed and we

946
00:49:00,160 --> 00:49:01,880
realized that the subway was not
running.

947
00:49:02,240 --> 00:49:06,960
So I so my friends, so I was
like, dude, you know, now you

948
00:49:06,960 --> 00:49:08,520
burned all our bridges.
All these people think you're a

949
00:49:08,520 --> 00:49:09,560
jerk.
You've been ignoring them

950
00:49:09,840 --> 00:49:11,080
because I went up to one of the
guys.

951
00:49:11,080 --> 00:49:13,240
I was like, you know, what's the
cost to get to this place?

952
00:49:13,240 --> 00:49:14,840
Give me a ridiculous price,
right?

953
00:49:15,320 --> 00:49:19,560
And I said, and my friends like,
screw you, man.

954
00:49:19,560 --> 00:49:24,960
He just walked away and I was
like, okay, man, what do you got

955
00:49:24,960 --> 00:49:25,720
to be?
What can we do?

956
00:49:25,720 --> 00:49:26,880
Well, you know, like, what can
we do?

957
00:49:26,880 --> 00:49:29,000
I know the, I know that you're
looking for guys to take to the

958
00:49:29,000 --> 00:49:30,200
airport.
And I was talking to the guy and

959
00:49:30,200 --> 00:49:32,480
then he was like, you know,
what, if I can try to get a

960
00:49:32,480 --> 00:49:35,960
couple more people in my, in my,
in my, in my car, then I could

961
00:49:35,960 --> 00:49:37,720
charge all of you a little bit
less because I have more work

962
00:49:37,720 --> 00:49:39,400
and I have more people that, you
know, that I'm taking.

963
00:49:39,760 --> 00:49:42,560
And we ended up working together
to find like 7 different people

964
00:49:42,560 --> 00:49:45,240
to get into the cab together.
And I feel like that wouldn't

965
00:49:45,240 --> 00:49:47,080
happen.
You wouldn't get into a cab, you

966
00:49:47,080 --> 00:49:49,320
know, with, you know, or most
people wouldn't get into a cab

967
00:49:49,320 --> 00:49:51,880
in LaGuardia with, you know,
with a couple of other people

968
00:49:51,880 --> 00:49:54,200
that are saying we're going to
Manhattan too, you know, like

969
00:49:54,560 --> 00:49:56,160
there's something, there's
something about the culture.

970
00:49:56,160 --> 00:50:01,720
It's a little bit more like you
treat a stranger like they're

971
00:50:01,760 --> 00:50:03,240
another human being.
You don't treat them like

972
00:50:03,240 --> 00:50:05,680
they're a potential enemy.
I think that in the States

973
00:50:05,680 --> 00:50:09,000
there's a big culture of like, I
think that we're so a lot of

974
00:50:09,000 --> 00:50:11,480
people are so at each other's
throats for so much and so many

975
00:50:11,480 --> 00:50:14,680
different potential ideas that
like we kind of look at everyone

976
00:50:14,680 --> 00:50:16,600
like they're either a threat or
they're your best friend in the

977
00:50:16,600 --> 00:50:17,880
entire world.
And like, there's no middle

978
00:50:17,880 --> 00:50:20,800
ground.
So I, I think that I think that

979
00:50:20,800 --> 00:50:22,080
that could be a lot of what it
is.

980
00:50:22,080 --> 00:50:23,840
And that's a lot of the
polarization that comes from

981
00:50:23,840 --> 00:50:25,040
social media.
And that's a lot of the

982
00:50:25,040 --> 00:50:29,120
polarization that comes from,
you know, just how vehement so

983
00:50:29,120 --> 00:50:32,600
many of our new sources and
sources of information is.

984
00:50:32,600 --> 00:50:35,240
You know, like, I don't think
Europeans pay as much attention

985
00:50:35,240 --> 00:50:37,480
to the news as Americans do like
that, you know?

986
00:50:39,080 --> 00:50:42,200
I think you're, you know, like
you raise a good point of like

987
00:50:42,200 --> 00:50:45,200
how people like don't want to
talk to others, especially if

988
00:50:45,200 --> 00:50:47,920
they're sensing they're like
gonna sell something.

989
00:50:47,920 --> 00:50:50,760
Like I was in, in Lincoln Rd.,
the same like the other day and

990
00:50:51,000 --> 00:50:54,480
there was like a group of kids
and, and like they're like

991
00:50:54,480 --> 00:50:57,800
trying to fundraise.
But I'm, you know, I'm like, I

992
00:50:57,800 --> 00:51:00,320
was like, they were interesting
to talk to you, even though

993
00:51:00,320 --> 00:51:03,360
like, you know, I knew what they
were, what they were trying to

994
00:51:03,360 --> 00:51:05,360
get to at the end of the
conversation.

995
00:51:05,360 --> 00:51:09,480
But you know, they're, they're
being, it's their summer job.

996
00:51:09,480 --> 00:51:12,320
You know, I'm like, and they're
coming from, yeah, they're, it's

997
00:51:12,320 --> 00:51:14,960
their summer job and they're
coming from different countries.

998
00:51:14,960 --> 00:51:18,200
So like 1 was Italian, one was
from Italy, one was from Cuba.

999
00:51:18,520 --> 00:51:23,040
And and I'm like, what does it
cost for me to just talk to them

1000
00:51:23,040 --> 00:51:27,720
and get to know them, even
though I know they're gonna want

1001
00:51:28,160 --> 00:51:30,960
what their job is?
But but I think they did

1002
00:51:30,960 --> 00:51:34,040
appreciate at the end, it's just
like somebody just talking to

1003
00:51:34,040 --> 00:51:37,240
them and not just going out.
No, I can't.

1004
00:51:37,240 --> 00:51:40,960
I don't have money.
I I was, I was driving.

1005
00:51:40,960 --> 00:51:42,600
Do you are you familiar with
Hollywood at all?

1006
00:51:43,200 --> 00:51:46,560
Yeah, yeah, for sure.
So, so I was driving down route

1007
00:51:46,560 --> 00:51:50,880
7 towards the Hard Rock, right?
I, I go to synagogue near there

1008
00:51:51,160 --> 00:51:54,840
and, and on my way down I got, I
got stuck by the light.

1009
00:51:54,840 --> 00:51:57,520
There's a big intersection with
three lanes right before you

1010
00:51:57,520 --> 00:52:01,080
cross to the Hard Rock off 7.
And, and, you know, there's

1011
00:52:01,080 --> 00:52:03,040
always people there that are
asking for money or asking for

1012
00:52:03,040 --> 00:52:06,480
help.
And, and I, I stopped at the

1013
00:52:06,480 --> 00:52:07,680
light.
My window was down because

1014
00:52:07,680 --> 00:52:10,440
there's like a month ago and the
weather was really nice and I

1015
00:52:10,440 --> 00:52:11,520
didn't want to roll up my
window.

1016
00:52:11,520 --> 00:52:13,640
There's a woman there that was
asking for, you know, asking for

1017
00:52:13,640 --> 00:52:15,160
some help.
And I didn't want to roll out my

1018
00:52:15,160 --> 00:52:16,560
window and pretend I didn't see
her.

1019
00:52:16,560 --> 00:52:19,240
And, you know, be like that, you
know, so I kind of just like

1020
00:52:19,240 --> 00:52:20,840
looked at her and I smiled and
I'm like, I'm sorry, I don't

1021
00:52:20,840 --> 00:52:23,120
have anything but like, have,
you know, like, good luck, have

1022
00:52:23,120 --> 00:52:24,400
a great day.
That's all I said to her.

1023
00:52:24,880 --> 00:52:27,160
And she was and she just kept
on, you know, she's like, thank

1024
00:52:27,160 --> 00:52:28,280
you.
She walked about, you know, up

1025
00:52:28,280 --> 00:52:30,520
and down to, you know, pass
other cars.

1026
00:52:30,520 --> 00:52:32,920
And she came back to me and she
was like, I just want you to

1027
00:52:32,920 --> 00:52:36,120
know that's all I really like,
want like it's just for like a

1028
00:52:36,120 --> 00:52:37,440
positive.
Like she said that just like,

1029
00:52:37,520 --> 00:52:40,040
just you saying like good luck,
have a great day.

1030
00:52:40,040 --> 00:52:41,560
And I'm sorry.
Like I wish I could help out and

1031
00:52:41,560 --> 00:52:43,920
have anything.
Just you telling me that made my

1032
00:52:43,920 --> 00:52:45,880
day.
So I just mean so much.

1033
00:52:45,880 --> 00:52:47,000
Thank you.
Like she told me that.

1034
00:52:47,000 --> 00:52:50,240
And I was like, it's insane that
we don't do that on a regular

1035
00:52:50,240 --> 00:52:53,640
basis because it costs nothing.
I felt great, She felt great.

1036
00:52:54,000 --> 00:52:57,680
And everyone felt like closer
together, like, you know, like I

1037
00:52:57,680 --> 00:52:59,800
thought it was really, I think
we need a lot more of that.

1038
00:53:00,920 --> 00:53:02,960
You're right.
There was, I like I read

1039
00:53:02,960 --> 00:53:05,480
something on that where like
there was an article about like

1040
00:53:05,480 --> 00:53:07,600
this person who had gone through
homelessness.

1041
00:53:07,960 --> 00:53:11,120
He came out of it, but he had
said like they don't, they just

1042
00:53:11,120 --> 00:53:13,160
want conversation.
They want someone to like ask

1043
00:53:13,160 --> 00:53:16,120
them what their name is and like
talk to them or just because

1044
00:53:16,120 --> 00:53:18,800
they're by themselves, just even
have a conversation.

1045
00:53:19,280 --> 00:53:21,800
You know, it means so much to
them.

1046
00:53:23,000 --> 00:53:24,720
You don't know everybody's
story.

1047
00:53:24,720 --> 00:53:29,600
You know, I have seen somebody
going like, you know, driving

1048
00:53:29,600 --> 00:53:31,040
too.
And they were like selling food.

1049
00:53:31,040 --> 00:53:34,760
But what I had thought of was,
like, in Mexico, there's so many

1050
00:53:34,760 --> 00:53:37,680
of those like, you know, selling
foods, hustling.

1051
00:53:37,680 --> 00:53:39,480
They hustle, too.
That's like a big thing.

1052
00:53:39,480 --> 00:53:42,560
Like they're always selling
stuff on in the street.

1053
00:53:43,200 --> 00:53:44,560
Yeah.
And I'm like seeing this person,

1054
00:53:44,560 --> 00:53:46,440
he's by himself and I'm like,
man, he has.

1055
00:53:47,080 --> 00:53:50,920
He's pretty brave to do this
here because it's not so common

1056
00:53:50,920 --> 00:53:55,000
like selling the foods here as I
would see in Mexico.

1057
00:53:55,680 --> 00:53:58,840
But it just made me think like,
OK, in the different cultures,

1058
00:53:58,840 --> 00:54:03,160
if he were in his country or
it'll be normal.

1059
00:54:03,240 --> 00:54:06,120
And but he's like he's doing.
I wonder how he feels.

1060
00:54:06,120 --> 00:54:09,440
I wonder how he feels like, you
know, being by himself here, you

1061
00:54:09,440 --> 00:54:12,080
know, because, you know, trying
to do what you got to do for

1062
00:54:12,080 --> 00:54:15,800
your family.
But yeah, it's, it's just like

1063
00:54:15,800 --> 00:54:18,200
how different cultures are.
And you just kind of like, you

1064
00:54:18,200 --> 00:54:21,240
wonder how people's lives are in
other parts of the world.

1065
00:54:22,160 --> 00:54:25,240
Yeah, Yeah, you really do.
I think that a lot of this is

1066
00:54:25,240 --> 00:54:27,520
social media.
I really do.

1067
00:54:27,800 --> 00:54:30,880
I think that it's something that
I've noticed at least even with

1068
00:54:30,880 --> 00:54:34,880
myself, you know, I mean, I, you
know, I'm so much less social

1069
00:54:34,880 --> 00:54:37,360
when I have my or your phone is
a safety net.

1070
00:54:37,480 --> 00:54:39,280
You know, your phone, it gives
you something to do with your

1071
00:54:39,280 --> 00:54:40,440
hands.
It gives you something to look

1072
00:54:40,440 --> 00:54:42,600
at if you're standing in line
next to someone and you run out

1073
00:54:42,600 --> 00:54:44,880
of conversation to say it's a
safety net.

1074
00:54:44,880 --> 00:54:48,480
And so, but like everything
else, like creativity and like

1075
00:54:48,480 --> 00:54:50,920
writing and like, you know,
everything, it's a muscle being

1076
00:54:51,000 --> 00:54:53,640
being social as a muscle.
Talking is a muscle is a muscle,

1077
00:54:53,680 --> 00:54:56,440
you know.
And so if we're not actively

1078
00:54:56,440 --> 00:54:59,480
working on it and we have almost
like an easy way out and we

1079
00:54:59,480 --> 00:55:02,440
have, you know, these bumpers,
you know, like when you go

1080
00:55:02,440 --> 00:55:04,960
bowling, you have this easy way
to kind of like save you out of

1081
00:55:04,960 --> 00:55:08,040
a conversation or out of feeling
awkward for a minute, then you

1082
00:55:08,040 --> 00:55:10,800
go ahead and do that.
But then you know, it comes at

1083
00:55:10,800 --> 00:55:15,120
the expense of exercising that
of exercising that, that, that,

1084
00:55:15,120 --> 00:55:16,880
that that skill set that you
need.

1085
00:55:18,120 --> 00:55:21,800
So Mexico.
So, so Mexico overall, you happy

1086
00:55:21,800 --> 00:55:24,640
you did it for your kid, you
happy you happy to be in South

1087
00:55:24,640 --> 00:55:27,880
Florida?
I am, yeah.

1088
00:55:27,920 --> 00:55:32,120
It's, it's kind of nice to kind
of like be in a place where you

1089
00:55:32,120 --> 00:55:34,440
can relax a bit.
It was a little bit like high

1090
00:55:34,440 --> 00:55:37,440
edge in Mexico.
Like, you know, I was always

1091
00:55:37,440 --> 00:55:39,960
kind of like looking over at my
shoulders, like wondering if

1092
00:55:39,960 --> 00:55:42,240
like the cops are going to stop
us because we had, we had

1093
00:55:42,240 --> 00:55:46,640
American plates, you know, and
so like, it's just like a red

1094
00:55:46,800 --> 00:55:49,880
flag.
Yeah, it was a red flag.

1095
00:55:49,880 --> 00:55:52,240
I mean, all they would, they
would stop us all the time

1096
00:55:52,240 --> 00:55:54,560
because our plates were like
American plates.

1097
00:55:54,560 --> 00:55:57,720
And then they stop you and they
kind of like, you know, they,

1098
00:55:57,800 --> 00:56:00,040
they want, they want to bribe
you.

1099
00:56:00,040 --> 00:56:01,720
And, you know, it's very
corrupt.

1100
00:56:01,720 --> 00:56:05,000
The cops are corrupt.
So like, I would get like, I

1101
00:56:05,000 --> 00:56:06,800
would be scared driving all the
time.

1102
00:56:06,800 --> 00:56:09,440
Like, you know, you would come
home from, you know, driving

1103
00:56:09,440 --> 00:56:14,000
home from a game, a soccer game,
and then like the cops pull you

1104
00:56:14,000 --> 00:56:15,600
over.
You're like, oh, goodness, I

1105
00:56:15,600 --> 00:56:18,080
don't have to deal with this.
Like now I gotta do you have

1106
00:56:18,080 --> 00:56:21,000
money to pay this cop off so you
can leave us alone.

1107
00:56:22,440 --> 00:56:25,280
So it was a little bit.
Yeah, it is, it is a little bit

1108
00:56:25,280 --> 00:56:29,920
like it's it's it's scary.
And that and that respect is,

1109
00:56:30,160 --> 00:56:33,280
you know, maybe if I would have
had like next full of Mexican

1110
00:56:33,280 --> 00:56:36,680
car, but the Mexican plates, you
know, we wouldn't be such a

1111
00:56:36,680 --> 00:56:37,880
target.
You're.

1112
00:56:38,320 --> 00:56:41,560
Saying being American just means
probably you have money and

1113
00:56:41,560 --> 00:56:43,800
probably you're going to, you're
probably going to be able to, to

1114
00:56:43,800 --> 00:56:48,120
buy them off.
Yeah, yeah, for sure, for sure.

1115
00:56:48,920 --> 00:56:51,520
So yeah.
So if I were to go back, you

1116
00:56:51,520 --> 00:56:56,840
know, like we would definitely
fully like try not to be, you

1117
00:56:56,840 --> 00:56:59,920
know, said stand out.
Yeah, American like have like

1118
00:56:59,920 --> 00:57:04,640
fully have like a Mexican car so
that we wouldn't be pulled over

1119
00:57:04,640 --> 00:57:06,720
or whatever.
But yeah, so like here's like

1120
00:57:06,960 --> 00:57:09,080
now saying that you don't get
pulled over in the United States

1121
00:57:09,080 --> 00:57:10,720
because you do.
They can pull you over for

1122
00:57:10,720 --> 00:57:13,880
whatever they want.
But yeah, but it I think it's

1123
00:57:13,880 --> 00:57:18,440
just like I it's scarier over
there because they can literally

1124
00:57:18,440 --> 00:57:21,960
say we want your car, you know,
like get out, we're taking your

1125
00:57:21,960 --> 00:57:24,360
car.
And you just like, laughed and

1126
00:57:24,360 --> 00:57:27,280
like, OK, here's my car.
Crazy.

1127
00:57:27,880 --> 00:57:29,720
It's really, really crazy.
It's really crazy.

1128
00:57:30,520 --> 00:57:34,840
I want to talk a little bit
about parenting because you have

1129
00:57:34,840 --> 00:57:38,080
4 kids, which is probably more
than I think most people at this

1130
00:57:38,080 --> 00:57:41,480
point of the country have.
I feel like, I feel like people

1131
00:57:41,480 --> 00:57:43,160
like.
Yeah.

1132
00:57:43,320 --> 00:57:47,080
In today's world, the emphasis
is very, very much, you know,

1133
00:57:47,080 --> 00:57:50,920
not on having family and family
is almost looked at as like a

1134
00:57:50,920 --> 00:57:53,800
hindrance for, you know, for
yourself.

1135
00:57:55,360 --> 00:57:58,200
And I do think I was actually
thinking you were telling me

1136
00:57:58,200 --> 00:58:00,520
earlier about, you know, that
the the all your favorite author

1137
00:58:00,520 --> 00:58:02,480
that said, like, oh, if you want
to be a great writer, don't have

1138
00:58:02,480 --> 00:58:07,160
kids, which is, I think a sad
thing to kind of try to spread

1139
00:58:07,160 --> 00:58:11,760
to other people.
But I think that, you know, one

1140
00:58:11,800 --> 00:58:13,880
thing, one thing I, one thing I
was teaching, I last year, I

1141
00:58:13,880 --> 00:58:18,120
taught my 10th graders about
just great creators and great

1142
00:58:18,120 --> 00:58:20,520
innovators.
And we're like learn about the

1143
00:58:20,520 --> 00:58:23,960
people and all of them are like
broken in some significant way,

1144
00:58:24,080 --> 00:58:26,600
you know, like they're, they
have some serious, serious

1145
00:58:26,600 --> 00:58:29,480
issues, whether it's Steve Jobs,
whether it's Elon, whether it,

1146
00:58:29,680 --> 00:58:33,120
you know, every, any, any, any
crazy successful person.

1147
00:58:33,640 --> 00:58:36,760
Is it crazy person as well?
You know, and that's part of the

1148
00:58:36,760 --> 00:58:37,880
reason why they're able to do
it.

1149
00:58:38,240 --> 00:58:41,080
And so I feel like in order to
like truly be great about

1150
00:58:41,280 --> 00:58:45,560
something that comes at some
kind of enormous detrimental

1151
00:58:45,840 --> 00:58:50,080
personal life sacrifice and loss
that you know, that like you

1152
00:58:50,080 --> 00:58:53,800
almost give up your life for the
sake of this endeavor that

1153
00:58:53,800 --> 00:58:59,200
you're that you're creating.
But I don't and and I actually,

1154
00:58:59,200 --> 00:59:06,960
so, but I think that we, I
think, I think that, you know,

1155
00:59:06,960 --> 00:59:08,880
and I think that's having a
family scary for a lot of

1156
00:59:08,880 --> 00:59:10,280
people.
I think that the responsibility,

1157
00:59:10,280 --> 00:59:12,400
you know, thinking about the
responsibility and thinking, you

1158
00:59:12,400 --> 00:59:15,160
know, even hearing you talk
about like, oh, I'm trying to

1159
00:59:15,160 --> 00:59:17,640
write and then my kids are
saying you're hungry, you know,

1160
00:59:17,680 --> 00:59:19,600
like, you know, like you're
like, I don't want that.

1161
00:59:19,600 --> 00:59:22,440
But I don't think they realize
that how much of A labor of love

1162
00:59:22,440 --> 00:59:25,280
it is and like how how amazing
parenting is.

1163
00:59:25,280 --> 00:59:26,520
So what, what's in your
experience?

1164
00:59:26,520 --> 00:59:30,120
So how, how old, you know, I
guess the general range of the

1165
00:59:30,120 --> 00:59:32,440
age of your kids and what's it
been like parenting boys versus

1166
00:59:32,440 --> 00:59:35,680
girls and taking them around and
all these kind of, you know,

1167
00:59:36,560 --> 00:59:37,840
what's parenting been like so
far?

1168
00:59:39,080 --> 00:59:45,800
I have, so I have a 14 and a 15
year old and then I have basic a

1169
00:59:46,680 --> 00:59:48,280
three-year old and a five year
old.

1170
00:59:48,640 --> 00:59:50,240
Nice.
So like amazing.

1171
00:59:51,560 --> 00:59:53,240
Yeah, they're like 10 years
apart.

1172
00:59:53,360 --> 00:59:59,800
And I think, you know, there,
there are times where I'm like,

1173
00:59:59,960 --> 01:00:02,400
you know, you're writing, you're
like, Oh my goodness, you know,

1174
01:00:02,400 --> 01:00:04,720
I don't want the distraction.
And you don't have the luxury to

1175
01:00:04,720 --> 01:00:08,480
kind of just be all, you know,
there's writers that can, you

1176
01:00:08,480 --> 01:00:11,120
know, they don't have kids and
they're very productive.

1177
01:00:11,120 --> 01:00:15,560
But you know, there's writers
who who do do it and you kind of

1178
01:00:15,760 --> 01:00:17,600
use it.
You know, you use your

1179
01:00:17,680 --> 01:00:20,280
creativity.
You're inspired by like everyday

1180
01:00:20,280 --> 01:00:22,480
life, you know, like being a
mom.

1181
01:00:22,600 --> 01:00:25,640
You know, I would be able to
write characters that you don't

1182
01:00:25,640 --> 01:00:27,680
have a lot of kids, you know,
because I can type into my

1183
01:00:27,680 --> 01:00:30,560
experience.
Experience, you know, where

1184
01:00:30,560 --> 01:00:34,200
people can relate to.
But but yeah, I think like

1185
01:00:34,200 --> 01:00:38,320
you're right, there is nowadays
people aren't having, they're

1186
01:00:38,320 --> 01:00:42,920
having kids later if, if they
are, you know, if at all.

1187
01:00:42,960 --> 01:00:46,720
And and when they do start
later, they're not going to have

1188
01:00:46,720 --> 01:00:48,840
like 4 kids.
They're probably have like one

1189
01:00:48,840 --> 01:00:51,400
or two kids.
So they'll have small families.

1190
01:00:53,240 --> 01:00:58,360
But for me, I think, I think
large families, you're all under

1191
01:00:58,360 --> 01:01:00,800
one roof.
And it's and it's as a writer, I

1192
01:01:00,800 --> 01:01:05,160
think it's very inspiring to see
how everybody in the family has

1193
01:01:05,200 --> 01:01:07,040
their own talents, has their own
dreams.

1194
01:01:07,040 --> 01:01:09,920
And you're all trying to like,
be under one roof and you're

1195
01:01:09,920 --> 01:01:12,320
trying to help each other, you
know?

1196
01:01:12,600 --> 01:01:13,760
Yeah.
Succeed.

1197
01:01:13,960 --> 01:01:17,080
You know, like, I have my son
who's, you know, a skillful

1198
01:01:17,080 --> 01:01:19,680
soccer player.
I have my daughter who's, you

1199
01:01:19,680 --> 01:01:23,880
know, she's she's talented in
art and in singing and in, you

1200
01:01:23,880 --> 01:01:28,080
know, the creative arts and, you
know, and that's why I put my

1201
01:01:28,080 --> 01:01:29,760
daughter.
I came here to put my daughter

1202
01:01:29,760 --> 01:01:33,960
in like theater camp to say
we've been, we've been doing,

1203
01:01:34,440 --> 01:01:36,880
you know, a lot of stuff for,
for my older son.

1204
01:01:36,880 --> 01:01:39,280
Let's try to like, do you?
Show her your favorite stuff

1205
01:01:39,320 --> 01:01:41,000
like do you share?
Do you share what you love with

1206
01:01:41,000 --> 01:01:42,920
her?
Yeah, for sure.

1207
01:01:43,040 --> 01:01:46,400
Like, you know, like I would
we'll we'll listen to

1208
01:01:46,400 --> 01:01:49,920
soundtracks of like Broadway,
you know, musicals and we'll

1209
01:01:49,920 --> 01:01:54,440
watch shows like, you know, like
back then I, I would like go to

1210
01:01:54,440 --> 01:01:57,480
like a mom and pop shop and like
have their to have the DVDs of

1211
01:01:57,480 --> 01:02:01,240
like the shows on Broadway.
And we were like watch cats or

1212
01:02:01,240 --> 01:02:04,000
we would watch like into the
woods and stuff like that.

1213
01:02:04,800 --> 01:02:07,560
You know, so we're connect that
way.

1214
01:02:07,560 --> 01:02:10,040
But yeah, you try to find, you
know, connect with all your

1215
01:02:10,040 --> 01:02:13,280
children and their talents and
and do your best.

1216
01:02:13,280 --> 01:02:16,800
I think being a mom is kind of
giving.

1217
01:02:16,840 --> 01:02:20,160
And so like it is hard to kind
of be creative yourself.

1218
01:02:20,680 --> 01:02:25,240
But I think creativity can be
tapped into if you if you can do

1219
01:02:25,240 --> 01:02:28,080
things that refuel you.
Like, if you feel like, you

1220
01:02:28,080 --> 01:02:31,840
know, you're exhausted, like you
said, you listen to music or I

1221
01:02:31,840 --> 01:02:36,760
might need to, like, exercise
and like, you know, you know,

1222
01:02:36,760 --> 01:02:38,440
kind of get my energy up that
way.

1223
01:02:38,960 --> 01:02:40,920
Yeah.
I get myself moving like I need,

1224
01:02:40,920 --> 01:02:42,200
OK.
I need to do, like, a work.

1225
01:02:42,200 --> 01:02:47,280
I need to go work out, you know,
and then, and you have to be in

1226
01:02:47,280 --> 01:02:49,480
a community for me of other
writers.

1227
01:02:49,480 --> 01:02:52,760
You can't just be by yourself.
It's easy to, like, be a mom and

1228
01:02:52,760 --> 01:02:56,720
just be, like, in my own world
with my kids and not get out.

1229
01:02:56,720 --> 01:03:00,600
I consciously have to make an
effort to join like other

1230
01:03:00,600 --> 01:03:05,240
writing communities to find them
online to like log into a Zoom

1231
01:03:05,240 --> 01:03:08,240
meeting, a webinar, like, you
know, the library is doing a

1232
01:03:08,240 --> 01:03:11,680
webinar on novel writing and
plot writing, You know, let me

1233
01:03:11,680 --> 01:03:17,120
register, let me watch this.
And, and, and with COVID, it has

1234
01:03:17,120 --> 01:03:19,800
helped where you don't have to,
you know, physically going and

1235
01:03:19,800 --> 01:03:23,400
you can like join a webinar And
then like if you miss it, which

1236
01:03:23,400 --> 01:03:27,240
I have sometimes I can like, you
know, go back and watch it when,

1237
01:03:27,240 --> 01:03:30,320
when I have the time, I'll watch
the links to the webinars.

1238
01:03:30,600 --> 01:03:34,960
But you do have to consciously
make an effort to join or other

1239
01:03:34,960 --> 01:03:36,520
writing communities as a
writing.

1240
01:03:36,920 --> 01:03:41,040
I mean, that's my advice,
managing a family and making the

1241
01:03:41,040 --> 01:03:43,640
time for, for you know, your
passion.

1242
01:03:44,480 --> 01:03:49,240
Yeah, I think it's also cool
that I think it's cool how much

1243
01:03:49,240 --> 01:03:52,760
your perspective and way of
thinking changes as you have

1244
01:03:52,760 --> 01:03:55,520
kids, you know?
And like, you know, I was

1245
01:03:55,520 --> 01:03:58,560
talking to my friend about this
yesterday because you were

1246
01:03:58,560 --> 01:03:59,840
hanging out.
I hadn't seen him a couple of

1247
01:03:59,840 --> 01:04:00,440
weeks.
We're very good.

1248
01:04:00,440 --> 01:04:01,880
We're very close.
He lives just down the block

1249
01:04:01,880 --> 01:04:03,760
from me.
And like, we'll do things like,

1250
01:04:03,960 --> 01:04:06,080
and by the way, and I think more
people need to do things like

1251
01:04:06,080 --> 01:04:07,240
this.
Like I'll text him.

1252
01:04:07,280 --> 01:04:08,880
Like, dude, I'm going to Publix.
You want to come?

1253
01:04:08,880 --> 01:04:10,240
You want to come along?
Do you need any groceries?

1254
01:04:10,240 --> 01:04:11,320
You want to, you know, you want
to pick up?

1255
01:04:11,600 --> 01:04:13,520
And like, we'll just go
together, the supermarket, just

1256
01:04:13,520 --> 01:04:15,800
hang out for 20 minutes and then
go back home and go back to our

1257
01:04:15,800 --> 01:04:17,400
families and like continue our
lives.

1258
01:04:18,560 --> 01:04:21,040
But one thing, you know, we're
talking about, I said, I left my

1259
01:04:21,040 --> 01:04:23,280
family for, you know, a week and
a half.

1260
01:04:23,280 --> 01:04:25,040
And it was the longest I'd left
them before.

1261
01:04:25,360 --> 01:04:27,680
And it was, I was so sad about
them.

1262
01:04:27,680 --> 01:04:31,040
And one thing I was telling, it
was like, I don't even think in

1263
01:04:31,040 --> 01:04:33,200
the same way.
Like I think in terms, I think

1264
01:04:33,200 --> 01:04:36,040
as a we, I don't think as an I.
And you know, when you think as

1265
01:04:36,040 --> 01:04:39,320
a we, you kind of have like a
expanded sense of consciousness

1266
01:04:39,640 --> 01:04:42,880
that really is like, I think
that's what I would call it like

1267
01:04:42,880 --> 01:04:44,960
almost adulthood.
I think that that's like, you

1268
01:04:44,960 --> 01:04:47,840
know, when people say that
America has what's called

1269
01:04:47,840 --> 01:04:51,120
delayed adolescence, that we're
like, we're kids for two or

1270
01:04:51,120 --> 01:04:52,760
three.
You know, the average person

1271
01:04:52,760 --> 01:04:54,440
doesn't think consider
themselves an adult till their

1272
01:04:54,440 --> 01:04:57,320
30s now.
You know, like, you know, like,

1273
01:04:57,600 --> 01:05:00,560
I think that that just means
that people are kind of stuck in

1274
01:05:00,560 --> 01:05:02,920
an eye mentality as opposed to a
we mentality.

1275
01:05:03,240 --> 01:05:05,760
And I think once you kind of
switch to a we and you think in

1276
01:05:05,760 --> 01:05:10,440
terms of, you know, like I'm in
Costco, you know, and I pass by

1277
01:05:10,440 --> 01:05:12,840
my kids favorite snack, I'm not
going to not get it.

1278
01:05:12,840 --> 01:05:15,120
Like, you know, I mean like that
I'm not going to get my own

1279
01:05:15,120 --> 01:05:17,640
thing, you know, at the expense
of my kids things.

1280
01:05:17,640 --> 01:05:20,120
I think as a we, I think this
makes me happy and that makes me

1281
01:05:20,120 --> 01:05:24,640
happy, you know, so I think that
the, you know, the, I don't

1282
01:05:24,640 --> 01:05:27,640
think there's enough emphasis on
like the beauty of the new

1283
01:05:27,640 --> 01:05:30,280
perspective that people get.
You literally evolve.

1284
01:05:30,280 --> 01:05:32,520
I think you evolve as a as a
human being.

1285
01:05:33,920 --> 01:05:37,960
You do it is a self sacrificing
and it is, it's greater than

1286
01:05:37,960 --> 01:05:39,200
you.
It's created, like you said,

1287
01:05:39,200 --> 01:05:43,720
it's not just me or awareness of
makes you compassionate to the

1288
01:05:43,720 --> 01:05:46,360
needs of other people, a better
person overall.

1289
01:05:46,480 --> 01:05:53,520
You know, it's it's and it's
very like scary.

1290
01:05:53,560 --> 01:05:56,280
So you're always worrying about
your kids, even like when they

1291
01:05:56,280 --> 01:05:58,800
become, you know, when they're
older, you're like, you know,

1292
01:05:58,800 --> 01:06:05,600
like it's a job that never ends,
but you know, it's, it's, it

1293
01:06:05,600 --> 01:06:08,720
helps you grow spiritually.
And I mean all the way around

1294
01:06:08,960 --> 01:06:11,360
some.
Do your are your kids mama's

1295
01:06:11,360 --> 01:06:14,880
boys or or dad or daddy's or
daddy's boys or girls?

1296
01:06:14,880 --> 01:06:17,720
What about do you have like a
different dynamics in terms of

1297
01:06:17,720 --> 01:06:19,920
your kids and your relationship
with your with your husband?

1298
01:06:21,520 --> 01:06:28,200
I would say like my oldest, my,
my oldest son, he's definitely

1299
01:06:28,640 --> 01:06:32,320
going to be like a daddy's boy
because my, my husband has been,

1300
01:06:32,520 --> 01:06:36,000
I mean, talk about sacrifice.
My husband does, has done

1301
01:06:36,000 --> 01:06:39,600
everything to help to put my son
in the best place for his soccer

1302
01:06:39,600 --> 01:06:41,760
career.
Like he lives with him in the

1303
01:06:41,760 --> 01:06:44,680
Netherlands.
Just both of them, you know,

1304
01:06:44,720 --> 01:06:46,200
crazy.
By the way, it's such a big

1305
01:06:46,200 --> 01:06:47,880
yeah, such a.
Big I don't think people I, I,

1306
01:06:47,960 --> 01:06:51,920
I, I think, I don't think that
you you say casually it's, it's

1307
01:06:51,920 --> 01:06:56,600
such a huge deal.
It is you know, it would be both

1308
01:06:56,600 --> 01:07:00,400
of them and and you know, they
face some harsh winters and he

1309
01:07:00,400 --> 01:07:04,360
would take and you know he would
take the, the the train and

1310
01:07:04,360 --> 01:07:06,240
their train transportation
system is great.

1311
01:07:06,240 --> 01:07:08,720
But you know, they would it was
cold outside.

1312
01:07:08,720 --> 01:07:10,680
You still don't want to.
He would like take them to

1313
01:07:10,680 --> 01:07:16,800
training across town and just do
so much.

1314
01:07:16,800 --> 01:07:20,240
He's done so much even now, like
Mexico being here, being even

1315
01:07:20,240 --> 01:07:23,080
though we're all together.
I think Mexico was harder for

1316
01:07:23,080 --> 01:07:28,480
him because the language barrier
in in Amsterdam or in the

1317
01:07:28,480 --> 01:07:31,880
Netherlands at least they speak,
you know, they speak English a

1318
01:07:31,880 --> 01:07:33,120
lot, yeah.
Everyone speaks.

1319
01:07:33,160 --> 01:07:35,000
English then?
Yeah, exactly.

1320
01:07:35,000 --> 01:07:39,240
But in Mexico, you know, like my
husband will like call me on

1321
01:07:39,240 --> 01:07:41,280
speakerphone.
He's like, you know, he's just

1322
01:07:41,320 --> 01:07:44,360
in, he's in, what is it, Dairy
Queen?

1323
01:07:44,360 --> 01:07:45,720
And he wants to order a
Blizzard.

1324
01:07:45,720 --> 01:07:47,480
And there's a communication
problem.

1325
01:07:47,480 --> 01:07:50,320
And I'm like trying to
communicate to the lady, you

1326
01:07:50,320 --> 01:07:53,760
know, what my husband wants and
like, it's so bad.

1327
01:07:53,800 --> 01:07:57,120
I'm like, he just like she's
just have to go get a ice cream

1328
01:07:57,120 --> 01:07:59,960
and he can't because something,
you know, like there's a

1329
01:07:59,960 --> 01:08:05,080
translation problem or whatever.
But but it has been harder.

1330
01:08:05,200 --> 01:08:07,520
Sacrifices.
Yeah, it.

1331
01:08:07,520 --> 01:08:12,040
It has, Yeah.
But yeah, it's not, it's not

1332
01:08:12,040 --> 01:08:15,240
especially if you're really
going to, you know, put your

1333
01:08:15,240 --> 01:08:18,960
kids as far as, you know,
putting them supporting their

1334
01:08:18,960 --> 01:08:21,800
dreams.
You know, it's easy when it's a

1335
01:08:21,800 --> 01:08:25,120
comfortable dream.
But it like soccer has to be,

1336
01:08:25,160 --> 01:08:28,479
you know, it can't, it's not
really done here in the United

1337
01:08:28,479 --> 01:08:31,240
States.
It's has to be global because

1338
01:08:31,240 --> 01:08:34,560
the soccer scene is better
inside of the United States.

1339
01:08:34,560 --> 01:08:36,600
So.
And there's a lot of families

1340
01:08:36,600 --> 01:08:39,040
doing this, like my husband,
he's not the only one.

1341
01:08:39,040 --> 01:08:42,560
Like, you know, he has a friend
that you know, their family is

1342
01:08:42,560 --> 01:08:46,640
like, you know, in Brazil trying
to like, and then another one is

1343
01:08:46,640 --> 01:08:49,960
like trying to move to Spain.
A lot of like American families

1344
01:08:49,960 --> 01:08:54,120
that who have kids who are like
trying to do soccer are are

1345
01:08:54,120 --> 01:08:57,240
sacrificing.
It's like this underground world

1346
01:08:57,240 --> 01:09:00,960
like that he knows about.
But there's a lot of them that

1347
01:09:00,960 --> 01:09:05,680
they're like trying to find a
way and a path to have their

1348
01:09:05,680 --> 01:09:09,920
kids, you know, being in
professional clubs abroad.

1349
01:09:09,920 --> 01:09:13,200
And it's it's not an easy route
because they're really, you

1350
01:09:13,200 --> 01:09:15,800
can't really make a soccer
career here in the United

1351
01:09:15,800 --> 01:09:17,520
States.
You have to kind of get out.

1352
01:09:19,240 --> 01:09:22,600
And it's a lot of sacrifice.
Yeah, it's really incredible

1353
01:09:22,600 --> 01:09:24,760
that he did that.
I I hope your son, I hope your

1354
01:09:24,760 --> 01:09:26,800
son, you know, I mean, I'm sure
he will.

1355
01:09:27,080 --> 01:09:28,640
I hope your son one day
appreciates it.

1356
01:09:28,640 --> 01:09:33,160
You know, like the I was, I was
super emotional the day before I

1357
01:09:33,160 --> 01:09:36,439
got married.
I was, I was almost 26 and I've

1358
01:09:36,439 --> 01:09:41,000
been, you know, and I and, and I
guess in the Jewish world or in

1359
01:09:41,000 --> 01:09:43,880
the Orthodox Jewish world, it's
very common to get married in

1360
01:09:43,880 --> 01:09:48,200
your early 20s and like 2627 is
already considered quote UN

1361
01:09:48,200 --> 01:09:51,960
quote later for a lot of people.
And, you know, and so, you know,

1362
01:09:51,960 --> 01:09:54,600
I was, but, you know, and it's
this big, you know, huge moment

1363
01:09:54,600 --> 01:09:56,920
that I'm terrified of.
And you know, I've no, you know,

1364
01:09:56,920 --> 01:10:01,320
I mean, I, I have friends
already by the age of 26 that,

1365
01:10:01,480 --> 01:10:03,360
you know, had already been
married and gone divorced at

1366
01:10:03,360 --> 01:10:06,200
that point.
You know, like I, I know how

1367
01:10:06,200 --> 01:10:09,680
challenging, you know, marriage
was, is going to be.

1368
01:10:09,680 --> 01:10:12,240
And I was, I was terrified
leading up to it, but I was also

1369
01:10:12,240 --> 01:10:14,040
so excited about it.
And one thing I just kept on

1370
01:10:14,040 --> 01:10:18,200
thinking about leading up to it
was just like I was thinking

1371
01:10:18,200 --> 01:10:20,200
about everything, my dad, you
know, everything I put both my

1372
01:10:20,200 --> 01:10:22,440
parents did.
But you know, my dad, my, you

1373
01:10:22,440 --> 01:10:27,200
know, my mom was, was home and
raising us and incredible.

1374
01:10:27,200 --> 01:10:29,320
Like the, the, the, I'm one of
six.

1375
01:10:29,320 --> 01:10:33,040
And like the amount of work that
it takes to, to do that is

1376
01:10:33,040 --> 01:10:36,480
almost indescribable.
But you know, for him, like he

1377
01:10:36,480 --> 01:10:40,080
never, he only wanted all of us
to just do whatever made us

1378
01:10:40,080 --> 01:10:43,000
happy, you know, and that's all
like, and, and whatever that

1379
01:10:43,000 --> 01:10:45,920
was, like he would just work as
hard as he could to make, to

1380
01:10:45,920 --> 01:10:49,320
make that happen.
And I didn't appreciate it until

1381
01:10:49,320 --> 01:10:53,120
I was about to go off my own and
be my own person that I was

1382
01:10:53,120 --> 01:10:56,280
like, I don't even know, you
know, like I'm afraid to do this

1383
01:10:56,280 --> 01:10:58,160
for one person.
I can't imagine that he did this

1384
01:10:58,160 --> 01:11:02,080
for seven people for the last 30
years, you know, like I, I can't

1385
01:11:02,080 --> 01:11:04,720
even imagine that.
And I was just swept up with

1386
01:11:04,720 --> 01:11:07,680
such a sense of gratitude and
appreciation that, you know, I

1387
01:11:07,680 --> 01:11:09,920
hope that I hope that, you know,
your kids are going to have, you

1388
01:11:09,920 --> 01:11:12,320
know, when they, you're at least
your son's going to have when,

1389
01:11:12,760 --> 01:11:15,480
when, you know, if I hope, I
hope he gets a real, you know,

1390
01:11:15,480 --> 01:11:18,480
amazing career that he'll know
that everything that you guys

1391
01:11:18,480 --> 01:11:20,680
put on the line for him to be
able to do that, you know, and

1392
01:11:21,760 --> 01:11:24,200
it's really one of the most
beautiful things that a that a

1393
01:11:24,200 --> 01:11:27,680
parent could do.
Yeah, like I gave him like the

1394
01:11:27,680 --> 01:11:30,440
Father's Day card and I'm like,
here, write a little note to

1395
01:11:30,440 --> 01:11:32,760
your dad.
And it was short, but it was

1396
01:11:32,760 --> 01:11:35,000
like short and sweet.
You know, he was like, thank you

1397
01:11:35,040 --> 01:11:38,480
for, you know, being there every
step of my soccer career.

1398
01:11:38,600 --> 01:11:41,240
And it's true.
Like my my husband has been by

1399
01:11:41,240 --> 01:11:44,440
his side.
He, he, you know, goes to all

1400
01:11:44,440 --> 01:11:49,280
his games, goes to his
tournaments and, and is there

1401
01:11:49,280 --> 01:11:52,520
for him across, you know, across
the world.

1402
01:11:52,520 --> 01:11:55,040
You know, wherever he goes, he's
he's there.

1403
01:11:55,720 --> 01:11:56,960
Yeah, yeah.
What was it?

1404
01:11:56,960 --> 01:12:01,040
What was it like going have, I
mean, the five year gap between

1405
01:12:01,040 --> 01:12:04,600
your kids, I guess between the,
you know, was it hard getting

1406
01:12:04,600 --> 01:12:06,800
back to to having a newborn
again?

1407
01:12:07,360 --> 01:12:08,720
Yeah.
Having a 5 year old.

1408
01:12:10,080 --> 01:12:13,440
Yeah, because you have to like
start over and then like you

1409
01:12:13,440 --> 01:12:17,280
forget and then a lot of there's
so many new products.

1410
01:12:17,280 --> 01:12:18,680
Yeah.
And then there's a like, like,

1411
01:12:18,680 --> 01:12:20,560
wait, what happened with this?
OK, this is new.

1412
01:12:20,560 --> 01:12:24,320
This is like, you know, 'cause
the market for baby stuff is

1413
01:12:24,320 --> 01:12:27,320
like always changing too.
So there's like a lot of new

1414
01:12:27,360 --> 01:12:29,680
products that I didn't know
about that I'm like, oh, cool,

1415
01:12:29,680 --> 01:12:34,480
this is new.
This is new, but you know what?

1416
01:12:34,480 --> 01:12:37,880
And what I really noticed at it,
like every time I was pregnant,

1417
01:12:37,880 --> 01:12:41,880
I became more creative.
Like, Oh yeah, yeah.

1418
01:12:41,880 --> 01:12:44,800
It definitely like, inspired me.
Like, I would get a kick of

1419
01:12:44,800 --> 01:12:47,360
like, writing and stories in my
head.

1420
01:12:47,360 --> 01:12:51,600
Like, I think it's just you're
tapping into like creativity and

1421
01:12:51,600 --> 01:12:55,400
as a woman, like, so when I
would get pregnant, it was just

1422
01:12:55,400 --> 01:12:58,760
like, I would definitely felt
like very creative.

1423
01:12:59,400 --> 01:13:01,880
It's so cool.
I do remember that apparently in

1424
01:13:01,880 --> 01:13:03,000
a.
Creative state, right?

1425
01:13:03,320 --> 01:13:05,800
Yeah, literally, yeah.
Yeah.

1426
01:13:06,200 --> 01:13:08,880
So, I mean, that's one thing.
I I definitely enjoyed my

1427
01:13:08,880 --> 01:13:11,240
pregnancies.
It wasn't something that I like,

1428
01:13:11,840 --> 01:13:13,600
didn't like.
So thank God, by the way, I know

1429
01:13:13,600 --> 01:13:15,680
some people.
That, that, that, that don't

1430
01:13:17,640 --> 01:13:21,800
psoriasis and back pain and you
know, and, and, and, and and

1431
01:13:22,080 --> 01:13:26,800
mood swings and, and all that.
But even just like the, you

1432
01:13:26,800 --> 01:13:29,760
know, like we have, you know, we
have, I have a 2 year old and I

1433
01:13:29,760 --> 01:13:31,360
have a six.
I have a six week old.

1434
01:13:31,720 --> 01:13:34,920
And, you know, my wife and I
yeah, yeah, it's really, it's

1435
01:13:34,920 --> 01:13:37,560
really awesome.
And my, and it's funny because

1436
01:13:37,560 --> 01:13:40,000
even just the difference between
two and two years old and six

1437
01:13:40,000 --> 01:13:42,880
weeks, you know, my wife, like
we went, we went, we went to my,

1438
01:13:43,120 --> 01:13:44,680
we went to visit my family in
New York.

1439
01:13:45,120 --> 01:13:47,240
And my wife is like, I
completely forgot how to pack

1440
01:13:47,240 --> 01:13:49,120
for a baby.
And like the last year, like I

1441
01:13:49,120 --> 01:13:52,240
totally forgot about what, you
know, how many diapers it takes

1442
01:13:52,240 --> 01:13:55,160
and like, you know, what her
schedule is and you have to

1443
01:13:55,160 --> 01:13:58,320
bring the, the stuff for bottles
on the airplane and all, and all

1444
01:13:58,320 --> 01:14:00,120
this stuff.
And like we forgot about that.

1445
01:14:00,120 --> 01:14:01,360
Like it was a phase of our
lives.

1446
01:14:01,360 --> 01:14:03,360
And then like you forget about
after six months.

1447
01:14:03,360 --> 01:14:06,480
And I think it's part of the
human psychology too, that like

1448
01:14:06,480 --> 01:14:11,120
we, we forget all the, you know,
the challenges that happened and

1449
01:14:11,120 --> 01:14:13,280
you remember the good stuff,
that you remember how delicious

1450
01:14:13,280 --> 01:14:14,200
they were.
And like.

1451
01:14:14,880 --> 01:14:17,760
You know, a cooing little baby
just making eye contact and

1452
01:14:17,760 --> 01:14:21,200
smiling, you know?
Yeah, I think that one I

1453
01:14:21,200 --> 01:14:24,160
remember like one comment
somebody told me I think when I

1454
01:14:24,160 --> 01:14:28,480
was like had had the kids and he
was like he said something like

1455
01:14:30,200 --> 01:14:35,160
I think it was like the days are
the days are long and the years

1456
01:14:35,160 --> 01:14:37,280
are short, you know, in
parenting.

1457
01:14:38,080 --> 01:14:39,680
Yes, yes, you find that.
True.

1458
01:14:40,280 --> 01:14:42,400
Yeah.
So in the moment it's like what

1459
01:14:42,400 --> 01:14:46,440
times wise, you know?
Yeah, time does fly.

1460
01:14:46,600 --> 01:14:49,040
Time does fly.
I can't believe that that that's

1461
01:14:49,040 --> 01:14:50,880
been two.
It's been 2 years since since my

1462
01:14:50,880 --> 01:14:53,520
son was born and it feels like
it's been 5 minutes, you know?

1463
01:14:53,520 --> 01:14:57,800
And I look at him and I'm like,
you weren't able to like pick

1464
01:14:57,800 --> 01:14:59,880
your head up and now you're
running around, you know, like

1465
01:14:59,880 --> 01:15:04,200
he this past weekend I was with
my I was with my sister and she

1466
01:15:04,200 --> 01:15:07,040
has a daughter the same age.
And he was taking a nap and she

1467
01:15:07,040 --> 01:15:11,560
was up and she and and he woke
up and she and he and she hurt

1468
01:15:11,560 --> 01:15:13,080
him in his bed.
She's like Shua.

1469
01:15:13,480 --> 01:15:16,440
And he was like, what?
And he was like, come, come

1470
01:15:16,440 --> 01:15:18,160
play.
He's like, OK.

1471
01:15:18,160 --> 01:15:20,120
And he just hopped out of his
pack and play, which he never

1472
01:15:20,120 --> 01:15:22,480
did before, you know, And he
just like crawled out of it and

1473
01:15:22,480 --> 01:15:23,720
then opened the door and walked
out.

1474
01:15:23,720 --> 01:15:26,800
And I was like, dude, what?
I never saw you do any of that

1475
01:15:26,800 --> 01:15:32,600
before, you know, but those are,
and again, as moment as as

1476
01:15:32,600 --> 01:15:36,600
moments for a human being that's
incredibly fulfilling, That's

1477
01:15:36,600 --> 01:15:39,880
incredibly beautiful.
Like these are things that like,

1478
01:15:39,920 --> 01:15:43,560
they just like kind of overwhelm
you with a sense of like love

1479
01:15:43,560 --> 01:15:48,320
and like, whoa, I'm this is I
even know that I'd be proud of

1480
01:15:48,320 --> 01:15:50,720
something for doing someone for
doing something so silly and so

1481
01:15:50,760 --> 01:15:52,960
trivial, but like it's so
special.

1482
01:15:53,520 --> 01:15:56,200
Mm hmm.
Yeah.

1483
01:15:56,200 --> 01:16:00,240
But anyway, Jen, I want to thank
you so much for your time.

1484
01:16:00,240 --> 01:16:01,440
Thank you so much for doing
this.

1485
01:16:01,440 --> 01:16:05,080
This is so much fun.
I wish you tons of luck with

1486
01:16:05,080 --> 01:16:07,360
publishing.
Maybe we'll do this again as

1487
01:16:07,360 --> 01:16:10,840
you, as you, as you, as your new
career takes off and as you get

1488
01:16:10,840 --> 01:16:12,400
into the world of publishing,
because I do.

1489
01:16:12,680 --> 01:16:14,560
I am interested and fascinated
in that world.

1490
01:16:14,920 --> 01:16:17,720
And, you know, I'd love to hear
as you get into it, what's going

1491
01:16:17,720 --> 01:16:21,600
on with it.
But until then, I wish you tons

1492
01:16:21,600 --> 01:16:23,000
of luck.
This is so much fun talking to

1493
01:16:23,000 --> 01:16:26,440
you and, and hearing about your
experiences and hearing about

1494
01:16:26,440 --> 01:16:28,840
your, you know, the whole
process, writing and teaching

1495
01:16:28,840 --> 01:16:33,560
and, and your whole journey.
And I think this is, I think

1496
01:16:33,560 --> 01:16:35,640
this is awesome.
And I think that I hope this

1497
01:16:35,640 --> 01:16:38,120
will, you know, really be
inspirational to a lot of

1498
01:16:38,120 --> 01:16:39,920
people.
I think they got really awesome

1499
01:16:39,920 --> 01:16:41,520
values and have a really great
story.

1500
01:16:41,520 --> 01:16:44,120
So I really thank you.
Thank you so much for your time.

1501
01:16:45,240 --> 01:16:46,840
Thanks.
Awesome.

1502
01:16:46,840 --> 01:16:47,920
OK, Thanks so much for doing
this.

1503
01:16:47,920 --> 01:16:49,880
We'll be in touch.
OK, Have a great rest of the

1504
01:16:49,880 --> 01:16:51,520
day.
Thank you too.

1505
01:16:51,880 --> 01:16:53,040
Bye.
Bye.