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00:00:01
Never Left
23 Plays8 months ago
Brian and Dave are back but somehow never left. Two people with faces for podcasting tell you things you don't need to hear.
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Transcript
00:00:03
Big Dog
I'm dancing.
00:00:05
David Isaacs
I don't believe you. I can't see you.
Return from Break and Podcast Intro Discussion
00:00:31
David Isaacs
ah would like to flesh out our own intro. at some point, but it's, it's been kind of hard to get off that one. It's just so good. And we've been gone for so long that it just, it just hits. Yeah.
00:00:45
Big Dog
Yeah, I know. Like, you know, coming back after such a long time, like summer break, and we'll call it, it really just puts things into perspective. Like, I really like that music, but yeah, I wish, uh, get our own like lyrics or something. If anybody knows like a local rapper or, uh, you know, E, E, E, whatever the hell is, uh, artists let us know and we'll, we'll support local or anyone.
00:01:11
Big Dog
I would, I, I'm open to the opportunity of change.
00:01:16
David Isaacs
You always have to be. Things are things are always changing.
00:01:19
Big Dog
Exactly.
00:01:21
David Isaacs
Right. But what doesn't change is that we are back.
Announcing Return and Engaging Audience
00:01:25
David Isaacs
We never left. Two guys with face for podcast are here bringing it to you and all 12 of our listeners. We love you. Sorry for the hiatus.
00:01:35
David Isaacs
But we are back and we're here to talk about some things. And I believe, Brian, we've got some stuff to go over as well.
00:01:43
Big Dog
Some ah thing people to do and things to see, I think is the saying goes. But yeah, maybe.
00:01:49
David Isaacs
Maybe. haven't vetted that.
00:01:52
Big Dog
Yeah.
00:01:53
David Isaacs
ChatGPT is telling me that i that is correct. So I guess it is
00:01:58
Big Dog
All right. Here you go.
David's New Job and Transition Journey
00:02:00
Big Dog
ah Yeah. Let's start off with you, David. You have maybe a little bit more exciting news you know to follow up on. So tell me about your new job and what you're legally allowed to say.
00:02:11
David Isaacs
it is. Breaking news. Breaking news as of five weeks ago.
00:02:15
Big Dog
but but up but We gotta get to like that breaking news music from like CBS back in like the 60s. Yeah,
00:02:22
David Isaacs
We just get ai Walter Cronkite.
00:02:25
Big Dog
yeah.
00:02:26
David Isaacs
That's a little that's little much. But yeah, started a new job about five weeks ago.
00:02:29
Big Dog
Alright.
00:02:34
David Isaacs
was really excited to leave my own company. And it's kind of tough because when you work at a place like that, what keeps you around really is the people that you work with because there's not really much else to grasp onto. can only...
00:02:52
David Isaacs
tell them, Hey, thank yous. Don't pay my student loans or Hey, am doing a lot more. I deserve more money.
00:03:04
David Isaacs
When's it coming? And they go all George RR Martin on you. And it's, it's tough. So it was tough and kind of leaving the people that I worked with for four years, pretty much behind.
00:03:20
Big Dog
Thank you.
00:03:22
David Isaacs
And i think we talked about it before in an episode, but you really don't when you see people at work and you no longer work there, you don't keep in touch, really. And i made it made a point to get everyone's LinkedIn information or their phone number and let them know, hey, if it's needed down the line, you reach out ah for whatever.
00:03:48
David Isaacs
So I try to leave. as best I could. And my manager and the VP that was in the office, who kind of understood, but I also don't.
00:04:02
David Isaacs
It was weird. I was kind of gate kept from who was actually making decisions and what things that were going on. And i had just been unhappy for a long time.
00:04:14
David Isaacs
And it's hard to get. It's hard to keep a mentality where you got to keep learning, you got to keep doing things and keep working. You get up every day and you do something hoping that the things that you learned and the work ethic that you have will translate into something better.
00:04:35
David Isaacs
And thankfully, thankfully for me, it has. I know there are a lot of people that are in a similar position to me currently, either employed or unemployed that have great work, work ethics have lot of good ideas from their old company and it's been tough on them.
00:04:55
David Isaacs
So I don't really know if I can be a voice to say, oh keep going, keep doing, you know, these things. But I was also in ah spot for ah pretty long time where I had to really just mentally keep pushing in the hopes that I could,
00:05:16
David Isaacs
go somewhere else and find somewhere that appreciates me and i'm in a good spot right now will say the adapting to a new location one where a lot more people are in the office the scale is much larger there's a lot of people to meet a lot of things to learn trying to supplement my Sleep, exercise, what I'm eating, caffeine intake for the day, supplements that I'm taking, making sure that I'm taking enough breaks throughout the day, having that kind of introspection to know when I'm doing too much, when to step away.
00:06:02
David Isaacs
And those things, it's been tough, but it's good. I know a lot of things kind of hit you at once. And I'm sure you experienced that a little bit in your position that you've been at for what going on little over a year now.
00:06:20
Big Dog
Yeah, um about thirty about 14 months now. So I guess kind of approaching like, you know, obviously over a year, 18 month mark.
00:06:31
Big Dog
um But yeah, i say i I think I briefly talked about it before. It's hard to remember. I haven't really ah reviewed many episodes lately, unfortunately. But um yeah, i got kind of like a cross letter promotion from being like a data analyst at my job to ah being a webmaster, like I have ah kind of like a weird tech background. Like I started just doing data work.
00:06:57
Big Dog
um And then obviously we met at the bootcamp for coding. So I'm kind of like with this position, im responsible for all the product data that gets uploaded.
00:07:08
Big Dog
um You know, I have to maintain static or static pages, like our brand pages. I have to make sure that the HTML and CSS is, which is coding languages are optimized for SEO. So things like Google and being to a lesser extent, um, and AI now, right? Like that's a thing. These are all things i have to worry about, but now I am responsible for customer onboarding, um, product demos, uh, you know, putting in support tickets for things that I'm unaware of happening.
00:07:41
Big Dog
Um, and sometimes it's a little overwhelming, like, you know, like, This customer had reached out and like to make sure that our pricing, their account pricing was accurate because she was seeing g list pricing for things, not something that they would get a multiplier discount on And I kind of just like accepted her word that she was like actually logged into her account and looking um when she was not. She thought she was and she was just like looking at a product and was twice, you know almost twice as what she was should pay.
00:08:10
Big Dog
And so like just kind of like being overwhelmed um or not thinking or being too trusting you know kind of all of these things i just like i'm gonna put in a support ticket right like um taking so i didn't take the step back like this was at the end of the day i just kind of like wanted to brush it under the rug and be done with it and that was absolutely the wrong thing to do i just didn't have the mental stamina at the time to kind of just like think through the ask the simple it t question are you logged in
00:08:41
Big Dog
is your monitor or like, is your, uh, your, your device plugged in like that type of thing.
00:08:45
David Isaacs
Are you holding the controller right?
00:08:47
Big Dog
Yeah. Yeah. All right. Um, sometimes, you know, ah I'm slowing it down and, you know, getting a real flow.
Learning Curve and Workplace Adaptation
00:08:58
Big Dog
I've been in this role for about four months, but, um, but yeah, it sounds like you were kind of having a similar maybe experience, you know, in your first like five or so weeks of kind of trying to figure out what you're, you know, what you're,
00:09:10
Big Dog
role is in the company and maybe just how you can um contribute. that right?
00:09:16
David Isaacs
Yeah. Well, that's the other thing that comes with changing a different, to a different position, specifically as a data analyst, the database, the queries, the tables, there's, there's like nuances to learning all those things.
00:09:33
David Isaacs
And with data analysis also comes data verification. So knowing, that what you're showing or things that you've told people, trying to make sure that that's all correct, that comes with time.
00:09:51
David Isaacs
So that's an additional thing on top of everything else that you don't have, you don't have that trust built up, not only between people that you're communicating with, but the trust that you have of the data.
00:10:08
David Isaacs
that you're looking at, if you have the correct filters on if you're looking at the right thing, if you're giving the right counts.
00:10:09
Big Dog
Yep.
00:10:15
David Isaacs
So that's kind of another thing on top of everything else, specifically as a data analyst to look at and understand. And it takes a lot of time. So trying to balance between when do I ask question, when do i dig in to understand these things or look to find documentation that might explain it before I pose that question to somebody, there's that that's a big part of it, I'd say. And it's not as really a stressor as much, but I think on top of everything else, it's really...
00:10:56
David Isaacs
Just the adapting taking a little bit longer. And I think planning for things as much as that you as much as you can helpful, but also trying to be proactive when you really have to be reacted to a lot of things I think is tough.
00:11:14
David Isaacs
But fortunately, you start out, and the expectations are that it's going to take some time, and that's what the expectations of me are.
00:11:15
Big Dog
Yep.
00:11:22
David Isaacs
But ah working through not trying to do a lot at once, trying to break things into smaller steps, trying to git ah find time to get questions answered from the subject matter experts when they are particularly busy as well.
00:11:44
David Isaacs
been tough for seeking out people that might have an answer to my question first that might not be as busy. So there's not, it's not exactly, not like politics or anything, but I'm trying to be as understanding as I can be as to other people's work, what kind of workload that they have throughout the day, trying to not only,
00:12:13
David Isaacs
figure out what it is i'm doing but figure out what it is everyone else is doing how they work how they like to communicate is it better over an email is it better in a meeting and the answer a lot of the times it's probably better in a meeting because i can't phrase things very well it's like yeah it's like if you
00:12:33
Big Dog
phrasing.
00:12:38
David Isaacs
if you're trying to vibe code and you've never coded before that, you're not going to know how to ask. It used to be, you got to be able to Google the right questions with coding. And now it's, you got to be kind of a prompt engineer when it comes with AI and,
00:12:53
David Isaacs
It's similar to asking people questions and trying to at least gain enough context to be able to hold that conversation. So if I'm asking a question that can get that question answered quickly, instead of not being prepared when i set up a meeting or not being prepared when I send an email to really know how to answer something or not having the data in front of me when I'm talking about something. so there's a lot of There's a lot of adaptation that's happening.
00:13:25
David Isaacs
trying to pat my head and rub my belly, it seems. And like I said, it's good. It's more of a challenge. It's something that I needed to be in an environment that challenges me.
00:13:39
David Isaacs
So at least the the one thing that I didn't have to worry about is being incentivized for my work. And it certainly seems like I, there's a lot that's going on.
00:13:52
David Isaacs
The scale has gotten a lot bigger. And, I think for me, a lot of times that i set expectations that are too high. And luckily through speaking with my therapist, he probably hates me because I always come back with 10 different things instead of talking about the 10 things that I was told to work on the week before.
00:14:18
David Isaacs
which I have been doing, but don't really communicate it that well. And kind of trying to bridge that gap between where I think I'm at versus other people's perception of where I'm at.
00:14:33
David Isaacs
And I think a lot of times I'm more difficult on myself than ah need to be. And a think it's been, it it serves me for a time.
Impact of Therapy on Personal and Professional Life
00:14:45
David Isaacs
There's a lot of,
00:14:46
David Isaacs
There's a lot of things that talk to my therapist about, and I think concepts that come up in therapy a lot are habits that you formed or things that you do that served a specific purpose at some point.
00:14:57
David Isaacs
And it's not really about developing good habits, but the start is identifying kind of triggers the bad habits and your thought process and reframing
00:14:59
Big Dog
Yes.
00:15:13
David Isaacs
those things. So instead of thinking, oh, I got to, I got to get in, I got to be there 10 hours a day. i got to learn all these things. Like they, they're expecting this of me. I got to be this, I got to be that. It's more, okay, well, what, what is good productivity? And what does that mean?
00:15:32
David Isaacs
And a lot of times I think, in getting my and MBA, I looked at a company for the last four years that was doing a lot of things that you, they tell you not to do because it's not, it's not factual, not factual, but it doesn't help in productivity.
00:15:53
David Isaacs
Whereas in kind of my own mind, there's things that I do that are kind of a detriment to the workflow or a detriment to my mental health, where if I, work on supplementing around working that I can become more of an effective employee.
00:16:13
David Isaacs
Sorry, that's a little long winded. I know you were going to say something.
00:16:18
Big Dog
Oh, you're good. um Well, just to to circle back, you know, um well, one, you know, I want to compliment you and I think that you sound a lot happier at your your new job because, you know, it was ah the first few, first several episodes that we did when you were employed at your old job, it was the, you know, you you were not happy.
00:16:40
Big Dog
i mean, um that was that was very clear in your language. So, Um, I think just that changing environments, right. Has served you very well. um you sound like you're up for the challenge. Maybe you're not giving yourself necessarily same or the required amount of grace, you know, whatever that is.
00:17:01
Big Dog
Um, but that, that comes with time, right? I mean, you're what, three months into therapy. Not that that's necessarily a requirement of therapy, right? It's just about growth.
00:17:13
Big Dog
Um, And I think changing up the environment has, you know, helped you grow, not just like professionally, but also just like mentally in a way. um and what's good is that you're aware of all these things that are going on in your brain.
00:17:30
Big Dog
um you know, being software kind of like, I say, I like your robot, like you're an ai but, uh, like Skynet, you just became self-aware and now you want to destroy the world. But,
00:17:44
Big Dog
Um, I, I think that's good. And I think it's a good mentality to at least have. So I think, um, you know, from the outsider's perspective, I think you're in a good spot. Maybe you just don't think that you are, but, um, it sounds like you're, sounds like, I mean, i've David, I've known you for what, almost three years now. And I think this is, I don't mean this as an insult. I think this is the happiest I've ever seen heard you sound.
00:18:08
Big Dog
So, um I'm just trying to pay you a compliment. It may not sound like it, but, um, you know, I, I think changing into a new job, especially one that pays more, obviously that is beneficial, but you know, at a company that you can grow laterally or upwards, downwards, wherever you want to go is, is beneficial. So, and trust me, I, I know that, um, the last few jobs, like it my growth has been interesting. Like so ever since I've been in my thirties, that's been when I've kind of been in like quote unquote corporate America. Like I wish I would have maybe gotten a better job or, or realize my self-worth earlier because up until the pandemic, I think I was making $13 an hour.
00:18:54
Big Dog
um getting by by just like flipping and selling collectibles, but, um, wasn't really living. Right. And then, so like, it's been an adjustment for me to just getting used to corporate language and all that over five years.
00:19:09
Big Dog
Um, and like, as you had kind of stated, like the people you spend work with are the, the people you probably spend the most amount of time with, even if it's just like a transactional relationship in a way, but you kind of still build your relationship with these people. So, you know, I'm glad that you, you know,
00:19:29
Big Dog
got their whatever contact information and to stay connected. Cause you know, I, from two jobs like ago, I'm still a really good friends with everybody who I work with at this place. And, you know, it's been a long time since we've been together. It's been like almost six months, but um you know, we, we at least got a group chat going and, you know, joke around a lot, bust each other's balls, all that stuff. So um maybe they're not necessarily the friends or are the people who you want to have around like 24 seven, but,
00:19:59
Big Dog
Um, there are people who know you well and, you know, you may have to wear a mask of some sort around them at, at some times, but you know, um, I like keeping relationships going, you know, what can I say? i have abandonment issues from was a kid. So maybe I'm afraid of letting people go, um when I do get attached to them. So, um, but yeah, I, I know change can be hard, but, um, I think it's one that we kind of almost embrace at times.
00:20:32
Big Dog
Um, you know, just keeps us, keeps us motivated. It keeps life interesting. um always positive growth, um, all the time is what I ah have firmly believed that since, um, you know, I started therapy and and off for the last 15 years, but, um, I've been, you know, seeing my same therapist for about five years and it's kind of just like mentality that she's had me under of just like always learning new things and just, um, always entering the thing with a positive attitude. You know, my sort of icebreaker for these things is always humor. You know, it's always how I've kind of connected with people.
00:21:11
Big Dog
Um, and so I'm kind of just like slowly peeling back the, the layers to Brian, like the onion, like an onion almost, you know, like I'm kind of like figuring it out. So it's,
00:21:26
Big Dog
from my own self kind of perspective, I'm happy with the growth that I've done over the last year and a half, um getting out of a toxic workplace, um going through unemployment, which it sucked, but it helped me kind of reset everything and put things into perspective. Now I'm like putting my health first. I'm putting my mental health first. I'm putting my family first. Like I'm doing all of these things that I should have been doing.
00:21:51
Big Dog
um But that, that came with time. And I think just, you know, putting all that stuff into perspective every week, every day, ah your goals um have really helped me change as a person.
00:22:09
David Isaacs
Right on, man.
00:22:11
Big Dog
Sorry, that was really long-winded.
00:22:14
David Isaacs
No, it's just kind of the nature of how we do things around here.
00:22:19
Big Dog
Yeah. Yeah.
00:22:22
David Isaacs
Right.
Middle-Class Upbringing and Financial Conservatism
00:22:23
David Isaacs
And I think, you know, I I didn't grow up poor necessarily, but I don't know if you would consider like kind of growing up poor either.
00:22:35
Big Dog
Yeah, I mean, it was kind of like definitely like, I would say like the middle of the middle class, like we never really went on an expensive vacation until I was in high school. I didn't have cable until I was in high school. So my parents were more content with being comfortable than, you know, going on vacation and stuff. So.
00:22:51
David Isaacs
Yeah. Well, not like, I guess not poor, but for me, my family, the uncles and people that I looked up to and my parents were either working jobs that they hated or kind of found it hard.
00:23:11
David Isaacs
to have big big expenditures. was always worried what was coming down the pipe and uncles and aunts that may have had corporate jobs that had done something that they no longer were employed there.
00:23:31
David Isaacs
And it was also around the time of the housing market crash. So there was like a lot of buyouts that were happening. There was, you know certain things like my uncle was pretty successful for a while and didn't really adapt to kind of the success that he had. So I think ah some other things kind of play into it. Like I, I feel like I'm pretty good at adapting the situations just by nature, kind of that nature versus, well, I guess it would more be considered nurture, but that was kind of where i had learned that growing up.
00:24:09
David Isaacs
with ah things that really a lot of people that grew up in stressful households born in the nineties and the housing market crash and then COVID and all, all these things.
00:24:22
David Isaacs
So, and I've said it on this podcast before and I say it a lot, but I'm, I'm a student more than anything else. And i think step one is applying the things that I've learned, the,
00:24:38
David Isaacs
habits that I've gained, the healthy ones, and trying to put that into perspective and practice. And for me, not only talking about supplementing as much as I can around trying to work better, but I think being in in an environment that appreciates you and that aren't nearly going to be as hard on you as you are on yourself in a place that you can get up every day and look to make change and that you're motivated to do so really speaks volumes to other facets of your life. Like, am i more motivated now because I want to work more or am i spending eight, nine, 10 hours a day doing something and that's increased my productivity because now I can see this is the
00:25:38
David Isaacs
This is the benefits of being in an environment that has these values or that values you. And especially with therapy, I think there's a lot of bad habits that people had gained and things that had served them for a long time. And then you get into an environment for me at least, that things are a lot better than they once were.
00:26:05
David Isaacs
So it's not only learning and adapting to this new environment, but also flushing out old perspectives and old biases that you had about the work and what comes with the effort that you put into it.
00:26:20
David Isaacs
And the more that gets flushed out, the more think about, okay, well, I can be healthier. I'm already on my way home. Like today, I stopped and got groceries.
00:26:32
David Isaacs
and came back and like, Hey, I'm pretty beat today. i don't know why i am. I had a dream this morning that I was getting ready for work and I was still sleeping. so that, that kind of threw me, threw me into a loop and I didn't get into the office at the time that I wanted to, but it's, yeah, it's constant ever change. And I think at the age, I just turned 30 in May and had been, I think I started therapy at the beginning of May. So,
00:27:02
David Isaacs
right around four months now, but really with data and data analysis, business analysis, it, I think really ties itself to self-improvement very well, or just the psychology of things because with analytics, you're looking at descriptive, okay, this is what happened.
00:27:24
David Isaacs
Or if you're looking at yourself, okay, this is what I'm doing. And that's top layer, not the greatest. And you start to get into prescriptive. Okay, what do I do to change it?
00:27:36
David Isaacs
Or what do we do to fix this problem? And also with descriptive is this is what happened. This is why it happened. And with yourself, it's like, this is what I'm doing. This is why I'm doing it. And then you move into, okay, well, what are we going to do to change it? What can we do to experiment to find a way to fix this?
00:27:56
David Isaacs
and then the other part of it is predictive okay this is how confident we are this is what's going to happen in the future and with personal improvement personal change i think that's the future in sense becomes a little bit more clear and i think that's easier to do when you get put yourself into a position in work in life that you know things are going to happen stuff's going to break you're going to have something that's going to put a lot of stress on you but the work that you do right now to be proactive to be able to adapt to that situation better in the future is really what speaks volumes so i'm starting to learn a lot of the parallels between
00:28:48
David Isaacs
work in general and the work that I do versus personal improvement and things that I'm trying to accomplish. And it's the same step too with yourself. You're not going to speaking about me.
00:29:01
David Isaacs
like, Hey, I'm not going to lose a bunch of weight overnight and I'm not going to be able to run 10 miles by tomorrow. And in work it's, well, Hey, this is a big problem that needs to be fixed. Okay.
00:29:13
David Isaacs
But we need to break these things down into smaller chunks to be able to, you know, what's step one, what's step two, what's step one, a one B and those things.
00:29:24
David Isaacs
So there's definitely a lot of parallels and my eyes have kind of been opened a little bit more, not only with the experience that I've had, but in work over the last five weeks, but kind of the experiences I've had in therapy. So I think there are a lot of parallels and I've always maintained that people should go to therapy because there's things that you don't think about.
00:29:48
David Isaacs
until you start talking about them. And luckily for me, my therapist is also a personal trainer. So we're kind of putting two things together, which therapy and exercise is really good for your mental health.
00:30:02
David Isaacs
So it's been nice to kind of have both of that going at once.
00:30:10
Big Dog
Yeah, I know that there, I don't know the exact study or parallel, but I know there is ah one of the best, and I'll say natural medicines for depression and all that is, yeah, it's exercise because it's all the chemical imbalances in your brain. um You know, you're
00:30:29
Big Dog
ah improving that with the gains, right? Or the the running or whatever whatever the case is. You're flipping and flipping a switch, you're upping your dopamine levels to kind of compensate in a way. So that's what I'm learning to do. Cause I'm still coming out of, you know, uh, an addiction phase, right. Um, I kind of also part of the growth is just realizing that I've had an addiction my whole life. I just didn't realize until recently where it's like, yeah, before it it was drinking to kind of cope with stress or, ah whatever wass happening in my life, um, to, uh,
00:31:11
Big Dog
and prior to that it was, you know, before I got married, it was, um, just eating, right. It was comfort and food made me feel comfortable and was stressed. So I'd overeat and, you know, gain weight, but I've kind of realized that I just need to go for a walk. Like I've been, i i work in a very beautiful area of Michigan. you know, there's a lot of lakes and things around, so I can go for a walk. Like there's a
00:31:38
Big Dog
nice bike trail, uh, air trail, I think is what they call it. Um, like, you know, walk, bike, a lot of nature around. So I'm just kind of trying to take advantage of that, especially in a beautiful Michigan fall weather. Um, and it's, it's made me feel better. Like I've just kind of had to take a step back. Like you said, a little bit more
Expressing Preferences: Happiness vs. Joy
00:32:00
Big Dog
analytical. Um, I am and in a way ah things that I've feel better about are kind of like,
00:32:08
Big Dog
um putting my voice on things more. um
00:32:13
Big Dog
You know, normally if like, it was like a family function that didn't necessarily want to, it kind of just like, and not even family function, just anything that I didn't really want to go to, which is a lot of things. But um if it's one that I especially don't want to go to, don't want to do it Like I just, I just voiced my wife. Like I don't want to go, you know, like I'm going to be miserable.
00:32:32
Big Dog
Most of the time I can fake it to make it, but I'm just like sitting around, trying to fill the the time with conversation with people who I'm, you know, not necessarily the most infatuated with, but you know, I just, I do it to do it.
00:32:48
Big Dog
Um, but I, it, maybe it's anti-social, but at the same time, it's like, I don't want to be miserable there, you know, like maybe it makes my wife happy to go to these things, but like, I don't have to do this every single freaking week. So, um, just kind of taking a step back there too. Right. Like,
00:33:07
Big Dog
analyzing what makes me happy when what's to make me a more successful partner um the things that make me see there's a what i'm kind of learning is there's a difference between happiness and joy and while for a long time i could say that i was happy i didn't have a lot of joy in life um and i'm kind of like stepping up and voicing things or, you know, kind of saying something to a coworker about like, Hey, I didn't, was there like a better way to communicate that or something?
00:33:40
Big Dog
Just putting that little check, I think has really helped me feel better about myself and kind of find that joy that I've, I feel like I've been missing because I know my parents, my parents are very passive people and if things upset them and they just let it boil over so the point where like, it's an explosive conversation. Like,
00:33:59
Big Dog
all of a sudden that's a huge big deal. you know, i feel like no one's listening to me type of thing. So I'm kind of trying to mitigate that because I grew up in that household of explosive fights and, you know, I'm trying to come down off of that.
00:34:13
Big Dog
Um, my wife and I have been to to couples therapy recently where we've been working through some things, just communication. And it's like, we're trying to, you know, we didn't live together prior to getting married. So we're still kind of in like that,
00:34:29
Big Dog
you know, Oh my God, he doesn't like, you know, throw his underwear in not that I do that actually throw it in the the hamper or or, you know, like the little things that annoy us about the other person's habits. um So we're finding empathy for each other in that type of scenario.
00:34:44
Big Dog
um But, you know, and obviously like I was verbally abusive when I was drinking like that, like that was brought up and, you know, we're just trying to like, our therapist has said,
00:34:57
Big Dog
The things that happened in the past, like there's no point in bringing them up. It's just kind of a time to move forward. And, and so like, I've also just kind of used that mentality for myself personally, and whether it's my relationship with my my wife or just everyday experiences, like some people, some things can annoy me, but it's just, for me, I just want to move forward. and There's no point in dwelling on the past anymore.
00:35:27
David Isaacs
Yeah. I think for me, the for my perception of self, my perception of the world and kind of the reality and trying to get those things more interlinked, I think.
00:35:41
David Isaacs
But yeah, the, the couples therapy stuff, that's, that's great. Especially. so you're talking about kind of identifying certain things of not living together before you got married. And i think, um, know, once people do get married,
00:36:00
David Isaacs
it Doesn't seem like that big of a step, but for you, it definitely is like moving in together. And then once you are married and you're trying to figure these things out, and I think I've never been married, so I don't know completely, but it, at least watching ah stepdad and my mom, which were terrible example of, um,
00:36:25
David Isaacs
being a couple in general, but it, everything seems to be like very give or take. There's not like too much of a middle ground where it's like, Oh, I'll do this. If you do that.
00:36:40
David Isaacs
And like the negotiations and things that come out of it. So I'm hoping that's going well for you.
00:36:49
Big Dog
Yeah, um I mean, we used to get, like, i mean, I noticed it in hindsight, but didn't notice what was happening. it just It was kind of like reliving like my parents getting into arguments or me getting into parents or arguments with my parents that are just explosive fights for no reason.
00:37:07
Big Dog
um so like, we get heated exchanges. I let my wife know, like, when I'm unhappy or not, you know, agree with her decision, right?
00:37:19
Big Dog
I don't go about it in a mean way necessarily. Um, but you know, it's like, Hey, I think you sometimes don't think things through on certain things. I think you kind of just do.
00:37:31
Big Dog
And then you don't consult me. And like, that's where I you know, or whatever the the scenario is. Like, I don't really want to put my, my therapy sessions on blast, but, um, no, no,
00:37:42
David Isaacs
Air all your dirty laundry, Brian. Air it all.
00:37:47
Big Dog
and the, I don't need this recording coming up in a divorce proceeding, but not that we're not even close to that point, but, um, yeah, it, you know, taking that and kind of just, you know, broadening it, like there's a lot of things to be learned about the subtle nuances of communication. um you know, you had, you had said earlier, like sometimes, you know, it's like hard to figure who to go to or, you know, what their workload looks like.
00:38:15
Big Dog
Um, for them you know i kind of take the time out of their day to help me or you know collaborate on things um yeah i mean that's kind of the the story of corporate or you know work in general right is collaboration and communication um i think that people take that lot of that for granted especially they don't realize how they kind of come come off right like it's a hard thing and then even ah like how i've kind of communicated to um customers like signing up
00:38:48
Big Dog
that one who, you know, was worried about their pricing. Um, I was like, in my email back to her, i was like, I wasn't very crystal clear. And what I was saying, I was like, Hey, like I don't determine pricing.
00:39:01
Big Dog
um so communicate that with like your account manager. I've included him on this email. Um, but then I also made a comment of, i I'll put in the support ticket with this.
00:39:12
Big Dog
So it was a very confusing thing that I had kind of sent. And i realized that after I sent it, but you can't really undo emails. I mean, can in Outlook, but um I guess the point is, it's like, you have to be very crystal clear um on your communication with just everything.
00:39:34
Big Dog
And i think that goes a longer way than people realize. um And, you know, I think that you, everyone at some point needs to maybe experience a front facing role, like a customer service role.
00:39:50
Big Dog
um Cause it makes you kind of realize how maybe you sound. um Like when I worked, worked for a large mortgage company. And one of the things that we always did on our one-on-one is kind of listened to your calls and, know, how you're sounding and how you could, you know, always improve on that. So I've since kind of gotten away with that just because I've been in, ah you know,
00:40:12
Big Dog
data or or tech roles. i don't necessarily communicate with outside customers, but I've had to work on my communication for collaboration and and internal things. So, um, yeah, communication just in general is a hard thing and something we should always strive for to, to improve, especially in, you know, this digital age where everyone's on social media and, you know, calling women fat or but getting arguments over little subtle things about like,
00:40:41
Big Dog
Is Metal Gear Solid 3 actually a good game? Or is it just trash and people think it was great for its time? um i like to think that it was one of the best games ever made. And am thoroughly enjoying the remake right now. But I'm sure I'll debate somebody in the comments of of this video about that. but but um yeah, it's just being mindful of how you come off.
00:41:05
Big Dog
um And, you know, maybe don't call... people names or call them in fat online. you know, that's a good start too. Um, we'll start there, but, uh, foundation buildup.
00:41:21
David Isaacs
Yeah. I mean, you bring up some really good points and it's something that I've thought about a long time too, just the courtesy. And I think with the introspection or working on yourself, you start to see people for a little bit more than what they are and what they show you, especially with communication.
00:41:40
David Isaacs
I think that phrase, it's not what you said, it's how you said it comes out a lot.
00:41:46
Big Dog
Yep.
00:41:46
David Isaacs
And seeing people, people that act a certain way or do certain things because not only were maybe some habits that served us that are no longer needed,
00:42:02
David Isaacs
continue on but there's also a good percentage of people that in business or as a customer that treat the people working a certain way because it feels like it serves them but it's not right necessarily so I always try to be more courteous as much as I can obviously certain instances some things happen and gotta sit back and you reflect because you can plan for it as much as you can but can't really plan for how you're feeling that day your stress levels what you're dealing with who you're dealing with and those kind of things but i maybe it's my age but looking at
00:42:45
David Isaacs
not that I empathize with Karens necessarily, but I kind of imagine, I can't imagine that's who that person is.
00:42:57
David Isaacs
Obviously it is who they are in that specific moment, but I start to think like, Oh man, what, know, what are they dealing with? What would have caused them to act this way?
00:43:08
David Isaacs
Or what had, what habits had they learned up to this point to, maybe get what they want a certain way without really thinking about a different person because it is tough to go through life and they say ignorance is bliss obviously but it's tough to go through life and really not have the thought of who the other person on the phone is who's some kid working at the store that i'm yelling at or over the phone or in an email and what have you but
00:43:44
David Isaacs
That's try to be as courteous as I can in most instances. And sometimes you're going to slip up, obviously, but it's... A lot of people deal with a lot during the day and unfortunately in work, especially people that have a lot on their plate feel like they can't say no when someone asks them to do something.
Teamwork and Collaboration Importance
00:44:08
David Isaacs
So that's where that teamwork, collaboration, communication comes in. It's like, oh, I've got time. Yeah, I can help you with that. Or what do you have a question with? And thankfully and luckily there have been a lot of people that i work with that have that demeanor.
00:44:24
David Isaacs
They're like, oh yeah, you don't understand this here. Let me help you understand it. And I know that and I get that. And the other side of it too, though, what I've said earlier is, well, they they could be busy. They've got stuff working on, but not only at work, but at home and their personal lives and kind of things that they're working through as well. So we're not only what we do and how we do it, but there's a lot of things that shaped us to get to that specific point.
00:44:50
David Isaacs
And unfortunately, say for somebody that's overweight and wants to feel good about themselves instead is greeted with internet trolls who have no repercussions for saying the things that they do without really any understanding of the habits that that person had gained probably from their parents or from other means of eating as comfort or overeating or
00:45:22
David Isaacs
um whatever it is. I mean, i'm a I am of a specific weight. I'm not, i want to consider myself, well, I'm definitely obese and there have been things that I've worked on to try to circumvent that, but it's tough.
00:45:39
David Isaacs
it's It's tough to do it mentally when you have some things going on. It's tough to do physically and take out time to be able to do it. And I think the the judgment kind of comes from our nature.
00:45:54
David Isaacs
And when we had to judge if a giant cat was cute and cuddly or if it was going to maul us to death. And i think that served us well when we were wearing loincloths and using sharpening stones to be able to kill things.
00:46:13
David Isaacs
But nowadays we've evolved to a certain sense of sense of responsibility not only for ourselves but for the people around us and trying to foster a good
00:46:26
David Isaacs
well what would you call it a good community sense and a good community value
00:46:34
Big Dog
Yeah, I i agree. um
00:46:39
Big Dog
It definitely plays a mental factor of feeling involved in your community and and doing good things for your community. Just obviously, we've heard or talked about this a lot of, yeah, and obviously improving your yourself, but um improving your community, doing, you know, volunteering, helping people,
00:47:00
Big Dog
a person with a small thing, like if they can't get a cart out of the cart corral, you know, um, helping them or if they have a flat tire, what you can do. If you, if you don't know how to fix a flat lift, uh, or, you know, call, call roadside assistance or, you know, whatever. It doesn't even have to be that, that big of a thing.
00:47:20
Big Dog
Um, and,
00:47:24
Big Dog
you know Going back to your point of the scenario of of fast food, ah so communication is a funny thing. so we went up up north, which is just literally as it sounds for here in Michigan, we we just go up north. um Really north of...
00:47:45
Big Dog
People say those Milwaukee Bridge, but really anywhere past ah the, you know, the outside Metro Detroit is kind of, and as long as it's north is really ah kind of like a cottage escape for us Michiganders in like the summer and spring fall kind of area um or time.
00:48:03
Big Dog
But we stopped at like, I think Tim Hortons to get just a quick breakfast sandwich and coffee just cause it's on the way. And, um, they forgot our hash browns like, okay, no big deal. We'll run in there and grab them real quick.
00:48:17
Big Dog
Well, when I, you know, i kind of told the guy scenario, I was like, Hey, we were here like literally less than two minutes ago. We just want to get our hash browns. Can you just give them to me? I didn't obviously say it like that, but, um, yeah,
00:48:31
Big Dog
the guy literally goes, Oh, we don't have any, like that was his response. And I was like, my reaction was not great. I just kind of like huffed and like, you know, slap my thighs. I was like, uh,
00:48:45
Big Dog
like you're out out and I had to pay for those. And he's like, hold on one second. And then he just left. Well, there's another guy who just happened to be standing there. he was, I, I'm assuming like a line cook or something. He kind of goes, um, how many was it? Was it just one? I go, no, it was three. it goes, okay, I'll, I'll go, go make this for you. I go, thank you. And then like, while the other two guys are the two guys at the front, we're kind of trying to figure things out. Like, you know, there's there was a, there was a man with a plan of action. Right.
00:49:12
Big Dog
Um, and, this is kind of my Karen moment, but, um, in that scenario, and this doesn't even necessarily really have to be like ah customer scenario. It's like, sometimes people are just looking for things to be courteous.
00:49:29
Big Dog
And, um, if things aren't going well, it just somebody to have that action for that guy to kind of do that, especially when he's not like, you know, working up front. Like, I think he just kind of recognized the situation and and took action. So,
00:49:47
Big Dog
long story short, I got my hash browns. They were really good. And, um, you know, shout out to Tim Hortons, but I think like having that kind of like emotional intelligence is a very important thing, not only in just a career, but just, just in life, like identifying that, like this person's clearly not happy and they just want what they paid for. Like it was a very simple scenario and he took action. Like that's all they required. I didn't need like The for him, the other guy that I really know what was going on, just like kind of running back and forth like a chicken with his head cut off. So um long story short, I'm Karen. I just wanted the extra hash brown. I didn't get one, but, you know, I just want what I paid for, man.
00:50:33
Big Dog
We can edit a Karen wig on my head for the ah thumbnail for this episode. Okay.
00:50:38
David Isaacs
Yeah, i'll get I'll get right on that. luckily Luckily, no one recorded it.
00:50:44
Big Dog
There you go
00:50:44
David Isaacs
would have seen it on... Well, not on social media anymore, but I'm guessing I would have heard about it.
00:50:50
Big Dog
Yeah.
00:50:51
David Isaacs
Male Karen absolutely loses it at Zilwaukee Tim Hortons in Michigan. Hashbrowns now!
00:50:57
Big Dog
Yeah.
00:51:01
Big Dog
Hash browns. Now that totally would have been banging on the counter.
00:51:06
David Isaacs
I need to speak to Mr. Horton himself.
00:51:10
Big Dog
Where's the two? Where's Timothy?
00:51:14
David Isaacs
Yeah.
00:51:16
Big Dog
All right.
00:51:16
David Isaacs
It happens.
00:51:19
Big Dog
Go ahead.
00:51:19
David Isaacs
It happens to us all the time. I think I'm more often than not a pretty agreeable person, but... There's a few instances that if I think hard enough and back, I can really surmise like kind of being like that.
00:51:36
David Isaacs
But I, I have worked at a Tim Hortons as a baker when I turned 18 and it was awful working from like 10 PM to 6 AM. m So always had a soft spot for of those fast food workers. And then I was a pizza delivery person for jets for a while, worked for some good people, worked for some bad people and just people trying to get by, not only in work, but just in life.
00:52:01
Big Dog
Yeah.
00:52:03
David Isaacs
And sometimes you could just make someone's day, but it's hard to, it's hard to forget some of those interactions that you didn't come off the greatest and thinking about how you wish you could have done better, but not focusing so much on the past.
00:52:22
David Isaacs
Like you had mentioned earlier, earlier but kind of where you can be at in the future and I think the perception of things is yeah i have carried myself or I'm guessing you have carried yourself in a good light for a long time with a lot of people but it's those the negative interactions I think are the ones that really stick with you and I know how that feels so that's why I think I can kind of empathize with Karen's a little bit more
00:52:54
Big Dog
yeah Yeah, I mean, especially nowadays online, it's, you know, especially on the business side of it, like, trying to get somebody to leave a review in general is difficult, but, like,
00:53:12
Big Dog
trying to get them to leave, like, a positive review, like, not necessarily, like, ah star-wise, but just, like, the words that they use is is difficult.
00:53:23
Big Dog
Like, we've had to... kind of monitor what people have said about product or just experience they're like yeah the service was great this product sucked like that's not what we were you're looking for man like we were just looking for you like like we were looking for specifics maybe on why it sucked like whatever anyway with the point of that is it's like people are a
Social Media's Influence and Personal Relationships
00:53:44
Big Dog
lot of times especially online people just want to focus on the negative of things they just want to bitch like it's not a repositive it's like
00:53:53
Big Dog
it's It's never a happy scenario. like you know You never read of like, oh, this person's content made me super very happy. It's like, no, this chick is fat or like you're not funny. like Why do you keep trying? you know it's just Especially on like Instagram, it's the worst.
00:54:10
Big Dog
And I actually ended up to deleting Instagram off my phone just for that very reason. It's like you scroll and you click, you're like, Oh my God, this is hilarious. And then you like try and read other people's reactions. they're like, this is a funny, uh, you know,
00:54:26
Big Dog
I don't know why this guy thinks he's so funny. I don't know why people like him, blah, blah, blah, X, Y, Z. And I'm just kind of tired of it. So I'm very just getting over social media. Like I'm so tired of people always fighting about stupid shit that doesn't matter.
00:54:41
Big Dog
um So trying to just cultivate what I show, you know, personal relationships that I have. And I enjoy and, you know, rather than just spending out all online, like i just think back to the pandemic of that's all that we really had to communicate with people was technology. And like, I enjoyed it just cause I was talking to people every day, but it was miserable. So, um, uh, ramble on, I think, uh, probably wrap up here pretty soon.
00:55:16
David Isaacs
Yeah. Well, that's the main reason I've been off social media for a long time. That's because i it's depressing. Not only where I was at in life in terms of financial situations, not being able to do some of these things, but you don't really gain much of a connection anyone.
00:55:35
David Isaacs
And you only ever see the highlights of things that they want to post about. So it is tough and how social media is basically designed to get you reliant on it to, I think our brains really just want information. It doesn't really matter if it's some cat video or someone on a vacation or if we're actually learning a new skill.
00:55:57
David Isaacs
And it's been studied and the science behind it is pretty concrete as far as the the dopamine rush that you get and the stimulation and how these apps are set up to get you to continue scrolling and continuing to come back and all these things. And I think the the big part of what we've lost along the way is that sense of community.
00:56:23
David Isaacs
As well as the dopamine response where dopamine is supposed to get released when you're putting effort in something or you feel like you're on the right path. And we can kind of just jump that with doing things that are somewhat exciting.
00:56:41
David Isaacs
Foods that are designed to be more exciting and release more dopamine to get you more reliant on them. Social media, especially.
00:56:53
David Isaacs
Even with looking back 20 years ago, when you just had cable or you just had TV or you had to get up and go to the movies, there was a lot more effort that came with doing things that weren't that would kind of jump that middle ground of putting in effort or you would at least have to put in some effort to do this stuff.
00:57:16
David Isaacs
And i don't know exactly like the younger generations. I don't interact with them. I don't know like some of the cousins and things that they add, like they're really into video games and that. And yeah, so was I.
00:57:32
David Isaacs
But we also went outside a lot or went and did things with people. And the communications and things that we had were just kind of bullshitting.
00:57:44
David Isaacs
you know, what ah what happened at school today? do we got together to do an activity? Whereas now, yeah, you can keep up with the people you went to school with, but that's through social media. It's basically nothing and sometimes even more detrimental to your feelings of connection because it's like the lowest common denominator.
00:58:12
Big Dog
Yeah, um and it's it's interesting too. i My son just started preschool last week, and the week before we met with like the teacher and all the kids that were going to this class, and um I actually reconnected with an acquaintance of mine from high school. His name's Matt.
00:58:35
Big Dog
um He, like, you know, we, I wasn't, we weren't like friends, but obviously we weren't not enemies or anything, right? We were just friendly and all that. But, you know, it's interesting that he's been with his wife for, since she graduated high school. So, mean, they've been getting there 19 years now, almost 20.
00:58:54
Big Dog
or 18 years, guess. Cause I've been out of it. Yeah. um And they have twins that are in the same class. So, you know, like he would, we'd kind of keep up with each other via um social media. Right. It was kind of just like, Oh, he's working X, Y, and he got married, you know they got married, whatever the case is.
00:59:17
Big Dog
But, you know, we really actually hit it off talking like in person after, 20 years or 18 years. Like it was almost like I had some like last week, you know, like that's kind of like the, I guess maybe connection or just, um,
00:59:36
Big Dog
I think we just both felt valued seeing each other in person, um, you know, and having that sort of connection. Cause it's like, we both have kids that are same age and, you know, maybe, maybe, or maybe not. They might be friends who knows, but, um, just seeing that person and, you know, kind of seeing the growth and, and person that they become was more valuable than watching that live quote unquote on social media. So, um, you know, um,
01:00:01
Big Dog
being old fashioned isn't always necessarily a bad thing. Um, you know, I think more people, i couldn't give you a percentage or a number, just anecdotal evidence of just more people who are quitting social media because it's like, it's all arguing politics. It's all, all negativity. And, you know, I'm, I'm glad that people are kind of just like growing numb to the idea of social media. And I was, I was chatting with my friend on, or a connection from LinkedIn of like,
01:00:31
Big Dog
you know It's like in 2006, Brian was writing HTML and playing Gears of War, and then 2025 largely hasn't changed because they've had the reload. I'm writing HTML professionally.
01:00:43
Big Dog
um He's like, yeah, I'm feeling really nostalgic this week because... like of all the times of before actual social media, like where we were kind of just like surprised by things and, you know, weren't arguing about all this stuff. Like it it was just a good time to remember. It's very retro and nostalgic feeling. I go, I agree. You know, like I've had some of the best times playing gears war.
01:01:04
Big Dog
um you know, you know, I know it's a technology related thing, but just like all the memories of like my friends coming over or going up to, we had like a gaming cafe by my house that we would go to and, you know, do lock-ins all night. Right.
01:01:17
Big Dog
Um, all the things around video games and i like. um that I wouldn't necessarily get of playing like Twitch streaming or things like that. So I know that society is, is, is changing, but like, I think that's the part of me that will maybe not kind of bend with social media. Cause like I've told my wife several times, like, I think I just wanted to like delete my Facebook or Instagram and be done with it. But there are things and people that I i and know that I would miss of like events and gatherings of things, birthdays. So yeah,
01:01:51
Big Dog
It has its uses, but um I'm just not relying on it as much as I used to. Yeah.
01:01:59
David Isaacs
Take the red pill, Ryan.
01:02:00
Big Dog
Yeah. 1999. Yeah.
01:02:03
David Isaacs
Who would have thought the Matrix coming out in, what, like 99?
01:02:07
Big Dog
Yeah. And then.
01:02:08
David Isaacs
That we would essentially create a Matrix around social media?
01:02:14
Big Dog
yeah yeah and then
01:02:15
David Isaacs
Instead of being the person that, oh yeah, i don't listen to legacy media. I get all my information from dumbass Dave in his mom's basement because he knows what's going on.
01:02:28
David Isaacs
So instead, yeah, I think my prediction before about people were kind of had hit a peak with technology and we're reverting back.
01:02:41
David Isaacs
I think that I hope that remains true. But I yeah anecdotal evidence I don't have anything concrete to really share. But you brought up with video games I actually got back into I was playing like Guitar Hero over the weekend.
01:02:59
David Isaacs
And it's like riding a bike man just yeah just got back into it and
01:02:59
Big Dog
nice i know yeah
01:03:05
David Isaacs
seeing they had the rock band drums at the local game store for like 80 90 dollars i'm like hmm i'm an adult who makes money now i can i can afford to buy this so i'll probably i'll probably do that but
01:03:14
Big Dog
yeah it was that like was that like a disc replay type place where it's like a
01:03:28
David Isaacs
Yeah, it's called Destiny Games. They opened in Canton. Yeah, might have been when I was back in high school and then they moved to Westland and then more recently it moved to Livonia.
01:03:33
Big Dog
Okay. Got
01:03:38
David Isaacs
But i had I had a whole spiel about memes and how they they burn out very quickly.
01:03:39
Big Dog
got it.
01:03:47
David Isaacs
like whatever the latest one, the Coldplay concert one.
01:03:51
Big Dog
Yeah.
01:03:51
David Isaacs
Because that made its rounds on LinkedIn and by God, I hate LinkedIn. But the the one meme that always sticks with me it's like it's it's a seasonal meme usually around when call of duty comes out and it always goes like no work tomorrow just booted up the xbox mom's got pizza rolls in the oven
01:04:15
Big Dog
Oh,
01:04:16
David Isaacs
you're unemployed and you're 37 or something.
01:04:19
Big Dog
yeah. Yeah.
01:04:20
David Isaacs
it's It's always so good. i know it's judgmental, but I just, I like those seasonal memes. I don't like the kind of smash and grab where it burns out a lot.
01:04:32
David Isaacs
The attention I have towards it burns out a lot quicker than the memes are coming.
01:04:38
Big Dog
Yeah, it was I always was, always like to share like the, my I have a few favorite movies that I keep on my phone at all times or, you know, like video links or something. Like I just shared the, um, banana bread at work video with my coworkers and they kind of looked at me like I was yeah crazy. They're like, I'm like, it's the simplest video. This guy was literally happy that he got banana bread at work.
01:05:03
Big Dog
And that was it. It was a minute of him just ranting about that and why everything else sucks in comparison. but That's a pretty crude take on that video. That move video makes me happy every time I watch it. But um
01:05:18
Big Dog
yeah, like the, then there's like the Travis Kelsey and Taylor Swift, um like announce engagement announcement one that they're all, you know, that's like the current hot one, but I don't know.
01:05:32
Big Dog
I'm memed out.
01:05:37
Big Dog
Or about making porn videos with, ah you know, just kidding. They're they thinking about outlining that or they're it's in congress Michigan Senate where they're banning like the celebrity face or put somebody's face on porn or something.
01:05:56
Big Dog
type videos made by ai which it's like okay that's a great use of our resources you know how about you pass the the education budget for the state so we need to know if we can need to pack lunches for kid or not that's that's let's let's go there but i digress uh try not to make things political uh but you know just uh keeping it real you know if he he's gonna get a corn dog or not how about that
01:06:26
David Isaacs
Yeah, I think probably bigger fish to fry. Definitely. And politics in general is just so terrible. It's one of the main reasons I got out of it.
01:06:38
David Isaacs
It's just like the arguing back and forth. I'm like, They're all crooks. don't know. I'm a pessimist when it comes to politics, but our roads are failing where our education education system is broken.
01:06:50
David Isaacs
We're not prepared for ai and how that's going to shape up the shake up the corporate landscape because businesses in general, it's happened before with entry level positions and not wanting to train anyone or retrain them from experience that they have in some other job.
01:07:09
David Isaacs
And now companies are all trying to compete and think that, oh, if I don't use AI, some other company is going to use it, make their product cheaper and be able to sell it more. So I have to.
01:07:22
David Isaacs
And not really thinking about the fact that if you take away money from consumers, then your business is going to fail anyways. So where's the stopgap in that?
01:07:35
David Isaacs
and tariffs hitting inflation, interest rates being high, the housing crisis that we don't have enough houses. I mean, I, we could be here all night if I wanted to sit here and complain, but I will save you from that and the people that are going to be listening, but it's, it's tough.
01:07:51
Big Dog
Yeah, yeah.
01:07:52
David Isaacs
And that's why I think just the increase in the sense of the community is that, yeah, a lot of people are miserable. There's a lot of things going on right now. lot of people out of work and that are seeking some form of validation or somebody to listen to them when really they just need someone to hang out with or need to find a hobby or need to do something instead of ah worrying about what policies are getting written on a national scale or what's happening and wall street or a bunch of people that don't know you don't care about you
01:08:30
David Isaacs
and Yeah. So I'd like to, I'd like more and more people to kind of get on that train. I just, it's hard to really see an avenue for which that works for most people considering how much we're divided as a country. You're talking about close to 400 million people trying to be aligned on certain things and what do we prioritize and how do we just get back to knowing your neighbors and
01:09:03
David Isaacs
trading, oh, I made pickles over the summer. Oh, I've got sourdough or hey, I shot a deer. Trade you some of this deer for some of your kombucha or something. i don't fucking know, but it we got to get to a point. We got kind of claw back some of that sense of humanity.
01:09:24
Big Dog
Yeah, if you want trade, you know, if you still have anything from your garden, if you want to trade for focaccia bread, I've gotten pretty good at making that.
01:09:35
Big Dog
So I make it pretty good for focaccia bread.
01:09:37
David Isaacs
Yeah, I'm down. I got some, uh, I got some pickles still.
01:09:38
Big Dog
All right. Yeah, I don't have anything else, man. Did you want to, you know, rant about politics?
01:09:50
Big Dog
I'm kidding. Did you have anything else you to talk about?
01:09:53
David Isaacs
No, not really. Just glad to be back and getting more into the swing of things. I am so like mentally tired. over the last few weeks like today like I said today was tough but just mentally in a sense but I did manage to listen to The Art of Imperfection by Brene Brown and it's kind of like shame based motivation and it's kind of something that I've been working out of
01:10:27
David Isaacs
But it's basically one of the things that served me well for a long time is kind of feeling that shame and trying to do things to not have that feeling anymore.
01:10:40
David Isaacs
But it's a it's a fleeting feeling and it doesn't lay itself to longer term goals or identity and whatnot. So that's kind of one of the big things that I'm working through currently.
01:10:54
David Isaacs
as well as she mentions mentions play and how play is really important, especially for adults. So I'd like to kind of maybe next episode dig into that a little bit more, like how you're saying with Gears of War or me playing Guitar Hero or kind of doing things collaboratively and socially, whether it's a board game, video games, or just activities in general.
01:11:20
David Isaacs
And kind of how important that's been kind of throughout our lives and the continuation of it and kind of how that's changed as priorities have changed. But trying to make that, you know, kind of part of not your day to day, but planning and scheduling for that as well.
01:11:41
Big Dog
Yeah, for sure. um And I'm, and I don't necessarily play, but um I'm hosting a magic of gathering, like commander thing um next month.
01:11:54
Big Dog
You know, if you want to get new addiction play, but we usually have anywhere between eight and 16 people. provide food and just have a good time. So, um you know, you were any of our listeners who live close by or you don't want to make a surprise appearance hit me up on so and we'll say linkedin because i think that's really the media that i use anymore but um yeah i mean i'm all my friends who have grown up with uh you know play for the most part and ah just want to eat good food and um play games for an afternoon so um
01:12:36
Big Dog
I'm sure if I could swing it my friend's ah DMs and they'll play for Dungeons Dragons. So I'm sure maybe that could be in the mix. I don't know. We'll keep it magic related now. But if there's enough interest, let's, you know, we can do that too.
01:12:53
David Isaacs
Sounds good. All right. Thanks, Brian. Thanks everyone.
01:12:57
Big Dog
Yeah. Thank you.