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SN18 - A Little Good News
37 Plays1 month ago
Jeff and Sam decide that every once in a while, we all just need a little good news. They both share heartwarming stories. Enjoy.
"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."
—Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
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Transcript
Recording Challenges & Sticky Notes
00:00:22
Jeff Rogers
I don't know what. Was that loud to you guys listening? Because it was really loud. almost blew out my eardrums. It was so loud to us. And you heard Sam in the beginning. Whoa.
00:00:35
Jeff Rogers
Yikes. Sorry about that. But remember last week when we played the sticky note sound? It did not sound right. was so quiet. So we're actually redoing the sticky note because last week we sucked and we did a sticky note. And the point was to be uplifting because, you know, I mean, everybody needs uplifting. And so our point was to do a happy show. And we literally, we turned on the microphone and we were like, one life is bad.
00:00:59
Jeff Rogers
been man That was the whole show. yeah yeah and It was just like we started out bad and it just got worse and worse and worse.
Birthday Shoutouts & Family Talk
00:01:11
Jeff Rogers
And so we did did not come out this past Monday. Instead, this is the... replacement this is the do-over the revamp of that show happy monday people happy monday and so this is going to be your little good news podcast give us like 10 20 minutes just to talk to you while you drive to work while you um drive home from work maybe you know while you are putting your work clothes on while you're playing the piano can you how are you playing the piano and listening to us at the same time that's so fucking talented and that is a talent that is a talent and um there is a man out there name is ronnie and ronnie has a birthday in two days it's the tenth right now has a birthday on the 12th of march and ronnie
00:02:06
Jeff Rogers
is my dad ronnie yes i love my dad i love my dad he's an amazing human being um um do you have a birthday i do um everett uh-huh my nephew yeah is turning
Travel Stories & Weather Anecdotes
00:02:27
Jeff Rogers
13 this is where he changes into a person you will no longer recognize ah Yeah, he's going to be a teenager.
00:02:34
Jeff Rogers
Terrifying. Good luck, Ashley and Nick. that was an evil laugh Ashley in there cool ah um yeah so my dad Everett Janet just had a birthday on the 7th they're another year of like fine wine these people they just get better and better with age you met them Janet and Ronnie yes Everett he's got a while to go he's still in the great place absolutely and that's okay because we all were we all were in the great place great
00:03:06
Jeff Rogers
grape phase not face
00:03:11
Jeff Rogers
There's got to be something with that. Did you ever see the episode of I Love Lucy where they're stomping in the grape? Yes. I love that. Have you ever seen the the news episode? It was like a Yes.
00:03:22
Jeff Rogers
Yes. He falls off the thing and goes, ow, ow, ow, can't breathe. Yes. And the news reporters are laughing and staring. They're like, oh, oh, God, we got to cut to that because they're laughing so hard. One of my favorites is when they're working the production line.
00:03:36
Jeff Rogers
The candies. Yes. That was a good one, too. Always. Always. Anyway, so there's that. um What else as you drive home from work, as you cuss the traffic?
00:03:49
Jeff Rogers
What traffic? There's no traffic here. Not
Imaginary Global Listeners
00:03:52
Jeff Rogers
in Nova. Are you in Norway? How are things in Norway right now? oh probably lovely. Are you in Sweden? I feel like we we're listening to in Sweden too. We are. we are on a chart somewhere. Hey Sweden. Hey. yeah um Australia.
00:04:07
Jeff Rogers
Down under with your big ass spiders. Sam can't wait to come and see him. She actually like wants to play with the spiders down there. So if we're in Australia and you see us. Don't you dare.
00:04:18
Jeff Rogers
Okay. well Don't you dare. Don't you dare. I will go to Australia with you, but stop trying to kill me. I'm not trying to kill you. is maybe a spider will i think my sister is like that son of a bitch he's always scared me with spiders now we scare him with sam with spiders i haven't done anything sam is the one that knows about the spider she's the one that showed me some of these god-awful spiders now i'm questioning why i ever went in the first place but you know what we're going didn't see a spider when i was there okay perfect well it rained so hard one night when i was in sydney
00:04:52
Jeff Rogers
I woke up in the middle of the night and I was like, i like in my craziness, did I forget to turn the shower off? Because like the back window of the apartment that I was staying in was an alleyway, but it was also where the the shower was.
00:05:09
Jeff Rogers
And I was like, fuck, did I forget to turn the shower off? How did I forget to turn the shower off? And I get up at three o'clock in the morning and I'm like, let me go turn that shower off because that's loud. That was the
Sydney Harbor Bridge Adventure
00:05:20
Jeff Rogers
rain and Sydney.
00:05:22
Jeff Rogers
That's so funny that you mentioned that because
00:05:26
Jeff Rogers
can't remember what day it was. You know me, end days.
00:05:32
Jeff Rogers
the other day when it rained, it was like raining and then there was a break and it was eight got semi-sunny-ish. Well, I was sitting, i was either reading or I had just finished working out. So I was sitting and I was like,
00:05:53
Jeff Rogers
and Did I turn the shower on, like, preparing to go into the shower, thinking that, okay, I got to do this? Nope. Sure as shit. As soon as the kids, so Everett got home, sunny day.
00:06:07
Jeff Rogers
And then i hear the shower sound, and then I hear the girls, because they get home a little later than Everett, I hear the girls... wailing about how soaking wet they are it had started raining so hard it was an absolute deluge right as they got off the bus and they just walked right down the courtyard to the house and they came in drenched and it wasn't cold no was like high 60s yeah oh it was that day i know what you're talking about yeah but it came on so fast and i really did i thought it was a shower i was like fuck my the night that it rained like that in sydney
00:06:47
Jeff Rogers
I didn't have a long time in Sydney. I had a couple of days while I was there. I went to Melbourne first and then flew up to Sydney. And that night it started raining. Thought the shower was on. Got up to turn the shower off because maybe I was drunk at the time and just left the shower on. and Don't know why.
00:07:04
Jeff Rogers
And it wasn't the shower shower. It was the rain. And then um it rained the next day. and I had purchased the day before this a ticket to climb the Sydney Harbor Bridge.
00:07:18
Jeff Rogers
And... yeah I justified the hell out of that. i was like, well, it's my birthday. This is like $400 or something.
00:07:28
Jeff Rogers
But that was Australian dollars. And I was like, well, really, you know, $400 Australian dollars is like, I don't know, $300 American dollars. so that's So much better. And it's my birthday. And I always say this.
00:07:42
Jeff Rogers
ah just had a conversation with somebody on the phone today. If there's something that you have in mind to do in another country, Like when we went to see Gay's the Word. And you don't do it, there's a chance you will regret it.
00:07:57
Jeff Rogers
And if you do it, and it's horrible, and you're like, why the fuck did I do that? You won't regret that. it It'll be an experience you can put in the books, right? I bought the ticket, and the next day woke up, and it was still pouring rain.
00:08:09
Jeff Rogers
I mean, it was pouring rain, and I had the sunset climb. Yeah. rained all day marineed all day long and then like at four o'clock we had to be at the little place under the bridge and still raining so when you go in there you have to number one take a breathalyzer test because you can't climb if you've got alcohol on your breath then number two you have to change into um like therere flight su but and things And you can't have any of your belongings on you.
00:08:38
Jeff Rogers
Nothing. And the suit is like, the suit has a hook for a hat. And then it has a hook for a handkerchief. And so they gave us the handkerchief.
00:08:51
Jeff Rogers
And the then we practiced climbing even inside the building. And the moment, it was still raining. The moment that the door opened for us to climb onto the bridge, the rain stopped.
00:09:02
Jeff Rogers
It took us, I don't remember exactly, maybe an hour to make it to the top. As we're making it to the top, this cruise ship is coming out of the harbor, Sydney Opera House, out of the harbor. I feel like I'm in like i mean something unreal because I'm looking at the Sydney Opera House. There's a cruise ship backing out.
00:09:23
Jeff Rogers
We're climbing to the top of the Sydney Harbor Bridge, and...
Nola Carpenter's Viral Story
00:09:27
Jeff Rogers
it's not raining anymore but not only is it not raining the clouds are going away and the sunset is coming out so by the time we make it to the top of the sydney harbor bridge we have a 360 degree view of the sunset and the cruise ship and the captain of the cruise ship said to the thousand people on deck it was four five of us that were climbing he said if you look up you'll see the people at the top of the sydney harbor bridge and that was us and so they were all like waving at us and so we had the white handkerchiefs that we were waving back oh what a cool moment because it rained up until that point that's your life remember that mine would be lightning strikes it's not only raining now there's tornadoes that's a monsoon
00:10:17
Jeff Rogers
mr But no, no, it was it was quite the experience. That was awesome. That's great. ah you Tell us a story, Sam. Tell us story. Okay. So, Jeff.
00:10:27
Jeff Rogers
Hmm? Last year, there was a video that went viral. um There was an older woman with a blue vest on sitting in a chair with her head down. She was all alone.
00:10:39
Jeff Rogers
She worked for a company, one of the big box stores. um And in the picture, she just looks tired, exhausted, kind of worn down. It's like we look at work.
00:10:52
Jeff Rogers
I was just about to say kind of how we all are. But she's older. you know she She looks like she should be retired. you know She's someone's grandma just sitting there alone. um So the person who posted the video was a 19-year-old TikToker named Devin Bonagura.
00:11:10
Jeff Rogers
He worked at the phone store section within the box store. And ah he posted the picture of 81-year-old Nola Carpenter sitting alone in the break room where she works.
00:11:22
Jeff Rogers
The video went viral, 30 million views and ignited a movement that changed Carpenter's life. So the caption on the video said, life shouldn't be this hard. I feel bad.
00:11:36
Jeff Rogers
Devin only had a small TikTok following, but i guess on those sites, sometimes one just pops up and everyone views it. So this was one of those times where it was viral.
00:11:47
Jeff Rogers
Eventually, some of his followers urged him to find a way to support her. um So he was inspired and he started a GoFundMe campaign titled Let's Help Nola Retire. The idea was to support her so that she could finally hang up the blue vest.
00:12:03
Jeff Rogers
In a follow-up video... um Devin claimed that the store manager had asked him to remove both the viral clip and the fundraiser page because the chain was apparently receiving threats of some sort.
00:12:20
Jeff Rogers
So Devin acknowledged that the store was getting a lot of backlash and they told him to delete everything and return all of the money that he had raised to the people who had donated it. They claimed that they were going to get the cops involved if he didn't do this. So he told them You do what you have to do because I'm getting this money to this woman one way or another.
00:12:40
Jeff Rogers
The response was swift. The initial goal was only $10,000. However, within 24 hours, they had raised $100,000.
00:12:51
Jeff Rogers
Two days later, he met up with Nola and he told her how he had posted the video and how people had come together to help her. He said, they saw that you're a very hard worker, obviously, and we are all super proud of you, and we wanted to offer you $110,000 that has been raised for you.
00:13:10
Jeff Rogers
Nola was confused. She initially said, you know, I'd accept it, but I'd still have to work until I can get another $60,000 to pay off this house. That's what's holding me back at work, the house.
00:13:25
Jeff Rogers
She added that um Eventually, the total sum was $186,000.
00:13:34
Jeff Rogers
However, Nola, being the hard worker that she was, wouldn't retire just yet. She wouldn't retire until the new year. She said, I'm going to help them out through the holidays, and after that, it'll be good to stay home.
00:13:48
Jeff Rogers
She had worked for the retailer retailer for over 20 years and deserved to spend her golden years lounging at home instead of at retail shifts. She said, I'm going to miss my customers.
00:14:00
Jeff Rogers
They look for me every day. ah i love that story. Nola. Nola. You know what, though? That's amazing. And there's good everywhere you look. There's something good.
00:14:12
Jeff Rogers
And um also probably. yeah she was tired, I'm sure. But she probably also really loved. the people that she met at that store.
00:14:26
Jeff Rogers
Yeah. You know? and they probably loved her. Yeah, absolutely. i would imagine so. Either way, she got that paid off. Good for her. And good for the 19-year-old for doing something like that.
The Multifaceted Mr. O'Connor
00:14:37
Jeff Rogers
A 19-year-old. That brings joy to my heart. that brings joy to my heart. And there's another story that I found, and I'll share it with you guys right now. but There's a book that I love.
00:14:49
Jeff Rogers
You like books? Yeah. I like books. Weird, I didn't know you could read. Sometimes I can read. um But this book I read a long time ago. And there's a character in this book named Atticus Finch.
00:15:02
Jeff Rogers
And Atticus, one of the things he said in the book is, you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.
00:15:16
Jeff Rogers
And I love that. ah love that on that. You know, specific like especially for our jobs as nurses, we sometimes see people on the worst day of their life or just a really bad day for them so we have to think about that right yeah so the students at saint francis high school they hate their 70 year old math teacher i mean he was the worst according to them and mr jones he said he was not there to be liked he is a vietnam veteran
00:15:47
Jeff Rogers
And he knew his subject. He was very smart. And Mr. O'Connor said it's just not his job to be nice or to make school seem like a nice experience. He said, school isn't supposed to be fun.
00:16:01
Jeff Rogers
That was his attitude in the classroom. You're here to learn, students, not to have fun. That is the side of Mr. O'Connor that the students knew, and that's the side of him that they just didn't like.
00:16:15
Jeff Rogers
To be honest, I wouldn't either. He would scare me. Probably me too. But one day, one of the students, he was a senior, Pat McGoldrick, he was in charge of the student blood drive, and he visited the Children's Hospital in Los Angeles for a meeting.
00:16:32
Jeff Rogers
And any time that Pat mentioned that he went to St. Francis High School, all the hospital staff would mention Mr. O'Connor. And they would they would ask about Pat or Mr. O'Connor. They would ask Pat about Mr. O'Connor.
00:16:45
Jeff Rogers
The nurses and the doctors would say things like, oh, my God, he's the best. Oh, he's so wonderful. And every time they would say this about Mr. O'Connor, Pat was just like speechless.
00:16:56
Jeff Rogers
Pat was thinking, my math teacher, Mr. O'Connor, he is not a nice person. He can't be the same guy. Maybe they're wrong. Then Pat walked into the blood donor center and right there on the wall was the name Jim O'Connor.
00:17:10
Jeff Rogers
Mr. O'Connor's name was at the very top of the blood donation wall. Mr. O'Connor, that math teacher, was the record holder for blood donations.
00:17:21
Jeff Rogers
And if that's not enough, Pat learned something even more unbelievable about Mr. O'Connor. When Mr. O'Connor isn't drilling kids and making kids suffer through calculus in high school, he's at the hospital cuddling sick babies.
00:17:38
Jeff Rogers
He's done this for three days a week for the last 20 years. Often, he would step in when the parents weren't able to. the nurses called him invaluable.
00:17:50
Jeff Rogers
So you never really understand a person. No, you don't. And you know what? Mr. O'Connor has a point. Like, he's there to teach them. So he they he doesn't owe them anything to show them the other side of him.
00:18:04
Jeff Rogers
But, like, I wonder what Pat did with that. You know, like, did he go back to school and tell everyone and, like, open their minds a little bit to this guy who, I mean, is a Vietnam vet, right? and He's got enough going for that.
00:18:17
Jeff Rogers
But like, he's also cuddling babies. Just amazing. I love that. I love that. It's good story. That
Positive Reflections to End the Show
00:18:26
Jeff Rogers
was our little sticky note for the day.
00:18:28
Jeff Rogers
It's Monday. Everybody needs a little good news on a Monday because it's the beginning of a work week. um It's something. It's something. And you know what? Maybe we made you smile.
00:18:39
Jeff Rogers
That's our hope. And that is it, everybody. We'll see you Thursday. Bye.