Bedtime stories to help grown ups fall asleep in the deep, dark night.

Episode 1400 – Koa & Scooter's Excellent Adventure

 

[START OF RECORDING]

 

SCOOTER: Friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it’s time for the podcaster…I guess this is a milestone episode. I’m planning on reusing this for Episode 1400. But I got…I mean, I do have more than 1,400 reasons to be thankful for being able to make the show and that you're here listening to me. Hopefully I can help you out whether you're new and you're checking the show out for the first couple times or the first time you've ever heard it, or you've listened…most people don’t listen, but most regular listeners listen more than…the episode more than once. But maybe this is your 1,400th episode. If you're a all-night listener, you could have listened to thousands and thousands and thousands of episodes.

 

But whatever it is, I’m grateful to have a purpose in my life that helps other people out who the deep, dark night can be tough for. Usually we have fun with these, though. This intro is usually about…miles and miles and miles of tangents and pointless meanders is what I’m here to provide. You say, it feels like we’ve been…I say, nope. When walking with you, it feels like we’ve gone miles and miles and miles. Miles and miles and miles of smiles? No, more like miles and…miles of meanders, for sure. So, welcome to Sleep With Me. If you are new, give this show a few tries. It does take some getting used to, and…but I’m here to help take your mind off of stuff so you could fall asleep instead of putting you to sleep directly. I’m here to hang with you and just to be nearby talking about…or almost nothing.

 

So, Making Lulls Out of Nothing at All; that would be one of the many songs…Making…no, Making Lulls out of Something…but Making Lulls Out of Nothing at All? That’s actually not accurate. I corrected myself there. But can't…it doesn't rhyme if I say making lulls out of thin air. The lulls…I don't even know where they come from, but I think they come from my heart. So, I’m glad you're here. I meant that even though it was cheesy, and if you're new, just…yeah, see how it goes. What we got coming up is some support. That way paying for the podcast is optional; just ideally for the people that benefit from it the most on a regular basis. Then after that is a long, meandering intro meant to ease you into bedtime, and later on there will be a bedtime story based on…I don't know, because I just realized when I was looking at the release schedule that Episode 1400’s coming up.

 

So, we’ll see what we got coming up. Thanks so much for listening, and if the show has changed your life, we really could use your support. So many listeners are rooting for you to support the show, just like you're rooting for all those other listeners to fall asleep, and we just need one out of nine people or one out of ten people. So, nine people are rooting for you. I’m not sure if you're that one person that’s gonna support the show, that’s…life has been changed by the show, but we're rooting for you if you're out there. So…and these are the ways you could do that. Thanks.

 

INTRO: [INTRO MUSIC] Hey, are you up all night tossing, turning, mind racing? Trouble getting to sleep? Trouble staying asleep? Welcome. This is Sleep With Me, the podcast that puts you to sleep. We do it with a bedtime story. Alls you need to do is get in bed, turn out the lights, and press Play. I’m gonna do the rest. What I’m going to attempt to do is create a safe place where you could set aside whatever’s keeping you awake. That could be thoughts on your mind, thoughts about the past, the present, the future, so, thoughts you're thinking about, thoughts, it could be feelings, anything coming up for you related to those thoughts or feelings that are just there, it could be changes in time, temperature, routine, you could be going through something, in the middle of something, getting over something.

 

Whatever it is, I’m here to keep you company and take your mind off of that stuff so you could fall asleep, which is a little bit different, right, than…I don't know. It’s like, I’m just here to hang out with you, right? The reason I make the show is kinda more important than me not successfully explaining what it is, even though I’ve made over 1,400 episodes. But this happens to be episode number 1,400. The reason I make the show is 'cause I know what it’s like in the deep, dark night. I know trouble getting to sleep, trouble staying asleep, trouble waking up early, trouble waking up time after time after time, thoughts, feelings, physical sensations, all that stuff has gotten in the way of my sleep.

 

It all feels a little bit different depending on what it is and when it is and how I’m doing, but I know it doesn't feel great, and I know I’d like to help out, 'cause I don't know what it feels like for you, right? But I do know even if I can't relate to how you feel in the deep, dark night or whatever brought you to the show, there is someone listening somewhere in the world who really can relate to you. There’s enough people listening now, right now, and that person is thinking of you fondly even though they don’t know you, because they've been through something very similar and they know what it’s like, and they're rooting for you. Saying, man, I hope this podcast can help you out like it helped me out. I really hope that’s the case, 'cause it changed my life. It made my relationship with bedtime so much better.

 

So, I hope it helps you, 'cause I know what that’s like. ‘Cause during the day for a lot of us, people can't relate. Or they say stuff like, oh, why don’t you just get over it? Why don’t you just not think about that? Have you tried closing your eyes? All that kinda stuff, and it doesn't help me. I know that much. So, yeah, what’s my point? My point is that that’s person rooting for you, I’m rooting for you, and you deserve a good night's sleep. You deserve a bedtime without rigmarole, a bedtime where you could get the rest you need on a regular basis so your life is more manageable tomorrow, and a bedtime you could look forward to or at least feel neutral about.

 

I mean, I realize I can't…I’m not…I can't be super successful at putting people to sleep, or too successful, but if I can just be here for…you say, well, it’s not as bad 'cause I got that podcast guy rambling on and on and on, then my job is really done. If I offer any kind of relief in the deep, dark night…I mean, it’d be great and I do strive to help you fall asleep so you could be out there in the world flourishing, but I don't always get there, right? But at least we can hang out together in a pleasant, silly way. That’s kinda the goal of the show, is for me to be here for you keeping you company so you could fall asleep. The way it works is I send my voice across the deep, dark night. I use lulling, soothing, creaky, dulcet tones, pointless meanders, superfluous tangents.

 

So, I go off topic, I get mixed up, then I forget what I was talking about, then I say, what was I talking about? Was I talking about something? Then I circle back, I get lost, and all that is to take your mind off of stuff and keep you company. This is a podcast…a couple things I like to tell people up front. Most people when they get here…whatever brought you here, this show is probably not in line with what you expected, right? Maybe you expected something a little bit more earthy or ethereal or clinical or whatever, or even cloying, some people expect. I’m just here to hang out with you, right? So, that can be different. Or maybe you had no expectations at all.

 

But you're like, I definitely didn’t expect this. That’s okay, 'cause when most people get here, even the regular listeners that have supported the show, some people for…I mean, they've supported the show emotionally and financially, all told, fourteen years. But they…a lot of those people, even when they got here, they said, the first…it took three tries for me to get used to the show. At first I didn’t like it. The second time I was confused. The third time I woke up. Now, there are some people it works for right away, and that’s great, but for most people, it takes a couple tries.

 

Here’s the thing; most people beyond that don’t like me at all and will never like me, and that’s okay, too, because I have a website set up, sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou, and that…answer a couple questions; it’ll take you to a website that has other sleep podcasts and sleepy audio, because no matter what you deserve a good night's sleep, right? You deserve a place where you could get the rest you need so your life is a little bit better tomorrow whether you listen to the show or not, whether you like me or not. That’s totally fine. But if you stick around, you may find you like me so much that you stop listening and paying attention to me. What a compliment, right? What a relationship to have, 'cause this is a podcast that you don’t really listen to.

 

It’s kinda like background noise, a TV on in the other room, a show streaming under your pillow, a friend on the phone or even in person that goes on and on and on, never gets to the point, isn't super interesting, but they're soothing and they're there, and it’s nice for them to keep you company. Or kinda like sports or audiobooks; sometimes people just listen to it and you're not really paying attention. But knowing you could pay attention and knowing it’s there for you, I don't know, it’s something that’s always soothed me in the deep, dark night, and sometimes it’s enabled me to fall asleep. Then other times it’s just made it less worse. So, that’s kinda…like a out-of-focus picture or sand running through your hands, it kinda takes a while to get used to that.

 

Also, this is a sleep podcast that’s been around for 1,400 episodes before this was a whole genre or whatever, and I’m not even here to put you to sleep, believe it or not, even though I’ve been doing this a long time. The goal of the show is not to put you to sleep. It’s to keep you company. There is no pressure to fall asleep with this show. I’m gonna be here over an hour. There’s people listening who can't sleep at all or need a break during the day or who need to…just woke up or whatever it is, just changed work schedules. I’m here to keep you company whether you're awake or asleep, or when you need to listen and when you don’t, or just not listen at all.

 

‘Cause my job is to be your bore-friend, your bore-bestie, your bore-sib, your bore-bor, your neigh-bore, your bore-bie, your boreman, your bores, your best…your Boris Borlaf, your chairman of the boreds, your best bore-friend f’eva, to keep you company and take your mind off of stuff so you could fall asleep, which is a little bit different. But a lot of people do just fall asleep, too. But that does take a little bit of getting used to. Having a bore-bae is…it could be for everybody. Or you say, well, no, I’d prefer a bore-sib, bore-cuz, bore-bruh. Okay, whatever you're comfortable with, or bore-at-a-distance. Or, ‘bore’ is just a word, right? ‘Cause some people are like, you're not boring. I’d say, yeah, well, thank you, but I am a bit boring.

 

Maybe I’m not a total bore, 'cause, yeah, being totally boring might work in some other genre or for some people. My show is barely engaging so that you could listen to it. So, I don't know, those are three things that are important to point out. The other thing that I like to go through is the structure of the show, why we structure the show the way we do, and then how you can adjust it. So, if you're new or you're just getting used to the show, we don’t really change much over the years. But you might be coming back and be like, huh, why do you structure the show this way again? So, let me tell you, because with all podcasts — not just Sleep With Me — the shows are pretty adjustable depending on your podcast app.

 

So, the show starts off with a greeting; friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and sometimes I say something silly. Now that it’s a milestone episode, I said some…I was a little more serious. But yeah, that’s a greeting so you say, hey, I felt seen and welcomed in. I may be able to listen to the show and check it out. So, that’s the greeting. Then after the greeting is support so that paying for the show is optional, right? The sponsors and particularly the listeners who support the show directly are how this show is able to exist and how…why it’s not behind a paywall.

 

Because of those people that benefit most who support the show, all…everybody else, everybody that’s new or only listens occasionally or only listens once in a while or struggling financially or just…you know, those people can listen, too, without having…that it benefits so many people, and that not everybody is…listens every night, right? Some people just come and go, or you're new, right? So, if you prefer something without ads, you can get that at Sleep With Me+, but that enables us to benefit the maximum amount of people. After that, totally separate from the support, is a show within a show. It’s the intro. It’s fifteen to twenty minutes long — we're, I don't know, twelve or thirteen minutes into it now — where I try to explain what the podcast is, but it takes me fifteen to twenty minutes.

 

I follow a familiar structure every time, but every intro is different, and that’s so that the show is familiar and reassuring but it has variety. The intro could be short and it could be repetitive, but then it would…whatever keeps us awake, at least in my experience and from doing it a long time, it would wake you up, right? Or be like, hey, by the way, he’s saying the same thing he said last time. You say, really? ‘Cause I don't…he probably has whatever that song he already forgot that he was trying to quote…he already forgot it. But yeah…but he’ll…maybe he’ll go on another tangent. Maybe he won't. I don't know.

 

So…oh, so, the intro…'cause, I don't know, whatever it is with me and a lot of other listeners, I don't know, I want something reassuring but I don't want it to be repetitive, 'cause all those different brainbots — is what I call them — they keep me awake. They come up with other…they don’t like repetition. Predictability…they're able to point it out to me and wake me back up or keep me awake. But the intro also serves one more purpose. Well, two purposes. We kinda hang out, and you don’t need to hang out during the intro, but it’s the closest thing to indirect community we get, 'cause this is a show…part of the show most people listen to. So, it’s like we're all hanging out together and winding down. That’s why the intro is fifteen to twenty minutes. It’s not meant to put you to sleep. It’s meant to ease you into bedtime.

 

So, if you fall asleep fast, please support the show on Sleep With Me+, 'cause the show’s not designed to put you to sleep fast. It just doesn't work that way for most people. If it works for you, that’s great. But for most people, they're getting ready for bed, they're doing some chill wind-down activity, petting their pets, doodling, lying around, looking out the window, or they're in bed getting comfortable. That’s what works for me personally, is just winding down and getting eased into bedtime. So, that’s why the intro is fifteen to twenty minutes long. Then after the intro is support, and then there will be our bedtime story. It’s exciting.

 

Well, it’s exciting even though I’m recording this way ahead of time, but I do have a small announcement, which is that this episode part that’ll come after this will be the last episode recorded in the climb-in closet that I’ve been recording the show in since 2018. So, that’s…to ‘19, to ‘20, to ‘21, to ‘22, to ‘23, to ‘24, to ‘25. So, that’s seven years. Let’s see, we’ll go…when I started the show, it was ‘13. So, that’s ‘14, ‘15, ‘16, ‘17, ‘18. That’s five years. So, I’ve been recording the show in this closet for longer than the first climb-in closet, which was also a very similar size but a different layout. I don't honestly know where I’m gonna record the car…the future episodes other than in-between I’m gonna record them in my car, 'cause I know that’s a familiar, workable solution.

 

But I know where I’m moving to; I just don’t…I have a couple general spots. I’m like, huh, will this work or will this work? But yeah, that’ll be exciting. So, Episode 1400 will not just be a number milestone; it’ll be a…part of the Journey of Life episode. That’s pretty cool. As a grown-up, you don’t get a lot of clear transitions, but this year, 2024 and 2025 has had a lot of growth opportunities for me, and this is another one. It really is a opportunity to see what happens and explore something new and to journey into the unknown. I hope I can reassure you that it’s like…hey, I don't know where I’m gonna record the show and I don't know a couple other things, but I know it’s gonna be okay.

 

Because, I don't know, this show is actually…making this podcast and hearing from listeners has actually taught me that, and I didn’t…even in the first few five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve years of the show, I didn’t necessarily…and on a daily basis, that comes and goes, too. But I’m really honored to be here, and I forgot what I was talking about because…oh…oh, structure of the show, the episode…oh yeah, so this…so, then we’ll do the episode to put you to sleep, or you could listen or you could do both. The thing is, you could fall asleep to it and listen during the day. If you want to listen during the day, just listen at 2x speed.

 

But you don’t need to listen. Don't worry, you won't miss out on anything, and all these episodes stay in the feed for years and years and years. So, I’m really glad you're here. Myself and a team of people work really hard on the show. We love the work. We love the challenge making this podcast offers us, and I’m really glad you're here whether this is your first time hearing me or your ten…I know there’s people that have listened more than ten thousand times, and I’m really glad to be here because I’m really glad to be here for you, and…'cause I yearn and strive — and everybody else that works on the show — to help you fall asleep so your life is better tomorrow, so you could be out there flourishing.

 

If you have flourished from this show, the way the show is…life is manageable for the podcast or the podcast flourishes is because of the people whose lives have been changed by the show when they support it back. That’s the only way, whether it’s through the sponsors or directly. Here’s the ways if you say, this podcast has changed my life, you could change the future life of the podcast, too, for the better. Here’s the ways. Thanks so much, and I’ll talk to you in a minute.

 

Alright everybody, this is Scoots, and I guess I’m gonna try to have Super-Chill Scoots do this episode. It’s Episode 14, man. Super-Chill Scoots, I’d prefer it if you don’t use that. If you can use another mellow-out term…I don't…okay. Yeah, how about that? That might work. I just wonder how much editing we're gonna do when you keep using…reusing one term over and over again. Yeah…editing, yeah. So, I guess the concept for this episode…I’m not exactly sure. I’ve been putting it off. I had hoped we could record it in the second climb-in closet that we recorded the show in between 2018 and 2025, almost exactly with a month…with just a month difference.

 

Or, no…yeah, we were in there…moved out almost the same month I moved in. Maybe the same month. Yeah, maybe. So, we don’t have a third recording spot yet. I’m improvising. I’m in a very good temporary space. It sounds great, except for one thing you may hear throughout the episode, which we’ll intentionally leave in, which is Koa’s…Koa walking around. She may sleep through the episode. She may not. But I was thinking of 1,400 and looking back, and then I was thinking about Koa and having her be a part of the episode, maybe looking back in reverse? I don't know. What do you think, Super-Chill Scoots? Reverse it, reverse it…yeah.

 

So, why don’t you kind of…why don’t we go back in time in reverse, and this will be a reverse-history of the podcast? We may only get through the past two years. We’ll make it as sleepy as possible. There probably will be a lot of navel-gazing, as they say. I’m not exact…I looked that up. At some point I knew what that meant, but now I don't know anymore other than…I definitely get e-mails. I always think of a fuzzy navel, and then I think of a peach instead…that’s what I think of when I think of navel-gazing. But so, take it away, Super-Chill Scoots.

 

Thanks, Scoots. I’m gonna take it away here. So, we're at T-minus…are we at T-minus one week and one day? This is the first official episode recording, and we haven't recorded any intros here. We’ve recorded a mini-sode and some house ads and stuff like that. We're still getting settled in, and part of getting settled in is the routine. Yeah. This week…so, let’s see, we arrived late on a Wednesday. So, I’ll catch you up in our present circumstances, which…you'll be listening to this in the future, so it’ll be cool. So, Koa, Scoots, and I, and Ray, of course, arrived later on a Wednesday. It is Thursday when I’m recording this, so…Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. This is Day 8. Yeah. It has been a bit of a…let’s see. So, Thursday we did get back to work a little bit, but we were pretty wiped.

 

Actually, Ray and I, we don’t really…we're talent, so it’s a little bit…also, talent doesn't drive cars. We're along for the ride, just like…I’m like a listener proxy. I’m along for the ride. But so, we got here. Thursday and Friday we tried to reacclimate, do some work, catch up mostly on e-mail, though Scoots is still…his usage of his left hand is very limited and he’s wearing a brace most of the time. But even if he doesn't have the brace on, it doesn't really…his fingers aren't back, which we’ll talk about. They will be, though. He seems to be doing his PT, and…yeah, so, he’s take…he’s following direction, but he’s also learned a little bit more about trying to use the dictation and…though he lost his thing he was using to dictate into.

 

Well, he was using a third-party thing, but that’s fine, too, 'cause that wasn’t for…podcast-related. That was more overall…well, I guess it was a to-do thing. But it’ll turn up, because he knows he had…he knows he lost it either in the driveway or in the car or something. So, yeah, the last few days we’ve just been…we haven't really had a opportunity to unpack, quote, unquote. That’ll be a process. I mean, Scoots’ life…you could put him next to process. You would call this an interim solution, where we're recording now, but it’s a good interim solution. So, that’ll work for now, right? Yeah, this will work. But it was hard; we were gonna record yesterday and the day before that, Sunday. I don't know about Saturday.

 

Friday…but each time…when we had to record some other pick-ups, we call them…house ads, ad for a new sponsor of Kindred, and a mini-sode. But trying to get used to a new place, a new timezone, and through Koa’s eyes, right? So, Koa’s seventeen years old. Yeah. So, for her, it’s a big adjustment, too, especially at nighttime. Koa…the daytime Koa likes. By the way, talent can speak to dogs better than humans can, so…here’s a couple of Koa’s…so, Koa’s just getting used to where she’s gonna go, but she’s already found some preference areas, but not 100%. Back in the last place we lived, she had a place…a couple places…she was 70% – 80% of where she would go. Now it’s a bit more freeform. It’s like she went from playing a strict form of…I don't know if there’s a strict form of jazz.

 

Or maybe she was a classical musician and now she’s playing jazz when it comes to number one and number two…or just walking around. Because here, there’s a couple different things that Koa didn’t have. Koa was a sidewalk dog. Occasionally she would get a little park action, but she was in…a dog park, especially at this age, dog. So, she would walk on the sidewalk, and then whatever the strip was between the sidewalk and the road, that would be her…or sometimes a yard, but just the yard adjacent to the sidewalk. That was her way of life, and the biggest decision immediately was go down past a couple of the bungalows, the shared driveway, shared on both sides, and then go left or go right. Now, the reliable spots were on the left. The right was more of a leisure stroll.

 

There wasn’t really a lot of number one or number two going on there. But if you went left, Koa had an immediate spot right there, then on the left in a yard…she had occasionally…oh, this past year she hasn’t used it very much. She used to use it a lot. Then next up on the right after a couple…so, the main things we had to pay attention…now, this road was a very, very busy road, too, lacking in crosswalks. So, we’d go out and stick to the sidewalk. Now, if we were going for…now, it’s like, six to twelve months, but we do more shorter walks. But if Koa was like, hey, I need to get out in the world, we would cross the street. We’d have to wait a lot because people…most people…there’s no crosswalks without walking really far. So, we’d get across the road.

 

Then Koa had a couple spots she maybe would once in a while go to, but that was more for a leisure walk. But again, sidewalk and…I’d call it the rumble strip. I know it’s not the rumble strip, but we’ll just call it the rumble strip between the sidewalk and the road. There would be trees and stuff, but that was her musical method, playing one and two, or just out bee-bopping, though I don't know if you bee-bop if you're in this formal way. Now, her new world also is very flat. So, that was just another thing to know that’s different now. So, now here…there’s a lot of explanation that goes into this. Not a lot of sidewalk, and only sidewalks we’ve encountered have been on longer strolls, which Koa’s been big into, saying, hey, take me for a longer stroll every other day. Say, yeah, a long stroll, yeah.

 

But for the most part what we're seeing is…so, it’s a very hilly thing. Now, Koa’s seventeen; you gotta remember that. It’s an important thing to remember. Even when she wasn’t seventeen, Koa’s an amazing dog, but her sense of not…she tended to not have a clear idea of where she could take a tumble or what she had to look out for. So, she…even moreso now. So, it’s not like she could be a off-leash dog, especially where there’s any hills or rocks or anything like that. But she does have a lot of areas, even though they're somewhat hilly, that don’t seem to bother her too much right outside the door where she could go and just take a few steps. Now, she’s not the kind of dog…unless it’s like…she’s like, I gotta play my music right away. Most of the time she eases in, warms up, and stuff.

 

But she’ll warm up and then say, hey, I like this place. I’m gonna play a little number one or I’m gonna play a little number two here in that. So, she’s never had a local place where…right outside her door where she could play. She didn’t have to go far, but where there’s a variety of spots. So, she…well, I like the way the tones here are for my number one or my number two. So, I’m gonna play here. She does seem to be developing a few different zones, general areas, that she prefers. Now, Scooter had one area in mind; she’s never gone there. He tried to convince her multiple times, and then he already gave up. ‘Cause he said, this is a flat area, Koa. It’s clearly delineated. There’s plenty of space. But she said, I’m not interesting. She said, nah, I’ll pass. I’ll check it out, but not for playing. Walking through it?

 

Sure, Scoots, but anything else, no thanks. So, that’s one difference. The second difference is the stairs in this place is not Koa-conducive. But there’s a basement door — hard to explain but interestingly enough, a similar type of arrangement to the last place — where…oh, you…this is twice-reverse-home, where it’s built into the side of something. In this case, a hill. The other case, a created hill. Your upstairs…you got in your upstairs your kitchen and your living area and your restroom in the last place. Then your downstairs is where you sleep and stuff like that. Now, this…that first…last place, except when we were moving out, did not have a way to get out downstairs. You had to go down the stairs.

 

But those stairs were carpeted and they were just one set of stairs, and they were a good width for Koa, and she was used to it. These stairs were…I don't ever see Scooter taking Koa down them. There’s just no reason to, 'cause you could just go around to the basement door. ‘Cause Koa sleeps downstairs with Scooter, but Ray and I, we don’t…we sleep, but we don’t need facilities to sleep in. Or, we don’t sleep…we're neighbors, right? But…so, don't worry, Ray made it. He’s not around today; he’s busy. He’s adjusting, too. Probably out greeting everybody. Instead of giving welcome baskets, I think he’s probably giving ‘You're welcome’ baskets or something, or ‘Glad to be here’, ‘Nice to meet you’ baskets. Who knows?

 

So, that’s different 'cause Koa doesn't go down as many stairs to transfer floors or to go to bed, and there’s a lot…so, she hangs out downstairs. Now, the one thing…one big change that’s not location-related but platform-related…and you may not believe this, but it’s true. Koa used to watch The Munsters. Over the past two years, as times have changed, she’s needed a little bit of extra comfort for when she’s home and nobody’s there, even for a half-hour or a hour or two. So, first it was the podcast, but then she said, this guy…no, thank you. This is not relaxing to me 'cause it makes me…this is my normal life. I don't need to listen to my normal life or a pod…to relax. There was different shows tested out, but eventually…oh, it was The Addams Family, the TV show, which has two seasons.

 

It used to have a streaming channel on a platform. So, twenty-four hours a day, they played the fifty-six episodes or so of…which makes sense, I guess…of The Addams Family, all the time. So, Scooter would put that on. The only thing that could happen is the TV would think, oh, no one’s watching it 'cause it’s been on the same channel for two hours. It would shut down. But other than that, it worked great. Now, at some point before we left, they got rid of that channel. So, then you'd have to choose to stream The Addams Family. That pretty much works, but you could run out of episodes, or then you're like, well, I don't want poor Koa to have to watch the first episode of the first season a thousand times. It’s not instantaneous.

 

It used to be that Scooter had everything, so he would just press one or two buttons, and then it would be playing for Koa. Now it’s…so, now we’ve kinda entered a new phase. Interesting…on our journey across the country, what we would do is put it on for Koa…'cause we have a vehicle that you're able to keep on 'cause it runs on electricity, so that if you have to go to the bathroom or whatever…if we were playing number one or number two, right, during our pit stop and Koa was sleeping soundly, what we’d do is put on that same show. But we’d…again, we couldn't…we’d have to play the episodes. So, she would listen to that while she slept in the car while we would use the…we’d play our tunes and then get something to eat. Now, this…oh, I guess I don't want to get ahead of myself…behind myself, you know?

 

So, what was my point? Oh, so now…this is interesting 'cause Scooter…this is where fiction becomes reality. Scooter’s moving in with his brother, so his brother already has…is living his life here. So, one of the TVs is already set up, and it’s set up as a different interface than Scooter’s used to. For some reason, it defaults to another platform different from the one that The Addams Family’s on. We can get The Addams Family, and we have, and successfully put it on for Koa. Quite…actually, probably six, seven times. But it defaults to another platform in the same way of our old solution of The Addams Family, but to another platform that has different streaming reruns of old television shows. One of those shows happens to be…oh, Angela Lansbury…The Cabot Cove Adventures.

 

So, Scooter does put on The Cabot Cove Adventures for her, or it automatically comes on. So, you may think, again, this is…you may think this is a bit for the podcast, but Koa has rejected multiple TV shows. The way we know is you’d put it…you’d put on something other than…and even shows; like, we thought Three’s Company, eh, that’d probably be good. A late-night television show; you think that might be good. A couple other things we tested out. We thought Three’s Company would be a guarantee, but it just didn’t work. Maybe it worked for like a day…we’d go out for like, forty-five minutes to the grocery store, come back, and Koa says, no, don’t like this. But thus far, with a variety, The Cabot Cove Adventures with Jessica Fletcher…Jessica Fletcher’s Cabot Cove Adventures is working pretty well for her.

 

Because it’s a default thing and it’s 24/7, it is…we say, are you gonna get into Cabot Cove Adventures? I don't know. But so, we're not certain about that, but that’s a new thing. Then other new things because of the non-sidewalks…Koa’s not aware of private property, and…or roads other than crossing roads. So, she’s having to relearn…or, not relearn but say, hey, when you're not on the…when there’s no sidewalk, you kinda gotta stay…pay attention and stay on the side of the road. She says, well, I think I’d like to walk down the middle of the road or just walk back and forth, sampling both sides of the street. But then also, she may want to sample a full yard. So, she says, I’m gonna sample this whole yard.

 

We say, no, the polite thing to do is only within the leash distance of the road, and only…as long as there’s no signs that say ‘No dogs allowed’ or whatever. We clean up after her, of course. But that…so, those are new adjustments. I say, okay, let’s…and then also, it’s a whole new world. So, there’s things coming out of the ground here or things to let rain water and snow melt in that we didn’t really have where we lived. Or, because of the formalness, it was off of the sidewalk, of course. There’d be a couple concrete things where you'd have to check a meter or whatever, but here there’s all sorts of…I say, I don't even know…I used to drop rubber balls down those holes. I don't even know what they are. I just don’t know if that’s a East Coast thing versus a West Coast thing or what, or a smaller city…town versus a very urban area.

 

But those are differences. So, Scoots has gotta be paying attention, which he does, not using his phone. I guess during the sidewalk era, it would be a little bit easier to be like, well, I could check some things out on my phone, though Scoots is a bit like Koa; he’s prone to not paying attention and having consequences. So, you say, no, you're better off paying attention at all times, Scoots. Okay, so, those are things…yeah. So, getting used to that. Now, Koa’s version of this journey across thing…so, we weren't in a hurry. Well, Scoots is always in a hurry, right, and then he’s always got expectations about getting across the country in a vehicle, where me and Ray are along for the ride and Koa’s along for the ride. But mainly the ride was about Koa.

 

So, before you ask, ‘was there anything interesting on this ride?’, not…the driving part was a breeze. But yeah, other than what you could see from eighty or ninety, we did not really see very much or weren't able to sample anything because the primary objective was to get Koa from California to New York State, because that was the goal, and to make sure she was comfortable the whole time, so that maybe she gets to celebrate eighteen years here in New York State, or she just gets to be comfortable and hang with the podcast right now. You know, one…and that was Scoots’ thing; one exit at a time. Yeah. So, I’ll just give you the whole wrap-up of the trip, which was like…we met with Koa’s professional, and Koa actually has a team of professionals, or…'cause she does need it.

 

So, we met with her professional and we said, okay, here’s what’s gonna happen, or here’s what we're thinking’s gonna happen. Can you tell us if this is a good idea? ‘Cause we could fly, but then there may be a layover or there’d be…you’d fly and then still have a long five to six-hour drive from a airport that flies direct to another city. We know Koa enough to know…and being on a airplane and not…she’s too big to be in Scooter’s lap. It just probably wouldn't work, and the vet did confirm that. She said, okay, what we’ll do is we’ll take a look over, but I’m pretty sure I can tell you what to do. But I want to double-check everything. She’s like, okay, everything looks…I mean, they do say when we bring Koa in…they're always surprised to see her in a good way.

 

But they always laugh, and they look at Koa’s little record there, and they say, really, seventeen? Wow. Wow, Koa, you must have sleep podcaster and a couple of uncles to take care of you. But so, she said, okay, well, here’s what the plan is, or my…what I would do. She said, I could give you this medicine that’s gonna help her sleep most of the time, but you can test it out first. Then try to take a lot of breaks, which if you listen to Ray, Scooter’s gonna take a lot of…Scooter’s gonna need a lot of breaks, too, 'cause his liquid consumption’s off the charts, anyway. So, yeah. So, okay. So, the thing was we tried to test the medicine out, right? But they said, okay, start with a half, and you can always work your way up to two. But there was a limited amount. They’ll be…say, okay, this is all I can give you, though.

 

It should be enough or a little bit more extra to get across the country. So, we tested out…I think we tested it out a half a couple times, maybe a whole one. Now, the thing with Koa was once upon a time, she loved driving. I mean, not driving the car, but being in the car. She even went on a couple ten to twelve-hour drives with breaks without any issues. But something has changed where even five minutes in a vehicle, she says, no, I don't like this, right? Now, just…it’s more of a preference thing than a feeling…a physical thing. But so, the vet…yeah, no, no, I think I know what you're talking about. So, I think this will work. Now, lo and behold, it did work, but we didn’t kinda know what to expect, ‘cause Koa sleeps, and she sleeps soundly sometimes, but this made her sleep very soundly.

 

Of course, at first Scooter was not…he even checked in. They said, yeah, no, that’s what’s supposed to happen. Don't worry, that’s…so, we’ve quickly developed a rhythm. Now, it took us a long time to get across the country because of this rhythm we needed. This will give you a little more insight into Koa. So, Koa…when Scooter got Koa, she was already an adult. I don't know…if she’s seventeen, that means 2025…2015 she would have been seven. So, what is that? 2008? So, Scooter probably didn’t meet Koa ‘til 2012, I would say. So, she was already a grown-up, and she had learned…she was living with someone who had another smaller dog, a couple with two children, one child a little bit younger than Scooter’s daughter. So, I was like, okay, this is a good fit. They also lived in a area, in an apartment.

 

They said, yeah, we just don’t have room for two kids and two dogs. This is a great dog. They both worked full time. So, Koa was able to be at home while people were working and then just go to the bathroom in the morning and after work. That hasn’t really changed for Koa. She’s not…she has the ability…unlike Scooter, funny enough…but she, at some point in the last year, year and a half, lost the ability to…so, she can say, oh, okay, I kinda have to go but I don't have to…it’s not a pressing situation. She’ll also know when it’s a pressing situation and say, hey, Scooter, it’s a pressing situation. So, Scooter can say, okay, let’s go outside, 'cause Scooter works from home. That’s usually how it comes up, or at night, you know?

 

But once she gets outside, then she forgets it’s a pressing situation and she says, oh, I’m out for a stroll; great. She could be out for a stroll and forget that it was a pressing…if it’s an incredibly pressing situation, she would know. But if it’s like, hey, it’s 12:00 p.m. or 12:00 a.m. This pressing…this situation needs to be resolved before 9:00 a.m. or 8:00 a.m. She wouldn't know…necessarily know that. She used to, you know, say, okay, I’m out here, I smell some stuff. It’s a good time to play number one or number two. That’s not the situation anymore. So, she kinda has to walk it out ‘til, at some point, that connection gets remade and says, oh, okay, I’m out here to go…I’m out here to play a little music.

 

So, adding in this sleeping, what would happen is I could just…we quickly did fall into a rhythm 'cause Scooter is good at routine. The rhythm would be, we’d wake up…so, let’s just pretend the average…there wasn’t really any average days, but they all followed the same rhythm. Time average was always a variant, and we were crossing time zones. Okay, so let’s get to the…so, usually…let’s just say…let’s just lay out an idealized version of our rhythm. Let’s say Scooter wakes up at 8:30. Ray and I were in another room, obviously. Scooter and Koa would…I guess I’ll get to that part at night. But Koa’s still sleeping at 8:30, right?

 

So, Scooter says, oh, okay…first thing he’s gonna do is prepare himself a cup of coffee and do his little morning…brushing his teeth and all that stuff; washing his face and then pack up his bathroom stuff and get that ready, and then start packing up the room. At some point Koa would get aware that something was happening, or she’d just wake up naturally on her own. So, Scooter would be through the packing, and each location was a little bit different where the vehicle was parked. But the thing…the key things in the morning were get the room packed up. As you're getting the room packed up…'cause Koa takes other medicine. So, it’s like, let’s get everything ready for her, then get her that as soon as possible, and have her eat breakfast and drink some water.

 

Now, she may not exactly want the breakfast and the water immediately. Maybe she has to do a little musical interlude of one or two or both, which is another key aspect. Now, when she’d wake up in the morning, she’d be pretty much Koa, maybe a little bit groggier version, but you could tell this is Koa the dog. Ray and I would reflect on it, 'cause at first you say…when a dog’s sleeping so soundly, you're like, what? So, that would always be relieving for all of us to see Koa being herself. So, you'd…then you'd start to…unfortunately Ray and I weren't really helpful with Scooter packing the car or driving, 'cause we're talent. Talent doesn't do packing or loading.

 

So, Scooter would make…Scooter and Koa would say…he’d say, okay, are you gonna eat now or you want to eat on our next trip back to the room or maybe our third trip back to the room? Koa would decide, or sometimes Koa would wait until we were…but we’ll explain that in a minute. But either way, Scooter would start the trek to the vehicle. Now, we weren't staying at…well, I guess I’ll explain more of the facilities we were staying at. But normally…now, this wasn’t always the case. It’d be great…and a lot of times we learned to try to get on the ground floor as we learn more through this process, but not always. So, Koa got to ride in elevators, which was a new thing for her.

 

But either way, we would make…or, Scoot…well, we…Ray and I are probably still sleeping at the breakfast buffet 'cause…well, I never place…I never thought about if Scooter ate breakfast. Oh, he’s looking…he didn’t. He would eat it in the car, but not a formal breakfast, I guess. Sorry, Scoots. But so, Koa and Scoots and one bag…so, Scooter had his backpack with his stuff and then a bag with Koa’s stuff and any other stuff, and then Koa’s blanket and then maybe her bowls. So, he’d try to bring fifty percent of that and Koa, and they would make a slow trek towards the car. Ideally there’s a lot of grassy areas, which most of the places we were staying at were pet-friendly and a little bit less…they were more for people just driving to stop at. So, they usually had a lot of grassy areas that you could find.

 

Some of them you had to walk to, but some of them were right outside…like, around the parking lot. We’d see…and usually it was a low chance that Koa would realize it was time to go. So, you'd make the walk to the car, put the stuff in the car, then you'd head back to the room slowly, again, 'cause Koa was in a exploratory mood 'cause there’s plenty of new smells. She had smelled them the night before, but we're doing a twenty-four-hour cycle here. Then usually again, more likely than not, Koa would not…Scooter would be…to say it was like winning the lottery if on that first trip Koa went…played one or two songs, Scooter would feel like he hit the lottery. If it both happened, he would almost tear up with joy, because it was very relieving.

 

‘Cause the next thing, within a hour, the dog…she would be asleep for a long time. So, it was like, hey, this is kind of important, especially depending on…anyway, so then we…we; yeah, Scooter and Koa would go back to the room and again kinda see…like, oh, are you eating now or later? No, not this second. Okay. Then they would get the rest of the stuff or maybe ninety percent of the stuff. Then they’d go back to the car again and try the same process. Hopefully at this point Koa would take time to play a little number one or number two or both. Basically, unless a number two had been played that night at some point, it was kind of like an important part of that. Though, I guess it turns out sometimes Scooter’s worried about stuff he didn’t need to worry about.

 

He just wants his dog to be comfortable, right? Being light and airy is part of being comfortable, right? So, then what would happy is if Koa hadn't eaten, she would eat…she did a lot of…what are they…? It’s not a pre-ski. But when you eat outdoors, there’s a French term for it that we don’t know, but…and Scooter had these pads that he never needed to use for Koa going to the potty, but they ended up being great pads for her to eat on or lie on while she…between eating. But basically, we would have a one hour to a hour and fifteen…thirty-minute window that almost always was consumed with this process; loading the car, getting Koa to practice her music, and waiting that out and getting Koa fed.

 

So, that would mean that if it was 8:30 a.m…wake up…at 10:00 to 10:15, Koa would be in the car feeling free and easy, fed, and…drinking water was a key thing, too. But she actually had a good instinct for drinking water. Then she would be…Koa would be ready to go to sleep and falling asleep. Then Scooter would probably make one more visit to either the room or the lobby, 'cause he’d already…then at some point he would have had two cups of coffee. Ray and I would be ready to go. We’d just be like, tell us when you're ready to go and we’ll come get in the car. But Scooter would…he would have a small snack or whatever, and then we’d get on the road. Now, between 10:00 and 3:00, approximately, Koa would be sound asleep.

 

So, we would just get on the road, and Scooter would need to stop every once in a while or we would, or we’d have to…you know, the rhythm of the road. But it wasn’t like…there was more stopping…it wasn’t an efficient travel. We weren't in a hurry, but we weren't able to tour around or look at anything. Then around 3:00 p.m. — but you never knew when — Koa would go from stirring to awake. So, this became…now, Ray and I unfortunately weren't doing any of this, but Scooter would have to start paying attention.

 

So, what he learned to do is right around 2:45 to 3:00, he would start watching the exits, 'cause you could be anywhere on this cross-country drive, right, and depending on where you were, sometimes it was pretty reliable that every ten minutes you'd have a place to stop, and then other times it wasn’t. So, around 3:00 p.m., this was when you'd do the one-exit-at-a-time strategy, which would be at 2:45, 3:00, be like, okay, there’s a exit in ten miles. Then if Koa wasn’t stirring or whatever, then you'd say, okay, now the next exit…no services. Maybe there’s grass, but…oh, but there’s fifteen miles…okay. So, then when Koa was stirring…if she did wake fully, she would not be happy because she had been asleep for so long.

 

Usually we’d wake her up and pet her and get her moving around a little bit on our breaks, but not…she was never fully awake. It was just to make sure her body was moving so she didn’t get…so she stayed comfortable, kind of like a dog massage and stuff like that. But so, when she woke up…and she would be a little bit out of it. So, then Scooter…he would know when the next exit was and he’d say, okay, don't worry, we got seven minutes. Then we would get off. So, that would be sometime between 2:30 and 4:00 p.m. Now, Koa would not be normal Koa at some point; she’d be a groggier, a little bit lost Koa. But we’d still make sure this whole process went down of getting water, getting something to eat, 'cause we were breaking her meals into instead of twice a day to three times a day, broken up, separated.

 

Then we would get her out and about, moving around, get some movement. But she wasn’t as big into movement as she normally is, 'cause she was kinda still groggy. But again, it would be about a hour process of getting her fed, getting her to the potty, getting her moving around, and sometimes that would…and then getting her another round of the magical sleep dust. So, then what would happen, again, is like…yeah, if that happened at 3:00, at 4:00 we’d get back moving again. Then you would be planning…depending on if it was 3:00 or 4:00, you'd say, okay, so, then if it was…by 9:00 or 10:00 is when we need to be stopped, when it would be…the rhythm was at…so, if you stopped at 3:00, you'd say, okay, now, by 9:00, 9:30, that’s when Koa’s gonna wake up again.

 

So, again, we’d repeat the process of Scooter just driving and stopping when he needed to. Most of the time we were eating at the place we were stopping to make sure everything…the vehicle was still able to go forward. Then we would…oh, no, what we’d do is when it was time to eat dinner, we would pick a stop. Sometimes we’d see where Koa was at. Again, we’d be stopping and moving her around and stuff like that, and petting her and rubbing her and stuff. But usually she’d mostly sleep through it or just look at you and stand up in her little area and walk around. But so, we would eat and then we would pick where we're gonna stop for the night. We would look for places pet-friendly.

 

Now, we learned the first…the second…the first night it was just…we knew we were gonna stay at the place where they leave the lights on for you, and that was a really good place overall. They have hard floors, they're pet-friendly, and mostly reliable. Scooter’s stayed at multiple places where they leave the light on for you. But they don’t always come up in a search when you're eating dinner. So, that was the only place that we stopped where they left the light on for you, and it was free. The second night…again, 'cause we didn’t know the areas, either…we had other websites we were using to supplement our searching. The second night we stayed at a place that was good and it had a lot of grassy areas, and that was where Koa got to ride a elevator for the first time multiple times.

 

But it was a higher…they allowed pets, but it was a higher pet fee, like over…what we found was the sweet spot is $20…$30 and below. Which even then, you're like, I’m already paying for the room. But, whatever, we under…well, I guess we don’t understand, but…especially when you leave a light on…and there are a couple other places, but they…we didn’t encounter any of those that are 100% zero-cost for the pet, unless your pet throws a party in there or something. Okay, so, the second night, we made a mistake. So, we overpaid. Also, a lot of times…that place, maybe they even gave us a better room. But it was like, we don’t need a kitchen and stuff. But that place had a kitchen.

 

So, then we kinda learned…then the next night, we stayed at a place that was…they go by the phrase ‘Best in the West’ in a different way, and that was right in the good wheelhouse for us, 'cause it had a lot of grass, good parking…that was the last place we would stay that we had to take a elevator. After that, we learned even if it wasn’t listed on the website to ask when we checked in. But that place worked also good because it was lower…either zero or $20 or a $25 pet fee. When it’s that low, they're pretty jazzed about…I mean, Koa was a celebrity. Again, when people would find out that she was seventeen, everybody would come gather around, especially pet owners. They’d be like, I gotta meet this dog, Koa. Holy mackerel, what a angel. So, then what we’d do is…okay, so, we’d be eating; we’d decide on our place.

 

As each night passed, by…so, the first night was Leave the Light On. That was easy. The second night we said, okay, we need to have a growth opportunity or a planning opportunity here. Then after that, we learned, and while we stayed at different types of places or different brands…they were all the same, same price point, very affordable, low pet fee, not fancy at all. Some would say some were a little bit gritter, but not for us. We did check to make sure, hey, there’s not gonna be any surprise friends kissing us in the night living…we didn’t want any kissing in the night from small friends. So, that was another…is it pet friendly? Are we gonna get kissed by any mystery friends or…that are gonna…that are hiding? So, it didn’t matter to us beyond those two things.

 

Yeah, the people…we’d read the reviews, I guess is what I’m saying. We say, okay, enough people said this place is good, the recent reviews. Okay, that’s good. If three people said recent reviews…and we searched for the surprise friends kissing you in bed and none of that came up, it’s like, okay, great. We found really great people and great other customers, really…even for Scooter, an enriching experience of giving you hope in the world. So, what we’d do is we’d eat, and somewhere between 6:00, 7:00, and 8:00 — it could be as late as 8:00, but usually not that late — we would decide. So, if it was 7:00, it’d be like, okay, what’s two hours away? Okay, that town’s two and a half. Okay, we can make it, I think. Let’s just stop if Koa wakes up and do our routine then. Then, we did do that a couple times.

 

We had to stay flexible. But, basically you'd say, okay, 7:30 or 7:00…okay, so, we're gonna stop at 9:30. Then, did I go through the night process already? Basically, the night process is the morning process in reverse. Ideally you're getting there before Koa wakes up, because then Scoots could…Koa would be asleep; he’d put on The Addams Family, check into the hotel and get everything in the room, and then wake Koa up and say, hey, bud, it’s time for us to spend a hour walking around and eating and stuff. Then, that’s what they do. Sometimes we’d feed Koa outside, or if she woke up earlier, then we we’d have fed her or we’d feed her in the room. It was kinda different every time.

 

But basically it’d be like, okay, let’s just see if you can go number one or number two before dinner, and then if not, say, okay, let’s have dinner in the room. Scoots would get cleaned up while Koa was having dinner in the room and get his clothes changed. One night we did laundry 'cause he ran out of clothes. ‘Cause it ended up taking two more nights than we were…had planned just 'cause all this stuff was very time consume…it may not even sound like that. Then, this is the fun part, though. So, Koa had her blankets, her blanket, her comforter, and her emergency pads that she didn’t really need. So, she wanted…she would want to, of course, sleep in bed with Scooter, which is a new thing for her since Sophia went off to college. Koa used to sleep with Sophia and then sleep in her bed next to Scooter’s bed.

 

But when Sophia went off to college…and, you know, Koa’s seventeen. Scooter said, okay, you could sleep in my bed. Also, 'cause Scooter’s bed frame was gone and his bed was on the floor for the last month or two, it was easier for Koa. So, then at the hotels or motels, I guess they are, Scooter would get a room with the king bed, except for a couple times they were queens. But then he would set up a Koa barrier system on her side of the bed, ‘cause usually…on Leave the Light On, Scooter just put the mattress on the floor. There was room…it was a queen, but there was room to put it on the floor. All the other places, Scooter had to use an arrangement of pillows and then any other accoutrements in the room, maybe a sofa, chairs, night stands. So, on Koa’s side of the bed…'cause Koa’s older.

 

She didn’t…Scooter doesn't want her getting out of bed in a unplanned way. So, he would build a whole cocoon or a nest around the outside of the bed and then had her blanket down, and then he would put her in bed, and she would go to sleep. Now, she wouldn't…now, this is a bit like an infant, right? Because maybe during that pre-bedtime she didn’t get a chance to go to potty, or maybe she’s just on the road and had slept all day, so she’s got a little bit extra energy. So, Scooter’s sleep would have to be stretched. That’s why he would say, okay, if they were in bed by 11:00, Scooter was like…and this was the rhythm we used…11:00 local time, ideally, but a couple times it was 11:00 California time, and local time was later. The thing we found out is most of these places, their check-out times are later than hotels.

 

So, the check-out time could be 11:00 or 12:00. So, that offered…I think the second night…the third night we discovered that. It was like, okay. So, if Koa woke up and she needed to do a lot of walking at night…in the middle of the night, Scooter could say, oh, okay, that’s fine, Koa. I’m just not gonna get up at…we’ll just get on the road later. So, that kinda shortened our…that’s why our…'cause there was a lot of times Scooter slept ‘til 10:00 or maybe even 10:30 or 11:00 one day, 'cause the…with the time changes and stuff like that. But it created a much nicer environment. Then also, Scooter was like, most of the rooms…Scooter had paid the fee and they had flooring, and Scooter had everything he needed to clean.

 

He actually never had to clean, but he was like…also like, Koa, if you want to get out of bed and just cruise around the room all night long or for part of the night, you could do that while I try to sleep. It didn’t create the most…deepest sleep for Scooter, but he was able to stretch his nights out over a ten-hour night to try to get seven and a half, eight hours of sleep, just 'cause he knew. Then he used the same techniques in the podcast, right, with Koa. It’s a little bit more personal or intimate because it’s his dog, but he would talk to her and he would hold her or pet her and say, hey, don't worry, I’m right here, or I could put your…you want your blanket on you or off? Now, the interesting thing was — and I think it was this magical sleep dust — that Koa wanted to stay cool, where normally she wants to stay warm.

 

So, it’s kinda funny that if she wanted to be warm, she’d just snuggle up closer to Scooter, but she didn’t need a lot of blankets or stuff on her, which we're discovering now we're back to normal. She’s like…wants to be wrapped up, you know? But yeah, and then Scooter has a lullaby he would sing her. I’ll just do it word-by-word to close out this episode. But he would sing…especially when she would wake up on the road. He’d say, well, it’s still seven more miles, or it’s gonna take us eight minutes to get out of the car. Or when she couldn't fall asleep…he’d say, go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep, little puppy, go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep, baby Koa. Go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep, little puppy. My puppy, to go sleep. So, thanks for listening to Super-Chill Scoots. 1,400 episodes…I didn’t know that this is what we’d talk about, but…yeah, we talked about something personal, very personal, and, yeah, you got a little taste of Scooter’s journey across the country. Thanks, everybody.

 

[END OF RECORDING]

(Transcription performed by LeahTranscribes)

Personal Essay

 

History of Closets

https://www.closetsbydesign.com/a-history-of-the-closet-through-the-ages/

https://medium.com/@Leileier_Home/a-brief-history-of-built-in-closets-from-the-1800s-to-today-c9ed7306dace

https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/a-brief-history-of-the-closet-227151

 

History of the Road Trip

https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2021/07/america-on-the-road-the-family-vacation-by-car/

https://time.com/3998949/road-trip-history/

https://stuckeys.com/a-rite-of-passage-a-brief-history-of-the-american-road-trip/?srsltid=AfmBOoqLNljgN4W6H7ruAxdSauEB8Wn0Q8YNT55vOkzmrP6xrkFTDSOp

 

Motel 6 History

https://togo.hotelbusiness.com/article/motel-6-leaves-light-on-for-60-years/

https://www.nachi.org/motel-6-home-inspectors-store-wealth.htm

https://www.npr.org/2024/09/23/nx-s1-5123643/motel-6-oyo-blackstone-sold

 

History of Sidewalks

https://www.edensidewalkrepair.com/blog/from-ancient-footpaths-to-modern-sidewalks-a-history-of-sidewalks

https://blogs.oregonstate.edu/nexus/2025/03/15/the-history-and-evolution-of-sidewalks-in-urban-landscapes/

https://www.tclf.org/neglected-heritage-beneath-our-feet-documenting-historic-street-and-sidewalk-pavement-across-america

 

DOWN TO BUSINESS

I guess this is a milestone episode

More than 1,400 reasons to be thankful for making this show

Miles and miles of smiles

The lulls come from my heart

 

PLUGS

Sleep With Me Plus; SleepPhones; Story Only Feed; Rusty Biscuit Links; Emily Tat Artwork; Crisis Textline

 

SPONSORS

Helix Sleep; Zocdoc; Uncommon Goods; Everyday Dose

 

INTRO

Thoughts or feelings related to thoughts

I’m just here to hang out with you

This happens to be episode 1400

Someone else listening right now is rooting for you

“At least I’ve got that podcast guy”

Hanging out in a pleasant, silly way

Perhaps you expected something more earthy, ethereal, clinical, or cloying

Most people will not like me that, and that’s okay

sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou

Explaining the show structure

The second to last show recorded in the climb-in closet

7 years of climb-in closet

That’s longer than I recorded in the first climb-in closet

I don’t know where I’ll record in my new place, but I’ll record in my car for the time being

An episode milestone and a life milestone

A journey into the unknown

2024 and 2025 have presented a lot of growth opportunities for me

I’m really glad you’re here

 

STORY

Superchill Scoots is here, man, er, …yeah

I had hoped to record this in the climb-in closet

But I’m in a very good temporary space for now

You might hear Koa walking around in the background

I’ve generally been thinking about Koa

Superchill Scoots says to go back in time in reverse

A reverse history of the podcast

Probably a lot of navel-gazing

T-minus 1 week and 1 day to…

We’re still getting settled into our now routine

Koa, Scoots, Ray, and I arrived later on a Wednesday

This is Day 8, yeah

Talent doesn’t drive cars, only Scoots

Along for the ride

A lot of catching up on email

Scoots’s usage of his left hand is still pretty limited

His fingers will be back soon

Scooter lost his original dictation device

Koa is 17 years old

Adjusting to new life through her eyes

Koa loves daytime better than nighttime

Koa is learning some new preference areas for going

It’s a bit more freeform now

From classical music to free jazz

Koa was a sidewalk dog prior

With maybe a yard adjacent to the sidewalk

Spots to the right were more reliable going spots

The spots to the left were more for walking

The road was very busy and lacking in crosswalks

We would cross the street, but it would take time

The Rumble Strip between the sidewalk and the road (I know that’s not the right term)

Just Beboppin’

It was also very flat

Here, now, there’s not a lot of sidewalk

We’ve been doing longer strolls every other day

A very hilly thing

Koa’s never had a good sense of where to avoid to avoid a tumble

But she does seem to like some hilly areas right outside

Most of the time, she needs to warm up her music

She’s never had a warmup area right outside the door

She’s developing different zones

She has no interest in the area that Scooter had in mind

It’s fine for walking but not for music playing

The stairs in this place are not Koa-conducive

But there is a basement door, which is kind of like our old place

This home is built into a hill

The layout is not dissimilar to our old place

Koa sleeps downstairs with Scooter

Ray and I are neighbors

Ray is out there greeting neighbors

Giving out Nice To Meet You baskets

Koa used to watch The Munsters

She got tired of listening to the podcast

It started with The Addams Family

It was on a channel that played it around the clock

Then I had to choose to stream The Addams Family

Now we’ve entered a new phase

I have a car that keeps running while we’re eating

So Koa could stay in the car and listen to a show while we took care of our own business

Scooter is moving in his with brother

His brother’s TV has a different interface than Scooter is used to

It’s harder to access the Addams Family, though

But it defaults to a different older TV show streaming service

So now Scooter puts on Angela Lansbury’s Cabot Cove Adventures for Koa

Koa has rejected multiple TV shows

Koa is accepting Cabot Cove Adventures for now

Koa has no awareness of private property or roads

She wants to walk in the middle of the road and explore a whole yard

It’s a whole new world

There’s all kinds of holes and things coming out of the ground

I don’t know if holes in the ground are more of an East Coast thing

So Scoots has to stay off his phone and stay alert

Koa’s journey of crossing the country

The driving part was a breeze but we didn’t see much

Primary Objective: Get Koa from California to New York state

One exit at a time, yeah

We met with Koa’s professional

We could’ve have flown, but it would have required layovers and a long drive from the airport

The professionals are always pleasantly surprised to see Koa, especially now that she’s 17

Option 1: Give Koa some medicine and take a lot of breaks

Scooter’s gonna take a lot of breaks anyway, because his liquid consumption is off the charts

We tested out the medicine, but there was a limited amount

Koa used to love being in the car

Now she doesn’t like it as much

More of a preference than a physical thing

Lo and behold, it did work

This made her sleep very soundly (which was expected)

We quickly developed a rhythm

When Scooter got Koa, she was already an adult

She was already grown in 2012 when they met

She had a previous family whose rhythms were similar to Scooter’s life

She knows when it’s a pressing situation and needs to go outside

But once she gets outside, she forgets it’s a pressing situation

And it just turns into a stroll / music performance

We fell into a routine with consistent rhythm

An idealized version of our rhythm while traveling

Scooter starts with his morning routine before Koa wakes up

Pack the room; get everything ready for Koa; get Koa some food and water

Maybe she needs to do a musical interlude before eating

She might be groggy, but she’s still Koa being herself

Unfortunately, Ray and I are talent, so we didn’t help Scooter at all

Koa got to ride elevators, which is a new thing for her

Scooter would eat an informal breakfast in the car

Multiple trips to the car, with plenty of grass for musical interludes

Koa was in a constant exploratory mood

If Koa played one or two songs on their first trip, then that was like winning the lottery

Scooter would cry tears of joy

Then they’d go back to the car again and repeat the process with more luggage

Koa got to ride an elevator for the first time

Scooter just wants his dog to be comfortable and light and airy

Not quite apres-ski eating

A 1 – 2 hour window of this process

Roughly 2 hours after waking, Koa would be in the car, asleep

It wasn’t efficient travel

Around 3pm, Koa would wake

Around then, Scooter would keep an eye out for exits

The One Exit At A Time Strategy

She’d come to before then, but she wouldn’t be fully awake

Groggy Koa

Getting a little water and food and movement

An hourlong process

Another round of magical sleepdust

We know she’d be asleep until 9:30 or so

Around 7:30,  we would eat and then pick where we were gonna stay

The place where you leave the lights on for you

The 2nd night, we stayed at a pretty good place

Some places didn’t charge for Koa, and some did

The 2nd night, we definitely overpaid

When hotel guests and employees heard that Koa was 17, she became something of a celebrity

Growth opportunities in hotel planning

Some places were perhaps gritty, but they were fine

We didn’t get any surprise kisses from little bed friends in the night

We found so many great people and great customers

An enriching experience of giving hope in the world

Ideally, we’d get there before Koa wakes up

He’d get the room ready while Koa watched The Addams Family

Koa had her blankets and comforters

Koa used to sleep with Sophia

But Scooter no longer had a bedframe, so Koa would sleep in the bed with him

A Koa Bed Boundary system

He didn’t want her getting out of bed in an unplanned way

Sometimes she’d be a little like an infant

Different potty times or different times to go outside

So Scooter’s sleep got a little stretched

There were consistently later checkout times, which was helpful

So Scooter would get up later

Scooter would do like a personalized podcast for Koa

Koa wanted to stay cool, I think because of the magical sleep dust

Scooter has a lullaby that he would sing to Koa

I’ll just speak the words

Go to sleep, little puppy

Thanks for listening

 

SUMMARY:

Episode: 1400

Title: Koa & Scooter's Excellent Adventure

Plugs: Sleep With Me Plus; SleepPhones; Story Only Feed; Rusty Biscuit Links; Emily Tat Artwork; Crisis Textline

Sponsors: Helix Sleep; Zocdoc; Uncommon Goods; Everyday Dose

Notable Language:

• Earthy, Ethereal, Clinical, Cloying
• A lot of navel-gazing
• Along for the ride
• The Rumble Strip 
• Just Beboppin’
• Nice To Meet You Baskets
• One exit at a time, yeah
• An idealized version of our rhythm
• Apres-ski
• Pleine aire
• The One Exit At A Time Strategy
• Groggy Koa
• A Koa Bed Boundary system

 

Notable Culture:

• • sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou

• The Munsters

• • The Addams Family
  • Angela Lansbury

• Jessica Fletcher’s Cabot Cove Adventures

• Murder, She Wrote

• Three’s Company

• Motel 6
• Best Western

 

Notable Talking Points:

• Thoughts or feelings related to thoughts
• I’m just here to hang out with you
• This happens to be episode 1400
• Someone else listening right now is rooting for you
• “At least I’ve got that podcast guy”
• Hanging out in a pleasant, silly way
• Perhaps you expected something more earthy, ethereal, clinical, or cloying
• Most people will not like me that, and that’s okay
• sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou
• Explaining the show structure
• The second to last show recorded in the climb-in closet
• 7 years of climb-in closet
• That’s longer than I recorded in the first climb-in closet
• I don’t know where I’ll record in my new place, but I’ll record in my car for the time being
• An episode milestone and a life milestone
• A journey into the unknown
• 2024 and 2025 have presented a lot of growth opportunities for me
• I’m really glad you’re here
• Superchill Scoots is here, man, er, …yeah
• I had hoped to record this in the climb-in closet
• But I’m in a very good temporary space for now
• You might hear Koa walking around in the background
• I’ve generally been thinking about Koa
• Superchill Scoots says to go back in time in reverse
• A reverse history of the podcast
• Probably a lot of navel-gazing
• T-minus 1 week and 1 day to…
• We’re still getting settled into our now routine
• Koa, Scoots, Ray, and I arrived later on a Wednesday
• This is Day 8, yeah
• Talent doesn’t drive cars, only Scoots
• Along for the ride
• A lot of catching up on email
• Scoots’s usage of his left hand is still pretty limited
• His fingers will be back soon
• Scooter lost his original dictation device
• Koa is 17 years old
• Adjusting to new life through her eyes
• Koa loves daytime better than nighttime
• Koa is learning some new preference areas for going
• It’s a bit more freeform now
• From classical music to free jazz
• Koa was a sidewalk dog prior
• With maybe a yard adjacent to the sidewalk
• Spots to the right were more reliable going spots
• The spots to the left were more for walking
• The road was very busy and lacking in crosswalks
• We would cross the street, but it would take time
• The Rumble Strip between the sidewalk and the road (I know that’s not the right term)
• Just Beboppin’
• It was also very flat
• Here, now, there’s not a lot of sidewalk
• We’ve been doing longer strolls every other day
• A very hilly thing
• Koa’s never had a good sense of where to avoid to avoid a tumble
• But she does seem to like some hilly areas right outside
• Most of the time, she needs to warm up her music
• She’s never had a warmup area right outside the door
• She’s developing different zones
• She has no interest in the area that Scooter had in mind
• It’s fine for walking but not for music playing
• The stairs in this place are not Koa-conducive
• But there is a basement door, which is kind of like our old place
• This home is built into a hill
• The layout is not dissimilar to our old place
• Koa sleeps downstairs with Scooter
• Ray and I are neighbors
• Ray is out there greeting neighbors
• Giving out Nice To Meet You baskets
• Koa used to watch The Munsters
• She got tired of listening to the podcast
• It started with The Addams Family
• It was on a channel that played it around the clock
• Then I had to choose to stream The Addams Family
• Now we’ve entered a new phase
• I have a car that keeps running while we’re eating
• So Koa could stay in the car and listen to a show while we took care of our own business
• Scooter is moving in his with brother
• His brother’s TV has a different interface than Scooter is used to
• It’s harder to access the Addams Family, though
• But it defaults to a different older TV show streaming service
• So now Scooter puts on Angela Lansbury’s Cabot Cove Adventures for Koa
• Koa has rejected multiple TV shows
• Koa is accepting Cabot Cove Adventures for now
• Koa has no awareness of private property or roads
• She wants to walk in the middle of the road and explore a whole yard
• It’s a whole new world
• There’s all kinds of holes and things coming out of the ground
• I don’t know if holes in the ground are more of an East Coast thing
• So Scoots has to stay off his phone and stay alert
• Koa’s journey of crossing the country
• The driving part was a breeze but we didn’t see much
• Primary Objective: Get Koa from California to New York state
• One exit at a time, yeah
• We met with Koa’s professional
• We could’ve have flown, but it would have required layovers and a long drive from the airport
• The professionals are always pleasantly surprised to see Koa, especially now that she’s 17
• Option 1: Give Koa some medicine and take a lot of breaks
• Scooter’s gonna take a lot of breaks anyway, because his liquid consumption is off the charts
• We tested out the medicine, but there was a limited amount
• Koa used to love being in the car
• Now she doesn’t like it as much
• More of a preference than a physical thing
• Lo and behold, it did work
• This made her sleep very soundly (which was expected)
• We quickly developed a rhythm
• When Scooter got Koa, she was already an adult
• She was already grown in 2012 when they met
• She had a previous family whose rhythms were similar to Scooter’s life
• She knows when it’s a pressing situation and needs to go outside
• But once she gets outside, she forgets it’s a pressing situation
• And it just turns into a stroll / music performance
• We fell into a routine with consistent rhythm
• An idealized version of our rhythm while traveling
• Scooter starts with his morning routine before Koa wakes up
• Pack the room; get everything ready for Koa; get Koa some food and water
• Maybe she needs to do a musical interlude before eating
• She might be groggy, but she’s still Koa being herself
• Unfortunately, Ray and I are talent, so we didn’t help Scooter at all
• Koa got to ride elevators, which is a new thing for her
• Scooter would eat an informal breakfast in the car
• Multiple trips to the car, with plenty of grass for musical interludes
• Koa was in a constant exploratory mood
• If Koa played one or two songs on their first trip, then that was like winning the lottery
• Scooter would cry tears of joy
• Then they’d go back to the car again and repeat the process with more luggage
• Koa got to ride an elevator for the first time
• Scooter just wants his dog to be comfortable and light and airy
• Not quite apres-ski eating
• A 1 – 2 hour window of this process
• Roughly 2 hours after waking, Koa would be in the car, asleep
• It wasn’t efficient travel
• Around 3pm, Koa would wake
• Around then, Scooter would keep an eye out for exits
• The One Exit At A Time Strategy
• She’d come to before then, but she wouldn’t be fully awake
• Groggy Koa
• Getting a little water and food and movement
• An hourlong process
• Another round of magical sleepdust
• We know she’d be asleep until 9:30 or so
• Around 7:30,  we would eat and then pick where we were gonna stay
• The place where you leave the lights on for you
• The 2nd night, we stayed at a pretty good place
• Some places didn’t charge for Koa, and some did
• The 2nd night, we definitely overpaid
• When hotel guests and employees heard that Koa was 17, she became something of a celebrity
• Growth opportunities in hotel planning
• Some places were perhaps gritty, but they were fine
• We didn’t get any surprise kisses from little bed friends in the night
• We found so many great people and great customers
• An enriching experience of giving hope in the world
• Ideally, we’d get there before Koa wakes up
• He’d get the room ready while Koa watched The Addams Family
• Koa had her blankets and comforters
• Koa used to sleep with Sophia
• But Scooter no longer had a bedframe, so Koa would sleep in the bed with him
• A Koa Bed Boundary system
• He didn’t want her getting out of bed in an unplanned way
• Sometimes she’d be a little like an infant
• Different potty times or different times to go outside
• So Scooter’s sleep got a little stretched
• There were consistently later checkout times, which was helpful
• So Scooter would get up later
• Scooter would do like a personalized podcast for Koa
• Koa wanted to stay cool, I think because of the magical sleep dust
• Scooter has a lullaby that he would sing to Koa
• I’ll just speak the words
• Go to sleep, little puppy
• Thanks for listening