1349 – Fun-for-all March | Good & Ruth

Episode 1349 – Fun-for-all March | Good & Ruth

 

[START OF RECORDING]

 

SCOOTER: Hey everybody, this episode is part personal essay, part story thing, and it does have some references to personal stuff, including my mom’s journey over the rainbow bridge to the big farm in the sky, and while it’ll be really sleepy and stuff, just in case that kinda stuff sticks out to you, you probably want to skip it. But otherwise, here we go.

 

Friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it’s time for the podcaster whose beard has been shorn. It wasn’t actually…shorn stubble. Why is that important? Well, just in case my…that don’t call that grizzle, do they? It kinda…you look…how come they don’t call it…? If you look grizzled, that means you're in a state of wearing something grizzle…? No. You know what I say? They say, you look grizzled. I mean, they may not say it to you, luckily, but haggard is another one I’ve heard before. Scoots, what, are you a time traveller from 1820? Is that when they used those words, grizzled, haggard? This is a podcast that tries to help you so even if you time traveled, you’d be well rested, and they’d say, wow, you…normally if you're well rested, they can't put a finger…they say, you look great.

 

Wow, there’s something…there’s a pep in your step. Again, Scoots, are you going to the…what, are you going to the 1950’s ad agencies now with a pep in your step? Put a pep in your step with peppermint. Yeah, we…I try…I went back, and they said, that’s not a customer of ours. That’s just a thing. I mean, maybe peppermint’s an invented thing, too. I don't know. Good thing I don't know much…oh, boy. Believe it or not, this is the beginning of a sleep podcast. Did I even say ‘friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls’? I’m glad you're here. This is a podcast to be your friend in the deep, dark night, to keep you company while you fall asleep.

 

I’m here to bore you off into dreamland or bore you so you don’t have to think about going off into dreamland, but also to keep you company and take your mind off of stuff. So, if you're new, I’m glad you're here. If you're a regular listener, I’m so glad you're here and back. There’s something about you. You're the opposite of haggard and grizzled. You've been de-grizzled. Have you been de-haggard? Un-haggard; I guess it would be un-haggard. De-grizzled and un-haggard. The podcast that de-grizzles and un-haggards, and no…a pep in the step’s a little bit too much. What would you say if…? Pre…it puts a pre-pep in your step. No, that doesn't work? Well, I’m glad you're here.

 

Welcome to Sleep With Me. What we got coming up is support so paying for the show is optional, then a long, meandering intro meant to ease you into bedtime, and then we’ll have a bedtime story based on an idea I had that I never followed through on. Or, actually, an idea I was following through on, and then I chose to work on this podcast and keep it going. So, it came out…it’s been on my mind. So, anyway, I’m glad you're here and I appreciate you coming by.

 

Here’s a couple ways we're able to help you fall asleep. But it’s really other listeners that support the show directly, support these sponsors, or take the time to share about the podcast, and I’m forever grateful to all of you that do that because when times get tough, I know you're there doing it for me, so I really appreciate it. That way we can help everybody out there fall asleep. So, thanks so much, and, yeah, here’s a couple ways we get to do this for you twice a week.

 

INTRO: [INTRO MUSIC] Hey, are you up all night tossing, turning, mind racing? Trouble getting to sleep? Trouble staying asleep? Well, 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, things you're thinking about, thoughts about the past, the present, the future, thinking thoughts, it could be feelings, anything…any feelings related to those thoughts or feelings that are just there, feelings that are coming up, whatever it is.

 

Feelings, it could be physical sensations, changes in time, temperature, routine, you could be going through something, getting over something, you work a different work schedule, traveling, maybe you have guests. Whatever it is, I’m really glad you're here. I really hope I can help you with whatever it is that’s keeping you awake. The only reason I run through some of that stuff is so you know you're not alone, that you know that there’s other people out there in the deep, dark night that get it. I’m not really here to put you to sleep or to teach you how to fall asleep. I’m here to keep you company and be your friend in the deep, dark night while you fall asleep.

 

The only reason I’m qualified to do that…well, or…well, the reason I’m qualified to do it is 'cause I have trouble getting to the point and I’m a natural rambler and I have a bit of a mixed-up brain. But the reason I choose to do this and that I care about it so much is because I’ve been there; trouble getting to sleep, trouble staying asleep, trouble waking up early. Yeah, last night it was the first two, and then it was the third, but then I wanted to sleep later than I normally did, but my brain said, no, no, it’s time to get up at a normal time. I said, alright, yeah, I guess that’s…oh, man. So…and that’s the mild versions, right?

 

I know what it feels like when you really want to sleep, you really need the sleep to make your life more manageable, and you can't get it, and I want to help with that if I can, mostly to take your mind off of it so you could fall asleep or so that it doesn't feel so heavy and pressure-laden, and also so you feel like someone out there understands what you're going through and that it’s unpleasant and that it matters to somebody else, because the fact is it does matter to me. You might say, well, you don’t…I say, well, I’ve been through something similar and I know how it feels for me, so I think I can feel how it feels for you. But the thing is, there’s a lot of other people listening across the globe. So, there’s someone else out there right now who can also relate to where you are and who’s been through something very similar.

 

They discovered the show, became a regular listener, and they said, man, I didn’t know there was something out there like this. I hope it helps you like it helped me, and I’m really glad you're here. That’s what that listener is thinking about, you, 'cause they go, man, I know…that was something like what I go through and I know what it’s like, and…yeah, or I’m going through it or I’ve been through it. So, they hope…like, man, I hope this…if this podcast helps you like it helped me, then maybe one day you'll be thinking of the new listener and welcoming them in and getting those good feelings that that person’s getting right now, right? Yeah, I know; I see you making space for the new listener, and it’s nice to be a part of something indirect without a lot of pressure where we have an understanding.

 

We share something that we can't quite describe. So, that’s why…one of the reasons I do this. The other reason is you deserve a bedtime where you could get the rest you need so your life is more manageable, so that…a bedtime you don’t have to dread, 'cause I’m starting to right now, and a bedtime you don’t have to start dreading…like, when the weekend starts, you're already thinking about Sunday. You deserve a bedtime you could look forward to or at least feel neutral about, right, and say, well, at least I got that dude rambling on and on and on about nothing to keep me company. He’s kind of a goofball, and that’s a nice option. Or at least you're like, well…Scoots, this is like…like an honor for me where most people would maybe be offended or take it as…you say, Scoots; he’s better than nothing, man.

 

Oh boy, that Sleep With Me podcast…this is like a rave review of Sleep With Me; oh boy, five stars. It’s better than nothing and all the other stuff I tried and spent thousands of dollars on, too. But, oh boy, it’s almost better than nothing, Sleep With Me podcast. Shooting for the stars. I don't know, you'll get it if you get it. If you don’t, that’s okay, too, because this podcast isn't for everybody, right? I have a website set up in case it’s not for you. It’s sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou. If this podcast isn't for you, that’s totally cool. It’s just not for everybody, right? It’s an acquired taste of people that are looking for something a little bit different, a bore-friend that’s silly and…it’s like, it’s better than a roommate 'cause I have no…you don’t have to say, did you clean that up? Nope, it was never…I just send the podcast.

 

Did you leave any crumbs? No, a digital podcast or whatever…I don't know if it’s a digital podcast, but I like to say that. It’s been years since I said, the old…it’s the old, digital podcast. No crumbs included. So, it takes some getting used to. So, you could check out sleepwithmepodcast.com, but most people…it takes two or three tries to get used to the show. That’s what regular listeners, like superfans, say. Two weeks don’t go by where I don't hear from someone that’s paying their money to support the show, and they say, oh yeah, I checked out the podcast five years ago and I was like, this guy is…I have strong, negative feelings about this guy. Then I said…I talked to my aunt or my cousin or somebody, and they said, are you sure about that?

 

Then I tried it again three or four years later on this next phase of my life, and…wow, I didn’t realize that you were serious when you said whatever you said earlier; Sleep With Me is always going nowhere, never gets started, that when you said ‘better than nothing’, you meant it with conviction. Most people when they say ‘better than nothing’, they mean it with conviction in another way. But, yeah, you say, I don't know what else is…where you say, well, it’s better than nothing. I mean, usually it’s something…at least for me, my internal nana says to me, you're not appreciating this even though it’s better than nothing. Coal would be an example in…for the holiday season. Well, at least you got coal. It actually has a practical use, and you could play with it. Don’t play with it in my house, though, 'cause that’s real coal.

 

It’s not fake coal. Okay, great. Coal; it’s better than nothing. You need to learn to appreciate things. I’d say, yeah, nana, I get that coal’s a lot better than nothing and it has practical use. I did ask for whatever the toy was. Could have got a sweater. I mean, coal’s better than a sweater. You're right about that. Okay, so, most people don’t like…or, when you get here, you're probably not gonna like the show. You're probably gonna be skeptical or doubtful, and it just takes some time to get used to. See how it goes. What I do here is I send my voice across the deep, dark night. I use lulling, soothing, creaky, dulcet tones, pointless meanders, and superfluous tangents. So, I go off topic, I get mixed up, then I forget what I was talking about, then I repeat myself and I go on…I run around in a bunch of circles.

 

That’s pointless meanders and superfluous tangents, and my voice is not traditionally soothing. It’s creaky, dulcet tones. So, that’s one thing. This is also a podcast that you kinda just barely listen to. So, it’s kinda like something you put on as background noise or that you're like, well, what’s this show about? Well, it’s about stamp collecting and the history of stamp collecting. Alright, perfect. I’m gonna put it on and…if someone tells you that during the day that it’s their favorite thing and they say, please check it out, you say, sure, I’ll check it out at bedtime. No offense. I’m just use…I’m just making a metaphor. You say, wow, this is in-depth coverage about adhesives, this one, and it’s two hours long. Maybe I’ll put it on while I’m getting comfortable here. It’s also soothing, the way they're talking about it.

 

So, the podcast is a bit like that, but it’s more to slightly engage you until you're…become disengaged. It’s also not here to put you to sleep. I’m here to keep you company while you fall asleep. There is no pressure to fall asleep with this show. I’m gonna be here over an hour so you don’t gotta worry about falling asleep. You don’t gotta say, well, what about in thirty minutes? What if I’m not asleep then? Yeah, it’s…I’m here to keep you company in case you can't sleep at all, like for the people that sleep or the people that need a break during the day or that wake up multiple times.

 

I’m here to the very end to keep you and them company and take your mind off of stuff even if you can't sleep at all or if you sleep right through it, because my job is to be your bore-friend, your bore-sib, your bore-bae, your bore-bud, your neigh-bore, your bore-bestie, your Borbie, your boreman, your…what is that? Boris Borlaf, your best bore-friend f’eva. Really, I’m on-call to keep you company and to just give you something barely amusing to listen to so you could fall asleep. So, that’s a couple things that don’t work for people or take some getting used to; my personality, my style, style and structure of the show, the fact that you kinda barely listen but it’s not here to put you to sleep.

 

The other thing that throws people off is the structure of the show, because once you become a listener or Sleep With Me on a regular basis, then you kinda start to develop preferences, and…but most people are…they listen in a way where they just listen to these ad-supported versions linearly as they come out. Then there’s a more…then there’s listeners that have preferences, right? I do my best to make the show work for everybody. So, the show starts off with a greeting, right? Friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and then I fay…fay something silly…say something silly so you feel like, okay, I could check that show out. It doesn't seem so bad. It seems like it’s better than nothing, so I’ll check it out.

 

Then there’s support so that paying for the podcast is optional. Some people just prefer to listen to a ad…or, well, the majority of people prefer to listen to something free and ad-supported. If you prefer something ad-free or more customizable, you could get that at Sleep With Me+. Then there’s a long, meandering intro after the support that is not part of the support. It’s a show within a show — we’re like, fifteen, eighteen minutes into it now — where I try to explain what the podcast is but I go on and on and on, and I do it in a similar way every time, but it’s different every time. The purpose that serves is to ease you into bedtime. So, you could listen while you're getting ready for bed, while you're in bed getting comfortable, or doing some other chill activity.

 

Kinda just see as…as you develop a bedtime routine, Sleep With Me and the intro could be a part of the bed…your wind-down routine, because that’s just what’s been shown to work and works for me personally. So, the intro is not a sponsor part or…it’s just a twenty-minute hang-out with rambles. A couple percentage of people fall asleep during the intro, but most people enjoy it or barely…right, barely enjoy it. This podcast is better than nothing. It’s barely enjoyable. So, they're kind of enjoying it or they're kind of listening. If you want something without intros, you could get that at Bedtime Stories from Sleep With Me. That’s just stories. Or on Sleep With Me+, there’s all different versions of the show. But the intro’s meant to ease you into bedtime or be like a buffer.

 

Then there’s support and then there will be our bedtime story. Tonight will be kind of this movie pitch idea, describing some characters…it’ll be really…a lot of tangents and a lot of me trying to remember stuff and stuff like that. So, yeah, that’s why I make the show, to help you out if you've been in a place like I’ve been in. I love being able to help somebody else that hurts like I do or has hurt like I do, and because I believe you need that rest so your life is more manageable.

 

So, that’s why I make the show. Believe it or not, it’s actually a lot of work to make the show. There’s more than me behind this podcast. There’s…a lot of other people work hard on it to make it sound free and easy or whatever. But I’m really glad you're here. I work hard; so do a bunch of other people, 'cause we yearn and strive to help you fall asleep. So, thanks again for coming by, and here’s a couple ways we're able to do it for you regularly twice a week. Thanks.

 

Alright everybody, Scoots here. This is Part 2. I don't know if this will be…how many parts this will be, but the first part of this episode was recorded a while ago, and it’s years in Sleep With Me’s terms, which is like ten months, probably. I don't know, I don't have in front of me the date I recorded it, but it was definitely recorded before the summer of 2024, the late spring of 2024. If you follow the show closely…if you're new, don't worry about it. My mom made a journey over the rainbow bridge to the big farm in the sky. So, I recorded this before it, which is interesting because we're gonna get into the story pitch. I don't know, like a lot of things in Sleep With Me, we tend to handle stuff that’s archetypal or common and relatable in sleepy ways, and this will be another idea about it.

 

But the first episode…we kinda covered inspiration from the movies…from the movie Bottoms, and where the kinda genesis of the story came from before we got to the story and kind of a dream team to make the movie with. I don't share that…obviously it’s like a dream, but it’s also to kinda help put some pictures in your head. I have alternate cast ideas, too, but we're gonna go with this lead, which is Rachel Sennott, and imagine Emma Seligman is directing and kinda rewrite…you know, whatever, putting some magic on the story. But we're gonna jump back to the story pitch to start, and I may have pitched this story before, but it has a very real, grounded…and it’s just kinda interesting after my new life experiences I had a wonderful opportunity to grow through.

 

But this pitch starts back, as I kinda talked about in the first episode, with Scoots who was on the out…on the outs in the sense I was out there. I wasn’t live…really, truly living my life. I was kind of waiting for my life to come to me and self-medicating and escaping. But there was stuff out there that was starting the pull. For me, it’s always been a very…I’m a slow, slow learner, and so…but this was part…in my slow-learning phase, but also, when you talk about the history of episodes and stuff, this was when I was a protector of stone fruit, which is a older episode of Sleep With Me, and I had a job protecting stone fruit from flying friends that are visiting the state of California. Actually, I wasn’t even protecting the stone fruit; I was part of the system protecting it by monitoring the stone fruit. So, this job involved a lot of driving.

 

I had a small pickup truck. Maybe if you're in California, you see these small pickup trucks. They have a big water tank on the back, a plastic one, and I’d drive that around Oakland all day long. Alls it had was a radio. Now, at some point…and this was early smart-phone era. So, at some point I did get my first smart phone, which was a Palm 1. Even then it was kinda difficult to use it, because it was like…I don't even think it was the 3G era. I don't know what came before 3G, but the early days of podcasts and streaming non-radio stuff. So, at some point I was able to do that, listen to what I kinda wanted to listen to, at least sporadically. But at this particular time, I was just listening to the radio. This was already after the consolidation of radio here in the US.

 

So, listening to music on the radio was…you couldn't do that 'cause we were working ten-hour days. So, you couldn't listen to music on the radio for ten hours. You just could…or I couldn't do it. So, that meant NPR or…I couldn't really do talk radio. Sometimes…I guess I think I had already burned myself out of sports talk radio with another driving job, and before that, I burned myself out of talk radio. So, you would kind of…and you'd talk about this with your coworkers. As far as something narrative to listen to or people talking, that was your only option. You kinda had some good spots during the day, right? Fresh Air was on, then there would be other shows where it would depend on the guests and stuff like that. But, yeah, so, some of your day was built around the distraction of…Science Friday; holy moly.

 

If we…we didn’t usually work on Fridays, but if we did, we were happy about it. But so, whatever, I was listening to a lot of NPR or public radio. Not just NPR; public radio. My apologies. So, at one…now, this is only important because between segments on NPR…public radio shows, particularly, they’ll have a music bumper, right, or music playing between the two segments or whatever, or music playing when they don’t have anything to run, like some sort of update or…what do they call them? Underwriting or whatever. So, I can almost picture where I was, though now it’s become a place that…a dream place that…it was on a street in Oakland or near…and I think near the Oakland and Berkeley border. No, in the…within probably a few miles.

 

No…yeah, and it was a street that I’m pretty sure was going east/west, and it was more…not downtown Oakland but still some density where…it wasn’t a suburban-type street. So, I remember I was sitting my truck either doing paperwork — we had a lot of paperwork to do in-between stops — or thinking of my next stop. One radio…one segment ended, and the bumper music they played was a marching band playing…I believe it’s Edgar Winter, the Edgar Winter song, Frankie, dedicated to Dr. Frankenstein. I guess I can say Frankenstein. But yeah, that song. Now, that’s a song that Phish covers, so it’s a song I’m very familiar with, and it’s a pretty good song. It’s an instrumental-only song in all of its things, and it was only a segment of it.

 

But it’s a very distinct song. Once you get to know it, you know it when you hear it. It’s a cool song. You should check it out. I was like, this is so cool, this marching band playing Frankenstein. Just for a few seconds, it put a smile on my face, but it made me think of my father, right? So, I guess as far as the story pitch goes, the only important part of that other than making a sleep podcast is that I heard a marching band playing the Edgar Winter song, Frankenstein, and I thought of my father. I thought, man, he would like this. The reason I thought of my father is that he’s big into marching band music. He was in a marching…he was in bands.

 

He grew up in the Bronx. I’ll have to ask him more right now 'cause I don't really know…I don't remember much, but I know he was in…I don't know if they call them marching bands, 'cause I’m not…I don't have the talent or the…I never could follow through, so I was never in any kind of band. I mean, I was temporarily in a band playing bass, but that didn’t last 'cause I didn’t have a bass of my own, I didn’t have an amp, and I didn’t have…even when I tried to…anyway, not important. Let’s not make it about me. But my dad, he likes listening to marching band music. Not all the time, but anytime I’ve…over the past twenty-five years, especially with digital music, been like, what are you listen…? Or, let me see what music you got. It’s like marching band…I don't know, drum major music? I don't know what you call it.

 

But in this particular situation, a marching band is key, marching band music. So, I pictured my dad. Hey, I really like marching band music, right? Now, this was before I had the podcast or anything like that, but I was always someone…my mind is just imagining a lot of the time. So, I started this imaginary thread right there in the moment, thinking of my dad and then imagining, well, what if my dad said to me — and not in writing, which is also key — hey, when I make that journey to the big farm in the sky, I want a marching band at my services. Just so you know, my mom did not make any of these requests, so none of these were filled because she said, that sounds really loud and annoying. That’s nice for your father. Make sure…so, now it’s possible. But so…and then, so, I imagined that, right?

 

This is just imagining, not quite making a story, which is a little bit different. But then I imagined…okay, so, he’s gone. He only told this to me, so I check with imaginary siblings or whatever, archetypal versions of my siblings, and I say, well, we're on a call or whatever in this imagination zone. I say, hey, you know what dad told me, is he wants a marching band at his services…and then imagining everyone else on planet Earth, including my siblings, being like, what is…? No, no. There’s no way, one. I mean, maybe he would, but no. No, this is not possible. So, that was just one of the things I was…I don't know, I was just imagining it, almost like a thought experiment, I guess; oh, that would be interesting. I guess it kinda ended there.

 

Maybe I delved more into like, oh, this is a interesting story or something, but I kinda forgot about it. I don't know what the time that elapsed was. Probably not that much, but I remember…again, I talked about this in the first episode. So, then I was trying to do stuff, and I started taking community college classes. I was taking this narrative script-writing class at Berkeley City College with Joey Zanders, and any project that gets made based on that doesn't need to get…I don't have to share anything with them, but that class was where the idea came up in, even though this isn't a movie. So, this is…I mean, this is just a sleep podcast. But that’s where the idea started.

 

So, then at some point when I signed up for this narrative…this class…and I’m pretty sure it was NS1, the…Joey, the teacher, she said, yeah, so, you're gonna have to come up with an idea and a pitch, and you're gonna have to pitch the class on a story you want to kinda break for this class. I was a lot older than most of the people in the class. There were a few people within my age range, and then a few people that were college-age, and then people kinda in-between. Don’t know if there was anybody older than me, but maybe one or two years older, people that I knew or became…got to know. But so, I guess I learned from past mistakes not to…trying to come up with too good an idea. I don't know how else to describe it. But even in college or…I took another short writing…short story class.

 

I guess…or in search of the perfect idea, I guess, that would impress your teacher, your classmates, and…I don't know. But also, I was like, holy cow, what idea am I gonna come up with? I thought about the other stuff I tried to write or the other story ideas I came up with. Also, the pain of just trying to come up with too witty or perfect an idea kinda led me…I don't know, it got…it was another place I got really lucky in the sense that however it played out, which I don't really remember, it didn’t play out in some well-adjusted way where I was like, let’s not come up with the perfect idea. I don't know exactly what happened, but it mostly happened by accident or whatever you want to call it, synchronicity. It was not me in charge. The story swamp was in charge.

 

But at some point, because of the deadline pressure and the fact we had to come up with a idea, I was like, huh, what about that idea you had in the truck about the marching band? At some point, that became an idea. I guess I probably wrote it out before the day we were supposed to present it, because by the time I presented it…I kinda talked about it and I’ll present it as the start…where our story begins, right, though we do have the second character…we don’t have a cast yet, so…and I’m trying to think of…so, with Rachel Sennott as our lead…Sennott; not in the Senate. Not Senator Rachel Sennott, but as our imaginary lead. We do have to recontextualize some stuff, but whatever. It also…I mean, I definitely have…for our third character, I know exactly who would be perfect for it.

 

So, here’s the thing; so…where are we? So…okay, so, I had to pitch this idea. So, now I’m gonna pitch it to you just like I did without…I don't think I pitched the second story part yet, but maybe I did. I don't know. But I’ll try to pitch…and then we’ll try to work on who’s this other character now. But, okay, so…huh. Well, I don't even remember the characters’ names. I remember the other character’s name. Man, I don't remember the main character’s name. I’m trying to think of a good name 'cause it’s gonna be important. I wish I knew. So, we’ll have to think of that because I’m on the spot. I mean, 'cause I don't want to put a temporary name on it. If the name pops in my head, I’ll go with it. That’s good. Let’s say Good for now.

 

So…okay, so…well, okay, let me…let’s go with where I think the story’s at now, too. I think before the beginning credits run…now, where the story’s at now, will be a trailer. It’ll be confusing 'cause it’ll be a cold open of this trailer. Now, the trailer’s not for a movie, but it’s a movie-level quality trailer. In the trailer, you see…this, by the way, inspired by something else. This is inspired by the movie Scrooged. If you remember, pretty early in the movie Scrooged…or maybe it’s the cold open of Scrooge. I don't think it is. There’s a trailer for the…A Christmas Carol they're doing. It kinda shows times are tough, tougher than when Scrooge was around, even. That’s why we need Scrooge.

 

So, this trailer will have somewhat of that tone, not quite as dim…dimming-of-the-lights tone, but it’ll start to show that in the world of unpredictability and chaos and stuff, just so you know, there’s…that’s…but don't worry; there’s a place. Then it’ll start to show this very idyllic setting, which is the setting for…at least at this time, Big Farm in the Sky PI, Season 2 happens in this imaginary place. It was a place I had already designed. It was based on a real place. So, this trailer will show adults over fifty-five in this idyllic setting, happy, doing activities, enjoying community, and living their lives in a very idyllic way in a fantasy land. Then it’ll say, The Townes…whatever. I don't have it written, but your piece of paradise, whatever. Townes has an E on the end; The Townes. It’s in Florida, and that’s where G and DK moved in for Season 2.

 

So, we’ve already spent some time in The Townes, but there will be a trailer for The Townes, just setting it. Then things will switch and we’ll see Good, and she will be…and this changed a couple times, but in the most recent writing which was years…seven or eight years ago…I think, again, just influenced by stuff I consumed, she’s a…she’s at a bar. In this version, it’s like a bar…a ski…a bar for the local skiers and all the employees of the ski resort. This never comes up again, but Good is there, and Good is holding court, fairly intoxicated; not destroyed. Just enough intoxicated to be lively, and Good is holding court, whatever it is, at a bar, like standing on the bar, leading people in song or judging some sort of…most ridiculous onesie outfit or finishing up…I don't know. I think karaoke is probably past.

 

But Good is holding court and everyone is enthralled. Good is the star of the show and having a good time. Most…key is wow, this is a person I want to be, man. That’s…I mean, well, I guess I would…I’d say, that’s a lifestyle I would aspire to have that I actually tried and could never attain, but idealized, right? Okay, then we're gonna set aside the sibling stuff for now other than the fact that one…this…Good has a sibling. In this current version of the story, it’s a sister, and we’ll get into the sister at some point because it is kind of part of the beginning of the movie. But this is just a long, drawn-out story pitch right now, which…I should have just pitched the story part. But, I don't know, this is the beginning of the movie, already…it all came from the story swamp to me. Again, I didn’t make the beginning of the movie.

 

I had trouble with the parts that didn’t…that I had to search the story swamp for, and that’s why we're coming back to this. Okay, so, Good is holding court. Then Good’s phone starts buzzing, and it’s the sister and…their sister. Whatever the situation…Good says, hold on, and she has enough sway that either the bar quiets down or…she answers, and she could just hear. Maybe…and her sister says, what, what? Hold on. What’s so important? This is the important part; the sister says, you got…it’s dad. What about dad? Well, you know, didn’t you get the other message? Why didn’t you follow…? Some long, simmering tension. But the sister wants to get to the point and says, okay, well, it doesn't matter. You gotta get home now. I already booked you a flight. Your flight leaves…this, this, this.

 

You gotta get to the airport. Well, why? Do you want to see dad? This is your chance to see dad. He wants to see you. So, just don’t miss the flight. It’s the last flight to Florida tonight. Just get here, and I’ll pick you up at the airport. The sister’s also stern and irritated. Good is like…we see a break in the…we see something between her and the sister but also her and her father, but also some potential, right? Even though the fog is there…like a brief break. Then in a brief…a split-second opening of a real person, a real heroine, but then quickly that closes, right? Good goes back to the thing and…but says, hey, I gotta…whatever, festivities have to close early. I’ve been called to more important things.

 

Then maybe we see a montage of…but we get to the airport and we see Good going through, whatever, going through the airport or whatever. Also, not totally…at this part of the movie, we want to see…okay, this…why are they even showing us this? Ideally I would want…briefly, especially for movie people or people…like, why are we…? This is so dumb. Who cares that they're at the airport? They're somewhat responsible. It’s not…maybe there’s some cracks, but it’s not like…Good has successfully gotten to the airport, maybe a little bit late or whatever. Those…whatever. Those are details. But Good gets to the airport, gets through security, right, and then there’s relief.

 

If it’s anything like most of us, it’s like, okay…Good checks the board and it says up there, flight whatever to Florida delayed but not cancelled. It’s delayed, like, whatever…oh, phew, alright, my flight’s delayed. Then the next thing is the airport bar. Again, this movie isn't about this. It’s just about the character. So, I don't know, I mean, just because I’m making it, it’s not really about this issue. I guess it could be, but I don't think…I don't know if it needs to be. But so, Good goes to the airport bar. Now, you could even make it so that you can see the gate from the airport bar. Good goes in. I feel like this needs to take place at a table or whatever, and maybe the bar is somewhat busy, not at the bar itself; maybe a corner booth, but…and this, again, is a detail that we could work out.

 

But there’s another woman in the bar, not the same age as Good; more…originally it was someone much older, but now I feel like it’s someone my age that looks much younger than me, though, obviously, because it’s just…I say, if we're gonna dream, we're gonna dream big, right? Now, you would recognize her as a movie star and a star of shows, Natasha Lyonne, but to Good, she’s just another woman in a bar. But she says…it’s packed or whatever and Good’s like…she says, there’s a open seat here or whatever, in a cool way. Just like, hey, why don’t you sit down? You look like…without words, you know. Good sits down and, whatever, the woman, Ruth is her name, she calls over the waitress or waiter or whatever and says, hey, can…what do you need? Blah, blah, blah. Okay. Make it two of those.

 

She even knows; she says, what, are you on that flight to Florida? Good says, yeah, yeah. Oh yeah, me too. Alright, well, we got time for a couple. Then they kinda make small talk. But what’s important about the small talk is…don’t know if Ruth needs to learn…I don't know. Again, let’s not quibble with the details, but they instantly like one another, right? You slightly see that they're not opposites or anything. This is just like…that they're two…they're almost like the same person at different phases…or from two different realities. Not that…this isn't…they're not. I mean, originally what it was like…that this is a person…they're very similar, I guess, and they get along great even in this brief thing, whatever we do to show that in whatever details. I got caught up in that and kinda lost my way.

 

I was coming up with witty…trying to come up with too-witty ideas of how to show that, but the key is to show that they like one another and they really get along. Then we see them…and maybe the flight gets delayed one more time. Not important, but this next part is important. They go to their gate with enough time to make the flight. Ruth is flying first class. So, something happens where either Ruth gets on the flight and Good’s walking her to the gate or whatever, but Ruth either gets on…I think Ruth gets on the flight early — I thought of other ways to do it — or maybe they're sitting there and they call first class. But at some point, Good also says something…Good’s the now…they're both feeling it, right? So, they're kinda yucking it up.

 

Good says something to the gate agent which is just taken the wrong way, like slight…it’s just taken as a slight slight. Like, oh, wow, you think you're better than me, kinda thing. But it’s like, they're just goofing and it’s not intentional, but it’s also something…you say, well, if you weren't…if you were a little bit better behaved, thinking of other people, you wouldn't have been goofing when you're…this person is trying to do their job. Whatever it is; I’ll carry you down the threshold. But, no, no, you're take…you're in C-64 and she’s in first class or whatever it is. So, then, most importantly, the gate agent is kinda staring after Good as she goes and sits down. Maybe there’s a lull in the boarding period or maybe it’s just that literally Good has the…is in the very last boarding group.

 

But she kinda sits a little bit further away from the thing because of, whatever, the tension. Good falls asleep. This is…I mean, again, not about me, but if you ever drank too much on a regular basis, you fell asleep at inopportune times. It’s just a common thing, even if you're not…even if you don’t have a problem. It’s a warm airport. You just…you know. So, Good falls asleep and the gate agent sees this and loads the flight and then even…she is like, yeah, last call for boarding, instead of saying it really loud, even though Good’s the only person left. Maybe somebody else says something and the agent says, oh no, that person’s…make the ‘gulp, gulp’ symbol or whatever. But Good is sound asleep.

 

Also, a nice visual is that Good’s phone’s buzzing a couple different times, right, and maybe on the second or third time we see it…that it goes to voicemail and it says…your sister’s leaving a voicemail. I guess we could even go with her sister in the voicemail is Glinda or something, just as a tribute to something popular. But it’s true; people put stuff like that. Okay, so, the sister leaves a voicemail. We also would see interspersed, brief things with the sister, but I don't want to distract you at this point. But, whatever, that at some point Good wakes up in the airport or is woken up — not too important — sees the voicemail but doesn't listen to the voicemail, and is running around the airport like, hey, I missed my flight. I was there; I don't know what…and is better behaved.

 

So, just like a person with their eyes wide who accidentally missed their flight. Maybe it’s even…I don't know. Again, let’s not quibble with the details. But Good is like, I gotta get a flight to Florida right now. Can you get me on another airline or whatever? Like, no, I can get you on the first flight tomorrow. 6:00…it’s really only in five hours or whatever. You could just go back to sleep. So, Good is basically like, yeah, okay, we gotta get on the next flight. Don't worry, we’ll be there, whatever, 7:30 a.m. Okay, I forgot one key piece of information and visual…is that also while Good is passed out…I guess there would be three calls. The sister; no answer…no voicemail, no answer. Maybe even the sister again, and Good looks up and then puts the phone back down. That’d be even better if it said ‘Glinda’ or whatever.

 

But then it’s the dad. After it’s positive Good isn't checking the voicemails…or this could be after the missed flight. It does…again, details. The point is the dad calls and it says ‘Dad’ or whatever. Whatever…I think ‘Dad’. We just see that it just buzzes. Then the sister calls again and leaves a voicemail. I think it all should happen…all this should happen before…all that should happen before Good realizes she’s missed the flight. Then Good realizes she missed the flight, and then after she gets her flight booked for the next day, her sister calls again. Her sister is just on full blast, like using…again, it could be a PG-13 to R movie. But her sister’s using a lot of strongly-worded language, and Good is like, yeah, yeah, I know, don't worry, I’m…I’ve been at the airport.

 

The flight was cancelled, and I’m on a flight…I had to get on this flight…first flight tomorrow. Her sister’s like, again, blah, blah, blah. Then…or whatever, 'cause her sister basically says, well, it doesn't matter at this point when you come. She said, what do you mean it doesn't matter? Said, didn’t you get my voice memo…voicemail? No, no, I didn’t. Then she says, well, dad’s gone. You missed your chance. Is that your…? The sister really lays into her. Then Good obviously has a seat, and things…the things…everything happened…also, now we're three hours out. So, the beginnings of a hangover in addition to this news and this sense of…whatever, this sense of dread and what would create internally a need for relief from this feeling of ‘this was my’…like, this was my…I can't keep my promises or whatever it is.

 

Okay, so then Good is sitting there. That hits her. Then she’s looking at her phone mostly out of discomfort, like when you look at your phone out of discomfort and you're kinda scrolling through, maybe like, oh man, my sister did call. But then she sees the call from her dad and she sees a voicemail. Now, this is difficult 'cause the idea was, whatever, twelve or thirteen years ago, but Good listens to the voicemail, and the dad…I guess it still works. The dad is not doing great. So, the phone call is clear, but he’s not clear. It could be as simple as coughing or stuff like that, but it’s a very heartfelt message. The dad says, I love you. I was hoping to see you and say goodbye, but I really love you. I care about you. I want you to take care of your sister. You need each other, and maybe a couple comments about their differences.

 

But I also wanted to ask you for something, Good. It would really mean a lot to me. I know your sister wouldn't do this for me, but I really want a marching band at my funeral. Now, at some point, that’s…in the perfect world, this could be something we could brainstorm out of, but it…if it’s not 100% certain, that would be ideal, right? However the message is delivered, which, I think it has…I think to really give it depth and weight, Good has to hear it, right, and believe it. Obviously having Rachel Sennott would be great, because then we could see her face kinda change and how she interprets everything. But yeah, I kinda get this sense of relief. I mean, obviously there’s gonna be a whole range of emotions there, but the fact that now…typical storytelling…this wasn’t even in…on purpose, but this is the call to adventure.

 

Everything else is stuff under the water. But this is also…not to overexplain it, but now that we're…got the pitch down, right…'cause that’s what she believes her father’s last wish was for her, and that fulfilling that last wish will give her some sort of relief from everything that came with this but also miss…that she’ll get some relief and some peace from it. So, then, I guess the next time we talk about it, we’ll go into the sister, because it is an important character. But basically, then she flies home or flies to Florida, her sister picks her up. Her sister is now a little bit more subdued and…but also like, whatever, still not happy or still making more subtle comments about her sister. There’s only two more important things, one of which now is grounded in reality where before it was just a story thing.

 

But the other thing is, yeah, Ruth will return. So, it’s like planning…pretty early on, though, when we meet Ruth again, which we’ll get into…but the last story part is during this conversation, the older sister or the younger sister…I don't know, the more mature sister is saying this, this, and this, this, this, and this. I’ve already taken care of most things, but it’s gonna be a few weeks. She says, what do you…how could that be? I never even heard of that. This is honestly what happened to us, so it’s…but at first I was like…I mean, I guess it kinda makes sense. It’s like, well, this is a retirement community, so, yeah, there’s…these things take time.

 

But when…and this is where this kinda comedy comes from, and it becomes something you can laugh at, but even at the time, I was…we were laughing about it…was that this summer what happened was there was some sort of state-wide challenge to their internet systems there for the parts of the state that provide all the paperwork you need to proceed in these matters. I’m not kidding. I mean, you could read about it separately. I’m not gonna get into the details. We literally…yeah, we were just in a holding pattern because everything that had been done electronically now had to be done by hand, and it had to go to three different places in the state, I believe.

 

Everybody in the state…the state where most…I’m presuming the most retired people are, which I think would mean, at least percentage-wise, the most people that are transferring realms…and we couldn't get our realm…nobody could get their realm-transfer papers in any kind of reasonable timeline. So, it was…I mean, it was like being in one of these movies where it was like…I mean, it does even get more comedic. I’ll just give you the comedy side. Believe me, I have help and I’m not…this isn't making light of anything. If you're a regular of the podcast…but yeah, we were waiting and waiting. Even…my family’s similar to me, so it was like, well, should we call again and check? Well, they said, don’t…they would call us. Yeah, but the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

 

Okay, well, I’ll call…and then trying to charm the person; just be like, okay, yeah, it sounds like you have a tough job. I mean, that’s what I did. They said, okay, so just…no idea at all. Any kind of estimate? Maybe…but, no. They would only talk in the longest…they’d be like, at least…the longest it could be…well, it’ll probably be this long. So, what happened was my daughter had come, too, to Florida to help out and just…'cause we had to…anyway, we had to drive a car up from Florida to New York, and my daughter was like, I could help with that at some point once we had all the realm papers. So, one day…'cause we were in a holding pattern and there’s nothing to do, we were like, oh, we're gonna go to…again, this is just me and how I live my life. We were like, let’s go to Busch Gardens and pass the day.

 

I mean, you can't sit around a condo all day, every day. So, it was just like…it is funny, at least for me and my family, and I think my mom would be…laugh about it, and she was probably behind it, 'cause she was a Disney-only theme park person. We start…my daughter and I, we bought tickets and we start driving. Now, luckily we hadn't gone far. Literally, we had gone out of the development…this is north of Tampa Bay, like a hour northeast, or maybe just north. I don't know, but not on the water or anything. But we start driving. We had left the community, 'cause I know we were right by a grocery store. We got the call; paperwork completed. So, we turned around. So, in this story, that will happen because I think it’s a key to this story. But it’s also real.

 

Even at the time, I was operating by…I said, well, it would take some time. I think that is a humorous view of that. So, yeah, basically where we're leaving off now is the two sisters are driving to The Townes. So, in the next installment, we’ll get to learn more about the sister and we’ll learn more about The Townes and Good’s…'cause…and this is, again, based on reality. I’ve only been to The Villages proper once, which is a inspiration for this, which is a really, really large retirement community in Florida. There’s YouTube videos about this. It has…it was built by…similar to imagineers. So, the town…and I think I talked about this in Big Farm in the Sky PI, too. But the town has a fictional history, like an imagineered history. Which, again, some people may view it in all-or-nothing ways.

 

I view it in some all-or-nothing ways, but also, I don't know, a boggled way, in a cool…I’m like…again, similar to my love of shlock, stuff like this that’s…you're like, really? I don't wholeheartedly endorse it. I love it because it’s out there, man. It was like, I remember going and looking at some of the plaques, and they had TV channels with hundreds of activities and trying…everyone was…oh no, I guess I’ve been there twice. But the other time, no one wanted to do anything. Even this time, my former mother-in-law, she would humor me 'cause she liked to do stuff, too.

 

But I’d be like, can we go to the Sundown Band concert? Can we go to this place for happy…? This is when I drank, too, so it was another motivation. But it was also like, can we go to this thing? Can we drive…? I just wanted to drive around a lot, too. So, yeah, that’s our setting, who, what, where, when, and why, I guess. Maybe that’s what we’ll kick off the next episode with. But yeah, it’s a little bit different of style of episode we’ve never done before, and I hope you enjoy it. Thanks, everybody.

 

[END OF RECORDING]

(Transcription performed by LeahTranscribes)

Personal Essay

 

Coal as Christmas Gift Stereotype

https://abc7.com/st-nicholas-day-saint-lumps-of-coal/4846172/

https://metro.co.uk/2019/12/23/why-do-naughty-children-get-coal-in-their-stockings-and-good-ones-get-oranges-11925505/

https://bythechimneywithcare.wordpress.com/2008/12/14/howd-that-nasty-coal-rumor-get-started-anyway/

 

​​Rachel Sennott

https://www.badgalfilmclub.com/journal/rachel-sennott-hollywood-it-girl

https://exclaim.ca/film/article/rachel-sennott-rise-in-hollywood-has-come-via-canada

https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film-tv/a36299914/rachel-sennott-on-the-rise-video/

 

Marching Band Music

https://www.savethemusic.org/blog/marching-band-music/

https://hub.yamaha.com/drums/percussion/marching-through-time/

https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/music-education/marching-band-american-schools/

 

The Villages

https://www.insidethebubble.net/history-of-the-villages/

https://www.southerncultures.org/article/the-faux-history-of-the-villages-florida/

https://www.npr.org/2010/03/31/125389925/the-villages-floridas-disney-world-for-retirees

 

DOWN TO BUSINESS

Shorn Stubble

If you look grizzled, why don’t they call it grizzle?

Put a pep in your step with peppermint

I’ve been unhaggarded and degrizzled

 

PLUGS

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

 

SPONSORS

Helix Sleep; Zocdoc; Progressive; Quince; Mint Mobile

 

INTRO

Whatever kind of feelings are coming up

A natural rambler with a mixed up brain

I want to make it feel less heavy and pressure-laden

It does matter to me, you know?

I see you making space for the new listener, thank you

A bedtime you don’t have to dread

Almost Better Than Nothing: Sleep With Me Podcast

sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou

I’m better than a roommate because you never have to clean up after me

The Old Digital Podcast, No Crumbs Included

Better than nothing, with conviction

At least you got coal, Scooter

The audio equivalent of a gift of coal

In Depth Coverage of Adhesives

I’m here to engage you until you become disengaged

Your Boris Boreloff and Best Borefriend Fo Eva

Explaining the show structure

A 20 minute hangout with rambles

A movie pitch idea with a lot of tangents

 

STORY

This is part 2 of I don’t know how many parts

Part 1 was recorded like last spring

I recorded this before my Mom’s journey to the big farm in the sky

Inspiration from the movie Bottoms

Assembling a dream team

Lead as Rachel Sennott

Directed by Emma Seligman

I might have pitched this story before

Scoots on the outs

I’m a slow, slow learner

This is when I was a protector of stone fruit way back when

Or rather I was monitoring and driving around all day long

Early Smartphone Era

I had a Palm 1, but mostly it was just the radio

You just couldn’t listen to the radio for 10 hours

So it would be NPR

I couldn’t do talk radio anymore

They’ll do a music bumper between segments

On the Oakland/Berkeley border

I had a lot of paperwork to do in the truck

A marching band covering “Frankenstein” by Edgar Winter

And then I thought of my father

My father loves marching band music

He was also in a marching band

I was briefly in a band though I didn’t actually own a bass or an amp

He loves to listen to marching band music

I just imagine a lot of the time

What if my father requested a marching band at his big farm services? What if?

(My mom did not request that)

A verbal request with no written record

And then I’d be convincing my (fictional) family to get a marching band

I was taking a script-writing class at Berkeley City College

Pitching a story to the class

I was an older student

In Search of the Perfect Idea

That can be pretty paralyzing

But it was helpful to not come up with the perfect idea

The story swamp was in charge

I went back to the marching band idea

Senator Rachel Sennott

Okay, I’m gonna pitch you now

I don’t remember the main character’s name

We’ll call them Good for now

It’s a cold open with a trailer

Inspired by Scrooged

A trailer for an idyllic setting with adults over 55

The Townes in Florida

(You might recognize this from Big Farm in the Sky PI, S2)

Then we’ll see Good

She’s at a bar for people working at a ski resort

Good is fairly intoxicated and holding court at a bar

I tried this lifestyle but it didn’t work

Good’s sister comes to tell her about Dad

There’s some sisterly tension

Good has to come home

This is your chance to see Dad

A brief break through the fog

A split second opening of a real person

An airport montage of Good going home

Why are we showing this? 

Good is somewhat responsible

The flight is delayed

It’s not necessarily about drinking but it’s probably there because I’m making it

A corner booth at the bar

Another woman is at the bar, someone my age

It is, of course, Natasha Lyonne

NL joins Good

NL’s name is now Ruth

They’re both flying to Florida

They instantly like one another

The same person from 2 different realities

They get to the gate

Ruth is flying first class

They’re both feeling it right now

Good offends the gate agent unintentionally

Good falls asleep at the gate at an inopportune time

The gate agent sees it and does nothing

Good’s phone buzzes while she’s asleep

Let’s just call the sister Glinda, why not

Good suddenly wakes up

She’ll be on the next flight tonight

Oh I forgot, she also misses a call from her Dad!

The sister is using some strongly-worded language to express frustration

It no longer matters when she comes

Dad is gone, Good missed her chance

A hangover mixed with dread

She’s feeling some guilt

Looking at her phone out of discomfort

Then she sees the missed voicemail from her Dad

The phone call is clear but he’s not clear

He makes his marching band request

This is the call to adventure

And Rachel Sennott would act this moment so well

She’ll get relief by making this marching band thing happen

Her sister picks her up, begrudgingly

Ruth will return, don’t worry

Glinda has taken care of a lot of things

It’ll be a few weeks before the service

These things take time at a retirement community

This really happened to us

There was a statewide issue with getting certificates done electronically

No one can get the Realm Transfer Papers

Stuck in a holding pattern

Passing the time at Busch Gardens

My daughter also came out to help out

My mom was a Disney-Only Parks Person

And as soon as we headed out, we got the call that the paperwork had been completed

Okay, where we’re leaving is the 2 sisters driving to The Townes

I’ve only been to the Villages once

And it has an Imagineered History

A fictional history

My Love of Schlock

So that’s our setting and we’ll kick off the story next time

 

SUMMARY:

Episode: 1349

Title: Fun-for-all March | Good & Ruth

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

Sponsors: Helix Sleep; Zocdoc; Progressive; Quince; Mint Mobile

Notable Language:

• Grizzle
• Unhaggarded and Degrizzled
• Almost Better Than Nothing: Sleep With Me Podcast
• The Old Digital Podcast, No Crumbs Included
• Coal
• In Depth Coverage of Adhesives
• Early Smartphone Era
• Marching Band Music
• Senator Rachel Sennott
• Realm Transfer Papers
• My Love of Schlock

 

Notable Culture:

• • sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou
  • Boris Karloff
  • Bottoms
  • NPR
  • Edgar Winter
  • Phish
  • “Dr. Frankenstein”
  • Rachel Sennott
  • Emma Seligman

• Scrooged

• A Christmas Carol

• • Big Farm in the Sky PI

• Wicked

• The Villages Retirement Community

 

Notable Talking Points:

• Whatever kind of feelings are coming up
• A natural rambler with a mixed up brain
• I want to make it feel less heavy and pressure-laden
• It does matter to me, you know?
• I see you making space for the new listener, thank you
• A bedtime you don’t have to dread
• Almost Better Than Nothing: Sleep With Me Podcast
• sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou
• I’m better than a roommate because you never have to clean up after me
• The Old Digital Podcast, No Crumbs Included
• Better than nothing, with conviction
• At least you got coal, Scooter
• The audio equivalent of a gift of coal
• In Depth Coverage of Adhesives
• I’m here to engage you until you become disengaged
• Your Boris Boreloff and Best Borefriend Fo Eva
• Explaining the show structure
• A 20 minute hangout with rambles
• A movie pitch idea with a lot of tangents
• This is part 2 of I don’t know how many parts
• Part 1 was recorded like last spring
• I recorded this before my Mom’s journey to the big farm in the sky
• Inspiration from the movie Bottoms
• Assembling a dream team
• Lead as Rachel Sennott
• Directed by Emma Seligman
• I might have pitched this story before
• Scoots on the outs
• I’m a slow, slow learner
• This is when I was a protector of stone fruit way back when
• Or rather I was monitoring and driving around all day long
• Early Smartphone Era
• I had a Palm 1, but mostly it was just the radio
• You just couldn’t listen to the radio for 10 hours
• So it would be NPR
• I couldn’t do talk radio anymore
• They’ll do a music bumper between segments
• On the Oakland/Berkeley border
• I had a lot of paperwork to do in the truck
• A marching band covering “Frankenstein” by Edgar Winter
• And then I thought of my father
• My father loves marching band music
• He was also in a marching band
• I was briefly in a band though I didn’t actually own a bass or an amp
• He loves to listen to marching band music
• I just imagine a lot of the time
• What if my father requested a marching band at his big farm services? What if?
• (My mom did not request that)
• A verbal request with no written record
• And then I’d be convincing my (fictional) family to get a marching band
• I was taking a script-writing class at Berkeley City College
• Pitching a story to the class
• I was an older student
• In Search of the Perfect Idea
• That can be pretty paralyzing
• But it was helpful to not come up with the perfect idea
• The story swamp was in charge
• I went back to the marching band idea
• Senator Rachel Sennott
• Okay, I’m gonna pitch you now
• I don’t remember the main character’s name
• We’ll call them Good for now
• It’s a cold open with a trailer
• Inspired by Scrooged
• A trailer for an idyllic setting with adults over 55
• The Townes in Florida
• (You might recognize this from Big Farm in the Sky PI, S2)
• Then we’ll see Good
• She’s at a bar for people working at a ski resort
• Good is fairly intoxicated and holding court at a bar
• I tried this lifestyle but it didn’t work
• Good’s sister comes to tell her about Dad
• There’s some sisterly tension
• Good has to come home
• This is your chance to see Dad
• A brief break through the fog
• A split second opening of a real person
• An airport montage of Good going home
• Why are we showing this? 
• Good is somewhat responsible
• The flight is delayed
• It’s not necessarily about drinking but it’s probably there because I’m making it
• A corner booth at the bar
• Another woman is at the bar, someone my age
• It is, of course, Natasha Lyonne
• NL joins Good
• NL’s name is now Ruth
• They’re both flying to Florida
• They instantly like one another
• The same person from 2 different realities
• They get to the gate
• Ruth is flying first class
• They’re both feeling it right now
• Good offends the gate agent unintentionally
• Good falls asleep at the gate at an inopportune time
• The gate agent sees it and does nothing
• Good’s phone buzzes while she’s asleep
• Let’s just call the sister Glinda, why not
• Good suddenly wakes up
• She’ll be on the next flight tonight
• Oh I forgot, she also misses a call from her Dad!
• The sister is using some strongly-worded language to express frustration
• It no longer matters when she comes
• Dad is gone, Good missed her chance
• A hangover mixed with dread
• She’s feeling some guilt
• Looking at her phone out of discomfort
• Then she sees the missed voicemail from her Dad
• The phone call is clear but he’s not clear
• He makes his marching band request
• This is the call to adventure
• And Rachel Sennott would act this moment so well
• She’ll get relief by making this marching band thing happen
• Her sister picks her up, begrudgingly
• Ruth will return, don’t worry
• Glinda has taken care of a lot of things
• It’ll be a few weeks before the service
• These things take time at a retirement community
• This really happened to us
• There was a statewide issue with getting certificates done electronically
• No one can get the Realm Transfer Papers
• Stuck in a holding pattern
• Passing the time at Busch Gardens
• My daughter also came out to help out
• My mom was a Disney-Only Parks Person
• And as soon as we headed out, we got the call that the paperwork had been completed
• Okay, where we’re leaving is the 2 sisters driving to The Townes
• I’ve only been to the Villages once
• And it has an Imagineered History
• A fictional history
• My Love of Schlock
• So that’s our setting and we’ll kick off the story next time