Mitchell
Welcome back, everybody. Episode twenty three for doing the most. There you hear it. Instructions. Laugh a little louder. Spill a little tea.

Scarlet
Drink a little tea.

Mitchell
Yeah, that’s going to be part of this episode, actually. The whole Tea business. So doing the most.

Scarlet
I’m Scarlet.

Mitchell
And I’m Mitchell.

Scarlet
This echo has to stop.

Mitchell
It will. So episode 23 of Doing the Most. We’re recording this on New Year’s Day.

Scarlet
Happy New Year!

Mitchell
Happy New Year’s to you too 2026. Now I was. And this is our podcast. I don’t know. I assume if someone is listening. Is this a podcast? Yes. When someone’s listening, I assume they know it’s a podcast. They didn’t stumble into it. If you’re watching on YouTube, Then this is also it should be obvious you’ll see headphones and microphones. It should be obvious to everyone and anyone, which has ended up being really no one. Um episode twenty three. Now I was thinking originally thought, Oh, should this be like the uh Some sort of special anniversary episode. Or do you know what when our very first episode came out?

Scarlet
The f first week of January?

Mitchell
No.

Scarlet
My birthday.

Mitchell
No. I mean, these are good these are good thoughts. January 31st is when it dropped. I don’t know when I recorded it, but have you ever gone back and listened to that episode?

Scarlet
No. Okay.

Mitchell
Fair enough. I was here for it. I know, but you probably don’t even remember what was in it. Like, I have I listened to some of it, not all of it. Because I was like, I was curious, like, where have we come? Okay.

Scarlet
We talked about good earth tea.

Mitchell
Okay. I remember that. So, we actually did have a section. We were talking about teas back then. Yeah, almost. And then we were talking about, I was like, I might not be a tea snob, but we were just getting into tea, right? Or kind of just starting this tea journey. So my question really is for you is now almost a year later, where would you say you’re at in your tea journey?

Scarlet
Well, or where are we?

Mitchell
What direction do we go with that?

Scarlet
I have really expanded my verizon so much further than Good Earth.

Mitchell
Right.

Scarlet
Now, Good Earth is still solid. This is not sponsored.

Mitchell
Yeah.

Scarlet
But I have since found Metolius out of Van Bend, Oregon.

Mitchell
Good Earth is Bag tea. You’ve expanded. We to loose leaf. Loose leaf. We’re now we’ve become loose leafers, folks. Over the past couple of months, I don’t know. Three, four, five. It doesn’t matter. We’re loose leafers. Metolius, what else? Just some of the stuff you find in the in the tea section.

Scarlet
Tao of Tea tea.

Mitchell
Once you go loose leaf, you open up a whole new world of shopping because now you can buy Other teas, right?

Scarlet
Yeah.

Mitchell
I mean, do you ever take loose leaf to work, though? I’m always taking bags to work.

Scarlet
I do not.

Mitchell
So

Scarlet
I mean, too much extra work.

Mitchell
So, we talked about originally, we were like, good earth, we were just kind of getting into teas a year ago, and now we now I have gone completely uh coffee-free So in episode 20 excuse me episode one, I talked about being kind of like the coffee snob and all our coffee stuff. I have now gone coffee free And not quite caffeine-free ’cause uh the mud water, not sponsored, that I drink has like 35 milligrams. But since I probably already told everyone this doesn’t matter since October 1st, but I’m just kind of doing like Although we’re not, is this the anniversary special? I don’t know. Who cares? It’s been almost a year. So I’m just kind of doing a reflective. And it’s the first of January. A little reflective look back at things. And compared to the first episode. We were talking about SOTS. Then we actually I don’t know if you remember what we talked about why was I choosing to do this podcast. Do you even remember that answer? And you don’t have to. This is not a quiz.

Scarlet
I’ve just kind of created outlets.

Mitchell
I forgot about a lot of this. Well, I talked about a community. I talked about my brother. And my experience with his passing and wanting to find community or have community then. And my idea was I’m laughing now.

Scarlet
Where’s that community?

Mitchell
How’s that community going, everybody? Everybody who’s listening, thanks for being a part of this community, part of the

Scarlet
That’s not true.

Mitchell
We have the family community. But I’m saying like the idea wa well, I will never know if you don’t leave feedback, folks. And we have some feedbackers. We’ll get there. But like. If you don’t, but you don’t have to. I’m not trying to pressure, but that’s how you get to feel like, oh, yeah, maybe somebody got some value. I know for sure at least one, two people got value where they’re like, hey. I have the same experience or thoughts or whatever. And that was kind of my goal: to have, like, I don’t know, something that just, you know, are we not unique necessarily. We’re all unique. I get it. Each one a snowflake. But I’m saying, like, we’re just working nurses. We have family, a blended family, or part blended, my blend with you, with our kids, and our kids. Sorry. Just I’m just saying, you know, but I think that’s pretty modern. It’s not like it’s not some weirdo thing. Now I feel like I just made everyone feel like a weirdo Oh dear. And with that sound, that lets you know, dear listener, that my wife has to go manage some stuff in the oven, which is okay.

Scarlet
Sorry, I’ll be right back.

Mitchell
This is the real this is the real inside of what it’s like to run a show and have a household. People have to realize that.

Scarlet
I’m making my own bone broth, okay?

Mitchell
Is this the first time?

Scarlet
Yes.

Mitchell
Okay. And what what bones?

Scarlet
Beef ones.

Mitchell
Okay. Where did they did you buy the bones? Are they left over from something?

Scarlet
I bought them.

Mitchell
Okay, I was just gonna say I haven’t had beef for a while.

Scarlet
Beef marrow bones from the Asian market.

Mitchell
Oh, for this purpose?

Scarlet
Yeah.

Mitchell
Okay, good deal. So, tea, bone broth. Back. I know. I’m just. And while we were doing the podcast, you were initially kind of like, I don’t know, were you apprehensive? I don’t know. Yeah, you were like, I’m doing this because you want to do it.

Scarlet
Yeah, it was.

Mitchell
You were just trying to make me happy. And now look at you. You’re still doing it because nothing’s changed. Here’s what I did. Here’s, we won’t. Here’s what I did notice. One of the things we mentioned in the episode, we’re like, oh, we had just we had quit Amazon. We weren’t ordering from Amazon in January. Last year. How’s that going?

Scarlet
Well, it ends on January 6th.

Mitchell
Again, yeah. We quit it and then I may have shamelessly just

Scarlet
Re-upped it for the month of December.

Mitchell
Yeah.

Scarlet
I’m not proud of it.

Mitchell
No one is.

Scarlet
But I just don’t. I just don’t have time to go to a million stores for.

Mitchell
Okay.

Scarlet
things that we don’t also I mean okay I do have the time but my social anxiety will not it’s like sometimes crippling right so it won’t Allow me to go more than maybe two places in a day.

Mitchell
And then you’re kind of you’re spent.

Scarlet
Yeah. I okay, I can get that.

Mitchell
It’s convenient. However, Me, I mean, the bigger problem I’m seeing is the it’s I call it stuff miss instead of Christmas. This year I coined that phrase trademark me, stuff miss, merry stuff miss, ’cause it’s just more stuff, and we actually Admittedly, toned it down this year, I think. And so we didn’t, like, there’s still stuff. It’s not as like, Is much stuff. But like the whole of its past year, we were always talking frequently about one, cleaning the garage, never has happened to getting rid of more stuff. Not really. We’ve just accumulated more. And so after a year in this experiment, we have still not, in my opinion, We’ve made some kind of progress. We’ve made some exchanges, if you will. We’ve gotten rid of some stuff, but we’ve gotten other stuff that maybe is not as voluminous. I don’t even know if that’s true. How do you feel about our stuff-itis?

Scarlet
It’s about the same.

Mitchell
It’s about, yeah. Do you feel like you feel like we’re just convincing ourselves? Do you feel like that ideal of less crap in the house is actually possible?

Scarlet
Yes. I do feel like that’s possible.

Mitchell
And if you were to do you feel like there’s a main perpetrator? And I’m not. Yes. Oh, is it me? I would say me.

Scarlet
Yeah.

Mitchell
Okay. Well, I feel like I’m all you’re the accumulator. I am the keeper of stuff forever.

Scarlet
Accumulator.

Mitchell
Well, like you’re buying more, like, you know, makeup and this and that. And I’m just like. Okay, hold on. I don’t buy it. Skincare. Skin. I’m sorry. Skincare. Your skin is worth care.

Scarlet
Which gets used.

Mitchell
I know.

Scarlet
And it’s worth it. And it’s the reason I look exactly my age.

Mitchell
Okay. 29. So what I’m saying is, no, I’m not accusing you. I’m saying I feel like my contribution is the lack of getting rid of stuff, and your contribution is getting more stuff. Do you know how many vacuums we started the year with? Our little funny little saying?

Scarlet
Seven.

Mitchell
It was actually, I think we said five vacuums, and that might have been fudging. Well, then what did they make seven of? Oh, is it five cats and seven vacuums? Yeah, you’re seven. Seven vacuums, right? My bad. And someone can verify that online. Can you check that? Thank you, Amy. I’ve pretended like we have one of those we have extra people working the show. It’s so big now. We’ve blown them. Seven vacuums. Is that right? Yeah, yeah, seven vacuums. Okay, do you know how many vacuums we ended the year with? Eight. Try again. What nine try again?

Scarlet
No, six.

Mitchell
No.

Scarlet
Ten?

Mitchell
No.

Scarlet
Okay.

Mitchell
Eleven. No. Yeah, follow me. Two shop vacs. Did we originally count those?

Scarlet
I think so.

Mitchell
Two shop vacs.

Scarlet
Wait, maybe not.

Mitchell
Well, we have a big shop vac and a little shop vacuum. Those are not new. We’ve had those.

Scarlet
Okay, fine.

Mitchell
One upright.

Scarlet
Mm-hmm. Which we had last year.

Mitchell
Okay. Two handhelds. A to a Dyson.

Scarlet
Okay, so far, a Dyson.

Mitchell
We still have the Dyson in that closet upstairs. Okay, I just follow. So two shop rack, one of it. Two handhelds, that’s two, three, four. And then we had the Roomba, that’s five, and then we had the Shark Six, and then we had the handheld shampooer.

Scarlet
Oh, we’re counting those. Okay. Okay.

Mitchell
Yeah, that was seven. And now we’ve added to that the EuFi robot robotic vacuum.

Scarlet
Because the shark wasn’t working.

Mitchell
Which I fixed. The narwhal. When did you get the narwhal? Over this past year?

Scarlet
No, I had that last year.

Mitchell
So maybe we weren’t counting, but the narwhal. And then you added The shampooer.

Scarlet
So we have 12?

Mitchell
No, no, we have 11. Two Shop Vax, one upright, two handhelds, one Roomba, one shark, one EuFi, one Narwhal, one shampooer, and one handheld mini shop vacuum.

Scarlet
That’s 12!

Mitchell
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. I count 11.

Scarlet
Okay.

Mitchell
Somewhere in our mouth between the two of us, college graduates. All I’m saying is we were seven and now we’re 12. Now, maybe we weren’t counting the way before. I know for a fact we added two new ones for sure. So, even for seven, we’re not.

Scarlet
Okay, I for sure need to get rid of

Mitchell
The dice?

Scarlet
At least three of those.

Mitchell
So we have four robotic vacuums, everyone. So we are doing one upstairs, one downstairs.

Scarlet
One downstairs kitchen that mops and vacuums.

Mitchell
So she mops after she could only take out the trash.

Scarlet
I know. And then one in the we have a lower living room, which, why? So there’s the one that never works unless, you know, as soon as it gets like a hair in the container, it’s like, oh, I need to be emptied. So. And this is why iRobot is filing for bankruptcy.

Mitchell
Well, that’s the one down there. Yeah.

Scarlet
Yeah.

Mitchell
Because they can’t hold any more stuff. Okay. Fair enough.

Scarlet
Well, so that one just kind of sits down there because that’s probably the area. Needs to get vacuumed the least.

Mitchell
So, so I don’t know what we were counting last time at seven, but I just counted 11 and I was like, I was, I was just like, man, this never ends. Does it?

Scarlet
Yeah, I think we’ve met the end.

Mitchell
Of what?

Scarlet
And now we need to start getting rid of vacuums. Yeah.

Mitchell
Well, anyway. There you well, there you go. That’s uh, we can maybe do more of an anniversary special.

Scarlet
Oh my gosh, I’m a vacuum hoarder.

Mitchell
Yeah, it’s it’s kind of like someone I know in T V’s. They like get them and they store them in a shed. Do we need a shed for vacuums? A vacuum shed?

Scarlet
Oh, I really am turning into my mother.

Mitchell
It’s unfortunate, but it is true. I will tell you.

Scarlet
No, I gotta. This is the this is my year. This is my year. You said that at the beginning of last year. Oh, no. 2025 was the worst. Well. So you’re saying 2025? Like every time I get on TikTok and it’s like, would you like a 2025 recap? I’m like, would I like a recap of this hellscape?

Mitchell
No, thank you. Come with a shot and a beer back. Well, is it that bad? Do you feel like 2025 was that bad? Do I can’t let me get political? Exclude the political environment. How about within our home, the universe that is our home?

Scarlet
We’ve had worse, but it wasn’t great.

Mitchell
I don’t think we’ve made great strides with we didn’t buy a car.

Scarlet
Like we wanted to.

Mitchell
I think that’s good. We didn’t buy an R V. We talked about that.

Scarlet
Yep.

Mitchell
We didn’t move to Bend or Arizona.

Scarlet
These were all 2027 goals.

Mitchell
Oh, I know. Once upon a time. I’m just saying we had some good times. Over the year. And that’s where we’re dreamers. Are we? Please be.

Scarlet
Oh, you’re talking about all the stuff we talked about doing.

Mitchell
Yeah. But no, I’m saying we didn’t have to do it. We liked it. Like, I think that’s what makes our relationship fun and healthy is We like to like I always call it thought experiments. We like to think about things, explore the options, like get well informed and let it settle and then decide like, is that or isn’t it for us? And we don’t really rule anything out. I don’t think we’re like. No RV life in our future. I think we’re just kind of came circ to a point where, like, maybe not as soon as we think we want.

Scarlet
Yeah.

Mitchell
Arizona seemed like, ah, but we kind of, but that’s the fun, is kind of noodling these things out for me. So I’m not complaining. I’m just saying, like, it’s been a fun journey through the year. Has it? I don’t know.

Scarlet
That’s been like fun thinking about what it could be and then I don’t know. Then I feel like the Arizona thing is always in the winter when it’s like dreary. And what’s so funny is we have come full circle this year and it’s like we’re staying in Portland, we’re actually or we’re staying in Oregon. We’re actually moving to the city That is the only reason to be in Oregon.

Mitchell
The proper downtown.

Scarlet
Well, one of two cities, Bend or Portland.

Mitchell
Yeah. Oh, that’s true. We were kind of, I mean, this is, and which are so strangely different, or are they the same? ‘Cause Bend is like a you know, if I were to describe it, it’s like a I don’t want to call it a resort town. It’s more of like a outdoorsy town, like Everyone’s wearing flannel and you snowmobile in the winter and you water ski in the summer. Your water sports, there’s snow sports. There’s ATV, there’s everything kind of going on in Ben.

Scarlet
That makes it kind of there’s desert, there’s mountains, there’s rock climbing, there’s right, it’s a great adventure town, yeah.

Mitchell
And I think, you know, and it’s and it has our vibe, if you will. So it’s more of could we swing that versus some downtown options which also have our vibe. Well, mainly it’s so funny. We just want to be near I already forgot the name of that place, the spa.

Scarlet
Oh my god.

Mitchell
I was going to say Acapoco, but that’s totally wrong. Quatana. No, man. Darn it.

Scarlet
You made me forget it.

Mitchell
It’s like floral. It’s Cascada. Sorry, I’m Cascada.

Scarlet
How did we forget that?

Mitchell
Because they wanted to sponsor us. Not really. Sorry, Cascaded. No, we want to be members there. That’s part of it.

Scarlet
But I hear you they’re opening an even better one in Bend.

Mitchell
That’s right, that is right. Wow.

Scarlet
Oh my gosh, it’s all coming together.

Mitchell
The universe is aligning for us. How would you say the holidays went? Wait a minute. Do you have some bones to pick or axes to grind?

Scarlet
Oh, yeah, I’m so tired of going back to work.

Mitchell
Yeah.

Scarlet
And being, hey, how was your Christmas? How was your holiday? How was your and I find myself doing the same thing to make Small talk, and I am not a small talk person. Yeah. Okay. And I was just honest with people. I was like, I’m not really a holiday person. I’m very introverted. I like my space. And you’re asking me to like. cram more people and stuff into my space and also go out and spend time in other people’s spaces, and it’s not fun for me It’s really uncomfortable.

Mitchell
It’s like more warm.

Scarlet
It causes more tension in my body. Yeah. And on top of like gift giving and like. I don’t know, it’s not as bad as it used to be when your kids were younger and it was more like, you know, they made a list and it was like, oh, well, this isn’t the right color and this isn’t the right size and this not. It’s not that kind of pressure because with Max it’s easier. I’m sure it will get there. And then the pressure, because we told each other, we’re not going to do any gifts, or we’re going to do small gifts, or we’re going to do personal made, you know, something. And we still ended up getting each other gifts. Yeah. Because secretly I know you’re like.

Mitchell
You got me stuff for my birthday, which is ahead of time.

Scarlet
Your birthday is right before Christmas, and my birthday is right after Christmas.

Mitchell
So there you go.

Scarlet
So we still ended up getting each other things because also you get to that point where it’s like, well, I want Mitchell to have something under the tree to open. Why? I don’t know. Because it feels like something that needs to happen.

Mitchell
There are things that we both like, they were needed. Okay, needed. I don’t want to push. There are things that were like. Useful utilitarian things, right?

Scarlet
Yes.

Mitchell
Like some socks, under well, not socks.

Scarlet
I didn’t get you socks. Underwear, undershirts. things that I feel like is so typical of like women by men as like oh I’m just restocking your you know get rid of the old stuff filter in the new stuff which is very you got and and another vacuum

Mitchell
No, the Eufy doesn’t count. Okay, I was like, oh, I got a vacuum too.

Scarlet
No, no, yeah, you got me pots and pans. And then, you know, I’m getting rid of our old pots and pans now. Right, because at first I was trying to cram them all in there, and I was like, What am I doing?

Mitchell
Yeah, like now you’d be like me, where you’re like, Oh, these are all the things.

Scarlet
And I’m like, No, and then I just loaded them up in a box, and I’m like, These will make somebody else. They’ll be, they’ll go and they’ll be like, oh my gosh, this is a great set of pots and pans. This is just what I need.

Mitchell
I think that’s, you know, this just as we talk about trying to get rid of stuff, for me, this makes me think for a moment, like. Wouldn’t it be better to live your life wishing that you had something like you’re like, I just wish I had A walk or whatever it is, wishing you had an item and then maybe thoughtfully and buying it rather than spending your life wishing you didn’t have all these extra items.

Scarlet
Yeah.

Mitchell
Because I feel like sometimes, because sometimes with those pots and pans, don’t you agree? There were some that was just a weird pan on that set. Was like I don’t know.

Scarlet
I just used it every now and then when you always use that really tall, narrow pot. I hate that thing.

Mitchell
I don’t know what that is. Is that the boiling wine bottles? I don’t know. It was just like.

Scarlet
So I’m like, get rid of that. So yeah, it felt nice to be able. I kept some of the smaller ones for egg making, whatever.

Mitchell
Right. But your new set is like, well, there’s more coming. Right. But it’s more coming. A few more, actually, just two more, and hopefully, it actually helps you. Because I thought, oh, they had a bigger set. And I’m like, my dad, like, I better just get, you know, the 157-piece set to make her happy. But I was like, no. if you like ’em and there’s something you want, it’s better just to buy a one off. I feel like even the set I got might be like not the right fit. But it’s a deal when you buy a set. But really, isn’t it better just to be like, Yeah, I want to buy the pan I want that I’ll use the most. I need a second pan. I don’t know. So That’s why I thought, oh, if there’s something you end up going, like, boy, I just need one certain thing, I’d be like, just get the thing. Anyway, so yeah, we got sidetracked. But the idea that what we got was things like, I could use some new underwear. See episode two. Skid marks. Not really. But, you know, because some of mine are like a little worn out, right? And so those kind of things. But I feel like you get to a certain age because I mean, my parents, I love them. We didn’t get them anything. I didn’t.

Scarlet
No.

Mitchell
And I don’t I don’t think they got us we used to like a few years ago we would be like oh we gotta and then one year they got us a griddle right and we used that so I think it’s If there was something I knew they needed, then I would use these.

Scarlet
We got your dad a Christmas story on Blu-ray.

Mitchell
Yeah, a DVD of a movie. He was frustrated. We tried to teach him how to use. Are Disney or and that was like never mind. That was don’t even go down that road. So try to tell me.

Scarlet
I don’t know what it is. But I find myself being the same way with certain things. And if I can’t figure it out, I just I’m not so much like that with technology, probably because I’ve grown up. I’m a millennial. Like, I’ve grown up with computers and the internet for almost all my life. And You know, your dad not even being able to get to Disney Plus on his TV to be able to like You know, because we’re, they have an Apple TV and we’re like, okay, let’s try it on the Apple TV, and that was too complicated because you have to change the input. Okay. When you have to change the input, you know what? You might as well just throw the T V out the window.

Mitchell
There is many a person over the age of, say sixty right now. And they don’t they may not have watched it for weeks because they’re like, I don’t know, it’s on some blank input.

Scarlet
My dad. My, you know, when my brother would take his Xbox over, if he would stay over and like play his Xbox, my and he didn’t change the input. When he left, my dad would call him in a tizzy. Being like, you broke the TV again. Well, I don’t know how to get it back on the cable. Yeah. Like, freaking out. And it was like, and he had to walk him through it every time. My dad can build a house from the ground up.

Mitchell
Yeah.

Scarlet
But he can’t change the input on the television.

Mitchell
Yeah. Input select is a basic like. There’s an age where people don’t. Yeah.

Scarlet
Yeah, it’s like, oh, doesn’t compute. Well, here’s this remote. And you literally just push input and scroll. I can’t, don’t even, can’t even see it.

Mitchell
I can’t even find the clicker. Like, they want to call it the clicker, too.

Scarlet
So, anyways, we just had to finally be like, okay, Jim, let’s just make it really easy. You put it, don’t you still have to change the input to get to? You know what? I gotta go.

Mitchell
He’s trained himself. I love you, parents. Because there was that day you were stepping him through, and I have thought in my head: I was like, no, this is not.

Scarlet
I thought too, but I was. I was like, I’m gonna try my darndest.

Mitchell
It’s funny how when you have to explain something like that, it suddenly feels extremely complicated. And it’s more complicated than it seems. Not that it is, but when you’re like, okay, now you’re going to select input. Okay. Now you’re going to scroll over and pick this. Okay, now you got to pick a profile. Okay. Well, and then you got to search, and then you’re suddenly in your head, you’re like, wow, this is really easy for most of us, but now that I’m explaining it, feel probably feels like yeah you’re trying to glazing over he was like he was just like and isn’t once you’re like past step two yeah it was like hmm this is can’t believe you know what yeah Yeah, he’s like needed he just needed the Christmas story button on the remote. Yeah. Like literally what we needed. By the way, T V manufacturers product idea and a button that you can assign to like one thing, like whatever that is. Maybe it’s Barney for your kid. Whatever he just launches, you don’t have to do anything anyway.

Scarlet
What is crazy is what our four-year-old son can figure out a lot. On his iPad.

Mitchell
Yeah, I’m constantly working against him to get rid of the garbage he keeps pulling up on YouTube. It’s like, man. Yeah, once he learned the code, and I don’t know, that’s a whole nother topic.

Scarlet
Okay, what were we talking about? Oh, yeah, the holidays. I’m so tired of people asking me, you know, and I do the same thing because it’s like you feel like you have you’re in that You know, you’re in the break room or something, or you’re in the elevator, and you’re like, I know this person, so what is it that I can say to them? Instead of just like Hey, how’s your day going? Good, okay. It’s like, hey, how’s your holiday?

Mitchell
Oh, yeah.

Scarlet
I hate them. Stop asking me.

Mitchell
Well, I’ve gone to the extent that if I know who’s in the break room, I’m now eating my lunch in a locker room that smells like axe body spray and old shoes just so I don’t have to be around certain people. Yeah. Because I see them and they’re like I’m like, oh man, I got the Back out because I literally just can’t deal with the things in my ear.

Scarlet
Which leads me to another. I’m so tired of people. Who I clearly have my AirPods in. Clearly. Now, do they just not pay attention to and I not only do I have them in, my hair’s like back.

Mitchell
Yeah.

Scarlet
You know, I have my throat. Yeah. And Like, I’m clearly watching my phone, and then they’re just, my noise canceling is on, and they’re just like, oh, yeah. And I’m like, I’m sorry, what? And they’re like, oh, I’m sorry. I’m like, you’re not sorry.

Mitchell
Yeah.

Scarlet
You know what you did.

Mitchell
Yeah, you’re not dumb. Yeah. You saw the, yeah. I no, I get so tired of that. Like, it’s just like Yeah This is I call so when I used to travel on the bus a lot, I used to put I this is back before the wireless. We had the white

Scarlet
Oh, I want just fake cords that don’t even have to plug into it.

Mitchell
That’s what I did. I wouldn’t plug them in. I just tuck it in my pocket. I called it social repellent.

Scarlet
Yeah.

Mitchell
Because it seemed to work on a bus. If you have the white cords dangling and it’s You know, people I most people would get it on a bus. They’d kind of have that guy’s in his own zone. And then maybe you don’t have to chat on a bus, but man, in the break room, it’s just I unfortunately have the beige-colored ones. Maybe they blend in too much. But I will have them in. Sometimes nothing is playing and I’ll hear someone talking and I will just ignore them. Sorry, co-workers. Now you know my secret. I will flat out ignore them and I just won’t make eye contact. And then I might even get out of the phone and do a little more like And just kind of act like I’m into something, even though all I’m doing is saying, just don’t bug me. This space is just well, also you have been, you know, we’re nurses.

Scarlet
We are talking to people all day long. We are talking to patients. We are talking to doctors. We are talking to residents. We are talking to interns. We are talking to chaplains. We are talking In a patient families. We’re talking to them The people who deliver the food trays. We’re calling up the kitchen and ordering food trays. Like we are talking all day long. So that break room is a sacred space. And people don’t respect it. Now, if there’s a big group of people in there and they’re, you know, shooting the s crap about this, that and the other, and we’ll all laugh about something. That’s like one thing. But I’m in the break room by myself.

Mitchell
You’re there first.

Scarlet
I was there first. Nobody else was in there. Headphones in, phone in front of me, just real deep in eating my food, watching my thing, and then somebody comes in and then they break the code.

Mitchell
Well, yeah, there’s a lot of code breakers on my unit. And it’s frustrating because partly because it’s like this is my moment to check out from work. And I do, I don’t even think about work. I even wait the end of my break, if it’s a good break, which is rare because I It’s like magically, I’m like, oh, that’s right. I’m still at work. But I’m that far removed mentally. Our break room has some people who liked it. For some reason, it’s also a video conference speaker call room. For some reason, I ain’t kidding you not. People get their phones out and they don’t even use head anything in their ear. They’re just outright blabbering away really loud. And I always want to be like

Scarlet
People who have speakerphone conversations in public areas, that is just a whole other layout. Level of like shamelessness.

Mitchell
I can’t stand it. And there, and I’ve on occasion the thought crosses my mind, and one day I’m going to break. I thought, I’m going to get out my phone. And just have the loudest, most inappropriate conversation I can think of. I just don’t know who to call. I need them to play along. With my phone, so I can have it on speakerphone, but just be like really loud in the other person’s background until they get it because I just I can’t stand it. It’s just like Oh, who shoot? Like, and if, and here’s the deal. Sometimes I’m in the break room. I don’t have my headphone things, right? My beats. I will wipe, and if I’m alone, I’ll watch it on my phone. As soon as I hear the code on our door beeping, I pause it and I just stop. Cause I’m like, I respect that space. That’s not, you know, I don’t want them to have to be like, oh, I got to listen to your TikToks or whatever. Sometimes I’m reading too, just regular, and I don’t need extra noise. So Oh, yeah, that break room is especially around a you know, ho I get you. Holiday time. Okay, people are doing stuff. I will respect the group that was already there. I’m not gonna complain, but when you come in there on a Phone call, you know, talking, ah, yeah. Irritates me. The holiday stuff, it’s just like the vacation. Oh, so where did you guys go on vacation? And I’m always like, not here. That was the whole point. Yeah. And I know people are just trying to be nice. And I don’t know. It’s just.

Scarlet
And like I said, I find myself doing the same thing I did like the other like I did it to Megan the other day she was like she was like oh yeah I was just off for like X amount of days and I was like oh did you do anything I was like, I felt it coming out of my mouth, and I was like, no, take it back. Like, yeah.

Mitchell
I usually try to leave if they’re trying to, I like to do the. Oh, I hope you did something enjoyable with your time off. You know, I try to not ask something. That way, if they go like, oh, yeah, we did, or they don’t feel like I try to leave a little bit less. They’re closed-ended statements.

Scarlet
I like that.

Mitchell
So, because I’m because sometimes in my head, I’m also like, I really don’t care.

Scarlet
I mean, but I think that is most people. So, why do we

Mitchell
Yeah, we all just like we’re all like pretending like yeah. Oh, it’s true. This uh speaking of work, and I brought this up, but men are older men patients older men hospitalized patients are absolute babies and I might be there one day bye and I bring this up because I just it dawned on me today that, like you said, I was like, you uh a female nurse. I’m sorry if that’s not appropriate to say. Is almost like a surrogate mother for these men who become, for some reason, completely incapacitated in the hospital. Down to Can you pull my blankets up for me?

Scarlet
And I’m like, I think you have two arms that are fully functional.

Mitchell
I just saw you walk to the bathroom.

Scarlet
Yeah.

Mitchell
And now you’re asking me to tuck you in. Yeah. Oh, I dropped my remote. Can you pick it up? Like, I just, some days, it just. And like I said, it was like the old Mirilax thing. We know someone’s like, oh, oh, yeah, put it in water.

Scarlet
Oh, so tired of people being Women are so emotional. Women can’t run things. They’re too emotional. Like, women have hormones. They can’t be like bosses and stuff because they’re so emotional. Put a man at his worst, okay? And you tell me that because every man wants a mommy.

Mitchell
Yeah. You throw a foley in a guy, put him in a hospital bed in a gown, completely useless. Could be the biggest CEO.

Scarlet
I’m not saying women can’t be the same way because I mean, we have had some of those, but not consistently the same. No, I mean, I am telling you. the male, it it’s a whole other level.

Mitchell
Is it and is it a certain age or is it just being in the hospital? Because it’s irritating.

Scarlet
But I just have a feeling. That your dad would be one of these guys.

Mitchell
You mean a little too needy?

Scarlet
Yeah, because he would be like, you know, your mom’s always kind of like, oh, you know, she’s kind of like milking it, you know. Right.

Mitchell
Father, I do love you.

Scarlet
And I just kind of, you know, I feel like they’re there and they want to be, they’re like, I’m here to be taken care of. I want to be taken care of. So. I am going to like see how far I can push my boundaries.

Mitchell
Yeah.

Scarlet
And some of them do it shamelessly. Some of them will kind of sneak in there.

Mitchell
I hate the ones that start out sweet. You’re like, oh, it’s a real nice guy. Real nice patient. They start out sweet. Oh, no, I don’t, you know, I don’t want to be a bother. Like, no, no, I’m just good. I’m just And you’re like, okay, they lay in the groundwork, and then suddenly that call light goes off. And it’s like, oh, yeah, you know, I need somebody to empty this urinal. And you go in there, it’s like, yeah, you are one sixteenth full on the urinal. You’re going to be okay. I’ll empty it since I’m in your urinal.

Scarlet
It’s 150 mils, and this urinal can hold 900 mils.

Mitchell
And then it’s like, oh, no, I didn’t mean to bother you. I didn’t mean to. No, it’s okay. It’s okay. You know, I just want you to be. Boom, call that goes up again. It’s like, oh, oh, you know, can I get a warm blanket? It’s like, I was just in here. But they start off sweet, and then suddenly you’re like, they’re the neediest guy on the planet, and you feel like You gave too many inches, and now they’ve taken miles.

Scarlet
And then you got to come back with your mommy voice, and you got to be like, Listen, I will try to be in here once an hour. Okay. So think in your head and make a little mental list. And then they call you back and let me know when I come back. Oh my gosh.

Mitchell
Could I get just to make a list? I didn’t have one. Like, oh. I just remind me, sort of. Like. When I was in the emergency department in Salem, it doesn’t really matter. But it was during the pandemic, I got that big cut on my hand. So, I was on light duty for a little bit. And so, they so the light duty I got to do was I got to swap everyone for COVID. Anyone that needed it, they’re like, I was just going and swapping for 12 hours. Like they’d just be like, oh, yeah, Mitchell will do it. So I’d swapped, I’ve swapped everyone from you know, two-month-old to 100-year-olds, right? And what I noticed during these weeks of doing that. Is that and these are nasopharyngeal swabs. Now, what does that mean to the layman? This is a swab that you know, a fiddly q-tip that goes in your nose And people are like, oh, you’re going to touch my brain, you know, all these jokes. It is the one that goes completely back to where your two nostrils now become one passage. Really, you know, I’d say two and a half, three and a half inches been on your anatomy, into your nose, right? They have some modern swabs, which are nasal nostril only. Anyways, I do these nasopharyngeal ones. And I hated sometimes when I’d see like these little kids or whatever. But what I didn’t notice is I go in to like an eighty year old woman, and I could drop that thing all the way to almost losing it, which would be like six inches and not even a flinch. And you just be like, oh, and you’re like, I don’t have to leave this in here, and you pull it out, not a flinch. I go into a 22-year-old male room. And the thing barely touches the nostril, and they are melting down, freaking out. You have to almost hold their head, and you’re like, oh my goodness. Come on, tough guy. Like, I just see some like how baby they are. Same and they these older women, most of them, just usually they’d always say stuff like, I’d be like, Oh, ma’am, I’m gonna have to Expose you to put some electrodes on and monitor your heart. And it’d always be, honey, I’ve had 11 kids. There ain’t nothing you could do. You’re like, oh, okay. They’re always that way. These older women, like. Never, you know, didn’t flinch. You throw Ivy in those big old doughy arms. Nothing’s happening. Young 20-year-old males, also babies. Maybe all men. Maybe I’m a baby. But. I didn’t notice that. So I’d always be like, I don’t know. These guys would be melting down over a tickle on their nostril. I thought, oh.

Scarlet
I feel like you could be a baby, but because you’re a nurse, you would be like, nope. I’m keeping that buttoned in. Like, I’m not gonna, you know, I’ve been on the receiving end of this, and I’m not gonna let myself take advantage of. Because when I was when I was, you know, after my C-section, being a Kaiser, I don’t think I pushed the call button once, ever. I don’t I couldn’t even tell you where it was

Mitchell
What it was shaped like. Yeah. Yeah.

Scarlet
Like no idea. I would just call my for my food as long as I got my food and the nurse would come in there maybe once or twice a shift for pain meds and you know A unit of blood or whatever, and like, yeah, top you off, and uh, yeah, and then somebody would come in and get my labs, and I would be like, Oh, yeah, it’s that time of morning, go ahead, go for it, like, go ahead and poke me up, like, nothing, right? Um. Yeah.

Mitchell
Trying to think if I was a baby on my last visit to the ED.

Scarlet
Well, you’re in a lot of pain. Oh, that time. Well,

Mitchell
Yeah. I was in a lot of mental anguish.

Scarlet
Yeah.

Mitchell
So, but I don’t think you were probably bugging.

Scarlet
Well, at first, I’m sure it was like Help me, I’m dying.

Mitchell
Yes, okay. I know, sorry. See episode something or another if you want to hear about the panic.

Scarlet
But I think once you were in like a hospital bed, you were probably like, okay, I’m in a safe space. Like, it’s I’m going to be o I think I’m going to be okay. And if I’m not, then I’m in the right place for it.

Mitchell
I always have a calling because I wanted a blanket or a pillow or if someone could Massage my back. I hate that one. Or, oh, scratch your feet. Like, okay. Oh, my gosh.

Scarlet
When somebody asks, do not ever, any of you out there, don’t you ever Be admitted to the hospital and have the audacity to ask your medical personnel For a massage, I’m going to let you think about how inappropriate that sounds because me just speaking that, I’m like, hello, obviously not you.

Mitchell
Like, I just had that the other week. A guy wanted to massage on his back, and he was just like, He was like, Well, if you have time, maybe you could do a massage. And I was like, Yeah, it’s like that’s really not why I’m here. Which sounds kind of cold because I will tell you. I have, to a nice guy, not been asked for it. I’ve been asked for a massage, but I might be applying like diclofenac, like a topical Ointment cream and a lot of ointments on old men, yeah. And I might give kind of a little, I might massage it in there, yeah, a little bit if it’s the guy’s decent, yeah. I mean, like, because I’m like, oh, let’s just work this in, and somebody, oh, hey, that feels good. But if a guy asked me to massage his back or something, I was like, Yeah, I’m like, How about a lidocaine patch?

Scarlet
Yeah, how about that? Because I’m not gonna be like, You wanna give me a massage? Because I’ve been working for like 11 and a half hours.

Mitchell
Yeah. So that one’s always a little awkward, the massage ask.

Scarlet
Yeah.

Mitchell
Oh, sorry. I don’t know how I got off right as work is looming for me. Both of us.

Scarlet
Yeah, same.

Mitchell
Okay, so we’ve had the years pass. We’ll do we I mean we can, I don’t know, an anniversary style or whatever on the next episode, or not, because this will drop on the 14th, if my math is correct. What is the 31st? It doesn’t really matter. And now I’m trying this recess hemp and adaptogen product. Have you had one of yours yet?

Scarlet
I have not.

Mitchell
These are new beverages we’re trying, folks. The CBD adaptogen kind of stuff. I don’t know.

Scarlet
But that like mushroom adaptogen thing that you got me from World Market.

Mitchell
Really good. Yeah, I c I just Looked at it, I thought of you. I was like, Yeah. Oh, wow, thank you. That’s scarlet written all over it. What else? So, how was your holiday? Oh, my gosh. Oh, yeah. You know, actually, today was the first. This is not a tradition, but I did. We yesterday, the 31st, we took down all the decor, and today I got rid of the tree.

Scarlet
You got rid of it?

Mitchell
Well, I mean, it’s artificial. It’s in the basement. But I mean, Christmas is done. Where did Max say something like, where’s Santa? Was he asking about something today? Like.

Scarlet
He was like, huh, Christmas is over.

Mitchell
Yeah.

Scarlet
Well, like yesterday the tree was up, but it was off. And he walked in there and he was like, I guess Christmas is done. And I’m like, it is done.

Mitchell
Couldn’t have been done sooner. Yeah, buddy. Oh. Okay. Which reminds me. People, and we I know I haven’t plugged it as much this episode. We are on the Instagram and Blue note, blue sky, blue sky. Yeah, I don’t ever post. I’m sorry, folks.

Scarlet
Then stop mentioning it.

Mitchell
Okay. And TikTok. TikTok, yes. You post on that.

Scarlet
TikTok, Instagram.

Mitchell
And then YouTube.

Scarlet
Yeah.

Mitchell
YouTube is where you’re going to watch videos of this. And then there’s ScarletandMitchell.com. I’m still working on the website. It’s whatever. But. You can leave comments or direct messages, lots of ways to get a hold of us or say things or whatever. Somebody recently said, Steve, this is a guy who commented before, he says on episode 19. He says You can probably see me in your rear view mirror soon. Listening to the podcast has been like binging the last year of your life in a couple of weeks it will be sad when I don’t have multiple hours a day of doing the most to listen to. I enjoy the show and chuckle as I listen to Mitch voice many of my own thoughts keep doing the most. So There’s a new listener who is catching up on all the episodes. He left he sent me another message. Sorry, Steve, I can’t pull it up. But he also left another he lit he kind of left a stream of comments on one of them. On one of the episodes as he was listening to it, kind of going like, Oh, this reminds me of but anyone can go there. I need to respond to him on the I can I can type, and I do know that we have a website. I’m not gonna lie, this headache I have is just not relenting. We can wrap it up. I’ve pushed through this episode the best I can. Speaking of which, what else? Anything new, really? In your life? No, I just live with me. I know. That’s what I’m trying to find out. This is what’s no I mean, we had a good time going downtown wandering around the other day.

Scarlet
That was a good day.

Mitchell
It was kind of like reminded me of the fun stuff that there is downtown Portland. Yeah. Oh, that’s right. That was the whole Santa Claus urine.

Scarlet
Cookie jar. Wait.

Mitchell
The cookie jar. Snowman cookie jar.

Scarlet
Okay, my husband has a really big problem. Okay, you were so stubborn when it comes to just You know that your bladder is full, and I’m like, oh, we’re here. Just go use the bathroom.

Mitchell
Just go use the restroom. Spot or the restaurant. I said I needed to, and you’re like, Well, we’re all going. And I thought I literally thought we were just walking a few blocks. To this crystal place, not driving two and a half hours to get that.

Scarlet
Okay, but this is not the first time.

Mitchell
Okay.

Scarlet
We have been in places before, and I’m like, Mitchell, just go to the just go to the restroom. And you will refuse for whatever reason, I never quite understand. You’re just like, oh, no, I’ll just wait till we get home. And I’m like, well, it’s a twenty five minute drive and you’re like, well, I can hold it. And I’m like, or you can just go now and drive in comfort. And you’re like, no, I’m not gonna do it. So we had like a little stash of Goodwill stuff to take. Some Christmas stuff we had taken down, and we’re like, we’re gonna take it to Goodwill.

Mitchell
You guys went to the crystal shop. Which didn’t have a bathroom. Well, I suppose I went in there.

Scarlet
Most stores in Portland don’t have a bathroom.

Mitchell
You know that. I know that. They all have a sign that says no public restrooms, right? Which is now explains why there’s so many people in Portland just urinating on the side of the street by their tent.

Scarlet
Yes. So, not as many as there used to be.

Mitchell
I walked around with Max hoping we’d see something, anything. And I, yeah, I just I was like, yo, this is not happening. I And then I was like, okay, so yeah, we went back to the car and I saw I knew we had some of those pots and pans. Ooh, bringing it back. Full circle. Pots and pans. And I was like, ooh, I’ll just pee in a pot or a pan. Well, actually, originally, we were walking back. I was like, I’m just going to pee in my own water bottle and my odd in my oh wai yellow water bottle. And then I was like, oh, wait a minute, we got those pots and pans. So we get in the car and then I see next to the possum pants. I was like, even better, a snowman cookie jar. And so I am peeing in this thing in the car. Max is in the third row and he’s seeing me pee. And then he’s like, I got a pee too. I was like, oh my goodness. So there he is.

Scarlet
He just peed.

Mitchell
I know, but he peed more.

Scarlet
I don’t know what gave this kid a diuretic at the restaurant.

Mitchell
He’s peeing in the pea pot.

Scarlet
The piss pot, yeah.

Mitchell
Yeah. And then, hey, I’m glad some people don’t have a potato.

Scarlet
So the snowman that was going to be somebody’s joy for cookies is now going to go in the garbage.

Mitchell
I was just gonna bleach it out, Mitchell. What? If you hadn’t know, if you gave me a moment of my thought, I thought to myself. And this is why, whenever you get anything from Goodwill, you want to disinfect it. Because someone may have used it for a bed a chamber pot. Listen.

Scarlet
You need to stop being so stubborn.

Mitchell
And this is the moral of the story. What was worse is that so I left it in there because I didn’t feel like pouring it out ’cause he wanted to go fight you. So I left it in the car. But then I was worried that you guys would get in the car and drive, or somebody would be like, Here, put this back in the back, and then spill the pea pot everywhere. So I was that’s why I text you and then What did I say? And then there was some confusion on the text because I was like, oh, yeah, there was no whatever. And then you’re like, what? It’s still there?

Scarlet
Yeah, let me see here.

Mitchell
Oh.

Scarlet
You can edit this down.

Mitchell
Yeah, I don’t know. But then I pee, and then we pee.

Scarlet
All you send me is a picture of the snowman. And I said, Did you pee in that? And the next picture you send me.

Mitchell
Is some chicken broth.

Scarlet
And you said, haven’t emptied yet. Max used it too. And I was thinking, you still haven’t that didn’t empty your whole bladder?

Mitchell
Right, no, I know there was that confusion, but That kid.

Scarlet
Anyway, and he still peed his pants on the way home.

Mitchell
Yeah. I don’t know what he had. I think I had the same thing. And then when I bored the potato stepped, yeah. So I think some our noodles might have been laced with LASIX. Wait a minute. How many people had those dumplings? Me and him. Anyone else? Did you have a dumplings? Okay, maybe. Maybe not.

Scarlet
Yeah, it’s the dumplings.

Mitchell
You never know sometimes with that Chinese medicine. Okay, okay. So we’ll wrap it up with this last little comment from Steve. They found the other one. It’s a longer one, but he said. I have the same problem with my Samsung keyboard. I’m hitting a period instead of the spacebar. Remember I was complaining about Apple’s dumb keyboard. So it’s not just uh Apple’s keyboard that suck on the phone. He does tell a story about getting toothwork done in Thailand. Oh, right. And total cost for a whole bunch of work was $1,500. Root canal, second crown, cavity, filling, and then is don’t dance to even see all that. So Oh man, and then he talks about some of the leaks and stuff in a house. But he did say, and like you, I’m always afraid to call in a repairman because I’m sure it’s going to take a big chunk out of my 401k. And he’s a pie over cake, prefers cherry or berry, and then he’s always hunting down a lemon meringue pie that will. Be like his grandmothers, but none of them have beaten the memory of the flavor. So, anyways, thank you, Steve. I do appreciate it. That I have thoughtful comments, I need to respond in kind on the website. So, anywho, all right, I got to take care of nurse this headache into something

Scarlet
Until next time, I’m Scarlet.

Mitchell
And I’m Mitchell.

Scarlet
And we’re doing the most. Bye