Closet Cocktails with Prada and Patrick

What happens when two friends have cocktails and dish on a movie? Magic, pure magic. My first returning guest this week is Patrick Pickarts. Patrick debuted in episode 56 when he told us all about being a nurse in tech. And if you don’t remember him, well, how could you forget about Patrick, it would be like putting Baby in a corner and nobody puts Baby in a corner (Let’s see how many movie references I can get in here). In episode 56, Patrick referred to the hit movie, The Devil Wears Prada and gave me some flack about not having seen it. So right then and there, I committed to watching and inviting him back for an episode in which we give our commentary.  It's been seven months since I made that commitment and all I can say is TEMPUS FUGIT- time flies! I recently celebrated my 60th birthday and have vowed not to let time slip away from me because I found out what the secret to life is: friends. Best friends. Patrick is my friend and I could not let this promise go unfulfilled. In the end, instead of the five-minute snippet, I test Patrick’s knowledge with Prada trivia (if you ask me, I’m not sure he’s even seen it!) Sit back, relax, and enjoy your low-calorie popcorn and assorted confections. Well, here goes nothin’! For Patrick's bio, visit my website (link below).
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Transcript

[00:00] Michelle: What happens when two friends have cocktails and dish on a movie? Magic. Pure magic. My first returning guest this week is Patrick Pickarts. Patrick debuted in episode 56 when he told us all about being a nurse in tech. And if you don't remember him, well, how could you forget about Patrick? It would be like putting Baby in a corner, and nobody puts Baby in a corner (let's see how many movie references I can get in here). In episode 56, Patrick referred to the hit movie The Devil Wears Prada, and it gave me some flack about not having seen it. So right then and there, I committed to watching and inviting him back for an episode in which we give our commentary. It's been seven months since I made that commitment, and all I can say is Tempus Fugit,  time flies. I recently celebrated my 60th birthday and have vowed not to let time slip away from me because I found out what the secret to life is: Friends. Best friends. Patrick is my friend, and I could not let this promise go unfulfilled. In the end, instead of the five-minute snippet, I test Patrick's knowledge with some Prada trivia. And if you ask me, I'm not sure he's even seen this movie. So sit back, relax, and enjoy your low- calorie popcorn and assorted confections. Well, here goes nothin. Well, hi, Patrick. It's so nice to talk to you again.

[01:54] Patrick: I'm glad to be back. I'm flattered. Am I the first repeat guest?

[02:00] Michelle: You are the first repeat guest.

[02:02] Patrick: All right, so I'm just, you know, gratuitously saying that. Cheers, Michelle.

[02:08] Michelle: Cheers. So we are going to tell everyone what we're drinking. So we're having some cocktails. And so what are you drinking, Patrick?

[02:17] Patrick: I'm having, and I keep on showing the drink. I realize we're not on camera for the podcast, but I'm having a blue cheese, a dry martini, semi-dry, a little bit dirty. Mostly just the olives. Blue cheese, olive martini. And the olives were a gift from my grandmother, as Michelle knows because she said that she ordered them and they were too tough. And I haven't had that experience, but I'm glad to take them off her hands. And another factoid, I have one of those grandmas who I love very much, and she just loves ordering weird things off of Amazon and giving them a whirl. And then I end up with, you know, the reject. So that's my drink. What about you, Michelle? What you sipping on?

[03:02] Michelle: You get all those benefits. That's cool. My drink, I just looked up because I have gin, and I wanted to do something with gin. My daughter and I, we bought, last Christmas, we bought, like, a gin collection, and it's all these, like, little just one shot gins, right? So I made what's called a BlackBerry Bramble, and it's Tanguerie gin. I didn't actually use one of the gins that we got. It'sTanguerie gin, lemon juice, and a homemade blackberry syrup that I made myself.

[03:39] Patrick: Tanguerie, I think, is number one the best. That's my gin of choice. And then. So do you have, like, do you live in the country? Did you pick the blackberries as well, or did you go to the store and buy them?

[03:51] Michelle: Yes, I bought them. Yeah, they were organic blackberries. They cost, you know, more than I would have paid for probably two drinks. But that's okay. You know, I didn't use very many for the syrup, but I went through all the steps and. And I used organic sugar and everything. So this is a very clean, healthy cocktail.

[04:14] Patrick: I mean, it's. It probably has antioxidants, and you will have no repercussions with it tomorrow morning.

[04:22] Michelle: Good, because I have to get up early to go to my grandson's soccer game, so I hope it'll just be worn off before then.

[04:30] Patrick: Lovely.

[04:32] Michelle: Yes. Well, let's remind our listeners. So you were episode 56, and we talked about you being a nurse in tech. And I know that some interesting things have happened since then. So why don't you get us up to speed on what's been happening in the last seven months?

[04:54] Patrick: Gosh, has it been that long? Yes. So when last we met, which was such a fun time, and everybody listening, Michelle and I are like, we're real friends, too. We talk, we text. You know, it's not. This is not our stage Personas. Right, Michelle?

[05:10] Michelle: 100%.

[05:13] Patrick: So I was working in a startup for a nursing, like, shift filling software, you know, like newsflash or, you know, spoiler alert. I guess that's it. Ended up being a dud. I won't mention the company name, but if anybody goes back to episode 56, I suppose they could be a bit of a sleuth and find that information out quickly. That being said, just ended up being a tech startup. That was a failure for myself. But at the same time, I'm no worse for the wear. I have new skills. I learned a lot of lingo and jargon and sales speak that I didn't know before, that I have applied. So I don't want to say that it was, you know, a total failure that, you know, I'm not still working there, but it was just something that I did. I explored it. I was always a little bit curious about it, and I don't think I need to go into those waters again. But. But never say never. After that wrapped up for me, I took just a little time off, enjoyed the summertime, as Michelle said. It was seven months ago, so it was kind of towards the end of summer, and that was just really lovely, too. I was a little bit burnt out, like how we all are. But I'll say something else, too, Michelle. It's taking time off doesn't cure burnout. I learned that as well. Have you ever had anybody share that with you? If you think you're burnt out, just taking time off doesn't necessarily make it go away.

[06:47] Michelle: Yes, I have, and I've experienced that myself. You know, towards the end of my career, I was burning out, and I thought the answer was retirement. And so I took an early retirement, as you said the other day. You retired early, bitch. That's when I was complaining about being sleepless. Right. But, yes, definitely, you know, maybe I look back now and I go, maybe I just needed a break and to do some. Some trauma work or whatever you want to call it. But I've managed to do that through my retirement, so now I'm good. But I agree with you, Patrick. You know, taking time off doesn't necessarily solve that problem of burnout.

[07:34] Patrick: Yeah. So, listeners, you heard it here. I mean, me with the lowercase b for break and Michelle with the uppercase B for break since she's retired. If you're burnt out, not working doesn't make you burnt out, and it's go away. You have to look to other things. I'm sorry. I wish it was, you know, as simple as taking a two week time off or a month off. Anyway, that being said, started working in ER again, which I will say that was one of the things that really did get me unburnt out. And it's such, like swimming upstream. There was just this voice in my head, and the voice didn't have any, you know, auditory hallucinations or anything, but it was the voice consciousness. And I was like, I just. Patrick, you just need to get back into the hospital, get back into the ER, and work some more shifts. Just recalibrate yourself. So you decided to just work at the shop that was closest to where I live in Chicago, found someplace that I could ride my bike to. And we all know how quickly a twelve hour shift could turn into a 13 hours shift. And then if you add your commute time and then you're doubling back the next day, da da da da da. So that was a conscious decision. But I just got into the flow and I didn't try to be annoying and say, oh, at my old job I did this. Or do you remember when I used to be executive director of da da da da da? I was just nurse Patrick and loved it and kind of really  remembered just the satisfaction of how nice it is to go in, complete a lot of different tasks real time, do everything really quite real time. Everything is synchronous and you not be taking the job home. So that was lovely. Kind of got, you know, that was how Patrick got his groove back. If, you know, if Stella got to go to the island, Michelle, they got her groove back to go to the ER.

[09:29] Michelle: Oh no, I see another episode coming because I haven't seen that movie either.

[09:35] Patrick: Okay, well, yes, we have more fun things to talk about. Okay, fast forward. You know, like a fly to honey, I landed back into the health IT world, which I knew I would, but also in the process of enjoying being clinical and moonlighting a bit more heavily, decided to think, okay, well, I like this. I always knew I liked working clinically. 12 hours in an ER is really hard. How can I make this sustainable for like, you know, my forties, my fifties, I'm 38, I don't feel old, but I'm just kind of planning, you know, what's gonna work for later in life. And I thought, okay, mental health, mental health NP. This is something I'm interested in. I love NP's and really all providers, but to me personally, the concept of being, having a patient in front of me and having to figure out any of their ailments from like maybe like as a family practitioner or just being, you know, thinking about, okay, the heart, the lungs, the skin too overwhelming. I wanted to do something a bit more compartmentalized. And as you know, Michelle, we like talking. And the idea of working with nursing and talk therapy and doing a lot of the things that we all already are doing as nurses at a higher level professionally resonated with me. So an other update. I'm now a nurse practitioner student as well for my psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner.

[11:02] Michelle: That's a mouthful. PMHNP, right?

[11:06] Patrick: Yes. Uh huh. Like, yes, yes. I mean, I. And I really just decided I was going to do it quite without much, like, soul searching. It just was something that came to me. I thought, oh, I'm going to do that. You know, a year ago, if someone had said that they were, you know, PMHNP, I would have been like, idk what that is.

[11:28] Michelle: That's 100% what I did. I interviewed a PMHNP, Kirby Williams, and she was amazing. And she just came across my Instagram feed and, you know, she was like, hi, I'm Kirby. I'm your PMHNP. And I was like, what the heck? Never had heard of it. And she'd already been one for like twelve years. I'm like, why didn't I ever hear this specialty? It's crazy.

[11:55] Patrick: Oh, yeah, exactly. I follow Kirby also. So, Kirby, if you're a listener, hello. You know, walking in your wake, but. Right. Yeah, there's all these things that are like, why did I feel like the same? Why didn't I start doing this? Or at least chipping away at this, like, years ago, I could have had a lot of classes that I'm taking now, already finished. But such is life.

[12:17] Michelle: That's so true. And, you know, sometimes we. Things just take a turn and we have to reassess and reevaluate and. And then go down a different path. And so it sounds like it's going to be a good path for you. So thank you for bringing us up to speed on that. And then I'm going to give a little context of this episode because people are going to see the title and they're going to be like, what? What is this about? Especially if they haven't met you before. So back in episode 56, which is in September of 2023, Patrick was describing to me an incident that was going on in a boardroom that he was in. He was in a very important meeting because he was a very important person. And the people were discussing, I think you said a business card. Was that right? Am I right? 

[13:20] Patrick: I think it was that. I was like, I know, yeah, I was working as a suit. I was. I was going against the grain nursing folks. And I promise I didn't tell my soul to the devil. I'm really having to think because I make so many references to Devil Wears Prada, because it just.

[13:36] Michelle: Yeah, so, yeah, so you were, you were talking about this, that you guys were going over the colors of a, of a business card and everyone was kind of like, oh, no, I think it should be this color. And so you made the reference to the Devil Wears Prada, where Miranda, they're in this big preview, and they're all talking about the color of the belt. Right. And that it should be this certain color.

[14:03] Patrick: Yes.

[14:04] Michelle: Yeah. And then you called me out on it that I had never seen. You said, do you know what I'm talking about? Michelle, have you seen that movie? And I said, no, I haven't seen it. And so you. You instructed me to go watch that movie, and then we're gonna have. We're gonna talk about it. And so that's why we're here today. So we're keeping our promise.

[14:29] Patrick: And I think it's nice, too, because. Okay. Yes. You know, I'm a nurse. Michelle's a nurse. People listening to this probably very nurse. But, like, can we talk about something different for a minute? And we all, you know, think about. We go to conferences. I will say two close friends of mine who are chief nursing officers at large hospitals just got back from AONL conference in New Orleans that happened this past week, and they were just, like, exhausted of, like, nurses just, you know, talking about nursing and nursing problems and pontificating on these different pieces of. It's like, okay, let's talk about something light a little bit. And that's where the devil was. Product. Human. So, Michelle, I'm going to interview you for a moment. What did you think of the movie?

[15:18] Michelle: So, in general, I liked it a lot. And then we'll pick apart some of the scenes that I didn't really like. But one spoiler alert thing, I have not. Well, I'm being fully transparent here. I have not read any reviews of this movie. I have not gone on any websites to see, like, you know, plot twists or anything like that. So I'm very pure in seeing this movie and talking about this movie, and I've only seen it one time, but I brought my recorder with me on my phone, and I made. Yeah, I made timestamps and everything about what was happening at a certain time and what I wanted to say about that and how I wanted to get your opinion on it, because I'm sure you've seen it more than once, right?

[16:09] Patrick: Many times, yes. So I told you I was going to be candid, and I'll continue with that on my iPad. And remember, I'm used to, like, traveling a lot for work or, you know, partner, and I split time between two places. Da da da da da. It's just like one of those things I always haveHhave with me, and I'm in transit a lot. I always keep the movie Devil Wears Prada downloaded. Not just available, but downloaded because you don't always have Wi Fi on the iPad. That if I'm just sitting, I can pick it up and watch it, and it's just there. It's like a comfort blanket. I also have the series Sex and the City downloaded at all times. You know, you never know. I've seen that attack.

[16:48] Michelle: So true. So true. Okay, so, yeah, so in general, I really liked the movie. I thought it was very charming, and I thought it was really true to life in a lot of different scenes. And I might make some nursing references during this, and I might not. We'll see. But I want to start with the opening scene because that was setting, you know, the scene for the whole movie. So it had to be really gripping. And the song that was playing in the background and, and we are going to play some trivia. We're not going to do the five minute snippet, but I did find a lot of trivia on the movie, so I'm going to test your trivia knowledge.

[17:27] Patrick: I look forward to it.

[17:30] Michelle: Okay. So it. And it had a great soundtrack, by the way. It opened with KT Tunstalls, Suddenly. I see. And this is where the girls are all getting dressed. So these are all the girls that work in the city, and they work for these, you know, these big, I guess, magazine, fashion magazines. Right. And they're all extremely thin, and they are getting ready in their designer clothes and their designer jewelry and their makeup and their lingerie. Right. And. And then they kind of pan to Anne Hathaway's character, which is Andrea or Andy, and she's kissing Nate, who is Adrien Grenier. And I always liked Adrian Grenier, but I didn't like him in this movie. I don't know why. Because when she kissed him, he was in bed. And I was like, okay, she's going out to a job. And who is this guy? Is he like, a bum? Is he like a stay at home boyfriend? Like, what is his purpose? And of course, later I realized, you know, oh, he really did have a job. But that was my first impression. I was like, okay, I don't know if I like this arrangement. And then the girls are eating breakfast, and they show one girl that's eating, like, six almonds, measuring a little scale. Yeah. And then they pan to Andy, and she's eating a croissant.

[19:09] Patrick: Or is it a bagel? I think. Was she having a bagel? She was in New York.

[19:13] Michelle: Maybe it was a bagel. Maybe it was a bagel. And there were croissants around or something. But she was in a bakery, right? And so, yeah, right away, it's like, okay, the thin girls are beautiful and stylish and fashionable, and Andy is. She's just. She's just herself. You know, she's kind of frumpy. She's wearing clothes that are kind of heavy, and they cover her body. They're not revealing in any way. So what do you think about that opening scene?

[19:46] Patrick: Okay, so I think for you, as a first time watcher, and we don't have to be too worried about spoilers, because this movie's been out since 2007. So it's like, if you haven't seen it by now, we recommend it. But, like, you know, so I think. I think you're really savvy to be kind of like, okay, what is, you know, what is the character Andy's boyfriend doing just laying in bed like this? Because to me, like, the. The movie, the interesting parts of the movie all revolve around Andy and Meryl and the movie at work and, like, the side life of her relationship and friends. I get it that there has to be different, like, kind of running little plot lines, but I just was never really interested in all of them. And if I were directing the movie, there would be more of, you know, Meryl being a bitch to the girls and less of what, you know about, you know, is, you know, Anne Hathaway's, aka Andy's boyfriend, you know, really the one or whatever, because it's just all background noise. So, so good job on that. And I think also, it's like, okay, yes, it's a little bit obvious. Oh, these women are all models, you know, and she's different. And it's like, okay, we get it. This is the different. And I think at that time, too, there were a lot of movies where it was like, like the different lead woman in a movie being, like, ugly or something, but it'd still just be like a very beautiful woman in, like, a frumpy outfit or just put on, like a, you know, unbecoming glasses or something. And it's like, you know, viola. Like, she has. So I'm like, you know, but at the same time, how can I knock it? But I track your opening remarks.

[21:29] Michelle: Thank you. Okay, so now she meets Emily, who is Emily Blunt. Right. And she gets. She gets dissed, like, big time by Emily. Emily's such a bitch to her. You know, starts ordering her around, rolling her eyes at her. And I immediately was like, I don't think I'm going to like Emily's character either, because all of us have met somebody like that. That is just toxic. So then one of the timestamps is at 05:09. That's where we meet Nigel, played by Stanley Tucci. And Miranda's coming in, which, of course, is played by Meryl Streep. And I just laughed out loud at this part because he says "Gird your loins."  And I haven't heard that term in so long. That's like a really kind of an old term that I love.

[22:30] Patrick: I never heard it before or after. So Michelle is the dead mother of this podcast. You'll have to, like, when did people say gird your loins?

[22:41] Michelle: Well, I just turned 60 yesterday, so now I feel, like, so wise, and I feel like this is something that. And I'll have to ask my mom. She's 84. I feel like she's actually said these words before. So I think it's a. It's an older term, and we don't say it a lot anymore. But I just. I loved it, and I didn't remember it till he said it. And I thought, okay, I love. I love Nigel right away. He's really, like somebody that I'm gonna. That I'm gonna like.

[23:17] Patrick: So they do a good job setting the stage right. It's like, this one's a bitch. This one's the snappy, you know, gay man, which Stanley. Right. Stanley Tucci is not gay in person, but he certainly often plays a gay man, and he does a very good job. But, yeah, they don't really make us, like, work for, like, you know, who is the, you know, who is the heroine and who's the bad guy and da da da da da.

[23:44] Michelle: Yep. Setting it all up.

[23:46] Patrick: It's not a mystery movie, is it, Michelle?

[23:48] Michelle: It's not a mystery. Nope. Everybody is clearly defined in their roles. So at 09:03, that's when Andy meets Miranda Priestley. And Miranda is saying to her, you have no sense of style or fashion. And Andy starts to reply, and Miranda says, no, no, that wasn't a question. And I think that's when we get, like, a real view into the character of Miranda. Right.

[24:23] Patrick: That's our first peak. And, yes, I guess you just really feel like, how powerful she is, too. It's like, well, you know. Right. The stage has been set. Gird your loins. She's in there. It's all these sharp angles. And I think a big part of her character is just kind of giving looks. Right. Is a lot of, you know, we're talking about it, but a lot of the movie, a lot of her acting is just watching how she behaves rather than what's coming out of her mouth.

[24:50] Michelle: Yeah, definitely a lot of nonverbal vibes that we're getting from her. So Nigel says, because when he sees her, too, he says, who is that sad little person? And are we doing a before and after piece I didn't know about? And again, I laughed out loud at that, too. I thought that was great.

[25:12] Patrick: I'm glad you've liked it. I mean, I know you're going to say the things you don't like and you do like, but. Yeah, it's cute.

[25:18] Michelle: Yes. Okay, so now we're moving to around 17 minutes. And this is, you know, Andy's still coming to work looking really frumpy. She hasn't made any effort yet to spiff up her wardrobe or anything like that. And so Miranda is looking at her shoes. She gives her a look that could kill. So again, yeah, this is Miranda with her eyes just, you know, she could just kill you with her eyes in what she's saying.

[25:50] Patrick: And then, is this our nursing tie-in? Because the shoes are kind of like maybe what a nurse educator would perhaps wear.

[25:59] Michelle: When I went to nursing school, Patrick, in 1984, and I graduated in 80. No, 83. And I graduated in 85. So that was a long time ago. We had to wear white dresses and we had to wear nursing caps and we had to wear white shoes. And they actually graded you on your appearance every day. And your. Your hair had to be off of your collar and your dress had to be completely white with no stains on it. And your shoes could not be scuffed. So we all carried around, like, one of those white shoe polish things in our purse so we could, like, keep our shoes white at all times. But I remember actually, you know, some of my nursing instructors kind of looking down at my feet and, you know, maybe I had gone out the night before when I got off work and I still had my shoes on and getting some of those looks.

[26:59] Patrick: Would you be graded on, like, keeping your outfit pristine white the entire shift or just at the beginning?

[27:08] Michelle: Yeah, just at the beginning, because, you know, stuff happens and you get body fluids on it and stuff like that. I wasn't like, you could. There were no scrub machines where you just take off your scrubs and grab another pair of scrubs out of the scrub vending machine. Right. It was like you just had to wear whatever ended up on you for the rest of your shift. And that could be all kinds of bodily fluids. And it. It frequently was. And so that to your shoes, too, because stuff happens on your shoes. And then I remember when Crocs were introduced. Did you ever wear Crocs at work?

[27:44] Patrick: Well, yes. It's like, the answer is yes. But I actually still have them, too. I have a pair of, like, they're not Crocs brand, but they're a pair of Pumas and, like, in the same, like, rubbery material. So I'm like, well, these are cool. And I don't think anyone's ever thought they were cool besides me to this point. And again, I still literally wear them, like, all the time. But, yeah, I mean, I'll admit to it. I was also once gifted a pair of Crocs from a CEO of a hospital system that I worked for, because he was a CEO, and he would wear Crocs, and he just didn't really have a good, like, eye for fashion. And I, you know, tried to help him do better or understand just that, you know, horribleness of that, as I'll admit to it. I mean, I don't know, all the holes in the top and, you know, things falling. Not a good idea.

[28:44] Michelle: No, my pair of Crocs were. They were not with holes, so they. They had no holes. And they were this ugly. They weren't even white. They were kind of like, this really ugly off white gray. And I wore them for years and years, and. And I probably ruined my feet with them. And I started tripping.

[29:04] Patrick: Were they recommended to you by your lesbian nurse friends?

[29:09] Michelle: No. I don't know. It was just the rage. It was like everyone was wearing them. And, you know, I just jumped on the bandwagon, and I started tripping in them a lot. And I even fell down a couple of times. Cause they're not. You know, they're not really good. Like, on linoleum, they, like, catch. And I'm. I'm a klutz. I will fall down just. Just walking down the hallway. I will bump into walls and all sorts of things. And there might be some people at.

[29:37] Patrick: Work that thought Michelle.

[29:42] Michelle: Yeah. So. So now, my Crocs, I still have them. And what's hilarious is, my grandkids, they have Crocs. And they told me, grandma, look at these new shoes. And I had to break the news to them that those aren't new. Grandma has Crocs from long time ago. And I got them out, and I just wear them in the garden now because then you can hose them off when you get them all dirty. So.

[30:06] Patrick: Yeah, well, Crocs on kids. I think are really cute. If I see a kid in Crocs, I find it, like, adorable. But it doesn't translate.

[30:15] Michelle: No. And they love the charms, so. Yeah. But not. Not a great fashion statement, right?

[30:21] Patrick: No, not.

[30:23] Michelle: No.

[30:24] Patrick: Yeah. Okay, so where it's just, like, a half a step above a Croc.

[30:31] Michelle: Okay, so now we're at 20 minutes, and Nigel is in the cafeteria with Andy, and she's ordering the corn chowder. Do you remember this part?

[30:45] Patrick: Yes, I remember all the parts. I mean, you'll guess you'll quiz me on this later to, you know, see if that is, like, you know, corroborates. But yes.

[30:55] Michelle: And he says to her, you do know cellulite is the main ingredient in corn chowder? And again, his wit and his humor is just priceless. And I did not like the corn chowder. I like corn, and I like chowder, but not together.

[31:12] Patrick: I think it sounds disgusting. I've never had it. Watching the movie didn't make me want to try it.

[31:17] Michelle: Like I said, I like corn. Like corn on the cob. Cornbread. Yeah, I. And I like clam chowder, but I never thought to put, like, corn in my chowder. That just seems gross to me.

[31:32] Patrick: And they wouldn't have it. I will say they would not have had that at the. At the. Such a high fashion office anyway. Right. I think in real life, they would have had, like, champagne, maybe a little bit of cocaine, a lettuce leaf.

[31:48] Michelle: Exactly. I was like, what is corn chowder doing at this place where all these women don't eat anything? It's, like, ridiculous. Okay, so we're at 23 minutes. Let's see. Okay, this was the reference. So Andy is snickering at the color of the belts because they're all discussing that the belt should be this certain color. Blue, was it? Or green or something.

[32:15] Patrick: Well, they were talking. Yeah. They're talking about, like, you know, they're. The belts were similar shades of blue or green. And. Yeah. Andy thought, oh, how funny. You know, for. I don't know anyone who hasn't seen. And again, then she gets a master class and, you know, a slaying by. By Miranda. And that's where we all. We'll never forget what cerulean blue is.

[32:41] Michelle: That's right. Cerulean blue. And then. Okay, so then at 31:30 Miranda just gives a really deep cut to Andy where she says, go ahead. Take a chance. Hire the smart, fat girl. Right. Cuts like a knife.

[33:05] Patrick: That was ill. And this is leading up to Andy feeling sorry for herself, which I'm sure anybody would after that. But this precedes her morph to fierceology.

[33:19] Michelle: Fierceology. I love that. Yeah, I wrote that. I love Nigel's speech to Andy about why she should care more. And I can't, like, iterate it, you know, like word by word. But the feeling was like, you know, some things are more important than yourself and you should kind of be open to seeing why things matter.

[33:45] Patrick: I think that's probably more cerebral than like, 99% of people who watched that movie would have gotten. But, yeah, absolutely. She does see, okay, this isn't just about playing dress up. And. Yeah, she kind of pulled her, pulled herself together at that point, 100%.

[34:02] Michelle: Well, I see that you could use this in your future as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. You know.

[34:11] Patrick: I mean, actually, yes. My first, my knee jerk. My first response is giggle. Nervous giggle. But, yeah, absolutely. I mean, I've done. I think it'll be a balancing act of how much tough love do you give a patient versus how much. How much can they handle? And something else. I don't like it. This is, this is an offshoot. Right. Then you're so much in healthcare, right? Healthcare is a business in this country and you're getting these different health grades and was your, was your practitioner nice to you? And da da da da da. And it's just like, oh, my God, I hate it. That's NP's, PS's , physicians are all kind of like, having to straddle this customer is always right mentality in an area that the customer is not always right. It's the same type of, you know, customer service type branding that you would see at Nordstrom or something. But, yeah, I agree that I think there'll be one to just kind of. Of play case by case. I'll be curious how, how receptive people are to different, like, tactics. And maybe there's some people out there that are just dying for a bit of like, a brutal honesty.

[35:29] Michelle: I think there are. I really think there are.

[35:33] Patrick: It'll be.

[35:33] Michelle: And you'll find them. I mean, you're, you're, you're the kind of person, I think, that brings that out in people because you are authentically you. And I think when somebody is faced with a person in front of them that knows who they are, they feel more comfortable showing who they are. And, you know, that could just be a supposition, but I think. I think it's true for a lot of people. So you'll get to find that out.

[36:06] Patrick: Thanks, Michelle. Yeah, I mean, maybe that's how we are. We don't. I don't think that either of us has, like, our Persona. This is what, you know, nurse Patrick is, like, interviewing with Nurse Michelle's Persona, and we just get on and talk. And that's what makes the conversation good.

[36:25] Michelle: Exactly.

[36:26] Patrick: It's exhausting thinking about how does a professional talk or how should I behave or, you know, what is, you know, did you just end up being like, this jukebox of different, like, idioms coming out of your mouth and then, you know, it is clean.

[36:45] Michelle: I agree. Okay, so we are. Let's see. Where are we? So I said, I love Nigel speech to Andy about why she should care, and you said that that was the beginning of her fierceology. Is that what you said?

[37:01] Patrick: Oh, I just had one of my blue cheese olives, everybody. Delicious.

[37:05] Michelle: I know, it looks so good.

[37:08] Patrick: I'm hungry.

[37:10] Michelle: It looks like you're enjoying it a lot. Okay. So Andy comes home, and Nate is there, and he sees her in her lingerie. And Vogue is playing in the background. And we assume that they go in the bedroom and they make love. Right?

[37:32] Patrick: They do it.

[37:35] Michelle: They do it. Yeah, they do it. Because sex sells, right?

[37:43] Patrick: Yeah. I mean, but I think in this movie, we really just kind of get a lot of, like, sex appeal because there's no. Well, there's really no heavy, like, you know, sexual scene. I guess it just kind of played a lot of innuendo or, you know, later on. Right. You wake up or the character wakes up and it's like the morning after or whatever, but, yeah, yeah.

[38:07] Michelle: There's a scene coming up that it made me mad. So we'll talk about that. And it was a sexual scene. Okay, so now we are on to 38 minutes, and Miranda sees Andy in the Chanel boots. And she gives her a little grin, like, so satisfying, right?

[38:28] Patrick: It's like, I figure if I could only watch, like, 5 seconds of the movie, it would probably be that.

[38:33] Michelle: So good, right? Like. And part of me was like, andy, don't cave in. Like, stay who you are. Stay authentic. Stay that frumpy girl that you want to be. Don't cave in. But then I kind of liked her cave in.

[38:53] Patrick: I liked it, too. I felt like she was just, like, an elevated version of her because she still was all the other pieces. And even later on in the movie when her friends are like, you've gone too far. You've gone too far. I'm like, oh, Will. But has she?

[39:11] Michelle: Exactly. Okay, so we are at 41 28. This is when Andy meets James Holt, played by Daniel Sunata. And he's a designer. Okay. And so she's at this thing, and then she also meets Simon Baker, who's Christian Thompson, and there's just an instant connection, and I totally get that. Simon Baker is so handsome. I love him.

[39:40] Patrick: He's everybody's type.

[39:43] Michelle: Yeah. I was so happy for her. I was like, oh, okay, maybe she'll drop the house boyfriend and she'll go with Simon Baker.

[39:53] Patrick: I mean, yeah. And there's a lot of, like, allure in that. And I'm a former New Yorker. Like, I didn't really always find that to be so, you know, the allure was very much like. Like, you know, the Hollywood touchings. But, yeah. And, of course, everyone is always in, like, perfect soft lighting and those scenes as well. But, yeah, it was fun. It's interesting for her to kind of see, like, it kind of further separates her thinking about, okay, this is my new world, and these are the new people in that new world, and this is one of them. And, you know, she kind of goes further down the path of forbidden fruit.

[40:28] Michelle: Yeah, I loved it. And so let's talk about that for a minute, because you said you used to live in New York, and now you live in Chicago, and so do you think there's, like, there's stereotypes for people that live in those big metropolitan cities that, you know, they're always on the move and they always have a martini in their hand or they're at some benefit wearing a tuxedo? Like, is that. Is there any truth to that at all?

[40:55] Patrick: I think so. Especially for New York. I think that people are generally less interested in what a Chicagoan is doing or what's going on in Chicago, because it's. It's not a glitzy, clamsy city. But I think also, like, people that moved to New York, you know, which I'm not, obviously not native New York. You'd hear my voice, but you kind of. You. You want that allure. So, like, oh, my God, if you're going to a cocktail party, a cocktail party in New York is even more interesting, or you're going to a gallery or things that you can do a lot of different places, but it's like, oh, this is. You know, I'm a New Yorker, and this is what New Yorkers do, and I'm living it. There's. I think there's totally something to be said about that, and I love the nostalgia of it. But, yeah, I mean, I do think that the reputation precedes itself. Michelle.

[41:41] Michelle: Yeah. I mean, you know, always in film I think New Yorkers are. They're set up to be a certain type. And so, you know, when we meet regular people from New York, we're just always like, oh, my gosh, like, do you ride the subway? And, you know, do you. Do you get bagels every morning and coffee?

[42:02] Patrick: And I can remember even, like, visiting New York before I lived there, when I was, like, total, you know, as an adult and just, like, at some place, like. Like a fast casual type of restaurant, and there are people coming in. In my mind, I was like, oh, wow. Like, these are real New Yorkers, and they're getting their lunch, and they probably walked here from their office, and it was just my own little, like, stream of consciousness on the inside.

[42:27] Michelle: Did you move to New York? Did you move to Chicago from New York?

[42:33] Patrick: Move. So grew up in Wisconsin, lived in Chicago, lived a lot of different places, but was already living in Chicago. Work took me to New York, and, you know, I like, fly to honey. Of course. I was like, yes, cool opportunity. Never thought I would be living here. So I went from Chicago to New York, five years there, and then moved out in New York after the first wave of pandemic happened. And New York was like, you know, hell on wheels, and they just felt like a big coffin.

[43:07] Michelle: Yeah, ground zero. What was my other question about New York? You know, what? You know, what I never see in New York, or I'll say in film, is like, grocery stores. Where are the grocery stores in New York?

[43:24] Patrick: Well, it's true. Well, there really aren't very many. And then during pandemic, that was heightened because people would wait, like, in line forever to get into the grocery store. Think back to times when there could only be certain amount of people inside of a building at a time or things like that. Short answer is, a lot of grocery stores are in basements in New York. A lot of gyms are also in basements. So you'll see, like, a signage, and it'll be down in the basement. I used to live across from a food emporium on 8th Avenue. 8th Avenue and 48th. And I must say it was always well stocked, even during pandemic. But. But there aren't many. I think it's hard, right? It's so expensive. It's hard to. How many, you know, how many groceries do you have to sell to make your. Make your rent and make your overhead? It's not a lot.

[44:13] Michelle: Yeah.

[44:13] Patrick: So you're right. You're not going to see, like, a big place.

[44:17] Michelle: No, no, definitely. It's different. And out here, it's like, we have a lot of grocery stores. We have a lot of those big box stores. You know, everything's sold in bulk. It's really crazy. Okay. So she has this connection with Christian Thompson, who's Simon Baker. And I'm hoping that they get it on. And now they're at the preview. And Nigel is explaining to Andy about Miranda's system of nods. Right. She. She gives certain nods at certain times. And they have to try to interpret what they mean. I found this fascinating.

[44:57] Patrick: And I wonder if that's based off of truth. Michelle, did you get to. Or did you read on that? The movie is based off of Anna Wintour. So I did.

[45:09] Michelle: Yes.

[45:10] Patrick: Lily, you know, is that a thing? You kind of wonder what is true and false. And also. Right. Because it's really based off of the book Devil Wears Prada, which I also read. The book is very different than the movie. But you get a lot of extra kind of, like, narrative description of different things or kind of behaviors of Miranda. So I'm like, I don't know whether to call these people like, do I call them Miranda or do they call them Meryl Streep? I need to just pick one side and keep it consistent.

[45:45] Michelle: Let's go with. Yeah, let's. For ease. Let's go with their. Their stage names. Right.

[45:52] Patrick: All right.

[45:54] Michelle: Okay, so they're at the preview now. Okay. Now we're at 56 minutes into this film. And I think what happens here is. Well, first of all, Alanis Morissette's Crazy is playing in the background, which I absolutely love. Alana Smorissette. And I love that song, too.

[46:14] Patrick: Ditto. Yeah. Like her. I keep that rendition on downloaded as well. Yes. Glad you like music. That was our second song reference, I think.

[46:25] Michelle: Well, I have all the songs here. Did you. That's one of the trivia questions, is do you know how many songs were on the soundtrack?

[46:32] Patrick: Oh, that's a hard trivia. I mean. No, I would. Am I guessing now? Sure.

[46:38] Michelle: Guess.

[46:39] Patrick: I guess. 17 more. 24, 21. Okay.

[46:48] Michelle: I thought that was a lot. And my daughter said, that's. That's not a lot. I'm like. Well, like, you're a movie critic.

[46:56] Patrick: Like, the restaurant music. And it's playing true. Yeah.

[47:01] Michelle: Yeah. I mean, a lot of them weren't, like, super big hits. You know, there was looking through my notes here. Well, of course, we'll get to the city of blinding lights by you, too. That's pretty awesome. But a lot of them were probably, like you said, like, background stuff from people that, like, seven days in Sunny June by Jammer Jamiroquai. Jamiroquai. Have you ever heard of them?

[47:28] Patrick: Yeah. Jamiroquai.

[47:32] Michelle: I had never heard of him.

[47:33] Patrick: Some of these I only know from, like, neurotically watching this movie, but. Yes, but you're right. If you're just, like, watching it casually, you're not going to pick up on all these things or, you know, this takes years of watching a movie, people.

[47:47] Michelle: I know I'm going to have to watch it more than once, for sure. So crazy is playing, and I made a note here, and I said, why do women always have to use sex to get their man back?

[48:01] Patrick: Okay, so you've gotten more cerebral again. That's true, though. I mean, I don't. You're the woman, Michelle. You tell me.

[48:10] Michelle: It's all. We're always portrayed like that in the movie. Like, you know, the man's been wronged in some way and, you know, he's. He's giving the silent treatment or whatever, and then we're gonna lure him back in with the promise of sex.

[48:28] Patrick: Yeah, I guess that's an extra demerit, too, because this movie was made primarily for women and gay men. So I don't really. You know what I mean? It's. I don't really feel like they needed to put in, like, okay, what are we gonna do to, like, catch the straight men or whatever? Because those would have all been, like, the men that went because their wives or girlfriend or whatever was, like, making them go with them. So, yeah, I mean, it's a little bit older movie now. I mean, it still feels new to us, but maybe it wouldn't. I don't know. Would it be like that now? Probably still.

[48:59] Michelle: Yeah, I think probably still. I think it's a deep-rooted kind of sexist thing. That's what I'm gonna say. The feminist in me is gonna say that that's really sexist. You know, I feel like I'm gonna.

[49:12] Patrick: This more now because you mentioned it. I never noticed. I never thought of it that way. Right. It only takes one person to say, have you ever noticed this? And then, like, night, then you can't stop noticing it. So now, like, for the rest of my life, I think I want to watch something and be like. I'm like, Michelle said, yeah. Why does she have to become a sex kitten to make things better again? And I'm going to like, yeah, that's sticking with me.

[49:32] Michelle: See, I just provide such great insight. You'll never look at the movie the same again.

[49:38] Patrick: No.

[49:40] Michelle: Okay, so we're at 1 hour, and Andy is attending the benefit because Emily got sick, right? Which I was kind of happy about. Secretly, I was like, yes, she's sick. She doesn't get to go. And Andy looks absolutely amazing. She's wearing a black gown. She's got her hair, everything. She's looking fantastic. And I guess there, there was a scene where Emily. Emily was there afterwards or something because Andy said to Emily, you look so thin. And Emily just thought that was, like, the greatest compliment ever. And she just got so excited, and she said, do I? And she was like, yeah, it's this new diet. And that was another thing that I was just like, oh, man. Yeah. Women do that to each other, and we compliment each other on stuff like that. On a lot of, I guess, things. What's the word I'm looking for? Just superficial stuff.

[50:49] Patrick: Mm hmm. Do you think that Emily would be Ozembic? Now, if made, she'd be, like, probably, you know, trying to go from, like, size two to zero or, you know, like, inappropriately.

[51:02] Michelle: Exactly. Exactly. I think you're right on with that. So we're a little over an hour, and Andy is really ambivalent because it's Nate's birthday celebration, right? And it's like he's. It's like he's a two year old or something, and they're having this birthday celebration for him, and everybody wants her to be there. I get it. It's her boyfriend. But she. So she turns down the offer to meet the designers, but she ended up being late for Nate's birthday celebration anyway. And I wrote, Nate is a big baby, sulking around, giving this silent treatment. Boo hoo. Nate looks at Andy and says, you look really pretty. And then he goes into his room, and he shuts the door. And I was like, why? I don't get that.

[51:54] Patrick: I should know. Andy is paying more than half of the rent for that apartment. He. That's a nice shot. Again, this goes back into, like, I don't care about the whole. In my mind, I'm like, okay, you know, girl, you're young. This is your New York City boyfriend. You're not getting married to this person. So, like, who cares? And the friends, I think, are all just really annoying, too, in my opinion. The friends just don't do anything for me. Not one of them. They're just these background creatures. One of them. I don't know. Her name was from. I recognize from Rent. So I'm like, oh, well, that she's alluring to me because. For that reason. But that has nothing to do with the movie.

[52:38] Michelle: Yeah, I think it was Lily.

[52:40] Patrick: Mm hmm.

[52:42] Michelle: Yeah. Yeah, I made a note, but I.

[52:47] Patrick: Think, I mean, this is also diluted or, like, maybe that's not even the right word, but on some level, you could stretch it to say, okay, if you're gonna, like, be in a all consuming job or you're trying to get to the next level, be it executive assistant or anything, you are probably going to not be able to, like, make the party or you're going to have to, like, let this job be your life for a while. Maybe that's true in nursing as well. Sometimes you have to just. You don't have to, but if you're up for a promotion or you're just really, like, engaged, you might just have to be like, okay, I'm going to compartmentalize. I'm going to do all put all of my being into work right now, and you would explain to your family, your partner, what you, whatever, that, you know, okay, I'm going to be really focused. I'm compartmentalizing. But we're going to get to, like, the next level. And then, you know, there'll be the natural advent flow, and then there'll be more time for other things. So maybe that's something that we could tie into nursing or maybe that's something that could make it relatable. Because I think we've all had, like, work moments where we've just been, you know, really, like, engaged and maybe having a healthy obsession with something and missed out on, like. Yeah, like you said, a party, you know, boohoo. She missed the party.

[54:02] Michelle: Yeah. And I think you're onto something there. And I also think that, you know, I think what bothered me was just his lack of understanding. Yeah. Okay. It's a birthday celebration. I understand that those birthdays are important, but like you said, this is just her New York City boyfriend. They're not going to get married or have anything long term. And, you know, it's just like, the female is expected to just be everything to everybody and be everywhere at one time and just be able to do it all. And then if she doesn't, she gets this treatment by. Because her friends were, like, dissing her, too, right? And they were, like, all pissed off at her that she missed this, this birthday dinner. And then, you know, her boyfriend goes and sulks in his bedroom, and I'm just like, are you guys all adults here or what? What is going on? That.

[55:00] Patrick: That just bugged me so much deeper again. I'm like, oh, how? Like, how ambivalent was I just watching this movie and looking at the, you know, the pretty cerulean blue and that. But that's true. Yeah. There would not be a storyline behind corporate man missing party because of work. We wouldn't watch it.

[55:19] Michelle: That's so true. You make a good point. Okay, we are at. Let's see. Okay. Miranda's telling Andy that she's not taking Emily to Paris. And, of course, Andy has heard nothing but Paris from Emily, that how much she wants to go. And so she goes and visits Emily in the hospital, and. And Emily's eating everything in sight. And I wrote this nursing thing.

[55:53] Patrick: I. Everybody, I have this come. I feel compelled that this is a nursing podcast, and there has to remain, like, nurse-forward things. And again, Michelle, whose podcast this is, who I am a guest on, is saying, no, we can talk about other things. I don't know. I have to. I have to, like, you know, loosen up a bit myself. But I'm like, see, there was one small scene in this movie where they were in a hospital.

[56:17] Michelle: That's right. I totally forgot that. That's great.

[56:21] Patrick: I broke your train of thought.

[56:23] Michelle: But, yeah, no, no, she. I wrote. I think Emily was the one that said. That said, you eat carbs, for heaven's sake.

[56:35] Patrick: For Christ's sake.

[56:37] Michelle: So you ate carbs, for Christ's sake. Okay. Yeah. So she was just, like, generally very, very upset and sad about breaking her leg and not being able to go to Paris after that. Christian and. Oh, yes. Okay. They're at. Christian and Andy are at the. They're at, like, a gallery opening, and they kiss. And Lily. It's Lily's opening, right?

[57:07] Patrick: Lily, yes.

[57:09] Michelle: Okay. And she witnesses the kiss, and she's all pissed off at Andy.

[57:16] Patrick: Are you ready for my take?

[57:17] Michelle: Yeah.

[57:18] Patrick: All right. So that is a very major gallery opening. If Lily was that profile, she would be way too busy to be, like, you know, monitoring. And I also. I mean, maybe this is just the 2024. And me, when I'm like, okay, you kissed somebody who cares, you know? Is that very free love of me, Michelle? I don't know, but I'm like, okay.

[57:44] Michelle: It's just kind of like, mind your own business. It's like, you know, I mean, I get it, but the. What you said before is still sticking with me about, like, this is not her. Her future husband. This is her New York boyfriend. And it's somewhat casual. And her friend sees them, sees her kiss another guy, and then she goes all ballistic on her. So, yeah, again, I was just like, oh, my gosh. You guys, get a grip. So at 1:17, Nate. Oh, yeah. Okay. So there. She's always on her phone, right? Because Miranda's always calling her, and Nate just gets really annoyed with her, and her phone's going off again. And he says the person's calls you always take, that's who you're in a relationship with. And I think there's a lot of. A lot of similarities in today's world because I think, you know, like you said, this movie was made in 2007, and I think we're even more addicted to our devices today, where they always have to be out when we're eating dinner or just wherever we are. People are always distracted. They're always taking their calls, they're always texting, and. Yeah, and that's who you're in a relationship with. Like, this guy has, like, a lot of insecurity, he has a lot of issues.

[59:13] Patrick: And this is, you know, repetitive theme. Okay. Yeah. You have to choose. You have to choose to be obsessed with your career right now or obsessed with your, you know, your sous chef boyfriend. I would choose career for Andy.

[59:29] Michelle: He's not even a chef. He's a sous chef.

[59:33] Patrick: But I'd be like, yeah. Yes, this is an operational reality. Yes. This means more to me, you know.

[59:40] Michelle: Do you always have your phone with you? Do you always have it out?

[59:44] Patrick: I do, and I try to. I actually try and have it a little bit less. I think we're all trying. We should all at least kind of try. One thing that's been really good for me is I've been working on increasing my Spanish fluency. I'm, like, at this area. I'm at, like, maybe like, a seven out of ten, eight out of ten. I'm like, of course I'll never be, like, a native speaker, but I'm at this, like, juncture where if I get a little bit better, I feel like if I get. If I can get 20% better, I'll, like, be 50% better. Like, it's not going to be linear. So I'm, like, watching these shows often, and I'm, like, really, like, listening and watching, and you can't be on your phone and doing that at the same time. So even just doing something silly like that, which is not really, like, necessarily, like, noble, but I'm just. I'm just taking note of, like, oh, this is also a good way for me to be doing one thing at a time and being invested in it. And I also like to say, michelle, you have my full attention as well.

[01:00:46] Michelle: Well, thank you. Now, are you learning Spanish so you can better communicate with your mother-in-law?

[01:00:53] Patrick: No, she's fluent, and she's fluent english speaker. Always been interested in the language. Always been, I feel like always been you. Kind of pretty good. I would. I would have opportunities where I was speaking a lot or maybe working in a hospital with a lot of Spanish-speaking patients and staff, and then I would take on a computer job where I was just not talking as much in general. Right. Doing analytical type work. And then this year, I just really kind of was like, okay, I'm doing this. And what really kicked me in the butt, Michelle, was like, I was thinking, like, what? Like, I've been pissing around with being pretty good at this for so long. It's time to just really, you know, gain a level of mastery and thinking about, like, people that come. Any language. This example is Spanish, but so many people that are, like, you know, don't know anything about it. They don't know, you know, shit about. There's a customer, they don't know shit about a language, and they figure it out, right? And I'm like, okay, I can afford to have a spanish tutor. Or, you know, I have things like, you know, Netflix with subtitles that people from yesteryear don't have. I'm like, if these people can figure it out, like, what is holding me back? And it was just. It's just been a moment of, like, okay, you know, get it together, Patrick. So that's been kind of an impetus, my own desire, and then realizing, like, okay, like, if not now, when?

[01:02:11] Michelle: I love that. So have you watched any spanish novellas yet and tried to figure out what they're saying?

[01:02:19] Patrick: Absolutely. I actually. I tried watching the novellas because people always say, like, oh, you'll learn. You know, the novellas you learn. Or people will say, like, you know, I've heard people say that they learned English from watching Sex in the City. There's actually, like, some cooking shows that I'm watching. A lot of that are really helping. And for me, it's almost just like, you get used to hearing how somebody talks or the tones of their voice. So having, like, those same people speaking and listening to their same voice is helping, rather than just this kind of, you know, different character actresses or actors coming, you know, in and out. That's. That's been an incidental finding. Cooking shows are what's teaching me.

[01:03:03] Michelle: And you're also learning how to cook at the same time, right?

[01:03:07] Patrick: I guess so, yeah, I do like to cook. I don't know. I'm a simple cook. What about you, Michelle?

[01:03:12] Michelle: What do you make? Corn chowder.

[01:03:16] Patrick: No, no. But it's just simple, simple home cooking. Cooking from country.

[01:03:24] Michelle: Yeah. Because. Did you grow up in Wisconsin?

[01:03:27] Patrick: Yeah, but I didn't really cook much, really that much until pandemic. And I think a lot of people really kind of learned to cook at that time. Right. Because you were going to restaurants, and all of a sudden you just kind of. You need to cook. What you need. I don't know. You didn't answer. Michelle, are you much like, are you. Is it something that you enjoy or you do. Or.

[01:03:50] Michelle: I do like cooking. It comes in waves. So sometimes I. I mean, I cook every day, but I don't cook, like, you know, fantastic dishes every day, but sometimes I get, like, oh, I really want to do something different. So, like, I usually have the same thing for breakfast every morning. I'm very predictable. But here's an example. The other day, I was, like, thinking about all the ingredients that I had in my refrigerator, and I said, I have everything to make croque madame, and I'm gonna make that tomorrow morning. And so I got up and. And I made it. And I made the bechamel sauce and everything. And it was just fantastic. I loved it.

[01:04:33] Patrick: Yummy. Yeah.

[01:04:35] Michelle: I get inspiration like that occasionally.

[01:04:39] Patrick: Wow. We really, like, we really expounded off the movie again. That's fun.

[01:04:45] Michelle: Okay, so we are at the part where they're in Paris, so City of Blinding Lights by U2  is playing in the background, and there in this scene, there's a cameo by Valentino and Heidi Klum. And that's some of the trivia. So keep your ears about, because that's some of the trivia questions. Okay. And let's see. Oh, so this is a really touching scene where we see some humanity from Miranda, she's talking to Andy about her divorce. And, you know, I said she's showing a bit of humanity, but I think she just kind of turns it around and shuts it down really quickly because she's just not that kind of a person.

[01:05:38] Patrick: Yeah. We only ever see little glimpses. She has her Persona, and then there's kind of like, maybe, like, I don't know, less than five glimmers in the movie where you. Where she breaks that character right when she sees Andy. And her first time when she's in her Prada boots or her glammed out outfit, it. The divorce, a couple, you know, at the very end of the movie. Yeah. So you kind of. They're funny.

[01:06:03] Michelle: I did like that part okay, so now you're going to have to explain to me some of the ending. We're not quite there yet, but there's a scene where Nigel is telling Andy that he got the job and he's leaving. And of course, that's very touching. And, you know, we're all very happy for, for Nigel, but kind of sad for us because he's, he, like, makes the movie. Right. And he probably makes a lot of their life. They're very enjoyable. But at 1 hour and 26 minutes, Andy's having dinner with Christian in Paris. And she made the point that if Amanda was a man, nobody would be blinking an eye about her bad behavior. And I wrote. What did I write here? I didn't. Oh, let's see. Okay. So they're like making out, right? And she's. I said I didn't like all the messages she's giving him. She was giving him a lot of, like, double messages. Like, no, stop. I don't want to do it. Like, it's late and then they end up screwing anyway. And that again, I was just like, why? Why do women do that?

[01:07:22] Patrick: I think in general, it didn't really add much to the movie either. Like, even if you take out, like, you know, was, why did this happen? It doesn't really, like, make the movie better.

[01:07:33] Michelle: No, because I think they were going to do it anyway. So why do you have to protest? It's like, just do it.

[01:07:41] Patrick: I mean, that's all I'm saying. Yeah.

[01:07:44] Michelle: Okay. Before the closing scene, they're at this press conference. This is the part that I really didn't understand. So you can explain it to me because you've seen it so many times. But Nigel thinks that he's getting this certain job, but. But Miranda doesn't give it to him. She gives it to. Who's that other guy that I was talking about in the beginning?

[01:08:12] Patrick: I'm drawing a blank, too.

[01:08:15] Michelle: I know. It's our cocktails. They're interfering with our ability to think.

[01:08:19] Patrick: Yeah, it's Friday for those who's in the workforce.

[01:08:22] Michelle: And it's Friday and you probably need to eat. I know. Oh, James Holt.

[01:08:27] Patrick: James Holt. Yes.

[01:08:28] Michelle: Okay, so what happened there? Please help me understand.

[01:08:34] Patrick: You know what? You're right. We never really get told why. Why James Holt gets this position. To me, I guess it's not as important about knowing all the details of the backstory, but that Andy sees just how Miranda plays the game or how she like the line she's willing to cross and that maybe we're supposed to glimmer that that's an eye opening moment for Andy to realize that that's how Miranda is. But at the same time, how could anybody not understand that that's how Miranda is? You know, she wouldn't have needed, like, months to figure that out.

[01:09:28] Michelle: Yeah. I think Andy definitely got a glimpse into, like, this is the life of, like, this high powered fashion designer. This is the culture. Like, they. They don't really care about one another in a. In a human kind of way. It's just dog eat dog, and, you know, they're just gonna cut. Cut people down. And I think that's where, like you said, she really got a glimpse. Like, this isn't going to change. This is. If I decide that I'm going to be part of this culture, I'm going to have something within me is going to have to die. Right.

[01:10:08] Patrick: Yeah. And I think other. This is irritative of that, too, at the time of the movie. Right. This is, like, 15 years ago. I think those things happen even more now. I think even more people are. Company culture in general is like, oh, you're a part of the team. You're a part of the family. We have, like, such a dynamic of caring about people, and then it's just right. You see, like, layoffs and, you know, like, I think Google recently laid off, like, thousands of people via, like. Like, a forced, like, work from home, you know, webcam day or something. And people are just. People are doing this behavior more and more. So it was like, it was a gasp worthy at the movie, but I think it would be less gasp worthy now.

[01:10:51] Michelle: Yeah, I think you're right about that. Okay. And then the closing scene, Andy walks away from Miranda, and she throws her phone in the fountain. And I wrote fake who does this?

[01:11:04] Patrick: Right? I've never done that.

[01:11:07] Michelle: No. Okay, so Nate is moving to Boston, and I said, good riddance.

[01:11:14] Patrick: Good riddance. Yes.

[01:11:16] Michelle: I was like, I'm so annoyed with him. Go. Go away. Andy gets a glowing recommendation from Miranda, and she gave Emily all of her designer clothes from Paris, which I thought that was so sweet, because Emily just had not one bit of love for Andy whatsoever. And then she goes and gives her all of these designer clothes from Paris again. I was like, who does this? Because Emily is on to torture the next person.

[01:11:49] Patrick: Well, and also, Andy needs to sell that couture clothing to pay for her life in New York, which we never understand how she's able to pay for that in general, but, yeah, but, yeah, it was a nice moment, and they kind of finally become friends. Or I feel like in real life, they would never talk again after that.

[01:12:08] Michelle: Point, but that's what I'm thinking too. And then Miranda's grin at the end, that was just. That was priceless. And I said, good for you, Andy. Good for you.

[01:12:22] Patrick: That was so fun to relive the movie like that. Yeah, I've never. You're kind of gone through, right? We did book club on the movie. I guess that's movie club, but, yeah. It's interesting to hear how it was for a first timer. And you. You definitely had a much more, like, I almost say critical. But you didn't just only look at the bright, shiny objects of the moment. You thought more about, like, why did she do that? Or why would it be like that? Or, you know, okay, you know what? Did this bring much more of, like, a. Much more of, like, a Siskel and Ebert type. You know?

[01:13:00] Michelle: I love it. Okay, you ready for the trivia?

[01:13:04] Patrick: Yes.

[01:13:06] Michelle: Okay. No googling any of these.

[01:13:08] Patrick: No, it wouldn't be fun. Come on. I hate that.

[01:13:12] Michelle: You're not a cheater. I know that. Okay. What year was Vogue released?

[01:13:21] Patrick: When was Vogue released?

[01:13:23] Michelle: Mm hmm.

[01:13:25] Patrick: 1991.

[01:13:26] Michelle: Oh, man, you're so close.

[01:13:28] Patrick: No, I knew it was either 90 or 91.

[01:13:31] Michelle: What were you doing in 1990?

[01:13:34] Patrick: I was in kindergarten.

[01:13:37] Michelle: Are you serious?

[01:13:39] Patrick: President Bush was. Bush senior was president.

[01:13:45] Michelle: Oh, was he the one that didn't like broccoli?

[01:13:48] Patrick: I don't know. I just remember that, like, Barbara Bush looked like such an old lady. Like, then. And then I was like, when she. When she died, may she rest, like, a few years ago, I was like, God, like, she looked like, you know, so ancient, and she was probably, like, 50 at that time.

[01:14:07] Michelle: I know. I remember thinking that was his mom. Like, why does he take his mom, like, everywhere with him? And then somebody pointed out that that was his wife. That's great. So you were, like, five years old in 1990?

[01:14:22] Patrick: Mm hmm.

[01:14:23] Michelle: So you're the same age as my daughter. She's. She just turned 37. Wow. I could be your mom, Patrick.

[01:14:30] Patrick: I mean, that would be fun if, you know, I didn't already have a mom and you didn't already have a daughter.

[01:14:36] Michelle: I'd be your adoptive mom. You'd be my adoptive son. The son I never had. I only have one. I only have a girl.

[01:14:45] Patrick: It'd be fun. And I know how to bathe and feed myself. So you just fast forward to the fun years.

[01:14:52] Michelle: Yes. Have cocktails and chat about movies. That's really cool. Okay, so we talked already about some of the cameo appearances. Heidi, Klum and Valentino. But I wrote down three more. Do you know who else was?

[01:15:11] Patrick: Okay, well, the easiest one is Giselle.

[01:15:16] Michelle: And I didn't know that she was in it. I don't think I could have pointed.

[01:15:20] Patrick: Her, picked her out, and I had read that she wanted. She said she would be in the movie like she wanted, but she didn't want to play a model. So, you know, she wanted something a little, you know, I guess being, like, a fashion editor is not, like, a total stretch, but there's that. Okay.

[01:15:38] Michelle: Oh, gosh.

[01:15:41] Patrick: Giselle.

[01:15:44] Michelle: The other two were designers. That's a hint.

[01:15:48] Patrick: I feel like I know a couple of them, and I don't want to be like, it was the skinny white woman, or, you know, it was like, because it's 2024. Everything is really censored now. Tell me the answers, Michelle.

[01:16:04] Michelle: Okay, well, did I say. I say. I said Valentino, right?

[01:16:08] Patrick: You said Valentino.

[01:16:09] Michelle: Okay. And then Donatella Versace. She was in it. And then the author of the book, Lauren Weisberger.

[01:16:21] Patrick: I didn't know that.

[01:16:23] Michelle: That's what. Yeah, that's what this. This article said. So I'm gonna have to go watch it again. I remember seeing Valentino and Donatello Versace and Heidi Klum. I did not remember seeing Giselle. I don't know if I could pick, point her out. Was she a Victoria's Secret model in real life?

[01:16:43] Patrick: Yeah.

[01:16:44] Michelle: Was she with Tom Brady at that time, that she was a model?

[01:16:49] Patrick: I don't know if it was before or after. Maybe she's still modeling, but I'm unsure.

[01:16:57] Michelle: Okay. You don't follow Giselle's life.

[01:17:00] Patrick: No.

[01:17:01] Michelle: Shame on you. Okay. Oh, you. Well, okay, maybe you said this. What year was the Devil Wears Prada released?

[01:17:11] Patrick: 2007.

[01:17:13] Michelle: So I have 2006, but I don't know what's right.

[01:17:17] Patrick: Oh, I mean, the IMDb said 2006. Then IMDb it is. Maybe I need to rewatch.

[01:17:27] Michelle: Okay. This is a good one. And you might know this one because, you know actors. Who turned down the role of Andrea Sacks?

[01:17:37] Patrick: I don't know, but now I'm just thinking of, like, what would be a noble attempt.

[01:17:44] Michelle: I'm sure you've seen movies with her in it, and you probably like her.

[01:17:49] Patrick: Like, I thought for a second, I'm like, was it Kit? Was it Sarah Jessica Parker? But, no, she's much older.

[01:17:55] Michelle: She's not like an A -lister. I wouldn't say she's like an A- lister.

[01:18:01] Patrick: Megan Fox.

[01:18:03] Michelle: That would be interesting. No, she's beautiful, but she's only. Isn't she only in those. Those, like, Sci-Fi movies.

[01:18:13] Patrick: Yeah.

[01:18:15] Michelle: Okay. I'll tell you one. One movie that she was in The Notebook.

[01:18:22] Patrick: Oh, okay. Okay. And now I can't remember her dang name. Give it up, Michelle.

[01:18:30] Michelle: Rachel McAdams.

[01:18:32] Patrick: Rachel McAdams. Okay. Yeah. She's. She's missed out on. I've read things about her. I think she's, like, made a few. She's made a few wrong choices, but whatever. So have I. Just at a much, much, much lower profile.

[01:18:45] Michelle: That's why she's not an A-lister. She keeps turning down these A list jobs.

[01:18:50] Patrick: Exactly.

[01:18:51] Michelle: Right. Okay. Who else was considered to play Miranda Priestly? I have two people here, and I was shocked. Oh, that would be a good one though. No.

[01:19:06] Patrick: Yeah.

[01:19:06] Michelle: Yeah.

[01:19:07] Patrick: Julia Roberts.

[01:19:09] Michelle: No, but she. She's too nice. True, because I just see her as Pretty Woman forever.

[01:19:17] Patrick: Yeah, let's.

[01:19:21] Michelle: One of them is Brittany. Yes, but he's not her.

[01:19:27] Patrick: After a few tries. Yeah. Who else was considered Kim Basinger? I don't see that at all, but no.

[01:19:38] Michelle: What do you think about Helen Mirin?

[01:19:41] Patrick: I think it could have worked. I mean, we know and love the movie now. I'm telling you that you love it now. Michelle too, but so we can't. Like, we can't imagine it any other way as with all movies when you have an attachment to them. But had I not known, I think it could have worked.

[01:19:58] Michelle: I think so too. I think she's the closest out of all those. Okay, how many marriages did Miranda Priestley have.

[01:20:07] Patrick: One.

[01:20:09] Michelle: Wrong?

[01:20:11] Patrick: I know. I mean, I can't remember. Was she on her fourth?

[01:20:17] Michelle: Number three.

[01:20:18] Patrick: Number three.

[01:20:19] Michelle: Yep. Okay, where was. Oh, God, this is so easy. Where was the Devil Wears Prada filmed?

[01:20:27] Patrick: New York.

[01:20:28] Michelle: So here's a question for you. When you were watching it, did you recognize certain, like, geographical areas in New York?

[01:20:39] Patrick: They didn't really show too much because I kept on the office scenes. I remember. And I'm sure a lot of things were filmed, like, on a set. I'll give a factoid as well. I read that Miranda's, Miranda, Meryl Streep's. Her shots in Paris were all filmed in New York. So you don't see her, like, outside in Paris at all. But, I mean, the opening credits, it looks very much like the Lower east side to me. Could be wrong, but that's what it looks like to me. And then a lot of it is just kind of like, nondescript midtown when they're in the office. And there's a few times where I was like, wait what? You know, is that the building that I work in or, you know, things like that. And I don't remember the scenes anymore, but I just. I don't remember anything being too, like, you know, that's the spot.

[01:21:34] Michelle: Were you actually living in New York City when this was being filmed?

[01:21:38] Patrick: Nope. I was post.

[01:21:40] Michelle: Okay.

[01:21:41] Patrick: Much post. I was think I was 2014, maybe so.

[01:21:46] Michelle: Okay. Okay, here's another one for you. What are Miranda's twin daughter's names?

[01:21:55] Patrick: Oh, my God. I'm failing at this. I'm failing.

[01:21:58] Michelle: I'm like, did he really see this movie? I don't know.

[01:22:02] Patrick: Isn't it, like, Danny Z? Like, she's like, I'm not done. She's.

[01:22:04] Michelle: They both start with the letter C.

[01:22:09] Patrick: I know it's his.

[01:22:11] Michelle: Caroline and Cassidy.

[01:22:13] Patrick: Cassidy. They're just always the twins. You know? The twins.

[01:22:16] Michelle: The twins. That's right. Okay, so here's another question about the twins. How many sets of twins did they interview to cast the actual twins? How many sets did they interview?

[01:22:32] Patrick: I'll say I have no idea, but I hope not many, because they're just such an unsentral. I can't tell you what the kid the twins look like now. So, I mean, I would have just taken the first twins that looked like they were from a privileged family and enrolled, but that, you know, were, like, wrong again. It could have been anything, too. It could have any ethnicity, too, because I could totally see that Miranda, you know, having, like, a surrogate carrier or different. They could have been adopted. I would just take in the first twins and run with it. How many?

[01:23:03] Michelle: That's what we would have done. Hundreds. Hundreds of.

[01:23:08] Patrick: Worth it. Juice was not worth the squeeze.

[01:23:11] Michelle: Yeah. I was like, there's nothing special about those girls.

[01:23:15] Patrick: No. Yeah, they're just this kind of androgynous kids.

[01:23:19] Michelle: Yeah, exactly. Okay, the last two trivia questions. How much was the budget for this movie? And this was in 2006.

[01:23:31] Patrick: I can only describe this in broad terms because I know it's not a high budget movie. I know it's kind of a stellar. So I'm going to say that the budget, it's like 20 million.

[01:23:43] Michelle: 41 million.

[01:23:45] Patrick: 41 million. Okay. Well, they probably mostly went to pay Meryl. Probably 20 million of the budget was Meryl salary.

[01:23:52] Michelle: Okay. But then how much did the movie make? So they. Their budget was 41 million. And how much did it make?

[01:24:02] Patrick: 170 million more. Did it hit the twos?

[01:24:07] Michelle: More than twos.

[01:24:09] Patrick: Wow. $300,000, 326. Movie theory, too, right?

[01:24:18] Michelle: Yeah. They only spent a paltry 41 million to bring in 326 million.

[01:24:27] Patrick: And the cult following, we're talking. We're podcasting about it today.

[01:24:30] Michelle: Exactly. It's still. It's still alive today. Well, one of the exciting things is that this is going to come out. It's premiering in London, and I think it's later this year. I want to say in the fall, like September sometime. So the Broadway show, I guess, can you say Broadway in London? What would it be called in London?

[01:24:52] Patrick: West End theater.

[01:24:54] Michelle: Okay.

[01:24:54] Patrick: Theater. Yeah, theater.

[01:24:56] Michelle: Have you ever been to London?

[01:24:58] Patrick: Yes, a couple times. I'm overdue for a visit. I'm sure you haven't.

[01:25:03] Michelle: That face something. Yeah, I haven't been. No, my daughter's been twice, two or three times.

[01:25:08] Patrick: Oh, it's a long flight from the West coast. But I mean, you just takes one magical listener of this podcast for you to go onto, like, you know, Spotify and before you know what you're like, you know, interviewing these people.

[01:25:24] Michelle: There you go. I like the way you think, Patrick. Well, this has been really fun. I'm glad that we got together again. I'm glad that we held up our end of the bargain and said, you know. Cause you hear people say, oh, yeah, we should do that. And I was like, no, I can't not do that. Cause first of all, I loved talking to you the first time. And like you said, like, yeah, it was so much fun.

[01:25:51] Patrick: I was really on a bender that day or something. I think I was just like, God only knows the things that came out of my mouth.

[01:25:57] Michelle: Oh, my God. Like, everything I was laughing at, I laughed that entire interview. And then, like you said, we stayed friends and we've stayed connected and texting and stuff and. And I was just like, wait, I can't let this go. I have to fulfill my promise. I'm going to watch the movie, I'm going to take notes, and we're going to talk about it. And I'm so glad that we did. And thank you for giving up your a big portion of your Friday night.

[01:26:26] Patrick: Oh, this was fun. This is the Friday night, Michelle. You think I'm going out after this? I'm not.

[01:26:32] Michelle: No way. I love it. Well, we'll have to think of what we're going to talk about next. Maybe we'll just have like a side. It'll just be you and me talking about movies.

[01:26:43] Patrick: Well, I'm going to propose something because this, you know, this podcast happened, you know, because of just words that came out. So we said it where, you know, we're both proudly nurses and, you know, all the healthcare buzz terms, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But then we really just kind of, like, talked about a movie or something. So I think it would be fun. If you need a sidekick, let me know. Otherwise, if it's just a Michelle endeavor, that's cool, too. You're the boss. But I think it would be really fun to take somebody that is just, like, used to being on stage at all times. Maybe like a very much like, you know, corporate CNO or, you know, CEO type level person in healthcare and just be like, all right, you know, you come, you know, mister misses big shot. We are going to. We already know that you stand for mission excellence and, you know, an infection free environment. But, like, let's just talk about stuff like, who are you? Who is this person? And, like. And get someone who's not going to just kind of answer the question as if they are on stage at all times, you know, if we ask you what your, you know, what's your guilty pleasure? Don't tell us that your guilty pleasure is like, you know, reading nursing literature that is over ten years old and not, you know, relevant to today's scholars. Like, tell us, you know, tell us who your favorite real housewife is or something.

[01:28:05] Michelle: I love that. Oh, my gosh. What would we call that series?

[01:28:10] Patrick: Uh, cliffhanger? I don't know.

[01:28:14] Michelle: Cliffhanger. This episode is going to be titled, unless you tell me different. It's going to be. I texted it to you earlier today, closet cocktails with Prada and Patrick. Or Patrick and Prada. What do you think?

[01:28:33] Patrick: Prada. Let's be honest. Prada first. If anyone's out there in, like, the Google verse or whatever, you get more clicks.

[01:28:40] Michelle: Okay. Right. I like it. Okay, well, we'll have to think on what we're going to do next. I like your proposal. I do like interviewing high powered people. It's really funny because I just had an interview last week of a former CNO, and now she's a vice president, and she's really, you know, she was really down to earth during the interview. And at the end when, you know, we do the five minute snippet at the end where it's just fun. And to me, when I get to that point in the interview, like, I'm like, I can take a deep breath because this is, like, the fun part, right? And I don't have to ask any more of those hard questions and be serious, you know? And some of the most high powered people have such a hard time with the five minute snippet, they get so nervous. And I don't know why that is. Why do you think it is?

[01:29:41] Patrick: Oh, well, I think it's gotta be just. These people are. I don't know if they have the words, michelle, but they. I think these people are just so, like. I think, number one, everyone is so afraid to be censored right now that someone's gonna be like, you know, hey, I know the seemingly benign podcast that you were on once. You said, you know, da da da da da. You know, you said you don't like the color lime green. Like, what's that about? I think there's that and then just. Yeah, I think that these. A lot of these people. Not all, but a lot of these people are just so much their. Their Persona that they're not comfortable having anything that's just kind of, like, vulnerable. I have friends that are even like that. I can tell that their texting is just a little bit like, you know, they'll, you know, save things for in person just because, you know, what if. So, that's my dad. That's my theory, Michelle. They just, like.

[01:30:45] Michelle: I think you have to realize that.

[01:30:46] Patrick: Years we're going to be dead.

[01:30:48] Michelle: Yeah. And I feel like, you know where I am in my life. You know, this next season of my podcast is going to be aimed at having more fun. So you've. You've started that, and we're just going to continue it. Because life is short, right? Life is short.

[01:31:06] Patrick: Hundred percent. I love the fun. The fun aspect. And. Yeah, just keep it, you know. Right. Nothing wrong with keeping it fun. Getting your message across. Use the fun as the marketing doesn't mean you can't talk about real things. This was fun, talking about Devil Wears Prada. But we actually spoke about a lot of real things in our, you know, in our, like, I don't know, diatribes.

[01:31:30] Michelle: Yeah, we did. It was fun. I enjoyed having cocktails with you in the closet and talking about something fun.

[01:31:37] Patrick: So I would just like to say that I'm out of the closet and Michelle is in the closet.

[01:31:42] Michelle: I was like, you know what? He's. There's going to be some reference to that. And I just love it. And you're gorgeous. I love being able to see you on camera.

[01:31:51] Patrick: Oh, well, I just got my hair cut, but thank you, Michelle Gorg. Now. So pretty. I can't even look. I've had to have the avert thy eyes.

[01:32:01] Michelle: Oh, my gosh.