Veteran Chat Project
Veteran Chat Project
From Distress to Healing: The Power of Community for Veterans with Marcus Brewer
Through our discussion, we explore the importance of creating safe and welcoming spaces for all veterans, regardless of their backgrounds. Marcus shares how Nine Line Veterans Services encourages fellow veterans to connect with each other and discover their unique paths to healing, whether it's through outdoor activities, crafting, or other forms of self-care. We also delve into the power of community, rituals, and tribes in helping veterans cope with their experiences.
Finally, Marcus opens up about his personal journey of navigating identity and finding his place within the LGBTQ+ community, while also shedding light on the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ military personnel. We discuss the need for understanding and acceptance within the community, and the resilience and strength that can be found in embracing life's challenges and supporting one another. Don't miss this heartfelt and insightful episode that truly highlights the importance of being open and honest with ourselves and others.
and we want a hospital. Hey, what's up everybody? We are sponsored by Anheuser Designs. If you need any shirts or custom apparel for your business or anything like that, make sure you head on over to Anheuser Designs on Facebook. Shout out to Trevor Murphy, let him know We sent you over, he'll take care of you. And with that, hey everybody, what's up? Kyle and KZ.
Speaker 2:More people get their voice out there, that I think they'll realize that we're all the same.
Speaker 1:We're all the same. KZ Designs. Let's do it. We're a veterans challenge, challenge, chat project. Words encouraged to not be okay all the time. Hey, what's up, everybody, it's Kyle.
Speaker 2:Oh and KZ.
Speaker 1:There we go, oh, oh oh, and we are the veterans chat project. So how you guys doing tonight. We are here on a special Sunday edition. You can blame my two year old for that or you can thank. You can thank my two year old for that. He did not want to fall asleep, So that way I just. We just decided to push till Sunday when we were up to get Marcus back. So if you have read the event, you know that we have coming on Marcus Brewer. If you don't know, he works with Tony Dayton over there at Nine Line Services. They'll tell you a little bit more about that. I might have murdered the name of it. I just had a brain fart while I was doing that. So he's also was just recently on Eddie Lowry off the deep end and we are super thankful to have him and for his time. So without further ado we'll bring him out and let him say hi to you guys and get this thing going. So what's up, brother?
Speaker 3:Hey, how's it going.
Speaker 1:It's Nine Line Veterans Services. Right Yeah, that's it, that's it, that's it.
Speaker 3:You had it.
Speaker 1:It was too bad. I heard way worse.
Speaker 3:A lot of people say, nine lives and I'm like nine lives.
Speaker 1:And to be clear, it's not the nine line clothing line, it's no, completely different thing. So why don't you go ahead? and for those of us that didn't listen, potentially maybe, to Tony Dayton's episode, first off, tell us a little bit about that.
Speaker 3:So Nine Line is a veteran founded nonprofit here in Washington state. We're based out of five and we have four programs we really work on. The first one is that we house homeless veterans through up to two years in transitional housing. We have six houses between Tacoma and Spanaway and we just run out rooms to veterans. The second program we have is that we have a partnership with Boeing So we refurbish respirators for them So we're able to employ the veterans that we bring in that are homeless and start setting them up for success.
Speaker 3:We have an outdoor therapeutics program So we do hiking, kayaking, fishing, we're doing camping next month, anything outdoors, because we're starting to slowly realize that not everybody looks at therapy the same way, right? So for some people it is talking to somebody that sits behind a desk And for other people it's being out in nature, for me it's baking and crafting. So we try to help people in that aspect of just bringing people together, just chat. And then the fourth program we have is what I work on in that suicide prevention and outreach through the Staff Sergeant Fox grant that was passed with the Hannon Act and the PACT Act I believe.
Speaker 1:I remember Tony mentioning that Staff Sergeant Fox grant.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I forgot what it was. I'm so bad at remembering. I smoke way too much for remembering.
Speaker 3:It's a really cool program that the VA currently has. So the VA slowly realizing that they're not capable of doing everything right Because there's a lot of veterans out there and there's some veterans that just really need more attention than what they're getting, or even trying to get into the system. So if I remember correctly, last I heard it takes anywhere from three to six months to be able to see a therapist in the VA. I can vouch for that.
Speaker 3:Which is great that you're able to get the mental health help you do right, But it sucks because you're having to wait so long.
Speaker 3:So the VA decided to partner with community partners and now we're able to connect veterans with resources that the VA wouldn't usually connect them with. So if that's for you therapy being equine therapy, we can get you into that. If it's art therapy, we have programs we work with locally that do art. It's all around doing suicide. helping people are suicidal or suicidal ideations, so we try to get them before they're at a point where they have the knife, they have the gun, they have the pills, because people don't realize that there's always signs going on, right.
Speaker 2:Of course.
Speaker 3:But what I've realized and I've only been in this space for three or four months now is that if I had suicidal ideations, i'd be showing one sign to Kyle but one sign to KZ. Right, but maybe if you don't talk to each other to realize, snap, something's going on with Marcus. But there's always some overlapping ones We always see, like selling belongings, isolation, reckless behavior. There's some things you'll start seeing, but they might not be seen by everybody. You might, like I said, i might be reckless around Kyle, but with KZ I might be starting with draw myself. Even if we talk every day, it might be okay, we're talking once every three or four days and then it's going to once a month and then it's, you know. So there's always signs. So our goal is to reach people before they get to that point. But even if they're at that point, we're still there to help them.
Speaker 3:So part of this Sergeant Fox grant would be if you were in mental distress and you went to the ER and you were showing like suicidal ideations, but the hospital you were at didn't have any beds for you, the VA will pay for you to be transported from one hospital to the nearest hospital that has beds available for you And it's all 100% paid for And you never have to set foot in the VA because you know it used to be that you would have to go to the VA, sit around and wait, hope somebody would see you. If not, come back tomorrow. Rent repeat, and that's also something that's not good, because that gives you more time to think about what you want to do, or actually have Yeah.
Speaker 1:And then you might even feel like that sense of like rejection. You know, like once you go up in there and then you're like I'm going to get it fixed today And you're like, oh no, come back tomorrow. And you're like, what do you mean? Yeah, like, oh, yeah, tomorrow.
Speaker 3:And it also allows veterans to be seen inpatient for up to 90 days.
Speaker 2:Oh cool.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and so the VA still pays for it. But I do want to warn people that it is the VA, so the only barrier to entry is that you cannot have a dishonorable discharge against the program.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:But for us personally at Nine Line, like we don't look at excuse me your discharge status as a barrier of entry. You don't look at if you're, if you have a criminal record, as a barrier of entry. So even if you wouldn't qualify for the grant, we still work to help get you the help that you need.
Speaker 2:Because there's a veteran is a veteran is a veteran. That's cool.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and there's tons of programs out there for veterans that will help you with mental health And they don't look at discharge status or they'll help you on a sliding scale. You know, it's just all about letting people know that those programs exist, right, because I feel as veterans, the number one thing we get told is, oh, there's this great thing over there. And then you go over there and that great thing is like well, we can't help you because of an insert, whatever reason you know.
Speaker 2:Exactly Yeah.
Speaker 3:Oh, you have another other than honorable. we can't help you.
Speaker 1:Oh, well you I can vouch for that too.
Speaker 3:And so we don't look at that, we just say, hey, there's this program, let's give you a warm cozy handoff to somebody else, right? Yeah, because what usually happens when we're referred to somewhere is you know, kyler referred me to somewhere and I go to talk to KZ, and KZ is like I can't help you cause, like I'm good, i referred him and now I'm back to square one with here. I am trying to navigate something and I don't know how to navigate and I'm all alone.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know what And I think that's a lot of the problem too Like what you said there, like, not like me personally, but like the Kyle, and that situation of just like well, i referred him, so like, and then they're just like, well, i did my job, and like, my thing is like, you know, if you're in that situation where you are given referrals, i think you should check up all of those people to make sure that those referrals got pushed through. Um, because I mean, yeah, like I said, like somebody who is having those thoughts and going and trying to get the help, it can be super frustrating, dude, like super fucking infuriating um to just be like no, no, call back tomorrow or, you know, try it out, you know all that stuff, and so, yeah, that's a, that's huge, you know.
Speaker 3:And I think another problem we have too is that, like so, for me, i'm half black, half white and I'm gay, and so I walk into spaces and then it's like, wait a minute, one of these things is not like the other, and even though I need the help, i look around and I'm like, well, nobody can really relate to what I go through, right? Um, and it's usually like walking into veteran service organizations and it's a bunch of old white men talking about Vietnam or talking about desert storm or talking about something like I can't relate to it. Right, and like you walk away because you're like, well, i need the help, but yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:So I've been going out and looking at spaces from a different perspective, of where spaces I can recommend people to that look like me, uh, that have a background similar to me He's. I think that really helps with one like connecting to somebody. You know where you're like, you have those similar experiences, so you kind of let your guard down just a little bit. And then to usually those organizations working away. They were like maybe another organization wouldn't, yeah So. And then even within that, like anytime I find out about a program, i put myself through it first So I know what it's like.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's, that's that's what good leaders do.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:I commend you for that. That, um, that's gotta be very rewarding. Everything, like everything you've talked you're talking about, like you do for um, for nonline. That's like you know. We're going to get into your story here just a little in, just a little bit. But like, have you, have you always had the calling to help others? I?
Speaker 3:think so. But, um, once I got out the military because I just didn't have a great experience, I was more like anti military and I'm like, whatever, i'm just going to go, um. So I got out, went to culinary schools, working at restaurants and Starbucks at the same time, um, and then realized I hated both those things. Um, took a step back from both of those. Uh, still worked in hospitality and um, and then I was just last year in August. I'm like I just can't do this anymore. It's not my thing, like.
Speaker 3:But the whole time the last company I worked for, i kept saying like I just want to be able to be the spoken of wheel and just guide people to where they needed to go. Right, yes, um, and that was the position I always see myself in. And then I ended up at nine line in December of last year, uh, helping out as, uh, our operations uh person, as her executive assistant. And then this year at the beginning of the year, i told Sean, our CEO, that I wanted to take myself outside my comfort zone as much as humanly possible. And so my whole life, like I pretty much enjoyed doing more things behind the scene where I said everybody else's first success. Oh yeah, like you know, like I say kind of like the mom right, like I'm packing everybody's lunches, i'm sweeping around like picking things up after people, making sure I'm sending everybody up for success. And then Sean was like okay, cool, you're going to be doing outreach And just I'm going to throw you to the wolves.
Speaker 2:And I'm like Sean you've never like.
Speaker 3:I've always felt very success, like set up for success, And he was telling me everything to expect and everything I'm like see, he's not setting me up for failure. You know, like I'm not being thrown into the wolves, I'm going to do this thing right. And then I had to do my first event And the only thing I could do was stay in there and be like I have hands. But it was in that where, like, I really started saying like if I want to help people, then I need to actually be able to help them, right.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:I don't want to be the person that says we'll just go here. So I was like it started with and I'm from Chicago, i was raised in Cincinnati, i am not an outdoorsy person, i'm not going to be outdoors And then here I am now doing things. So those are really cool. Veteran organization that's international, that's called Heroes on the Water, and so what they do is paddle, kayak, fishing Every chapter. But I know for us here in the Seattle area, like they have biscuits and gravy for us for breakfast, so you just show up. We had Kahlua pork, hawaiian max salad cookies for lunch.
Speaker 2:You just show up.
Speaker 3:It was super dope And I've never like I've always heard people say, oh, i go fishing because it's very calming for me, like it lets me clear my head, and I'm like, yeah, i can't be out on the water Like, but sitting down in the water hoping to catch something. But then I went there and it completely changed my perspective And I was like, oh well, now I see where people consider this like therapeutic. Right, it gives you a chance to get outside your head. And it's not really as much from what I perceive. It's not so much as you going out there to catch something. I feel like that's more of a bonus. It's more like you getting out there to get outside your own head. And so I was like, oh, that was pretty fun. And I was like I was going to one and done it. And now I found out they're doing salmon, squid and crab And I'm like I want to do all those just to see what it's like. Those are ones where I'm like I actually want to catch things, right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, fresh salmon would be good.
Speaker 3:And then I did a hike with our outdoor therapeutics program for the first time. Like the first time I ever did was when I was stationed in Germany, and that was horrible because I was under the impression that hikes were paved the whole way, and they are not.
Speaker 1:Especially in the mountains.
Speaker 3:Kyle, listen again. I was ready. I was doing in the city, like in the county parks, but apparently I was not hiking, i was just doing a walk.
Speaker 1:Just out for a stroll.
Speaker 3:Yeah. That's funny, that's good And so that next month I'm going camping because people convinced me that that was something I would love to do.
Speaker 1:You might have a good time. It's fun, It can be a good time. I still haven't convinced my wife to go camping dude.
Speaker 2:Not.
Speaker 1:I just went with my kid two weeks ago, me and my kid, my wife and my dogs.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:It's a good time. Well, we have a little camper, though, that we use for ice fishing. Oh it's an ice fishing thing that we use for a camper.
Speaker 3:I live in Seattle, so it's not just like camping, it's like I have to carry my stuff with me, like backpacking Yeah.
Speaker 1:That doesn't sound fun. That doesn't sound like a ruck mart. Now It sounds like work. I pulled up, I jumped in the trailer and we got slapped with a storm and me and my kid was like, well, I guess we're going to watch a little TV and our little camper I just like. I like cooking on the fire. That's one of my favorite things to do is campfire cooking. It's one of my favorite. Where'd you go to culinary school? What school?
Speaker 3:I went to the quarter on blue.
Speaker 1:So did I Well in. St Louis.
Speaker 3:I went to the one in Seattle.
Speaker 1:That's awesome dude. Yeah, I got my associates from the one in St Louis in 2000,. I want to say 2015.
Speaker 3:I graduated. I went, i started February 2015 and graduated November 2016. Nice Hell yeah dude, that's awesome.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:That's a that got me after I got out of the army. That was one of the first major moves I made was culinary school on the GI Bill, and then and then, yeah, use it to get out of St Louis again. Eventually met my wife and I'm at that point now where I'm like I'm, i'm, i've been over the kitchen work, but I've been a stay at home parent for the last what? since February, right now, but again before then I mean for like six, seven months before then because we lost a care. There's not much out here. So I was, i just. We got in a situation where I can start working again and I was like, well, i'm going to, i even text KZ is like dude. I, just, i, just, i, just, i, just I, just I, just I, i, i used to text KZ is like dude. I just applied to go work at the VFW here in West Fargo, but in the kitchen, and he was like why, why the fuck are you doing that?
Speaker 3:Why do you?
Speaker 1:hate it. You know what I mean. Like don't bullshit yourself, You hate it.
Speaker 2:You know, you might feel like it Yeah, Don't settle.
Speaker 1:So I was like bet And literally I think it was the next day I got that phone call. Then I mean, I applied for this job months ago and I have. I wrote it off like it was gone And yeah, dude, it was so. It's just I don't know. I don't know where I was going with that.
Speaker 2:It's just exciting.
Speaker 3:I think too, like like I love cooking right. But I realized that cooking for me is like radical self care. Right, it's not when you have to cook for people for a living and then you always have to hear Oh, can I get this refired because?
Speaker 1:it was missing.
Speaker 3:It was missing extra mayo.
Speaker 1:Can I say extra mayo Oh.
Speaker 3:I'm sorry.
Speaker 1:I forgot to put that. You're just a fucking shit.
Speaker 3:Realize, like, how much of a mental health, like it takes a total mental health.
Speaker 1:It's bet It's tough. It's a very thankless job.
Speaker 3:So when I worked for one of the kitchens I worked at, I was making 1250 an hour as a prep cook.
Speaker 1:And you were working your ass off.
Speaker 3:And yeah, but I couldn't work more than 40 hours because I couldn't get benefits, right, like that was the day.
Speaker 1:There's always so much shady shit going on in kitchens too, you know. There's always like some sort of shit like that where it's just like, oh, they'll walk up and be like Oh hey at, you got to leave it 247 today, yeah. So but yeah, but no matter what you got to get this, this and this done, like, even if they're like, oh, i need to stay off the clock, like I'm not doing that, we're not part of the team, like, fuck you.
Speaker 1:No, I'm not at that point, because that's not, that's not teamwork. You know, that's not.
Speaker 2:that's not being part of the team.
Speaker 1:That's not tribe shit, that's not what we do here. Yeah, you know that's just wrong, you know, and that's that's a lot of the situation with that culinary world is like that. But for me, i love, i like cooking for like my family, i like cooking when we have people over.
Speaker 3:Yeah, because.
Speaker 1:I'm good at it And I get down and I learned a lot and and I did enjoy it for a long time, but, like it did, came to that crashing halt of of yeah, it just became very unenjoyable And I was miserable every day, every day, because I was just always thinking about work. You never leave it. Yeah, that's just one of those jobs you don't leave because you're like Did I put that shit in the oven? Did I put that Yes really.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're a constant like what if this motherfucker moves this when I do it? it? I spent three hours prepping this, and if they move it and it's gone, then I don't even know what I'm supposed to do for tomorrow. Or you know it's there's so much that could go wrong when you're not at a restaurant that you just feel like you have to be there all the time You have to be ready for them to call you to say Hey, so and so called out, Can you come in?
Speaker 1:Yeah, like, no, i can't like. Well, you're not part of the team.
Speaker 3:Yeah, Oh no.
Speaker 1:Like why aren't you in there? Like well, i'm on vacation with my, with my kids. like yeah, so you got to get kids, that's what it is. You got to get kids. But even then, like well, your wife can't go, like Oh, you know, i mean, that's the thing too. Like I feel like it's a very, it's just a very unhealthy environment.
Speaker 3:Like waking up at 3am to be like Did I turn off the pilot light Or did I leave it on?
Speaker 1:Like is it my brain?
Speaker 3:Would I clean the chemicals?
Speaker 1:out the stove. Yeah, someone gonna die tomorrow.
Speaker 2:That's a nerving. I don't know if I don't know if I can do that.
Speaker 1:Or like when you leave, when you got to like leave some, leave something cooking overnight like stocks and shit, and you're just like, oh, like that's the worst for me. We're not the worst, because we always like the places. I did stocks that we had, like the big stock kettles, you know. Yeah, so it's easier that way, but still just like walking away from something is so hard because you're just like anybody could just walk up and be like Whoa, what's this do? And then everything's fucked, you know, and you're just like, how did you do that?
Speaker 3:I'm not sure if you ever felt this like how split your mind becomes, because it's like you're multitasking to the most extreme humanly possible, right? Like I'm slicing chicken, i have I have more chicken cooking in the oven. I have bread proofing here. I have this going here. I have a soup chilling in the freezer that I need to remember pull out before I leave so that the soup can be ready for tomorrow. Yep Plus you got a whole list of shit You got to wrap up before you leave.
Speaker 1:You're like, Oh my God, Yeah, it just sit there Like I got so much to do.
Speaker 3:You're like I'm gonna go do some drugs Which is like the other problem, too, right, is like deal with like I've dealt with alcoholics, i've dealt with drug addicts, i've dealt with people like severe anger management issues And then like it starts affecting you, right, because you're like like you start gaslighting yourself. You're like, wait, is it me? Am I really the problem? Maybe I am the problem. Maybe I need to leave Like they were fine before I came and all these problems happen now that I came here.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, like they weren't fine. Yeah, they weren't fine, yeah, i think I'll go Alright.
Speaker 2:So you, like Marcus, you're like Kyle now like you, just you cook for you. You, you cook food for fun.
Speaker 3:Yeah, i do it. Uh, like, i have people that want to pay me to do things, but most of my friends, if they want to pay somebody, i just refer them to one of my other friends that are in the business. Um, unless it's like something simple, like a lot of my friends like cupcakes and I'm like cool, send me some money and I'll make cupcakes for you, but uh, because, like I said, i realized like it was like self care for me, was me like if I was having a bad day.
Speaker 1:there's nothing more satisfying than making fresh pasta, fresh focaccia and then going ham on some Bolognese Dude just putting on the music and just locking into your zone and just like but here's what sucks is for me like as that prep cook. whenever they're coming back, hey, can you jump on the line real quick? Like no, fuck off dude. Yeah, it's like as a prep cook. like I, i'm prepping, so that means like I'm not trying to work the line. You're only paying me 1250. That's where the all stars work out there for 14. You know?
Speaker 1:what I mean Like, i'm just here to make sure that they got shit. I'm, i'm basically the guy in the war, like here's your fucking ammo.
Speaker 1:Like you know, what I mean Like, but that's that's what I enjoyed the most at the end of it, like, and I've been an executive chef of a nursing home. Yeah, you know I've restaurant manager been. you know I'm, i'm. I think the happiest I've ever been was a prep cook and that was towards the end before I moved out of Colorado. I mean, it was easy. I show up to a list, i don't answer to anybody except the chef, and me and the chef are on the same page. You know, i know what he wants, he knows what I could do, and if I got a question he's always be like oh you know, this is how I did it and they just didn't pay enough. so I couldn't say you know, i'm like. you know, i got a family. I can't work for a fucking 15 bucks an hour.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Like I can't, like nobody can do that anymore.
Speaker 3:Yeah, i uh, excuse me, i really I tell people like being a prep cook is my favorite position in the whole in kitchen anywhere, like any kitchen I've worked in, is because, like you're probably the only person that knows that menu inside and out, um, you know every ingredient that goes into everything. you know what it should look like when it's, from beginning to end, uh. but I also think it was like what you said. like for me it was like being in the background and like setting everybody else up for success. that I enjoyed is just like put on my music, start chopping onions, you know, uh right.
Speaker 1:Leave me in the corner and don't fuck with me, You know yeah, the old cows over there getting down like don't, don't get in his way, you'll go cut your hand off.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we're also being able to look because, like, you're pretty much driving a lot of stuff that people don't realize. It's like I used to tell myself like oh, we're out of this, we need to order more of this, we need to order more of that. You know, and like I think I work my love through being a I was a head chef in a sorority and that was when I got out because I'm like I just can't deal with this anymore. It's not Yeah, it's not my jam.
Speaker 1:I've heard that's a pretty. That can be a pretty tough job depending on um, on the situation, but a guy I worked with that uh one of my last restaurants I worked at, he did that. He worked at our restaurant part time Yeah, because he knew the chef, but he worked His full time was at, uh, a sorority house. I think they had like 200 something girls that live there and I'm just like yeah, mine wasn't too bad.
Speaker 3:I had 86, but it's trying to get 86 people to be on one page about food.
Speaker 2:That sounds impossible, that's impossible.
Speaker 3:Like one of the houses I worked in, half the house wanted Taco Tuesday every Tuesday. The other half of the house did not want it and it was like, cool, i'll just do it every other week then.
Speaker 2:Yeah, right.
Speaker 3:You know, but it's like the companies are always like these organic, we do this like made from scratch, that made from scratch, this and literally the only thing they want to relate cheeseburgers, hot dogs and chicken tenders.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:This is what's up 86 women on the same page, not anything.
Speaker 2:That's funny.
Speaker 3:It's uh, but like anytime I've been in situations like, no matter how shitty it's been like, i always look at what I gained from it right.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Um, because we could all go down that rabbit hole and be really negative and be like it sucks It's. this is that it's a lot harder to find all the positives and something.
Speaker 2:Oh, for sure.
Speaker 3:For the sorority, like it really taught me what my limits were. It taught me leadership skills that I didn't know I had. I think like my first lesson was uh, it was just myself and my sous chef for like the first three months of the school year and I had to learn very quickly that my sous chef and I were not the same right, like just because I'm capable of doing it doesn't mean she's capable of doing it. So if I can look at a prepless and like I cannot that all out in 45 minutes, it might take her an hour hour and 15.
Speaker 3:Yeah, So like it taught me how to really like manage expectations, how to manage my timelines and, um, like Starbucks really taught me how to. I'm like one of those cheesy things like I always want to be able to change the world. Right Yeah, starbucks has the same um, and I'll probably butchery because it's been a while, but it's changing the neighborhood.
Speaker 3:Uh, like one, one person, one cup, one neighborhood at a time right, um, and working at Starbucks allowed me to connect some amazing people. I met a lot of people that were in the C suite, uh, for Starbucks. I help open. uh. when they opened up the Prenchy kitchen at the Roastery on, uh in Capitol Hill in Seattle, i help open it up and um, it was like, really amazing, like, and as much like I hated, like you know, making 17 caramel frappuccinos in a row Uh, it really helped me with being able to connect with people right And realizing like it's more than just me in the world.
Speaker 1:Mm, hmm, um, yeah, that's a huge thing. That a lot of people don't have the capabilities of understanding is what you just said.
Speaker 3:Yeah, like you know, i had to really learn like uh, so something they always taught us at Starbucks was assume the best intent in your customers, right, which is really hard to do, especially when somebody walks up to you and it's like I want a caramel frappuccino, but they don't tell you they don't want any whip and they don't tell you that they. And they don't tell you they want extra caramel, right, so that you make it. And it's like here and they're like you made my drink wrong and you're like did I Right? Like I really had to teach you, like, how to separate yourself from a situation, right.
Speaker 3:Like okay, well, you really don't know what that person's going through, right, they could be going through a mental health issue, they could just be having a really bad day, right, and I don't know how to separate things from that, right. So it would be me like somebody be upset because their drink were made wrong and that was just like the icing on the cake, right, that was the top of the thing and I really learned how to separate. Like they were upset because of other things that happen and I just happened to receive that. It doesn't make it okay, but I think it helps you with being able to be like. We all have those days right. We're like you've gone off on somebody and then you take a moment and you're like, ooh, that wasn't a really good look, was it?
Speaker 2:I shouldn't have done that Too off. Yeah, had those a lot, you know, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:So for me, like having to learn how to like separate that and then like actually try to connect with people at the same time was like something that I took from Starbucks, like, and I think I was carrying with me because it was really important for me. And like when I was in the Air Force, it really taught me about, like that attention to detail, right, because I work for the commander for pretty much the entire time I was in. I was in for eight years. I spent like four years, i think, not doing stuff for the commander, but I really had to go dive deep in regulations, right, and really understand what they were saying and actually read it for what it was and not just be like well, the regulation says this Yeah, you know like.
Speaker 3:And then I had a job that was really interesting because I did IT work for my first two years and I did information management and like human resources stuff the rest of the time I was in, and so you always have to explain things. I was always have to explain things to people because I was the only person in the squadron with my job. Oh dang, really Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's a lot.
Speaker 3:I like I hated being in right because my first four years in were pre Don't ask, don't tell Yeah, and then my last four were under Don't ask, don't tell. And so it makes it really hard because they can only join. You're really young, right. You really don't know much about yourself, and so something that I always knew about myself was I was gay, but I was raised in church and I probably spent a solid 10 to 13 years trying to pray the gay away and hoping that I would meet somebody that would change my life, and then I went right from that to I'm going to join the military.
Speaker 2:What, what, what, if you don't mind me asking, like what was there, like a catalyst to that? Like what, like what?
Speaker 3:I just had to get out of Ohio. Like I was very driven to get out of Ohio and I'm like I really wanted to go to college and I was looking at culinary school but mommy and daddy didn't have $40,000 and I refused to take out student loans. Yeah, for me it was like what was the fastest way I could do this.
Speaker 1:Three years in the military Air.
Speaker 3:Force. There we go. That's one one I'm doing the Air Force, but then, like, as I realized, i'm like no, like I am gay and this is who I am and that's okay. Yeah, i didn't have anybody talk to or I could relate to, really, because I wasn't technically allowed to be gay active duty at the same time.
Speaker 1:Damn, that's so that was, i'm sorry I didn't, and so 2006. so 2006,. seven, eight, nine, 2010 they started that shit.
Speaker 3:They repelled. Don't ask, don't tell. Okay So the other issue was and this was like my deciding factor to really get out was like I want to be able to legally get married right. And so what people didn't realize was, because of the Defense of Marriage Authorization Act, if I would get married in like Washington, where is legal, and then I would go to South Carolina where it was not legal, my marriage would no longer be valid.
Speaker 1:Yeah, united States. Yeah, that's what thought.
Speaker 3:Anyway, i don't know And so for me, like being in it was like oh cool, like I know who I am but I don't know have anybody to talk to really, or if I do have to worry about them ratting me out to somebody and being kicked out for it. So, like everything I learned about gay culture I literally learned from watching RuPaul's Jaguaries and hearing about different documentaries on the show, and then I would go and watch those documentaries. But if I had to like buy a movie, i would have it sent to somebody else's house and I would pick it up from a friend's house.
Speaker 2:Damn.
Speaker 3:Like just all these steps you will go through. Like I found somebody I started dating but if anybody asked, his name was Christina And so even then, like when I did find people I could tell, like it made it really hard because I could be in a room full of people and I want to talk about something, but I can't talk about it, yeah. And then you layer that with, like I worked for the commander almost the whole time I was in and as as the E3 living in the dorms, like I only had a handful of friends I really hung out with, because most people are like you work for the commander.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Right Yeah.
Speaker 3:And most of my friends when I was junior in the world and CO's, because I didn't have any peers I could really relate to. And so then dealing with that and then just dealing with like racism and coming out like they repelled, don't ask, don't tell, but then it just became a different kind of issue. Right, and even before they repelled it and I was talking to Eddie about this is all stuff I was talking with Eddie about too is, like you know, you always hear people say don't read the comments, right, yeah, and you have to think like, why would you tell people not to read the comments? The amount of times I read fucking facts I wish they would die. I don't want no facts serving in my military, i don't want to guy check in my ass out while I'm taking enemy fire.
Speaker 2:It's kind of ridiculous. Yeah, those are all, and that makes for such a. It just contradicts what the military in itself is supposed to be like. You know, unity one one team, one fight and then, like you, you know to be in a situation like that where you can't really, you don't know who you can trust, that's I mean, that I hate that for you.
Speaker 1:That's, that's horrible, i mean I'm also just feel like that's just like the measure of the people that say that you know, because like and I'll even say like, just like our group and just, and we I mean like, so we're a lot of see none of our friends in our group that we talked about earlier, like our gay right, so like, but we're all like. You know those. We were close knit, we're in the military together. We made you know those jokes at each other all the time, stuff like that. And somebody were to come out down the road and say that we would be like oh OK, you know, whatever. And I think somebody has, even since, like not in our close friend group of someone we deployed with, has, and I know he's nobody was like oh my God, i was good, yeah, i'd snuggle, you know I can that's just that's just.
Speaker 1:I think that just speaks to maybe like just the like I said, just the measure of human beings that do different jobs or different. You know, i don't know, i don't want to say different services, because obviously the army has it's very big issues as well, yeah, but you know, that's just, that's it kind of this just pisses me off It really is an eye opener when you find out how hateful people can be.
Speaker 2:You know, i mean yeah, you hear, hear, hear about it all the time and then when you actually see it yourself. That's what I was trying to say whether it's done to you or someone you know like. It's more reflection of the character of the person spewing the hate than the person in the comment was direct that, yeah, that's it really yeah, so that was something I had to realize.
Speaker 3:Like you can't read the comments, right, because for everyone great comment. We're like no, like these are my brothers and sisters in arms and like they should be able to live their life, right, there was like 30 negative comments to counteract that one.
Speaker 3:But then so like that's why I say for me, like it wasn't great, right because I came like, like, and then I got out and I tried to go in the spaces and I'm looking around, i'm like wait, but there's a bunch of old white men you know that are here talking about Vietnam, and I said like, i feel like we all serve in combat, right, but though our combats were all different, but they were the same for sure right, like we all have those same things, like in Vietnam.
Speaker 3:They had PTSD, but they didn't call it PTSD, they called it shell shot right yeah, and so I think part of the problem too, like is that we learn different languages, right.
Speaker 3:like so we were trying to find an enemy that we everybody looked like the enemy for Iraq and Afghanistan, right yeah we didn't know if the person in front of you was a terrorist or if the person to the right of you was a terrorist, because every you know and like a lot of things, like when we were over there, we had to realize very quickly we had to switch our strategy right because we had adapted for something completely different or we were trained for something completely different. And then, like I remember coming in and like just learning, like oh, you have to learn how to care for a person on the field, like throw quick, quick clot on there. If you really slap on a tourniquet, make sure you write the time on the tourniquet.
Speaker 1:Don't put a tourniquet on somebody's head you know, yeah, don't work on the neck. I mean they do, but it doesn't get the desired effect.
Speaker 3:And so, like when I was walking in these spaces, i'm like I know we have the same experiences, but they're completely different too. And so I was like I walk in and I kind of look around and observe the room and like everything they almost teach you in the military like find out who the friendly person is safe right and I would just hear people talking I'm like this isn't my military right. And it's like when I hear people say like well, not my America and I'm like, but my America is not the same as yours.
Speaker 1:Yeah, for sure, that's true, not everybody's idea of it is the same. I can never approach back to what you said earlier, like just with being able to get married in Washington. Yeah, but you know, going to South Carolina and not being legal or recognized, and that's again, that's the state's not being as united as we'd all hoped at this point because, yeah, i mean even mine in yours America might look different. But I know one thing is for sure that, like I want you to be able to find love and live your life and happiness, as much as I want KZ to do the same as I, much as I want, you know, however that looks for you, i want you to do that and I want you to do that?
Speaker 2:Well, already, founder, don't put me on blast.
Speaker 1:I'm kidding, but I was there for that too, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2:That's my point. I can, i can kind of relate to and I mean I don't want to. But like like that whole, like your military, different from my military, that I can really on for sure, like because my wife just asked me the other like last week, like we drove by the VFW. She's like, hey, you're going to go, when are you going to finally going to go in there? You talk about it like well, i don't know, i'm kind of nervous is going in there? because they're not. They're not. I know I guarantee you they're not going to be my, my, my types of veterans or just I mean it's not going to be my army going in there. When I go in there it's going to be guys from Vietnam and I'm not. You know they deserve that space and yeah, i feel like overshadowed, which is okay, but Vietnam guys are like the seniors in high school.
Speaker 2:Yeah, i don't want to go in there really, if you're like hey, guys, hey you want to be here like give me all your beers. Yeah.
Speaker 3:I chose to go.
Speaker 3:Compared to you. I know for me, like I've been, like now I've been finding spaces right Where, like I met Eddie through merging vets and players, and so That was something where they got walking on the space I'm like, oh wait, nobody's looking at me, like the odd man out right, like I was greeted with love and kindness in the same thing, like when I walked in the nine line, like it was love and kindness And like people wanted me to succeed And I started doing a scene Josh Wilden, in here for the Northwest vets, right, but like walking in the spaces, and I've heard people say like, oh yeah, like we realized that's the thing, but my BFW isn't like that. Like we're really working to change this perspective and this narrative of like you don't belong, yeah, everybody belongs. right, like we've all served, we've all, we've all did the same thing. Right, it may be for different branches, but we all put that uniform on at the end of the day, exactly.
Speaker 3:And so now, like I've intentionally finding spaces where I'm like, ok, this is cool. Like today I was in a sacred circle that I was invited to by a native veteran that runs a program here for one of the like, for a tribe of natives United I'm going to butcher their name United tribe of United Nations of tribes or something like that. But it was like a space where I'm like, oh, i feel like I can be myself. You know, i don't have to worry about being the Aguil now. I know here in Seattle we have an organization called Minority Veterans, right, and it's anybody that's been a minority, whether you're a POC, lgbtq, a woman, and so like connecting with people like that too. I was like, oh, this is a space for me, right.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And I can talk about my experiences and not have to worry about somebody like well, not my military and not my America, you know, because it just feels really kind of sending what I'm telling you like this isn't like. this was what happened to me And you can sit there all day and tell me that not in your military, but it happened.
Speaker 2:Yeah, right.
Speaker 3:And. I mean I have an on your watch and you may have not been OK with it, but there's other people that are and there's other people that will turn a blind eye to things because nobody wants to be a minority, you know, and point things out or be a whistleblower.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And so like, in being able to find spaces where I'm like cool, now I know I can refer to people, right, because I want to look at somebody who looks like me, like hey, i know these great organizations where you're going to be felt and seen and all the fun things that you need to help you heal.
Speaker 2:Yes, how does that feel? That's got to feel like tremendous, like it's amazing. We talk about. We talk about feeling our boots up every day, like you did.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:As a measure of like success, that that feels like a feel the coup, feel, feel the boot up moment right there, like my boot runneth over Yeah.
Speaker 3:It's been amazing. I like I'm really grateful for the job I have because it put me into places I've never thought I would be in, and so I even talked to our CEO before I started the position. I'm like, i'm just really concerned. I'm going to walk into a space and somebody's going to say something really stupid And I want to have to correct them. And he was just like just remember, there's a time and a place. And I'm like got it And but he knew exactly what I was talking about. Yes, and so far, like that hasn't happened And I continue to not want it to happen, right. So I've been really lucky in being able to help people get the help they need And something that I worked with there's an organization called ACP that helps veterans and people transitioning get mentors that work in the civilian sector.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's cool. Yeah, that's helpful.
Speaker 3:And so something my mentor told me a few months ago was part of being a mentor is that you pour into other people's cup and people pour into your cup, right.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 3:And it was something I didn't realize until recently, And it's like I feel like, as I'm helping other people heal, I'm healing parts of myself that I didn't know needed. That's the big thing dude.
Speaker 1:That's the big fucking thing, that's that's what we've kind of come to learn doing this And throughout kind of our experience is, this podcast is kind of getting more and more people to kind of come talk about it Like that's been, that's been a huge thing. But I do want to pause for about 15 to 30 seconds so I can talk quickly about our boys over in Elkman, alabama, tejas fabrication.
Speaker 1:Thank you guys so much for sponsoring that episode, this episode. then again, if you guys need to get a hold of anybody, or I'm sorry if you need to get a hold of them over in Elkmont, i'm sorry over at Tejas fabrication they do custom sheet metalwork, restorations, custom suspension, engine swaps, you name it. You get a hold of them, 2567014873. or you can also email them at Tejas fabrication at gmailcom. Again, tell them that veteran chat project sent you, they'll take care of you. Also, if you just want to follow them on Facebook, look at some of that dope ass work they're putting out again. we're actually going to have will and his business partner, i think what was his name? Steve, if I remember correctly. Steven, we'll have them on. We'll have them on here, i believe next week.
Speaker 1:So so, thank you guys And yeah, so going forward, you know one thing I actually wanted to mention too about with what you could do with your spaces and things to kind of get people outside and doing it, because I know there's a lot of disc golf around that area. Disc golf is super easy to get into, dude. You can get a shitload of discs from like a play against sports and just go take a group out and just like let's just go play, and getting outside You're throwing about four holes in people that aren't good at it will be decent enough to be like, oh, this is kind of fun. You know like it's fun enough to like if you're going to play. You know like if somebody else is that bad that you're like I can get a little farther than you and you start figuring it out.
Speaker 1:But that's definitely one that's like a cheap, easy way to get people out, because that was the one of the big things that got me. I originally got me out of my head, was just getting, and it was when I was dealing with a lot of the whole like the mental aspects of the kitchen and shit where I started disc golf and a lot more, just to get out, be out of the kitchen, out of the box, so to speak, and it was fucking awesome dude. So that's definitely one. I could definitely, if you ever want to get more information off that, hit me up.
Speaker 3:I'm totally down. But just remember, I have like three months out the year where first we golf.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:I live in North Dakota.
Speaker 1:I'm the same. Yeah, But it's still. that's why it's it's cheap. I mean, discs are 15 to 20 bucks. You can get two of them and get you through around, especially if you're not going to play forever. But who knows, maybe we can even try to get someone to send you guys some discs and sponsorship. I can work on that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's in the book. Yeah, i'd be down for it, because something I want to start doing is, like I said, because I realized pretty recently that for me, like knitting and crocheting are like very therapeutic for me. And it wasn't until I was watching a YouTube video and the lady was like Told you how many stitches you need to cast on and was just like be president this moment. You're here now, focus on this, just do this. And I just found myself in this trans, right, like I was following along with her And I was like wait, like this is totally self care for me, right?
Speaker 3:Like I have friends that, can you make this for me? I'll pay you And I'm like just buy the yarn and no, I'm making this on my own time And I usually miss a stitch or I do something wonky. You'll realize it, But you know like I'm doing it for me, right?
Speaker 3:Or I buy yarn, and I always buy yarn. I'm like I know there's going to be a project that can use this for and like it speaks to me and I just have to wait for the pattern to be here. So, like one I just did, was I knitted a shawl for one of my like my god mom.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's cool. How long did that take?
Speaker 3:So I'm one of those weird people like sons. Up I'm up.
Speaker 2:No.
Speaker 3:I'm like 530 ish and I'll knit until about seven And then I did that for about a week and I finished it.
Speaker 2:Okay, dang, that's, that's, that's probably. That was probably like you said. It was therapeutic for you, probably great way to wake up and start today.
Speaker 3:I put on some trashy television and I go to town.
Speaker 1:Have you ever heard of a quilts of Valor?
Speaker 3:Is that the one where they make quilts for veterans? I've heard of it, but I haven't really looked into it.
Speaker 1:So actually I was at the park in town the other day. I guess one lady in town I still have to reach out because she never messaged me But her mom runs one of the one of the bigger groups of that up here I think it's the Red River Valley one And so they're. Actually we're trying to get them to come on the show to talk about quilts of Valor and basically all their shoes look for there. They just they look for nominations, they, they make these quilts for free and they give them out. I think one of our, our buddies, barton, has one. Okay, but they do the same thing too, without basically like they'll give out like the kits And then it has to be like one of these certain patterns or whatever, but they'll give out a kit and then they'll like teach you how to quilt too.
Speaker 3:So I mean, like it's yeah, I think.
Speaker 1:I think we're going to try to get more information from them and have Maybe teaches how to do it while we're on the air. Yeah, i mean we'll let them, we'll let them if they want to. If they want to use the space, i'll crush in my wife. Yeah, my wife would love that shit if she like. Oh my God, you're having a fucking quilting show like let's go, but you know it's.
Speaker 3:I find it really funny because You never realize the spaces that veterans are in, right until you start talking about things you do, and I've met so many veterans that do crafting things. I'm like, wait, what? Like I just found out. Um, i have to ask the person again that told me about it. But there is a I want to say a special forces veteran that crochet hats for veterans And you just don't need to know.
Speaker 3:And that's all like, and I'm like wait, what? Like? how have I not heard about this, Right? But I think it's something we've been talking about a lot too. It was like there's so many things out there for people as veterans, but we just don't know they exist because nobody tells us about it, or I think a lot of shine the light on that positive side of shit.
Speaker 1:That seems like what veterans are doing to better their situations or others around us. just not shined enough, Yeah. Like I'd never heard of that. That's cool as hell, like anything that people are doing for veterans out of the kindness of their heart, i think is the coolest fucking thing ever. Yeah, and even just for veterans and you know, just for people who fucking need Just someone to be there for him, i think it's huge. It's fucking is why we're here. So there's a really interesting book I listened to when I own the physical.
Speaker 3:I just haven't read it because I drive all the time for work, so it's called the power ritual. I think I actually started it.
Speaker 1:The guy was talking about how they've done studies about like.
Speaker 3:CrossFit and orange therapy with how people consider them church And it was like, well, what is church considered Right He's? you'll hear people in the CrossFit community literally talk about the gym as if it's church. They call it church, yeah, you know. Say ask KZ, they do.
Speaker 2:And so I was like and then, it made me think of like well what is community?
Speaker 3:Right Yeah. And then a few weeks ago I went through training to be pure, pure support. I was like I'm not sure what is community? I'm not sure.
Speaker 3:And then a few weeks ago I went through training to be pure, pure support, And so we were talking about finding our tribes And so I was like huh, that's really interesting, Like the coalition between like tribes, community, your ritual, right. So for me, every Friday night, for the most part, I go to a local yarn store here. I'm that's like 20 minutes from my house and I knit for like two hours.
Speaker 3:That's just a bunch of us getting together and talking, right, like you don't realize how important it is or how much part of your life it is until it's like there's a Friday I have to miss, right. Or like I make it a point to really try to be there on a Friday, even if it's not from the six to eight time that we usually knit. I'll go in and I'll knit from two to four, but like when I don't do it, i'm like my whole week feels off now Because it's part of your part of your daily ritual now.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, yeah, but also my rituals become my community, right, exactly.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3:And like now I can see, like with CrossFit, like because I do MVP once a week, and it's kind of like, oh, i found my people right, like. And when I can't go, it's like, oh, i really like I wish I didn't have to table this event, i'd rather be working out right. And so I think it's important for us, as veterans, to really find that and connect with people, because I think it helps us right. Uh, these, we don't realize how we're all similar being veterans.
Speaker 2:Exactly That's yeah, we, we try, yeah, we try to say that like um, you know, like I threw that challenge out to one of my, one of my buddies is like just having a tough time, and like, um, i don't think he had heard about the podcast, but we, you know, we went to grade school together, he joined or whatever, and he's, you know, it's like I, you know, i'm having a tough time, nobody gets me, and I was like, let me like, let me prove you wrong. Like, come, come on the show. I'm like you seen it now as a come on the show. Let me prove you wrong. Let me prove that you're not alone. Yeah, you know, i have. I have a network of of people that we've talked to now that are, you know, we're all ward, you know a different type of uniform, but in the end, like, we all, we all have the same kind of scars.
Speaker 3:Yeah, Yeah. So I uh, but I think too is like what you said, like I would go to all these jobs and like almost job hub, I wouldn't keep a job for longer than a year. Yeah.
Speaker 3:Because I just never felt like anybody understood or got me. I'm sorry My dogs hear something outside. If I start to change reaction, I accept responsibility. So good, Um, but like when I remove myself from like I'm like just nobody gets me And I always feel like I just think differently, like right, Like I think six steps ahead. Yeah, I think about the problem I'm going to have today. I thought about it too.
Speaker 1:Um, yeah. Then you guys are just reacting to it And I'm over here like why the fuck haven't we done anything about?
Speaker 3:this, Yeah, But I didn't realize that that's something the military taught us right. Like you're always analyzing and like you can, it's kind of something that taught you this Kyle and culinary school, but it's like they can teach you. you can turn down things, like when you look at food right, or like critique food. you can turn it down, but you can't turn it off Like you always look at a plate of food. You always look at a menu and be like bro, like this, this should not cost $40. This is Tell me.
Speaker 1:tell me if you have this problem. Can you go out to eat without just shredding the service or like our, or like critiquing it, or like even on the on the flip side of that, like being like yo, that service was really good, that food was fucking phenomenal, like yeah, but for me it's few and far between. Well, both of those are set at the same time. I usually have decent food that's brought out by some dumb fuck who knows nothing about serving Everybody's like here's your food, bro, and I'm just like it makes the. If. If your service was a little better, this food would be fucking delicious.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but it just makes me wonder. It just like yeah, I can't turn it off right, like you can only turn it down, um, but like I felt the same way as veteran spaces.
Speaker 2:Um, yeah.
Speaker 3:Like er sorry, not veteran spaces but like when I was working in places, right like I'm like I'm predicting this problem and telling you six weeks from now this is going to happen and nobody will want to listen to me. Uh, that's literally what he said.
Speaker 1:I try to point out problems at work and they don't worry about it until it happens, Like yo, this is going to happen.
Speaker 3:No it happens and everybody's like Oh my God, it happened. It happened. I'm like, but I've been telling you it's going to happen, right, being proactive. Being proactive, like but that's something they teach in the military And I didn't realize that until, like I wasn't veteran spaces and like we were talking about those things. Like you don't realize you do it Like, or at least it like, not consciously you don't realize you like purposely try to sit somewhere. We can survey everything, right.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:You don't sit with your back to the door because anybody could walk up to it. Uh, you can walk in like we were. Uh, i was talking about this today like were you walking? and like I take public transportation a lot, so I identify everything Right And I can't turn it off And I I thought it was totally normal. It is normal if you're a veteran, but for people that are not veterans, it is not normal to like be able to like plot your escape from several different ways Or just be able to constantly scan everything all the time And I'd be like, babe, how didn't you see that?
Speaker 1:Like I was like so just today. I mean, like I see my brother in law everywhere and I'll like hit the horn, beep, beep, and he's like one of those people that's just like you know he's going to do his thing. He's not really looking around paying attention And like everybody I know out here is like that. But it's like me. I'm like, oh, did you see that guy in that car? He was fucking texting and smoking a cigarette. He didn't even have his hands on his bill.
Speaker 3:Like how did?
Speaker 1:you see that.
Speaker 3:Like well cause.
Speaker 2:I look at everybody's, or I?
Speaker 1:stared, everybody in every driver's seat and I look for their hands Cause that's one thing that I was told like when we're out and about, like they have to take one hand off fucking trigger the IED or the V-Bit, so like if their hands are on the steering wheel, you got a chance. So like I'm always in people's shit, i'm like I just noticed everything. You know, i just noticed, noticed my brother in law walking out of the thing. I was like Oh hey, there he is. And it's just like people were like I didn't even know he was there.
Speaker 3:Or like I'm not sure if you guys have this too, or like you remember details about people that you shouldn't remember, right Like it's like Oh they were wearing a light blue shirt. It had this written across it This was the color of the pants, this was the color of this, and their shoes are really nice, like they have this really cool lace, like design and their shoe strings. And then people are like you can remember all those details, but you don't remember to eat And I'm like, yes, yeah, i get busy.
Speaker 2:I literally get, i got, i got, i think my, my, my wife said those exact words like a couple, probably like last year. So like in my, you know, in the job that I do, we see veterans every day for compensation and pension. We do what's called a daily report. Within that daily report, every veteran we see, we write like a small little substance about who they are, just so it triggers the memory If the VA ever comes to asking questions about like Hey, this guy gets seen, like yeah, and we pull up like the little synopsis that we wrote And mine, all my synopsis is for every veteran I've ever seen. Is Dave in my hard drive And I can be, you can. It's described just like that veteran came in. He was six foot two black jacket, blue jeans, tucked in yellow shirt, belt, timberland boots, like and they're just like you remember all this stuff Like yes, i do.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Josh.
Speaker 1:The dog Yeah. Yeah, we're trained to do that, like me Yeah.
Speaker 2:We're just like trying to do some of that quirky stuff, the um, you know, speaking of like shared experiences and stuff. There's like when you, you know, when you're directing like these veterans for like others for for services and for mental health, or, you know, helping assisting other veterans with suicide and stuff like that, like, do you, do you find it helpful to dig in your own like past trauma, if there is, if there is some there to help help them out, do you think that helps?
Speaker 3:Um, i think it helps when, like I, can relate to people, right Yeah, in certain situations, like I think, in general we all have some similar shared experiences that just might look different.
Speaker 3:Um, so for me, a lot of times, like minds is the growing up and being gay, and like being in a religious household and wanting to die, because I felt like an abomination, right, i had people constantly tell me I'm going to go to hell. Um, i had people constantly say I'm going to go to hell. Um, i had people constantly say that being gay was a choice I was making and not being able to communicate. That was really hard. Uh, because you know, like, when you're growing up, you just want to make your parents happy, right, and if I'm gay, then I want to let my whole family down, right, cause, like, i have a younger brother, but you know that mentality of like, well, my bloodline ends with me.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:I don't have anybody else Like. There was nobody like at that point in my life there was. I was the, and I still think I am the only openly gay person in my family.
Speaker 2:Um, did others, did others serve the? did others serve the military in your family?
Speaker 3:Um, my dad was in the Navy and my great-grandmother side my grandfather uh, great Yeah, my great grandfather served for in World War II.
Speaker 2:OK.
Speaker 3:But I don't know, it was like a really weird thing And it's really hard to explain to people when it's like you know something that's so true about you but the rest of the world tells you that that's not OK, that you shouldn't exist. In like hearing things like well, don't do that, that makes you gay, right, and I'm like well, i don't want to be gay. So like for me, like I tell people, when I wanted to learn how to like crochet and knit, i wasn't allowed to because that would make me gay.
Speaker 3:And I'm like oh yeah, i really don't want to do that thing, because I don't want to be gay And like for the longest time I just wanted to pass as being straight as much as humanly possible, even though, like, all the writing was on the wall about me being gay, because I felt like if I could just blend into society, at least I wouldn't have to worry about anything.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's a hard thing to navigate. As parents like my wife and I, we had that conversation with our daughter, probably earlier this year or late last year I think it was earlier this year about that exact scenario or that situation And she was. We told her we don't really, we don't care, we appreciate you telling us this stuff, like we love you for it, but just like as her dad and as her protector, like I had to like like hey, you realize, like you do this, like I'm always going to be here for you, but the world's a mean place, yeah, and like you're going to get attacked verbally for this stuff.
Speaker 3:And.
Speaker 2:I just want to prepare you for that. Yeah, like in this house, right here is your safe space. Like, no, like we love you forever. But once you walk out these doors and you want to make these decisions out loud, be prepared for some pushback. Unfortunately, that's how the world is.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:It's tough to have that kind of conversation with your 12-year-old.
Speaker 3:I think it's also really hard too, because it's a like. It goes back to like. I'm the only one right Like, so who can I relate to in my family?
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:I'm going to talk to my family about like I think I might be gay And especially like for me, and this is something in life like I've never really identified with the LGBTQ community, mm-hmm, for several reasons.
Speaker 3:One of them is like I never felt like the stereotype of being gay, right, because that's all you see is the stereotype, and I'm like, well, that's not me, so maybe I'm not like, and I have to learn that Like, just like everything in life, like being gay is a spectrum.
Speaker 3:I have dudes that are six foot eight, 300 pounds of solid muscle that are just as gay as I am, right.
Speaker 3:And then the opposite, where you have that stereotype of like really flamboyant, yeah, you know, and so like, when I was trying to find things I'm like, but nobody looks like me, right? One like it's always white guys, you see, that are gay, or they're really flamboyant, and I'm like, but that's not me, that's not who I am, that's not what I look like, and so like I had to come to terms with like maybe I just need to make my own lane for being gay, right, and there's nothing wrong with that, and that's really why I started doing this. Like I'm just going to carve out my own section, like because I sit at so many interst, like so many sections of intersectionality, right, like I'm black, i'm gay, i'm white, my mom's side of the family is Jewish, right, so, like I sit at this corner that not a lot of other people sit at, but I want to build this corner up so anybody that wants to come to it can come to it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, he's nobody able like I was telling Eddie this and I said it in his podcast. one of my favorite authors in the world is Maya Angelou, and she has a quote that says try to be the rainbow of somebody else's cloud. And so that's how I try to live my life right, because I never want anybody to have that feeling. I ever had right, the feeling alone and like literally having a fear for your life because you can't hit on somebody, because you have to worry about like, oh well, now I might die. Oh my god, but it's a true thing and people don't know. That's not something like a lot of people think about is like if I hit on the wrong person, i could end up in a ditch.
Speaker 1:That's fucking wild. But it's like you know, you see that shit in TV or you know, and you see the movies or whatever, and it's like you know that shit, you know. This is you saying? it's like holy fuck, that shit's real And it's just something like me personally, like I never you know, like thought of, you know, like that's just very eye-opening to me.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I always like try to live that quote of that's what I want to do. I want to be the rainbow of somebody else's cloud. I want to help pull somebody up right And get people to see like the world is beautiful, right? You just have to surround yourself with that beauty and find it.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, yeah, it's what you make out of it, for sure.
Speaker 3:I never want anybody to feel that this world isn't meant for them, because it is right.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 3:You wouldn't have gotten this far if the world wasn't meant for you. You wouldn't have been, you wouldn't have gone through what you got and through right And we all through really shitty things. But that helps make you a better person in ways, right. Some things aren't better Like you have things that like rip a little bit of your soul away or they take, they take up space in your mind. Run free and you'll never be able to reclaim that space.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:But that's something that we have to embrace right. Like you know, in the military we always talk about embracing the suck.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:But there's also beauty in embracing the suck right Like.
Speaker 2:That's how you learn from most, most situations.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you have to learn your experience. And so I think it's just about being there for people and saying like, hey, i have this space, i can hold it for you, right, and you're meant to be here. Maybe you just haven't found what you're meant to do yet, like you know, like kind of talking about, like being in kitchens and realize we hated it. I don't know what I want to do with my life. I just know that this isn't it. This isn't where I want to be, the space isn't meant for me.
Speaker 2:And you wouldn't know that unless you tried it.
Speaker 3:So yeah, and the same thing, like when I came to Nine Line. I was just helping out the director of operations and I'm like I'm here, you know, let me help you get caught up on billing, organize things, yada, yada, yada. Cool, i got a paycheck, i'm out. And so Sean had asked me before I had to go to help my cousin for the month Excuse me, why don't you work for us permanently? And my first thought was, oh God, i would never touch a nonprofit with a 10 foot pole. Right, i've heard the whole story is working for nonprofits.
Speaker 3:But the whole time I was on my trip and I was helping my cousin, i'm like why don't I do this? Like it's right at my wheelhouse, like anytime Sean has said something that we're going to do, we do it Anytime Sean's like this is what we're about, this is what we're about, right, it's never wasting, right. And it was also what I said earlier was like I've always wanted to be able to connect people to resources, and so I was like, like I tell people, i'm like Sean got in my head, right, but I felt like I missed the opportunity because they hired a new executive assistant for the director of operations. And so I'm like, whatever, the universe threw me a hint, i missed it And I came back and three days later she sent me a message.
Speaker 3:She's like can you just help me out? And I'm like what if I do it permanently? And like, once I got into the space, i realized like this was my calling, right, and I had to go through certain steps to prepare me for this call. And I think that's really important for people is like you have to go through certain things, like no matter how shitty they are, like sometimes you have to go through those things to come out, because it'll make you a better person. Right, there's something that you need to learn, there's something that you need to understand. I truly believe that the universe never put something out that isn't meant for you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and the journey is always a learning process.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and so I want people to feel like they have space and they're meant to be here and that they're not alone and that it's okay not to be okay, right? I think that's something that we need to talk about more is.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's. we didn't mean to laugh when you said that, it's just literally like it's in our intro from like one of the first videos we made. It's one of the big things I wanted to point out about this show is like that's like it is. It's okay to not be okay all the time. I mean it's actually encouraged because you learn the most about yourself in those, in those not okay situations.
Speaker 3:Yeah, So and but I also think it's important when you feel like you're like it's not okay to find people to reach out to us, talking to Eddie about this in the podcast too, about I know a lot of people see Tyler Perry is problematic. Tyler Perry really helped me growing up and his character, medea, was like kind of like the pseudo mom for me, right, giving me all these words of wisdom advice. Didn't know I needed it, but I think it's really important that one of the quotes he has is and I know this is probably from somewhere ancient wisdom.
Speaker 3:The people in your life are like a tree right, you have the leaves where, if the wind blows one way, they go over there. If it blows the other direction, they go over there. And it's okay to be friends with those people, but like, keep them where they are as leaves. And then you have your branches and the branches are there for you. But if a good wind blows, then those branches are going to be taken out with the wind right. And again, like those are people, you can trust them a little bit more. So they put the leaves on the tree and then you have your trunk right and your trunk is there. But if you get a good windstorm, the trunk is gone, right.
Speaker 3:And those are also people like it's okay to let down the layers a little bit and keep those people close to you. And then you have your roots. And your roots are those people that are, no matter what happens in life. They're with you through thick and thin Right, like if that tree is knocked over by a hurricane. The roots are still attached to that tree. And I think it's really important when you start having those feelings of like I'm alone, there's nobody here, like reach out to your roots, right. Or reach out to somebody like call. Like if you have to call 988, like I've called it personally just to see what the process was like, right, hey, i have to yeah.
Speaker 3:It's an amazing process. And if you're worried about like oh well, i don't know, like you know, there's one for veterans, right, but there's also other options in there, right? so if you're a native person, option I think it's. Option four is for people that are native and it takes you to somebody that is indigenous, has indigenous descent, it may not be from your tribe, but at least you can connect to somebody that understands it, has that connection, a similar experience, right? yeah, if you do.
Speaker 3:Option three is for people that are LGBTQ, i think, under 25, and they partner with the Trevor project for that.
Speaker 3:So, like, there's always help, there's always hope, right, and I tell, like any of my closest friends, i always say, like you're on my, do not disturb, like you're in my favorite, so if you call me and I'm at a point where I can answer or answer and if I can't Shoot me a message, if it's really important, call me twice, because then it'll automatically go through. So I know, but I think it's also and this is something I've been doing a long time, i think, just from customer service but like actively listening to people, yeah, you know, and paying attention to their body language and paying attention to how they're saying like there was that infliction of the voice These. A lot of times it will tell you when people are hurting, right? Yes, and sometimes people don't want to admit they're hurting. They just need somebody to be like hey, are you doing? okay, i just realized. You know your voice sounds a little different, or you know? and just listening what people have to say, because sometimes that's all we need is just somebody to listen.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, and in you know listen, you know my wife and I are big on that like communicating. Communication is a two-way street, even if you, especially if you're the one listening, you know actively listening, you know like providing feedback, especially when someone's talking to you about something as heavy as like mental health. Yeah, yeah, i'm looking on the website, marcus, is this number like a public number? We can give out the 7-2-2-5?.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 2:Cool Yes.
Speaker 3:It's an office number and it's a nine to five kind of business hours.
Speaker 2:So if someone calls that number looking for like for help or what have you like in, you know, veteran services or whatever, like does it, does it get route to you? or like does it, is it like a team?
Speaker 3:We have a team Like it's just a general line, whoever answers, but we all know what each other works on. Got you So, but we also all. One thing I love is that we're not just like like. For me it's not like. Oh, i just deal with suicide prevention, that's all.
Speaker 2:I do Yeah.
Speaker 3:Like if I have a homeless veteran, come up to me I can get all the information I need. And like, cool, let me get some contact information. Find out more, like you know, find out as much as I can and then find out how we can help that person, right, yeah, and or it could just be somebody calling, like we had somebody walk in to the office randomly one day and was like, excuse me, they were like I'm interested in learning how to use my GI bill. I'm like, cool, here's what you can do, right.
Speaker 2:That's dope.
Speaker 3:I like that.
Speaker 3:Because we try to like not only do we have the four programs, but we just want to be as much of a resource of veterans as possible. Right, because it's like we said, like it always happens You talk to so-and-so, they tell you go here, you go there. Door closes. Other person's like I did my job, yeah, i did, you know, i told them where to go. So we always try to do like a warm, cozy handoff to people. It's never oh, just go here. And if like for me, if I recommend it, it's because I've been through it already or I know the person well enough to know how the program works.
Speaker 2:That's awesome I like yours And I like yours. I mean yours website is pretty legit. If you don't mind, i'm just going to read you the nine line mission for a second Mission here at Nine Line Veteran Services provides innovative approaches for veterans, their families and community through a group of like, through a group of like-minded veterans and the development of programs that reflect the need of a diverse and ever-growing population. We are driven to improve services and motivate to make long lasting impact in our own veteran community. That's super dope. I like that. We'll put their number on there for anyone in the area Nine Line Veteran Services 253-922-7225. That's cool. What's, um, do you have like a, an interaction that like sticks out in your head that you, that you know just like? this is why I love the job.
Speaker 3:Um, i think there's several that really stick out. Like one of the big ones is like uh, when you need a homeless veteran and you're able to get them housing right, and then you're able to help them get employment, and you're like, oh wow, i did that.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Um, another one is uh, i have somebody I've started becoming friends with that, uh, he was really struggling with getting out, uh, and it was just like oh cool, check out this resource, check out that resource, let's check out this. And he was like Oh wait, these are available. Like, and seeing somebody like actually, you know, do it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, not just be like here's this and and by like you said, but like no like here. It is Like this is that, and they're, i'll show you Yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's huge.
Speaker 1:Not a lot of people really know what's out there There's a lot out there.
Speaker 3:One of the pro two programs I really like besides ACP like ACP has been really amazing for me uh is onward to opportunity. So they offer free certifications. It's a partnership through Syracuse uh university but, like you, if there's a certification you need, they have a list of some of the programs. They like some of the certifications on their site. Yeah, uh, but it's a free certification and it's for veterans and the pendants And I think active duty can qualify for it. Uh, but you're able to get like five $600 certifications for free. That's a what's it called? again, uh, that one's onward to opportunity. Onward to opportunity. Yeah, it's 020. They owe the number two and oh, uh, and there's another similar program with hiring our heroes.
Speaker 3:Uh, they partnered with Google, who partnered with Coursera to get you a certificate and several different Google approved. So I did one. mine was in program management or project management. Uh, and that was really dope and it's free. You just have to show up and they kind of give you a brief over it And then the course itself pays. You have six months to complete the course.
Speaker 2:That's cool.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and but it's a thing that people don't know about. So I, something I tell people is like, when you get emails from the VA, actually read them, because like there's a lot of great information in there that you would just never know existed unless you actually read through. like I kind of skim through, like I read what I find important. Um, but there's just so many great programs out there for veterans that like another one is a I think it's called hiring heroes, and they will write your resume for you or rewrite it or tweak it or whatever you need, right, and it's a free service, just for veterans.
Speaker 2:That's dope. There's a. There's a. There's actually like a. I think it was Rooster's wife that that told me about it, or I can't remember. Someone told it, told me about it, but it's a. I think it's like tailored for vets or something like that, where, like you, can you send them like a copy of your DD 214 to prove your veteran, and then, well and then they'll, they'll ask you your measurements for a suit and they'll send you a suit for your first ever interview.
Speaker 3:Yeah, i heard of that one.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that one's super cool. I should have used that one because I don't have anything to wear tomorrow.
Speaker 3:There's nonprofits that'll do your headshot for you, or like organizations that'll you're a veteran, we'll do your headshot for you for free. There's several out there that'll help you with LinkedIn. Like people don't know. You get LinkedIn premium for free for a year for being a veteran.
Speaker 2:No shit I did not do that I didn't know that.
Speaker 3:That's so cool. Like it tells you who's viewed your profile. You can do online courses through LinkedIn learning. You get like if you click, like if you're looking for a job it'll actually tell you the percent of a chance of like your resume being viewed or something like that. Like or like 50% of people with the similar background as you have applied for this job. So it's really an amazing tool. You get it for free for a year for being a veteran.
Speaker 3:That's cool as shit. Yes, so there's so many programs out there that we just we don't know about because people don't say Yeah, or like you know, like as much as I love the VA, it's like it's buried in an email somewhere in the middle, right, yeah, so I read through them and I know it's a lot. They send out like three emails a week, but there's some great treasures in there. If you're looking like a semester of people know, but like you get for being a veteran, you get free lifetime access to national parks.
Speaker 2:That I knew That's cool as shit Yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, like in the state of Washington, if you're 30% disabled or more from like the rating you're rating from the VA, get your discovery passed for free I think for life to get into the state parks.
Speaker 1:Colorado has it too. I think it's. If you have disabled veteran plates in Colorado it's 70%. But with that comes the like all the Rocky Mountain National Park and the or won't. Well, that's one of them, but also all the state parks and everything. Yeah, that's fucking pretty good. But that's one of those things too is like you get outside, go camping, you got all these fucking state parks that you can crash in.
Speaker 3:Yeah, national parks, you can do it for free.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's cool, i mean that's and that's, i mean that's a good call out to all our listeners and veterans out there. Like you know it's that too is a two way street. You know, feel you know, calling these services out there, getting getting to know what's out there for you, but at the same time, you know, you know, do a little research, see what you know, see what's out there for you. Because you know, i've learned at least 10 things from here, Even the VA has like like.
Speaker 3:I found out that the whatever the national HR is for government jobs, they put on shows once a week, I think, if not like once every other week, about how to apply for GS positions and how to read the descriptions and know if you could like, if you should apply right. Oh yeah, That's a free resource And you just sit from your home. The VA, every Tuesday I think, goes live on LinkedIn and just gives out information.
Speaker 3:I'm gonna start reposting You just have to follow the VA on LinkedIn right And again, like tons of information given out and people ask questions right, and I always tell people if you're wondering it, there's probably eight other people around you that are wondering it Exactly.
Speaker 3:And so it's really cool to see some of the things that, like, I didn't know until I started working in this space And it's something that, like, I never had to worry about because I came out under, I got an honorable discharge, but you can actually get your discharge status upgraded And not a lot of people, I think, know that. So just because you got out under certain I'm assuming there's certain conditions where you can't. I haven't really gone through the process of it, but you just have to ask the VA to review And they look at and make a decision. If you don't like that decision, you can appeal to decision again.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. And I think they look at like what you've done since as far as what you've done to better yourself, and since then I've tried to go down that road. So I got a general under honorable conditions, so I still got to keep most of my benefits, but and I've never really had no one's ever really questioned it either I've never been in a situation where they'd looked at my DD-214 and I needed it for a job or anything like that. But like it's still always that one thing where I like I hate, hate showing off my DD-214 to someone that needs to see it, cause then they always like look down there and it's just like it says drug abuse on there Cause I smoked weed and gotten trouble.
Speaker 2:Once It says that on your 214. It says drug abuse on my.
Speaker 1:DD-214.
Speaker 2:Dang. Yeah, that's awesome, that's not awesome. I know No, i was. No, i was looking down and looking all the notes.
Speaker 1:I took about all this stuff Marcus is talking about.
Speaker 2:that's awesome.
Speaker 1:It's funny. Earlier I asked my wife if I looked terrible and she was like no, And I said what? And she's like, what'd you say? And I said, do I look horrible? And she said I thought you were being stupid and saying do I look horrible, Horrible? Do I look horrible? No, Bam, Babe, Shit.
Speaker 2:Marcus, what's like before you wrap up here, like what's, what is a one big, big, key tip of advice you'd give to veterans out there In any capacity mental health, transitioning into you know, civilian life or you know, or outreaching for programs, like what's that, what's one big tip you would give out there to other veterans.
Speaker 3:I think just be honest, really, like, i think a lot of times people hit a point where, like, they feel shame for something. And you should never feel shame, like at all. Right, you, you're in that reason because something happened, right. But now you're here And I'm like we're here to help you. We just need you to be honest with us so we can help you to the best of our ability, right, like, if you like I say, like you know, if you have like a dishonorable discharge, just let me know. Right, like there's nothing to be shameful about that. You served, i don't care. Yeah, like, i know there's programs that do look at that, but I'm not going to look at that, i'm going to look at the programs that will help you. So I think, just really just be honest and be open and be honest. And I also that, honestly, be open to possibilities. Or you know, like, don't let your ego or your pride get in the way of things.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's a good one, that's a big. That's a big one Because if, if there's one thing that most I want to see, i'll say most veterans are very prideful And sometimes and you know speaking from experience that pride can get in the way of whatever path that you're trying to navigate through. So, yeah, that's a big, big thing there. Let's see here, Kyle, you got anything before we head off.
Speaker 1:I do not. No, I don't actually not tonight.
Speaker 2:Will you bring that? Will you bring that banner back up, because my computer's acting funky.
Speaker 1:Oh, the for Nine Line. Yeah, yes, so again we're like.
Speaker 2:So we talked with Marcus tonight just talking about him his journey, a little bit, what he does over there at Nine Line Veteran Services. Again, you guys can reach reach their services at 253-9227-225.
Speaker 2:From what we've heard in the past hour and a half, they're they're pretty freaking amazing about what you do Yeah absolutely Yes, Big advocate for veterans, what they do, putting them in the right direction, which is which I can safely say, is something we all need, especially after transitioning to civilian life, getting put in the right direction for success. You guys want to be on the show? Email us better in chat project at gmailcom. We're on all the all the social media platforms TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Let us know. Last thing I wanted to say, just because he got brought up in conversation, I think today, yesterday, the letter to me challenge is still out there. It's never, never ending.
Speaker 1:So we did, we have another, another guest that's coming on just to read theirs, so we read it there.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:We did read his but yeah, he's coming, he's coming on because he's he finally. I think he finally realized that we aren't like a lot of the other podcasts out there that are like trying to make money off our podcasts And we're so much more about like as what we say is like just generating good conversation, and then you hit a couple of the words and a couple of the key notes that we kind of do here right in the head with perspective was one of them. You said that's huge.
Speaker 2:Tribe shit.
Speaker 1:Tribe, shit as another thing, man just finding your tribe, whatever that is for you potentially, you know for you it's, you know that that knitting what that thing will keep doing, that shit, dude, because you know it's whatever it is that makes you happy. And then I suggest grabbing some disc, golf discs and had now it's fun.
Speaker 1:I'll send you a map of the courses, right by you. You'll be like he will, he will. I sent it to KZ. He's like, damn, you go on UDisc and they're everywhere. But yeah, dude, i really appreciate you coming on and and sharing with us. And yeah, axe throwing we're starting, we're going to try, we're still trying to start a virtual axe throwing league. So if you want to build an axe throwing target and and join us.
Speaker 2:We'll send you specs because we have them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, world axe throwing leaguecom.
Speaker 3:You know, Costco sells them too.
Speaker 1:They do. Yes, it's $75.
Speaker 3:It's like plastic, though, but it'll get the job done.
Speaker 1:I saw one at Shields the other day too. It's just a smaller. It's a smaller version, like we don't have to build that big one. It doesn't have to be legit, it can be our league.
Speaker 2:I'm like I do that, if they have that Costco, i'll go get it, i'll go get it.
Speaker 3:It was like 75 bucks, I think, but I don't know if it's the same. You know I live in Seattle, So the cost of living out here is our gas is 529 a gallon right now.
Speaker 1:I'll pay like 320, I think.
Speaker 3:Oh my God, i have a Tesla, so I'm not like I don't worry about gas that much because it costs me like $5 to charge my car. That's the one I'm looking at those gas prices the other day I'm like, Ooh, I'm glad I don't deal with that anymore.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so that Tesla. though do you ever run into the issues that people have and then like them like wake up, be like Fuck, i forgot to charge my car.
Speaker 3:Yes, this happened to me Oh we have two electric cars And so before we got my, we have had my Tesla for about a month and a half, two months. But there was one morning I woke up and I forgot to charge the Polestar, and I was praying that I could make it to the charging station in time. Oh, shit.
Speaker 1:What happens then? they got to come and charge you, like Tesla has to come charge you on the spot. And they charge you.
Speaker 3:They have a way to charge it, but I don't listen. I'm not trying to get to that level, right Yeah.
Speaker 2:He's like there's a way. I don't want to know how.
Speaker 1:Yeah, probably not good for your battery.
Speaker 3:No, and like when you put your destination in, it'll tell you where you need to stop and charge and how much battery you'll have. Sweet Yeah, so like in theory, you shouldn't have to worry about it. The only big problem is, like the coast are really good about having charging stations. It's once you start getting towards the middle where you start having issues.
Speaker 1:Yeah, There's not many up here, i'll tell you that much. Right now Not many people are driving Teslas and Fargo, north Dakota.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:It's all trucks. Yeah, some Subaru's and Jeep's up here. But yeah, man, again, dude, thank you so much for sharing and thanks for being part of our tribe. Now We hope to hear you, hear from you some more again in the future. Man, and again like, if you ever want to talk to us again, let us know. And you ever just want to chat again? You know you got both of our messages. You could chat us up. Okay, chat us up. Whatever man, we're all family now, so Yeah, I like it Sounds good.
Speaker 1:I appreciate you, brother.
Speaker 3:I appreciate you guys.
Speaker 2:Bye.
