Latest / Off Topic / September Whiplash, Back to School Dread, a Kitten Named Haggis and Eye Patches
Transcript
- Meagan Smith: Hello everyone and welcome to Off Topic. I'm Megan. Samantha Potter: Samantha. Jenny O'Mahony: And I'm Jenny. Meagan Smith: we're gonna get right into it this week. today we're gonna chat about how we feel that it is now September. and back to school Jenny O'Mahony: P Meagan Smith: is next week. I'm in total denial and I'm not ready Samantha Potter: it's the best month, you guys. Meagan Smith: even slightly, even though it is pouring rain here today, but I don't know. Sam's ready. Did you? Samantha Potter: I had soup for lunch. yeah. Jenny O'Mahony: I used did you? I'm drinking tea right now. Meagan Smith: So am I, I drink tea all summer. Samantha Potter: Yeah, I do too. Jenny O'Mahony: Yeah. Me too. But I'm drinking it because I needed a cozy drink versus a habit today. Meagan Smith: Fair Jenny O'Mahony: I used to be super Samantha Potter: Okay, what? Jenny O'Mahony: excited about back to school. So I feel you, Samantha. I don't think there's a right or wrong. Meagan Smith: Me too. Jenny O'Mahony: I don't think it matters. I don't think there's a anybody's Samantha Potter: No Jenny O'Mahony: there's no right or wrong. You feel how you feel and it doesn't like some people are gonna be excited. Yeah. Samantha Potter: Hundred percent. But I'm curious that is that what Meagan Smith: I feel like I'm just not ready for summer to be over. I think Samantha Potter: it is? Like you want the summer. Meagan Smith: that's my I think that's what it is for me. I want summer. I'm not ready for summer to be over. Samantha Potter: Yeah. The freedom or the lack of schedule or like all of it. The weather, the sunshine. Meagan Smith: all of it. The freedom, the yeah. The weather the weather for sure, the no schedule, the not having to wake my kids up in the morning. I am not looking forward. Ugh I'm just not thinking about it. Jenny O'Mahony: it's the mornings. It's the getting everyone out the door. No, I'm not either, but the amount the class chats need to pipe down. Meagan Smith: Or at all mine. I'm just like mute. Mute Jenny O'Mahony: They're muted, but I go into WhatsApp and I'm like, Meagan Smith: Yeah. I got an email from our school today. I was nope, not reading that. Jenny O'Mahony: I got a ten page PDF from my daughter's high school 'cause she's going to high school next year. So I have Samantha Potter: is crazy to me. Jenny O'Mahony: to take my kids to two different schools and that I'm really have I d no. No. Meagan Smith: That's crazy. Are they close together or is it of course not, why would they be? Jenny O'Mahony: Not at all. Meagan Smith: Ugh. How Jenny O'Mahony: I don't have a plan for that Samantha Potter: I feel like your daughter could Jenny O'Mahony: either. Samantha Potter: hang at my house 'cause I'm so much closer to her high school. Meagan Smith: do they start at off enough times? Yeah, fair, okay. Yeah. Yep. Jenny O'Mahony: Megan, do you think I've checked to see what time the school start is yet? No. That's a Labor Day problem. Meagan Smith: I know Monday is going to be a rude awakening for Jenny and I Jenny O'Mahony: Does she know how to Samantha Potter: Do you Jenny O'Mahony: bus home yet? No. Does she need to know? Yes, she does. Meagan Smith: Yeah. She'll learn on Monday. Or Tuesday when she has to do it. Samantha Potter: She's got friends who she could do it. Jenny O'Mahony: like remember when we Well when we were in France we used Google Maps because it tells you what train to take. have you done that in Europe where it plans your trip? Meagan Smith: Yeah. It's so good. I've totally Jenny O'Mahony: if we can figure that out in France, we can do that here. Part of the problem is I don't ooh I hate to admit this. I don't know how to take transit in Vancouver. So it's a Samantha Potter: You're not alone on that. Meagan Smith: I came back from the Sunshine Coast yesterday, walked on, and someone suggested that I take the bus home. And absolutely not. I will Uber or Jenny O'Mahony: You're like, I have an Uber app. Meagan Smith: make my husband come and get me. I'm not taking the bus from Horseshoe Jenny O'Mahony: The only acceptable options. but she does Meagan Smith: Bay. Jenny O'Mahony: so that's the main limiting factor in her learning how to bus is that her her parents don't know how to bus in this country. We are very proficient at taking transit in other countries. So yeah. Yep, no problem. Meagan Smith: Totally. All over Europe, the UK, we public transit constantly. But it's so good. It's so good. Jenny O'Mahony: It's just so much better. Yeah. Samantha Potter: I also I feel if we were in Vancouver proper, we would be Jenny O'Mahony: Right. Samantha Potter: more likely to take not the bus, but the Sky Train, the Canada line. Like that. Yeah, I exactly. It's when I lived over there, that Meagan Smith: yeah. I take the C bus. Does that count? I take the C bus all the time. Yeah. And the Canada line? Jenny O'Mahony: yeah. Samantha Potter: is what I did. But I'm I'm with you, I'm not really a bus kind of person. My kids know the bus numbers and where they go. I do not. They take them with our nanny. Jenny O'Mahony: I couldn't tell you one I Meagan Smith: My kids love taking Jenny O'Mahony: could tell you the bus routes from when I was in university and I did take transit. Meagan Smith: Me too. Samantha Potter: that's pretty good. I still didn't take transit in university. Jenny O'Mahony: If they're still the same numbers. Meagan Smith: definitely did. But I was at a small university town and it was cold in Jenny O'Mahony: Yeah. Meagan Smith: Ontario. I went to Western. Yeah. Yeah. Samantha Potter: I did know that. Jenny O'Mahony: that's cute. That's nice. That was one of Western and Queens were the fancy universities you know what I mean? At our age? Meagan Smith: They have that like old architecture, Jenny O'Mahony: feel those were the universities Meagan Smith: some of it. Jenny O'Mahony: that the rich kids went to. I'm looking at you. Meagan Smith: I mean I'm a private school kid. Everyone you guys know Jenny O'Mahony: You are, yeah. Meagan Smith: that, yeah. Jenny O'Mahony: But like UBC's I think a fancier university now than when we went when we were in university. 'Cause I went and it was very much Meagan Smith: Yeah. Jenny O'Mahony: I went there and paid for it myself. I had very little financial support. And grew up with a single mom. it was the financially viable university option. Meagan Smith: UBC was so hard I graduated the year of grade thirteen and in Ontario and so they were phasing out grade thirteen in Ontario. So grade Jenny O'Mahony: Yeah. Meagan Smith: twelve and thirteen were trying to get in. And so UBC went through and I don't know if Sam you're a few years younger than me, if it was still rough. Samantha Potter: When I yeah, it was hard. It was it was hard to get into when I went. I think you needed at least an eighty six average when I was went there. And then if you wanted to live on campus, you needed a ninety to get to live on campus to be able to live there. If if you were Meagan Smith: Well wouldn't they Yeah. Jenny O'Mahony: What? I don't I don't remember. Samantha Potter: you were local. So technically I was local, but my mom was moving Meagan Smith: If you were local. Yeah. Samantha Potter: to California, so I was local, but I was homeless. So I needed to live somewhere. But I think my my average was 89%. Meagan Smith: Yeah. Jenny O'Mahony: I had no idea that it was like based on grades. Samantha Potter: So I had to call them. No, I did. I had to call them every single Jenny O'Mahony: So you didn't get to live on campus? Okay. Samantha Potter: day though and be So do you have a spot for me? Because I'm basically not from here anymore. Help me. Jenny O'Mahony: my god, and that's Meagan Smith: So Jenny O'Mahony: to like live in like totem? Meagan Smith: funny. Sorry. Samantha Potter: Yes. But that is where I lived. Jenny O'Mahony: I don't know if it's still a totem now. That was the dumpy resid remember that was the dumpy first year residence. I don't know if it still is Meagan Smith: Yeah. Jenny O'Mahony: even a resid it's probably brand new and bougie now, but sure was not Samantha Potter: Maybe, yeah. Jenny O'Mahony: then. Samantha Potter: Yeah, the new one was Meagan Smith: So funny. Samantha Potter: what was the new one? Vanier. I don't know if you had that one. You yeah, it was a newer one. No, I was in totem Jenny O'Mahony: Yeah, Vanier was the newer one. Yeah. probably the old one now. Samantha Potter: infested by silverfish. it was so gross. nobody Meagan Smith: Yeah, it's probably the old one now. Samantha Potter: could see the silverfish I'm like, have you seen all of these silverfish? They're all everywhere. They're so gross. And everyone's I don't know what you're talking about. I haven't seen any. Jenny O'Mahony: They were all too drunk to see the silverfish Samantha Potter: But I'm I was too drunk too. I could see them just my room was clean. I was drunk, but my room was really clean. Jenny O'Mahony: Mm. my god. Meagan Smith: Gross. Jenny O'Mahony: But so Sam, Samantha Potter: So gas. Jenny O'Mahony: you're looking forward to back school. And is that because you just need a change? Samantha Potter: I need routine back. I'm really Meagan Smith: Yeah. Samantha Potter: I work from home I mean you guys do too. I struggle though. I have a very hard time working from home. My kids are constantly Jenny O'Mahony: Mm-hmm. Samantha Potter: in my office asking me things. They want to hang out, which is super sweet. And I would love to hang out with them too, but also I would love to work. Jenny O'Mahony: Can't yeah. Meagan Smith: And telling them sorry I can't I have to work con instead Samantha Potter: Yeah. Meagan Smith: of just from three to five all day is the worst. Sucks. Samantha Potter: Right. It is. It is. And it's Jenny O'Mahony: Yeah. Samantha Potter: it's exhausting. And sometimes my kids are dysregulated. So then I just let them stay in here to try to regulate. And Meagan Smith: Yeah. Samantha Potter: I really can't get much accomplished. It's loud. So if I have to film something, film campaigns or whatever, it's virtually impossible. So I am looking forward to that back to school some some semblance of a schedule and a normal which I'm sure Meagan Smith: Uh-huh. Samantha Potter: I know that won't be I'm romanticizing it in a way where that won't be exactly what happens. There will be kids staying home and kids sick and Yeah. Jenny O'Mahony: No, you've got younger kids though. I think Meagan Smith: Yeah, and yours are Jenny O'Mahony: no, I actually think that Meagan Smith: your kids are little. Jenny O'Mahony: that's sure, maybe it's a little romanticized in the sense that things just never go the way we want them to anyways, but you have younger kids, so there's inherently a bit more predictability with their schedules. Samantha Potter: Yeah. I I hope so and I think so. But I am I just look forward to it. And I don't know why. It's every year. I've even felt this when I was a kid and was on summer break. once September hit, I was so excited for back to school and the prospect of this is my embarrassing moment, but school supply shopping, absolutely my favorite thing ever. It was my favorite. Right? Meagan Smith: I was just gonna say that. Going to like staples and picking out all your pencils? Yeah. Samantha Potter: my kids are out of private school, so we don't have to get all of their pencils and notebooks and things like do your we don't do you we don't do that anymore? I'm like and they get Meagan Smith: We don't do that at public school either. You pay like a fee and they buy it all, yeah. Jenny O'Mahony: Yeah, we don't either. Nope. I think everybody does that now in not Samantha Potter: it all. Yeah. Jenny O'Mahony: every I mean maybe it's school based, but our schools like that. Meagan Smith: Do you do that too, Jenny O'Mahony: don't do any supplies. High school though, I missed the school supply list because of the 10 page info PDF that my gosh, Meagan Smith: Fair. Jenny O'Mahony: I should have sent you the screenshot. I put it in Claude to try and pull the pertinent information and Claude was sassy and was like, Wow, this appears to be a very high touch school. I was like, damn it. Meagan Smith: That's so funny. Jenny O'Mahony: So I got sassed. I didn't Samantha Potter: Did it pull what you needed? Jenny O'Mahony: it basically summarized the rules and stuff. what I wanted Samantha Potter: Do you a Do you ever tell Claude you have ADHD? You need it in bite sized block format. Okay, okay, okay. Jenny O'Mahony: It it has it does everything in bullet points. it bullet points, it puts it in my desired color profile. But Samantha Potter: Yeah. Meagan Smith: Love it. Jenny O'Mahony: what I wanted it to do was to sift and only pull the pertinence that I needed to know. And it was it had a hard time because there was just a lot of information in there that was relevant, but I don't know. It just skimmed through I didn't need to know the uniform stuff because we already have that. But it's a lot. there's a school supply list. And some of the supplies, Are you fucking kidding me? A red duetang. What? Meagan Smith: Why red? Jenny O'Mahony: Why red? Why a duetang? Can't it just be a a little binder that shit goes in? Why is it a red duetang? Meagan Smith: I hated duetangs, they're so annoying. Samantha Potter: Does it tell you what subject it's for? don't they have class specific subject classes? Why? Jenny O'Mahony: I'm sure if I read the list it does, this came through my daughter g had Meagan Smith: Ha ha ha. Jenny O'Mahony: I'm like, where did you get a supply list? She's I don't know, her friend sent it to her. and then I was Where the hell is Meagan Smith: So good. Jenny O'Mahony: this list? And then I found out it was in the e in the email, but it was just a there was so much information in the email that the link to see the courses, the cour their course schedules, I was just went straight to that to try and figure out her athletics programs and missed the supplies 'cause Samantha Potter: That's not important compared to the rest. Jenny O'Mahony: Because the the title for the email was about the schedule, not about supplies. So I saw the word schedule, went in and then just did that. I didn't skin through scan through the rest of the email. So Meagan Smith: So do you now have to go to Stables tomorrow and buy all the things? Or were you supposed to order it through the school? Jenny O'Mahony: no, I'm gonna prime n Samantha Potter: Did you Amazon it? Meagan Smith: Yeah. Amazon Prime is. Jenny O'Mahony: I d I don't think I order it through the school, but I still haven't read that part of the ten page handout, so infopack. Meagan Smith: You have time. Samantha Potter: That would be so much coordination for a school. Right? Wouldn't Jenny O'Mahony: To order through school. Samantha Potter: wouldn't they just say you owe us this much money? Right. Jenny O'Mahony: my god, I wish they would. That's what we Meagan Smith: what our school that's what elementary that's what elementary Jenny O'Mahony: do. It's great at elementary school. They're just here pay fifty bucks or whatever it is, off you go, done. Meagan Smith: school do, yeah. They're you owe whatever yeah, yeah. Samantha Potter: That would be Meagan Smith: Yeah. Samantha Potter: so much easier if if that's how they would do it. but everyone Jenny O'Mahony: So much easier. Yeah. Meagan Smith: So much easier. Samantha Potter: correct me if I'm wrong, everyone's taking different courses still, or does she have to still take the whole curriculum? I remember not taking certain classes when I was in high school. Jenny O'Mahony: Yeah, honestly, it feels very confusing to when we went to high school in the sense that when we went, we just showed up on the first day, and I think it was in the gym. There was a giant printout with every student's name, and you just found your homeroom, and then Samantha Potter: Home room. Jenny O'Mahony: there was your schedule. And the only Meagan Smith: Gosh I forgot about that. I don't remember. Jenny O'Mahony: thing we used homeroom for was I feel like that's where you met in an emergency drill. And I think on so we never did that. Samantha Potter: Yeah, that is ringing a bell. Meagan Smith: we had to go in the morning. That's where we went every morning. We had to go to homeroom and do attendance. Jenny O'Mahony: Yeah, no, we never did that. But I remember just showing up to school and finding my name and figuring out what classes I was in. It was never emailed ahead of time. Anyways, no, it's not straightforward. And no, you yeah, you basically take all the same courses like we did. There's just you pick whether you're doing art, band, or drama. Meagan Smith: Yeah, I think we did that too. Mm-hmm. Jenny O'Mahony: I think, or choir, I think are the four. I don't know. Regardless, Samantha Potter: Yeah. Jenny O'Mahony: the whole she's sub hopefully doing this athletics program, which changes her schedule, but I haven't heard back from them yet. So they haven't replied Meagan Smith: What do you mean hopefully that's not approved? Jenny O'Mahony: to any of my emails. And so then I called the school, which of course a phone call. Cause I was too busy, yeah, they Samantha Potter: They're too busy drafting ten page documents. Meagan Smith: They're too right, I'm too busy writing them. Jenny O'Mahony: were too busy updating their PDF that they had to send everybody. Meagan Smith: so funny. Jenny O'Mahony: so I called the school and the earliest available appointment to discuss your schedule is Friday, so the day before school goes back. And I part of me wanted to be Meagan Smith: Helpful. Jenny O'Mahony: I'm a customer. we are paying. I could get shitty communication for free at the public school down the street. Meagan Smith: Yeah. Jenny O'Mahony: Anyways, I don't want to rag on our high school because maybe this is just an outlying event. Meagan Smith: Yeah. Jenny O'Mahony: I don't know. But I A never wanna see multiple emails a day from my kids' school, literally ever. Cause I have to deal with emails all day every day at work. I definitely don't want to deal with them from my kids' school. I've already been asked to volunteer multiple times. Samantha Potter: Nothing. Jenny O'Mahony: I'm not ready to go back Meagan Smith: they why? Jenny O'Mahony: to school, never mind participate in it. Samantha Potter: Participate Meagan Smith: no. Jenny O'Mahony: Ready. Meagan Smith: Who are all these eager people getting in to school already? Jenny O'Mahony: I mean, I think they probably don't have how do I nicely say I don't wanna make it derogatorily Meagan Smith: No, I know, yeah. Jenny O'Mahony: say that they don't work, but I suspect that they don't spend forty hours a week, working so they have more time in Meagan Smith: Doing some working, In a Jenny O'Mahony: their day. And I don't mean that in a bad way. full respect to Samantha Potter: Or Meagan Smith: No. Jenny O'Mahony: people. it's a full time job, but they are able to take it's super hard. It's very hard. Meagan Smith: And it's hard. I would argue it's harder than working a corporate job. Jenny O'Mahony: so I think Samantha Potter: Yes. Jenny O'Mahony: that they're individuals who treat it like their job and so Meagan Smith: Fair. Jenny O'Mahony: therefore they can put the time and effort that I am putting into my job, but they can do it for the school stuff. So props to those people because it's we depend on the free labor of women for all of these things to work. Samantha Potter: Flip side, perhaps they dislike their job so much that they're focusing on something else. Cause that's what I would have done in my old job. Jenny O'Mahony: Maybe. Yeah. Meagan Smith: Yeah. A lot of our so I'm on our PAC, ours is working mothers. And we Jenny O'Mahony: Well yeah, because the unpaid work of women is how all of these things happen. And bless those people Meagan Smith: Yeah. Yeah. Jenny O'Mahony: who can pour in and create all this magic for kids at the schools, Meagan Smith: Yeah. Jenny O'Mahony: right? it wouldn't happen otherwise. props to those who do it. they just have more mental capacity than I do because I'm tired even thinking about how much work they do. Meagan Smith: And I don't wanna volunteer in September. I'm not volunteering in September, September's hard. Yeah. Jenny O'Mahony: I am gonna be white knuckling September. Meagan Smith: Everyone's so dysregulated, including me. Jenny O'Mahony: Well and even my kids IEP, how long will it take for that to be enacted again? Last year was the first well, the second day, the first day of school doesn't count. So last year it was great. Will it be great this year? I don't know. Samantha Potter: Did they email you to inform you how did you know it Jenny O'Mahony: Was that? Meagan Smith: Yeah, like what Samantha Potter: know it started? Jenny O'Mahony: because her IEP really just revolves around giving her brain breaks. and so I just asked her if she had any breaks. And she's Yep, they made me take two breaks and I was like, Good. 'Cause she'll say no, right? So it just has to be worked Meagan Smith: Totally. Yeah. Jenny O'Mahony: into her schedule that she takes two breaks. so she was forced off for her breaks. Which she didn't know she needed. Samantha Potter: Okay, so you two are I feel like none of us know. We're trained not to think we need them. Jenny O'Mahony: Or I wanna take breaks when my brain's actually you know, the whole day you've done nothing, that was the break. The whole day you thought about doing the things you wanted to do, that was a break, actually. Samantha Potter: You took a break all day. Meagan Smith: Yeah. And you didn't? Yeah. Samantha Potter: Okay, so you both though are ready to white knuckle your way through September with new little creatures in your lives. Right? Am I right? Jenny O'Mahony: Not as exciting Meagan Smith: Yes. Jenny O'Mahony: as Megan though. Samantha Potter: Wednesday. Jenny O'Mahony: Yeah. Meagan Smith: I decided on Saturday that I was gonna get a kitten. Cause you know, why not just make September even more insane? kitten. Yeah. I decided to just go get another kit. Why not? Jenny O'Mahony: my god, it sounded like you said kid, but I know it's kitten. But it would be awesome if decided to get a kid. Just picked up another one. Samantha Potter: I just got to get a new kid. Throw another one in the mix. Meagan Smith: No, we got a cat. so I was away For 10 days Came back for 36 hours to Vancouver. Went and saw a cat, picked it out, went back out of town for 48 hours. Came back last night, and now I have a cat. And he's right here. He's right here. Samantha Potter: Who needs he's here. Jenny O'Mahony: Is he there? he is! What w what do we name him? Meagan Smith: We're not sure. Come here, deal man. So this is him. Samantha Potter: There's some good names in the running. Jenny O'Mahony: my gosh. he's so pretty. Look at his little markings. Meagan Smith: He's so pretty. And he's got little spots, like a little cheetah. He's stripey. Samantha Potter: Yeah, it's so sweet. I do think he would make a good Francois. Jenny O'Mahony: He's super cute. Meagan Smith: Francois. Yeah. my husband, who is Scottish, you guys know this, but he is from Edinburgh, wanted to name him Haggis. Samantha Potter: So good. Jenny O'Mahony: yeah. Meagan Smith: Which I think is hilarious. My kids do not think it's funny. So then we came up with Hamish. Jenny O'Mahony: It doesn't matter what they think. Meagan Smith: we're like, what about Hamish? but I think I still like Haggis better. Jenny O'Mahony: I like Hagus. Meagan Smith: we've gone through a lot of different ones. You guys sent some really funny ones today. Robert is another one that a few people have mentioned. and then we can call him Bob. your other sister your other sister-in-law Samantha Potter: That's I was like Bob and then I was like Robert Jenny O'Mahony: yeah. Meagan Smith: said Steve, which I honestly is one of my best friend's husband's name. Otherwise, this cat would be named Steve. Jenny O'Mahony: That's really funny. Yeah. Meagan Smith: Angus is maybe the top runner right now. Scottish. Call him Gus. Samantha Potter: I think this is a good one too. Yeah, that's cute. Meagan Smith: The kids wanted pickles? Jenny O'Mahony: Hengus is good. I don't know, Hagus is just although pickles pickles is cute, Samantha Potter: Did you say pickles? Meagan Smith: It's so funny. The kids wanted pickles and I vetoed it. It's cute. I still think Haggis is funny. Jenny O'Mahony: It's like like that's like a that says my kids named the cat pickles. Do you know what I mean? the children named the pets. Yeah, yeah. my gosh. Meagan Smith: name. Totally. Yeah. Yeah. Samantha Potter: Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Meagan Smith: Which I'm fine with. it's better than some of the other weird ones that Island, her friend, came up with, But I feel Angus might be it unless I can get everyone on board for Haggis. But also Haggis Jenny O'Mahony: I mean Meagan Smith: is gross. do I want to name my cat after a gross food? I mean I don't my husband likes it. I don't. Jenny O'Mahony: Yeah, you do because it's hilarious. Meagan Smith: Yeah. It's very Scottish. Samantha Potter: Yeah, yeah, I don't think the average person would immediately be ugh, I guess it's gross. I don't associate it with it. I just think it's a hilarious name. Do you know what I mean? That was my first Meagan Smith: That's true. Okay, fair. Yeah, yeah. Samantha Potter: thought is great name. It wasn't why would you name Meagan Smith: funny. Yeah. Jenny O'Mahony: Yeah. Samantha Potter: your cat after that food? Meagan Smith: Yeah. Jenny O'Mahony: I mean, my dog's name is Taco. Cause she's a Mexican rescue. So I mean I do Meagan Smith: I know I love that. Yeah. Yeah. Samantha Potter: I also love Jenny O'Mahony: also like the thought of Chris with his accent saying Hamish because Meagan Smith: I know. Jenny O'Mahony: when British people say the word brilliant. Do you know what I mean? Meagan Smith: He says it differently. Yeah. Yeah. Jenny O'Mahony: I can say, that's brilliant, and that sounds dumb. But a British Meagan Smith: Yeah. Jenny O'Mahony: person says it and it's the Queen's English, right? So Meagan Smith: Yeah. Even when Chris says haggis, it's different. He's got Jenny O'Mahony: Hamish with the Scottish, yeah. Yeah. Meagan Smith: a good Scottish accent to say these Scottish names. But we're gonna Jenny O'Mahony: That's so good. Meagan Smith: sit with it. I said let's sit we we picked him up I don't know, four hours ago. So we're gonna sit with it for Samantha Potter: I have Meagan Smith: a day. Samantha Potter: a solid plan for you. Put all the names in a Meagan Smith: Okay, let me hear it. Samantha Potter: hat, but all the names are just haggis. So no matter what they pick is your name. Jenny O'Mahony: I was just gonna say, put all the names in the hat and then Meagan Smith: Genius. Jenny O'Mahony: pull it out and just say whatever name you want. But your plan is better, Sam, because then there's less lying. Samantha Potter: Well kind of. And sh yeah. So I feel like she'd Meagan Smith: And my oldest can read, so yeah. Samantha Potter: be Let me see, let me see or like Meagan Smith: Yeah, she totally would No, I should I lost it. Yeah. Jenny O'Mahony: You'd be like, No, huh? Yeah. my gosh, that's so funny. Aww, he's so cute though. Meagan Smith: But I mean, he's really sweet. Yeah, he's sleeping under me now. We brought him home, played with him for a few hours, and he's been just very cuddly. He was the first cat that when we went out there he just lay on us and played with us. So we'll see. But yeah, getting a cat, you know, the week before school starts is not the smartest thing I've ever done. But they're easier than dogs, right? Samantha Potter: Is is he like trying to scratch things I don't know much about cats. Do they j they Meagan Smith: No, I so I've had a I've had a lot of cats in my in my life. Samantha Potter: Yeah. So is he trying to chew through your site? what do you have to be worried about with cats? Meagan Smith: Not right now. I mean we have a scratching post. I bought all the things. He's in my solarium which has been converted into an office. So I emptied it out last night because it was also an office. So my laptop, my screen, three thousand wires were in here. So we literally emptied it out, put it in a box. dealing with this later. Samantha Potter: That's a later problem. Meagan Smith: and so he's gonna stay in here for a little bit. And so there's nothing you can really scratch. and then we'll slowly let him out. But we do have a dog, and our dog that's this door right here, there's this curtain down, but it's actually glass. But our dog just had his nose up on the glass and then started drooling. wet down the glass. and he's a golden retriever, I don't think he's gonna eat the cat, but we're gonna do a slow intro. So we'll see how that goes. Samantha Potter: Yeah. Fair. Fair. Meagan Smith: I might be Jenny O'Mahony: my god, that's so Meagan Smith: calling Jenny O'Mahony: funny. Meagan Smith: one Sam's sister in law's is a vet and she may need to come and assist me with this. What do I do? Yeah. Samantha Potter: With with the slow introduction. Meagan Smith: There's been a lot of texts to Jenny O'Mahony: my god. Meagan Smith: her like so I'm getting a cat, I forget what to do. Samantha Potter: Yeah. How do I? Meagan Smith: do I do this again? It's been twenty years. Be fine. Jenny O'Mahony: My god, I love that they just sold you a kitten and you're I have no idea how to look after this they're like, Absolutely fine. Meagan Smith: Well they're do you have you had cats? Samantha Potter: It's like Meagan Smith: They're like, Have you had cats before? Yeah, I had five or six, growing up. They're like, You're good, here's a kitten And Jenny O'Mahony: yeah. Meagan Smith: even today I Samantha Potter: Here we go. Meagan Smith: handed over the money, they handed me the cat and we were some farm in Langley, drove away. it should be harder than this. Samantha Potter: I feel like that's like having a kid at the hospital or wherever you have a kid Meagan Smith: That's true. Samantha Potter: and they're Here you go, here's Jenny O'Mahony: Right. Samantha Potter: your little tiny human. You've never cared for someone other than yourself. good luck. Meagan Smith: Yeah. Good luck. And we're not gonna tell you what to do, Jenny O'Mahony: Right. Meagan Smith: but then we're also gonna guilt trip you when you don't do what we think you should do. Jenny O'Mahony: you can't even pee without feeling like your insides are gonna fall out, but you can go home with this child. You'll be good. Samantha Potter: Right. But you Meagan Smith: Yeah. Samantha Potter: got this. Meagan Smith: You'll be fine, yeah. Jenny O'Mahony: Yeah. my gosh. Meagan Smith: And Jenny, what animals have you guys decided to get? Jenny O'Mahony: Well, we inherited Samantha's fish tank, because Samantha Potter: I would just like to point out this is the fourth family that this fish take has gone to. Jenny O'Mahony: There's a trend. Meagan Smith: Have you had fish? When Jenny O'Mahony: I grew up having with with a fish tank. and I Meagan Smith: Okay. Jenny O'Mahony: know that they're a lot of work because I re I one of the memories I have as a child is being constantly reminded how much work the fish tank was by my mom. So Meagan Smith: Ha ha ha. Jenny O'Mahony: I kind of left it with the kids and made them figure everything out. And it worked out really well because Meagan Smith: Smart. Jenny O'Mahony: we were gonna go to PetSmart to get the plants to put the water in because you have to cycle the tank for two to four weeks before you could put the fish in. And PetSmart was super not helpful they had no selection of plants, even though they said they were getting a new shipment two days before they'd have all these plants. But this other guy was in the store and he was like, You need to go to April's aquarium store. And I was where is April's store? And she he it's basically in South Van, near Marine Drive. they have really high quality fish. was clearly his special interest was fish and aquariums. And so we're gonna do that tomorrow. I'm glad we couldn't get the stuff when we went there because I made my oldest Do all the research because I don't have time to learn how to set up a fish tank. You guys have to figure this out. And they kind of did, And then the disappointment of almost getting ready and then not, my 13 year old was on the computer and she was we can't have these rocks because these rocks are painted. And when the paint chips, it's bad for the ecosystem of the tank. And we actually need this special sand stuff because we're getting real plants and it needs to go in the s anyways, she learned stuff. Samantha Potter: Is that can she tell me if that's why my plants would Meagan Smith: Didn't know any of this. Samantha Potter: always get kind of moldy? Should've talked to her first. Hmm. Jenny O'Mahony: Is because the paint would chip. Yes. she wouldn't have been motivated to find that information out for somebody else, to be cle to be very clear. So, anyway, so we're gonna go Samantha Potter: No, she wouldn't have absolutely not. Absolutely not. I don't know why I thought that. Meagan Smith: Ha ha ha. Jenny O'Mahony: to April's fish store, and the kids are very upset that we can't have 120 fish because it's a small tank. this is a test run to see if we like fish. Cause there apparently these tanks are a lot of work. So we need to see if this is something we're prepared to do. If we are, I am not adverse to getting a bigger fish tank so that we can have more fish and whatnot, but we need to make sure that when the novelty wears off is actually gonna go on. cause you did a beta fish, right? Samantha Potter: We inherited the beta fish, yeah. Jenny O'Mahony: You inherited the beta fish. So basically we can get one beta fish or it may be a couple guppies or whatever. Anyways, the kids are very fixated on how many fish. we need to see if we are prepared to do the shit that needs to be done for this tank, because it's a little ecosystem. So I personally think my kids are gonna be super involved with it and love it because they they feed the dogs. They don't pick up the dog poop, but I wouldn't as a kid either unless I was super forced to. So that's fine. So we'll see. I think we'll probably just get a beta fish, keep it simple, cause if we if we don't do this right, the fish is gonna die. So it'd be better to just kill one fish versus a school of them while we're learning. Meagan Smith: Yeah. Yeah. Jenny O'Mahony: I'm using it as a distraction from the back to school transition. So I actually think the kittens kind of the timing's actually great because for me, I have a child who's already telling me that she doesn't want go to school. And Meagan Smith: Yes, said I. Jenny O'Mahony: realistically, Megan and I, our kids, we're kind of hoping they both decide that they will no longer tolerate school at the same time so we can cluster them and figure out distant ed all as a team. Meagan Smith: We'll just home school together. Yeah. Yeah. Jenny O'Mahony: But she I d this is a distraction. And because my kiddo is so into she just she's a very cerebral kid, she loves to learn stuff. So sticking her on the ecosystem, doing the Initial research she was not interested in. My thirteen year old did that. But then once my thirteen year old was talking about the ecosystem stuff, she was in there. So we are gonna set the tank Meagan Smith: That Jenny O'Mahony: up. it's gonna do be two to four weeks. I don't know how we know whether two weeks is right or four weeks is right. I'm relying on the good people of April's aquarium store Samantha Potter: Sorry, two to four weeks for Jenny O'Mahony: to give me that information. Samantha Potter: for what? Jenny O'Mahony: You're supposed to let the tank cycle for two to four weeks once you have all of the plants in it. Meagan Smith: So you put you set it all up and then it has to cycle for two to four weeks with no fish in it? I don't know. I've never had a fish. Samantha Potter: then what happens because you have to clean the water. Jenny O'Mahony: I think it's getting the pH and the living conditions right. I don't know. First timer. Samantha Potter: No, but then what happens when you clean the water and then put fresh water in because you've cleaned it? what happens? 'Cause you you have f fish presumably in there at that point. So you can't cycle it again. I did give you Jenny O'Mahony: I have no idea. Samantha Potter: I did give you a water conditioner, which I think will solve your problems. And I don't think you need to cycle it for two to four weeks. like Jenny O'Mahony: the internet said four weeks, and so did Pet Smart, but I'm open to new information. Samantha Potter: But if you're I'm so confused Meagan Smith: Ask April. Samantha Potter: because if you're changing the water, you're changing the water, so then you know what mean? That's there's new water in there. This is quite the fish question. Jenny O'Mahony: I mean, what you say makes perfect sense. Meagan Smith: If any let us know. Jenny O'Mahony: And I gave all research to a thirteen year old. So if I get new information, I'm happy to use it. Samantha Potter: Okay, so I love that and that Meagan Smith: I love it. Samantha Potter: is her hyperfixation right now. Meagan Smith: Yeah, so one of the things we decided we wanted to do was wrap up in a bit of a different way and start doing this every week. And we thought it would be fun to talk about our current hyperfixations. So Jenny, what's your hyperfixation? Would you say right now, this week, this day? Jenny O'Mahony: Okay, I am easing into fall very reluctantly, with a death grip on summer. There is an account that I I want to make sure I say her name right because I just find her so soothing and she is calling the end of August October Victoria Morse. I know Samantha loves her content too. Anyways, she is just my vision board right now. Or more like my Pinterest board. Do you know anyone on Pinterest and you're like, yeah. She just she's great. So that's my hyperfixation. Meagan Smith: we found her. Jenny O'Mahony: Is it creepy that it's a person social media account? Samantha Potter: Ha ha Jenny O'Mahony: I don't know, but she just she's given me Meagan Smith: No. Jenny O'Mahony: the right feels. She's making me feel prepared for what is to come next week. Maybe she can deal with my school's ten page info package. Meagan Smith: I just followed her, so hopefully she can help me too. Samantha Potter: She is really great. There's another one I'll send you guys. I off the top of my head can't remember, but I tried to send when I sent Victoria to you, Jenny, and you had already followed her. I tried to send you this other woman who has the same vibes as Victoria. And the internet needs more of these people. I'll send them to you guys. I'll put it in the comments of ours if anyone else is interested too, Meagan Smith: Awesome. Samantha, what's your current hyperfixation? Samantha Potter: My current hyperfixation is eye patches. So, Meagan Smith: Ooh. Samantha Potter: okay, the you guys. Jenny O'Mahony: Okay, me too. I love that. Tell me more. I want to know what your favorite ones now are. Meagan Smith: Yeah, me too. Samantha Potter: It started with the fact that the Stella and Grace ones are burning my under eyes. And I literally had hundreds of women in my DMs saying the same thing. I don't know what happened, but they're burning them. They're hurt. they must have changed their formulation. So Jenny O'Mahony: I'm having the same thing. Samantha Potter: you are. They must have changed Meagan Smith: So tangly burning or burning? Samantha Potter: an very uncomfortable this shouldn't feel this way, burn. Jenny O'Mahony: Like you've overexfoliated and then you put something a little acidic on your face, so you're like, ts Meagan Smith: Ugh. Jenny O'Mahony: it's like that. It's weird. It's like a chemical. It doesn't look red, it's but it's weird. Samantha Potter: Yeah. it's not comfortable. Meagan Smith: That's not what you want right under your eyeball. Like nothing cu- Samantha Potter: It's no, sure Jenny O'Mahony: No. Samantha Potter: isn't. Sure isn't. So I found I think my cheap, morning and night wear version, and it's the MetaHeel eye patches. So there's a collagen one, Jenny O'Mahony: medihel, not medicube. Samantha Potter: not metacube. And I just saw that Metacube Meagan Smith: Okay. Samantha Potter: has one. So I will ch I will test those. You guys, I've tried probably five of them. you do? Okay. Jenny O'Mahony: you can I have the Medicude ones. I'll you can try some. I love Meagan Smith: Do you like that? Samantha Potter: Okay, so I'm gonna I wanna try Jenny O'Mahony: So I'll try the Medihel. Meagan Smith: Okay. Samantha Potter: those. Yeah, so we'll do a little swapsy. Meagan Smith: I feel like I've seen you guys both on your Instagram stories with them on and they looked the same. But I could also be Yeah. Samantha Potter: Because they're very clear, right? They're they're kind of hard to see. So I've tried those them so the meta heal collagen in the morning and then the meta heal retinol at night. then so those are the affordable ones. They come to 36 cents a pair, which is so good. Because the selling grace Jenny O'Mahony: It's good. That's super good. Meagan Smith: That's good. Samantha Potter: ones were a dollar when they were on sale. I've tried Hailey Bieber's Road, which I thought were okay. Price points. Meagan Smith: Mm. Jenny O'Mahony: Those sound expensive. Meagan Smith: Yeah, that was kind of cheap. Samantha Potter: They're expensive. And then Jenny O'Mahony: Yeah. Samantha Potter: similarly, the topicals, also expensive, but I actually quite liked them. They're they they were a little bit firming, it almost felt like. so those are another daytime one. And then Biodance is the other one with the PDRN. Like the Meta, I think they'd be a comparable to the Meticube ones. So I'm curious to try the Medicude ones. Jenny O'Mahony: The Medicude ones are cheap too. They're fifty ish, fifty, sixty cents a pair. Samantha Potter: Yeah. I think that's the Biodance ones as well. did you try the Biodance masks? You know the ones that you're supposed to wear overnight and then they go clear turn clear. So Meagan Smith: Is that did you give us one of those, Sam? Is that the same one? Jenny O'Mahony: She did. Samantha Potter: I think I gave you guys the Medicude ones to try for the clear. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So the bio, Jenny O'Mahony: you did. It was the Meticube ones. Meagan Smith: I can't yeah, it was the Medicaid ones. Yeah. Jenny O'Mahony: They're really satisfying. Samantha Potter: yeah, the biodance ones, Meagan Smith: So satisfying. Samantha Potter: the best if you're on a long haul flight. Just slap that on and then you don't get as dried these I don't know if you can tell, very hyperfixated on the eye patches, because I have some more to try still. Meagan Smith: You're gonna have to report back your fave. Jenny O'Mahony: I literally just added the two meta heel ones to cart. Samantha Potter: Are they back in stock? Jenny O'Mahony: So retinol is in stock. So it says the Samantha Potter: Ooh, okay. Jenny O'Mahony: retinol collagen ones. Okay, those were your nighttime ones, right? There's Samantha Potter: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Jenny O'Mahony: vitamin C ones that are in stock. Samantha Potter: What color can what color container is that? Jenny O'Mahony: They are yellow. their pink ones are Samantha Potter: If that's must might be it. Jenny O'Mahony: medieheel. And what are they what are the morning ones you were doing? Samantha Potter: Maybe it was the vitamin C ones, 'cause it the container's yellow. I thought it said collagen on it. Jenny O'Mahony: it's retinol and collagen. There's a pink one and there's also a brown Meagan Smith: It says ret yeah, retinol and collagen. Jenny O'Mahony: one. Samantha Potter: there was a yellow one. I think I 'cause last time I checked I s Meagan Smith: Says vitamin C collagen. Samantha Potter: they were sold out. I shared them and you know what you guys? We sold them out. Let me see here. Yeah, it's still sold out. It's vitamin and collagen. So it's probably the vitamin C one. but what are you looking? Jenny O'Mahony: Vitamin and collagen. Meagan Smith: But then there's there's ones in square boxes that are not sold out. What's the difference? Jenny O'Mahony: Yeah, there's square boxes and round boxes. There's so many options. Samantha Potter: I just saw that. so very interesting. I wonder if there's a difference. I doubt there is. Just new packaging. Jenny O'Mahony: I doubt it. I bet you just a packaging change. Cool. Okay, so the vitamin C because it's yeah, vitamin and collagen under eye patches are the circle, and then the square ones are the vitamin C collagen capsule eye patches, radiance and Samantha Potter: Yes. Jenny O'Mahony: glow. That sounds very mourning. the square ones have less reviews. So my guess is that is new packaging because Samantha Potter: New packaging. Jenny O'Mahony: the circle ones have more reviews. So that's probably the older packaging, and I bet you the inside is the same. Samantha Potter: Right. That is good to know because I couldn't share them, Meagan Smith: Let's get to know. Samantha Potter: but now I can. they will, I'm sure, go back on sale because they were on sale for a while. So you just yeah. Yeah. Yeah, Jenny O'Mahony: that's probably why. But either way, that's awesome. Meagan Smith: Hmm. They're still cheaper than the other ones. Samantha Potter: exactly. Exactly. And can we just Jenny O'Mahony: I also like that they're not individually wrapped. Samantha Potter: I wore them Meagan Smith: Mm. Samantha Potter: this morning? What time is it? my face is actually quite I've been doing some self care. It's quite glowy over here. Meagan Smith: Good for you. I like it. Samantha Potter: All right, Megan, what's your hyperfixation? Meagan Smith: I spent four hours yesterday researching cat trees. Samantha Potter: Ha ha ha. Meagan Smith: I'm gonna move on from that hyperfixation, but I was with some friends that were making a lot of fun of me. But I wanted one that was nice. A lot of them were really ugly looking. this is eventually gonna be my living room. I want it to be nice, but I got real deep and it was a lot, so I'm gonna go with that. Still haven't picked one. Samantha Potter: Did you find one? Okay. Meagan Smith: No, I haven't picked one because I had to stop myself. I was asking Claude to compare them. Claude started judging me. And telling me that I needed to stop. Yeah. So then I had to tell I then Samantha Potter: Like just pick one. Yeah. You have spent too long on this, just pick one. Jenny O'Mahony: Ha ha Meagan Smith: had to tell Claude to stop judging me 'cause I was annoyed that it was judging me and didn't take Jenny O'Mahony: You had to change your prompts to be respect me. You should Meagan Smith: Respect me, stop judging me for spending four hours and sending you 30 different cat trees. so yeah, that is my I'll let you know when I decide. But I want an aesthetically pleasing one. did go Samantha Potter: I really need to know. Fair, fair. Meagan Smith: into Pet Smart today and saw a bunch of ugly ones. you know what? I'm glad I didn't buy one from PetSmart. Thank you. Exactly. It'll Samantha Potter: You are making a good decision with that, especially if it's gonna be in your house. I fully, fully support this. Meagan Smith: eventually be in my living room. but also not soon. this cat is living in this space for a while, but eventually. Yeah. Samantha Potter: Yep, eventually. Jenny O'Mahony: I wonder if HomeSense Meagan Smith: So current. Jenny O'Mahony: they often have stuff they might be a good option. Meagan Smith: I that is I've got some good pet stuff at HomeSense. Jenny O'Mahony: Yeah. Meagan Smith: In my day. Yeah, good dog beds. Samantha Potter: They do have that whole section back there, hey. Meagan Smith: Yeah. Yeah. Jenny O'Mahony: Ikea also has some decent pet stuff if you sometimes Meagan Smith: I didn't even think of IKEA. Jenny O'Mahony: IKEA has really this is a conversation for another day, but IKEA is pretty awesome in a lot of ways that it wasn't awesome Meagan Smith: Love Ikea. Jenny O'Mahony: before. They Samantha Potter: Yeah. They've upped their game. Meagan Smith: They have up their game. Jenny O'Mahony: they've really upped their game. They've Samantha Potter: Mm-hmm. Jenny O'Mahony: got some good collabs in their European market. It's pretty impressive. Anyways. Meagan Smith: Good Well, shall we end there this week? Samantha Potter: We'll Meagan Smith: So Samantha Potter: move on from cats, eye patches, and Victoria next week. In Jenny O'Mahony: In the least creepy way. Not creepy, Victoria. Not creepy. Respect Meagan Smith: Well so good. Jenny O'Mahony: distance respect from a distance for your aesthetic. That's all. Samantha Potter: That's that no, I wasn't trying to make it so that you were creepy. that's the utmost respect I feel like for a content creator. that's the best compliment. Meagan Smith: There you go. Samantha Potter: Right? Jenny O'Mahony: I think so. Samantha Potter: All right. Meagan Smith: Well have a good week, everyone. Samantha Potter: Bye. Meagan Smith: Bye.