Latest / Laugh Love Law / Strong Women Don’t Come With an Off Switch: with Melissa Sposato Tortora, Esq.

Transcript

Strong Women Don’t Come With an Off Switch: with Melissa Sposato Tortora, Esq. · Laugh Love Law

• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to Laugh Love Law.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Heather Kaplan, and today's guest is someone I've known for so long that neither of us is going to do the math on it.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: We met in law school, survived classes, exams, outlines, and all the things that come with trying to be lawyers.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: Somehow we're still friends all these years later.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: But what makes this episode especially fun for me is that I've had a front row seat to watching Melissa build an incredible career.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: Melissa is an attorney, shareholder, and managing attorney at McCabe, Weisberg, and Conway.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: She serves as vice president of a woman-owned law firm, sits on the board of the Crime Victims Center, and was recently recognized as the 2026 Pro Bono Attorney of the Year for her work helping victims in our community.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: She's a respected leader, an advocate, a wife, a mother, and one of those people who manages to make everyone around her feel like family.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: I'd like to welcome my friend Melissa to Laugh Love Law.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: Hi, hi.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: Alright, so I always start with the same question.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: Tell us something that never makes it into your bio.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: Come on, what's something that should be in there but isn't?
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_02: I am a professional, personal, private detective.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: No, you are.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: And I always say to the girls that I'm grateful that we didn't have the resources back when we were in law school that exist now because you would have been unstoppable.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_03: I would have been.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_03: I would have left the law career and I would have opened my own private detective agency.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not even talking about like, hey Melissa, here's the first and last name of a person with their date of birth.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: Tell me what you can find out.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: I can say the first initial of her name is Jay, and in an hour I have a full complete report.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: That's because everyone needs that.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's helped me.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: I agree.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: It's helped me too.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: I think if you would have had the resources back then, it would have you would have been very dangerous.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: I think so too.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um, what do you think about the new resources like the AI and all of the like the databases?
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: Is it making your searching a little easier?
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_03: It is and it isn't.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_03: You know, AI scares me a little bit.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_03: I feel like uh they're gonna start taking over the world, you know, taking people's jobs.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_03: Thankfully not mine.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, they're gonna need us.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah, you know.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: All right, all right.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: So I asked you how you described yourself, and you said loyal, funny, and caring.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: I agree with all three, but especially the funny.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: And not the funny in the ha ha ha ha way, but the sarcastically passive aggressive funny, and you've always been that way.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's your best quality.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_03: It's a coping mechan mechanism most times.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_03: It is so it is.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_03: I use it to my benefit when I can.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: What do you think has shaped your life the most?
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_03: Oof.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_03: That's a rough question.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_03: Um my family, I would say.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_03: Uh you know, everything I done, everything I've done, uh I've done to make them proud of me.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_03: So I think they shaped my my education, which brought me to my career and which helped me to get where I am today.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: One of the things I remember about us first becoming friends is when I saw your relationship with your grandma, and it was very analogous to my relationship with my grandma, and she was probably your biggest supporter.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: And Grandma Vera made the best meatballs in the world.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: The mother was always coming over to steal a free meatball on a Thursday afternoon.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: Listen, my mom didn't cook, and when she did, it wasn't good.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: Love you, mom, but it wasn't.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: Grandma Vera's meatballs were no joke, but she was your biggest supporter.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: And I think your parents were the same way.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_03: They still are.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_03: That's correct.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_03: Well, you know, my mom and dad both worked, you know, which was not common when I was little.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_03: So everybody's mom was home, but my mom was not home.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_03: So uh my grandma lived with us, she took care of my brother and I every single day.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_03: My mom went to work at 6 30, came home at 6 30.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_03: So, you know.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_03: And my grandma didn't drive.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_03: So, like, you know, we were home with grandma for a lot.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_03: So a long time.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, so she was my best friend.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: But grandma was my best friend too.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: I I think people don't talk enough about that loss of a grandma.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: And and it's interesting because Leslie was on just a just an episode or two ago, and we talked about, you know, love and and we didn't mention her grandma, but same thing.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: She had that same relationship with her grandma, and it was interesting when we met, all three of us had that very unique relationship.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: It was almost like a third parent.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: It's uh it's a loss I feel every day.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_00: You think about her a lot?
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, of course.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_03: But I feel like, you know, through the grace of God, my son has that same relationship with my mother.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_03: So it extends.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_03: So and your parents help to take care of CJ?
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_03: My parents take care of CJ every single day.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm always working, traveling somewhere, and and they're there every single day.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: So And your mom working and which was very unique in the eighties and and I guess like the seventies and eighties.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: What did that teach you early on about women in the workforce?
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_03: I mean that you could do both, that you can have a family and that you can work and you know, she worked hard to make sure that my brother and I had you know, had extra and and we did.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: You did.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: And now CJ gets to see how hard both of his parents worked.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_03: Although he told me I could quit my job, spend all of our money, and then when we run out of money, then get another job again.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I mean it's a plan.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: It's a good plan.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not sure it's a good plan.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I know you're gonna want to do it, so I'll let you embarrass me and we can talk about how we actually became friends.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: You needed my notes.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: I just wanted your notes.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: You wanted my notes, right?
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_00: So you'd miss class and you wanted my my notes.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: And I thought you were extending an olive brand.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: I was not.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you weren't.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: And I said, let's go have lunch when we went to Applebee's.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: I said, let's we lived in the same town.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_00: I said, why don't we just meet up at Applebee's, have lunch, and I'll, you know, I'll give you my notes.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: And she's like, I just wanted the damn notes.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_03: And I don't eat at Applebee's, number one.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_00: And number two, I just wanted the notes.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: So we didn't have to have a meal.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, but you know, if we didn't have the meal, I probably wouldn't have been able to introduce you to your husband 25 years later.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: And I hate you for it.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_03: Just kidding, just kidding.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: So that that was an interesting story.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: I've always been a little bit of a matchmaker, but I was in court with you know, I guess back then Craig and I were colleagues more than friends, but we were chatting and we were talking about relationships and he was looking for a, you know, a nice Italian girl, maybe a lawyer, and well, that was how many years ago?
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_03: Ten uh no f uh 11 years ago.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: And now I'm glad to say that Craig and Melissa are are two of our closest friends.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: I love them both.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_00: And then came along little CJ.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, best thing ever.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: And let's talk a little bit about Melissa Spazato, the career woman.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_00: You are the managing partner of a pretty big firm.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, we are uh an eight-state lender right firm.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_03: Uh we actually just acquired two additional states, so we will be a 10-state firm in the near future.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_03: Um we are woman-owned, so we have a woman-owned uh recognition.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_03: Um and uh we represent lenders in various avenues that they have problems with.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_03: And how long have you been with the firm?
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_03: I've been with the firm since 2010.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: So what is that?
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_00: 16 years?
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: That's a long time.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: And then you rose up to the managerial term, the managing attorney position.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: Correct.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: And what does that entail?
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what are you doing on the day-to-day in terms of managing?
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_03: Um, day-to-day reviewing reports, um, managing workloads, um, speaking to clients.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_03: Uh I find myself traveling a lot to go to different conferences, to meet different clients, you know, to make sure that they know who we are and what we're capable of doing, and hopefully they trust us to give us their work.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: The woman-owned part.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: It's important.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: It is very important.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um, what significance has it had on you?
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_03: Uh I I always think, you know, in in in a male-dominated industry at times, I mean, I know you know that we're in a male-dominated industry at times, that sometimes we don't get the say or the respect that, you know, we feel like we should we deserve.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but we're a woman on firm and we're strong and uh we're proud and we show who we are and what we have.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_03: And I think um my our peers acknowledge it and see what we can do.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_00: So you're just a firm.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_00: You're not necessarily a firm run by women.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think that's the way you want to be looked at anyway, and I think you've done a lot and accomplished a lot.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, how did it change?
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_00: How did it feel going from an attorney at the firm to being in a managerial position?
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you're in a leadership role now.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_03: To be honest with you, it was like, you know, I was an assistant managing attorney for a while, um, but I really didn't have a lot to say.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_03: It was kind of like almost a title, not a lot of responsibility per se.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but in 2017, um, McCabe, Weisberg, and Conway all retired uh and passed the realm on to us.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_03: So I became a shareholder, which was a big deal.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, and I became the managing attorney, the New York office, which in this climate and industry is is not an easy task at times.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_00: So did you ever think sitting in constitutional law watching DVDs during class?
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_00: Remember that?
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_00: I remember I remember crying because I was watching The Shawshank Redemption.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_00: The Shoshank Redemption.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: Do you remember that?
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_00: So we we were in constitutional law, which should have been a great class, but it wasn't.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um and our professor was dull to say the least.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_00: And that's when laptops first became portable, and Melissa had gotten a fancy laptop with a DVD player in it.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_00: And we watched movies during constitutional law, and we watched the Shawshank Redemption having never seen it before, and we cried in class.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_00: And the Green Mile, too.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_00: We watched the Green Mile, and I don't know why we always chose such sad movies.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_00: And I feel like you got called on.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_03: And I said it's unjust.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_03: Because there's an everything in unconstitutional unjust.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_00: So you were crying and you told the professor you were crying because whatever we were learning at the time was unjust.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_00: Correct.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_00: And now you manage um a pretty extensive woman-owned law firm.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_00: So you've come a long way.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_00: I have.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_00: You have.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_03: Do you look back at I just want to say though that, you know, I am a real estate attorney.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_03: Property was my favorite class.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_03: You loved it.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_03: I got it.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_03: I got an A in property.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_00: You did.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_00: You loved property.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_00: You, on the other hand.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_00: Oh no.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_00: No, no.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_03: What did you get in your torts class, Heather?
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_00: So this is actually really funny.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm actually glad you asked this question.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_00: I am a workers' compensation attorney, which is like a personal injury attorney, and torts is the class.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_03: And she worked for a personal injury firm.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I did.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_03: In law school, so she knew everything about torts.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_00: I knew how to do it practically, and that did not translate.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_00: That was our first semester, right?
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_00: And our first semester of law school, I got, and coming from college, getting A's and A minus, I got a C plus.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_00: I had a C plus in torts.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_00: It was the first C plus I'd ever gotten in my entire life, and I wanted to cry.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_00: But that was my rude awakening that studying for a law school test was nothing like studying for a college test.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_00: It took us till second year to really find our groove.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_03: I remember at the end of the torts exam, they said, should A sue B?
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_03: And I said, A's been suing way too many people.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_03: I think they should take a break from suing people and find something else to do.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_00: You know, speaking of that torts class, I also remember, you remember the teacher?
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_00: Vern baby.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_00: Professor.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_00: So we had a professor whose name, we'll just use his first name was Vern.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't know why we thought it was okay, but every time this professor turned to face the blackboard, it wasn't even a whiteboard, the entire class would do Vern Baby.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_00: No, it wasn't the entire class.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_00: It was the entire class.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_00: It wasn't.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_00: It was us.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_00: It wasn't just us, was it?
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, that was bad.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_00: We had fun.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_00: And now I practice torch and I'm I'm very good at it.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_00: I swear.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_00: I swear.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_00: I swear.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_00: But back then it was um we had too much fun in school.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_00: But we all made it.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_02: Who knew?
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_00: You know, remember the night before we took the bar?
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_00: What we did?
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_00: So we were staying at a hotel in Manhattan because we had to be up really, really early to go to the Jacob Javit Center to take the bar exam.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_00: And Melissa always went to Catholic school.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_00: And she you were probably the most religious in the bunch.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Jewish.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_00: Uh who were we with?
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_00: Rachel and uh Leslie.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_00: And go ahead, tell them what you made us do at 11 o'clock at night.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_03: We went to St.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_03: Patrick's to say a prayer.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_00: We went to St.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_00: Patrick's Cathedral to say a prayer.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_00: And I was wearing on my neck my grandfather, my late grandfather's, like run DMC size high, like a big Jewish symbol, which was like our family good luck token.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not religious, but I was wearing it as a token.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_00: And we walk into the church and Melissa was like, Can you just tuck that in, please?
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_00: And I'll say, you know, I and I'll say it now like I said it back then.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_00: I'll take the prayers anywhere I can get them.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_00: And all four of us passed.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_00: It worked.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_00: We did.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_00: We passed on the first shot.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_00: And we're all pretty successful, which is amazing.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_00: But we did have a lot of fun in school.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I have some more questions for you.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_00: You host a woman's luncheon every year to spot like spotlight amazing women in the industry and create opportunities for women to come together and support one another.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_00: What inspired that?
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, like I said, w women uh is a big topic in our firm.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_03: So we want to make sure that everyone feels empowered uh and that they're important and that we recognize all the great things they do for our industry and for the different uh law firms and banks.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_03: So we have to make sure that we recognize that.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_03: And the only way to do that is to have events like that and and other events across the industry where women are recognized and spotlighted for their great talents.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_00: I'm proud of you.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, thanks.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: What did you do for the crime victims unit?
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_00: Crimes Victims Center.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_03: Crime Victor Center.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, you know, it's really a sad story, to be honest with you.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_03: Um a husband found out that his wife was having their third baby and that that baby would be a boy, uh, girl.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_03: And he wanted a boy.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_03: So what he did was killed her um and the baby.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_03: And in the pro after he killed her and the baby, he attempted to kill his two other children.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_03: Oh my god.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_03: So uh he was arrested, of course, but you know, the way life works, he owned the property that they lived in.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_03: So he wanted to, you know, benefit from selling that property since his wife was no longer alive.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_03: So what I had to do But is he in prison?
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_03: He is.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_03: So who wanted the property?
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_03: His his family?
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_03: No, he had someone, he had a power of attorney uh to basically try to sell the property for him so that he can get the money.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so what we had to do was um try to have an administrator or executor appointed for her estate, which was her her father.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but they fought us every step of the way because you know, he wanted to have his power of attorney be the executor of the estate.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_03: So we fought them, we won.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_03: Um we're selling the property, it's going to the children, so that's that was that was a win for us.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_00: So you did all of this work, you and your firm did all of this work.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_00: Correct, my firm on a pro bono basis.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_00: And you did it because someone had to help those kids.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_00: And you stepped up.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_00: And those kids have a pretty rough life, but they will have this home.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_00: Well, they will have the money from that home.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_00: It'll belong to them.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_00: And then they can take that money and then use it for their own future.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_00: Correct.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_00: Instead of it going back to some monster.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_00: And you were recognized for what you did.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_03: I was.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_03: Uh the crime victim center had a the crime victim center, just so that people know, uh, it's basically a center where if anybody is um a victim of a crime, um, sex-based or any type of crime like that, that they have someone to go to.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_03: So what we do is we train nurses and hospitals so that if anyone comes into that hospital, they know how to treat them, how to collect the correct evidence, how to make sure it's uh safely secured, so that it can be used for prosecution.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_03: Um they have clothes, toys, things like that.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_03: So when they're coming in, if they're battered or abused, that they have the resources they need to, you know, to be to be okay.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_03: So uh the crime victims was located, there was an office located in Suffolk County, but we have now um moved into Nassau County.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_03: So on the grand opening of the Nassau County office, um, I was honored with that award.
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, that's an incredible story and an incredible journey, and you're doing really good things, Melissa.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, thanks.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_00: I'm proud of you.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_00: And if you were to think back and go back in time to 1999, 2000.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_00: That was a good year.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_00: The law school years.
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_00: What would 2026 Melissa tell that version of Melissa?
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_03: Don't worry.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_03: It'll all work out in the end.
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_00: You you know, there have been a lot of ups and downs through the years, privately, um, educationally, job-wise.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_00: And you're exactly where you're supposed to be.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_00: You didn't always feel that way.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_03: No.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_03: I wish I did.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_03: Because to be honest with you, I did a lot of things in my life.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, when I did them and I was thinking, oh, this is the greatest, this is great, but I wish that I had this.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_03: And I wish that this would come soon, you know.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_03: And you know, and eventually it does.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_03: But I would think like if I could go back and I would just say, Hey, breathe it in, enjoy it, you know, it'll all work out in the end, and you'll be happy that you did this now.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_03: So that's what I would tell her.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and it and it all does work out.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_00: It just it it takes its time and it takes its own course.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_03: And then I would tell them, just wait for the Ozempic, it's coming.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_00: A life changer?
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_00: Well, you look great.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_00: No, thanks.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_00: And I think back to the person I met 20, what are we on?
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_00: Like almost 30 years ago?
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_00: Almost 30 years ago.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_00: And if you would have told me when you just wanted my notes and didn't want to eat with me at Applebee's, that we'd be sitting here as friends and colleagues, that you would would have been the one to sing at my wedding, Melissa.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_00: I wouldn't have believed you.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I should preface by saying that Melissa does like to sing at weddings, but she isn't what you would call a wedding singer.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_00: Or a vocalist.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_00: But she does have a a a special song that she sings.
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_00: I believe she actually sang it at her own wedding.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_00: I did.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_00: And that was It's Raining Men.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_00: It's Raining Men.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_04: Mm-hmm.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I'm not gonna make her do it for you here because she won't.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_00: There's no background music, I would.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_00: But but she she has sang It's Raining Men at multiple weddings.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_00: Mm-hmm.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_00: I'm good luck.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_00: You you are, and it it is there is videographic evidence of this.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_03: Thank God Facebook wasn't back.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_00: Thank God Facebook wasn't a thing back then.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_03: I just dated myself.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_03: Instagram, TikTok.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_00: I think so.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_00: Facebook was the first though.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_00: I think 2000.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_00: I think I joined Facebook like 2007, but now the kids say that's like old people stuff.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it is.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_00: But then I think it made a little comeback.
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_03: That's when I'm trying to stalk people and I and I go on Facebook and they're not there, and I say, Oh, they're too young for Facebook.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_03: They are too young.
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_00: I think well, Instagram and Snapchat, right?
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_00: But what's I don't the Snapchat I don't I don't do the Snapchat?
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_00: Me neither.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um you ready to play a little laugh love love?
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, sure.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_00: Alright, so grab some panels there.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_00: Panels.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_00: Sorry.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_01: Paddles.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_01: Paddles.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_00: Alright, so what we're gonna do is I'm gonna give you a topic, and you are going to respond by raising whichever paddle uh you feel is appropriate.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_00: And if you want to tell us a little story, you can.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_00: If you just want to hold up the paddle, it's all good.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_00: Are you ready?
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_00: I'm ready.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_00: For your topics.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_00: New Year's resolutions.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_03: They're laughable, they disappear after a week.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_00: If that, right?
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_00: Online shopping.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_00: Oh.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_03: I love it.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_00: Where would we be without it?
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_00: Where?
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_03: Nowhere.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_00: I don't go to the store.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_03: If my if I don't get a package to my house every day, my son calls me.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_03: He's like, Mom, we didn't get any packages today.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_00: Public speaking.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, but you're pretty good at it.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_03: I I hate it.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_00: You don't like it?
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_00: Makes you nervous?
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_03: It doesn't make me nervous.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_03: I just don't like it.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 21:59
  unknown: Phone.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: Addiction.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_03: I take that back.
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_03: I like to talk in front of people, but I don't like talking about serious things.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_00: So you like to talk about it draining men rather than your your big fancy job.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, yes.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, I got it.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_00: But you're doing well at both.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_00: Uh phone addiction.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, that's a love.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_00: I have a phone addiction.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_00: You've had a phone addiction since we met.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_00: And you always had like a better phone than what the rest of us had back then.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_00: Like you had the fancy phone before the iPhone came out.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_00: I remember you having like a fancy Motorola.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_03: I actually had the fancy beeper too.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_03: I had the beeper where people called the service and left messages.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_03: And then the service would type me.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_03: And I would read them.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_00: Beeper.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_00: So the sign that looks like this is a pound sign to you.
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_00: When did it become a hashtag?
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_03: Uh I don't know.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_03: Instagram.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_00: I know it's a pound, right?
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, chocolate.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_00: I don't love it.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_00: Really?
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_03: I like it.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_03: I don't love it.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_03: I'd rather have vanilla.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_00: Ice cream.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know about that.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_03: Reunions.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, I love a good reunion.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, when's the last time you went to one?
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, last year.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_00: What college?
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_00: Fairfield?
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, Fairfield.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_03: If you.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_00: Lifetime movies.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_03: Uh.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_03: This is rough.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I used to love lifetime movies, but now I I don't watch TV.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_00: I watch like now you're into like the crime stuff.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, and I love the crime stuff too.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_00: But what about the crime stuff?
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_00: Like actual events you like?
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_03: I love it.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_00: And then you get obsessed?
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_00: Like what's been your latest?
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, there's so many.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_00: I remember the the Massapequa guy, the Rex guy that was just.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_00: I watched that yesterday.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_03: He he he got sentenced yesterday.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_00: Well, they gave him life?
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_03: Without parole.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_03: Well, as they should.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_00: As they should.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_00: You into like the Menendez brothers story also?
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_03: Not really.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_03: I mean I I watched it, but no, not really.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_00: I thought, not that I agreed with it, but I thought that they were gonna be released.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_00: But seems like they're still in.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you ready to do a little capsule confession?
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_02: Sure.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_00: Alright, so you're gonna grab a couple of quarters, actually three, out of that jar.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_00: Alright.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_00: You're gonna jiggle the handle.
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_00: I know, you told me.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I know, but people don't listen.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_00: You take one out.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_00: Now, Melissa is our last guest of the season, so her options are limited.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_00: She can either answer the question or ask me the question.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_00: You see how she said that I told her and she listened.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_00: Right, but that's not a quarter.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_00: You said, oh.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_00: Well, why do you have all these stupid things made up if you're not supposed to use those?
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I ordered them to fit in the machine, but they didn't fit in the machine.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_00: So they're just there for display.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_00: That's dim.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_01: So let's try again.
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, these are like brand new quarters, don't they?
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I got them from the bank.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_00: Happy 250, America.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_00: I know.
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_00: That's exciting.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_00: It is exciting.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_00: See, I'm a bicentennial baby, but you're a year younger than me.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_02: I am a baby.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you are.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_00: You won't hit the big 5-0 until next year.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_00: No.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_00: Alright, let's see.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_00: Let's see if Melissa pays attention.
• 25:03
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_00: Good job.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_00: Good job.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, blue, my favorite color.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_00: Alright.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_00: So open it.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_00: If you guys couldn't tell.
• 25:09
  SPEAKER_00: You like the blue.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_00: I do.
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_00: Give or pass, right?
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_00: Well, you have to answer it or give it to me.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_00: Puff, puff, give.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_03: I have to read it out loud.
• 25:22
  SPEAKER_03: You do.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_03: What celebrity have you been told you look like?
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_03: Oh.
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_03: I know this answer, right?
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_03: Go ahead.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_03: Which I don't think it's true, but I remember uh we used to go to lunch with one of Heather's old bosses.
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_03: And every time we went to lunch, he was like, you know, you look just like pink.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_03: And I was like, yeah, you think so?
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_03: Used to get it all the time.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_03: I used to get it all the time.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_03: I don't see it.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_03: I don't see it either.
• 25:43
  SPEAKER_03: But used to get it a lot.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_03: And then I used to get the girl from Top Gun.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_03: What's her name?
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, Kelly McGillis?
• 25:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 25:49
  SPEAKER_00: I could see young Kelly McGillis.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_00: Nice.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_00: More than pink.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_03: Hmm.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_03: Alright.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_03: I thought you have pink head like.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_03: What's that?
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_03: Pink head like normal hair.
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_03: And was poor?
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_03: She'd probably look like me.
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_00: Well, she's not poor.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_00: Alright.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_00: Jiggle.
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_03: Well, she's got it.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_03: Pink.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_03: My least favorite color.
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_03: Oh.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_03: Who has loved you through a difficult chapter of your life?
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_03: Oh wow.
• 26:26
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, so many people love me.
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_03: I don't even know where to begin.
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_03: Uh I don't know.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_03: My friends.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_00: Alright.
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_00: That's generic.
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_00: It's generic.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_00: Like I'm a specific person.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I mean, it's your question.
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_00: Then you answer it.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_00: Well, no.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I think I'd give a generic answer too.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, I mean, like a lot of people love me.
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, my family.
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_00: Friends.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_01: So we both give generic answers.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, it's fine.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_03: Thank God.
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_03: Not my husband, because I haven't had a difficult portion of my life yet.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_01: Well now you have to knock on wood.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_00: I said thank God.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_00: Remember that thing we used to say in school about having all your cards up at the same time?
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_03: It's called, yeah, it's you put it in my head all the time and I hate it.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_00: You do?
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_00: But I feel like it's when things are going good, I'm like, oh, card's gonna flip over.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_00: No, I used to say that like all your cards couldn't be up at the same time.
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_00: So like if your health card was up and your money card was up and your relationship card was up, maybe your car your car card was down.
• 27:20
  SPEAKER_00: You had car troubles.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_00: Like I always felt like there was always gonna be one card that would be face down.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_00: So I see what you're saying, that like it's kind of making you wait for the other shoe to drop.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 27:30
  SPEAKER_00: But for me, I looked at it the other way.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_00: Like, oh well, if things are really crappy, the cards will start turning over soon.
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_00: But I put it in your head.
• 27:37
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 27:37
  SPEAKER_00: And I hate it.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_00: I'm sorry.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks.
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_00: Alright, go ahead.
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_00: Last one.
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_00: I just want I just want to point out that you didn't jiggle.
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_02: Jiggle.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_00: No, you have to jiggle before.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_00: Uh-oh.
• 27:52
  SPEAKER_00: Your mama.
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_00: The struggle's part of the game.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_00: There you go.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yellow.
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_00: My other favorite color.
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_00: I just want to tell you that yellow is the one that makes you do something.
• 28:07
  SPEAKER_00: Yellow is the capsule that gives you something to do.
• 28:09
  SPEAKER_03: Yellow and blue are my high school colors.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_03: Alright.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_03: Go calamberg.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_03: Uh-oh.
• 28:19
  SPEAKER_03: Finish a lyra Kether will start.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_00: Oh no.
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I'll just give you an easy one then.
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_00: It's raining men.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_02: Hallelujah.
• 28:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, there you go.
• 28:31
  SPEAKER_01: That's dumb.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, well, you know, you said you didn't want to sing.
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_00: You should have brought a Barry song up since we're going to the Barry concert next week.
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I talked about you on the first the first episode, and I said that I've been to Barry like 20 times and that I was seeing the very last Barry concert with you.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_01: I know.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_00: It's impressive.
• 28:49
  SPEAKER_00: I've never been to Barry.
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_00: I know.
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_00: Ever.
• 28:51
  SPEAKER_00: We have really good seats.
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_00: Because I write the songs that make the whole world sing.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_00: I love it.
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we've had a lot of unexpected singing today, but it happens.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_00: So now I need you to open up the jar and pull out one of the pretty tokens.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_00: Oh.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_00: And give us give us a little signature.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_00: Oh.
• 29:13
  SPEAKER_00: So we can save it and put it with the other ones to commemorate your time here today.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_00: Does anybody else want my signature?
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_00: It might be worth something one day.
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_00: It might be, right?
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_00: Especially on the fancy coin.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_00: And she drops it.
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_00: So while she does that, I want to give you a little merch because, you know, what's a what's a day without a little merch, Melissa?
• 29:33
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, thanks.
• 29:35
  SPEAKER_00: I might wear it later.
• 29:35
  SPEAKER_00: Laugh love law, right?
• 29:37
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 29:37
  SPEAKER_00: Perfect.
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_00: Represent.
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_00: And I want to say thank you.
• 29:41
  SPEAKER_00: Not just for being here today, but for almost 30 years of friendship and love.
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, just putting it out there that the people you meet in school, the people you meet during phases of your life where you're figuring out who you are, if they end up staying in your life and becoming part of the most important parts of your life, you're a very lucky person.
• 30:01
  SPEAKER_00: And I am very lucky to have had you through all the ups and downs in my life.
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_00: And thank you for being such a good friend.
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, of course.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for having me.
• 30:10
  SPEAKER_00: And thank you everybody for tuning in to this episode and to season one of Laugh Love Law.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_00: I look forward to coming back next year and giving you some new content.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.