Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: This show is not a substitute for professional counseling and no relationship is created between the show host or guests and any listener. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, we encourage you to contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863. If you are not a UA student, please contact your respective counties crisis service hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
[00:00:41] Speaker B: Hey, y'.
[00:00:41] Speaker C: All.
[00:00:42] Speaker B: Welcome back to the BAMA Balance Podcast. Real stories about college students, mental health.
Today is another special day. This is the third time we can say that we have Michael Dobbs joining us, which I'm very, very excited about. It's never a dull moment when Michael's around, as some of you might know. So we're excited for.
We're excited for today. And, you know, I think we can briefly mention it because we always do, but we don't have to spend much time on football today. I think.
[00:01:10] Speaker C: I think we're okay.
[00:01:11] Speaker B: I think what happened in Knoxville happened and we don't have to really talk about that. You know, it just. It happened.
[00:01:16] Speaker C: I think that. I think we're. We're taking a break. Michael's been so gracious enough to fill in for Brooks, who's out. So Brooks out on the planes down there in Auburn, something trader maybe, or maybe he's scout teaming or something. But, you know, we're. We're thinking about. We're thinking about him today. I have never.
So, Michael, welcome back. And I've never seen anyone more excited to be back.
[00:01:44] Speaker D: I love it. This is so much fun. We always have great conversations, so.
[00:01:49] Speaker C: It's so good. Yeah, yeah. Even. Even off the mic conversations are actually maybe better.
[00:01:54] Speaker D: I mean, we've been talking for an hour. An hour already. Like, we should probably record this.
[00:01:58] Speaker C: I think so. I think so. I don't know what we've got left in the tank, but I'm sure we'll find something.
[00:02:02] Speaker B: We'll find something.
[00:02:03] Speaker D: We definitely will.
[00:02:03] Speaker B: We always do.
[00:02:04] Speaker C: How's life been since you. Since your last visit here?
[00:02:07] Speaker D: Life has been very good. Zero complaints. I think 2026 is my year.
[00:02:13] Speaker C: You're owning it.
[00:02:13] Speaker D: I'm owning it. I'm going to put it out there.
[00:02:15] Speaker C: This is so 2026 is the year of Michael Dobbs.
[00:02:18] Speaker B: Two and a half more months.
[00:02:21] Speaker D: I said that. It's only, like, downhill from here.
No, it's been good. I thought senior year is gonna be a little less busy. We were talking about this earlier.
No, no, it's been just as busy. But, like, a good busy.
[00:02:33] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:02:34] Speaker D: Because, I mean, who doesn't like busy?
[00:02:37] Speaker C: Yeah. Busy.
Edward's also the most rung out, I think, that I've seen in a while.
We're all needing a break. I mean, business can do that for you. But you said a good busy. I don't know what you mean. What do you mean by that?
[00:02:51] Speaker D: I like to stay productive.
[00:02:52] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:02:54] Speaker D: What I deem as productive might not be productive to everyone. It could be just like sitting outside.
[00:02:59] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:03:00] Speaker D: Just not on my phone, just staring out there.
[00:03:02] Speaker C: I like that.
That's productive in a very mindful sort of way.
[00:03:07] Speaker D: Yes, sir.
[00:03:08] Speaker B: Do you have a fun view of anything where you live?
[00:03:12] Speaker D: I live in.
[00:03:12] Speaker B: You don't have to say where you live.
[00:03:14] Speaker D: Okay.
This is going public.
[00:03:16] Speaker B: Oh, like. Oh, like, I have
[00:03:19] Speaker D: the stadium right in front of me.
[00:03:20] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:03:20] Speaker D: So it's nice. I'd step out and it's like a. If it's a clear day, the clouds are going over the stadium, the sun's shining down on me, zero complaints.
[00:03:29] Speaker C: That's like an ideal Tuscaloosa.
[00:03:31] Speaker B: I could zero in on your location now.
[00:03:34] Speaker C: View the stadium there.
[00:03:35] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:03:36] Speaker B: I mean, just go around the stadium. If you ever see, you know, ever walking around the stadium, just say hi to Michael, guys.
[00:03:40] Speaker D: Please do. I'll say, hey back, probably way back.
[00:03:44] Speaker C: Probably. There's Michael chilling on his rooftop deck or something like that.
[00:03:47] Speaker D: There we go.
[00:03:48] Speaker C: Yeah. No, I like it.
And. But, Edward, you've still been busy.
[00:03:53] Speaker B: Yeah. You know, I. In the same way, I assumed that I could just have a low effort, low quarters all semester.
It has been neither of those things up to this point.
[00:04:06] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:04:09] Speaker B: But, you know, good things are hard, and hard things are good. That's what I've always been told. So that's kind of how you have to look at it to not want to pull your hair out.
So that's. That's a.
[00:04:22] Speaker C: That's like.
[00:04:23] Speaker B: That's an aggressive.
That's in a very aggressive way to say that that's awesome. But, yeah, no, it's been. It's just been. I think it's not even the fact that of how busy it is. I think it was all about the expectation. Because if the expectation is that you're not gonna, like, do much, then when you do have, like, even just a little bit, it's like, this is not what I was ready for mentally or preparing myself for. Because I feel like going into last year, I was expecting to hit the Ground hard. And I did.
[00:04:52] Speaker C: And.
[00:04:53] Speaker B: Or hit the ground running. Sorry, that's a better way to put that.
[00:04:56] Speaker C: But
[00:04:58] Speaker D: how's your semester been?
[00:04:59] Speaker C: It's been busy.
[00:05:01] Speaker D: There you go.
[00:05:02] Speaker C: In a good way.
[00:05:03] Speaker D: There we go. What is a good way for you?
[00:05:07] Speaker C: Being productive, but also planning and getting, you know, getting things in order. Making sure that, you know, departments are doing what they need to do. But also, you know, for me, what I. What I look forward to each year are.
Are some of the new things that I think about, you know, implementing or different programs that, you know, could be created or initiatives. One of the things that. And I don't know that it's been advertised yet, anyway, it will be. So I think I can talk about it now. So. Dr. Rosmore Miller. Do you know her? She's AVP for student engagement. So she and I are just planning a. A monthly series where we invite students to just talk.
It's kind of like this podcast, but we're just, you know, inviting students to talk about. About, you know, how they're engaged on campus, about things that are on their mind.
They can ask us questions. So it's really this open forum with administrators, which, I don't know, happens often, but we thought it might be really kind of fun thing to do.
So I thought. I think we're launching that maybe next. Maybe later this month or next month, something like that.
[00:06:21] Speaker D: I love that.
[00:06:22] Speaker C: Yeah, it'll be kind of cool.
So it'll be a fun thing to do and keep our minds off the weekends that don't go so well.
Right. We're really avoiding having. We're really avoiding talking about football is kind of what we're doing here. But working. It's working, but. But not for long. We do have a game coming up, our homecoming game. And, you know, wishing team all the best.
Absolutely. As we. As we persevere. I gotta tell you, though, the.
Did you. You watch the Georgia Auburn game?
[00:06:59] Speaker D: Most of it, yes.
[00:07:00] Speaker C: Yeah, I kind of felt like we were vindicated by that last call, the roughing. The passer call.
Don't you.
[00:07:13] Speaker B: I didn't watch the game. I was in the stadium in Knoxville.
The stadium.
[00:07:18] Speaker C: That was that game. That was that game. Yeah, yeah, yeah. The Georgia got called last couple seconds for roughing the passer, which put Auburn in perfect position to make that field goal.
Yeah. Have you not. Have you seen the game?
Oh, you need to at least watch that last five minutes. It's a good game. Yeah, it's a good game. So I felt, well, that's sort of Vindicating for the non PI call we didn't receive. Anyway, I can dwell on that forever, but we're not here for that, so. Awesome.
[00:07:49] Speaker B: Well, we got a fun talk coming up about breaks. As you all know, we got fall break coming up, so we all need it. We all need it. Ain't that the truth. But we're going to take a quick short break right now. But before we go into our next segment. But stay tuned, you've been listening to the Bama Balance.
[00:08:20] Speaker D: Wvuafm, Tuscaloosa.
[00:08:23] Speaker A: This show is not a substitute for professional counseling and no relationship is created between the show host or guests and any listener. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, we encourage you to contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863. If you are not a UA student, please contact your respective county's crisis service hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency.
[00:09:04] Speaker D: Hey, y'. All, welcome back.
We'll be talking about our fall break. So getting off, going ever. What are you doing for fall break?
[00:09:12] Speaker B: I'm going to the beach with my youth group. I say youth group. We're college students, but with my college ministry.
[00:09:19] Speaker D: Grown man now.
[00:09:20] Speaker B: Yeah, I'm grown, unfortunately, but yeah, that's what I'm doing. Hopefully some good mental reset also, you know, never hurts going to the beach. It's always a fun.
[00:09:32] Speaker D: That's going to be nice.
[00:09:34] Speaker B: Weather won't be too bad.
Love the water.
[00:09:37] Speaker D: What beach you going to?
[00:09:38] Speaker B: Panama City, I think. Or like adjacent to Panama City.
[00:09:43] Speaker D: So I was there. I lived there this summer. The Panama City.
[00:09:46] Speaker B: That's right.
[00:09:47] Speaker D: If need any restaurant recommendations, hit me up.
[00:09:49] Speaker B: Hey, I will, I will. Because there'll be one day that I'm just there after the retreat ends, I think so.
[00:09:54] Speaker D: Okay. There we go. We can do that.
[00:09:57] Speaker C: What do you. So what's the, what's your. Do you have a, A routine or the thing that you do during fall break regardless of whether you. Where you are?
[00:10:07] Speaker B: Not really. I mean, my first, my freshman year, I stayed here, did nothing. Sophomore year, went on the same retreat that I'm going on now.
Junior year I was with Blackburn. So I mean, that was the opposite of a break. That was like that, which was great experience, sure, but not restful mentally or physically.
So.
But yeah, that's. So there's. There's not really been a routine thing, I guess now that I'm doing this again, it's the most routine I've had on fall break. But usually it's just like whatever that's cool comes to mind first while I'm deciding in like September. So.
[00:10:44] Speaker C: No, that's awesome. That's awesome.
[00:10:46] Speaker D: Enterprise. What are you doing for fall break? Yes, sir.
[00:10:49] Speaker C: I don't get a break.
I was kidding.
[00:10:56] Speaker D: Perfect.
[00:10:57] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:10:58] Speaker D: I just asked him before we went to the segment and he already talked about the break. So that confused me a little bit. But we're back.
[00:11:05] Speaker C: Yeah. No, I'm. I'll take a break this fall break. So my. My oldest nephew just had their second kid. Oh, congrats. And so I'm going to go to Atlanta, go visit them, hang out with them and it'll be fun. It's. I guess these are. So my nephew name is Jerry. Just. He completed law school this past summer, passed the bar. So he's official.
But they have two kids already and it's such a weird thing to have to think about my nephew not only being married but having two kids.
And so I guess they are.
Were they great or grand nephews?
[00:11:47] Speaker B: Is that what it would be like your third cousin, your second or third?
[00:11:50] Speaker C: Is that how it works? I'm pretty sure somehow it doesn't sound. It sounds different when you say I
[00:11:55] Speaker D: don't think a nephew can turn to a cousin.
[00:11:59] Speaker B: But it's his nephew's kids, right? I don't know.
[00:12:02] Speaker C: So would that be my grand.
[00:12:03] Speaker B: I have no idea.
[00:12:06] Speaker D: Dude, we're about to graduate college.
[00:12:08] Speaker C: I just.
[00:12:08] Speaker B: I just know at some point once you get like extended farther enough.
[00:12:12] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:12:12] Speaker B: Everyone's your like your cousin, no matter.
[00:12:14] Speaker D: Fair point.
[00:12:15] Speaker B: But I don't know what that cutoff line is.
[00:12:18] Speaker C: Okay. Yeah, I don't either. But I'm gonna have a great time with them.
[00:12:21] Speaker D: There you go.
[00:12:22] Speaker C: It'll be a lot of fun. So they're. That they're at an age where.
And one is newborn. So he may not really know who I am, much less speak much. The world is about speak much. Exactly.
So. But it'll be fun kind of hanging out with them.
I'm sure I'll do some fun things and stuff like that In Atlanta. They live just outside of Atlanta.
And then.
Yes. Kind of take my time to myself. I need a little break off campus somewhere and I don't know if there's a Braves now. A baseball season is still going. Yeah. So there may be Braves game or something.
[00:13:01] Speaker B: Well, the Braves are out of the
[00:13:02] Speaker C: playoff, so there won't be a game.
[00:13:03] Speaker B: There won't be a Braves Game.
[00:13:04] Speaker C: Well, who's going to tell me that?
They. I mean, I know I've been so out of it these days, I think.
[00:13:10] Speaker B: Well, the World Series is about to start.
[00:13:12] Speaker C: Yeah, that's what I was wondering. But. But it's not going to be. It's not going to be in Atlanta. It'll be. So. It'll be Brooklyn. Not Brooklyn. What?
[00:13:18] Speaker B: Milwaukee. Milwaukee.
[00:13:19] Speaker D: And then I think Tampa Bay.
[00:13:21] Speaker B: Did they beat the guards?
[00:13:23] Speaker C: Yeah.
I think it's the first time that they're in the World Series. Right.
[00:13:29] Speaker B: Friday, October.
[00:13:30] Speaker C: So my money is going to be on Milwaukee.
[00:13:33] Speaker B: They look good.
[00:13:34] Speaker C: Telling you.
[00:13:34] Speaker B: I mean, they swept the Dodgers, which is nuts.
[00:13:37] Speaker C: Yeah. First and the. Be the first time for both of them.
[00:13:40] Speaker B: Right.
[00:13:40] Speaker C: Being in the World Series, I believe. So my money is on Milwaukee. Go.
Right.
[00:13:45] Speaker D: I've never swung a baseball bat in a game.
[00:13:48] Speaker B: Why did I think you played baseball?
[00:13:50] Speaker D: Do I. Do I look like a baseball boy?
Flat Bill.
[00:13:56] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:13:56] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:13:57] Speaker B: I think. I think you would be caught dead wearing one of those.
[00:14:00] Speaker C: But did you ever play Wiffle ball?
Really? Okay.
[00:14:03] Speaker D: No, sir.
[00:14:03] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:14:04] Speaker B: What?
[00:14:04] Speaker C: Football is great.
[00:14:05] Speaker B: You really played backyard, Like.
[00:14:07] Speaker D: No, I played some, like, backyard.
[00:14:09] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:14:09] Speaker C: Yeah. That counts.
[00:14:10] Speaker D: Okay, then I'm a pro.
[00:14:13] Speaker C: Well, playing the backyard.
[00:14:15] Speaker A: There we go.
[00:14:15] Speaker B: Backyard pro.
[00:14:16] Speaker C: Yeah, Backyard pro. I like that. So. Yeah, and those are some great days. I remember in college, we would do that, just even in the back of our dorm, bunch of us get together and play Wiffle ball, you know, it was. That was so much fun. A great way to blow off steam and just take a break. How about you, Michael? What are you doing?
[00:14:34] Speaker D: I'm actually doing something I've never done before, which is gonna be pretty exciting. I'm going backpacking.
In the Appalachians? No, in the Smokies.
[00:14:44] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:14:44] Speaker B: I mean, kind of the same thing.
[00:14:45] Speaker D: Yeah, kind of same thing.
[00:14:46] Speaker C: Yeah. Like, up around the Chattanooga, Tennessee area.
[00:14:50] Speaker D: So a little backstory to that. I did a. My first road trip this summer. I drove all the way to Montana, then back down to Colorado with the same dude. I'm going backpacking. And it was the best break I've ever had in my life.
[00:15:03] Speaker C: Really?
[00:15:04] Speaker D: It was kind of. So it was a break from the phone. It was a break from.
[00:15:08] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:15:08] Speaker D: Kind of any responsibility I've had in college, and I'm kind of hoping to replicate that a little bit.
It's gonna be great. So I won't have my phone for three days. It's just gonna be me and him hiking 10 miles a day, just talking.
[00:15:22] Speaker C: Oh, how good is that?
[00:15:23] Speaker D: And I am very Excited for it.
[00:15:25] Speaker C: How good is that gonna be?
[00:15:26] Speaker D: It's gonna be great.
[00:15:26] Speaker C: There's a lot of freedom I. I experience when I shut myself off from my technology.
Right. And just sort of separate from that.
One of the things I do when I'm on vacation. I don't know if you guys do this is I actually. I take off my watch.
Yeah.
And.
And so I eat when I'm hungry. I go to sleep when I'm sleepy.
But I also find that I wake up much earlier and feel great because I'm, you know, I wake up when the sun's out, that kind of thing. I don't have an alarm to push me out of bed.
Yeah. I love it.
[00:16:06] Speaker D: I feel like we're all.
I think, like too far into it quite yet, but like, I feel like we're all very time oriented right now. Especially with, I mean, a busy semester going on. Honestly, more so than we should be. So. I just got a watch. I've never had a watch before and I'm. I'm checking in every 30 seconds.
[00:16:24] Speaker C: So. What made you do that?
Not that I'm disappointed. I'm just. I'm curious as to. It's interesting to me.
[00:16:30] Speaker D: I don't know.
[00:16:31] Speaker C: I never had one before.
[00:16:33] Speaker D: No rhyme or reason I kind of wanted.
[00:16:36] Speaker B: Was it like a fitness.
[00:16:37] Speaker D: It was kind of for the health metrics.
[00:16:38] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:16:39] Speaker D: Which is honestly not good in its own right. Because I don't necessarily need to know my heart rate consistently.
Just like you when you're on vacation doesn't. You don't need to know the time.
[00:16:48] Speaker C: Right.
[00:16:49] Speaker D: At the end of the day, it's not going to change your life.
[00:16:51] Speaker C: Right. Yes.
But it looks good.
[00:16:55] Speaker D: Thank you.
[00:16:55] Speaker C: I mean, I mean it looks. It has a nice place on your wrist, but.
But yeah. So I'm interested in that because I. I guess I. I can't remember when I got my first watch. It's probably a gift, but I tell folks the. The one regret I have in my life, while there are many of them. But one of the regrets is learning how to tell time.
[00:17:17] Speaker B: Like on an analog watch.
[00:17:19] Speaker C: At all.
[00:17:19] Speaker B: At all.
[00:17:21] Speaker C: Just the concepts of time.
[00:17:22] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:17:23] Speaker C: You know, learning how to tell time. Well, now I've only got 10 minutes left in the day or 10 minutes before this test.
[00:17:29] Speaker D: I'm always thinking about that.
[00:17:30] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:17:31] Speaker D: It's not. I mean, it's not a great thing, but I think most people do nowadays. I mean, like before this meeting, I'm like, oh, gosh, I only have an hour.
And I sat down and thought like okay, wait an hour to do what? I'm not doing anything.
I was still worried that I only had an hour.
[00:17:45] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:17:45] Speaker D: I live five minutes away from here.
[00:17:47] Speaker C: Yeah. So with a view, the stadium, I'm
[00:17:50] Speaker D: complaining about such a good life.
[00:17:52] Speaker C: Oh, my gosh.
[00:17:52] Speaker B: I think it is interesting, though, like, for as much structure as it provides and, you know, I guess we need that in a professional sense. I do think we can become a slave to a schedule if we're not. Well, I say that as someone who doesn't keep a good schedule. Maybe that's just me compensating for the fact that I don't have a good one.
But I do think you can become a slave to, like, the routine and the schedule of I have to be here. I only have certain amount of time.
Now, that doesn't mean you should maybe completely swing the pendulum where I'm at, where it's like, little structure at all. But I do think that there's. There's something about when it becomes, you know, like, constantly checking the time or constantly figuring out, like, oh, where am I gonna need to be? Kind of like how you said I only have an hour, but it's like, an hour to do what? Yeah, that's such a real feeling.
[00:18:41] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:18:42] Speaker B: Just like, oh, I don't have time, but, like. But when I think about it, I'm not doing anything that requires time to begin with.
[00:18:48] Speaker D: Yeah. So it's hard to have a schedule.
In college. I feel like, like everything, it's very abstract. Which honestly makes me more reliant on, like, checking the time consistently. Because if I had a set schedule, I've been telling myself for years, and yet I've not made a schedule. But, like, if I had a set schedule, I would be like, okay, I have this time to sit down and not worry about something like a mini fall break every single day, which would be lovely. Like I was talking about earlier, I can go sit outside and just go look at the stadium, but then there's always something going on that I didn't put in a schedule.
[00:19:24] Speaker C: How much of that is self imposed, though?
[00:19:29] Speaker D: Most of it, you know.
[00:19:30] Speaker C: Okay, right. Like, stuff I have to do that I created for myself or outside of classes and stuff.
[00:19:36] Speaker D: I would say most of it.
I think anyone our age now has, like, a productivity thing, a worry that they have to stay productive at all moments. Even, like, I'll get worried if I'm sitting down watching a TV show at night.
I'm like, okay, I'm not utilizing my, once again, my time correctly.
There's always something that needs to be. I need to be stimulated in some way.
So that's why I'm really excited for this break, because I have nothing to worry about besides making it from point A to B. Yeah. So it's gonna be good.
[00:20:12] Speaker C: There's nothing like really being intentional about time and how you spend it.
You know, I love that there. There's, you know, there's this thing that friends and I used to do. We still do sometimes. And whenever I call them and whenever we talk, we.
We try to be mindful of being mindful, if that makes sense. That's great. Right. So the question, you know, that we'll ask each other is. Yet in terms of, you know, recapping the day or recapping the week is, you know, we'll ask each other.
I'll ask you, Edward, Michael, thinking about your day so far today, what's been the best five minutes of your day?
[00:21:00] Speaker D: Are you actually asking me right now?
I. I'll probably say the five minutes right before we started recording, we were. We were laughing nonstop. That was great.
[00:21:11] Speaker C: And what made it, like, the best five minutes so far for you?
[00:21:16] Speaker D: It's been a somewhat slower day with not too many ups and downs. I think ups and downs are good.
[00:21:23] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:21:24] Speaker D: But that was. That was definitely an up.
[00:21:25] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:21:25] Speaker D: We're all smiling around. That was great.
[00:21:28] Speaker C: It kind of brought some joy.
[00:21:29] Speaker D: You kept throwing compliments at me.
[00:21:31] Speaker C: Stop.
[00:21:32] Speaker D: Great.
Well.
[00:21:35] Speaker C: And that's easy. That's easy, right? Bringing joy can be sometimes tough, and even receiving it can be harder.
[00:21:41] Speaker D: Yes, without a doubt. I didn't know how to respond to it.
[00:21:43] Speaker C: Yeah. Felt good, though.
[00:21:45] Speaker D: I did.
[00:21:45] Speaker C: I enjoyed it.
[00:21:46] Speaker D: Thank you.
[00:21:46] Speaker C: You're welcome.
How about for you, Edward?
[00:21:49] Speaker B: I think I. I'd echo that. I mean, I've also had a very slow. I've had a very sluggish day.
[00:21:54] Speaker D: Sluggish is the word.
[00:21:55] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:21:55] Speaker B: And it wasn't.
[00:21:57] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:21:57] Speaker B: I mean, I. I did not have a good. Like I said earlier off the recording, I just had such a slow start that I ended up missing my first class, which. Not an excuse, but I mean. I mean, that was. It was just that level of like, oh, man, I don't want to do anything today.
But, yeah, I think being here, just having a more relaxing, peaceful moment. That isn't because I ended up. I mean, I still had other classes and other responsibilities that I had to do today, which, when you. I mean, when I get a bad. When I have a bad morning in terms of getting going, it definitely. I can like it. I can Feel it throughout the day.
[00:22:35] Speaker C: Right.
[00:22:36] Speaker B: So now that I'm kind of past all of the stuff I have to do, like the. For lack of a better term, work stuff, you know, talking with y', all, I feel a lot better about life.
[00:22:46] Speaker C: You kind of let it go for a bit and stuff like that.
Hey, before I forget, didn't your mom
[00:22:53] Speaker B: just have a birthday since today.
[00:22:55] Speaker C: It's today.
Oh, Happy birthday, Edwards. Mom.
[00:22:58] Speaker D: Happy birthday.
[00:22:59] Speaker B: Shout out, Stacy.
[00:23:00] Speaker D: Yeah, shout out, Stacey.
[00:23:02] Speaker B: So I went. I went to Birmingham on Monday because that they were flying out of Birmingham on Tuesday to go to South Florida, but my parents were. But they. Yeah. So we celebrated on Monday and got to see.
[00:23:15] Speaker C: Cool.
[00:23:16] Speaker B: My family, minus my sister, who's in England.
[00:23:17] Speaker C: But that's fantastic.
[00:23:20] Speaker D: Your sister's in England?
[00:23:21] Speaker B: She's going to grad school there.
[00:23:23] Speaker D: Good for her.
[00:23:23] Speaker B: In Cambridge. Yeah.
[00:23:25] Speaker D: Wow. Okay.
[00:23:26] Speaker C: Good for her.
[00:23:26] Speaker B: She's doing, like, a children's literature Masters, which I didn't even think was a thing.
[00:23:30] Speaker C: That's so cool.
[00:23:31] Speaker B: Until it went. Yeah, that's what I'm going for. I was like, good, nice.
[00:23:35] Speaker C: Love it. I love it. Well, happy birthday to your mom.
[00:23:40] Speaker D: To your mom.
[00:23:41] Speaker B: Yeah, to my mom.
[00:23:42] Speaker C: To your mom. Cheers.
[00:23:43] Speaker D: Cheers.
[00:23:44] Speaker C: Cheers.
[00:23:45] Speaker D: We don't have drinks here, but cheers. All right, well, that is wrapping up the first segment, and we're working our way into the second one. Thank you, Wvuafm Tuscaloosa.
[00:24:13] Speaker A: This show is not a substitute for professional counseling and no relationship is created between the show hosts or guests and any listener. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, we encourage you to contact the UA Counseling Center center at 348-3863. If you are not a UA student, please contact your respective counties crisis service hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
[00:24:54] Speaker C: Welcome back, everybody, to this segment of the Bama Balance. And it's been a fantastic discussion so far in terms of, you know, the need for breaks and the need for time. And, you know, one of the things that. That we were talking about earlier is, is that the slowness of things, the slowness of time isn't necessarily a bad thing that, you know, slowing things down, being deliberate, being intentional, taking the. So what I. What I say often is taking the time to take the time, that can be very rejuvenating in of itself, you know, So I think about when you, you know, when you talk about your.
Your fall break plans about you know, Michael, not cutting yourself off from technology and just being present at the moment, that, to me, feels like it's deliberate. Slow time.
[00:25:50] Speaker D: It will be a little slow.
I mean, but I think it's gonna be a good slow.
[00:25:54] Speaker C: Yeah, a good slow.
[00:25:54] Speaker D: Or we're gonna wake up, probably watch the entire sunrise, which is, you know, takes a second, but it's a good second.
[00:26:02] Speaker C: It is. It really is. What is it about that deliberateness that feels so good?
[00:26:13] Speaker D: It's different.
I don't think we ever take the time to just sit down and think.
I mean, especially me. I always have AirPods in my ears. I'm always listening to music or a podcast or.
[00:26:27] Speaker C: Right.
[00:26:28] Speaker D: If I'm sitting down, I'm gonna have my phone in front of me. So it's just something about, honestly not being stimulated, not having something going on besides just being in the present.
[00:26:43] Speaker C: No, I. I wholeheartedly agree with that. There's something about not having. Not being overstimulated that creates moments of silence and kind of moments of, for me, peace in my own life.
[00:26:58] Speaker D: It's a lot of peace.
[00:26:59] Speaker C: Right.
I know. Even just driving to work, I'll be, you know, distracted by whatever music I've got on. Sometimes it's news, and.
And if I think about it enough, I'll not have anything on.
And just surrounded by the quiet in the car, even when I'm driving, it feels so much different.
But I know for me, there's nothing more quiet and more peaceful than sitting outside or, you know, keeping company with folks.
Like, sitting on the beach, just watching, you know, the ocean. It's just. There's something very peaceful in the stillness of things.
[00:27:43] Speaker D: I'll say I've changed up my morning routine. Probably in the past two weeks, the only routine thing that I had in my day was my morning cup of coffee. Yeah, it was nice to sit down, sit outside, do that. And when I say this, I don't want you all to judge me or call me granola.
[00:28:02] Speaker C: I like granola.
[00:28:03] Speaker D: Yeah, yeah, there we go.
But I got, like, a handheld coffee grinder.
[00:28:10] Speaker C: Love it.
[00:28:11] Speaker D: Which. So I'll wake up and I'll grind my coffee, which takes six minutes, but still, like, I'm not doing anything but sitting there. And I have a perfect view of the sunrise over Bruno Library. I'm kind of giving you all the exact location of where I live.
[00:28:25] Speaker C: I'm already Geo.
[00:28:27] Speaker D: Calm down. Yeah, but it's nice just, like, sit down and do that. Look out my window. Then once I have my cup of coffee, I sit Outside, it's changed my day completely. I don't know how just a good 10 minutes aside has made me.
It's made me more mindful of everything I'm doing throughout the day. And honestly, I've had more energy doing that.
I always had a good 2, 2, 3 o' clock crash every single day, and I haven't had it since.
[00:28:54] Speaker C: Interesting.
[00:28:55] Speaker B: See, I've been thinking about doing that by getting like. Like, specifically grind. Like it's never.
[00:29:01] Speaker D: It really has changed, like, my day.
And it sounds so simple.
[00:29:07] Speaker C: Is it?
[00:29:07] Speaker D: Do you.
[00:29:08] Speaker B: There's like a special. Like you just grinds it up and then put it in a regular coffee machine like you would.
[00:29:12] Speaker D: Yeah, that's all it is.
It was like. It was the only routine I had. So I'm like. Okay, if I'm gonna ask. It was my birthday last week.
[00:29:19] Speaker C: Happy birthday, Michael.
[00:29:20] Speaker D: Oh, thank you. Thank you.
[00:29:21] Speaker C: Happy birthday.
[00:29:23] Speaker D: But that's all. Like, I want to build on the one routine that I had. So that's what I asked for.
[00:29:27] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:29:27] Speaker D: And that has been good.
[00:29:31] Speaker C: Have you always been this mindful?
[00:29:33] Speaker B: Like, it was the CLD class, wasn't it?
[00:29:36] Speaker C: I mean, real. I'm impressed with it, honestly.
[00:29:39] Speaker D: Thank you.
[00:29:39] Speaker C: Yeah, maybe. Okay. Like in high school, you. I don't know if you're aware of this sort of mindful mindset, but you know what I mean.
I wasn't.
[00:29:50] Speaker D: I would probably say, after my bike crash, a very different outlook.
[00:29:58] Speaker C: Really.
[00:29:59] Speaker D: I also started reading a whole bunch after then. I had a very good teacher who encouraged me to read, and I just kind of did a deep dive into philosophy. It's like right now I'm taking an ancient philosophy class.
I'm a finance major.
[00:30:15] Speaker C: Good for you.
[00:30:16] Speaker D: Yeah, why not?
[00:30:16] Speaker C: Good for the soul. Yeah, right. Good for the soul.
[00:30:20] Speaker D: But I'm loving it.
[00:30:21] Speaker C: So the. So this bike. You. You've mentioned it to Edward, both Edward and me, but it was. It was revelatory for you in some shape, manner or form.
[00:30:32] Speaker D: It gave me a good thing to sit back and kind of not take.
I feel like I was taking honestly life for granted beforehand and it gave me something to really think about.
Hey, it could have ended right there. Let's be more mindful of the present.
[00:30:51] Speaker C: That had to be pretty scary moment.
[00:30:53] Speaker D: I mean, I don't remember it.
[00:30:55] Speaker C: Right. That's probably sort of looking back on it, what could have been. Right.
[00:30:58] Speaker D: Exactly.
[00:30:59] Speaker C: I guess you don't. You don't know what you can't remember exactly. Yeah. Gosh.
Have you. Edward, have you had any of those revelatory moments in your own life. Not necessarily.
[00:31:10] Speaker D: It doesn't be life or death.
[00:31:11] Speaker C: Yeah. It has to be life or death.
[00:31:13] Speaker B: I would. I would think I probably have,
[00:31:19] Speaker D: but
[00:31:19] Speaker B: I couldn't tell you what exactly they were.
Yeah, I think a lot of what I've come to understand. Understand about life has been gradual. Just seeing things. I mean, like, I remember my granddad, when he passed away, very vividly, but that wasn't like a super tragic moment because, I mean, I mean, frankly, he lived longer than anyone thought he was going to. And, you know, you beat cancer three times, your body's just kind of
[00:31:45] Speaker C: right. You know, it'll take this toll.
[00:31:47] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:31:47] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:31:50] Speaker B: I think that was like a moment of just kind of like, oh, wow. Yeah, like, world's getting real a little bit. Which it wasn't. Like, again, it wasn't overly sad. If anything, it was good because, I mean, he was just in so much pain, frankly, so it felt like a mercy.
[00:32:10] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:32:11] Speaker B: And, yeah, I mean, I think that was one moment where I was like, okay, well, you know, grew up a little bit then. But I don't think I've had any super, super big, like, personal experiences, at least of things that have happened to me. And, yeah, you know, from what I've observed and seen and heard from other people, I think that helps me contextualize a lot of those feelings. But, you know,
[00:32:38] Speaker D: honestly, gradual is probably better.
I mean, it definitely is.
[00:32:43] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:32:44] Speaker D: Like, we're always looking for something instantaneous, so having it come along slowly is probably giving you a better grasp on it.
[00:32:51] Speaker B: Well, that's true. Yeah. I think especially with how we've trained our minds to just, you know, kind of like you were saying, or I think one of you were talking about just, like, phones and hit after hit of.
[00:33:04] Speaker C: Or.
[00:33:04] Speaker B: Yeah, you were talking about, like, getting going on, like, this backpacking trip gets you away from your phone, which is such, like, a constant.
[00:33:12] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:33:13] Speaker B: Keeping your mind occupied. And it. And like, Those first, like, 10 minutes where you're not on your phone is always like, oh, like, I feel weird because my dopamine isn't being, like, completely flushed right now.
[00:33:22] Speaker C: That's right.
[00:33:24] Speaker B: But, yeah, I think, like, that having things be gradual, like. Like we were talking about, like, slow.
I mean, I won't say that was what today was like, because today was just me being me, procrastinating, getting the day started, which is, I feel like, different than taking things slower, but I do, you know, trying to take things easier, take things slower. It certainly.
There's a lot of merit to that. And it just kind of helps ease into maybe like a change of a semester or change of seasons.
[00:33:52] Speaker C: Better.
Yeah. That intentional time and the slowness of time is a good thing.
Has offered me moments when I'm with friends or just grinding coffee and watching sunrise or. But it's, but, but it's been very reflective, very reflective moments. I know that, you know, one of the, One of the more not significant, but one of the more recent moments has been, you know, like, I love thunderstorms. Those are like the perfect time just to sort of sit and think and not, not, you know, not dwell. And it's not a sense of being morose, but just time to kind of think and, and, and reflect. And.
And so the thing so oftentimes what comes to me is this notion of relationships and this notion of friendships.
And I, when I, When I go to that thought, I think back to, you know, what I learned in undergrad reading Aristotle. I don't know if. Are you reading Aristotle these days right now? Nicomachean ethics. Are you looking at that? Right. So that. Right.
And so Aristotle. Correct me if I'm wrong. You're familiar with it, Edward? Yeah.
With Aristotle or some of his thinking?
[00:35:29] Speaker B: Some of it, yeah.
[00:35:30] Speaker C: So.
So Aristotle talks about three kinds of friendship.
The first one is our friendships that are transactional, meaning relationships in which there's not necessarily quid pro quo, but there's something that we might gain as a result of a favor or a result of a task or, you know, Michael, if I ask you to go, you know, buy me some pens, and you do that, that's an example of that.
It's transactional in nature. Nothing really beyond that.
And then I believe a second kind of friendship is one. Or relationships that.
That are entertaining, you know, so, you know, your group of friends that are pretty entertaining to be around and they're fun to be with.
And then, however, if you know what happens when the fun is gone, you know, where is that relationship? And then there's the third friendship, which.
And maybe butchering this, remembering it wrong, but essentially it. What it amounts to are friends who are true and alludes to kind of a very deep, deep, very.
In a very personal relationship where there's no judgment, but there's always truth, you know, so a true friend in that. In that.
In that regard isn't afraid or maybe takes a risk to share some truths that they see about you and how they experience the relationship would be good or bad. But, you know, it's this notion of a true friend having that depth of knowledge of who you are as a person and vice versa is a very reciprocal relationship. So that's where my mind goes. And.
And I could probably count on my.
On one hand, the number of people who fit that definition.
[00:37:48] Speaker D: I would agree.
[00:37:48] Speaker C: Yeah.
It's kind of. Kind of a risk in some way to develop those kinds of friendships, because trust is at the utmost.
So.
[00:38:00] Speaker D: But that's kind of what it's built off of it is that trust.
[00:38:04] Speaker C: Yeah, it really is. So, for example, you going on your. On this hike requires some amount of trust to be able to have someone to go with who values the same kind of stillness of time that you do. How did you develop that? How did you develop that?
[00:38:22] Speaker D: He's. That he's the friend that I always travel with.
And I would love. I mean, I can talk about travel all day. I think that is the best thing for your mind.
And we. We've experienced a whole bunch together, so experiencing all these different cultures together, it's kind of bonded us a whole bunch. It's given us a very different way of thinking. But in the same way, we do think very similar because of all our shared experiences.
[00:38:48] Speaker C: Right.
[00:38:50] Speaker D: So we're always looking for something along those lines.
[00:38:53] Speaker C: Just.
[00:38:53] Speaker D: Just different.
[00:38:54] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:38:55] Speaker D: And we kind of bond over that.
[00:38:56] Speaker C: So that's very cool. How did you find each other in that regard?
[00:39:00] Speaker D: Through the Greek system is my fraternity.
[00:39:02] Speaker C: Oh, nice.
[00:39:03] Speaker D: Yes, sir.
[00:39:03] Speaker C: Nice, nice, nice.
Yeah, it's. That sounds like a pretty neat relationship there.
[00:39:09] Speaker D: He's a good friend.
[00:39:09] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:39:10] Speaker D: Very good friend.
[00:39:11] Speaker C: How about for you ever thinking about those relationships that are. Or friendships, I guess, that are. That reach that level of trueness or genuineness maybe, like, how did you reach them? And when you think about them, how did you reach them? How did you get there?
[00:39:26] Speaker B: I think just, like, shared experience.
[00:39:28] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:39:29] Speaker B: I think a lot of people I grew up with, you just are around a lot. Like, I think history trumps everything, especially with people.
And I have friends here now who I grew up with, and I'm living with two guys from back home and.
But even, like, guys I've met here because I think, like, you can look at it as, like, length of time or, like, concentration of time maybe is, like, a way to put it. But like.
[00:39:56] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:39:56] Speaker B: I mean, in the same way, like, guys I've traveled with.
[00:39:59] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:40:01] Speaker B: Guys I've had classes with. You know, I think, like, those are the kind of experiences that you use, and it's like, yeah, you maybe didn't. Haven't known them for so long, but you're seeing them so much and doing so much with them that they. It becomes that level of.
Again, shared, I think, just shared experience in whatever context that looks like
[00:40:22] Speaker C: having those shared moments together and, And.
And having those experiences that you might not have with others because you're with special people. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I like that. It's, you know, not. And again, not to.
Not to discount the present time, I think part. For me, that's part of what I enjoy about doing this is just getting the time to just have these talks. I mean, it's. It's. It's. It's like being on the front porch grinding your own coffee and watching the sunrise.
[00:40:56] Speaker D: That's exactly what it is, you know.
[00:40:58] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:40:59] Speaker D: It is just that it's a time to share your mind a little bit.
[00:41:02] Speaker C: Correct.
[00:41:02] Speaker D: You don't have that too much.
[00:41:03] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:41:04] Speaker D: I also think that's what makes a very good friend is someone who you can properly, like, share your true self with.
[00:41:12] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:41:13] Speaker D: You're only your true self when you're in a room by yourself.
And the people who you can act most like that with are going to be your closest friends.
[00:41:21] Speaker C: Absolutely. There's no one who knows you better than your closest friends. Oh, yeah, Right. And no one who you can dare to be yourself with in your closest friends. Even family sometimes.
[00:41:30] Speaker D: Oh, yeah. Yes, sir.
[00:41:31] Speaker C: Yeah.
No, I love it. I love it.
Great discussion. I don't know how we got there, but I love how we got there.
[00:41:40] Speaker D: Worked out well.
[00:41:41] Speaker C: It worked out so well. It worked out so well.
I can't believe we're about to close this segment. Head on to.
To closing this episode in our next segment. But anyway, thanks for staying with us. We'll be back. This is the Bama Balance.
[00:42:12] Speaker D: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa.
[00:42:15] Speaker A: This show is not a substitute for professional counseling and no relationship is created between the show hosts or guests and any listener. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, we encourage you to contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863. If you are not a UA student, please contact your respective counties crisis service hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
[00:42:56] Speaker B: Hey, y'.
[00:42:57] Speaker A: All.
[00:42:57] Speaker B: Welcome back to the Bama Balance podcast.
We've had a good conversation today. I think I've really enjoyed the philosophical nature of it, but I think at the end of the day, we've discovered that we all need a break, as does everyone. Hence why we're Getting one. So, you know, I'm excited to spend some time doing. Not school or anything related to campus. I don't know about y'.
[00:43:23] Speaker C: All.
[00:43:24] Speaker D: Oh, yeah.
[00:43:25] Speaker B: But Michael, it was your birthday last week.
[00:43:28] Speaker D: It was.
[00:43:28] Speaker B: It was. You turned 22. You're so old, it's crazy.
[00:43:31] Speaker D: Thank you. I really need to hear that.
Made my day.
You know, I've had a great day up until then.
[00:43:36] Speaker B: What are some. What are some weight. How did you celebrate your birthday?
[00:43:41] Speaker D: You know, I just got dinner with my family.
[00:43:43] Speaker C: They were in town.
[00:43:44] Speaker B: That's awesome.
[00:43:44] Speaker D: They were in town and it was a perfect birthday. That's all. That's all I can really ask for.
[00:43:49] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:43:49] Speaker C: So that's wonderful. It was good. How does it feel being a year older?
[00:43:55] Speaker D: I mean, the same. Be totally honest. Feels the exact same.
[00:43:59] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:44:00] Speaker D: I was telling you this earlier about.
I'll tell the people. Listening, 22 is not very cool.
[00:44:06] Speaker C: That's right. Oh, yeah, you did mention that.
[00:44:07] Speaker D: Yeah. Next thing is 30.
[00:44:09] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:44:10] Speaker B: We all know what happens at age 30. So what happens at age 30, Michael?
[00:44:15] Speaker D: Oh, I don't know if it's true. I'm pretty sure your testosterone starts going down. I've become less manly. Then I can have. Well, I can look at.
[00:44:23] Speaker C: Well, you're only 22.
[00:44:24] Speaker D: I know.
I have. That's eight years to be manly.
Or 25. I look forward to 25. I can like run a car and have a quarter life crisis.
[00:44:32] Speaker C: Then you could.
[00:44:33] Speaker B: 25 is when we can. Are allowed to do that.
[00:44:35] Speaker C: So better yet, get a motorcycle.
[00:44:37] Speaker D: Yeah. I'm really hoping I own a car by 25.
[00:44:39] Speaker C: Oh, yeah, you'll own a car.
[00:44:41] Speaker D: Yeah. I won't need to rent one if I own one.
[00:44:44] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:44:45] Speaker B: Bike everywhere.
[00:44:46] Speaker D: This is true.
[00:44:47] Speaker C: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:44:48] Speaker D: I might sell all my belongings and buy a motorcycle.
[00:44:51] Speaker C: You know, there's. There's something kind of romantic about that ideal.
[00:44:55] Speaker D: That's something you would do something.
[00:44:56] Speaker C: Yeah. Correct.
Correct. I'm halfway there.
[00:45:00] Speaker D: There we go.
[00:45:01] Speaker C: So everything else.
That kind. Yeah. But I think, yeah, 22 is good.
[00:45:07] Speaker D: There we go.
[00:45:08] Speaker C: 22 is good.
Lessons learned to this point in time after another year in all of life. And all of life. Yes, Michael.
[00:45:19] Speaker D: Okay.
Don't overthink. Oh, that's like my big one.
[00:45:26] Speaker C: So good.
[00:45:27] Speaker D: It's so simple.
[00:45:28] Speaker C: It's so good. We kind of talked about that as well. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[00:45:33] Speaker D: I do have a tendency to kind of worry myself and stress myself out way more than I need to, like looking into events. I'm not a public speaker yet. I do a fair Amount of things where I do have to public speak.
I psych myself out so much of
[00:45:48] Speaker C: that like the anxiety piece of it,
[00:45:52] Speaker D: which I know half the time they're not listening to me.
[00:45:55] Speaker B: It's true.
[00:45:56] Speaker C: That's true.
[00:45:57] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:45:58] Speaker C: I don't. I've never seen you speak publicly.
[00:46:00] Speaker D: That's a good thing.
[00:46:01] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:46:01] Speaker D: Yeah. I've never understood. View them in their underwear. That's weird.
[00:46:05] Speaker C: Oh yeah. To try to like, like overcome that stage fright or whatever.
[00:46:09] Speaker D: That's what you're supposed to do. I don't want to do that can be ugly because I'm usually talking to elderly people and yeah.
Sometimes I don't know how we got there. But going back to not overthinking, that's my big thing.
[00:46:23] Speaker C: That's a good. No, that's a good thing to learn. That's a great thing.
[00:46:27] Speaker D: I by no means a pro at. I'm like 20% there.
[00:46:30] Speaker C: Yeah. No. I sometimes still overthink things.
[00:46:33] Speaker D: It's human nature.
[00:46:34] Speaker C: It's human nature and you know, trying to be less like that.
But it's also, I think a function. It's also a function of work and depending on the career you're in, you know, if you're having to problem solve some stuff and over overthinking different options. Any. It's maybe it's a. A career hazard depending on the kind of career you're in. Unless you're a monk.
[00:46:56] Speaker B: True, true, true.
[00:46:57] Speaker D: Which very rare but true.
[00:46:59] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:47:00] Speaker D: I mean stress is natural, but stress is also very bad for you. You said high cortisol earlier. Yeah, but I mean that's. That's a normal thing.
[00:47:08] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:47:08] Speaker D: Is everyone's stressed out.
[00:47:10] Speaker C: Yeah. Too much of it can't be a good thing.
[00:47:12] Speaker D: By no means.
[00:47:13] Speaker C: A lot of bad health problems. Definitely. Definitely. Yeah. I think the.
What struck me over the course of, you know, the time that we've been together again is this intentionality to take the time, you know?
Um.
And so I love the fact that you're going hiking and cutting off from technology.
You know, Edward, I love the fact you're going to the beach and just existing Panama City.
[00:47:42] Speaker B: I can't wait.
[00:47:42] Speaker C: Yeah. And there's nothing more mindful. I know. For me there's nothing more mindful than not only being with family, but getting a chance to be with my nephew's kids.
Somehow young kids, particularly very young kids, take your mind and attention off everything else.
[00:48:01] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:48:02] Speaker B: They do require a lot of right as I'm finding out.
[00:48:05] Speaker C: You know. Right.
Yeah.
[00:48:07] Speaker B: First time uncle, by the way. I don't have a kid. I want to let that be.
[00:48:10] Speaker C: Oh, sorry.
[00:48:10] Speaker B: I don't have. Yes, I'm an uncle.
[00:48:12] Speaker D: I was about to say, congratulations, new
[00:48:13] Speaker B: uncle, but he's not 30.
[00:48:16] Speaker D: Oh, is it.
[00:48:17] Speaker B: It's great. It's great. I. I saw her on Monday when I went to see my family, and she's. Charlotte? Yeah, She's.
[00:48:24] Speaker C: She's a big old baby. How old is she now? Is she a couple months old?
[00:48:29] Speaker B: 2 months old? She has, like, a. She's a fat head.
[00:48:31] Speaker D: Dude, you got to quit insulting the baby. She can't defend herself.
[00:48:35] Speaker B: That just means she's. Oh, well, she.
[00:48:36] Speaker C: She's adorable.
[00:48:37] Speaker B: She messes with me all the time.
Really?
She. Love her to death.
Yeah, she's a. She's a cute little baby, but, yeah. Big old head.
It's just funny.
[00:48:53] Speaker C: What's it like when you're with her?
[00:48:56] Speaker B: Well, if she's not crying, it's great, but I don't have the. Like, I'm just. I'm not.
[00:49:01] Speaker C: When.
[00:49:01] Speaker B: When babies get fussy, I'm like, someone else needs to take.
[00:49:05] Speaker D: Dude, can you say something positive about this baby, please?
[00:49:08] Speaker B: I've only ever been. I've only ever been around her one time when she's like that. That's the thing.
She is.
90% of the time, I just need more. I see. It's not that I don't. I just don't want to do.
[00:49:23] Speaker D: That's so fair.
[00:49:23] Speaker B: Yeah. I'm like, no, she's crying. Like, I don't know how to make her not cry. So someone else take her. So.
[00:49:28] Speaker C: But you. But. But part of being an uncle, too, is learning how to quiet the crying.
[00:49:34] Speaker B: Yeah. When she's, like, a toddler, I'll be
[00:49:35] Speaker C: able to do that.
[00:49:36] Speaker B: I can do that with when. When they. When they can understand what I'm saying.
[00:49:39] Speaker C: Oh, dude, let me tell you. When they can understand when you're. What you're saying is when they'll say no.
[00:49:45] Speaker B: Yeah, but then I get to.
You know, that's when they use words and be like, tell me.
We'll see how far this goes. But that kind of uncle.
[00:49:55] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:49:56] Speaker B: Oh, gosh. I'm gonna be a great uncle, though.
[00:49:58] Speaker C: I'm.
[00:49:58] Speaker B: I'm already the great. The best uncle ever. And I'm gonna teach her all the curse words and have her go to my sister and say them.
[00:50:04] Speaker D: Perfect uncle.
[00:50:05] Speaker B: And Kate's gonna hate me, but it's gonna be great.
[00:50:10] Speaker C: Is she gonna be at the beach with you?
[00:50:13] Speaker D: Okay, this is.
[00:50:14] Speaker B: This is.
[00:50:14] Speaker C: Oh, that's Right.
[00:50:17] Speaker B: Not my family.
[00:50:18] Speaker C: Okay. That's right. That's right. I can't. Wow. I want to hear more about adventures.
Uncle.
[00:50:26] Speaker B: Uncle Edward and Charlotte.
[00:50:28] Speaker C: Charlotte.
[00:50:29] Speaker B: Well, anytime I have something else, I'll report back.
[00:50:32] Speaker C: You need to bring her on the podcast. We'll strap some headphones on over.
[00:50:35] Speaker B: Oh, she would love that.
[00:50:36] Speaker D: Yeah, I bet that'd be great.
To be a sensation.
[00:50:40] Speaker C: Yeah. We'll get videos and pictures and everything.
[00:50:42] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:50:43] Speaker C: I think that'll be fun. Yeah. You know, that's it.
But it's also enjoyable, too.
[00:50:48] Speaker B: Oh, I love it. I love it.
It's so much fun. And it's. It's such a new but weird but awesome feeling. Yeah, absolutely.
[00:50:57] Speaker C: Yeah. That's fantastic.
[00:50:58] Speaker B: Well, thank you guys for listening.
[00:51:00] Speaker C: This was fun.
[00:51:01] Speaker B: This has been a great episode. Always happy to have Michael on.
[00:51:04] Speaker D: Thank you for having me.
[00:51:05] Speaker B: Yeah, he knows what he's doing this time, which is awesome.
[00:51:09] Speaker D: Way more confident. I had an outro this time.
[00:51:12] Speaker B: He had a successful outro for the most part.
But, yeah, this has been.
This has been the Vemma balance. I'm Edward Felton.
[00:51:22] Speaker C: I'm Dr. Tony Perez.
[00:51:23] Speaker D: I'm Michael Dobbs.
[00:51:24] Speaker B: And we will see you all next week.
[00:51:42] Speaker D: Wvuafm, Tuscaloosa.
[00:51:45] Speaker A: This show was not intended as a substitute for professional counseling. Further, the views, opinions and conclusions expressed by the show hosts or their guests are their own and not necessarily those of the University of Alabama, its officers or trustees. Any views, opinions or conclusions inclusions shared on the show do not create a relationship between the host or any guest and any listener, and such a relationship should never be inferred. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, please contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863. If you are not a UA student, please contact your respective counties crisis service hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
