The Trout Stream
The Trout Stream
BONUS: YEAR OF THE TROUT
Have you ever found yourself reminiscing about the simple joys of a Walkman, or wondered how beaver nuggets became the elusive treasure in our travel tales? Join us as we kick off 2025 by looking back at a whirlwind 2024, packed with family adventures, podcast growth, and our viral episode "Sweet Child of Mine" that still surprises us with its popularity. Our hearts swelled with Penn State pride during the Orange Bowl, as we reflected on our Irish roots, family traditions, and the magic of new beginnings.
Our holiday escapades took us from the enchanting ice sculpture exhibits in Dallas to scaling Louisiana's highest peak, sparking a new family tradition—much to our kids' amusement. Amidst the laughter and adventure, we upgraded our technology, toyed with adding visual elements, and gathered inspiration for future episodes. From the playful splashes of dolphins in Florida to a clever car rental trick in Atlanta, our travel stories are sprinkled with humor and mishaps, earning our 'eel of the week' award along the way.
On a more serious note, we tackled the implications of New Jersey's educational standards and the ripple effects of NIL deals on college sports, voicing concerns with a touch of levity. Social media plays a crucial role in our lives, where maintaining authenticity and humor is our guiding light, much like the comedic stylings of Nate Bargatze. Peek behind the curtain as we share our approach to creating meaningful content and community, with a nod to "Tacoma FD" and a commitment to support fellow creators, all wrapped up with gratitude for our listeners' unwavering support.
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Hello everyone. I am Harry Troutman, and with me, as always, is my co-host, I am Paul Troutman, and welcome to the Troutstream. We're a show for adults where your kids can be in the car, your kids can be around. When you listen, we do not curse, we are not about politics, we're all about fun. So, that being said, welcome to the revamped, welcome to the new, welcome to the trout stream, welcome everybody. We said, hey, 2025, we're going to kick it off. We're going to make some changes. We're going to evolve. We're going to get better. We have a lot of things planned this year. We're going to evolve, we're going to get better. We have a lot of things planned this year, big things. But before we go forward, let's take a step back. Let's recap 2024. Buddy, it was a phenomenal year for us. It was a great year. Our growth continued. Which year two is tough, right?
Speaker 2:Usually you have a sophomore slump, yeah sophomore slump Fresh Sophomore slump Freshman 15, sophomore slump let's be honest, we slumped a little towards the end.
Speaker 1:We didn't record as much, and that's on us, but we also wanted to enjoy family time. We will be covering that here shortly what we did, because we both had a jam-packed, awesome, well-deserved end of the year. We did a lot. We did a lot. It was nice to step away, because now I feel rejuvenated, I'm ready to get back to the show.
Speaker 2:I'm in, I feel alive.
Speaker 1:As alive as I can be for 32 degrees outside. Yeah 32 in Louisiana. Yeah, 32 in Louisiana, yeah. That being said, by far our number one most popular episode somehow was Sweet Child of Mine. That gets listened to every day by someone new, and I don't understand it. I'm not complaining about it.
Speaker 2:No, I don't think it's our best episode. It's not our best episode, but like listens wise, like episode one from what? A year and a half two years ago now? Yeah, two years over two years ago now, yeah, yeah, over two years ago to episode 57. Sweet child of mine All right, wow, top two listens episodes all time. But Sweet Child of Mine took the title for 2024.
Speaker 1:It did. I am so proud. We are a formatted show. We have a format we tend to stick to. Obviously, during our intro I listed it what we normally go over Golden Trouts, brack brackets, sometimes funny state laws, pwn packing up the truck. This is our 2025. We have a lot to talk about. Personally, I didn't feel like it was appropriate to try to put 78, episode 78, because we just have too much to just chit chat about. Yeah, we got a lot catching up to do With that. Understand that we are currently watching the Orange Bowl between Notre Dame and Penn State.
Speaker 2:as we record, Now, mind you, not only is it the Orange Bowl college football semi-playoffs, semi-round we'll get to that later in this show but Harry and I coming from commonly referred to as the 33rd county of Ireland the country of Ireland has 32 counties and the 33rd is Delaware County. Pennsylvania, per capita, at one point had more Irish people there than anywhere else in the United States.
Speaker 1:Don't go, don't go, don't go.
Speaker 2:Therefore everybody's Irish. Harry and I are our DNA test that we did for fun turns out we are way more Irish than we ever thought, and then we grew up Catholic, so our nicknames were the Fighting Irish at the bus stop. But we're going for Penn State this week.
Speaker 1:We are going for Penn State. Where did our Penn State fandom even start? Because, again, I often Credit you to my, my fandom.
Speaker 2:I like Penn State because you like Penn State?
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I remember going upstate Seeing it in the moment pop, and it was Penn State. Notre Dame and Michigan Were the top three teams in the early 90s that everybody watched and they were always on. And Penn State was good Because it was Joe Paterno and they were just Consistently a top team. 94 they were undefeated. And that's about the time where I was 9 years old, you know, 8, eight turning nine, and that's really when I got hooked right Because they were a good team and they're the state, they're the home team.
Speaker 1:I know mom's always been a fighting Irish Notre Dame fan but, like I said, I didn't know where the Penn State came from.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's a. It's a Pennsylvania. Obviously you know is Penn means Pennsylvania. It's just a home state thing, home state Right.
Speaker 1:I remember Using your Walkman, the cassette Walkman, yeah, to listen to the Orange Bowl one year, and it went into multiple overtimes, oh, 2005. Yes, I remember that very well and I fell asleep. Yeah, we were watching it on TV.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:You were away, mm-hmm, and mom was like all right, it's bedtime 2006.
Speaker 2:2005 season, but it was January of 2006.
Speaker 1:So I went upstairs, I found your Walkman, I found new batteries. I put them in and I was listening and I fell asleep. I thought they were going to lose. I turned it off and I woke up and they won.
Speaker 2:As a matter of fact, harry, the little behind the scenes, a little BTS, as they like to say on the streets I was wearing a Penn State sweatshirt a little bit ago. We're in the fourth quarter of the game right now. Ok, so about halftime I put on my sweatshirt, because I'm recording in the garage and it's 32 degrees out. I want something nice to wear the sweatshirt that I was wearing, harry, I wore the sweatshirt that I was wearing, harry. I wore the night of that Orange Bowl. Oh, pretty sure I've had that sweatshirt that long Got everything on my other Penn State gear. Now, mind you, notre Dame Drove the ball down the field, so I immediately Went and changed and grabbed my newer sweatshirt, just because I need a sweatshirt In my garage, because it's pretty cold so not only did you change your sweatshirt into a new one.
Speaker 1:After you change your sweatshirt, penn State goes down the field scores, ties it up 17 a piece. Again you change your sweatshirt. Penn State just picked the ball off. Buddy. Penn State has you personally tooth. That I'm high. We call it chicken skin, some people call it goosebumps. I don't know what you guys call it. The hair on my arms is sticking straight up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, mine is Two reasons I'm going to foot stomp this again. My garage is very cold and Penn State is doing very well. Harry, I took my drinks for our show out of my garage fridge and set them on my table slash studio desk an hour before we started recording. They're colder now.
Speaker 1:What is your like average temperature there? You don't really get seasons too often.
Speaker 2:No, it's, either we're hot or we are Every January. Obviously, everywhere in the country, january is bitter cold. Yeah, january. Last year we had an ice storm mid January. It was the day Piper, it was the day before Piper had to get tubes, and so they called us the day before and they're like hey, can you guys, are you guys going to be able to make it? You know, it's the other side of town, blah, blah, blah. I'm like, yeah, one of us has a Subaru all-wheel drive vehicle and the other one of us has a four-wheel drive vehicle. And, uh, the other one of us has a four-wheel drive. So, rado, we're fine, mckinney's procedure will be there. And they're like, oh, but it seems like every two to four year window a snowstorm comes. Yeah, but normally it's 40 degrees. Yeah, during the. During the day right. Night, high thirties. During the day, right.
Speaker 1:Night, high 30s, when I went, when Ange and I came down to see you guys and we did fall activities, yes, and I was just sweating the entire time.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, we don't really have a fall.
Speaker 1:No, no, it was not enjoyable in the least. I will be honest about that.
Speaker 2:Something about pumpkin picking and sweating just oh, yeah, then hey, yep, yeah, we were out there in the pumpkin patch. It was, um, you were here during the late summer, which is not fall, like it is october, but we still refer to it as late summer. Yeah, it was brutal. So, from, so from Thanksgiving until mid-February, yeah, solid four months where it's, I love it. Don't get me wrong. I love the cold. This is very enjoyable to me, but, yeah, we get like four months of it.
Speaker 2:Three, two, one December 31st, harry is at clock struck midnight we heard the 12 Ringings of the bell. We're toasting, we're giving kisses, or, if you're Spreet and I, we're laying in bed Surfing, tiktok going. Oh crap, it's 11.58. At that moment we realized there were 29 TroutStream episodes that year, 26 Numbered episodes. There were 29 Trout Stream episodes that year, 26 numbered episodes, 51 through 77. And then three specials. We have the Thanksgiving Turkey Trot. We had a spring break, I think, but and in the summer break Now I love the Thanksgiving one. Thanksgiving one's probably our favorite because you know we hustle, we get that one out. We've finished up our favorite Thanksgiving side dish bracket. We completed at least three brackets this year. We did very well, huge engagement on those brackets.
Speaker 2:Right, we've reached milestones on our downloads, louisville. We have officially hit worldwide, harry. Worldwide 515 cities, 39 countries slash territories. But I think the one stat that I'm most proud of is the company that we use to distribute our podcast. That gets us our stats and you know, make sure we're honest which I still think it's missing some things, me too. Me too. Yeah, they count six continents because they have Antarctica as oceanic, right there with Australia, new Zealand, a lot of those, the Fijian Islands, I think, maybe the Dwaynene, the Rock Johnson Islands yeah, so those guys. And then wherever Marco Polo Sailed, right in the Southern Ocean, there that's considered oceanic. So technically they are counting Six continents and we officially hit Every continent On the globe.
Speaker 1:We have. I didn't think it was going to happen.
Speaker 2:Honestly, Well, sometimes you got to be like George Michael or, uh, Fred Durst and you got to have faith.
Speaker 1:Where I thought we were going to struggle was getting listeners in the continent of Africa, and we nailed it. I don't know how, uh, I don't know anyone personally in in Africa, but I just want to say thank you and I'm really blown away at what we were able to accomplish in 2024.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was a. It was a big move because, uh 22, we only had a couple months, right, so that was just the beginning. 23 was our biggest year. We went full force and, like you said, sophomore slump Usually most people have a sophomore slump we didn't like we just kept grinding it. We didn't put out as many episodes, but we also had a lot more uh, family things come up right that we intentionally took the time off for.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I will say I am pretty proud that we we did take a step back when needed.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we took I think it was three weeks off for the holidays. A lot of people keep grinding, a lot of people take more off. We pick the right amount of time, yes, and then we go are you ready this week or not? We could have recorded last week, I bet, but we were like, no, I'm not ready. Well, I was in Florida, oh, you know what I mean. Yeah, that's probably a good idea, but the week before, yeah, yeah, I was not here, and that's what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:I'm just glad that we were able to figure this out, and now we're moving forward.
Speaker 2:Yep Check, check, check, check. Of the 515 cities, 417 were from the United States, so that means 512 were from our international cities of 38 countries. I'm not trying to go through the whole list, but wow to be in that many countries and that many international cities mind-blowing.
Speaker 1:It really is. We are not a scripted show. There's no script. We have bullet points we want to hit. We have segments we like to do. We do review the show together before we record and golden trout you gave out. You had a couple of good ones and I said you know what? We should save them because I only want to give out one golden trout to a lot of people Everyone who's listened, everyone who's contributed to our fan brackets on Facebook, on X, everyone who's liked our Instagram posts, everyone who's spread the word. I want to start off 2025 right and I want to give this golden trout to you. Without you guys, we are absolutely nothing. We would still record.
Speaker 2:We would still do this every week. Oh, no, 100%. Yeah, there's no stopping this train. We're going to do it every week. Oh, no, 100%.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there's no stopping this train we're going to do it. Well, we thank you for doing everything you guys do for us, for allowing us to continue to do this.
Speaker 2:I mean, harry and I, you guys should really, we took a huge pause, right, because we're doing some technological upgrades to our show and one of those little is maybe visual and I think that's what's going to. That could bring in more people, right, and we're not here. To Harry and I said this back in October of 2022, when he was down here visiting and we were we were in two separate bedrooms because we couldn't figure out how to record in the same room on two mics. When looking back, like we could just use one mic. Yeah, like that's how, that's how unintelligent we were that long ago.
Speaker 2:But we've always said the same thing that at the end of the day, if this doesn't take off like we dream, you know, people years down the road, family members down the road, are going to be like, hey, let's listen to this audio. You know these two uncles, you know, as we're old and gray, drinking bush light at 90 on the front porch, and be like, oh, you guys actually used to be funny, but it's because of fan interaction. You guys like, keep it going as well. Like I'm going to go until I don't have a voice.
Speaker 1:It's always, it's always one of my favorite things. When someone comes up to me, it's like, ah, and they, they reference an episode. Oh man, it is so great, it's so great, I love it, you know we have a.
Speaker 2:It's going to be a big year, big milestones, right, and I want to celebrate a lot of things with a lot of people and really it's our listeners and our fans yeah, I mean, I'm not trying to be cheesy right now.
Speaker 1:Everyone, of course, thanks their fans and their listeners and all this stuff, but I mean we genuinely mean it, thank you.
Speaker 2:No, we used to make fun of those people like I, want to thank all the people that listen to my music and you're like there's millions of people, and then you're like oh wait, it literally keeps you going. We're not rock stars on stage. We should Like Harry and I live. I think it would be great. Maybe we'll get our manager and set that up, but it's we took some time off.
Speaker 1:We're back. What did you do during our very well-deserved break?
Speaker 2:harry. The question is, what didn't we do? So we went to dallas to uh ice right, um, we may have hit this before I left. We talked about it, you know before. We went to where there's this giant warehouse style room where they uh sculpt ice into a christmas theme. Nice, uh, last year was 2023, was the grinch and and 2024 it was Rudolph. And as you walked around the place in each section I'm not going to call it a room, it was a section you went to it was the different scenes of the movie, in chronological order oh, so Yukon Cornelius is there, the Abominable Snowman, personal hero of mine. Right, yukon was not, was not shrap.
Speaker 1:I think so.
Speaker 2:I think I think the revolver might have had too much detail, as I'm gonna say, but it was really cool seeing all the painted ice and stuff like that. And so we spent two and a half days at the resort there. Kids loved it. Spent two and a half days at the resort. Their kids loved it, had a blast, easy blast, and then came home. Santa visited our house. Santa treated our children very well. Heck yeah, better than anticipated. Reagan went to visit her mom for New Year's. I made a trip up north for a few days to visit episode 52, special guest chance Visit him for a couple of days. Came back home New Year's. Harry was phenomenal. We went to a side of the road fireworks stand where a high school kid was like, hey, you should probably buy these and buy these and buy these.
Speaker 2:And I'm like, bro, I'm not trying to spend a hundred bucks, I wanted the fireworks stand from Joe Durbin with the sparklers and snakes and I'm like that's everything I want in life, and when you have a three and a half and two year old, I'm not looking for big stuff. We did get one thing called Medusa. It kind of lit up pretty well. It was nice, and I have an irrational fear of fireworks Really. Yeah, I don't know what it is.
Speaker 1:Like I'm in my street.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I like them. But like with kids around is different. Like if you and I were out, like in the woods, and we have a platform all day I'm lighting those things off. But in my neighborhood where it's really narrow roads, cars coming, I have kids. We move my truck into the street so the kids can play in the driveway and ride sidewalk chalk and stuff Irrational fear, man. But there was one that was cool. It went up and as it misses up, explodes, and then the little guy parachuted down. Oh, that's awesome. Yeah, that was pretty cool. I only found one of the three parachutes. So Cool, alright, so we got three toys. Yeah, it wasn't even a toy, it was just like this cardboard block that was inside the firework.
Speaker 2:New Year's Day, we decided to do something new, maybe start a new tradition. We went on a family hike, the four of us, while Reagan was with her mom. So, harry, we lace up those boots of hiking boots, as they say. Four of us went and we climbed the highest point in this great state of louisiana on new year's day. How many thousands of feet was that? It was 535 feet, oh, okay, yeah, yeah, it was awesome, because the kids were like are we there, yet I'm like this isn't even bad, like it's literally a walking trail, we're gonna get there and we get up to the top and Olivia goes, that's it. I'm like, well, yeah, it's just, it's the start. Okay, next year we'll go to Everest. Like, does that make you?
Speaker 2:happy, yeah yeah, but that was fun, like getting the kids up there and just walking around and stuff. Next year we'll go to Everest. Does that make you happy? Yeah, but that was fun, like getting the kids up there and just walking around and stuff. And then, harry, I went somewhere where I've been wanting to go for a very long time. I've dreamed of this place. I have thought of this place a lot more than most people should. I went to visit the Grassy Knoll Ooh, in the old library.
Speaker 2:For those that are internationalists that don't know, president Kennedy, on November 22nd 1963, was shot Right across the street from the grassy knoll. Lee Harvey Oswald was positioned in the Texas State Book Depository. Don't get me started, harry. We don't have enough time. We don't have enough time for me to dig into this. It was a good time. I got a little overwhelmed. There was too many people there. It was really getting to me. But I'm trying to put myself in the shoes of, you know, lead inspector investigator Arlen Specterer, who wound up becoming a US senator for a long time. I started putting two of you together while I was there. We'll leave it at that. We'll let you guys all come to your own conclusion. That was awesome.
Speaker 2:And then, last but not least, harry Sabrina found something very cool and it was called Christmas Special. Sorry, I lied to you. It was called Classic Christmas, coca-cola. Classic Christmas, located in Dallas, inside the old Texas Rangers baseball stadium. So as you walk into the baseball stadium, they got lights and everything galore. And then you go down to where the field is, or was you know? So you're where the players stood and played and they have all this cool light stuff Set up, sponsored by Coca-Cola. We realized the best time to go to this stuff is after New Year's.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I imagine.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was dead. Nobody was in there. The girls got light-up wands Like. People were like hey, here have this wand, like okay, like normally 10, 20 bucks. They're like take this from us, please, please, for the love of God. And as we're leaving, they have like a tote bag. You know the grocery bag things. They're like hey, you're like please, we're like okay. So I thought it was just a bag. We get home, like we got a hotel room. So we got back to the hotel room. I'm like what is in here? There's a picture frame, there's a pen, there's like a bunch of stuff in there. I was like with the price tags on it. So it's like 50 worth of gear in there that they were like please get rid of this for us.
Speaker 1:I don't want to see this anymore. Please, yeah, please, just please go.
Speaker 2:That's it about me, harry. I we did like 17 other things that don't have. They're not going to make the the cutting room floor. I want to hear about your time off. You're three weeks away from the show. Tell me about it. I took a vacation a real vacation.
Speaker 1:Yeah, not a weekend away, not not a couple of days down the beach, down the shore. Angie and I went to Crystal River, florida and Atlanta. We went and saw the manatees in the wild. Super dope, my life goal is to become a manatee. I think they got a pretty good life.
Speaker 2:You got to work pretty hard with that, I heard.
Speaker 1:No, you don't. They don't do much, do much. No, I meant for you becoming a manatee. Oh, for me to become one. Yeah, that's it. I got a couple scientists on the line, but so we went. We saw that on new year's eve we did a private dolphin tour, and on the golf. Oh, that was really cool. It was a pot of six dolphins and they were using the lights off the boat to eat. Then they were like a foot away, so like when they would exhale out of their blowhole. That mist would hit me in the face, so I was getting covered with dolphin snot.
Speaker 2:That's fun.
Speaker 1:I'm proud of you. Uh, it was very majestic. I don't care what people say, dolphins are incredibly smart. I don't know if anyone argues that fact. There was one dolphin, my man, was pretty beat up. His dorsal fin was actually pretty damaged from a crab pot line and he would jump up and splash me directly and then turn around and look at me pretty damaged from a crab pot line, and, uh, he would jump up and splash me directly and then turn around and look at me. So he knew what he was doing. Yeah, um, but then again I see all the damage on him and all the injuries that humans have caused and I'm like I kind of get it. Dude, you don't like us. Yeah, makes sense, and that's fair.
Speaker 1:We then made the trek back up from North Tampa to Atlanta. On the way we stopped at Bucky's. Yes, I wanted three things from Bucky's. I wanted a hat, mm-hmm. I needed a new travel mug Makes sense. And I wanted beaver nuggets makes sense, and I wanted beaver nuggets. And I will finish that story during my eels, because it's not great ah one of them yeah but bucky's amazing, as always.
Speaker 1:And then, yeah, we came home. We flew out of wilmington, delaware, which, for those listeners who don't know, wilmington is not a very big city to begin with. No, I actually sent Paul a picture of the terminal, which was about 12 chairs. Yeah, it was great. And the food court consisted of Two vending machines.
Speaker 2:One drink, one food? Yes, both of which were completely sold out. Oh man, hot commodities in there.
Speaker 1:So, uh, not only did they not have anything, then they didn't have anything.
Speaker 2:So do you want nothing, or would you prefer nothing?
Speaker 1:Well, what's funny is that they had whizzlers left. That was the only. Thing. Oh my.
Speaker 2:God, that's the only like one of the first things I would go after.
Speaker 1:That's what I thought too, cause Angie was looking for some gum. You know what I mean. She uh, has some ear troubles, yes, flying. So she's like, oh, I wonder if there's a gum in the vending machine. I was like, how do you feel about Twizzlers? And she goes, absolutely not. And I said fair enough.
Speaker 2:I get it right. Not for everybody, it's not for the faint of heart. Atlanta is a massive airport. Oh dude, yeah Great airport.
Speaker 1:It's scary, but I will say this I did use my height to my advantage. Yep, Yep, Smart. Angela's talking to the enterprise rental lady, who was maybe four, seven at most. Yeah, so she goes. Oh, you guys got a Volkswagen Jetta. Those are in lane three. So then I stood up behind her and I said I'm sorry, what lane did you say we were in? And she turned around at my belly button and then she looked up. She goes um, smaller SUVs are in lane three. Why don't you guys go ahead and go there? We're going to.
Speaker 1:We're going to upgrade you. So we went from a Jetta to a RAV4. There you go. Not much bigger, no, but it was nice Because I was higher. Yeah, that's the nice part. And it's also nice.
Speaker 2:When your vehicle's Up taller too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, plus, like not getting Down into a vehicle and up out of a vehicle. Yeah, is also very nice. Yeah, cabin Was the same size.
Speaker 2:No, it was just A Jetta with a lift. Yeah, pretty much.
Speaker 1:Is it time? It is time to hand out the eels of the week the slimy, the disgusting, the bad, the not happy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like if it had a theme song, it would be the Law and Order theme song, because you're going to jail you are going to jail and Bucky, you're going to jail.
Speaker 1:You are going to jail and Bucky's is going to jail Send him. We love Bucky's. Here I'm wearing my Bucky's hat, I'm drinking my water out of my Bucky's thermos, but I went into Bucky's for three things A hat, a new cup and beaver nuggets. And there were no beaver nuggets. I'm not saying that there was only one bag or whatever. I saw them in other people's cards or in their hands. No, this store in Georgia had absolutely no beaver nuggets. That's wild, insanely wild.
Speaker 1:I'm walking around and I like different flavors. Now they have caramel, cinnamon and jalapeno. I think was one. You know they had some artisanal beaver nuggets Okay, but not the old school original.
Speaker 2:Plain Jane's beaver nuggets.
Speaker 1:Yeah, completely sold out, I mean, I guess. So I mean they're good. So I traveled hundreds of miles. Mm-hmm, no nuggets. What a waste of miles. No nuggets, what a waste of time. I will also say that if capacity for that store was 600, there was 599 people in there. That's terrible. Not a fan of that. You couldn't breathe, you couldn't move. Um, I walked up to the big soda fountain wall and I yeah, one thing I hate. I hate feeling in the way Like I have every right to be there too, right, but I hate feeling in the way and like I don't. As much as I love Bucky's, I don't know what sodas they have on their fountain wall. No, because obviously it's like two bucks for 40 ounces of soda, less than yeah, whatever it is, I'm going to go fountain drink all day. Have on their fountain wall. No, because obviously it's like two bucks for 40 ounces of soda, less than yeah, whatever it is, I'm going to go fountain drink all day. Mm-hmm, I couldn't even see what they had.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's just wild.
Speaker 1:It is wild, which leads me to my second eel oh Two, for I don't know, I don't even know if we talked about this one, the Georgia aquarium has whale sharks. Whale whale sharks? Okay, they have belugas, they have dolphins, they have otters, they have sea lions or seals, whichever ones. Oh wait, I don't, just have a roast, I don't, I don't discriminate. Okay, $60 to get in. Now, it's one of the, if not the only place to see whale sharks. Okay, didn't really think about that. In captivity, of course.
Speaker 2:Oh, their tank.
Speaker 1:Their tank is the size of a football field super awesome. Like ang and I, they had a big viewing area and we sat there for probably half hour 45 minutes just watching these things swim around now the length and width, but obviously it's going to be a lot taller than football field, right?
Speaker 2:yes, yeah, okay, still checking.
Speaker 1:Super dope, manta rays, one sea turtle, and apparently that sea turtle is kind of not a nice Guy. He picks at everyone, which is Kind of funny, and he attacks the divers that go in there. Hilarious, my kind of guy, yeah, and there's only one, so like who you gonna tell him.
Speaker 2:no, that's what I want to know $60.
Speaker 1:60 beans is a lot for an aquarium. It's a lot of ZD. Again, it's once in a lifetime, thanks. The peach bowl just happened. Yeah, people want to kill time. Tickets are timed. You couldn't move in there. Yeah, people want to kill time. Tickets are timed. You couldn't move in there. No, and that's my problem is the fact of I know they're a non-profit. I want to see them busy. I want to see these animals taken care of Right. I have a soft spot for animals, like you know what I mean. I want to see all that, but as a consumer, it was disgusting. That's a bummer. You know what else is a bummer? I'm going to go on a little tangent here.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay, let's take it back to Algebra 2. Give me a tangent Harry.
Speaker 1:They are a nonprofit. Yep Coca-Cola donates coke vitamin water to them. Okay, as a tax write-off, mm-hmm. They then turn around and for a 20-ounce bottle of vitamin water, $4. Hoo-wee, a little magnet of a whale shark $11. Good night.
Speaker 2:How big is the magnet, though? Let's back this up it's like three inches.
Speaker 1:Oh, acrylic Like it's a whale shark, yeah, $11.
Speaker 2:Now you're. You've been hanging out eating too many Doritos, you know what?
Speaker 1:I'm saying yeah, Uh, I thought honestly, I thought it was completely ridiculous. Yeah.
Speaker 2:That's pretty. Uh. What they would say on the street is redonkulous.
Speaker 1:And then they have a parking garage, which is awesome. That's great, convenient, um, you can even pay for parking ahead of time. Oh, nice, which we did Right. Obviously, you're not going to, not, it's still a block walk away. So, like you're not aquarium parking, you're just parking.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's not. Wow, I prepaid for my parking so I'll be close. My oh, oh, you're at the aquarium. Yes, sir, if you go down two blocks, make a left uh, parking be down there, I'm telling you. You know, you're the sketch part of the neighborhood. You're gonna turn right when you see the car on blocks. Yeah, yeah, just turn right there. It's fine, you have insurance on your car, right?
Speaker 1:oh, yeah, I mean, listen, luckily everything was safe and it was fine, but I was just like, don't advertise like that. You know what I mean? Right, as amazing as and as once in a lifetime it was, it felt a little scummy at the same time. Yeah, they know, they got you. Oh, you're there, they know. Hey, we have the same time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they know, they know, they got you. Oh, you're there. They know, hey, we have the whale shark. So it's like it's like oh, they got two, they got, they got the whale sharks, yeah, right. So it's like the uh, the announcer from Price is Right, come on down, yeah, and you're going to pay for it.
Speaker 1:Obviously you did and I can assure you the price is too damn high. Yeah, Way too high. That's it. That's all I got. It was great and I'm glad I did it and I would do it again. Yeah, To be clear, 100%, I would park in the same parking. Yes, I would pay the $60. I will pay the $4 for the vitamin water because you know you're parched after walking. Yeah, you need it. You need it. I will do it all again.
Speaker 2:You need the vitamins.
Speaker 1:It did not feel good at the same time.
Speaker 2:Which is allowed. Right, you can want to do something again, but not like it. Yeah, like man. That is part of my trip. Really annoyed me, but I would do it again.
Speaker 1:Yeah, oh, hands down, I would go sit in front of the tank again all day, right? Yeah, that's it, man.
Speaker 2:that's all I got for my eels, alright, so I got one and this has been bothering me for a while. We kind of talked about this and it's bothered me for a while. Ever since reading about it, I say, wow, it's been a week I've been waiting to record through this eel. Like Harry, I read this story, I went to the local market, bought an eel and it's been sitting ready to go because this one, harry oh man, it's, it's good, it's ready by the time it gets to this great state of New Jersey.
Speaker 2:It is going to be perfect. We, we stick away from politics and we're a very family friendly show. Yes, this one to me is having three kids. We stick away from politics and we're a very family-friendly show. Yes, this one to me is having three kids. Education is very important. To me, education is highly important. K through 12. Once they hit 12th grade, they can decide what they want to do with their future. K through 12 is under my responsibility.
Speaker 2:I don't know about you, harry, but I would like the teachers to be educated and informed and pretty much be literate. No longer in New Jersey, new Jersey teachers no longer require to pass state's basic literary test. You don't have to take a literacy test in the state of New Jersey, effective one January. I'm not trying to dive into the politics, the political side of it, I don't care For me.
Speaker 2:And it's reading, writing, basic math. That's what it is. How are you going to teach somebody? Obviously, I get it If you have a degree right. Oh, I have my teaching degree. Oh, so you can read and write. Sure, basic math. I kind of want you to have basic math, because I need you to count up to 15 to 30. Right, because how many students are in your classroom? I need you to keep a head count here. I think going hey, anybody know what number comes out to? 20, 23? I'm just asking because there's supposed to be 24 of you. Oh, okay, you're right. Okay, got it. But, man, that goes, that's just an eel. I got right. There is. You don't have to pass a literacy test. You're going to have fourth graders smarter than high school teachers one day. Yeah, and that's what's scary?
Speaker 2:That is a scary part, because it's like I just we really need to start this conspiracy theory podcast we've talked about. Yes, because, guys, this is going to be like a 30-hour episode, just me rambling the whole time. My other deal sticking with school, but let's go to college. The NIL deals. I know it's very broad. I think it's ruining some sports. I think it's ruining things. You got players going to transfer portal. You have Quinn Ewers, a quarterback at Texas who's like I might go to the NFL draft, and there's a quote Big Ten team out there going hey, oklahoma, saquon Barkley, penn State University, jordan Milata, stotland University. When the players say their name and what college, pretty soon we're going to be like Mo Green, ohio State, michigan Tulane, NC State, alabama, roll Tide, like what.
Speaker 2:There is a kid right now that graduated high school the same year as Trevor Lawrence who's still playing in college and Trevor Lawrence is going on his fifth year in pros. It's disgusting. But there's a Texas Tech receiver, micah Hudson. I really hope he hears this. I really hope he hears me giving him this deal, because I don't know if I want to mail it to him or just the NCAA. If he hears this, I really hope he hears me giving him this deal, because I don't know if I want to mail it to him or just the NCAA, but his alleged NIL deal that he's fighting for right.
Speaker 2:A $700,000 minimum wire up front for one-year deal to sign immediately. Hey, man, you want me to play? Give me $700,000. That's more than I'm going to make base pay in the next 10 years. A separate NIA deal for three cars for his family members to sign immediately. Like you want me to sign. Not only do I need $700,000, but I need three vehicles for my family to use. I need to also need a personal driver with a Cadillac SUV. Like, not just any personal driver. Like, he must have a Cadillac SUV. I just want to know if the contract has, like, what percentage of tint and what shade of black do you want your SUV? Yeah, for spring to use, from spring practice through the end of the season. A family hotel and travel arrangements paid each game with up to 10 members who have travel tickets and costs paid for. So he wants 10 family members to get, you know, go to all of his games for free and stay for free, and a medical injury time off to Harry.
Speaker 2:This is the wild one. Medical injury, time off and playing after injury will be determined only by Micah and his family. So, oh, he's coming off of an injury. Well, the doctor said you're not clear. Nah, we're not taking his advice. It's literally me and my family.
Speaker 2:But for somebody who's demanding all this, putting up huge numbers, this year, harry, with eight receptions of 123 yards and no touchdowns, that is why it's an eel. That, ladies and gentlemen, is why I can't stand these NIL deals. No, that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I can't stand these NIL deals. No, that's disgusting.
Speaker 2:Be a 19-year-old kid, go play football, get a free education, use that free education scholarship you got. If you're fortunate enough to get a scholarship, I don't care if you're first stringer, second stringer, red shirt, fourth stringer, you're not ever going to see a scholarship. I don't care if you're first stringer, second stringer, red shirt, fourth stringer, not ever going to see the field. If you got a scholarship, use it, yeah. And this is why, oh man, I'm going to go to the second one here. Bill Belichick would get a golden trout from me. I'm going to save it for next week. Thanks, he has said. I'm going to save that. Okay, I'm going to save that. Okay, I'm literally writing down my scratch piece of paper that's on my desk Before I get too mad. That's the only eels I have this week.
Speaker 1:Not too many. Here's where we start packing up the truck. It's when we talk about something up the truck, it's when we talk about something off the rails. Whatever we want, you know, it's no holds barred. Really, sometimes it's the best part of the show.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, you think about packing up the truck. You're out there with your buddies fishing, getting off work. The blue-collar guys are heading to the truck with their lunch pail and their thermos. I don't know if other people still do that, but I do. Right, You're heading out there. You start talking about random stuff that you've been waiting to. You know just, you've been jobbing all day. Are you talking about other things? That is our free time to just shoot the breeze about a random topic.
Speaker 1:Penn state lost the orange bowl no they moving on.
Speaker 2:So I don't know if you guys heard, but Harry and I are pretty Irish, so let's go Notre Dame let's go fight Irish, oh man, and in stand up. That's called a wraparound joke and that was perfect, sir he's called Harry and I to fight an Irish at the bus stop.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's so great. That was perfect. What a wraparound. Dude Buddy, I'm just glad to be back recording and I'm back. I'm ready to get back to the format. I'm ready for all the exciting new things we have coming.
Speaker 2:Yeah it's going to be great, I'm on the edge of my seat, I'm excited, right, and I get. Now. I used to hate it, I used to absolutely hate, but stay tuned, stay tuned.
Speaker 1:Things are coming.
Speaker 2:I'm going to be honest with you, right? And if there's one thing our show does, harry, is we are very, very honest with people. I love giving behind-the-scenes stuff, yeah, when we say stay tuned because things aren't solidified yet. Yeah, 100%. I am not going to tell you that, hey, we are going to hit this milestone or we're going to do this Because we don't know.
Speaker 2:There's no way to know. So my favorite thing is uh, we have the potential to do a lot this year. Yes, so if you ride along with us, you're going to enjoy it. I think you will. Yeah, I mean, it's grab that thermos in that lunchbox and let's pack that truck up every week, are?
Speaker 1:you an Irish.
Speaker 2:You know, and just a lot. There's gonna be a lot more engagement this week, this year, this year. That's a big goal. I'm going to put a lot of challenges on our social media as well.
Speaker 1:I got a lot of challenges on our social media as well. I got a couple of coworkers man, I know they don't listen, but they love our Facebook and that's not a plug. That's like me, just being honest, like they love our Facebook.
Speaker 2:No, I got people that message me all the time. They're like man, this is awesome, I'm like it's so great. Literally, it's just we are being ourselves Like there is no. Yes, there's no persona here. I posted vacation pictures, right Other than that I couldn't tell you the last thing I actually like posted myself. Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 1:I don't know, and before that one I mean I might've just like shared stuff maybe, but I'll share things on occasion I find hilarious. I'll tell you a hilarious story. I accidentally shared A snippet To my wall and only Ange liked it, but I meant to send it to her in a message and it was. I'm basically Winnie the Pooh.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:And it was a video of the live action Winnie the Pooh, and I was like man, I know this dude, I am him. He's like I think I'm hungry. Christopher Robin's like dude, you just ate. And he goes I did, but I think I might be hungry. And then he's climbing his shelf. Christopher Robin goes what are you doing? You can't climb a shelf, it's not a ladder. He goes well, that's probably why it's not good for climbing. Then huh, and I'm like that's hilarious.
Speaker 2:Dude, I'm literally going through my social media now and realizing I don't post. Sabrina tags me and everything. Sabrina tags me, right, my birthday, big deal and I share all our show stuff. I know me too, yeah, and then I got the post with when I took Olivia hunting with me sitting in the blind. That's it. We literally focus our social media game On this show. It's so wild I don't want to waste a good joke on just my page. No, no, I want the world to see it.
Speaker 1:And sometimes I find a really funny meme and I'm like it's appropriate, because we do try to keep it appropriate. No, we do.
Speaker 2:I mean, sometimes I really hope your kids aren't on Facebook like that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but we try to keep the vibes the same on Facebook.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:No, the vibes are the same, 100% On the show. We don't want to put anything vulgar out, not even vulgar. Yeah, no, the vibes are the same, 100% On the show. We don't want to put anything vulgar out, not even vulgar. But you know, f this or whatever? Yeah, we can play On the Facebook page and then you come, listen to the show and like we're PG, you know Whoa? No, no, no, we keep it the same. Yeah, keep it legit, which is actually harder than you would think. No, actually harder than you would think. No facts after doing this for two years, you realize why. I mean that they're on the same group. But comedians like Jeff Foxworthy, yeah, billing ball, larry, the cable guy, and then you got to leave out Ron White because he's he's definitely. Yeah, you realize how hard it is to be that funny and that pg, pg7, pg13 ish area.
Speaker 2:It's hard well it's his name, nate um bergese. Yeah, I love nate hilarious.
Speaker 1:I'm not trying to sound like a hipster. I found him years ago and I was like this dude is hilarious.
Speaker 2:No, yeah, I remember watching him for years and um watched an interview with him, with Kevin Hart and somebody else, like, oh, do you? Oh you swear words at home, just not on TV or anything. No, no, the easiest way is uh, I am used to live TV, like on late night shows and they were trying to get him to curse. He's like's, not my shtick, I'm good for you, dude, I'm very proud of you.
Speaker 1:I think when he was on snl he did the uh founding father's gig oh my gosh loved it.
Speaker 2:Hilarious, yes, so funny, yes, but but again it it is hard, yeah and that's the other thing that you're not going to get from A lot of other shows is we're going to plug other people for Nothing. No, no bonus to us. I'm going to tell you what to go listen to. I'm going to tell you what shows to tune into. Go give them some love.
Speaker 1:You know what show we just started? Tacoma FD. Oh my.
Speaker 2:So funny. We're like five episodes in and I'm like this is coma FD. Oh my yes, funny, love that show.
Speaker 1:Love that show, we're like five episodes in and I'm like this is gold. Yeah, that's a show I wish would only go streaming and then they would just let whatever fly, just let it all go, yeah.
Speaker 2:Those guys are hilarious. Or is it the broken lizard gang? Yeah, broken lizard. You know the uh. Or is it the Broken Lizard Gang? Yeah, broken Lizard, you know the Super Troopers.
Speaker 1:Beer Fest, Beer Fest. That's what I was trying to explain to Ange. I was like, oh, it's the Broken Lizard guys. And she goes who's that? I was like, oh, Super Troopers. And she goes I've never seen it. Nope, that's a fail. And I was like, oh okay, Beer Fest, I no, that's fail. And I was like, oh okay, A beer fest. Yeah, Everybody's seen that. I didn't see that one either.
Speaker 2:Well, I think that won the Academy award for greatest movie ever in 2006. I think so, maybe 2007. Yeah, it won a trout award, that's for sure. Oh, a hundred percent. Yeah, you know, in 2006, I hung that thing on the wall.
Speaker 1:What would you pick? Super Troopers or Beer Fest? Super Troopers no, really, that's actually a tougher question than you. I mean you answered that quick, but for me, that's tough and it was very tough.
Speaker 2:Just don't think about it.
Speaker 1:All right, yeah, super Troopers, or Beer Fest.
Speaker 2:I might go Beer Fest. I'd quote beer fest a lot. Trust me, there are certain scenes I cannot repeat on our show that I quote quite often. Just remember, you can't afford it. But also, super troopers was the original. Yeah, that's fair. And then when super troopers came out when I first joined, oh dude, so like we were watching that Viva La Bam.
Speaker 1:Dodgeball. That was another great movie, something else right, and so all that stuff there, tropic Thunder.
Speaker 2:Tropic Thunder came out a couple years later.
Speaker 1:But yeah, like, like super troopers and made it through three minutes of of Tropic thunder Because in the beginning they're showing all the the movie trailers and stuff for these guys, like hyping them up, yeah, and she goes. I don't want to watch this. I'm so confused, don't like it.
Speaker 2:and I was like there it's fair enough, even the movie yet, but no, okay you know, back in the day, guys, you sit around and you would quote super troopers Chappelle show or Anchorman.
Speaker 2:I didn't see Super Troopers for a while. I mean, I remember when that first came out, because now all I think about is gravy fries Mm-hmm With that. Be sure to follow us on Facebook at the Trout Stream, and on Instagram and X at Trout Stream Pod. Look, if you are listening to this, you're on our socials. Hit the share button, send to your friends, invite one friend. If everybody listening invites one friend, we're going to double our size. And to those of you that are driving while listening to us, I am sorry. Hopefully you did not laugh yourself into a ditch like I've done before, but when you get out of the ditch, leave a rating review on whatever streaming platform you listen to us from, whether it's Amazon, apple, spotify or straight from our source's Buzzsprout. Be sure to tell your friends, family, coworkers, enemies, harry who else? It's Holly Culkin, macaulay Culkin and his Golden Globe winning brother about your new favorite podcast. Thanks for listening.
Speaker 1:Don't get your lines tangled and if you need help, reach out. Guarantee someone will listen.
Speaker 2:Go Birds Big weekend.
Speaker 1:Go Birds. Thanks for listening to Trot. Shame, this has been a Hook Brothers production.
