Podfest 2024 Recap!

SPEAKER_07 0:09

Hi and welcome to this bonus episode of Assassin's Sips. We are going to talk all about Pod Fest Expo 2024. I'm one of your hosts. I'm Lisa. And I'm Agnes. And today I am drinking coffee. Just coffee. What a co winky day. So am I. Podfest was an adventure to say the least. And I think I am still tired from all the fun that I had.

SPEAKER_06 0:46

Yeah, it was definitely a magical moment. And I'm still recovering from it a week later. But in a good way.

SPEAKER_07 0:54

Yeah, yeah. First, we want to say thank you to everyone and anyone who did their thing to help us get there. You guys know who you are, and we really, really appreciate it. So we just want to say thank you again. Thank you. Where to begin? So, for those of you who don't know, Podfest is a convention for podcasters and adjacent fields. So there's people there who have podcasts, who want to start a podcast, who do marketing, who do video, just who write platforms. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 1:40

Everything. You name it, it's there.

SPEAKER_07 1:43

We obviously went as podcasters.

SPEAKER_06 1:46

Oh creators.

SPEAKER_07 1:47

Creators. And we talked to so many people. And we also want to give a big shout out to Buzz Sprout for really, really getting us there.

SPEAKER_01 2:01

Literally. And figuratively.

SPEAKER_07 2:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:04

Hi, I'm John here in Orlando, Florida, for podcast Podfest 2024. I'm the co-producer of my wife Justine's podcast, Who's Next SATX? I'm from San Antonio, Texas. We are currently watching Glee. We're on the fourth season. It's great. Previously, best show to watch recently was either Crazy X-Girlfriend or Close Enough or Invincible. There's many of them.

SPEAKER_07 2:36

So we spent Thursday, Friday, Saturday. So like three and a half days-ish. Yeah. And it was just it was just go, go, go. It was in Florida, and so I cannot complain at all about the weather. If I had any complaint, it would be that you know the big pool wasn't warm enough. And like really, that's not it's so not a complaint.

SPEAKER_06 3:04

Right. On a scale of one through ten of aggravation is like a 0.5.

SPEAKER_07 3:10

Yeah, and you know, then after laying out on a lounge chair for four hours, I didn't have a tan. But that's that's just anywhere. Okay, first off, can we just say that when before we went yeah, you got a tan.

SPEAKER_06 3:30

I still got a tan.

SPEAKER_07 3:31

I still have my little tan. I do not. Okay, I've been kissed by the sun gods, and I can't help it. Some of us have to work harder at it and still don't have a tan.

SPEAKER_06 3:43

I'm sorry, I'm just looking at my tan line. And I wasn't looking for it.

SPEAKER_07 3:47

I know. I let you were sitting in the shade, and I moved my chair behind so that I could be in the sun. And I left my watch on purpose so that I could gauge and I have a zero tan.

SPEAKER_06 3:59

If you look hard enough, you can see a little something.

SPEAKER_07 4:03

On the bright side, I don't really burn, so I guess there's a little bit of a take, right? Yeah. Before we went, there were so many people worrying and talking about how the the hotel the reviews were. So we were. I was a little scared. Oh no. But the hotel was great. The grounds were were fine. I mean, listen, it's not seven stars, but the rooms were clean, except for that rude ass house lady, housekeeper lady, who bitched because I asked for a fucking few cups. So I didn't leave her the bottle of wine. Whatever. Um, every everything was great. Like everyone was nice, everyone was great, everything uh and the gnats, you know. They loved you, but they but that's not something the hotel can there were, you know, gats outside. Oh, the horror. Right?

SPEAKER_06 5:01

Like the audacity.

SPEAKER_07 5:03

It was a great location. We had restaurants, liquor stores, there was a smoke shop. I mean, we didn't go, but you know, there was um a Starbucks right there, there was a Wawa. So like it was it was really great location. So that was good because we didn't rent a car. Can I just say again how pleased I was with the weather and how much it sucks that it's 40 fucking degrees?

SPEAKER_06 5:33

I'm a little upset at the fact that by the time I left here, the weather wasn't as bad as it was, so I couldn't be like nanny nanny boo boo. I mean, because okay, but it it was still better.

SPEAKER_07 5:49

It was yes, but it was hard when they weren't like you know back in the tundra. Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_06 5:55

I wanted them suffering. Sorry, love you guys, but I wanted some suffering, and then you know, here's a picture of me palm and my palm trees. Bye. Wish you were here.

SPEAKER_07 6:03

Every day was like high 70s, low 80s.

SPEAKER_06 6:06

So it was it was actually the day before we flew in, it was like in the 60s there. Honestly, I would have taken that. So the day we were there was in the 80s, high 80s, I mean high 70s, low 80s. All three days we were there, beautiful, mostly Sunday skies, low 80s. The day we flew out, it went back to 60, but we were flying out, so who cares?

SPEAKER_07 6:29

But we were still wearing like a t-shirt and jeans, right?

SPEAKER_06 6:32

I mean, I feel like the weather was just like just and it was seven o'clock in the morning, yeah.

SPEAKER_07 6:37

So I can't really complain.

SPEAKER_06 6:39

No, I'm not complaining about anything, but I find it it was just like it was meant to be. The three days that we were there, it was like, here, we're gonna hold the dick, we're gonna hold this for you guys, and then we're gonna go back to our normal temperatures when you guys leave. It was meant for us to be there.

SPEAKER_07 6:55

They walked the sun was definitely shining upon us at Podfest. There were so many people, so many amazing people that we met, and three days were just not enough to get in touch with you know, every all the all the potential possibilities. There were so many more people that we wanted to speak to, and we didn't get a chance to. However, one of the takeaways that Agnes and I took away is a new feature that we this is just a little teaser, so we're not gonna give you it all. But we thought about how many people that we did get to connect with and how much we wanted to continue the conversation with them. So we've got something in the works for you guys, and that'll be coming out hopefully this spring. We'll have everything in place, and please, please keep a lookout for that because I think it's just going to be really, really interesting.

SPEAKER_06 9:00

I think that's how Podfest keeps you coming every year. It's like a fucking drug, and they have amazing people, like the the staff, the volunteers, the other people that are coming to learn and gather information to like the people, everyone was just amazing. And how the panels, the workshops were informative and engaging, and accessible, accessible, like you didn't have to be a professional podcaster with the production company behind you to take something away from these and to actually understand it, like right, it was and not only that, but the even the people who were speakers were still approachable, very much approachable.

SPEAKER_07 9:47

One of our favorite speakers was actually Damona Hoffman, which I didn't know who she was. Fangirling, like I okay, I get because she's she's got a long line of credits under her name. Um, from The Real Housewives, she has her own podcast, she's been featured in plenty of magazines, Drew Barrymore show Barrymore show, and she was a speaker, and and we loved listening to her speak. And then actually, it's funny because while we were poolside, she walked by and we just started talking to her, and we had just a wonderful conversation with her, and she never made us feel like okay, come on, like my time is valuable. She she was just amazing, and and and I think that that's like a lot of what Podcast Podfest is about. Because everybody was like that, everybody that you spoke to took the time to talk, took the time to engage, to hear, and to learn and to share. And I know it sounds kind of corny, and it's like borderline hippy dippy, but you know what? That's okay, cuz you know that that's the hippie side of me. And then at the 90s side, the hood side came out, except I didn't kill the DJ, but um, anyway.

SPEAKER_06 11:08

That's top that's probably the like, yeah. We're gonna get to our our rose and our thorn later.

SPEAKER_07 11:14

We but yeah, I mean, even even the people who were not so great were still interesting, even the ones that talk too much or touch too much. Why don't people touch each other?

SPEAKER_06 11:31

Like, don't he he didn't touch me, but the actress got a whole lot of uh taps, and nothing inappropriate, no appropriate, nothing like nothing weird like that.

SPEAKER_07 11:41

Just it's like when you're trying to engage someone and you touch their arm or whatever, like to to make your point to bring them into you.

SPEAKER_06 11:49

And I get that, but it was a lot of that.

SPEAKER_07 11:51

There was a lot of it was too much. I was getting uncomfortable, and I he wasn't even touching me. I'm not touching you. We got to attend a lot of tracks, different educational talks. We we attended a couple of meetups, we even held our own. So thank you to all the lovely people who came for the chips and the dip. I mean us.

SPEAKER_06 12:19

The chips, the dip, and the drinks.

SPEAKER_07 12:22

Yes, we provided drinks too. We that's how we roll.

SPEAKER_06 12:25

Assassin sips, we're always sassin', always sipping.

SPEAKER_07 12:30

We they had an expo hall, and the expo hall was overwhelming to say the least. But there was a lot of cool stuff there, and they had the treasure hunt. We didn't win anything. Oh, we we did get some gift cards, yes. So we saw a lot of like really cool ideas and people in the expo hall.

SPEAKER_06 12:56

Lisa fangirled big time. Like, big time. I like if you guys ever listened to us, of course. You listen to us. Do you remember that time when I fangirled over Terry O'Quinn, like, give me a shout out? This Lisa was like this times a hundred.

SPEAKER_07 13:13

No, and I was not that bad.

SPEAKER_06 13:15

Yes, you were. It was adorable. I loved it.

SPEAKER_07 13:22

As you know, we are hosted by Buzz Sprout, and one of the podcasts that I listen to pretty religiously is Bugscast. Um every week they just provide reassurance and and tips and they make podcasting more accessible, so it's just kind of like easy, easy to listen to, and it's Jordan, Kevin, and Alvin. And so like literally, like as soon as we walked in, I'm like, oh my god, that's Jordan. And I love her laugh, like her laugh is infectious, and she is the sweetest person, and we had just like a really great conversation. We talked about TV, we talked about a bunch of stuff, um, and that was like really, really cool. So thank you, Jordan, for really like making my day. They were so surprised, it seemed surprised that I listened. Why? Like their show is great.

SPEAKER_06 14:21

I I think I feel like every being my time there, I realized that whole oh my god, you know us moment never goes away.

SPEAKER_07 14:35

Yeah, because so a lot of people that we talked to when we when they asked about our show, and we told them, and it was like, oh, that's so cool, like, you know, blah blah blah. And then I forgot who it was, but we mentioned our show and they were like, oh my god, I heard of you guys. And we just had to like you know, pick up the pee off of the floor. Yeah, just a little bit.

SPEAKER_06 14:59

Like, I think I was a little stuck on stupid for a second because I'm like, did I it took a second for it to actually compete? I'm like, wait, us? Wait, I'm looking behind like, wait, wait, us? Like, I know. I don't think I reacted at first because I was just like, it didn't, it didn't click, it didn't register.

SPEAKER_07 15:13

I'm like it's I don't think you're ever ready for that.

SPEAKER_06 15:18

And then obviously they're podcasters that have been doing it a lot longer and more known. And obviously, they still go through that moment. Like, wait, me?

SPEAKER_04 15:30

You listen to a little oh me? Hi, this is Sequoia from the 7th of June podcast. And um, what I like to binge most is The Office, but I also love when I by Sorry, I've been I also love um Boy Meets World. I've also been re-watching that show. I think you guys could rewatch or watch Um Waiting to X Hill. It is a Terry is based off a Terry McMillan book, and um it stars with me. This is her first this might be her first film. No, that's not right. She did the film first. Um, so um Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, and Layla Rashad. It's a great black empowerment woman movie.

SPEAKER_07 16:23

So check it out.

SPEAKER_09 16:24

Thank you.

SPEAKER_07 16:26

One of the meetups, the first meetup that we went to was really cool because it was, I believe it was the first night. And we yeah, and so we Who signed up for that one? I did. Thanks, Mom.

SPEAKER_06 16:41

I was a good girl.

SPEAKER_07 16:43

You you really like kicked ass, keeping like schedule and and like the organization for all like the the panels and stuff. Because I was like, I don't even fucking want to open my app because it's like 14,000 notifications.

SPEAKER_06 17:00

Um, I didn't have notification, I didn't have that many notifications, so it's easier for me to open up the app and go through all that and a little, I'm a little type A and I want to get to, I want to organize, I want to, I want to plan, I want to know what I'm doing. And I'm a little Lisa still didn't, but then the the the chip, she's like, where is this room again? Like Lisa was just here five minutes ago. This is a map, Lisa. We are here.

SPEAKER_07 17:25

Like, yeah. I I could have I could have done better, but thanks, thank, thankfully, I didn't have to.

SPEAKER_06 17:35

I listen, this is that was my strong suit. The organization is where I reign, so I'm glad I give you some help.

SPEAKER_07 17:40

I was like, just tell me where we're going, and I'm there. Where we're going, how do I dress?

SPEAKER_06 17:46

It was the funny. I was like, well, I actually told these. I was like, maybe the next one, maybe we should. I'm like, I think we do so well together because there's pack this there's parts that from a panel like I would take that she wouldn't, and vice versa. So but maybe we should like divide and conquer, and we're like, yeah, no, that won't work. No, we yeah, we cannot be divided because one of us would be confused, like we one one of us would both of us would would then be able to do that.

SPEAKER_07 18:15

Both of us confusion.

SPEAKER_06 18:16

We would we all we would be confusion.

SPEAKER_07 18:19

You know what's one of my favorite parts of the whole weekend there, so which well, I said one of my favorite parts. One of my favorite parts is when Agnes turned to me and said, next year when we come back, and I was like, Yes, I did it, I got her. She was like not so sure about this whole thing.

SPEAKER_06 18:46

Okay, so okay, first of all, part of it was work commitments. I'm like, can this can I do this without screwing up my co-workers? Fine. Right, right. And then honestly, when I think convention in my head, and I couldn't put it to words, guys, old men in brown suits and glasses.

SPEAKER_07 19:05

Right.

SPEAKER_06 19:05

I also thought like overwhelming, like I thought I was gonna be mentally overwhelmed and overloaded and just in your data with information. I feel like I'm I'm like, I'm not gonna be able to process this. This is gonna be too right. Um, how am I gonna keep track of what's gonna be said? And it totally wasn't that. It was not that at all. It could have been, but I think part of it was obviously the app that they had, you were able to organize it. Like there may be a panel that may have been like four hours long, but they had it divided into subgroups, and you can like calendar those subgroups to different talks that you wanted to go to, and each talk wasn't longer than even if it was an hour, it wasn't an hour of them talking at you, right? It was an hour of discussion, and some of them brought food and snacks, and we didn't we didn't have to actually spend money on food. Yeah, I think the first day we got there because we were hungry after we landed, starving, starving like Marvin. But other than that, like I think we other than that first day, we got a pizza because we were to we wanted to pig out at we got back to our room, but we literally did not have to go out if we wanted to, there was tons of places where they're walking distance, right?

SPEAKER_07 20:23

And so and even the talks, they weren't stuffy, it wasn't like oh, the lights were dim, and everybody just look at the speaker talking for however long. It was I think that's exactly what I pictured, like yeah, and you could, I mean, you could walk in and out of the room. Obviously, it's not encouraged because it could be a distraction, but there was nobody saying, Oh, if you're late, you can't come, or right, you know, because one of the ones that we want to we got in and we were like, Yeah, like we're having a good time, and then all of a sudden they start introducing the speakers or whatever, and we were like, Oh shit, we're in our own room.

SPEAKER_06 21:00

We look at the slide, we look at the at the at the slide. So like, yeah, this is not the right one.

SPEAKER_07 21:04

And we were sitting all the way up in the front.

SPEAKER_06 21:09

I am Lisa, I think her thorn was me wanting to always sit in front because I like to sit in front, and she's like, in the front again, okay.

SPEAKER_07 21:21

And we, yeah, and I and and my dumbass would have just sat there the whole freaking meeting, not to get up and be seen walking out.

SPEAKER_06 21:28

But luckily, I'm an I'll seater, and I'm like, okay, let's get a let's go.

SPEAKER_07 21:32

Yeah, nobody made a thing of it. It was funny.

SPEAKER_06 21:35

No, they didn't, and I that's when we first um saw one of the panel speakers and hosts of MCs, Paula. She's more like the Paula favorite person because we all like to talk shit. Adorable, and she was amazing. She was my spirit person.

SPEAKER_07 21:53

I'm at I'm a little upset and get to talk to her more. Yes, yeah. But we could stalk her, that's fine. Oh, yeah. Yeah, we got we got this. The last night, actually, the the night before, they had like a beach party. That was fun. They had a DJ, they had beach balls flying, tiki torches. It was really, really cute.

SPEAKER_06 22:18

It was. How did I miss that on the calendar? I just didn't I missed it.

SPEAKER_07 22:22

Well, then again, uh me missing it was not so Surprising because I was.

SPEAKER_06 22:26

But I was like, how did I miss this? And then I'm like, oh, right here, Agnes. Duh.

SPEAKER_07 22:32

But we were outside already because we were doing our own meetup. So when the party started, it was very close to where we were. So we could hear the music, we could hear the people. So we were like, you know what? We did our meetup for a little while, and then we changed into clothes. Because we I mean we we had our bathing suits on because we were by the pool. And we went to the party. And it was great. Yeah. And um on the last night, they had a closing party, and we were like, yeah, 90s party, because you know, we were bear for the decade. I don't think the DJ was. How the okay, I want everybody who can hear my voice right now, if you go to a 90s party, just really quick, you know, maybe maybe even pause us for 10 seconds and just think, what kind of music would you expect to hear at a 90s party? And we're gonna say your top three.

SPEAKER_06 23:43

Yeah, yeah. Top three. Because most people like of the two or three genres that would that was banging in the 90s. If you had a party, it's still pretty much. Most people fall into all three of those genres. Like you you listen to all three of the popping genres, and even if you pick one from each genre, there's one particular artist that everyone's going to pick or at least expect to listen to, unless you're gonna hear at least one of this particular artist's song.

SPEAKER_07 24:12

So but the thing is, how do you not play Biggie at a 90s party? And then three hours in when somebody had to go tell your ass, yo, what the fuck? Then you start playing it at the end, and not only not only did you need to be told, did you wait to the end, but then cut it off. You fucking cut it off to play Fergalicious! In what fucking world? Oh my god. And this is not against Fergie, fine, whatever. Love the song, like the song, love her. I don't care. But that was your plan of action? Where the fuck did you go to DJ school? Okay? My fucking cat could DJ better.

SPEAKER_06 25:14

And I'm picturing right now a meme of a cat doing that. And still better.

SPEAKER_07 25:20

Still better. At first the music was good, like, right? He was like, he had Belle Bib DeVoe, and you're like, oh shit, you got Montel Jordan, like, oh shit. Like it was bringing me back to like high school, junior high school. And then you let Britney Spears play in its entirety, and you're like, uh, this is bringing the vibe down. Like, no disrespect to Britney Spears. And then you were remixing songs that didn't need to be remixed.

SPEAKER_06 25:45

Right, because the songs were played to be danced, they were dance hall music. Right. So they need to be remixed, they were already pre-remixed.

SPEAKER_07 25:52

There was no like Black Street, there was no salt and pepper. No, there was one.

SPEAKER_06 25:59

There was a one salt and pepper. What song played? There was um, there was a uh push it. I think there was one. I went to the dance hall for that one, and then I think I pulled a muscle. I broke a muscle and pulled a bone.

SPEAKER_07 26:15

I mean, I'm just saying there was one 1993, very necessary. That was my album, or my CD, as the case may be. But I mean, like it could just go on and on and on and on and on. Um but I was just like, I was like hate listening after a while.

SPEAKER_06 26:38

Like she was really hate, it was really bad. Like, okay, if you can imagine role rage, but like DJ, like DJ Rage. And DJ Rage, this is really bad. I was just like, okay, Lisa. I said, can we go now, Lisa? Because I'm just worried about her sad. I was worried about her sanity.

SPEAKER_07 26:55

But the thing is, right? Just okay, despite his anyway, the people in the room were having a great time. Right. We a lot of the people that we met, we were talking we were still talking to, and people were dancing, not as much as when some songs played than the others, but a good DJ would have known to look for that.

SPEAKER_06 27:21

But anyway, but we okay, so okay, what kind of boggled my mind?

SPEAKER_07 27:25

I would never hire that DJ.

SPEAKER_06 27:27

There was it was actually kind of fun and amazing. They did a Soul Train line. I mean, Soul Train is more 70s, but okay, I'll take it. It was fine. But the Soul Train line was kind of cool.

SPEAKER_07 27:39

But it but Soul Train, I mean, it started in the 70s, but it kept going into the 90s. I feel like okay, when I think of 90s, didn't it? Or or maybe in the 80s it ended.

SPEAKER_06 27:49

I still think of like I'm like, oh, this is the video music box era. Yeah, I love that. If you had cable, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

SPEAKER_07 28:02

Don Cornelius. I always remember the Fresh Prince episode. Shit, they didn't even play like Fresh Prince, like they literally could have played they could have played the fucking intro to the Fresh Prince. I would have been jabbing to that, and that would have still been better than some of the shit that they played. As you could tell, I wouldn't have the words.

SPEAKER_06 28:26

In case you guys have not figured it out, this is might be Lisa's thorn in the film. I know it's kind of hard to tell. I don't know. She's so indifferent about it.

SPEAKER_07 28:41

If if the theme for the Fresh Prince comes on, every single person is singing along. Every single person.

SPEAKER_05 28:48

Even if they did the doom, doom doom doom about that, jump on it, jump on it.

SPEAKER_06 28:55

No, but I wouldn't do it like, oh, fresh prince. Like it's still that nineties, but it has a 90s connection.

SPEAKER_07 29:02

You have a 90s party, and I think that even if you as long as you put music that was already around in the 90s, it's fine, right? So like you don't play shit from the 2000s, but you can if it actually was 1995, you can still play some run DMC. You can still play, you know, like things that came before it. I'm okay with that. Right. Because that's what you would have done. That's what we did. I don't think the DJ was there in the 90s, but we are old enough to have been in junior high school and high school in the 90s. Shh. I listen, I graduated in 1997, okay? I was there. I was like, I should have just worn my band shirt. I still have it. But all in all, it was fun. I mean, it was fun, it was a good time.

SPEAKER_03 30:02

Yeah, so my name is Adrian. I am originally from Colorado. I now live in Florida. Here at Podfest, this is my third time coming. Never had a podcast, but I just enjoy creative people because my corporate jobs are mundane people that have no creativity. So I need an outlet of people that actually know how to make a be witty and be stupid and actually be funny. Um, and so like my guilty pleasure is uh what's my guilty pleasure? I do like, I love watching um movies. I'm a horror fanatic. I do F of X makeup in my free time when I have fun. And if I was to do guilty pleasure in my horror, I like watching Hellraiser. I've watched that many, many times. And those kinds of things are serious killing movies. You know, that's why I think I like Killing Age. It's one of my favorite TV shows. But also, you have like a really cool like GLBTQ romance in there that's a unique one. It's more based on um the dynamic of the of the friendship and being sexual. Uh the bear. I love it, and then what's great about it is like um the other little one more, especially the one that's like supporting across the black should be really good. My family's from Chicago. Very accurate. Really? Yes. Like the bear is like the one that I would definitely do, and then probably second would be, let me see, glory, like I said. That's like it's a it's a Korean drama, and it's like a woman that was like super bullied by her her um her classmates to a certain extent that she gets revenge later, but it's on a whole nother level.

SPEAKER_06 31:53

It is so good. One thing I regret not bringing with me has nothing to do with the podcast, has nothing to do with podcasting, but I'm 100% sure I would have seen someone who would have related. I should have brought one of my all of my high school sweatshirts, t-shirts, anything. And I'm 100% sure someone would have been like, oh shit, and they would have yelled out their year in major because that's what the tech nights do. We're like, oh, 97 biomed. That's what we would, and I and I think next year I'm definitely gonna bring a tech. You heard it again?

SPEAKER_07 32:27

Next year.

SPEAKER_06 32:28

Shut up, Lisa.

SPEAKER_07 32:30

Shut up. I mean, we are already like, okay, well, next year, what do we bring? And what do we wear? And what do we, you know?

SPEAKER_06 32:37

Okay, my only thing, my thorn for the whole trip was the fact that the um the plane tickets that we could afford didn't cover um carry-on, and I had to bring everything in my personal item, which is fine. But that's all I want to do. Next year, that's the only thing I want to aim for. I want to be able to bring my carry-on. That's what I listen.

SPEAKER_07 33:01

That was an issue because I had a lot of the promotional stuff on my side. We had Wag. What? Oh, swag. Waggler! And then you said wag. I was like, what, my tail? Wiggle.

SPEAKER_06 33:14

No, I said when you said wag now, I'm thinking wives and girlfriends, like the wags. Wives and girlfriends of athletes. That's what they call like I watch reality TV, like, and there was a show on E that was called Wags, and they were like Wag wives and girlfriends of like athletes and stuff. Yep, not what I meant, but but no, I meant swag alert, but back to what you were saying.

SPEAKER_07 33:37

So I had we had some tote tote bags made, which were great, like pat myself on the back because they came in handy. Yes, we walked around with hours, and it was like a really easy way for people to see who we were, and we kept goodies in them, so we kept putting shit down on the table. We gave away cups, shot glasses, stickers, keychains. I I wish I would have brought more pins because I forgot, like, people put them on their on their badge, and you know, I found some in my bag at the bottom of my of my bag that I brought with me.

SPEAKER_06 34:14

I'm like, oh, I had pins.

SPEAKER_07 34:16

Oh, yeah. But um, but still, it it worked out really good. And so the thing is that because you only have a personal item, because I was not gonna pay more to put my luggage on the plane than it costs to put my body on the plane.

SPEAKER_06 34:33

Body on the plane.

SPEAKER_07 34:34

Yeah, that's ridiculous. So, what I did is I got a nifty old box from the post office and shipped the shit.

SPEAKER_06 34:44

You use her handy dandy postal office.

SPEAKER_07 34:46

Oh, I thought you were gonna say my handy dandy brain.

SPEAKER_06 34:49

Handy dandy blue can't like was it blue could do? You can't too. Okay, I'm sorry. Yeah, and so grandchildren, so please forgive me.

SPEAKER_07 34:58

So for like $22, you too can ship your swag. I shipped, I shipped that shit right to the hotel, and it literally arrived the same day as we did. I didn't have to carry it, I didn't have to do anything, and and I didn't have to pay three times the amount to put it on the plane. So that worked out really well. I had a good idea and it worked out. Yay! So we already like, okay, well, what are we gonna bring the next time? Because we had we had a couple of t-shirts also, and we didn't we we didn't bring much back with us, which was great.

SPEAKER_06 35:36

So except for those damn pins. I forgot I bought them on my bag. Well, all my clothes and my toiletries were in the bag, so it was kind of hiding underneath all that stuff.

SPEAKER_07 35:45

Considering what we arrived with, we did pretty damn good. Right, you did amazing. I was gonna say I didn't have to ship anything back, but apparently I did.

unknown 35:53

Yeah, the stuff that you forgot.

SPEAKER_07 35:54

The stuff that I literally everything was just like perfect, perfect, perfect, perfect. And then the morning that we were leaving, I called for the Uber and it got there so fast, and then the guy was like, he the guy was very nice, and he's just like, Oh, would you like to put your stuff here or there? Or, you know, and we started talking to him, and I got I I just got distracted with where I was gonna put my bag in his car because it was um a pickup truck, and my tote bag that had the books that I got, and my portable charger, my watch charger, my headphones, a lot of like the notepads, my notebook that I brought, the promotional stuff, all the stuff that I was going to look at and do on the plane and in the airport. I left that shit on the bench outside the hotel. But but I called as soon as I got to the airport because that's when I realized when I went to put it on the the line of the TSA, and I was like, oh no. Um but I called them right away, and the hotel was great. They were like, Yep, we got it, don't worry. And they sent me a form by the time before my plane even took off. I had filled out the form, I paid 20 something dollars for shipping, so it wasn't like a crazy amount. And yep, and less than a week later, I had my like it literally came on Friday, so we left on Sunday. I got it on Friday, so it was fine, and everything was in there, nothing was missing.

SPEAKER_06 37:35

This is gonna sound really stupid, but I need to thank and shout out the TSA at the Orlando Airport. Oh, not only was it like I guess because it was relatively early, we like it wasn't too early with all the early morning flyers out, but it was just so it wasn't busy. But besides that, everyone were there, they were professional, efficient, not like some airports, yes, and mention any names, and nice, and nice, I know, and nice, it was and then I was like I'm putting my stuff on because I like to be pre-ready, I need to be that person like holding the line up, right?

SPEAKER_07 38:17

Because they can't figure out how to work a fucking sweater like the lady in front of me. Right. I hate to be that person. I had TSA rage.

SPEAKER_06 38:24

So I'm putting my stuff up. I have my like I was first of all, they had like the stuff to put your the baskets to put your stuff in before you get to the conveyor belt. So that kind of helps. Which helps, yeah. So I put I had everything ready to go, and I had taken everything off. He's like, Oh, your sneakers. I'm like, oh my god, I'm so sorry. I completely forgot. He's like, nope, that's what we're here for. And I was like, I know, I could kiss you.

SPEAKER_07 38:49

Like the CSA guy with with me, like when I first got on the line, when he had to check my boarding pass and everything, and he was even cracking jokes with me, and I was like, Yeah, this will happen in New York.

SPEAKER_06 39:00

This right, like I'm used to that in Wisconsin. I'm used to like super duper nice. I'm used to that at home.

SPEAKER_07 39:07

Not over here, but that's the one thing I love going on. Everyone over here is looking at you like you secretly have a bomb up your ass. Like I mean, there was really getting in.

SPEAKER_06 39:20

I was leaving Newark, and so different airlines have different procedures. They're not all the same. Like my carry-on leaving Wisconsin does not go in a basket, it just goes in alone. Apparently, Newark, it has to go into a basket. Fine, but the moment there was no baskets. Well, that's that's he goes, there's no this goes in that basket, and I want to be like that's TSA, that's not the airline, right?

SPEAKER_07 39:48

But that this particular TSA, he was he oh I fuck you, Newark, fuck you, TSA agent, or like the lady at LaGuardia who got mad because my clothes were wet when it was a fucking rainstorm outside and all the hurricane, yes, yeah. Basically, it was like a hurricane. My umbrella flew inside out, so it was useless to me, and I got soaked walking the three blocks in the fall, so it's not even like it's warm out, okay. And then she got mad because she had to pat me down and I was wet. Oh, I'm so sorry that my my being here, sitting here for the next however many hours in wet clothes pissed you off.

SPEAKER_06 40:36

You off.

SPEAKER_07 40:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 40:38

I was told one TSA agent, like her one shoe was untied. I'm like, oh, your shoe is untied. You know, I didn't want her tripping, you know.

SPEAKER_07 40:45

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 40:46

She's like, I know.

SPEAKER_07 40:49

Okay.

SPEAKER_06 40:49

Bitch, I hope you tripped.

SPEAKER_07 40:51

Um so like We're about to be put on the no fly list. I think we should not be able to do that.

SPEAKER_06 40:56

Pretty much, like because I'll because the our one listener is probably works for TSA in New York. But I love going. I was that lady. I love going. I miss going back home to New York, but this I don't look forward to coming back dealing with the TSA. I do not look forward to it.

SPEAKER_07 41:13

You gotta get the known traveler because there's not that many people on the line, and I think that that makes a little bit of a difference because they're not as and you're dated with a whole bunch of people, and and not only that, but like I don't have to take off my shoes, so the process is is easier.

SPEAKER_06 41:33

I think I know I'm definitely going to do that. I traveled with my daughter, she was a minor at the time, and I I don't know what I did, to be honest with you, I don't remember, but she was able to skip the whole check-in. Oh wow, and so leaving Wisconsin, it was easy breezy. Coming back, it was all havoc and chaos. I was like, whatever, this I just want to get on my fucking plane. And I wonder if I'm a little anal about getting to places on time. I'm always super duper early. I know for a fact when I leave Wisconsin, when I get Mitchell, the longest I've ever been waiting, I've ever waited was like 20 minutes.

SPEAKER_07 42:16

Wow.

SPEAKER_06 42:16

And I know this about Mitchell, but I still get there an hour and a half early.

SPEAKER_07 42:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 42:21

Because you don't know. That's how I am. New York, I want to get there three hours early. So I'm some right. I'm never pressed for time. But at the same time, I do not need the I don't need your attitude. Like I'm pretty sure these are the people traveling is stressful enough. Right. I'm pretty sure these are the people who were like outside of work, they get bullied by their neighbor by the people in their neighborhood. Because probably like they take out their frustration on travelers.

SPEAKER_07 42:51

I guess their only then their only job prospects is like, okay, well, do I want to work for TSA or do I want to work at the DMV?

SPEAKER_06 42:59

Right also, DMV in Wisconsin is amazing.

SPEAKER_07 43:02

Oh, shut up.

SPEAKER_06 43:04

It really is. I love DMV here. Um, but please understand, I get what they have to go through as TSA agents. Yeah, it's not even an easy job. Even pre-9-11, it's not an easy job. And I do everything I can to make their jobs easier. They want me to strip fine, whatever you need to do to keep us safe.

SPEAKER_07 43:28

Right, we're like we're compliant, but it's the problem is not that we're not compliant. The problem is that here we are with stuff and we gotta keep the line moving. And some of us, some of us are not as fast as they would like us to be, or we're not on like we're not necessarily sure of what we need to do. And instead of it just being like, okay, do this, like some other airports do, it's right away they're they're getting frustrated and they're taking it out on us. And then you know how we do, because then once you start getting that attitude with us, now we have an attitude too. And then you won't, and then I'm like, I won't get my flight. So you're like, and and so you're just right, you're you're you're still pissed off, you're trying to contain it because you're You know, like you're not gonna win this battle. But but the negativity is already there. And so if you just did it like the way other people did it, and you just are you don't have to be like sweet and whatever, but as long as you're just not an asshole.

SPEAKER_06 44:45

Don't be an asshole. I feel like that this is the opportunity to just they have the they have a complex. Like you just want to bully people, great, okay, fine.

SPEAKER_07 44:56

Yeah, I don't know, but I agree. I agree. Flying out of any other airport has always just been like easy breezy, and flying out out of these airports is like you know.

SPEAKER_06 45:14

I yeah, I've I've been through numerous airports, busy airports, b airports that are not busy. I've been right and I've never had the experience like I get in New York, and I'm like, you make you making us look bad. And when I say New York, I mean like New York, New Jersey, the whole you're in a hot mess. You're making us look bad because there's no reason and I get New York is a hub for it's it's a high, it's a it's a high-target area. I get it.

SPEAKER_05 45:39

Right.

SPEAKER_06 45:40

Every person from New York and and a lot of traffic. A lot of traffic. Okay, Atlanta has is busier than New York airports are. Yes.

SPEAKER_07 45:49

Okay.

SPEAKER_06 45:49

Atlanta is the busiest airport in the country, actually.

SPEAKER_07 45:54

Wow, I would have thought it was like LAX or some shit.

SPEAKER_06 45:57

Um, I think because it's it's location to the different countries, like it's where it's located. It's more of a hub.

SPEAKER_07 46:05

It's oh, and you know what? That actually makes sense because Atlanta probably has like the one airport, and here we are up here with three. Well, maybe that maybe that's also it. Like let's like if it was only say like JFK probably then it would defin you know. Like if you had the traffic of all three airports going into one airport.

SPEAKER_06 46:27

Right, because they have it's also international, it has a lot going on.

SPEAKER_07 46:30

Right.

SPEAKER_06 46:31

But I don't know how Atlanta Airport's TSA agents are.

SPEAKER_07 46:36

I guess we're gonna have to fly there and find out.

SPEAKER_06 46:38

I don't know if I want to, I'm scared. Um but and I get the what they're go what they have to deal with and what they have to contend with. I get it. I'm a I'm from New York. I get the sh I get it. I was there, I saw it. Like I I get it. Like as a New Yorker, I used to hate, and I still hate it when I go back. No, uh you don't need a group of 10 people blocking the walkway, taking a picture of a fucking building. We have to get to fucking work. Move. Especially when I say excuse me, excuse me, excuse me, fucking move. That's what they hear. They don't give them excuse me six times.

SPEAKER_07 47:18

You get one excuse me. I'll give you the two or three seconds that it takes for it to register and for you to move. And then after that, I'm moving you. Sorry.

SPEAKER_06 47:25

So I totally get what as New Yorkers we have to contend with. I get it. But go see a fucking therapist. Whatever issues you had growing up, go see a fucking therapist. Anyway, that's us, and that's our tangent for the episode, because we know we we love our tangents.

SPEAKER_02 47:46

So, I my name is Sandra, and my podcast is 90 Day Wins, and my guilty pleasure is Sisters on B E T. What I do is when I get something done, that's like my treat. And so I wait and I like make a whole bunch of episodes happen, and then when I do something that I need to get done, that's like my little treat, and I don't want anyone to bother me, so I can just binge watch it. It's my favorite thing. I enjoy it. But what I would like to re-watch again is how to commit murder. I love, love, love um the lead actress. I think she's an amazing actress, and she is just phenomenal. So I just love it, it just keeps me on my seat. It's just very smart, I think, the way it's written. So I enjoy it so much.

SPEAKER_07 48:36

One of the highlights, another highlight of the trip, is meeting Kim. And Kim does freestyle. So he actually did it at the meetup and then he did it again at the closing party. And Sassin Sips got a shout out. Thank you, Kim. We posted the video.

SPEAKER_06 48:59

Oh well, yeah. We got a shout-out on the meetup and at the thing.

SPEAKER_07 49:02

Yeah, so I'm like, but we we posted the video from the closing party because that was the only we weren't ready at the meetup. We were not ready for that. Just like boom, we're like, we're not ready. I know. But at the closing party, since since we had met him at the meetup, we were like, oh yeah, this is what's coming. So we were ready. And we the video was posted. Uh it's posted on Facebook, but we'll see if we could post it other places as well. But I think that covers everything. I'm I'm like all ready thinking about what I'm gonna bring for next year's pod fest. But uh that sounds like a personal problem for me because now I'm like, oh, it's a year away. I don't think I have enough time to plan. I don't have enough time to plan. I know we're gonna give you guys a mini call to action in this episode. So we want to hear if you have if you were at this year's Podfest, or had you ever been to Podfest, or have you ever been to any podcast convention? We want to hear about it. We want to hear what your experience was like. So write in, go to assassinsips.com, you can link over to all of our socials and our email, and you can tell us what your experience was like. And don't drink and drive, drink responsibly. And until next time, I'm Lisa.

SPEAKER_06 50:33

And I'm Agnus, and we're out of here. See you later bye.

SPEAKER_00 50:45

I'm Jordan from Boise, Idaho, and my comfort show slash guilty pleasure is The Circle on Netflix. I re-watch that show over and over and over again, and it is so much fun. So I really hope that you watch it.

SPEAKER_07 51:04

Oh my god. And what about the guy, the older man at the pool, who thought it was a great idea to be without his bathing suit? I look up and all I see is um penis. Yeah. Agnes was like, I'm like, yeah, but did that happen? She's like, yep, that happened.