Unfiltered Union
Unfiltered Union is like eavesdropping on your coolest neighbors! Russ and Lindz, from Tampa, Florida, are the opinionated (but always entertaining) couple next door, bringing you lively discussions about today's hottest topics.
Unfiltered Union
#75 - Assassinations, Albums, and Holiday Astonishments: Navigating Crime, Tunes, and Toys
What happens when the world of health insurance collides with a sensational crime? We tackle the shocking assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, allegedly by Luigi Mangione, and ponder the dark humor that's emerged online. We also explore the moral complexities of security for high-profile executives in controversial industries and discuss the struggles of employees seeking anonymity in the shadow of their work. Can grievances be addressed without resorting to violence? We weigh the desperation that some might feel in the tangled web of healthcare frustrations and legal systems.
Switching gears, we dive into the soundtracks of our lives. We reveal and humorously compare our top five favorite artists, with Beartooth, Lizzo, and Taylor Swift taking center stage. Amidst laughter, we dissect memorable lyrics from tracks like "Paint the Town Red" and "Loving on Me" while debating the impact these songs have had on our playlists. It's a lively exchange of musical tastes and the quirks of Google's new features that promise a shared glimpse into our listening habits.
Finally, we bring you a nostalgic yet critical look at the 2024 holiday gift guide. From the resurgence of childhood classics like Furbies and Tamagotchis to the more forward-thinking Disney interactive toys, we scrutinize the innovation, or lack thereof, in this year's offerings. Join us as we reflect on the year's end hustle, recording challenges, and the intriguing trends that have captured our attention.
this is the unfiltered union I'm linds and I'm russ here is this week's episode hello, it is late on a sunday night we've already had to restart we've already had to restart because we are three brain cells combined three brain cells, cat that won't leave us alone I know he's just staring at us and it's making me very uncomfortable. I'm trying to look at the camera. Look up, look up at the camera. The cat's staring at me. I keep looking at myself down here. I just don't understand. Uh-huh, we'll get through. We're going to get through it. We have to because this is the last podcast of 2024. Oh man, that sounds weird, right?
Speaker 2:You had to say that, yeah.
Speaker 1:This is going to be the last podcast where we are forewarning you. Our holiday season is extremely busy here at the Unfiltered Union and we just want to give you guys a heads up that we're not really going to have enough time. We might have enough time maybe, but most likely not, so don't expect an episode for until 2025 yeah, but we'll.
Speaker 2:We'll get to our farewells of 2024 here in a moment, but, yes, we need to start with the biggest topic right now of december 2024 yeah the united healthcare ceo. Who was?
Speaker 1:assassinated assassinated allegedly by luigi mangione yes allegedly allegedly. That's a really throwback before we get into the the heavy of that, did you see that the police were taking him either out of the whatever booking place he was in to transport? Yeah, luigi, out of whatever booking place he was in. They were putting him in a squad car to take him somewhere else and somebody said in in, like either the crowd outside they said hey, luigi, it's me, mario.
Speaker 2:I laughed so there's a lot of memes out there, right now and let's start off with the easy right. Let's start off with the easy. All the memes out there right now about this individual and what they did and what all transpired throughout the whole event of it, you've got you know that burger king wouldn't have snitched yeah, we wouldn't have snitched.
Speaker 2:I just saw one like an hour ago that said it was rfk looking out of his car window and said a well balanced meal at home wouldn't have snitched I mean, then you've got the mario things that are going on, you've got the princess peach like they're just coming out of the woodworks with all these memes and obviously this is a very serious situation.
Speaker 2:But I think a lot of people it is take grief and things that are this traumatic and put humor to it to try and make it through your life. So no judgment well, it doesn't.
Speaker 1:It doesn't help that health insurance is a pretty highly hated industry.
Speaker 2:For sure. I mean, I think I'm not excusing violence.
Speaker 1:No, I want to be clear. Violence, no good, not, I don't. Whatever grievances you have with people, you should settle them in ways that are not shooting each other or hurting each other. Legal Right let's do it legally Right, correct?
Speaker 2:But and I think that's kind of where the internet is divided right now, where it's a lot of people are acting like they're and I hate to say it this way, I don't again, we don't come, don't violence here at the unfiltered union. But I feel like a lot of people are almost surprised that something like this happened I'm not I'm not either like when it comes to health care.
Speaker 2:If you've ever seen what was that movie denzel was in john q right, john q, that that whole movie was pretty much based on a similar event right I think, yeah, they couldn't afford hair for his kid for his kid and then he was getting ready to don't spoil it.
Speaker 1:You know, stuff and then stuff. Where is it gonna happen? Right that was a powerful movie lots of stuff.
Speaker 2:But the point is like that whole movie is around the healthcare industry. We and everyone who lives in the united states knows that the healthcare industry is broken. I mean this, it's a broken system.
Speaker 1:But health insurance is a huge part of it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so to me, I'm I'm not surprised. I think it's obviously tragic and that the individual was his name, Brian Brian Thompson, the CEO of United healthcare. Obviously, he has family, he has people who loved him and needed his support, and vice versa. So it's a very sad event.
Speaker 1:But things like this, I think, almost come from desperation, and I'm not trying to give an excuse, but oh my gosh, it's somebody, somebody crazy, somebody online said something that was kind of like thought provoking, because I've been reading about this non-stop since it happened, because it's it's an unfortunate thing. It's almost like murder is no good, but it is very interesting how this dude planet and it was, it was a spectacle, he did it as a spectacle and look, it is worked. Yep, people are talking about it.
Speaker 1:He's got memes made of him doing this stuff, or you know memes about it. He's got people that are like throwing themselves all over him in support. It's like, well, there's ways to do things that aren't murder.
Speaker 2:to get your point across, dude that aren't murder, to get your point across, dude. But seriously, I feel like it's almost living in an episode of ncis or csi, where he left these breadcrumbs right like for I think he he knew he was gonna get caught.
Speaker 1:I don't think he cared. But what that person online said was mangioni. Luigi mangioni killed one person. How many people people did the CEO of United Healthcare kill?
Speaker 2:I don't think you can say that though.
Speaker 1:I'm just saying I don't directly, Obviously nothing but health insurance companies deny people's claims right, that's their job. They don't want you to. I mean, if they approve all claims, they run out of money. They don't exist. So I thought that was a super interesting take on it. Like I said, I'm going to say this over and over again in this podcast I do not condone violence.
Speaker 2:For this topic absolutely.
Speaker 1:I don't condone violence unless you're defending yourself, but I guess the point, though, that they were trying to make is they're in business and their business is to make more money. It's capitalism, and to make more money, it's capitalism. And to make more money, they have to deny claims. That's just the way it is. So them there's somebody saying that, and then I did a little bit more research on it. I read something about UnitedHealthcare with they have an AI tool that's supposed to act as guidance for their workers that approve and deny claims, and, from what I read, they were actually using this tool to deny claims. So you're using a robot that has no empathy no nothing to deny people's claims to health care that their doctor, who is a professional, said they needed. That makes no sense to me. How does somebody because a lot of these people that are doing the denials of claims In the offices they're not doctors, right? So how do they know that this person oh, he doesn't need that. We just do this. It's like you don't know nothing.
Speaker 2:It's a very broken system. That's like me.
Speaker 1:Me saying Bob doesn't need that treatment because he's he can go do this instead. It's like I don't know, I don't know, I don't know bob, united health care they don't know anybody they're I mean, you know, they don't know a bunch of people that they're denying these claims for right. That's messed up. It's a terrible, terrible system.
Speaker 2:I hate it very passionate, yes, but but.
Speaker 1:But how the heck is a ce CEO of a company like that out there without people, bodyguards and stuff?
Speaker 2:Well, okay, so let's talk about that for a second Security for that CEO specifically. So Brian Thompson was walking from his hotel going to a conference that was down the street, downtown Manhattan, radio City, like all the things, right, just walking past all the things in New York that you see on the Christmas parade, right, yeah? Or Thanksgiving parade, whatever.
Speaker 1:So it's a highly populated area that probably feels safe, but it doesn't matter.
Speaker 2:Okay, so he is the CEO of a health care company.
Speaker 1:Health insurance.
Speaker 2:Sorry, health insurance company. So with a CEO of a health insurance company, you think that they need to have security.
Speaker 1:It's a well-known hated industry. What?
Speaker 2:about security, for the CEO of Boeing, for example.
Speaker 1:I think that high profile individuals that are in industries that are looked upon negatively, such as health insurance, superintendent of a school don't know, I don't. It depends, I guess, if what their outlook is on themselves in their school districts. So if you're, if your kids in a school, that's pushing something that you are and it's, it's gonna happen everywhere.
Speaker 2:But if you are a I don't know like, well, I'm just listing all I know jobs that are, you know, highly controversial, where you could make one decision and it literally could haunt you for the rest of your career well, think about that with health care, health insurance that's what I'm saying, but there's a lot of those, so it's like they do that on a daily basis and deny people's claims well, do you think that we would have to have each of those have security? Should the company pay for it? Sure should the individual pay for it. Like it gets to be a really slippery slope when you?
Speaker 1:yeah, I think they should yeah, you think who should? The that company united united health care security 100 they are.
Speaker 2:What about their cfo?
Speaker 1:anybody who is in a position like that in a company like united health care should have security even as a cfo, a coo, chief of staff. You should protect your people.
Speaker 2:I mean okay, so what about a claims representative?
Speaker 1:Honestly I was thinking about this the other day If I worked for UnitedHealthcare, I'm in IT. Now, if I worked in UnitedHealthcare as an IT person, I would tell no one I'm not joking. Care, as an it person, I would tell no one I'm not joking. And the reason why is because of the negative connotations that are related to being in health insurance. Even if I was this low-level schmuck that I am in real life, if I worked at united health care or any health care company, health and I keep saying health care it's health insurance. I want to make that clear. It's health insurance, it's not a doctor, right? If I worked in a health insurance place, I would just say I'm in IT.
Speaker 2:You wouldn't have a LinkedIn.
Speaker 1:No, I would not post that. I would be afraid to to be 100% honest with you.
Speaker 2:That's crazy.
Speaker 1:Even as a low-level employee. It's because of the negativity that that company harbors.
Speaker 2:That's crazy to me. What about the IRS?
Speaker 1:I wouldn't tell people that I'm serious.
Speaker 2:We'll see if it still exists next year I've only met.
Speaker 1:I didn't even meet this guy. I've only known about one person in my entire life that works for the irs so you knew somebody, but you never met them yes, it was a old co-worker. Her husband worked for the irs. Did he exist? I don't know.
Speaker 1:I never met the guy well then you go on to the whole idea of this individual who was an employee at mcdonald's, then gave the tip right on finding here we go with the memes luigi, right, I mean, it's all, it's a meme now, and that you, you know, stayed at home, had a healthy meal yeah, or you said burger king wouldn't have, but then the rfk one that said a well-balanced meal at home wouldn't have snitched on you.
Speaker 2:But of all places right. Luigi was in a town called Altoona in Pennsylvania.
Speaker 1:Which we are very familiar with.
Speaker 2:Yes, I have family up that way. Well, we have family up that way. But it just kind of made me laugh, because you don't hear about Altoona often.
Speaker 1:Now it's constant.
Speaker 2:Yeah, now everybody knows where it is.
Speaker 1:I don't know. The whole thing is crazy to me.
Speaker 2:It really is.
Speaker 1:It's terrifying because I have a hard time with the morality of it. Like thou shall not murder, Absolutely you don't. I have a hard time with the morality of it. Like you, thou shall not murder.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. You don't but it's not hard to believe in our day in time, right now that this has happened.
Speaker 1:Well, and and I you're almost I'm not sympathetic to him, but I am sympathetic to the people that have been denied health care by a health insurance company that they've worked with their doctor. Their doctor said they needed it for their health and they were told no by someone who was not their doctor.
Speaker 2:Broken system.
Speaker 1:That bothers the heck out of me. Yeah, this is such a hard line to tiptoe around, but that is why you get radicalized people that then take matters into their own hand and and and perform vigilantism, essentially. Yep. Whether or not you agree with what he did. I don't agree with that, but I can be sympathetic to the people that have been negatively affected by health insurance.
Speaker 2:Agreed.
Speaker 1:Does that make sense?
Speaker 2:It does.
Speaker 1:Without being a radical.
Speaker 2:That you have an unfiltered opinion.
Speaker 1:I'm so proud of you. Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 2:But Luigi has decided to fight extradition at Lord extradition extradition to New York and it's a process within the legal system that could take weeks, but he has been denied bail.
Speaker 1:So yeah, he's stuck in jail. He's stuck in Pennsylvania, so I did read, right before we jumped on this podcast, that he hired a very highly sought after attorney in New York, manhattan. I believe so he's prepping.
Speaker 2:Let's see what happens.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm curious. This is going to be a highly publicized I guarantee it's going to be a highly publicized uh trial and netflix, I'm sure, has already bought rights to the documentary, to this I said that.
Speaker 2:I said that this is going to be one of those true crime docu series and yep, it's going to happen.
Speaker 1:I mean just the fact that he left a bag full of Monopoly money and then he had delay.
Speaker 2:Central Park.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:That is true crime shit.
Speaker 1:Well, and then on the bullet casings had delayed, denied, deposed, I think is what they said inscribed on the casings. He did this as a spectacle, yep, and it worked. It's crazy. Because, of. I mean there are people like literally worshiping this guy for what he did.
Speaker 2:It's, it's. That's insane, it's cultish.
Speaker 1:It's weird that you're praising a dude for murdering someone. Yeah, you're. You might want to check yourself out, because you're crazy too. You shouldn't like I said, you shouldn't support murder. Speaking of spectacle he was a father, a husband.
Speaker 2:Right Brian yes Thompson, the CEO.
Speaker 1:Right Next.
Speaker 2:Speaking of spectacle, have you heard about the drones?
Speaker 1:in new york or not?
Speaker 2:new york, new jersey, right new jersey, new york and pennsylvania is where they've been reported. Some people have even said miami at this point, but miami's got all kinds of weird stuff going on anyways yeah, I don't yeah anything.
Speaker 1:See, I don't know, if you fly a drone in florida, there's like a 95 chance that thing's not coming back but they're already shooting at it and I forget if it was new jersey or pennsylvania. Yeah, I saw that video a pistol shooting at a freaking flying drone. So he's shooting like diagonally hundreds of yards away but, not miles it's coming down somewhere don't do that, people no don't do that don't be mr floridian out there shooting at the hurricane making it go somewhere else.
Speaker 2:Don't do that no anyways. Do you think it's drones?
Speaker 1:I don't know. I have a hard time. People are people. This is what I don't like. I have a hard time. People are people. This is what I don't like, though People knocking people that believe that it could be something extraterrestrial. I think that's ridiculous. Why. I think it's ridiculous People that are discounting other people's opinions of it being extraterrestrial. Why. Because have you been? Has it been provenrestrial? Why? Because has it been proven to be false? No, so shut the fuck up.
Speaker 2:Do you want to do your take on it? No, go ahead. So my take on this is that it's one of two things in my opinion. I don't think it's extraterrestrial.
Speaker 2:I don't know, I don't think it's extraterrestrial I don't know, I don't think so either, but I I mean sure somebody you know what it is I'm not gonna discredit somebody for saying that but that's all I'm trying to say, because I don't think so either I think that it's either foreign military which is bad right which is bad um, and or it's our own military so let that dude keep shooting at him if it's somebody else so I've read a couple of things and I feel like you could go on conspiracy theorycom at this point and you could find a million different things, reasons why, and just don't go down the rabbit hole.
Speaker 1:No, it's actually kind of fun. I highly recommend it.
Speaker 2:I wouldn't. When it comes to these mystery drones, I do think they're drones, whether they are our own or if they are someone else. That's what is bothering me. Are they either Iran or North Korea, or Russian or Well, I.
Speaker 1:the other reason why I don't discount it being extraterrestrial is there has been like declassified videos of fighter pilots and the cameras on those fighter planes recording these weird objects flying over the ocean, no trails, no heat signatures that are showing propulsion in one direction, and then all of a sudden they would just dead stop.
Speaker 2:We don't have the tech for that.
Speaker 1:Per our physics that we know that's impossible. Then all of a sudden that thing stops. Then it launches straight up in the air like at a bajillion miles an hour. It's impossible, like it's physically impossible according to our physics.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, I don't think that I'm not discrediting that, but I don't think that and I hope not that extraterrestrials wouldn't start in new jersey, new york and pennsylvania, like. I mean, roswell sounded like a better place because there's nothing around right like slowly introduce themselves. But you go to a highly populous area like new jersey, new york and pennsylvania, like that's a lot of people you're introducing yourself to really quick well, I know that they did not start in florida because they wouldn't have survived to go anywhere else well, after what happened in the miami mall, oh that mess yeah, that was.
Speaker 1:I don't know I don't know.
Speaker 2:That's what I'm saying. Like you, I don't think they would do that again. Like they learn, miami, you don't start with the highly populous area florida in general, you just leave it alone.
Speaker 1:They're like we're going to take over the rest of the world, but Florida will leave it alone.
Speaker 2:Nope, that's no fly zone.
Speaker 1:Don't go there. Don't go there. You're not going to make it out. So, maybe that's why they're trying it. We got methany Florida man bass salts McGee alligators and frozen lizards.
Speaker 2:Crocs, salts, mcgee alligators and frozen lizards. Yeah, rocks, just don't. Don't mess around on your feet, crocs and go, okay, well that's a lot crocs that go chump but did you say what your take is?
Speaker 1:you think it's extraterrestrial I don't really know, I I, I think it's probably some military testing and stuff like that, because Because they never say, oh yeah, that was us, they'll never do that, because then they have to admit it. They have to admit it, and there are things that DARPA has and does that would blow our minds as of right now, like maybe that is ours, that weird orb over the ocean, it could be DARPA. Darpa has tech, supposedly, that if they released it right now we would think that was from the far future.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we'll see what happens with the mystery drones.
Speaker 1:I am curious. I wish that something. We do plan to visit our family in the spring up at that area, so we'll see if we get to see him I hope, I, I wish that dude that was shooting at it would have hit it and knocked it down so we could actually get a close look at it don't give anybody ideas, no, no no, don't do it, but he already did it if you are practicing your 2a amendment, please are you 2a amendment, your second amendment, right?
Speaker 2:you're practicing your second amendment rights. Just keep it.
Speaker 1:Keep it at home, keep it safe yeah, don't, don't shoot at things in the air a thing. No, you're shooting into airspace. That's definitely a federal offense yeah, don't do that.
Speaker 2:You're going to jail. Don't do that, don't be smart, be smart we love you. Okay, moving on wrapped oh, spotify spotify wrapped.
Speaker 1:I'm so excited we do this every year so that this year, before we start, I will say, I only had one taylor swift song on there I'm so proud of who you, I'm just kidding, I know it's not you, it's our kid, it's our daughter it's unfortunately my uh, I gotta get my phone out.
Speaker 1:Yep, unfortunately my account, my spotify account, is linked to our amazon alexa, so it ends up all the kids come in here and they play and then I get my entire spotify rap gets ruined so top artists, top songs and total minutes listened ready yeah okay, I'm gonna start.
Speaker 2:My top artist is taylor swift uh, why, I don't know I feel like a kid, I feel like you don't have an excuse like I do not not as good of one, that's for sure. No, okay, so in the car we play dj and don't blame her partially I do really like uh, don't blame me, that's a really good song, um, but partially, I think. When we drive in the car we play dj, so we each take a turn with the music. She plays a lot of Tay-Tay.
Speaker 1:She does. I will say that, but that's your number one.
Speaker 2:That's my number one artist.
Speaker 1:See, that's your fault.
Speaker 2:It is not.
Speaker 1:Yes, it is, yes, it is. Now I will say that I don't think it would be your number one, but I do think it would be on your top five. Maybe, Not, maybe. Maybe, no, I'm pretty sure.
Speaker 2:What's your one?
Speaker 1:Well, I want you to guess.
Speaker 2:You want me to guess your number one? Yeah, I think I already know. I think because I think you said it out loud and I told you.
Speaker 1:No, I didn't Beartooth. Yes, yeah, a hundred percent Beartooth.
Speaker 2:I okay, ready for my other ones.
Speaker 1:I'm gonna list the doja cats on there. No, ah, why you know?
Speaker 2:the other one, lizzo, yep, okay she's number two, lizzo's number two, uh, benson boone is number three, halsey number four and jack harlow number five I know none of them you would know the songs. I'm sure I'll tell you in just a minute, if I heard them.
Speaker 1:Okay, what do you think? My number two is you. You have to get this party yeah, yes. And then number three, taylor swift I blame her. And then number four is bill murray and number five, which I'm surprised that my number five isn't higher, but it's falling in reverse.
Speaker 2:There you go, very nice.
Speaker 1:Songs.
Speaker 2:Ready.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Loving on me, which is the Jack Harlow song.
Speaker 1:Bless you. No idea, I'd have to hear it.
Speaker 2:Continue, put your loving on me.
Speaker 1:Bless you Okay.
Speaker 2:Beautiful things.
Speaker 1:Okay, I know that one.
Speaker 2:That's been overplayed. Yeah for sure, lose control.
Speaker 1:Bless you.
Speaker 2:Okay, paint the town red Doja Cat Is that the one the. I said what I said.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah yeah. That thing got stuck in my head For like six months.
Speaker 2:Because of you. Uh huh, it's a good song, and then water.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, I don't understand why you like that song. I don't know either. Making me water, it don't make. You're already are 70 water I think it means I know oh, okay I'm being science. I think it means point down. Oh, thank you honey. I appreciate you. So glad I could help. Yeah, you taught me everything, all right Well my turn. Top song Number one the better me by bear tooth. Yeah, number two is it's this one's funny, but it makes sense, because the artist is not on my top five list. It may, yeah.
Speaker 2:Out of style by Limp Bizkit. That was in the last couple months.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I blew that song up really bad, and then Three Truck.
Speaker 2:Bed Four, I Was Alive, and Five, all my Life. So literally all of your top artists, except for Limp Bizkit, that one.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so Limp Bizkit should probably be replaced Tay-Tay, maybe All right.
Speaker 2:So total minutes listened 12,571. You beat me.
Speaker 1:Of course I did. How is that possible? I listen to music constantly. You hate it. I listen to music while I'm taking a shower.
Speaker 2:I don't mind that, but I mind I actually was commuting to work for a bit there.
Speaker 1:Where there?
Speaker 2:This year, so I only have $10,449 compared to yours.
Speaker 1:That's crazy, yeah, but even when you were going into work and commuting, I was still listening to music all day.
Speaker 2:I get it.
Speaker 1:Here by myself.
Speaker 2:Oh honey.
Speaker 1:I don't want to hear my thoughts. Okay, so Google Photos now also has a wrapped. I don't want to hear my thoughts.
Speaker 2:Okay, so Google Photos now also has a wrapped.
Speaker 1:I know I saw that and I went through a couple of them. I thought that was pretty cool.
Speaker 2:Me too. I thought a couple of them. Sorry, I want to do the year in color and your vibes for 2024. Can you pull yours up? What were your top 2024 colors?
Speaker 1:Number one? Well, I think it's. Number one Is green, number two is blue, number three is violet.
Speaker 2:So are mine.
Speaker 1:See this shit is crap. I was giving Google all these props.
Speaker 2:But maybe it's because we have a shared photo album.
Speaker 1:Oh, that is why I didn't even think about that, me either. All of my photos end up on your library and all of yours are on mine, right? So yeah, but they make sense to me because I like to fish.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Blue water and then when I go fishing I take pictures of fish and the landscapes and all that stuff. So lots of green in Florida Makes a lot of sense.
Speaker 2:But it's dumb. Well, also our 2024 vibes because again we share a photo album Is Chef's Kiss, always outdoors and covered in sand, Very Floridian.
Speaker 1:Makes sense, chef's Kiss. We like to eat Foodidian Makes sense, chef's kiss. We like to eat Food.
Speaker 2:Yes, los Chapos tacos. Food yeah, yeah, love you, yeah, always outdoors.
Speaker 1:Always outdoors, like I said, fishing.
Speaker 2:Covered in sand. We like the beach.
Speaker 1:Like the beach Fishing.
Speaker 2:Yes, nice, okay. Well, that didn't go how I expected it.
Speaker 1:No, that was bad.
Speaker 2:But it's so cute, Like they did a good job.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I like the See. Now, that's different to me than the Spotify wrap thing, because it just pulls, Like it uses AI and pulls your best photos of the year. Of course, you're going to forget the photos.
Speaker 2:Why do you?
Speaker 1:say that we literally take like like 20 000 photos each, every year at least. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. So that's 40 000 photos and a lot of them. You, you take it and then you just forget about it, but this thing brings them back and you're like oh, I remember that. I remember going to that restaurant and trying that and it really sucked.
Speaker 2:Or I went to that restaurant that was the best taco I ever had well, I also have in our show notes for today, uh, a christmas gift shopping list I went through that list and I thought what a bunch of garbage why did you think that it's just a bunch of trash? So on todaycom there is an article that is hot holiday toys for 2024.
Speaker 1:That fake record player for kids. I thought that was the dumbest thing I've ever seen.
Speaker 2:Okay, so not new and innovative then.
Speaker 1:That's what they said. That was.
Speaker 2:Well, I wanted us to look at that list and say what's new and innovative and what's not. So that's one of your nots.
Speaker 1:I went on there and I looked through the entire thing and I thought none of them were new and innovative. Really, yes, I was disappointed at that list, not gonna lie.
Speaker 2:I can hear you. I can hear you on that.
Speaker 1:It was just it was stuff that we like, Furby that was on there. I know how is that new and innovative? That's Furby.
Speaker 2:Well, even they had a Spider-Man super web slinger on there, I'm like that's so 2000s.
Speaker 1:I remember wanting that as a kid Right. So I'm looking at all this. I'm like you're recycling stuff from our childhood. You're modernizing it, but it's the same. There's this little mini record player that you actually change the songs by putting these other fake records on it. I'm like nobody has a CD player anymore. Right, it's Spotify. We just talked about this, so what are you doing?
Speaker 2:Yep.
Speaker 1:Nobody even really has an iPod anymore.
Speaker 2:Well, they have Tamagotchis on here and digital cameras how is all that stuff new and innovative right? None of it is so the only thing on the list that I thought was new or innovative is the new disney interactive toys. It's almost like a tamagotchi but it's a disney character, right, and it's almost like a hologram type screen.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I've seen those before. It moves fast back and forth. It's almost like a hologram type screen. I've seen those before. It moves fast back and forth. It's like these LEDs that light up. I think you can touch it. Yep. But it's still just a Tamagotchi.
Speaker 2:I mean essentially right, but they've taken it up a little bit, a little more innovative than just a Tamagotchi.
Speaker 1:Tamagotchis are the shit, by the way, they were back in the 90s. I still like them. I can't.
Speaker 2:I buy our kid that stuff on purpose, so I can play with it too yeah, I know, hon, I know, but it just seems like there aren't very many like innovative new toys. It's all still very like basic and yeah, not, it's stuff we had right, and I don't know if that means we're. Everything is stale right?
Speaker 1:well, you could see it in movies I'm glad you feel that way too they can well. That's why I looked at that.
Speaker 2:I feel like music's the same way now. Like they are, they call it sampling. It's not just sampling anymore, you are flat out doing a remix at this point.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's, you better give them credit. But uh, I looked at that list and I was like I remember wanting half this stuff as a kid. Right, how, how does this make sense? Right, like the web slinger, all they did was do a fresh coat of paint. Right, I was like what the heck that now it's not made of lead? No asbestos yeah, no asbestos. You don't have to wear a gas mask to play with your toys anymore christmas is coming that's.
Speaker 1:That's the innovativeness. You're not gonna. You won't get cancer from it right no more chemicals.
Speaker 2:Christmas is coming, but it's in your fruit loops and here in florida, like I think we started a lot of new traditions that I consider floridian yeah, we need to calm down oh okay, so we, we do the boat parade every year. Uh, there's the olifaya river and it runs through the middle of Hillsborough County and there's a boat parade. We love it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's. I don't think I don't know if you can get more Floridian than that. There was a. There was a boat out there that had Santa on a sleigh, but instead of reindeer it was alligators. It was all lights. It was the greatest thing I've ever seen.
Speaker 2:I was like I was alligators.
Speaker 1:It was all lights. It was the greatest thing I've ever seen. I was like the whole boat was lit up and that that was what was lit up was a santa with alligators. It was hilarious. I laughed so hard.
Speaker 2:I was like that dude is cool and I want to know him, but it's. You know, it's nice to be outside on the water watching the boats go by. It was a little chilly, but then we we also it's getting later every minute, um. So we did the boat parade, but then we also did a street parade in, uh, what you consider, east tampa brandon area, and in that street parade, at the very end, santa is on a boat with bass bass pro shop that's very good it's very floridian.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I feel like these are very floridian things. We go to a boat parade and they have lights of santa and alligators and then we actually saw santa on a boat and then we did, uh, that we went to the hillsborough county fairgrounds and did their little drive-thru lights.
Speaker 1:Drive-thru lights. Now, that was a rip-off.
Speaker 2:I don't consider that very Floridian, because we could do that in Virginia too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean we'll say we had our windows down, which was kind of cool.
Speaker 2:Okay, and it's not snowy, sleeting cold.
Speaker 1:But it was so expensive. It was $30 a car to go in. So we packed the entire neighborhood. We had nine people in a van legally allegedly we had nine people in in our van. We all had seatbelts. There was nine seatbelts, you know don't tell, and that was $30. So we saved a little bit of money by packing everybody in there. But then we went at the very end. You can park your car and there's this little carnival.
Speaker 2:They call it Santa's Village.
Speaker 1:Yeah, santa's rich, he's making a ton of money, because it was five dollars per kid per ride one ticket was five dollars to go on the carousel so of course the kids see that and they're like, and you're like no, we gotta go home, it's late and it was late you don't believe in christmas?
Speaker 1:yeah, and then they start guilt tripping you and then you got to go in there to take a picture with your own phone with santa was five dollars. I'm like dude, santa, you're loaded bro. I'm confused, but it I wanted to like it because it's it's christmas and it's a good, could be a good thing to do with the kids. It was just too much money.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't know if I'd do it again.
Speaker 1:Very expensive Pricing was pricing was just out out of. It was too much.
Speaker 2:And Lord knows we're already paying so much money this time of year. Not just presents, but we also had our kiddos show choir. She had to have a specific outfit for show choir. She had to have a specific outfit for then. She had her art show.
Speaker 1:You got to buy the kids are because again, don't you love me? Yeah, and then, and then they do cone of ice, kona, yes, but it's called kona, kona of ice here. But then they do that every other friday.
Speaker 2:That's seven bucks a pop then they're doing a holiday party. They've also got the holiday shop. They got to buy gifts for all their friends at the holiday shop, Like can you get any more out of us at?
Speaker 1:this point Right, and we had to send money with her for the holiday shop so she could buy stuff for us. It's like, but you're using my money.
Speaker 2:So I bought something for me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it's something that you know she thinks we're going to like, which we're going to like it because we're going to love it. It's going to be a squishy or something forever A freaking stuffed teddy bear. Sorry you guys, if you see this inappropriate imagery, it's as a cat, but he needs to sit down. He doesn't understand camera etiquette.
Speaker 2:You just want to live, but he doesn't understand camera etiquette. You just want to live, but then there's also this time of year where the elf shows up. Oh my God. Yes, mia, the elf is ours and she's back for another year. And she pooped all in our sink. Yeah, so you can tell whose nights is whose. But yes, she absolutely pooped in the sink. She's swinging from the chandelier right now yes, she is I showed our kiddo the toad on the chandelier oh the with the, the screaming.
Speaker 1:She laughed, she thought it was funny.
Speaker 2:Um then, what else has she done? Um, she's on top of the fish tank. I want to see her go in the fish tank. I do too.
Speaker 1:I hope she does that one of these days I mean we need to buy her a scuba gear I think that would be funny well, she was on the ceiling fan spinning around real fast she's crazy, she's crazy this.
Speaker 1:The fan part was really funny though, because when our kiddo walked out of the bedroom and she saw her on the fan, she was like, oh my god, I think she almost panicked. And then you go in there and you troll her a little bit, turn the fan up high as it goes, and the thing is like horizontal with the ceiling it was so funny man. Come on, bro, that's appropriate.
Speaker 2:So yeah, the ideas that that elf comes up with, and I'm sure she needs more, so send them on in oh yeah, and we have a podcast host.
Speaker 1:If you look in our episode descriptions it says send us a text.
Speaker 2:That was a very nerdy thing you just did.
Speaker 1:So send us a text, yes, with suggestions, please.
Speaker 2:All your love.
Speaker 1:And we'll even talk about it if you send us a text. Yeah, Talk about you Send us topics, anything you want Send it to us For 2025.
Speaker 2:No nudes, because again.
Speaker 1:No nudes to the text, though Don't.
Speaker 2:Because, again 2025, we'll be back. We're going to enjoy the rest of 2024 in the holiday. We'll be back for 2025.
Speaker 1:And we love you.
Speaker 2:Have a great, safe, happy new year.
Speaker 1:And Merry Christmas. Amen Love you.
Speaker 3:Goodbye. Thanks for listening to the Unfiltered Union. If you enjoyed this episode, click like and subscribe, and check out our merch on unfilteredunioncom. It's what you do with things you love.
