In episode 18 of Or, Learn Parkour: Jordan & Lex make an attempt at discussing their respective remote work experiences, get completely derailed as per usual, but eventually we bring it (him) home. Working remotely can be tough when you've got ADHD, so if nothing else, at least you're not as alone as your work situation implies!
Thanks for listening!
CW/TW: Mental health, ADHD, explicit language, loud noises, yelling, rambling, mouth noises, garbled speech, singing, discussion of eating food, death mention, suicide mention, Les Mis
Credits:
Cover art by: Krizia Perito
Theme: There Is A Dark Place
Socials:
Mental Health Resources:
In episode 18 of Or, Learn Parkour: Jordan & Lex make an attempt at discussing their respective remote work experiences, get completely derailed as per usual, but eventually we bring it (him) home. Working remotely can be tough when you've got ADHD, so if nothing else, at least you're not as alone as your work situation implies!
Thanks for listening!
CW/TW: Mental health, ADHD, explicit language, loud noises, yelling, rambling, mouth noises, garbled speech, singing, discussion of eating food, death mention, suicide mention, Les Mis
Credits:
Cover art by: Krizia Perito
Theme: There Is A Dark Place
Socials:
Mental Health Resources:
OLP 018: Bring Him (An Emotionally Stable Big Boy) Home
Introduction (00:00:00):
[Intro audio: "There is a Dark Place," by Tom Rosenthal]
Jordan (00:29):
Hi, I’m Jordan.
Lex:
And I'm Lex
Jordan:
And this is Or, Learn Parkour.
Lex (00:00:32):
A podcast about ADHD done by two people who have ADHD.
Jordan (00:00:37):
We still do, wouldn't you know it.
Lex (00:00:39):
We still do. We have ADHD so hard that we stopped recording for like two months, because we forgot about everything else that needed to happen and then forgot about recording and then realized we were supposed to be putting out episodes. Straight up. We just, boom. We bungled it. A big, wha-oh!
Jordan(00:01:00):
I had the, the idea of recording in my head, but I forgot how time works.
Lex:
No!
Jordan:
Yes.
Lex (00:01:07):
Wouldn't you know it, that sure is more from our lovely ADHD brains.
Jordan (00:01:13):
Mhmm. Yup. And in true colander brain fashion, we bungled our whole schedule, but sure are grateful for y'all who are tuning back into Or, Learn Parkour. We're happy you're here. We hope you had a restful, good, nice and pleasant last month,
Lex:
If you didn't, sorry.
Jordan:
Bummer.
Lex:
Bumskie.
Jordan:
That's a real bummeroni pizza.
Lex (00:01:33):
Yeah, with extra, no with no cheese, ‘cause it's a bummeroni. It's just raw dough with some moldy tomatoes dished up on it. That's a bummeroni pizza.
Jordan (00:01:50):
That's a real bummeroni. I was just imagining, just like a pizza with a little bit of, kind of, grody sauce and a little bit too-cooked pepperoni, which to me is a bummer. I feel like a moldy raw pizza would be like an ER pizza. ‘Cause that's where you'd go after eating it.
Lex (00:02:14):
Well, that's the ER in bummer [laughter]. Oh, you know what? The real bummeroni pizza is, it's a really delicious pizza that you dropped on the sidewalk.
Jordan:
Oh God.
Lex:
I know.
Jordan:
So, tragedy.
Lex:
I know, I'm laughing, but just because it hasn't happened to me yet.
Jordan (00:02:29):
I've seen it though. I've seen that so many times in Chicago.
Lex (00:02:33):
Yeah. No, I mean, I do, to some extent, the amount of times that you can find pizza, just sort of discarded on the side of the road, like the pets your parents told you, were going to the farm down the lane, you know, like-
Jordan (00:02:46):
You get home and your parents are like, sorry, kids. I had to take the pizza to the farm. I guess we're having cereal tonight.
Lex (00:02:52):
Yeah, no. Well, and to some extent, it's like, it happens so often that I'm like, is there just one, one person who just really hates pizza just going around, like sees people with pizza on like a bike, like a delivery bike. And they're just like, like just flip it.
Jordan (00:03:08):
See, I was imagining a person who just hates pizza so much they go buy it and then dump it themselves out of spite. But I think that that person probably has other problems.
Lex (00:03:19):
Yeah, no that's, yeah.
Jordan (00:03:21):
I like your dude though. That's funny. Like, I don't like them, like that's such a dick move, so it will be hands on sight if somebody did that to me and my pizza,
Lex (00:03:31):
No, for sure. But also, like, would I love to watch that altercation between two other people?
Jordan:
Can you imagine the Citizen notification?
Lex:
Man assaulted with pizza at Magnolia and Clark.
Jordan (00:03:47):
Be like, pizza assaulted by man, the person’s fine physically. Emotionally who's to say, but it was just the pizza that was assaulted.
Lex (00:04:00):
Just, altercation involving pizza and bike at Foster and Glenwood.
Jordan (00:04:09):
Oh God. We gotta stop talking about pizza, dude. I'm so hungry.
Lex (00:04:12):
I'm really hungry. Let's, let's do this episode so that we can eat.
Jordan (00:04:16):
Yeah. Let's do it. What's our episode about today?
Lex (00:04:19):
It's about working alone, but like, okay.
Jordan:
No, go ahead. Pretending he's beside me. All alone, I walk with him till morning.
Lex (00:04:36):
So that was my, um, when I took vocal lessons, that was my final, was doing that as a solo.
Jordan (00:04:43):
Really? My final was singing I Dreamed a Dream.
Lex:
Wow. Nice.
Jordan:
And I was in, like, middle school.
Lex:
Yeah, I was in, like, ninth grade.
Jordan:
You know the part that I'm going to play as a 12-year-old.
Lex (00:04:55):
Is the, the destitute brokenhearted.
Jordan:
Single mother.
Lex:
She's just been thrown out on the street and had all of her head shaved. Good lord. Yeah.
Jordan (00:05:08):
All things that I really really resonated with in middle school.
Lex (00:05:11):
I mean, yeah. I mean, same for me. Right? Like, I super, totally related to being so deeply in unrequited love that it's- does she, she doesn't kill herself, does she?
Jordan (00:05:21):
She doesn't, but she, she dies in his arms. She's like, no, it's fine. This is the best part of my life, is dying in your arms right now.
Lex (00:05:30):
Yeah. Oh, Eponine. But also, like, Marius. What a tool to not notice this person is completely obsessed with you and has been for their whole lives.
Jordan (00:05:42):
Question for you, legitimate question. Is Marius a tool or is he just like early [inaudible] representation? Oh, no.
Lex (00:05:49):
Oh, no, for sure. I don't think he's a tool. I think he's just an idiot, like, for sure. ‘Cause then he sees Cosette and he's like, wow. And then literally that's it. That, that's the whole, that's his whole arc. [Inaudible]
Jordan (00:06:04):
Well, yeah, it was, like, all his friends die somewhere in between.
Lex (00:06:09):
Yeah, but he still just doesn't seem- like, he cares, but not that much. ‘Cause he's like, well at least I get to be with Cosette now.
Jordan (00:06:14):
He's like, yeah, damn, y'all are dead. That's a real bummeroni pizza.
Lex (00:06:18):
Which to be fair, to be fair. You know, living at that time in French history, there's a lot of revolution and a lot of death all over the place. So, I think to some extent, it's kind of like, well, yep, that's another day’s work.
Jordan:
And some aren't long for this world.
Lex:
Some more fallen comrades. Uh, bid you good day. Okay. So anyways, yeah, we're doing our, um, we're doing our episode this week on working by yourself, either working from home or working in an office by yourself, working remotely.
Jordan (00:06:45):
You could say like Marius did after all his friends died.
Lex (00:06:47):
Okay. I mean, he did still have Cosette and, and he did still have Jean Valjean.
Jordan (00:06:53):
That's true. They were bros. Okay. So, not like Marius at all. Go on.
Lex (00:06:56):
Bring him home. That song actually hurts me.
Jordan (00:07:01):
No, it's beautiful. It's legit, as much as we're dunking, like, Les Mis is a beautiful musical and one of the few, like, classic, big, quote unquote- I'm doing air quotes right now- musicals that I think deserves the hype. Anyways. Yes. Sorry. We're talking about working from home, working alone. Some circumstances that a fair portion of us have been through in the last year. And we are, I will concede, kind of hopping on this, on hopefully the tail-end of things, but I know both of us are fairly new to our, I will say distance working to-
Lex (00:07:35):
Yeah. Remote working.
Jordan:
Cover all of our experiences.
Lex:
Did you just really not want to say remote working?
Jordan (00:07:41):
Well, you're not working remotely cause you're in an office.
Lex (00:07:43):
I'm in a remote office, ‘cause the company is in Virginia.
Jordan:
Okay. Yeah. Okay.
Lex:
We are sure not in Virginia.
Jordan (00:07:48):
This is true. We are not, we're still in Chicago. Okay. So, remote working. But what was I saying?
Lex:
Well, we're talking about working alone.
Jordan:
Yeah.
Lex:
And how, you know, the panini has been going on for quite some time and hopefully- I mean, it's not ending. If you look at the rest of the world, it's not done. We just have of course the horrible- yeah, no, like, it's great that so many of us have been vaccinated, us included, but I recognize the only reason we've been able to get vaccinated is because of the huge vaccination gap due to, like, the homogeneity of US power on a global scale.
Jordan (00:08:23):
Yup. And, yeah, even in the states where things are showing a trend of opening back up, I've heard from a lot of people that remote work is going to continue to be an option because the infrastructure is now there. So-
Lex (00:08:37):
And also, people are realizing that you don't need to be at work to be productive and you don't need to have a boss breathing down your neck. And a lot of bosses hate that. And that makes me personally very happy. I want you to suffer, bosses who think that remote work is dumb.
Jordan (00:08:51):
Seconded.
Lex:
Huff my fucking shorts.
Jordan:
Seconded. I feel very lucky, in that my boss is not like that at all.
Lex (00:08:58):
Same, same. Clarify. Same big, same. Just, like, generally that seems to be the trend of like, people are like, oh no, working remotely is actually great. I'm getting way more done and my life is way better. And then bosses are like, but, but you have to come back in and people are like, no, I don't. There's not a labor shortage. There's a shortage of living wage jobs. So, drop back down.
Jordan (00:09:22):
Yeah. No, speaking from somebody who very recently left the service industry. Pay people more. Pay them more. I'm going to say it again. And if you don't do it, I won't be asking anymore. Pay people more. Anyways. So, yeah.
Lex (00:09:37):
We are doing a really good job of really, really just emphasizing the fact that this is in fact a podcast about and by ADHD brain folk.
Jordan (00:09:49):
Yeah. So, anyways, here's what we got in store for ya, team. We're going to talk about our personal experiences, working remotely, what some of the challenges were and are. And then on the flip side, some things that we really like about it because there are pros and cons and then we're gonna share some tips and things that we've learned. Some things that we've read, some things that other wonderful folks have shared with us. And then that'll be the podcast. Sound good?
Lex (00:10:14):
Yeah, I mean we will also have our regularly scheduled jumpy, fun time on the dopamine trampoline where we just talk about things that we like and that give our brains dopamine. Because if we don't do that, I get really sad. And I think Jordan also gets really sad. And if you don't like the dopamine trampoline that's fine, but it-
Jordan:
It's okay. It doesn't hurt my feelings at all.
Lex:
It doesn't. It's totally fine.
Jordan (00:10:36):
You can, you can skip that part. We won't know. And we won't care.
Lex:
I'm a big boy, I'm a big boy.
Jordan (00:10:43):
I have my big boy pants on and I'm not going to cry about it.
Lex:
I'm totally fine. I'm a big boy. And I'm very strong and emotionally stable.
Jordan (00:10:56):
So, yeah, no, we are also gonna do the dopamine trampoline at the end of this. But I think that my dopamine trampoline is just going to be [inaudible] I wish everyone who is experiencing this podcast could have seen your face in that last bit. Y'all they were so committed. I really believed it. I really believed in my soul that you were telling your big boy truth.
Lex (00:11:18):
Here's the thing. I'm a youngest sibling. I can cry on command. I win every fight. I don't start all of them, but I finish them. Older siblings, oldest, specifically oldest siblings, think, they think, they think that they're like, oh, it's the youngest sibling, little brat. I can take ‘em Uh-uh, not me. No way, I'm scrappy. Okay. So, two shitheads getting together to do a podcast about ADHD, getting off topic. What's new? It's Or, Learn Parkour, baby.
Jordan (00:11:59):
That was it. You nailed it. So, how do you like working from home? Fuck, you don't work from home.
Lex (00:12:04):
Do you want to, let's keep that take because that was really organic. Um, yeah, no, I mean, I, I work for a company that does custom online printing documents type stuff, and they're all based in, like, Virginia, east coast. And then there's me, the one person who works in the little Chicago remote studio office space who prints the orders and packages them and ships them off through ye old FedEx. So, I work alone, but I am at an office, technically it's a studio space ‘cause it's in, like, this old factory warehouse. Um, ‘cause we have big fancy printing equipment and the zoning that's required for equipment that big is, like, industrial and commercial spaces only.
Jordan:
Wild.
Lex:
So, Jordan's been to my office.
Jordan:
I have.
Lex:
It's really nice. It's light and airy. I've been able to decorate it however I want, because I'm the only one who works there. It's, like, super chill because it's still Monday through Friday, even though it's, like, an online gig. And, like, I only ever talk to my coworkers through, like, Skype chat and if occasionally, like, we'll FaceTime, like, my boss and I just to, like, check in.
Jordan (00:13:11):
So, they could not even be real for all you know?
Lex (00:13:13):
Well, but I have FaceTimed them. I mean, I guess they could have had some really, really sick, like, AR sort of, like-
Jordan:
Could be a deepfake.
Lex:
Yeah, it could be. But also, like, I don't care. They pay me and it's a chill job and they're nice. So, um, yeah, no. So, like, I somehow lucked out big time with this job and, like, I found it on Craigslist and, like, yeah, I know I work in, like, an old warehouse factory and I print online custom documents and I know it sounds shady. It is, but it's fine. Nothing about it is actually shady. So, it's fine. It just sounds sketch. But it's been a really weird time, right. Of, like, I work in this big collective studio space. So there are a bunch of different studios and rooms and offices with a bunch of different people. So, like, my next door neighbors on either side of my studio office space, uh, one of them is, like, a really, really cool, like, 2D and 3D artist. And then the other one is, like, a sculptor of some kind. And there's always, like, loud noises and, like, music blasting and, like, it's just, it's very chill. It's very chill space. Um, and then there's, like, other people who work in the building too, but, like, I don't see them as often. So, you know, but it's like, owned- the building itself is owned by the people who live, like, up on the top floor where they renovated, like, the whole top floor to just be their giant apartment thing.
Jordan:
Oh, I didn't actually know that. That's wild.
Lex:
Yeah, no, they, like, live in the building. Yeah. So.
Jordan:
That's a huge department. I've been in that building.
Lex:
Yeah, no, it's massive. Yeah. And their own personal studio space is the third floor. So, like, the whole third floor is where they do their art. ‘Cause, like, it's two artists who, like, live there and, like, own the building. So, it is really weird cause I just, like, am in my little office with all my fancy printing equipment and then everyone else is doing this, like, really creative, cool stuff around me. But all that said it's a really chill space, but it's definitely, like, I've lucked out because I get to work alone, but I'm not in the same place all day, every day. I don't have to work from home. Um, so I think there is a little bit of a difference there and the nature of my job and the fact that I don't have to interact with coworkers or customers, I just have to print things, package them and ship them. And so when I have extra time, ‘cause sometimes there are slow days and there's only, like, five or six orders. And then I have, like, the full workday to just sit and play animal crossing.
Jordan:
Nice!
Lex (00:15:38):
So, I feel like that kind of sums up the general vibe of the experience of my job, of, like, it's a weird shady job. That's not actually shady, but, like, feels like it. And I'm working in a weird old factory building surrounded by, like, artists. And then I just don't have to interact with people and customers and I get to do, kind of, whatever I want. And then while I'm printing, I'm usually, like, either, like, watching survivor on the second monitor because I have dual monitors or, like, yeah. Or listening to a podcast or, like, sometimes, you know, I'm able to, like, edit our podcasts ‘cause I'll have some free time at work. So it's been a really good experience overall for me. Um, but definitely had some challenges, which, I guess we'll talk about that later. The, my specific likes and dislikes, or do you want me to do that now? And you want to just like roll, like [inaudible]
Jordan (00:16:28):
If you want to do that now, pop off. Go with it.
Lex (00:16:31):
Cool, yeah. I guess I'll do that. And then you can do yours and we'll do, like, tips and other people's advice and stuff. Sick. Okay. Yeah. No. And so there've been some challenges, but, like, I mean, I guess, like, top three things that I have struggled with is being by myself when I do have that free time, I have a lot of internal mental pressure that I put on myself to, like, work on things, like, work on this podcast, work on one of the, like, five screenplays that we've been working on for, like, three years, you know, like, you know, pay the bills and get my health insurance sorted, you know, things like that can be kind of hard for me to do sometimes. Especially, like, if I've been, like, working really hard on, like, my actual job that I'm being paid to do there. And then I have, like, a break I want to just, like, vibe and chill and, like, watch some Survivor. I just want to watch Jeff Probst torture people on national television, you know? So that's probably, like, numero uno issue. Right. Is that, like, it is really hard for me to utilize the free time I have to, like, actually do things that are productive outside of, like, work. And then, I mean, it's, it's kind of a bummer to be alone all day, but only sometimes. Very, very seldom-ish sort of, like, it's not a problem that comes up very often for me, but it does happen. And then the other thing about my job is that since I am the only one and I'm the only one in the office, I can't really miss work very much. Like, if I miss work, then I have to be ready to make up all of that work the next day that I'm in, you know? So, like, when I got my, my second shot, and y'all, it flattened me, it was bad. But that next day after, I had taken that day off, ‘cause I literally just couldn't even get out of bed, let alone drive to Humboldt to, like, go work, like, no thank you. That next day was, like, so busy. And then, like, today, after a three-day weekend, was so busy. And so sometimes that can get a little stressful, of, like, I'm the only one here. Like, there's no one else who can pick up this workload for me. I have to do all of it. So, like, that can be kind of hard sometimes. But on the flip side, like, of my top three things, like, the top thing is that I love that it's just me. So, like, yeah, I have to do the entire workload myself, but I also know that it's getting done exactly the way that I want it to be done. I mean, I'm very anal retentive. You would not think it, you would not think it based on this podcast and everything else about me, but, like, when it's, uh, something about, like, work and school and, like, those sorts of projects, I get like really nitpicky and I have a very specific way that I like to do things and I'm very organized. And so when things are not going that way, I do not like it, but when it's just, it's always going my way.
Jordan:
Yeah. No one else can mess it up.
Lex:
Yes, exactly. So, that's, like, one of my fav things. And then, like, I really like that I have all of that free time to just, like, chill or work on things when I do muster up the energy to work on other creative and productive projects and stuff. And then I guess the third thing is that, like, I really, really do love having a one space to myself besides, like, my bedroom that I get to decorate however I want. And it's like this big open, like, warehouse factory room that I just have, like, pictures of Mitski and Victoria Pedretti and, like, I have a picture of Carrie Fisher, just, like, above my desk. So, I also have, like, pictures of, like, Portland and, you know, cool outdoor things. But, like, I do also just have, like, a picture of, like, a little trifecta of Carrie Fisher, Mitski and Victoria Pedretti.
Jordan (00:20:07):
It's a very, very balanced selection.
Lex (00:20:10):
Thanks. I disagree. But, like, I appreciate you trying to cater to my-
Jordan (00:20:14):
It's a selection with more than one option. Multiple options.
Lex (00:20:19):
Thank you. Yeah. So, yeah. Oh, Florence Pugh is also up there.
Jordan:
Even more options.
Lex:
Yeah, you can really tell, like, what my type of person that I choose to idolize is. And by that, I mean, like, I don't actually idolize them. I just think they're cool. I just think they're neat. I just think they're neat. So, um, yeah, that's it though. That's it. That's all. I, I like my job for the most part. I like working alone for the most part. Those are my least favorite and favorite things. What about you, Jordo?
Jordan (00:20:44):
That's a great question. But before I, before I move on to my job, I do just want to, like, speak to something that you said about- with work and school, like, being very exacting and having your own way of doing things. That's like the way to do things. I feel like that's really common with ADHD folks. Like, once we've, once we’ve figured out a way to make things work. And also, like, I know for me, kind of, the work and school thing comes from, like, there are higher ups that I want, I want to impress. I want my teachers to like me, but yeah, it seems like that's, that's common for a lot of ADHD folks. So it makes sense that that would be a space that you would feel good, feel organic in. Does that, I mean, I dunno.
Lex (00:21:27):
I would argue, it goes beyond just people with ADHD because people who are, excuse me, people who are, neurodivergent, when you find some way that you like to do things and it's a very particular way. It's really hard to not do it that way. And it's really, really hard when other people don't do it that way. Yep. Yep. So, yeah. Yeah. Well, what about you?
Jordan (00:21:51):
Yeah. So, some of you probably know this, I started a new job in mid-March and I now do digital marketing and-
Lex:
Sell out.
Jordan:
It's like, not-
Lex (00:22:03):
I'm Kidding.
Jordan:
At least it's not social media.
Lex:
I did. I did social media marketing for like five years of my life.
Jordan:
I know, that's why I said at least.
Lex:
Yeah, no. I'm just saying, like, for those of you who are like, wow, Lex, shut up and just, like, be nice to Jordan. This is a self dunk. Okay. Continue.
Jordan (00:22:23):
No, no, we, we both did. There's that. I did. I did sell out, that's okay. I didn't say the word deserve, right. So I'm just going to take a whole extra crack at that. No, I did. I did totally sell out to the man. I am such a square, but I am a square who makes, like, 10K more than I did at a grocery store. So, I'll take it.
Lex:
So valid.
Jordan:
Yup. So I work from home as many office jobs do, you know. Definitely in March things were still not looking great. So they started me completely remote and I'm, I'm very grateful that they made that a very easy process and just mailed me a lot of computer equipment. Um, and I'm also very grateful that we have space in our house for me to have office space. And I don't have to also worry about children or things like that. Okay, aside from our, our children.
Lex (00:23:14):
Idiot cats, like the most monstrous little fuckers that you could ever imagine.
Jordan (00:23:19):
This is true. At least they don't, like, they know where to pee most of the time. And I don't have to feed them during the day. I don't have to cook their food. They can't talk to me. They just bite my ass occasionally. So, I feel like it's still way easier than human children.
Lex:
That's so fair.
Jordan:
But anyways. So, I, I will definitely admit that I was nervous to start a work-from-home job because I know that I like, I like going into work. I like, I like having a specific work space. I know that I do really well with routine. And I know that I do really well with kind of a mix of getting to do my own thing when I know what I'm doing, but when it comes to figuring something out or brainstorming or activities like that, I really like being in a group. I really like doing that with other people. And so I definitely was nervous going into it. And I definitely just spent a lot of money on fidget toys and, like, preemptive anxiety, which turned out to be a great investment. And I'm not mad about it at all, but yeah. So, it's definitely been an adjustment, changing from working in the service industry, working in a kitchen to being at home by myself all day. And I think the hardest part of it has been honestly enforcing my own breaks, almost, because I do get breaks. But I think partially just because I get focused on a task and there's no one else yelling at me to be, like, hey, it's time for your 30 minute break. You need to go now. Or you're not going to get one because of the shift changeover or, you know, being around to, kind of, see other people get up from their desks and know, like, in an office environment what's appropriate. ‘Cause that's also new culture to me because you know, no one's saying, oh, you get your 15 minute break now, go and then come back. And you're working. So, adjusting to office culture without having anyone else to model, it has been a bit of a struggle remembering, you know, remembering to, like, eat and take my breaks. And those sort of normal body things has been a struggle. And you know, to some degree there, there are times when it is easier to get distracted because I'm by myself and the house is full of, like, oh, the plants need watering. Oh, I need to go change over my laundry. Oh, you know, while I'm in here, I can, I'll just pick, I'll just pick up the living room real fast, you know, those little sort of house things. Those have, you know, definitely been a distraction, but I don't know how much of that is specifically, like, ADHD related and how much of it is just, like, the overlapping environments of, like, home and work.
Lex (00:25:51):
Yeah. I mean, and I think that, I feel like those are helpful distractions because, like, they keep you from just working through the whole day and then, like, realizing at the end of the day, like, I haven't pissed in, like, five hours, you know? So, yeah. I mean, I, I think that those are what I would consider helpful distractions, at least from what I know about you and about our house, which is quite a bit on both fronts.
Jordan (00:26:14):
Yeah, that's fair. You do live here with me. Yeah. So that's been kind of the initial struggle, I guess. And it'll be interesting to see when we do go back in the office, which I think is soon because apparently all my coworkers are vaccinated now, which is exciting. You know, I think it'll just be a different set of challenges, but I will say that I do, you know, I have found some ways to cope with my own set of challenges. And I think that, I know that I have found ways to cope with my own set of challenges. And there are some things my workplace does just in the way that they do things that I think are super ADHD friendly, whether they mean it to be or not.
Lex:
Like what?
Jordan:
Well, a) Trello. We don't- I wanna be super clear- we don't get paid by Trello or, like, any of the other items or things we might mention. If, if, any of you want to pay us though, slide into these DMS, please. But-
Lex (00:27:05):
Trying to think of what I mentioned, FedEx, FedEx, get at me.
Jordan (00:27:09):
FedEx pass FedEx, FedEx, on set, check. They got that taken care of in house. You know, skip the middleman. Anyways, we use a system called Trello, and I think that there are other ways of doing this. I've heard of Asana. I haven't used it, but it's a way of organizing tasks, basically. Hi, Ned. He's just jumping on stuff back there. It's a way of organizing tasks into, like, you can have a board and on your board, you can have lists and on your lists you can have cards and your cards are each, like, individual tasks. At least that's the way that we use it. Um, but you can put checklists, you can upload documents to cards. You can add descriptions and details and due dates and all of that stuff. So, for me, who is a very visual person, I essentially organized my life by, like, analog Trello before, which you can attest to, with my really overzealous, like, whiteboard system.
Lex (00:28:11):
Yeah. Sure can. Sure can. Yeah.
Jordan (00:28:14):
But all that to say, we do use Trello to keep all of those things in one place. And the other thing that's really helpful about Trello is due dates. That's, I think, been the most important skill I've taught myself, is not being afraid to ask and get very specific clarification on, like, what does ‘done’ look like for this task? For me, I'm in digital marketing, it's a lot of clicking things. It's a lot of investigations. So, sometimes the end product isn't super clear. So, that's one thing that I've made very central to my, like, work-from-home ethic, I guess, is, like, asking my manager or whoever I'm working with who's asked me to do something, like, what does ‘done’ look like? What are all of the things I need? What are all of the expectations you have for those? What is the due date? How long should this take me? Especially because I'm, I'm new to the job and I'm still learning tasks, but that has been, like, the number one thing that's helped me prioritize things and also helped me not get, like, overwhelmed by, I don't know how to start this task, is just ask what does ‘done’ look like?
Lex (00:29:19):
Cool. Sick. Want to give me, like, your, sorry, say what you were gonna say.
Jordan (00:29:23):
Oh, I was also just going to say, I do really like the way that my team, in particular, structures the day, because we start at eight technically, but we have a meeting at eight thirty, which is just our team meeting to touch base on everything and talk about what we're going to do for the day. And I know for me, just like starting out the day with a list and getting some feedback on what to prioritize is super helpful. I get that half hour buffer to like, get settled in, get my coffee, read my emails. It's not, like, pressure right off the bat, or I feel stressed, like, going into the day, but it's, it's a really nice check-in and it's really helpful in starting the day with a plan and getting feedback on that plan. And just, also, it's fun. We end up just kind of talking about movies. Or our respective cats.
Lex (00:30:07):
Nerd. Having fun at work.
Jordan (00:30:16):
It's, it's like 30% movies. And I will say it's probably, like, 50% our respective cats because all of my coworkers on my team have cats, which was how I knew from the start it was going to be a good place to work. So yeah, that's what I got. What were you going to say?
Lex (00:30:32):
I was just gonna ask, like, what are your, not necessarily least favorite and favorite things, but kinda, like, what are the biggest challenges and what are the things you like the best, you know?
Jordan (00:30:40):
Oh yeah. Challenges, I guess in bullet list form, uh, maintaining my own routine, not getting, finding a balance between being able to focus on a task, but not getting too into it. And that's, I guess that's it, that's the two main challenges they're kind of overarching things. My favorite things are that I have a lot of room to explore once I know, like, what ‘done’ looks like for a task. Um, and so I get to kind of investigate and do a lot of pattern finding and almost storytelling of, like, what are these people trying to say? How well are they saying it? Which is up my alley as a theater nerd. And I also enjoy meeting on Zoom. I never thought I'd say that. Took me a long time to come around to the, to the online meeting thing. But I realized if you just see my face, you can't see my hand and I have a drawer full of different fidget toys that make so much difference. I'm just going to have to rock into the office and be like, this is how it is now. It's been happening this whole time. Deal with it. If it's distracting to you, you can also grab a fidget toy.
Lex:
There you go. Bang, bang. Boom.
Jordan:
That's what I got.
Lex:
Nice. Well, thanks for sharing.
Jordan:
Yeah. Thank you for sharing also. Too.
Lex (00:31:55):
Of course, any time, my delightful co-host who I'm very formal with.
Jordan (00:32:01):
It has been my honor.
Lex (00:32:03):
Hey, Hey. Hey. Bish.
Jordan:
Yeah.
Lex:
So, um, what's this about like tips?
Jordan (00:32:13):
Oh yeah. So depending on your job and your circumstances and all of those things, your mileage may vary. I didn't want to go in and be like, here's how to work from home. These are the things to do, and it will be better because, you know, your mileage may vary on all of these, but we shared our tips and we have a couple other ones that you, I might have heard before.
Lex (00:32:35):
Yeah, yeah. I mean, generous fruit, at least from what my, from what I shared, I didn't really give any tips. I think I just kind of gloated about how chill my job is.
Jordan (00:32:45):
I mean, I think that you spoke to the ADHD experience.
Lex (00:32:48):
Yeah. But I did. Yeah. Okay. I digress. But there are people who actually have ideas and tips and we did outsource this because we are not, uh, ADHD coaches or medical doctors or psychiatrists or any of that. If we were that'd be, whoo, what a, what a blow to the medical community, for me personally. I don't know. I guess I'm not going to loop you into that, but I'm just, yeah.
Jordan (00:33:11):
Oh yeah. No. I think if somebody gave me a doctorate, I'd have to be, like, this made everyone else's doctorate worthless.
Lex:
Well, a doctorate in-
Jordan:
A medical doctorate, I guess I should clarify.
Lex (00:33:21):
Oh, like a medical doctorate. I was like, I feel like both of us could easily get a doctorate. Not easily, not easily, not easily. Gosh, my partner is going to listen to this and be like, easily? The PhD process, easily?
Jordan (00:33:35):
Yeah. If you're not a bitch. No, I'm kidding. One of my dear friends is also getting a doctorate right now. I know it's a lot of effort, a lot of hard work, a lot of writing.
Lex (00:33:42):
So much writing, and, like, not necessarily, like, for fun writing, you know?
Jordan:
Yeah. That's rough, buddy.
Lex:
I know. I would not be able to do that, obviously. Although I could, I could fuck around and get my PhD later in life. But, like, in, like, sociology or anthropology, something that just kind of comes natch to me at this point, not, like-
Jordan (00:34:03):
I was invited to a performance studies PhD program. And on the one hand that would be so dope. It would be so fun. It's a lot of cool space to get, to, like, explore stuff in the humanities and also, like, Dr. Jordan Rawlings. How bomb does that sound? How gloriously gender neutral does that sound? But also I just like the fear of being on a plane or something and someone being like, is there a doctor in the house? And me being like, don't look, don't look at me.
Lex (00:34:31):
Just, it's in theater, look away. I got some band-aids I got some band-aids with, um, with lyrics from Into the Woods on them.
Jordan
Oh God.
Lex:
I don't know, I'm just trying to think of the most, like, musical theater-y thing.
Jordan:
I know where your diaphragm is.
Lex:
It's like any musician.
Jordan (00:34:48):
Yeah, exactly. It's not helpful information.
Lex (00:34:51):
Yeah. Okay. I get you. You would have band-aids though. Not necessarily Into the Woods band-aids but you, you do usually have band-aids and other things on you.
Jordan (00:34:58):
I do. I actually, last time I was on a plane, gave someone a band-aid. Their ear started bleeding out of nowhere.
Lex:
That's troublesome.
Jordan:
It was. I think they had like an earring or something that got twisted wrong, but I felt bad. ‘Cause it was like a group of younger, I believe, like, cheer squad dance team group, and they all panicked. And so of course I had to mom-friend. Yeah. It wasn't one of my fun ones though. It was just, it was just, like, my standard backpack bandage. I had my Bob Ross ones at home. So.
Lex (00:35:30):
Sorry, bud.
Jordan:
That's, that's okay. You know.
Lex:
Anyways, so, people who aren't us have tips and ideas and thoughts and opinions.
Jordan (00:35:39):
This is true. A lot of people have a lot of opinions.
Lex:
Please do, do share some.
Jordan:
I will. I will share some that are about working from home. So-
Lex:
Or working alone.
Jordan:
Or working alone. A lot of people have said this one, do your best to stick to a routine. Even if you-
Lex:
A schedule.
Jordan:
A sched- a schedule. Do your best to stick to a sed-, a sed- a sedule. I did- that went real South.
Lex (00:36:03):
I got you. A schedule.
Jordan:
Thank you. You, you are the one who lived in the UK.
Lex:
The people who I know who still, like, who are in the UK, are gonna be like, are gonna just be like, lived in the, she studied abroad. Did I live in the UK? Technically, but was I, like, a resident of the UK?
Jordan:
I didn't say resident.
Lex:
No, I know. But also I don't know anyone who said schedule. ‘Cause my friends in the UK were fucking cool and not nerds. Anyways.
Jordan (00:36:32):
No, I believe you, I believe you. They are people who would survive a waffle house.
Lex:
Oh, I think so. I think so.
Jordan:
Right on. Well come on over y'all. You're welcome anytime. Anyways.
Lex (00:36:43):
York St. John, theater, 2015. Hey, where are my, where are my theater bros at? Wanna come eat at a waffle house at 3:00 AM? Hell yeah, baby.
Jordan (00:36:53):
I would love to do that. I miss-
Lex (00:36:56):
It is true that, like, going into a waffle house does just automatically evaporate British people on entry. They can't survive it.
Jordan (00:37:04):
Yes. We have to be careful. I mean, like, your friends seem hardy.
Lex (00:37:06):
I think so. You know, they're good Northern stock.
Jordan (00:37:10):
Yeah. Okay. Yeah.
Lex:
Okay, I'm just going to stop talking. I'm going to probably get some messages after this one. Whoopsie. [Laughter]
Jordan (00:37:23):
There's nothing that I can think of that wouldn't make this way worse, so I'm just gonna move on.
Lex:
Yeah, that's probably for the best.
Jordan:
So, one of the very popular tips for working from home or working remotely is to make sure and stick to a schedule and have a separate place that is just for working. Um, and those things make sense. I realize that it's not always super easy to do that. So, my amendments to those things would be, if you can set a schedule in any way, set a schedule where people can get ahold of you, if you need to pop on and do your work, like, at 10 at night and your job, that's cool with them. Fine. But like you don't need to be available that whole time. Protect that.
Lex:
Guard your heart.
Jordan (00:38:12):
Thank you, pastor Blaine.
Lex:
You're welcome. Oh, fist bump, better than a side hug.
Jordan:
That's true. Ugh. Anyways. So, yeah. Be careful with your availability. I know a lot of people have recommended, like, put on your work clothes, and that's helpful, but also my amendment to that is going to be, pick your outfit out at night and that'll make doing that in the day way easier.
Lex (00:38:35):
Yeah. Or, like, just wear something different from what you woke up in, I think is the bare minimum of that. Unless you're super into, like, a PJ work moment, in which case live your truth.
Jordan (00:38:49):
But yeah, no, changing your clothes I think is very, very helpful to get into a different mindset. Yeah.
Lex (00:38:55):
Yeah, I think it, just, even the sensory difference of like certain fabrics and, You know, like it's kind of like how workout clothes make me want to work out. Do I always work out? Absolutely not. Do I sometimes just wear the matching sports bra and leggings combo because I want to, and I feel like a top shelf snack? Yeah.
Jordan:
Yeah. You are.
Lex (00:39:18):
Thank you. But also, it does, you know, it does kind of get you in that sort of mindset of, like, you know, if I wanted to, I could do some yoga right now.
Jordan (00:39:24):
Yeah. It gets you, it gets you ready for it. Whether you decide to do it or not, it just takes one barrier out of the way. And those all help. Some other ones.
Lex (00:39:34):
I got you a present.
Jordan:
You got me a present?
Lex (00:39:40):
Yeah. It's a second. [Laughter] You asked. You asked me to give you a second so I hooked it up.
Jordan (00:39:45):
I did. Thank you. I'm so, I'm ever so grateful.
Lex (00:39:48):
You wanna, you wanna hit me right now? You want to do a hit? ‘Cause it was a really stupid pun. So, like, I, I do also understand.
Jordan:
I'm not going to do a hit.
Lex:
Oh, to clarify, we don't hit each other.
Jordan (00:40:00):
Oh yeah, no, we're grown-ups.
Lex (00:40:03):
It's just that sibling, that sibling sort of desire [inaudible]
Jordan (00:40:06):
I'm an oldest sibling and you're a youngest sibling. So sometimes it flares up, but I got the other suggestions now. People have recommended buddying up if you can, whether that is with a coworker who you agree to check in on or check in with. I know that I sometimes, like, FaceTime call my friends and then just, like, work in silence with them. And it's nice to have another person going. Ah, I know that there are groups, like, online or on Facebook where you can join a work session. Uh, that's a great way of doing things. I know I've already spoken very highly of the Pomodoro method, but if you, like me, struggle with taking breaks, 10 out of 10 would recommend. There's a gazillion apps for that.
Lex (00:40:48):
Oh, I thought of, uh, one of the top things about working alone. You can just fart.
Jordan:
That was a good one.
Lex:
Like, you can just fart. And if you're on a zoom call, just mute yourself and just fart.
Jordan:
Yeah. It's really freeing.
Lex:
Just rip one, you know, rip a couple. Be careful. Don't push it.
Jordan:
Oh yeah. You don't want to, like, Dutch oven yourself.
Lex:
You don't want to, like, I'll just say you don't want to, like, shart, but, like.
Jordan:
You also don't want to shart.
Lex:
Depends on where your bowels are at, I guess. I don't know what your personal journey is with, with your intestines.
Jordan:
Proceed with gastrointestinal caution.
Lex:
But, like, you can fart. It's pretty tight.
Jordan (00:41:24):
This is true. Uh, here's another good suggestion. Uh, if, if this works with your work and your work style, uh, one person recommended have, like, a roster of tasks. If you have a priority list, you can kind of chunk that up and to say, like, here are the four tasks that are my first priority. And then if you get bored of one, you just do one of the other ones. And so you kind of have some content to keep going and aren't quite bogged down by, like, priority. And a lot of people have recommended, myself included, I get a lot of mileage about that, is just, like, starting your day with a brain dump and saying like, here are all the things I need to work on here. All the things I'm worried about, here are all the things that I want to think about outside of work. Um, and then make yourself a list based on that. Those are kind of the general ones. I did get some wonderful feedback from the FlexYourADHD Slack group, uh, which you can find on Twitter. Um, and these are from coach Lizanne, who is an ADHD coach, which is dope as hell. And she has ADHD and has been working from home for, like, a decade. So, like, already very hip to the jive. Thank you, coach Lizanne. These are, these are coach Lizanne’s tips, top three, most useful remote work advice. Number one, which I personally love, lower your standards.
Lex (00:42:44):
Nice, nice. Let's get them into the ground.
Jordan (00:42:46):
Really good. Just, just-
Lex (00:42:49):
My standards are already pretty low, so it probably doesn't-
Jordan:
Just keep digging and you'll never be disappointed.
Lex:
Yeah. Why do you think I'm so carefree? That's not true, but, like, why do you think I have such a carefree attitude?
Jordan (00:42:59):
Don't set yourself up for disappointment. And as much as we goof, especially during these unprecedented times, weird, weird stuff happens and we're new to all of this. So, uh, coach Lizanne says whatever they are, allow for more grace and space to be flexible, which I think is great advice. Uh, number two, keep structure. Have conversations with your loved ones, manage your expectations and state your needs. Very important one. Talk together about what you individually are hoping for in this new normal working from home or remote working situation, work together to create some at-home working norms. If you have other people in your house that is crucial.
Lex (00:43:44):
And I'm assuming that you and the cats have been working very hard at that sort of collaboration.
Jordan (00:43:48):
Yeah, absolutely. We, I mean, you know, we run into our boundaries and sometimes people just say things they don't mean, but we're, we've been really working hard at it.
Lex (00:43:56):
I'm so glad, you know. It just really touches my heart.
Jordan (00:44:00):
Yeah. We, we're really growing together, I think. [Inaudible] Okay. Well, last one. And again, I, I wholeheartedly second this, uh, ask for help. If you need more accountability, like, you're someone who can get distracted and notice yourself not staying on task, a task you need to do, reach out to your network and see how you might get more support, create an accountability buddy network, join coworking groups, or consider working with a coach to help you sort out what would work best for you, not what works best for others. I love that. I love that self-advocacy attitude. These are not solutions, but suggestions. Think about what worked well for you before the change in your work environment and see what you can mirror or get the essence of in your new normal. So, thank you so much Lizanne for that. More great tips from Lizanne and other people. Again, I'm on it. You can come say hi to me. You can come say hi to everyone else who's there, the FlexYourADHD group. It's cool. And you might find a productive, productive [inaudible] anyways, that sentence died in my mouth.
Lex (00:45:06):
Okay. Cool. Yeah.
Jordan:
That's all I got.
Lex (00:45:09):
Yeah. Sick. I think, um, if I, if I may just add a little sprinkle of, sprinkle of something in there.
Jordan:
Yeah. Just salt-bae it on there.
Lex:
Yeah. I think, um, my main sort of, if I, is just, like, if I may just, like, add like a little bit in there, just a little, a little bit of cotton candy sprinkles of, like, I recognize that, like, and I should say we recognize, that we're super, super privileged to be able to work from home and, and work alone. And, like, the fact that we were able to get these jobs during all of this. We truly did, I think, like, luck out, um, to some extent, but so, I guess I'm just saying, like, I know that this doesn't directly apply to all of our audience members probably, but, like, even if you're working on your own projects at home, you know, hopefully that can help a little bit of, maybe some of that advice or just hearing that other people also are just, you know, struggling and just kind of scraping by, like, hopefully that helps a little, you know, share the burden with one another.
Jordan (00:46:10):
I think that's a great caveat. Thank you for adding that.
Lex (00:46:13):
Yeah, no, I mean, yeah, I get that, like, this doesn't apply to everybody, but I think that those are generally tips for ADHD brains, that if they work for you, they work for you, you know, and in most contexts or not at all, if they don't.
Jordan (00:46:25):
Yeah, and whether you are, quote unquote, working on your thing you have to do to get paid or something that you're passionate about or something that you have to do outside of work hours, like, you, you deserve the time and the space to do that. So, I hope these are helpful for ya. Do you have anything else or do we wanna bounce?
Lex (00:46:47):
Time to bounce.
Jordan (00:46:49):
Right on. Okay. What are you bringing to the dopamine trampoline this week, Lex? The act of bouncing?
Lex (00:46:58):
No, it's me jumping onto the trampoline. Come on, great [inaudible] work.
Jordan (00:47:05):
Truly. I just, too genius for me to recognize.
Lex (00:47:09):
Yeah, no. Were you taken away? Were you absolutely captivated by the, um, totally accurate-
Jordan:
I was. I didn't know where I was and I panicked.
Lex:
Uh-huh. Oh, okay. Was not my intention, but you know what? I'll roll with it. Ominous, panic inducing. That's pretty on-brand for me. So, um.
Jordan:
Impeccable vibes, go ahead.
Lex:
Yeah. My thing this week is kind of simple and by kind of simple, I mean really simple, it's friendship bracelets. Yeah. So, every summer, since I was a wee little nugget at summer camp, I've been very into making friendship bracelets, whether that be, like, beaded bracelets or woven bracelets, or just, like, braiding three different colors together, you know, we all start somewhere. Or, like, making little charm bracelets, like, whatever sort of friendship bracelets. I've always just loved doing that. I've loved making them for myself. And then I also love making them for other people. And so, like, for the past, like, I don't even know how many years now, I always, always make myself an anklet. And then, since I started living with Jordan, I try to make us both friendship bracelets every summer. And then I try to make them for other people in my life too. And this year I just did that, like, this past weekend, I just made our two friendship bracelets. I'm working on more for other folks.
Jordan:
I got my anklet on and it is fresh.
Lex:
Yeah. I tried a new pattern, and by new pattern, I mean, like, new to me, mixing the sort of knotting and weaving and macrame type stuff with beading. And I've been doing little daisy chain type anklets, some bracelets.
Jordan (00:48:41):
Yeah, they are so good.
Lex:
It's been really fun.
Jordan:
They’re so freaking cute.
Lex (00:48:45):
Yeah. Like, what's not to like, right. Like, friends doing stuff with your hands, colorful stuff, beads, uh-
Jordan:
Flowers.
Lex:
Flowers. Like, it's just so good. And then, like, what they signify, more than just friendship. It's, like, also, like, the onset of, it's summertime now. It's time to get that little anklet tan line. It's time to get that combo Chaco strap and anklet tan line. Am I white? Yes. Like, yeah. I just talked about getting a Chaco strap [inaudible] friendship bracelet. Yeah, no. So, like, I know, I know what I'm about, son. But you know, friendship bracelets to me are, like, a really cute and fun way to do something fun and crafty with my hands. And then also sort of keep me connected to, like, I don't really need much help with this. I'm kind of as childish as they come, not maturity wise, I would say I'm doing okay there. But, like, I genuinely just, most of my life, I like to have fun and be silly and goofy and, like, be funny.
Jordan (00:49:52):
Yeah. I think we could all use a little more space to do that.
Lex (00:49:55):
Yeah. So, like, that said, if y'all ever want, like, OLP themed friendship bracelets, I feel like that'd be really fun for merch down the road. I need to, like, get better at making them and more regularly making them to, like, get that sort of rig rolling. But it's just, like, it's summertime. It's time to have, you know, like, all of the fun, little woven bracelets and anklets and time to give them to other people. Like, I think the very act of making something for somebody that's, like, just really simple and doesn't take super long, but, like, it's fun and cute. And, like, sum- summertime. It's summertime. It just makes me really happy and really gets the dopamine flowing. And then again on the, like, more psychological level, like, yeah, I'm doing something repetitive with my hands and then I'm able to give that to someone else. So, like, there's a lot of different types of gratification, and dopamine and serotonin sort of layering on top of one another. So, like, there's a lot there. Right. But, like, when it really comes down to it, they're cute. They're cute and nice and fun and summer-y.
Jordan (00:51:03):
They are. And I will say, because I am sitting cross-legged in our blanket fort right now. Uh, my friendship anklet is proving to be a very good fidget toy. So, all around good times. Yeah. I, I love mine. I'm very happy about it. Um, and the one that you made me the first summer is, like, was my first friendship bracelet. So.
Lex:
Really?
Jordan:
Yeah. It was just, like, not a thing that other people that I knew, like, really did, like, as a tradition anyways, like, I never heard of it. Like, you put it on and you just keep it on until it falls off. Like, that was new to me.
Lex (00:51:37):
Yeah. Well, I remember ‘cause, like, when our other, third roommate, who doesn't live here anymore, Cammie, was here. That was, like, the summer that I first started making the friendship bracelets, like, for all of us. And I remember at one point Cammie realized that you had just been taking it off before you showered. ‘Cause you didn't want to mess it up. And, like, I thought that was so dear, ‘cause I was like, that's so sweet. You want to keep it pristine. That's not what you do though. A friendship bracelet is meant to be worn out until it falls off. Like, a friendship bracelet is meant to be shed like, like dead leaves in the fall. You know what I mean?
Jordan (00:52:10):
I mean, I definitely still do have that one. Just, like, not on my body.
Lex (00:52:12):
Oh, so valid, so valid. I've lost pretty much all of my friendship bracelets ever.
Jordan (00:52:17):
That's fair. That also feels like a, a right of summer in one way.
Lex (00:52:22):
Yeah, no. Like, I think, you know, if people want to keep their bracelets and anklets, totally cool with me, um, and I just thought it was really sweet that you were just trying to preserve it as long as possible,
Jordan:
That was, like, a nice thing that you made me, what was I supposed to do?
Lex:
But then it, it made more sense. It makes more sense knowing that you've never, you'd never received one before. ‘Cause, like, for me friendship bracelet, it, it comes from, like, childhood summer in summer camp. Right. It's like, you are constantly dirty and gross. And, like, you don't really, like, you only bathe when your parents make you, because you've just been, like, swimming every day in the lake and, like, you know, yeah.
Jordan (00:53:01):
There's a lot of, like, friendship bracelet lore that I just didn't know, and if there's, if there's any other friendship bracelet lore that we didn't cover, audience, please let us know. It's fascinating.
Lex (00:53:18):
If there's more, that's cool. I think, like, there are some friendship bracelets that are, like, when I say friendship bracelets, like, I want to clarify, like, I'm not talking about the, like, really culturally appropriative, like, using, like, the patterns that indigenous people use for, like, their weaving and different things, you know, like, the different tribes use for, like, those sort of significant, I mean, like, when you just, like, do some macrame knot stuff with some, like, rainbow colors and put in some flower beads. Um, so I do want to clarify, I'm not just, like, out here, like, going, going wild with it, but, yeah.
Jordan:
Yeah. Well, thank you for that.
Lex:
Yeah. What's yours?
Jordan (00:53:55):
I'm going to keep mine pretty short and sweet this week. My dopamine trampoline has been the show Superstore.
Lex:
Super. Yeah!
Jordan:
Thank you for your enthusiasm. It's on, I think it's on Hulu. I don't remember.
Lex:
It is.
Jordan:
Thank you. But it's, as you probably can guess from the title, a sitcom about a ragtag bunch of employees and friends and family, even, who work at an unnamed, but very, uh, Walmart-esque super store and a) America Ferrara's in it. I'm like, whew. She's, she's great. She's just, I just think she's neat, to bring that joke back. Uh, she's just great. I enjoy watching her. She's a great actress, but also, like, as somebody who worked for another very corporate retail situation, I feel so seen.
Lex (00:54:47):
It may or may not have rhymed with swole dudes.
Jordan:
That sounds like it would have been a lot more fun to work at, ‘cause at least, like, [inaudible] content.
Lex (00:54:56):
Yeah, well, swole dudes, like a gym or something, but anyways.
Jordan:
Like a protein powder store.
Lex:
Yeah. And not necessarily, like, produce aisle. Yeah. Protein, not produce, yeah. [Inaudible]
Jordan (00:55:06):
You do, you do, but I would appreciate swole dudes. I assume that they wouldn't be quite so worried about, like, if organic food has ever touched anything else.
Speaker 3 (00:55:18):
Yeah. And they probably wouldn't be like super into union busting either.
Jordan:
Yeah, nope.
Lex:
Anyways, so tell me about this TV show, that I have seen, but if you haven't, you know.
Jordan (00:55:28):
Oh, no. Yeah. That's I, that's pretty much the gist of it. It's about a group of people who, who work at a superstore. And I really like all of the characters. I think that they have a really interesting range of people that I really appreciated seeing, like, after my experience doing that, because there is, like, a huge range of experiences and the staff of that store, there's definitely, I think a perception in our modern culture that, like, grocery store jobs are for, like, teenagers, and, like-
Lex (00:55:57):
Yeah, that's definitely a stereotype. Or, like, old people like the greeters at Walmart and like-
Jordan:
Yeah, or, like, people who just like, quote unquote, aren't smart enough to get a better job, which is absolute bullshit. That would be the opposite of the dopamine trampoline.
Lex (00:56:14):
[Inaudible] from the dopamine trampoline to the elevator. Yeah. Real quick.
Jordan (00:56:19):
Yeah. That'll, that'll be a whole nother episode, will be my experience at swole dudes,
Lex (00:56:24):
But so do you feel seen then, by the show?
Jordan (00:56:27):
I do. I feel seen, and I think that it's, it's cool to see other people who are watching the show have the opportunity to experience that for the first time, if they haven't already, if they don't feel seen by the show, getting to watch it and go, oh, I never thought about that perspective before. And I think they do a very good job of presenting all of those. I think that they just have that corporate culture nailed to a tee. And it feels really good to laugh at it. Um, I think that there's, there's an episode of Superstore where unionizing is a big theme in this show for good reason. You can, you can pause right now if you want to and go back and listen to my dopamine trampoline about the Wagner act a couple of episodes back and then just press play when you're done. But there's a corporate educational video that they watch. That's, like, I don't need a union to help me take, you know, get the wages to take care of my baby. And then it's, like, insinuated that the store mascot impregnated her. And it's like, that's, that's about it. The weird things that they, they insinuated vegetables were for, like-
Lex (00:57:36):
It's so strange, so strange.
Jordan (00:57:40):
It's so bizarre. It's so nice to have a chance to laugh at it. And also America Ferrara. So that's, that's my dopamine trampoline, is the show Superstore. 10 out of 10 would recommend. Do we have anything else we want to say about our dopamine trampolines or about remote working or about our favorite or least favorite musicals before we wrap this one up?
Lex (00:58:03):
No, I'm still thinking about that pizza assaulter and how I want food, so.
Jordan (00:58:08):
Okay. Yeah. Let's wrap this one up and go eat something cheesy. Okie doke. This has been Or, Learn Parkour from Wholehearted Production Company.
Lex (00:58:15):
You can find us on Spotify, Apple podcasts, Stitcher, you know, pretty much any other cool place where cool kids find their cool podcasts.
Jordan (00:58:23):
Special thanks to Krizia Perito for our fantastic cover art. You can find more of her work at Petalhop. That's P-E-T-A-L-H-O-P on Instagram and Twitter and Etsy. Go say hi. She's great.
Lex (00:58:36):
Yeah, and thank you to Tom Rosenthal for our intro and outro song, There is a Dark Place off off the album Keep a Private Room Behind the Shop.
Jordan:
You can follow us on the sosh meeds, @OrLearnParkour on Twitter, and @weareWPC on Instagram, and on our website, weareWPC.com.
Lex (00:58:54):
You can find links to all those and more in our episode description.
Jordan (00:58:59):
You sure can. If you enjoy this podcast and want to hear more, please follow this feed. Before anyone asks, yes, Apple is doing some sort of weird new subscriber thing. No, I don't have a damn clue how it works. So don't get your hopes up, but you can still follow us.
Lex:
I didn't even know it was happening.
Jordan (00:59:19):
They're, like, integrating their, like, essentially their own Patrion thing. It's, it's a time.
Lex (00:59:24):
Apple, can you just, like, relax? Can you just relax for a second?
Jordan (00:59:26):
I don't think, I don't think that they can. Yeah, no, but that's apparently a thing. Not for us. You can just click follow, call it a day. That'd be a good time. Yeah.
Lex (00:59:37):
And if that's too much of a hassle, you could just follow us on, like, Twitter or something because we do have one of those. If you really don't want to follow us, but still want to support us, we have a ko-fi. I don't know why you wouldn't want to follow us, but you would want to give us money, but I don't know your life. I don't know your choices.
Jordan (00:59:54):
I really respect that. Just, like, drop some cash and drop off the face of the earth. Like, that's a really big, like, millionaire recluse life, which is honestly my life goals.
Lex (01:00:02):
Yeah, no. I mean, if there are any millionaire recluses, recluses? If there's any millionaires who want to give us money, please,
Jordan (01:00:11):
And you can do that on our ko-fi, And you can find the link to our ko-fi-
Lex (01:00:16):
In the linktree, in our Twitter and our Instagram. And on our fancy website that has been so, so optimized because of somebody’s new job, huh?
Jordan:
For all of the content that we have.
Lex:
I love her. We're like, yeah, we have a Tiktok. Yeah, we have one Tiktok from forever ago. It's fine.
Jordan:
Both of those things are true.
Lex:
We contain multitudes, and a lot of that doesn't get recorded on any platform. We're doing our best.
Jordan:
We are. Do we have an outro question slash joke?
Lex (01:00:50):
No, I just feel bad for being, like, yeah, no, we're just doing our best, but also, like, we are, we're trying. Thanks for sticking with us.
Jordan:
We appreciate you.
Lex:
If you're on the fence about it, I get it. But, like, please, please stay. We love you. We want to make content. We want to make funny things and silly things and insightful and helpful things. Just sometimes life is so much, all the time.
Jordan (01:01:17):
And if you also feel like life is a lot, so much, all the time, you're not alone. I hope you feel some peace.
Lex (01:01:23):
Yeah. You're in, I don't know if it's good company, but you're in company. I would consider us good company. I don't want to sound conceited. You know? I think we're pretty fun to, like, hang with.
Jordan (01:01:32):
We'll leave that one in the eye of the beholder. I enjoy hanging with you. I will give you my recommendation.
Lex:
I would fucking hope so, bro. I mean, I don't have an outro question.
Jordan:
Oh, I've got one. What kind of pizza would you be saddest to have smacked out of your hands?
Lex (01:01:49):
Oh, so my favorite is, like, a good thin crust with a little bit of crispy, but also, like, I don't want it to be, like, crunchy, um, because I want to be able to eat the crust. I don't want to be wasteful. I want to be able to eat the crust. So, please let me do that with, like, a, just a buttload of cheese. Just some average out of the can pizza sauce and then pepperoni, natch. Uh, and then, you know, some garlic, some, some little chopped up garlic. Yes. You have some garlic and then also pineapple.
Jordan (01:02:19):
Hell yeah. I'm going to hop on that pineapple train, but I'm also going to say, like, chicken, bacon, barbecue, pineapple. And I'm going to go, like, eat that now. So, I'm Jordan.
Lex:
And I'm Lex.
Jordan (01:02:30):
And this has been Or, Learn Parkour. We will see you in two weeks. Bye.